Chapter 18: The Broken Mechanic
Treia groans at the dining table. “Geeeezzz. I hate that guy so much. He's so pathetic.”
A few of the other women at the table with her nod in agreement.
“I mean, how can a guy be so pathetic? He's worse than a little boy.” She puts her cheek on her fist, grumbling as she toys with her food. “It'd have been easier if he didn't come back.”
“Indeed. How did he even make it back? Especially with no magic.”
One of the medics is sitting nearby, and she murmured, “I was surprised the potion didn't actually work. Talk about a waste. Can't believe I agree with him on something.”
Treia grumbles, “What's worse, he doesn't even contribute anything anymore. We're supposed to just have a scummy freeloader just floating around doing whatever he wants?”
“Right. Why does the Commander keep him around?”
Gwenesphia finally tries to speak up, “Because…”
Treia cuts her off with a scowl, “BECAUSE, she was obviously hoping he was lying about having no magic. He's supposed to be a divine summon, supposedly, but he's the most useless person in the world!” The others nod in agreement. But, Gwen tries to refute, “That's not…”
Treia snaps at her, “He's a spineless coward! He doesn't deserve to even be alive. Why do you defend him? Would you trust him to fight alongside us? Would you trust him to sleep next to you in a tent? He's a bad person, Lieutenant. I don't care how polite he seems. I HATE that I had to see him.”
One of the women murmurs as she cuts her food, “It'd be a shame if something happened to him. He's weaker than before. He might get hurt falling.”
Bellstram adds, “He goes in and out of the smithy every night. Lot of sharp objects in there.”
Gwenesphia gasps, glancing at the others. “Y-You can't talk like that! You can't threaten…”
Treia stands up, saying coldly, “Who's threatening? He doesn't care about his own life. Why should any of us?”
Gwen is silent for a moment, but only because she’s shocked and doesn’t know what to say.
Treia says quietly, “I’m off to bed. Good day, Ladies.” She makes her way out. She reaches her room and closes her door. She sinks to a seated position against her door, clutching her head in her hands. She feels sick. She agreed with those points wholeheartedly at one point, but to really hear herself, now that she has to intentionally do it…
Why couldn’t you just defend yourself? Why put up with it? Leave! Go anywhere but here! Lash out! Anything!
She lies down on the floor in front of her door, feeling pretty scummy herself. The hopeful part of her heart is desperate to believe the Commander is just playing cold and heartless. She’s always been a brave and intelligent sort. She’s not usually an overly friendly person, but to think she might actually want Daniel disposed of without saying it explicitly…
No! That can’t be. She’s the one who pointed out what Daniel had done for the fortress. She made a point of shoving it into my face. She’s definitely trying to lure out anyone truly hostile.
I… hope…
She kicks her foot, feeling her leather training helmet tumble across the floor. It wouldn’t really matter normally, but she hears it hit a stand, and her gaze snaps up. She watches helplessly as a precious personal treasure falls from the stand; a small magic device that depicts her and her siblings, with a voice recording of her little brothers and younger sister singing their favorite lullaby to her.
It hits the floor, flickering briefly, before the glowing magic image dissolves. Treia stares in horror. She scrambles across the floor, fidgeting with the device. However, it refuses to turn back on. “No! No! Not this! Anything but this…!”
She straightens instantly, “Daniel!” She winces.
The obvious aside, there’s no way she can approach him and not lose her image of hostility towards him. That would almost be worse than the look of disgust she’d get from him for even pondering asking.
But, there’s no one on base that can repair this device, save for maybe one. Her mind races as she tries to find possible angles.
Maybe he’ll do it if I leave it with a letter… But then, he’ll know it’s someone who treats him badly any other time. Could I ask Gwen to do it? No… She seemed pretty disgusted by my behavior, too.
As she considers possibilities, her eyes water. It’s a simple little magical device, but it’s the most valuable thing Treia owns, especially since it’s the only way to hear her youngest brother’s voice now.
She stands up, wiping the tears from her eyes. She hides the device in a shoulder bag and leaves her room. She knows exactly who will be able to help her.
*************
Commander Leiwelles makes a copy of her weekly status report to be sent to the forward operating base that’s the main base from which Fort Peony is technically staged. It’s not an easy route in or out of the valley, so traffic is minimal, but she does make regular reports to ensure they’re up to date on any non-urgent happenings. Her favorite part about her station is that it’s quiet, for the most part. She’s heard that the far southern base near the ocean is almost continuously hammered with attacks, keeping that fortress at an uneasy state of tension. They lose few troops, but it will undoubtedly turn into a real battle at any time, and has on several occasions.
The demons leave her little corner of the world alone. For that, she is thankful to the gods.
A knock comes at the door. She keeps her sigh internal. Her office has been unusually busy the last few weeks. “Enter.”
Treia enters, saluting politely. “Commander; Sergeant Treia.”
“What is it now? Giving up already?”
“Commander… I need help.”
Leiwelles cocks her head. “Help? With what?”
Treia presents the small magical device, saying, “I… I need Daniel’s help. But,... there’s no way he’ll help me. Not after what I’ve said. And… if I am to… keep doing it…”
The Commander massages her chin briefly. “I see… You believe Daniel can repair this device?”
Treia looks down. “I know no one else here can. And, I also know we’re not likely to see an artisan or artificer all the way out here otherwise. Please… Can you please have him repair this for me? I dropped it, and it stopped working. I’ll pay. I’ll apologize. I’ll even… continue what I’ve been doing…”
Leiwelles knows what the device is. She doesn’t necessarily know what Treia’s is loaded with, but they’re a common miniature magic device popular with noble families for preserving a small moment in time. It’s something to lift one’s spirit without fail.
“I see. Quite the predicament.”
“I beg of you, Commander. Please do this for me. It’s precious to me.”
“Yes, yes. I understand. Hate truly is the ugliest gown, is it not?”
“Commander?”
“No one who wears hate wants anyone else’s hate to outshine their own. And, no one who wears hate actually wants to see anyone else’s in the first place, even if they agree on what they hate. People wear it because it’s ‘in style’, and yet, no one can bear to look at it for too long. So very fascinating…” The Commander trails off as she stares off into the distance, making a poetic and slightly dramatic point.
However, it’s not lost on Treia. She frowns softly. Leiwelles is saying that it serves no actual purpose, and no one actually sympathizes. They only use it as an excuse to flaunt their own.
The Commander waves her hand at her desk, “Set it on my desk. I’ll see to it Daniel takes a look in a little bit, after you’ve disappeared.”
“Thank you so much Commander! I don’t know how to thank you properly!”
“Oh, don’t worry. That time will come. Now, carry on. I have to finish writing my weekly report.”
Treia nods and bows, trotting out of the room.
Leiwelles finishes her report, and she rolls and seals them with her magic stamp, handing them to her secretary to be sent. “Reports for Command. Send them tomorrow.”
“Yes, Commander.”
She returns to her office for a moment, retrieving the precious device and the bag to obscure it. She carries it under her arm, heading for the barracks. It’s still early in the morning, so Daniel should still be sleeping. First bell will ring in around a half an hour.
She approaches the barracks front desk, and the deck sergeant perks up. “C-Commander!” She salutes, adding, “Good morning, Commander.”
“Good morning. I’m looking for Daniel’s room.”
The sergeant flinches a little. “His… room? Commander?”
“Yes. The room he should be in right now, yes?”
The sergeant turns pale, and the Commander’s eyes narrow. “He has been given a barracks room, has he not? I have not received any reports of reaching capacity.”
“I… We’re not at capacity, Commander.”
“Oh? Then… Where is Daniel’s room located?”
“He… never asked for one, Commander.”
She stares at the pale and trembling sergeant. She sighs. “I suppose I should be proud, shouldn’t I?”
The sergeant cocks her head in confusion, but Leiwelles turns and walks out. She heads to the infirmary, since he might still be recovering.
However, she’s met with a similar absence. “Commander?”
“Lieutenant. Have you seen your patient?”
“Which patient, Commander?”
She narrows her eyes. “The one who’s a waste of your services.”
“Oh! Don’t know, Commander. He snuck out and refuses to follow instructions.”
“I see. I’ll take my leave, then.” She makes her way out again, looking around. She doesn’t see anyone out of place at the moment. The Quartermaster notices her, and she asks, “Commander? Looking for someone?”
“I am. Have you seen Daniel?”
“Not yet, Commander. Have you checked behind the dining hall?”
“I have not. Why would I check behind the dining hall?”
“I think he sleeps back there.”
Leiwelles cocks her head. She’s baffled. She understands the stance many of her soldiers have taken. It’s deeply rooted and wide-spread, apparently. But, she underestimated the almost cruel level of neglect and malicious apathy.
She walks around behind the dining hall, and to her surprise -though, she shouldn’t be, apparently-, she finds two watchstanders sitting on the ground next to each other, bored, as a third person is sitting against the wall of the dining hall.
The guards spot her first, and they both scramble to their feet. “C-Commander!” They salute her.
The commotion causes Daniel to look up, and he looks at Leiwelles with weary eyes. He climbs to his feet as she walks to within a few steps of the three. Daniel mimics the salute, saying quietly, “Commander… Pardon my…”
“Silence, Daniel.”
He halts and nods obediently. She looks at him, and the other two briefly. She tells Daniel, “I’m surprised you’ve lasted this long, Daniel. Seems this location wasn’t secluded enough.”
The two guards look at her in confusion, realizing that she’s insinuating something. However, Daniel says nothing.
She dismisses the two watchstanders with a motion of her head and the order, “You two, leave us.”
“Commander?”
“Think he’s capable of killing me?”
They hesitate, and she scowls at them. They quickly bow, “We’ll take our leave, Commander! B-Be careful.”
She watches as they walk away for a moment. Once they’re out of earshot, she murmurs, “Daniel. Join me in my office.”
“As you wish, Commander.” She leads him the opposite way, heading to her office. There, she orders her secretary to retrieve breakfast for herself.
Once the secretary is gone, she closes the door and walks back to her desk chair, taking a seat with a sigh.
“Daniel… I don’t know what to say.”
“Understood, Commander.”
“I doubt it.” She sets the treasured crystal projection device on her desk, and she sighs. “Why am I only now learning of all of this?”
“All of what, Commander?”
“Don’t play dumb. You’re terrible at it.” She glares at him, and he doesn’t flinch. He has a glassy expression, but he’s making eye contact with her. It’s not the first time he’s been reprimanded by a superior. The level of discipline he has maintained at her fortress has put most of her seasoned soldiers to shame.
She clarifies, “Have you been sleeping outside all of this time?”
“Anywhere that’s out of the way, Commander.”
“You KNOW that isn’t what I meant. And, what about your blanket?”
“I misplaced it.”
She clenches her fist. “Any reason you’re not using your barracks room?”
“I don’t have a barracks room.”
“You should. What did the barracks officers tell you?”
“I-...”
“Tell me the truth, Daniel. I already know.”
He looks down. “They told me that they don’t have any spare rooms for men.”
The Commander sighs in disgust. “We’ll deal with that later. Take a look at this.” She slides Treia’s device across the desk, and Daniel steps forward. He asks, “May I?”
“Please do.”
He picks it up, turning it over in his hands. She explains, “It’s a sort of personal treasure that holds a moment in time. It projects an image, and uses the sonic crystal with a recorded voice to project the recording.”
Daniel asks, “Was it dropped?”
“It was. Can it be repaired?”
Daniel seems to be inspecting every surface of it, and every piece. It looks like a small crystal peeking up from a small jewelry box, and he opens the lid, leaving no portion of the device unexplored.
“The sonic crystal is cracked. I can restore the image projection crystal with some certainty, but I don’t know if I can restore the voice. These appear to be standard magic crystals, but smaller, which means they’re made of salt, so… I can try something, but I don’t know if it’ll work.”
“What happens to the voice recording?”
“I don’t know. It looks like this other part is a source of some kind, so I’m hoping it’s the ‘memory’, since it’s the only other thing that ties to both projection crystals, by the looks of it. As long as the memory is intact, the crystal should just be what turns that into sound.”
“Have you repaired this kind of device before?”
“No. But, Earth has similar devices. What I described is essentially how we did it. Just, instead of crystals, it was a diaphragm.” He sets the device down.
“How would you repair the sonic crystal, if you think you can?”
“The crack is a complete fracture, it’s just being held together by the device’s frame, by the looks of it. It still seems to have a glow, indicating the magic is still stored, but it can’t conduct properly. I’d… be willing to try to melt additional salt on the surface, since the surface is the most important part. I don’t know what the consequences of this will be, though.”
“I see… Salt can be melted?”
Daniel confirms with a nod. “It’s a high temperature, though. If I remember right, it’s comparable to silver or gold. Maybe a little higher.”
“So, you’d need to use the smithy, yes?”
“Definitely. And, in fact, I’d prefer to avoid melting the whole crystal, since I don’t know what it’ll do. If I can adhere the surfaces of the crack with a little bit of thickness into the crystal, it should hold well enough. To do that, I’ll need extra salt and tools to precisely melt just where I want the melting to occur.”
“You think this will work?”
“If not, I’d be willing to attempt melting the crystal entirely, though I worry about what will happen to the stored energy.”
“I see… Would you be willing to try?” asks the Commander. “This is a priceless personal effect for a soldier this far away from home.”
Daniel nods in understanding. “I’ll do everything in my power, but I can’t promise it’ll work. That said, I have to remove the crystal, so it should be able to be repaired by a proper artificer if I fail without losing the memory.”
She agrees warmly. “Very well. You may work here and the smithy at your leisure. I’ll send you with a note to the smithy and the dining hall. Use what you need.”
“Thank you, Commander. I’ll begin, then.” He carries the device to the low tea table nearby, and he sits on the floor. Leiwelles continues her work, but she glances at his progress from time to time.
To her surprise, he does get the projected image to appear, depicting three gatonine children; two boys and a girl. Daniel nods with satisfaction that the image projection is working once more.
Leiwelles can’t help but smirk, though she ensures he doesn’t see it. He carefully checks the components, and with a delicate hand, he pulls two uneven halves of a crystal from the inside of the box. The crystal indeed seems to have broken in half from the fall, and he ensures to collect any small chunks that fell off. He keeps the crystal together.
It’s been a little over an hour, and he stands up and approaches the desk. “I’m prepared to work on the crystal, Commander.”
She nods and hands him the note she promised. “Show this to the appropriate supervisors. If they give you any trouble or resistance, return to me immediately. I want to see this device repaired.”
“Will do. I’ll try not to cause trouble, Commander. If the furnace is in use?”
“Use your best judgment. I’m trusting you on this.”
“I understand the stakes, Commander. I shall return as soon as I can.” He bows and begins to excuse himself.
“Do you intend to ask, Daniel?”
“About what, Commander?”
“About that device’s contents. I am clearly not a gatonine.”
“Your husband could be. You could have adopted. You could be asking on behalf of someone. I assume that if it was relevant to my work, you would have told me. But, it’s personal, and clearly not my business. Commander.”
She smirks. “Very well. Good luck, Daniel.”
He excuses himself, leaving the room.
Leiwelles focuses on her own work, reading reports that have been delivered and penning responses for different changes of personnel. Soldiers come and go from a military base. Some are approved by her before hand, others show up in issues of communication, like Daniel, due to a kingdom falling into chaos. And, Bromlund is falling fast and hard. The Stalvaltan Guard seems to be dominating the southern third of the kingdom singlehandedly, which is no surprise. The Stalvaltan Guard is considered one of the top military forces in the world, specializing in both offensive magic and armed combat. They don’t even have a mounted cavalry, as a small squad of soldiers can disrupt a cavalry charge alone, and their standard infantry have never been defeated. True, they’ve never battled at a ludicrous disadvantage, but they’ve demonstrated why they shouldn’t be underestimated. If their numbers were greater, the war with the demons would be an afterthought in the pages of history.
Wait… Who was it that Daniel said he served? A ‘Wenlianna’?
Leiwelles looks at the report more closely. A magic artisan of the Royal Court was supposedly chosen from one of the children of the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy, but it couldn’t be the same, could it?
How did Daniel end up all the way out here with allies like that?
After a few hours pass, a knock comes at the door. The Commander states in her usual tone, “Enter.”
The door opens, allowing Daniel to enter. His face is covered in soot and sweat, and he has several burns on the exposed skin of his arms and face. She cocks her head, but he simply states, “Commander, I believe I was successful. I’ll reassemble the device now.”
He takes a seat on the floor where he was, and she stares at him for a moment. She asks, “Are you alright, Daniel? Do you need medical attention?”
“I’m alright, Commander. I was careless.”
She scowls at him, and he says in his most diplomatic way possible, “No one did this to me. I couldn’t find gloves or a shield to fit me, so I went without. I’ll survive, though.” He begins fidgeting with the device, and the bell outside begins to ring. It’s the last bell of the day, indicating the end of the work day. She looks at the window, where the sun is setting, causing a beautiful glow on the horizon. She then looks at Daniel once more. She sighs, “Take a break, Daniel. You can finish tomorrow.”
“If it’s alright, Commander, I’d prefer to keep working. I’ll move out into the hallway if you’re going to close up your office for the night.”
“And leave you to pick the lock?”
“Pardon, Commander, but… could I not have any other night?”
She scowls at him for a moment. He’s not wrong.
“Fine. I’ll let you stay in the waiting area outside. But, once I’m done with my bath, we’re headed to the barracks to clear up the misunderstanding. You have until then to get to a stopping point.”
Daniel moves his work pieces out into the waiting area of her office building, and he takes a seat on the floor at the coffee table once more. She sighs, locking her office door. She and her secretary make their way out of the building for the time being.
******************
Daniel turns the sonic crystal over in his fingers. It’s much smaller than a typical magic crystal, but he imagines that only really affects its longevity of service. He couldn’t recharge it, but even melting the crystal down doesn’t seem to have discharged its stored charge. Or, if it has, it only lessened it some, since the salt molecules were still in contact with each other the entire time.
He still has a lot to learn about the magic of this world if this is to be his profession, though he suspects he’ll be lucky for that to be the case. Wenlianna and her family must be rather angry with him, since he left without saying anything and ultimately agreed with Rikuto’s plan to do so. He was a useful asset, but not much else. Wenlianna made it clear exactly what their relationship was from the very moment they met until the last time he spoke to her. He doesn’t mind, but he also can’t forget it.
He plugs the crystal back into place, but he wonders how it got broken in the first place. If the box was dropped, there doesn’t seem to be enough to cause that kind of force directly on the crystal, thanks to the small cradle it sits in. That said, never let it be said that Daniel is completely brainless. He coils a simple spring out of leftover wire he had from the smithy, and he uses it with a small piece of fabric to ensure a snug, but shock-absorbing seating. He also does the same for the other crystals, ensuring they don’t lose conductivity with the mana delivery components.
He also makes sure all of the other fittings are put back together and closes the box, activating the device. The image comes up; the three young gatonine children with big happy, adoring grins. He smiles, and he activates the sound. However, nothing happens.
But, he doesn’t give up. He never actually removed the cover from the memory components, and the image was working, so he didn’t want to chance it. But, now he has to check. He opens the box back up and inspects the inside.
Sure enough, the mana delivery tubing is slightly ajar on the memory unit feeding the sonic crystal, so he restores everything the way it’s supposed to be. The unit itself reminds Daniel of a polished river stone, but with magic runes on it. What material it is remains a mystery, as the stone has an unnatural silvery blue tone that looks almost transparent, but also like it’s glowing.
Once he pieces it back together, the Earthling mechanic activates the sound again.
Three voices suddenly cheer, which startles him. It’s about the same volume three excited children would be, which startled him mainly because it was so quiet until just now.
All three exclaim, “Big sister! Big sister! We love you! We love you lots and lots, so come home quickly! Okay!? Ngeeeeee!”
Daniel can tell they’re orating a hug on the crystal.
Then, what sounds to be a girl’s voice speaks next. “Big Sister Treia, I’ve always looked up to you, so I hope you’ll accept this little gift and remember us. Because we’ll always be praying for you to return safe and sound and with lots of stories! A-And, I’m learning to cook your favorite meals, just for you! So hurry back!”
Next, a young boy speaks. “Big sis! Big sis! Today, Hestori, Barlen and me all went to the river today ALL by ourselves! We caught lots and lots of swimdarts and splaships! Just like you showed us! I love you more than these two do, so…” Two other voices shriek, “HEY!”
A different young boy speaks with a much softer voice and a slight weariness. “Hey big sis Treia… I miss you. I want to be big and strong when I grow up. Stronger even than you! Th-That way… I can protect you, finally. S-So, wait for me, big sis!”
The recording ends with a touching lullaby sung by all three, and Daniel smiles. He says softly, “I can say with confidence, all three of you have succeeded. Your big sister is sure to make you proud.”
He stands up and puts it in the bag that Commander Leiwelles gave it to him in, and he carries it to the bathhouse, waiting outside.
Gwenesphia, the gatonine morning guard, exits the bathhouse and notices Daniel. She approaches, saying, “Oh! Daniel? What are you doing?”
He replies, “Waiting.”
“Waiting? You mean for men’s hour? That’s still quite a ways away.”
“I don’t have anywhere else to be at the moment, so I’ll wait.”
“I see… Do you want to go sit in the break area… f-for a short while?”
Daniel smiles. “Thank you, but I shouldn’t. I got quite dirty today. I wouldn’t want to ruin the furniture.”
“That’s… Wow… You are dirty. What were you doing?”
With a chuckle, he replies, “Working in the smithy. I received a specific task from the Commander.”
“The Commander? Wh-... What was it? It wasn’t anything weird, was it?”
“It was weird for it to be asked of me. But, I was just reforging something for her. It was nothing.”
“I see…” She sighs. “Listen… I just… I want you to know…”
“Do you need something from our esteemed outcast, Lieutenant?” The voice that asks is cool and stern; none other than the Commander.
She flinches, whirling to face the imposing woman. “C-Commander! I… I was just talking to him.”
She replies with a cold scowl, “Oh really? Are you two friends now? Is that why I found out today about all of the other things that you ladies have done on my behalf?”
“C-Commander?”
Leiwelles ignores her. “Come, Daniel. We’re getting you a barracks room. It’s a shame it took this long.”
Gwenesphia flinches a little. Daniel bows at her nonetheless, saying politely, “Please excuse me, Lieutenant.”
She watches them walk towards the barracks.
As they walk, Leiwelles remarks, “I didn’t expect you to give up and wait for me outside the bathhouse.”
“I finished early, Commander.”
“Finished?”
He nods to confirm. He begins pulling the device out, but she interrupts him. “Wait. Not out here.” He eases the device back into the bottom of the bag, continuing to carry it secluded.
“Daniel, I have a question. Would you like to be my cabin boy for the time being?”
“Cabin Boy, Commander?”
“That’s right. Run errands on my behalf around the base, clean my office, and do… personal requests.” She glances at the device.
“I’d be honored, Commander, so long as it won’t cause trouble.”
She scoffs. “Everything you’ve been putting up with, you deserve to cause some trouble.” With a sigh, she adds, “Starting now, you report directly to me. Understood?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Good.” She slows a little as they approach the door, and Daniel quickly steps ahead, taking hold of the door and opening it for her. She smiles and nods approvingly, walking through. Daniel follows behind, and she approaches the barracks office counter. “Commander. Good evening.”
“Good evening, Sergeant. I need the key to Sergeant Treia’s room. I’ll be performing an inspection.”
“Oh… Uh, of course, Commander.”
“Thank you.” The Sergeant looks up Treia’s room, and then retrieves the staff key, handing it to Leiwelles. She then turns, “Come, Daniel.”
“Yes, Commander.” She hands the key to him and leads the way, while the Barracks Duty Sergeant leans out over the counter in surprise.
They find Treia’s room, and Daniel unlocks and opens the door. He opens it for Leiwelles to enter, and she walks inside, with Daniel following behind. He closes the door, and she looks around. “Good. Set it down… mmm… Tea table should be obvious enough.”
Daniel walks to the tea table in the center of the room, which is wide and low to the floor. He pulls the device out of the bag, setting it on the tea table. The holographic image is always running, it seems, and so he does one final check on the voice. He starts the voice recording, and the children cheer. Then, the girl begins speaking, “Big sister Treia…”
As the children state their messages, Daniel remarks, “I hope it didn’t lose any of the message. Like magic crystals, the stones used for memory are beyond me.”
Commander Leiwelles smiles softly for once. “I assume this means you know whose device it was.”
Daniel scoffs. “The evidence is pretty strong towards one conclusion, Commander.”
“And… you still chose to repair it?”
“I don’t care what they think of me. I’ve been used all my life, this world and my own.”
“I’ve heard she has a pretty poor opinion of you, Daniel. To the point, she was disappointed that you survived your ordeals.”
Daniel sighs, listening to the children talk for a moment. “I promised someone I wouldn’t speak of giving up on life, Commander. I came back because I didn’t have the courage to stay in the water and go over the waterfall. I was afraid.” He stands up when the recording finishes, and he faces her. “I long ago accepted that I will always be an asset to the women around me. I don’t have the charisma or attractiveness to be a person in their eyes. But, if I can focus on my purpose; the things I’m good at, I don’t need validation from anyone.” He smiles at the device. “If I can accomplish something, the accomplishment is its own reward.”
He straightens his posture, revealing that he’s been slouching and she hadn’t really realized it. Leiwelles is an average-height woman in this world, and she has to look well up to make eye contact with Daniel when he’s standing at his full height. “To my knowledge, it’s fixed, Commander. Feel free to place the credit where you see fit.”
She smirks. “Are you sure? Clearly, I have a secret asset.”
He chuckles. “Nothing new, here, Commander.”
She laughs a little. “I don’t understand you, Daniel. But, I appreciate what you did.”
They leave Treia’s room, and Daniel ensures the room is locked. They return the key, and the Commander then gets a room assigned to Daniel. He’s provided a blanket and pillow, as well as a key. She also tells the Sergeant to put a note on his room that she is to be present for every inspection of Daniel’s room.
And from there, Daniel officially has a place to sleep after coming to the base.
Of course, it’s still early for him, so he makes his way back out to the smithy to continue making his defense equipment. Not only that, he can move them to his barracks room.
If he can continue to lay low, then he’ll be able to manage. One day at a time.
**************