Kadance

32

The Colonel swallows to wet his suddenly dry throat and clear his mouth of the food he'd just put in. Deciding quickly he writes, "With Jayse's permission, patch it through to the room com." Jayse nods his assent.

"Colonel, what in blazes is going on out there?" The man says.

"Admiral, still working on sorting everything out. Basically Rueton messed things up royally." The Colonel responds writing as rapidly as he can.

"Why aren't you speaking Colonel Lighten? We received a message from Rueton that Kadance and her team had gone rogue," the Admiral reports.

All eyes turn to the Colonel to see how he'll respond. Everyone listens all other activity ceases. "Admiral, I can say with absolute certainty that Rueton has completely misread the situation. In point of fact I trust my life to them. I actually owe my life to them. Rueton found out he was under investigation and set me up to take the fall. Set me up to be killed, sir. Fortunately Kadance doesn't like bloodshed so Jayse only knocked me out, breaking my jaw.

"Alpha Commander has relieved Rueton and questions his ability to lead. Quite frankly, I see every reason to believe Rueton has gone over the edge. He gave commands that very nearly killed the entire Alpha Company and could have potentially taken out the entire graduating class." Colonel Lighten sends the footage of the generals actions that were questionable.

The Admiral watches the footage. "She threw knives at them? Good heavens some of them are all but shaving them."

"Sir, Rueton really provoked her and her team. One of her husbands had almost died four days earlier and Rueton called into question their loyalty a second time since the attack. She saw Rueton as setting her team up to die. Rueton, Alpha Commander and Compound Commanders are fortunate that she didn't lose control. They wouldn't even have the small wounds they have if they hadn't moved.

"Rueton wants them dead. What he achieved is Kadance no longer wants to have anything to do with the government. She claims, rightly, that Rueton has broken her contract. Her team is also now distrustful. Her nephews have flatly refused to join up with Alpha Company. They don't trust a commander willing to throw away the whole company for a test as Rueton called it.

"All this happened because they want a physio assigned to them for Thompson, who nearly died fighting the shifters. Thompson who was responsible for teaching the ghosts and students how to increase the explosions. We'd have died without him and he did that already recovering from a wound that almost killed him.

"These people have done the greatest service to our kind, the warriors, than anyone. They should be commended not outlawed." The Colonel writes vehemently.

"They fought well?" The Admiral asks.

"About half her team were injured from fighting shifters right down the corridor. Some would be dead if they hadn't had the body armor they have. Kadance herself fought, killing a shifter. They haven't gone rogue. Their requests have been reasonable. Kadance has assumed monetary care of her team. They have only been a benefit to our society. Never have they at any time shown signs of going rogue." The Colonel put forth his most convincing self.

The Admiral is silent for awhile, "What are your feelings regarding Kadance breaking with us?"

"I categorically state it would be disastrous for her to leave at this point. She saved this sector. By her using redliners and disarmed suiciders as her security she held those worlds against the shifter invasion. Her evac plans she's implemented kept the civilian death toll to zero. We've never manged that before. Her team has successfully secured three quarters of the civilians we thought were lost on Celeste. Her team knew the cure for the vampire parasite, that Rueton had buried. She and her late sister worked out a way to increase warrior birth rate that benefits civies as well as warriors. All this in less than a year, Admiral. To lose her now would be disastrous. She claims no credit. Wants no credit. Who else would do all that for nothing? We need her," the Colonel States.