Liberation Saga: Volume 1

Chapter 9

Two other girls sat on a bench outside with me. One seemed excited, while the other bounced her knee nervously.

"You're awfully calm," the red-haired girl with the bouncing knee said.

I looked up, not sure if she was talking to me or the brown-haired girl beside her.

I pointed to myself. "Me?"

"Yep. How are you able to stay so calm?"

I thought about it for a moment but couldn't think of an eloquent answer that wasn't an outright lie.

"I'm nervous too," I said. Even if it was for different reasons, this was true. "What do you know about where we're going?"

"Not many girls actually get sent off to the commander. I've heard the chieftain exaggerates and tells stories, hoping more approach him. Best I can tell, it's only been a few dozen since he came here."

"A few dozen is a lot," the brunette beside her said.

I nodded. It certainly was a lot, but based on the rumors I was expecting more than a hundred.

"And no one's ever returned?" I asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," the redhead replied, followed by a nod from the brunette.

A soldier approached, removing his helmet. It was Conway.

"I had a feeling I'd see you today," he said.

"What can I say? I don't like wasting time I don't have. Good to see you again, Conway."

"You two know each other?" the redhead asked.

"We met at the market yesterday. I was helping out at the vet clinic."

"Wait a minute," the brunette said, standing up. "You're Taylor. I thought I recognized you. I thought you passed the exam and went to PanTech."

I shrugged, standing and nodding to Conway. "I'm on vacation."

"Vacation?" the redhead asked, tilting her head. "No one else has ever come back for a vacation."

"Maybe it's the same as how no one's ever come back from joining the commander. They're having so much fun they forget where they came from."

Conway laughed.

Was it really that funny?

"Okay, girls, let's get moving," he said, motioning for us to follow him, locking his helmet back on.

Guess that meant I wouldn't be able to ask questions along the way. Not that I could anyway with these other girls with us.

"What's the commander like?" the redhead asked.

"Remulo? He's... hard to describe. It's better for you to decide for yourself after you meet him."

***

Shortly after leaving the outskirts of the village, we boarded a vehicle. Another strange, unexpected turn of events. Adversity Management was highly discouraged from introducing technology to citizens beyond what they were familiar with in their zones. Was this because they knew no one would return from this trip? Either that, or a complete disregard for rules and regulations. Either option fit the rumors. This commander, Remulo, seemed to care very little about the rules.

I did the best I could to memorize the route. Although this zone wasn't massive, being able to follow a direct route to and from the Adversity Management camp would save me time. Regardless of what was going on with the other girls, I wasn't planning for an extended stay. I wasn't going to ignore what was going on there either. Too many eggs in one basket.