★ General Howard ★

  The Chief Commander charged through the ballroom, scanning the party’s attendees until he found who he was looking for.

  “Howard!” he shouted. A few heads turned in his direction as he made his way to the far corner, with Victor following close behind.

  When they were a few feet from the bar, General Howard finally pried his attention away from the officer next to him and acknowledged their presence.

  “Oh, hello, Sir,” he said with a curt glance, then turned his attention back to Captain Schaeffer. He looked as if he was about to continue his conversation, but Harlow cut him off.

  “General Howard, I just left a meeting with a cadet who alleges that abuse and discrimination are taking place in your classroom. Care to explain?”

  “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about,” Howard replied as he sipped his drink.

  “There were over twenty witnesses. Don’t even try to deny it.”

  Howard set the drink down and took a deep breath, but his expression remained wholly unconcerned. “Would you like to have this discussion in private, Sir?”

  “No, we’re doing this right here.”

  Howard shrugged. “I don’t know, then.”

  “Listen to me, and listen well. These are serious allegations, and—”

  “You!” Howard interrupted, snapping his fingers at the bartender. “One more for the young man, please,” he said with a nod at Captain Schaeffer.

  “Howard...” the Chief Commander’s voice contained a warning tone. “Captain Schaeffer, you can go.”

  “Thank you, Sir,” Captain Schaeffer said with a deep sigh of relief as he turned and hurried away. General Howard watched him leave with a disappointed frown, and Harlow regarded him with a dark stare.

  “I see you’re perfectly comfortable drinking and socializing, while I clean up the trail of destruction you always seem to leave behind.”

  Howard shrugged and drained the last of his drink, then glanced over at General Moore and Evelyn, who were staring from their seats at the bar a few feet away.

  “What are you two looking at?” he snapped.

  “The evening’s entertainment,” General Moore replied.

  “Take a walk, Moore,” Harlow said. “It’s high time you left the bar. The last thing I feel like doing tonight is calling a medical crew up here because you can’t leave on your own.”

  General Moore stood up wordlessly and left with a smirk, taking his drink with him. Evelyn hesitated on the barstool for a second, then rolled her eyes and followed.

  “I’m amazed he can still walk, given how much he’s had,” Howard said. “And honestly, Sir, if you’re going to discuss this matter in public, you should expect an audience.”

  “Oh, I fully expect as much, because we’re not done. This ends tonight, Howard. I’ve had enough of your denials, and justifications, so don’t you dare stand there and feign ignorance. I want to hear confirmation from you, right now, that this will never happen again. Look me in the eye and say it.”

  Their eyes met, but Howard said nothing. Five, then ten, then fifteen seconds passed.

  “I’m waiting,” the Chief Commander said.

  Howard still said nothing.

  “These are our most promising cadets, Howard. You’re supposed to be training them, and instead you’re subjecting them to some of the most egregious disrespect and mistreatment I’ve ever seen from an educator in all my life. You’re disrespecting them, and you’re disrespecting me. Imagine having the career you’ve had and getting to the rank you’re at, only to turn around and engage in this level of pettiness and bullying. You seem to think your rank gives you the authority to behave however you want, but you couldn’t be more wrong.” He took a deep breath, and his voice softened. ”I don't know what happened to you, because this isn't the same General Howard I knew as a cadet, but whatever it is, it can't continue. You were there for me when nobody else was, but now I might be the one that has to initiate disciplinary action for gross misconduct. It pains me to say this, but if this behavior continues, your days at the Academy are numbered. I promise you that.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Are you threatening my career?” Howard asked, regarding him with a sharp stare.

  “Interpret it however you will.”

  “Is this how you care to go about investigating unsubstantiated rumors, Sir?”

  Harlow shrugged. “Do you want me to open an investigation? A real one? Because I can—in fact, I probably should’ve long ago. Do you know what the result would be? It would show that it’s not just one or two cadets making these claims. There have been dozens, all telling the same story. I’ve even heard some of them firsthand when they came to my office to file a complaint against you. My office, Howard. They’re escalating to the top of our chain of command because that’s the only place they feel safe reporting it. What the hell kind of environment have you fostered, that it’s come to this?”

  Once again, there was no reply.

  “I’m not just disappointed, I’m angry,” he continued. “This is not what should be interrupting my evening, and less than a week into the school year, at that. You’ve known these cadets for a matter of days, and this is what they get to see? Your disgusting, disrespectful behavior toward them?” He let out a sharp sigh. “I’m cutting myself off now, because if I don’t, I’ll be here ranting at you all night. The point I’m making is that I’ve shown far too much leniency based on our personal history and the respect I have for you, but you’ve abused my kindness just like you’re abusing those cadets. There will be no more chances. I’ve had enough, and I won’t protect you from the consequences of your actions anymore. You’d better clean up this mess, or someone else will do it for you, and you’d better pray that ‘someone’ is me. I’ll stay within the bounds of the law, but others might not, and you’ve made quite a few enemies here. If you don’t stop, then one way or another, you’ll be leaving this place. Do you understand?”

  At these words, Howard’s expression darkened. He rose from his seat, drew uncomfortably close to his commanding officer, and stood there for several long, ponderous seconds with fury in his eyes, but all that met him in return was a stone-faced, unblinking stare. He looked as if he might say something in reply, but then his eyes darted over to Victor, who stood next to them with his hand resting atop the pistol he wore on his belt, which had previously been concealed by his jacket.

  “Don’t do anything stupid, Howard,” the Chief Commander said.

  General Howard was silent for a moment as his gaze passed from one to the other, but finally he took a step back, looked away, and nodded.

  “Understood. There will be no further trouble.”

  “You’re damn right there won’t be. And to ensure that, Victor will be attending your class for the remainder of the academic year.”

  Howard inhaled sharply, and so did Victor. “You can’t order me to do that,” Victor hissed under his breath.

  “Yes I can, and I’m going to. Howard, this is your last chance. Victor will be reporting back to me regarding your conduct in the classroom.”

  Victor scowled. “I sat through a year of hell in that class twenty years ago, and it was bad enough then. I won’t do it again.”

  “Consider this to be your chance for retribution.”

  Howard stared at Victor, then turned back to Harlow. “I refuse to tolerate his presence—”

  “Then submit your resignation.”

  They all stood silently for a few moments.

  “I mean it, Howard. I’ve had enough. We can discuss this privately if you’d like, but that’ll go much worse for you than it did here. Do you still want to take this upstairs?”

  Howard shook his head.

  “I’m glad we seem to have come to an understanding, then. Should I consider this matter resolved?”

  Howard nodded again, and Harlow sighed and looked away.

  “I swear, the only one of our generals who hasn’t caused me trouble this week is the one we just promoted. Speaking of…” He leaned toward a young woman who stood nearby and gently tapped her on the shoulder. “Congratulations, General Gray.”

  Minerva turned around, and she had the look of one who’d been eavesdropping, but was trying to pretend they weren’t. “Thank you, Sir,“ she said in a tone of feigned surprise. “I didn’t realize you’d be here tonight.”

  “Neither did I.” He sighed. “And I’m sorry for this exchange over here. That must’ve been particularly unpleasant to witness, and at your own party, no less.” He glanced at General Howard, who scowled as he returned to his seat at the bar.

  “It’s no trouble at all, Sir,” Minerva said.

  “Oh, it is, but none of that is your fault. Now, with that out of the way, I’m glad I had a chance to catch you this evening. Since I’m here, do you mind if we speak briefly in private?”

  “Not at all,” Minerva replied. She was still smiling, but her posture stiffened. “I can spare a moment, and we can go somewhere else.” She nodded toward the corner.

  “More private than that. Let’s step out for a second. I want to ask you something, and I don’t want to run the risk of being overheard.” Harlow glanced around them.

  “She gets the benefit of privacy, but I don’t?” General Howard asked.

  “Yes. As a matter of fact, while we’re talking outside, Victor will be joining you.” He nodded toward one of the empty barstools, and Victor reluctantly sat down as the two exchanged scowls.

  Harlow shot one last warning look in General Howard’s direction, then stepped aside and motioned for Minerva to follow. He walked around the bar and exited through an adjacent staff door, and she was close behind as they entered a small prep kitchen with tiled walls, bright lights, and stainless steel countertops.

  The door swung closed behind them, muffling the sound from outside, and Harlow took a few paces forward, stopped in the middle of the room, and paused before turning around.