**DEREK POV**
I get confirmation that Caleb completed the first assignment early.
The report comes through clean and efficient, timestamped and verified, the kind of update that usually earns a brief nod of approval before I move on to the next item. Border coordination resolved ahead of schedule. Contacts established. No complications. No losses. Minimal friction. The language is precise, stripped of anything unnecessary. A job done exactly the way it should be done.
Exactly what I expected.
I don’t allow myself to feel satisfaction at that. Satisfaction would imply this was personal. That I was invested in the outcome beyond its operational value. I tell myself this is awareness, nothing more. Situational clarity. A leader staying informed.
I extend the assignment immediately.
No d
