Goulet sat on the edge of his Goliath, watching the sun set on another day. He placed his pipe in his mouth, sucking on it slowly as he drew the smoke into his lungs. He shot out rings through the air, observing their drifting and dissipation. Next to him were three other Goliaths, and they all formed a circle on the plains. "A month has gone by already."

"Taking their sweet time are they?" Sigmeund flicked dirt off the hull of his warmachine, his boredom not hidden from his face.

"Or perhaps they are giving us more time," Goulet answered with his usual wisdom, his speaking slow and thoughtful. "It is not as if we have done much to change the world while we have waited."

"Cities have been lost, Goulet. We can't shape the course of entire battles so directly like that." A bird flew over Sigmeund's head, passing by him as he spoke. He stopped to stare at its flight, marvelling at the grace with which it traversed the air. "There are certainly more souls searching for answers, for voices, but we are no more vocal than we were before."

"If you always talk in riddles," Grimsley said, cutting into the conversation, "then I'll never be able to keep up."

"Right you are boy!" Ronald popped out of the Goliath before being shoved back into it by Grimsley. The old man had recently been quite annoying, expressing a desire to return to Narrius and run his shop again. He was apparently bored of his life as a wanderer without cause and would prefer to trick and swindle people to help him make a somewhat honest living.

"Life is nothing but a riddle anyways," Goulet mused, taking a long drag from his pipe. "What would the point be in trying to define our actions within such an enigma?"

Sigmeund burst out laughing at Goulet's intentional philosophizing. "You are only here because you are following your mentor, correct? You have to go wherever he goes, commit to his goals, and heed his every command."

"Don't make me sound like a slave driver, Sigmeund," Goulet said, ending the dispute. "We are committed to spreading knowledge and learning. We are not a rebel group or a military force."

Ochenkov only sat in silence, his head moving from side to side as he followed conversations. Speaking with this group had been incredible, giving him insight into a different side of the world that he had suspected existed. There had been many discussions on the history of Ishiyama, on Enianism, on government, and some special chats Ochenkov had had with Goulet regarding the barbarian's own culture. The man seemed to know things that not even Ochenkov had heard of, and it fascinated him.

Goulet, likewise, was constantly probing Ochenkov for knowledge, first regarding the nomadic northern culture, then about the Enian Federation, and finally they had talked about the Enigma Soldiers and what Ochenkov knew. Goulet was the least interested in the machines, though Sigemund always wanted to know more, and would usually focus more on why they would be created, rather than what they were capable of. Ochenkov had much respect for the man.

At first, their trips as a group had seemed aimless, pointless ventures through small towns in the north. The people were usually welcoming of a military convoy, assuming the group represented protection. Some noticed the insignia on the Artisan crafts and had reservations, while others were so disconnected from the main government that they did not know there was a difference. Ochenkov was always mindful of running into the small town he had once been trapped at, but they hadn't come across it.

Eventually, they had wandered south and west, traversing the border between the Federation and the Confederate. The farmlands there had been ravaged by the Jahari's first appearances, and it seemed that the creatures roamed through the plains in some locations. Holes and craters littered the countryside, turning valuable lands into abandoned wastes in an instant.

In one case, they had stumbled into the remains of a village, finding a Jahari patrol had ripped it apart. Half-decayed corpses littered the streets, and homes had been torn into to access those who had hid. It was not a case where the Bahari had been used, as no there was no indication of larger masses crushing anything. Instead, it seemed the Jahari had been left to roam free, and the local militia hadn't stood a chance, eviscerated instantly by a far superior enemy. Ochenkov remembered seeing the Jahari on the ground under his Goliath when he had fought them in the north, and he shuddered to think what it would be like if he were to come face-to-face with one of them the way that town had.

Since then, they had visited only one city to gather supplies, stopping in it briefly to let Goulet visit the library. He was always interested in absorbing knowledge no matter where he went, and he would pull out books on subjects he was extremely well-versed in, if only to see how a different person had written about it. In his mind, as he had explained, interpretation was the only thing that mattered in human history. Fact could always be a fact, but it could be slanted in a million different ways, and the context of it could create endless possibilities. He was always trying to see the other side to a situation.

"Should we start investing more in affecting conflicts?" Sigmeund asked the question out of boredom more than actual concern. He was always throwing out suggestions and demanding action, much to everyone's opposition, and this was no exception.

"We have no obligation to stem the tide of the Jahari." Goulet didn't even think about his answer, calmly making his statement instantly. "Let those who brought this upon themselves suffer. Mankind is doing an adequate job of defending itself for now."

"But they will lose eventually, won't they?" Grimsley asked the question with obvious anxiety in his voice. Of all of them, he had the greatest to lose at all times, with a fiance waiting at home for him.

"Eventually," Goulet responded, sucking on his pipe. "There is a finality in the attacks from the Jahari. They are not fast, nor do they intend to overpower. They are still testing us, wearing us down with perpetual warfare across the world. By striking all around us, they tear us apart. Were they to come out all at once, it would be unknown who would win. An enormous clash like that can have any number of outcomes."

"But what they do know," Goulet continued, "is that we have weapons that can cause incredible amounts of damage to them, on a level they are not yet prepared for. Enigma Soldiers are not just powerful, but can interfere with the hive mind, taking control away from the Jahari's masters, and so they are searching for now. They will want to eliminate those threats before they make any larger moves. So long as the likes of Sigma and Syn remain sporadic in their appearances, hiding in between, the war will go on."

"That all?" Ochenkov blurted out, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Will not fight with fear?"

Goulet smiled at the question. "Precisely. Our greatest strength against them is a fear over the weapons we have created. They want to invade us, to swarm over us, but they do not want to over-commit and suffer terrible losses. Think of them like a tiny mouse. If they take away just a nibble of our food, we don't notice. But over time, we still lose the same amount of food as if a dog had stolen it all at once. They certainly have the power and ability to act like a dog, but they are afraid to draw the attention of someone like Syn. I'm sure they are well aware of Sigma's human nature, but Syn's insanity is far more troubling."

Ochenkov heard a ring go off in his ear, a portion of his pilot suit connected to his warmachine's network at all times. He shot back inside his battlesuit, quickly traversing the interior until he was back in the cockpit. He was receiving a transmission, something coming in through a secure line of communication. The barbarian hesitated to answer, already guessing at who it could be. He knew what his response would be as well.

"General Ochenkov." Marian's face appeared on a viewscreen as the Brigadier General spoke. His face seemed to have aged another ten years since Ochenkov had last seen the man. Weathered, leathery skin held a pair of empty eyes that stared through the screen, searching for answers somewhere else.

"Marian." Ochenkov nodded in greeting. He immediately opened up the communication to the rest of the group, allowing Sigmeund and Goulet to listen and respond. He left Grimsley out though, wary of the youth's naive, young mind. "Good to see you."

"You as well, though I'm sure you understand my circumstances of late."

"As do we." Goulet cut in, still smoking on his pipe inside his machine. Marian did not appear surprised at all by the man's sudden appearance, giving out little more than a sigh at the sight of another person to have to talk with.

"I had assumed you would all want to be a part of any communication." Marian scratched at his chin and organized some notes in front of him. A shadow passed by behind him, a soldier running an errand or relaying a message. "I would rather speak to all of you as well to get any answers I seek."

"And what kind of questions are you asking?" It was Sigmeund's turn to throw out a question, a provocation lobbed into the air to tempt the general. There was a strange tension between them all, as if they were waiting for somebody to snap. The last time they had been together had been a moment when the Crisis Rescue Unit had defected and Goulet and Sigmeund had walked away from the army, taking Ochenkov with them. It hadn't been the brightest moment to part over. While the group had not technically been violating any laws or betraying their countries, they weren't around in any of the warzones and Marian obviously had suspicions that Sigmeund and Goulet had played a large part in many of the strange events in the north. On top of all that, the group had cut off most communication to commanding officers. While nobody had sent them any orders because of it, it was still a charge that would normally be held against them were the Jahari not constantly invading.

"It has been a month of fighting," Marian answered, moving forward as per his notes, "and yet none of you have been seen in combat, and the former students have disappeared. Sigma has been gone with them. The Emperor appeared and died in an instant, and a famous teacher defects, and all of it seems to be connected to all of you."

"So you called us to tell us our own situation?" Sigmeund giggled a bit in his chair, thoroughly enjoying having Marian on the ropes.

The Brigadier General ground his teeth together for a moment, clearly resisting multiple urges to take a shot at Sigmeund. The Artisan general had always been a nightmare to manage from every report, and all previous encounters between the two had been less than pleasant. "What I would like to know is why a group goes from silence and obscurity, to a single event, to silence once more. Why so quiet?"

"Do we have to be loud to be heard?" Goulet let out a long puff of smoke, and it wreathed around his face in the cockpit. "What you would really like to know, I believe, is whether or not we pose a threat to you at this moment, and if you need to plan for us on top of your issues with the Jahari. To give you a short answer, and an honest one, no we are not harmful to you. We only want to learn and if we happen across anyone else who shares in that desire, then we will tell them what we know. Will that cause you harm? I do not know, but that is knowledge, general, and that is just the nature of it. We would be exchanging facts, and if you think that could be harmful or dangerous, than perhaps those facts should not exist in the first place." Goulet slid the end of his pipe back in between his lips, leaving his words to hang in the air in lieu of his smoke. He had had a plan in the event of communication from Marian, it seemed, and had prepared that answer for some time.

Marian's head rested in his palm, and he slowly slid his hands down his face. The stress of constant war was wearing him down, crushing his mind. The last thing he needed was a headache. "Then I will note that none of you are currently conspiring against us or using our resources to your own ends at this time and I will hold you to that word."

"You will hold us to that word and we will abide by it." Goulet ended his transmission with those words, and Sigmeund cut himself out as well, leaving only Ochenkov and Marian left in the conversation.

"You are an old friend Ochenkov," Marian began, trying to reach out at one last resource. "You and I have been through a lot, have seen a lot, and maybe should have died a lot too. I know what happened in the north with Sigmeund involved Christian now, and I understand that's why you fled. I know you see yourself as a renegade now, an outcast, but your desertion crimes have been lifted, and I would be happy to see you return to your position, return to your place at my side, in helping to lead armies to defend our way of life."

"Am sorry, general, but men die for me, and men die for nothing. I do not want men to die more. I want only truth." Ochenkov turned off the communication, slumping back in his seat. He had to rub his face for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts in his brain. It had taken a lot for him to turn away Marian with the history the two of them had, but it had to be done. In this case, Ochenkov's desire for understanding the world outweighed his obligations towards the army.

Besides that, it had been Shotuku who had first brought him into the military, who had saved him from himself. It was Shotuku he owed more than Marian, and it was Shotuku who had asked Ochenkov for a favour before he had gone to the north. He would maintain that promise and pay back his mentor and friend, and eventually, he hoped, he would help liberate Marian from his duties through the truth. He had seen his own men die up north, intentionally slaughtered by Christian and the Enian government as part of a conspiracy. He had watched thousands of soldiers pass away over the years and he had always sworn he would fight to protect them all.

That was why this fight, a battle not with a physical enemy, but with a mental one, would be his greatest yet.

A/N: Grimsley, Goulet, Ochenkov, Sigmeund. What do they know, and what are they hiding? Who is the one who truly pulls the strings behind the events of the world?