Spectator

Chapter Forty-two: Then

General Grouch called her into his office. She was sure it had sound blocking programs, and wondered if he had finally had enough of her, and was going to choose this moment to try to beat her to a pulp. She was ready for it. It had been six months since her brother's death, and her ranking remained firmly in the middle. When they dropped to 35, she hovered on the lower half; now that they were at 32, she was at a firm 16. It was the highest she'd ever been, but there had been no word of congratulations from her mother. In fact, there had been hardly any communication at all, mostly due to the fact that Kali refused any incoming calls.

Her mother probably wanted to check in for the upcoming Earth trip, seeing the whole Hazanti reserve was one of her most coveted projects, but that just made Kali even less interested in it. She did just enough classwork to balance her rank with the games, which had all felt increasingly stagnant to her. They lost, they won. Less people were dying, but they also had less people to lose. Flight simulations were made with real shuttles, and they'd only lost one in a piloting accident. They would go for this little sojourn into the Hazanti retreat, and be two weeks without the games, but what did it matter? What did any of it matter? Kali would probably have to work harder when they were at the outpost to compensate for the lack of games, but it was more difficult to raise the motivation.

She kept her rank in the middle because it wasn't low enough to get her kicked out or high enough to make her mother happy. Sometimes she didn't know why she didn't just give up, let them kick her out. She didn't want to be here anyway. But she had made Ainsley stay, and it had cost her her life, so it was only fair that Kali didn't get an easy out either. So, middle it was. Ignoring all the others except when she absolutely had to was her go to now.

Social interactions were just draining, and a lecture was the last thing she wanted to stand for. If he was going to give her more laps to run then so be it, just don't talk at her for an hour. Kali resolved to finish this conversation as soon as humanly possible, and try not to antagonize him. Which was a difficult task as he crossed his arms in front of his chest as soon as she walked through the door. She closed it behind her, heard it click.

Five minutes. She told herself. She could handle five minutes, right?

"You know, Kali, I've always thought you were a spoiled brat." The General started, his voice scratchy and implacable. Ruddy skin crept up his cheeks, and his beady eyes glittered.

This was starting off well. Usually she had to temper an urge for defiance; this time she just shrugged. There wasn't any point arguing the truth.

"I am, sir."

"Yes. Decorated parents. Decorated brother. Always walking around like you owned the place."

Kali kept her mouth firmly shut so she couldn't remind him that Rameses wasn't walking around anymore. She stared at the wall but it didn't help. Just a boring, chrome grey. No table, no chairs. If she fidgeted, it would be obvious.

"Yes. Sir," she said finally, when he glanced at her, expecting an answer. Had it been five minutes yet? Could she storm out?

"You never deserved to be here, or even work hard enough to try."

"Yes, sir. " She said. She had heard this lecture before. Most of the legacies and wealthers did. She didn't know why he had to move her privately for it.

"And it isn't entirely your fault." His voice was still gruff, expression closed off and stone-like, but the admission caused her to frown. Not exactly how she expected this reaming to go. "It is General Zha-Neri's."

Kali stared at him, half-surprised, half-waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Her arrogance and vanity run through this place as surely as the bulkheads do. She's willing to sacrifice anything to achieve her goals, even her own children. Her son was a carbon copy, and she sent him on the most dangerous missions to prove that he was capable."