《Roach》Chapter 15: Chain of Command
Advertisement
I entered into an old, empty warehouse with General Kull and KR-01. I fully expected him to kill me, but I felt like I did my duty. However to my surprise, he didn't plan to do that.
"Leave us," Kull said to KR-01. And it obliged.
"General...?" I was about to ask what he was planning to do, but he fell silent.
He breathed a heavy sigh.
"Tell me... do you know why there is such a thing as a chain of command?" General Kull asked calmly. I was quiet and unsure how to respond. All I knew was that I had to obey the Queen. That was all that either of us needed to know.
I said with an honest tone, "Sir, I know I disobeyed your orders. I don't expect mercy. But if I had to do what I did again, I would."
General Kull continued without giving any heed to my words, "Let me tell you about the chain of command, then. The Queen will always be on top, but underneath her are her many generals. And underneath them are the soldiers. A very simple structure in our case. However, I know that outside of these shadowy walls, the chain is twisted. The generals have no real power when the Queen can order her troops from atop her all-seeing tower. We are middle men when there is no such need for middle men. At most, we are advisors. At our lowest, no different than a soldier - albeit stronger. That is true outside of these lands, but inside this dark place, that chain must be preserved. You were lucky this time - swooping in with that dragon - but what do you think will happen if everybody does whatever they wanted?" General Kull looked outside the window and stared at the celebrating roaches. "It would turn into chaos. Every roach going around like chickens. One team of roaches trying to blow up the wall, while another climbs it. We would be no different than the animals outside our realm."
Advertisement
General Kull looked back at me. I listened and understood every word he said. What he said was true to my ears.
He asked, "Tell me. Would you still consider doing it again after what I told you?"
I was frozen for a second, but I still nodded my head. I would still have disobeyed orders if it meant saving lives. General Kull looked at me with sad eyes.
"I see," he said, "It's too bad you were born as a roach. You would have made an excellent general if you were born in the right family." He sighed once more. "I will not punish you. Or more precise, I cannot. Unfortunately, I'm going to need you. When we are finished with occupying this city, you will be sent to directly to the Queen to be judged. She will decide your fate. Do you understand?"
"Yes, general."
"Good. Any more disobedience or failure to comply will result in your immediate execution. Do I make myself clear, bug?"
I stood straight and replied quickly, "Yes, sir."
"Good. We took the city, but now we got to hold it. Get every roach to scour this place for the leader of the dark elves and put him on a pike. You have your orders. Now, get out of my sight," General Kull commanded.
I marched away and right before I left the warehouse, the general coughed, "And... good work, Roach."
I smiled. I could tell with his voice that he wasn't just calling me a bug or a roach, but my actual name. It seems he was just as impressed as anybody else. General Kull looked out the window and continued watching. I left to continue my duty to the Queen.
Advertisement
- In Serial170 Chapters
Myth Beyond Heaven
Yun Lintian, a man from modern Earth, found himself in a cliche situation that was all too familiar to him in novels: Being transmigrated! He had arrived in a magical cultivation-oriented world called the Azure World.
8 157 - In Serial9 Chapters
Many Minded
Synopsis: Issa Pyxis, Spacer orphan and illegal heretic, graduated from living on the streets to running with a gang years ago, but now it looks like that’s all going to change. Her inheritance, more specifically who—or what—she is, is catching up with her, and on a planet with the Emperor’s inquisitors slinking around in every shadow, nowhere is safe and no one can be trusted. What will she do? A cyberpunk story about identity, loneliness, covert infiltration, evil dystopias, and much more! Features: - Cyborgs and cyberpunk galore - This is indented to be somewhat “rational” and “hard” Sci-Fi story - Original Fiction however parts of my worldbuilding are inspired by other Sci-Fi stories (duh) Rationale: The future is cool, AIs are kickass, and questions about consciousness are simultaneously existential and yet unanswered. To me, this story is a vehicle for exploring these topics, and also, I wanted to write a story where the protagonist was unafraid of themselves and where their self is more like a git-repo than a meat computer. Disclaimer: This story primarily takes place in what we’d describe as a “cyberpunk dystopia” with some extra technocracy, autocracy, and religious fervor thrown into the mix, so there will be some “grittiness” in this story. Caveat emptor. Also, [insert your favorite boilerplate “views expressed” disclaimer here]. I shouldn’t need to say this, but the main character and other characters in my story can be wrong on occasion (gasp!) and the way they view the world isn’t always objective truth (if such a thing even exists) nor do their views and opinions necessarily reflect the views of me, the author. Cover art by me! [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 83 - In Serial6 Chapters
Jacob's Travels
When Jacob, along with his friends, fell in a world so utterly different from ours, one filled with life so weird, only the maddest of people could even dream them, physics so convoluted that they're more like guidelines than any law, and all manner of intelligent beings morphing the world to their whim, he decided to do the logical thing. He panicked.
8 209 - In Serial11 Chapters
the dungeon that made me
Two best friends get stuck in a dungeon and are forced to kill all monsters to survive. This is a story of Ranmaru and Sasha snd how life is like in a dungeon.
8 98 - In Serial43 Chapters
Im Not Wendy (Peter Pan Fanfiction)
2014. Starring the story of Julie Andreans, a 13 year old girl that lives in her childhood story: Peter Pan. Dreaming and wishing and praying that one day he would open her bedroom window and take her to Neverland. One day, her dreams come true,but... She's Not Wendy.
8 156 - In Serial11 Chapters
The God Hashira
A strange man arrives at the Kamado household seeking shelter. Along the way, the stranger is taken on a journey with Tanjiro and his now demon sister, Nezuko. How far will this journey take them and what may lye in-store for our protagonists?
8 153

