WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 400: Change (17)
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Unfortunately, events unfolded exactly as the hypothesis suggested.
The first sign was the Russian officers who appeared at the National Defense University. Fluent in English, they introduced themselves in the rough accent particular to Russians, saying they belonged to the airborne troops (VDV).
Another sign was the content of the curriculum Gyeoul and the Independent Battalion officers were required to take under Department of Defense guidelines. Officially, it was enhanced training for locally commissioned officers. In reality, more than half the lectures were about airborne operations. Gyeoul judged the flimsy disguise to be a device for drawing more public attention. Otherwise, the natural thing would have been to hide the Russians' presence in the first place. Though they were under surveillance, they moved around campus without much restriction.
'A secret exposed by the press would draw public attention better than something announced by the government.'
The variants had no ability to watch TV anyway. With an embargo, the timing of the reveal could also be adjusted. For example, after Lieutenant General Xieru's trial. Or after Continental Separation Operation achieved its intended results.
Kramer knew how to win the citizens' support.
The last sign was a sudden physical examination. Tests for arrhythmia, lung disease, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, red blood cell anemia, and so on. The examination was carried out on every member of Alpha Company. The military doctor in charge explained it as standard procedure, but Gyeoul did not think so. After looking up the data, he found that the listed conditions were all connected to altitude sickness in one way or another.
Jin-seok noticed this sign too.
"We're going to Ground Zero."
"......"
Jin-seok took Gyeoul's silence as agreement and asked gloomily.
"Since when did you know?"
"It was only a guess. That it might turn out that way."
"...I knew something felt strange from the moment they designated us as special forces. So this is where it ends up. I suppose they think refugees are expendable."
Jin-seok's words were soaked in trembling anxiety and anger. They had already been mentally shaken, and now this had come along. If anything, it was more surprising that they had not exploded yet.
"Have you heard? It's only a rumor, but our next destination may be Colorado."
At Jin-seok's question, Gyeoul slowly nodded.
"Probably for high-altitude acclimatization training. We might practice drops there too... The Aidlin Geothermal Plant was also high up, but quite a long time has passed since then."
During Operation Burning Valley, the Aidlin Geothermal Plant where Gyeoul's independent company had been stationed was close to two thousand meters above sea level. Even so, none of the company members had complained of altitude sickness because the whole area was a plateau, and they had already had time to adjust at lower elevations.
Remembering that time, Jin-seok let out a faint, fading sigh.
"It will be a much harder fight than back then."
Gyeoul agreed.
"It will probably be harder to get out than to get in. We'll have to go deep inland, and we'll have to leave by transport plane too. Since the whole force can't withdraw at once, the troops that remain until the end will have to take the greatest risks."
And Gyeoul's Independent Battalion was highly likely to be among those last troops. A war hero's value was highest in situations like that. After thinking for a while, Jin-seok asked.
"Can helicopters not get in?"
"I'm not sure. I don't know if their range will reach..."
Gyeoul trailed off and used his Net Warrior terminal to look up transport helicopters that might be used in the operation. Then he opened the map application and checked again the source of the infection identified in the 『Apocalypse Papers』.
The 『Apocalypse Papers』, leaked from the Department of Homeland Security and officially titled 『Investigation into the Outbreak and Initial Spread of the Great Plague』, had now become easy to find online.
What he measured was the distance from the nearest coast. Ordinary aircraft might be another matter, but if helicopters were to be deployed, sending them from the sea would at least be closer. Gyeoul nodded toward the screen.
"Wow. It's just barely inside their maximum operational radius. Transporting heavy equipment would be impossible, though."
"So deploying a large force isn't impossible."
"It's an operation where striking quickly and pulling out quickly is the key. Would they really push that many troops in?"
Considering why the 201st Independent Battalion had been designated as special forces in the first place, Gyeoul could only be skeptical of Jin-seok's hope.
On top of that, for transport helicopters to make a round trip of a full 1,100 kilometers, they would need extra fuel tanks hanging all over them. That meant they could barely carry troops alone. Unless a new model specialized for long-distance flight was developed and mass-produced, deployment by transport plane drop was still the appropriate choice. After mulling it over, Gyeoul added a more hopeful observation.
"Still, they'll help when we withdraw. We can abandon all the other equipment and get ourselves out."
Either way, Kramer had more than enough motive to try to push the burden of troops onto Russia.
'He really is... thorough.'
Kramer had gained popularity through bold, manly speech and behavior, but not one of his decisions or actions looked careless.
If the 201st Independent Battalion took serious damage in this operation, what would the aftermath be? Of course, at first it would help improve the treatment of refugees. But the more that great sacrifice was emphasized, would future refugees not become frightened and avoid enlistment? In the long run, it was highly likely to worsen the refugees' position.
Gyeoul recalled the scene he had seen on the day of the presidential inauguration. Back then, the Democratic Party figures Kramer had named as members of the administration as proof of unity had looked far from pleased.
Now he knew why. They were scapegoats prepared for the future.
Former President MacMillan had warned that the Refugee Leader Support Act was no different from a carefully prepared trap. The refugee leaders who received support would inevitably become corrupt in the near future, just like the leaders in the Middle East whom America had funded. That corruption would become the original sin Kramer branded onto all refugees.
But when that day finally came, who on the government side would have to take responsibility?
For that exact reason, Kramer had kept the previous administration's working-level officials connected to refugee support in place. From their perspective, it was difficult to refuse. Kramer had presented it as proof of unity. If not just one or two people, but all of them declined his "goodwill," how petty would that look to the citizens? Especially when the Democratic Party's share had already shrunk in both the House and the Senate.
In Gyeoul's conjecture, all of these things were converging toward a single purpose.
After thinking it through, Gyeoul spoke again.
"I said this before, but Captain, you don't need to remain company commander until then. No, I'd rather you step down. Even if you go to another unit, you won't be given a lower position than the one you have now."
Those quiet words made Jin-seok angry.
"Are you telling me to run away like a coward? Or are you saying I'm that unreliable? I can still fight!"
Gyeoul slowly shook his head.
"Calm down and listen. I'm not trying to pull only you out. I'm thinking it might be better to transfer out as many people as possible. And I have enough influence to make that possible."
"Then what about the people who stay? What standard are you supposed to use to choose people fairly?"
"It's for the future. If, by some chance, all of us get ground down, that won't be good for the people in the Alliance or for the other refugees. Don't forget that our battalion is the most successful and most famous example among unit formations made up of soldiers from refugee backgrounds. They say you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket, don't they?"
"......"
"Let's leave behind a precedent that soldiers from refugee backgrounds can move to other units if they build their careers."
After struggling with the idea, Jin-seok asked again.
"This is hypothetical, but if you really do that, how will you fill the vacancies?"
"Do you think that would be a problem in a unit I command?"
When Gyeoul asked back, Jin-seok looked like there was nothing to say. In fact, that was already how things were. They had replenished the losses from the suppression of the rebellion locally. In a situation where every hour mattered, bringing personnel from Fort Roberts would have been far too inefficient.
Meanwhile, people who wanted to serve under Gyeoul were everywhere across the United States. It was only that, since the Independent Battalion was also the face of refugee policy, they had accepted a higher ratio of East Asian volunteers. That decision had been made far above Gyeoul.
Gyeoul lightly tapped Jin-seok's shoulder.
"I'm not forcing you, so think it over seriously."
"...Understood."
A shadow fell over Jin-seok's face. Jin-seok had said he did not want to become a coward, but he was originally a fearful person who drove himself harshly. There was no way he had no desire to run away. Gyeoul had even given him a reasonable excuse, so the worry of the coming days would not be light.
Telling Yura the same thing would be the greater hurdle. The other officers could be left to Jin-seok, but it would be better for Gyeoul to explain it to Yura directly.
Russian speech came from somewhere.
When he turned, a group of Russian officers was passing along the riverside promenade across from the bench where Gyeoul and Jin-seok sat. They seemed to find the peaceful scenery of D.C. deeply unsettling. Of course they would. It was far too different from their homeland in crisis. If there had been no surveillance, deserters might have appeared long ago.
Above the heads of the Russian airborne troops officers, the branches of cherry trees that had just begun to bud swayed in the cool spring wind. Across the river, flecks of spring color could be seen here and there. In another three or four days, a week at the longest, they would begin blooming in earnest. D.C.'s cherry blossoms reached their peak from late March to mid-April.
It was the very scenery Anne had said last fall that she wanted to show Gyeoul.
Originally, Gyeoul was supposed to return to Fort Roberts after Thanksgiving, so he had thought that modest wish would be hard to fulfill anytime soon. But somehow, he was still in D.C. even now. The cherry blossom path he would walk with her was something Gyeoul looked forward to as well.
At the same time, Gyeoul found himself wishing that the Anne of that moment would be happier still. The decision he had been putting off circled impulsively in his heart. Lost in complicated thoughts, Gyeoul rose from his seat.
"I'll go first. There's someone I need to meet."
"Is it that person, by any chance?"
"That person?"
"Agent Gibson from the FBI, I believe? As far as I know, you're seriously dating her."
Gyeoul was flustered by the blunt words, but soon gave a faint, shy smile.
"Well, I guess everyone knows now. We met so often. When did you notice?"
"A while ago. She often came to your quarters too."
Gyeoul nodded inwardly. It had been like that at Thanksgiving too, and since both of them were more comfortable meeting inside than outside, it had naturally turned out that way.
After hesitating, Jin-seok asked with difficulty.
"May I ask one private question?"
"Go ahead."
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid... of what?"
"Of having someone you love when you never know when you might die. Have you never thought it was a cruel thing to do to her too?"
"Hmm..."
It was nothing new, but Jin-seok was a person with many fears. After choosing his words, Gyeoul answered simply.
"It's already too late."
"Too late?"
"Anne... I mean Agent Gibson, has already become someone who would die without me. And I'm the same. So there's no point worrying about it now."
Jin-seok's expression turned strange. Jin-seok had asked, yes, but hearing such an absurd answer left him uncomfortable. Especially when it was coming from Gyeoul, of all people.
"Actually, I had a bigger worry than that, but now I'm just going to let it go. I can't stand it anymore."
"By can't stand it anymore, you mean..."
"What else would it mean?"
After answering a question with a question, Gyeoul waved lightly.
"I'll see you at the quarters."
Turning his back to Jin-seok, Gyeoul crossed the lawn and headed toward the calm water.
During the end and beginning of the year, when compressed Situational Computation and Time Acceleration had not been used, the flow of time here and in the outside world had not been very different. Of course, while Gyeoul was asleep in this world, acceleration took place, so that much of a gap still opened.
Even so, for the audience who caught their breath through pleasure while being battered by harsh lives, these last few months must have been suffocatingly dry. Aside from dates and meals with Anne, there had been almost nothing to entertain them.
He wished all of them would leave for someone else's afterlife, but the number of viewers, which had been decreasing, reached a certain level and stopped falling. They were people who had come to see Gyeoul's afterlife as part of their own lives. It was a result that went against his hopes, but it was also something he had expected. They would leave in one of two cases. Either they died, or Gyeoul in this world died.
Did that mean he would keep delaying his decision without end?
Once he gave in to the impulse, he felt relieved. Gyeoul swallowed a sigh and called Anne.
"There's something important. Could you come out for a moment? Yes. It's okay if it takes a little while. The place to meet is..."
He had considered going to her, but that place was FBI Headquarters.
At the meeting place where he arrived first, he stood with his hands in his pockets and watched the river flow for about thirty minutes. Then a familiar breath approached, hurried and short. With sweat beading on her forehead, Anne asked, half worried and half puzzled.
"What is the important thing?"
Gyeoul kissed her for a long time. Then he smiled bashfully and confessed.
"This."
Footnotes:
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