"Because I've been selected to serve with honor, ma'am."
Celi's eyes narrow and she studies you in silence for a moment.
"I see that the Astral College is still doing its job well."
Before you can think of another response, she puts a hand on your shoulder and turns to the other officers.
"First day on the job, first successful mission. We could do far worse than Sublieutenant Vasanta, ladies and gentlemen."
She turns back to you and extends her hand. You shake it, feeling the cool power in her slender fingers.
"Welcome to the Hoplites," she says.
"Thank you, ma'am," you say.
She releases you and leans toward the table. First Lieutenant Magar calls up an overhead tactical display of what you recognize immediately as the opening moments of today's drop. Over the next ten minutes, you listen as Celi and the other officers discuss the action on the ground. At the time you were completely unaware of everything that was happening to the other platoons–to be fair to yourself, you were busy trying not to get killed–and it's fascinating to hear the commentary as each officer explains his or her thinking as they encountered various challenges. First Lieutenant Magar seems like he could teach platoon tactics at the Astral College. Lieutenant Sanvicente really knows how to hustle her troops forward. Lieutenant Taiwo makes excellent use of long-range weapons. Karim seems to be the hard-charger of the troop, getting in close whenever possible.
"How about your objective, Sublieutenant," Celi suddenly asks you. "Walk us through your advance and capture."
You think back over the various steps you took to secure your objective. It all worked in the end, but you were improvising as you went. How to explain that?