Chapter 107: Maverick’s Mission
"There are two ways to conquer a kingdom: break its walls, or raise its children."
~Rebel Beast
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An hour before the fight.....
"The line is connecting in three... two... one..." Standing beside the desk, Dimitri counted down with his fingers.
The screen expanded until it filled almost the entire monitor as President Callum appeared.
"Good morning, Mr. President," Maverick greeted, his posture straight as a spear.
President Callum looked to be in his late fifties. His blond hair had been carefully combed back, every strand disciplined into place with enough product that not a single one dared rebel. The dye concealed most of the years, though faint streaks of silver still peeked through near his temples.
Behind the square-rimmed glasses, sharp black eyes regarded Maverick with the easy confidence of a man who had spent decades negotiating with people. Even dressed in a simple button-up shirt, there was an unmistakable authority about him, refined by years of leadership and sharpened by the instincts of a seasoned statesman.
"Maverick, my boy." Callum smiled easily.
A muscle ticked in Maverick’s jaw. Had they been friends, perhaps he would have accepted the familiarity. But President Callum had never once allowed him to forget the nature of their relationship.
This was politics and mutual usefulness, nothing more. Being called my boy sounded less like affection and more like ownership.
"It’s Maverick Nightshade," he corrected evenly. "Not your boy."
Silence lingered for only a second while
Callum’s eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly.
Message received.
"Of course." His expression never faltered. "Maverick Nightshade."
Without wasting another moment, the president leaned forward. "I trust Bestiaris Academy hasn’t become too much for you."
Maverick heard the question for what it truly was.
Can you still control the situation?
"The situation remains under control," Maverick answered. "Control and safety, however, are two very different things."
Callum nodded his head. "I see."
He reached for a digital file and skimmed its contents. "It has come to my attention that this year’s Concordia Program has recorded the lowest mortality rate since its establishment."
His finger continued scrolling.
"Historically, nearly two-thirds of participants failed to survive their first day. Compared to the previous year, these figures represent significant progress. I believe the anti-venom initiative has contributed considerably to—"
"With respect, Mr. President." Maverick interrupted him. "The anti-venoms have achieved almost nothing."
Callum stopped scrolling.
Maverick continued before the president could respond. "On their first day, the students were subjected to a coordinated bull attack."
His voice remained level.
"Eloise and Saddie died before medical intervention could reach them. Gloria and Chelsea survived, but only after losing limbs. They’ll spend the rest of their lives paying the price for an experiment they volunteered for."
The office became very still and that gave Maverick the space to continue.
"On the second day, Enika and Phillipa were killed during the claw incident. Even Abigail, the specialist your administration personally selected for this operation also died."
Maverick looked directly into the camera.
"If a trained military operative couldn’t survive these attacks, what chance do frightened eighteen-year-old girls have?"
Callum folded his hands together. "The casualties are regrettable."
"They are preventable." Maverick countered.
"They are inevitable." The correction came without hesitation. "You continue making the same mistake, Maverick."
"And what mistake is that?"
"You still view this as a school." Callum’s expression hardened. "I view it as a strategic operation. The Concordia Program has never been about education. It is about access, influence, and ensuring the next generation of beast leaders grows accustomed to human presence before the older generation succeeds in convincing them we’re the enemy."
Maverick’s expression darkened. "They already think humans are the enemy."
"And whose fault is that?" Callum asked.
"Their parents are the extremists here."
"No, that is not —"
"Maverick..." Callum leaned back, his tone carried the patience of a man explaining policy for the hundredth time.
"We have apex predators living within our borders. They possess capabilities beyond our own and answer to their own authority.
They enforce their own laws and occupy territory inside our nation."
He spread his hands. "Tell me, what sovereign government would simply accept that?"
"The beasts shifters aren’t asking to govern humanity."
"They don’t need to." Callum answered immediately. "They already possess the power."
He tapped the desk. "My responsibility isn’t today’s peace, it’s tomorrow’s security. If I wait until they decide to march on Nova Region, then I’ve already failed the people who elected me."
Maverick told him. "They aren’t preparing for war, they only want to be left alone, which is the opposite of what we’re doing now."
Callum gave a humorless smile. "History is filled with leaders who ignored growing threats because they preferred such optimism over preparation. I won’t become one of them."
He picked up a folder. "Every week reports lands on my desk of border attacks, livestock massacres, and civilian deaths. There are entire communities demanding that I remove every beast from United Dorminia."
He dropped the folder back onto the desk.
"My citizens expect answers. They expect protection, and they expect leadership. The Concordia Program is our opportunity to reshape relations before another generation inherits such a pattern of hatred."
"It still isn’t diplomacy, this is a psychological warfare." Maverick replied.
Callum didn’t deny it.
"Of course it is. The younger generation hasn’t fully inherited the prejudices of their elders. If they learn together, work together, and perhaps form relationships...? Then one day the old political order disappears."
Maverick’s eyes narrowed. "And how many children must die before that future arrives?"
Neither man spoke.
Finally Callum sighed.
"So tell me, Maverick, what would you have me do?"
Before Maverick could answer, Callum raised a hand.
"And don’t tell me to leave the beasts alone. I cannot. Not while I occupy this office."
Maverick held his gaze. "Then stop sending children to fight a conflict they never started."
Callum didn’t blink. "I have a nation to protect."
"And I," Maverick answered, "have their names."
He held the president’s gaze without flinching.
"I remember every girl who walked through those academy gates believing she had a future."
"Eloise."
"Saddie."
"Enika."
"Phillipa."
"They aren’t statistics to me, Mr. President. They’re graves."
The silence that followed was heavier than anything either of them had said. Callum regarded Maverick for a long moment before releasing a weary sigh.
For the first time since the conversation began, the president looked less like the most powerful man in Nova Region and more like someone carrying the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders.
"I understand your heart, Maverick."
His voice had softened. "I truly do."
He folded his hands on the desk.
"But understanding your heart doesn’t change my reality. I have exhausted diplomacy. I’ve listened to military advisors, economists, sociologists, and security experts. Every one of them reaches the same conclusion."
He paused. "It is either this, or a full-scale war with the beasts."
Maverick’s jaw tightened.
"No nation has ever moved forward without sacrifice," Callum continued. "History has never been kind enough to offer such peace without demanding something in return."
But Maverick wouldn’t listen. "Those sacrifices—"
"Maverick." The president cut him off before he could finish. "I didn’t call to debate the morality of the Concordia Program."
His expression returned to that familiar political composure. "I called because my advisory council has approved another initiative."
Curiosity flashed across Maverick’s face.
"What initiative?"
"A school excursion." Callum said. "Except this time, the destination will be Nova City."
A curse slipped under Maverick’s breath before he could stop it.
Callum pretended not to hear.
"I had much the same reaction," he admitted. "But the proposal isn’t without merit."
He reached for another report.
"Our behavioral specialists believe prolonged exposure is the key. Bestiaris allows humans to experience beast society. The problem is that the exchange has only flowed in one direction."
He tapped the folder. "They believe the beasts should see humanity at its best."
Maverick’s expression remained unmoved.
"The proposal recommends carefully managed exposure. Public landmarks, cultural centers, community events, human families and positive media coverage."
Callum looked up.
"With enough favorable experiences and the right public relations campaign, we may begin reshaping how the younger generation perceives this coexistence."
Maverick let out a humorless laugh. "So your solution is propaganda."
"I prefer strategic communication."
Maverick shook his head."It doesn’t change the objective. Do you have any idea how many beast students attend Bestiaris Academy? Hundreds. And you intend to bring them into Nova City?"
"Not all of them." Callum answered calmly.
"We’re considering twenty. The selection will consist of students with exemplary academic records, stable behavioral assessments, and a demonstrated willingness to cooperate."
He paused deliberately. "And naturally... we’d like the princes included."
Maverick already knew the names before Callum spoke them.
"Rhydian Drakhar and Caelis Cobryn."
Maverick exhaled slowly. "They’re not fools."
"I know."
"They’ll recognize this for exactly what it is. They won’t allow themselves to become political mascots."
Callum told him. "Which is precisely why I need you."
Maverick’s eyes narrowed.
"They tolerate you, and unlike every government representative we’ve ever sent near that academy, they’ll actually listen when you speak."
Callum folded his hands once more.
"Convince them while I’ll handle the Parliament and of course demonstrations from the public that would be sure to follow."
He breathed, "You just convince two princes that humanity is worth visiting."