Sauntering leisurely, the military boots stepped on the gravel road, making a rustling sound.
Keiko had to admit that the quality of these combat boots was nothing but satisfactory as soon as she put them on. She didn't recognize the material, but from how it felt, she was sure that it was way better than premium grade cowhide mostly used by famous brands in her time. The material used for manufacturing the assault-jacket-style camouflage combat uniform which she usually wore on her body was superb too. It could be said that this world's military attire was very luxurious.
As she approached the gate of South Bunker, she quickly got noticed by the two guards, and then they immediately greet her with a military salute.
"Good morning, ma'am!"
"Good morning."
Keiko made a small nod, returned the salute, and entered the bunker.
As soon as she came inside, she immediately sensed the temperatures dropping by a few degrees.
Feeling a little bit cold, she quickly wrapped her body in her jacket, which ended up in an awkward position due to her injured hand that still hung with a bandage around her neck. She increased her pace and soon arrived at the second floor. What welcomed her there was a spacious hall where many soldiers on patrol duty were ready with their weapon keeping their eyes on the surrounding vicinity through holes in the wall. At the corner of the room, there was a lonely table with a strange device on top of it.
'Is that a radio?'
She shook her head, quickly denying her own thoughts. In this world, you could find a smart A.I. as a home caretaker, a wonderful mecha, and a powered exoskeleton. Would they still use such a retro gadget?
Then her attention shifted toward the female soldier behind the device. The bespectacled girl gives an impression of an introverted bookworm, the kind of girl who would glare at you when you dropped your pen in the library.
The girls seemed to notice Keiko's gaze and thus made eye contact with her which made Keiko a little bit embarrassed like a teenage boy caught on peeping by his parent.
As soon as the female soldier saw her, she swiftly got up from her seat, took a step forward, and saluted.
'Aah how many times do I need to salute in a day… it gets really annoying…"
Regardless of how she felt, she still returned the salute, so she didn't look rude. Who knew what kind of people the previous owner of her body was? She would like to stay low-key before she got the hang of this world's custom and understood a little bit more about the previous "Keiko Lee".
"Second Lieutenant Lee, First Lieutenant Valentine is waiting for you inside, please come with me."
Keiko nodded and walked, following the female cadet's lead through the corridor, passing by several patrolling officers, climbing up the stairs to another floor, tracing a curved corridor, and finally stopping in front of the office door. A wooden nameplate hung on the door; a name engraved deeply on its surface: Lt. Stacy Valentine. The female soldier knocked on the door three times and said loudly:
"Reporting Ma'am! Second Lieutenant Keiko has arrived."
"Come in."
A deep feminine voice came from inside. Keiko could vaguely feel a faint Irish accent from her voice.
Having gotten her permission, the female soldier opened the door for Keiko and asked her to go in. Keiko stepped in and saw four people in the room.
There was an elderly man sitting behind the desk. He looked like a man who had passed his sixties, and he wore a military uniform instead of the combat uniforms worn by Keiko and the others.
On the leather sofa in front of the desk sat a female officer clad in a camouflage combat uniform. Behind her, stood a man and a woman, who seemed to be her adjutants.
Keiko was instantly attracted by the woman's ocean blue eyes. Her short red-brown hair and fair complexion made her even more enchanting.
One of her adjutants was a Caucasian with few freckles on her face, cute was the word used by Keiko to describe her appearance. The man, on the other hand, had slightly tanned skin and curly black hair, most likely he was a Latino.
"Greeting Sir, Ma'am, Second Lieutenant Keiko Lee is here to report."
This time, Keiko was the one who saluted first as she had a lower rank compared to other people in the room, especially the woman who was with her two adjutants and the elderly officer.
"Please, be at ease."
As soon as Keiko entered the room, the elderly officer sitting behind the desk stood up and walked around the desk to Keiko with a smile.
This was the first time Keiko had seen the official uniforms of the federal army, and she couldn't help but admire them secretly. 'That looks so dope!' she mused.
The uniform was a double-breasted suit with a lapel collar in dark green as the main color. He wore a large-brimmed barrette on his head, a crest—most likely to be the Federal crest, embedded on that barrette, and there were two golden-colored olive branches on the black brim. An authorization sign was hanging on his left chest while army badges and a name sign were stitched on his right chest. The military rank on his shoulder indicated that he was at least a Captain.
From his appearance, Keiko could tell that Slav's blood was running through his veins. Maybe he was a Russian descendant. Although he was old, his walking posture was still straight and he dressed meticulously and with dignity, giving her the impression of a proud tiger.
"It was such a disaster, Lieutenant Keiko, I hope your injury is not serious."
"Thank you for your concern, Captain Alexandrov. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad."
"I've wanted to get acquaintance with you in person for so long, you're just like the rumor said, brave and valiant. It's rather fortunate to have a chance to meet you here."
"Likewise, Captain. I've heard your honorable name too."
Although he did not introduce himself, Keiko could easily guess the identity of the elderly officer in front of him. Gennadi Alexandrov, the military chief of the Sleipnir Field Station. He was assigned here in the last three years. Keiko had a hunch that she might encounter him sooner or later, so she did her homework in advance.
Regarding the Sleipnir Base, at the present, it housed around 500 million population where the dense group lives in the vast area of 6 million square kilometers.
Keiko had memorized the whole map of the federation. The base's area spanned to the north reaching Russian Siberia, in the south it spread until the area where Sichuan used to be, the east to the old Heilongjiang Province, and in the west was the old Kazakhstan Karaganda.
The seven city-states were closely adjacent to each other, separated by city walls, and overlooked like a huge, inverted triangle.
This was the homeland where humanity had spent hundreds of years and finally established a foothold.
To ensure their survival, humanity was striving to expand their territory, in order to do so, the army would execute a large number of foreign exploration operations every year.
So far, more than 300 outfield bases have been established around the seven city-states. The larger one was called the "Base Area," while the smaller one was known as the "Base Station."
For example, the "Secret Zone 1" where Keiko and her troops were deployed was a very large outfield base area. The Sleipnir Base Station can only be regarded as an outpost in the Secret Zone 1.
To be an officer in a field base far away from the main city of the Federation was quite miserable. As a small base at the base station level, Sleipnir's monthly supply was negligent.
Therefore, in Keiko's eyes, such a patriotic man as Captain Alexandrov in front of her was worthy of her respect. The old captain didn't have an inkling of what Keiko was thinking, he just smiled and said to the female officer sitting on the sofa.
"Then, Lieutenant Valentine, I still have some business to deal with. You can talk have your talk slowly with Second Lt. Keiko."
Lieutenant Valentine stood up at this moment and said politely, "Okay, Captain, please be careful on your way."
Watching the old captain leave the office, Lieutenant Valentine looked back at Keiko with a smile.
Keiko stood straight in front of her and decided not to speak first, afraid that she would slip up, and accidentally reveal her secrets.
From Lieutenant Valentine's attitude in front of Captain Alexandrov, Keiko could guess one or two things.
Valentine was still young and had a bright future as a middle-level commander in the ace division while Alexandrov was an old officer who had been demoted to a small place like the outfield base station, and had to bow his head to Valentine, whose rank was lower than his.
Judging from her current contact with Valentine, she concluded that this female lieutenant was a very powerful person, smart and decisive.
It warranted her to be more cautious around this young lieutenant to prevent her from finding out that something was wrong.
"Second Lieutenant Keiko, please sit down. Your injury hasn't healed yet. You don't need to force yourself."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Valentine."
Keiko was very obedient and without hesitation, sat on the single sofa with her back straight, very much well-behaved.
Valentine seized Keiko up and said after a long while, "You were transferred to our third squadron recently and already had to encounter such a big accident. To be honest, as your superior I sympathize with your plight."
Keiko was startled, calmed down, and replied, "You don't need to, First Lieutenant. As a soldier on the front line of the battlefield, I had already prepared myself for the worst."
What Keiko said was her honest feeling. After all, she used to be a soldier too, so she always had that train of thought.
Valentine smiled and said: "You have a good record in the Central Army and you also reached your current position started from the bottom of the rank. Although you were not under my command, I appreciate you very much" her smile deepen as she continued, "I don't like beating around the bush, so let me say this, I want to be your friend."
A small frown appeared on Keiko's forehead soon after she dropped the bombshell.