>>5189096"Pilot Anastasia will be transferred to the Schulz & Wagner Group under the Hegemony. Once there she'll undergo various necessary medical procedures to raise her standard of living. Once a suitable amount of her wounds have been healed she will undergo augmentation to replace her lost limbs and simple muscular system robotics will be used to accommodate the ease of Phobos linking." You look down, a faint voice resounding deep within you, almost like you held a plastic cup to your ear. Along an endless length of string her whispered song serenades you. You couldn't help smiling, you had saved her. But your mind was far from guaranteed in the nobility of your actions, questioning her labeling of you as a Hero.
You just did what you had to, anyone else would have done the same. It wasn't that special. You fight the devious thoughts and speak up. "I'm glad to hear you still refer to Anastasia as a pilot." Both of the Stumpfeggers nod, the second one speaking as he rests against the desk. "Her mind survived, that proves she is suitable to become a pilot. Now she simply will have to contend with her waning body." The stark reality wasn't lost on you, but through that faint bond. You were left with a beam of hope in the dark, she had survived so far. With the Over-Marshal's openness on the table you ask another question that has been on your mind since the moment you arrived.
"I do have another question, Over-Marshal. I heard that a few of the other pilot candidates were getting paid a salary. I'm yet to receive any such thing…" Both the skulls watch you now, you imagine their eyebrows raising. But the original spoke up first. "Didn't Yuga inform you? Well I guess it would not be very relevant considering your situation. Your monthly pay is being deposited into a secure Eskarrian bank account, awaiting when you can sensibly use it. A portion of that pay is also invested monthly into a veterans pension plan. So one day, you too can retire from military service. The practice is common for… Pilots and soldiers without any next of kin. But if you desire access that can be accommodated!" The last words cut you. They cut deep. But you didn't let it show, you had long mastered the art of parrying mental blows.
