The flashing, little red light on her tablet indicated that she had a message. Ava removed it from its charging dock and quickly opened her email to find that the commander had requested her presence only minutes ago. Hurriedly, she moved up the steps to change into her uniform, tugging on her shirt and skirt while simultaneously access the compound’s map on her tablet. Even after residing at there for a little over half a year there was still much she had yet to explore. After zipping her skirt and sweeping up her long, dark hair, she slipped on her heels and her jacket, buttoning it up on the way down the stairs and to the elevator. It took her down several floors, and when the doors slid open she took a moment to recall the map and which direction to go. Ava didn’t bother knock, not wanting to disrupt the meeting between the Kingdom’s commanders. She simply turned the knob of the door quietly, stepping in and shut it just as softly. Her eyes settled on Nick, who motioned for her to approach. She took her position behind him and to the right as he indicated, hands behind her back.<br/><br/>After a moment, he muted the sound on the conversation, informing her of the situation. To hear that a parasite problem had gotten so bad that it was able to overtake and overrun the inhabitants was alarming, especially given the nature of the specific kind of parasite. She shouldn’t have been surprised though. It was approximately the same areas where the Aslegars had vacationed, where the community—cult members, in particular—had encouraged the presence of parasitic creatures. They protected them, while others hunted them for sport. She imagined that factors, like baiting, attracted Toxaplasma Pavor. The night-crawlers that, David Aslegar hunted, clung to damp areas by lakes and in caves. They wouldn’t venture far from their environment since they wouldn’t survive long without water. The hunters were likely trying to coax the night-crawlers from their natural environment, but attracted another, far more dangerous parasite. With how quickly they reproduced, it was no wonder that there was a country-wide infestation. Ava kept her theories to herself, and was quiet throughout the course of the meeting.<br/><br/>It was interesting to hear about the other battalions. She knew of them, and assumed that they weren’t much different from the thirteenth. It seemed that they had their own strengths and specializations. The thirteenth didn’t really have a skillset in particular that she could pin-point, and the commander was quick to highlight their broad proficiency in all areas. She just didn’t expect him to shine the spotlight on her. Ava stood up a bit straighter as he gestured to her, and even though the various commanders from their respective battalions weren’t in the room, she could feel their eyes on her. They were assessing her, digging into her history and reports, weighing the pros and cons with regards to her nanites. It was uncomfortable to have her biggest mistakes evaluated, but she knew it would help them make their decision.<br/><br/>There was a silence while the commander’s reviewed the information and heavily considered Nick’s proposal. Rikkus was the first to approach the topic of discussion. “Despite the drawbacks and the potential liability of having an untested unit in the field, Colonel Courvoisier, this is a very impressive breakthrough. I’ll take you up on the offer of further evaluation first thing in the morning. Time is not exactly on our side. That said, I vote in favor of the implementation of the unit.” The rest of the commanders put in their votes, many voting in favor while the exception of the tenth, citing the need for more time to consider. Rikkus offered to send them the results of their evaluation to sway them. Fortunately, the decision was largely in favor of utilizing the unit, even without the tenth.