Chapter 20

“How did it go, sir?” asked Frank as he swerved through traffic.

“It took some effort, but she agreed. I just hope Brutus is easier to convince,” said Ven as he started thinking of how he would approach Brutus.

As their car drove through the city, Ven’s thoughts went back to Nikita, he had lied to her. The first was the obvious lie, there weren’t any teammates for her to rely on, but the second lie was the worse one, he had said that he would take her out if she was a danger to the team, but could he really do something like that? He had killed innumerable people in his old life, but he hadn’t known them personally, they were just enemies trying to kill him. This would be different, he already knew a lot about Nikita, and she seemed like a decent person, anyone who was worried about what would happen to her mother and their teammates was a good person in Ven’s eyes. He had seen plenty of scum abandon their own family, he hated people like those.

“Sir, I know a little about the place we are driving to, I am quite certain the person you’re looking for is someone who will be extremely beneficial to you,” said Frank.

“You sound quite confident about that, what do you know?” asked Ven as his curiosity got piqued. Unlike with Nikita, Simone had not been able to find any extra information on Brutus.

“Well, you aren’t really from around here, so you don’t know this, but Genesis is divided into sectors. The sectors around the Palace are the most prestigious and only the most elite live there. The sectors are ranked from one to thirty, each sector has a mayor appointed by His Majesty personally to take care of that sector. Now each mayor gets the same budget from the Kingdom, but there are different ways to get a supplement to the basic amount everyone receives. One of the criteria to get a larger budget is the number of UTF officers who have joined from that sector. Naturally, because of this there is a pressure from the local community on all gifted to join the UTF.”

“Sector 11, the one we just came from, hasn’t been producing many gifted for the last few years, which has led to the rundown state of the sector, they are making do with the basic amenities. Sector 13, the one we are driving to right now is on other end of the spectrum, they have continuously been producing some extremely gifted and talented individuals over the years. Using the supplementary funds, they receive annually, they have created one of the finest military academies in the Kingdom, every child who graduates from there has all the basics of being an Officer in the UTF drilled into them.”

“As a matter of fact, there are several families there who have been in the UTF for generations, and they are very proud of that fact, it’s not uncommon for people to announce themselves as Bob the Third or William the Fifth. So, I am quite certain this person you are trying to recruit will be an exceptional young man!” said Frank.

“Which begs the question, why hasn’t he already joined the UTF if he has so many things in his favour?” asked Ven out loud.

“I believe you will have the opportunity to find out, we have reached Mr. Brutus’s residence, sir” said Frank as he started parking the car.

The house in front of Ven was smaller than Nikita’s two-story home, but it was in far better condition. A white picketed fence surrounded the small red bricked building, opening the latch on the fence door, Ven made his way towards the house and knocked on the door.

“Coming, hang on.”

Ven straightened his tie and quickly ran his fingers through his hair as he waited for the door open.

“Yes, can I help you?” asked a tall middle-aged man with streaks of white in his hair.

“Yes, my name is Ven, and I am looking for a Mr. Brutus,” said Ven.

“My name is Eric; would you please mind telling me what a Knight wants with my nephew?” asked Eric politely.

“Yes, of course, may I come inside first?” asked Ven slightly taken aback that Eric knew who he was.

“Yes, of course, where are my manners, please come inside and have a seat,” said Eric as he got caught off-guard and parroted what Ven had just said.

The inside was a comfortable and homely looking place, it had the kind of womanly touch to it that a bachelor could never hope to create. Potted plants with flowers on the windowsill, carpeted floors, and walls full of family photos, this place was more than a house, it was a home.

“I must compliment your wife’s taste, your home looks very welcoming,” commented Ven as he took a seat in the drawing room.

“I am still single, all this is my niece’s doing,” said Eric with pride.

“I didn’t know that Brutus had a sister,” said Ven.

“He does, but that isn’t why you are here today, so Knight Ven, why are you looking for my nephew?” asked Eric assertively.

“I am surprised you recognized who I am,” said Ven.

“That uniform is unmistakable to anyone who has had a career in UTF,” said Eric as he pointed to a photo of a younger him in a UTF uniform.

“Ah, no wonder. Well, perhaps this will make things easier, as you are most likely aware Knights like myself can make their own personal teams, I would like to recruit your nephew,” said Ven plainly.

“The UTF has hundreds of older and more experienced soldiers in their ranks,” pointed Eric out.

“Yes, there are hundreds if not more, but I don’t want any of them, I want Brutus on my team,” said Ven.

“Why?” asked Eric he burrowed his eyebrows.

“Simply put, I don’t think anyone who has been working for the UTF for a long period of time would like to work under me, given that I suffer from being giftless,” said Ven honestly.

Eric’s eyes opened wide for a second, but he forced himself back into his calm demeanour before speaking again; “I can see how that would make you quite unpopular amongst your colleagues.”

“Which is why I need people who aren’t already jaded by a certain way of thinking,” said Ven.

“I am sorry to say my nephew is already quite jaded, he does not wish to join UTF,” said Eric.

“I was wondering why he hadn’t applied to join yet, even though he’s from sector 13. Is there any particular reason he does not wish to join UTF?” asked Ven.

“The short version is my niece was bullied quite badly in the Academy by her classmates. When Brutus found out about this, he complained to the teachers, but the teachers refused to take any action. You see, the parents of the bullies are a family who has served in UTF for generations, in comparison my niece and nephew would be the second generation. It is a family even the mayor wouldn’t upset, as if they decide to move to another sector, the mayor will lose a lot of funding. Furious at the unjustness of it all, he beat up all the guys in his sister’s class,” said Eric with a sigh but a smile on his face.

“All of them? Alone?” asked Ven with a shocked expression.

“It’s not like he fought ten or twelve at the same time, but yes, he beat them all up, singlehandedly. As a result, Brutus was expelled from the Academy and his sister quit,” said Eric, “They are young, both of them, in their eyes the UTF and the Academy are the same thing, and that is the reason they are jaded.”

“Why can’t things ever be simple?” said Ven to himself, “You said that your niece was in this Academy as well, what’s her name and gift?”

“Agni, her gift gives her the ability to link her mind with other people, so they can communicate their thoughts without having to speak, they gave it the name Mind Link. She was trying her best to become a sniper,” said Eric.

Sniper, it would be nice to have someone with an overview of everything from a distance. He had used archers in the past, the very best ones could shoot a man from far off. He had often had his archers target the captains of the opposing army, breaking the chain of command, this usually led to chaos and had given them the edge quite several times. If those fake experiences were any indication, Agni would be quite an addition to the team.

“Sounds like a young lady I could use on my team, of course only if she is interested,” commented Ven, “Why is it Brutus has a Gaard name, while Agni has a Nari name?”

“It’s because their parents were a mixed couple. Now, I won’t deny it would be a wonderful opportunity for both of them to work for you, but I won’t force them, they should make their own decision,” said Eric.

“What happened to them wasn’t fair but sitting here and wallowing in self-pity as their life passes them by is hardly the wisest course of action. Where are they now?” asked Ven.

“They are out working at their part time jobs; they will be home in a few hours. You can wait here for them; would you like a cup of tea?” asked Eric politely.

“Yes, I would, thank you,” said Ven.

This might be a different time, but Ven knew bullying, he had seen it before, many times, just how many slaves and common folk had he seen get trampled upon by the Gaards? No, that was wrong, it wasn’t just the Gaards, the Nari weren’t any better, there were many who curried favor with the Gaards and used their newly found status to push around the rest of their brothers and sisters. That betrayal was worse than what the Gaards did because you trusted your own, you didn’t expect them to behave in such a way.

In Ven’s experience the victims of the prolonged bullying generally reacted in two ways, one group broke and generally ended up committing suicide or running away. While the other group generally bade their time for a chance to attack, a chance to exact revenge on their tormentor, it wasn’t unheard of for a slave to kill their master in their sleep, or to poison their food.

Those were the only two ways people reacted to bullying until Ven and his rebellion had offered a third way, join his army and help bring down the oppressors so their children could have a better life. That rallying cry had resonated with almost every downtrodden soul, it wasn’t just the Nari who had joined and fought alongside him, many a Gaard had fought and died next to him. They too were victims; they too had suffered under the rich and powerful.

Ven smiled for a moment, none of those memories were real, he had experienced it, but at the same time he hadn’t. But that was something he could ponder over later, right now, the question was, which of the two groups did Agni fall in. Was she already broken or was she someone who burned with the fire of revenge in her heart?

As Ven and Eric waited for the two siblings to come back home, they had invited Frank inside to join them. After the pleasantries of introducing the two to each other, they had hit it off. They spent the time talking about how the UTF used to be back in the day, riding on that wave of nostalgia they started talking about the new generation of youngsters to join the UTF and finally started talking about the how King Ravendra had announced his plans for marriage.

“He’s been single forever, I thought it would be how things always stayed,” commented Frank.

“I know what you mean, I’ve never heard of him looking twice at a woman, and mind you there were plenty of beautiful women in the Palace who were literally throwing themselves at him!” said Eric.

“Don’t forget there were several kings who offered him their daughters’ hand in marriage,” added Frank.

“A royal wedding, it’s something we have never had!” exclaimed Eric.

The sound of keys followed by the front door opening broke off the conversation as all three turned their heads and waited for the siblings to come into the living room.

“We have guests,” said Eric loudly.

The siblings walked into the living room with bright smiles on their faces, Brutus was dark haired, tall and well-built with broad shoulders much like Eric. Agni was quite tall as well but a head shorter than her brother, she had long dark brown hair much like the rest of the family, but unlike the two men in her family, she had a lean body.

“Hi, I don’t think you two are from around here,” said Brutus with a friendly smile.

“Nope, I live in sector 1. But it’s not why I am here today, I’ve been talking to your uncle for a while now, so I have a little bit of a picture of what you two have been through so far. It’s an unfair situation and something which shouldn’t have happened. Before I continue, I can see you two have gotten part time jobs for now, but have you thought about what you’re going to do next in your lives?” asked Ven.

Brutus looked to his uncle with a puzzled look, what was going on and why was this person they had never met before asking such personal questions.

“Both of you, don’t worry and answer him honestly,” said Eric reassuringly.

“I don’t really know; I don’t have the grades to enter a medical university and I never really concentrated on anything else than how to be a soldier. I could apply to join UTF as an open candidate, but with expulsion from the sector 13 Academy on my permanent record, I am not sure they will accept me,” said Brutus honestly.

“And what about you?” asked Ven as he looked at Agni.

“I don’t know, but I don’t want to stay here. I hate walking around town and seeing the people who made my life hell walk around freely without any repercussions!” said Agni as she looked at the floor and avoided meeting anyone’s gaze.

“Well, I have an offer which might be a solution for everyone in this family. We can all agree because of the unfair things which happened to you two recently, certain doors are now closed for you two. So, since I am a Knight, how would you two feel about working for me?” asked Ven.

“Excuse me?” said a shocked Brutus.

“You heard right, I am offering you two the opportunity to work for me as a part of my team,” repeated Ven for what felt like the hundredth time today.

“But why us?” asked Agni.

“Let’s just say I see a little bit of myself in you two. Think about it, it would be a huge slap on the faces of the families who think they are better than everyone else, you wouldn’t merely be joining the UTF, you would be working directly under a Knight. How many people can say that?” asked Ven with a smile.

“Uncle, aren’t you the one who always says if an offer seems too good to be true, it’s probably a scam,” asked Brutus.

“What Knight Ven forgot to mention is that he is giftless, and yet a Knight, something which has never happened before. As such, there are many disgruntled officers in UTF that who feel they are better than Knight Ven and would have been the better candidate. A subordinate with that type of mindset will not follow the chain of command. He will be insubordinate and in the worst-case scenario go out of their way to sabotage missions just to make Knight Ven look like a failure and mistake. So, it is not so much as the offer is too good, Knight Ven doesn’t really have any other option but to take on people like you two,” said Eric.

“Just so you two know, I was upfront about my situation, your Uncle didn’t figure it out on his own. But yes, I need you two as much as you two need me. And let’s be direct, while there are some in UTF who are supportive of my appointment, the majority aren’t. Therefore, failure in our assignments is out of the question, there are many who would be very happy to find an excuse to kick me out, and if I get kicked out, they won’t keep you two around. So, if you two feel like you can work under that kind of pressure, would you like to join me?” asked Ven again.

“On one condition,” said Agni quickly before Brutus could speak.

“Which is?” asked Ven.

“Uncle Eric joins as well! Uncle has loads of experience, he worked at UTF for years until he quit so he could take care of us, I believe he can be a huge asset as the rest of us are so inexperienced when it comes to how things actually are inside UTF,” said Agni quickly.

“The young lady has a point, sir, having an experienced person to guide you would be useful,” said Frank.

“What exactly did you do during your time at UTF?” asked Ven as he turned his attention to Eric.

“Nothing fancy, my gift got me a place in UTF, but it wasn’t good enough for me to be used as an active soldier and I wasn’t smart or talented enough to be an inventor in the R&D division. So, I was trained to be a Supporting Officer to active soldiers in the field,” said Eric in a matter-of-fact way.

“What exactly does a Support Officer do?” asked Ven.

“Sir, that question of yours just reaffirms we need someone who can guide us,” said Frank.

“A Support Officer handles the day-to-day affairs of a squad of soldiers. These include making sure their equipment is maintained, arranging regular medical check-ups, filing reports, making sure each soldier in the squad is getting paid and other busy work. It’s not glorious work, but it’s work that needs to be done,” said Eric.

“Did you know about all these things,” asked Ven as he looked at Frank.

“I’ve heard there are people who handle paperwork in UTF from my brother, but I never really asked too much about it,” said Frank.

“I just want to say while I have worked as a Support Officer, it was many years ago, I am not sure what has changed since then. But I would miss the kids after they left, and it would be more comforting if I were there and could keep an eye on them,” said Eric.

“Well, I came here looking for Brutus, but it looks like I am leaving with the whole family. How long would you three need to pack up and move?” asked Ven.

“A week would be nice,” said Eric, “By the way, some rules and procedures might have changed since I left, but you need to fill out a form and inform UTF about who is working under you.”

“Eric, you just got your first job as a Support Officer, take care of that, before or after you move, I’ll let you choose. And oh yeah, we have another member, a sweet girl named Nikita, if you need any information about her, contact Frank or me. Which reminds me, you don’t have our numbers,” said Ven as he pulled out his phone.

Did you guys guess what Agni's requirement to join Ven's squad would be or was it a pleasant surprise? Please do let me know in the comments :)

And as always, keep safe out there.

Anderoth