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Genesis pillowed his face into his arms and sighed melodramatically. "I'm so tired." He moaned pathetically.

"We're all tired, Gen." Angeal replied patiently, though one could hear the stress and exhaustion in his tone of voice.

"Yeah, well-" Genesis' voice was too muffled for his liking, so he turned his head to the side so he could pin Angeal and Sephiroth with a one-eyed stare. They were in one of the houses that had been purchased by Angeal and Sephiroth- the one they had designated as 'their house'. Specifically they were all in the house's designated 'office' space, too exhausted to even contemplate moving to their rooms. Genesis was seated at the end of the somewhat funky yet chic desk, his rolly office chair pushed slightly back to accommodate his position. Angeal was seated in the room's rather broken-in but supremely comfortable straight-backed chair catty-cornered from Genesis, while Sephiroth was sprawled gracefully on the room's carefully patched but also obscenely comfortable red leather couch. "- I just wanted to profess the feeling for all of us." He finished grandly, eying Sephiroth shrewdly and trying to calculate his possible success chances of replacing said man on the comfortable couch.

Genesis adored that piece of furniture.

Originally a dilapidated, half wooden structure that had been haphazardly patched and messily held together by bits and bobs that had been gathered from the trash and whatever else that could be found. The structure had been renovated nicely, and for all it was under the Plate it was quite cozy. A modest two-story that was now done in shades of homey reds and rich crèmes with tasteful accents of bold colors, the small place practically radiated warmth.

A lot had happened in the months since the 'Nibelheim Event'. With the assistance of the Turks everyone from Nibelheim- as Kalm had been utterly destroyed- had been relocated to Sector Five, under the Plate. It had taken some creative verbal gymnastics, but the survivors were mostly so relieved to have been rescued and eager to stay that way that transitioning them had been relatively painless.

Sort of.

There was a story about a rogue element in Shinra and how the Turks were currently 'investigating' and 'couldn't guarantee' their safety if they left the designated 'safe areas' that had a lot to do with gaining the people's compliance. The fact that Genesis Rhapshodos had been among the prisoners also helped drive home the fact that the 'rogue element' was rather powerful- as Genesis was rather well-known and a SOLDIER. The fact that the Turks, Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley were the ones doing the rescuing also helped ease people's minds, because with that sort of manpower and dedication chasing them, these 'rogue elements' didn't stand much of a chance for long!

So between the balance of fear and gratitude the people were relocated with rather minimal fuss.

Genesis' rather passionate speech about helping them rebuild their homes and lives in Kalm once it was safe to do so had also greatly contributed to the rallying of the people. Genesis had also been insufferably smug about the whole thing, too.

Since they had skilled laborers and the people possessed a strong sense of innovation among them the people had been quickly organized and put to work. Renovations, proposed factories, schools, and even a few clinics had popped up and slowly but surely the people were building a life. The fact that the area was being regularly being patrolled by the Turks kept most of the underworld's crime bosses away, and the random visits from Shinra's star SOLDIERs also served as a deterrent.

"Yeah, well, we should enjoy the peace while it lasts." Sephiroth slurred tiredly, not even bothering to try to speak properly. "According to Tseng there has actually been legitimate Wutai Rebellion activity and if it grows much more it will actually present a clear and present danger to Rocket Town."

Genesis straightened for a moment, eying Sephiroth's position on the couch enviously before he huffed and slid to his feet, rounding the desk and throwing himself into the comfortable, sturdy office chair that sat behind the desk proper that Angeal had been sitting in not too long before. The burly man had gone to the loo and hadn't returned to his previous position, so Genesis took the opportunity to discard his rolly chair in favor one without wheels.

Genesis had had too many accidents for him to push his luck in those things. Tipping them over somehow hurt more than over balancing a normal chair, in Genesis' humble opinion.

Once he was comfortably arranged, he replied to Sephiroth's statement. "And they're sure that it was a legit threat and not he-who-shall-not-be-named? Also, why, precisely, haven't we killed them yet?"

Both Angeal and Sephiroth chuckled at Genesis' name for Hojo. Hollander was usually called you-know-who. It amused them all greatly.

"Because simply eliminating Hojo himself will not eradicate all of his mad schemes." Vincent replied from his relaxed position against the doorjamb. While Vincent still wore his red headband in his hair, the tattered red cape had been exchanged for a deep wine-red red trench coat with a high collar and silver buckles. It contrasted nicely with his white button up and black slacks, not to mention the plethora of leather belts and straps the man seemed to need. Since they were unsure if the sabaton that Vincent had been wearing had an actual purpose, Angeal and Genesis had modified the things to appear as normal, high-end leather dress shoes unless Vincent purposefully channeled Mana into the Materia that resided within the sturdy heels of the footwear, which would cause them to morph back into the gold sabaton he'd been sleeping in.

Genesis had simply told the man- and the Turks- that he was simply 'blessed by the Goddess' in all things Materia-related when they had presented the transfigured footwear to Vincent, instead of informing them of the Earth Magic that was actually woven around the Materia. Since Genesis had successfully bullshitted away his altered appearance in Nibelheim as the result of a Materia Experiment- which the Turks had grilled him about mercilessly and they had been supremely disappointed that no one else could replicate the feat, (Angeal had purposefully failed to lend credit to Genesis' story)- the explanation had actually been accepted.

Therefore, while Vincent still looked like someone that wasn't to be messed with, he did not stick out nearly as badly as he had prior to his wardrobe change.

"Vincent!" Genesis greeted cheerfully. "When did you guys get back?"

The man arched a sable eyebrow at the grinning redhead but glided into the room and took a seat in a high-backed chair opposite of Angeal. "Just now. Felicia is at The Haven with the others at the moment, but Legend is watching over them and Veld is visiting his daughter, so there was no need for me to remain."

"In other words, Aerith tried to force another flower crown on you, didn't she?" Angeal interjected, his voice suspiciously amused. Vincent's deadpan glare only caused Angeal to break out into deep chuckles and a few moments later both Sephiroth and Genesis' sounds of amusement joined them.

After a few moments of amusement at Vincent's expense- Aerith was utterly determined to plop a flower crown onto the man, and she had all of Luna's sneakiness to fall back on- Genesis asked, "Was Rufus there, too?"

As far as the Turks and Vincent knew Rufus Shinra had ardently attached himself to Genesis due to a rather understandable case of hero-worship. Seeing as how Genesis had also been responsible for returning Veld's thought-to-be-dead daughter to him, the Turks were assisting the young Shinra in keeping in contact with Genesis. The fact that Rufus had- rather passionately- stated his desires to replace his father and make Shinra a company to be proud of had also endeared him to the Turks.

The Turks were the best and had their pride, after all.

The Turks did Shinra's dirty work, and while a certain amount of that simply came with being the 'dogs' of a large corporation, the company was nothing like it had been. Shinra Electric had been in business for nearly two centuries prior to the Mako Revolution and the Turks had existed since the beginning. The Department of Administrative Research had been commissioned by the wife of the first President Shinra as a way for the strong willed woman to assist her husband. The first President Shinra had been an inventor and had stumbled upon the way to properly conduct an electrical charge while his brother went on to invent the first reliable long-lasting electric lightbulb. The brothers took out a loan against the family homestead in order to build the first electric power station, and while it nearly failed- trying to keep up with demand and surges had been quite momentous issues back then- the Shinra family eventually came to prominence as the premier provider of electricity.

The current President's father had been a much beloved man by both his employees and the people who used Shinra's services. It was largely the legacy of charisma and charm left behind by the late Livingston Shinra that that had allowed Ramsay Shinra to get by with all of his shady, illicit dealings. The public was simply used to Shinra being a reliable, steadfast cornerstone of their lives and that legacy of excellence combined with Shinra's prolific propaganda machine and the Turks' efforts kept the company from being exposed as the decaying, festering blight that it had come to be.

With Rufus' new outlook and his fixation with Genesis, however, the Turks could hold on to the hope that the company would fall into better hands in the next decade or so- and that was a lot more light at the end of the tunnel than they had had for a very long time.

"He was." Vincent replied with a small smile tugging at his lips. "He will more than likely come over before he returns home for the evening, he seemed very….enthusiastic about something that he wished to speak with you about."

Sephiroth snorted a dry laugh and peeked over at the now-groaning Genesis. "What were you saying about being tired again, Gen?"

"My friend, the fates are cruel/There are no dreams, no honor remains." Genesis muttered mournfully before turning his most pathetic face to Angeal. "Ang…." Genesis whined.

Angeal and Sephiroth both laughed at the red-head's misfortune.

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"I have a brother!" Rufus crowed excitedly as he threw himself into his Godfather's arms, eliciting an exaggerated groan of pain from Genesis. "Isn't that awesome, Uncle Genesis?!"

"Off, you're getting heavy, imp!" Genesis playfully grunted as he caught the child mid hug-tackle and swung the boy around a few times before setting him on his feet again. "And what's this about a brother?"

Rufus- Teddy was rather glad that he could pass off not always smoothly responding to his name as a side-effect of trauma- grinned brightly up at Genesis, wobbling slightly and reaching out to curl childish fingers into the warm cotton of Genesis' shirt to keep himself steady, despite his Godfather's gentle grip on his shoulders. Teddy- Rufus he reminded himself absently- took a moment wherein he allowed his eyes to slip closed as he basked in the still slightly new feeling of being within arm's reach of his Godfather. While seeing his Godfather with different colored hair and a few other differences was a bit strange, the way the teen seemed to exude warmth, safety, and affection made it easy for Teddy to connect the red-haired teen to the hazy memories he held of Harry Potter. Angeal was much the same- though the dark-haired, somewhat burly teen was much calmer than the rather theatrical-prone Genesis, but between the two of them they made transitioning to Gaea quite smooth.

Teddy still caught himself thinking of himself as 'Teddy' instead of 'Rufus' pretty often, but his Godfather and his Godfather's friends had a tendency to call him 'imp' so that made things a bit easier. Not having to concentrate in order to keep his Metamorph talent under control was still a pretty new feeling for him, but the talent he'd inherited from his Mum had been lost to him while he'd still been on Earth- before he'd even drank the Adoption Potion!- so while it was still a bit strange, he'd already had mostly come to terms with losing that part of himself. On a related note, apparently consciously controlling his Metamorph talent had taken a lot more mental concentration than he'd realized and now multitasking seemed to be nearly ludicrously easy.

He opened his eyes to see Genesis gazing down at him with a soft smile on his lips, his Mako-infused eyes impossibly warm as he noticed Rufus' gaze and reached out to ruffle the blond's hair affectionately. "No matter where the winds may blow/My friend, your desire/Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess." Genesis murmured affectionately as he guided Rufus to one of the kitchen chairs before bouncing off to go help Angeal with the dinner preparations- the dark-haired teen had greeted Teddy-Rufus, dammit- with a nod before going back to whatever he had been busy with. Sephiroth and Vincent were both seated at the table- they had both been banned from being anyone near the food preparation area when Genesis and Angeal were in residence- and both men were looking at Rufus curiously.

Once he was settled Rufus leaned his chin on his upturned fist and grinned brightly. "Yeah! Veld told me! Well, he didn't mean to tell me, but the Turks were gossiping and had no idea I was there- I was playing hide-and-seek with Legend- and they were talking about how this guy from Weapon's Development was getting moved because Scarlet-the-Secret-Honeybee was getting all sorts of mad about him catching all the holes in her department's budget but she couldn't just fire him because she didn't have probable cause and he actually had caught a few people who were legitimately trying to sabotage Weapon's Development's projects so the Turks wouldn't just make him disappear for her, so she suggested that he be promoted and the President approved it because he didn't want to make waves."

"Did you really just say all of that in one breath, imp?" Genesis' voice was blatantly amused.

Rufus gave his Godfather his best sour expression before he ignored the comment- and the snickering- and continued to ramble. "Anyways-" Rufus shot his chortling Godfather's back a pint-sized glare. "-I guess he is going to be the new Director of SOLDIER."

Genesis twirled around, waving the spatula that was in his hand at Rufus. "SOLDIER doesn't have a Director, imp." Genesis paused for a moment before adding. "Well, we used to, but then Heidegger's flunky got caught up in that scandal- something about embezzlement or misappropriation or something- and they shut down that entire branch. Director, Coordinator- all of it. We've been having to report to Heidegger or the General for months."

"It would be nice, though." Angeal interjected calmly, never pausing in his chopping motions. "Reporting in to Heidegger tests even my patience and General Branford is far too busy trying to do everything Heidegger doesn't to really do his job as SOLDIER's highest ranking officer. There's scuttlebutt about him wanting to retire soon, too."

"Yeah, well, apparently the new SOLDIER Director will be more of a manager and coordinator- assigning missions, ensuring they have supplies, and all that- which should free up General Branford's time to actually see to the SOLDIERs themselves." Rufus explained. "At least according to the Turks. Then one of them mentioned that the new Director was actually one of President Shinra's illegitimate heirs and Veld confirmed it." Rufus flushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "That's about the time I accidently fell out to the vent I was hiding in and I got caught."

"Smooth, imp, smooth." Genesis teased Rufus gently.

Rufus stuck his tongue out at his Godfather. "At any rate, my brother's name is Lazard- I know his last name starts with a D, but it's kind of long- and he's like, fifteen. He must be really smart to have moved up as fast as he has."

"That is pretty impressive." Angeal commented appreciatively. "Though we made SOLDIER at fourteen and fifteen, so it seems to be par for the course." Angeal shook his head sadly and turned to hand the chopped vegetables to Genesis, who was manning the stove. "For all the technology we are blessed to have, our school system is pretty lacking, especially in children who come from the Slums or the really small towns. We're lucky that just about everyone can communicate, but the dialects are still pretty different sometimes."

"I know it is not all that uncommon for full-fledged doctors to be barely into their twenties." Sephiroth added conversationally. "I concur that it seems incredibly strange, given the amount of technology we possess, but I suppose that is why there is so much emphasis on education during the six months of Cadet Training and not during Basic Instruction, which is the first twelve weeks."

"I think I remember hearing General Branford saying something about how they didn't want to hamstring the Cadet potentials that were willing to work past their educational handicaps. It's why the second session of Cadet Training- if one fails their first SOLDIER Exam, but shows potential- that the Cadets aren't required to sign for the full three years in the Infantry and are split between their Infantry duties and their Cadet Classes. It gives them a fighting chance." Genesis replied thoughtfully, his brow furrowed in concentration as he set about putting the finished food into serving dishes. "I guess it really hadn't truly occurred to me that there are people who can't read and write or do math proficiently."

"It's more common than you'd think." Angeal said as he stacked the filled dishes on his arms with expert grace and quickly move them to the table. "The Slums don't even have an actual school system, and most of the smaller towns have schoolhouses that aren't mandatory or don't allow certain families to attend. It's quite colonial, really, when one stops to consider that Universities accept students as young as twelve without really batting an eye."

"Even Above the Plate education is mostly done in private institutions or by private tutors." Vincent added. "There are a few public schools, but they struggle and rely on charitable donations, while the students are looked down on by their peers for needing 'assistance'. Most never complete the curriculum and those that do usually end up Below the Plate or have to move away from Midgar due to educational prejudice. Even the departments in Shinra tend to overlook publicly educated students or at least favor the ones who were educated privately."

"Huh." Rufus said, scrunching up his nose as thoughts and plans whirled through his mind. "That's….something I want to change." He decided after a few moments of silence- save for the sounds of dinner being fully transferred to the table. Rufus looked up at his Godfather with his bright-hued eyes blazing with determination. "Uncle Genesis, I want you to help me find a way to establish a school system for the Slums. It's not right! Everyone should be taught how to read and write and do maths! What options do they have otherwise? Crime? Working as thugs from some sort of low-level crime boss? Being in the Infantry even if they hate fighting? Working for whoever will hire them because that's all the choice they have?!" Rufus' voice grew more disgusted the longer he spoke, by the end of his statement his hands were clenched into fists and his eyes fairly burned with anger at the perceived injustice.

"Atta boy, Rufus." Genesis said warmly, ruffling his Godson's hair as he went to take a seat beside him.

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Aerith laughed brightly as she deftly wove between the flowers, her right hand clutching Felicia's while her left held Shalua's hand. Shelke, Shalua's little sister, was sitting near Veld- Felicia's dad- and playing with the man's personal PHS.

It's fun, making new friends. Aerith thought as Felicia accidentally tripped, causing them all to tumble gracelessly into the gently swaying flowers. They quickly scurried to their knees before checking the flowers for damage, but the flowers seemed to nearly giggle at them before seeming to preen at all the attention the girls lavished onto them- Aerith in particular. Aerith peeked up at her friends, but Shalua and Felicia were merely amused at the flower's reactions to her attentions- in fact they began to tease her by naming the individual flowers and inventing creative backstories for them- and that knot that existed just under her diaphragm loosened just a bit more.

As a blended soul Aerith sometimes had to deal with unintended side-effects. As time passed Aerith and Luna continued to meld together into just Aerith- much like how a cube of sugar with a protective coating slowly dissolves into a cup of water, eventually changing it from being a cup of water with a sugar cube inside it to a cup of sugar water. However, as a former guest of Professor Hojo, Aerith herself had many social issues and insecurities, but when Luna's social isolation and torment were added to that equation it made for a rather formidable complex when it came to interacting and befriending others around her physical body's age.

Having Harry and Neville- or Genesis and Angeal, as they were now known- nearby soothed some of those fears, but Aerith had been honestly surprised at how easily she had slipped into the role of friend with Felicia and Shalua. It felt natural and easy to be around the two girls and they didn't mind her moments of inattention when she got lost in listening to the whispers of the Planet. The two slightly older girls- Felicia was about five years her elder, while Shalua was only about two years her senior- were both kind and smart. Sometimes Aerith forgot that she had the knowledge of a twenty year old woman lurking in her memories and began to chatter about things that were too advanced for her physical age, but Shalua and Felicia would simply listen attentively and then ask questions so that they could understand instead of getting jealous or envious of Aerith's apparent intellect.

It was….nice to have girl friends who weren't intimidated by her brainpower or quirks.

Not that she loved Angeal or Genesis any less- and Sephiroth was far too much fun to mess with!- but it was new for her to have female friends who encouraged her wholeheartedly instead of being secretly envious.

"Gil for your thoughts?" Felicia's curious voice broke through Aerith's musings and the green-eyed Cetra blushed once she realized that she had spaced out again.

"Sorry." Aerith chirped cheerfully, a small smile tugging at her lips as she deftly plucked a flower and handed it to Shalua. "I was thinking how nice it is to have friends."

"It is nice, isn't it?" Shalua asked thoughtfully as she twisted the stem of the flower and tucked it behind her ear, only for Felicia to giggle and reach over to fix it for her.

"Hmm, it is." Felicia hummed appreciatively as she sat back to admire her handiwork.

Shalua grinned and suddenly thrust her hand into the space between them. "Friends for life?"

Felicia's hand quickly covered Shalua's and Aerith's was only a heartbeat behind, the three girls unaware of their rapt audience. "Best friends for life." Felicia corrected with a laugh, a pleased flushed creeping up her cheeks.

"It's a promise." Aerith agreed, her own flush spreading across her pale cheeks.

"Don't forget me!" Shelke cried out suddenly, the small girl nearly tripping over her own two feet as she rushed over to collapse onto her sister, her bright eyes teary.

"Never, Shelke." Felicia told the girl warmly, ruffling her curls as Shalua settled her squirming little sister onto her lap, the two elder girls beginning to coo over the small girl as they tried to cheer the little girl up.

Aerith sat back and enjoyed the chatter of the others as the delighted whispers of the Planet thrummed through her mind.

Yes, having friends is nice. She decided as she started selecting flowers to make Shelke a flower crown with.

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Genesis asked himself- for the nth time in the past twenty minutes- how, exactly, Teddy-Rufus had talked him into being a bloody courier.

Not that Genesis had anything against postal workers or those who delivered packages for a living- he was actually quite fond of them. Especially when they brought him gifts from his adoring public.

However, the package-letter that Genesis had been sent to deliver to his new boss could possibly end very badly for Genesis should it be received…..badly.

Had he mentioned that it could potentially get him sent on a mission in the boonies with morons?

Forever.

"The Director will see you now, Lieutenant Colonel Rhapshodos."

"To become the dew that quenches the land/To spare the sands, the seas, the skies/I offer thee this silent sacrifice." Genesis muttered as a near-prayer as he straightened and walked forward towards his potential doom.

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Lazard Deusericus stared at the contents of the package that had been brought to him by Lt Col Rhapshodos with a mixture of loathing and longing.

Loathing because he had always hated his faithless father and everything that the man stood for. The man was rich and powerful and yet so very, very cruel and narcissistic.

Midgar had been built over the top of eight smaller- poor and relatively backwater- towns that had existed in the beautiful Midga'anar Valley. Those towns- or their leaders, anyways- had been sweet-talked into allowing the construction of the Plates with the honeyed promises of jobs, better living conditions, advanced medical facilities, cutting-edged technology, and generally getting a piece of the Midas-touched Shinra-sweet pie.

(They should have remembered that Midas had been a fool, turning even his own daughter to gold by the end. A man surrounded by treasure yet destitute in all things that were truly valuable.)

It had taken a few years, but the people came to realize that it had all been empty words full of placebo promises.

The former towns became the Slums in less time than it took for the ink to dry on the business contracts. The Slums received cheaply produced electricity for the price of the right to see the sky and in less than two years all of the beautiful flora and fauna that used to garnish and grace the Valley withered into dust under the eerie green glow of the Mako Reactors.

Unable to truly hide the results of their so-called 'perfectly clean, harmless' energy source, the Slum streets were promptly auto-turfed. Overlaid with cheap, synthetic materials that only highlighted the fact that paradise had been lost. Before too long the veneer of fake cheapness over what once was truly beautiful wood, brick and stone was more demoralizing to the Slum denizens than the thick monstrosities that blocked out their previously taken-for-granted view the sky.

Lazard had always felt partially responsible for the crime, the filth, and the barbarity that had become wretched reality for those who called Below the Plate home, because it was his father who had done all of it. Lazard hated the man as deeply as he craved approval from the man his mother had once loved. However, Lazard had always been smart, and if his father didn't care about the bastard son he let Under the Plate then Lazard would go Above the Plate and make the man pay attention to him.

(-and just maybe Lazard might find some way to fix the wrongs that his father had wrought to thousands of people who deserved a better life than Shinra had given them. Maybe he could find a way to restore even a fraction of what the Valley had been like before Shinra had despoiled it.)

However, Lazard had never expected aid to come from the spoiled little daddy's boy that was Rufus Shinra.

Yet, it was on the paper in front of him, written in flowing but childish handwriting. A plan to revolutionize life Under the Plate and- if he was reading it correctly- eventually usurp the position of President and divide the company between the two brothers, making provisions for any others who had been left out in the cold if they could find them. Rufus' letter spoke of wanting to right wrongs and champion the people and it was all well and good and sort of unbelievable but-

"I'd like to get to know my brother. I know you probably hate me because our shared father is a cruel, terrible human being who left you and your mother when he should have been a man and taken care of you. I can empathize. I know it's not any consolation, but he's not much of a father to me either. But our family- the Shinra's- were once great. We were once champions of the people as well as keen businessmen and I want to return to that, even if it means splitting the company between us.

My life is in your hands, brother. You could take this letter to our father and he could have me suffer an 'accident' and you go it alone.

Or you could come to the train station in Sector Five, Below the Plate tonight and come to meet me so we can discuss this face to face, as partners- as brothers.

It's in your hands now, big brother.

Your little brother,

-Rufus"

-but Lazard had always wanted to meet his siblings, had always wanted a family in which to belong. He had wanted to be looked up to and admired and needed, (because mother had never recovered from the way that man had left her all alone and his childhood had been far from happy or ideal), and, now, having a choice to either condemn his little brother or help him help those who had suffered under their so-called father's tyranny…..

Well, Lazard had always been a dreamer. He tapped the intercom that connected him to his secretary.

"Yes, Cynthia? Could you please call Lt Col Rhapshodos and ask him or one of the others to swing by and pick me up for our business dinner this evening? Yes. Sorry to trouble you Cynthia but the venue cancelled on us and now we'll have to wing it. Uh-huh. No, no it's fine. Hmmhmm. Yes, that is acceptable. Thank you, Cynthia."

I really hope this isn't a trap. Lazard hoped fervently as he rolled up his sleeves and dove back into the arduous task of organizing the SOLDIER personnel files.

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A/N:

Also, for some reason SOLDIER follows US Marine Corps ranking hierarchy while Shinra's Infantry follows US Army ranking hierarchy. They are actually a bit different, so that helps. Shinra doesn't have a Navy per se, so their airmen and sailors fall under the auspices of Warrant Officers- sailors with the US Marine Corps Warrant Officer ranks and then the US Army's Warrant Officer ranking system for the airmen.

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