The Reluctant Hero (Splatoon)

Chapter 13

"Pandemonium ensued when pop star Callie was spotted at the airport by fans after wrapping up filming for her new upcoming TV drama in New Sardine. She smiled through it all, but it's clear to this reporter that the pressure of fame is getting to her."
—Sunken Scrolls 2:21 (4.6)

One month ago
Somewhere in Octo Valley

This wasn't all bad, Callie thought to herself. She was the right-hand man to a powerful leader who had the backing of almost an entire nation. She was helping Octavio revive the resistance and fight for their shared belief in basic privileges. She would be on the right side of history this time, working with the Octarians to dismantle oppression and secure a future for everyone. Things were looking up for her, she thought.

But the looks that everyone gave Callie betrayed fear. They avoided eye contact, answered her questions with as few words as possible, and shrank from her presence. The soldiers under Octavio spoke of the NSS agents as if they were demons, unstoppable forces of death. To them, agents were natural disasters, plagues that swept through their ranks without a care in the world, predators who hunted down trained men with ease. And now, one of these demons was bringing their leader home. Of course they'd be wary. The Octarians paid Callie a begrudging respect, a respect that she had earned fighting against them. They had every reason to fear her, she regretfully concluded.

One month ago, Callie had decided that she needed time away from the spotlight. She had wanted to get away from the paparazzi and her overbearing fans, to get out of the public eye. What irony, Callie thought as she forced a smile. Now that she got exactly what she asked for, she felt very lonely. Nobody here wanted to talk to her, except Octavio.

That old man wasn't everything he had appeared to be, either. As Callie passed his tent, she could hear him chastising a soldier for something or other. Octavio was more than a strict, grandfatherly disciplinarian; if anything, Callie thought he was too cold with his men and not compassionate enough. He treated them poorly and set high expectations that they could never meet. Every perceived imperfection set him off on another tirade about the "new generation" and its "lack of character."

As she wandered about the encampment, Callie's mind drifted to thoughts of Marie. Callie's smile gradually turned into a frown. Marie wouldn't have understood. She always kept her eyes glued to her next mission. She never questioned anything. Notions of justice or righting the wrongs of the past were beyond Marie's concern. Perhaps Callie did make the right choice in leaving Marie completely in the dark—Callie didn't want her cousin to worry or anything, but telling Marie that she and Octavio were escaping into Octo Valley would have been a horrible decision. Now, at least, Marie would waste precious time looking for her lost partner instead of immediately sabotaging all their progress.

Callie and Octavio needed all the time they could get. There was so much to be done. Communications between Octarian cells had fallen apart, according to the first soldiers they had met upon leaving the headquarters. Since Octavio's capture two years ago, the Octarian military had split into factions once again, an unfortunate reality expedited by the organization's cellular nature. Rumors of an impending civil war floated about, which meant that news of Octavio's big return needed to propagate throughout Octarian territory if they wanted to stand a fighting chance against Inkopolis. But that required coordination and cooperation between outposts, which required time. Bio-weapon research had also split up into disconnected, unfocused efforts, a far cry from the technological juggernaut that had once been pumping out the most frightening war implements imaginable. Invention and ingenuity were major assets to the Octarians, and Octavio knew it. Reorganizing and reconnecting the research and development arms of the Octarian army were absolutely crucial to achieving an eventual victory.

Finally, there was the problem of Old Captain Cuttlefish and Agent 3. Last week, in response to unusual activity, the captain had taken Agent 3 out to the cape for an investigation. He left his granddaughters in charge of watching over HQ, and the two of them had decided to take turns. On Callie's watch, one pair departed as another escaped. The captain's seabound expedition to the Eastern Cape would take several days, which was more than enough time for Callie and Octavio to find a nearby encampment and send a messenger out to the Canyon. Octarian forces could then mobilize in advance and capture the boat. Callie had insisted that the NSS members not be harmed. Everything hinged on capturing that boat, and Callie waited for news to come back with bated breath.

For now, they would tackle the problem of energy. The research facilities scattered around both the Valley and Octo Canyon needed Zapfish to run their experiments, and the cells of the Octarian resistance needed Zapfish to power their weapons. So, Octavio and his men planned to lure the Great Zapfish out with chemical pheromones, like they did two years ago, enticing it to fly off its usual path and toward the heart of Octarian country. They would also steal small Zapfish from the city individually, as needed. Callie worried that such a conspicuous approach would attract the attention of Inkling authorities, since the Octarians had done the exact same thing last time. But without the NSS, the Inklings were next to helpless anyway. The city's law enforcement was a huge joke, and everyone knew it.

Callie stared off into the distance, beyond the ruins of a lost civilization and beyond the trees concealing the Octarian encampment. She was doing the right thing. These were the good guys.

Right?

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