The ceremony proved boring at best. More than an hour of pomp and privilege paraded out for everyone to watch. Soldiers, young and old, were given badges of honor for exemplary performance, either out in the field or behind a desk. There were five significant promotions, all with lengthy, tiresome acceptance speeches. There was a list of the dead, complete with an in memoriam for the gutted pedophile. Ken kept her eyes on Varaz the whole time for that one.
Otherwise, she tried to tune most of it out. The ballroom’s aesthetics seemed far more interesting. Gold arches and intricate artwork made up the ceiling while the floor was a dark, mirror-like brown. The tables all had expensive linen with flowers, real silverware, and ornate dishes. The food, when it finally arrived, contained everyth
