Callie's Heroes

PART I - COMMAND EVALUATIONS

“I do believe we have concluded,” Xera said, rising from their chair, ending the morning’s post-mission debriefing. Around the table sat the members of the Elemental team, although a few stood due to lack of seating. “First, I’d like to personally congratulate Recruit Pixyl on being the first this term to reach Silver.”

Light applause went up around the room, Pixyl blushing furiously.

“We’ll find some time to work on your new melded Flashstep skill,” Major Celeste said, a huge, almost excited, smile on her face. “It’s a fun skill, but requires some practice and finesse so you don’t smash into something. A shame it won’t work in the air for you, but it’s still a great addition.”

“Uh … thanks,” Pixyl mumbled, feeling embarrassed by the attention.

“To the rest of you,” Xera continued, “You all did a truly admirable job sealing the Rifts and securing the road. I commend you all. There are obviously some lessons to be taken from the mission, but all of you seem to have those well in hand and I won’t dwell on them. Take the time today to think through those things.”

A general rumble of ‘thank you’ or ‘yes, Commandant’ rolled around the room.

“You are dismissed,” Xera concluded. “Corporal Vanis, if you would remain. You as well, Major.”

As the rest of the team members shuffled out of the room, Xera invited Vanis to sit. Captain Huvaen, who had been allowed to observe the debriefing, seemed hesitant to go, but a firm dismissal from the Warlock sent him on his way. Vanis had yet to sit with Huvaen to review and discuss the cipher, the two mutually choosing to wait until the mission was fully completed with this debrief, so Vanis would have his head properly focused.

“Informal rules,” Xera said, retaking their seat. “No ranks, just a conversation if we could.” By removing rules and rank, Xera made clear this was to be a casual discussion, and everyone was both equal and encouraged to say whatever was on their mind. “Vanis, please consider what we talk about confidential. We’d like to hear your thoughts on some things.”

“Of course,” Vanis said. “Where would you like to begin?”

“Tell us about the education you received in your youth, especially any military instruction,” Galin asked, raising an eyebrow. “I am now suspecting you have quite a bit of the latter.”

“Uh, certainly,” Vanis said, perplexed momentarily by the question. “Starting when I was about fourteen, I would have occasional classes taught by various officers in the Imperial Guard. Early they focused on history, but eventually moved on to some work on military tactics, logistics, and command. It was very focused, though, and it was all purely academic. The teachings weren’t designed to educate me to actually function as a battlefield leader, but more to understand what would be my eventual responsibilities as the King. Even if the position is largely ceremonial, I would still be expected to be able to converse with the High Commander and other high-ranking officers, and participate in that decision-making. Much of that military training was also intermingled with training in non-military leadership and etiquette, and all the other things that would be expected of me.”

“Were you a good student?” Xera asked.

“No. Not at all. At least when I was young. I found it all quite dull and absorbed little. Then there was a good six months after I received my class where I stubbornly focused solely on being a Warlock. Eventually, I moved on from that when I finally realized the class was incompatible with my responsibilities. I matured, becoming more serious about my studies and eventual duties. Formal training ended when I was roughly twenty, and I took on a more-formal role as an advisor to my father, which came with other duties, as you can imagine.”

“Tell us, why did you falter yesterday?” Galin asked directly. The inflection was odd, though. While worded as a direct inquiry, it seemed to suggest Vanis give thought to his answer first; to dig a little deeper.

“I have been considering that since it occurred,” Vanis began, buying a moment to figure out a proper answer. Why had he frozen? It wasn’t because his Warlock skills were largely ineffective as he had said, or if it was, it was only part of it. It wasn’t even his concern for his fellow teammates, or again, that was only part of it. Something made him unable to overcome the moment, and up until now the answer had been eluding him. But the discussion about his childhood education provided a clearer picture.

“I believe I was overthinking,” Vanis finally said, stiffening in his chair. “All of my training is theory, none of it is practical. When the moment came, while I had the actual knowledge, I didn’t have the experience I needed to use that knowledge. My brain … it seemed to be locked in a circle, trying to match up what I had been taught with what was happening. Looking back, had I listened to my instincts instead, I feel I would not have needed to hand off command.”

Xera chuckled, and soon both Thorn and Galin did as well.

Vanis half-smiled, unsure what the joke might be, and if it was being played on him.

“Academy Syndrome,” Xera said, trying to wave the laughter away. “I apologize for laughing, but what you said is exactly what happened.”

“Academy Syndrome?” Vanis asked, perplexed.

“Obviously not an actual medical condition,” Galin said, smirking, before continuing with an explanation. “There are two kinds of officers, Vanis,” Galin began. “Those, like the Major here, that are commissioned from the enlisted ranks, and come with battlefield experience. Then, there are those that are trained at the Academy in Imor. Academy graduates know a great deal about a lot of things, but have no real experience to put that learning into context. The first time they get into a chaotic situation, it’s even odds they’ll lock up exactly as you did. Eventually, they move past it as they get more experience. Nearly always, an Academy officer is initially assigned at minimum a field sergeant, if not an experienced officer, just to keep them from hurting themselves.”

“This is likely why Callie did so well when you turned command over to her, or at least didn’t freeze up,” Xera said, their laughter mostly under control. “She has no academic instruction, so relied completely on her own ideas and instincts; she was easily able to listen to her gut, as it were. Thankfully, her gut tends to prove itself correct more often than not.”

“I apologize, Vanis,” Thorn said, shaking his head as he continued to chuckle. “It didn’t even occur to me you’d had that much and that kind of military instruction. If I had known, I would have assigned a second for you, or at least properly informed the trainers. That was an oversight on my part.”

“I could tell he was having problems,” Major Celeste said. “I gave him a good smack to try to get him focused, with orders to hand off if he couldn’t get his shit together.” She looked at Vanis. “It is good that you did, you must understand that. None of us think less of you. Quite the opposite in fact.”

“You should know, I’m also Academy trained,” Xera said, actually winking at Vanis. “My first assignment as a fresh sub-captain was an absolute disaster. I just … as you said … my brain locked up trying to overthink the solution. It took at least two more incidents before I finally got it through my skull that I needed to listen to my instincts as much as my head.”

Vanis had been beating himself up ever since the battle, actually quite angry with himself at times. Learning that this was something known to happen, and that the Commandant had suffered the same situation as a new officer, actually provided great relief to Vanis. It wasn’t that he now had an excuse for what happened, but instead understood what had happened, and more importantly had a guide should something similar happen in the future. He looked across the table. “Thank you all. I greatly appreciate this insight, and I know it will be invaluable.”

The room took a momentary breather to let the topic settle. Refilling their cup, Xera continued. “If we could, I’d like to discuss the rest of your team. Please, give us your thoughts on their performance.”

“Well … “ Vanis began, again stalling for time briefly, trying to determine where to start on such an open-ended question. “I’d begin by concurring that everyone performed admirably, as you have said. I will go beyond just their performance in combat, though. From the moment everyone came together, there was camaraderie and cohesiveness. Banter was friendly, which helped to keep spirits high, but still focused on the objective. This greatly impressed me, as it was the first time many of the others, and I for that matter, had worked with those outside our classes. I believe that camaraderie was an invaluable factor in our eventual success.”

“Do you believe anyone didn’t mesh well with the others?”

“Let me think,” Vanis said, rolling the events through his head quickly. “Honestly, I didn’t get the impression of any animosity between the recruits. A small part of me had been concerned about Pixyl and Bratig working together, but they seem to have long since settled their differences from those first days.”

“What of Cheena and Maugra?” Thorn asked. “As you know, Cheena was placed in charge of Shaman training recently. You also know why. Did you see any stress between the two?”

“None at all. Trainer Cheena deferred to Trainer Maugra’s expertise and experience several times, and I sensed no issues of any kind between them, both in and out of combat. I saw no sign of resentment from Trainer Maugra, either.”

“Well, that’s good to know at least,” Thorn said, leaning back in his chair.

“When I got there,” Major Celeste said, “everyone was smiling and relaxed. I think that says a lot. Several people also played a good practical joke on Callie, which served to keep the mood light, too.” She briefly explained the incident when Callie was injured by the Slingstone Beetle, which got a chuckle from both Tasi and Xera. “It also helped that, as we approached, the initial enemies were quite weak, which allowed each of the recruits to experiment and demonstrate to the others. As a result, there weren’t as many surprises once the fighting intensified.”

“Speaking of the fighting, let’s … “ Xera began, sounding almost reluctant, “let’s talk about Pixyl.”

Vanis blew his cheeks out as he sat back. “She’s … very skilled.” It was an obviously evasive and diplomatic answer.

“She is,” Celeste concurred, also sounding quite evasive.

“She almost got people killed!” Legate Galin said, a little harshness in his voice. “Celeste, she’s your project. You were the one that recommended we promote her not one, but two field-command ranks. The medals were deserved, but you wanted more than just that.”

“I know,” Celeste said with a sigh. “I had hoped she would step up if given the rank, recognition and the opportunity. So far, she hasn’t. Don’t misunderstand me, she’s an amazing fighter, but so far proving not to be the leadership material I had thought she might become. I may have misread her, quite honestly, or perhaps I was overly hopeful.”

Vanis was surprised at hearing this information. He’d personally never seen any sense of leadership in Pixyl, and was wondering what the Major had. Not because Pixyl couldn’t lead if she had to, but because she simply wasn’t interested in that kind of role or responsibility and didn’t see herself that way. She was a fighter foremost, a brawler really, so why would it be important to her in that role? Now, knowing his friend had been given some special attention from the Major and others starting that very first day, gave him a different perspective of how the officers were evaluating the recruits.

“Vanis, you know the Pixie well,” Thorn said. “Tell us what you might see in her.”

Rubbing his head, Vanis blew out his cheeks again. “Where to begin. As I said, she’s very skilled, and only becoming more so with each passing day. I don’t think that is what you are asking though.”

Thorn shook his head. “Tell us about her as a person.”

“She’s been very private about herself these four weeks. We didn’t even know about her background fighting in Marandine until that first Demon demonstration, and even since, she hasn’t discussed much about it. She may have been more open with her close group of friends, but if so, they’re not talking about it either, at least not to me. That said, based on what she has let slip, and her reaction while in Juniper’s grove, she has not been treated well by others in the past, I believe in part because of her stutter, and likely her unusual class. She’s angry. She’s defensive. She’s …”

“Unstable?” Xera asked flatly.

“I believe that may be too strong a word,” Vanis said.

“Celeste? Your assessment?”

“She lacks confidence,” the Major replied, before quickly amending her statement. “By that, I don’t mean confidence in her combat prowess. What she lacks is confidence in other people; that ability to trust and believe them, and in them. She’s quite self-conscious about her stutter, which only makes it worse when she does. I think that may be a big part of why she’s not rising to my expectations. I have noticed she doesn’t stutter when she’s comfortable with what is happening, in combat for example, so that may be the key to unlocking her potential.”

“I can see how that could hurt her confidence,” Xera said. “It can be hard to see yourself as a leader if you are worried you may trip over your own tongue in the moment.”

“People have also treated her awful all her life on a personal level,” Celeste continued. “I can see that, because I grew up the same way. She sees herself just as she’s always been told, as an outcast and strange misfit, and has a hard time believing people when they tell her otherwise. As a result, she has a constant need to prove herself and not be constrained by something so mundane as ‘orders’.”

“She has a tough mountain to climb,” Thorn said.

“She does,” Celeste replied in agreement. “You remember what I was like when I came here with the first training group. I was not a pleasant person, especially to authority. She’s not as bad as I was, but that’s some of what she needs to get past.”

“You were worse than simply unpleasant,” Thorn said with a laugh. “I was almost ready to boot your scrawny ass right out of here.”

“I know. Thank you again for not doing that, by the way. It took someone that truly believed in me as a person, and convinced me they were sincere, before I found my direction.”

“Well, the army has Olin to thank for that,” Xera said. “He really supported you. Aggressively, I might add. I am glad we found a way and kept you.”

“So what do we do about Pixyl?” Galin asked, his tone gruff and to the point. “She can’t be fighting on her own like that, or charging blindly into a battle if the team’s not prepared.”

“I’m going to sit down with her later today,” Celeste said. “If not before the game, then this evening. Just the two of us with no rank. It’s going to be a painful talk for her, but I believe it will be positive. Depending on how it goes, some time with a Listener might help, too.”

“Scryer Yulayla can assist there,” Xera said. “She’s a trained Listener and she’s very good.” There were a couple of surprised looks directed at Xera from around the table. “I’ve been talking with her for a little while. It’s been helpful.”

“Good for you,” Galin said, encouragingly nodding at the Commandant. “Let us know if we can be of assistance.”

Xera simply returned the nod.

“In the end,” Celeste said, sighing, “she just needs people that believe in her, but that she also trusts. Then, I think she’ll slowly start to believe in herself and see a place as part of the team.”

“She has certainly come a long way from when she first arrived,” Vanis pointed out. “And we’d all be happy to help if we are able. I believe Callie has been a big influence in getting her to open up, and perhaps you can use her in some way, given what happened.”

“Good idea, Vanis,” the Major replied.

“What happened?” Galin asked, a worried look on his face.

Both Vanis and Celeste chuckled at the same time, using their hands to make heart shapes.

“Oh thank the stars!” Xera said, exhaling a huge sigh.

“It’s about damn time,” Tasi added.

“Really?” Galin asked, confused.

“Of course,” Tasi laughed. “Pixyl’s been absolutely smitten with her all term.”

“Really?” Thorn asked, the same confused look on his face that Galin wore. “I didn’t even realize either of them was ren.”

Shaking her head, Tasi scoffed. “You males really are thick, sometimes.”

“Just make sure they understand that training needs to come first,” Xera pointed out, gesturing to the Major.. “Also, watch out for any potential hazing because they’re renadit. It’s not like we’re in the west. Here, most people won’t care, but the Dwarves in particular, and even some of the ‘Kin or Goblins might say something hateful.”

“I already had that talk with them about training. We’ll see how they do this next week. When I talk to Pixyl, I’m going to ask her to take some time to explain to Callie how rens are seen and treated.”

“Good,” Xera said, refocusing to Vanis. “Speaking of Callie, I’d like to hear your thoughts regarding her, particularly during the fight.”

Vanis was actually getting a little confused by the entire line of questioning. This was proving not to be a simple mission report, almost as if the officers were looking for some much-deeper insights into specific people. He was sure there was a legitimate reason, but it still felt a little awkward, given who was in the room.

“You’ll forgive me,” Vanis finally said, realizing he’d been quiet for a long moment, “I’m not sure where to begin. She’s obviously a competent Ranger and an excellent archer, with an amazing perk in that layering capability. She’s very good at quickly coming up with creative solutions to problems, which we witnessed several times yesterday, starting with the mission planning. I’m not quite sure what you may be looking for insight on, however.”

“Where would you see her placed on the battlefield?” Legate Galin asked.

An even stranger question. “In the short term, on the Ranger lines and perhaps eventually leading one of them. In time, with some maturity and experience, eventually as part of the strategic planning command, like many other Gnomes.”

“Would you ever see her able to be part of, or even leading, a small, independent group?” Xera asked.

Vanis frowned at the odd question. “I’m not quite sure. Forgive me again, but would you be willing to share some context for these questions? It feels as if you’re looking for specific information, and I’d like to be helpful.”

The officers looked at each other, and after a pause, Xera nodded towards Galin.

“Over the past few months,” the Legate began, “we have received reports of our former recruits at the front teaming up into role-balanced teams of two or three, or in one case, four. We’ve always spread the graduates from the camp out across the lines to provide maximum coverage, but they’ve been joining together on their own. These small groups of advanced classes have been incredibly effective when operating independently; far, far more successful than the graduates working alone would be. Their activities have been limited only by their need to be near an Aura-trained officer every few days due to their Curse. A request has come down to consider assembling teams while still in training.”

“The extended session?” Vanis asked, cocking his head.

“In part,” Thorn said, “but, essentially, yes. Our thinking was that having Rangers or Druids leading, or at least being part of them, would be useful to these teams due to their wilderness perks.”

Scratching his head in thought, Vanis tried to take in what he’d been told. “She could do it, I’m sure,” he finally said, “but it’s ultimately not the best use of her talents. She needs a larger group. Only two or even three others would honestly be a waste. Perhaps initially it would be fine, but once she has some experience …” Vanis let the words trail off as he realized something. “You’re considering her for command? Despite the incident with the unicorn blood?”

“Maybe,” Xera said, tossing her head to show it was still up in the air. “I’m honestly unconcerned about the blood incident. She needed a dose of humility to get her facing forward, and I think the lesson was learned, so there’s no more need to dwell on it. Honestly, in the end it’s probably a good thing it happened, given the value we retained in Rowani and Maugra. But, there’s a lot of other factors, too, not the least of which is her origin and what would happen if, and more-likely when, her secret was to get out. She’s also a Gnome. Some soldiers won’t be very keen to follow a Gnome field commander, especially one so young, despite the fact that she’s shown great skill at both planning and leading people.”

“That she has,” Vanis said. “It was honestly pure chance that I turned command over to her yesterday, but she was absolutely brilliant in her response. I believe the Major would concur.”

Celeste nodded in agreement. “Absolutely.”

Vanis hesitated, his face making a considering look. “Still, I feel a three or four person team would ultimately be wasted on her,” Vanis reiterated. “She’s able to strategize quite well, so the more people and options she has to put a plan together, the more-effective she will be.”

Thorn nodded, adding, “Valuable insight. Thank you.”

“How is Callie doing?” Tasi asked quietly. “As a person, not as a recruit. She’s been here a month, and I’m sure she’s endured a lot, mentally. Is she actually … enduring?”

“She doesn’t break down very often anymore,” Vanis said, a bit of a sad look on his face. “She doesn't talk about her home much any more either, except in relation to music she practices and bunkerball. Apparently there was a similar game in her world she knew quite well, which likely explains how she’s been so effective as the team's Field Marshal and the oddities of her team’s playstyle. She even talks about a future in this world as a worm hunter when out from the Curse.”

“Good option for a Ranger,” Thorn said, raising his eyebrows in an approving gesture.

“It would be,” Vanis agreed. “She tends to take things as they come, though, so anything might happen in terms of her post-Curse plans.” He shrugged, not sure what else to say, but then quietly added, “She misses her mother a great deal, though, and she often gets quite sad about that for brief periods. I also believe she’s becoming resigned to the fact that she may be stuck in this world. Depending how things with Pixyl proceed, that resignation may become permanent.”

The room was quiet for a long several seconds, each person having their own private thoughts about the enormity of Callie’s situation, and how she was dealing.

Xera was the first to shake themself out of their introspection. “Thank you, Corporal Vanis,” they said as a dismissal, reintroducing rank into the conversation. “We greatly appreciate your thoughts.”

“Oh … of course,” Vanis replied, jolted by the sudden end of the discussion.

Galin stood, putting out a hand. “Thank you.”

Vanis did the same, clasping wrists with the Legate. “Happy to be of assistance,” he said with a nod.

Xera likewise stood, adding, “You are dismissed. In the meantime, we may reach out from time to time for additional observations. A reminder that this discussion is confidential and must not be shared with the other recruits.”

“Absolutely,” Vanis confirmed. Turning he started to walk from the room.

Then he stopped, turning back to the five officers.

“Master Trainer, how many of these teams were you thinking of training in the extended session?”

Thorn shrugged. “We haven’t fully decided. Originally our thinking was about fifteen recruits staying on, and my first instinct was assembling four teams of three, with a few others getting individual attention, like the Beastmaster.”

Vanis furrowed his brow as he rolled his idea through his head again. “With regards to Callie, what about building a larger team for her?”