She began to explore the region around the camp to see if she could discover the location of the weapons while she waited for enemy number four. Maddie was positive she was close, but she couldn’t figure out where they were.
She finally heard the fourth enemy making his return to camp. She sat in the brush and was surprised to see Ondine walk in. Oh, great, Maddie thought. Just what I need.
Ondine had continued to plague her ever since she arrived at the Academy. Maddie had tried everything she could to get Ondine to stop, but nothing worked. After this, Ondine would never let up on her.
“Stop where you are, put your hands in the air, and get down on your knees,” Maddie ordered.
Ondine actually followed Maddie’s commands. Maddie did a quick search and found her communicator. She was carrying no weapons, other than a dagger, which Maddie confiscated.
“I promise you, you will live to regret this,” Ondine warned.
“Are you kidding me? Really, Ondine, what would you have me do? Walk away from here and leave you? Seriously, get real. This isn’t some game we’re playing. I, like you, have an intense desire to graduate as a Guardian, and this will put me one step closer. One other thing, before I gag you, do you care to disclose the locations of your weapons?” Maddie took a stab, knowing Ondine wouldn’t oblige.
“You must be joking, right?”
“Nope. I just had to try, though,” Maddie said, catching her tongue between her teeth while giving Ondine the biggest grin.
Maddie quickly bound and gagged her, with unnecessary roughness, and actually gained some pleasure from it!
Their camp was set up close to a spring, so Maddie filled up her water container and resumed her search. It wasn’t long before she was rewarded with her goal. She found everything!
She went and collected all of their communicators and placed a call to her commander requesting an extraction for all five of them.
When they returned to the training center, Maddie was called into her commander’s office.
“First of all, my Lord Rowan requests you to contact him immediately. He said it was urgent. He has requested a holographic audience with you.”
“Yes, sir, I will do it immediately,” Maddie said, wondering what was going on. She immediately started worrying about Rayn, hoping everything was okay.
“Secondly,” her commander continued, “I’d like to quickly and briefly congratulate you on this last mission. You succeeded in record time. No other trainee has completed a mission in the Unforgiving Forest this quickly. You will be awarded all the points as well as extra ones for the short time it took you. Excellent work, Trainee Pearce!” he said.
“Thank you, sir. Now, if I may be excused...?” At his nod, Maddie dashed to her quarters.
She ran to her compsys and tapped into the communications portal to call Rowan. In seconds, his image popped in her room.
“Rowan, is everything ok?”
“I wanted to warn you. Rayn is looking for you, and he is upset you were nowhere to be found. I put him off and tried to make up excuses, but he was pretty adamant about getting in touch with you. You were off the grid, but I could not tell him that. Just be warned. You may want to contact him as quickly as you can.”
“Thank you, Rowan, for looking out for me. I was on a mission in The Unforgiveable Forest.”
“How did it go?”
“Great! I set a new record at the Academy here!”
“Maddie, that’s wonderful! Congratulations! If Rayn knew, he would be extremely proud of you.”
“Well, I don’t know if he’d be proud or upset. But anyway, thanks for the heads up. Tell everyone hello and that I miss them.”
“You take care of yourself, my dear.”
“Yes, sir, I will. Bye.”
Chapter 6
“Rayn, are you busy?” Maddie called.
Rayn was in the middle of a conference at the compound on Earth. He sat amidst 50 Guardians, and they were proposing a new tactic to use on the Xanthians. When he heard Maddie’s thoughts, he quickly excused himself and left the room.
“Maddie, where have you been? What is going on? I have been worried about you. No one knew where you were!”
“I’m sorry, Rayn. I was actually at home, but I asked not to be disturbed because I had a really bad headache. I blocked all thoughts so that I could rest.” She abhorred lying to him, but she had no choice. She prayed she could fool him because he was ridiculously astute.
“Are you okay? Do you need to see Julian?”
“No, I am fine now. Julian explained that I might get these occasionally from my body converting here. How are you?” She was feeling intense guilt over her subterfuge. He was genuinely concerned about her well-being, and she was telling him a big whopping lie.
“Well, you have put my mind at ease. I miss you. We have been meeting continuously over this conflict. I fear it may be quite some time before we can see each other.”
“Yes, Rowan has been keeping me in the know. That’s why I haven’t been reaching out to you. I know you’ve been very busy. Are they giving you any break at all?”
“Not much. I was able to escape to our favorite place on the mountain, but that has been awhile ago.”
“Well, maybe I can come visit you in the near future. I don’t want to interfere though.”
“Listen, Sunshine, you know I would love to see you, but I feel more comfortable with you on Vesturon right now. I know you say I worry over much, but it is my way. I cannot help it.”
Maddie knew too well about Rayn’s over protectiveness. It sometimes drove her crazy, but he only had her best interests at heart.
“I need to return to my conference, but I will try to contact you later. Take care of yourself, love.”
“I will, and you do the same. I love you!”
Whew, that was close, Maddie thought.
She was relieved it had gone so well, so in celebration, she headed to the shower. Ever since Maddie had entered training, she knew she had made the right decision. Gone was the timid, scared young girl of the time she was a captive of Darryl Carter. She felt like she had experienced a resurrection of sorts. She was confident, strong, and fully capable of taking care of herself. She had finally come into her own.
An hour later, Maddie was in the dining hall grabbing a quick bite when a group approached her, offering their congratulations. She was surprised it had already been posted. Usually, the mission results didn’t go up until the day after completion.
“Apparently you are going to get some kind of award,” one of the trainees, Saylan, said.
That was great news for Maddie. For every mission and challenge that the students participated in, they were awarded points. The points determined their class ranking. The ones with the most points would have their choice of duty fulfilled. This would help Maddie to get to serve on Earth with Rayn.
Out of the 125 trainees in her class, Maddie was the closest to Saylan. Saylan was a female around Maddie’s age that was serious about her training, but she was fun-loving at the same time. She had been a good supporter of Maddie in the beginning, when many people shied away from her because of her background.
Most of the trainees thought Maddie had been given special privileges because of her grandparents. None of them knew of her relationship with Rayn or the rest of the Yarrister family. She did not want that disclosed for obvious reasons.
Maddie had confided in Saylan, and she had proved herself to be trustworthy. It was the beginning of a friendship that would last a lifetime.
She hadn’t spoken with Saylan since her return earlier. She wanted to tell her personally about what happened in the Unforgiving Forest. Maddie pulled Saylan aside and told her of her mission.
“Darn, Maddie, that was bad luck with Ondine being there. Of all the trainees, why did it have to be her?”
“Saylan, I’ve warned you about my bad luck; this is just an example of that. I’m going to have to be extra diligent, because she is totally out to
get me now.”
“Yes, she and her little band of followers could be a problem for you. I will keep my eyes and ears open for any kind of news, but congratulations! You are awesome!” Saylan said, hugging Maddie.
“Thanks! Oh, and you won’t believe what else happened. Rayn tried to contact me when I was off the grid!”
Saylan couldn’t believe it. She was beginning to believe Maddie was right about her lack of good luck! Trouble seemed to follow her around. She would be watching her back. She knew the trainees that Ondine hung out with, and they were the backstabbing type. Saylan was hoping they would get expelled from the Academy, but so far it hadn’t happened.
They finished their dinner together, and Maddie went off to her quarters to get some badly needed sleep.
********
The morning arrived quickly, and it was a free day for Maddie. She decided to head to the training center and work out. She had lifted weights and completed her virtual cardio. She loved the exercise equipment on Vesturon; it was ingenious.
They had all sorts of contraptions for any kind of exercise you could imagine—muscle stimulators, breathing exercises, etc.—but Maddie still liked good, old fashioned free weights and cardio.
The cardio machines were actually booths with screens that surrounded you. Once inside, you placed a device over your eyes, similar to goggles but more streamlined. Then you entered a program of your choice. The screens turned into reality, so you could workout anywhere you chose. You could mountain climb, rock climb, cycle, hike—the choices were endless. Maddie loved these booths. She would usually program hers to the area surrounding the Guardian compound on Earth and run for miles and miles. With her Vesturion strength and speed, she could easily put in twenty or more miles per session in very little time.
She had completed a run and exited the booth. She gulped downed a good dose of liquid to rehydrate and was cooling off when a group of four entered the facility. Maddie turned to see Ondine and her henchmen heading her way. This spelled big trouble; Ondine had impeccable timing. They were alone, and it was a day most of the trainees were catching up on rest or visiting family members. The training facility was eerily quiet.
Ondine had been waiting for this moment for a long time. After her initial encounter with Maddie, she decided she would have to arrange for Maddie to fail or to be ousted from the Academy. If that didn’t work, then she would resort to bodily harm. She wanted to be number one, and Maddie kept getting in her way. That did not please Ondine at all.
Ondine had tried several different tactics, but all had failed. Maddie remained the favorite of the trainers and commanders. Then, after yesterday’s disastrous mission, Ondine made her decision. She didn’t care if she had to beat Maddie senseless; she was determined to get rid of her somehow.
Ondine was still disgusted with her team and the results they had posted. How could one slip of a female without any weapons or gear overcome three males and herself? It didn’t make sense. Ondine had never known anyone that good. She had prepared her whole life to become a Guardian. It was all her father expected from her; it was all she heard growing up. He hounded her daily about this, and Ondine was NOT going to take 2nd place to anyone.
“I’ve come to offer you a chance to resign and leave the Academy,” said Ondine.
“Not interested in anything you have to offer.” Maddie turned to leave, but she was pushed back by one of Ondine’s puppets.
“This is your last chance. I would suggest you take it now or suffer the consequences.”
Maddie turned and looked Ondine in the eye and replied, “Bring it on, you witch.” And that’s when the party started.
Ondine launched herself at Maddie, but Maddie was faster and expected the movement. She stepped out of the way, then feinted toward Ondine, but suddenly, she dropped to the floor, kicking two of her opponents in their knees, temporarily incapacitating them. Maddie turned to prepare herself for Ondine’s next attack, but she was surprised when she felt a dagger slice the length of her arm.
The fourth puppet, a male named Dirkley, held the offending weapon. Maddie’s anger spouted forth like an erupting volcano, fortifying her strength. She felt this surge of power electrify her. Without much thought, her telekinesis jerked the dagger out of Dirkley’s hand and lifted him twenty feet in the air, pinning him to a wall. The other two male assailants charged her, intending to knock her down, but Maddie had anticipated their movements. She slid under one and came up behind the other and landed a kidney punch. Her leg shot out with a damaging kick, and he ended up helpless, writhing on the floor.
Two down, two to go. Ondine watched the scene unfolding, with her mouth agape. Maddie heard her indecision, but she wasn’t going to allow her to escape. They would finish this today—once and for all.
The third male took a swing at Maddie, but Maddie wanted to immobilize him so that she could have a go at Ondine. Maddie ducked and then used her telekinesis to pin him to the ceiling.
Now, it was Ondine’s turn. Maddie stalked her, intending to end it quickly, but Ondine pulled out a dagger and launched it at Maddie. Maddie was quick, but not quick enough. It embedded in her deltoid. Not a serious injury, but a stab nonetheless. That gave Ondine the break she needed. She growled and went at Maddie with everything she had.
Under normal circumstances, Maddie would have taken her out in a flash, but she had two injured arms. She dropped to the ground, but Ondine anticipated the move. She grabbed Maddie’s leg and put her in a stronghold. Maddie flipped on her stomach and threw Ondine off. She was quickly on her feet driving a punch into Ondine’s face. It addled her, which set the pace for Maddie. Maddie continued to pummel Ondine with her hands and feet, until she lost consciousness.
Maddie sat there, sucking in air, incredulous at what just transpired. They were out to kill her, or at the very least, severely injure her. She had no doubt Ondine and Dirkley would end up in the infirmary. Ondine was a mess, and Dirkley most likely had a bruised kidney.
Maddie trudged over to the communicator on the wall, tapped it and said, “This is Trainee Pearce calling from the training center. I need some robomedics here. There has been an incident. I also need a commander and a trainer here as well.”
“On the way, trainee.”
Minutes later, the robomedics came, followed by the commander and trainer.
“What happened?” the commander asked.
“Commander Charden, I had just completed my workout when I was attacked by these trainees. They stabbed me and slashed my arm and then tried to beat me. I fought back,” Maddie explained.
“I would say so. What started this fight?” he wanted to know.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you will have to ask Ondine that. She said something about not taking second place to me, but that’s all I know.”
“Very well. Go to the infirmary and have your wounds attended. Be sure to fill out a report, and I will contact you after I interview these four.”
“Yes, sir.”
Maddie ended up with a stab wound and a laceration that was immediately repaired. She headed for her quarters, but Saylan interrupted her. She had heard about what happened and asked Maddie if she needed help.
Maddie explained that she was fine, but she asked her to stop by later. Maddie wanted to take a leisurely shower and wash her hair. Since it was their day off, she could afford the luxury. After her shower, she threw herself on her bed and promptly fell asleep.
Chapter 7
It took two weeks for Ondine’s verdict to be posted. She was to be suspended for two weeks, and then she would remain on probation for the duration of her training. One more infraction and she would be expelled.
Maddie thought Ondine’s punishment had been too lenient for the offense. Maddie had hoped Ondine would have been expelled. If Maddie hadn’t been such an accomplished master of telekinesis and such an excellent fighter, she could have been seriously injured or worse. She would be on the lookout for further trouble. Maddie had the feeling this wasn’t
over for Ondine.
The trainees were entering a new phase of their curriculum. This was the section that everyone worried about. It involved espionage and covert operations. They would have a combination of classroom training and field maneuvers.
The classroom education centered on Vesturon’s stance on political issues as well as the covenants of the universe. Since the Guardians could be called upon to protect Vesturon and its allies, they had to be well versed in its laws and regulations. They were also expected to be knowledgeable regarding the covenants of Vesturon’s allies in order to enforce them if the situation necessitated it.
Maddie was underwater in everything she had to learn. Most of the trainees had a rudimentary understanding of the situation other planets faced, but Maddie was absurdly ignorant here. She had to put in an inordinate amount of time to learn all of her requirements, which left her with little time to do anything else.
Saylan was a blessing. She helped explain things to Maddie and quizzed her constantly. Maddie was getting a great education through her, and if it hadn’t been for Saylan’s help, Maddie would have been at a huge disadvantage.
The two of them were often paired together for their training missions, and they worked well together in the field. Maddie knew she could trust Saylan to have her back, and Saylan felt the same in return.
During their recent classroom session, they were given information concerning secret Vesturion bases and rendezvous points for the strategists in thwarting the Xanthians. They were tested on the accuracy of their information and told it was top secret. They were also given locations for flight armadas and were told where the next phases of the war would be fought.
This phase of their training was to last six weeks. About midway into it, they came for Maddie in the middle of the night. Luckily for her, she slept prepared. They slipped into her quarters and placed a covering, much like a pillowcase, over her head. They spun her around to disorient her and carried her out.
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