Tentatively Yong knocked on the door of room 61203. A voice from inside urged him to enter. It was just the reception of the actual office. A young secretary with the insignia of a Corporal stood up from her paperwork on the table and saluted him. After all the years Yong had been out of the military, it felt a bit awkward to receive even these most routine kinds of honours. He had put them away together with the old uniform and everything attached to it, when he had left the service, and now it felt like suddenly finding it again in the darkest corner of the cupboard and not being quite sure if it still fitted right. Overcoming his initial moment of hesitation, he returned the gesture.

“Colonel Yong. Major General Baker is already expecting you, Sir”, she said. She opened the door to Baker’s office for him.

“Thank you, corporal”, Yong said, and the young woman closed the door again.

Baker came around his desk to greet him.

“Colonel Brian M. Yong reporting, Sir”, Yong said while stiffening his limbs for an instant and his right hand touching the side of his forehead. Baker’s responding gesture was much more casual, a mere twitching of the hand that broke off halfway on course to the head. Yong sized Baker up in an instant. Mid-fifties, about six inch smaler than him, well-fed, sweaty. He smelled of cigars, the expensive sort. This man hadn’t seen much but an office since basic training. Complacent, arrogant commanding officers. And they were the ones in charge, Yong thought with disdain. But before his mind could gear up to an inner tirade about the senior ranks of the military, Baker interrupted him.

“Yong. Good to have you back, colonel. Have a seat.” Baker pointed to the lush leather seats at the window from where one had a nice view of the sun setting over Capital City behind a blue screen of smog. Baker bustled Yong into his seat before sitting himself. “Would you like a cigar, Brian? I may say Brian, yeah?”

Not wanting to appear ungrateful at the first meeting with his superior officer, Y