First, by thinking deeply before choosing his words carefully

IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTES:

To ayyar, AltUAuthor, nivekvonbeldo, AmanoJaku61, Ryon Reyne and MaxGirth: Thanks for all the feedback for the last chapter and the suggestions for the official title. As I said, I already had one in mind even if none of them was the exact one I wanted for the situation and the plotline (though one of you got fairly close to it), and the logic behind the why he picks it in the end will be made clear through his inner musings during the chapter. Still, know that I also name-dropped the other titles you all had suggested that didn't made the cut for one reason or another as he contemplated them for a bit in the actual scenes, so thanks for the inspiration for additional content to develop for the chapter itself.

To you all, and everyone else, I have two more important things to add:

First of all, thanks again for reading as usual. I appreciate the continued support even as we get past the 70th chapter I have personally written for this branch ever since Decadent Empire got me inspired with the concept from his own branch before I went my own route. And now that we are almost done with all the important and organic build up from this arc, I have some pretty interesting things in mind for the future of the story that I hope you all enjoy.

Secondly, some of the inner musings in this chapter will perhaps feel a bit random at first because I have only rarely refered to the heritage of our MC, Michael Banner, and the influence some of his closest family members had on his education and world view on certain things. Lessons that were important to him for one reason or another that he now tries to find inspiration from, to see if they can help him improve the lot of his group somehow now that he has actively decided he has a duty to those he has claimed as well.

So as a brief but relevant reminder to those that don't recall this, I mentioned 17 chapters ago as part of my worldbuilding seeds for later that while his mother was still alive at least before the zombie apocalypse started and he lost contact with her, Michael's late father and all 4 of his late grandparents used to be Doctors of "one sort of another" before they died on a planet crash a few years earlier.

We will get more details about the precise expertise of Michael's dad and the influence that had on his education when he realizes he can learn a few things that may in fact serve him very well as a source of inspiration in more ways than one in the new chaotic situation he finds himself in as he expands power base over time but know that it wasn't a PhD on a medical field. So, when you get to that part, please bear with me even if it looks strange at first glance, as it will inform some of the ideas he will want to implement later on to see if they can help his growing group.

Well, with all that out of the way, thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter and if so, please remember to leave a comment if you can spare the time. They help on my end.

Michael Banner's POV

What are you?

Jenna’s blunt demand echoed inside your skull, colliding with the whirlwind of titles and implications you’d been wrestling with all damn day. Owner was perhaps the most accurate term, as leader just didn’t seem strong enough. Lord carried a bit of a majestic tone that a part of him definitely liked, especially after Mia started speculating wildly, but it also felt somewhat despotic and fraught with religious undertones he wasn't sure he should invite.

And yet…you didn’t like Owner all that much as the main title. It made you feel too self-conscious and arrogant in ways that could easily become your undoing. Like the start of a psychological trap feeding destructive behaviors, exactly like the gang leader you’d faced. That man saw people as disposable toys, discarded without a thought. You still remember clearly the conviction you felt back then before refusing to become like that.

No, an owner could toss aside his toys. But the epiphany you had facing that predator remained: that if you were going to wield this power, you would be as benevolent as you could afford to be, as often as possible. You owed it to your people. And under the circumstances, their well-being was also your well-being; a thriving group meant long-term survival and prosperity for everyone, your included. Pragmatism and morality aligned beautifully here if you played your cards right and allowed common sense to guide your actions.

Besides, Owner didn’t fully convey the profound sense of duty you now felt you had to carry...the responsibility **** upon you by your own conscience, for this growing community you were establishing. So, knowing they still awaited your answer, you thought quickly, sifting through the terms bubbling up instinctively among your claimed and some others you had considered.

Boss? Your gut feeling told you it was too flimsy for the gravity of the situation. Master? Efficacious and accurate enough within your walls, certainly, but it would be poison when dealing with outsiders. No, the very word would scream 'threat' to any wary, armed group they might encounter, instantly escalating tensions during critical first meetings.

Supreme Commander, as you had toyed around with in the aftermath of your victory over Carlos's gang, had a ring for your soldiers, as it was a functional military rank and particularly accurate in their case, since they admitted that your orders would outrank those of any other surviving general that would have commanded their obedience before he had claimed them. However, it felt overly aggressive and grandiose for the civilians you had vowed to protect and guide to the best of your ability.

Shepherd maybe? Admittedly, it was accurate in spirit, as you did feel responsible for your flock as it were, which would inevitably grow. Still, you couldn't help but feel it felt pretentious as a first impression title to potential outsiders, perception-wise, and that could cause trouble. After all, just because you were completely safe from everyone you claimed and could benefit from their cooperation, it didn't mean you were safe from a sniper's well aim headshot. Especially if they were far enough away to not be physically able to read any written claims of ownership that could potentially restrain their paranoid need to make a decapitation strike on your group and steal your property that they would otherwise respect if they were to read the practically magic words written therein.

Then, your eyes widened slightly as your mind snagged on the old family story that your mom had told you multiple times, usually with a mixture of amusement and a bit of pride. That of a distant but direct ancestor of hers, the bastard child of a British Earl, who crossed the Atlantic seeking a new life after the Napoleonic Wars. Not that this part of their ancestry made her, and by extension you, official nobility as your mom had acknowledged, but the ancient and medieval history fan in you had always found that part of your heritage fascinating, even if it was a bit distant.

As you recalled that old memory, your focus then drifted to another big area of interest that was instilled in you by your now late father through all the various archeological trips he had allowed them to tag along for and the fascinating history-themed vacations his dad had organized for you and your sister Annabeth...that of Ancient Roman history. More specifically, you thought back on the period your father had earned a PhD on Late Antiquity after all the work and research he had put into the confusing mess of sources from the era of the Crisis of the 3rd Century to the Age of the Tetrarchy that was started by Emperor Diocletian when he brought an end to that chaotic and bloody intergenerational period.

You nodded to yourself almost imperceptibly as you remembered some of the stories your father had told you about the senior Augustus who had founded the Rule by Four Imperial system that became known as the Tetrarchy back in those days. And then you quickly remembered how one of the many pragmatic reforms Diocletian had done when he decided to alter the very nature of the imperial office itself after the constant chaos and military revolts of the previous 50 years of crisis was to stop mincing words with the Imperial Senate and the Roman Army by adopting an official title that, with their accompanying protocols, were accurate enough to the situation that accompanied his various reforms while also holding some degree of majesty and gravitas. Then, when combined with efficient propaganda and perception while dealing with internal political rivals or other foreign enemies, this served to preserve stability in the very nature of the imperial system as the top of the political pyramid for prosperous decades to come under his rule and beyond, which had become extremely important an aim after all those civil wars and chaotic rebellions had conspired to create a corrupt game of Whac-A-Mole with the office of Emperor among those who had the means to command large armies, at least until they themselves got replaced.

"Yes," You thought to yourself as you nodded slightly at the memories of what your father had taught you. "Diocletian had done his best to rebuild a battered Roman Empire even if his successors had eventually squandered the stability he had purchased with his hard work, but regardless, now that I found myself in a region facing chaos, invasions of countless zombies and societal collapse...there may just be many lessons I could take inspiration from the age of rebuilding and reforms from one of my favorite Roman Emperors," You considered in silence. "Especially since they were nowhere near as reliant on the technological levels we have gotten used to in present-day modern society when they themselves had to come up with many solutions to counter the destructive effects from the era of the Crisis of the 3rd Century."

But while there may be many valuable lessons to be found in that historical period, especially as your own power base and manpower base grew and expanded, right now, you focused especially not so much on the details about the means Diocletian had used to achieve his priorities but rather on the reasoning behind his goals of stability that he was actually aiming for under the circumstances he had to work with.

After all, according to what your historian father had told you regarding Emperor's Diocletian's desire to rest Imperial legitimacy on Divine Authority, stemming from Rome's traditional and polytheistic state religion, rather than the approval of the Legions of the consent of the Senate was not so much because the he had wanted to indulge in his vanity or megalomania but because for the sake of stable governance at the top, as he wanted to impress to his subjects that the office of Emperor was indeed above and beyond them for pragmatic reasons. Mainly because, after the Crisis of the 3rd Century, he had felt the need for a strong authority figure to reassert order over an long-lasting empire that had nearly come crashing down. And so Diocletian made it a point of pageantry to give it to them in spades.

You narrowed your eyes in deep thought. Much of the application of policies he did that you found less savory despite understanding the historical and political context behind their reasoning may not exactly apply to you or even be necessary to bother with, what with your means of ensuring loyalty and harmony among your followers in ways even the greatest of Roman Emperors could have only dreamed of. But for the time being...the core and logic behind his idea for rebranding office of Emperor under the main title of Dominus resonated.

It seemed to you that what you really needed if you were going to bother with the implications of an official title for a position of authority was a unifying term, one with enough majesty for internal cohesion and respect, yet also carrying enough neutrality to avoid instantly alarming outsiders. A title that also acknowledged both your absolute authority over your group and also your self-imposed duty to protect and guide them to a better future even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.

And suddenly, after all that thinking, you finally hit on one that you liked well enough.

You took a deep breath, the stale air thick in your lungs. "You want to know what I am?" You finally said aloud, after careful, silent contemplating for close to a minute; your voice cutting through the heavy quiet, drawing four expectant pairs of eyes tighter. "The answer…is complex...and there are parts I’m still verifying." You said honestly as you thought on the mysteries of the marker, while being deliberately vague as you let your gaze linger meaningfully on Mia, whose breath hitched. "But titles to be addressed by that I feel may fit well enough?" You asked slowly, straightening slightly as you looked at them carefully. "For concrete way to avoid further confusion and let the whole group address me as such? And, especially, a public title for when we come face to face with other groups?"

You bit your bottom lip slightly before you went on. "There is Owner…and it may be true, in a sense. But it feels… incomplete. Not to mention arrogant in a way that may easily lead down a really bad path. It also doesn’t capture the responsibility I feel, the duty I have realized I now have to all of you to keep us as safe and fed as possible while we continue building something real here." You declared, meeting each pair of eyes, from Emma’s sharp intellect and Reyna’s practicality to Jenna’s impatience as Mia looked on with hopeful interest.

"And for dealing with others out there? It’s a liability. So is Master, since it sounds like the ruler of a BDSM club or a terrifying slaver, " You said, shaking your head with a wince. "Supreme Commander?” You asked as you gave a short, humorless laugh. “I thought it might do earlier today, and indeed it might work for the military guard amongst the recruits, but it’d scare the piss out of anyone else we meet before they even see the whites of our eyes. We need to talk to people before we can integrate them, or at least find a way to make them into our allies by establishing mutually beneficial cooperation ventures and/or trade agreements of some sort...NOT make them shoot first and ask questions later."

"I thought about ‘Shepherd’ too," you went on, "And the word does feel almost right, at least in the original sense of the word. After all, I have decided I have a duty to look after my flock even as it grows. And yet…" you ended up shaking your head. Too much Sunday school perception and potentially pretencious in the optics department, I fear," You added with a sigh, tapping your temple.

You centered yourself mentally after a pause and then took another breath. "I’ve given a lot of thought to all of this today and the implications all around as well as just now, since you asked me the question directly. About perception. About stability. About the power of authority, where it derives from and the perils of taking your people for granted if you want to build something that can prosper in the long-term. And also about history, both in general...and from my own heritage. For you see, my own family traces back to an Earl of the United Kingdom, from the late 18th century through my matrilineal line," You explained, and quickly saw Reyna’s eyebrows lift slightly as you did so.

"The son he had out of wedlock moved to the United States long ago because he couldn't inherit land, title, or fortune back home, sure, but still, that feels like a relevant part of my family history now, given the circumstances. And as history & societal myths have a way of constantly teaching us the power of the right title, I have settled on one for the time being. I may change it sometime in the future if our situation ends up demanding it somehow, should we be able to expand sufficiently enough that an upgrade feels both accurate, needed for optics and most importantly, that I have earned it by that point, but for now...if you really need a formal address for me, one that fits both the reality here, my family's distant lineage and the world outside in the face of old societal collapse…" He paused for effect before casting the die. "Lord Commander. That’s the term I prefer for the time being."

Silence followed, thicker than before. You could almost hear the dust motes collide. Emma tilted her head, dissecting the phrase. Reyna gave a slow, thoughtful nod, seemingly appreciating the practical balance of authority without too overt a sense of menace for strangers.

Jenna’s foot-tapping ceased; she grunted, a sound that might have been **** acceptance. "Lord Commander, huh? Fine. I guess it does feel accurate enough. Less weird than demigod, anyway," she muttered, side-eyeing Mia.

But Mia simply smiled widely, and it clearly reached her eyes. "Lord Commander," she breathed, sounding pleased as she gave you a knowing look. "It sure fits. It fits you."

You offered her a small, contained smile as you realized she still probably hadn't given up on the idea that you might secretly be a demigod but regardless, that felt like tomorrow's curve ball to deal with. For now, the title settled over you, heavier than you’d expected, if still fitting enough for your tastes.

Lord Commander. Not just a label, but a covenant. A promise you had just made aloud. You looked at the four brilliant women, now irrevocably yours, and suddenly felt the heavy weight of their dependence, their expectation. You had claimed them to ensure survival, cooperation, and security. Now, you would do your best to live up to it. Because you had to. The future of everyone in this building depended on their Lord Commander now, one way or another. The thought was terrifying. And somewhat exhilarating. You sighed as your grip tightened on the marker in your pocket almost by reflex, the tool feeling like a familiar anchor as you determined that the real work began now that you had made your peace with your new role and had more to work with than yesterday.

But first things first..."Right," you muttered, clapping your hands once, the sharp sound startling in the quiet. "Enough philosophy for now. We've got a feast to attend to before it's fully dark, and I want Emma and Reyna to give Sergeant Vanders another once-over in the make-shift clinic space before then. Jenna, Mia, make sure to finish with the inventory of the medical crates. Prioritize antibiotics, painkillers, and anything sterile."

The family matriarch nodded immediately at your words. "Very well then. You heard our Lord Commander, girls. Get moving!"

You watched them swing into motion to obey your orders. And now, with this last loose end from the residents in your building tied up, you took a deep breath and headed out the door.

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this longer and more reflective than usual chapter. As always, feel free to let me know if you have any questions you wish answered and until next time you all, see ya!