The final outpost was very similar to Emory's home outpost except the light of the star was much brighter here, almost like days on Mars when they wouldn't project an artificial background on the dome. The wreckage had been cleared, and the bodies of the fallen Mantoan no longer littered the ground just outside the outpost. In the distance, it looked as though the barracks had been completed on the outside as well, one of the perks of having a platoon land on the planet. But her keen senses picked up a couple raised voices coming from that area too. As she approached, it sounded like an argument between a young woman and an older man.
When she opened the barracks' doors, Nephenee and Lloyd were in each other's faces yelling at each other about what the troops should be doing. It caused a small snicker from Emory because Nephenee was more than a head taller than Lloyd, even if he was standing completely straight. Giant hands wrapped around the two parties and separated them while Innes grinned and shook his head from the side.
Emory boomed, "Why are you two arguing? Have you forgotten that we are at war?" Both of them turned to see a ginger girl in a magik cloak that shone like a star.
"Emory, you're back!" Nephenee exclaimed, "It's good to see you again. Just in time to clarify a few things around here."
"Lady Reiss, it's good that you have returned safely. I agree that we could use some clarity here," Lloyd bowed his head slightly. The magik hands disappeared in a burst of light as Emory crossed her arms and stared at the pair.
"I understand there will be areas of conflict with our increased headcount; however, let me make myself crystal clear," Emory fumed, "No leader under my authority will get in a screaming match with anyone outside of the command center and away from the gaze of the rest of our forces. Is that perfectly clear?"
They both hung their heads and nodded in shame, "Yes, ma'am. We apologize for our rudeness."
"Good. Now, let's continue this discussion there," Emory snapped her fingers and teleported them all to the ship's bridge, "So tell me the situation. Nephenee, you speak first."
"Well, in this particular situation, we were arguing about what to do with the excess troops now that the barracks has been completed. I told General Lloyd that his people were supposed to stay on the outpost grounds and train; he insists that we should send out scouts. Since he refused to listen to my authority, I locked up all the exploration vehicles," Nephenee rattled off while glaring at Lloyd.
Lloyd calmly retorted, "Miss Reiss, as a member of the High Collective, I have to look into the best use for our resources for the entire Collective. We are on an unexplored planet; we need to know what resources are here and available to us. The troops I brought with me are all between level four and six, easily strong enough to deal with any threat the enemy can muster." Emory tapped on the table in front of her as he talked, with the tapping becoming more intense as he went on. When he stopped, she took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.
"General Lloyd, if I wasn't clear when I landed on your ship, I apologize," Emory began methodically, "These outposts are my mission and mine alone. I don't care what rank you are; you will follow my chain of command. That means, if one of my commanders tells you you're not scouting, you will not scout. Only my people are keen on my plans, and if you won't follow their orders, I'll send you back to Earth without hesitation. Do I make myself clear?"
"The Supreme Commander will hear about this," Lloyd scoffed.
"Explain it to him in person then," Emory shrugged and snapped her fingers again, making the older man disappear in a flash of light, "I'll deal with him in a little bit. He'll cool off after I get off the RRS with Shepherd."
Innes's jaw dropped, "Did you just teleport a member of the High Collective away like a disobedient child? I know you're a member of the High Collective, but Lloyd is a senior member."
"Meh. I've grown beyond my current status in the High Collective," Emory waved her hand, "Besides, no one talks down to my friends like that. We're in charge here, not them."
"Grown beyond? Emory, you don't mean," Innes trailed off as his and Nephenee stared anxiously.
"I have been elected Supreme Witch," Emory nodded with a smile, "This is now a joint operation between the Collective and the Council of Witches. Because of that, Clan Violet's leader and one thousand members will be arriving here in the next couple days. Nephenee, you and Innes are still in command of the outpost, but everyone answers to me. And if Lloyd returns, he follows all three of our orders." Upon hearing her affirmation, Nephenee immediately kneeled and bowed her head to Emory.
Nephenee stuttered, "Lady Supreme, please forgive my earlier tone. It was not proper of me to speak like that."
"Nephenee, relax. I'm still the same girl you knew a few days ago," Emory awkwardly pulled her up, "But until we start getting the respect we deserve from all these people in charge, I will lean on my titles to get things done. Speaking of important people though, where are Athos and Bramimond?"
"They're posted on the top floor of the research center. Athos said they were transmitting all the information they put together," Innes interjected. Emory nodded and proceeded to tell them all that had happened the last couple of days, once again excluding the greater secrets of the Aurelias clan. Nephenee then described how they had built the barracks and research center quickly with the extra troops Lloyd brought but had tried pushing the boundaries of his power very quickly. It started with little things, patrol assignments and division of labor. Yet once everything was done around the site, he insisted on surveying the area. After they had been catching up for twenty minutes or so, one of the new troops stood outside the glass door and knocked. Emory opened the door with a flick of her wrist as if it was nothing.
"Let me guess. There's a call for me on the RRS," Emory snorted.
"Yes, ma'am," the soldier lowered their head, "Supreme Commander Shepherd is on the line for Miss Emory Reiss."
Emory stood up with a smirk, "Well, that didn't take long. Innes and Nephenee, would you two let our guests know that I'll be free to travel with them after I finish with this call?" They agreed as Emory strode off with the soldier towards the RRS room. Once she was inside, she hung up the call from Shepherd and closed her eyes for a moment.
"Did she just hang up on me! That girl's going to get an earful when she calls back. If she thinks she can make all these unilateral decisions without looping me in, she's in for a rude awakening," Shepherd roared as he punched the wall behind his desk.
"And what exactly would you say to me?" Emory snarked from a chair in front of his desk, "Complete control of the mission was one of the conditions you agreed to after all." Shepherd spun around with wide eyes as he stared down at the beautiful red-haired girl sitting confidently across from him.
He cleared his throat, "Emory, how did you get here so quickly?"
"The same way Lloyd did," Emory replied obnoxiously, "Shepherd, it's time we renegotiate the terms of this agreement." Shepherd raised an eyebrow as he sat in his oversized leather office chair. He set his elbows on the desk with his fingers interlocked under his chin.
"I can tell you've grown some since you left Mars, but you're still young. You should defer to your elders when they offer you advice," Shepherd growled.
"When I am looking for suggestions, I will make sure to keep that in mind. However, I wasn't looking for one from Lloyd," Emory snapped, "My mission, my rules. Nephenee and Innes are in charge of the outpost, and that's final. If anyone goes to my outpost on Temia, they will follow my orders and the orders of my people."
Shepherd gritted his teeth, "Anyone? Perhaps you are not the right person to lead this operation anymore then."
"Unfortunately for you, the mission has changed," Emory remarked as she crossed her arms, "That's why I came to talk to you in person as opposed to over the RRS."
"What's changed? We knew from the beginning that the Mantoan could attack," Shepherd glared as he leaned back in his chair.
Emory smiled proudly, "As of yesterday, I am now the Supreme Witch. Please take a moment to confer with Betty, so we can continue." Shepherd quickly tapped on his wrist a few times before a knock was heard from the door behind Emory. Betty rushed in next to Shepherd and whispered fervently in his ear while his complexion grew paler by the second. Less than a minute later, Betty sped back out of the office, and Shepherd's face contorted into a grimacing smile.