I shook my head.
“It’s our first introduction to telepathic attacks. It’s a completely new unit, one they’ve only introduced this year. It seems they’ve had too many telepathic attacks on Coalition soldiers of late, so they’re trying to teach cadets how to fend them off. I have no idea what the class is going to be like, but I'm already super nervous.” She showed me her hand, which was shaking. There was little in this world that didn’t make Elle’s hands shake.
I forced myself to flash her a smile and say patiently, “You’ll be fine,” while my thoughts centered on what she’d just said. Telepathic defense? I hadn’t heard about this. If I’d heard about this, I would have pretended I was sick. Again. It seemed this morning was jam packed with things I did not want to face.
Unlike most of the other cadets streaming into our next lecture hall, I had faced telepathic attacks. In fact, in many ways, my 450 years of internment had been one. My mind and body had been laid bare to another. In comparison, whatever stupid tricks we’d learn today would be irrelevant.
Still, I didn’t like the idea of someone poking around in my mind. And considering the content of our previous lecture, I was rattled. So it was no surprise that as I sat down with Elle, I hardened my expression, tipped my head up, and deliberately stared out of the window.
I tried to formulate a plan of what I would do once it was my turn. If I were in a better mood, it would be easier, but my thoughts kept slipping back to Doctor Ing and his theories. It seemed he was alone in this galaxy in thinking spacers were there to be pitied as weapons and tools of some other creature far darker and far more hateful. Alone, that was, apart from me. I knew the truth of his theory as fact. A fact gouged into my wrists and mind.
...
Jason Singh
As soon as I was finished with Doctor Ing, I had more babysitting duty. This time I had to admit it was a whole lot more pleasant.
I nodded at the mindair before me. A member of an elegant telepathic race, she had incredibly large pretty eyes that invited you to stare at them all day long. I coughed uncomfortably and tried to neaten down my short hair. “It’s just this way, Hendra,” I stuttered over her name.
“Thank you so much for assisting me, Lieutenant Singh,” she said, my name rolling off her tongue like the tinkle of a bell.
I gave an awkward cough and uncontrollably walked a little faster.
I had no idea what group of cadets I was taking her to, but as soon as we reached the right lecture hall and I leaned my head through the door, I realized it was the same class as this morning. Her class.
I tried not to stare, though a couple of times my eyes strayed and picked her up out of the crowd.
The mindair sat before the class, her golden robes billowing around her, offsetting her luminous blue skin as the sun shone in from the windows behind. “It is important to understand this is just an introduction. This class is intended to introduce you to the world of mind-reading and telepathic powers. For the unfortunate fact is, enemies of the Coalition are now using these grand abilities as weapons against us. Unless you have the opportunity to meet these powers in a safe setting, so that you can learn ways to overcome them, you will be a target.”
I stood by the doorway, my arms crossed as I stared in, watching the class. Though my gaze was usually locked on Hendra, more than once it drifted across the classroom, and of course it drifted towards her. Cadet Em was sitting with my sister, all the way at the back of the class. She looked preoccupied with something, as she always did. If I didn’t know her scores, I would say from her usual complete lack of attention that she was the worst recruit in the Academy. The fact was, she was one of the best, if not the best. Indeed, in many ways I often felt as if she was measuring her effort, as if she was capable of more, but didn’t want to stand out from the crowd.
As Hendra continued to introduce the class, the rest of the recruits continued to look fascinated.
Back in my day, we’d never had an introduction to telepathic attacks. Then again, back in my day, the galaxy had been a simpler place, hadn’t it? These days it seemed cadets had to be prepared for the absolute worst the Milky Way could throw at them, and then some.
Hendra continued to sit in her chair, the streaming sunlight playing across her golden robes as she brought up her hands and gestured wide. “Today I will offer you a unique opportunity. My race have been known for centuries as healers and counsellors. We can enter people’s minds, dredge up fears, and resolve them. And it is the conquering of these fears that will make you not only better recruits but more resilient to future psychological attacks.”
I’d had a few mindairs poke around in my thoughts before, and it was a singularly bizarre experience. I’d also been forced to endure telepathic attacks, but I wouldn’t use the word bizarre to describe them. When a creature tried to force its way into your mind to destroy or harm you, it was one of the most horrible experiences the galaxy could throw up. It was like having a gun forced inside your skull.
All the cadets murmured amongst themselves. Excited at what was about to happen. Well, everyone except Em. She continued to stare off through the windows, looking blank. Either she was paying absolutely no attention and didn’t have a clue what this class was about, or the thought of training in telepathic defense bored her. Indeed, as the class continued, and the first few recruits were asked to join Hendra at the front of the stage, Em didn’t once glance down, despite the potent experience of fellow cadets reliving and conquering past fears. Em was far too focused on the view through the window, until it became her turn. When Hendra selected her from the crowd and waved her forward, the usual hubbub of the class stopped. In fact, there was a general sense of awe as Em slowly and carefully took the stairs down to Hendra.
I watched Hendra shoot Em a curious look. “You are guarded, Cadet,” she commented. She hadn’t made this comment with any other recruit, and nor had she used the same curious tone. “Please sit,” Hendra offered as she gestured to the chair in front of her.
Reluctantly Em sat, undoing her arms and letting them rest by her sides. Though her body looked relaxed, her expression wasn’t. It was tight and hard.
The mindair tipped her head to the side, more curiosity flashing through her gaze. “This will only work if you are relaxed.”
Em looked as if she wanted to say something. She was never rude. Brief, yes, but never rude. Yet now as she considered Hendra, it looked as if Em either wanted to walk out or snap some insult. Instead she went through all the motions of relaxing: pushing her shoulders down, opening her palms, and letting her knees fall slack as she sat in the chair.
“You must relax your mind,” Hendra said as she took a deep breath, gesturing with her hands as if encouraging Em to do the same.
Em didn’t move.
“If you do not relax your mind,” Hendra began.
“You won’t be able to force your way into it,” Em finished. “It’s when you drop the walls that you allow a telepathic attack,” she continued in a curt, professional tone.
Hendra blinked quickly.
“This class is meant to teach you how to withstand telepathic attacks,” Em cut in, “And I’m withstanding yours.”
Hendra looked thrown. “Cadet,” she began in a warning tone, or at least as warning as a graceful, kind mindair could ever be.
Em didn’t let her finish. “I don’t see how letting you in will help me learn how to keep you out.”
“You must open up to me,” Hendra continued. “I don’t want to push my way in.”
“You don’t want to, or you’re not allowed to?” Em questioned quickly.
I’d never seen her like this. She was challenging Hendra, cutting her down at every opportunity.
Should I do something? Should I walk into the room and tell Em she was out of line?
All this class had to do to pass this unit was learn to keep Hendra out. And it seemed, as I watched Hendra’s hands grip tighter on her lap, that Em had already passed.
“How could an experience like this help anyone block a telepathic attack? You’re creating channels that will make it easier for them to get attacked again. I know how these things work – the first time you let someone like you in, you make a hole. You make it easier for telepathic attacks to occur in the future. So what exactly is the reasoning behind letting you in in the first place?”
Hendra looked completely flustered now. “This class is designed to help you become familiar with telepathic attacks and ultimately help you learn how to rebuff them.”
“Then it’s badly designed,” Em said flatly. “I’ve faced telepathic attacks before, and the last thing you want to teach is how to open up your mind to them.” Em blinked as she said she’d faced telepathic attacks before, and as soon as the words were out of her mouth, it was clear she regretted them. It was clear she’d let something slip. And for a woman usually as controlled as her, that was a surprise.
Her admission made Hendra hunch, her pretty eyes blinking quickly as she directed them to the floor. “Yes, I can feel that you have experience. But what I am offering you is the opportunity,” she continued, “To benefit from the healing powers of confronting your fears, of confronting past demons.”
Em’s expression, if it were possible, hardened even further. Her face looked as if it had been cast from steel. She didn’t say anything; she stared at Hendra.
Hendra rearranged her hands on her lap, and I watched her eyes half close. It was clear she was trying to break through Em’s defenses. But as several seconds turned into a minute, it was also clear she couldn’t do it. After a few uncomfortable blinks, Hendra shook her head. “Very well, if you are going to be difficult, Cadet, I will note this in my report.”
Em stood up. “That’s your prerogative.” She turned and walked away, returning to her seat and somehow ignoring all the stares the other cadets shot her. Elle immediately leaned in and patted her comfortingly on the arm.
I stared. What had that been about? Em had faced telepathic attacks before? Where and how? What exactly had she been before she’d joined the Academy? If she were any other recruit, I’d find the fact she had experience with telepathic attacks hard to believe, but it almost made sense when it came to Em. She had more experience than any of the other recruits, a keener battle sense, and generally better skills.
Why?
What was her secret?
Chapter 6
Axira
I was thankful for one thing and one thing alone: Elle. Though it sounded crazy, as I’d spent the last several months trying to shake her off. But today she was being comforting. She hadn’t mentioned my inability to interact during the spacer lecture and nor had she mentioned my episode with the mindair. Instead she was chatting happily, as always. Trying to distract me with a midday walk through the grounds.
It seemed nothing phased her. I had just bordered on insubordinate in the way I’d dealt with Hendra, the mindair, but Elle didn’t seem bothered. Or if she was bothered, she had the compassion not to speak about it.
“We should go away this weekend. Some of the other recruits are planning a training session in the mountains. You keep on saying I need to get some experience in different terrains.”
I smiled at her and said, “I’ll think about it.”
To be honest, the only thing I was thinking about today was how I’d been incapable of controlling myself, twice. To be fair, both times I hadn’t expected my classes to cut so close to the bone. If I’d thought the spacer lecture was bad, the mindair was worse, far worse. I’d felt her try to push her way in through my mind, and it had reminded me – reminded my whole body – of him. Of the control he’d exerted for so many centuries. It was a surprise I’d only been snide and hadn’t leapt up and pushed her off her chair. I’d wanted to. Okay, maybe I hadn’t wanted to use violence, but I had wanted to run away. At the first hint of her trying to wheedle her way past my defenses, I’d wanted to space jump right out of the room and up into the sky.
Fortunately I’d held myself together. And while that had been a personal feat, my inability to control my reaction to her would likely attract a reprimand.
Even though the mindair was not a tenured member of staff, and nor was she technically a member of the Coalition Forces, I was still insubordinate. I was still rude. And yet I was still within my rights. For that entire lecture and the entire unit were a waste of time. I was right: it was a bad idea to teach recruits how to fend off a telepathic attack by making them learn how to open up for one. I knew better than most that as soon as you created tracks in your mind – doors by which the telepathically possessed can travel – you invite them in.
It was yet another example of a growing list of inefficiencies the Academy had in its training program. If I were in charge, I would overhaul the whole thing. There was little wonder that their cadets were insufficiently prepared for this rapidly changing galaxy. When they weren’t taught useless theory, they were taught a watered-down method of combat that would not prepare them for the true brutality of the galaxy.
“I keep seeing my brother popping up everywhere. It’s already been several months, and I can’t believe he’s still checking up on me,” Elle suddenly said.
At the mention of her brother, I tuned in subconsciously, his name coming to the forefront of my mind. “It seemed as if he was escorting our lecturers. Perhaps you are mistaken, and he isn’t checking up on you, but rather doing his job,” I defended Jason Singh, and I wasn’t sure why.
Elle shook her head vigorously and flopped a hand at me. “You don’t know what he’s like. He’s like my mother. Once they think they’ve found a problem with something, they won’t stop until they fix it. And look at me,” she grabbed the sleeves of her uniform and pulled, “I’m just full of problems. I’m a middling recruit with a family who expects she can do so much more.”
My lips crunched up into a smile of their own accord. “Your academic grades are sound.”
Elle brought up a finger and waggled it at me. “And yet my combat grades are the worst in the class.” Though she was reprimanding herself, she still had a smile on her face. It seemed that no matter what got her down, she would always bounce back.
Me, on the other hand, I was still trapped in the whirlwind of my thoughts, hating the fact I hadn’t been capable of controlling myself. Considering I didn’t sleep, I knew I would be spending the whole night staring up at my ceiling, ruminating.
“There’s a party on for the first years at Barney’s Bar tonight,” Elle suddenly pointed out, “Everyone has to go.”
“That doesn’t sound like a party; it sounds like an assignment,” I pointed out dryly. Several years ago, even several months ago, I’d been incapable of humor. But the more time I spent with Elle, the more I adapted to it.
She offered a light chuckle. “Tell me about it. Our superiors are going to be there. Apparently it’s meant to be a chance to mingle outside of classes, a chance to create camaraderie. Because this is the Coalition Academy, and loyalty and camaraderie are the glue that keep us stuck together.” She waggled her finger again.
I considered it as I considered her.
I didn’t want to attend this party. I didn’t want yet another chance to mingle with my peers. Though I understood the truth of what she’d said, and knew for a fact that the Coalition valued loyalty and camaraderie above all else, I could not deny I was a solitary creature. Socialization was a lesson I could not excel at, and one I had completely failed, aside from with Cadet Elle Singh.
“Anyhow we should go together. What’s that saying? Safety in numbers?”
I doubted Elle could provide me any more safety than I could provide for myself, but I nodded nonetheless.
Fortunately the rest of that day passed without further incident. Which, in a way, simply meant I had more time to ponder what I’d done and whether, in fact, I was cut out for this.
...
Jason Singh
Babysitting wasn’t a duty I could get used to. When I joined the Academy – especially after spending a life with my mother – I’d assumed it would be all adventure, all dashing through the stars, saving planets, protecting the weak, and keeping the galaxy safe. Well right now I was standing in a bar with a mindair trying to be dutiful and keeping a watchful eye on her while letting my mind wander.
I had a lot to think about, a lot to do. I was getting nowhere with my mission, and that fact should be commanding all my attention, yet it wasn’t. My thoughts kept twisting back to her. Christ, she’d barely been at the Academy a few months, but it seemed as if she’d been here as long as I had.
I watched Hendra walk lithely through the crowd, her long, elegant body swaying this way and that as her golden robes dragged over her bare feet. There seemed to be some unwritten rule that all mindairs had to be drop-dead gorgeous. Hendra was no exception. There was something uniquely beautiful about her gaze – fragile in the same way a glass statue was and yet at the same time you knew if it broke on you, it would shatter and cut you to pieces.
I tried to let that be my distraction, but it wouldn’t last. All too soon I found my head tipping back as my eyes scanned the crowd for her. She should be here, right? This was a gathering of team Omega, and I’d known from day one which team she was on.
Before I could shirk my duty and start pushing through the crowd to find her, Hendra stopped abruptly in front of me, her face contorting with pale cheeked concentration.
“What is it?” I approached the mindair, smiling in a comforting way. “You look worried.”
“I ... am thinking.” She pressed two elegant fingers into her brow. “I ... someone’s memories are resurfacing.”
“What are you talking about?” I frowned in interest.
“From this morning – from the class. That woman.”
My back stiffened as nerves leapt across my skin. “Cadet Em,” I supplied, knowing immediately who she was referring to.
Axira Episode One: A Galactic Coalition Academy Series Page 7
