Chapter 36: "No One and Everyone"

'We would meet one way or another but not the very next day...' Charlotte mulled over the thought.

Since they already have a good relationship, when they were motioned to sit down, Lucian discreetly sat next to her with a look full of questions.

Of course, she also had questions that needed to be answered, starting from what job an "informant" really is.

Thankfully, she was provided with a more detailed explanation of what the job entitled.

"Starting today, the newcomers will assist us on the battlefield transmitting information to those fighting. The first significant battle they will attend is the upcoming army's return to the battle against Nation #24123795," the man with the gray suit named 'Blake Stevenston' continued.

'24123795? What kind of name is that?'

"The battlefield currently is at its second stalemate as we know it since we agreed to a peaceful retreat. However, this peace won't last long, and we predict an attack is coming soon. We must resume to the battlefield and assist our nation's fighters as quickly as possible."

"Will the newcomers receive training before leaving since this is short notice?" someone asked.

"Yes. Although they are all properly trained, it would be ideal for them to do a re-run in order to get into the mentality of the war."

Everyone nodded at his answer, seemingly all in agreement.

"If no one has any more questions, I will assign you to a different team that best utilizes your strengths. Each team will have a newcomer so do show them the ropes."

As fate would have it, or in this case, fate specifically designed Lucian and Charlotte on the same team with two other girls.

The teams all have a team captain, which Charlotte was graciously not one of them. She quickly learned that each informant was trained in a specific skill set, similar to that of a cog in a machine. Each one was in charge of a specific task for that team and they will work together similar to the many parts of a robot.

She was placed in the role of "Analytical Reader", which is in charge of analytical reading of the positioning of the fighters on their team. Through the map which shows the terrain and the positions of the fighters, she can make decisive calls with the help of those physically on the battlefield. With a wider view than the soldiers on the field, she can warn of flanks or surprise attacks that may come. This includes gathering data on certain suspicious activities that may happen on the battlefield that must be reported.

The role of "Technological Support" was given to a girl named Luna Donovan. She was petite compared to everyone else and was forced to tilt her head up every time she spoke. She was a bit shy and reserved, only commenting when absolutely necessary. Similar to her name, her hair had the color of the bright shining moon, that flowed down to her knees. She had a little fish hairclip that secured her bangs from falling. She was dressed in an oversized hoodie with a pair of black shorts.

As the name suggests, her role was to give technical support when needed. This entails malfunctioning equipment from the informant room or from the fighter. She was trained to fix the equipment on site in case of malfunction. She is also in charge of keeping the signal connections that radiate from the soldiers in check so that it shows up on the map. She also updates any information from the battlefield onto the map to be analyzed.

Lucianna Ahearn, the captain, is the complete opposite of the short frail girl. She was tall and exude a fearsome aura, similar to that of a soldier. She had red hair that was shoulder-length which flickered around as she walked. She looked like a righteous strong woman capable of defending herself from danger. In a sense, she fitted the role of "Commander".

The "Commander" was in charge of receiving commands from the nation's main informant center while issuing their own commands when they see fit. She had the final call to what is to be told to the soldiers. Her job was to also stay in touch with the other team's commanders in order to keep in touch with the events happening with each team. War is fought as a collective and therefore needed to be fought together, making her role important. She also gives protection to the informants in her team in case of emergency. Informants don't fight on the battlefield but are stationed near it. Each team is in charge of a different area. In case of an attack, she provides the most protection to her teammates.

Finally, Lucian was tasked with the job of "Transmitter". As the name suggests, he takes all the information from the "Analytical Reader", "Technological Support", and "Commander" to transmit them into commands to the fighters. He acts as the main communicator of the fighters to the informants, the critical link in this whole operation. When a command is issued, the response is received from the other party. He needs to relay that response in order to go into further notice. Besides responding to any problems that may arise, he also acts as support at times in case anyone else needs support.

As everyone chatted to get familiarized with their teammates, mainly the newcomers, Lucian looked at Charlotte a bit before turning away.

Charlotte caught this and asked, "What? You are curious no?"

"Well... I never imagined you would have such a job?"

"Me neither," she responded meekly.

'I didn't know it until today...'

"Isn't it a bit off-character for you?"

"Off-character? For... me?"

"Yeah. We had a whole chat about the world that we knew of currently, and you seemed a bit pessimistic. I can't quite put it into words but you get what I mean."

"So? How does it have anything to do with being an informant? I mean, I have seen many things and so complaining about it to you seemed pretty in-character of me to do so."

"Well, aren't you directly helping the nation in a sense? It's like indirectly supporting the nation and agreeing to the idea of war."

'I haven't thought about that...'

"... Well, people are balanced, in the sense of good and evil. Things such as war are similar as well. Take the problem of our nation going to war for example. War will cause casualties, which means many painful deaths. Yet, if we don't fight back, the citizens will be the next to suffer. The people won't survive if the other side takes over, and I am not so heartless to see so."

"But, war is war. It's still war at the end of the day. The losing side will always have a worse outcome than the ones who win."

"That is what makes war so... illogical? Yes, illogical is the word. In a sense, it's sort of an agreement, a forced agreement in some cases. Let's break it down, shall we? How do wars start?"

"Through a nation attacking another."

"Why do so?"

"Usually for territory or expansion of land. It might be because the nation did something the other nation didn't like. It could also be a violation of a treaty."

"Yes. Wars start one way or another. But at its core, war will be forced by a party with the intention of starting one. Whether for gain or a grudge, it all starts because a party intentionally wants to start a war."

"Can't there be wars start accidentally?"

"That falls into the category of 'I didn't like the fact that you did that even if you didn't know'? In a sense. the other side starts the war intentionally."

"... Guess I never thought of it that way."

"Well, wars all have heroes and villains. But on the other side, heroes turn into villains while villains turn into heroes. Just like a coin, they are flipped just like that."

"So who really are the heroes and villains?"

"No one. No one and everyone. We all fight for what we feel is right. We all fight because that is what we think is right. We fight for our thoughts and desires. We fight for our point of view on a matter. You are a hero in your own right, a hero of your own mind, and those who share your view. But you are the villains to those who don't."

"So why fight? Why war?"

"You can ask that a million times and the answers may all vary. But at the end of the day, you will ask yourself again if it was worth it."

"Will it?"

"Depends on who is asking."

"Back to the first question, if both sides have the same mentality and know war causes only tragedy, why war?"

"Ah, you rephrased the question. Well, I guess the answer would be because it can bring major benefits."

"The benefits after blood has been shed?"

"Yeah! Benefits that outweigh the bad. Benefits that could only be achieved through more violent means. A side will know the other is greedy and has its own needs that need to be fulfilled. The other side knows that as well and so war ensues. People start wars for its benefits because they think the benefits are so great that it is worth the bloodshed."

"But what about the people who have to respond to war? Those who didn't ask for it? Isn't it just too cruel?"

"Yeah, it is. But it has been continuing for thousands of years, even before technology. It's interesting to see how we can even fathom thinking of resorting to violence. But when you are a soldier fighting in a war, you know the risks that come with it. You can't regret it on your last breath if you chose this path. Unless you are just... greedy."

"Huh... well it makes me not want to do this job even more."

"Why did you choose the job of informant anyways?"

"Well-"

"Everyone! We will be meeting with the fighter of the next meeting room. Get to know each other as you will work very closely with each other from now on. But not too close!"

Everyone stopped their chattering and headed out the door.