"It is unlikely your... skills... will be necessary while we are docked here," he allowed, "but I will order you to use them in the defense of the ship, its crew, and the citizen of Zaichaer if I deem it necessary, and you will comply." His tone was friendly enough, if firm. He could understand not wanting to be tainted by association with magic. And he was aware that he himself was a strange confluence of privilege and handicap.
"With any luck, though, you will make some headway before such is required of you. I shan't go easy on you when you have pledged your service to the State. The exigencies of duty affect us all. That said, you are a member of my crew and my ward under the auspices of the Order. I'm not your jailor. I want you to thrive as an individual and I want the crew to thrive as a unit. I must balance everyone's needs and capabilities. The Corps is patriarchal in structure. I will discipline you as necessary, but it also behooves me to see to your training and prepare you for success. If you were not deemed worthy, your enlistment would have been denied.
"So buck up, Albrecht. In Zaichaer we profess the supremacy of the human race, but there is a place for everyone, and everyone in their place. I will help where and when appropriate, you see?"
He dabbed his napkin to the corners of his mouth and then set it down over his plate.
"Good talk, Private," he said, standing up. "No need to stand and salute. You're at your meal as well. Bus my try, won't you?"
And with that, the strange Commander Angevin was gone.
"With any luck, though, you will make some headway before such is required of you. I shan't go easy on you when you have pledged your service to the State. The exigencies of duty affect us all. That said, you are a member of my crew and my ward under the auspices of the Order. I'm not your jailor. I want you to thrive as an individual and I want the crew to thrive as a unit. I must balance everyone's needs and capabilities. The Corps is patriarchal in structure. I will discipline you as necessary, but it also behooves me to see to your training and prepare you for success. If you were not deemed worthy, your enlistment would have been denied.
"So buck up, Albrecht. In Zaichaer we profess the supremacy of the human race, but there is a place for everyone, and everyone in their place. I will help where and when appropriate, you see?"
He dabbed his napkin to the corners of his mouth and then set it down over his plate.
"Good talk, Private," he said, standing up. "No need to stand and salute. You're at your meal as well. Bus my try, won't you?"
And with that, the strange Commander Angevin was gone.
