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General Winter stood behind his desk beside his straight-back chair, waiting as Oscar entered the room. Once Oscar had taken a few steps, he stood straight, moving his right arm to cock a salute to the older man. Thankfully, with a grimace, he remembered he didn’t have a right arm before switching to the left immediately.

General Winter returned the salute before easing back. “At ease. Have a seat, Staff Sergeant.”

Oscar dropped his stance, privately relieved the general hadn’t reacted to Oscar’s initial attempt to salute him. He took one of the two chairs, waiting until General Winter sat down. Once comfortable, he looked around the room. It wasn’t as spacious as the last general’s office he’d been in, and it reminded him more of a cozy home office than a man in the military. Most of the shelves were made of warm wood and stacked with books and decorative statues. Pictures hung along the walls containing images of General Winter with others, smiling and looking happy.

General Winter folded his hands on the desk. “Have you settled in?”

Oscar nodded. “Everything has been moved in, now comes the unpacking.”

“Good, we’ve used the same movers in the past. Did they get everything set up for you?”

“Uh, yeah, they did, sir,” Oscar said, trying to keep the shame out of his voice.

While he could do almost anything without help, it was still a struggle. Oscar supposed that with time, he’d be able to do ordinary tasks one-handed with nearly the same speed as two hands. As it was, though, it would have taken him forever to assemble the furniture and his bed without help. Missing one hand meant he fumbled and struggled every step of the way, and he hated the reminder.

General Winter leaned back in his seat. “And I’m sure you’re curious about why you’re here in the first place.”

“I am, sir.”

“But you took the offer, even not knowing.”

Oscar raised one shoulder and let it drop. “It beat staying at my brother’s house, wondering when I would get thrown in a corner and forgotten.”

Winter’s lips pursed. “Not...an unfounded fear. There was talk of doing something similar or perhaps putting you back into the civilian world again, with high honors, of course.”

The idea of being thrown out of the service was horrifying and had been Oscar’s greatest nightmare from the moment he became aware how grave his injuries were. Serving had been the one thing that gave his life purpose and meaning. Sure, it hadn’t been easy, but he’d always believed anything worth having had to be worked for, fought for. Without the military, he’d have nothing. He’d be just another broken former soldier, left to fendfor himself in a world that didn’t operate with the same rules he’d known for the past nine years.

The horror must have shown on his face as General Winter continued quickly. “But, I thought that was a waste of someone with your talent and expertise.”

Oscar snorted, looking down at his right arm. “No offense, sir, but there’s not much I can do with that talent.”

“Oh? You’re saying that after nine years in the field, as infantry and a man in charge, you didn’t pick up knowledge you could pass on? Nothing at all?”

Oscar blinked, looking up. “Sir?”

“I’ll level with you, Staff Sergeant. I didn’t bring you here purely out of the goodness of my heart or some sense of charity. Here at Fort Dale, I get many types of people, generally those transitioning from one place to another. I have a team on base at the moment attempting to integrate a new member, and once they have, to my satisfaction, they’ll be back in the field. I have many soldiers here who stay for a while, learn what they need to, rest up while they have to, whatever it is, and then go on their way. Many of them could use the knowledge you’ve gathered over the years, and considering your exceptional service record, I believe you stand a good chance of not only maintaining your career but going further than you might have before.”

Oscar sat in silence once the general was done, weighing up everything the older man was saying. It was an enticing idea, sounding like he would be in charge of training soldiers and instilling his knowledge. It was an enviable position for many, and while Oscar wouldn’t have been too thrilled before losing his arm, it was far better than any desk job, and with enough time, he could find himself with his own office.

“No offense, sir, but I’m sensing a ‘but’ somewhere in that explanation,” Oscar said.

Winter let out a slow breath, his nostrils flaring. “You’d be correct. Currently, the position is occupied.”

“Then why am I here?”

“Because once matters have settled, the position will become a vacancy.”

Oscar raised his brow, waiting to see if there was more, and wasn’t surprised when nothing was forthcoming. He might have been a soldier, but he wasn’t blind or ignorant of the politics around him. Oscar’s focus had always been on his men and the job, content to keep his head down and make the best of whatever shit rolled down his hill.

And now he was being thrown right into it. Great.

Oscar decided to steer the conversation toward safer ground. “Yes, sir. But that still doesn’t tell me why I’m here now.”

“You’re here now because there’s no point wasting away at home. While we wait for the vacancy to open up, I can easily find something for you to do. For the moment, I’m sure you can help out here in the office.”

“Pure desk work,” Oscar said, trying to keep the distaste out of his voice.

General Winter chuckled. “You’ll get used to it, and it’s a good place to learn how things work around here. It’ll give you a feel for working Stateside, we’re a little less chaotic here.”