Like usual, Evie got back to base before the other Squads, giving her time to check on how the rest of Delta Squad was doing. Still not too well, it seemed, because Shard was still complaining about an old wound that had opened up on their last mission, and Jasper’s broken leg was still in a cast. 

After that, the General told her via intercom to head for the Main Hall, where high-ranking individuals were welcoming the newest recruits. She did as he said, entering the Main Hall, which was filled with the noise of talking. She slunk to the back of the hall, into the shadows, aware of the attention that her dragon-ness could cause. And not the good kind of attention.

Evie sat down and curled her tail around her, wings folded, as the General climbed onto the stage at the other end of the hall. The General was an elderly man, his hair cut short and styled neatly, the wrinkles on his face caused not from age, but from years of frowning. Although he was too old to go on missions, he was respected and well-known throughout Terra.

The General cleared his throat, and the room quieted. 

“New recruits,” He said, his voice rough and scratchy, “Welcome to Terra’s military, the force that keeps the peace on Terra and stops crime. Although the job of keeping the peace on planet Terra sounds easy, you will soon find it isn’t. You will need to earn the respect of your peers, train to survive deadly situations, and be able to be counted on in the moment.”

Some of the newest recruits were glancing at each other like they were wondering if this had been a good idea.

“But, before we begin your missions and training, you need to meet the Squad Captains and be assigned to a squad!” The General said. “We’ll go in alphabetical order. Alpha, you first.”

As the Alpha Squad captain (captain was another word for leader) walked onto the stage, introducing themself to the crowd and telling a bit about the way Alpha Squad did things, Evie wondered how bad it would come across that there was a dragon Squad leader. Probably just as bad as it had been in the past five years she’d worked for the Terra military.

Evie waited patiently as Alpha finished their presentation, and Beta and Gamma did theirs. Then it was her turn.

“Now for Evie, captain of Delta Squad.” The General said. 

Evie stepped forward, and felt ice run down her spine as all eyes in the room turned to her.