It was a new chapter in Magnus' story, but as he was starting to get into it, it was time to stop telling stories to Finny. They both got out of their beds, Magnus letting FInny get down from the top bunk first.
Magnus stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself. So many more scars were there than when he started his training for the army. Magnus took off the flannel pants he was wearing for pajamas and took of his white undershirt.
He put on a pair of jeans and a cerulian button-down. He didn't need to bathe, as he had done so last night.
"So, Finny, where's the dining room?", Magnus asked, quite curious on this subject, for his stomach was howling for food.
"It's right over here!", the small boy shouted, running down the hallway, but stopping every so often to make sure Magnus was still following.
They took a right from the room and headed down the hallway, passing at least ten rooms. They turned left and went down the magnificent staircase, and headed in between the two staircases that lead back upstairs.
In through the door in the center, and they were in a large room with a huge table. This table could have easily hosted thirty, but the circumstances required it only host 22.
Jack had already eaten breakfast and was out the door for the day. He had council business to attend to.
Thus, Magnus was now stuck eating with unfamiliar faces who were his new family. Looking at these other kids, it was obvious that Finny was the youngest and that he himself was the oldest.
All of these children were orphans, including himself. His family had betrayed him... But that did not matter now, he had a new family that he had gotten to save his old family.
Magnus thought about his family on earth and what had happened between him and his step-father, but all of that was now irrelevant. It was in the past.
Magnus couldn't get his mind off of the subject. It was burning a hole in his mind, aways present, but never confronted. He didn't want to go back to that dark time...
"So, Mr. Magnus, can you continue the story? I'm sure the others wouldn't mind!", said the chirpy young fellow.
He was seeking an escape from the pain, so he started talking, not knowing that it would lead him to that which he sought to escape most.
"Yes, Finny, I can. So, the General took me over to the coast of Gaul, and I took a boat from there to the UPC mainland. I took a connection of railways to get to the western coast, and from there I boarded another boat that would take me to the UPC Pacific Islands..."
There Magnus was, standing in a group with a squad of marines, hopping from one island to another, seizing it from the Empire of Oyashima and occupying it. The Oyashimans were known for their thought of death over dishonor, as they were instructed to and followed through with crashing their planes into UPC boats.
"Magnus, get over here! I need some help untying this rope from the boat!"
It was Magnus' new aquaintance, Thomas, your average height, brown haired, UPC man with a nice moustache. He was a marine who was serving before the UPC was in the war, and was on leave before this point. Magnus and he clicked when they met on the train on their way to the west coast.
They were untying a gun boat from the dock so it could go out and patrol for Oyashiman boats.
Magnus dropped the sacks of MRE's and ran over to help his struggling friend. He grabbed the rope and pulled it towards himself, giving Thomas some slack to work with.
This was enough for Thomas to work with, and he got the rope off of the cleat. They both walked over to the sack of Meals Ready to Eat that Magnus had left in his effort to help Thomas, and Thomas picked up the sack, repaying his debt.
Thus they went back to the base camp of their company, whose assignment was to hold the island for two weeks. After that period, they would be replaced by a new company and Magnus' company would hop to the next island.
Holding this island was of grave importance to the UPC military, as it had the best positioning and local geography of any Pacific island, as it hosted mountains and rain forest perfect for defending and a flat enough area to support large amounts of troops ready for invasion.
Thus, they were to hold onto the island for two weeks before help would come for them. Without any more supplies, they toiled and struggled to keep the island. This would be the hardest task Magnus had faced yet, but this would not discourage him.
Just as Thomas set the sack of MRE's down, Magnus sat down at a picnic table and they started talking. They were from rather parts of the country, but they still could relate to one another.
As they were talking about recent politics, a scout came out from the jungle, panting and sweating profusely. He looked as though he had just run 2 miles to relay the most important message of his life.
"Where's the company commander?!", one soldier shouted, seeking the commander of their company. This scout had
The company commander came out from his tent, asking, "What is the problem? Goodness, what happened?! What's wrong?", he said, looking at the scout. He murmured something inaudable, so the company commander leaned down to hear better.
As the scout caught his breath, Magnus stepped away from Thomas and inched closer to the conversation. Through the gasps of the skinny man, only audible now through recovered breath and the scout speaking up, Magnus only heard him say, "We heard... Went to see... Oyashimans... Too...", and with those words, the scout fell over, unconscious.