章 1016: End of the Line (Part 2)

"He's the to-go guy when you want things done by the book, but he lacks both foresight and flexibility. He was too good to remain a Lieutenant but not good enough to make a decent Captain.

"Lotta, instead, is a smart and competent woman, but too ambitious for her own good. You never know if she's serving the army, her political allies' interests, or her own.

"If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say that probably Berion chose Kortus to make you look good, while his enemies exploited the crisis to put Lotta in charge of the reinforcements before one of Berion's people was available." Tlea said.

"That's one heck of analysis for someone who just a second ago claimed to don't like to talk behind the back of her colleagues." Friya was glad to not have joined the army.

The more she learned about it, the less she liked the power plays hidden behind even the smallest decision.