Riders of B E R K

Part 17: Deadly Date

As soon as the debriefing ended, I went straight to the General's office. I didn't even stop to chat to Hiccup, though I did pat him on the arm as I got up and stalked out. I caught a glimpse of his face as I left and I felt bad but I knew I needed to see Stoick immediately. I confidently marched to his office and rapped on the door.

I was invited in and I saluted smartly. Once he had invited me to stand at ease, I paused and waited to be invited to speak.

"Lieutenant, I believe you want to tell me something?" he suggested. Did he know? I gave a little smile.

"Yes, sir," I admitted. "I took control of the debriefing today because, quite frankly, there wasn't anyone else for to lead it who was allowed to do so." He frowned.

"I thought Snotlout..." he began.

"...is an utter imbecile," I informed him sternly. "He is completely unable to coordinate anything or run a meeting. The whole thing was a shambles. It had descended into recriminations and a pack mentality against your son." He frowned. "I think the last straw was Corporal Eret calling me 'sweet cheeks' and suggesting I keep out of men's business. So I exercised my rank and told the lot of them to sit down and shut up."

He gave a small smile. "Good," he murmured. "Go on."

"I ran the debriefing, made notes and will have a report on your desk by tomorrow morning," I reported shortly. "I suspect the other riders will be knocking your door down to complain but frankly, sir, I would kick all their asses. I don't want to remove their individuality but they need to respect the chain of command." Stoick stared at me and nodded.

"Anything else?" he asked, making a note of his blotter.

"Permission to speak freely," I said. He nodded. "Sir-the only person who is qualified to lead the Riders is Hiccup. He is an exceptional leader, a superb rider and astonishingly patient."

"I would hope you remain in command," Stoick said. I sighed.

"Hiccup should be in command, sir," I insisted. "I am happy to help with military matters-since I have that background. He doesn't-but he should be in charge."

"He's not military," Stoick said coldly.

"No, he isn't, sir," I replied. "But he is part of BERK. By the way, is he even on the payroll?" He blinked: it really wasn't anything he had considered.

"He gets board and..."

"Sir!" I snapped. "He works his ass off! He's worked in IT, he trains and rides a dragon, he translates ancient Norse, he gets dragged along on exercises. He is a full member of BERK, no matter that his route of entry was non-standard. He should be treated as such. And in that case, he should have a rank!"

"He's not trained army!" Stoick growled. "He can't..."

"With all due respect, sir, you really don't know what he can or can't do!" I retort. "You were absent most of his childhood. He has suffered emotional and physical abuse from bullies and his so-called colleagues here and neglect from you. I presume you knew he was once picked up by family services?" Stoick nodded with a scowl.

"I was on an important mission, had to leave at almost no notice and I...returned to find him in a home," he admitted. My face locked in a scowl. Whatever had actually happened to him there had been so bad he had self-harmed. "When I returned, I had command return him to me and expunge the record." Friends in high places, I thought uncharitably, grinding my teeth. As long as you do what the mission required, your poor son could go to Hell!

"But my point, sir, is that he has been neglected and harmed by that neglect but despite that, he had become an invaluable member of this unit," I pointed out. "Despite the fact he's been banned from flying and seeing his dragon, he was brought along on the exercise and saved the whole thing from falling apart. He saved your life, sir. He was the only one in command. He managed to talk down his dragon which was, quite frankly, the most amazing thing I have ever seen!"