The Tales of the Legendary Mimic : Momo

Respect await and so does the peace behind safe doors

The military plane landed in an open field under the watchful eyes of the commander. Jane, however, immediately noticed that something was off. There were too few soldiers. That question would have to wait for now.

The hatch opened. Jane and Max stepped out first, with the professor and Sarah following behind. Lorne was helping One-Eye walk, supporting him with his shoulder; the man seemed to be suffering from a hangover. Marc was doing the same for Henrik.

The commander came forward to welcome them himself—one of the greatest honors Jane had received since the start of her military career and since her father’s glorious death.

She straightened her posture, lifted her chest, clamped one hand to the other in salute, and stamped a booted foot. She exchanged a salute with the man, whose wrinkles spoke of hard-earned experience and old age.

“Well done, Captain. You don’t know how much we anticipated your arrival, or how eager we were—especially with your achievements on this mission. Everything you did is definitely going down in the history books,” the commander said, visibly excited as he shook her hand.

“It was nothing, Commander. I was only following orders. Besides, a fight for humanity is a fight for me—and for all of us,” Jane replied with a smile, then continued more seriously. “Isn’t that right, soldiers?”

“YES, CAPTAIN SIR!” the soldiers roared in unison, the voices of those who had previously been on this mission with her ringing out among them. Those soldiers had been dispatched back early so they wouldn’t throw their lives away unnecessarily.

Max studied the array of well-groomed soldiers, neat and steady in their lines. He didn’t notice anything odd. He wasn’t a soldier, and he didn’t frequent the D Sector; this was his first time visiting. Because of that, he couldn’t perceive how strange it was that the assembled force barely numbered three hundred at best.

Still, he felt a faint itch of unease when his evolved D-rank ears easily picked up some chatter behind the front rows.

“Captain Jane is a real hero. Not only did she save dozens of the company that left with her, she also completed the mission with an unbelievable rating while keeping casualties as low as one.”

“Yeah, that’s true. If they hadn’t been caught off guard, maybe Rios wouldn’t have died. His family’s been compensated, though. The military granted them first-rate citizen status and moved them to the C Sector, where elite soldiers’ families live. They’re being provided for by the military.”

After the short exchange, Jane followed the commander, while Max and the rest were escorted to their assigned suites—except for One-Eye. As it turned out, D-ranks were very well off. They had their own sector, not bad at all compared to the government-managed B and C sectors.

By then, One-Eye had mostly recovered from his hangover and could walk on his own.

“You can come see me anytime you please, Teacher. We mercs are very welcoming,” One-Eye said. Then he paused, struck by a sudden thought, and dug a hand into his pocket. He pulled out a golden card with silver-embroidered lines, a full name, rank, and the organization that issued it written neatly on the surface. “Ah, not this one. Give me a sec—wait, I’ve almost got it.”

He tucked the card away and produced another one, this one looking like a strange cross between glass and paper. It was clearly the result of some kind of mineral mutation. “Yeah, got it. This is my visiting card. Bring it along whenever you need me. I might not be much out there, but I’m still a top powerhouse. Among fellow D-ranks, I’m ranked pretty high. Might come in handy someday.”

Max glanced at Henrik, who gave a small nod to show that the card—and One-Eye’s claim—were genuine. Henrik still felt dizzy from the excessive drinking, but he remained clear-headed enough to judge.

Sarah came in at that moment, carrying a tray filled with a rich collection of dishes.

“Rice, meat, sauce, sausages, eggs, salads, fruit, and vegetables…?” Max listed, seeking confirmation.

“Mm-hm, fruit-and-vegetable type indeed,” Sarah affirmed. She pulled the belching, groggy Henrik away from hovering over the tray. “Get down, jerk. Don’t make me use my fist. It’s one thing to drink yourself to stupor; it’s another to try and shove your face into Max’s meal.”

She kicked his crutch from behind. The poor man folded, clutching his groin as he lay on his side, teardrops forming at the corners of his eyes.

“Foo…d… I deserve to eat… hurts… everywhere…” he groaned between half-sobs.

“Hey, Sarah, any idea where my ex-butler went?” Max asked.

“Oh, yeah. Sir Lorne was appointed as Sir Garfield’s assistant by Professor Garfield himself, just like that—no ceremony,” Sarah replied, trying to recall the details. “I can pretty much remember what he said. He needs a new weapon since he lost those dual rods he used to carry, and he wants another form of self-defense. So staying with the professor is actually pretty smart. Professor Garfield is a scientist with very strong backing, on par with the military and even the mercenaries. He’s got ties to both sides, and both of them need him, in fact. He’s one of the supply chains for Geno Fluids used to cultivate experts in the Merc Association.

“That’s one of the reasons most mercenaries are at least F+ rank in strength, unlike the military, which mainly relies on devastating weapons and access to nuclear arms. But soon, even that won’t be enough. More armor and weapons are being crafted from mutant carcasses, and sooner or later, something far more frightening will appear. So the military…”

She trailed off there.

“Hmm, that’s great… Let’s eat first. It’s been a long day,” Max said. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was forgetting something.

His mind drifted for a moment, then he pushed the thought aside and focused on the food, sharing the meal with Sarah as she dished out her own portion.

Whatever it was could wait. For now, they had the safety of closed doors after a long while out in danger.

“It’s good to be home… even if it’s the same as in my memories… it’s good,” Max thought.