It was an hour after the Nightshade Corp escaped with Gabriel off Oliath's private island. The Impulse, the jet used by Solomon and his team of House of Knights operatives was out of commission. As for the team, they waited around for transportation, sulking in defeat. Jyn couldn't help but notice despair written on Asha's face.

Jyn said, "Hey, don't worry about the Chief Principals, ok? They can act pretty tough, but it's just an act."

Asha asked, "What do you think they're going to do?"

Jyn responded, "I wouldn't worry too much about it."

Odom chimed in, "They better give us a raise after that little ambush! We could've died."

Jyn said, "You're so dramatic."

Solomon kept his distance, sitting on a log, still bitter about Tempa's betrayal. Honor was the first rule of a partnership with him. And suddenly, his ears detected something.

A jet similar to the Impulse was plowing through the clouds at high speed, slowing down as it came upon Oliath's island. As the aircraft descended, heavy pulsating gusts of wind and its whining engine quieted down.

A woman in a suit walked down the ramp. Behind her were two operatives, both adorned with armor and draped in a cape, no different than Odom and Asha. Solomon recognized the woman, one of the Chief Principals' representatives activated to handle internal disputes. The Chief Principals avoided direct confrontations with their operatives.

The representative greeted Solomon, helping him up the ramp. Her entourage; however, blocked the rest of his team.

Odom asked, "Eh, what's going on here?"

The representative said, "For your gross failure and incompetency, the Chief Principals, under the power of sub-protocol 41-5, hereby, relieve you of your duties."

The news rocked Jyn, Odom, and Asha. Even Solomon couldn't believe what he heard.

Solomon said, "Sub-protocol 41-5 can only be invoked when a Chief Principal is incapacitated. As you can see, I'm very much conscience."

The representative retorted, "Being in the field qualifies under the circumstance. I'm under orders to return you to Knarrow's Island. Everyone else will be dropped off at the nearest airport."

Not another word was exchanged between Solomon and his team. He could feel their hurt as they boarded the jet. There was nothing he could do to change the Chief Principals' decision.

 

*****E V*****

 

It had been a few months since Solomon's team was released from the House of Knights. He had been keeping tabs on two of them: Asha and Odom.

One of the few malls left in America was known for a premier shoe store. Racks of shoes consumed every wall. Asha hid in the backroom, peeking through the closet. A line of perspiration ran down her face. An employee was on the search for her.

The manager opened the closet to find Asha pretending to work. "What are you doing?," the burly man asked.

Asha asked, "Could I just work the cash register from in here?"

Asha didn't want to help customers find their shoes. She hated customers, but there wasn't a job hiring that didn't involve speaking with customers.

The manager wasn't having it that day. "Let's go!"

Morning or night, the store floor was always jam-packed. An older man wanted Asha's help with taking off his shoes. She reluctantly untied them, and as she pulled them off, her nose hairs were instantly incinerated. The stench of unwashed feet plagued with corns and bunions made her gag.

The manager found her. "A gentleman dressed in a fancy suit asked for you. He's probably loaded. Upsell, upsell, upsell."

There, waiting on a bench was Solomon.

Asha was surprised. "Principal Winter?!"

Bitterness, anger, and frustration were coming to the surface.

Solomon said, "Asha! I'm glad you're here. I could use your help."

Asha was unpleased and interrogated him, "You came all of the way across the country...to buy sneakers? I didn't even know you like sneakers."

The Chief Principal was always decked out in a suit and tie with spotless dress shoes. Some operatives wondered if he also slept in a suit.

Solomon said, "Of course. I'm looking for something popular. Would you be able to help?"

Asha quickly selected the ugliest sneaker - an assortment of colors: vomit green, red, purple, and orange. "Found it. Yeah, there's nothing more popular."

Solomon said, "Ok. I'll take it. Size 12, please."

Asha responded, "We only have 14s."

Solomon wasn't shaken. "I'll take those, too. Listen, I've figured out a way to get you reinstated."

The dam holding back Asha's frustrations broke. "I shouldn't have been fired in the first place. But I'm great now. I'm living the dream."

It was hard to gauge the distress in her tone, but to those who knew her, it was clear as day.

Asha was quick to end the conversation. "If you're not going to buy anything else, you need to leave."

And just like that, Solomon was out of her life again.

 

*****E V*****

 

Jyn had found work as a teacher at an American middle school. At first, she was just grateful to have a job that wasn't in a Grid, but after a week, she had grown discontent.

Jyn walked about in a middle school classroom, reading directly from a book about grammar. She wasn't the only one who kept glancing at the clock, wishing she could somehow speed up time.

The room was cold, and the silence knocked out some of the 6th grade students. While some sleeping students drooled on their desks, the more rowdy ones threw paper footballs across the class when Jyn wasn't looking. To her students, she was just a normal unsuspecting English teacher. But, she was able to detect everything going on in the room.

Annoyed with students throwing paper footballs to each other behind her back, she stopped and "clumsily" tripped, repelling the football at the last second, hitting the main troublemaker right in the face.

A "confused" Jyn held the paper football and asked, "What is this?"

The student was embarrassed and said, "I made it...for my science project."

Jyn responded, "You chose a paper football for your science project? Wow. Your brain must be exhausted."

The kid was at an age where he couldn't differentiate sarcasm. A few minutes before 3:30, the class was starting to wake up, none of them cleaning up their areas. As the final announcements of the day played over the intercom, they quickly lined up. Once the bell rang, like a race, they darted out of the classroom.

Armed with a cleaning wipe, Jyn tried to remove a wad of hardened bubblegum from underneath a desk. It was hardened like a rock. She didn't bother to turn around at the delicate tap at the door, assuming it was a student. "Did you leave your phone again?"

Solomon replied, "Actually, I was looking for the future Teacher of the Year. Perhaps you could help me find her?"

Jyn said, "Solomon! What are you doing here? I mean, I'm glad to see you. I'll be with you in a sec."

With enough pressure, Jyn broke the wad of gum. Carrying the gum in a piece of tissue, she murmured along the way to the trashcan.

Solomon tried to bring a little positivity and asked, "So, what are your students learning?"

Jyn replied, "Uh, I'm not sure actually. I just picked up some book from the store."

Solomon asked, "Aren't there lesson plans or something?"

Jyn answered, "No one follows those anymore. It's all about finding whatever works."

Jyn plopped down at her desk, rubbing her temples to ease her headache. Her desk name plate read, "Ms. Gustin." Jyn had carved out a new name and identity for herself, making finding her nearly impossible. It was something she learned from Solomon.

Jyn asked, "You didn't come all this way to gloat, did you?"

Solomon said, "Actually, I stopped by because I wanted to talk about some important matters. I was hoping we could grab some lunch. There's a burger spot around the corner."

Solomon wasted no time and made his way to the door. It was only moments when she grabbed her bag and locked her door to catch up with her mentor.

 

*****E V*****

 

The smell of burgers and hotdogs filled the diner. Jyn studied the menu, while Solomon had already made up his mind.

Jyn said, "I really shouldn't be here. It's not my cheat day."

Solomon said, "Mine neither. Go with the double patty. You'll feel guilty later, but it's so worth it."

Although Solomon had invited Jyn out to catch up, they both knew it was only a matter of time before he revealed his intentions.

Solomon said, "I want you to come back to the House of Knights. The Chief Principals only understand money and status. Their vision is limited. But, we can change that. Jyn, the House of Knights isn't perfect, but it's a good organization in need of much change. I have a vision for what the House of Knights is truly capable of, and I need your help to make it so."

Jyn responded, "I used to view every commanding officer I had with contempt. Then, you came along and...well, you know what you mean to me. But the House of Knights abandoned me. You abandoned me. After everything I sacrificed, I was just a replaceable cog."

Solomon realized he was so focused on the greater good that he had overlooked her feelings--no, hers, Asha's, and Odom's. They weren't born in the organization like he was; they didn't feel indebted to it because they weren't.

Solomon said, "You're not a cog, or an instrument or the means for my success. You're a wonderful woman who deserves the best in life. And, unfortunately, as your friend, I failed you. I'm sorry."

Jyn couldn't lay all of the blame on Solomon for what happened, but his words provided some healing.

Jyn asked, "So...is the Eon Viant part of this vision of yours? "

Solomon thought of Gabriel as a confused child consumed with rage. If set on a different path, he believed Gabriel could be different. After hearing that, Jyn was astounded that he always saw the potential in people to be better.

Jyn took a moment to give it some thought and said, "Okay. If I'm going to consider coming back, I won't do it without Odom and Asha. They deserve another chance, too."

With a casual shrug, Solomon said, "I thought it was obvious where we were going after lunch."

 

*****E V*****

 

Solomon and Jyn had journeyed hundreds of miles to a bayou in the southern part of America. Solomon used his cane to feel out whatever was in his path. In his other hand was a plastic bag.

Using a machete, Jyn hacked at the undergrowth to open up their path. She worried that Odom was holding a grudge against Solomon.

Jyn said, "I was thinking maybe I could run point. Odom was never your biggest fan. Seeing you might set him off."

Solomon replied, "I've dealt with quite a few unstable people in my life. I think I can handle Odom."

Settled on stable ground was a cabin. From the roof, Odom stalked an alligator. It was one of the largest:14 feet long, 1,000 pounds.

He leapt onto the monster's back and wrestled it down to the ground, yelling, "Stupid reptile! I'm going to sauté you and your whole family!"

Odom lost his concentration on seeing Solomon. The alligator death rolled before slipping out of his hands and escaping into the water.

Enraged, Odom grabbed a rake leaning against his grill and lunged right for Solomon, who didn't even flinched before Jyn sprung into action, forcing back the rake with her own blade.

Solomon said, "Odom. We're not here to fight."

Odom knew any further action would've led to instant death courtesy of Jyn, so he dropped his rake in defeat.

Odom said, "Today was supposed to be a good day, too, I swear. I wake up in a good mood for the first time in a while. I get a message from my ex-wife. She and her beta husband wrecked their fancy, new car. You ask me, that's great news! Even better, the trap I left out overnight finally caught the little raccoon that's been literally eating my trashcan. He won't even touch the food. What food isn't good enough for a raccoon?"

Something was off about Odom. In his isolation, he hadn't had a real conversation in months.

Odom wouldn't stop talking, "So, my friend, the gator you probably didn't see run away, his name is Mr. Buggles--I named him Mr. Buggles--we had a bit of a spat. He said some nasty things about my family--an awful attitude, that one. To commemorate the end of our friendship, I figured it'd be nice to eat some gator for breakfast, so I tried catching him, and I'm just now realizing how crazy all of this sounds."

While Jyn had grown annoyed, Solomon disarmed Odom by holding out the plastic bag. "For you."

Odom was speechless and reluctantly accepted the bag, pulling out a shoebox. Solomon knew how much he hated elaborate decorations, so the shoebox was not gift-wrapped. Inside the box was the pair of shoes Asha had recommended.

Odom said, "They're the most beautiful thing I've seen." His entire demeanor changed into that of a good host. "Do you all want some coffee or something?"

 

*****E V*****

 

Mold and musk overwhelmed Odom's cabin. Beer bottles and boxes cluttered every corner. Dirty dishes filled the sink.

Odom said, "Watch your step. I'm still cleaning. I don't have anything in the fridge, and my breakfast just took a swim, so there's that."

Jyn guided Solomon over to a rocking chair. Odom kicked back on the sofa with stained towels covering some holes. Jyn, however, remained standing, stumbling over a cluster of broken eggs.

Odom warned, "Careful! Mr. Buggles' kids hatched last week, but they still sleep in those eggs. It's a comfort thing. You want to meet them?"

Jyn asked, "Odom...what other animals are in here that I need to know about?"

Odom replied, "No, I wouldn't worry about it. I did a poor job raising them anyway, so they ran away. I'm turning out to be just like my father."

Pulling out a beer bottle from under the cushion, Odom said, "You had all of this time to check up on me. Why wait until now? Huh? What's the catch?"

Solomon responded, "I've located the Eon Viant--"

Odom said, "I knew it! Jyn, don't you see? This is not about us. He just wants to use us to make the House of Knights more profitable. Once we've served our purpose, we're just thrown right back out on the streets."

Solomon said, "What happened to you and Jyn and Asha was wrong. You never should've been terminated. The three of you represent the ideals that this organization once embodied. The House of Knights has changed, and I want to restore it back to what it was. I can't do that alone."

Odom said, "We thought you'd protect us last time, and look how that turned out. Little Asha was so terrified about what would happen and...to see the look on her face when you disappointed us was heartbreaking. How can we trust you again?"

Solomon said, "I give you my word on the names of my father, Winston B. Winter and my mother, Gail Winter, two of the original founders of the House of Knights."

Odom pondered. A man who staked his promises on the names of his parents was serious business.

Odom said, "If I do this, I do this with Jyn and Asha."

Solomon confirmed, "My presence upset Asha last time I spoke with her."

Odom reiterated, "Jyn and Asha."

 

*****E V*****

 

Another day of torture for Asha as she waited on a customer trying on 10 pairs of shoes. With each passing minute, Asha died a little bit inside. The customer decided not to buy anything and left without acknowledging her.

When Asha returned boxes of shoes to the backroom, she caught sight of a mischievous teen around 13 tucking something under his shirt. He led her on a chase through the mall, weaving in and out of the scattered crowds. Asha didn't give up. She was coming alive just like her days as an operative. Nothing could hide that grin.

Asha tracked the thief to the mall loading bay. There, Solomon sat on the back of a delivery truck, eating a vanilla ice cream cone. After Solomon expressed gratitude, the boy ran off.

Asha said, "It's pretty low for a Chief Principal to pay a kid to steal from my store."

Solomon explained that the boy, who was one of the latest House of Knights recruits, pretended to tuck something under his shirt. He guessed that Asha enjoyed the excitement and thrill of the hunt. Even if she couldn't see it, being an operative was in her DNA.

Asha said, "I don't want to work for anyone of you. The Chief Principals are shady, arrogant--"

Solomon added, "And they smell!"

Asha needed a moment to decipher what he said. "W--what?"

Solomon continued, "Really bad. I sometimes dread being in that meeting chamber with them. Principal Summer has a sense of decency, but if you ask me, I'm pretty sure Principal Fallene is afraid of showering."

Asha cackled; it wasn't a common sight but a welcome one.

Solomon moved over for Asha to sit beside him.

Looking a flock of birds soaring by, Asha said, "I don't want to be part of an organization that doesn't care about me."

Solomon said, "The House of Knights wasn't always like that. In its beginning, the Chief Principals were more focused on the preservation of life than wealth and resources. Its members operated more like a family. That was something my parents insisted. They viewed people as individuals, not numbers. The House of Knights will follow the pattern they set once again, that I promise."

Asha responded, "You never mention your parents. You barely talk about anything personal."

Solomon said, "People have to change sometimes. And sometimes a person can't make the right changes without their friends."

It was clear that Solomon was sincere. However he was going to make the changes, she wanted to be there.

And just like that, Asha tossed her nametag.