Aaron paced around his cell, periodically clenching and unclenching his fists. It was just a small tent, not really a cell by traditional standards, but the armed guard at the door made it every bit as restrictive. The only other thing in it was a single bed – he’d been separated from the rest of the squad when they’d been detained earlier. How much earlier, he couldn’t say. It felt like at least six hours, but he had no way of knowing. After another few minutes of pacing, he sank to the ground in the corner of the tent with a growl of frustration.

The squad had been arrested, for lack of a better word, right after the Commander had stepped into their tent earlier that night. Detained was probably a better way to put it. They hadn’t been bound, but the MPs that took them were well armed. Aaron had been taken to a private tent, and the rest were… somewhere else.

It was the not knowing that was getting to him.

Where was his squad? What was going to happen to them?

Was Sterling okay? Did the civilians evacuate successfully? Was Sam alive?

He was about to start pacing again, when the flap of the tent rustled. Aaron scrambled upright to his feet as Lieutenant Kara Moran stepped into the small space. She was a tall woman with sharp eyes, one of the very few officers in the military police. Her eyes gave the tent a brief scan, then she addressed Aaron curtly, “Come on. The Commander wants to see you.”

“What's this all about, Kara?” Aaron asked, “Where is my squad?”

She scratched the back of her head uncomfortably, “Look, Aaron, I have as little idea of what’s going on as you do. Now let’s go.”

He ignored her, “Are they safe?”

“Of course they’re safe, I just saw them,” Kara said, bewildered, “why the hell wouldn’t they be?”

Aaron stared into her eyes for a minute, looking for guilt there. Finding none, he nodded stiffly and walked up to Kara, eliciting a sigh of relief from her. She motioned for him to follow her, then strode out of the tent. Aaron ducked out after, blinking at the sudden sunlight. They moved through the bustling camp, weaving through the rows of tents towards the Command Center.

“No handcuffs?” he asked quietly as they walked.

Kara gave him another confused look, “Did you do something to deserve handcuffs?”

The door slid open with a cool hiss. Commander Berston stood alone in the command room, back facing towards Aaron. In front of him was a holoprojected satellite image. Aaron couldn’t quite make out what the image was showing, but that wasn’t his problem right now.

“You wanted to see me, Commander Berston?” Aaron said. Without meaning too, he found himself in the role of a soldier again. Despite the fact that he’d seen past the façade of this place, the false heroism and the empty honor, he still found himself saluting and standing stiff to attention.

The Commander glanced over his shoulder. He was backlit from the glow of the holoprojector, but there was nothing menacing or threatening in his gaze.

“Captain David. Please, join me,” the Commander gestured to an empty spot next to him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Aaron walked over. Commander Berston went back to looking over the image, so Aaron took his time to study it as well. As far as he could tell, it was just a circle of blackened earth in the middle of nowhere.

“Do you know what that is, Captain?” the older man said suddenly.

Aaron shook his head.

“That used to be an Assimilator horde.”

Aaron blinked in confusion, then realization hit him, “The one that was attacking Sterling?”

“The very same,” Berston said, shaking his head with a smile, “Our friend Sam actually managed to do it.”

A hundred questions raced through Aaron’s mind, but he suppressed them, and waited for the Commander to speak again. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Do you think I’m an evil man, Captain?”

Aaron blinked. That wasn’t what he’d been expecting. “No sir, I don’t.”

“Do you think I’m a good man?”

It took Aaron a little longer to respond to that one. “I don’t know. I thought I did, but now… I don’t know.”

Berston nodded, “I’ve always respected that about you. Your honesty,” he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I never thought that I was an evil man either, Captain. But I did think I was a good one. Recent events have me questioning that.” He lapsed back into silence, staring at the holoprojected image. Aaron cast him a sidewise glance, and noticed the Commander’s bloodshot eyes and haggard expression for the first time.

After a while, Aaron spoke up, “What happened, sir?”

“An orbital strike, according to the reconnaissance teams I placed around the town,” the Commander mumbled distractedly, “from the size of the crater, it was most likely from an older model defense satellite.”

“Reconnaissance teams?”

“Of course. There was a potential threat to the Red Eagles. I had them stationed in that area from the moment Mr. Lewis told me about the danger facing Sterling.”

“Are the civilians safe, sir?” Aaron asked.

Berston looked him in the eye and smiled gently, “That’s another thing I respect about you, Captain. Yes, the civilians were evacuated successfully. The defenders suffered heavy casualties, but they did what they set out to do.”

Aaron let out a shaky breath of relief he hadn’t known he was holding. That had been weighing on his mind heavily. He realized that the Commander was still talking and tuned back in.

“- our friend has made himself an even bigger hero, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear. The man killed three Hive Lords while holding the bridge that led into the town. By himself.”

“The damn fool would try to do it solo,” Aaron muttered, then flinched at his faux pas.

The Commander just chuckled, “He really is something special, isn’t he? This is the third time now that he has made the impossible happen.”

Something flickered in his face as he said that, but Aaron couldn’t quite tell what it was. There was something off about the Commander today. He rarely showed so much emotion, and beyond that, Aaron still wasn’t sure what the purpose of this conversation was. The Commander had gone back to studying the satellite image, as if looking for some meaning in it.

“Are the Red Eagles planning on engaging Camelot, sir?” Aaron asked.

Commander Berston looked at him incredulously, then snorted in derision, “I’m not an idiot, Captain David. With Lewis alive, he is in no way, shape, or form a target for the Red Eagles. In fact, I’m planning on staying on very good terms with him. If what I’ve heard from my husband is true, then he and Camille Brown are two of the most brilliant minds that humanity has, especially when working together. The fact that they’re both still alive is a miracle in and of itself. They’ve already provided the Red Eagles with some incredible advantages,” Berston nodded at the holoprojector, “The scanning technology foremost among them. The intellect and technological advancements they can offer are far more important than any base of operations.”

“Then… then why the did you talk about opportunities? About Sam being removed from the equation?”

“Contingencies. What if Mr. Lewis had failed in Sterling? Would you leave a military facility, perfect for the needs of your troops, abandoned? Discussing something and actually doing it are altogether separate things, as I’m sure you are aware,” Commander Berston said, “Logic must be cold, Captain. You’re going to have to learn that.”

Aaron didn’t have a response to that, so he just nodded numbly.

“But that’s enough about that, Captain. Now, we talk about you and your squad.”

Aaron’s heart rate spiked. His hands wanted to shake from nerves, but he forced them still. He had to get his squad out of this.

“It was my idea entirely, sir,” Aaron said briskly, “the fault lies with me.”

Commander Berston blinked in surprise, “Admitting to guilt already, Captain? I don’t believe I’ve accused you of anything.”

“You tapped our coms, Commander,” Aaron stated bluntly, “and you had listening devices in our tents.”

“Yes, I did,” he replied, equally blunt.

Aaron narrowed his eyes. He’d suspected as much, but having it confirmed just made him feel even worse. He had been an idiot not to think of the possibility. But what was done was done, and he had to focus on getting his squad out of the mess he’d made.

“Sam contacted me, sir, and I told the rest of the 4th Scouting Team. It was because of me that they got dragged into this.”

The Commander studied him for a moment, considering his words carefully. Then, he sighed, “Captain Davis, we really are going to have to fix your habit of falling on the sword. It will do you no good in the future.”

Aaron stared at him, confused. What did he mean by that?

Berston waved a hand, “That’s beside the point right now. So, you admit that you were planning on leaving the Red Eagles?”

“Yes, sir, I do. I have nothing to say in my defense.” Aaron closed his eyes and grit his teeth. Speaking about desertion wasn’t a serious crime, but an officer inciting it? That was a different story. But if it kept his squad safe, he’d take the punishment.

“I will allow it.”

Aaron’s eyes flew open, “E-excuse me sir?” he stuttered.

“You heard me correctly, Captain David. Your contract will be terminated, and you’ll be able to leave the Red Eagles." A bemused smile floated on the Commander’s face.

“But we hadn’t even decided if we were going t-“

“I decided for you, Captain,” Berston interrupted, “And don’t worry, I’ve been in touch with your friends at Camelot. They will be happy to have you.”

“What-why… why are you just letting us go?” Every sentence out of Aaron’s mouth was a question, but he just couldn’t get a firm grasp on this conversation. It felt like the floor kept flipping upside down on him every other moment.

“A few reasons. First, Mr. Lewis values you all highly as friends, and has a soured opinion of me as of late. Your squad will be a peace offering, of sorts, to get me back in his good graces. Though I must admit, it is a gamble. The worst-case scenario is that once you are no longer part of the Red Eagles, Sam cuts off contact altogether. However, we still are his most powerful allies, so I believe he will be in touch. The second reason is that I just don’t know what else to do with you,” his lips twitched grimly, “If you decide to leave, there’s absolutely nothing I can do to stop you without coming into conflict with Mr. Lewis, which I cannot do. So, it is best to let you go under my terms. The last reason… well, I’m sure you’ll understand it in time.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Aaron asked.

Berston laughed, “Contingencies, Captain. Despite everything that has happened, I still believe that you hold some measure of loyalty to the Red Eagles. I would like for you to be my point of contact within Mr. Lewis’ operation. If that’s going to happen, honesty will be very important. On both sides.”

Aaron opened his mouth, a frown on his face, but the Commander cut him off, “I am not asking you to spy on him, Captain. I’m simply asking that you act as the bridge between our camps, as someone that can keep the Red Eagles in mind.”

Something clicked in Aaron’s head, “So that’s why Kara – er, Lieutenant Moran – didn’t know anything. You want to make it seem like this whole thing had been planned.”

“Exactly. It wouldn’t do to have a squad that was considering desertion be allowed to do so. Instead, the 4th Scouting Team was requested by Paladin Lewis, and I graciously accepted his request,” Berston said, “A much nicer narrative, in my opinion.”

“How did you get in contact with him so soon?” Aaron said. He was still trying to put all the pieces together, and failing miserably.

“It was quite touching, actually. Lewis got in contact with me first. Apparently, he had been attempting reach you since the battle’s end, but couldn’t. He put two and two together and radioed me directly.”

“And then?”

“And then I told him the truth, or most of it at least. I left out Sergeant Cooper’s plan to wait until after the battle to join, though. It is far more heroic if your squad was unanimously ready to rush out to aid him in the battle,” he waved a hand, “From there it was a simple matter to convince Lewis that it was in both of our interest that he takes you off my hands. I made it seem like his idea, of course.”

Aaron stared at the Commander, who met his eyes without flinching. “What the hell are you after?” Aaron asked eventually.

“Another excellent question Captain. The answer has changed, very recently in fact. My goal before was to keep everyone in my company alive, and to save as many people as possible while doing so. All I could see in our future was survival, nothing more,” the Commander's deep black eyes lit up and burned with something Aaron couldn’t identify, “But now I can see another future. One in which humanity is victorious. If one Paladin can turn the tide against a horde of our enemies, then what could a thousand Paladins do? Ten thousand? That is what I am after, Captain David. To see an army of unstoppable soldiers march against the aliens that took everything from us. Right now, Samuel Lewis is the key to that future.”

Aaron shook his head firmly, mind reeling from what he’d just heard, “Sam can’t lead an army, Commander. That’s not the type of person he is.”

The Commander barked out a laugh, “Lead? No, his role is far more important than that. He is going to be the symbol of humanity’s rise, the light that shines in the darkness.”

“Which leaves the position of power wide open,” Aaron said grimly.

“Yes, it does," Berston responded.

“That’s awfully convenient for you, isn’t it, Commander?”

A broad grin split the older man’s face, “Quite the contrary. If anything, the incident in Sterling has shown that I am patently unqualified for the role. No, in the future that I imagine, I am not the one leading the Paladin armies. You are.”