Tales of the Aspídans

A Head Lieutenant

"What the hell do you mean he doesn't want to teach them?" I exclaimed. Light poured into my office from the windows behind me. I took a long sip from my flask of liquor and stared down the lieutenant.

"Head Lieutenant Moraes claims he is not suited for teaching recruits," Elenora answered. The young woman stood at attention before my desk, a cougar standing upright next to her. "Moraes requests a different assignment."

I took my feet off the desk and sat up in the chair. "Where is he now?" I asked.

"The head lieutenant is currently in the Strigare," Elenora answered. She looked at her cougar ktênos, listening. The words of Elenora, the Bonder, and the cougar, the ktênos, traveled through their bond. "Also, the recruits are there."

"Bah!" I groaned. "So he and the people he's supposed to be training are inside the training area, but he refuses to train them?"

"Yes, Captain Smith," Elenora answered. Her fair face remained stoic.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I said, "Goodness, here I thought he would make a good head lieutenant because of his skill." Sighing, I added, "Can you bring him here?"

Elenora nodded. She extended her hand to the cougar at her side. For a moment, the animal became a body of yellow sen, the energy that existed in and used by Bonders. The sen was bright, flowing energy for a moment before it entered Elenora's body. Her ktênos no longer remained.

"Order lunch for the officers when you come back," I called after her as she left the office. She waved to show she had heard before closing the door behind her.

"Ahhhhh," I groaned, leaning back in my chair. I pulled my red robe over my tieless business casual. I dropped a matching red bucket hat on my blond hair. A gentle throb in my head made me reach for my flask. And here I thought Zeke would be fun.

I turned to the computer on my desk and began doing the grueling amount of non-combat work that was assigned to captains. A shipment? I wondered as I read an email requesting transport of goods into the Haven. Who the hell do they think I am? This is the Internal Operations Division, not the bloody Manufacturing Division! I grumpily forwarded the email for someone else in the IOD's Headquarters to handle.

After five more emails, I opened a new tab in the browser. Cat videos, cat videos, cat videos. I found one that I liked: a cat was dressed in a bowtie and was pressing the keys of a piano. Absolutely adorable.

There was a subtle change in the air. Looks like he's here, I surmised, feeling the air charge with Ezekiel Moraes's aura. And it seems he's a bit angry. He wouldn't let his aura release even as little as it is now if he were calm. I click back to the tab of my overflowing email inbox. I felt Zeke's aura go up the floors of the Headquarters. I grabbed a piece of paper and pretended that I was writing.

My office door opened without a knock. Zeke stepped inside. "Para que você precisa de mim?" he asked in Portuguese.

"Hello, Moraes," I greeted. I set down my pen and grabbed my flask. "You know I don't speak Portuguese."

"What do you want?" Zeke asked with an accent. There was sweat on his deeply tanned skin, and his curtain of hair covered his hard, pale blue eyes.

I brought my flask to my lips and took a sip. He looks dangerous. "Well, I thought I assigned you to be the instructor for the recruits this morning."

"I did not want to," Zeke replied.

"Well, you don't really get that choice, Moraes," I said. "I gave you an assignment; you're supposed to complete it."