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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 1786432" data-attributes="member: 3448">Session 15 (cont'd):In a nearby barracks, Dove reports back to her unit.  The duty officer smiles at her approach.  "Good to see you back, Skyrnath!  The captain will want to see you right away, so head on in.""Thank you, sir.  It's good to be back."Dove heads into her captain's office and comes to attention."Welcome back, Dovkania.  I hear from Sir Theron that you acquitted yourself well on your duties." The captain gestures at her with a piece of parchment covered with writing.  "I expected no less.""Thank you, sir." Dove smiles with pride."I want to talk to you a little about where you want to go from here.  Sir Theron recommends you for promotion, and I agree.  I'm short a sergeant right now, and I want to offer you the position.""Thank you, sir.  I'm honored, sir."The captain smiles at Dove.  "I hope you'll take the position as a sergeant, but Sir Theron wanted me to tell you about some other options as well.  Sir Theron thought that you might be a better fit for special services.  I'd rather see you as a proper sergeant, but it's not my place to not pass on a Champion's suggestions."I could also probably get you a position as an ensign.  I won't make you an ensign in my company-- it's bad for morale to promote officers out of the ranks.  But I have some friends who command other companies who could probably find a place for you.  Of course, you would be older than most of the other ensigns.  Most of them start out young, when they don't know which side of a sword to hold, but they learn a lot about command from that.  It'll be tough for you to get promotions, but I could get you that position if you really want."Dove thinks about the possibilities.  The special troops take care of dangerous, important missions: attacking enemy officers in their camps, retrieving strategically important magic items, killing dragons and other great threats on the battlefield.  A lot of the troops assigned to those duties end up dead, but those assignments make heroes and Champions as well.  "Do you have a recommendation, sir?""If it were my choice, I'd have you as one of my sergeants.  You'll do a good job and have a fine career.  There's nothing wrong with the sorts of work that Sir Theron and his types do, but that's not what keeps the Empire safe.  It's not the sort of honest work defending the Empire that real soldiers do.  As for becoming an officer... competing with caths, and starting out a little older...  it will be tough for you. I put more weight on what a person can do than on who their parents are, but nobles are most of the officers for a reason, and it's not a bad reason either.""Can I have some time to think about it, sir?""Take as long as you want.  I'm going to fill the sergeant position within a fortnight; it's yours if you want it, but if you don't take it by then I'll give it to someone else.  If you decide you want it later, I'll give you the next free promotion I have, but it could be months, and believe me, the sooner you get the seniority to not be the junior-most sergeant, the happier you'll be.  So take as much time as you need, but let me know as soon as you can.""Thank you, sir.""Dismissed."Sister Aurora enters the great temple complex that is her home and seeks out her mentor, Father Daybreak.  She assures him that she will file a report that is as complete as the Empire will permit soon, and they discuss the continuing troubles with the Vergdunians.  While both Father Daybreak and Sister Aurora approve in principle of evangelism, Father Daybreak expresses his concerns that some of the younger priests have been getting themselves into trouble.  Fortunately, none of the prosyletizing priests have been killed.After discussing the news, Father Daybreak raises a different topic.  "I've been quite pleased with your progress in your studies and faith.  If you feel ready, Sister Aurora, you can be ordained during Luirta's holy days in a month."Sister Aurora reacts with delight.  "Oh, thank you.  That will be an honor.""You'll need to concentrate on your liturgical studies to prepare for the ordination ceremony.  And then, of course, we'll schedule you to lead your first service soon after the ordination.  I'm afraid that you won't be able to preach a major service in the cathedral.  Those spots are very hard to get.""And I'm not a cath and don't have powerful friends.""Indeed.  But you can lead a service at one of the parish churches, or we could probably schedule you for a more minor service at one of the cathedral chapels, I think.  You should start thinking about what readings you would like to write your homily about, because that will affect when we should schedule a service for you to lead.  You'll want to spend plenty of time working on your homily.  You want your first one to be memorable.""Oh, of course.  I'll start thinking about it right away.""Good.  We can talk about the details further as your ordination approaches."Having put off dealing with their family as long as they can, Sister Aurora and Dove finally stop by their parents' house.  Their parents are very happy to see them again.  They quickly notice some changes in the household staff.  Their old nursemaid has been pensioned off, because Aurora and Dove's older sister, Desithia, insisted that she needed a new maid to help with the wedding preparations, and the family could not afford a fourth servant.  Their mother expects that Desithia will take Marna, her new halfling maidservant, with her when she sets up her own household after the wedding.  After mentioning the new governor, Madame Skyrnath quickly turns to matters related to their older sister's impending wedding.  Both of the younger daughters are surprised that even the installation of a new governor would delay the wedding, but their mother explains that it would be impossible for any other social event to make much of an impression if it was too close to the installation.  Even three weeks later, the wedding will be a little overshadowed.Sister Aurora brightens at a thought.  "Maybe, since it's already been delayed, Desi could wait another couple of weeks.  Then I could perform the ceremony, after I've been ordained.""Maybe, Dai, but you know how much your sister's looking forward to being married.  She probably won't want to delay it again.  And the priest we found for the ceremony has such a nice voice...  Oh, both of you should plan on coming to dinner here tomorrow night.  It will be a good opportunity to meet Desi's fiancé.  And maybe he could bring one of his brother officers, as well." Madame Skyrnath looks thoughtfully at Sister Aurora.  "Unless you would prefer to invite young Lhovrik cath Kalissar...""I suppose bringing another young officer could be good for Dove's career advancement.  He would be a useful contact."Some further discussion ensues, while Sister Aurora almost willfully fails to take a hint about why her mother is discussing various possible other guests for the party.  Dove expresses her own amusement and decides to invite Ginara to join them, prompting Sister Aurora to agree to invite Lhovrik.  Sister Aurora also suggests that her mother employ Melania for musical entertainment during the party, partially as an audition for the much bigger job of providing wedding music.Dove writes a note to Ginara, while Sister Aurora writes out a confused invitation telling Lhovrik that he should come to dinner tomorrow, either because he's going to be recruited for the army or "because of that other awkward thing I mentioned before."</blockquote>

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