"Song... Song... wake up... Wake up!"

Song awoke with a jolt, and a gust of wind blew the windows open, causing them to rattle against the grates. He slipped out of bed and rubbed his face. Cold sweat dotted his forehead... the dream, the same nightmare, the same voice in his head. All of it leading back to him... back to Hayes. Song groaned and immediately the craving took him. He stumbled to his dressing table, the bottle of pills was there. He was almost out again. He'd begun needing more and more of the medicine as of late. Song picked the bottle up and pulled out the cork emptying the four round pills into his palm.

"Don't do it... Don't lock me away again... Song... please... don't put me back there," Hayes pleaded his face in the dressing table's vanity.

Song wavered, his hand shaking. Then he closed his eyes and popped the medicine into his mouth and swallowed.

"You can't get rid of me Song! You did this to me! To us! You ca..." Hayes' voice  cut off as the bitter pills took their effect.

Song let out a few ragged breaths. Before inhaling and exhaling slowly, letting the air around him flow through his body.

'I know Hayes... I know.' Song thought.

A knock sounded at his door, three sharp albeit hurried strikes. 'A soldier' Song thought, 'probably new to the job' he quickly got dressed, putting on his general's coat over a pressed white shirt. The coat was long enough to give the impression of a cape but didn't drag along the ground, it buttoned to the sides with a wide slit for the legs. Song preferred not to button it down or even wear the sleeves, but he decided it was good to leave a strong impression on the impressionable new recruit. He stepped up and opened the door to his chamber. Giving the fresh face a curt nod.

"Sir! This letter came for you from the High Commander," The young soldier said, giving a salute with one hand making a fist over his chest before an open palmed salute from his head.

The boy looked to be about twenty years of age old enough to match Song's assessment of someone fresh to the Legion's ranks. He was tan-skinned with a complexion that looked like it hadn't seen much sun. He also wore square spectacles, a trait that somehow added to the soldier's air of inexperience.

Song took the letter and tucked it under his hand so he could gesture a dismissal. The soldier seemed to recognize the gesture but remained standing at the door.

"With all due respect sir, I think you should read that letter before dismissing me ... sir!" The boy said adamantly, but he didn't meet Song's gaze.

Song narrowed his gaze at the boy before slipping open the letter he had delivered, the frown on his face growing deeper as he read.

'So this fresh-face is going to be my new voice... lovely' Song thought grimly. If the High Commander had sent him a new voice that meant he was planning on deploying Song soon. He supposed it was bound to happen eventually.

"Lots of training for you." Song gestured grudgingly and motioned for the soldier to follow him as he made his way to the High Commander's office.

"Yes sir." He replied and followed without another word.

"You take orders... good." Song gestured " Name?"

"Ty, sir." He said, trying to keep pace with Song as he manoeuvred through Dredspine's hallways.

Dredspine was a monster of a fortress built out of a network of hallways that all lead out from the central tower. The halls were minimally decorated carrying an air of professional sterility. A structure of Cold-Iron and stone that shot straight upwards into the cloud line, it was the single most visible symbol of the Steadfast Legion's presence on Rudira. Many of the locals speculated that it was this tower that brought about the land's unnaturally long winter... they weren't entirely right, This place was the seat of the empire that had brought permafrost to Rudira's tropical land but Dreadspine was not the source.

"Getting cold feet, general?" A thickly accented voice called out from atop the staircase.

Song looked up to see a familiar heavy-set figure. His eyes narrowed with the general suspicion everyone held around the Iron Butcher.

"Thorig... good morning" Song signed, and Ty without skipping a beat translated

Thorig Slate was a beast of a man looming above even Song's formidable six feet, he was as broad as he was tall with significantly more muscle than fat despite his rounded physique. His face was a map landmarked with battle scars, the only well-kept part of it being his thick albeit short-trimmed beard.

One of the first generals in the Steadfast Legion, he had a reputation for breaking entire battlefield charges single-handedly, The Iron Butcher was a glutton for bloodshed and booze He spent his time off duty either getting wasted on rum or hammering away at Cold-Iron being one of the only people with the strength to properly forge the ancient metal. It took an immense amount of heat to get the metal to melt and a proportional amount of strength to smith tools and weapons out of it. 'Seems I'm not the only one being called on again.' Song thought, his mind wondering what it was the High Commander was planning.

"Battle or Forge?" Song signed, Ty translating again.

"Boy you don't need to speak for him, I understand his little gestures just fine." Thorig slurred, pointing a thick finger at Ty. "As for your question..." he turned his finger to Song. "A bit of both. All I can say is the big man's got bigger plans. Dunno why his feeble-minded war-dog is out of its kennel though."

Song grimaced and batted aside Thorig's finger before walking up towards the elevator door. Ignoring his attempt to get a reaction.

"Think he's finally gonna get your head fixed. Y'know, take a Go at it with the hammer and needle." Thorig called after Song as he passed him.

Song raised his hand in the universal gesture of 'shove off' as he and Ty walked into the elevator and its gears began to churn, raising him slowly upward.

"That man's a lot scarier in person...I've only heard the stories about him, how he sank a whole Empire battleship on his own, the battle of Lycanyon." Ty muttered.

"You have not seen him be scary," Song let out a gruff laugh and replied in sign.

Ty let out a whistle, it was a simple, crisp note. But it was enough to remind Song of his missing vocal cords, whistles were one of the few sounds he could still make. Five years and the loss of Song's voice still stung. His name, the only thing that he kept from his tribe felt hollow but that's what the Crafting did to a person... 'You did this to me... to us...' Hayes' words from this morning rang out in Song's mind again. He shook his head trying to force the thought out of his mind. 'Collect yourself Song, you cannot falter in front of him.' He took a steadying breath, looking to see if Ty had noticed anything. The fresh face was busy fiddling with a piece of paper. Song Snapped his fingers in front of Ty's face.

"What's that?" Song gestured, after pointing at the piece of paper in Ty's hand suspicion clear in his gaze.

"Oh! Uh... I get fidgety and folding paper keeps my head clear while busying my fingers. This one's a moth, it flies too. I wonder how far it'd go if I threw it from a window up here..." Ty rattled off before stopping as he seemed to notice he was rambling.

The elevator halted with a churning sound, the gates sliding open with a groan. Song stepped out and walked towards the large maroon double door at the end of a short hallway. There was writing cut into the wall above the door so yes with gold. "With Purpose, We Persist, In Persistence, We Remain Steadfast". It was a modification to the Stone Empire's code, one the Steadfast Legion had adopted when they had first set sail.

"Stay here" Song signed at Ty as he walked up and knocked at the oversized door.

Ty nodded and turned away from the door, monitoring the corridor. There were a few windows lining the short passage through which pale sunlight shone past the dark clouds. The double doors swung open with the sound of churning gears and well-oiled hinges and Song walked in.

"Punctual as usual... despite Thorig's best efforts I assume?" An effortlessly smooth voice called from deeper into the room.

Song looked around the familiar chamber, it was large and sterile, with slate grey tiles and darker grey walls with gold-trimmed pillars supporting the whole structure. It held a large desk and chair made from sturdy wood, backdropped by a window that stretched from floor to ceiling. The High Commander stood looking out the window dressed in his heavy fur coat and dark leather pants with pale blonde hair cut short and slicked back. His sleet white face bore the creases of someone who had spent many hours furrowing his brows in contemplation.

"Come, stand with me." He said, voice level and inviting.

Song knew the influence that voice could hold on a person's mind, but this time there was no force compelling him to act upon the High Commander's voice.

Song stepped up and stood a single step behind him and looked out at the same sight the High Commander was observing. It was a rare clear spot in the ordinarily foggy sky and from this high up they could see a great distance out to sea. The waves were calm, another rare occurrence, leaving the port steady, its plethora of ships lined up in ranks preparing to disembark.

" Take in this moment with me General, breathe in the air of peace we have created. There are forces that threaten our peace, that pick away at the walls we have erected. I see cracks forming and it is time we fill them in. but for that, I need to trust that my generals are capable of reinforcing my vision. Do you understand me?" Once again, the High Commander's voice was level, yet somehow it had gathered a great deal of weight.

He turned to look at Song with eyes the same stormy grey-blue of the clouded sky awaiting a response. Song stood and considered for a moment, giving the question and its implications the consternation they deserved before nodding firmly. He would not allow himself to falter here, he had invested too much and lost too much to get here. This rank, this duty was all Song had left.

"I need more medicine." Song gestured.

"That will be arranged. But I need you to prove to me that you will remain steadfast General Song. Show me your dedication and together we will see this land to a new era..." The high commander said as he placed a thickly gloved hand on Song's shoulder. "Imagine it... these people united under our banner, we could restore the Homeland, we could retake the Stone Empire..." the high commander sighed, his lips forming a rare smile before returning to the usual placid grimace "There is something I need you to do, General. We must retrieve Conscript 29. It is imperative that she is returned alive." The High Commander looked to Song for an affirmative response.

"Why not kill her? It would be easier." Song gestured again, not that he wanted to kill 29... but it would be better to know the reason she was wanted alive.

"Because General... She represents a threat that we must not allow to be recognized, the natives have all but yielded their notions of rebellion. They have no figureheads to stand behind and no soldiers to fight for them... 29 is a spark, one that threatens to light rebellion like wildfire and her death will only fan those flames. Return her to our ranks however and we will cut any potential rebellion off at the knees." The High Commander explained, turning to look back at the sight beyond the window before looking to Song once again awaiting a response.

The fog had begun setting in again clouding the previously clear vision beyond the window. Song felt there was something more behind the High Commander's refusal to eliminate the escaped Crafted, but he thought better of questioning it

"I will leave to get her at once." Song gestured, his motions brief and firm.

"No... I want you on the frontline General. I have assigned Thorig to another task, and you need to sharpen your skills. There is war ahead of us and I need my halberd ready for when we arrive at the battlefields. Send 30, perhaps a reunion might persuade 29 to return peaceably and 30 has personally requested this opportunity. Carry that message to her, you will be taking her place in the field alongside 28. For now, you are dismissed." The High Commander for Song to leave and the heavy double doors slowly opened showing Ty standing a few feet away looking out a window.

Song nodded and walked out, he had orders to follow. The world seemed so much simpler when he had orders to follow. Song stepped past Ty gesturing for him to follow.

"You will see field work very soon, soldier, try not to die." Song gestured at Ty as they stepped into the elevator and the doors groaned shut.