Chapter 38 Ravel
RAVEL
"When rot is discovered in the foundation, half-measures and prolonged deliberations will not do. Cut deep, cut fast, and rebuild on solid ground."
—General Soren Bardaky, On Military Reform
The war room occupied the center of the command floor, its curved outer wall a rounded protrusion of windows that offered panoramic views of the mountains.
Other than that one architectural detail, the space was designed for function, with rows of seats arranged in a semicircle and facing a raised podium.
Today, every seat was filled.
General Lesten Zorian stood at the podium, flanked by the four wing commanders.
Colonel Darian Voss of Fury Wing sat to his right, and Colonel Arella Drayden of Wrath Wing occupied the seat beside him.
On the general's left were Colonel Soren Blackwood of Sentinel Wing and Colonel Kaida Weston of Storm Wing, the most recently appointed wing commander in the Dragon Force.
I took my place in the second row among the other squadron commanders. I nodded to Major Lisha Merrick, my section commander, who sat directly ahead of me with the other section commanders.
The entire force was assembled. The general, four wing commanders, twelve section commanders, and thirty-six squadron commanders.
General Lesten Zorian stood at the podium, his expression grim given the gravity of the recent events.
"Let's begin," the general said, and the murmur of conversation died instantly.
"As you are all aware, the Citadel has been infiltrated by Elusitor's converts.
Twelve have all been identified as support staff who'd failed to qualify for bonding.
The interrogation revealed that they had been recruited in summer training camps in the Podana region and brainwashed to submit to Elusitor and the Sitorian cult of death.
Over the past seventy-two hours, coordinated operations across six provinces have resulted in forty-seven more arrests.
Names obtained from the converted traitors in our custody led us to more cells.
Podana, Hartzoza, the Vallene Valley, and even as far as the eastern border settlements.
This infiltration and conversion scheme has been operating for far longer than anyone suspected, two decades or longer.
The evidence suggests a carefully planned, long-term strategy to convert susceptible, troubled youth and place them as sleepers throughout Elucian society to await orders. "
I thought of Noven Sarhan, sitting in his cell, his eyes empty as he recited Sitorian doctrine. Recruited at twelve years old and corrupted before he had a chance to form his own personality.
"General Bardaky has made a decision," Zorian said. "Effective immediately, all civilian summer training camps are suspended."
A murmur rippled through the room. The camps were essential, training young Elucians so they could defend their communities from Shedun attacks along with the veterans and preparing them for future military service. Suspending them would be detrimental to Elucia's defensive capabilities.
Commander Verik Tallen, who led Talon-2 Squadron, raised his hand. "For how long, sir?"
"Indefinitely. The training programs will be conducted exclusively at official military installations. No more civilian-run camps. No more rotating instructors with minimal background checks. We will control every aspect of the program."
"That's not going to be popular," Colonel Drayden observed. "Parents trust those camps. They've been sending their children there for decades."
"And for decades, those camps have been breeding grounds for Sitorian converts." Zorian's voice was flat. "I'll take public criticism over another generation of traitors growing up in our midst."
I couldn't argue with that logic, even as I suspected it wouldn't be enough. The Sitorians were patient and adaptable. If we closed one avenue of recruitment, they would find another.
"Additionally," Zorian continued, "a purge of suspect personnel is underway across all Elucian Forces.
Anyone with connections to the identified camps is being scrutinized, and the Intelligence Corps is working on revamping protocols.
They will be distributed to all commanding officers by the end of the week. "
I studied the faces of my fellow officers. Some looked grimly satisfied that decisive action was being taken. Others seemed troubled, perhaps wondering if this purge would sweep up innocent people along with the guilty.
Both reactions were valid.
I raised my hand, and Zorian's gaze shifted to me. "Go ahead, Commander."
"The converts we've arrested are the end product of this operation. But what about the beginning? How did the recruiters enter Elucia undetected in the first place? And more importantly, where are they now?"
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"That is still being investigated," Zorian said.
"The converts are just pawns. The recruiters are the real threat, but they seem the most difficult to identify, which is most worrisome.
They found a major weakness in our defenses.
There was practically no vetting of personnel in those training camps.
Anyone could apply for a summer job, and if they knew how to shoot a gun and teach hand-to-hand, they were hired. "
I raised my hand again. "That's not how it works in most rural communities. The villagers teach the youth. They don't hire outsiders. I think that only happens in the larger towns and cities."
The general nodded. "We debated whether to let those smaller camps continue operating, but we decided that a reform should be uniform.
We can't implement one rule for the cities and another for the villages.
We have no choice but to make those summer training camps much more structured from now on. "
"How did those instructors disappear without a trace?" Major Merrick asked.
"They used false identities, rotated frequently, and left minimal traces. They might have returned to Sitoria or moved to other parts of Elucia to establish new recruitment networks." Zorian's jaw tightened. "We're still operating blind, and I don't like it any more than you do."
The thought of Sitorian agents moving freely through Elucia and corrupting children made my blood boil.
The good news was that it was not summer, so there were no training camps.
The bad news was that they could be recruiting in other places, and the other bad news was that we had no idea how many more converts were hiding among us.
Were any of the commanders compromised? How could I know who to trust now?
"There is more," the general continued. "Starting tomorrow, every resident of the Citadel will be interviewed personally by Shaman Fatewever. And by everyone, I mean military and civilian, officer and enlisted, rider and support staff."
The murmur that followed was louder than before.
"Sir, thousands of people work and live in the Citadel," Commander Nyla Kestrel said. "That will take weeks."
Zorian nodded. "Shaman Fatewever is aware of the timeline. He insisted nonetheless."
I understood the shaman.
Saphir blamed himself for missing the converts during the Circle of Fates ceremony. He'd looked into the mind of every pilgrim who passed before him and seen nothing wrong. It was possible that the drugs had fooled him, creating some sort of chemical shield, but he still blamed himself.
He blamed himself.
"What about the cadets?" Colonel Weston asked. "The Day of Volition is in four days. Are they included in this screening?"
"They've already been screened," Zorian said. "Shaman Fatewever conducted personal interviews with all thirty-six first-year cadets. He cleared them all."
I assumed the quintet had never been suspected, but then Saphir had visited them almost daily since the last attack, and the reason for his visits could have been about more than he had let on.
"The Day of Volition will proceed as scheduled," Zorian continued.
"Security will be enhanced, obviously. All personnel involved in the ceremony have been pre-screened.
I won't sugarcoat this. We're facing an enemy that's been operating inside our borders for nearly two decades.
They've converted our children, infiltrated our institutions, and attempted to assassinate the Hero of Elucia, one of our most precious assets.
We don't know how deep the rot goes. We don't know how many more converts are waiting for orders. "
He paused, letting the weight of those words settle.
"But we are the Dragon Force. We've held the line against the Shedun for centuries. We will not be brought down by traitors hiding in the shadows." His voice hardened. "We will find them. We will root them out. And we will make them regret ever setting foot on Elucian soil."