Adam woke up alone the next morning. Unlike Megan, he didn't have drills, which made him miss her warmth.
He slept on a mattress he had placed on the ground level of the Command Center, adhering to Elena's request not to sleep with the troops. He refused to take the upper floor of the Command Center, as it contained the old bedrooms of Kave and his late parents. Kave himself was sleeping in tents with the troops, rather than returning to what was once his house. Still, Adam had plans for that upper floor.
Just as he was about to start his day, check on the Data Core's progress, and see the garage where Captain Creed had been tinkering through the whole night, he heard a commotion coming from outside the building, which he ignored at first, since it was mostly Elena shouting.
The vocal cords on that woman! Adam chuckled to himself, pitying whichever recruits were on the wrong side of Elena's wrath.
CRACK!
But then a sound echoed from the outside, and he felt a shiver through his entire being.
CRACK!CRACK!
The ones that followed next confirmed his fears: whip cracks!
He dropped whatever was in his hands and slid the door open, looking left and right, only to see Elena in the middle of the plaza right in front of the house with two topless figures tied by their hands to a dried tree, two whip marks on the back of each.
The recruits and Men-at-Arms were all gathered; some were looking away, some looked dismissively, and all of them shivered at the CRACK! that followed.
"ELENA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
Adam roared as he came running, his hair messy, wearing only a tank top and jeans.
She turned, fully dressed in her military attire, officially handing out punishment with a whip he had no idea where she had got from.
Adam looked at the two individuals and couldn't comprehend what was happening.
Hammerhead? Biscuits? Why?
Confused, Adam looked from the two to the others as he noticed an individual he had never seen before: a little girl carried by Megan, who made her avert her face.
"I am handing down punishment, Mr. Clay." Elena turned to Adam, who had interrupted her whipping.
He turned to her and took two steps, back straightened, chest puffed out, and in a total air of authority.
"Explain, Sergeant. Now!"
In what could officially be considered Adam's first clash with one of his summons, Adam's and Elena's gazes met fiercely, but as they pushed against each other, Elena was forced to take a step back, instinctively, no less.
Something strange stirred within her, something she couldn't comprehend. She knew that Adam was her summoner, but this feeling, this control, this ability to… influence? Was that what it was?
Then her eye contact broke, looking down at his bare feet—not an ounce of authority in his appearance, no uniform, no discipline. Her knees felt weak, and a slight shiver ran through her body.
"Look at me!"
His words echoed in her brain. She didn't know how, but she raised her head almost immediately.
"Explain!"
He had just spoken, but he really hadn't. It was just words echoing through her mind, not words coming from his mouth.
Adam noticed that Elena was having difficulty speaking, sweating even. The woman who ran for hours, fought battles, and performed all femme fatale action scenes without breaking a sweat was now like that?
He had been angered just now, but as soon as he calmed down, she also gradually started to feel less pressured by his power.
This level of control, he had never even tried before.
It startled him, but he needed to compose himself. He had acted based on emotion, and now he might reveal his position as Commander to the recruits.
"Sir…" Just as he turned away, Elena replied, "I was merely punishing criminals."
Adam paused, then turned back to her.
"Your squad members? Criminals?" He asked.
"Wartime larceny, sir." She added, her eyes not meeting his.
Adam took a deep breath:
"Were they tried?" He asked, looking at his two soldiers, a male and a female, who were stripped topless in a humiliating display.
"They were caught in the act of sneaking supplies, they surrendered themselves when confronted, and admitted their guilt," Elena said.
"I don't wear a Justiciar Coat for show, Sergeant. Next time a punishment is to be given outside the scope of drilling, it goes through me." Adam said, applying a new rule in his camp, "No punishment without a trial, Venuxians and Earthlings alike. On the behest of the Commander, effective immediately."
Elena was a good soldier, a perfect drill instructor, a great squad leader, but what she did just now almost risked everything. This level of humiliation of her own soldiers was beyond the standards of this world, and boundaries needed to be set.
This reality may be grim, humans may have turned into animals, and civilization may have fallen, but if the recruits were to see this, they would jump ship the moment they could.
For now, the damage was halted, and restoration was in order.
He took a knife from Elena's side, walked to the two recruits, and cut them down. Hammerhead still covered Biscuits with his body as she fell, who covered her bare front with her arms.
The others brought their clothes from the side as Adam was approached by Megan, carrying a little, tearful girl. She explained to him that this girl had been brought by Hammerhead and Biscuits, who had decided to take her back, but they couldn't figure out how to introduce her to the group, with everyone suddenly getting busy. Since yesterday, the girl had been hiding in the storm shelter where supplies were stored.
"Private Hammerhead, Private Biscuits, you are under arrest for the crime of unlawful recruitment. Present yourselves for immediate trial at the Command Center."
Adam immediately issued a clear command, imposing a judicial image in the camp. Now, his position among the recruits was clear as the Judge of the camp.
The two Privates saluted him and walked to the Command Center on their own, heads down, and their faces bitter.
Adam then turned to Elena.
"Sergeant, you are dismissed from drilling the troops for the day. You'll be assigned to construction at the Command Center. Until tomorrow, Private Dusty will take over drilling." He said, giving what seemed to be a disciplinary directive rather than an actual command.
"Sir!" Elena saluted with her fist in front of her face in a Solarium fashion and marched to the Command Center with a solid expression.
"Recruit Dorsett, please deliver the girl to the Command Center before you return to your duty." Adam finally addressed Megan.
A smile mixed with amazement and admiration surfaced on her face, as she had never expected to receive a military order from him, despite her upbringing. She took it as part of his new Commander charm and saluted him before going ahead with Sophie.
Then came the part where Adam had to dismiss the spectacle and return to the Command Center, meeting Megan along the way. She stood to salute him playfully, muttering, "This is kinda hot!"
Adam entered the gloomy interior of the Command Center with a smile on his face before meeting Elena and dropping his smile. He brightened up the earth-colored room by opening some windows for the light to enter. A hearing was then held.
In the center, Biscuits and Hammerhead stood with Sophie between their legs, the girl holding them with her tiny fists, fear on her face as she took frightened peeks at Elena.
Adam walked in, excused himself to clean up, and returned with a fresher look, wearing jeans, brown boots, a white tank top, and then put on his black Justiciar Coat, decorated militarily but without buttoning it.
He looked like a rough militant survivor, a vagabond, and a charismatic officer all at once.
Elena stood to the side on standby, waiting for orders, while Captain Creed walked in, startling everyone, especially Sophie, who was a fraction of his size.
"This is the first disciplinary hearing I will hold, so it will be a bit crude," Adam said, looking at the participants, before turning to Creed. "Captain, I may not be born of the Solarium, but if you were to give blessings for this hearing and be its witness, correct me if I am mistaken about Solarium laws."
Creed stepped ahead and stood on the other side of Elena, before speaking:
"Blessing of Sol Imperius be with you, Adam Clay. May he guide you to the justice of the Holy Sun." Creed said, more like a prayer.
"Thank you, sir." Adam nodded and took his seat in his chair, addressing the convicts: "Hammerhead, Biscuits, what the hell were you two thinking? Taking a child from the refugees?"
The two went silent as they exchanged looks. Hammerhead spoke first:
"We…"
"It was my idea, Commander." Biscuits, however, cut him off. "If we were to leave Sophie behind, she wouldn't have made it one more month, given the way she lived."
"Her family wasn't present?" Adam asked, and the two shook their heads, silently conveying that she was an orphan without saying the word.
"I see now." Adam nodded before asking, "And the supplies you stole?"
"We merely got her my share of rations, sir," Hammerhead said.
"Hammerhead and I shared my ration." Biscuits added.
"So you didn't steal extra rations to feed her?" Adam asked with a frown.
"No, sir. Never, sir." Biscuits replied. Hammerhead shook his head vigorously.
"Then why did you admit to larceny?" Adam asked.
He looked at them, but they simply looked down and never replied. He then turned to Elena, who was looking at them, bewildered, before turning to Adam.
"They didn't deny the charges, sir." She said.
"That is why a hearing is necessary, Sergeant. If you come at them with punishment while they were already feeling guilt-ridden, they will accept punishment anyway." Adam said, imparting his understanding of human nature to his subordinate.
It was the second time for Elena to be shocked to her core in the very same hour. Once by the control Adam exerted over her, and then by this revelation.
"I… I am sorry." She said, apologizing to Adam, but he only gestured with his eyes towards Hammerhead and Biscuits. Elena turned to them and apologized: "You are my family in arms; we embraced each other before. I was wrong to be hesitant, but I feel wronged that you didn't come to me first."
"We are sorry, Sir!"
Biscuits and Hammerhead apologized to Elena, and as if nothing had happened, peace returned between the Trench Dogs.
From the side, a momentary smile appeared on Creed's face as he approved of Adam's calm approach, a rarity in those who don the coat of a Justiciar.
"Then the other matter," Adam said, looking at the little girl standing between the two soldiers, looking at him with worry, as they stood between two terrifying beings like Elena and Creed.
The room started to tense again, but Adam was now in total control, possessing a divine authority, personally blessed by an angel of Sol.
"What were your intentions with the girl?" Adam asked.
"We couldn't leave her behind, sir," Hammerhead said.
"She is too pitiful. Living in utter disregard, running around with a water can, exchanging it for food." Biscuits recounted, "We… we feared the refugees would call on the radio to ask if we had taken her, but a full day passed, and no one called."
Adam listened as he looked at the tiny girl, and his heart ached for her situation.
"It was unwise to bring her here. We are forever soldiers; death is our only fate. If you were to die and leave her behind, you'd do more damage than good to her." Elena spoke, stating her opinion.
"The Sergeant is right," Adam said, finally siding with Elena.
"We know it is stupid." Hammerhead nodded and looked down at the girl, who looked up at him with her wide blue eyes.
Adam, however, had something else to say.
"Stupid? It is actually genius!"
Adam's words drew the attention of everyone, Creed included, as he watched Adam with interest.
"Sir?" Elena tilted her head.
"Look at this!" Adam said, making a frame with his fingers, capturing Biscuits, Hammerhead, and Sophie within it. "This is perfect publicity."
The others frowned, but Adam then looked at the three individuals in his frame with glee.
He looked at the girl first and addressed her.
"You're Sophie, right? I'm Adam." He said, waving to the girl, who tightened her grip nervously on Biscuits' clothes.
He kept smiling, then asked:
"You like these two?"
It took her a while and a bit of comforting from Biscuits just so she would be less nervous and could nod.
"You want to stay with them? You want them to care for you?" Adam asked, noticing that the girl couldn't talk.
She nodded once again, then raised her right arm with a lowered fist twice, like a knocking motion.
Adam didn't understand the motion, but Creed then explained:
"It is a sign of confirmation. A gesture language used by the Wraiths."
"Oh!" Adam nodded with a laugh. "I know how to say my name in sign language, but that's as far as I can go."
He then looked at Hammerhead and Biscuits, speaking in a somewhat sterner tone compared to how he gently addressed Sophie:
"You two, are you willing to take in Sophie and care for her?"
"Yes, sir!" "Of course, sir."
As the two replied in the same breath, Adam nodded with approval.
"I understand that you three are excited now, but there will be a lot of rules regarding treatment, education, healthcare, and mental health for an adopted child. I'll have to chart them first, but expect there to be many." He said with a warning.
The three looked hopeful, ready to take whatever came out of Adam's mouth.
"First things first, I understand you two are an item." Adam said and pointed between Hammerhead and Biscuits, before turning to Hammerhead, "I want you to put a ring on her… I mean, exchange amulets."
Out of nowhere, Adam was telling the two to get official. Suddenly, it felt like a bucket of cold water as the two just stared blankly at him.
"Hey, I won't allow adoption without official family status." He spoke strictly.
"Yes… right!" Hammerhead turned to Biscuits, barely holding his composure, adjusting his uniform that he had just put on, then took off his Amulet of Sol, his sign of faith and protection, took out his identification tag from it—since parting with it was illegal—and offered it to Biscuits, who was looking at him with emotions barely suppressed.
"Biscuits, my dear." He said and rubbed his amulet on his sleeve to clean it. "I have been deployed to seven worlds with you, and each world you stepped onto, you were the finest thing my eyes have seen throughout them all. Will you accept this amulet from this auxiliary man?"
"Hammerhead!" Touched, Biscuits looked at the amulet with an overflow of feelings that she barely kept in check, nodded gently, and took off her amulet as well. "I would be honored."
The union was established, the relationship was declared, and with it, the adoption became possible.
"Captain." Adam turned to Captain Creed and asked politely, "As a fragment of Sol Imperius, you possess the authority to oversee matters of faith. May I request you to bless this union?"
Adam wanted to seal the deal more than anyone right now, and as everyone heard that, Hammerhead and Biscuits were already on their knees, bowing their heads to Captain Creed.
Adam gestured to Sophie to come to his side, and he held her hand, allowing Captain Creed to take the limelight. The Captain didn't mind it, but he had something to say:
"The star we are under is Sol-less, so your bond will be forever incomplete until you are bathed in the light of the celestial body of Sol Imperius, the Holy Sun. I pray for his blessings over your bond."
His declaration was a bit grim regarding the absence of the light of Sol, but Adam was here to save the day.
"About that…" Adam spoke and pointed to the locker nearby, "The Light of Sol is right over there, right?"
Captain Creed and Sergeant Elena looked at Adam. Elena then moved at a gesture from Creed's eyes to bring over the Sun Shard. She handed the jewelry box to Adam, and as he opened it with some difficulty, rays of magnificent light erupted outward, revealing the shimmering stone within.
Adam cast that light over Hammerhead and Biscuits. Sensing the holy radiance, the two sat on their knees and raised their arms apart to praise the Sun.
"Then, by his power instilled within me, this union is blessed," Creed said, finalizing the simple bonding rite.
There was no need for overcomplications. Bonds between the Men-at-Arms weren't as ritualistic as engagement, marriage, and senseless expenditures. Exchange tokens, visit a clergyman, and sign a form at the Ordinarium, then call the relationship whatever you want.
"With this, you are now allowed to adopt Sophie," Adam said, still holding the Sun Shard in the jewelry box. "There is something you must understand, though. This is a relationship we need to work on, two Venuxians adopting an Earthling child. You three will be the face of the union between the two races. Honestly, I am tempted to build a Propaganda Center just to get enough posters and recruitment advertisements based on this happy family."
With the revelation of his grand plan, Adam looked proudly at his summons, knowing that this would be a great step to join the two worlds together. It would be difficult, but it might be Earth's last hope.
"Also, there will be punishment for bypassing your direct officer on the adoption issue. I will also have to contact Professor Hendrick's shelter just to make sure nobody wants Sophie back. I will say that she sneaked into our cargo on her own, so we wouldn't face any allegation of kidnapping a child. For that, I want you all to get the narrative straight in our camp."
"It is doable, sir," Elena said, acknowledging Adam's plan.
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