Drax Callian.
The name was familiar to General Zentru’la. That was the name of the recruit that the now Supreme Chancellor Appius Wight had brought him after he arrived in Taldryan space. Drax was intelligent, and resourceful where it mattered, his engineering skills were impressive. Up until now, his record had been perfect.
A knock on the door, followed by the creak of it opening alerted Zentru’la to his arrival.
A pair of red Chiss eyes belonging to Drax peered in. “You wanted to see me, General?”
“I didn’t see you at stealth training today, Callian.”
Drax smiled. “Thank you General.”
Zentru'la took a deep breath. There were many responses to that. The one he settled on was “Tell me Callian, what do you fight for?”
Drax didn’t make any sudden movements, like he was deep in thought about the General’s question.
“I fight for whatever you tell me to fight for. I point my blaster and shoot at whatever you tell me too, sir.”
“That’s not an answer.” Zentru'la rested his hand on the table which creaked beneath its weight, watching Drax carefully. “You’re a talented soldier, Callian. But you need more than that. Something to really fight for that keeps you going through the day to day. Something that gives you motivation to train hard, so that when battle comes, you are prepared.”
Drax opened his mouth to speak, but promptly closed it. He reached into his shirt, and pulled out a locket that was hanging around his neck.
He placed the locket on tbe table where Zentru’la could see and grab it if he wished to take a look.
Zentru'la picked up the locket and took a look
Inside was a picture of a Chiss woman with long hair holding a newborn baby.
“What did Appius tell you about me before I joined the Vornskr Battalion?”
Zentru'la took a look at the picture, at the baby, then at Drax. It told him all he needed to know, but he would rather have heard it from the man himself. He passed the picture back. “Nothing, other than your talents.”
“She was sick,” Drax folded his arms across his chest, his eyes averted the General’s gaze. “We tried for a long time to be able to have a family. A really long time. I took odd jobs where it mattered to bring in the credits to fund some kind of treatment. Her illness was unknown, and whatever it was she was dying from it.”
Drax paused, but continued when Zentru’la gestured for him to do so.
“Appius helped me find an experimental treatment. We had no idea what would happen, but at that point we were willing to try anything.”
Drax finally looked Zentru’la in the eyes again. “It worked. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl, our daughter. For a while, things were great. Appius introduced me to you and I had everything I ever wanted, but lately… they’ve been getting sick again, both of them.”
“They rely on you to support and provide for them. You aren’t fighting for me or for the Taldryan Republic. You’re fighting for your family.”
“Next time you decide to skip training, have a look at that locket. Those are the people you’re letting down. They suffer the most if your lack of effort in training causes your death. I have 1,000 soldiers. They only have one Drax Callian.”
Drax bit his lip. He hated arguing with the General, it was bound to not end well, but he had to make his case. “They are getting sicker by the day. I’ve been needed at home to look after them. Some days it’s fine but others… I just don’t know what to do…”
“You don’t need to do everything on your own, Callian. We have medical care to take care of them. We need you focused on the job, and so do they. In this line of work, one slip can mean death. And then you can’t support them at all. I’ll send our best healer to check up on them. But if you care about them at all, keep training and stay alive.”
Drax’s eyes lit up, a glimmer of hope sparkling in them. “Lilina?”
“Yes. She has other full time commitments but she can make a one off visit to assess the situation.”
“That… would be appreciated. Thank you, sir.” Drax gave a firm nod of his head. “I’ll be sure not to miss any further training sessions.”
“That’s good to hear, Callian. Lilina will visit shortly, and design a treatment plan for your family. And remember, they are what you’re fighting for, so stay sharp.”