Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty - Chain of Command

All it took to see the commander of the base was for Bastion to walk up to the front and politely--but firmly--say “I need to speak with Commander Warmwood.”

No one questioned us, and even though we passed many soldiers, not one of them stopped us—though a few stared, of course. I was getting used to it. Not only was I not a sylph, I was also very much not a soldier. Bastion got his share of attention too, and a few salutes, though some didn’t seem as certain as others.

The commander’s office was in the largest building of the headquarters, a place where we were brought to and told to wait while the commander prepared himself to receive us.

“Any questions?” Bastion asked me as we both stood by the wooden door that blocked the way into the office.

“Why did only some of them salute?” I asked.

He chuckled. “Observant. As a paladin, I have no actual military rank. Also, as a paladin, I can give orders to the military and expect them to be... considered. It’s a strange position. No authoritative power, and yet some cultural power. It helps that most paladins were, at one time or another, in the military, most with some form of officer ranking. Though there are plenty of paladins from elsewhere. The guard, and some were outright civilians before joining.”

“Neat,” I said. Bastion’s specialness really shone when he was in his own nation. “Do I have to address the commander in any special way?”

“Refer to him as Sir Warmwood or Commander Warmwood. Be polite. Do... try not to hug him. Don’t salute. You’re not a servicewoman and I doubt you know how to salute properly besides.”

“I’ll do my best, Sir Bastion, sir.” I said. I snapped a salute, one foot thumping down and ears bouncing as I brought a hand to my forehead.

Bastion looked me up and down. “If you were my subordinate, I’d have you running laps to improve your form.”

I grinned and lowered my arm just as the door opened. “Come in, please,” someone said from the other side.

Bastion stepped in and held the door open for me.

The office was about what I expected of an office. There was a large wooden desk, sharp and angular, with a big padded seat behind it and two more seats before it, much less padded and not nearly as comfy-looking. The table was mostly cleared, except for a small potted plant on one corner and an oil lantern on the other. Some papers were stacked neatly in the middle, a gilded fountain pen left next to them.

I blinked as the person I guessed was the commander moved behind the desk.

I’d never seen an old sylph before. Not really. Or maybe I’d seen a few on the streets, but I hardly had an excuse to stare, and it would have been rude. The commander was an older sylph, with a heavy brow covered in white bristles, and saggy jowls under a scraggly moustache that could have passed for a brush. His hair still had some black to it, the same colour as Bastion’s own, and he had eyes that were a darker green than Bastion’s.

“Commander Warmwood,” Bastion said as he saluted.

The commander nodded. “A pleasure to meet you, paladin.”

“Paladin Bastion Coldfront, sir,” Bastion said.

The commander turned and eyed me up and down, and I had to suppress the urge to salute. It almost felt as if I had to in his presence. “And you are?”

“I’m Broccoli,” I said. If I couldn’t salute, I could at least smile.

“This is Captain Bunch, of the airship Beaver Cleaver. Her ship is the one I used to come here, and the captain happens to be a very talented explorer with a few skills that might come in handy,” Bastion explained simply.

“I see,” Commander Warmwood said. “Very well. Pleased to meet you, captain. I hope you find the base comfortable and that my men have acquitted themselves well.”

I nodded. “Everyone’s been very nice so far,” I said.

“Wonderful. Now, Sir Bastion, might I finally learn why I have a royal paladin in my office?”

Bastion shifted, arms folding up in the small of his back and legs planting more firmly in place. “Commander, it has come to my attention that there has been some recent trouble with the local molefolk colony. The city guard became aware of my presence and asked me for assistance.”

The commander nodded slowly. “That seems appropriate, yes.”

“We discovered that the molefolk have begun to build a large dam, which might threaten the safety of Granite Springs. Diverting the river entering the town would cause some obvious issues. The damage to infrastructure, and potentially the health of the citizens here, definitely escalates the issue.”

The commander straightened. “I see. I imagine destroying a dam would be a difficult task for a lone paladin, no matter how strong.”

“Actually, I believe it would be possible to convince the mole people to deconstruct their new project. It would be a much safer alternative than outright destruction.”

Commander Warmwood grinned. “Ah, a fine idea. Have them take apart their own tools of insubordination. That has a certain level of ironic charm to it.”

“Wow,” I said. “You just keep jumping to all of the most violent possibilities.”

The commander looked my way, confusion showing in the set of his bushy brow. “Pardon me?”

“I don’t know. Every solution you have is very... hammer-y.”

“What Captain Broccoli is trying to say, I believe,” Bastion cut in, “is that we have already come into contact with the mole people. Specifically, a General Holey, who is in charge of the forces at the dam. In situations like these, with possible diplomatic tensions on the line, I find it best to open a channel of communication between both sides before escalating to violence.”

“I... see,” Commander Warmwood said. He moved around his desk and sat himself down on his plush chair. Then he gestured to the seats across from him. I took one, wiggling myself in place until I was comfy. “That’s reasonable. I’m beginning to suspect that I’m missing some key information here.”

Bastion didn’t take a seat, staying standing instead. “I believe that might be the case, yes. Though I also suspect that it’s through no fault of your own.”

“Very well then, lay it out for me.”

“From my preliminary investigation, one that I started only this morning, I believe the sequence of events is as such: A quarry operated by Granite Springs relocated some of its equipment and started to dig in a new direction. This direction happened to lead the quarrying work into an area over the mole people town. I haven’t observed the Dhigeyhole - Granite Falls treaty, but this might be a violation of it.”

The commander sniffed. “So we started digging over their heads, did we?”

“Indeed. They have evacuated a portion of their town, and seem ready to divert the river for fear that it will shift towards the quarry, fill it with water, and potentially harm their town,” Bastion said.

Commander Warmwood leaned forwards, elbows on his desk. “Were you not a paladin I’d say that the entire story was a little far-fetched. But I imagine this is the kind of complication you’re meant to deal with.”

“They’re not usually so simple,” Bastion admitted.

The commander huffed. “Very well, you’ve convinced me that the military should intervene. It’s our duty to protect the citizenry, and I imagine this situation is beyond the ability of the guard. Do you have a plan, Paladin Coldfront?”

Bastion nodded. “Thank you, sir. During my meeting with the mole person general, he mentioned that he had sent frequent requests to Granite Springs, but these were intercepted by the military.”

The commander sat straighter in his seat. “What’s the meaning of that?” he asked.

“I do not know how trustworthy the general is, but he seemed quite put out by the lack of response. I believe the attempts, at least, were genuine. He also mentioned a Major Springsong.”

The commander’s upper lip twitched, a distasteful look crossing his features. “Oh, him,” he said before schooling his expression.

This was all very exciting. My mom used to love watching court procedurals and detective shows; this felt like being in one of those, but live. It was kinda cool. “Do you know him?” I asked.

The commander eyed me, then Bastion before replying. “I do. He’s not under my chain of command.”

Bastion tilted his head to the side, just a tiny bit. A quirk, showing his confusion, maybe. “He isn’t? Forgive me, is there any other battalion in the region?”

Commander Warmwood shook his head. “No, but you’re not a foolish boy—I imagine you can figure it out.”

“The Inquisition, then,” Bastion said.

I blinked. I hadn’t heard of them in a while. “Aren’t you part of the Inquisition?” I asked.

Bastion shook his head, then paused and seemed to change his mind before nodding. “Technically, yes. The Royal Paladins of the Order of the World operate under the auspices of the Inquisition. I’m a paladin of the Royal Inquisition. So yes, on paper, I’m part of that organization. In practicality, we are different. The Inquisition itself is mostly concerned with internal matters, protecting the nobility and ensuring a proper functioning of the nation, whereas paladins serve to protect the royal family. We serve the King, Queen, and their offspring more directly. Which often entails conflict resolution on their behalf.”

My head bobbed up and down. I’d understood most of that. “So, Major Springsong is an inquisitor.”

“With a small platoon of soldiers under his command,” Commander Warmwood replied. “I knew he was out of the base with the majority of his troops, but I imagined they were doing training drills or the like. It isn’t too uncommon to use the wilderness here for that sort of thing.”

“It seems like that’s not the case,” Bastion said. “Not unless it’s the most bizarre wilderness training I’ve ever heard of.”

“No, I would suppose not,” Warmwood agreed. The commander tapped the top of his desk with his fingertips. “This is becoming more complex than I’d imagined. It’s not in my purview to go bother the Inquisition, not without good reason. On the other hand, the settlement I’m supposed to protect risks being attacked or at least damaged. That’s plenty ‘good reason.’ ”

“But you’re still worried?” Bastion asked.

Commander Warmwood nodded. “It’s unusual.”

“Um, but we’re going to do something, right? We can’t just sit back, not when this might hurt the people,” I said. “We should go talk to this Major Springsong and see why he did what he did.”

“That seems like a reasonable approach,” Bastion agreed. “I don’t imagine you know his exact location?”

The commander nodded. “As a matter of fact, I do,” he said. The old sylph pushed off his desk and stood up. “I’m going to raise the alert level within the base by a notch.”

“Are you certain?” Bastion asked.

“I have the impression that no matter how things turn out, it will mean action,” the commander replied. “My bones might be growing old, but they’re old because I trust them when they ache like this.”

Bastion nodded. “Very well then. If you could have someone point us in the right direction, then the captain and I will be off. I feel like we’ll be running ourselves ragged by the end of the day, trying to keep up with everything that’s going on.”

The commander snorted. “Indeed. I’m glad you’re here, paladin. I can’t imagine what it would mean to learn all of this even a day later.”

“Just doing my job, sir,” Bastion said. “I hope you don’t mind if I skip some of the formalities. I think we might be more pressed for time than I’d initially imagined.”

“I understand. Good luck, paladin. And you too, captain.”

***