"And that's all he had to report."
An elderly man with a short, white beard slowly nodded his head as he spoke with Rina over an encrypted channel. "I see...well at least it appears they're off to a great start."
"Indeed. However, with that being said, we need to take our time with them. Rushing things won't end well."
"I agree, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure of that. However, I'm certain that if we take too long–"
"That's why we've set up several contingencies, and if they're attacked...well, they're in good hands."
The man sighed. "That's true. Anyways, keep me in the loop as much as you can, both in regards to the academy and with them. This involves more people than just you all."
"I will. Speaking of, I do need to go as I've just gotten word they're back in reception again. Need to report to them as well"
"Even now you're still so busy." The man smirked. "Alright. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you next."
"Goodbye."
Rina ended the call as the man put down his communicator, sighing and rubbing his forehead.. Almost immediately afterwards, the door behind him opened, revealing a younger man. "Looks like you've been busy today."
"Just a little. How were the negotiations with the senate majority?"
"Rough to say the least. They're demanding quite a few concessions for any hope of the bill passing."
"I was afraid of that...well, give them a few of the most easily acceptable concessions and go from there."
"We're already doing that. Hopefully we'll have a breakthrough sooner rather than later."
The man nodded. "Keep it up, but under no circumstances will the senate be put in charge over that class."
The young man nodded and watched the elderly man walk over to a large window that overlooked the capital city of the republic: Deumi and all the colorful lights that illuminated the night sky. "Despite how bright this city is, there's a dark cloud just over the horizon."
"At least we were able to see this cloud before it could do any serious harm."
"Are you sure about that?"
The man was silent before the elder shook his head. "What happens to the Republic hinges on what decisions we make in the near future. I dare not think about what could happen if we were to make even one single mistake."
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"Understood. I'll let her know right away." A large, muscular man began jogging down a dimly lit hallway, a communicator to his ear. Reaching the farthest door, he forcefully knocked. "Madam, there's someone who you need to talk to."
"Enter."
The man opened the door and handed the communicator to a slender woman with bright blue eyes and shoulder length black hair. "I assume it's you Twelve, correct?"
"Everything you said would happen has indeed happened, and then some."
"Oh? Is that so? What else has occurred?"
"The Republic has formed a new special operations class in the same academy the heroes originally trained in. That might be the government's response to the raid."
"Starting a new class huh? Any other information you could come up with?"
"Unfortunately no. Any and all information concerning this class is hard to come by. They're being way too secretive about this class, and I'm honestly worried about it."
"Hmm...well for now, just try to obtain as much information as you can. Try to create an information network in the military. There has to be at least a few that would be sympathetic towards us."
"Understood ma'am. I'll get started right away."
"Don't contact me again until you're successful. If you do..."
"I haven't failed you before, and I have no plans on starting now."
"Excellent. I'll be looking forward to your next call then."
The woman ended the call and smirked. "All within reason."
"Hm?"
"The way Twelve made it sound, I originally thought the Republic was already going to do something drastic, but thankfully that old man never changes." The woman took out a piece of paper and quickly scribbled down a few orders. "Take this to Sixteen immediately. He'll know what to do with this."
The man nodded, grabbed the paper, and jogged out of the room. "A new class though...are they trying to recreate the miracles of the past?"
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Meanwhile, on the planet Sivov, which lies on the outer edges of the Republic, a group of men slowly trudged along in a dark forest. Despite it being midday, the forest coverage was so thick that no light could get to the bottom. As they approached a small stream, the man in front of the group shouted for the rest to hold position.
"This should be the place. Xavier, what's the time?"
"Just before 1300 sir."
"Looks like we made it with a few moments to spare."
"What are you talking about? I've been waiting here for hours."
The men jumped in shock and pointed their weapons and lights to a single man who was leaning against a tree. "I was told you are all usually early to important engagements, so I'm a bit hurt that this meeting wasn't considered important enough for the same consideration."
The leader shook his head. "On the contrary. We held this meeting to such importance that we didn't dare try to deviate from the instructions we were given. Have you managed to hold up your end of the bargain?"
"I sure have. Come, take a look."
The leader and one other from the group walked over to where the man was pointing at and spotted several large cases and wooden crates. "As promised, here are the weapons you've ordered. We went all out trying to smuggle these away from the Republic's stache, so you'll see some of the newest tech in here as well."
The leader grinned. "Excellent. Brom, if you would?"
The man next to the leader took out a large packet and handed it to the man. "Here's the second half of the payment."
The man opened the packet and looked inside. "Looks like everything is here. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. Just don't go using all your new toys all at once though."
The man turned around and walked away, giving a slight wave. Before quickly leaving the sight of the group. The leader chuckled. "Alright men, the preparations are nearly complete. Let's get these weapons back to HQ and begin phase one." As the others ran to retrieve the crates, the leader turned back to where the man was standing. How in the world did he get through the forest without any equipment?
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