Monk

General Howard Graves, Colonel Robert Watts, Governor Jacob Jiles.

These three men are the principal leaders of the revolution. The General looks at me, the other men have not yet arrived for the meeting. They won't be here, for a while actually.

"Can I be honest, Doctor?"

"Certainly."

"Your story about your life... every bone in my body screams bullshit."

I blinked at his statement.

"Sir-"

He raised his hand.

"However I simply could not give less of a shit if it's the truth or not. Plenty of people in the rebellion have a past, because rebellions don't always attract the most law-abiding people out there. So what I will do is judge you based upon your actions."

He pulled out a book.

"Your actions have saved lives. More than once your intel has saved very important people in the rebellion or allowed us to turn the tables on ONI and get a win where we should have lost."

He paused.

"Six Carriers, 27 dreadnoughts, 7 destroyers. That was the fleet you gave us when we got here, a little bit capital heavy but since we didn't have any capital ships before this... In the month since we have arrived here, you have added 600 destroyers to our fleet. Bringing us to 6 carriers, 27 dreadnoughts, and 607 destroyers. For the first time in the Front's history, we have a fleet worthy of the name and it's because of you."

He flipped a page.

"With Project Athens you gave us our very own supersoldier program, one that doesn't rely on stealing children from their parents."

"It's not safe to use that process on people under the age of 21, I've run the calcs and-"

He raised his hand.

"Not a science guy. And honestly I see the age limit as a benefit, not a disadvantage. The idea of giving some teenager superpowers gives me nightmares so the fact that the process requires people that have had some time to grow? That's a good thing in my books, also it gives the young grunts something to work for. That's always a good motivator."

He looked at me.

"In the future, when people ask about your past? Just tell them you're a mother fucking mad scientist and don't have to explain anything."

I nodded my head.

"I will do so."

"Good. Now any of these three things by themselves would get you a seat at the table, all three together? You're now officially in the inner circle."

I smiled.

"Your position is Quartermaster General but your official job is to make stuff for us, which by the way is the job you volunteered for."

He paused.

"Your request for a Carrier, by the way you could have made clear that those are more or less small cities, is also granted. Mostly because without you we wouldn't have a single one."

He paused.

"Any way you can make more of those?"

"Not until I upgrade the Carrier I have into a proper Star Forge. As long as a single Carrier lives the fleet lives but if we lose them all..."

"We lose it all, yes. I got it, son."

He looked at me.

"I got all of our fly-boys in those VR trainers, it's not the same as hands-on training though. Going to have to ask some old retired navy friends to come out of retirement."

He stretched.

"This Samus girl, you think she's got what it takes to train project Athens?"

"Yes."

"Well, it's your baby. Quite frankly we need you too much to meddle. If you fail, you will die. That isn't a threat by the way because I will die too, we will all die. But if we pull this off then the people of the outer world will remember us forever."

I smiled.

"I like that idea."

"Then, for the love of God, win."