544 Among Us

Captain Blake was watching the delayed telecast of the ongoing battle over at the other end of the New World. The bird eye view of the battlefield was being broadcast over by a Mariner S2 recon plane circling around the area and the signal was being relayed by a chain of receivers giving a slight delay in the streaming.

He could see tiny figures scattering as artillery shells landed over the Protectorate camp and the hulking shapes of Protectorate heavy armour, Warjacks storming across the fields only to be met with contrails of rockets and recoilless anti tank rifles.

As far as he could tell, the battle was one side and in favour of the UN forces at Fort Hensink. And for the battle in the air, the superior firepower of the UN Air Force was taking a massive toll on the Protectorate airships, especially with the cover of the storm gone.

He turned away from the battle and accepted a report from Kaga, his current assistant. He took a glance at the report before asking the tiny image of General Joseph on the screen, "Are there any important other urgent matters?"

"The 1st Army are currently bogged down while en route to Fort Hensink due to the weather turning the roads into mud," General Joseph said. "Much of the roads are flooded and the rivers are swollen with rainwater. They also have encountered a lot of refugees asking for aid."

"Sir, the local Mayors and Governors are seeking help from the 1st Army with the flooding," General Joseph added. "And several ground commanders are also requesting permission to dispatch part of their troops to aid the flood victims..."

"And?" Blake replied in an unconcerned tone as he continued to read the report.

General Joseph's image looked aghast as he heard Blake's reply before he gave an embarrassed cough. "Sir, the people need our help... They might be Meccans, but now they are part of the UN..."

Blake put the report down and stared at General Joseph's image for a minute before he gave a curt nod, "You are right, what was I thinking... Dispatch half the forces en route to Fort Hensink to aid the flood victims."

"Kaga, inform City Hall to come out with a plan for the Meccans dealing with flood," Blake added in an afterthought. "See to it that additional food and medical supplies are to be dispatched to the General Joseph to aid the flood victims."

"Thank you, Sir!" General Joseph let out a relieved sigh as he gave a salute. "I will get to it at once!"

Blake waved the salute away as he stood up and announced to his aides, "I will be returning to my quarters, do not disturb me if there is nothing urgent."

"Have I lost all faith in... this world?"

-----

UNS Vengeance, Battleship Central

A sudden series of blaring cries woke It up from its slumber violently. For a moment, It thought that It had returned to the cold of the void as It could feel the sharp icy tingle on It's body before It recalled that It has gained just a physical body!

It rubbed Itself in an unconscious manner as if to warm It self up and those actions made It feel the smoothness of It's skin and the two lumps of flesh protruding out of It's chest. Strangely enough, despite being a divine being, It felt cold in It's current environment and the loud strange echoing cries of the mortal beings were not helping It's mood either.

It peeked through the slits on the floor and saw that the chamber was dimly lit and empty. It suddenly missed It's previous form as it will be easy for It to slip through the slits and float down into the chamber. But now, with a physical body, It could not do so and It pounded the slit floor in frustration, only to feel the ground underneath it suddenly giving way.

With a cry of surprise, It dropped right down into the chamber with a loud thud. A mangled square piece of the slit hard rock laid next to It, the hard rock clearly dented by It's fist. It stood up with a new kind of feeling that It had never experienced before as It glanced around Its surroundings with curiosity. It could feel It's face was feeling warm and something akin to being unsettled in It's heart.

It quickly brushed it off as the price of having a physical body. The fall did not hurt It much, only causing It to be surprised. It looked around the chamber and saw the wooden platform were the strange short being had conducted its ritual. Feeling curious, It took It's first awkward steps forward as It has not adjusted to It's new body, as It has been crawling on all fours. After a few stumbles, It managed to somewhat walk on two legs like what It had observed those beings did.

As she stepped up the podium which reached just to It's eye level, It saw the strange oversized coverings folded neatly on the wooden stand together with a roundish cover. It recalled seeing the beings here wearing coverings and some even wore the similar looking cover on their heads. It looked down at It's body, seeing It's skin was dark toned and hairless, only It's head had those soft curls of hair.

Thinking that without It's previous form, It could no longer fly and hide in those tight narrow secret passages, It needed to blend in with the other beings here and find out more about where It was. Without further ado, It put on the oversized coverings and using It's previous impression, It struggled to wear it. The strange coverings reached just halfway to It's shins and It's hands disappeared into the parts where It assumed the hands go. To finish off It's disguise, It donned the round covering like how It saw those who wore it.

The strange coverings had a scent of black water and burnt flames, which gave It a sense of familiarity. Once It's disguise was completed, It felt a sense of pride and happiness which It had never came to feel before. The strange unfamiliar feeling make It uncontrollable make a bubble of noise out of Its throat and It headed to the exit of the chamber, pushing open the roundish gate and into the unknown.

-----

"ALL HANDS ACTION STATIONS! REPEAT! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! ALL HANDS ACTION STATIONS!"

The all ship announcement system blared loudly and accompanied by a siren that was rumored to be able to wake up the dead with its unbearable whine. Flight Lieutenant Foy, leader of Skull Squadron had suited up and was half running from the Central Hull to the port side Carrier Hull A.

He kept to the right of the passageway and like everyone else, kept their bodies half turned as they moved at a quick pace to their stations so that no one will bang against anyone going in the oppose direction in the tight passageways.

To his surprise, as he stepped over a hatchway and entered a passageway, he spotted a jam before him. Thinking there might be an accident among two crew members in their rush to their stations, he continued on and squeezed in with the others and saw a strange scene.

A tiny figure, just slightly taller than a goblin was standing in the middle of the passageway, looking confused and frightened. He noticed that it was a young girl wearing some kind of old olive green army uniform and matching beret. On second look, he realized that girl was naked under the oversized patched up uniform as she did not button any of the buttons, exposing her nakedness.

The rest of the crew were ogling at the strange girl as they squeezed around her to get to their stations. Foy seeing that there was no NCOs nor Officers around except him, stepped in and started yelling in his best command voice. "CREW... ATTEN- SHUN! Where's your damned discipline? We are at battle alert now! Stop staring and move your asses!"

"Sir, Yes, Sir!" The chastened crew quickly stood at attention before scrambling away to their stations.

Foy seeing the jam easing as the crew got moving again quickly pulled the girl into a side cabin and kneel down next to her. On closer look, he realized the girl was actually very pretty with a dark healthy tanned look and large innocent looking eyes framed by a heart shaped face and long slender ears more like a goblin than the people's.

He frowned slightly as wondered who brought this child onboard before his expression softened and he asked in a gentle voice, "Who are you? Where is your charge? Can you button up your uniform properly?"

The young girl tilt her head silently to one side as she looked at him with those impossible large doe eyes, making him feel like he was looking into the mysterious of the stars. He caught himself staring like a fool before he quickly recovered and he looked away in embarrassment, wondering why did he get so attracted by a little girl.

"Do you know which section and cabin they assigned you in?" Foy tried asking again, feeling that this young girl must have some kind of abilities that High Command assumed to be useful in to their cause. But seeing the girl did not respond to any of his questions and feeling the urgent need to report to his station, he quickly helped the girl button her uniform up and held her hand before giving her an assuring smile. "Come on, I shall bring you to the flight deck and have someone look after you!"

To his surprise again, the young girl gave a goblin like giggle, but unlike the crazy goblins, it sounded way more cuter!

-----

It felt confused by the strange looks that the beings in this place was giving It as It roamed the labyrinth made out of hard rock until the strange loud cry of some creature screamed in It's head again, forcing It to cover It's ears as It waited for the strange cry and sounds to disappear.

When It recovered, It noticed that It was surrounded by many of the beings in this strange labyrinth. For a moment, It wondered if It's disguise had failed and these beings will turn hostile to it. Suddenly, a loud voice was heard and the voice seemed to have some kind of magic power as the beings surrounding her suddenly froze up like rock statues before hurrying off somewhere.

A tall being wearing some kind of even stranger coverings stood before It and took It's hand, guiding It into some small chamber. It stared at the strange being that was taller than It and It could only helplessly try to guess what the sounds the being was making to It. The tall being seemed to give up after a while and reached out to her coverings, and played with some strange round object.

It soon realized that It must had donned the covers wrongly and that was why the other beings were giving It strange stares! It let out an uncontrollable bubble of noise at the thought of it. It looked up at the tall being as it held It's hand again, wondering where was this tall being going to bring It to next.

Strange, why would this mortal being face turn red? It wondered curiously as It stared at the face of the tall being holding her hand. Is it some kind of racial ability?