Vor cleared his throat. “I believe you, Lena. But your brother is still one man. And no matter how much power he wields, he cannot get through the ward. We are fine.” He looked at the soldiers in the command room. “But the ward stays up until I say otherwise. No more surprise attacks and definitely no raids. Understood?” He settled his gaze on the lieutenant commander.
“Yes, Commander,” Zucar said.
“Who did the wingless Aethari kill?”
Zucar frowned. “Uh, I think his name was Private Huhn.”
“You think?!” Vor growled. “The man just lost his life under your orders, and you're not sure what his name was?”
Zucar drew back, eyes wide. “Sir, I . . . no, I'm not sure. He was a private. I sent him to do his job. He knew the risks.”
“No, Lieutenant Commander, he did not. None of us could have known the arsenal available to our enemies. He certainly could not have known that a wingless Aethari would summon lightning from the sky and kill him instantly!” He took a deep breath, calming himself. “I'm not asking you to mourn him. I'm simply asking you to know the names of the soldiers you send into danger.”
The lieutenant commander's expression shivered into fury. “Sir, I'm sorry, but I have to speak up. You are acting oddly. I dare say you do not know the names of the soldiers under your command.”
“Not all of them, no. But if I chose them to undertake a dangerous mission for me, I would make sure I did.” Vor swung and pointed at the man at the other side of the room. “Sergeant Jurr.” He moved on to the next soldier. “Lieutenant Greis.” Then so on and so on until he had named every soldier in the room, including Corporal Shensar, the woman who was looking even more attracted to her commander. “I know all of your names because I picked you to supervise the fort. I also know the names of the soldiers in the kitchens because I spoke with them earlier. Would you like me to list them as well?”
“No.” Zucar drew back. “I'm so sorry, Commander.”
Vor sighed as an ache took hold of his chest. He didn't like the feeling, but he knew it was necessary. His soldiers, however, wouldn't understand that developing the capability to feel the softer emotions was a good thing. Would they abandon him? Scurry back underground to the safety of unfeeling Tech? It was a possibility. They might even report him to General Ankeh. Hehad to be more careful and hide his transformation. At least until they transformed as well. Which meant he had to punish the LC fairly. Reasonably.
“I see how my words may have misled you, so I will not punish you for insubordination. However, your plan resulted in the death of a soldier. You will report to the stockade tomorrow morning and help guard the prisoners for the next week. And by the end of that week, you had better know the names of the men you sent out today.”
“Yes, Commander!”
“Now, what about the other soldiers?”
“Which soldiers, Commander?”
“The other soldiers you sent out into that camp! The ones who survived. Where are they?”
“Oh, uh, Paradefense captured them, sir.”
“How many?”
“Um.” He looked at Lieutenant Greis.
Lieutenant Greis said, “Six survived and were taken, Commander.”
“Greis, you are in charge of the command room for the next week.”
“Yes, Commander.” Greis slid a worried look Zucar's way.
When Vor saw Zucar's grimace, he pointed at the LC. “Be grateful I haven't demoted you to lieutenant. This isn't a training exercise. We are fighting for the surface!”
“Yes, Commander.” Zucar lifted his chin.
It was a fair punishment, and Zucar knew it. Compared to the whipping Vor could have ordered, it was nothing. Vor hoped it was enough to placate their expectations of him.
“Do we have a voice amplifier?” Vor demanded.
Lena was watching him warily, but she hadn't spoken since her outburst. Vor was eager to know what she was thinking. Unfortunately, he couldn't ask her until they were alone, and there was much for him to do before that could happen.
“A voice amplifier, Commander?” Zucar asked.
“Yes, so I may speak with their commander. I'm going to offer them a trade.”
“A trade?”
