ABS FIESTA REDUX

[NoZoner]

: [What the-]

The soldier wheels around and steps towards you until you feel the cold metal barrel of his rifle press against your forehead.
: [Hey, you! Don't move!]

Ash throws his hands up and prays to the Ark mother this soldier has the trigger discipline and kindness to not immediately brain him.

"Wait! I'm not an enemy!"

He reaches in his memory to find something that might more easily identify him as one of theirs.

"... V-Vulthus Austerra!"

[Ad Bot]

[Qwepir]

Ash throws his hands up and prays to the Ark mother this soldier has the trigger discipline and kindness to not immediately brain him.

"Wait! I'm not an enemy!"

He reaches in his memory to find something that might more easily identify him as one of theirs.

"... V-Vulthus Austerra!"

Not the best choice of words, given that the generic phrase "Glory to Austerra" could hardly be considered unknown to foreigners.
: [You dare make a mockery of-]

The soldier rifle butts you in the head.
: Hands on your head. Stand up. Slowly, or I shoot.

Ash feels a sense of deja vu- either this guy and the last one are reading from the same script, or that blow to the head just knocked him a few minutes into the past.

[NoZoner]

"Agh-"

Ash puts his hands on his head and slowly gets up--not that he could stand up any faster, with the ground twisting and turning underneath his feet and stars appearing where there shouldn't be any.

[Qwepir]

"Agh-"

Ash puts his hands on his head and slowly gets up--not that he could stand up any faster, with the ground twisting and turning underneath his feet and stars appearing where there shouldn't be any.

The soldier moves his rifle over his shoulder and lets it sit on his back by its sling, drawing his sidearm instead. He jams the barrel of the pistol into your side and plants his other hand on your upper back, urging you towards the AAA site.
: Inwagjis, nu!

[NoZoner]

Ash walks forward to the pace of the soldier's shoving.

"Will I have a chance to speak?"

[Qwepir]

Ash walks forward to the pace of the soldier's shoving.

"Will I have a chance to speak?"

: Anasilais!

The soldier brings you around back of the SAM truck and addresses one of the other men nearby.
: [This Aesthian was trying to sneak up on us. Noisy bastard, though.]
: [I see. Take his weapon and keep an eye on him until we can hand him off to the Guard.]

You recognize the old man's voice as being the one from the boy's radio.

[NoZoner]

Ash lights up as he recognizes the older man's voice.

".. You're the one that was speaking to the young man through the radio! Can you understand me?"

[Qwepir]

Ash lights up as he recognizes the older man's voice.

".. You're the one that was speaking to the young man through the radio! Can you understand me?"

: [Shut! Up!]
: [No, let him speak!] Where is he? Is he okay?

[NoZoner]

"He's still in hiding another street over," Ash explains, "I lured the Aesthians away to the corner of this street, but I don't know how long they'll stay there. There's five of them in total, all of them armed with automatic rifles and wearing plate carriers."

[Qwepir]

"He's still in hiding another street over," Ash explains, "I lured the Aesthians away to the corner of this street, but I don't know how long they'll stay there. There's five of them in total, all of them armed with automatic rifles and wearing plate carriers."

: I don't understand your people. You hold out this long, come all this way, and then betray each other to your enemy?

[NoZoner]

: I don't understand your people. You hold out this long, come all this way, and then betray each other to the enemy?

"... I betrayed my nation well before arriving here," Ash states plainly, "I'm Lieutenant Ash Zaman of the Imperium's First Auxiliary Squadron of North Aesthia. I was fighting the Coalition's nuclear bombing escort when my aircraft was shot down. Your soldier found me as I was wandering the streets trying to escape the city."

[Qwepir]

"... I betrayed my nation well before arriving here," Ash states plainly, "I'm Lieutenant Ash Zaman of the Imperium's First Auxiliary Squadron of North Aesthia. I was fighting the Coalition's nuclear bombing escort when my aircraft was shot down. Your soldier found me as I was wandering the streets trying to escape the city."

: An Aesthian auxiliary squadron? Ridiculous, there are no Aesthians in the auxilia.

[NoZoner]

"Well, you know more about your own military than I do. The formation of our unit is only what officer Gunter Eisbehotz declared to us mere moments after touching down on the Indomitus. Really, the only thing I have to prove to you our squadron exists is the patch in my chest pocket."

[Qwepir]

"Well, you know more about your own military than I do. The formation of our unit is only what officer Gunter Eisbehotz declared to us mere moments after touching down on the Indomitus. Really, the only thing I have to prove to you our squadron exists is the patch in my chest pocket."

The old man reaches into your chest pocket and pulls out the patch, examining it with a flashlight.
: Well then. What was that about some soldiers down the street?

[NoZoner]

"There's five of them, waiting at the end of the street on the right-hand corner. At least three, maybe all of them are armed with automatic rifles, and all of them have plate carriers. They're survivors from a heavy bomber that was shot down, I think I heard the escape pod crash land somewhere in this area."