“Good day, General Vaksavar.”
“Good day, Rethais. What are you doing here today? You should have other obligations.”
Rethais never enjoyed speaking to the Master of Generals. Yes, Rethais out-ranked them, what with being the leader of the entirety of the Rethavok, but Vaksavar carried a lot of weight and was more powerful than Rethais wanted to admit. In fact, Rethais secretly wanted to bring in a new Master of Generals, but that would have required an election and finding someone willing to run against Vaksavar.
What made things more awkward though was that Vaksavar was utterly ancient. The only other high ranking General who was close to Vaksavar’s age was Kaldoran, the General of Medicinal Affairs. After the demise (or disappearance, no one was sure) of Kuta, the former General of Deitic Affairs, every other high ranking general, including all the other Below Twenties, was younger than 90 years old. And because of this, Vaksavar’s power felt even stronger.
Rethais quickly sighed. “I literally arranged for this meeting with you. My obligation right now is to talk to you.”
“You want to replace me.”
“I do, yes, at some point, but that is not why I am here right now.”
“Why do you want to replace me?”
Another sigh. Rethais decided to be blunt. “You are too old for your job. You do not have the strength and fitness you had during Photis’s rule. You recently had a heart attack, and only survived because Kuta and the All-Ksa managed to get you to a hospital, just in time. You are old-fashioned and overly grumpy, and I would rather you resigned and retired and lived a life in peace, rather than suffering another heart attack and your life being cut short. Especially now since you had surgery to have a pacemaker placed inside you.”
Vaksavar grunted. “Hm. Those are actually somewhat fair reasons. Not reasons I like, but they are. I assume you want to replace me sooner rather than later.”
Rethais grunted back. “Unfortunately, the one person I wanted to replace you with is no longer with us.”
The Master of Generals immediately worked out who Rethais was referring to, and they stood up rather angrily from their desk.
“You dared to consider that little ice-eyed, thick-toothed freak of nature as a replacement for me?”
“Yes.”
“I feel insulted.”
“I do not care. And you can rest easy that it will not happen…” Rethais tutted. “May I speak about the actual reason I am here, please?”
Vaksavar snorted, then sat back down. “Fine, out with it.”
“Simply put, I will not be here forever. I will finish this term, potentially run for re-election for a second term, and after that, I will move on to a new job or perhaps retire. Unlike Photis, I respect the law and will only serve the maximum of two terms.”
“That is normal. I do not-”
“Please, let me finish!” Rethais was getting annoyed now. “Anyway… A lot of my success has been due to me having some very, very good advisors. After I step down though, I do not want whoever takes my place to be lacking in advice and support.”
“They would not though? A new High General would pick their own new advisors.”
“Advisors who may not be particularly good. I will be honest with you, Vaksavar, I know you somewhat dislike both Relkir and myself because we ended the bloodline traditions, but you cannot deny the fact that Relkir has been a diligent public servant, as have all my other advisors. Without them, I would have struggled massively. And a new High General might not have the expertise to work cleanly and precisely with our Below Twenty Generals and perhaps you as well.”
Vaksavar seemed confused. “I am not sure what you are talking about. You did not have problems settling into your position, and neither did Photis.”
“True, but Kenis struggled massively in their first term, and I only succeeded because I had Relkir by my side. A future High General might not be a Below Two Hundred Legion, and they may struggle a lot as well.”
“So what are you implying?”
“I want to create a new Legion. One for the many advisors working among our ranks. A Legion that is separate from the 47th Legion and whatever Legions follow after I step down. I want to make sure that, no matter what happens to me, that every future High General has access to a Legion specifically set up to advise and assist in the running of our government and our race overall. And, at the same time, such a Legion would be divorced from internal and external politics, as they would not have the biases that hiring new recruits to join a new ruling Legion would normally have.”
Vaksavar very suddenly worked out what Rethais was talking about.
“You want to remove Relkir from the 47th Legion and make them the General of this new Legion of Advisors?”
“Yes. Because I do not want to hoard Relkir’s intellect. They have worked diligently not just for me, but for everyone. When I leave, which I will one day, I want Relkir to be able to continue their work. And setting up a Legion that Relkir will run will help greatly. Not just for me, but for all the advisors working for the Vice General, the Below Twenty Generals and the General Council. As the Skyavok say, knowledge and wisdom are to be shared. It is the one thing they keep out of the shadows.”
Vaksavar thought for a moment. Rethais was correct. Very correct. Worryingly correct.
“Do you think Relkir can manage a Legion on their own?” Vaksavar eventually asked.
“Of course. They already organize my other advisors. As far as I am concerned, when it comes to all-round and general knowledge, Relkir is one of the smartest and most organized Rethans around.”
Vaksavar thought for a moment longer, then grunted. “Rethais, are you worried about nepotism?”
“Not really, if I am honest. If I were to be called out for nepotism, it would have happened when we repatriated Retvik…” Rethais trailed off, then sighed.
“What is wrong, Rethais? Are you still mourning for your sibling?”
“A little. I… regret not ending the traditions sooner. Retvik was a genuine hero. They saved so many lives. Relkir proved themselves strong and heroic too, saving the members of the 100th Legion you left on Thresisa. And you would not even be here had Kuta, Retvik’s poor poten-partner, saved your life. I can do nothing further for Retvik. But Relkir deserves recognition, both of their strength and their intelligence. A new position where Relkir can offer everyone advice, would be beneficial for us all.”
“Hm… Well, emotional manipulation aside, you do have some very good points. And you are correct that someone as intelligent as Relkir could serve everyone, not just you. The question is, what would we call this Legion, and how do you want to number it?”
Rethais blinked. “You are approving this new Legion?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. I expected you to fight back a lot harder.”
Vaksavar shook their head. “You presented a good argument for the betterment of all of us. So, tell me, High General, what do we call this Legion?”
Rethais’s surprise faded and was replaced with a smile. “I want to call it the Legion of Advisors.”
“Good, good. I will get started on the paperwork. I shall leave you to your obligations.”
“Thank you, Vaksavar!” Rethais bowed slightly as they stood up. “I am glad we see eye to eye on this. Let me know when you require my presence.”
“Will do. Speak soon, High General.”