#kill lieutenant bento

[usafphantom2]

US intends to send second aircraft carrier to the coast of Israel

The ship was already scheduled to be deployed, but the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, could order it to the eastern Mediterranean.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 10/10/2023 - 22:42in Military, War Zones

The U.S. may soon have two aircraft carriers in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to Department of Defense officials, a measure that would mark a major escalation of U.S. military power in the region as fighting intensifies between Israeli forces and Hamas militants.

The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with his warships and associated fighters, was already scheduled to depart from Norfolk, Virginia, this week and may receive an order to travel to the waters off the coast of Israel, according to two Department of Defense officials who asked for anonymity when discussing future operations.

The Eisenhower group has long been scheduled to be deployed and operate near Europe, Department of Defense spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bryon McGarry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ship is scheduled to leave Norfolk on Friday and can reach the eastern Mediterranean by the end of October if requested, said one of the department's officials. At this point, the Eisenhower would join the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford and its attack group, which the Pentagon ordered to the waters off Israel on Sunday as a show of force after the surprise attacks on southern Israel.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will continue to review the deployment plans of both ships, “while considering the appropriate balance of maritime capacity in all theaters of operations in support of national security priorities,” McGarry said.

The rare decision to potentially have two aircraft carriers, which are accompanied by cruisers, destroyers and fighters as part of their attack groups, in the same area would be an important signal to Hamas that the U.S. military is supporting Israel as much as possible.

The Pentagon sent two aircraft carriers to the Middle East in March 2020, in a context of growing tension with Iran. At the time, both Eisenhower and the USS Harry S. Truman, with their respective escorts, operated in the Arabian Sea.

But the double aircraft carrier strategy has severely overloaded the Navy in the past, with force leaders warning that it was unsustainable. Aircraft carriers are highly sought after around the world and are usually spread across different regions.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that the U.S. was considering sending Eisenhower to the coast of Israel.

Source: Politico

Tags: Military AviationIsraelaircraft carrierUSN - United States Navy/U.S. NavyWar Zones - Middle East

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[my-my-my]

Hcs of Aizen in love 🥰 like how would he act, feel, think in a serious relationship? It could be either before deicide or after :)

Hmm this one made me think a bit! I think the way Aizen interacts with a s/o in a serious relationship will be dependent on when it happens, so I'm going to break this into how I HC him during different time periods!

The one thing I think that's important to keep in mind is that Aizen is very careful about how he is being perceived by others, so his s/o will also be a reflection of that (to varying degrees).

I'm putting this under a cut because it'll be long!

Lieutenant Aizen

If there's someone who's grabbed Aizen's attention, he's going to go about it in a very seemingly innocent way. I think Aizen would be surprised that someone caught his attention, I mean in his plans, he probably didn’t expect to fall in love! So he has to be aware on how he approaches you, while working towards his goal.

He's going to act very bashful around you, lots of blushes, maybe a few moments of stuttering, and it comes across as genuine to you and everyone else. If you're in a serious relationship with this Aizen, I think to everyone else, you are the "cute", "wholesome" couple in Soul Society!! The couple that has matching bentos/lunches together, etc. He goes the extra mile to be sweet, almost sickeningly sweet, but you wouldn't know any better.

You might see glimpses of his intensity when he takes off his glasses, but they're so brief that it makes you think you're imagining things, I mean, he may be a lieutenant, but there's no way this guy has a mean bone in his body, right? Captain Aizen So this will be similar to when he was a Lieutenant, but there's an a bit of ✨maturity✨ in his actions. He's less bashful, you don't see him blush as often, but he's still as kind. He's thoughtful and he listens to your problems, no matter how trivial they may seem to you. He just knows when you're upset about something, and has the pick-me-up you need, or knows exactly what to say, to help you feel better. He might open up at this stage about his interests, maybe even share with you what he's reading and writing. He gauges your reactions, he asks you seemingly innocuous questions about positions of power, structure and philosophical ones like existence and god. If, and it's a BIG IF, you are able to answer this to his liking (aka you have similar values), he might let you on with his big plan. If not... you, like everyone else, will be left with an illusion corpse. I think he would feel disappointed if you didn’t catch on, kinda reinforcing his beliefs that he is alone in this world. I think depending on how close he felt to you, he would try to mercy kill you like he did with Momo. Hueco Mundo Aizen up until the aftermath of FKT

You would be treated like royalty in HM, I think. At this point, you have seen the very extreme duality Aizen presents. You’ve known for centuries his “kind” soft, but are now witnessing his real self. I think you’d have to be accustomed to his brutality - if you weren’t, you wouldn’t have made it this far.

He would value your input in his plans, but would also have back up plans for you if his plans were to fail. He wouldn’t let you accompany him, Gin and Tosen to FKT. Before the other shinigami reached HM, you’d be safe.

I can sadly see him using KS on you to make you forget about him. I think he knows you’re strong enough to live on without him (you’ve made it this far, after all!) but for your own safety, he doesn’t want you tied up in his involvement. The only thing awaiting you, if for some reason he gets caught, is death.  I’m sure Aizen would feel saddened at the potential thought of wiping your memories for the sake of your safety, but this is a man on a mission, and you were the one person who couldn’t account for. For a man as meticulous as he is, I think he would plan for your safety and execute it before meeting it with the other shinigami and arrancar in FKT.

Post-Deicide

At this point, Aizen’s fate is sealed, he’s immortal, he lives in Muken for 20,000 years. Whether or not he wiped your memory, I think he would be pleased knowing you were safe away from all of this. At least one of his plans worked, right? A part of him will long for you, but being immortal, and if reincarnation exists, maybe in his lifetime, he will meet with you once again.

[ficforce]

Death Part 2 HC

Leonard Burns

‘And when you told me what your favourite book was, I bought it and read it over and over… trying to find pieces of you in it.'

'Unknown’

- Burn’s knew something was wrong the second he saw Y/N waiting outside his office; their relationship was a secret to keep her safe. He invited her in like any other guest to see him and closed the door firmly behind them. Y/N burst into tears almost immediately and told him that she was dying. He was stunned and couldn’t speak at all.

- Unwilling to believe the news, Leonard accompanied her to better doctors and specialists, almost determined to prove the diagnosis wrong. After the third round of tests, he pulled Y/N close and held her tight - he promised he would stay by her side no matter what.

- Leonard Burns had prayed his whole life, every day without fail, but he had never once asked Sol for anything. He’d never prayed for health or strength, wealth or power - now he prayed that she would be spared, that she would be allowed to get better.

He had been able to protect her from physical harm all this time but now illness was ravishing her.

- As her body began to shut down and she was confined to bed, Leonard sat by her at all hours and ignored his duties… Though his Lieutenants were understanding of the situation.

- He read to her all of her favourite books.

The man carefully sat on her bed, moving her to rest against his chest so that she could feel the rumble of his chest whilst he spoke. He was so warm that Y/N always found sleeping easily.

Burns felt the moment her last breath left her but he continued to read to her, pretending for a moment that she had fallen asleep and refusing to believe otherwise until he had finished the book.

- Y/N’s funeral was held at the small Abbey in the countryside; the same place they were secretly married. He could still remember how pretty the crown of flowers the little Sisters had made for her was, bright happy flowers that complimented her eyes.

The flowers on top of the coffin were bright too… He just couldn’t see it with how dull the world was now.

- That night he didn’t pray

- Burns never showed his heartbreak to his Lieutenants and nor did he confide in anyone about the constant ache in his heart.

- One day he would be reunited with Y/N - until then he would miss her.

Sagamiya Konro

‘I am too tired and I miss you too much'

'Simone de Beauvoir’

- Konro never got a real chance to say goodbye.

- He didn’t get to hold her in his arms and tell her everything he thought she should know, it wasn’t a peaceful teary goodbye.

- She had kissed him before leaving the Guardhouse and reminded him that his bento was packed and ready. He hadn’t thought much of it, smiling at her and promising to see her at dinner. Konro knew she would be busy most of the day and he hoped she wouldn’t overdo it.

When the alarm sounded to mark an Infernal attack Konro had run out to start organising evacuations but found Benimaru frozen in the middle of the street. He hadn’t lit his matoi and the Captain looked helplessly as the poor soul who had combusted, ‘It’s Y/N… she… Konro, she’s…’

Konro didn’t want to believe it and the burning creature screaming in front of him couldn’t be his Y/N.

- Benimaru steeled himself as they watched Y/N scream and struggle not to lash out - seemingly unwilling to hurt anyone who might get too close. She was in pain and there was no way of saving her. A hand landed on his shoulder and Konro moved toward her, calling out her name and telling her it was okay.

The man didn’t make her suffer longer than she had to and as Y/N turned to ash he thought he heard her voice…

- His shoulders were bleeding through his clothes and he felt his legs go weak as the tephrosis burned inside him - nothing compared to the agony his heart was in. Konro refused treatment and retired to his room.

- He retreated into himself almost completely, barely noticing when the twins came to see him, they sobbed into his chest and told him that they missed her - that it wasn’t fair.

Benimaru got on his knees and bowed as far as the floor would allow him, he apologised until Konro grabbed him by the collar and shook him, the Lieutenant shouting that it wasn’t Benimaru’s fault before allowing himself to finally sob.

- No one had been able to celebrate her life the way they would usually and to make up for it they threw a festival in her memory; the fireworks were seen throughout the Tokyo Empire.

Konro sat in what had been their favourite place to watch fireworks and poured two cups of sake.

- He had always thought his disease would end up slowly killing him, instead, it was the wound dealt to his heart that would do it.

Joker/52

‘I promise I shall never give up, and that I’ll die yelling and laughing.'

'Jack Kerouac’

- Joker didn’t understand what they were telling him; Y/N had looked unwell for a little while and he had told them time and time again to take it easy. Now they were telling him they were dying? It had to be a bad joke, a prank… something other than what was being said.

- He had been an assassin and Joker knew that people died all the time, sometimes he was the reason they died. The man had never watched someone die so slowly before and never someone he loved with all his heart.

It had taken him so long to trust someone so completely and to let himself fall in love - now he had to lose them?

- The one thing he didn’t want was for Y/N to be sad and suffer, so he tried to make them laugh every day. Joker brought them their favourite food, he brought them gifts and let made sure they were well cared for.

There were some days that Y/N couldn’t breathe properly and they cried out in pain until Joker could get their medicine to dull the pain. Those days were hard but Joker refused to be sad in front of them.

- Y/N asked him to sing for them, the long-haired man was usually humming or making up little songs and Y/N had always found his voice soothing, ‘Sing me a song about us?’

Joker spent hours making up songs, ditties and tunes, they laughed about the old times and when Y/N began to cry and tell him that they weren’t ready to go, that they were scared - Joker held them tight and weaved a lie about how beautiful and peaceful the other side was.

He didn’t want them to be scared of Demons and fire of a barren wasteland.

- Licht found Joker cradling Y/N’s body; he didn’t know how long they had been there but Y/N was cold and Joker kept on humming their made-up songs.

- Joker behaved as he always had, he refused to attend the small funeral and grinned and laughed as he had always done. It was months after Y/N’s death that Benimaru witnessed the man talking to himself, asking questions and cracking jokes with someone that wasn’t there.

‘Sorry for your loss’

‘What loss?’ Joker had seemed confused and then gone back to humming, ‘Come on, Mr Strongest, I gotta get home before Y/N gets mad at me’

- It wasn’t healthy but it kept that small string of sanity he had left intact.

[godkilller]

it had been an innocent gift; he’d undoubtedly hadn’t made it to his office. setting the gift on his desk; there’d been the addition of a knitted scarf. the beautiful shade of blue had been reminiscent of a color she’d seen on his person. the other gift had been an endearingly themed snake bento snack and a note. “ gin-san! hope you’ve rested! it’ll get cold so i thought you’d like the scarf. i made it. and i made rangiku-san one too! enjoy the food, there’s dried persimmons on the bottom. share with rangiku-san! we’ll talk soon! ”

          GIN WAS UNACCUSTOMED TO GIFTS, materialistic approaches were often in short supply for him personally when it came to him showcasing his appreciation for someone -- he typically took them out for dinner at a nice restaurant, gave them a nice experience, and spoke appreciative words their way... giving trinkets and things of tangible value was, perhaps, a method of affection that Gin did not subscribe to due to his childhood of poverty in the Rukongai.

          It was uncommon, and likely involved him stealing things, if he ever presented Rangiku with something. It was rarely ever something that did not also serve a function, a purpose; keeping her warmer during the colder months, or to protect her feet from the sharper rocky roads of the outer district region. No jewelry, no toys. Functional only -- for the sake of survival. That concept prevailed even now, when he was not in any threat of losing resources, or needing to pack lightly to protect the most important possessions of a little run-down shack in the Sixty-fourth. No, Gin still was unfamiliar with gifts, especially receiving, and especially from someone other than Rangiku, Izuru, or Aizen.

          But this was... cute, to say the least. A little snack box with a theme... a snake? Oh, that was adorable actually. And a knitted scarf? Gin felt his heart warming at the thought of someone making him something, how kind. Even though he was... -- who he was, and did what he did, they still...

          The reinstated captain hadn't felt very welcomed, so to speak, by the majority of his peers. One of the three surviving traitors having the gall to put their haori back on typically gained some disdained looks, some nervous stares passing him on the streets. It was getting a little better, of course, but there were still deep wounds in the Gotei 13 following Aizen's defection. So this was... touching. His heart felt full. A silly thing to get so happy about, right? A little snack and a scarf. But it meant a lot to him.

          Gin picked up the note and read it, then carefully tucked it into his sleeve, making certain to keep it in pristine shape in order to show it to Rangiku soon -- oh yes, he'll have to share this with her, she'd be so happy and relieved to see that Gin made a friend. This kind young lieutenant, zipping around with her bright smiles and enthusiasm, didn't seem wary of Gin at all -- and, evident now, clearly cared. Maybe he'd prepare her a basket of snacks via the Third's garden, some hoshigaki in return for the treats she prepared for him. Gin prepared his with love and care, they came out perfect in his opinion, she'd find no finer in all of the Seireitei than the persimmons Gin grew -- though he knew he'd still greatly enjoy the ones she packed for him.

          Cute. This was so cute. Would it be odd if the next time Gin saw this girl he hugged her? Probably. But he wanted to hug her and tell her thank you.

          It was official. He’d gladly kill a man for this new lieutenant.

[cherryvulcan]

Hello! Can I request for angsty headcanons for Shinra's, Obi's, and Benimaru's male s/o (separately, and if not male then gn is fine too) spontaneously combusting. Thank you for your time (◍•ᴗ•◍)✧*.

I love the fact that you ended such a sad request with  (◍•ᴗ•◍)✧* face sfbfsbdfbd. It’s such an uneasy emoji? emoticon? idk. But it was a good request, I was kind of tired writing porn so thank you anon xD I hope this breaks your heart as mine did while writing these T^T

After struggling with loving another man and his newly found relationship with s/o, Shinra was finally at peace with who he was and their relationship. Shinra felt like the happiest man on earth. He felt at peace. 

Nothing could prepare him for what was about to come, even with the fact that he put people to rest daily and saw things that would fuel his nightmares, he would never imagine for s/o to combust right before him. 

He had brought Shinra a bento box, giving Shinra a peck on the cheek as he placed the bento infront of him. Everything was normal, Arthur made fun of them, Hinawa told Shinra that he had to wait until lunch time, Maki laughed when Shinra groaned.

Right before them, a blast of heat spread out throughout the whole room. Shinra looked at the seen in front of him, slack-jawed and glassy eyed. His mouth formed a hauntingly grin. Just a moment ago s/o was giving him a kiss on the cheek but now where he stood, there was a human covered in flames. Shinra could feel his heart stopping when he realized that the infernal wasn’t going in to attack them. S/o was standing there, staring at Shinra, waiting for him to end his life. 

 Shinra could feel everyone running around, the captain getting his equipment, Maki standing by ready to hold back the flames and the sister breaking out in a prayer. The one who snapped him out was Arthur, excalibur in hand, he was yelling Shinra to put s/o to rest. 

With a heart wrenching scream, Shinra put s/o to rest. Tears streaming down his face, his grin ever disappeared. After s/o faded in to ash, Shinra broke down, falling to the ground, he could only scream. 

Shinra never took a break after that. Even with the whole squad begging him to take a rest, even for a day, he never went home. His appeartment reminded him of s/o.

On nights he managed to rest his head on his pillow , tears immediately trickled down his face. Shinra completely gave up on sleeping after a while. 

Arthur frequently visited him, he even stayed with Shinra five days a week. The blond would buy groceries and Maki came over to cook for them. They tried to make Shinra feel as if he was still part of a peaceful home. 

Obi’s blood froze when he heard the address of yet another spontaneous combustion case from the radio. It was within company 8′s territory and he knew this place well. Just as he tried to think that it wouldn’t necessarily mean that s/o had combusted, Hinawa came in to the room, his face white as snow, he informed Obi that it was indeed him.  

When Obi steps in to the all too familiar house, no one dares to talk to him. He’s been clenching his teeth so hard that he can taste his own blood in his mouth. Obi takes in a sharp breath when he sees the infernal. 

The infernal went in to attack him, his flames spread out in such a way that it would have certainly engulfed Obi as a whole. It was rare to see the captain unable to move. Maki quickly jumped in front of him and guided the flames away. Obi’s mouth went dry, how could he had lose someone so dear to him. Obi barely heard Hinawa’s voice due to the ringing in his ears. 

“Captain, he is in pain. Sister has already began the prayer. If you don’t put him to rest now he will continue to suffer. If you won’t do it I will.”

That was enough to bring Obi back into reality. He does as Hinawa told him and put s/o to rest, breathing out a whisper as he did so;  “I love you” .

After the death of s/o, Obi buried himself in to his work. He wanted to solve who was behind infernal’s as soon as possible. He also wanted to forget everything. 

Sleeping was his own personal torture. He would see s/o amongst flames calling out to him, begging Obi to save him and Obi always killing him in the end. 

At this point, the squad didn’t really know what to do. They couldn’t tell him to take some time off, they couldn’t force him to sleep, they worried constantly about him. Even so, Maki would buy him his favorite snacks, Shinra and Arthur would try to make him laugh but nothing seemed to work. 

Hinawa was the only one to convince the captain to rest at least 4 hours a day. The lieutenant had bought him a medicine that would prevent him from dreaming. On days where Obi said he wouldn’t take a sleep drug, Hinawa would simply mix it in his coffee.   

Screams are heard out across the entirety of Asakusa, Benimaru knew what this meant. Just as he stood up, Konro came in he was breathless and Benimaru noticed that all the blood from his face was drained. Konra looked as white as a sheet of paper. When he spoke, Benimaru felt his heart being squeezed in his chest. 

Everything passed by in a blur. Benimaru doesn’t even remember how he ended up in the same area as the infernal. Konro was right behind him, begging him to calm down. But how could he, the so called infernal was s/o, after years of putting them to rest he never thought he would be frozen in place at the sight of one. 

Benimaru bit the inside of his cheek enough to draw blood. Was he really supposed to do this, end s/o’s life right then and there. He shook his head, his life had ended as soon as he combusted. 

The infernal was calm, it was standing and staring at them both. Benimaru could feel Konro shaking, he walked up towards the infernal. If anyone was going to end s/o’s life it would be him. 

“Don’t worry, this will all be over soon. I’ll never forget you, s/o.”

Benimaru stood just an inch away from the infernal. He felt the flames heating up his skin, almost enough to burn him. He took in a breath. He pulled back his arm and punched a hole through the infernal’s chest. As s/o dissipated in to ash, he screamed at the top of his lungs. 

Benimaru went into complete silence. He wouldn’t talk to anyone, the only times he came out from his quarters was when another infernal showed up. 

He punished himself by thinking of s/o’s death over and over again. Burning the memory into his brain, he would remember the heat of the flames, his blood curdling scream and the tears that streamed down his face later on.  

Benimaru lost a lot of weight after the incident, he wouldn’t eat, sleep and if he could Konro was pretty sure he would also stop breathing. Konro, knowing that Benimaru needed time to process , would sit down with him in silence. 

The towns people would always leave gifts at Benimaru’s doorstep. Konro would be the one to take the gifts inside, he didn’t want everyone to worry about Benimaru’s state. 

Benimaru would also suffer from night terrors, waking up in the middle of the night screaming and trying to breathe. Konro would be the one to snap him out if it, placing a hand over his friends chest as Benimaru’s breathing returned to normal. 

[ztech0]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptUfSVBbSQs)

[waspandr]

@gaopoyo​​ asked:

just how had the lieutenant invaded her division? the world may never know; but there had been a preciously wrapped bento centered on her desk. of course omaeda had been looming. within however had been a delicious fried fish as well as themed snacks centering around the sea. and a note! “ i saw you enjoying some fish a few days ago and thought you’d like this! kill omaeda if he tried eating it… 🐝 ”

The temptation to move her office increased with every one of her visitors. As luck would have it, seems she just managed to miss the Lieutenant but, the fragrance of their perfume still lingered heavy in the air and stood strongest around the box they'd left. The bright pink and paw-printed wrapping around the bento was a little obnoxious to the eyes, but like a calling card, it made obvious just whom the box was from. Though, she did still read the little note they'd included too.

After peeling that wrapping from the box, her eyes went wide with brows shooting upwards as she pulled the box open to find a cute and surprisingly neat little display of sea-themed snacks. They noticed a detail as small as that and made such a point to remember? Curiosity took hold, and she reached down to grab one of the smaller bits of fish from the display, promptly plopping the morsel into her mouth to taste.

Ah, it was good. Very good, in fact.

...

Okay, so... maybe having the occasional visitor wasn't so bad.

[amollion]

Newcomers Pt 17

Creten gathered what was left of his belongings from his home that had been burned down during the battle for his small town. There was not much left but he was happy to find a few of his books were still in good order or were salvageable. The Humans had offered his father a temporary robotic arm that he refused probably still bitter about being defeated. In fact Creten was sad to be leaving at all, for the last few days he had been welcomed by them and they had answered his mountain of questions and seemed pleased to meet someone who was interested in their culture. He and the rest of the now refugees as the Humans called them were being sent to Geeda with the others, they were told that it was being used as a holding area for those caught up in this war.

Ruffling through the burned wreckage he found what he was sent to find, a picture of his mother, he snatched it and ran out to the street.

“Father I found it!”

“Ah good” he said taking and looking at it with a smile on his face, he ran his finger over her features as if he was scared he might forget them. He knew that she had gone west towards the capital and that was likely where the Humans were going next. He hoped like they had done here they would not kill anyone they did not have to.

“You guys ready?” asked one of the Humans that was helping them into the trucks.

“Yes, let us go”

Creten helped his father to his feet and the Human picked up the bags and followed them to one of the rear trucks. Just as his father got on Creten turned to the Human.

“Can I really not stay here? I want to stay and see everything”

Hopkins looked down at him smiling and handed him one of the bags.

“You are brave little one and you have a good head on your shoulders, but the front is no place for you. Your strength lies inside your mind and your people will need you once this war is over”

“Can I at least...” Creten looked at Hopkins pocket smiling and he pulled out a few sweets.

“There those are my last ones”

“Thank you”

Hopkins lifted him into the truck and he sat by his father.

“Take care all of you, there are clean beds and hot meals waiting for you in Geeda.

“What about those who defended it?” asked Creten's father and Hopkins turned to him.

“I can't say for anyone specific but there are many survivors” Hopkins banged the side of the truck and it began to pull away with Creten waving goodbye to the Humans they passed.

They rode for hours with the tracks of the truck kicking up dust and dirt behind them making the small town they had called home fade from view as if being erased.

Going past them heading the opposite way were Gal and Human infantry running on foot and vehicles carrying other supplies and to Creten's joy a Bastion. Behind him a flap that separated the drivers from the occupants opened and a Human handed them some protein bars saying the journey will be longer than expected.

The reason was traffic, there were a lot of vehicles trying to get in Greeda through only a small number of gates, and not all were Human vehicles.

In the weeks since Greeda fell it became the place for refugees to go and be housed by the Humans who felt it their duty to help those caught up in the war. One thing they did not stop and even in fact they encouraged was the travelling of Benemar merchants. They would come and trade their goods with the refugees and Humans alike who paid them well. Soon other merchants were making their way into Human controlled territory to trade their goods.

It was nearly midnight when they arrived at one of Geeda's recently repaired gates and they were stopped once more by Human guards that came and inspected the truck. Many feared this was the moment the Human would show their true colours and kill them but all the guards did was ask them their names and hand them ID bracelets.

They passed through the gate and into the city which was rather quiet as it was close to the middle of the night now and everyone had retired to bed, the truck suddenly stopped and they were asked to disembark.

There was a waiting waiting of them and once they had all exited the truck it left them in the middle of the street with this guard holding a clipboard watching them.

“Hello everyone my name is Lieutenant Rosev and I am the one in charge of this section of the city. This building behind me is your new home” he indicated the large housing block that could hold hundreds of families, small townsmen like them could only dream of living in one of these.

“They have all been checked and stocked with beds and basic living needs, the water is a bit dodgy but we are working on fixing it. Tomorrow food will be distributed from a centre down the road. So yeah, find a bed and fall in I guess, goodnight” he saluted then and walked off.

They all looked around a bit dumbfounded, these were supposed to be luxury apartments for only the highly rich or privileged Benemar and they were being given to them freely and without questions.

“I don't know about you lot but I have no intention of freezing out here on the street” Creten's father Malthos said heading inside. He had become the town elder since the last was killed during the battle and the town survivors looked to him for guidance. They slowly followed him inside.

The next morning Creten ran to the window having been woken by the sound of low flying aircraft, there were hundreds of fighters and bombers heading west and flying low. He watched excited and memorizing their strange shape and holding his ears at the loud booming sound they made when they passed overhead. His father was none to happy at being woken so abruptly and simply shouted at his son to go to this distribution centre the Humans had told them about to get food.

Creten did not need telling twice as he already had his boots on when his father called for him.

The streets were packed, you would have been forgiven for believing that the city never came under attack nor was under Human occupation. The streets were filled with Benemar, both survivors of the when the city fell and refugees from other such towns like his. Children played in the streets, merchants had set up stalls and adults chatted. He headed in the direction the Human had told them the centre was and on the way he passed a building that was once a gathering hall but had been turned into a walk in hospital by the Humans. He looked inside and saw Human doctors treating sick Benemar offering such services freely. Such services on Bento were hard to come by sometimes and even if one could find a healer the price of such treatment was extortionate. But the Humans asked for nothing and gave without question. They were not unobserved though, looking up he saw Gal, not a large number maybe half a dozen looking down and moving along the buildings slowly, there were a few Humans sitting on perches but they seemed more interested in chatting with each other than keeping an eye on them. He went on his way and found the food centre, naturally there was a long line as it was the morning and people were waiting for their morning meals. He hated waiting, he wanted to explore and talk to the Human soldiers who he saw every so often wandering around unarmed but completely at ease.

“Creten?” he heard someone call his name and looked around but could not see where it was coming from. “Creten!” he heard again louder and closer and he was suddenly seized from behind and spun to face this newcomer.

“Selan!” he shouted leaping into the arms of his big sister “You're alive!”

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Um..our town fell, the Humans sent us here”

Selan's face fell “Why didn't you leave and go to the capital?”

“Mother did, father and me along with a number of others stayed and fought”

“You fought the Humans?” Selan said shocked at the thought of her baby brother even lifting a rifle let alone firing it.

“We lost as you can see but they did not mistreat us, most of the those who stayed survived”

“Father?” Selan said quickly.

“He is at home, or the home we have been given”

Selan let out a breathe of relief.

“Where is Jeqan and Kop?” Creten asked.

Selan's face dropped and she shook her head “They died fighting to the last and with honour”

Creten grew angry, he hated that word honour for in his mind it was worthless and so many died for it. “They shouldn't have died at all and we shouldn’t be fighting either”

Selan glared at him “They are the enemy” she hissed.

“Are they? They have been nothing but kind to me and father once they saw we were not warriors, like now I am in line to get food which they say they do not charge for”

Selan said nothing.

“How many long hours did we spend in the salt fields scratching at the dirt in the hopes we might eat something or find enough to sell?”

Selan was a bit taken back by this, Creten was usually so submissive and easily spoken down to but now he stood tall. He had a new confidence that she had not seen before.

Finally he arrived at the desk where a Human female greeted him.

“Bracelet please” she asked holding out her hand and Creten put his arm up with his ID bracelet on and it was scanned.

“I see you have your father is in the city with you” she said reading a screen “Do you want to collect for him as well?”

“Yes please”

“One meal or the entire day?”

“Um...the whole day please”

She disappeared behind a curtain for a few minutes and Creten turned back to his sister who had said nothing.

“Have you tried their food?” he asked.

She looked at him out the corner of her eye as if refusing to face him “It's not bad” she finally said and the Human reappeared with three large bags.

“This is your morning meal, your afternoon meal and your evening meal. There are few sweets in there as well”

“Chocolate?” he asked excited and the Human smiled and nodded. “Yay”

“Yay?” Selan asked not familiar with this word.

“It's a Human word it's used as a small celebration for when something happens that they like”

“Oh” she said “Let's go see father then”

Creten turned and led the way and Selan watched him go a few paces “Traitor” she whispered to herself before following.