by Terry Mixon
Her girl was going out on her own. Fei was both proud and fearful for her. Lots of hugs, kisses, and tearful words were said as Andrea took her luggage and trooped off to the cutter with her head held high.
They waited until another cutter was ready to depart before Fei started saying her own goodbyes. Those hugs were heartfelt and tearful too. She’d never expected to find a family like Grace and Kayden, and it tore at her to be leaving them, even if only for a few months.
“You’ll take care of her for us, won’t you?” Kayden asked, enfolding her in his arms.
“Of course I will. This is going to be straightforward. There shouldn’t be any serious complications.”
Grace laughed with an edge of derision as she pulled Fei into a tight hug. “We all know that things are never that simple. Either Imperial Intelligence will try something, or this strange cabal will stick their oar in. Hell, some random asses will certainly get in on the game. We’re not going to know until it’s all over, but thank God that you’ll be on-site to mitigate it.”
Fei nodded and hugged her wife before kissing her deeply. Then she did the same with her husband.
She hadn’t brought any luggage. Whatever she needed, she’d buy on the ship. It was pricey, but that had preserved the impression that she was going home with the rest of the family.
Now, with her own head held high, she boarded the cutter. Whatever came for Andrea now, Fei would stand ready to defend her from the shadows.
She pitied anyone that crossed her girl, and that included any of the officers that thought they’d manipulate things behind the scenes. It was her job to make sure that didn’t happen, and she’d make absolutely certain that everything ran smoothly.
Now, if only the universe would cooperate with her plans.
5
Page spent the next four weeks getting set up for the arrival of the next cycle of recruits. With the other drill instructors away, he commandeered warm bodies from battalion to get everything configured just the way he wanted it.
This was pretty much how it worked every training cycle, and the familiar process relaxed him. This was the one part of the cycle where he could shape things to be just the way he wanted them without any interference.
The drill instructors started trickling back in over the week before the training cycle kicked off and helped him verify that he hadn’t missed anything. To his annoyance, there was usually something that needed to be tweaked or that had somehow been overlooked.
Page spent the final day reviewing everything and found himself satisfied. Now he only needed to wait for the recruits.
They’d be flown from the spaceport in the evening and wouldn’t get the ever-so-warm welcome until they were safely in his clutches.
Honestly, this was one of the most enjoyable times for him as a drill instructor. He’d meet the civilians that thought they could be marines and give them a few bad weeks. Those that survived the first month would almost certainly make it all the way through.
He was just finishing up the last of his electronic paperwork when he got a call from battalion. It was Major Martelle. The man frowned at Page through the vid.
“Senior Sergeant, I’ve got some bad news. Lieutenant Evans had an accident while on leave, and he won’t be here for the recruits’ arrival.
“It seems he got overly ambitious and tried a slope well above his skill level. An inconveniently placed tree and a moderate cliff put him in the local hospital. He’s expected to make a full recovery, but his injuries take him out of play for this training cycle.”
So, Page’s vision of his lieutenant falling off a mountain had turned out to be basically correct. Perfect.
“What will we do for an officer, sir?” he asked.
“With this short a notice, I might’ve had to order one of the other platoon leaders to oversee you, but I have a potential option that I won’t be able to explore for an hour or two. Carry on with the intake, and I’ll let you know what I decide.
“For now, you’re in charge. I have every confidence in you, Senior Sergeant. If there is a problem that you can’t handle, call me no matter the hour, and I’ll make the magic happen.”
“Will do, sir. Thank you.”
He wouldn’t call, of course. Page knew every aspect of training marine recruits backward and forward. He could handle any curves they threw at him. Unless something very unusual happened, he didn’t anticipate anything that would require an officer to make a decision today. Or even this week.
He called Gomez and asked her to come to his office ASAP. She arrived a couple of minutes later, and he told her the news.
She shook her head in bemusement. “I can’t say that I’m shocked. With the LT’s idea of fun, it was only a matter of time before he maimed himself. I’m glad to hear that he’s going to be okay.”
“Me too. Did you enjoy your trip into the woods?”
She nodded, heading for the coffee maker to get them each a cup. “I really needed it. Being able to set up a tent in the middle of nowhere, sleep as long as I like, and do whatever I want really relaxes me. I assume you stayed here.”
That had been a statement, not a question.
“I find what we do relaxing. Honestly, who wouldn’t?”
She laughed. “This is some of the most stressful work in the Corps, and you find it relaxing. What’s wrong with you, John?”
He grinned. “I thrive on stress. Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do with unstructured time. I like having my days all laid out. That kind of order is relaxing for me. I don’t like chaos, and I don’t like surprises.”
She shook her head, sat down, and sipped her coffee. “Then I sure hope there are no surprises for you this training cycle. We wouldn’t want to ruin a relaxing twelve weeks of basic training.”
He laughed and hoped that she had the right of it.
Most people would’ve found a four-week trip on a liner relaxing, but it hadn’t turned out that way for Andrea. She’d forced herself to leave her cabin and meet new people, but she still felt isolated.
It wasn’t that the majority of them were overtly hostile to her—though some of them were—but enough recognized what her tattoos meant for her to get a series of dirty looks even on an otherwise enjoyable outing or meal. That was honestly about average when she ventured out in public and why she didn’t do it all that often.
Andrea missed her family. Every night she questioned whether she’d made the right decision. This was what she’d wanted, but that didn’t make the process any easier.
She’d ended up spending a lot of time in her cabin rather than taking meals with the other passengers. She’d slept, read, and exercised using martial arts katas, since the gym was a bad place for a confrontation because it showed exactly how different she was from normal humans.
Not only had Fei drilled her in hand-to-hand combat as used by the marines, Andrea had taken instruction in a number of other styles to augment her capabilities. She wasn’t a master of any of them—not by any means—but the additional moves that she’d added to her repertoire might one day allow her to surprise someone who wasn’t expecting them. With her speed and strength, an unexpected move could be devastating if applied correctly.
When the liner arrived at New Dallas, she felt as if she’d been cooped up for half her life. The liner ferried its passengers to the main spaceport via cutters, and once she was on the ground, it was only a short walk to where a marine pinnace was taking on what she assumed was a group of soon-to-be recruits.
Since Fei had claimed a pinnace as part of her booty from the raid, she had experience with them. Kayden had trained Andrea in piloting one, though she wasn’t nearly skilled enough to fly unsupervised. As Fei had said, Andrea knew enough to spectacularly crash one in a pinch.
Her mentor was probably right.
The pinnace’s interior was crowded with young people, so she found an open seat and strapped herself in. There were a couple of marines in flight suits going through the compartment, showi
ng everyone how to strap themselves in, and she realized that she probably should’ve waited to be instructed on how to do that just to maintain her cover.
Nobody around her seemed inclined to talk, so she settled herself in and observed the people watching her. Her tattoos had once again garnered the attention of those that were close enough to see them.
The girl seated beside her, a redhead, seemed like she was about to speak, but one of the marines chose that moment to come over to her. “Where did you get those tattoos, and why the hell would you do that yourself? Do you know what they mean?”
This moment had been inevitable, and Andrea had been dreading it for years. There was nothing she could do to put it off, so she faced it squarely.
“The tattoos represent one of the castes of the Singularity, Corporal,” she said calmly. “As for why I have them, I didn’t have a choice. I was a child when they put them on me, and they’re not removable.”
Concealing them would’ve made her life so much simpler, but her very genes rebelled against going that route. That meant that she had to prove that she was worthy of being human despite her origin.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, shaking his head.
Without saying another word, he turned and headed over to his comrade. They had an energetic discussion that revolved around her based on their gestures. The corporal went into the control area while the other man watched her with narrowed eyes.
A minute later, an officer stepped into the compartment and headed straight for her with the corporal at his heels. He stopped in front of her and studied her closely.
“Are those genuine?” he asked, his voice toneless.
“Yes, sir. I was rescued from the Singularity as a child.”
“Who rescued you, and how old were you?”
“Imperial Marines rescued me during a raid when I was twelve years old, sir. I’ve been raised in the Empire since then. They gave so much for me that I’m here to dedicate myself to doing the same for others.”
“Let me see your orders.”
She handed him the old-fashioned folder that contained her orders and her redacted records. Even though she had electronic copies in her implants, not all recruits had that capability, so she’d been carting paper around and would until she was at the base.
He flipped them open and scanned several pages before stopping to read something in more detail. He looked up at Andrea and examined her face more closely.
“Both your orders and records back up what you’ve said, Recruit, but I’ve never heard of anything like this. What’s your story?”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve been told that I can’t divulge anything further because it’s classified, sir. Everything that I can say is in those records.”
The man grunted noncommittally, closed the folder, and handed it back to her. “I can only imagine the world of crap that you’re about to walk into, Recruit. The people around us don’t know what you represent, but there are plenty of marines at the base who do. Why would you subject yourself to something like this?”
“Marines just like yourself gave their lives for me. The only way I can repay that debt is to become an Imperial Marine myself.”
“I don’t envy you or your training staff,” the man said. “Good luck, Recruit Tolliver. You’ll need it.”
He returned her folder and made his way back into the front of the pinnace.
The corporal and his companion continued to stand at the front of the compartment, glaring at her as the pinnace prepared for takeoff. Yes, these were going to be fun times.
A large boy—or young man—of perhaps a hundred and ten kilos with long brown hair and a nose that was rather too large for his face leaned across the aisle and stared at her.
“What kind of freak are you?”
Well, that hadn’t taken long.
6
Fei made it down to the port without any trouble and immediately got herself on a flight to the base with other marine personnel by presenting her orders. She took care to be sure it wasn’t the same vehicle that would be carrying any recruits before she boarded.
The trip took about an hour, and once she’d disembarked, she quickly found a base map and located the 225th Training Battalion. She snagged a ride from some of the others that had been on the cutter, and they dropped her off in front of a wide, imposing building made of formed plascrete that brought back mixed memories of her own past.
It was evening, yet the place was bustling. They had an incoming crop of recruits, so everyone was getting prepared for the influx.
She marched to the person acting as the charge of quarters—basically the enlisted person responsible for dealing with any general issues like visitors or com calls after regular hours—and presented her orders again.
The female corporal examined everything and then pointed down the hall toward a set of stairs. “The major’s office is on the third level, ma’am. Turn right, fourth door on the left.”
Fei thanked the woman and headed in the indicated direction. She was still in civilian clothes, but her orders were to report to the battalion commander upon arrival. It wasn’t like she’d drawn uniforms yet or even had a place to change.
She made her way up the stairs, down the hall, and stopped at the indicated door. The outer office was manned by a sergeant whose nametag read Jackson. He smiled pleasantly as she entered, focusing his attention on her.
“May I help you?”
She presented her orders a third time. “I’m reporting to the battalion commander.”
The sergeant took and scanned them. Satisfied, he returned them.
“If you’ll have a seat, Lieutenant, I’ll see if Major Martelle is free to see you.”
Fei took a seat, and three minutes later, the sergeant indicated that she could go in. She rapped twice on the door with Major Craig Martelle’s name and entered as soon as the voice inside commanded her to do so.
The man’s office was neat to the point of obsessiveness. Everything was regimented and ordered, even though there was quite a bit of material on shelves and hung on the walls. The major was obviously a meticulous man.
He was of average height with closely cropped brown hair and piercing eyes. He sat behind a desk that was absolutely clear of paper or any other distractions. Unlike her last battalion commander, the major apparently was not someone who fetishized paper.
She stepped in front of the desk and braced to attention. “Lieutenant Na Fei reporting as ordered, sir.”
“At ease, Lieutenant.”
She relaxed slightly with her arms behind her back as the major examined her. She expected him to ask for her orders, but he seemed content to simply observe her.
“You’re former enlisted, aren’t you?” he finally asked. “I’d guess either a sergeant or senior sergeant. Am I right?”
“Yes, sir.”
He smiled slightly. “It’s the posture. Officers tend to be a little laxer in how they stand. If you want to blend in as an officer, you’re going to have to learn to relax a little, Lieutenant Na.
“I received an electronic copy of your orders just two hours ago. I assume that’s when your ship arrived in orbit. Curious. I usually know that an officer is being assigned to my unit in advance. I can’t recall how long it’s been since I’ve had anyone just show up, particularly an officer.
“That last part makes this an interesting curiosity. Why are you here, Lieutenant, and why didn’t I know that you were coming?”
She shrugged slightly. “It’s in my orders, sir. As to why you weren’t notified ahead of time, I can’t speak to that.”
He grunted. “I see. We’ll get someone to assign you quarters once we sort things out, but I still have a few questions. Your service record says that you left the service six years ago, and yet here you are back in uniform, metaphorically speaking.
“I find that gap curious. Actually, I’ve used the word ‘curious’ too many times. Once this many curious things happen, I tend to think of them as more s
uspicious. I’ll ask you again, Lieutenant, why are you here?”
“I’m here to serve the Empire, sir, in whatever capacity you see fit.”
He took that in silence before finally nodding. “I see. We’re going to have an interesting time getting to know one another, Lieutenant Na. Well, it just so happens that I have a spot in need of filling.
“One of my adjutants went on emergency leave a few months back, so that leaves me with an opening. I’m going to assume that that’s what you were sent to fill. I’ve never known the personnel branch to be that prompt, but I suppose I can’t rule it out.”
Then he smiled. “But I have a better idea. One of my platoon leaders was in an accident while on leave, and I just got word that he won’t be returning to duty anytime soon. That means you get the nod.
“You can head to Bravo Company, First Platoon’s barracks and get yourself settled in. We’re expecting the recruits to arrive in the next hour, and your drill instructors are already deployed to receive them. That means you’re going to have to catch up with them on the fly.
“There’s just enough time for you to draw uniforms and gear and get yourself settled in before all hell breaks loose. Welcome to the 225th Training Battalion, Lieutenant Na. Don’t screw this up.”
Na blinked in surprise, confident that this wasn’t what Earl Still Water had had in mind. She hadn’t planned on being anywhere near the recruits, but she was a lieutenant in charge of a training platoon, so they were going to see her.
Still, the odds of Andrea being assigned to the same platoon as she were low. The problem was that without being in battalion headquarters, she wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on her charge. That was going to make her job significantly more difficult.
“Might I get a listing of assigned personnel and trainees, sir?”
The major nodded and forwarded a file to her through her implants. She started going over it quickly and stopped, her mouth almost falling open in shock.