Chapter Five

Vanessa searched for grief counseling, only to give up when thousands of options popped up mixed up with millions of different counseling popped up. She ended up looking for the veteran programs that were available to her. Looking through the programs, she decided that she would just call a soldier who used to help her into the healing pod when she came back to the base.

"Captain- I mean General Flores, I am surprised," the battlefield doctor leaned back in his seat. Ignoring the looks of the other doctors in the room. "Is there anything you need? It's been long time since I last seen you or even heard from you."

"Niles, I need help looking for grief counseling, one who isn't connected to anyone." Vanessa knew that any type of talent were pulled into the fold of various groups. Niles wasn't under anyone, it was why she kept his contact information.

Niles stared at the information on the table, not giving away anything to the others. "No problem, I will send the information of her to you. Kingston will bring her over afterwards."

"I thought you would have to do more research," she said drily. He wanted to sneer at this dull woman, if she hadn't cut off every way to get a hold of her, they would already have her in lock down. He knew that losing her family took a hit on her, one bigger than the one of losing Alpha Leo did.

Its why even though she was 'retired', she still had the title of General. Her army had applied for a three year break. They were in the front lines with her, never stopping and never resting. Most of the soldiers were too used to the battlefield and had some type of mental problems. Everyone under her control had volunteered to be there, it's why they all struggled to move ranks before going to her squad.

Niles knows that none of them are adjusting to the life of a regular soldier. Their reasons for being a soldier was all about getting rid of Zergs, no patriotic spirit or ambitious. Niles had known the moment Vanessa got the notification of the Hive, that their soldiers were going to go through a rough patch. Only, he didn't see the death of the Captain's family and her 'retirement'.

He had recruited therapists and counselors, getting signed agreements, some people would consider their agreements a life contract. But they had made too many enemies over the years with bigger families. The Emperor favored their army for the sole fact that they were truly neutral. It probably helped that Vanessa had taken a break immediately after the Hive mission.

"Send your location, I will be there as fast as possible." He got up, ignoring the head doctor's protests and threats. "I will bring my equipment, the kid should need a check up from a doctor. Plus he will need his vaccination."

-x-

Vanessa didn't really know if her brother needed any vaccine. In her defense, Vanessa had her mother to make sure she got all of them, then the army did the shots.

Niles looked at the results of the scan, shock but looked resigned as he pulled out another machine. "Ah, your parents make amazing kids. If they made a few more before they died- that was a little too cold." He paused before continuing on setting the machine up.

Vanessa picked up the paper, the basic scan can make a estimate on the ranking of someone. It wasn't a hundred percent, but it was a good 82%. "He's a little too bad, his physical rank is only A and the mental is B+." When she was born, she was already A+, it took her so long to upgrade because kids' bodies need to stabilize for 10 years.

Niles waved her off, "eh, it's not about ranking but potential. If someone was born with double E rank, they could still beat someone who was born Double B later on. As long as you have great potential and hard work, any rank can get to the S rank." He put the soft helmet on the sleeping toddler, before letting the T35T hover over him.

Vanessa looked over his shoulder, watching the silent machine do its business. It was boring, there was no flashing lights or sounds, it would be concerning if the machine did. "So what does this do?"

"Just a more detailed scan on his ranking, the other scan was for everything from his skeleton to brain. Rankings are a more of a Mental Power thing than a physical thing." He knew that his captain, despite her Ranking, wasn't the brightest. Well, he guess it was more of a lack of interest. She could remember how many times someone blinked at her in a conversation if they had pretty eyelashes or eyes but forgot a important leader's name and job in seconds if she didn't like them.

(Childhood Trauma can affect long-term memory and the way brains developed. His captain has been on the battlefield far too long for her young age. Even her peers from the same grade never spent as much as time as she did. They was only trainees when their first squad- all of them were too young. Hadn't even finished growing and developing, but they all came from low families with no background.

He could still feel the warm blood, the gurgling and struggle-she doesn't remember him-blank eyes-a careless second generation brought back a Princess egg- a surprise attack-hundreds gone in seconds-)

"I am getting married, his name is Fu Bingwen," she said nonchalantly. He only nodded, he heard the name before, a long time ago when they were younger. They were thirty-eight and hiding in a hole while she showed them pictures of a cute baby, telling them the baby was from a family friend. "He's younger than what I would like, but if I wait, I am afraid that they would sell him to the next bidder."

"It has been illegal to sell someone for more than a millennium." Of course, there were illegal sells and auctions but that's not point. Not to mention he doubts his family will pass up a chance to marry their son to her even if they had to wait a couple decades. "Your age gap is very reasonable, nothing too shocking. On more then ten planets, most males will marry a older woman as it insure that the mother's body is mature enough to carry the baby."

"You remember the oddest things, Niles."

He shot her a look, which she ignored as the machine finally beeped. He quickly took off the helmet and moved it away from the sleeping baby. Vanessa was the one who liked looking up odd things, not him, he thought, it's not his fault he was the only one who remembers the random facts.