Hero of the Republic: (The Parasite Initiative, Book 1)

by Britt Ringel

  Twist shook his head. Really great leaders test several ideas, really great leaders test several ideas.

  Boslet resumed reading from his datapad. “Here are the safety requirements. Do not allow trainees to swing across the obstacle. Brief all trainees to relax, if falling into the water, to let the water break their fall. Do not slide down a pole or jump or push off from it on the dismount. Understood?”

  Twist nodded. Really great leaders test several ideas, really great leaders test several ideas.

  “Begin your reconnaissance, OT, and good luck. You have twenty minutes before an armed Hollaran patrol reaches this side of the river.” Boslet tapped the face of his datapad, starting a chronometer.

  Twist turned away from the training officer and looked to his squad of five OTs waiting for instruction.

  Okay, Caden. Go through the steps. Plan it all out so you don’t get stuck halfway across. He trotted toward his group. Step one: Recognize the problem. “Team, that box contains medicine that we have to get to headquarters. We can’t open the box. We have that rope to use and we have to take it with us.” Twist paused briefly, searching his memory for any other task requirements. “We have twenty minutes to cross that river using only those metal poles. We can’t touch any of the red paint.”

  “We’re going to need boosts to avoid the red when we start climbing those poles,” Pagnosky pointed out immediately. “I don’t think some of us can jump that high and still be able to keep a hold on the pole without slipping back down.”

  Twist nodded in agreement. “You’re right but let’s do these steps in order. First, Vix, you’re my timekeeper. Troy, you’re my second in command.” Twist looked apologetically at Kirkpatrick. “Sorry, Vix.”

  Kirkpatrick grinned back at him. “Hey, he’s my second in command when I’m leading so don’t worry about it.”

  “All right, let’s recognize the problem,” Twist said. “We have to get that box, the rope and everyone across the water. Anybody see anything else?” He looked around anxiously but nobody spoke up.

  Step two: Gather information. “Linda, how heavy is that box?” Twist asked.

  OT Sharp lifted the box easily. “It’s really light.” She shook it in a bout of curiosity. “I think it’s empty.”

  A nagging doubt filled Twist. Is that a test? Is the Dexitrox not really in the box? Lieutenant Boslet said I can’t open it to check…

  Twist spent several moments trying to piece together the significance of Sharp’s observation. To his right, Kirkpatrick gave him an anxious look while tapping his watch.

  I’m wasting time. Boslet said it’s in the box but there’s nothing in the box. Think!

  More precious time passed until, finally, Twist announced, “It’s okay, Linda. I think we have to assume the medicine is in there. Okay, the rope is as long as the pool—I mean the river.” He looked hesitantly around. “Um, anyone else see any other information to gather?”

  Twist wracked his brain for other data he might be able to glean from the situation. All the while, more time passed. Oh! “We can’t use the rope to swing across the pool.” He closed his eyes, trying to remember the safety briefing verbatim. “If you hit the water, try to let the water break your fall.”

  Bell and Conrad snickered at the inane statement as Kirkpatrick said, “Good tip.”

  Twist shook his head. “I mean, relax and let the water break your fall.” I’m losing it, he cautioned himself. A check of his watch told him nearly five minutes had elapsed, sending his heart into overdrive. “Last thing is we can’t slide down the pole at the other end because of the red paint and we can’t jump or push off from the pole when we dismount. Everyone understand?”

  Restless nods answered his question.

  “Anyone want to gather more information?”

  “Is anyone afraid of heights?” Pagnosky asked.

  Brilliant, Twist thought. That’s a great question. Dammit, Caden, why didn’t you think to ask that? Sharp waggled her hand sideways and said, “I think I’ll be okay.” Everyone else remained silent.

  Step three: List possible solutions. Twist smiled. “Who has ideas on how to solve this?”

  Marie Conrad raised her hand. “I was a gymnast at Despina University.” She pointed confidently at the obstacle. “I can get across that easy.”

  “With the box?” Twist asked hopefully.

  Conrad blew out a long breath. She wiped her rained-soaked hands on her pants. “I don’t know, Caden. On a dry day? I think so.” She looked at him with earnest eyes. “I don’t want to be the one that blows it for you.”

  “Okay,” Twist said. “We have one option. I want more.” He looked expectantly at his squad.

  Kirkpatrick picked up the rope. “Growing up in Narvi, I sailed a lot. I know I could tie a knot that would hold the box. We could then loop it around Marie’s arms and she’d have her hands free while crossing the river but I could also turn this rope into a harness that we could use to support our weight as we crawled under the span to the other side.”

  Bell actually raised his hand before suggesting, “What if instead of going one at a time across, we form like a chain across the span and just hand the box to the next person in the chain until it gets to the other side?”

  “Risky,” Pagnosky muttered.

  Agreed, Twist thought. “It’s an option but I’m not sure I want that many people up there for so long. I think it’s going to be slippery in the rain and we’re going to fatigue pretty quickly.”

  “Ten minutes remaining,” Boslet called out from his monitoring position. To Twist, the warning seemed laced with concern. He reflexively checked his watch. I’ve wasted half my time! He tried to take a deep breath. It’s not wasting time to plan ahead, Caden. Follow the steps.

  Step four: Test possible solutions likely to succeed. Twist looked over the entire obstacle while wiping his brow. If anything, the rain was coming down harder than before. He walked up to the vertical pole on his side of the pool and ran a hand over the slick, wet metal. He grasped the pole above the red paint with both hands and tried to lift himself off the ground. He managed only barely before his hands slid.

  Now imagine trying to keep your grip for more than a minute, Twist thought disgustedly. Will we even be able to keep our grip if we just go nonstop across?

  Kirkpatrick casually prodded his friend. “Caden, tick tock.”

  Twist stared at Conrad, who stared right back. Can she do it by herself? She’s going to need both hands while going across. He stared at the red paint on the lowest third of the nearest pole. And how will the last person even climb up by himself without touching the red paint? Twist sighed as more seconds ticked by.

  “Caden,” Pagnosky said quietly, “we need to get moving. We’re running out of time.”

  Step five: Select the course of action. Twist continued to stare blankly at the rope.

  “Caden,” Bell urged, “do something. You’re going to fail for sure if we don’t at least try.”

  Twist’s eyes flickered back and forth between the rope and the box.

  “Seven minutes left,” Kirkpatrick announced.

  Step six: Implement the solution.

  “Okay,” Twist finally said. He grabbed the rope from the quickcrete and tossed it at Kirkpatrick. “Vix, start making that harness.” He looked at Conrad. “Do you think you’re strong enough to give me a boost up the pole?”

  “Yeah,” she said, “I can just brace with my knee.”

  Twist pointed at Pagnosky. “Troy, start sending people over as soon as Vix is done making the harness. I want you to give them the boost up the pole so they don’t hit the red. I don’t care what the order is but Marie goes last and I’m second to last. I’ll boost you up, Troy, and Marie will boost me up.”

  “Who’s gonna help me up?” Conrad asked.

  Twist held out a palm to her and addressed Kirkpatrick. “How’s that harness coming?”

  “Done,” Kirkpatrick said triumphantly and held out his work. “It’
s sort of like a bosun’s chair sailors use to climb a mast. You can—”

  Twist cut him off. “Explain by doing, Vix. Troy, boost him up.” Twist turned to face the rest of his squad. “Everyone, watch Vix so you know how to operate the harness when it’s your turn.”

  Kirkpatrick quickly stepped into the rope harness and approached the pole. Under the time constraint, Pagnosky practically launched the OT onto the tall, metal pole. Kirkpatrick wrapped his legs around the pole at the top and attached the harness with the loops he had created. “It goes on the bar like this.” He relaxed his legs and his body swung out slightly, underneath the metal pole running the length of the pool. “When you get across, just reverse the loops and it will detach from the bar.” Kirkpatrick quickly pulled himself across the pool using his arms. He slid across the rain-slickened bar easily. After securing his legs around the second vertical pole, Kirkpatrick detached the harness and hopped down.

  Twist cringed as he watched Kirkpatrick drop to the ground. Was that a safety violation? he wondered. Boslet remained silent.

  “Make sure the harness is still good, Vix, and then toss it back to us. Check it every time before it’s thrown back.”

  The rope came hurtling toward them seconds later. Twist ordered without looking at his remaining squad members, “Troy, start sending them over.”

  Behind him, he heard Pagnosky setting the order for the squad. Twist yelled across the pool at Kirkpatrick. “Once I’ve crossed over, you need to undo the harness and give me a knot that will make it possible for Marie to use both hands on the bar while carrying the box. Got it?”

  Kirkpatrick gave him a carefree grin and thumbs up while answering, “Got it, boss!”

  Above Twist, OT Sharp was making her way across the expanse. From Twist’s position, it appeared she had her eyes tightly closed. Once Sharp made it safely to the other side, the harness was hurled back to him. He handed it to Pagnosky. “Keep it going, Troy.”

  “Three minutes,” Kirkpatrick screamed from across the pool.

  Bell was already attaching the harness to the pole. Twist watched the OT make painfully slow progress under the bar. I started too late, Twist chastised himself. He began to think of other options. Step one, recognize the—

  “Caden,” Pagnosky jolted him from his thoughts. “We’re running out of time. The rest of us can’t wait for the harness to come back. We need to start now.”

  An obscenity silently passed through Twist. “You’re right but I want Marie to wait for the rope so she can have both hands free to support herself.”

  Conrad exhaled audibly. She removed her cover and swept back sodden blonde locks from her eyes. “Thanks, Caden,” she said in relief. “But how am I supposed to get up this pole without a boost?”

  Twist grinned and placed the Dexitrox box next to the pole. “Once you’ve attached the rope to it, just use it as a step, then pull it up to you and loop it through your arms as planned.”

  “Not bad,” Pagnosky uttered under his breath. “I’m ready, Caden.”

  Bell was two-thirds of the way across. Twist interlocked his fingers to create a stepping point for Pagnosky’s foot. With a heave, Pagnosky stepped up and grabbed hold of the pole. He quickly grabbed the horizontal bar with both hands and began to position himself to wrap his legs around the bar as well.

  “You’re next,” Conrad said.

  Twist looked across the pool. Bell had made it. Kirkpatrick was rapidly unknotting the rope. He still had some time left.

  He faced Conrad and looked into her eyes. “You can do this, Marie. It’s going to be slippery, the box is going to be cumbersome but you’re the best chance the team has to pull this off.”

  She offered an uncertain shrug while locking her hands together to boost him up the pole. “I hope so…”

  Twist grabbed her and said adamantly, “Don’t hope, know. You’re going to do this because you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it if you fail.” He cracked a slight smile. “Get across, Marie. Quickly. Be a hero.”

  With that, he stepped into her hands and lifted himself up, past the red portion of the pole. He locked his hands around the pole and began to squirm his way up to the top. Below him, he heard the rope hit the ground near Conrad.

  Although Pagnosky had made it look easy, getting into position under the long bar running over the pool took tremendous effort. Every time Twist moved his hands forward, they wanted to slip off the slick beam. Finally, he moved far enough over the pool to wrap his legs over the bar. He crossed his ankles over the top and began to inchworm across the pool.

  “Thirty seconds!”

  Facing backwards, Twist saw Conrad step off the box and onto the pole. The smoothness of her actions left him in awe. She positioned herself under the bar, and using solely her legs to keep her place, pulled the box up with both hands. The box swung out over the pool and dangerously close to the water but did not touch it.

  Twist pulled himself forward with burning arms. The rain pounded his face, obscuring his vision. A violent gust carried his cover off his head and into the pool. Still, he kept going. Behind him, he could hear desperate grunts coming from Conrad.

  “You can do it, Marie,” he said between gasps. Finally, he reached the other side of the pool.

  “Ten seconds.”

  “Drop your legs down, Caden,” Pagnosky urged. Multiple sets of hands were waiting. When his squad could support his weight, Twist simply let go of the bar. Instead of falling, he was carried safely away from the pool. The muscles in his arms and shoulders burned. “Go get Marie,” he ordered.

  From the ground, Twist watched as Bell and Pagnosky reached frantically for Conrad. She was nearly across. The box swung wildly underneath her, suspended by the rope.

  “Five seconds,” Kirkpatrick shouted and began his final countdown. “Four… three…”

  Conrad unlatched her legs from the bar and expertly swiveled to face away from the pool. Two pairs of hands were stretched out, reaching for her.

  Pagnosky caught hold of a pant cuff and pulled.

  “Two… One…”

  Conrad’s eyes locked onto Twist’s and she let go of the bar, trusting her squadmates to pull her to safety.

  Pagnosky roared with effort as a horn blared from Boslet’s monitoring position. The noise was followed by the splashing sound of Conrad hitting the water.

  * * *

  “Rate your performance, OT.”

  Lieutenant Boslet sat comfortably behind his desk. His small office was one of dozens that filled an entire wing of the Education and Training Building across the street from the dormitories. Currently, only half the offices were assigned but as the program spun up to produce more naval officers, the wing would reach full occupancy.

  Twist sat in a chair opposite of Boslet. He had reported in formally but was placed at ease and asked to sit for the debriefing of the Leaders Reaction Course. Twist knew he had failed. Not only had his squad exceeded the time limit but also Conrad had fallen into the “river” with the supply of medicine.

  He paused momentarily as he considered Boslet’s request. “Well, sir, I obviously failed. I took too long to implement my course of action and things spiraled out of control from there.”

  “You didn’t fail,” Boslet corrected. “Your planning was outstanding. Your implementation was satisfactory and you hit four out of the five teaching points associated with that obstacle. The one you missed was working out a plan for the dismount of the first person across.” He looked at his datapad and swiped a finger over its face to change the page. “Of the twenty-three teams that attempted that obstacle yesterday, none of them got across completely and your team was, by far, the closest. When the weather elements are taken into consideration, your attempt is technically a pass.” Boslet looked up from his datapad and smiled. “You won’t have to re-accomplish the LRC, OT.”

  Twist felt an incredible wave of relief. The last twenty-four hours had been an excruciating exercise in reliving his assumed failure. C
ompleting the final practical hurdle in OTS nearly guaranteed he would graduate with his class. The only remaining obstacle was the last written exam that he knew he would ace. A nagging question occurred to him: whether his family name influenced his final score. “But, I didn’t accomplish the mission, Lieutenant. I ran out of time…”

  Boslet arched a dark eyebrow at his trainee. “Why did you spend nearly two-thirds of your time planning?”

  Twist shrugged in a silent capitulation. “I don’t know, sir. I was following the steps we learned in class. I was doing my best to use what we had been taught. I guess I’m just not thinking fast enough.”

  Boslet glanced at his datapad before saying, “Your academic test scores would refute that.”

  “Then what is it, sir?”

  “I believe your problem is that you think too much.” Boslet eased back into his chair. “You’re clearly smart enough to pass OTS and you’ve demonstrated abundant aptitude to follow guidelines and checklists. You’ve probably memorized more OTS procedures than the next two officer trainees combined.”

  Twist blushed at the compliment but understood there was a “but” coming.

  Boslet leaned forward to emphasize his next point. “Caden, being smart and able to follow a checklist is important in this navy. When you begin your career as a weapons officer, you’re going to have more checklists and procedures than you ever dreamed possible. However, we’re at war and there are going to be times in your career when you’ll have to act swiftly and intuitively and to Hell with standard procedure.”

  Twist furrowed his eyebrows as he looked questioningly at Boslet. “How will I know when it’s that time, sir?”

  His lieutenant cocked his head to one side. “Nobody can tell you, you’ll just have to recognize that for yourself.”