Music: The Enemy by Papa Roach

4 years, 11 months, 3week, and two days since exile.

"Your next assignment is by far the most time consuming. The island of Ferrum, in the north of the Archipelago, has a mine on it. It produces much of the Empires iron, gold, and stone. Recently, the workers on the island have staged a revolt. The Fourteenth Regiment has already been dispatched, however, is having some troubles. You are to go and assist them. Understood?"

"Yes, Caesar", she said, unfurling her wings and flying out of the room. She did a wide arc around the palace, landing on the balcony of her room. She entered and was almost immediately jumped by her son. "Hey, Sport."

"Mommy!", he said happily. "Can we pway?"

Rainbows smiled faded, setting her son down. "Sorry, bud. But mommies got something she needs to take care of. I won't be back for a few days."

He wilted like a flower, frowning. "But mommyyyyyyy!"

"I'm sorry, Sport. But this is just something I need to do. I-"

He pouted, "Otay." He then looked up her, his frown turning into a smile. "But we will pway when you get bawk!"

She smiled, ruffling his mane lightly. "I promise, Sport. You be on your best behavior for Castus, ok? No avoiding taking a nap by flying away. We don't want a repeat of last time, do we?"

"Otay, Mommy!", he said joyously as Rainbow began to pack up her sarcina. She when she finished pulling on her armor, weapons, and the heavy leather pack, she walked over to the balcony again. "Gwodbye, mommy!"

She looked back, smiling at him. "Bye, Sport. I'll be back in a few days. Behave!" She then leaped off the balcony, soaring over the city, heading due north.

She arrived at Ferrum about two days later, setting down on the edge of the island, a little ways away from the Regimental Castrum. Letting her sore wings rest, she walked the rest of the way to the camp. After the guards let her enter, she made her way down the camp's central path, past the rows of tents and the milling about soldiers. Many of said soldiers turned to face her, staring with awe or muttering under their breaths. She made her way up to the command tent, pushing aside the flap as the two guards by the entrance snapped into a salute.

"Ah, Miss Dash. A pleasure to see you again," Said a familiar voice. Inside, looking over a map with several other officers, stood her old training instructor.

"Dorus! Long-time, no see!," she said, unslinging her sarcina and shaking his paw.

"Aye," he said, grinning widely beneath his helmet. "Good to see you too. But, enough formalities. To business, eh?" He led her over to the map, giving a distracted gesture to one of his men to pick up the sarcina. He then pointed to the map and the various carved wooden bits on it.

"We're here," he said, pointing at a cluster of icons carved to look like legionary helmets. Pointing to a smaller cluster of icons that looked like simple sticks with bases, he added, "And the rebels are here. They've occupied the old mine, and are using it as a defensive point to funnel our troops into their defensive lines. Normally, we would just steamroll past them, but the bastards have somehow made some primitive war machines from the old mining gear. We can't use our own artillery without risking collapsing the canyon, and we can't advance without facing a massacre."

Rainbow studied the map. Sure enough, the path which led to the mine was a narrow pass in between two, nearly vertical massive cliffs. The pass was narrow at the face, gradually opening up closer to the entrance of the mine. "Ok, I can fly over the line and move to disable their artillery. From there, I think I might be able to close off the mine to prevent them from falling back into it."

One of the tribunes said, "The governor requested that the mine not be harmed. Your plan would-"

"Help us win," she interrupted. "Listen, bud. I don't really give a fuck what the governor said. Maybe if he didn't want his precious mine harmed, then maybe he should've not treated his miners like crap. Maybe then they wouldn't have rebelled. Besides, it's just the entrance. That can be reopened." No one else spoke up, and so she continued. "Ok then. If no one else is gonna object to the plan, I suggest we get started. Dorus, when you see a rainbow-colored X in the sky, that'll be your signal to advance. I'll see you when this is over."

The canyon, sure enough, was a narrow pass that led to the mine's mouth. As the canyon widened, a defensive line had been formed. A series of barricades made of piled-up blocks of stone went from one side of the sheer cliff wall to the other, manned by poorly equipped miners. Behind them, the old scaffolding of the outer sections of the mine still stood, with the dark mouths of the cave entrances appearing as voids into a realm of darkness.

Manning these barricades were the old miners. She was able to count at least five hundred of them, with probably some more in the mine itself. A few were outfitted with dented helmets, mail coats and subarmalis cotton jackets with holes in them or thinner looking sections. However, most were only armed with light leather jerkins and padded leather caps that were designed to protect them against small rock falls and heavy dust; they would do nothing against the legionaries swords. Proper weapons were also a rarity, most being armed with picks, small hammers, and the occasional looted sword. However, most impressive and what Dorus was worrying most about, were several catapulta made out of old rock slide, pully ropes, and other bits of scrap wood. About a dozen of these makeshift war machines dotted the line, with another dozen further back.

Looking over the position, she decided she should go for the mine entrances first. In total, there were three of them, all located at different parts of the mine. Getting as close as she could to one, she saw the wooden supports holding them up, along with a rebel miner with an ax. Perfect.

With a burst of speed, she shot down from out of the clouds, blades flashing. The miner with the ax barely had time to stand up before her blade thrust into his throat, being yanked out again a second later with a gush of blood. She didn't have time to take in his malnourished body and thin coat. She sheathed her sword, grabbed the ax from his paws, and then darted over to the supports. Aiming for where the crossbars met, the ax cut through the wood, causing the packed dirt and stone to fall in on itself.

She darted up into the air, wings flapping madly toward the next cave entrance. The guards were similarly dispatched with a pair of bolts, and the entrance collapsed. By now the rebels had picked up on her activity, and many began to abandon the line to chase after her. This led to some problems when she went for the third mine entrance, but she still managed to get it closed.

With many of the miners running over toward the mine entrances to attack her, that left the artillery more-or-less undefended. These were a lot simpler to deal with; no need to kill anyone or to even touch down. The war machines were crude, and she was simply able to do flybys, cutting the exposed ropes with quick slashes or simply pushing them over, where they broke apart from a mix of poor construction and her sheer momentum. In a few short minutes, the war machines were almost all gone. So, her plan complete, she shot up into the clouds, getting fast enough to generate her rainbow-colored trail to give the signal.

She trotted sickly into her apartment when she arrived back in Pryha two days later. Like always, she tossed her sarcina, armor, and weapons on the couch, then slumped down on another one in exhaustion. Now though, it wasn't exhaustion; It was guilt and disgust.

When the order had been received, Dorus had advanced up his men down the now unguarded pass. With the artillery disabled and the people manning the walls dispersed all over the area trying to catch her, the soldiers were able to advance almost unmolested to the line. From there, it was only a matter of cleaning up the rebels, a matter undertaken with few casualties. By that point, the governor had arrived, and order the surviving rebels execution for 'Daring to oppose the will of the Empire'. Despite Dorus' and her protests, one of the tribunes carried out the order.

She, despite being a skilled flyer with now years of experience in both flying and fighting, panted like a dog. She remembered the faces of the miners; their terrified begging as the soldiers put them to the sword. She then remembered what that first one looked like thin, bloodshot eyes, and so covered in limestone dust he looked almost completely white. She shuddered, then went up to the loft. She needed to forget; to have an excuse not to think about it.

She opened up the nightstand, pulling out the pack of crackers. She opened them up, throwing all the ones that still remained inside to lean on the safe side. No euphoria, no rush; just the now dreadful and all to familiar feeling of cold water. She looked down at the empty tin, dreading tonight, when, for the first time in almost three and a half years, she would have to go to sleep, and face the horrible nightmares that plagued her.