The door to the combat chamber slides shut and locks. For the first time, I hear its echo. Instead of crackling EM storms or shouted commands, I hear my own breathing. I hear the breathing of the cadets standing around me.
Victoriously, I break rank and step onto the dais. “I’ve never been more proud to be a Serpent.”
A collective sigh of relief escapes as we acknowledge the ground breaking moment.
“Today we take our domination to a whole new level.”
Hisses and fist pumps spread organically throughout the group. I let the small celebration run its course before getting down to businesses. “Now, if each of the commanders would come forward.”
Name by name, each of the dorm commanders announces the six members of their dorm that will fight as part of the Serpent 49. Lastly, I call the names of Yetic, Cera, Neca, Olin, Tenoch, T’zan and my own name as the forty-ninth.
I nod toward the other commanders and then retake the dais as captain. “Now if the rest of you would politely die with honor,” I do my best to mimic Cera’s joyful grin, and it works. Laughter erupts. Several seconds later, I continue, “Actually, I was thinking we could spend the next thirty minutes working up some special recipes for the other barracks—maybe even some new dishes.”
The remainder of our allotted time for round one goes by quickly. We’ve never gone into a combat scenario with all eight of our commanders. At first, the combined egos make me doubt the strategy. After initially butting heads, the individual strengths and enthusiasms of each dorm group rises to the surface.
Serpent 1 and 3, the two dorms best at toggle, prefer heady yet flexible strategies. They like to poke and prod their enemies and act with determination only after finding a distinct advantage. As a result they’ve developed great instincts and defensive capabilities. I assign both of them to overall defense and ask them to be my right and left when things get ugly.
Serpent 2 is chocked full of fliers. Not as powerful as Neca and Yetic, they’re fast and frenzied. Uncertain I’d be able to rein them in if I tried, I decide not to try. They seem to respect Neca as a poster child of bad boy improvisation, so I slide him out from under the banner of Serpent 6 and make him a 2 with the hope he’ll be able to rally the rest of the 2’s when we need them. As an added bonus, the move might minimize the jostling between Neca and Yetic.
Serpent 4 and 5 both prefer a straightforward smash-mouth style—something I have witnessed in 5 but am surprised to learn about 4. It turns out, 4’s leadership has been forced to adapt to the limitations of their dorm. But for today’s rumble, they’ve chosen their six with the most punch.
Serpent 7 prefers precision and speed. They also seem the least comfortable with improvisation. At one point, about twenty minutes into the conference, a loggerhead forms between the commanders of 7 and 2 over how to coordinate a simultaneous attack via ground and air.
After a minute of wasted time and energy, I suggest the leader of Serpent 7 share command with Olin. Everyone in Serpent Barracks has heard rumor of our connection. Some even think they know how it works.
At first, the proposal is met with ire. In the end, I’m able to convince Serpent 7’s commander that being paired with Olin will thrust them into a central position of importance and allow me to utilize their quick precision at a moment’s notice.
Led by Brutah, Serpent 8 has long been Serpent 6’s closest competition within the barracks. They are capable and proud, so I elect to team them with Serpent 4 and 5 to form the bulk of our muscle.
In the final minute of our allotted time, I realize Serpent 6 only has five members remaining. Cera and Yetic were obvious choices. The new transfer, Tenoch, had proven his mettle the day before, and Cera likes him. T’zan remains one of my favorites. He probably considers himself subpar telekinetically, but he thinks outside the box.
Plus, the thought had occurred to me that while the controller of the chamber can limit our telekinesis, the one thing he or she can’t effect is hand to hand combat. In that department, T’zan rivals Yetic and Neca, and he’s nearly as big as both of them combined.
With a few seconds to spare, I praise the group a final time and stand. The other commanders stand next, then the remaining 49, and finally the whole of Serpent Barracks. When the chime sounds to indicate the end of round one, not a single Serpent has shed a drop of sweat. Our 49 is fresh, inspired, and ready to fight.
The door swishes open and Turon enters. He wears a look of shock a little too readily. I’m almost certain he knew what to expect. Most likely he has been watching from the control room. For all I know, he could be the one sitting behind the controls.
Turon stutters briefly, “With the conclusion of round one, I invite the forty-nine individuals remaining,” he stops and scratches the back of his neck. “Well then, you guys certainly know how to muddle up the place.”
I scan the faces of the cadets around me. If smirks made a sound, ours would have been deafening.
“Let me start again.” Turon clears his throat. “With the conclusion of round one, I invite the chosen 49 to exit the chamber.”
With me and the other commanders at the very center of the circle, it takes a few seconds for the group to part. Without instruction to do so, the 49 also part until everyone is waiting on me to move first. As I do so, a single person claps.
By the time I stride through the bulk of the group, everyone has joined in, creating a thunderous round of applause. It’s another sound I’ve never heard during my six months inside the academy.
Until now, I’ve maintained authority within Serpent Barracks due to my friends and my flattery. Possibly my abilities to compromise and drive hard bargains have helped. Never, until now, have I felt truly admired.
As I exit the chamber and distance myself from the applause, I discover a more terrifying revelation. Never have I felt the pressure to live up to so many people’s expectations.
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