The line of Capital Guards marched into a tunnel leading under the massive hill at the center of Kaseihgaeu. They reached a large chamber that had been set up as a rally point for them while they were in the city.

The Eyepatch Guard shouted over her shoulder at the rest of the column. “Alright troops, break for now. Squad A you can head to the mess hall first. Squad B you hit the showers. Dismissed!”

Each of the soldiers raised an arm and balled their fist, then pumped their fists in acknowledgment.

“Hup!” They hollered in unison.

The Guards dispersed.

Ave broke off from the rest and headed towards a different hallway.

“Hey you? Where are you going?” The Eyepatch guard shouted at her.

Ave snapped to attention, her hands clasped behind her back.

“Sir. I am reporting to the Councilor.” Ave’s reply was completely monotone.

“You?” The Eyepatch Guard asked.

“Yes sir?”

“On whose authority?”

“The Councilor’s sir.”

“Since when?”

“Since the Councilor ordered it sir?”

“Are you part of my squad?”

“No sir.”

“Then who’s squad are you part of?”

“The Councilor’s sir.”

“On whose authority?”

“The Councilor’s sir.”

“Since when?” The Eyepatch Guard was starting to get annoyed.

“Since the Councilor ordered it sir?” Ave’s tone was even more monotonous than before.

The Eyepatch Guard looked her up and down.

“You’re not even in proper uniform.” she said.

Ave made no response. She assumed the default stance, expression, and stare of a soldier at attention. Her eyes made contact with the brick wall behind them and nothing else.

The Guard officer scowled at her.

Ave waited.

The Eyepatch Guard cleared her throat. “Did you hear me?”

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Ave continued to stare straight ahead.

The Guard swallowed hard. She scratched the back of her neck. She was suddenly very itchy.

Ave stood completely still. The only indication that she was alive was the ever so slight rise and fall of her chest.

The Guard’s eye began to glaze over with boredom.

The sound of Ave’s stillness created a deafening silence.

“Fine! Whatever. You can go on inside. Just get out of here!” The Eyepatch Guard threw her hands up in the air.

Ave gave a textbook salute. “Thank you sir.”

#

Ave hustled down the hallway. She peeked into each doorway she passed trying to get a layout of the area.

“Hey you. New girl.”

Ave kept walking.

“Hey you. Stop. I said stop!”

Ave skidded to a halt. She pointed a finger at herself. “Me?”

Two Petty Officers approached her. One with blonde hair, one with chestnut hair. The Blonde Petty Officer rolled a duffel bag off of her shoulder and tossed it at Ave’s feet.

“I haven’t seen you around here before. You must be new. And out of uniform too.” The Blonde Petty Officer pursed her lips and shook her head. She pointed at the duffel bag. “Tell you what. I’ll do you a favor. I won’t tell our superior officer about this as long as you run those down to the laundry room for us.”

Ave glanced at the duffel bag. “You have to be joking.”

“Nope. And you better hurry. I hear that they’re going to close for the day pretty soon.” The Blonde Petty Officer sneered.

The The Chestnut Petty Officer *Giggled*. She tossed a pair of muddy boots she was holding at Ave’s feet. “And make sure you take these too. You should have them cleaned and shined by light’s out.”

The two Petty Officers *Laughed* with each other. They turned and started strolling away.

Ave looked down at the pile in front of her. The pinky of her left hand twitched.

“Do it yourself.” she said.

The Petty Officers stopped. They shot a look back at her.

“What was that?” The Chestnut Petty Officer said.

“I said do it yourself.”

The Blonde Petty Officer stomped back over. She was the same height as Ave but did her best to look down her nose at her. “Listen here newbie we were doing you a favor. If you don’t want us to report this you’ll shut your mouth and do as we say.”

“Non commissioned officers are responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of their individual kit while on patrol. This includes armor, weapons, clothing, boots, and eating utensils.” said Ave.

The Chestnut Petty Officer blinked. “Huh?”

“This applies to all situations when the column may be bivouacked in foreign territory or temporarily stationed in a friendly city.” Ave continued.

The Blond Petty Officer held up a hand. “What are you going on about?”

“Any exceptions to this rule must be cleared with the column quartermaster either in person or in writing. And since I don’t see any written forms with you…” Ave looked at the two Petty Officers. “And since I assume that neither of you are the quartermaster, I say again, Do it yourself.”

The Chestnut Petty Officer shoved a finger in Ave’s face. “Did you just talk back to your superiors? Do you have any idea who we are? We could have you court marshaled.”

Ave raised a single eyebrow a single centimeter but otherwise didn’t move.

The Blonde Petty Officer grabbed her friend’s shoulder. She whispered something in her ear. They both looked up over Ave’s head. The two of them smiled.

“Last chance cherry. You can learn to follow orders or you can learn what the local jail smells like.” The Chestnut Petty Officer said.

Ave’s face was as smooth as a mirror. “There’s a difference between command and leadership. Maybe you two should learn a lesson.”

The Chestnut Petty Officer sneered. “Have it your way bitch.”

There were footsteps coming down the hallway behind Ave. The two Petty Officers snapped to attention. They put their hands in front of their chest in salute.

“Commander!” They both shouted at the same time as they looked past Ave.

Ave swallowed. She didn’t turn around.

A large hand landed on Ave’s shoulder.

“Ave. There you are my little chipmunk.”