Chapter 109: Chapter 109
Journal, page 131, Fort Roberts
The Army Blockade Commander, General Schroeder, visited Fort Roberts. The general personally pinned the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star on me, and awarded the Meritorious Service Medal to Jeffrey and Sergeant Liberman. Several other squad members were also decorated. It almost felt like medals were being handed out too freely.
"That just shows how heavy the fallout from the Harris incident is."
Public Affairs Officer, major Bliss, explained it that way. He came as part of the general's entourage and resumed his usual tasks—controlling journalists, creating and distributing press releases, and so on. Unlike before, he no longer walked around in a gas mask. Presumably, he'd gotten used to it, which was a relief. When I greeted him, glad to see him after a while, the major made an incredulous face.
"A while? I'd say the problem is that we meet too often, actually. Sure, we're eager to rack up achievements, but Han First Lieutenant, you're hard to keep up with. Do you know how much debate there was in awarding you these commendations?"
It was certainly odd. Receiving two medals for a single operation? Upon hearing my doubts, the major shook his head.
"It's not typical, but sometimes in a single operation, different phases are evaluated as separate achievements and awarded individually. The real problem is this."
"There's no shortage of achievements, but they simply can't give you the Medal of Honor again."
His words reminded me of the Medal's unique nature—the only award requiring Congressional approval. That's why Master Sergeant Pierce had pointed out its political significance. Objectively speaking, he'd argued I should have received the highest honor even earlier.
Is that what was happening again? But the background the major gave was simpler.
"It's what you'd call tradition. Since the end of World War I, no one has ever received the Medal of Honor twice. And even then, getting it while alive was a miracle. The most foolproof way to get it was to throw yourself onto a grenade headed for your comrades."
He stressed this wasn't a joke. For example, among the four Medal of Honor recipients from the Iraq War, three died for that reason, and the one survivor received the award posthumously.
"Thank goodness for the Afghanistan War. It was thirty-two years after Vietnam ended before anyone lived to receive the Medal of Honor again."
He spoke with a sardonic tone tinged with frustration—not anger at me, but at those who'd opposed my commendation.
"I can even understand the opposition somewhat. Judging by your exploits, it's hard to believe things end here. So if it keeps happening, do we just keep giving out Medals of Honor? If we hand them out so freely, doesn't it cheapen the award for other recipients who only got one? Wouldn't that have a negative effect on public opinion? Wouldn't it demotivate the troops? These are the worries up top."
He ticked his points off on his fingers.
"Plus, you're completely ignoring all the rules and unwritten conventions about promotion eligibility. If you got the Medal again, you'd get another meritorious promotion. You'd be a captain, right? Not even a year since your commissioning. For those who value tradition, that's uncomfortable too."
All very understandable reasons. No matter how much the US military values merit, no one is entirely free from tradition's inertia. Probably, discipline could not exist without tradition—or so I think.
But Major Bliss had a practitioner's perspective.
"My point is, if we weren't going to give you the Medal, we should've kept this operation quiet. But they wanted a human drama, blasted it all over national media, then balked at awarding the Medal. Who's going to buy that? You just can't have it both ways."
So, the alternative was to split the achievements and substitute with the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star. He groused that even so, it was a step down in prestige, and mentioned the other honorees of this ceremony.
"Second Lieutenant Jeffrey—wait, he's a First Lieutenant now. He and his squad got the short end too. There might have been a Medal of Honor recipient among them..."
In other words, because I was the indisputable top contributor, others couldn't be recognized above me.
Later, when I told Jeffrey about this, he brushed it off.
"Don't worry about it. I figure I got docked points because of the three guys who're already gone."
He didn't seem particularly pleased about his new medal and promotion. Even if his jokes were dull and his manner casual, he was a model platoon leader.
#Journal, page 132, Fort Roberts
Apparently, the Blockade Commander's visit wasn't just for encouragement. One could say it was a field check before launching a real operation. At the Monday regular briefing, brigade Task Force Commander Laughlin delivered astonishing news: a massive military operation was planned.
Operation "Manifest Liberation."
The objective was complete reclamation of the US mainland—clearing contaminated zones, rescuing isolated citizens, advancing to the Pacific coast. Over ten million troops were slated for mobilization. The operation would begin in April. Considering the US military had grown from eight million last December to over ten million in just four months, that was remarkable.
Canada would send two divisions as well—a modest number, but the fact itself was surprising. They'd ensured security by refusing refugees almost ruthlessly, owing to their small population and military. Had it not been for cooperation with the US, they would have been at risk.
At any rate, I now understood why troop reinforcements had been lacking: the upper echelons had been planning this operation since last year and conserved forces for that reason.
Fort Roberts would serve as a supply base, with logistics hubs set up along the main force's route.
The briefing also included new information about mutants. The colonel said:
"Take this as just a hypothesis: suspicion has been raised that Tricksters always move in pairs. When one fights, the other circles quietly nearby. If this is true, the silent one likely preserves information. That means, even when they move in groups, at least one remains silent. If the group is annihilated, it escapes to a safe location and delivers accumulated information to another group."
Hearing that, I recalled the Trickster I'd killed with a trap at Santa Margarita Lake—the death throes that continued for more than ten seconds after the trap went off. How much information was packed into those sounds? If another Trickster had been there, that method would never work again.
"The Center for Epidemic Countermeasures calls this hypothesis 'The Silent One.' Though it's based on a single sighting, it's threatening enough to warrant caution in future operations. Any questions?"
After a few questions, I raised my hand. My curiosity wasn't about The Silent One, but about the monster I saw near the lake—Humpback. No details on that creature had come to light yet. Colonel Laughlin had told me before that Rangers were tracking Humpback, so I asked, and the commander shook his head.
"That single sighting I just mentioned? It came from that Ranger platoon. They lost their prey."
This meant the Trickster-led mutant group had blocked the Ranger platoon. Hard to see as mere coincidence. The Tricksters were probably protecting the big hunchback—Humpback.
Even when I fought, humpback lingered in the rear. Just what kind of creature is it?
#Je-jung, Fort Roberts
Second Monday of February. Lunar New Year's Day by the old calendar—a special day for Chinese and Korean refugees, but they were in no position to celebrate. Still, there was a slightly improved mood in the refugee section, owing to the start of pre-training for Civil Affairs Committee members for the establishment of the military government office.
As Gyeo-ul left the briefing room, he spotted several prospective committee members gathered near headquarters. Gyeo-ul checked his wristwatch. Training obviously wasn't over yet—this must be a break. Their faces were bright. Lively conversation and chatter.
Among them, an Allied group spotted their young leader and came over, delighted.
At the front was Ahn Je-jung—one of the three who helped Gyeo-ul at Paso Robles. Inside the Alliance, they called Yura, jinseok, and Je-jung "the first three."
It sounded conceited and even childish, and there was actually an awkward backstory.
'Mr. Ahn Je-jung made up that label himself...'
While Yura and Jin-seok each led combat squads, jaejoong had no given role and apparently felt left out. Seizing on that, Min Wan-gi recommended him as militia captain and Conscription Bureau's Grade 5 Civil Affairs Committee member. A person who would get the job done, but not earn respect; someone who couldn't build his own authority and thus had to lean on others—namely, Gyeo-ul himself.
Within comfortable speaking range, jaejoong bowed lightly.
"Hey, boss. What brings you here? Are you here for us, maybe?"
Gyeo-ul shook his head.
"No, nothing like that. I came for the regular briefing. Where are the section chiefs?"
"They're probably still inside. Should I call them for you?"
"No, that's not necessary. How's the training?"
"Oh man, since it's in English, it's tough. I'm somewhat confident in conversation now, but reading? It's such a headache. Honestly, even Korean books aren't easy for me."
Middle-aged, joking about his age, but he didn't look particularly strained.
"You seem to be managing, even while doing militia activities."
"That's because it's just like my time in the Marine Veterans' Association. Patrolling, volunteering, contributing to the community among like-minded people—it's rewarding. Hahah!"
I was uneasy about his mention of the Marine Veterans. Was he enforcing unnecessary discipline? Gyeo-ul half-believed Je-jung's claim to marine service was fake but also knew that forced discipline wasn't necessarily related to actual military experience.
No—Min Wan-gi would keep him in check. He was someone who knew to find his own work. If any trouble arose, old Man Kang Young-sun would report it. So Gyeo-ul reasoned, and held his tongue.
"Come see us shoot sometime, will you? Maybe give us a demo if you can? Everyone's dying to see your skills in person, boss!"
"Haven't they already seen me plenty on TV?"
"Aw, it's different when it's live."
"All right. But pay attention to other training too—not just shooting. Maybe the US military will permit the militia to carry firearms someday."
"Huh? Is that even possible? Giving weapons to refugees? Not long ago, we confiscated illegal guns from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean gangsters, one after another!"
"That's because those were illegal weapons. I mean the possibility of formal recognition of militia activities."
Je-jung's eyes widened.
"Has something been said from above?"
"No, nothing like that—just my guess. America's always been friendly to militias. With enough trust, it might be allowed, at least within our Alliance."
A well-disciplined militia is essential for the security of a free state, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. From none other than the US Constitution.
'Some interpret "militia" here as state militia, though...'
In any case, countless militias operate in America. And "militia" may be the term, but their equipment and training match the military since they recruit veterans.
Police even seek militia support at times.
But Je-jung, not having lived in America, regarded the US military's periodic requirements for militia training—like shooting drills—as just a sort of screening for prospective volunteers.
"Any trouble with the training?"
Gyeo-ul asked, and Je-jung answered that it was fine.
"Jin-seok and Squad Leader Yura both look after me. One of them always comes along to help when we train. Heh."
"Last time, jinseok gave a shooting demonstration—wow, he's a great shot. So logical, even the sound when he fires is different. Know what I mean?" ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ noveⅼfire.net
"When a logical guy shoots, the sound goes, 'Valid! Valid!'
Gyeo-ul ignored the viewer quest to kill Je-jung.
------------------= Author's Note -------------------
#Noblesse, simultaneous Premium Release
I've mentioned this several times...
Joara is a place where everything is ranked by popularity. If I did a simultaneous premium release like Noblesse here, unpopular novels one would fall to the bottom of the pit. Yikes...
#Indescribably Ominous and Dirty Signed Book
I knew readers here had unusual tastes, but I didn't expect people to be eager for an occult tool like an author-signed book...
A true first edition is impossible, but I could sign a copy of the author's proof and ship it.
As for the event...hmm...should I do it as "write a review on Wind and the Milky Way"? Maybe pick five people with the most recommendations...
Q. RGZ95: @ The time has come to fulfill childhood dreams! Hehehe
A. You'll have to wait a bit longer. Hehe.
Q. EpKna: @I need new childhood innocence. Or maybe a rebellion?
A. I'm preparing for various forms of innocence. I believe novelty is one of the main ingredients of enjoyment.
Q. Nertus: @Sponsor coupons seem like a waste, and sponsorship accounts mean 100% goes to the author, so maybe that's what people want? (Truncated) But if opening a support account is uncomfortable for you, what if readers who want to sponsor just pay for the ossuary on another site? Would the ratio be better there? If sales go up there, wouldn't that mean a better situation for you when this finishes and you write your next work? (Continued)
A. Sorry for cutting you short or off at the end. Some readers dislike long posts, so... compromise! Yes, I'd prefer it if you did that. I'd feel worse if I raised hopes through sponsorship and then later disappointed readers.
Q. Mulrin: @What does 'innocence' mean! I'm too lowly to understand this great innocence... Does reading this book fill me with innocence, or is it the thing being taken from me?
A: Both filling and taking. SAN loss is normal, but so is feeling proud in your heart.