Vira Episode One Read online

  “You didn’t attend the Academy,” he said.

  “Yes, I did,” she snapped back.

  Park slowly let his gaze dart around the room. “Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but you’ve been residing in this room for the past 20 years.”

  “I attended the Academy,” she said, and there was a note of defensiveness about her tone.

  The Admiral finally intervened. She took a step toward Vira. “We’ve gone over this before, Vira. Though you watched classes,” the Admiral gestured toward the bank of screens in front of the couch, “and you were technically graded, you were never an official Academy recruit.”

  They’d made her watch classes? They’d even graded her? Why bother? Wasn’t she just some glorified weapon?

  Park momentarily allowed his mental defenses to slip.

  Vira sliced her gaze toward him. For the first time since the conversation had begun, she looked at him darkly. “I know what you’re thinking. And I’m not some kind of weapon,” she spat.

  His eyebrows peaked slightly. “She can read minds?” he asked the Admiral. “A heads-up would’ve been nice.” Though he would never usually be so informal to an Admiral – especially Forest – this was already getting out of hand.

  One thing was clear – Vira, despite her technical combat skills, had the emotional maturity of a child.

  “I am not a child,” she snapped.

  Dammit, he’d done it again.

  She rose. There was a sharpness to the move, one that could have indicated danger, but before he could worry that the Spacer would call on her subspace weapons and slice him in half, she crossed her arms together and got a decidedly haughty edge to her expression. “You may think I have the personal affect of an infant,” she said, her tone no longer sweet and certainly no longer innocent, “but you are mistaken. You have wandered into a situation you do not have the skills to understand. And now you should wander right back out.” She pointed stiffly at her door.

  Park couldn’t stop himself from snorting.

  Admiral Forest took a trying breath as she brought a hand up and distractedly scratched her brow. “Vira, you can’t order him out of here. The rest of the Admirals and I did not make this decision lightly. We only chose Lieutenant Park after vetting every other combat specialist we have.”

  “He’s not ready,” she defaulted to saying.

  “Why not?” the Admiral said, her exasperation clear.

  Vira darted her gaze up and locked it on Park. Though he’d already judged her appearance to be pretty ordinary, obviously he hadn’t gotten a good look at her eyes. Because right now, as he did, he could appreciate that her gaze was about the most goddamn penetrating thing he’d ever seen. He got the impression she could pick up more about you than one of the Academy’s subatomic biological scanners. “I’ve seen him around the Academy,” she revealed.

  Park didn’t take the opportunity to point out that she’d never been out of this room. He narrowed his eyes. Where was she going with this?

  “He’s irresponsible,” Vira said. “Do you know he didn’t sleep last night? I believe he was out with members of staff and the E Club imbibing himself.”

  Though Park could have easily laughed at the concept he’d been imbibing himself, he let his gaze jerk toward the Admiral. He desperately wanted to ask just how much of his mind Vira could read.

  And, more to the point, why exactly Forest hadn’t pointed this out before the meeting had begun. He sure would have liked to have been alerted to the fact that Vira was psychic and painfully immature – which was a frankly horrible mix.

  As he thought that, he was careful this time to ensure his mental defenses were perfectly in place. And either Vira chose not to comment – which he doubted – or she didn’t pick up what he was thinking.

  The Admiral let out a sigh. “I assume you know the Lieutenant didn’t sleep because of his biological readings. And I assume you know that he was out,” for the first time Forest slid her gaze momentarily toward Park, and there was a judgmental quality to it, “all night,” she stressed all, “because of your privileged access to security information. But I shouldn’t need to remind you, Vira, that access to that information should be used to keep people safe – and before you point it out, you are keeping nobody safe by putting Lieutenant Park on the spot.”

  “You expect me to travel to the Falax Expanse with this man with no other supervision to hunt down fallen Force technology. I haven’t left this room in 20 years. He will be my only guide. He knows this. And yet, the night before the mission is meant to begin,” it was Vira’s turn to swivel her judgmental gaze to Park, and unlike the Admiral, she didn’t discreetly look away, “he chooses to drink all night and socialize rather than gaining the requisite rest his human body requires.”

  Park swallowed.

  She had him on that one. But if she thought she’d won this conversation, she was dead wrong. Before the Admiral could try to bring Vira into line again, Park took another step forward, his stance easy. His smile was too as he flicked it at her. “You’re right, I did stay out all night last night,” he said as he brought a hand up and casually scratched at his nose, “because I’m an adult,” he emphasized the word adult. “I also know my limitations. And while, technically, the mission is meant to start this afternoon, it hasn’t started yet. Though I am duty-bound not to,” he let his smile spread all the way around his perfect white teeth, “imbibe myself while on an operation, I wasn’t on an operation last night. I have an unimpeachable service record, and I don’t appreciate anyone calling into question my abilities.”

  Anyone else in Park’s position wouldn’t dare to say what he’d just said. He didn’t need to stare at the training ground to his left to appreciate that Vira could crush him in an instant. He also didn’t need to stare to his right to appreciate that the Admiral would be judging his every move. If he couldn’t control Vira now – while she was safely in her room in the lowest level of the Academy basement – what hope did he have of controlling her when they were off-world? Because she was right – he would be her only guide on this mission, and not only had Vira never left this room in 20 years, but she was a goddamn handful.

  Vira crossed her arms again. “He’s not ready,” she returned to saying flatly. She also swiveled neatly on her foot. But rather than walk back to the couch and flop back down, she floated right off her feet, suddenly completely unaffected by gravity. She shifted over to the couch and lightly sat back down before she swiveled her gaze toward him.

  He wasn’t an idiot. She was posturing. His basic combat intelligence told him that.

  The Admiral gave a long-suffering sigh. “How many times do I have to tell you, Vira,” she began.

  “Showing off won’t win you this argument, Vira,” Park spoke straight over the Admiral. He hadn’t forgotten the original parameters of this test. Unless he – and he alone – could bring Vira to hand, he would lose. And though Park was beginning to seriously question whether he wanted this mission in the first place, he hated losing. Better to prove he was worthy and capable and back out gracefully later.

  His comment got Vira’s attention. Her arms tightened around her middle. It brought his attention to her ordinary physique once more. Honestly, from one look at her, you couldn’t tell that she was technically one of the most powerful assets in the entire Coalition. And that? That was the point.

  He took a solid step forward, making sure his Coalition boots rang out on the smooth floor. “You said you went through the Academy, ha? Prove it. What’s the one most important thing a recruit must learn?” Though Park personally hated lecturing, and he did so infrequently, he was good at it. It came hand-in-hand with his natural arrogance. Park knew he was capable, just as he knew when the people around him weren’t. And Vira was a lot of things, but it was obvious she would be a terrible soldier. She would be a force of chaos, not order.

  “Vira, answer him,” the Admiral prompted when Vira did nothing.

  Park arched an eyebrow. “Don�
��t like to listen to people, do you? You know that’s what children do, don’t you?” He deliberately goaded her. Judging by her previous reaction to his thought that she was nothing more than a kid, it was obviously an emotional button for her.

  Sure enough, she reacted to it, her cheeks stiffening. “I am fully capable of listening. In fact, I think you’ll find my abilities to hear outstrip your own by a parsec. I can hear your stomach, for instance, as it tries to rid your weak biological form of the poison you consumed in large quantities last night.”

  He flicked her an amused smile. It only curled one side of his lips and revealed a slice of his clenched teeth. “There’s a difference between hearing and comprehending.”

  “I am fully capable of understanding what you said.”

  “Then tell me – what’s the most important thing a Coalition recruit should learn? The one thing that keeps the Coalition Army working – the one thing that keeps the Coalition safe,” he said, and as he spoke, he let more passion filter through each word until they rattled through the room.

  Admiral Forest didn’t stop him – she simply watched.

  Vira raised her chin and looked at him, a defiant look glinting in her eyes. “The ability to forge peace,” she answered.

  Park smiled. “Wrong,” he said, voice just as flat as the one she’d been using to point out he was the wrong man for this mission. “The most important trait for any recruit is the ability to follow orders. It is that alone which sustains the chain of command. And the chain of command,” he said, words hard, “is what keeps the Coalition safe. The first thing you learn on your first day in the Academy is that you do not have all the answers,” he emphasized the word you. “You don’t have all the strength, you don’t have all the ability – you are simply a necessary rung in the chain of command. Maybe you’re stronger than the average recruit,” he conceded before she could point that out, “but you alone are not the Coalition. You alone do not have the resources, the intelligence, or the strength to keep all of the Coalition safe. So you must rely on others. To do that,” he gritted his teeth, “you respect the chain of command.”

  Vira continued to watch him. “… Is that it?” she said after a lengthy pause.

  Park stopped himself from reacting. If Vira really had been an ordinary recruit – as she kept on stating – she wouldn’t have dared to speak back to him like that.

  This time, the Admiral didn’t pull Vira up on her inappropriate behavior. Park could still feel the Admiral’s gaze as it locked on him. She was obviously willing to give him one last chance to pull Vira into line.

  “Why? Do you think there should be something more?” he asked Vira.

  “When we are out there, there will be no chain of command. There will be no one above you. There will simply be you and me. You wanted to know before whether I can listen – and the answer is I can. You also wanted to know whether I can comprehend and follow orders – again, the answer is yes. But that’s not the question you should be asking – it’s whether you have the right to give me orders.”

  If she’d pulled a stunt like that on Commander Sharpe, he would’ve eviscerated her. Hell, any commanding officer would punish a cadet for sassing them like that.

  Park had to take another track. He was adaptable, after all. “My head is clear.”

  “You’re hung over. Before you say you aren’t – I can see you are,” she emphasized the word see as she looked him up and down. “Somebody who has the right to lead must be able to shoulder the responsibility. If you can’t control your own desires long enough to prepare correctly for a mission, then I do not trust your abilities to control yourself while on a mission.”

  “That’s rich coming from someone who’s never seen any active service and hasn’t left this room in 20 years. But let me open your eyes to the reality of missions. You need to test yourself in every way, be prepared for every damn thing that could go wrong. You’re right, I didn’t sleep last night – you’re right, I drank, too. But you’re wrong – that doesn’t make me less capable of going through with this mission – it makes me more capable. I can operate under stress. Without a wink, with a goddamn fuzzy head – it doesn’t matter.”

  “If you are likening partying all night to the stresses that come up on a mission, that’s a stretch. Also, you’re wrong.”

  Park didn’t want to point out that he wasn’t following and he had no idea what he was wrong about. So he waited.

  Sure enough, Vira ticked her head to the side, her hair trailing over her shoulders. “I have seen combat.”

  “I’m not talking about training,” he said dismissively as he waved a hand to the left.

  Her gaze changed. He was starting to appreciate that she had a complicated personality, and that while, at times, she sounded like a child, at other times, she sounded like an erudite Admiral. Now?

  For the first time, he caught a glimpse of the soldier. “Neither am I.”

  … Had the Coalition sent Vira on missions in the past 20 years? Was that just another fact the Admiral hadn’t bothered to share with him before this meeting had begun?

  “No, not in the last 20 years. Before then,” Vira said, her tone… strange.

  Shit, he’d done it again – left his thoughts unguarded. But though he could admonish himself, he was too distracted by her expression.

  He was good at reading people – but he had no idea what that far-off look in her eyes meant.

  Though Park had already asked the Admiral where exactly Vira had come from, he’d been flatly told that he didn’t have the security clearance to know.

  That question suddenly burnt brightly in his mind as Vira shook her head slightly and dismissed that far-off quality to her stare. “You have lost this argument, Lieutenant Park. You are inappropriate for this mission.”

  “You don’t get to decide when the argument is over.”

  “I think you’ll find as the physically stronger and mentally more capable individual that I do,” she pointed out.

  “Are you threatening me?”

  She opened her mouth.

  He got there first. “No, you’re not threatening me. I think you’re a lot of things, Vira,” he said, and it was his turn to let his gaze shift up and down her body, “but I don’t think you’re needlessly violent. While it seems your minders have failed to drum into you the necessity of proper social skills, I would say you fully understand the consequences of using your strength without reason.”

  For the first time, he brought her down a notch. It was just a notch, and as soon as she looked crestfallen, she straightened her back. But it gave Park the hope he needed.

  He took another step toward her, now half a meter from her and the couch.

  She looked up at him.

  He looked down.

  “What do you need to go on this mission?” He suddenly changed track completely, realizing he would need to radically shift this conversation if he had any hope of convincing Vira.

  She looked confused. And that? It brought her down another notch. Park suddenly felt as if he were trying to chop down a redwood with a tomahawk. But Park was a seriously determined man, and even if it took him the rest of the day, he would bring Vira to task.

  He didn’t explain himself; he waited.

  Sure enough, though it took several seconds, she asked, “What do you mean?”

  “You want assurances,” he answered for her. “You want assurances that not only do I have the skills to guide you on the mission, but that the orders I give you will be fair, just, and in line with the Coalition’s needs. The answer is I can’t give you those assurances.”

  He allowed her a moment to look satisfied. She pushed up from the couch, and considering he was close, that meant she stared up into his eyes. She may have been several inches shorter than he was, and that could’ve momentarily fooled his body into thinking she was no physical match for him, but the look in her eyes reminded him she could blast him right into space without a second’s thought.

 
She opened her mouth, obviously to tell him to leave. He got there first. “You will never get any assurances that a mission will go to plan. Assurances won’t save you, Vira – only adaptability will. You want to know that I’m the right man for this job. But you have no way of knowing because you’ve been stuck in this room for 20 years, living your life vicariously through those screens,” he added.

  Though he’d brought her down two notches so far, that comment was like a sucker punch. He wasn’t expecting it to be that powerful, either – it had just been a throwaway comment. But boy did it affect her.

  Though she’d been staring defiantly up into his gaze seconds before, she jerked her head down and looked away.

  The strength of her reaction made him pause, but not for long. If he wanted to win, he had to attack now. “Despite your superior senses and the fact you can tell from one frigging glance that I’m hung over,” he admitted, “you still don’t have enough information to assess whether I’m the right man for this job. And that, Vira, comes back to my original point. You may be technically powerful, but you’re not everything. You’re part of the Coalition,” he emphasized the word part, “and you have to trust that every other member of the Coalition wants peace just as much as you do. That trust, however, comes at a cost. Maybe Admiral Forest doesn’t have a subspace weapon and she can’t transport of her own volition, but she doesn’t need to to be able to make good decisions. Neither do the other Admirals. They’ve given their lives in service to the Coalition, and they will continue to give their lives in service. You may think you’re stronger and better than everyone, Vira, but I hope you appreciate that that comes at a cost. You may not value your own fragility, but the people without your skills do. To the admirals and captains, lieutenants, ensigns and cadets of the Coalition who have ordinary, fragile biological bodies,” he said, emphasizing fragile just as she had, “combat costs more. To us ordinary individuals, we cannot afford to make snap decisions. We must act only on the best information and with the strongest morals. So trust,” his voice punched out on the word trust, “that the Admirals have made the best decision. You don’t know me,” he went back to repeating, “you don’t like me,” he added, “but you need to trust me.”