Afterword: Student and TeacherCSS LEGEND, GENERAL’S OFFICE

  *swish*

  After getting changed, Avon heads straight to Bull’s office. When she walked in, he was sitting behind his desk with folded hands and a sullen frown. He didn’t look happy to see her.

  “Sit, Vice General,” he commands.

  *thump*

  The st time he made that face, I caused a food fight, Avon recalls regretfully.

  “First things first, your strategy was too destructive. Desha told me you destroyed one of our cruisers and crippled many others. To be frank, you really pissed him off.”

  “I tried to warn them,” Avon argues, not ready for another dressing-down. It may have been an unorthodox victory, but the Admiral would’ve retreated like a spineless coward in her shoes. Bull only took his side since they’ve worked together longer.

  “Really? That’s your excuse? Try again.”

  “Well, I also killed Silent Control,” she adds.

  “Wrong.”

  “Eh?

  “Your report said you fought her up close. So, you must know she’s a Silencer.”

  “So am I. Your point?”

  Bull sighs. “You must’ve seen her teleport.”

  “Onto a warship? Please,” Avon scoffs. “Teleportation is challenging for us and has a limited range. The only way she could’ve escaped would’ve been by using a metaspace gateway. And only one Silencer on record is capable of that.”

  I can’t believe it’s taking her this long to figure it out, Bull tells himself. Avon might be book-wise, but she needs more life experience. I practically gift-wrapped the truth for her.

  Right on cue, the elite’s eyes widened. “Wait, you don’t mean–”

  “Yes, your predecessor, Valerie Star, is the identity of the Rebel we know as Silent Control,” Bull interjects. Avon does a double take.

  “Y-You’re certain of that? Do you have evidence? Why didn’t you say so before?”

  “Because it’s not something I enjoy admitting,” he replies. “Letting someone of her ability go rogue is the worst mistake I ever made. As for evidence, I have witness testimony. My testimony.”

  “Star and a squad of my best troops defected on my watch five years ago. I swept this failure under the rug for our subordinates’ sake, but Congress hasn’t forgotten, and neither have I.”

  “Additionally, she was my… my best friend,” Bull says faintly. Knowing his reputation, Avon didn’t take her General for the sociable type. Then again, it’d be just as hard to believe she could get close to anyone.

  “I’m sorry…” After today, she can understand Bull’s distress completely.

  “It doesn’t matter anymore,” he grumbles.

  “Anyway, most files on both Star and Silent Control are highly restricted, so it does seem like they’re two different people. I pnned to expin everything to our soldiers and officers in the future once it became more relevant.”

  “Like right now.”

  Bull pauses, slightly offended. Avon’s ability to be consoling and insensitive in the same breath was uncanny. However, not everyone has the guts to take on Valerie in a fistfight.

  She’s earned the right to share this burden, he thinks. Still, she does have a connection to Warren. So, I should still be a little careful.

  “While this is cssified information, I’ll reveal it to you, Avon.”

  “Star knows something that could guarantee victory over the Rebellion: the location of the Northwest Passage. It’s an undiscovered metaspace route that leads right to the Scythe Core.”

  “She procured its coordinates through treacherous means and refused to share them with us. Then, she went AWOL, taking that information with her.”

  “Like you, I was tasked to capture her by Congressman Warren. I need to learn the location of the Passage so we can put an end to the Scythe threat. Only then would we be redeemed in the eyes of our people.”

  “Hmmm…”

  Avon thinks to herself, but she can’t see the connection between exterminating an ancient intergactic empire and reuniting Mankind. If anything, this was closer to her choice of blowing up her family’s factories to keep them out of Rebel hands.

  “General, this Passage isn’t as great of a game-changer as you cim. GSAF is spread way too thin to blitz the Scythe Empire,” she replies.

  “The Rebellion is getting bolder every day, and our holds on alien fronts are weaker than ever. If we focus on one foe, the others just gain more ground.”

  “Our Confederacy’s situation is too dire to be solved through shock and awe. The Northwest Passage might’ve put us in the bck five years ago, but now it’ll only postpone the inevitable.”

  Avon’s scandalous decration almost made Bull’s jaw drop. She’s even more straightforward than Val…

  “Ahem… Umm, changing the subject, how’s Rokov?” he asks casually.

  “Recovering in my quarters. I thought he’d be more comfortable there.”

  “And what about you?”

  “My stomach and joints are in pain, but I’ll live.” Avon shrugs. “I just need a drink right about now. Then, I’ll be good for the rest of the day.”

  “Is that so? I can fix that.”

  Bull reaches under his desk and pulls out a bottle of rare Zextanian whiskey and two shot gsses. He opens the bottle, fills the tiny cups, and pushes one toward Avon.

  “This bottle was sent to me as a gift some time ago. I normally don’t drink, but a hard day should be rewarded with a little liquid courage.” Avon nods in agreement.

  “What should we drink to?” she asks.

  “Well, we never properly celebrated your promotion, Avon. It came on so suddenly, there wasn’t time to properly inaugurate you.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to–”

  “I insist. And don’t pretend you don’t enjoy a little fttery from me.” Bull raises his gss. “So, cheers to you… Vice General Hayton. Ad astra pro Humanite.”

  “‘To the stars for Humanity,’ indeed,” followed Avon as she did the same. “I can always drink to that.”

  “So, that’s what it means.”

  *clink*

  RNS ARGENTUM, BRIDGE (MEANWHILE)

  Exhausted and demoralized from defeat, the crew of the RNS Argentum takes some time to rest as they travel through metaspace back to Rebel territory. The bridge was dimly lit to save energy and manned by a skeleton crew. Most of the light came from consoles or personal reading lights carried by those prone to eyestrain.

  *swish*

  The door opens, and the officers wisely keep their heads down. When Councilor Valerie Star is enraged, the best way to help her is to stay out of her line of sight.

  “Mother… fucker!!”

  CLANG

  Everyone jumps when Valerie sms her fist into one of the walls, leaving behind a rge dent. Destructive rages aren’t common with her, but that doesn’t mean they never happen.

  “Three cruisers destroyed, two critically damaged, and we didn’t get nearly enough materials to make it worth our while… Spartacus is gonna kill me!” she wails.

  “Vice General, perhaps you could refrain from punching bulkheads in our new cruiser?” noted Lewis while pointing at the dent. Not in the mood for sarcasm, Valerie shot him a death stare.

  “Who you calling ‘Vice General,’ Lewis!?”

  “Sorry, ma’am,” Lewis apologizes pcidly. “It’s still ingrained in me. Unlike Raine, I still find it hard to call a superior by name.”

  “It’s all good.” Valerie sighed while adjusting her silver hair, finally calming down. She still wasn’t used to keeping it short. “You’re frustrated, and so am I, but I’m good now. Find me a cupcake, and I’ll be even better.”

  “You know we can’t keep perishable rations. Food Sticks are all we have.”

  Valerie whines childishly at the mention of those poor excuses for proper food. Ironically, thirty years ago, Hayton Industries conceived of both Food Sticks and nutritional synthesizers. The very name that’s currently being despised aboard the Argentum.

  They may be filling, but they go in and out like chunks of cardboard. How the hell is “synthetic nutrition” even made?

  “Who’s the bozo who gave us this suicide op, V?” Raine roars, pulling Valerie out of her hunger musings. “I wanna clean his clock!”

  “No clue. I received the information anonymously through the Rasputin Network.” Valerie snaps her fingers, suddenly remembering the only good thing that happened today.

  “On the plus side, the method we used to slip through the Confederate grid without our cloaking projector got posted on the cosminternet. This is a pretty big breakthrough for the Rebellion.”

  “Positive thinking ain’t gonna change reality, sis.” Raine shakes her head while leaning against one of the railings. “Old Spartacus is gonna be livid ’bout the losses we took.”

  “The rest of the fleet isn’t too happy either,” Lewis notes. “They hate GSAF and that Hayton heiress more than ever now.”

  “But don’t worry, I’m pretty sure they still like us,” said Raine.

  “How sure is ‘pretty sure?’” Lewis questions skeptically.

  “I dunno, like 60%? I never went to school.”

  “That expins a lot, considering 60% isn’t a passing grade!”

  The Lieutenant rolls her eyes at Lewis with an “ugh.” Between brains and brawn, Raine always believed brawn came first. Wars aren’t won by contempting the mystery of life. Fists, bdes, and bullets are what create history.

  “What was General Bull even doing during the battle? Was he called to the surface?” Star wonders.

  “Yes. Intel from other ships leads me to believe he led a detachment to protect the central cities,” Lewis informs her.

  “That’s a fg. Bull never did that when we rode with him. If the surface wasn’t threatened, but the local bigwigs wanted some men, he’d refuse.”

  “Then his choice today wasn’t a very tactical decision.”

  “More like it was pin dumb, kid,” Raine says bluntly. “Think our old boss has finally lost his edge?”

  “Impossible! Bull’s too tough for that!” Valerie argues. “Maybe… could I have been the reason…? But that doesn’t make sense either!”

  “Finding me is the only way Isaac can redeem himself in the eyes of Congress. And he always put the Confederacy first!”

  Raine and Lewis share a look. They knew better than to remind Valerie about that fateful day five years ago. Even now, it’s still an extremely touchy subject that never fails to put their chipper leader in a bad mood.

  “This doesn’t add up. He’s the furthest thing from contradictory, but that’s exactly how he’s acting now!” Still stuck in her mental rabbit hole, the silver-haired Silencer keeps on mumbling and pacing.

  “Uhh, S-Star…” Lewis stutters nervously. “Permission to speak freely?”

  “Granted, kid,” Valerie answered absent-mindedly.

  “I think your breakup changed Bull more than you thought. Now that he sees what he lost, he’s torn between patriotism and regret.” Despite seeing Valerie suddenly blench in front of him, Lewis goes on.

  “He’s trying to please the Confederacy, keep you safe from them, and defeat the Rebellion all at the same time. When he saw a chance to avoid you, he took it to avoid making the hard choice.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right, By… That does sound like him.”

  Valerie wistfully stares at the main viewport, even though there’s nothing to see. When Human ships are in metaspace, radiation shields cover the windows to slow “interdimensional molecur degradation” (whatever that is).

  “Those online psych videos really taught you something. You’re really growing up.” She lovingly pats Lewis on the head, making him grumble in embarrassment.

  “You still haven’t told the Scarlet War Council about Sireli and the Passage, have you?” asked Raine.

  “That’d be a death sentence, Lani. It was hard enough to convince them to agree to a Veriyan-Human Retions Committee. I gotta take it slow until both sides are more receptive.”

  “I’m just sayin’, the sooner you tell Spartacus, the sooner the Scythe’ll be nothin’ but wn clippings.” Raine chuckled, even though neither Valerie nor Lewis understood the joke. “Oh, come the fuck on, that was funny!”

  “And Bull?” Lewis adds, ignoring Raine.

  “I told him I was capable of fighting off anyone the Confederacy sends,” Valerie answers with determination. “Naturally, that includes him.”

  “Think you can beat him?”

  “I brought out the best in him, and he did the same for me. I’d say it’s about 50/50,” she guesses.

  “Could be worse.”

  “Oh, so you can bash me over 60%, but a 1 in 2 is just hunky-dory!?” Lewis wipes Raine’s spittle off his cheek with his sleeve. For a xenohunter with sensitive hearing, she has a shrill inside voice.

  “Uhh… I guess?”

  After spending half a decade in close quarters with two votile women, Lewis had learned at 23 what most people learned in their early 30s: patience. In response to his vague reply, Raine punches him hard, then giggles and pecks him on the cheek. All while he doesn’t make a face.

  Why do girls have to be so random? Lewis thinks exasperatedly.

  “Ahh… whatever you say, By. Math makes me sleepy.” Raine yawned while cracking her back. “Think I’m gonna hit the hay.”

  “Good night,” Valerie chirps. “Try not to snore so loudly tonight. It’s already been a day.”

  “Anyhoo, V, if you want my advice, the future is tomorrow’s problem. Last I checked, today ain’t tomorrow.”

  Raine left the bridge in a light-hearted saunter, scratching the back of her neck with her cws. As Valerie watches her big sister exit, she fiddles with her psi-inhibitor from anxiety.

  “Sometimes, I envy your basic worldview, Lani…”

  MasterY_001