Part 30: Chapter 30 (Intermission) - Think Before You Speak

Iago strides coldly into the break room of the barracks, where a few soldiers are sat around having a drink. With an unimpressed look on his face, he walks up to the coffee cupboard, where Lucy is reaching up to get herself a drink.

“Out of my way.”

“Oh, sorry!” Lucy says, beaming. “You’re Iago, right? I’m Lucy! Pleased to meet you!”

“I don’t want to know your name. You’re just another soldier.” Iago replies.

“Oh, um… right.”

“You Orange Star soldiers, the 11th Division, who went on the first campaign against Sturm.” Iago says, pouring some coffee granules into his cup. He glances up at the kettle, but it’s still boiling. “You have such an inflated sense of self. It is utterly infuriating.”

There’s a bang on the other side of the room, and Iago jumps as a soldier stands up, slamming his mug down to the point that it almost shatters. Lucy turns around, and shivers as she realises just who Iago has annoyed.

“Ordinarily, I’d let a statement like that slide. There’s prob’ly more than a few soldiers amongst us who haven’t really earned the right to be as highly regarded as they are.” Dave says, taking a step forward. Iago gulps. “But you’re talkin’ to the Queen of the Skies, Lucy Ophelia Maxwell, and so I can’t let that slide. If there’s a single damn soldier in this barracks who deserves, genuinely, to be called a ‘hero’, it’s her.”

Iago’s eyes flash. “Her? But-”

“But nothing!” Dave barks, with such a ferocity in his tone that Iago falls silent once more. “Lucy faced more hardship in her fucking childhood than you ever have on the battlefield, let alone all the things she’s done in battle. She freed Orange Star from Black Hole’s yoke, not once, but twice!”

“Orders are orders, of course.” Iago replies silkily. “Are you going to praise a soldier for following orders?”

“Orders?!” Dave says, shaking with fury. “She was ordered to fight and die for her country. What she did is go above and beyond! What’ve you ever done for your country that you weren’t asked or ordered to do? What have you done that nobody asked you to do, but you felt needed to be done?”

“I haven’t ever been asked to do anything!” Iago shouts back, suddenly furious himself. “Nobody ever expected me to be a hero! Nobody expects anything from me! Because I’m Iago, who’s only here because he has to be. Iago, who doesn’t want to be here!”

“Then it’s simple, isn’t it?” Lucy replies. “Nobody expected me to be a hero. I wouldn’t even call myself one now! But… I had to do what I do, because I love my country. What do you love, Iago? What are you fighting for?”

Iago falls quiet. “I…”

He looks up at Dave, then at Lucy, then down at the floor.

“I… don’t think I’m in the mood for coffee anymore.”

Iago turns and begins walking away. Dave sighs, but Lucy places a hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks for that, Dave. It was probably a better solution than what I had planned.”

Dave gives her a grin. “And what did you have planned?”

“Oh, I was just going to slap him silly! Tee hee!”