There are two types of peace in the world:
The kind that follows victory—
And the kind that exists right before everything explodes again.
At Base 13, it was usually the second kind.
---
It had been three days since the Laundry Day Incident, and the girls were, miraculously, still allowed to operate unsupervised.
Mostly because Command had quietly decided that whatever happened inside Base 13 was best left unacknowledged.
The foam had finally dried. The hallways no longer smelled like mint-scented disaster.
And for once, the morning was calm.
Too calm.
---
Rina walked into the common room and froze.
Celia, Mira, Liri, and Eira were all sitting at the table.
The table was spotless.
There was a white cloth on it.
And—most suspicious of all—a porcelain tea set.
> "Okay," Rina said cautiously. "Who died?"
> "No one!" Celia said, smiling brightly. "We're having tea!"
Rina squinted. "You? Tea?"
> "Yes!" Celia said proudly. "I call it Tactical Tea Time—a team-building exercise to promote serenity and morale!"
Eira raised an eyebrow. "You just wanted to play with the kettle again."
> "It's not playing," Celia argued. "It's brewing! Very technical!"
> "You melted the last one," Mira reminded her, not looking up from her book.
> "That was… a controlled experiment."
Rina sighed. "If this turns into another 'experiment,' I'm calling Command myself."
---
The setup was oddly impressive.
The girls had arranged mismatched chairs, a slightly chipped teapot, and a tray of assorted snacks that looked questionably edible.
Someone—probably Liri—had even folded napkins into star shapes.
> "Where did you even get this stuff?" Rina asked.
> "Scavenged from supply storage," Liri said proudly. "The abandoned floor where they keep all the mystery boxes."
> "You mean the restricted area?"
> "Restricted is just another word for exclusive access."
Rina massaged her temples. "We're going to be court-martialed."
---
Still, curiosity won over.
Rina sat down cautiously, while Celia began her overly dramatic presentation.
> "Welcome, comrades," she said, pretending to adjust imaginary glasses. "Today, we engage in a sacred ritual known as tea diplomacy."
Eira blinked slowly. "You're making tea."
> "Tactically making tea," Celia corrected. "Every movement precise, every pour strategic. In ancient times, warriors used this ritual to test patience, balance, and—"
> "You're stalling because you don't know how to make tea, aren't you?" Mira interrupted.
> "I know how," Celia insisted. "It's just… the ratios are flexible."
> "That's not how ratios work," Rina muttered.
---
Celia poured hot water into the teapot with the concentration of a bomb defusal expert.
Everyone leaned in.
For one terrifying moment, the kettle hissed and made a faint popping noise.
> "Is that supposed to happen?" Liri whispered.
> "Maybe it's whistling!" Celia said optimistically.
> "It's electric," Mira replied.
The hiss grew louder. Then—pop. A small puff of steam shot out like a cannon.
Eira slowly put down her cup. "It's fighting back."
> "Relax," Celia said with a grin. "Everything's under control."
The kettle immediately sparked.
> "Mostly under control!"
---
Ten minutes and one unplugged kettle later, the tea was finally ready.
Celia poured it into cups.
The liquid was an unsettling shade of greenish-brown.
> "So…" Rina asked carefully. "What kind of tea is this?"
> "Experimental blend," Celia said proudly. "A little bit of green tea, a little bit of combat ration powder, and maybe some… vegetable extract."
> "Maybe?" Mira said flatly.
> "It enhances endurance!"
Eira sniffed her cup. "…It smells like sadness."
> "You're all just afraid of innovation," Celia said, sipping hers.
Her expression froze.
> "You okay?" Rina asked.
> "I can taste… every decision I've ever regretted."
Mira nodded. "So it's working."
---
To everyone's surprise, Liri actually seemed to enjoy it.
> "It's not that bad!" she said, gulping her cup cheerfully. "It's like… if spinach had feelings."
> "And those feelings were betrayal," Eira added.
Rina exhaled slowly. "Okay. Let's just… sit, breathe, and not cause an incident. That's all we need to do."
There was a long pause.
For a few seconds, it was almost peaceful.
Then the window exploded.
---
Glass rained down as a small drone crashed into the table, scattering cups and cookies everywhere.
Celia jumped to her feet. "Enemy contact!"
> "Celia, it's a mail drone," Rina said, pointing at the blinking logo on its side.
> "A recon mail drone!" Celia corrected, already crouched behind a chair.
Mira calmly retrieved the package attached to it. "It's addressed to 'Squad 13 — For Immediate Consumption.'"
> "That's us!" Liri said happily.
> "Please tell me it's cookies," Eira muttered.
Mira opened it carefully. Inside was a sealed tin marked with a single label:
'Experimental Blend No. 47: Tactical Tea — Do Not Ingest.'
Everyone stared at Celia.
> "...You've got to be kidding me," Rina said.
Celia smiled weakly. "So maybe I got my ingredients from the wrong storage shelf."
> "The one labeled Hazardous Substances?" Mira asked.
> "Details."
---
Eira rubbed her forehead. "Alright, new rule. You are never allowed to make beverages again."
> "But I was just trying to boost morale!" Celia protested.
> "You nearly boosted us into the afterlife," Rina snapped.
Liri tilted her head. "Technically, it did taste better than the cafeteria soup."
> "That's not a compliment," Mira said.
> "It's also true," Eira added.
Rina threw her hands in the air. "You people are impossible."
---
Still, despite the broken window and near-poisoning, there was something undeniably cozy about the afternoon that followed.
The girls fixed the window with duct tape, brewed actual tea this time (under Mira's strict supervision), and gathered around again.
Eira even lit a small candle.
It flickered gently in the center of the table, casting warm light across their tired faces.
> "This is… nice," Rina admitted.
> "See?" Celia said with a grin. "Told you my plan would work."
> "Your plan almost killed us," Mira said.
> "All good plans involve risk!"
> "This was tea, not espionage."
Celia smirked. "Depends who's brewing it."
---
Liri leaned on the table, sighing happily. "I wish every day could be like this."
> "Quiet?" Eira asked.
> "No, I mean—together. Without missions, or chaos, or explosions."
Celia chuckled softly. "Impossible. We are the chaos."
Rina looked around.
Celia's grin.
Mira's calm indifference.
Eira's blank stare that somehow said "I'm done with all of you."
And Liri, smiling like she still believed peace could last longer than five minutes.
For a moment, she felt something rare—peace, yes, but also connection.
> "You know," she said softly, "for all our disasters… I wouldn't trade this squad for anything."
Celia raised her teacup. "To Squad 13 — the legends of Base 13!"
Liri joined. "To teamwork!"
Mira sighed but lifted hers. "To surviving another day."
Eira hesitated, then raised her mug of coffee. "…To caffeine."
They clinked cups.
---
Outside, the repaired window trembled as something large flew past — a low-flying transport ship cutting across the horizon.
The sound faded into the distance, leaving behind the gentle hum of the base.
Celia leaned back, exhaling. "You ever wonder what it's like out there?"
> "Outside the base?" Liri asked.
> "Yeah. Missions. Real ones. Not cleaning, not cooking… actual combat."
Rina frowned. "You miss it?"
> "Not really. Just curious. Feels like we've been stuck in standby forever."
Mira closed her book. "Maybe that's for the best. Command probably keeps us here because we're too unpredictable."
> "That's not true," Celia said. "We're uniquely skilled."
> "You exploded three washing machines," Rina reminded her.
> "And lived to tell the tale!"
---
Eira glanced at the window. Her reflection stared back — tired eyes, calm expression.
"Quiet days don't last," she said softly. "They never do."
The others fell silent for a moment.
Then Liri smiled, breaking the tension.
> "Then let's make the most of it."
Celia nodded. "Agreed. Tactical Tea Time, a success."
> "A near-death experience," Mira corrected.
> "Semantics."
Rina laughed. "You're hopeless."
> "Hopelessly extraordinary," Celia said proudly.
Everyone groaned in unison.
---
Later that evening, the girls began cleaning up.
Mira stacked the cups. Liri hummed as she wiped crumbs off the table.
Rina carefully recorded the incident in her "Squad Activity Log" under 'Mild Disaster.'
Eira, predictably, was already on the couch under her blanket, halfway to sleep.
Celia watched them all, her usual grin softening.
Maybe, she thought, chaos wasn't so bad — as long as it was shared with the right people.
---
Outside, Base 13's lights flickered against the twilight sky.
Somewhere far away, a signal beacon pulsed — a faint, rhythmic light marking the borderlands beyond.
But for now, Squad 13 remained blissfully unaware of what the future held.
For now, there was only laughter, warmth, and the faint scent of burnt tea leaves.
To be continued on Chapter 4: Operation Sleepover