Adam walked into the room wearing a full Justiciar attire of nice fabrics, the best his textile mills could produce. It took a long time to refine most of the coarse fabric into softer material for direct contact on skin, but as soon as enough of it was made, Adam ordered that all troops must switch to the new Winter Attire, a camo design that he had worked on and that became the new standard for all Men-at-Arms in his base.
Before that, he had Venusians in black and red, Urdmen in brown and cream, Martians in orange and black, Moonmen in gray and black, Titanites in bronze and chrome, and a couple of Astrodites in white and blue. Having all those troops in different colors and planetary heraldries would make management difficult and wouldn't inspire esprit de corps in Adam's force; thus, a unified color was needed. Adam decided to rely on Earth's military's different camouflage designs, depending on deployment needs.
And to further ensure the units' compliance with the change of colors, he made them all agree to transfer to the newly established Earth Legion, a new planetary legion for this planet, a move he had announced in a big speech half a month ago.
Sadly, the Sacred Code didn't acknowledge that yet, which made Adam realize he would need to fulfill other requirements first, probably because of his rank as a Lieutenant, who can lead up to a platoon. He had a quest on the Base Terminal to earn the rank of Captain, with troop count and subordinate officer requirements, the latter proving he needed three lieutenants under his command to be eligible for the promotion.
While that was one of the hundred things occupying his mind these past couple of days—aside from the halted work on the Base Bastion, the Script Monastery, and the Holy Furnace—he didn't let it discourage him as he sat face to face with the man who might be part of the solution to his problems.
"First of all…" Adam started with a professional tone, showing respect for the army veteran he was sitting in front of, but before he could continue, the man cut him off.
"I have demands," Ajax Wills, the scruffy man with an impressive physique, said, looming over Adam just from his seat four feet away, especially as he leaned closer on the table. "I know this place is big and impressive, but I also know why you need me and what I can do for you, but I am not in for some Muppet show. I don't want to start from the bottom; I'm too old for that kind of shit. I want to pick my own team, have a tactical say in my operations, and I don't want some tactical film crew to get in my way. For that, I'll agree to whatever evaluation you put me through, answer all your questions with candor, and play by your rules as long as they don't get in the way of my oath of defending the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and obeying the orders of the President and appointed officers according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice."
Seeing how aggressively Ajax started, Adam leaned back in his seat and looked for a while at the taller man's serious face before looking toward a corner of the room.
When Ajax was brought to this room, it was poorly lit on purpose. With an intense spotlight coming down from a conical lamp dangling from the ceiling, anyone sitting in that spotlight would be unable to see the dark corners of the room, as their eyes adjusted only to this light. Usually, this was an interrogation room designed for the purpose of scaring off criminals and offenders while Adam dealt with them, and he had dealt with a handful of them in the past few days alone, but, for lack of a better reception room, the interrogation room was used for that purpose.
Adam, as well, couldn't see the corners of this room, but he knew that aside from him, there were two other individuals. One of them was Elena, who made her presence clear as she walked into the room with echoing steps.
Ajax, however, didn't look away from Adam despite someone walking behind him. He, too, was aware of the tactic, knowing that there were others in the room, which put him straight on the offensive with Adam. As for Elena, she approached the side of the table, walking past Adam, then disappeared into the other corner.
"I am familiar with the Oath of Enlistment," Adam said in a lazy tone. "I almost enlisted at some point just to prove myself to Megan's father once. He's… was a Colonel in the Marines. Hateful guy!"
Despite that tense atmosphere, Adam had a clipboard in his hand, which he set on the table and started crossing some lines on a list with a pen. Ajax frowned at the sight of that, but he waited as Adam was adding a few words to his document.
"What's that?" Ajax asked, realizing that what Adam was editing was a contract of sorts.
"Well, in light of your demands, I think I need to make some adjustments. I was going to call it 'Humanitarian Effort on Behalf of an American Soldier for the Survivors of Humanity,' but now let's call it a 'Cooperative Military Agreement between the Legio Bellarium of the Solarium and its First Contact with the U.S. Military.' An alliance of sorts. And since you can't make a decision on such a political matter on your own, I guess we can bring in Senator Ned Carter to sign it for you as the only legal representative of the United States around here."
Listening to Adam as he handed the contract to Ajax, the latter was immediately dumbstruck, seeing the lines Adam had crossed out on the document.
"Oh!" That exclamation escaped him the moment he realized the situation he had just caused.
Adam made a short chuckle before taking the contract and tearing it into pieces. What he had was a list of perks Ajax would be given, far better than what the man had even asked for, but the latter was the one who ruined it for himself.
"Let's restart this whole thing," Adam said in a relaxed tone. "I'm Adam Clay, a native Earthling, as we call it here, and the highest non-Wartopian officer in terms of rank. I act on behalf of the Commander of this base, who is always busy trying to gather more Solarium forces to join us and bolster our defenses against monsters. In case you haven't noticed, we are quite self-sufficient at the moment, and since most light supplies, such as food and ammunition, aren't a problem, we won't go cheap on our operation. What's more, we have the resources, as long as you have the skill to employ them correctly. Unlike the U.S. military's infamous 'big budget but little money,' we'll spare anything we need for the objective."
Ajax listened, and rather than feeling ecstatic about it, he kept a passive face despite feeling intimidated.
"Alright." He nodded and opened his hands toward Adam. "What do you need from me?"
"Currently, we are constrained by the fact that we are technically under siege. The main bulk of our forces is containing the Dire Wolf problem and the growing population, with little to no ability to go past our trenches to search, map, and make contact with other groups that may work as allies. Being both a native to this world and a military veteran gives you both the home advantage and tactical acumen needed to lead a team in the field on our behalf to do good for this world. We have other militant groups that go out into the wild, but they are all Privateers—contractors, if you wish to call them that—but they aren't anything special, and they don't have access to our tech, not for free."
"So, I'll be your scout." Ajax concluded.
"Scout, hunter, and poster boy… man… poster man, sorry," Adam awkwardly added before clearing his throat. "It will be our most dangerous job, if you choose to accept it. Your missions, on the other hand, can be issued by the Command Center or the Sacred Code—our main computer. I'll give you my permission as Justiciar to withdraw from and reject anything you may deem a suicidal mission."
"I accept," Ajax said and offered a handshake, which Adam took right away.
"But we'll still do a thorough evaluation of you," Adam said, holding Ajax's hand tightly despite the size difference as if to assess him.
"May I know the details?" Ajax asked. "When and where, at least?"
"It started a while ago, sorry for not being clear about it. But any answer you give me from now on better be the truth or…" Adam said and tried to sound more intimidating, but he ended up with a passive, flat tone, "… there will be complications."
"Yes, sir." Ajax still took Adam's attitude without a problem.
"Good, man." Adam withdrew his hand before looking at a different paper that he pulled from inside his coat. "A background evaluation, a skill evaluation, and… I was honestly thinking of some mental evaluation, but if you're at least not speaking nonsense Japanese when you're fighting, you're good in my book."
"What's that?"
"Just a Trooper we have. You'll meet him." Adam chuckled, shaking his head, and then turned serious. "I understand that the information you gave us is all true: your name is Ajax Wills, 36 years old, from North Dakota; you had a fiancée before it all went down, and you lost contact with her as well as every living relative you knew. Is that correct?"
Ajax nodded after a short pause.
"Verbal confirmation, please." Adam asked.
"Correct," Ajax replied, no dejection, just acceptance.
The moment that was said, a voice came from a dark corner of the room where Ajax didn't even suspect anyone to be:
"Checks!"
The voice was masculine, big, and deep. Now looking in the direction it came from, Ajax could only see two eyes staring at him in the dark: glowing eyes the color of the sun, as his first instinct told him, but that glow wasn't so intense as to hide the pupils or the whites of them.
Just a normal pair of eyes, exceptionally visible in the dark, that's all.
"Perfect," Adam said, ignoring the presence that started to fill the room, which Ajax couldn't help but keep watch of. "What group were you affiliated with after you left the military after D-Day?"
"Not so much a group. I was mostly at Brighthaven Airport, moving between small crews; nothing permanent," Ajax answered.
"Checks."
"Do any of those groups know about the existence of our base?" (Adam)
"There are rumors." (Ajax)
"Do they wish harm upon this base or its operations?" (Adam)
"I am not sure, but they lack both the organization and the means to do so." (Ajax)
"Would they try to pose a risk to this base or its operations if they have the chance to?" (Adam)
"I believe anyone out there who sees your weapons and wants to maintain autonomy or play some game of power would try, but as I said, it needs organization, means, and will. I doubt there is any of that left when I parted ways with them." (Ajax)
"Would they send anyone to spy on us?" (Adam)
"Not that anyone desperate enough to make the same journey would want to make it back with the news. So, unlikely." (Ajax)
"Would you spy on us for any party that you were previously affiliated with?" (Adam)
"No." (Ajax)
"Would you ever try to cause harm to the Solarium faction or its operations, leak information, or withhold critical assistance if you could provide it?" (Adam)
"As long as it doesn't go against my oath and your faction shows goodwill toward this land, its people, and its sovereign authority, I wouldn't cause harm, leak information, or withhold any kind of assistance." (Ajax)
Adam remained silent for a while before turning his head a few degrees to his right.
"All good, sir?" He asked.
"All checks." The deep voice came once again, this time, no longer hiding in the shadows, but actively stepping forward toward Adam and Ajax.
Ajax followed as Adam stood up, and finally, a figure stepped into the light. Without thinking, Ajax's eyes widened the moment he looked at the man who towered over him with a full head and had a very imposing physique, no less than 8 feet tall, dressed in what seemed like a monk's habit, made of brown, coarse fabric.
"You're one big unit!" Ajax blurted before turning to Adam and remembering that he had just called the man 'Sir,' prompting him to add, "… Sir."
"Captain Solomon Creed. Paladin of the Solarium," Adam softly spoke, introducing the goliath. "He was your witness and corroborated your story."
"Thank you, sir," Ajax said with respect, trying to run the familiar name through his head.
"You are welcome. Sol Imperius guides your way." As Creed replied, the shadows cast by his features from the nearby lamp made him seem more stoic and mysterious, and the door to the room opened.
Ajax was led out to a different part of the building where he found himself facing a machine that looked like a medieval execution device, various of them, in fact, all placed side by side in a large brutalist-style corridor, lit by powerful white light and decorated with many religious Solarium symbols, mostly a winged sun and depictions of Sol Imperius's ascendance.
"You will be subjected to seven different trial bases that were redesigned to Earthling standards. They will rise in difficulty as you go, but I've done some work on them lately. So we will go as far as you can," Adam said.
"Is it safe?" Ajax asked.
Adam started telling Ajax a few things about the Iron Maiden, the drug, and what to expect in the simulation—a bit of a guide to make sure the latter was at least ready. However, this Iron Maiden made Ajax far too excited to take his eyes off the morbid-looking device for a second. After all, it was real-life VR.
"But before you go, we always try to keep track of all our Earthling Troops' system stats. I know you are awakened, and it is mandatory to be awakened to be recruited, as you see," Adam said.
He cunningly knew that most people would try to keep their status to themselves, but with something as inciting as a post-apocalyptic VR game hanging in the balance, Status Privacy becomes trivial when compared to that.
But when Ajax wrote down his status and handed it to Adam, it was Adam's turn to be shocked beyond words.
—————[ STATUS ]—————
Name — Ajax Wills
Role — Survivor
Class — Warrior ★
EXP — 3
—————[ STATS ]—————
Might — 9
Trick — 2
Spirit — 10
—————[ SKILLS ]—————
— Artifice (IV)
— Athletics (VII)
— Blunt (VI)
— Cook (III)
— Firearms (X)
— Handling (V)
— Laborer (VI)
— Medic (I)
— Psyche (II)
— Sanity (I)
— Senses (III)
— Stealth (IV)
— Toughness (VI)
— Warfare (VII)
————[ POWERS ]—————
— Fighting Spirit (Class)
— Line Breaker (Class)
——————————————
Aside from being a brute shorter than Creed by only a head, Ajax Wills was a beast in his own right—an exhausted one, but a beast nonetheless.
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
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