Chapter 14 : Mission Concluded

Sai returned to the ship moments after they wrapped up, things went well enough from what he was able to see.

The away team did fine and Sai made sure to make a note of it when reporting back to the Squadron Captain when he got aboard the ship once more.

After he had returned to the ship command, he'd have a quick conversation with Hakuen regarding the team's performance. 

He was currently seated at the biggest chair in the command room with a holographic interface before him.

'' They did well, I can't complain about how they did aside from some minor friction between Vorand and Lila but it is a miniscule note and aside from that the group is ideal. We can rest easy whenever there's a task that needs handling and you aren't there. So how does it feel, leading the group? ''  Sai asked.

Hakuen had gone silent, contemplating how things have been so far but all that he could say was something he definitely couldn't say in front of the group as a whole.

'' I'm afraid I'll make a mistake and make the group lose confidence and trust with my command. I'm not the oldest person here and I doubt many people in the group trusts me in earnest but rather only follows my command since they don't want to rock the boat. '' Hakuen replied.

Sai could tell the male was clearly thinking about this alot and he knew it'd be awhile before Hakuen came into his own as a confident leader but for now he needed to give him some assurance.

'' The more you lead, the more they'll trust in you even if there's a chance that they don't right now. You are young but these experiences will aid you into becoming the ideal leader if you give yourself the faith that you put into the team. This is just the start of our journey together. '' Sai hoped his words helped.

Hakuen nodded and left the room first, he wasn't sure how to respond to all of that but Sai could tell that on some level it alleviated some of the burden Hakuen had.

Sai knew this would be a work in progress regarding the Captain but for now he should check in on the other members of the Squadron.

He'd leave the room not long after Hakuen did but had gone to the Holographic training chamber from before to find Vorand there, busy hunting a giant rhino with spiked skin but Sai's entry had caused Vorand to stop in his tracks.

'' You're here, what could it be that's brought you here unless of course you want a spar with the Field Captain? '' Vorand jested, although part of him was curious how he'd fare against others in the squad aside from the ones he already battled.

Vorand was one of the older members of the squadron but even he had certain things that he enjoyed that others would consider childish and one of those things was his focus on combat and assessing it.

Sai shook his head at Vorand's claim, trying to get that out of his head before the idea gets entertained any further.

'' I'm here because I wanted to ask how did you feel after finishing the mission? Your first command regarding the squadron's field team? '' Sai waited for his answer.

Vorand sighed, contemplating how to reply.

'' This isn't my first rodeo, I've had an army under my watch before but certain things happened and the only thing capable of helping me get what I want is to work with the government that's spread its reaches out throughout the galaxy so I've had to put a pause on my own command. I do admit I should've been the overall Captain but maybe the government doesn't think I'll help them out before I help myself. As far as this mission went, I got no qualms whatsoever. It was pretty fine, the elven woman didn't exactly follow my commands how I preferred but she did get the job done. She knows what she's doing and I didn't have to critique her aside from her not directly doing things how I wanted, objectively she was pretty good.  '' Vorand responded.

Things seemed fine on that front.

Sai had no further questions, nodding in response.

'' That's all I needed, thank you for your time Vorand. '' Sai replied before leaving the room.

He didn't need to check in on the other members of the Field Team since he got everything he needed at this point.

After wrapping up he'd enter the data he had gotten overall in the office designated to him, far away from the other rooms where distant sounds could be heard.

This day went fine enough but he knew he needed to work on the rest of his bonds with the other team mates seeing as how he only made some progress with two today.

After submitting the report, he got up from the chair in the office space and turned off the computer.

While he was walking back to the room where he shared with Michael, he felt a stinging pain in his head only to hear the same familiar voice that told him he was being given a second chance to rewrite his fate.

A spectral image of the crystal appeared once more, intent on talking with him. 

'' Do you have a minute Sai? We should talk once more about the future and your plans moving forward. I can see that there's alot on your mind so it's best we clear certain things up for you. ''