A Journey of Rebels

X : Repercussions

POV : Rogan

DATE : November 26, 2147

LOCATION : EasSec Main Base

Character is built through one's upbringing, as well as one's actions.

I often try to see myself as something I am not. I am not the perfect soldier, nor am I the captain that my Uncle raised me to be. I am not unbreakable, I have faults just like everyone else. I am, however, loyal to the men and women who fall under my wing.

I cannot say the same for the grey haired man that stands before me, nor for the red-haired officer positioned at my side.

The High Commander has tolerated my shortcomings before, yet I do not see forgiveness in his eyes today. No, I merely see anger and darkness within his expression. I have failed the man who raised me one too many times.

I hold steady and refuse to regret my actions.

It has officially been twenty-four hours since I had enabled my ex-teammates to escape, as well as the scout and his sister. Now I stand before my Uncle, surrounded by the uncharacteristic clutter of his office.

Papers were still strewn everywhere from the scout's careless search, footprints and dirt smudges residing on many of them. Various shards of glass and wooden splinters coated much of the wooden desk, each of them fragments of unrepairable picture frames and historic decor that the High Commander had destroyed in a fit of rage that my eyes had witnessed moments before he regained the cold and calculating demeanor that now focused upon me.

Several uncomfortable and dragging moments pass before my Uncle deigns it appropriate to speak to me, though his tone is quite condescending.

"I raised you to be an honorable captain, a respectable leader. You had access to the best training that I can offer, you were of my utmost importance. So tell me, tell me how something like this can happen again."

His words began quiet, barely comprehensible, yet each syllable that slipped past the High Commander's tongue grew louder and louder until the last word was as clear as the sky outside. Unhampered anger was entrapped within each word he stitched together, bulging at the seams with the raw emotion that was directed towards me.

"You raised me to make the right calls, the tough decisions that others are unwilling to make."

He raises a hand to his eyebrows in a manner that spoke of exhaustion and frustration."Yet you proceed to make the wrong decisions."

I close my eyes, blocking out the hatred that is trying to swell within my heart for the man that I once cared so dearly for. When I look up at him once more, my conviction solid and pride somehow intact, I raise my own voice against his,"I would have never followed in your footsteps so closely if I had known this day would come. You are adept at strategic planning, yet you fail to properly lead and serve our people. They cannot, I cannot put my trust in you to lead us out of this war any longer.

One day, after the last battle is fought, these people will want to settle down with their families and enjoy the remaining years of their lives. That will not happen if you continue to cull any soldier that presents you with a flaw in their character or their health."

The High Commander is taken aback by my own outburst, though the rage in his eyes does not dampen. "You will bring me back my soldiers and my scout, regardless of your newfound reluctance to follow my methods."

I smirk at the old man, taunting him with his lack of control over me. "They do not belong to you, nobody here does." The reins that he once held me back with are breaking as each moment passes, his control over me waning the longer I process that stance i must make against him.