Adam was slow to wake next time. His body carefully set under anesthetics so his introduction to this new development would be as controlled as Gramu could make it. The slave formerly known as Rutemia had already been refit with a new translator which was easily visible on her bronze scaled face.
As the young man opened his eyes he could smell a very fragrant aroma. He had no idea why, and while he was still in the haze of sleep, he was still aware enough of his injuries to avoid moving in ways that would mess around with the medical equipment in his body. "Could someone tell me what that smell is? and why they would put something so appetizing near someone in a hospital bed?"
As Adam opened his eyes asking this, he saw Alluris pouring a liquid that appeared to be similar to tea into a cup, he only now noticed that his bed was set on a slight angle so he could more easily sit up, all of the other medical machines were also refit so he could have easy movement while still impaled by medical tubes.
"Recruit Blake." Alluris wasn't in uniform as she said this. Only when Adam had actually bothered to take notice of things about his more distant vicinity did he realize that the woman he had always seen as a superior was in civilian clothing for once. "You've been woken up so that the CEO may personally grant you your compensation for the oversight of our rules."
That caught Adam off guard. but he took the cup of tea offered to him and drank it with satisfaction. He was surprised how good a drink this tea was. He wasn't a fan of tea (probably because he had only drunk the bad stuff) but this tea was by far one of the greatest drinks he has had. "Thank you for the drink. I don't know how much this cost but it must have been expensive."
"Milady Gramu can easily procure these resources, so can you now, if you so desire," Alluris stated, she had a lot to hide and hoped that the software that had been hastily set up could fool the boy for an extended conversation of lies.
"Yeah, still. I know this is about my injury. But why is the CEO coming herself to deal with this? It's not like it was an oversight of someone high up?" Adam was cut off before he could say any more.
"But that is where you are wrong, Recruit Blake. This is an oversight by Gramu herself. My lady has allowed the Vanid and fellow recruits certain freedoms compared to other batches. as she will be retiring to one of you." Adam couldn't help but snigger at that. the thought of Alluris still believing in the boy when he caused
"Recruit Blake, this is a serious matter. could you explain to me what is so funny?" Adam didn't need to take anything from his translator to know he had annoyed Alluris, though his haste to form conclusions mistook the reason the woman was angry.
"Oh sorry, Ma'am," Adam stated, forcing himself to get back into order. He could feel the stress of his situation getting to him at this point. instead of just the feeling of stress, he was starting to experience minor sickness symptoms... he hadn't had these since he was doing exams in university. "I'm just surprised you still believe I have a chance at becoming CEO."
"It shouldn't be that hard. you are a peculiar alien Recruit Blake but you are not as inferior as you have been purported. your ideas, while unorthodox are surprisingly effective. and despite your shortcomings, you focus on what advantages you can make to cover up those flaws."
"I don't think I'm doing that well. My scores are just above the average so far with my unorthodox nature, and I'm not even taking into account my abysmal engineering scores. "
"And?" Alluris asked, letting the question hang in the air for a few seconds before continuing. "Recruit Blake, we are training leaders, not super soldiers. everyone has their faults and you have shown to be able to understand yours and work towards mitigating them."
Adam's stress spiked when he thought of that... the actions that happened to him throwing his apparent failures in his face. "And haven't I failed at that Ma'am?
"What do you mean?"
"Adam didn't recognize Alluris' surprise as he continued. "Instead of working with my troops to build camaraderie and loyalty. I instead managed to alienate one to the point of treachery." Adam's almost defeated cry let out the biggest fear in his plans. He couldn't make his troops loyal and therefore they wouldn't have the drive or the (ironically) loyalty to get what needed to be done.
"I do not understand your meaning, Recruit Blake. Your conversation with the Hron earlier in your training expresses a mindset that we both desire in our officers, but in a way that confused us heavily." Alluris began, already interrupted by her conversation partner.
"What do you mean?"
"If you would refrain from talking and just listen, we've gone severely off-track our original topic but having an officer full of self-doubt is as deadly as an overconfident one. You have in yourself the desire to ensure the care of your underlings. Now, this is usually found in high-quality officers who discover that keeping their troops in good condition is more profitable instead of chasing short term gains. but you specifically have your 'duty of care' a responsibility to ensure the prosperity of those below you instead of keeping them well maintained for your own benefit. The CEO does not fully understand this concept but she is interested in it.
"That still doesn't explain how getting a soldier to betray me is anything but a bad thing."
"That is exactly why. I don't know what culture you came from, but the quality of a leader is not in how they inspire loyalty. as long as they can keep the fleet profitable, they don't matter. insurrection is kept down through punishment. Your fear that your troop was seduced by a superior into treachery is a representation of your duty of care. not your inability to lead."
Adam could only chuckle awkwardly at this. He was so surprised by his failure to understand the situation that he blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, it seems I slipped too far into my historical culture buff days."
"Historical culture? what do you mean?"
"Well I was always interested in stories and the recovered human relics had great ones. showing great cultures. of concepts that I found truly exceptional and desired for myself. That's probably where I learned things like duty of care."
Alluris almost laughed at that, though a lighter one than outright laughter. This was a man who followed the human legends just like gramu. maybe he would be better than they believed.
"Well, I cannot explain any further as the CEO is getting impatient. " Alluris stated as the door was opening with Gramu and Rutemia walking inside. Gramu was in her full attire, her uniform dotted with symbols of prestige from the empire and personal touches to improve her gravitas.
Rutemia though was a different matter. She was wearing a simple outfit that covered a majority of her body. her talons freed from the suit but the bulkier and more specialized translator on her head didn't escape Adam's notice either. and now that he was thinking about it, his cup was empty for a while. so he placed it back on the cup Alluris placed the cup on originally, only for the woman to refill it.
"Wait, don't tell me-"
"Recruit Blake. I am here to officially apologize for my inaction on handling the treachery case that almost led to your death. and therefore this apology and transaction will be recorded for all to see and understand." Gramu's voice was as authoritative as the situation was tense. Adam could tell Rutemia was nervous. and the camera behind Gramu backed up her claim.
"Wait what do you mean recorded? wh-" Of course the human didn't care about the situation and went out asking. so Gramu took advantage of the situation and cut him off.
"Failing to enforce my own rules is a serious breach in the public's opinion of my capability to lead. Therefore I will ensure this is the one time that this situation happens so that the validity of my word will be restored to its original integrity." Adam was starting to understand now. This was all a ploy to get all eyes on Gramu. she was going to crack down on things to ensure that her supporters were satisfied. and part of that was giving him compensation.
"Therefore I have personally paid for all the expenditures for your slave for the duration of your training period. I have also personally set a room for you and your slaves to stay in until the day of your discharge or resignation."
"Th-Thank you, ma'am!" Adam stated in surprise.
"Any practical lessons you missed will not be counted towards your final grading as well. I have also prepared to penalize the organizer for your attempted loss of life to pay compensation. Are there any problems with this arrangement?"
"N-No Ma'am"
"Then place your skin on the DNA scanner in front of you to finalize the contract." And since Adam easily had fingers, he placed a finger on the small spot, not feeling as the machine took his DNA to sign his part of the video contract.