7th Division Headquarters
The tension in the meeting hall was palpable. Dozens of men sat across the lusterless rectangular table, all facing a woman who looked to be in her late thirties.
Her auburn hair was packed into a ponytail. Clad in a black military uniforms that hugged her curves. A star engraved on her left shoulder pad sparkled, and the three dragon wings on her right shoulder add an air of mystery around her.
To her left, a bald, rugged man in his forties sat. His chin rested on his knuckles. Similar military uniform, but rather than a star insignia, one dragon wing was engraved on his left shoulder and another one on his right.
Several other figures were aguised in similar uniforms and insignia as the man. Although a few others had just one dragon wing on their right shoulder.
"I believe you all know why I summoned you here," Valeria, the woman with the highest rank in their midst, uttered.
No one replied. Rather, they frowned, all gazing at her with a plethora of expressions. Their silence was loud.
"Captain Zac." She turned to the bald man.
"Yes, Sky Commodore." He saluted, flipping through some papers.
"Ebonspire, one of the Sky Cities at the eastern edges fell approximately two hours thirty-six minutes." He flipped through the paper again.
"Cause, unidentified."
"Estimated survival rate, 0.009%"
"Expected mortality, fifty million civilians."
Zac let out a cold breath, knitting his forehead.
Others huffed as well. The hall broke into murmurs. No one saw this coming. The Sky Cities were humanity's greatest invention. Yet, one had fallen. And millions of lives would be lost, or perhaps — had been lost.
The 7th Division was the closest to the eastern edges and even at that it would take a while to fully mobilize its forces. And that time, they had not.
"Deploying the entire division is an overkill, we still don't know what's happening or would happen. Hence," Commodore Valeria paused, her eyes on one of the figures present in the room.
The rest followed her gaze, landing on a blindfolded youth in his early twenties. Ivory hair that cascaded down his neck. Some strands draped his forehead and the silver blindfold. On a closer look, one could see inky strands weaved within. His porcelain skin caught the eye — like a sacred sculpture void of profanity.
Azariah Noir — one of the Draconic Captains present in the hall.
He felt the shift in attention. But he said nothing. He hadn't uttered a word since the emergency meeting commenced. Those who knew not better would mistake him for a mute.
They retracted their gaze. Back to Valeria, urging her to continue.
"Even in our Division, the closest Battalion to Ebonspire is the one under Captain Azariah. So, I'm deploying him first, not to understand the situation. Instead…."
"Retrieve the Holy Fragments. Rescuing the survivors is secondary." She heaved.
"Won't we be leaving the survivors for the harrowing undead to feast upon then?" One of the captains raised concerns.
"It doesn't matter," Zac, the chief operation of the 7th Division replied.
"Retrieving the Holy Fragments is an absolute necessity. We still don't know why a Sky City would fall out of the blues, and we can't thin our force by sending too many battalions. You should know better yourself." Commodore Valeria looked in the Captain's direction. Her gaze piercing.
"Tsk, true." He swallowed.
"Still-"
"Why do I feel uncomfortable about this whole situation." Another captain voiced out.
"If it's what I think you're thinking, Commodore. Won't we be playing directly by their rules, and Azariah might be walking directly into a trap."
"That's another reason I'm deploying him specifically. "
"No… the major reason, actually." Valeria smiled. A faint, calculating one.
"Well, I still feel two Captains should take charge at least. This is the wastelands we're talking about after all. Azariah might be-"
"Are you by chance questioning my decision, Captain Reynolds?" Valeria's voice was soft, almost inaudible, but the people present felt the room drop by a few temperatures.
"Absolutely not." Captain Reynolds saluted, dropping the matter with an immediate effect.
He was only voicing his concern. Let him make no mistake of crossing this woman.
"More like it." She smiled as though nothing happened.
"So, Captain Azariah, mobilize your forces and descend to the wastelands. Remember, the Holy Fragments are our top priority, rescuing the survivors remain secondary."
Everyone watched the person in question remain motionless like a statue. And then he rose, facing the exit. No question, no explanation, just action.
His footsteps echoed in symphony, his vanishing figure reminding people of a ghost. The door opened. Two officers in grey uniforms saluted, stepping aside as he passed between them. After he left, the door closed and the two junior officers let out a relaxed breath they didn't know they had been holding.
Back in the meeting hall, the other captains and officers a rank below watched the empty door. All had mixed emotions, poker face, furrowed eyes, creased forehead.
'What does this cocky brat think he is? So what if you're the youngest Captain in history.' Reynolds grumbled. However, he was wise enough not to voice out his displeasure even though he knew some few others shared the same thought with him.
"I guess the meeting is over, Draconic Captains head back to your base, prepare for urgent deployment, Wing Commanders, work with your Captains in case there's a need for reinforcements or an unforeseen event. Also, maintain order and curb chaos," Valeria let out multiple commands in one breath, watching the officers salute before rising to their feet.
A few minutes passed. The meeting hall finally emptied leaving the Sky Commodore and her chief operation, Zac.
"Reynolds' suggestion wasn't that bad though," he said.
"Drop the honorifics, it's just the two of us." Valeria rolled her eyes.
"To be frank, he's right. I would've sent three Captains if we didn't have someone like Azariah. Remember, it's not just the boy's strength that's peculiar in this situation."
Zac nodded, sighing.
"Ebonspire — is this the last straw of the peaceful era?" Valeria massaged her temple, her mind heavy.