Chapter 195: Special Assignment

Chapter 195: Special Assignment

Noah received another summons not long after leaving the deployment briefing. The message was addressed only to him and instructed him to report to a separate briefing room later that day.

It gave a room number and a reporting time, but it did not explain why he had been called away from the other students or whether the meeting would change the assignment he had just received.

Daniel noticed the message while Noah was reading it and moved closer, with Claire and Ethan following his attention toward the unfamiliar order. None of them had received anything similar after the group briefing, which made the separate summons difficult to ignore.

"Don’t tell me they already changed your assignment. We only just finished hearing where our group is supposed to go."

"Does it say what the meeting is about, or did they only give you another place to report?"

Noah handed the message to Claire so she could see the same information.

"It only gives the room and the time. There isn’t anything about the reason."

"So the order only lists Noah? None of us are mentioned?"

"That’s right. The message is addressed to him alone."

Daniel glanced between Noah and Ethan as he considered the possibilities.

"Then I see two explanations. Either Noah impressed someone important enough to earn a private briefing, or he created a problem serious enough that they don’t want witnesses when they punish him."

Claire gave him a tired look before returning the message to Noah.

"Why is your second explanation always some kind of disaster?"

"Because disasters make better stories. You can’t expect me to ignore the more interesting possibility."

Ethan focused on the timing instead of Daniel’s theory. The separate order had arrived immediately after their deployment briefing, when Imperial command was already finalizing where the students would be used.

"It’s probably connected to the Astragoth deployment. They just finished briefing our group, and now they’re separating Noah from us."

"That makes more sense than Daniel’s imaginary disciplinary hearing. If this were about routine training, they could have scheduled it another day."

Daniel pointed toward Noah, unwilling to abandon his first idea entirely.

"Which still brings us back to special treatment. If a high-ranking officer wants a private meeting right after reviewing student assignments, there has to be a reason."

"A different assignment isn’t automatically a better one. It could simply mean Imperial command expects something different from him."

Daniel paused to reconsider that interpretation before answering.

"That is an important distinction. Special treatment sounds much less attractive when you say it like that."

Noah folded the message and put it away. The order contained nothing they could use to determine the purpose of the meeting, so continuing to guess would not change what waited inside the briefing room.

"The summons doesn’t explain anything beyond the meeting. I’ll find out what they want when I report."

"You say that far too calmly. If a senior officer called me into a room alone without explaining why, I’d spend the entire walk trying to remember every questionable decision I’ve made this month."

Claire studied Daniel for a moment before answering.

"That would probably take most of the afternoon."

"Exactly. Noah has the advantage of having fewer questionable decisions."

Ethan smiled at the exchange, although his attention remained on the most likely explanation.

"He also had the strongest performance among us during the previous operations. That seems more relevant than Daniel trying to turn this into a disciplinary hearing."

"I was trying to make the situation interesting. Apparently everyone else prefers the sensible explanation."

Noah left them shortly afterward and headed toward the building listed in the summons. Unlike the larger briefing areas where groups of students had gathered throughout the day, this section of the camp was quiet. No students waited outside the room, and no instructors were directing groups through the corridor.

A soldier stationed near the door checked Noah’s summons and allowed him inside. The room was clearly intended for a private meeting, with a table in the center, a projection surface covering part of one wall, and only one officer waiting for him. The insignia on the officer’s uniform showed a rank far above the instructors who normally handled student briefings.

The officer indicated the chair opposite him, keeping the meeting formal from the moment Noah entered.

"Take the seat across from me. I don’t intend to waste your time repeating information you already heard this morning."

Noah sat down while the officer took the opposite side of the table. There were no aides preparing displays and no other trainees waiting for their turn, confirming that Imperial command wanted to discuss Noah’s assignment separately.

"Imperial command reviewed your previous military performance before finalizing the student deployments."

Noah listened without interrupting because the officer was already explaining the reason for the summons.

"Your results were significantly above what we normally expect from someone at your current stage of training. You have demonstrated that you can command large numbers of troops while maintaining organized operations."

The officer rested one hand on the table as he continued.

"Many trainees can place large numbers of soldiers onto a battlefield. Fewer can keep those soldiers coordinated once the fighting spreads across a wider area. Your previous operations showed that you can."

The explanation made the purpose of the meeting clear. Imperial command had not called Noah because of a problem with the group briefing; they had reviewed his earlier results before deciding how to use him in the war.

"So this meeting is about changing my assignment."

"That is correct. The standard student assignment you heard about earlier is not the one Imperial command selected for you."

The officer continued without repeating the details Noah already knew.

"Most students from your training level will support Imperial units already fighting on established fronts. Their responsibilities will remain limited because the purpose of their deployment is to give them experience without placing too much of the larger operation in their hands."

Noah had already heard what those responsibilities might involve, including reinforcing positions, protecting supply routes, holding captured ground, and assisting Imperial forces. The officer did not go through those examples again.

"Your mission will be different. Imperial command decided that putting you in a standard support role would not make proper use of what you have already demonstrated."

Noah considered the statement before responding. A different role did not change his status inside the military structure, and he wanted that point established before they discussed anything else.

"I’m still operating as a trainee."

"You are still a trainee. A different mission does not remove you from Imperial authority, and you will follow the orders connected to the larger operation just like every other student."

That matched what Noah expected. Imperial command wanted to use him differently, not give him permission to operate outside the war plan.

"The difference is the role Eldrath’s forces will perform."

Noah shifted the discussion toward the part that directly involved his civilization.

"The goblins are part of the reason I was selected?"

"Your goblins were an important part of the decision. Your planet can field very large numbers, but Imperial command did not select you simply because you have access to manpower."

The officer continued with the distinction that mattered to Imperial command.

"Your previous results showed that you can turn that manpower into an organized military force. You have commanded large formations without allowing the size of the army to overwhelm your ability to direct it."

Noah understood the point. Eldrath’s population gave him access to enormous numbers, but population by itself did not create an effective military force. Soldiers still needed command and organization if those numbers were going to produce results on a battlefield.

The officer kept the explanation focused on the reason for the assignment rather than retelling Noah’s earlier campaigns.

"You also maintained operations across a broad battlefield instead of concentrating everything in one location. That record is why Imperial command considered you for a mission beyond ordinary battlefield support."

Noah had no reason to ask for another summary of battles he had already fought. The officer had explained why he had been chosen, and the actual mission was the information he needed next.

"What does Imperial command want Eldrath to do?"

The officer studied his reaction before answering.

"You aren’t treating the separate assignment as a reward."

"No. If the mission is different, then the risks and requirements will also be different. I need to know what Eldrath is being asked to do before I prepare a force."

The officer gave a slight nod and moved directly to the assignment.

"The other students will enter battlefields where Imperial forces already hold positions. Their civilizations will reinforce operations that are already underway. Your assignment involves offensive planetary operations."

That changed the basis of Noah’s earlier planning. He had spent the group briefing thinking about how Eldrathi soldiers could reinforce defensive positions and support an existing Imperial front. An offensive planetary operation required a different force and a different deployment plan.

The officer continued before Noah began forming conclusions without the full assignment.

"Your goblins will participate in planetary invasions as part of the war against the Astragoth Empire."

"So Eldrath won’t simply be sent to reinforce an Imperial position."

"You will not be used as a normal reinforcement force. Your goblins will enter the operation as part of an invasion."

Noah did not begin choosing units or troop numbers. The officer had not told him the target, the deployment limit, or the specific objectives of the operation, so any detailed force composition would be premature.

Instead, he asked about the reason Imperial command believed Eldrath was suited to the mission.

"You said my previous performance was the reason for this. Was Eldrath’s population the main factor?"

"It was one factor, but not the deciding one. Large populations are useful only when the commander can organize them."

The officer continued without adding new details about Noah’s previous campaigns.

"Your earlier operations showed that you could deploy large numbers, keep those forces under control, and continue military operations across a wide area. That record gave Imperial command a reason to assign you a more demanding role than ordinary battlefield support."

Noah understood the expectation behind the decision. Imperial command was not giving him a different mission simply because Eldrath had more goblins than many student worlds. They expected him to use those numbers as an organized invasion force.

"What happens if Imperial command decides during the war that I’m not handling the assignment properly?"

"The mission can be changed if your performance no longer supports the responsibility you were given. You are receiving this role because your previous results justify giving you greater responsibility, not because the assignment is guaranteed to remain yours regardless of what happens."

Noah accepted the answer without argument. The Empire had no reason to continue trusting a trainee with a demanding mission if his performance failed once the operation began.

"Your previous performance earned you the assignment. What happens after deployment will depend on what you actually accomplish."

Noah accepted the point without adding a promise of his own. There was nothing useful he could prove from the other side of a briefing table, and the result would come from how Eldrath performed once the invasion began.

The officer then made sure Noah understood the difference between the two types of student missions.

"Explain your assignment back to me."

"The other students will support Imperial forces on battlefields where positions and operations are already established. Eldrath will take part in invading planets."

"That is the difference Imperial command wants you to understand."

Noah looked toward the projection surface on the wall. The difference raised a practical problem that the group briefing had never needed to address because the other students were joining fronts where Imperial forces were already present.

"How are the goblins supposed to reach the planets being invaded? A planetary invasion requires moving soldiers and equipment onto another world. I can prepare Eldrath’s forces after receiving the mission limits, but the method used to move them affects what can actually be sent."

The officer stood and walked toward the projection controls while answering the question.

"That problem is part of why your briefing was separated from the others."

He activated the display, and Noah expected another world map or an image of the battlefield. Instead, a massive structure appeared across the projection, occupying most of the wall.

Noah studied the image without trying to assign capabilities the officer had not described. The structure had been shown for a specific reason, and the officer had already connected that reason to moving Eldrath’s forces between worlds.

"This is a starfortress."

The officer did not list its weapons, defenses, or other functions. He kept the explanation tied to the transportation problem Noah had raised.

"You will not be responsible for solving the transportation problem on your own."

"The Empire will help move Eldrath’s forces."

"The Empire will assist with that part of the operation. The invasion plan includes Imperial support for transporting your goblins onto the planets assigned to your mission."

The officer gestured toward the projected starfortress.

"The support will come from this structure."

Noah studied the projected fortress again. He did not try to guess its full purpose from a single image because the officer had only brought it up to explain how Eldrath would reach the invasion targets. The transportation method was the immediate concern, and the rest of the structure could wait until Imperial command chose to explain it.

"How will the starfortress move the goblins onto the planets?"

"Teleportation devices are installed inside the starfortress. When the invasion begins, those devices will be used to help your goblins enter the planets assigned to your mission."

Noah returned his attention to the projected structure as he considered what the officer had actually confirmed. Imperial command would provide the method for moving Eldrath’s invasion force onto the target planets, while the specific invasion details had not yet been given.

He still did not know which planets Eldrath would invade, how many troops he would be permitted to send, how the teleportation devices would be used during the operation, or what forces would be waiting on the other side.

Those details would determine the army he prepared and would need to be discussed before he finalized the deployment.

For now, Noah had a clear assignment. Daniel, Claire, Ethan, and the other students were preparing to reinforce existing Imperial battlefields, while Eldrath had been selected for offensive planetary operations.

When the invasion began, the Empire would use teleportation devices inside a starfortress to help Noah’s goblins enter the worlds assigned to them.