The Little Prince in the Ossuary

# Return (7)

Nominally, the supreme commander of the Refugee Army was Will Lightburn of the Army's commander rank. However, Winter never seemed to meet him in person, because the Secretary of Defense's office was in the Pentagon in D.C.

At first, it was winter when I wondered if I was too far away from the site, but after knowing the situation, I simply made sense. In addition to the three western provincial military offices, there were other regional military offices responsible for the east. The number of refugees across the Atlantic was surprisingly large, as the wave of plague that began in China had months to reach Europe.

The Minister of War will be troubled as well. The California Military Service doesn't divide it into the north, the middle and the south. Given the vast organization, one lieutenant could not afford it, but there would have been no other choice due to the persistent lack of manpower.

‘Even the British are reviewing territorial defenses these days……. ’

I've been able to endure it because of the nature of the island, but there are so many refugees from all over Europe that I can't afford it. The United States, of course, paid for the supply of those that could not be self-sustained, but it only met the lowest demand for survival. Political, economic, and social confusion.

The U.S. government, on the other hand, wanted to leave the British mainland together with books such as Sicily, Sardinia, and Fiat. The U.K., which is particularly productive, is going to be a great advancement base.

The problem was that no one knew when the future would come. The challenge for the United States was not to retake Europe, but the Panamanian vacuum.

So instead of denying the U.K. government's request for asylum, the U.S. Congress decided to accept additional refugees. They said they would reduce the transportation costs of supplies and at least reduce the confusion caused by refugees. At this point, the military minister was more than just west, and the east would be in trouble.

This was also the backdrop of Fort Roberts' empowerment. When describing his work across administrative and judicial fronts, General Laplin smiled bitterly at the breathtaking moment.

“Even a commander to deploy to a combat unit would be enough to put an officer in the Refugee Administration on a verdict lacking?" Rarely do high-ranking officers take responsibility. So if you want to save people, you either have to turn them into limited personnel, or you have to concentrate your authority like this. ”

I thought it would get better over time, and it didn't.

“I've heard it before, but my responsibilities are heavy. ”

Winter's assessment made the commander nod.

“Yes. It's a good condition for a man to break. Not because it was hard, but because I had a lot of temptations. I didn't think it would be so scary to have the power to do anything from the looks of it. As the leader of the unit, I believed I was used to it. ”

“But you survived, right? ”

“As a result, but it would have been dangerous if it wasn't for the rank of lieutenant general. ”

It meant that he died in case there was a reason to miss.

“Especially that heritage. ”

The commander's expression was disgusting.

“The output has fallen below the threshold, so they're delegating officials here. Even if it doesn't fit the budget, it still costs a lot of money here." I was in trouble because of the bugs. ”

This was an indirect concern. The lieutenant did not appear to be a liar, but winter decided to keep in mind the possibility that he might have been dishonest. It is enough to know once after becoming a commander. It could turn you upside down.

“How long does the heritage last? ”

The commander digs through the paperwork with one hand.

“More than I can say... here you are. See for yourself.”

Winter released his report. The first thing I saw was a chart showing my past history. It was California's number one field in terms of total production, but its annual output has significantly decreased over time. More recently, it provided the fuel needed for a large-scale military operation.

Given the cost of production, transportation and supply, the U.S. government has remained the same, and has remained the sole jurisdiction of Port Roberts until improvements are made.

In addition, there were many other interests involving base commanders. Winter frowned.

“I understand the licensing of expatriate workers, but it's a lot of pressure to assess their permanent residency and citizenship. It's easier to bypass restrictions. We'll get into trouble later. ”

Then General Laplin replied meaningfully.

“Rather, they gave me the authority to use it. ”

“…… What are you talking about? ”

“Once an authorized citizenship can't be revoked regardless of how the government's propensity changes. The same is true of sovereignty. If you abuse it too much, sanctions will come from immigration or above, but I think it will give you a decent cover. As long as it's your decision, not mine. ”

“Insurance for regime change? ”

“I'm guessing that's what the current president thinks. It's also about trusting your eyes. It's true that in the future, you need to have the number of citizens or permanent residents in order to make an order or a shareholder. Or is it any different from here? It's just like changing the location of a refugee colony. ”

The commander, who had told us so far, pulled some of the paperwork he had to pay and pushed it into the winter.

“Speaking of which, you should take a look at this. There's no better way to get used to it than by yourself. ”

“You mean right now? ”

“No. The result is…… yes. I'll hear you in five days. Just take it with you when you go. But I'll send you home two hours early today. You should rest when you rest. Apart from the glamorous invitations that are coming soon. Well, to be honest, it doesn't matter if it's a few days late. It must be hard for you to wait. ”

There was still a lot of work to learn.

“Now, the next task is to screen refugee leader candidates. The Refugee Leader Assistance Bill is in the forecast, so we need to keep up with the pace. You'll do better than me. I'm a party. After this, I'll stop by civil affairs. Wouldn't it be hard to review the agenda if you didn't know you were back in the field? ”

The commander said that he was smiling someplace relaxed.

Late afternoon. Winter returned to my camp and examined the documents I had brought. I felt like I was getting away with a lot of work, but I had to succeed anyway.

The Refugee Leader Support Policy is designed to save the costs of managing refugees and their workforce at the same time. However, the problem was that there were rare people who stood out as leaders, but who were good people. Thus, most of them were planned to be chosen by military authorities on any basis. This is also a sensitive issue for refugees.

‘Is Vietnam…… Nguyen? ’

Names that had passed once in the past appeared in writing. However, many other strangers needed to meet each other in the winter.

When the starlight hits the mountain shadow, one by one, in the dark, in the call Anne made, winter said:

“I don't know what you believe up there and give me this job. They say they specialize in a lot of things, but they're different from that. The lieutenant said it's easy to break people. ”

Anne found this saying amusing.

"Winter, there is no one like you in that position. I'm not saying that because I like you, but because you're objective.

“Why?”

He is a person who is not subject to self-interest. So is the Defense Ministry donation. I wrote a contract recently, but I first found out I was in San Francisco. Before that, when the military commission was first created, I was reluctant to take a comfortable seat. What about the fact that I'm still alive?

Words followed by short spaces.

"Thanks to that, the Ministry of Defense and the White House have been very good about you for a long time. Not just as a soldier, but as a person. In other words, the decision to put you in the position means a decision that was made after careful consideration. Isn't it weird to doubt that someone who's risked his life over and over for someone else is going to be selfish about a small matter?

“Just in case. ”

"I don't know..." What do you think? Want to make a bet?

“I don't want to lose. ”

"Oh my, that was a victory.

Anne burst into laughter. The sound is higher and fresher than before, so winter brings about a recession.

“My voice is bright today. Did something good happen? ”

What are you waiting for……. I'm talking to you. "

Winter was lost this time.

“Not that one. ”

"Hmm……. This is a relatively small thing, but I'm home now. Not the office, not the crime scene. The sunset was beautiful on the way home, and I took a shower for thirty minutes, drank a blue door a little while ago, lay in bed listening to you, and the next day it's off. Even if it's a panic call, you'll be on your way.

“The day after tomorrow, even if the world dies, I hope tomorrow will be quiet. ”

I need to plant an apple tree.

She cooked again, supplementing what she said a moment ago.

Oh, right……. The Pentagon donation.

“Yes.”

It's likely to come out sooner than expected. As soon as it's official, we'll be on the air in a week.

“…… I'm surprised. I thought politics would make it a little more lasting. Major Maguire... No, that's what I heard from the press office. Something must have gone wrong with the policy. You didn't call me back. ”

Don't worry. Winter won't be backwind.

Anne's soft voice.

Reporters just smelled it. In a certain sense, it's obvious. Although he kept it a secret, he was as vain as the real secret, and he had a lot of connections, but he kept his time, and you were always one of the media's biggest interests.

“So what happens? ”

"Predictive articles have already been published. It seems like this is happening, but you can't reveal it because you notice it. After all, the authorities are determined to cut to the chase until the journalists can produce their own opinions. without positivity, without denial. Slipping back and forth.

“Not to proactively make a presentation, but to conceal it, but to be forced to acknowledge it when it's all known? ”

"Yes."

“Not bad for an unscheduled response. ”

"They are experts in the field. It's a big deal anyway."

“What?”

What if someone likes you more than me? I should be the best in this field... …. And, of course, the security issues during the event are terrible.

The horse had no dark stains, so winter took it lightly.

“Really. You used to joke around when you were drunk? You were just pretending to be nice before? ”

"Ha, no way. Usually they're treated like walkerholks at any party.

I was so sick of answering with sighs, so I ended up laughing and drying up in winter. Anne who heard the sound became more cozy.

I feel strange doing this, too. It's new and a little embarrassing... And yet it keeps coming back. And this is fun.

“ ……. ”

For some reason, I can't speak. Winter, when I was looking for a horse, suddenly I saw the mountain range outside the window. There were darker nights and more stars. My favorite landscape anytime. Even though there were no real stars beyond it, it was beautiful. As I thought the other day, beautiful things were worth it.

As if the star you receive from a starlight child is a promise regardless of its nature.

"Hello? … winter? Can you hear me?"

Mysterious voice. I also felt a little anxious. He must have scolded himself. I was wondering if you were feeling a bit overwhelmed.

“Anne.

Winter spoke softly.

“I wish I could love you. ”

In this sentence, the silence that was here a moment ago crossed the handset. The interval filled with the ticking of the second hand only. After a long time, a frequent response returns.

Rest assured, it will happen.