WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 440: Stuffed Paradise (2)

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On March 2, the morning of the eighth day since his return, Gyeoul sat by a sunlit window in his quarters at Naval Base San Diego, reading an online newspaper. The article was about none other than Gyeoul himself and Anne.

「Who on earth is she? Conflicting speculation over Lieutenant Colonel Han’s lover.」

The photograph attached to the article had been provided by the Department of Defense public affairs office. He had thought someone was taking pictures when he reunited with Anne, but apparently it had not been a reporter from an ordinary news outlet.

The photo showed only Anne from behind as she hugged Gyeoul. Was this what you called professionalism, respecting Gyeoul’s private life while still getting exactly the effect they wanted? Gyeoul himself thought it would be fine if she became known this time, but the public affairs office probably did not want to risk earning his resentment.

‘No. If they want attention, is this actually more effective?’

Seven days had passed since the first article appeared, but public interest was still intense. Cheap free papers and online outlets of a similar level had not missed a single day of featuring speculative information about Anne’s identity on their front pages.

They called it speculation, but to Gyeoul it looked no different from a popularity contest among the famous beauties who had been in San Diego that day. Among the distinguished figures who had visited the naval port, even filtering only for women with blond hair still left dozens of candidates. Natural blond hair like Anne’s might be rare, about three in a hundred, but dyed golden hair was extremely common.

Even now, there were reporters combing through the city and loitering near the base, saying they were going to find Anne.

A pointless effort. Anne had already left the city three days ago.

Originally, she had filed for leave with the intention of staying much longer, but after only five days, she received an order to return. It was sudden notice that she was to formally begin serving as Deputy Director of the FBI starting the next day. The person who contacted her was Director Ernest Dean, her direct superior. When Anne protested in an agitated voice, Director Dean explained that Dean understood how she felt, but there was nothing that could be done. It implied the order had come from above.

After ending the call, Anne was so hurt she even cried.

“How can this even happen?”

In truth, it happened often. Working for the Bureau, she must have experienced it any number of times. She was simply heartbroken to be parted so soon from the lover she had met after so long, and one who had returned from a battlefield where life and death had hung in the balance. It was different from the days when she had lived only for work.

As a similar but more severe example, the military could even cancel someone’s discharge on the very day they were supposed to leave service. It was the 『President’s Authority to Suspend Promotion, Retirement, or Separation (10 U.S. Code § 12305)』, passed during the term of President George W. Bush, when the shortage of combat personnel began to worsen in earnest.

This authority was exercised so often, and the Iraq War that caused the personnel shortage in the first place had been started by the Bush administration, so President Bush’s reputation among service members had plummeted without finding a bottom.

Gyeoul’s own feelings were a mess too, but they were not something to show in front of a heartbroken Anne, so he hid his complicated emotions and comforted her in a calm voice.

With her face buried in Gyeoul’s arms, she gripped his shirt tight and muttered.

“Maybe I should just resign…”

She meant she did not need an unprecedented promotion or anything else.

After agonizing over it for a long while, Anne accepted her new position with an attitude that made it clear she truly did not want to. It was a decision made from responsibility, not ambition.

“I’m sorry. At least for a while, I think I need to be in that seat.”

At her words, Gyeoul kissed her gently and answered softly.

“Don’t be sorry. Go do what you have to do. That’s who you are, Anne.”

It resembled what Anne had told him in Denver. Because she remembered that conversation, Anne gave a sad little laugh and kissed Gyeoul again and again.

‘At least for a while, I need to be there… huh.’

Gyeoul could guess enough of what lay behind those words. It was not only a matter of trust after the coup. Once, she had expressed concern over trends inside the Bureau that showed signs of growing more extreme little by little. Because their workload had become excessive due to protests and terrorist attacks against Chinese-American citizens, the percentage of investigators who agreed with isolating and interning the entire Chinese community was gradually increasing.

As someone who could put the brakes on a possible runaway, there were few people better than Anne.

Thinking back on it now, the fact that the White House had rushed to replace the Deputy Director before announcing the truth about Morgellons was evidence that they had been considering the same problem.

Even if the President did have bad intentions, putting those intentions into action would need to be done carefully and according to a plan. It would be troublesome if a giant organization like the Bureau caused an incident before any full-scale plan even began. That incident would become tangled with Kramer’s publicly known tendencies and create a significant political burden.

Lost in thought, Gyeoul realized he had been staring at the same screen for several minutes. He scrolled down carelessly, and trivial information passed by.

He already knew the articles were all more or less the same, but checking them from time to time was one way to endure the emptiness. Since not a single thing came close to the truth, Anne’s scheme to shock her parents seemed to remain in effect even now. When he remembered Anne happily talking about that plan, Gyeoul could not help smiling, troubled as he was.

‘There were other military families there too.’

Quite by accident, it was a secret that had stayed hidden for a long time. Even more so considering Gyeoul’s fame.

After closing the laptop, Gyeoul opened the mail that had come for him, one piece at a time. The payroll account information from the bank was one thing, but unexpectedly, an envelope stamped with the seal of the Russian federal government was mixed in. It was an informational document sent by the Federal Veteran Affairs Coordination Committee, directly under the federal government.

The first page said that the agencies in charge of veterans’ affairs, which had been scattered across thirteen ministries, would be unified, the scope of decorations and those eligible for management would be expanded, and material veterans’ support would be strengthened to the level of the United States.

Starting from the second page, it explained the benefits given to Gyeoul personally. He had not really understood when he received it, but the Order of Saint George, 4th Class that President Ignatiev had awarded him was extremely high in rank. Other than the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Classes of the same Order of Saint George, the only decoration above it was the Hero of the Russian Federation. If compared to the American decoration system, it was roughly equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross, just below the Medal of Honor.

The key point here was the expansion of decorations and those eligible for management.

「By presidential decree, it has been decided that foreigners, stateless persons, refugees, and other personnel who have contributed to the security and interests of the Russian Federation will also be provided benefits at the same level as federal citizens. The details of those benefits are as follows. Combined receipt of financial support, including national pension, military pension, disability pension, special veterans’ supplementary pension, and basic utility cost support. Job training and employment placement by the government. Tax discounts. The right to use resorts owned by the federal and local governments free of charge. Exemption from public transportation fares for travel intended for physical or psychological treatment…」

In Gyeoul’s eyes, this was a preliminary measure to soothe the refugees’ discontent while making use of their manpower. In other words, they were benchmarking the American precedent.

Russia was planning to accept a large refugee population from the United States in the future.

「In short, they need third-class citizens.」

That was what the CIA agent who contacted him without warning last night had said.

「The manpower they lost while fighting the quarantine war in their old homeland was truly enormous. In particular, their male-female sex ratio has collapsed even more severely than ours in America. They actively recruited female combat personnel, but in real combat, male combat personnel are still consumed first. Just like in World War II. It’s only natural that they want to avoid further losses.」

The situation of the U.S. military was similar. Army units fighting actual battles on the front lines could not get the ratio of female combat personnel above 20 percent, no matter how high it was.

The Independent Battalion, which had been forced into that situation, was the unusual one. They had no time to avoid or refuse anything.

“But why third-class citizens?”

When Gyeoul asked, the agent answered as if it were nothing much.

「Because there are foreigners they accepted first, aren’t there? They’re the second-class citizens.」

“…”

「Even they still have their share of complaints, so it seems difficult to treat the refugees they accept now the same way. More than anything, even if their population is lacking, treating all those refugees as citizens would cause their national identity to collapse. At least, that is how they see it.」

“So crossing the border won’t make things any better.”

The omitted subject was the refugees.

「Well.」

The agent avoided giving a firm answer to that.

「At minimum, some of them will gain better opportunities. Our American quarantine war will enter a lull before long, you see.」

For refugees in the Midwest, becoming a soldier was practically the only path to advancement. The agent was saying that door would gradually narrow. Fierce fighting was still continuing in Central America, but its end had already been set at the Panama Canal defense line.

Even for budgetary reasons, it was inevitable that the government would begin reducing the military.

‘And now the Russian military will join too…’

From Russia’s perspective, this was a fight to expand the new territory guaranteed to them by the United States. To save on the related budget, it was natural for America to hand over the refugees it could no longer absorb to Russia. Kramer had also declared as much early on.

The agent stated the main point.

「The reason I called you like this is that we would like your help, Lieutenant Colonel, in building HUMINT inside Russia.」

HUMINT was short for human intelligence.

“Do you mean you want me to pick people who will act as spies and send them over there?”

「For now, yes. It looks like the relocation will proceed mainly with Chinese people… so we would be grateful if you could search for suitable candidates, Lieutenant Colonel. There are few people better than you at judging those people. You’re familiar with their culture.」

Why mainly Chinese people?

Simple. The United States liked it because it reduced its headaches, and Russia liked it because it reduced the burden of dealing with the refugees. By “reduced the burden,” that probably meant Russia did not have to worry as much about American public opinion.

Because of the original sin of the Great Plague, the chance that Chinese people would receive broad public sympathy at this point was slim. Just as a government must take responsibility for its people, the people must take responsibility for their government. That was the opinion of mainstream American society.

「It probably won’t be a bad deal for the selected parties either. We’ll promise compensation to match.」

Gyeoul was uncomfortable with the agent’s flat tone.

“What happens if I refuse? Do I even have a choice?”

「Hmm.」

The agent paused before speaking.

「I ask that you think about it a bit more, but if you still dislike it after that, we cannot force you. There is a more important part anyway.」

“A more important part?”

「I said ‘for now’ earlier, didn’t I?」

“…”

「Please don’t worry too much. We aren’t trying to place a heavy burden on you, Lieutenant Colonel. You simply need to build friendships with Russian officers you come into contact with through work, and naturally show them goodwill in the process. If any difficult requests come in, please say you will review them and pass them on to us. We will judge whether they are possible.」

“Russian officers I’ll come into contact with through work? I don’t understand. Ground Zero Vacuum has already ended, and Rogers Joint Task Force will soon be moving toward dissolution.”

「That is true, but separate from that, the U.S. and Russia are scheduled to establish a joint emergency response system in preparation for further landings by the plague. The 201st Independent Battalion’s participation is as good as confirmed. Isn’t it an armored force that can deploy within six hours anywhere across the entire western region if a sudden incident occurs?」

Six hours was a little exaggerated, but it was true that the Independent Battalion was useful in initial response.

「Within that system, you will serve both as commander of the 201st Independent Battalion and as controller of one sector, Lieutenant Colonel. Not only will you be able to mobilize transport aircraft under your own authority, but in the event of an emergency, it is a position that can take every measure necessary to stop the spread of infection.」

“I understand what you mean. So…”

Gyeoul let out a short sigh out of habit.

“So you want me to win over the Russian officers who will join it?”

「As I said earlier, you do not need to win them over separately. It will be enough for you to simply treat them kindly, build many friendships, and from time to time, act as a bridge to our people. With only that, they will naturally be primed.」

“…Because the balance between Russia and America is obvious?”

「Haha. Well, isn’t that just how human psychology works?」

It was a prediction that America’s material abundance, and the desire it awakened in those looking at it, would slowly loosen their sense of duty.

「That is all I needed. Please think deeply about it. I will contact you again soon.」

The agent was about to hang up, then added as if it had suddenly come to mind.

「Oh, right.」

“…?”

「Congratulations in advance on your promotion to colonel.」

“…Thank you.”

Gyeoul gave a dry thanks.

Footnotes:

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