A chill rushes through my body at his words as my mind works overtime to try and figure out what he could want us to assemble for.
“Ensign?”
The voice of the crewman snaps me from my fear, and I look over to him.
“Sorry, I’m good to go,” I reply, straightening up my uniform. His gaze lingers on me for a second before he hurries down the hallway. I follow after him, trying to calm my heart as I straighten out my clothes. However, try as I might, the fear still swirls around my head.
He’s going to call you out for your failure in front of everyone. Wouldn’t be the first time, and knowing you, it certainly won’t be the last.
Despite the dread filling my mind, my feet follow my guide faithfully, and it isn’t long before I find myself at the doors of the hall. As the door slides open, I am treated to the stares of the gathered crew and other pilots. The crew is stationed around the hall in informal groups. However, the other pilots are standing on a raised dais alongside the Captain and the other officers of the crew. In the center of the group are Auclair-Stolz and Di’Lotta, who glare over at me as I enter the room.
Seeing me, the Captain motions for me to make my way up to the stage. The world seems to slow to a crawl as I make my way up to the stage. The whole room follows my every step, their eyes drilling into me. Despite being practically empty, my stomach churns, threatening to release what little is within it in front of everyone. The Captain gives a slight gesture, pointing over to Auclair-Stolz’s side, and I make my way over, trying my best to ignore his stare as I brace myself for the coming tongue-lashing.
“It’s good to finally have all of our valiant pilots present. With all of you present, I would like to thank you for your performance in this last engagement. This was the perfect example of the valiance and bravery of our forces. In the face of a swift and furious enemy ambush, you were able to repel them with ease, with not a single soul falling to their treachery.
“While all of you who went out to defend this vessel are heroes who deserve recognition, there are three who deserve the spotlight. Pilots of Squad 4, it is thanks to your bravery and the actions you took that we are all still here. Even though you were ambushed by those detestable Martian curs, you did not panic. No. Instead, you three valiantly charged forward and faced the enemy with all that you had. You proved that in the face of superior numbers, our spirits stand firm. You are examples that we all should follow, and when this war is over, your actions will be retold for the ages.
“Now, let us all salute and applaud these heroes!” as he says that, he turns to face us and begins clapping.
With the Captain’s orders, the room bursts into applause, sending me into a world of confusion. The stares that seemed so accusing seconds ago look up at us, eagerly applauding. The applause doesn’t last long before the Captain turns back around to address the men.
“As we have seen today, the Martian forces are aggressive. There will only be more attacks as we get closer to Mars. As we prepare for Operation Fear Eater we must keep up our guard. We will be moving closer into Martian-controlled space, and we will surely be attacked again. Therefore, I need all of you to be on your guard and move with the readiness and bravery that was on display. Only then will we be able to get through this struggle and see the glory of our nation on the other side.
“Remember, the actions we take here are not just for our own sake. No. Each battle we enter, each challenge we endure, is in the name of our freedom and liberty. Not just for Elysium. Nor just for the U.C.C. We fight for the freedom of all who call the void their home, willingly or not. We are the stars that shall point the way to freedom, and we must shine bright to guide the way!”
Once more, the crowd bursts into cheers and applause, and I awkwardly join, my mind a mess of swirling fears and confusion. I glance at the Captain out of the corner of my eye to try and get a read on his mood and see him merely taking in the applause of the crew. After a few seconds, he walks off the podium without another word, and the rest of the officers follow after him. Once they make it to the door, the crowd starts to disperse as well. I start to head off myself, only to stop dead in my tracks as I feel a hand grip my shoulders.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Kizashi!” Auclair-Stolz’s hiss causes me to freeze in my boots. I turn to face him, and as I do, I see that his eyes are alight with a fury that peaks through his usual mask of calm. Beside him, I can see Di’Lotta smirking with glee at the suffering about to befall me.
“Kizashi. How long did you keep the Captain waiting with your refusal to show up when ordered?”
“I was asleep, Sir, so….”
“Inexcusable,” Auclair-Stolz says, striking me across the face with the back of his hand. “I will not tolerate insubordination. You kept the Captain waiting for a total of 15 minutes. Not only did you insult our commanding officer with your actions, but you harmed the appearance of this unit. That is inexcusable.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” I reply swiftly with the practice of several years, ignoring the familiar sting on my face.
“I don’t care about your apology. I now have the Captain thinking I can’t control my squad. Be thankful that he didn’t decide to bring it up. Now, never let this happen again. Otherwise, I will make sure you are discharged for negligence on your part.”
With that, he lets out a sigh and releases me from his grip, “Tomorrow, we will have practice in the morning. Make sure the sims are cleaned and ready to use. And don’t make the mistake you did last time.”
With that, he marches off, heading down the stairs. I watch him leave, subtly bracing myself as, just as I expected, Di’Lotta takes the time to smack the back of my head. He lets out a chuckle before heading down the stairs himself. I take a breath to steady myself, looking over at the rest of the crew as I do so. As my eyes scan the room, several of the eyes that were trained on me dart away, finding spots on the floor or the ceiling to examine. Paying them no mind, I descend the stage and allow my feet to carry me over to the mess.
It’s as he said. You’re lucky you got away with those little love taps. I mean, you held up that ceremony for 15 minutes, and he didn’t even mention what a colossal failure you were on the battlefield. I mean, you, a symbol of bravery? It’s hilarious. You should be grateful they haven’t just sent you back home.
“Hey, is this seat free?”
The voice startles me from my thoughts and I look up from my food to see Bay Officer Nasreen already in the process of sitting down despite her question.
“Sure. Feel free,” I reply, even though my words are pointless. She quickly makes herself comfortable, lounging in her chair while fixing me with an odd glare. I try my best to ignore it, focusing instead on the sandwich I got.
“Why didn’t you hit him back?”
“Huh.”
“Back there. You let the two dipshits hit you and didn’t even do anything about it. What was the deal there?”
“I mean, it would just be more trouble, wouldn’t it?”
“What?”
“If you fight back, that gives them license to do more to you. Or, in the worst case, get you labeled as a troublemaker and expelled.”
“The hell are you talking about.”
“Back at the academy, things were way worse. I’m surprised that I got off so lightly to be honest.”
“So you’re fine with them treating you like that?”
“What’s there to do about it,” I reply with a shrug. “If I fight back, I risk getting in more trouble than if I just let them beat on me. I risk losing my position here, and my parents could suffer retaliation as well. Besides, it’s not like any of them are particularly strong anyway. It only stings for a moment and I can continue on with my day.”
“Where I’m from, if you let people walk over you like that, you would just find yourself as a punching bag.”
“Probably. But this technique has worked to get me through the last four years of my life. It’s the only reason that I’m able to be here. So I think I’ll stick to it. Was that all you had for me?”
“Since you don’t want to listen to my advice? Yeah,” she sighs with a shrug.
“Ok,” I say, nodding before a thought strikes me. “Oh, you mentioned the recordings when would I be able to have a look at that? I was going through my performance today, and I would like to look at it to see where I can improve.”
“Sure, if you want, you can swing over and check on it once you’re finished eating.”
“Got it. Just give me a second.”
With that, I quickly turn my attention to devouring my sandwich, forcing it down my throat as quickly as I can. Once it is all done, I quickly clean up and turn over to blinking Nasreen.
“I’m good to go.”