"Ma'am, don't you think that among the new recruits, that one in particular constitutes a very real danger towards the others? Not to mention her evaluation, where she just barely made the top 50, and the..."
The cold eyes of the stern woman came down upon the speaker, and he wisely stopped, already wincing in recognition that he had overstepped his command, and being reminded why this woman was in charge of this program, as much as the rest of the board disagreed.
"Commander, if you recall, I was put in charge of this operation, and you were assigned as only counsel and support, no matter what those bigwigs among the governing board seemed to get in their pig-headed minds. As I am not asking you for any advice upon this situation, I do sincerely hope that you are not trying to tell me how to run my business," She watched in amusement as this man's bruised pride made him recoil away from her, almost as effective as if she'd physically struck him. Almost.
"No Ma'am, I simply think that allowing that girl entry, even with the standards that you set down, into the program could possibly have repercussions," The man, despite being warned, continued, though the fact he began to stutter several times let the woman know that there had been a mental effect from her statement.
As they watched the small group of 50 applicants below move across the base, some laughing together, others showing playful annoyance at the antics of the rest, and one who was too engrossed in her work to pay any mind to what was around her (thankfully another recruit had seemingly taken pity upon her, and was gently guiding her out of the way of the rest of the group), The woman's eyes hardened, and the male noticed it becoming colder.
"If any of them cause repercussions, then it will solely be on my shoulders commander, you do not need to worry about your pretty position, or your selfish desires. You will not be touched in the oncoming storm."
The male shivered at her cold comment, and the fact that he could now see his breath warned him it was time to be dismissed, "Permission granted commander, go report to your superiors, tell them that things are proceeding smoothly, and training proper will commence in two days time." The fact she didn't even look away from the scene below unnerved the man, but not nearly as much as the demonstration of her abilities, of which he'd only heard horror stories about previously.
"By your leave then, Ma'am," He stated, and hurriedly descended the hill, the woman watching with wry amusement as he nearly stumbled several times, but nonetheless made it back onto the base without sustaining any serious injuries.
Turning back to the young adults, the woman noticed most had already entered the mess hall, but a small group remained in close proximity, and were still outside. A small smile allowed itself to prod at the edges of her blue lips, before she turned on her heels, and with several small sounds like wind chimes knocking together, and a cold breeze, she made her way back to the command centre, to continue preparations.
Operation Eastern Wonderland would begin soon.