Kadance

31

"By all that's ...Boss we got in." Candlen says in disgust filled tones. Jayse motions for him to continue. "It's a test, a bloody, stinking elaborate test of our loyalty."

Kadance is furious. She starts throwing the knives. "You are willing to lose Alpha Company, the Camp graduating class, and your lives to test us?" She's shaking she's so furious.

"Leave those toys where they are. Rackem, get on the line. Call in transport from Dunworthy Holdings. Tell them the coordinates, we're done. Any man willing to waste that many lives on a mere test I refuse to work for."

Kadance rakes all three with a scathing look. "You're free to go, without your toys. We won't deactivate ours either, you are of course welcome to try." The six reenter the room. "What about my nephews?" Kadance asks.

"No orders have been cut as yet. They are still free to choose and apply for jobs," Rackem answers.

"Well Jade, Jax? What is your desire?" Kadance asks. They see the knives sticking through the chair backs.

"We still want them," Alpha Command says nervously. Fourteen sets of cold angry eyes turn to him.

Jax speaks, "We don't want to go with a Commander that's willing to kill his company for a bloody test!"

The Commander bravely tries again. He has to swallow few times before he can speak. "I had no choice, I still have to follow orders. General Rueton is in charge of the Warrior defense and he gave a direct order. I had to follow it."

"Knowing that we would likely defend against any perceived threat with whatever means were necessary? Tell me another story Commander. If your entire Company is at risk for a test you call a competency hearing. You don't comply with the order. Not for a bloody TEST!" Jayse yells losing control.

"And you, you are willing to allow the graduating class to die for a test!" Jayse continues his rant and the Compound Commander bows his head in shame. "As far as we're concerned, you're all bloody traitors to the warrior class. This has all been recorded and we'll make sure it's sent to every Warrior Society outpost on every planet. HQ should start the treason court once we get back to Gaia."

That more than anything else breaks the general. "No, Jayse, these two were just following orders. Compound was ordered to evac. So there would be no chance of their dying. Alpha has orders to not set off or attempt to disarm any explosive devises. They're actually ordered to not come onto or above the stairs."

"That's a load of shit, your ghosts are out and about Commander, and I guarantee they will attempt those perimeters and when they do they and all of Alpha will be dead. It will take two to disarm those devices and a knowledge of how to do so. Right now the only two that do know are standing right here and no one else, including me, can." Tommy laughs. He stops and thinks about it. "Well maybe I might be able to if I was up to full speed. They've modified my modifications and nobody could deactivate mine without help. And that was given only once, that's it."

Tommy pulls the knives out of the chairs and separates his and Kadances, and Jayses. He throws Jayse his and Jayse catches each one and puts them away. Tommy wheels back to Kadance and hands her hers. "You need to clean the blood off love. It's not good to leave it on." Kadance nods and begins cleaning her knives.

"I can make it so you don't leave here at all." The general says. Jayse and Tommy both close in on Kadance. Tommy blocks her from throwing her knife. Jayse takes them away. At the same time all the other team members raise their weapons.

After Jayse disarms Kadance he turns to the general, "You don't get it do you general? You aren't in a position to make threats. You're free to go. We aren't holding you here. To make threats against us is folly. We're still recording. Do you want us to take it live? Candlen and Rackem can do that you know. So even if you manage to kill us you'll still be disgraced. Kadance has tried repeatedly to be friends with you. She's figured out a way to increase birth rate triple, even quadruple what it currently is. She found out about the attack here, and our team took out 90% of the ground troops. Half her team was injured, Tommy almost died and you threaten our lives? Why? You push us and test us, pushing us by calling our team rogue, then pushing some more with this test why?"