“Good morning, Litvir. Please, sit down.”
Litvir had been somewhat anxious about this meeting for at least a week. After some vacation time, mostly spent with their adoptive parents, Litvir was now ready to be inducted into a Legion. However, unlike most freshly graduated young Rethans, Litvir’s choice of what Legion to join had mostly been decided for them, before Litvir had graduated.
Tessar was an orange-plated higher-caste Rethan with dark grey strips who also had rather normal orange eyes, but most of that orange plating couldn’t be seen underneath their black Below Twenty armour. A gold band was wrapped around Tessar’s right arm, signifying their rank. Litvir wasn’t sure how old they were, but they guessed that Tessar was at least fifty years old.
“Good morning, Kyr Tessar…” Litvir muttered. “Is today the day I join your Legion?”
“Indeed. In today’s meeting, we will have a quick run down of what the 11th Legion does, then you will fill out some forms and I will induct you into my Legion. After that, I will take you outside and I shall introduce you to your fellow soldiers. Are we clear so far?”
“Yes, Kyr Tessar.”
Tessar smiled a tiny bit. They seemed a tad grumpy though, and “unamused” was the emotion Litvir picked up the most.
“So, first things first, we shall talk about our duty. The 11th Legion’s main job is tracking the whereabouts of our deities. We do already get reports from Kyr Dalosisaar and Kyr Elkay via the Thrakian and Skyan Deity-tracking groups, on what you all do. Mostly just a list of tasks you have all completed throughout the day.”
“Will you want reports from me?” Litvir asked.
“We will, yes. While we do accept the reports, we are more interested in what the elder deities are doing. In the past, us Rethans have had issues with angry deities.”
“How so?”
“There was an earthquake last year, here in Phos. It was-”
“Phos is not on a fault line or anything though!” Litvir exclaimed.
“Exactly. But the Lady of Light was angry at us and caused an earthquake that unfortunately did kill people. After that, the Oath Keeper assisted us, and us Rethans slowly became a godless state after the Oath Keeper sacrificed themselves to save us all.”
“Are you all still, uh, godless though?”
Tessar shook their head. “No, not any more. Mostly because you exist. You also embody core Rethan beliefs very well.”
“So what will I be doing?”
“Mostly, you will continue your duties as usual, doing your guard duty across the universe’s edges. At the end of your day though, we require you to do a very quick report on what you saw while on duty. The report that you send will be shared between the 11th Legion and the 1044th Legion, so they can cover areas that you can potentially miss, or if you need assistance while you work. The report will not be too complicated, it will mostly just be a list of coordinates where you encountered anomalies. I will require a second report should you need assistance from other deities, and if the 1044th Legion assists you with anything.
“On top of that, we would appreciate that you do a quick report on any and all group meetings with your fellow deities. Admittedly, Kyr Elkay has already been giving every tracking group a quick summary, but we want to see things from our own perspective. This report can be nice and short, all we really want to know is who was there, a quick note about what you talked about in the meeting, and anything that mentions us Rethans.”
Litvir nodded. “I can do that, yes.”
“Good. The last thing I want you to do is a little more… sneaky.”
“But… I cannot do sneaky! I am a 2.6m tall armoured monster who glows in the dark!”
Tessar grunted. “It is not that sort of sneaky that we need. What we want you to do is write a report whenever you meet with the Lady of Light or the Whenvern. We need to know what their mood is like. Are they happy? Sad? Angry? Whatever mood they are in, we want to know, in order for us to make preparations in case one of the elder deities gets… destructive.”
Litvir blinked and turned their head to one side. “Is this because of the earthquake thingy you mentioned before?”
“Indeed. Good Rethans died for no reason. We cannot afford to have something like that happen again. Which is why you assisting us in assessing the mood of our top deities is vital. Not just for us, but for every race. What happened to us could happen to anyone.”
“Ah…” Litvir trailed off. “I ought to… look up more modern history and find out more.”
“We would appreciate that. Anything you need to know outside of your duties in the 11th Legion, you may take to the 99th Legion for assistance.”
Litvir smiled. Tessar briefly wondered why, but quickly worked it out.
“Anyway, Litvir, do you have any questions?”
Litvir thought for a moment, then shook their head. “I think I understand right now, but if I have any questions regarding my new Legion, who can I ask?”
“You can ask myself or Taliv if you have any questions. Taliv is my second in command and very knowledgeable. If I am not present, then Taliv is your superior officer in regards to our 11th Legion. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, Kyr Tessar.”
“Are you clear on your duties?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Tessar rummaged for something in their draw, then stood up and prompted Litvir to do the same. Holding a small dagger in their hand, Tessar tapped both of Litvir’s shoulders.
“Litvir Kalophos, I, General Tessar Tritaris, hereby induct you into the 11th Legion, the Legion of Deitic Affairs. In joining my Legion, you swear servitude and loyalty to me, and will always answer my call. Am I clear?
Litvir nodded. “Yes, you are clear.”
Tessar then handed Litvir a sheet of paper and a small, plastic card. “Good. Welcome to the 11th Legion. Please keep your certificate of induction in a safe place, and please use the plastic card for access around the Kentron. If you work hard, you may earn the right to become a captain of the 11th Legion. Understood?”
“Yes, General.”
“Wonderful!” Tessar led Litvir to the door. “A small office has been provided for you. Taliv will show you to your work area.”
As Tessar opened up the door, a cheerful blue and yellow-plated Rethan approached.
“Hello, General! Hello, Litvir!” Taliv beamed. “please, follow me.”
Litvir nodded, then did as they were told, glad to finally belong to a proper Legion. Tessar smiled a little, then headed back to their office to do their own work.