Incipience

Chapter 14 pt 2

     Our holo watches are scanned for the umpteenth time before the soldiers let us through the grand entrance. The doors swing open to reveal the council chamber. Even though the room is sparsely decorated, there are still subtle displays of wealth. A large part of space is taken up by this tall crescent-shaped white and gray marble table that is accompanied by these lush looking slate gray chairs. The room is currently being lit by several grandiose—undoubtedly bulletproof— windows, but there are these artisan light fixtures lining the room for when the sun goes down. While the outside of the door is guarded by soldiers, the inside is attended to by these tiny but mighty attack drones. We covered them briefly during training and these things certainly pack a punch. One drone has the destruction capability on par with a tank and there are currently six floating around the room.

    Seated in the very center of this grand display is an official that's dressed differently than the rest. While the others wear embellished judges' robes, he is adorned in a military-like uniform that has enough pins and ribbons to put Rombag to shame. Unsurprisingly, he is the one to address us.

    "Jaz'Qina a vina, Bagzahs," the man greets. 

    All three Bagzahs give the man a sharp salute, though Rombag is the one to address him directly. "Thank you, we are glad to be home."

    The councilman looks down at his tablet briefly before looking back at Rombag. "General Bagzah has informed me that your trip was not as seamless as we would have liked. Mishaps are bound to occur during trying times like these, though I did not expect the Quinzentenians to get as far as they did."

     Rombag stands up a little straighter at the man's comment. "While our journey was not without conflict, it was nonetheless a very successful one. Our soldiers were able to temporarily contain the Quinzentenian threat and prevent them from stealing any of our data all while keeping the Xinxis safe. Given our limited resources and the extent of the cadets' training, we did rather well."

    The man's attention momentarily shifts from Rombag to me, "As I recall from the report you submitted prior to your arrival, the young woman accompanying you played a large roll in defeating the Quinzintenians."

    "Yes, Cadet Joesph was instrumental to the mission's success. Had she not been there, we would not have been able to secure the ship as quickly as we did."

    Hm, that's high praise coming from Rombag. The only time I've heard him say something nice about someone that's not related to him was during the attack on the ship, and I'm pretty sure that's just because he was trying to keep us calm.

    "In your professional opinion, is she a good soldier?"

    Rombag hesitates, "Cadet Joseph is an exceptional fighter. She is the highest-ranking in her comb—"

    "I do not doubt her skills, commander," the man interrupts. With a few quick taps of his tablet, a hologram is projected in the middle of the room. Much to my surprise, it shows clips of me. Snapshots of my progress over the past few months roll by. My movement becomes more fluid and deadly by the second. By the time we get to our encounter with the Quinzentenians, you'd think fighting is just as easy for me as breathing. Honestly, in some ways, it is.

    "Miss Joesph's skills are indeed impressive, but that fact isn't an answer to my question, so I will ask it again: would you consider her a good soldier?"

    I don't miss the small sigh Rombag lets out before answering. "No. While she is more than capable in every other sense, Cadet Joseph is not inclined to follow orders that are not directly beneficial to her, so no, I would not consider her a good soldier."