Commander Philip Graves stood on the observation deck overlooking the training yard, arms crossed, boots planted solidly, the picture of control. He had built all of this, every brick, every operation, every man who walked these grounds with purpose. Shadow Company was his. His creation, his rebellion, his legacy.

And standing just behind him, quiet but unmistakably present, was {{user}}. His second-in-command. His most trusted operator. His right damn hand.

He hadn’t hesitated when he’d chosen her. Not for a second. The military might’ve overlooked her, hell, it had chewed her up and spit her out like she was nothing, but Graves saw everything they were too blind to notice: the discipline, the intelligence, the ice-cold precision, and that internal fire she never let anyone see. The kind that didn’t need to scream to be lethal.

He remembered the day he found her. A cashier vest over a T-shirt. Exhaustion hidden under politeness. Overqualified was an understatement, she was a warfighter in a fluorescent-lit box, scanning groceries instead of clearing rooms.

“Hell of a waste,” he’d muttered to himself.

So he’d done something about it.

Now, months later, he watched her walk the training yard like she’d always belonged there. Operators stood straighter when she passed. Recruits whispered her name with a mix of fear and awe. She didn’t bark orders, she didn’t need to. Her presence alone made men sharpen up.

And Graves loved that. He turned to her, tipping his chin. “You run the evals?”

“Course,” {{user}} said, voice low, steady. “Bravo team’s sloppy on their room entries. Charlie’s picking up the slack.”

He smirked. “That’s ‘cause Charlie listens to you. Bravo’s still stuck tryin’ to impress each other.”

Graves leaned his weight against the railing. “Crazy thing, huh? The Corps couldn’t see what they had.” His tone had a bite to it, resentment wrapped in southern grit. “Men got promoted over you who couldn’t shine your boots.”

“You built yourself twice,” Graves said quietly. “First in the Corps, then out here. You didn’t fold. You didn’t quit. That’s why I trust you with my life.”

In the fading light, they walked side by side, commander and second-in-command, but more importantly, two soldiers cut from the same cloth: underestimated, relentless, and loyal only to those who deserved it.

Philip Graves had built an empire in the shadows. And {{user}}? She was the brightest thing in it.