She didn't jump, at the sight of the general, instead giving the imposing figure a mellow smile, that was somehow more serious than it was amused. She was no bullshit, irritable, and in charge.
Kess could get behind that, and obviously, she was a comrade of Ashley's. Dark eyes caught briefly on the energy orb, as it disappeared, and she forgot to step back as Uranophane came close.
"Yes, ser." It was automatic, a response to a command, and then all of her thoughts stopped.
Pain. It felt like every inch of her being was held taut, firmly in the hand of the harsh, caped figure. It only lasted a moment, before those invisible lines were flooded. Raw power, energy, surged through her muscles, tightening until she couldn't move, couldn't breath, couldn't think, couldn't feel, as it crossed the threshold into overload.
It tore her apart, and then it put her back together again, as something different. Something new.
Lieutenant Howlite's hand clutched her uniform, above her chest, where she'd fallen to her knees the moment the General let her go, staring at nothing. It took several long moments of silence before she looked up, eyes moving from one, to the other.
"What next?"
