So this place is the base. Coming out of the mini jungle, Skylar stepped foot into a very vast open land of fine white crystal sand- where several twinkling structures made only of a glass-looking material do their best to fill a hundredth of it but a tiny group clearly isolated in one corner.
Here, above the vast open field, the starry heavens for some reason which the mini jungle blocked out and some earthly stars, hanged low. Behind the numerous structures, it seems a gigantic bluish-white moon which provide the nightly illumination of the vast field and of a size that makes the several structures looks like ants in front of a giant is about to land behind them in a moment.
Interesting. Skylar who walked closely behind Lingyue after he scanned his new surrounding squinted his eyes at the location where they seem to be going which is obviously an isolated corner of the open field where the tiny group of structure is.
"My lord, what do you think about my leadership capabilities." When the two has almost reached this group of structures, four exactly, located in a far corner and separated from the others that are located at the center of the open field, and while a group of people in front of one of this four structures watch them with varying expression, Lingyue's voice echoed in the air and reached Skylar.
Skylar, the person whom the voice addressed, choose to ignore it totally by not taking off his eyes that has been on the structure they are about to reach in few steps.
"Leader, welcome back..."
"Leader.."
"Boss..."
"Leader..."
Lengyue who has Skylar's hooded figure behind her and carrying an unusual aloof air on her, pass through the gap created by this people that were watching and still watching them. She ignored the greetings meant for her and that are coming from some of this people. And like this she led Skylar towards one of this structure which just like the others happens to be a tent made of a material like crystals and that display on its surface, a certain live image just like a TV screen does.
The images should serve a purpose. Skylar who has seen at close proximity, the identical live images on an all the four dome shaped tents- a live image of a sky that contains blue and white clouds sprinkled with scant twinkling stars, concluded in his mind and followed Lingyue into the tent while he also ignore the numerous stares on his hooded figure.
Inside the spacious tent of four white wall- square shaped unlike the shape of its exterior, where at one side are stacked boxes; at a corner is a partition; in the middle is a large round black table with just one support below it- at its center, around which are ten black high chairs- one clearly more luxurious, and above it on the white ceiling is a chandelier made of white crystals responsible for the illumination of the room; and elsewhere are miscallaneous stuffs. Skylar looked carefully around it- the first thing he did when he entered it. Then he found himself a seat on a quaint wooden stool placed just at the edge of the entrance.
"Old soldier, brief me our current situation." Lingyue who joined up with some figures sitting on the high chairs like in a round table demanded as she took her seat on the more luxurious high chair- bigger and majestic, and her expression as she did so and after, a bit frosty.
(Throat clearing) Old soldier cleared his throat as he adjusted his posture on his chair. "Leader, ferari was attacked on his way to 'Spartan sanctuary' camp..." Old soldier paused and looked at their leader like he expected her to say something, which she did not, but instead maintained the frosty look on her face.
Old soldier seeing this continued. "Ehm, we think ferari was intercepted and injured as a warning..."
"Old soldier, our current situation..." His leader's unusual colder voice interrupted him.
"Yes leader." Old soldier readjusted his posture again. "Before we arrived, there was an heated argument about what to do after ferari was injured. 'Yellow Condor' argued we disband since we have been incurring losses and he also backed up his claim by saying our leader is incompetent and he listed cases where we made unnecessary losses because of leader's decisions... 'Kill love' also agreed our leader is incompetent and is the problem. However, he argued we replaced our leader and install a competent one. He also mentioned two people as suitable replacements, 'Old soldier' and 'Takeda'... On the other hand 'Americanslut', 'Jungle deity', 'UJ', 'Trey' and many others passionately disagree with both of them. And it was on this topic we met them, Leader..." Old soldier exhaled, then he brushed his blonde and spiky hair instinctively.
"You left out some names old soldier..." Lingye drew closer to the table, her suspiciously large breast almost resting on it and her eyes glanced briefly at Skylar who happens to be in her line of sight since they both seat facing each other. "Who are those that support 'Yellow Condor' and 'kill love'."
At lengyue's observation and question, Old soldier looked one by one at the others seated just like him around the round table and upon reading their meaningful expressions looked in front of him for a brief moment with his eyes that seem to be looking at something in the air.
"I have sent all the names ma." Old soldier said after he looked in her leader's direction, then he sighed deeply and sat back.
While Lingyue go through the data Old soldier sent to her holographic and private player interface- status window, from his own player interface; Skylar's green eyes under the hood continue to scan the faces of the other five people seated round the round table.
The italian gal and the samurai should be on the same page with her since they both seems to have no objection to her having the names. But this other three, especially that fat guy might have different thoughts.
"You three" Lingyue withdrew her focus from her mind- her player interface, and she turned to face a large-breasted and bimbo looking fair skinned lady with a carefree look on her. "Where were you?"
"Leader..., leader..." A fat guy in glasses, seated opposite to the bimbo and dressed in a full body suit like her called panickedly and in response Lingyue turned in his direction. "Leader, you know we are not combatants and we won't survive outside the tent without wearing our special protective gear. And since they are even stronger than us, there was no way we could have stopped them or even..."
"What about 'Old Loaf'?" Lengyue interjected.
"Ehh..." The fat guy was shocked when he heard their leader's question. Also, the other four excluding a thin old man who has his head lowered from the brginning, showed a slight expression of shock. Leader has decided to talk today. And like this old soldier thought while clenching his fist below the table.
I see, only those that can coat there body with energy and maintain it, can survive the insane gravity and atmospheric conditions of some regions in this simulation. But i can go outside this place without coating my body with energy and i will be fine... Maybe its because they have weak bodies. Skylar chuckled silently, then he set his green eyes on the bimbo's super large front assets hidden by her white turtle neck full body suit that his reflecting light as if every inch if it is oiled up. They are definitely way too big for her to carry... How has she even be living with them.
After Skylar chuckled, the weird silence that crept in after Lingyue's interjection was broken by the thin old man who thought Skylar chuckled because of them. "Leader, you have not introduced our guest to us... and is it okay for an outsider to be listening to our conversations. What if..."
Before the old man dressed in a blue track suit could finish his words, and like it was timed, Star Boy followed by the young teenager who is dressed like a ghost entered the tent and they made a beeline for the space beside Skylar, and on the floor both sat with loud gusto.
After this interrupting episode, Old soldier smirked then looked at the thin old man. "'Old Loaf' what were you talking about."
"Leader, at the time everything happened. From about an hour after you left to some minutes after Old soldier and the rest returned, i was in deep meditation at the back of the lounge, anyone around at that time can verify this." Old loaf at this point kind of snickered in retaliation at Old soldier. "And leader you may not know, even after Old soldier and the others returned, the argument still did not stop until you appeared with a mysterious guest..." He concluded with deep meanings, then he lowered is head like the rest of the talk has nothing to do with him and just like he was doing before his name was mentioned.
"Wrinkle man is basically saying 'there is nothing i could have done since i am not aware' of the confluct..." Star Boy who has his eyes trained on the chandelier above, broke the silence that crept in after old loaf had his say.
"Yes, like he predicted it would happen, so he ran away." The ghostly young teenager like an eager and clueless child chimed in.
"Old soldiers and the others that met the conflict didn't do anything about it, and even the reason it stopped might only be because of the appearance of a mysterious guest and not because leader returned." Star Boy concluded, then gave Skylar a side glance.
"Yes, yes, off with his head, he dare slander our leader and the brave others..." The ghostly guy pointing his hand at Old loaf added like previously, then he stood up, looked around at everyone, and when he realized no one reacted to him, he sat back down quietly like he never said or did a thing.
That's not slander, but a prove of a very keen observation. Skylar who has been carefully observing the expression of everyone on the round table finally rested his eyes on the thin old man who seems about to fall asleep. Is either that old guy knows something was going to happen, something he has a hand in, or he truly predicted it. Then he looked from the old man to the duo beside him. This two guys are really something else. He smiled at them from under his hood when they looked back at him.
"Ahh..." Star Boy who seems to remember something when he made eye contact with Skylar screamed. He turned to Lingyue whose attention he already gained with the help of the screaming just as he did with the others "Leader, people from spartan sanctuary are waiting outside. Sorry i forgot." Then he removed his flat cap and scratch his coily hair set in locs. All his actions, deliberate and an obvious act.
"Yes, yes, wrinkles made us forget. Off with his head..." The ghostly guy jumped up with happiness and pointed at Old loaf again. Maybe his actions too are an act.
Also at the same time the ghostly guy jumped up, Lingyue stood up. "We will adjourn this meeting." Her voice drowning the ghostly guy's voice at the center where she is, echoed. And not waiting a second, she headed for the exit where Skylar is seated.