The day began with a loud, soul-piercing alarm that shook every corner of Base 13.
Rina fell out of bed, Mira spilled her morning tea, Liri screamed something about "incoming missile strikes," and Eira… didn't move an inch.
Celia barged into the dorm hallway with her hair still half-tied and a toothbrush hanging from her mouth.
> "Girls! Emergency! We're doomed!"
> "If it's another raccoon in the pantry, I'm not dealing with it," Mira muttered, rubbing her eyes.
> "Worse," Celia said, spitting out toothpaste foam dramatically. "Command is sending a base inspector. Today!"
Everyone froze.
Liri dropped her clipboard. "They're what?"
> "Inspection!" Celia repeated. "As in, ranking officer coming here, judging us, probably writing a long, scary report full of words like 'unsanitary,' 'unprofessional,' and 'psychologically unstable!'"
> "To be fair," Eira said from her bed, "those words do describe us quite well."
> "We have to make this place spotless before they arrive!" Celia shouted, rallying the troops.
Rina gasped. "Spotless? Like, actually clean?"
> "No more piles of uniforms, no more instant noodle towers, no more mysterious slime under the fridge!"
Mira crossed her arms. "You mean your room is finally getting cleaned."
> "Hey, leadership means setting an example!" Celia said proudly.
> "Then lead by cleaning it yourself," Mira shot back.
> "Delegation is also a leadership skill!"
Thus began the most chaotic cleaning operation in Squad 13 history.
Liri armed herself with a mop like it was a weapon. "Operation Clean Sweep initiated!"
Rina wore an apron and tied her hair back like a warrior of domestic justice. "I'll handle the kitchen!"
Eira stayed in her chair, sipping coffee. "I'll supervise morale."
> "You'll help, Eira!" Celia said.
> "Fine. I'll emotionally support the mop."
---
The kitchen was a disaster zone. Pots stacked like skyscrapers, crumbs in places that defied physics, and a fridge that groaned when opened.
Rina bravely opened it anyway. "We have… a jar labeled 'Do Not Touch.' Celia, what's this?"
> "An experiment!"
> "It's glowing."
> "Then it's working!"
She shut it immediately. "It's alive!"
Meanwhile, Mira had taken command of the common room. She stood on a chair, pointing like a general.
> "Liri, dust the top shelves. Celia, deal with those magazines. Eira, stop pretending to sweep while drinking coffee."
> "Multitasking," Eira replied flatly.
Celia peeked into her room and immediately regretted it. There were socks on the lamps, snack wrappers on the floor, and something that might have been moving under the bed.
> "I've seen battlefields less terrifying than this," she whispered.
Liri poked her head in. "Permission to deploy air fresheners?"
> "Permission granted."
By noon, the base was halfway clean. Which, for Squad 13, was basically a miracle.
That's when the radio crackled to life.
> "This is Command. Inspector arriving in twenty minutes. Prepare for evaluation."
The girls froze mid-scrub.
> "Twenty minutes?!" Rina shouted. "We haven't even done the dorms!"
> "We can't hide mess that big," Mira said grimly.
> "We can redirect it," Celia said, snapping her fingers. "Everyone, pile the junk into the storage closet!"
> "That's—"
> "—a terrible idea," Mira finished. "But we're doing it anyway, aren't we?"
> "Yes!" Celia barked.
The next ten minutes were pure chaos. Shoes, blankets, brooms, snack boxes, and possibly an alien organism from the fridge all disappeared into the storage room. Liri stood guard, trying to keep the door closed as it bulged ominously.
> "It's… breathing!" she screamed.
> "Don't let it escape!" Celia shouted back.
Rina frantically sprayed air freshener across the hallway, while Eira placed candles everywhere for "aesthetic atmosphere." Mira followed with a clipboard, muttering, "If he asks about the smell, we say it's 'experimental ventilation.'"
The sound of an approaching vehicle silenced them all.
The inspector had arrived.
He was tall, serious, and had a mustache so perfectly trimmed it radiated authority. His nameplate read Lt. Commander Gray.
> "Squad 13," he said firmly. "I'm here for your routine inspection."
Celia snapped into salute. "Sir! Welcome to Base 13, home of excellence, discipline, and… mild chaos!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Mild?"
They began the tour.
The kitchen looked passable—until he opened the fridge. The glowing jar blinked at him. Literally blinked.
> "...What is that?" he asked.
> "Prototype nutritional gel," Rina said quickly. "Full of vitamins!"
> "And possibly consciousness," Eira added quietly.
The inspector closed it slowly. "Moving on."
The living area looked neat—too neat. His suspicious eyes scanned the spotless floor, the neatly stacked cushions, the air that smelled aggressively floral.
> "Interesting scent," he noted.
> "Motivational aroma therapy," Celia said confidently.
> "It smells like panic," he replied.
Mira tried to lead him toward the control room, but the universe had other plans.
A low creak came from the storage closet. Then another.
Liri's eyes widened. "Oh no."
The inspector turned. "What's in there?"
> "Nothing important!" Celia said too fast. "Just classified cleaning supplies!"
The door shook violently.
> "Sounds… alive," the inspector said.
> "Air pressure!" Mira offered. "Perfectly normal!"
Then the door exploded open, unleashing an avalanche of everything they'd tried to hide. Brooms, boxes, snack bags, and one very angry jar rolled out in slow motion.
The inspector was buried waist-deep in clutter.
> "...Explain," he said flatly.
Celia saluted again, somehow still smiling. "We believe in hands-on demonstrations of crisis management, sir."
Rina raised a broom. "Teamwork builds character!"
Liri nodded. "And improvisation!"
Eira sipped her coffee. "And denial."
The inspector took a long breath. "Squad 13… you are the most disorganized, chaotic, unorthodox unit I've ever seen."
Everyone braced for punishment.
Then he sighed. "But… the floors are clean, your equipment is functional, and somehow your morale is excellent. I'll give you a passing grade."
Celia blinked. "Wait, really?"
> "Yes. Just… don't invite me back."
> "Understood!"
When his vehicle disappeared into the distance, the squad erupted into cheers.
> "We did it!" Rina shouted.
> "Technically," Mira said, "we survived it."
> "Which is an achievement for us," Eira added.
Celia stood proudly on top of a pile of junk. "Operation: Base Inspection Disaster—successfully completed!"
> "Success isn't the word I'd use," Mira muttered.
> "We'll clean this later," Celia said.
> "You said that last week."
> "And I meant it! …Eventually."
The squad laughed as the sun set over Base 13, another ridiculous day survived through teamwork, chaos, and pure luck.
To be continued on Chapter 9: The Great Cooking Competition of Base 13