"If I were a Taran..." Janie murmured, leaning weakly back into her chair as if drained of every drop of strength. She managed a pale, fragile smile. "I'd probably choose to leave this heartbreaking country behind, too. It wouldn't matter where—just anywhere better than here."
The forced smile looked as if someone were pulling up the corners of her mouth against her will.
"Don't push yourself so hard," Jeanne said gently, noticing the raw strain in the young soldier's eyes. "Compared to your peers, you can hold your head high knowing your conscience is clean. You shouldn't shoulder this whole burden by yourself."
She understood the knot of emotions tightening in Janie's chest. It was the quiet, agonizing grief of a kind heart realizing just how powerless it was against the grinding gears of the world.
"You're right, of course," Janie sighed, staring blankly at her hands. "But every time I try to convince myself with that logic, it just feels... wrong. Like I'm making excuses for letting something awful happen."
She swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "I might have done slightly better than the soldiers beside me, but that's a razor-thin bar. Maybe that's why it stings so much..."
"If it bothers you that much, focus on what you can do right now," Outcast's voice interrupted smoothly. The silver-haired Sankta stepped back into the common area, drawing every eye in the room. "Even if it's just helping them pack their bags or carrying a crate, doing something beats sitting with regret."
"Outcast..." Janie blinked, looking up at the veteran operator. The advice landed softly, giving her a tangible outlet for the compassion restless inside her chest.
"You two head on in," Outcast said, gesturing toward a side office with a slight nod to Jeanne and Talulah. "Leave the girl to me. I've got plenty of experience guiding lost youngsters."
Once the door clicked shut behind Jeanne and Talulah, Outcast took a seat across from Janie, her warm, measured tone filling the quiet room. "I caught the end of your chat. Let's talk about what comes next..."
Inside the soundproofed back room, a bulky, highly complex communicator sat atop a heavy wooden table—a piece of custom hardware engineered directly by Rhodes Island.
Every time Talulah saw their gear, she couldn't help but marvel at the landship's technical capabilities. It was easy to see why Reunion's collaboration with Rhodes Island had grown so steady; they were exceptionally reliable partners.
"I'm already up to speed on the situation," a cold, even voice synthesized through the speaker. "Let's get straight to business."
"And... good afternoon!" a second, much softer voice chimed in right after.
Kal'tsit's tone remained as distant as ever, while Amiya sounded slightly more mature than before, though still a little hesitant.
"Is it afternoon already?" Jeanne scratched her head, only just realizing how much time had slipped by. "My head's still spinning."
"Given what you two pulled off last night, it's a miracle you woke up today at all," Kal'tsit replied smoothly. "Waking up before sunset proves your stamina is as absurd as ever."
The remark made it clear that Rhodes Island's intelligence network had already delivered a full report on the night's events.
"It was nothing special," Talulah said, her voice completely flat. "We just did what needed to be done."
"Still, doing something on that scale is incredible!" Amiya added warmly. "Dr. Kal'tsit and I were completely shocked when the report came in... Ah, sorry, I shouldn't have said that..."
The young Cautus quickly clamped her mouth shut, casting a timid glance at Kal'tsit. Though the senior doctor's face remained an unreadable mask, her eyes narrowed just enough to send a chill down the poor leader's spine.
Even if Kal'tsit wouldn't scold her directly, slipping an extra stack of paperwork onto Amiya's desk later would be child's play for the elder Feline.
"What you accomplished exceeded my initial projections, though it falls within an acceptable margin of error," Kal'tsit corrected smoothly, casually covering her slip. She conveniently omitted the fact that where Jeanne was concerned, chaos was simply the baseline expectation.
"Regardless, regarding the Tarans," Kal'tsit continued, her tone returning to business, "our assessment aligns with yours. These people were manipulated as political tools. If left unchecked, a second crisis will inevitably ignite—likely in this very county."
Talulah and Jeanne nodded in quiet agreement. It was precisely that grim reality that had prompted Talulah to offer the refugees sanctuary in Chernogobyl.
"However, facilitating a mass evacuation carries significant risk for Rhodes Island," Kal'tsit noted pragmatically. "Moving a massive population of nominal Victorian subjects across borders is an immense operational and logistical burden."
The room fell quiet. Both Jeanne and Talulah had anticipated this hesitation; Rhodes Island maintained strict political neutrality, and acting as a haven fleet for Victorian dissidents could invite severe blowback.
"We will secure official clearance for the transit," Jeanne offered after exchanging a brief look with the Draco beside her. She picked up on Talulah's unspoken intent effortlessly. "Once we have formal authorization, can we count on your landship? Flying them out one by one on a dragon in this freezing weather would be brutal on the smaller Felines."
Kal'tsit went silent on the other end, weighing the proposal. If formal Victorian authorization was secured beforehand, the risks dropped to an acceptable level.
"What do you think, Amiya?" Kal'tsit asked quietly.
"Me? Oh... um!" Amiya blinked, caught off guard by being put on the spot. Encouraged by Kal'tsit's steady gaze, she gathered her thoughts and spoke up. "I think... if Sister Jeanne can secure the official clearance, we should help with the evacuation. Rhodes Island's primary mission is treating Oripathy, but Dr. Kal'tsit, didn't you teach me that our responsibilities shouldn't stop at medical care alone...?"
Amiya looked up anxiously, trying to read Kal'tsit's stoic face for approval.
Reading the veteran Feline was no easy task, but for a fraction of a second, the corner of Kal'tsit's mouth twitched upward in a subtle, approving curve.
"Since Amiya has made her decision, we will await your update," Kal'tsit stated through the comms. "Rhodes Island's course is set toward Victoria. We will hold our position near the border and wait for your word."
"Thank you," Talulah said.
"One more thing, Jeanne," Kal'tsit added, her tone sharpening with rare gravity. "Your next destination is likely Londinium, correct? You need to be extremely cautious."
Jeanne frowned, puzzled by the sudden warning. "Cautious? About what?"
"Our intelligence indicates that Theresis is very likely hiding inside Victoria," Kal'tsit warned grimly. "If the Regent moves, Londinium will be the center of the storm."