The General of the 1000th Legion grunted to themselves as they entered the Kentron, the centre of the Rethan government. Gath Tsoriou was an utterly colossal Rethan, standing at 3.2m tall and covered in cream and brown plating, with nearly black skin. They were a soldier-caste Rethan, not normally someone who was even capable of being promoted to the rank of General, but Gath was special. They were not just the General of Rethan Heroes, but they had a special title, that of the Keeper. Gath had earned this title when they were very young, at the age of 28, by saving a Rethan nursery on their own, saving the lives of ten adults, fifteen younglings and thirty unhatched eggs, as well as the five staff that worked there. A combined Torr and Temthan mercenary group had attacked the nursery, looking to harvest the children and eggs for DNA samples for the Yisinic Cycle, a rogue Temthan experimental science group looking to create the perfect species.
The whole event had cost Gath dearly. They didn’t manage to save everyone. Gath lost not only their newly wed partner but their unborn child as well. And the trauma of having gone Defensive Stance for over twenty hours (on top of the over thirty bullet wounds Gath had taken during the scenario) had caused physical and mental damage that Gath was still dealing with, nearly 40 years later. That was why Gath was in the capital city of Phos, having spent the morning seeing specialist doctors, rather than doing their normal duties providing morale to active Legions and younger recruits in the surrounding counties. Sure, Gath did have a home in the capital, but they were regularly on the move.
Thankfully, all of that was over now, but Gath had some time on their hands. The cardiologist Gath had seen had recommended that they take some stronger medication, as well as a week off work. That was fine by Gath. They liked time off work. And that meant they could do something for themselves for once.
Hence why Gath was at the Kentron. Ever since their partner had been killed, Gath had remained alone. They had tried to change that though recently. At the suggestion (well, more of a dare) of several Below Twenty Generals, Gath had asked the High Advisor on a brief date. Relkir Rethianos was a very small but vastly intelligent higher-caste Rethan who, for once, hadn’t constantly asked Gath about that traumatic day. Gath liked that. Gath liked Relkir. But Relkir was a bit shy and they had both been busy, so Gath hadn’t has a chance to ask Relkir on a second date.
A secretary at the entrance to the Grand Hall stopped Gath in their tracks. The High General, the leader of the Rethavok, was in a tele-meeting currently, with the High Advisor by their side. The secretary smiled at Gath and suggested that they wait in the main reception until the meeting was over.
Inside the Grand Hall, the High General had only just managed to keep their cool after a very demanding meeting with the Torr. As the communication screens switched off, Rethais got up from their throne and was very tempted to throw their crown across the room and through the large windows behind them. However, Rethais took a deep breath and counted to ten, before turning to Relkir.
“That could have gone worse?” Relkir tried to be optimistic.
“Those bastards do not listen!” Rethais tutted as they sat back down, then checked a handful of memos. “They demand information before we have it ourselves! Kuta sent their deitic affairs report literally five minutes after it happened, and Hasvik sent the report to the Torr as soon as we had read it, yet they still want more! AND they are demanding we renew our ties with the Lady of Light, and that is not happening!”
“Standard Torr behaviour, admittedly…” Relkir sighed.
The High General grunted as a secretary approached with a note. They snatched it from the secretary’s hands, then sighed and apologised for the rudeness of their actions before reading the note. “Hm. Relkir, the Keeper has requested a meeting with you, right now. You should go.”
“The… the Keeper?” Relkir stuttered.
“Yes.”
“Have they said why?”
Rethais read the note again. “A social meeting, apparently. The Keeper has been in and out of Phos as of late due to their poor health. You have not spoken to them since our trip to Portalia.”
“But… I have work. And duties. You have a tele-meeting with the Imperator of the Frozen Scythes in an hour, and we need to go over preparations with our meeting with the Below Twenty Generals tomorrow, doubly so since General Kuta will be back and we need to discuss our connections to the Holy Four!” Relkir protested. “I cannot abandon you, it is my duty to advise you at all times!”
Rethais took another deep breath, then got up and approached Relkir. The High General was of perfectly average height for a Rethan, but they were the last of the now terminated Bloodline Traditions, and Rethais was known to be rather imposing and powerful. Relkir on the other hand was a runt, despite being part of the Rethianos family as well.
In fact, Relkir, Rethais and their distant sibling Retvik were all triplets, having been laid and hatched at the same time. Relkir was considered the youngest because they were the smallest and weakest. However, although they all agreed that Rethais was the elder Rethianos, there had always been rumours that Retvik had hatched first. Rumours that were buried after Retvik was exiled, choosing to give their own life in order for Rethais and Relkir to be able to live theirs. After all, there were only supposed to be two Rethianoi per generation, and the fact that they were triplets had caused major issues.
While the Rethianos Tradition was now over, and Retvik had been repatriated, they had chosen to remain outside of Rethan territories, happier being a gladiator rather than a powerful politician like Rethais or a noble advisor like Relkir. But Relkir still harboured a lot of guilt. Mostly because Relkir was so small and weak that they had only just managed to complete basic military training. At 2.2m tall and only weighing 130kg, Relkir was only just tall enough to not be classified as physically disabled. But because Relkir was insanely smart, they had pledged themselves in servitude to Rethais, and worked permanently as an advisor to the High General. In return, Rethais had given Relkir their own rank, in appreciation of Relkir’s intellect. Still, occasionally, Relkir could get… hung up on things.
“Relkir, Relkir, Relkir, what have I told you about taking breaks?” Rethais playfully asked as they patted Relkir on the head.
“That I do not take enough. But now is not the time for me to be taking breaks!”
“I have lots of other advisors. And both the tele-meeting with Imperator Akah and the Below Twenty meeting tomorrow are routine, we have done these many times, they always go smoothly. Plus, the Keeper wishes to speak to you. A colossal Rethan hero requests your presence and you do not wish to go?”
Relkir sighed. “I… I… It is complicated…”
“You like General Gath, yes?” Rethais asked. Being the High General, Rethais rarely used titles for other Rethans, outside of two people: the Master of Generals and the General of Rethan Heroes, both of whom were considered almost equal to the High General.
“I do, yes.”
“Then go. Go and see them.”
“But…”
Rethais placed their hand firmly on Relkir’s shoulder. “But what? I can deal with these meetings. I have dealt with them before. Yes, you are my best advisor, but I have other advisors in the mean time. Also, you should not neglect yourself, little sibling. You are free to make new friends, if you so desire. Doubly so since the Keeper clearly wants to be friends with you. In fact…”
With a smile, Rethais let go of Relkir, then reached for a sheet of paper and a pen by the table next to their throne. Rethais quickly scribbled out a note and signed it, before stamping the piece of paper with a nearby Seal of the Retha. They handed the note to Relkir and smiled some more.
“By a Decree of the High General, you, Relkir Rethianos, are ordered to not work for the next three days. Official holiday leave. Go and have fun.”
Relkir hesitated, then bowed and exited the Grand Hall. The secretary outside called them over, then pointed them to the reception, where the Keeper was waiting. As they entered the reception, Relkir immediately remembered just how huge the General of Rethan Heroes was. But they were also incredibly gentle as they approached.
“Relkir, it is good to see you again!”
“It… it is good to see you too, Kyr Gath…” Relkir stuttered. “You… you wanted to see me?”
Gath nodded. “I did, yes. I would like to ask you out on a date. I have some forced free time on my hands and decided to, well, take advantage of that. But I understand if you are busy.”
“Well…” Relkir stuttered some more. “Well… uh… the High General did… somewhat force me to take some time off.”
“Oh?”
“They said I work too hard. And that I should… well… you wanted to meet me, and I should accept.”
“High General Rethais is very right, you should accept a date with me!” Gath smiled. “Because I very much enjoyed our first date. A second one would be nice.”
Relkir took a deep breath, then relented. Sure, the Keeper was a huge, terrifying being, but they seemed to have a heart of gold.
“Very well. I accept your date proposal.”
“Wonderful!” Gath beamed, gently taking Relkir by the hand. “Come along now! I know a lovely cafe we can go to!”