'General Ammadeus Dean,' Gus thought, staring up at the ceiling of the infirmary. 'It came from his account, but was it actually him?'
After the Corsairs were dealt with, Gus was escorted back to the Knights and the rest of the Reapers. Due to the severity of his injuries, he had been forced to return to the academy while his squad gave a report of the incident to the higher ups of the African EDF.
Rather than being sent to the medical room to the side of the combat hall, he was taken to an infirmary located at the end of the corridor where he had told Jet of the people that would make up his squad. As he went past, he glanced left to where the mirror was, and found that it was projecting exactly the same image as it had last time he saw it.
Bryer's choice of words had caused Gus's mind to start thinking. The only thing tying the Corsairs to General Dean was the fact that his account was used. Damning evidence, but an illogical move to make. As a General, surely he would have access to many more discreet ways of killing someone than hiring a band of mercenaries led by someone who was trying their hardest to be a metal animal. Besides, surely he, as a General, would have the vision to see that killing her would have made her a martyr to the cause of the Unified Way.
'It was likely not him, but rather someone using his account.'
And, perhaps by coincidence, perhaps not, Gus knew someone with the last name of Dean at the academy. Someone who he had inadvertently antagonised during the entrance exam. Someone who he had humiliated down in the Pit.
'Would he really do that, though?'
He could see the logic behind it. Gus had humiliated him, and so the best revenge would be to match that humiliation. And what better way to humiliate someone than by sabotaging their first official mission in such a way that a politician was dead. And it was not like that was the only thing that he would have gained from it. Many people, especially those who choose the military, tend to dislike those who try to choose pacifism and peace. Not out of hatred of peace, but often for something as simple as a disagreement on the actual possibility of it becoming a reality.
The only thing that made Gus think that he was wrong was the consequences of that action. Hundreds of civilians had died as a consequence, along with one of the Blood Knights. That had to be considered a possibility of hiring a group of mercenaries to carry out an assassination and, once considered, would he really be someone to do that? That was the question, and it was one that Gus did not know enough about him to answer.
'He certainly seems like enough of a rich brat to do it. The entrance simulation was probably the first time anyone had ever said no to him in his entire life.'
He pushed himself up onto his shoulders and looked around the room. He was in the central bed in the infirmary, and was the only one in there. Overhead was a small rail that projected down to the ground. When activated, it would surround the bed with a tinted glass that allowed no vision in and no sound out, granting the patient the utmost privacy when it was required.
"I'll have to ask that Bryer if he knows anything more about it by now," he murmured. It had been an unknown amount of time since he returned to the academy, with most of it spent sleeping.
'Is there anything I can do with my system?' he thought. 'I don't think I spent the points from that voucher. Let's go to the points.'
*System [0]*
*Strength [0]*
*Speed [0]*
*Stamina [0]*
*Leadership [98]*
*Durability [0]*
*Ranged [0]*
*Proficiency [0]*
'Yeah, let's buy another point of the leadership skill.'
*Would you like to buy History's Greatest Commander for [50] Leadership points?*
'Confirm. Then, let's go to the stats.'
*Level [4] {315 / 2500 EXP}*
*Health [140] / [140]*
*Strength [3 (2)]*
*Speed [3 (2)]*
*Stamina [3 (2)]*
*Leadership [4 (3)]*
*Combat [3 (2)]*
*Durability [2 (1)]*
*Ranged [2 (1)]*
*Proficiency [2 (1)]*
'Looks good. '
As he was finishing up with the system, the door to the infirmary opened.
"Oh, you're awake?" Becca asked in a surprised tone. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Gus responded. "Like I never went through that stuff at all. How are you here? Checking up on me?"
"Pretty much so. I spend some time here when I'm not on missions. I'm the medic of my squad, so I help out here whenever I can to help deepen my knowledge."
"Not on missions?" Gus asked. "What about your classes?"
"Third year is a bit different to the first. This pretty much is my class."
"A lot to look forward to, then."
"It's a lot of fun, going out there into the stars," she said, looking up as though she could picture them through the walls of the station.
"Heard anything else about that situation? Is it confirmed it was General Dean?"
"No, quite the opposite, in fact. The academy gave their findings to Aliti, and she reached out for an investigation. General Dean denies the allegation, and is launching an investigation of his own. But, interestingly, he does have a son on this station."
"William Dean," Gus muttered.
"You know him?" Becca asked with surprise.
"I'm most likely the motivation. He thinks I undermined him, so he might have tried to sabotage me. It all sounds so stupid now that I'm saying it out loud, but it is likely."
"Don't do anything about him. Don't act rashly, don't try to take revenge for this. We will deal with him when the time comes," Becca warned.
"Is there anything at all I can do to help with it? Someone from the Blood Knights died, if it was him I want to help."
"Don't lose your head. Stick to what you're doing. Keep to your missions and your classes. Let us deal with him."