What does the Demacian Security Brigade want with me?
Delancey shook her head. First I spend the better part of a week getting interrogated by the DSB, then I finally get dismissed and I go to check on my commander and his wound has reopened. What a time to go and visit. Blood everywhere. Delancey furrowed her brow, running over the past four day's proceedings in her mind as she walked briskly across the courtyard of the Demacian Palace. She had run directly into a blonde haired man who had been screaming bloody murder and had sent her sprinting through the hospital to find a nurse or a doctor. She had finally found one, a odd old doctor who was coming out of a patient's room when she had more or less grabbed the doctor and took him hostage until he had agreed to treat Jarvan. She had been promptly arrested and detained by Military Police officers who had been on duty at the front desk. From there she had complied and let herself be taken in and locked up by the Provost Marshal's office where she had spent the rest of the evening and all of the next morning. Once she had been released by the MPs, she had headed back to her quarters and showered and slept off the rest of the day. If only that airheaded little medical puke had just listened then there wouldn't have been any issues.
Delancey snarled in disgust and shook her head, taking a deep breath and sighing as she forced herself to uncurl her fists, the frustration still keeping her stomach in a knot. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the gruff looking Demacian noncom officer marching across the quad towards her. He wore a grim and determined frown, glaring straight forward as other soldiers passed by, each saluting in turn.
"Sir!" The soldier a hand full of steps ahead of Delancey snapped off a salute as he marched past the noncom. Delancey felt ice settle in her stomach as she glanced at the noncom's chest. It was adorned with service medals and campaign ribbons, and a service star which denoted over twenty-five years of service. He had darkened skin from too much time spent in the field and the sun, and his dark eyebrows had horned curls at the crest points that gave him a fierce, angry look. He had dark, beady, brown eyes that sparkled with intelligence and danger, as if the slightest wrong movement would set him off like a firecracker. A sergeant major's rank bars shown on his arm, the golden thread glimmering brilliantly in the morning light. She felt her heart stop in her chest, the officer was only a handful of paces away. She snapped her arm into a firm salute, as best she could, as she marched smartly past.
"G-good morning, Sergeant Major!" She stammered as properly and proudly as she could.
The sergeant major's head didn't flinch, only his small dark eyes glancing over at her and fitting her with a piercing stare, barely an arms length away. "How do you know what kinda god damned day it is?"
The sergeant major's growl was fierce and angry, completely catching Delancey by surprise. Her eyes followed the sergeant major as he continued his straight line march across the quad, his armored boots clanking with every heavy footfall.
Delancey tripped and fell.
"You look like hell, Del." Lee grunted in greeting with a snort of laughter, raising his hand in salutations. "What in Valoran happened to you?"
Delancey stood in the doorway, her uniform splattered with dirt and damp from her short sojourn straight forward into the mud and snow. She clutched her uniform in one hand, her jacket draped over her shoulder. She had a glum look on her face as she turned towards him and glared daggers in his direction. "Bite me you lazy sack of shit." She hissed, moving towards her desk. "I don't want to hear it."
"Hey, it's not my fault you're clumsy." Lee said with a shrug and a chastising grin.
"Clumsy?" Delancey snapped viciously as she dropped her coat on the back of her chair. She posted her fists on her hips as her glare turned molten. "Maybe if you had actually been doing your fucking job instead of dicking your damned boyfriend, this whole thing wouldn't have happened!"
Lee's chair hit the deck as he leaped to his feet, anger darkening his brow. "Oh, so now it's my fault someone tried to assassinate a dignitary because I look some R-and-R?" He glared at Delancey as if he was daring her to repeat it. "That's bullshit and you know it!"
"Shut the fuck up before I shove my fist down your throat, Lee, I am REALLY not in the mood for your shit right now!" Delancey snapped, fury contorting her face.
"Sergeant Delancey, Sergeant Lee, perhaps now is not the best time to be-..." Valentine Isaacs stammered as she looked out from behind her desk. Her hand was poised over a sheet of parchement, the pen frozen mid stroke as she frowned worryingly.
"Stick to your paperwork, sweetie." Lee snarled, glaring at the young, brown haired, green eyed secretary.
"Bite your tongue, asshat." Delancey snarled at her fellow sergeant. "There's no reason to fuss at her like that. She didn't do anything." Lee threw his hands up into the air in exasperation and shook his head, picking his chair up as he glared at the young Isaacs for a moment before he spun on his heal and headed for the door. Delancey snorted as she bent down and opened the largest drawer on her desk and pulled out an extra uniform jacket. "And how the hell did you get a limp? You trip while taking it up the ass or something and sprain your ankle?"
"Har-dee-fucking-har-har, little miss daughter of a traitor thinks she's funny!" Lee snapped back. He froze, blinking a few times at his own remark and then frowned again, glaring at Delancey as if to challenge her into retorting.
"Go fuck yourself, cockbite." Delancey spat in disgust, slamming the drawer shut, rocking the whole desk back. She stormed from the room, slamming the door behind her so hard the entire office shook, dust falling from the ceiling and rattling the clock that hung upon the wall.
"God damnit." Lee muttered, running his hand over his short cropped hair, shaking his head in disgust. Silence filled the office as Lee sighed, looking down at the muddy jacket that hung on the back of her chair. Maybe I should have cut her some slack...
"Perhaps you should go apologize, sir." Valentine said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence had passed.
"What for?" The sergeant grumbled, scowling as he limped back to his desk, kicked the chair out, and slumped down, massaging his right leg. "It's not my fault she's in a piss-poor mood this morning." He kicked his boots up on the edge of the desk and sat back, grunting and groaning as he took the pressure off his leg.
"But sir, the prince, the Lieutenant Colonel will be arriving soon." She stammered nervously. "I don't think the commander will appreciate coming back to his staff fighting like this..." Her voice trailed off as the door cracked open and slammed shut again.
"Welcome back, Del." Lee barked, speaking aloud. "Now if you're finished with your bitching, I'm ready to ignore all that and let bygones be bygones. What do you say?"
"AHH-TENN-HUH!" The bellow was ear shattering, and Lee hit the deck as if a bomb had gone off in the building.
"What the..." Lee muttered as he scrambled to his feet.
"Fall in!" The Sergeant Major practically screamed, his deep voice a rumble that carried through the room like rolling thunder.
"But-..." Lee started to stammer, but the sergeant was rapidly losing his already sunny disposition. He was quickly becoming red-faced, his small beady eyes now bulging and glaring at the sergeant.
"FALL IN!" The sergeant Major bellowed again, a blood vessel now pumping on his forehead. Lee snapped to attention, popping a surprisingly crisp salute. The new officer rolled his eyes and sighed, continuing to glare at Lee. He glanced at Valentine and then frowned, looking back to "To think I was assigned to deal with this crap." Lee frowned as he looked down at the lanky noncom. His hair was a silvery-salt and pepper, shorn short, close to his skull. His skin was a dark tan and leathery in appearance, as if it had been stretched too tight over his frame. He had a frown that looked as if it had never left his face, his lower lip pressed upwards in a angry scowl.
Lee frowned. "Sergeant, I wasn't made aware-..."
The Sergeant Major's head tracked towards Lee like a turret. He took two steps forward, putting him within a matter of inches of Lee's chest. The Sergeant Major may have barely come up to Lee's shoulder, but the man gave off an intensity that dwarfed Lee.
"Excuse me." The Sergeant Major's drawl was gratingly tense. "I was informed that you, pretty boy, were a graduate of the Demacian Martial Academy, as well as serving a stint in the Arcane Academy." He paused, looking Lee up and down, his eyes hovering on Lee's hair, which was long and black, swept back over his head, close cropped up the sides. "However, I didn't fucking REALIZE they let blind recruits pass the damned physical, because last I checked, there were six bars on my shoulder, not three." His glare was scathing, his voice grating and anger dripped from his tone like molten steel. "I earned those bars and you, as such, will address me as Sergeant MAJOR. Are we clear, Sergeant?"
"Fine." Lee grumbled, not bothering to keep his disgust from his voice.
"What was that?" The Sergeant Major growled menacingly. Lee glared back at the Sergeant Major, not even bothering to try and hide his growing hatred.
"Sir, yes, sir!" Lee barked sarcastically, his face a mask of anger.
"Now where is that other one, the blue one." The sergeant major growled, posting his fists on his hips as he glanced around.
"Sergeant Delancey is currently changing, sergeant major." Valentine said with a bit of a frown as she shuffled a stack of papers on her desk. "She should be back momentarily."
The sergeant major glanced to where Valentine was attending to her paperwork, digging papers from a drawer, and then grunted a response, a frown still plastered on his face. "Very well." He eased his hands to the small of his back, sliding one hand into the other, spreading his feet apart just more than shoulder length apart.
"Sir..." Lee started to say, a frown on his face. A single glance from the sergeant major snapped his mouth shut.
Minutes of silence followed until the door cracked open. Delancey stepped in and shut the door behind her, wearing a clean, freshly pressed uniform. She glanced around once and the locked eyes with the sergeant major. She blinked twice and then snapped to attention, saluting smartly.
"Sergeant Major." She barked. The sergeant major didn't say anything but nodded in response.
"Good." The sergeant major growled as he glanced back to Lee. He pulled a pocket watch from his jacket pocket and glanced at it and then looked to the clock on the wall. "The clock is a minute and thirty-two seconds fast." He growled as if the clock had threatened his life, but clicked his pocket watch shut and tucked it away in his jacket pocket. As if on cue, the door swung open and Jarvan stepped in, his arm still in a sling. "Officer on deck!" The sergeant major barked, snapping to attention and then saluting smartly.
Jarvan stepped into the room and the officer behind him closed the door, setting a satchel on the ground next to the door. The officer with brown hair that was shot with silver at the temples glanced around the room and then let a smile spread over his face. "Will there be anything else, Prince Jarvan?"
"No, thank you Councilor." Jarvan said, bowing his head. The councilor extended his hand and Jarvan looked surprised, but slid his hand into the councilor's and gave it a firm squeeze. "If you need anything, please let me know."
"Hah, that's my line." The man chuckled throatily, his bushy brown beard thoroughly laced with silver. He glanced around the room, surprise washing over his face as he saw the noncom who was standing at parade rest. "Sergeant Major. I wasn't made aware you have transferred to this unit."
"A pleasure as always, Councilor Spiritmight." The sergeant major growled as he bowed at the waist, a slim smile barely pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Takes you back doesn't it?"
"It does, indeed." The councilor nodded sagely. He turned and nodded at the prince and, smiling and then turned to the sergeant major. "I hope you'll look after my grandson." He set his hand on the prince's shoulder. "He tends to enjoy getting into trouble."
"Sir, I'll do what I can." The sergeant major growled, a cruel grin on his face showing that he was actually looking forward to trouble rather than planning on avoiding it.
"Good man." The councilor nodded once, keeping his eyes on the sergeant major a few more moments. He turned to the prince and slapped him on the right shoulder once, nodding. "Your highness."
"Councilor." Jarvan bowed his head. The councilor excused himself and the door closed behind him as Jarvan turned back to the office. "At ease, ladies and gentlemen." Delancey, Lee and the Sergeant Major dropped to parade rest. "As you may have noticed, we've been reassigned to these new offices within high-command as a part of my promotion and assignment to Councilor Crownguard's staff. While I still report to General Lorcan, we're more or less acting independently. We're going to get a few more staff over the next few days, but for now I would like to introduce the newest member." Jarvan gestured to the sergeant major. "This is Sergeant Major Argus Perrywinkle. He served under my grandfather, Councilor Spiritmight, in the Demacian Marines, and then did a short stint in the DSB with my father. From today on, he will be my direct subordinate. He reports to me, and only to me. Is that clear?"
"Sir." Delancey and Lee barked in unison.
"Now, Delancey, I'd like a moment." Jarvan said, gesturing to the door to his office at the end of the large room that served as the Prince's new headquarters. She nodded. "Good. The rest of you are dismissed."
"Hup." The Sergeant Major barked, saluting as Jarvan stepped away. Jarvan picked up his bag and tossed it over his good shoulder, heading to the back of the room, letting himself into the large office through the door behind Valentine's desk. He stopped in the doorway and turned back to face out into the office. "Valentine, anything important comes in, I want to hear about it, alright?"
"Of course, sir." She glanced at the desk and frowned. "I have some paperwork that need signatures, when you get the chance, sir. General Lorcan's office has been bugging me about it since we got reassigned."
"How much?" Jarvan said with a slight frown. Valentine held up a stack of papers as thick as Jarvan's forearm. His eyes bulged for a second before he closed them and groaned. "Ugh. I'll... I'll deal with it after this." He muttered, stepping half way into the office and tossing the bag on the floor and then running his good hand over his face. He stepped back to the door and then glanced down at the stack of papers on Valentine's desk, looking at it as if it were going to come alive and bite him. "Just... start a folder or something. As soon as I have some time, I'll get on it. Thanks, Val."
"Of course, sir." She said with a slight frown marring her face. She offered Jarvan a smile as he retreated, the prince gesturing for the sergeant to enter, Delancey following him into the office. Jarvan took a last look over the office and nodded to Valentine as he closed the door, and then sighed heavily, leaning against the door as he sunk slightly, closing his eyes.
"God, I hate paperwork." Jarvan groaned aloud, watching as a thin smile flickered on Delancey's face. He shook his head and pushed himself up, straightening his uniform jacket out before moving forward towards the desk.
"It comes with the territory sir." Delancey said almost teasingly. "Sucks to be the prince, right?"
"Tell me about it." Jarvan grumbled as he rolled his eyes. He gestured to one of the chairs that sat in front of the desk. "Would you like to have a seat?" Delancey nodded her head, sitting gingerly on the edge of the chair, glancing around the office. Large Demacian banners hung from either side of the room at the ceiling, draped down to where the book shelves started. Large windows lined the back wall, behind the desk, giving a beautiful view of the Demacian coast line as it wound away from the city towards the northeast, and the Freljord beyond. Ships bobbed on the ocean swells in the distance, merchant vessels cutting through the deep blue waters, their sails and rigging billowing in the wind. The landscape was frosted white and gray with frost and snow, and despite the bright sunshine that gleamed along the snow, there was a a crackling fire to keep the office warm. Jarvan glanced at a small cupboard on the far wall, next to the fireplace, a coffee table, a couch and several more chairs laid out tastefully around the room. "Perhaps a drink? I was told there was some good wine in the cabinet."
"No thank you, sir." Delancey said politely, shaking her head tersely. "Perhaps another time when I'm not on duty."
"Forgive me." Jarvan chuckled, glancing out the window briefly and then settling into his own seat, shifting slightly in the high backed office chair. He took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, staring at the desk as he did, finally looking up and meeting Delancey's gaze. "I just wanted to thank you for what happened a week and a half ago. I don't know if we would have survived if you hadn't been on the protection detail."
"Your praise is too kind, sir." Delancey said stiffly. "I had plenty of help." Jarvan's brown furrowed slightly, noticing the discomfort that had flooded her stance as she sat poised on the edge of the chair. Her shoulders were tense and he could see her eyes flickering around the office as if she were expecting something. She tried to hide the nerves by smiling at Jarvan, but the prince had already seen it.
"You seem uncomfortable, Del." Jarvan said, sitting back, exhaling slightly, massaging his shoulder. "Perhaps you have something to say about what happened? This is the first time I've had the chance to speak with you since. Feel free to speak your mind."
"Sir?" Delancey's eyes narrows slightly. Jarvan tried to shrug, but winced, shifting in his chair to try and relieve some of the pressure on the wound in his shoulder.
"You're uncomfortable." Jarvan said, gesturing to where she was sitting on the edge of the chair so rigidly. Jarvan's frown darkened slightly. "And not from a wound, I would think." He paused, letting his gaze linger on the sergeant as she shifted slightly, trying to make herself seem more relaxed. "You either think I know something, or you know something that I don't that you think I should. Spill it." She looked squeamish, frowning as she glared at the ground. Jarvan matched her frown and then leaned on his arm, glaring at her for a few minutes, but she only met his gaze briefly before glancing away again. Jarvan sighed, leaning back in his chair. "If it'd make you feel better I can threaten you with treason if you don't tell me." A thin-lipped smile settled on the prince's face. "I don't like secrets, Del. Especially when my people know things that I don't."
Delancey bit her lower lip hesitantly before she glanced at the fire for a few moments and then looked back to Jarvan with a determined frown knitting her brow. Jarvan paused, watching as anger filled her dark green eyes, swirling with jade fire. She glanced back over her shoulder and then produced the same small box that she had given Jarvan before. She pressed the top of the box and then waited till it glowed green before she sank down in the chair, exhaustion washing over her slender frame. She glanced up at Jarvan with pain now filling her eyes. "Sir, I hate to say, but I've been threatened with treason so many times in the last few days I can't even take it seriously anymore." Delancey sunk back in her chair and sighed heavily, running her hands over her face as her shoulders sunk. The prince hid his surprise with a frown as he watched the normally high pitched, happy-go-lucky officer suddenly take on the haggard look of someone being held prisoner. The look didn't fit her at all.
"Explain." Jarvan growled, leaning back and frowning as he leaned heavily on the arm of his chair. "If someone is threatening your life..."
"No sir, not directly at least." Delancey said with a glum look on her face. "At risk of treason, I would like to express that all of this is being revealed under duress." Jarvan frowned, watching her uneasily.
"Fine." Jarvan said with a nod, raising an eyebrow. "Continue, Del."
"Two things: first, just something I noticed this morning: Lee's limp." She frowned slightly. "The second is something one of the assailants told me."
"First the limp." Jarvan murmured, sitting up slightly. "What do you mean? I heard it was from a hiking accident or something like that."
"How exactly do you get the tendons sliced up in your ankle, in addition to several broken ribs, from a hiking accident?" Delancey mumbled crossly. "I hike plenty and I get injured all the time. Sir, those aren't normal injuries for a hiking accident."
"What are you implying, Del?" Jarvan sat up and leaned forward, a frown on his face.
The sergeant looked hesitant but but she met Jarvan's glare openly. "I put a blade in the heel of one of last week's infiltrators, and the fight with Lieutenant Vorscham could have easily broken a few ribs." She frowned again, glancing away. "It was the right heel, same as Lee. He's got the same limp too." Jarvan frowned slightly but Delancey shrugged slightly. "I don't remember everything, but I had this feeling about that infiltrator. He was familiar. It was as if I knew who it was."
Silence followed as Jarvan met Delancey's stare, glaring at the young woman with a mix of disbelief and anger in his face. Jarvan didn't like the idea that one of his men had been trying to kill him, but there was a certain amount of truth to what Delancey was saying. The wounds fit what he had heard had happened, but until he read actual reports, it was going to be difficult to actually figure out what had happened. He frowned, looking back towards the door, thinking about the other sergeant under his command. Lee had proved to be competent, but he was also somewhat distant compared to the others. While Delancey was outgoing and happy, seeking to be friends with everyone, Lee tended to keep to himself. While that wasn't ground for suspicion, it kept Jarvan wary. Lee's investigations into Valentine hadn't shown any sign of headway, but it had also been weeks since Jarvan had spoken with him about it. The prince glowered, running his hands over his face. Why am I constantly mediating my men? Jarvan looked back to Delancey, the sergeant's blue highlights now looking out of place as she met Jarvan with a stony glare.
Jarvan sighed, shaking his head. "You know what you're saying, right? This isn't exactly a subtle accusation. This could be cataclysmic for us..." He glanced at the doorway and then closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, sighing. "My first day back, and I'm already dealing with this crap again."
"Sir, I'm aware of what the charge of treason carries." Delancey said huskily, now refusing to meet the prince's glare. She stared at her feet. "My father was executed for 'treason'." Jarvan could here the grating tone of her voice, reading the mix of disgust and abhorrence on her face as she used the word. She look up and met Jarvan's stare brazenly. "I stand by my accusations though. I'm sure that Lee was one of those infiltrators."
Jarvan sunk back in his chair, watching the sergeant uneasily, minutes of silence passing. Jarvan finally nodded and then sat up. "I'll look into it. I don't want you to get into any more trouble, so let me deal with it."
"Yes sir." Delancey said, sitting back and letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." Jarvan nodded once.
Jarvan tapped a finger on his desk rhythmically, a frown on his face. "You spoke with the DSB, correct? I would assume you were interrogated and debriefed by either them or the Royal Guard, and I doubt the guard would take the time to deal with it with the possible security issues. Did they have anything to say about this?"
"Security Brigade handled it." Delancey shivered but nodded solemnly. "I didn't mention this though. They were more interested in the other prisoner. It was as if they were just trying not to think about the one that got away."
Jarvan paused, his finger poised above the desk, looking at Delancey and hesitating slightly before nodding. "That's... curious." Jarvan mused, resuming his rhythmic tapping of the desk. "Very well. I don't want you to say anything to him about it right now. I'll deal with it."
"Sir, do you think this is a good idea?" Delancey said with a worried glance at the door. "What if he tries to..."
"I said I'd deal with it." Jarvan growled, only letting a bit of menace fill his voice, mostly to let her know just how serious he was. Delancey wore a hesitant frown but she finally nodded. "Good. Now, what about the prisoner? From what I've gathered, what few reports I've read, there were three? The one who got away, the one who died and then the last one, the prisoner?"
Delancey nodded. "Yes sir. She wasn't very old, not trained, but nimble. I managed to take her down without injuring her, but she was distracted." Delancey frowned, glancing back towards the door again, as if she expected someone to come barging through. "She didn't seem to be apart of the group. Just a sense I was getting."
"Distracted in a fight where she could have easily died?" Jarvan said, raising his eyebrow. He snorted. "That's hardly professional."
"I don't think she was with the other two." Delancey murmured. "Hell, I don't think any of them were together honestly. They were disparate, uncoordinated, and from what I remember when I first made entry, they were surprised. It didn't look like a breach and entry attempt for an assassination."
"Then what?" Jarvan said, leaning back, tapping his pen against the arm of his chair in thought.
"All coincidence?" Delancey suggested, shrugging off Jarvan's accusing glare. "I'm just saying sir, it's not like they couldn't have just shot you to start it all off if it was an assassination."
"But the marksman was shooting at Shyvana." Jarvan pointed out. "Not me."
"Maybe he expected you to take the shot for her?" Delancey grinned.
"Yeah, yeah." Jarvan said, shaking his head. "I couldn't get my Lightshield up in time."
"Performance issues?" Delancey's eyes narrowed as she snickered.
"Now you can shut up." Jarvan rolled his eyes. He pushed himself to his feet with his good arm, pushing his chair aside, moving towards the large windows at the back of the office. "Any reason you have this supposed hunch about this woman?"
"I don't know if you would call her a woman." Delancey said, taping her chin thoughtfully. "Girl or young woman would probably fit better. She looked even younger than Shyvana." Delancey paused again, frowning. "There was one more thing." Jarvan turned back towards her, giving her a silhouette of his profile against the sunshine that glared through the window. He gestured for her to continue. "She knew your name." She preempted Jarvan's protest by raising a hand. "Before you say that it's nothing to go off of, honestly sir, during the battle the young infiltrator seemed more intent on helping us, rather than fighting the other infiltrators or aggressing onto us. She was calling shots, trying to help whenever she could. She wasn't trying to hurt me during our fight either, and honestly, the few attacks she did make were aimed at protecting others from the marksman. Other than the eagle coming to her defense and trying to maul me..."
"Wait, did you say 'eagle'?" Jarvan strode around the desk towards her, a menacing frown on his face. "Blue coloration, golden eyes and pale plumage on its chest?"
"Yeah, how did you know?" Delancey sunk back half a step, her brow furrowing slightly. "It was a Demacian Eagle. First I've ever seen, but I recognized it. My father was a bird watcher, he talked about trying to find one continuously." Jarvan glanced back at his desk, and then stepped past her, looking at one of the shelves on the wall.
"This young woman." Jarvan murmured. "Did she had long black hair, golden eyes?"
"Short black hair, but yeah, golden eyes." Delancey said, nodding. "Sir, are you telling me you know who this young woman was?"
"I have a sinking suspicion I do." Jarvan groaned, shaking his head and sighing heavily. He hung his head for a moment and then stepped up to a coat rack, grabbing a long overcoat with his good arm and throwing it over his shoulders, not bothering to use the sleeves or even button it up. "Come on, we're going to go find out."
"Sir?" Delancey stood up and moved towards him, extending a hand as Jarvan moved to the door. "But what about..."
"What, Del, you want me to leave her to the Security Brigade?" Jarvan said, his hand on the doorknob. "I don't plan on leaving any of my men out to dry, and it's been what, a week and a half now?" He shook his head. "I know what they do to supposed security threats. It's been too long already."
"But she's just a kid." Delancey said, crossing her arms uncomfortably over her chest, shifting from foot to foot. "She's not exactly one of your soldiers, sir." Jarvan met her glare, anger flaring in his eyes. Delancey felt a shill run up and down his spine. Delancey snapped to attention. "Sir, I retract my statement, sir!"
"Good." Jarvan growled. "Now follow me or stay, take your pick. Someone has to watch the office."
"Sir, I'll follow." Delancey said, saluting.
"Good." Jarvan nodded and then opened the door marching into the outer office. Lee was at his desk, scribbling away with a quill. He paused, looking up as Jarvan glanced at him, meeting his gaze for a brief moment before Jarvan glanced away. Valentine was sorting through a stack of papers, setting yet another packet of paper on top of the stack that sat in the basket that she had pointed out to Jarvan that need to be signed. Jarvan suppressed the urge to sigh and roll his eyes. "Sergeant Major."
"Sir!" Sergeant Major Perrywinkle snapped to attention and saluted smartly. Jarvan glanced at the floor, noting with satisfaction that there were slight indentations in the carpet where he had been standing since Jarvan had stepped into the office. Jarvan returned the salute, waiting until Perrywinkle had dropped his salute and settled back into a parade rest stance.
Jarvan glanced up and down the noncom's uniform, hesitating as he looked over his chest full of medals. Decorated with ribbon upon campaign ribbon, medals that clanked with every step, and two Casualty Ribbons. Commendation for outstanding circumstances while incapacitated. Jarvan's eyes flickered up to where a large scar slid up along his neck, the tip of the scar showing from underneath the collar of his uniform jacket. That's one of the Casualty Ribbons. Jarvan cleared his throat and glanced back over the office. A bit of presence won't hurt when dealing with the DSB.
"Fall in, Sergeant Major." Jarvan growled. "We're going hunting."
"What or who are we hunting, boss?" The Sergeant major said with a thin grin. Jarvan watched the smile grow on his face, and he felt a shiver run down his back. It's like watching a snake smile.
"Security Brigade. Wanna join us?" Jarvan nodded his head at Delancey and then jerked his thumb towards the door.
"I always hated dealing with those assholes." The Sergeant grumbled, his smile fading slightly. "Lead the way."