The Commander, Business Trip (2)
The office I worked in usually settled into a quiet atmosphere. There were always at least two of us stationed there, so conversation happened, but voices were rarely raised. There were any number of reasons for that, but it mostly came down to keeping the work running smoothly.
...Not anymore.
"No way!!!"
Today, as always, a shout rang through the room. However you looked at it, we were a long way from quiet now—but I'd more or less gotten used to it. I'd gotten used to something I probably shouldn't have, but what could I do? Humans were adaptable creatures.
...No. If I hadn't adapted, my eardrums would have burst and I'd be dead already. They'd been at it for days.
Honestly, it was still bewildering. Just three days ago, no one would have interfered with my work unless they absolutely had to. Not that they wanted to—raising a hand against me could get them punished for insubordination. Even setting that aside, they respected my position more than anything.
And now they were taking this hard-line stance as if none of that had ever happened. It wasn't even one or two people. The entirety of Firma was opposing me. I didn't have to look far—right in front of me, three people including my Adjutant, Calia, were in the middle of protesting. I was managing to keep my composure, more or less, but it was definitely getting in the way of work.
And the cause of it all was none other than...
"A business trip?! You think we'd ever let you go on something like that?!"
Right. That damn business trip. They were screaming themselves hoarse trying to stop me over that one thing. Calling it "they" was a bit of a stretch when loud-mouthed Calia was doing most of the talking, but showing up here meant they were of the same mind.
...Which meant I had more people to convince. Just great.
Ugh.
I pushed the helplessness that had climbed all the way to my throat back down and gently leaned into the chair.
Three days ago, the Berta Federation had gotten in touch. Communications between factions tended to be smothered in flowery language, but the gist was that they wanted to see my face. The timing was a little early, but objectively speaking it was a pretty good opportunity. If I showed off that the Commander was alive and well, it would make an excellent foundation for when Firma started its external activities in earnest. Of course it could backfire if they dismissed me—but the Commander inside me would handle that somehow, wouldn't she?
And I was well aware that I was pathetically weak, so I'd planned to take the personnel I'd already earmarked for dispatch along as my escort, but...
"You don't even need to go. We can handle it ourselves, yeah?"
...As you can see, that hadn't helped at all.
Given how things stood, I'd stalled Berta with something along the lines of I can't leave my post at the moment, so we'll coordinate a schedule later...
"Nothing's going to happen. It's just some contract adjustments and a short conversation, that's it."
"And we're supposed to trust that snake bitch?"
"We're too tangled up with them for them to do anything to me. At worst it'd just be a pissing contest."
"...Even a pissing contest could prove poisonous for you, Commander."
"...I get it, so... could you undo these first?"
"Until you say you won't go... I'm never... letting you out..."
How was I supposed to convince them? This wasn't a conversation at all. I mean, if they were just talking, I could maybe work with that...
Clink—
...And what was with the handcuffs so I couldn't run away?
They weren't even the usual kind you used when arresting a criminal, with the arms cuffed in front. They'd locked each wrist to the armrests on either side of the chair, completely sealing off my hands. Was this that confinement thing people talked about? It felt weird. Not something I'd particularly wanted to experience.
My ankles weren't much better. At least they weren't fixed to the chair legs—they'd just bound my ankles together—but that was cold comfort. What good was a little extra freedom in my legs? I couldn't exactly do my work with my feet. And I meant that literally, not as a figure of speech.
Anyway, thanks to that I couldn't get any work done. If things started piling up from here, I really wouldn't be able to handle it... Even if I escaped, the only place I could go was my room, so why were they going this far?
"...Haa."
Of course I understood how they felt. From their perspective, I'd come back after two years only to announce I was walking straight back into danger. After finally reuniting, if I met with some accident before even a single season had passed... I didn't really want to think about that. And they didn't even know whether the Berta Federation was friendly toward us, which would worry them even more. Strictly speaking, we hadn't been close.
Still... I couldn't help sighing. Was it because I wasn't the original Commander?
"Girls."
I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them and spoke. The three who'd been arguing with me all flinched as one. I almost let out a hollow laugh at the sight. If they were going to react like that just because I'd shown a little discomfort, they shouldn't have started this in the first place. Well—I supposed that meant they'd summoned that much courage. In any organization, disobeying a superior's orders wasn't something you did half-heartedly. I knew that feeling was entirely for my sake, so I had no intention of disciplining them either.
But.
"Was the Commander you knew that weak of a person?"
"...No."
"...Not at all."
"...No way."
Of course not. If she'd just been some frail thing, she wouldn't have beaten down every last lunatic who came after her. And she wouldn't have been able to keep Firma intact through the constant power struggles, either.
Right. But.
"Then what about me?"
Was I not allowed to be that?
"Are you saying I'm so pathetic I'll just get pushed around by anyone?"
"Commander, that's not what we—"
"Then what?"
"Th-that's..."
"How is what you're saying any different from telling me to stay locked up in here for the rest of my life?"
Sensing something had gone wrong, they hurriedly tried to jump in. It pained me to see, but I couldn't stop the harsh words this time. A Commander should be the one protecting her subordinates, not the one being protected. That was what I believed.
Sure, if I just holed up inside Firma, my body would be safe. I could live comfortably, relying on ironclad security and a fighting force formidable even by the standards of the entire Continent. Sure. That was all it would be. If I never went outside and insisted on nothing but desk-bound administration, we'd slowly fall behind and collapse together. That much was obvious.
I had zero intention of becoming a fattened pig, locked in a beautiful cage, grown sluggish with complacency. I would never allow that. Hell, if I let myself end up like that, the original Commander might come back and wring my neck.
"...Sorry for getting angry. But nothing's going to happen."
"..."
"It's not like I'm going alone. If anything happens, I can come right back."
As the room went quiet, I dropped the sharp tone and asked calmly. If I didn't convince them properly here, I'd just be forcing it through on my own. Even if that resolved the situation in front of me, it would drive a wedge between us—and I couldn't have that.
...And setting aside those high-minded reasons, what did people think was one of the leading causes of death among frontline field officers? If I didn't want to meet with an accident, I'd better handle this well. Yeah.
"I promise. Okay?"
"...Commander."
Had my sincerity gotten through? Of the three who'd been keeping silent, Calia's mouth opened first.
"If you come back hurt..."
"Then...?"
"You'll pay for it. Dearly. ...Just so you know."
I barely managed to keep the corners of my mouth from lifting on their own. Along with the implicit permission came ridiculously favorable terms. That much I could keep even with my eyes closed. I was starting to wonder if I was getting too good a deal.
"That won't happen, so we're good, right?"
"Commandeeer...!"
I chuckled and tossed out a little joke, and the reaction was surprisingly satisfying. Unexpectedly good impact. I'd have to tease her more often. The other two hadn't said anything, but they'd nodded, so... that was agreement, right? This should be enough, shouldn't it?
Whew.
I inwardly patted down my anxious heart. Of course this wasn't the end—I'd still have to put together a roster everyone could accept. Even if I just scraped together some of the girls currently sitting idle, we'd have enough firepower to wipe out a decent army and get out, so that wasn't really a problem. ...If I actually did that, Berta would protest, so I shouldn't cross that threshold.
Alright. One problem down. Now only the most important thing remained.
"Mmm, so then... could you undo these now?"
With that, I deliberately wriggled my body, still locked down at the wrists and ankles. Anyone could see the motion was needlessly exaggerated, but I had my reasons. The sooner I got my freedom back, the sooner I could throw myself back into being a corporate slave and actually shorten my workday... and I'd been sitting too long. I was getting stiff. I needed to get up and stretch or I was going to die. If I squirmed like this, maybe they'd undo them a little faster?
"..."
"Um, girls?"
...Was this not it?
Their eyes had suddenly gone weird...
Why?