by TR Cameron
One of the watchers called, “Come on, new guy, you can do better than that.” It was apparently a cue for everyone to talk because insults, challenges, and exhortations flowed over both of them. No clear loyalty was expressed, and as they traded more testing blows, each was complimented and criticized. The teacher called a halt, stepping between them. He faced the other man. “Gregori, you’re falling into old habits. Having long legs will not always be sufficient. Mix it up.” He turned to face Jax. “New Guy. We don’t do half-speed here. Trust that your opponent can handle his own self. If not, we have a great doctor.” He backed away, and his opponent nodded at him again.
Jax did the same, then waded in. He threw a punch-reverse punch combo, and the man shifted his head out of the way of the first and blocked the second one down. Jax tried to deflect his counter with the forearm of his artificial limb and cursed as it rose just an instant too slowly, allowing the punch through to his chest. He backpedaled as if the blow had knocked him off-balance, then snapped a front kick as his foe moved in. Gregori blocked it and grabbed Jax’s right ankle. That situation offered no positive outcomes, so he leapt off his back leg to throw a roundhouse kick at the man’s head. His opponent evaded the blow but lost control of Jax’s foot.
Jax landed and rolled to avoid the stomp that had to be coming. It missed him by inches as he got back to his feet. He was fully warmed up now, and the adrenaline rush of combat trilled through his nerves. In moments like this his brain seemed to work faster, giving him more time to react. He saw Gregori’s foot rising and decided it would pass in front of his face without a problem, which meant he planned to hook it back at him. Jax let it go by, then grabbed it before it could return. From there, he had a clean shot at his foe’s groin or his other knee or all sorts of options, but instead, he just twisted and shoved in such a way that the man went down.
The instructor called a halt. “Good job, you two. Take off the pads. Next up.” Jax lost track of his words as he crossed to do as he’d been instructed. He shook Gregori’s hand, and the other man grinned. “If we were fighting for real, I think it would have been close.” Jax returned the smile and nodded, but doubted that it was true. His opponent seemed like someone used to contests in a ring rather than in the field.
He strode over to the Professor, who had been watching the interplay with his arms crossed. Maarsen said, “See, you’ve already done some teaching. Your partner has new moves to add to his repertoire.”
Jax shrugged. “Could be. It was fun, but I’m not sure I see the purpose.”
The other man chuckled. “That will be the case more often than not, I’m afraid. You’ll need to get used to it, and I can already tell that will be challenging for you. But true growth always is.”
He frowned. “Say what?”
“You’re used to being the one in control of things. It’s obvious if you know to look for it. The way you fought, you were unconsciously taking responsibility for both yourself and the other person, which was why you avoided blows that could have damaged him. It’s the reason you chose to accept a leadership role in the military. It’s why the issue with your prosthetics bothers you so much.”
Jax shook his head. “There’s probably some truth there, but I wouldn’t say that it’s that big a part of who I am.”
Maarsen grinned. “Wouldn’t you? How interesting.” He turned and waved for Jax to follow. “Anyway, let’s get you back to your room so you can get cleaned up before dinner. Tomorrow, the real fun begins.”
Chapter Eleven
Dinner the night before had been another unexpected moment. The entire Academy turned out for the meal, with no clear hierarchy. The only clearly identifiable people were the staff who wore their uniforms to the gathering, which was served buffet style. Once the dishes were out, the servers joined the diners. Those who weren’t in uniform could have easily been students, staff, or additional professors, assuming there were such things. There was no way to tell.
Jax had made small talk with those around him and generally enjoyed himself. Sleep had come easily, and he’d woken before dawn. Training himself to adapt to time differences had been essential to his career, but he was never able to give up the early rising habits of the military. He showered, shaved, and dressed in the simple uniform in his closet. A few minutes spent poking his wristcomm proved to be an ineffective distraction, so he headed back to the dining room.
It was remarkably different from the experience of the night before. Long tables had been separated into smaller ones scattered around the area. A massive urn of coffee lurked in a corner like a shrine to the caffeine gods and an abundance of breakfast foods was gathered nearby, everything from cold cuts to baked beans to eggs, sausage, and waffles. Included among them were even some fresh pastries, which he didn’t see too often in the field, and he grabbed a blueberry muffin, thinking he hadn’t had one since his last trip to Earth. He loaded up a plate and found a seat at an unoccupied table for four.
He wasn’t alone for long. About two minutes later, a woman’s voice asked, “Can I join you?”
Jax swallowed and replied, “Absolutely,” as he looked up to see who had spoken.
The woman he’d watched fighting the day before set a plate loaded with food down and pulled out the chair. As she sat, she pointed at him. “You are fast on your feet, my friend. Most of the time, Gregori has a serious speed advantage. Probably why Coach put you in with him.”
“To challenge me?”
She snorted. “Hell no. To teach the beanstalk a lesson. Although usually when they do stuff, it’s got more than one reason, so maybe that, too. Who knows?” She wiped her hand on a napkin and extended it to him. “I’m Cia. Short for Alicia. And so you know, jokes about my size will be punished with extreme prejudice.”
He laughed and shook. She was willow-thin, pale-skinned, and had dark hair trimmed short in the front and on the top and shaved on the sides and back. “I’m Jax. Good to meet you after such a short time here.”
She frowned, rolled her eyes, and picked up her fork. “Oh, yeah, you’re going to fit right in.” They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, then she asked, “What’s your deal?”
He countered, “What’s yours?”
“Okay, fact for fact. Fair enough. Full name Alicia Rearden. I’m a pilot, and I do some trading so I can continue flying.”
“Nice. I’m Jackson Reese, active military, I, uh, mainly shoot things.” Special Forces troops were expected to keep the details of their operations secret since you could never be sure who might be listening. He’d bet most of his savings against the possibility of an enemy bugging this place, but for all he knew, the castle had a Confederacy wing and an Alien Coalition wing that he hadn’t seen yet. Best to be careful.
She paused in mid-chew. “What kind of things?”
He shrugged. “Aliens who are causing trouble for our colonists, generally. And sometimes Confederacy troops that are doing the same. Where do you fly?”
Cia waved her fork in the air. “All over the place. Wherever I can find a gig. My ship is jump-capable, although it takes her a while to get ready for the next one after she does it.”
“What’s her name?”
“Grace.”
Jax nodded solemnly. “Beautiful.” Her pride in the vessel was obvious. “Forgive this question, but aren’t you a little young to have your own ship?”
“Forgiven. Everyone asks that, and the answer is yes, I am. My family has a lot of money, but my older siblings are a bunch of jerks that I didn’t want to work for or with. I took Grace and left them behind. Scumbags.”
He laughed. “Strong feelings, eh?”
Cia grinned. “Pretty much, yeah.”
“I can respect that. I’ve been told I have some of those myself.”
“It showed while you were fighting. So, what are you in for?”
He countered with, “What are you in for?”
“Better with your fists than your mouth, apparently, but I’ll let it sl
ide this once. I know about this place because of my parents. They know everyone and everything, as near as I can tell.” She sighed. “But I’m here because while I’m good, I’m probably not good enough at the whole trading and business thing to keep my ship going on my own. Yet. And I don’t want crew or partners. So, given that I’ve been working on merchant ships since I was eight and completed my schooling early, the Professor agreed to let me come here.”
“What’s your malfunction? Did Maarsen tell you?”
She shook her head. “Uh-uh. You owe me. Spill.”
Jax laughed and popped his last piece of sausage in his mouth, using the delay while he chewed and swallowed to decide how much he wanted to share. Finally, he shrugged and decided that if he was going to be in the Academy, he really ought to do it as truthfully as he could. “Apparently, I have control issues.”
Cia stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing. “This is news to you? You’re like alpha-male-testosterone-on-a-stick. You probably impregnate the hot alien chicks you come across just by being near them.”
He coughed on his coffee, and it was almost a full minute before he could breathe properly again. “Damnation, woman.”
She laughed. “Got you. Man, you’re easy.”
Jax’s response was cut off by the arrival of Professor Maarsen, dressed in one of the ubiquitous athletic outfits and looking sweaty. He said, “Beautiful day outside. Perfect for a run. I’m glad to find the two of you together since we need to have a chat. Say my office, one hour?” Without waiting for an answer, he sauntered off to talk to the people at another table.
Cia shook her head. “Wonder what that’s about.”
“Guess we’ll find out in an hour.”
She nodded and rose to meander back to the food station. “Plenty of time for seconds. And thirds.”
Jax chuckled at her back. Weirder and weirder.
The Professor’s office was the same as the day before, except the level of liquid in the decanter was slightly lower, and the burning wood in the fireplace distributed the scent of cherry into the warm air. The castle had an atmospheric chill about it that Jax liked, but the warmth of this cozy room was also a pleasure.
Maarsen was seated behind the desk when they arrived, scrawling something in the leather notebook that was apparently a permanent feature of the furniture’s surface. Without looking up, he said, “Please, sit, I’ll be with you in a moment.” Thirty seconds of scratching later, he finished writing with a flourish and closed the book. He slid it to the side and slotted the pen back into its holder. “So. Cia first. Do you feel you’re learning what you need to learn?”
The woman was much less verbally combative with the older man. “Yep. So far. Going a little slow, though.”
Maarsen laughed. “A common refrain. This is the part where I reply, ‘Ah, but you don’t know all that you don’t know. Some of the most important learning is invisible.’ Then you nod to my dizzying intellect, and we move on.” She nodded robotically, drawing another chuckle from the man. “Exactly right.” Jax had the sense they’d done this before.
The Professor turned to him. “And you, Jax? With the caveat that you’ve been here less than a day, do you feel like you made the correct decision in joining us?”
He nodded. “I do. I’m trying to keep the part of my brain that wants to know what the hell is going on distracted with coffee and carbs. You do have some amazing food here.”
The other man patted his stomach. “Which requires an altogether different kind of control than what your mind is questing for.” He leaned forward and put his forearms on the desk. “I have a project for the two of you I think you’ll be very well suited for. There’s an item the Academy needs to acquire. We’ve done the deal already, but the seller is a nervous type. I’d like you to represent us to them and handle the exchange.”
Jax frowned. “What’s the thing?”
Maarsen shook his head. “As they might say in your line of work, that’s above your pay grade. You’ll have to trust me.”
He was aware the Professor was playing with him, that he was deliberately tweaking the weakness he’d identified to make a point, but it pissed him off. Jax took a deep breath and shrugged. “Fair enough. I’m in.”
Cia said, “You know that if it involves flying, I’m in too. Well, I mean, I’ll do it regardless, but because you’re asking me, I’m guessing we’re headed up and out?”
Maarsen nodded. “To Surya.”
Jax straightened in his chair. “That’s a Confederacy world.”
The older man nodded again. “It is indeed. You are surely aware that despite the politicians’ posturing, a robust trade goes back and forth between the Alliance and the Confederacy. One that is generally accepted without being formally acknowledged. If it helps, we aren’t working with their government, but with an individual who runs his own business and has no connections to the military.”
He shook his head. “If they inspect us, which they will as a matter of routine if they’re anything like our side, they’ll discover my prosthetics are UCCA.”
Maarsen waved a hand to dismiss the worry. “We can spoof that easily. We’ve done so before. Have faith, my friend. I would not send either of you into danger.”
In for a penny, in for a pound. Or whatever Scotland’s currency is. “Okay, Professor. If you say so.”
He grinned. “I do say so. It’s decided, then. I’ll need the rest of today to get the deal finalized, and you can head out tomorrow. Should be a day trip, back in time for dinner if you leave after breakfast.” He turned his attention to the woman. “Cia, requisition whatever you require to get your ship ready, within reason.”
She grinned. “You know it, Professor.”
“Excellent. Initial details should be available through your comms in an hour or so, and we’ll add information throughout the day. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I need a private word with Jackson.”
She stood and twisted in his direction, whispering, “You’re in truuuuuh-ble” as she went past toward the door. He couldn’t avoid a grin and turned to watch her go. When he returned his gaze to Maarsen, the other man was smiling.
“It’s easy to underestimate Alicia. There’s far more there than shows on the surface.”
Jax nodded. “I’ve noticed some of that already. She seems a lot younger than the others I’ve seen around.”
“True. We normally only accept those who have a solid record of successes behind them, and that tends to equate with significant academic and career experience. But there are always exceptions, and her time working for her family’s business covers the career side, and her academics were top-notch. She completed University studies four years earlier than her peers.”
“Wow. That’s…damn impressive.”
“It is. She is. And yet, she has a lot left to learn. I think you’ll be able to help with that. Remember the rules: you’re teaching as well as learning. That includes on this trip.”
“Gotcha. I am officially reminded.”
Maarsen laughed. “Wonderful. Now, the day is yours to get acquainted with the place. There’s another gymnasium session after lunch if you’re of a mind to participate. Otherwise, check your comm regularly for new information and do whatever you need to do to prepare for your trip tomorrow. That will have to include a visit to Doctor Cray to adjust the transponders in your prosthetics.”
It was clearly a dismissal, though gently delivered. Jax stood and headed for the exit. “It’s a strange place you’ve got here, Professor,” he said as he pulled the door open.
The other man laughed. “We’re just getting started, Jackson. Hopefully by the end of our time together, you’ll amend that to ‘strange and amazing.’”
Jax stepped into the hall and closed the portal behind him. He muttered, “Yeah, assuming I’m not walking into some kind of Confederacy trap.”
Chapter Twelve
Spending the day on his own proved to be just what Jax needed to recover his balance. The trans
ition from what he was now thinking of as the “real world” to life in the Academy had been more unsettling than he’d consciously acknowledged. After hearing the name of the place, he’d attached expectations from his university experience and his time in Basic, Officer, and Special Forces trainings. The lack of similarity had created tension within him.
That feeling evaporated as he spent the morning hiking through the grounds surrounding the castle. He checked out the gardening robots and was pretty sure he saw panels that were retractable, supporting the idea that they could be employed in defense of the facility at need with weapons hidden inside. Hopefully nonlethal. While Jax had believed it when he was told that artificial intelligences weren’t likely to go haywire and attack at random, an itch at the back of his brain continued to suggest that the science fiction he’d read and viewed created during the centuries before AI became commonplace might have valid concerns on the matter.
The hills were often rocky and arduous to climb, which was all to the good as far as he was concerned. Sheep and goats regarded him with a clear disdain for his lack of agility as they scampered at a safe distance, appropriately confident that he’d be unable to catch them if they ran. He made it back in time to shower before the afternoon fighting session, which he participated in as both a spectator and a combatant. “Coach” gave him a couple more pointers, again mentioning that he needed to go full force and assume his partner was up to the task of defending—in this case, him. Cia was there, and while he had a momentary thought that it might be amusing to fight her, she wound up partnered with Gregori. The tall man again learned that his reach wasn’t enough of an edge as the petite pilot snuck inside his guard and repeatedly toppled him with leg sweeps and kicks to the backs of his knees.
