Hierarchy
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon
Heels clicked on the tiled floor as Commander Jupiter strode purposefully towards the staircase. The commander looked as immaculate as always and her steps had an almost superior seem to them; the halls of Team Galactic Headquarters' were as bustling as always but Jupiter never made any move to step to the side whenever she neared another member coming her way.
After all, she was one of the commanders. The lowly grunts knew to keep out of Jupiter's way early on when they had first joined Team Galactic. Many envied her and the power she had over them, particularly when Jupiter flaunted it, testing the boundaries of what she, as a commander, had the authority to do.
Some grunts had complained about her to others, immediately regretting it whenever Jupiter found out. And she always did. It was never worth speaking their views on the commander, because it always led to harsher words and more degrading assignments.
As Jupiter ascended the stairs, her sharp eyes spotted two female grunts rounding a corner. Ignoring them, she continued to walk, and was pleased to note that one of them, a girl who had been a member of Team Galactic for a long time, averted her eyes from the commander; she didn't even dare to look Jupiter in the eye. Her cropped blonde hair was brushed neatly, her uniform looked worn, and she knew enough to keep well away from Jupiter.
But the other girl looked unfamiliar. Her uniform was still crisp and it looked brand new; the girl looked uncomfortable in the clothes that many other grunts had gotten used to long before. She gazed at Jupiter with curious blue eyes as the commander came ever closer to her, making no effort to hide the stares.
Jupiter gazed back, looking bored and uninterested before averting her eyes to the staircase standing metres away, which would lead to her destination. It would have been nothing more than a mere encounter, had the staring grunt not bumped into Jupiter, knocking the surprised commander to the floor. As the grunt too slid to the tiled floor she bit back curses and snarled at Jupiter, "Why didn't you move?"
Jupiter pursed her lips together and narrowed her dark eyes. "Excuse me?" The grunt on the floor ignored the quiet but venomous tone that had seeped into Jupiter's voice.
"You heard me! You ought to have moved!" As she stood, her companion gaped openly and nudged the grunt, eyes wide with horror. But the stubborn girl folded her arms and glared at Jupiter, openly defying her.
Commander Jupiter got to her feet, noting with surprised amusement that the grunt glaring at her seemed unaffected by the fact that the commander towered over her. The short girl continued to glower and hissed, "You should have moved! Why didn't you?"
Jupiter's lips twitched into a smirk and she asked softly, "Are you new here?"
"So what if I am?"
"Do you know who I am?"
"Do I look as if I care?"
"You ought to." Jupiter glanced over at the trembling girl next to the defiant grunt. "Take a good look at your friend here."
"She's a wimp, afraid of everything," the grunt replied. "I, however, am fine with standing up for myself when I know that I'm right. And you were most definitely in the wrong!"
Jupiter raised an elegantly arched eyebrow and snorted. "Do you know who I am?" she repeated.
"No, and I don't care! My name is-"
"I'm afraid that I couldn't care less who you are. You are nothing more than a lowly grunt and you ought to pay dearly for speaking to me like that." Jupiter's tone had switched to one filled with anger and hostility as she interrupted the girl.
The sudden change in tone caused the grunt's expression to falter slightly and as she looked the woman in front of up and down, her eyes were drawn to the different uniform. "What?"
Her companion, unable to keep her mouth shut, screeched, "She's Commander Jupiter! You idiot!"
"There's a third commander?" the grunt wondered out loud.
"Yes! There is!" Aware of Commander Jupiter's sharp gaze, the girl shrank back and bit down on her lower lip, looking at the imposing woman fearfully. She bowed her head slightly and said no more as Jupiter's piercing gaze unnerved her friend slightly.
The grunt in front of Commander Jupiter looked from her shaking friend to Jupiter, unsure of exactly how to proceed in this delicate situation. She had only met Saturn and Mars, and though she was relatively new to Team Galactic, she did know that it would probably be best to stay on the good side of the commanders. She paused, her mouth open to speak, and finally decided upon what she deemed appropriate to say. "Sorry, Jupiter."
She had decided that an apology would be best in this situation, and so was completely stunned when Jupiter bent down slightly and snarled, "How dare you address me in that manner, you insolent brat! You will address me as Commander Jupiter, and if you ever forget that I'm going to make you pay in ways that you can't imagine!"
Her mouth open with shock, the grunt stuttered, "I-I'm sorry, C-Commander Jupiter."
Jupiter straightened up and looked down at the grunt haughtily, nodding in approval. "That's better. If you want to succeed in Team Galactic, I suggest you learn your place." Looking straight at the girl who shifted her weight awkwardly and stared at the floor, Jupiter's cruel smile widened. Her usually attractive features had twisted into an intimidating smirk as she reveled in her power, liking the fearful expression on the grunt's face as her head bobbed obediently.
Jupiter allowed a menacing glint to come into her eyes as she paused, pondering what to say next. She eyed the girl and raised an eyebrow, before asking, "What is your name?"
"M-my name? Uh, it's Shayla." Shayla clasped her hands together tightly, eyes darting around her wildly. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, much to the amusement of Jupiter.
The commander folded her arms and said, "Well, Shayla, I will be watching out for you. If I ever catch you in trouble, consider your punishment to be severe because I will not stand for rude, obnoxious little brats who are unaware of their place here. Understood?"
"Understood!" Shayla nodded, trembling a little.
Seeing a few other grunts staring at the scene in shock, a few metres away, Jupiter added sharply, "And let that be a lesson to the rest of you. Don't forget your place; I am in charge of you. Earn yourself a promotion, and perhaps that'll change, but until then you are to listen to me and obey my every order."
Enjoying the grunts' compliant nods of understanding, Jupiter tossed one final look of disdain to the girl looking up at her, blue eyes wide with fright, and strode off. When she was out of sight of the grunts gathered around the girl, who had caused the scene, Jupiter's left hand reached out for the staircase that stood less than a metre away from her. As she ascended the staircase, she had to resist the almost uncontrollable urge to laugh, as images of the terrified grunt flashed through her mind. 'Pathetic girl…she'll never make it here…' Allowing herself a small chuckle, Jupiter stepped in front of a metal door and knocked upon it sharply with her knuckles.
"Jupiter, you are a born leader," Cyrus declared, nodding his head in approval. "I have had no regrets since promoting you to commander."
The female commander smiled. "You are too kind, Master Cyrus. It pleases me to know that my methods of controlling those…grunts... are satisfactory." She leant forward as she rested her chin on her intertwined hands.
Saturn rose from his seat, rolling his eyes as he did so. "Ah, so this all explains your uncharacteristic tardiness. Suddenly it all makes sense after you have told us so proudly that you took the time to terrorise a grunt."
Mars giggled and tossed her red hair. "You know, I actually agree with you in this case, Jupiter. What a shame I wasn't there; it amuses me to no end to watch them squirm. Not many of them will ever make it to even the next level, yet alone a commander. Sometimes they just need a reminder on their place here."
"Ah, the hierarchies of societies," Cyrus mused softly, slouching slightly in his seat. "Some of them are far too weak to succeed; they will never climb any higher than they are now." Suddenly he straightened up, and his tone change abruptly. "But we are here tonight to discuss the progress you all should be making in regards to our red chain project."
Immediately, Mars broke in with chatter concerning her part in the plan. But though the conversation had switched topics, Jupiter's mind was still on the incident earlier. Barely managing to suppress her smile, she savoured the feeling of superiority she was feeling at this moment.
'I am in control…They are beneath me…Finally I am up high in the hierarchy…' She allowed herself to reminisce for a few extra seconds, before focusing on the meeting.
Shayla's movements were sluggish as she scrubbed at the stain on the plush carpet. Her lips were pursed tightly together. Seeing the grunt responsible for her sudden switch in duties walk past shooting Shayla a smug look, she glared so ferociously the other grunt dashed past.
"I hate that woman," Shayla muttered darkly as she bent her head, returning to the task at hand.
"Who do you hate?" a sudden voice enquired.
"Commander..." the grunt began, looking up slowly. Seeing Jupiter in front of her, smiling smugly, Shayla switched gears abruptly. "Commander, what was the name of that girl who knocked into me, spilling my coffee?"
Jupiter rolled her eyes and smirked. "Not this again. Shayla, this mess was your fault, and that is why I assigned you to clean it up."
Biting back protests, Shayla nodded contritely, her face twisting into a forced smile as she mumbled, "Yes Commander Jupiter."
Jupiter's eyes traveled from the spilt liquid to Shayla's Team Galactic uniform, grimacing slightly. "Shayla, clean yourself up after this, will you? As a Team Galactic member you are expected to wear your uniform with pride, not dirty it by being clumsy around other people."
Looking visibly angry despite her attempts to hide it, Shayla nodded jerkily before muttering, "Yes Commander Jupiter."
Tilting her head to the side, Jupiter cupped a hand around her ear. "Excuse me? I didn't quite catch that. You really ought not to mumble, Shayla. Master Cyrus may get the wrong idea and consider you a girl who can't even speak articulately in the presence of somebody higher in rank than yourself."
Shayla inhaled sharply as she tried to keep her temper. "I said, yes Commander Jupiter."
"Much better." Jupiter turned to leave, only to find herself face to face with Commander Saturn. She stumbled slightly, having not expected to have somebody standing so close behind her.
His sharp eyes darting to the grunt kneeling on the floor, Saturn raised an eyebrow before turning back to Jupiter. "Master Cyrus has called for another meeting. As a commander, your presence is necessary."
"Another?" Jupiter looked at Saturn who shrugged his shoulders, indicating his lack of knowledge in regards to the reason for the meeting. Out of the corner of her eye, Jupiter spotted Shayla looking towards the two commanders longingly. "Shayla, finish your assignment."
"Assignment?" Shayla blurted out, her shoulders shaking as she tried to hide a snort of laughter. 'She calls cleaning duty an assignment?' she thought, wanting to giggle.
"Do you find something that I just said amusing?" Jupiter's eyes darkened and the grunt bit down on her lower lip before shaking her head apologetically. "You're a lowly grunt," Jupiter spat. "You'll take what you can get in terms of assignments." The female commander shot the grunt a withering look. Her smile wiped off her face, Shayla tensed and nodded her head again, aware of Saturn's amused expression as he watched the two.
"Jupiter, the meeting," the male commander prompted.
Jupiter tossed one final look of disgust at Shayla, before turning on her heel. "Let's go, Saturn." The two commanders strode out of the room and when she looked over her shoulder, Jupiter was aware of Shayla's crestfallen expression. 'You've blown it, grunt,' Jupiter thought, shaking her head slightly. 'I'm going to make sure that somebody like you never climbs any higher in the Team Galactic hierarchy. It's a place for somebody like me, and you will never belong. I am superior to you. I hope for your sake you don't forget that.' Her head held up high, Jupiter followed Saturn as he turned a corner. Smiling slightly, Commander Jupiter once more reveled in her power.
A/N: Right, a few notes about this fanfiction:
1. This was written with the intention of trying to get Jupiter into character so that she'll be IC when I write her in a Pokemon fanfiction that is not currently posted but I am working on. Since I have no idea how other Pokemon players view Jupiter's personality, I'd love some feedback, preferably constructive criticism so I can know where I went wrong. ^_^ Personally I can imagine the Team Galactic commanders enjoying, and possibly flaunting, their power. But I would love to see what other people think of them. :)
2. This (And "The Augmentor" which I am currently writing but haven't posted) is supposed to be set in Pokemon Platinum, not the Pokemon anime. I'm basing the characters off what they seemd like in the game.
3. If you're wondering about Shayla, she's just some random made up Team Galactic grunt, used solely to show what I believe Jupiter is like to those she considers beneath her, probably grunts. I was looking up names, and apparently one of the meanings of Shayla is blind, so I used it in this fic; as in, Shayla was blind to who Jupiter is and what she's really like, blind to the ways of Team Galactic because she's new. Honestly, I just wanted a name with a meaning that in some way tied to what the grunt was supposed to be like.
So, I would really love some feedback if you could spare a moment.
Also, thanks to Kitty Kat K.O. who beta'd this for me. ^_^