Axira Episode One (18 page)

Hendra bowed low, smiled at both me and Em, and walked
away.

It gave me a few seconds to stare questioningly at Em. I
didn’t know if I had the kind of relationship with her where she’d
confide in me, but that didn’t stop me from leaning in and asking,
“What was that about?”

“
I have changed my opinion. I am interested in seeing what
Hendra can do,” Em answered plainly.

I opened my mouth to ask her what had changed, but she nodded
low and walked off, leaving me staring at her in
surprise.

“
You look like you're trying to park a cruiser in that big
wide-open mouth of yours,” Mason noted as he reached me and patted
a hand on my shoulder.

I pressed my lips closed and ignored him.

What was Em doing?

I knew I shouldn’t be letting her distract me, but I couldn’t
help it.

It was more important than ever for me to track down that
spy, but instead I was standing here staring at her.

What was wrong with me?

...

Axira

I moved. I let myself go. Not completely, but more than I
usually did. It felt good to push the energy through my muscles –
to spring and jump and roll.

To pull off the shackles that usually bound me.

I leapt over another obstacle, just as it formed underneath
me. I was in the training circle – a specialized track studded with
holographic generators that could throw obstacles and enemies at
you with all the speed and control of the Academy’s best
computers.

A hole formed under my left foot, but I pivoted, placed
weight on my free leg, and rolled to the side. Just as I did, an
enemy formed above me, the snarling face of a Xerk appearing
centimeters from my nose.

I jerked forward with my foot, slamming into its stomach as I
brought up my gun and shot it in the chest. The hologram blinked
out, only to be replaced with two more.

It was frantic, or would have been for an ordinary recruit.
Objects and enemies flashed in and out of existence with such
rapidity and speed, it would have left a normal, soft-fleshed race
with a headache for a week.

“
Work with your fatigue,” Lieutenant Ma’tovan suddenly
counseled me from the sidelines. He was standing with his arms
crossed, his massive chest puffed out, his black scaled skin
catching the sun.

The training zone didn’t have a roof – though weak shields
could be turned on if the weather turned inclement. Considering the
size of some of the enemies the training zone could conjure, you
couldn’t afford to have a roof. Right now that meant glorious
midday sunshine was streaming in from above. Bright and warm, it
lit up the zone, glinting off me and the track, but not interacting
with the holograms – they were made of light, after all. The fact
the sun couldn’t shine along the holographic Xerk’s armor, or glint
along the barrel of my holographic gun gave this scene a dream like
quality.

“
Respect the tiredness in your muscles,” Ma’tovan
continued.

I was measuring my effort, slowing down at intervals to make
it appear as if I were weakening through fatigue, when in reality I
could do this non-stop for a month.

“
More than that, respect the tiredness in your mind,” he
counseled in a booming voice. “That’s the first thing you need to
watch for. Your limbs know when they can’t continue – they tell
you. They get heavy, hard to move. The mind can’t signal its
fatigue like that. I’m not talking about headaches or lack of
attention – you know what I’m talking about.”

I did. This was not a training session to test the
capabilities of my endurance – it was meant to teach me to listen
to my moral compass.

I didn’t think it would work. How could fighting possibly
teach me how to learn when not to fight?

“
You need to learn to temper your strength, to learn when to
fight and when to stop. Most of all, you need to learn when to let
go. If you can’t master that lesson, then you’ll be nothing more
than a pit of rage carrying a gun around.”

I appreciated what he was doing. Despite his blustery nature,
Ma’tovan was one of the few people on campus I could relate to. He
hadn’t shared with me his exact life story, but I knew it mirrored
mine. He’d once been a mindless soldier following orders too. The
extent of his enslavement couldn’t truly compare with mine, but the
similarity was enough that I was receptive to his help.

“
Most of all, Cadet, I want you to learn to trust yourself.
Not just your battle instincts, but your moral ones. Only when you
learn to trust yourself will I trust you.”

His words echoed around the training ground.

I trusted myself. I knew how to move my body, knew it would
never let me down.

But my mind? Could I honestly learn to trust that?

I was happy for the Lieutenant’s help, but deep down I was
doubtful it would work. The only thing that would ever truly
assuage my guilt and soothe my moral conscience would be to defeat
my master. Only when the galaxy was free from his insidious
influence would I rest in peace.

...

Jason Singh

I leapt over an obstacle, just as it formed in front of me. I
grunted, the noise echoing around the small training ground. I
would have liked to be in one of the larger grounds, but the main
one was currently being used.

I needed to let out steam. I needed to feel effective, even
if it was only for a few minutes.

I punched to the side, pitching my body to the left and
rolling heavily as a projectile slammed past my
shoulder.

I let another grunt rip from my throat. Sweat dripped down my
brow. I’d only been pushing myself for ten minutes now, but it had
been nonstop. My body pumped with so much adrenaline, my hands
would shake and teeth chatter if I had the time to stand
still.

An enemy suddenly formed in front of me, the hologram
flickering here and there as dust particles passed through the
light matrix.

I threw myself forward, just as the Xerk warrior rushed
towards me. He opened his perpetually snarling mouth, his beady
eyes glinting like far off stars.

I shoved my shoulder hard into his gut, using my momentum to
drive his massive form backwards.

The Xerk stumbled, but almost immediately spun around with a
backhand, walloping his huge arm across my shoulders.

I absorbed the force by ducking down, but the arm still
impacted hard – so hard it would have left a massive contusion and
a few broken bones, if this weren’t a holographic fight.

I couldn’t be injured during this simulation, not unless I
was dumb enough to trip over and skin a knee. That or push myself
too hard and strain something. The holographic enemies couldn’t
shoot, maim, stab, or beat me to death. Instead, any damage they
did was registered with the computer, showing my virtual life
rapidly dwindling with each blow I received.

I only had a few bars of health left, and I had to use them
wisely.

Pivoting on my foot, I shunted backwards, falling to the
ground and angling my feet up as the Xerk rushed me again. I pushed
my feet together and punched them forward, striking the Xerk in the
knees.

It was enough to make the holographic alien stumble, enough
to give me the time to roll to the side and follow my move up with
a well-placed kick to the back of the knees.

The Xerk stumbled. Before he could get up, I grabbed the gun
in his holster and turned it on him.

“
All enemies defeated. Your score for today’s training program
is below average.”

I swore. So much for making myself feel effective. Even the
computer thought I wasn’t up to much at the moment.

Dropping the holographic gun and watching it disappear before
it could strike the ground, I wiped the back of my sweaty hand over
my even sweatier face. Pressing my fingers into my lips, I forced
several calming breaths.

Enough training. It was time to find that spy.

I glanced up at the afternoon sun above. A few more hours
until evening, I realized.

A few more hours until Em would voluntarily accept Hendra’s
help.

I let the thought distract me as I exited the training ground
and got cleaned up.

What was Em really up to? Had she changed her mind? Or was
this erratic behavior evidence she was at the point of
breaking?

Chapter 12

Axira

“
How was your special training session with Ma’tovan?” Elle
asked as she walked by my side.

She had a reassuring, friendly smile on her face. One she
wore permanently in my company.

“
Fine,” I managed as I directed my head forward to ignore the
collective stare of a group of muttering cadets.

“
She’s so unpredictable,” one of the cadets
whispered.

“
That’s one word for it –
unstable
is a better
one.”

“
If you spent less time muttering and more time studying, you
wouldn’t have to put down others to make yourself feel less
inferior,” Elle snapped at the cadets.

I was starting to learn that Elle – despite her incredibly
sweet nature – was as protective as a mother rock
warrior.

“
It’s fine,” I said quietly. “Let’s just hurry
along.”

“
It’s not fine,” she said passionately. “They’re making stuff
up about you. You’d think the Academy would require its cadets to
have a certain level of maturity. Even my brother can’t keep his
mouth shut, and he’s much older than me.”

I attempted to control the interest that tried to crumple my
features. “Your brother?”

Elle looked sprung. “Never mind. I just caught him talking to
Hendra about you, that’s all.”

My jaw stiffened. I had to pretend to swallow – that or let
the tension shatter my skull. “I see.”

“
It’s okay to get angry with him,” she assured me, “He had no
right to talk to her about you. None of them have any right to talk
about you.” Elle swept her angry gaze over the crowd.

“
... It’s okay. You don’t need to put anyone offside because
of me.”

Elle turned to me, that same smile back on her face. “That’s
what friends are for. They defend each other in times of need.” She
waggled a finger at me.

I returned her smile and tried not to think of what I’d just
learnt.

Not that I should be surprised. I knew Jason was curious
about me, and considering yesterday’s events, he would only be more
curious.

Or maybe he’s not curious, my suspicious mind suddenly
offered – maybe he’s suspicious.

Last night I’d fought off a Kore intelligence team
essentially on my own. Today I agree to have a “Session” with
Hendra, even though I’d made it crystal clear I didn't want to have
anything to do with her.

Perhaps he even thought I could be the source of the
intelligence leak.

“
We should go away somewhere this weekend – get out of this
place for a while,” Elle offered as she skipped ahead.

I would be busy this weekend.

It was time to catch a spy.

Chapter 13

Jason Singh

“
Thank you for coming to see me,” Hendra said as she nodded
low, her bare skull glinting in the sunlight streaming in from her
office window.

“
What’s up?” I asked as I returned her nod and walked into her
well-appointed office.

“
When I saw you in the corridor earlier you felt stressed,”
she noted. “I’m sorry if this is an intrusion, but I wanted to help
if I could.”

From anyone else it would be an intrusion. But you couldn’t
fault Hendra. Aside from my sister, she was about the sweetest
person I’d ever met.

I didn’t make eye contact though. My gaze darted to the floor
as I scratched my chin uncomfortably, my fingernails snagging over
two days of unshaved stubble.

Hendra smiled prettily again, and it was enough of a
distraction that I let my hand drop.

“
I can help take away your stress.” She nodded low once more.
“I will follow the telepathic code, and at no point will I look
into your memories,” she assured me as an uncomfortable expression
crossed my face. “Plus, I sense that you have a strong will. You
must be trained, and you would be more than capable of keeping your
memories locked away from me – not that I would ever pry. I’m just
trying to—”

I put up a hand quickly. “Put me at ease. And thank you. I
suppose ...” I trailed off as I considered whether I wanted to go
ahead with this.

The truth was I did want to get rid of this stress. It hung
heavy in my limbs, robbing me of sleep and generally souring my
life.

I also knew I’d be able to do a better job of tracking down
the spy if I wasn’t so tired and worried.

Hendra smiled hesitantly. “Please say no if you are
uncomfortable. I wouldn’t push my help on anyone.” She patted a
hand emphatically on her chest, her long elegant fingers ruffling
her golden robes.