The sound of gunshots eventually draw in a set of footsteps.
Bertolt: Lilya! Aleksei! Hassan! Is that you?
Bertolt's voice echoes through the cave.
Lilya: Bertolt!
Lilya: He followed my voice and quickly found the room, much easier than we did.
Lilya: The sight of Hassan lying next to Aleksei shocked him.
Bertolt: ...
Bertolt: Hassan's courageous sacrifice will forever be remembered. He fought bravely against the enemy and died a hero.
Lilya: Aleksei could not accept Bertolt's portrayal of what had happened.
Lilya: He was too principled for that.
Aleksei: No, Commander. It was I who killed our comrade.
Lilya pulls out a bloodstained stack from under Hassan's body and throws it at Bertolt.
The thick files hit the ground, kicking up a swirl of dust around his army boots.
Lilya: Congratulations, Commander. Mission complete.
Bertolt: You went in earlier than I did, but you came out later.
Lilya: They wouldn't let me go.
Bertolt: Well, it seems you had a pleasant chat. Personally, I hate being questioned.
Lilya: I'm an honest person.
Bertolt: Just like Aleksei.
Bertolt: It's over now. Don't forget about your debriefing report.
Bertolt: Well done, my little falcon. You have survived Juhalerat. Your service on the battlefield is over for now, so you're free to return wherever you please.
Lilya does not reply. She looks back at the interrogation room, where the doors are now shut.
Bertolt: How are you feeling about all this?
Lilya: Not how I thought I would feel.
Bertolt: Of course, of course. For those who have never experienced war ...
Bertolt: War is often romanticized as a beautiful, idyllic symphony.
Bertolt: Until you're staring down the barrel of a gun, being mocked for your naivete.
Bertolt: And you become just another tally, a statistic on the government's ledger.
Lilya: Hassan ...
Bertolt: Zeno will take care of his wife, you can be sure of that.
Lilya: Was this all "worth" it, Commander Bertolt?
Bertolt: He was a joyful man. I cannot deny that we became good friends during our time together.
Bertolt: The truth is, Hassan will serve as excellent promotional material. He'll become a true model.
So utilitarian, interest-oriented, and calculating.
Bertolt: Work for Zeno, earn your merits, and your family will be treated well.
Bertolt: And for them, family and blood are above all else.
Lilya: ...
Lilya: Two critters with one stone.
Lilya: Let's go see Aleksei.
They walk to the interrogation room and peer at the silent young man through the window.
He notices the people outside, looks up, and halts his signing.
Lilya: He sees us. Aleksei is smiling.
Bertolt: I told you, this really isn't that big of a deal. It's just that he insisted on making this report himself.
Bertolt: Have you ever met someone who'd openly confess, "I am the one who shot our fellow comrade"?
Bertolt: I had no intention of sending him to a tribunal, but he was hell-bent on the notion.
Bertolt: sigh Such a stubborn young man.
Lilya: Having principles isn't easy.
Bertolt: He didn't belong there. Juhalerat was not the right place for someone like him.
Bertolt: Or perhaps I should say he was not the right kind of person for a place like Juhalerat.
Lilya: Semantics.
Bertolt: Don't worry about Aleksei. A young man like him will no doubt earn the admiral's favor.
Bertolt: And this case will end up on the admiral's desk, I promise.
Bertolt: As for you ...
Bertolt: Your flight leaves tomorrow morning. The luggage in your room is already packed.
Lilya: How nice of you to do that.
Bertolt: Because you're going to take this story back to the academy.
Bertolt: You will walk off the plane with coffins topped with black tulips.
Bertolt: And you will tell your bratty little classmates ...
Bertolt: That perhaps one day, we might all end up in a black metal box.
Lilya: ...
Bertolt: The front line still needs me, so this is it. I hope we'll have the chance to meet again, comrade.
Lilya: Best of luck to you, Commander.
Lilya: I almost forgot. I've got something for you. Aleksei left it with me before you got here.
Lilya: This. It was Hassan's.
Bertolt: ZENO
A-150756
The officer cradles the name tag in his palm.
Bertolt: I don't remember making this for him. "ZENO" ... The tags of auxiliary forces should not have these letters engraved on them.
Lilya: Aleksei told me he and Hassan got it secretly engraved last month.
Lilya: Hassan had always hoped to become a real part of Zeno. He loved being a part of this "big family."
Bertolt lowers his head in thought.
Bertolt: He will have a real one made. I will fight to have his name inscribed in the Hall of Merit at our headquarters.
That dark and glorious corridor, lined with the names of those who died in battle and during the "Storm."
Bertolt: He will rest in the Zeno Cemetery as a true soldier of Zeno, with a dog tag bearing his name.
The officer turns and walks away, holding the keepsake tightly in his hand.
The sound of a soldier's boots echoes down the hall. Lilya takes one last glance at the room where her comrade had seemed so relieved.
Inside, Aleksei eagerly awaits his fate, while Zeno eagerly awaits him.
