Author notes:
This chapter is packed with references, both historical and Honkai Impact alike. I hope you all enjoy whatever I cook up lol. It has been a fun one to write before we get back into our weekly dose of war crimes. Also also, as promised, Sneggs are in the album, do enjoy the new pictures :D
https://photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9
Now if only there are more people support this story in ways of reviews and comments, that would be lovely. Or if you're feeling generous, sponsor my mother and i a cup of coffee or a nice dinner over in Ko-fi or P-atreon! Thanks a ton!
https://www.pa-treon.com/Heartbreak117
https://ko-fi.com/heartbreak117/goal?g=0
P.S: Edited by Yovis
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Tripoli, FOB Oscuriad. Jointly controlled by the Inquisition-Shadow colonial administration, this coastal city of Libya now serves as a foothold to maintain the coalition's control over former Sardegnian colonies. These colonies, namely Libya and the newly renamed Spaniard East Africa, are vast. The old Spanish Empire would be pleased to see its descendants rebuilding its colonial empire, if only in some facets. Rather than siphoning the lifeblood of the colonies to serve their new owner, the coalition administration prioritized the reconstruction of the colonies instead.
It's a strategic move by the new colonial government. By showing that it actually cares about the well-being of the colonized populace, the goverment would make the people less willing to cause trouble for the time being. Rather, they will take the chance to help with the reconstruction effort and regain some of their formal livelihood. To gain the loyalty of the natives for the foreseeable future, however, it's decided that a restructuring of the colonial machine must happen.
Old Sardegnian despots are kicked out and put on public trial for their crimes against the colonized populace. It's mostly a sham of a trial, however it does get the job done when it comes to improving the natives' morale. Then, members of the Spanish Inquisition and Shadow Company who were skilled in administrative tasks were picked to help manage the colonies. Some of them are recently 'recruited' by Shadow Company, that is quite lucky that their new members somehow got the necessary skill set for the job at hand.
The main purpose of this joint administrative body is to ensure not just the rights of the new owner but also those of the natives. With the formalization of this governmental body, a new directive is issued, much to the shock and hope of the African citizens. During the rebuilding period, the majority of the resources acquired by the colonies will be invested back into the colonies, setting up new schools, hospitals, and housing areas... New laws and policies were made to improve the living standard of the African people. After everything is back on track and the new infrastructure is laid down, the new colonial administration will then resume siphoning the colonies' resources. However, they will be doing so on a percentage basis, rather than the absurd monthly or even weekly quotas that the Sardegnians used to impose. This means that at the end of each quarter, the mined resources will be summed up with a percentage of them going back to Spain and the rest are being used to reinvest back into the colonies. It's a simple, but effective system, as long as there's a monitoring division to make sure the balancing checks are correct. Something quite easy to do with how morally upright the Spanish Inquisition is, not to mention that the Shadow Company is there with exclusive ordly to ensure a win-win situation for everybody. It won't be just Spain that will be getting richer, the African populace too will get a better way of life. For once, the Africans will be treated as actual living and sapient beings, which will give them hope that there's a better future for them all. As long as they follow the impartial laws, of course. For all the promises that the colonial administration is willing to enact, they know that not every native will be willing to cooperate peacefully. This is where the new colonial police force comes in.
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The Crusaders have fallen out of grace, and hard at that. Natasha knows that, and every single remaining crusader knows it. Yet, Kallen is probably the only one who fully understands what this entails. The former Saintess is their leader, after all, and she comes to know a lot of things about their future. Yes, Kallen has renounced the position of Saintess that was given to her during her time with the Sardegnian Papacy. Honestly, Kallen feels that she is undeserving of a title that was made upon the blood of countless people, despite the protest from her battle sisters. If anything, Kallen would like to etch out a path of her own, something that is morally upright at least. It's what she has told her sisters, and something that Kallen hopes to achieve herself one day.
Of the remaining Crusaders, those that are still alive, Kallen is pleasantly surprised and moved to see that they all have given her a semi-public vow to stick with her through thick and thin. None of them chose to leave when offered a chance of a fresh start, a civilian life elsewhere. That goes to say that Kallen's position in their hearts outweighs everything. To them, their Saintess sister is still there, shining ever so brightly to ensure them all a good future and to do what she does best, being kind to everyone. The latter, though blemished by their stint in the Spanish-Sardegna war, has returned in full when the Crusaders are entrusted with new responsibilities.
After the Stockholm Conference, the Spanish Inquisition integrated a not-so-small number of sympathetic Sardegnian prisoners of war under their umbrella. Due to Kallen and the rest of the Crusaders' cooperative nature, and because of the unanimous decision made during the Conference, the Inquisition adopted the supersoldier group as additional manpower on a probational basis. To avoid an outcry from the Spanish populace, the inducted Sardegnians were transferred to the African colonies to bolster the police force there. Many of the normal Sardegnian soldiers are those who had taken to the sidelines near the end of the Spanish-Sardegna war, opting to fall under Kallen's leadership instead. It's why the Spanish Inquisition and Shadow Company deemed it acceptable for them to be put in the field. They're barely trustworthy enough with Kallen at the helm. Nonetheless, it's prudent to have a supervising unit as a safety precaution. This is where handlers from Shadow Company come in.
Giving the Crusaders and their subordinated force Spanish handlers may or may not cause some unforeseen conflicts. That's why the handlers are veteran Witches of Shadow Company instead. Many of them are officers who will be able to utilize this mixed forces of normal and enhanced individuals while simultaneously keeping them in line. One of the handlers is Staff Sergeant Langley, leader of the 6th Force Recon Section, Shadow Company. Now, she is holding the post of chief liaison between the colonial government and the Crusaders.
Standing in front of the assembled Crusaders in the yard of their dormitory, Langley begins addressing them per their usual morning routine. "Good morning, girls and ladies. I sure hope you have managed to fit in with your new home and slept well. Moreso, we have a packed schedule for the day so, as always, team leaders are to come forward to receive assignments for their teams. After that, get your magic pistols from the armory if your tasking requires that much firepower. Otherwise, daily provisions will be handed out by Sergeant Solace."
Moving to a desk with a stack of documents readily available, Langley starts distributing the mission packages to the team leaders one by one. To aid in managing the Crusaders, Langley has worked with Kallen and Natasha to organize the Crusaders into smaller teams, based on their skill set and teamwork. Since the Crusaders already possess a cohesive bond with one another, introducing an unfamiliar face in the operation of each team would be detrimental. As such, minor handlers are responsible for managing them from the sideline, and to only interfere when a team oversteps their boundaries. This ensures high efficiency in task completion and makes sure the Crusaders are well-behaved. There are some issues in the beginning, of course, but as time goes by, the pacing is set and the Crusaders start accepting their new normal. Kallen has been instrumental in making that happen, which Langley is honestly grateful for. Less work for her is always welcome.
Moving on to the Crusaders' assignments. There are a great many things the teams have to do in the Spanish colonies. This can be something as minor as helping the construction of a well or taking up a patrol duty on behalf of a police precinct. More major or long-term assignments may include things like a search for a missing kid or the eradication of any threat that imposes itself on the construction of defensive walls for towns. Teams that undertake the latter of which will be given back their magic pistols, otherwise, normal firearms should be more than enough to tackle any thief or possible insurgent. At the end of the day, the Crusaders are still supersoldiers, even if they're only C-rankers. Normal human beings won't be much of a threat to them. The Sardegnian soldiers under Kallen's control will be the supporting force for the Crusaders. To avoid confusion and to remove themselves from their former master, these Sardegnian soldiers rebrand themselves as the Knight Hospitallers. This is a new knight order that pledges its allegiance solely to Kallen. The former Saintess has struggled to accept their vow but ultimately relents so that her battle sisters will be safer, now more than ever.
In the off chance that the Crusaders and Hospitallers do come across something that neither they nor the police force can handle, local Coalition QRFs will sortie to their aid. Overall, it's a multilayer security setup to ensure the stability of the colonies.
In a way, it's an unimaginable development for these former Sardegnian military men and women. However, it won't be a development that they will come to regret despite the initial rough start. This is their only shot at redemption after the pitfall Sardegna had plunged the world into, they will be truly damned if they pass up it.
Langley watches as, one by one, the Crusader teams disperse to get on with their assignments. That said, there are two Crusaders who stay behind to chat with Langley. It has become Langley's new morning routine to share a few words or her concerns with Kallen and Natasha, or just to trade a few teases here and there.
Langley smiles as they approach. "Well, hello there, you love birds. Any concerns you wanna share about the dorm building?"
Kallen blushes at the insinuation about her relationship with Natasha, while the latter smirks at the tease. Natasha goes on to jest. "Would it bother you not to tease us every morning?"
Langley snickers. "There's a reason I named the dorm building Lily Garden, and no it's not because of the flowers planted here. With how you two kick off your romance with one another, the other Crusaders have started to mirror your experience. I have noticed a few pairs already eyeing each other like school maidens skirting around their crushes."
Hearing that, Kallen sighs. "Please don't remind me of that. It will be a chaotic mess when I have to start managing their romantic relationships so that it won't harm them unknowingly. I won't be interfering with their love life, but I will put a stop to it if they hurt one another because of it."
Natasha smiles, pulling Kallen closer into a hug. "Spoken like a true dorm mother, my dear."
Kallen smiles shyly while scratching her cheek. Kallen and Natasha have very much taken the back seat, just so that they can manage their budding faction better. Only on rare occasions would they move themselves to handle something that requires a tad more firepower. This has given the couple more personal time despite the curse of administration duty. Their love grows day by day and it has grown enough to be impossible to hide. When their relationship comes to light, they are shocked when they're given blessing and support by the people around them. In the heart of their faction, Kallen and Natasha together are such a match made in Heaven that it goes on to overthrow any preconceived bias about same-sex couples. It also helps that they've come to interact more and more with the Belkans, seeing them not like what the propaganda painted them to be.
The girls chat for a bit more before moving on to do their work for the day, falling back to the usual rhythm of a more lively Africa. What they don't know is that also in Tripoli is an acquaintance of Kallen. To Kallen, she's a friend of sorts, now deemed missing during the Auschwitz fiasco. The woman is none other than Ottile Apocalypse in disguise, and a very good one at that.
Gone are her immaculate dresses, and lab coats and her ever-calculating face. Now, Ottile presents herself as a gentle and wise, albeit a tad mischievous lady. Wearing a two-piece black and white dress alongside a wine-colored coat, Ottile's attire now features less superfluous elements, only retaining its comfort and subtle elegance. Her hair and eyes, formerly yellow and green in color, have their colors switched with one another. Utilizing her forbidden knowledge about the human body, Ottile has concocted something that allows her to modify some of her physical features. Nothing too serious, and it's quite painful, but it does get the job done in creating her new persona.
Now, even Kallen may not be able to recognize Ottile even if they're to stand face to face. Trust Ottile on that as she has intercepted Kallen once in Africa. The poor Saintess thought that Ottile's persona was just another damsel in distress. However, it irks Ottile to no end when she sees her favorite Saintess being lovey-dovey with that Raven. Nevertheless, Ottile accepts it with grace that she herself is not the best option as a romantic partner anyway. Kallen has picked a good partner, though Ottile will not sit by if that Raven dares make her Saintess cry.
Ottile, now goes by the legal name of Emma Planck according to the documents, once again reaffirming her desire to support Kallen from the sideline. Obviously, with how the world is right now after the Catastrophe, going about inhumane research without any backing is tantamount to suicide. The world has all unanimously agreed upon a stringent grasp on such activities, making it so that Emma's plan to relocate to the Rusviet Union fell through. Now without a base of operation, Emma can't exactly resume her endeavor without painting a giant target on her back.
Hence, for some time already, Emma has been shadowing Kallen, going from place to place, living using her talents in many fields as a freelancer. She has netted up a reputation around the Spanish colonies, and for the first time in a long time, it's a positive one. It feels... Oddly nice to be a good person, surprisingly. Still, Emma is a beautiful lady, much like her former identity of Ottile Apocalypse, and has gotten into a fair bit of trouble already. It's why she manages to build a new connection to the policing Crusaders, and ultimately a new bond with Kallen. Honestly, it's a weird, trippy feeling to act like a damsel in distress to Kallen out of the blue. Though Emma could have taken care of the thugs on her own, getting saved by Kallen and getting to know her once more was such an interesting experience.
That's enough about her adventure from Ottile to Emma though. Emma has recently been approached by a very intriguing party, one that seems highly interested in her skillset as a freelancer. Yet, more worryingly, they have left behind a hint that they know of her former life as an Apocalypse. Emma has no idea how they can trace her past to here, she has made sure to clean after herself properly. Nevertheless, it's apparently not enough. This is very troublesome because Emma is worried that a potential blackmail could implicate Kallen. So, tentatively, Emma has taken it upon herself to set up a meeting with this enigmatic party that wants her service. There are contingencies in place, Emma just hopes that it will be enough if things fall through.
Sitting in a coffee shop that is very much open to the public and next to a Crusader team's patrol route, Emma now awaits the other party to arrive. She has been idly caressing the rim of her coffee mug when someone pulls out the seat in front of her. It's a woman, no, a girl?
"Well met, Emma Planck. Or should I say, Miss Apocalypse?" The girl with long black hair and golden smirked dangerously. "I am Dreamer, and we have much to discuss."
At this point, Emma can't help but think that she is dealing with a Devil with how bone-chilling Dreamer's grin is. When Emma finally is allowed to leave the coffee shop, it's only when she has accepted an offer that's too good to be true. Even if her acceptance is a good thing, Emma thinks that she has no other choice but to say yes. On the bright side, at least the job will allow her to resume her life's work with regular paid leaves. More importantly, she may be able to officially work with Kallen, rather than scurrying around her.
So, is working with the Office of National Intelligence a win in Emma's book? Yes, yes it is. All is for Kallen and no one else.