Kadance

25a

Rueton smiles an enigmatic smile, and Jayse immediately tenses. "You could be. I've been thinking of reactivating the lot of you and making you a company." The general watches Jayse's reaction carefully.

Jayse and the others in the room still and turn towards the general's image. Jayse wishes Kadance were here for this one as he carefully picks his words. "Sir, no thank you sir. We're no longer active, yet we are happy. We are small and intend to stay that way. Besides, there are those that outrank me that are lower in our group here. It would cause all kinds of problems, not to mention what Kadance would say, she wouldn't like it at all." Jayse says it all with patience but he wants to scream at the idiocy of Rueton at that moment.

The general is a little taken aback by the response he thought they'd jump at the chance. "You sure? I'd make you whatever rank you wanted. We could adjust everyone else's rank as well." The general pushes.

Jayse gets a little gleam in his eye, "Tommy is my second in command general. If I asked for Commander that would make Tommy an LC. Wouldn't that be perfect?" Rueton turns a sickly green at that thought.

Jayse turns serious once more, "That could cause many problems as well. Besides I'd have to have Kadance's okay first. We are directly under her. I could ask the men if they want to be reactivated, but those I can see only show horror on their faces at the idea.

"You see Kadance is very generous. She lets us have some very nice toys, the best. We'd have to give up some of them if we became active. Some like Tommy, have modified their toys and won't welcome the idea of giving them up. And wouldn't be able to return them anyway."Jayse explains, he hopes in a manner that will squelch that idea completely without offending the general.

"I see. Are you going rogue then?" When the general asks that Jayse knows that he failed.

Jayse is shocked that the general could possibly think that. He turns white then red with anger. "NO, SIR! we are not going rogue. We'd never go rogue. We are here defending our people, defending our race. We do so working under orders to protect Kadance. You are the one that put us on that protection duty." Jayse is shouting he's so angry.

The general on the other hand is calm and replies, "Yes, but protecting her would mean taking her away from danger. Not bringing her into the heart of the biggest invasion we've yet faced." The general pushes.

"We had information that we couldn't send over communications and her only family is here, she wouldn't stay away. She'd never forgive me or any of us, that includes you, general, if I had even tried to keep her away. They need us, without Tommy's classes and help there is no chance, not even with the help you brought with you. Even Tommy isn't sure that it will be enough and if anyone would know it would be him. The others on this team are the best in each of our fields, you need us here, they need us here. Without us there is no chance you damn well know it." Jayse is beyond angry and well into furious by now. His voice has gone soft and cold.

"How dare you say we've gone rogue? Tommy is doing something he swore he'd never do again, why? To give us the chance at survival. Kadance is worried sick, why? Because her nephews are in Tommy's class. We are here to save our people willing to sacrifice everything to do so. How dare you say we've gone rogue?"

Kadance comes up and touches his arm. "Peace Jayse. The general would never be so stupid as to say that. Would you general?" Kadance is watching Rueton rather like a cat watches a mouse. She is angry. "He'd never say that to any of my security team. Not my team which has saved my life time and time again. Not my team which intercepted and decrypted the attack plans, while saving my life. And definitely not my husbands whose babies I'm carrying."

The general backs down quickly. "No, I'd never be that foolish."

Jayse breathes in deeply trying to control his temper and realizes that Kadance has come out before she'd showered. Kadance notices the change in Jayse, "We're done here general. Just remember when you choose to insult my team to not do it on such short timing, right before an imminent attack." She cuts the link leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that she's furious with Rueton. Jayse scoops her up and races into the other room.

Borden is staring after them. "I've never seen Jayse so angry before." He swallows and takes a deep breath, the first since the general dared to accuse them of going rogue. "He was about to hunt down the general."

Maren wide eyed says seriously, "It might have been better if he had. He came so close to losing it. The general won't forgive or forget what just happened and he'll hold it against Jayse, and us."

Rackem nods agreement with her assessment, they all do but he adds, "Did you see how quickly Kadance brought him back? She just touched his arm. That's all. It wasn't her voice, although that helped, it was her touch and he cooled down."

Borden replies nodding, "She's had that effect on me as well, from the first. Voice or touch and it's the same with Tommy. And nobody better tell Tommy what happened or Rueton will be dead."

There is general agreement from the others. If Tommy killed Rueton then they would be considered rogue.

Candlen says through gritted teeth, "Thank goodness he got her out of here. He must have been very close to losing it to bring Kadance out here like that."

To that no one has a reply. Kadance would never set her team on edge like that if it hadn't been an emergency.

Rackem takes the com and signs to Maren to take Candlen out of there. "Borden what the hell was the general doing anyway? Why'd he push our boss like that?"

Borden rubs his chin as he thinks about what Rueton was just doing. "I'm not sure, unless it was to test us and see how well Kadance is able to take out the suicidal tendencies. If that's what he was doing he could have done irreparable damage, not just to Jayse, but to us all. Not just our team either, but our people.

"Tommy would die to stop Jayse. Tommy is good, but Jayse is better. He'd kill Tommy and then he'd kill us all. I know of at least five ways to take out this whole planet. I've no doubt that Jayse knows those five and possibly others," Borden says woodenly.

Rackem and Borden look at each other before their duties pulled them away from their bleak thoughts.