by Terry Mixon
They’d get just enough sleep to be completely and utterly exhausted. That pace wouldn’t slow over the next dozen weeks either. They’d toughen up or wash out.
Andrea had an advantage in that she had genetic enhancements and marine-grade medical nanites and implants. Fleet used the same implants, but their nanites were less capable. Those little machines would help Andrea recover faster, which was already enhanced by her efficient metabolic processes. The end result was that she’d be able to keep up better than any of the other recruits, which would make her very unpopular.
Well, that was a problem her girl would just have to deal with.
She needed to get herself in uniform and be ready to meet with Senior Sergeant Page. Somehow, she’d have to lead this platoon without Andrea laying eyes on her or hearing her name.
She wasn’t sure how she was going to manage that, but she’d figure something out. She had to.
8
Page stood at the top of the pinnace’s ramp, considering the strange girl, as the drill instructors moved through the recruits on the parade ground, making them do push-ups. This kind of welcome was called the shark attack and was a staple of basic training.
They had to keep the recruits off guard to lower their defenses against what was coming. They didn’t want to generate resistance, so they focused on keeping the situation as locked down as possible so that the drill instructors’ authority was never questioned.
There was no doubt in his mind that the girl had come from the Singularity. Even though he hadn’t been able to find any information on that particular tattoo, he could tell from the way it was drawn that it was authentic. This wasn’t something that someone had cooked up out of thin air just to distinguish themselves.
Still, he needed to get as much information about the girl as he possibly could before he confronted her.
And there was going to be a confrontation. One couldn’t allow an obvious clone or genetically engineered being into the Imperial Marines without asking pointed questions. They didn’t have to be aggressively asked, but she still needed to be pressed.
He tapped into the database that contained the incoming recruits’ data and quickly located her. Rather than reviewing her background first, he scanned her orders. One could often determine interesting facts from who initiated them and where they came from.
Directions to report to Imperial Marine basic training came from the Corps’ office of personnel. Each specific set of orders tended to originate on the planet the recruit came from. It was also interesting to note how far away the world of origin was from the training center they were placed at.
In this case, it looked like the girl—Andrea Tolliver—came from a planet named DeSantis that was about four weeks away under normal travel conditions.
Interesting. She’d been ordered here right about the same time that the last training cycle was wrapping up. That was fast for this sort of thing.
To make sure that there weren’t too many recruits going to any one location, the office of personnel filled each training platoon over the course of half a year, and the orders were cut at least three or four months in advance of the recruit’s arrival date.
Yet, in this case, it looked like there was no history before they came down four weeks ago. There wasn’t even a request for training from the girl or her family. It was almost as if the Empire itself had declared, “You’re going to Imperial Marine recruit training,” and she’d said, “Okay.”
He doubted very seriously that that was the case, but her orders were unusual.
Page switched his attention to her personnel jacket. As anyone experienced knew, the record for a new recruit was painfully thin. It would list the basic facts about her: her planet of origin, information about close family in case there was an injury or death during training, and that kind of thing. As someone who had never served before, she would have no previous service record.
Even so, the amount of information listed for Tolliver was thinner than he’d expected. It listed her name, planet of origin, and her guardian: Grace Tolliver. There was a link in the woman’s name that led to an Imperial Marine service record.
He clicked on that to find out the woman’s history and discovered that she was a retired major. Considering the age on the public record, that was surprising. He’d have expected someone of that age to be either a lieutenant or senior lieutenant, at best.
The accrued service time didn’t match up with what was required for retirement either. Significant portions of the woman’s record were under seal, including her last assignment. She must’ve done something to warrant being promoted, and that had allowed her to retire six years ago.
Six years.
He flipped back to the younger Tolliver’s record and discovered that she had been resident on DeSantis for six years. In fact, the date of her arrival and the elder Tolliver’s retirement were identical.
And, if he put his mind to the task, it wasn’t tough to come up with a likely explanation. The Imperial Marines occasionally conducted raids across the border with the Singularity. If the elder Tolliver had led one of those assaults and somehow laid hands on the girl, that might explain something of the situation that he was dealing with.
It wasn’t going to make unraveling the mystery any easier, but knowing where someone came from often made dealing with them less complicated.
The girl’s record indicated that she was a genetically engineered being and had originated in the Singularity. There was an Imperial dispensation attached to her file that allowed for training in the Imperial Marines. It stipulated that by Imperial decree, she was recognized as human on a probationary basis and that only successful completion of basic training would make that condition permanent.
Since the girl’s future was on the line, she’d be what marines liked to call “extremely motivated.” It also meant that others would be willing to do just about anything to see that she failed. That was a complication that he didn’t need.
Well, nobody had bothered asking him what he wanted, so he’d just have to muddle through.
He finished going over the records for all the recruits while the rest of the drill instructors got the recruits in motion toward the warehouse building where they’d start the intake process.
As soon as that was underway, he and Gomez would corner the girl and ask those pointed questions. They might as well also get a complete medical scan while they were at it.
He sent a message to the battalion medical officer, and the man agreed to meet them at the intake clinic.
Personally, he couldn’t wait to hear the girl’s story. She was going to be a wrench thrown into his smoothly working machine, but his curiosity was piqued. Who was she really, and how had she shown up on his doorstep?
Page closed the files and marched along behind the ragged lines of recruits. He’d find out very shortly. He hoped Tolliver was ready for a rough twelve weeks because there wasn’t going to be smooth sailing for any of them now.
Based on what Andrea had learned from Grace and Fei, she expected to have her head shaved and then be issued equipment. Instead, Senior Sergeant Page gestured for her to accompany him.
A little uneasy, she did so.
He led her outside and joined the female drill instructor that had yelled at the girl in the pinnace. Together, without saying a word, they led her to a different building. Waiting inside was a medical center, complete with an officer that looked like a doctor.
Unlike the medical centers she was familiar with, this one seemed designed to quickly process a lot of people. No doubt the rest of the recruits would be run through here at some point to make sure that they were healthy.
Senior Sergeant Page turned to face her once they were inside. “Recruit Tolliver, before we begin, I’ve examined your records, and I’m astonished. I’ve met people from the Singularity before, but it’s always been over the sights of my rifle.
“I’ve also seen some with tattoos before—specifically, officers and troops of th
e warrior caste—though I’ve never seen that particular pattern. Are those real? How did you get them?”
She braced to attention. “I was rescued during a raid into the Singularity when I was twelve, Drill Instructor. These tattoos are authentic, but I wasn’t raised in the Singularity past when I was a child. They don’t define me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Recruit. They certainly do define you. If you’ve rejected your heritage, why keep them?”
“My guardian had them removed—with my approval—Drill Instructor. Something about the tattooing process changed the cells in my skin, and the damned things came back. I can’t get rid of them and keep my own face.”
“That’s… inconvenient,” he allowed. “Your records lack detail, so tell me what role you were designed for in the Singularity.”
She didn’t want to irritate the man who had total control over her life, but she had to set the ground rules.
“There are some things that I’m not allowed to talk about, Drill Instructor. Things that were declared classified. I’m sorry, but that’s going to limit some of my responses.”
He considered her for a moment and then nodded slowly. “I’m provisionally willing to accept that. If I’m not satisfied with what I hear, we’ll go find an officer and see what they can pry out of you. Now, give me the details you can.”
“I was raised to be part of the Andrea Line. I suspect that my former line sibs would be insulted at my appropriation of their name. The woman in charge of the marines who liberated me was named Grace Tolliver. She was my guardian until I reached adulthood and received an Imperial dispensation to attend training here.”
Page looked thoughtful. “I’m not familiar with the Andrea Line, so explain what it is.”
“The Singularity has a caste system, Drill Instructor,” Andrea said, trying not to sound like she was lecturing. “Basically, starting at a middle-grade managerial level, the Singularity begins tattooing the various lines designed for those tasks. Stacked one on top of another, there are various levels—or castes—of authority. The Andrea Line is one of the twelve lines that are part of Singularity’s ruling caste.”
He blinked, apparently surprised. “You’re saying that you were designed to be part of the leadership of the Singularity?”
“Yes, Drill Instructor.”
“Then this is even stranger than I’d expected. I’m going to step out of the room while Doctor Grey gives you a complete exam. Because you’re female, Drill Instructor Gomez will remain in the room with you. You’ll cooperate with the doctor and follow Drill Instructor Gomez’s instructions. Is that understood?”
Andrea nodded. “Clear, Drill Instructor.”
He stepped out of the room, and the doctor gestured toward the table. “If you’ll sit on the table, Recruit, we’ll begin the examination. I’ll do everything I can via scanner while Drill Instructor Gomez holds up that wall over there and make certain that nothing untoward occurs.”
Andrea had quite a bit of experience with medical examinations, and this one was no different. She was scanned in various ways, blood and tissue samples were taken, and then it was over. If anything, it was less extensive than some she’d endured. She even got to keep her clothes on.
The doctor had to have noted the fact that she had implants and a nanogenerator, but he didn’t mention them aloud. When he finished the exam, he excused himself and went outside.
Drill Instructor Gomez said nothing, merely leaning against the wall and staring at Andrea with an unfriendly expression.
Five minutes later, the door opened, and Senior Sergeant Page walked in alone. He stared at her for a few seconds without saying anything, and then he sighed.
“Doctor Grey will get back to me with the detailed results from your labs, but you’ve already shocked me. How did you end up with military-grade implants and a marine nanogenerator?”
His words struck Drill Instructor Gomez like a lightning bolt. She came off the wall and stared at him.
“Seriously?”
Page nodded. “He said you’ve had them for a while. How exactly did you get them, Recruit?”
“Parts of that story are classified, Drill Instructor.”
“Explain it to me as well as you can, and I’ll decide if that’s sufficient.”
“During the raid, there was a need to access a secure Singularity computer system. I did that for them. Later, there was going to be fighting, and the Fleet officer in command of the ship ordered the doctor to install the implants and nanogenerator if I agreed.
“He knew I wanted to become a marine, even then. I needed to fight, and he knew that they’d help me survive and protect the marines around me.”
Page’s eyebrows shot up. “You’ve fought Singularity troops? How?”
“I can’t give you any details other than the fact that I did, but yes. I’ve risked my life and killed for the Empire.”
Page’s expression became a mixture of disbelief and astonishment. “I think that we need to have a much longer conversation about this, Recruit. One with an officer present.”
Well, hell.
9
Fei expected to meet with Senior Sergeant Page once things had settled down, so she was more than a little concerned when she received a summons back to battalion, courtesy of Major Martelle.
By that point, she’d already gotten into uniform and had her quarters—such as they were—squared away, so all she had to do was head directly over, already worried about what might’ve gone wrong.
When she arrived, the major was seated behind his desk and looked annoyed. Worse, he wasn’t alone. Standing in front of the desk, turned half toward her, was a man wearing a senior sergeant’s tabs and holding a drill instructor’s hat.
She stepped in front of the desk and braced to attention. “You sent for me, sir?”
“At ease, Lieutenant,” the major said. “This is Senior Sergeant John Page, your lead drill instructor. He’s just come to me with a problem that I suspect you’re already aware of.”
“Sir?”
Martelle leaned forward and fixed her with a stern look. “Don’t feed me that line, Lieutenant. I think I now understand the general shape of the game you’re playing, but I don’t know why you chose to play it.
“You came out of retirement to accept a position here after being out of service for six years. Coincidentally we’ve got a recruit that was rescued from the Singularity six years ago. That strains credulity. Would you like to try your explanation one more time before I decide exactly how I’m going to respond?”
Fei sighed and gave in to the inevitable. “You’re absolutely correct, sir. Imperial Intelligence sent me to keep an eye on her because forces are working to make certain she doesn’t graduate. I wasn’t meant to influence her attendance in any way. Only to make certain that no outside groups interfered.”
Senior Sergeant Page gave her an assessing look. “You were on the raid that retrieved her, weren’t you, ma’am?”
“I was,” she confirmed. “I’ve been keeping an eye on Andrea since we rescued her, so you could say that I have a vested interest. As I said, I wasn’t here to interfere, just to keep an eye on the situation.”
The major didn’t look impressed. “Do you think that I’d allow external influence inside my battalion?”
That was a loaded question if ever there was one. “When you’re talking about Imperial nobles and their plots, none of us can control what they do, sir. Before Imperial Intelligence changed her training location, they became aware that a clique of nobles had inserted personnel into her original training unit to sabotage her chances.
“This wasn’t a hypothetical situation, sir. This was cold, hard fact.”
Major Martelle didn’t say anything for a full minute. He just stared at her, his expression flat. When he finally did speak, his tone matched his expression.
“I can’t say that I’m happy to hear any of this, Lieutenant Na, yet there’s nothing overtly wrong in what you were instructed
to do. If I’d done what Imperial Intelligence likely intended, you’d have had no direct influence over what occurred with your ward.
“Only now, you’re in command of her training platoon. I suppose the correct thing for me to do would be to pull you back to battalion because of the conflict of interest. Still, I have a few questions, and I know that Senior Sergeant Page does as well.
“I’m told that she has military-grade implants and a marine nanogenerator. How did she get those?”
“The Fleet officer in charge of our ship during the raid made her the offer of receiving them as a reward for using her genetics and a passcode that she’d overheard from her Singularity instructor to help us recapture a Militia vessel—a heavy cruiser—taken by the Singularity and free what was left of her crew. A lot of lives were saved because she helped us of her own free will.
“I was only a sergeant at the time and didn’t have any say in the matter, but I don’t disagree with the decision. She’s wanted to be a marine ever since I began training her. I was the one tasked to make sure that she stayed alive during the fighting.”
“How could you put a twelve-year-old girl in a position to fight someone?” Page asked coldly. “I can’t begin to say how irresponsible that is. Ma’am.”
Fei laughed a bit bitterly. “It’s not like I encouraged her, Senior Sergeant. I ordered her to remain on the raiding ship, but she smuggled herself aboard a boarding pod and was on the captured ship before we knew that she’d stowed away.
“Once she was there, I put her in the safest place I could and armed her to defend herself. She used a sniper rifle from cover and killed several attacking Singularity troops while defending engineering with me.
“Look, we started the raid with the full platoon of combat marines. We ended with just a handful left alive. That fighting was some of the worst I’ve ever seen, and we were damned close to being overrun. Her assistance helped turn the tide.”