"I haven't had the chance to properly report to Commander Celi," you say. "I think I might pay her a visit."
Raised eyebrows are the only response.
Next
You get back to your cabin and jump into the shower, suddenly appreciating the small amount of privacy you're afforded as an officer. The entire washplace is barely big enough for you to squeeze into, and your main cabin has just enough room for a bunk, a desk and a storage unit. But it's yours, and it's more than you've had in four years of Astral College and strike officer training. As you pull on a fresh set of uniform green coveralls, you can't help but steal a glance at the single silver bars on each shoulder. Not the spaghetti stripe of a cadet, but the full bar of a commissioned officer. You take a deep breath, centering yourself. You're about to report to your troop commander as one of her officers.
As a senior officer, Commander Celi merits her own private workspace as well as accommodations, and you only have to walk a few dozen meters from your own cabin before you stop outside her door. At your buzz, the door slides open and you step through.
Commander Celi is seated in one of the two comfortable-looking chairs in the middle of the room. Her feet are up on the table and she was apparently in the middle of reading one of several tablets spread out around her. A long, tidy workstation is mounted to your left on the inner bulkhead, facing a broad window that looks out into the blackness of space. A closed door behind her probably leads to her private cabin. She raises large, dark eyes to regard you.
"Sublieutenant Vasanta," she says with a note of surprise. "I don't recall summoning you."
"No, ma'am," you say, forcing yourself to hold her gaze. "I just wanted to properly report to my superior. The day has been a bit rushed."
She stares at you for a moment, as if considering. Then she straightens, taking her feet off the table, and motions for you to sit across from her. You round the chair and sit down, back straight and hands on knees.
"I like your preference for the understatement," she says. She crosses one leg over the other, still staring at you.