Chapter 29

The woman lay on her back on the bed, a bed that was not much more than a thin mattress on a hard metal table. A gold band encircled her neck. Two more gold bands encircled her wrists, attached to the table by short lengths of steel chain, pulling her arms over her head. Two additional gold bands encircled her ankles, but instead of being attached to the table as her wrists were, her ankles were held suspended above the table by chains hanging from a thick metal frame. Other than for the chains around her limbs and the gag in her mouth, she was completely naked.

Her blue eyes flickered open briefly. She tried to move, but the chains allowed her almost no movement. Her entire body convulsed, her back arching, almost lifting her completely from the bed, until the chains brought her crashing back down to the bed. Throwing her head from side to side, she screamed, but almost no sound escaped through the gag cutting cruelly into the corners of her mouth.

For nearly a full year, she had been confined in a small cell nearby. In that entire time, she had not been free of the strength-draining gold chains. She had been free of the gag only during brief feedings, consisting of not much more than water and a nutritious but tasteless and unappetizing gruel.

Nearly two days ago she had been moved from her bare cell to this room. Since then she had been lying here shackled spread-eagled on a bed, her ankles apart, her knees raised slightly, with sensors attached to various parts of her naked body and connected to half a dozen monitoring instruments.

Again, she convulsed. Again, her back arched. Again, she tried to scream. Again, no sound came out.

For an entire day, since she had been moved here, her body had been wracked with the convulsions. Now, they came faster and faster, building up in intensity. Yet, the man in the room with her, even though he was a doctor, simply stayed in his chair, observing the instruments and not lifting a finger to ease the woman's obvious agony.

Another convulsion, even more powerful than the previous ones, wracked her body. This time, some sound managed to escape around her gag in an incoherent scream.

A small smile briefly flickered across the black-haired doctor's face as he noticed a reading on one of his instrument readouts. He pressed a blue button on another console. There was no effect immediately evident from that one action.

Several minutes later, four people came into the room. The first two were women, both in uniform. The younger woman wore the insignia of a lieutenant on her brief uniform. Leaning for support on her right arm was an older woman. The older woman held a cane in her right hand, her right leg ended just below the knee. She walked with the gait of someone who still was not accustomed to walking with a limp. However, she held her head high; her military bearing was unmistakable, even without the insignia of a full colonel on her uniform.

Two men, their hair as black as that of the two women were, followed. The younger woman guided the older woman to a chair and helped her to sit down, before taking the chair next to her. The two women studied the woman on the bed, their faces impassive. The older of the two men conferred with the doctor, ignoring the continuing convulsions of the woman on the bed. The younger man ignored the discussion, staring intently at the naked woman on the table with undisguised hatred in his deep blue eyes.

A particularly violent convulsion and a partially muffled scream finally drew the attention of the other two men. They stood up and approached her, gathering around her outstretched legs. The two women remained in their chairs, their interest betrayed only by their leaning forward slightly. The younger man walked around and stood behind them, still staring at the woman on the table.

The doctor reached between the bound woman's legs, as another series of convulsions wracked her body, accompanied by another muffled scream. He then stepped back, as the woman's body dropped back down to the bed. It did not move again. The doctor turned around, holding a tiny squirming object in his hands. "A girl!" he announced. "A perfectly healthy baby girl."

"Well, we knew that already, did we not?" the older woman said, her face showing just a trace of impatience. "Well, what are you waiting for? Bring her over here."

"Yes, Colonel." The doctor all but saluted before bringing the baby over to the two women. He held it out to the older woman, presenting it as if for inspection.

She turned to the younger woman at her side. "Well, take it, Daughter. That is your daughter now." The younger woman gingerly took the infant, as the older woman continued, "The bitch cost me a leg, and my oldest daughter, your sister. The least she can do is to give me a granddaughter."

Soon, the two women emerged from the room. The older one limped along, leaning on her cane. The younger one clutched a small cloth-wrapped bundle to her chest as she followed her elder.

The three men lingered a little longer. "Congratulation, Doctor," the oldest one said. "Your technique worked. This time."

The doctor took it in stride, as if he was merely getting his due. "I told you it would."

"It did not the last time," the youngest one said, speaking for the first time.

"Was that my fault? I am not the one who allowed her to escape."

"That is true," the oldest said, turning to the youngest and chastising him. "My predecessor failed to sufficiently restrain her companion."

"But she was a Beta! Who would have suspected her of having been enhanced by the Velorian?" He spat out the last word.

"As Chief of Security, it was his responsibility to suspect everything and everybody." He gazed levelly into the younger man's eyes. "As I do. And as I expect you to do, when you eventually take over this post." He took a deep breath. "If you do."

"Yes, Sir! I will not forget, Sir."

"Well, she could not have lived long after her escape," the doctor said. "Not in her condition. Not without proper medical attention. Certainly not long enough to give birth."

With that, the three men left the room, closing the door behind them. There was a brief burst of flames, as the body of the woman on the bed was consumed by her internal fires, her long golden hair the last thing to burn away.

The woman at the podium was still talking. There were streaks of gray shot through her black hair. Her military uniform was modified, the right leg completely covered from hip to foot by the black fabric. A cane leaned against the side of the podium.

The tall girl sat on the end of the backless bench, biting her lower lip, keeping her back ramrod straight, trying not to fidget, as she tried to concentrate on what the woman at the podium at the front of the stage was saying, instead of on the pins and needles attacking her legs. The speaker was one of the few people to have fought and defeated a Velorian Planetary Protector, actually taking her prisoner, and thus was worthy of respect. Though there was one particular fact about that Protector with which nobody else in the audience was familiar. Nobody that is, except for the speaker and the girl.

She turned her head slightly, trying to ease the kink out of her neck. Out of the corners of her eyes, the girl could see other girls sitting on the hard metal bench to her left, all of them dressed, as she was, in their formal dress uniforms. Even though she couldn't see them, she knew that there were more girls in rows behind her. Out of the other corners of her eye, she could see the first row of boys, in their formal dress uniforms, across the aisle to her right.

She almost envied the girls behind her. Almost. At the least, they could move their legs a little, bending and straightening them, working out the kinks, without being seen. They also had a better view of the boys across the aisle. Not that she cared all that much for the view, she'd seen them all before. And she preferred her men a little older, a little more mature, a little more experienced. Though she supposed that the view was more interesting than the back of her head. And she did have one advantage over the others. By flexing her calves slightly, she could ease the pressure on her butt.

But she was seated in the front row for a reason. It was an honor to be seated where she was, something that she had been working toward all of her life, an honor that she wouldn't trade for anything else in the universe. Though right now, she was sorely tempted to trade being the top cadet in her class at the Academy for the opportunity to work the kinks out of her legs. One thing that she did not excel at was pretending to be a stone statue, though some of her classmates claimed that at least her head was made of stone. She wriggled her toes a little, willing to try anything to try to maintain the circulation in her legs.

Finally, the woman finished her long-winded speech, leaving the podium to take her seat on the stage. The girl could at least move her arms a little now, to applaud. Not that the speech had been worthy of applause; the girl was certain that it had been the same speech verbatim as the one she had heard the year before. And the year before that.

As the woman sat down, a man at the edge of the stage stood up, barking out a single command. Gratefully the girl got up to her feet along with all of her comrades. She quickly shook out both legs, before standing rigidly at attention. The man seated next to the woman stood up and walked up to the podium. At another barked command, the girl and her comrades sat back down on the benches. As the man who had barked out the orders took his seat the torture resumed, the man at the podium beginning his speech.

As the girl tried to concentrate on the speaker's words, she saw a man in the uniform of a Marine lieutenant come up to the side of the stage. He hesitated briefly, before quietly walking up to the woman who had spoken earlier, handing her a hardcopy message. No one was paying much attention to the speech. The man spoke on, oblivious to what was going on behind him, droning on to deaf ears, and ears which remained deaf for a long time, for the woman, having read through the message once without any change of expression, immediately turned back to the beginning and read it through again.

She finished her second reading, folded the message, and then swept her gaze round the assembly. She rose to her feet, clasped her red cape around her with her left hand, picked up her cane with the right, threw a word to the waiting lieutenant, and then proceeded to hobble stiffly off of the stage.

Attention immediately shifted to the lieutenant, as he walked off of the stage. The girl stirred uncomfortably, her heart pounding, as she realized that lieutenant was heading directly for her.

"The Commandant would like a word with you, Cadet. Immediately."

The girl resisted the urge to look around, even though she knew that she was now the center of attention. Knowing that the Commandant was not somebody to be kept waiting, she stood up, ignoring the pins and needles in her legs. And the butterflies in her stomach. As she followed the lieutenant below the front of the stage, she could feel the eyes on her, even though nobody so much as turned a head toward her.

The old woman was standing in the corridor outside the hall, leaning on her cane, speaking with another woman, this one with the insignia of a captain, their faces close together, their voices low.

With more than a little trepidation, the girl approached the old woman, standing at attention until she was noticed. She stood even straighter, if that was possible, when the old woman turned to face her, her head tilting back to look up at the girl's face towering over her own. "Cadet First Class Mirrin, reporting as ordered, Ma'am," she said, in her best military voice.

"At ease, Cadet," the old woman replied. She made a curt gesture of dismissal with her hand, and the Marine lieutenant bowed, turned, and marched off.

The old woman watched the lieutenant walk off and then turned back to Mirrin. "Relax, Cadet," she said. This is not a reprimand. This is only partially official business."

Mirrin was thoroughly confused, as much by the old woman's tone as by her words. "Commandant?"

"Relax, Mirrin." Mirrin's eyebrows rose at the use of her name without the rank, such as it was. "This is family business."

She was even more confused than before. "F-family business, Commandant?"

The implications were finally starting to sink in, when the old woman spoke again. "Let us take a little walk to my office, shall we?" She started to limp off, using her cane for support. Mirrin immediately fell into the proper position, one pace behind and to the right. The old woman reached out her other hand for Mirrin. "Come, give me your hand, girl." There was no change of expression on the woman's face, but all traces of formality were gone from her voice.

"Yes, Comman... Grandmother." Mirrin moved around to the other side, and offered an arm for her grandmother to lean on.

"I just received a message from your mother."

"From Mother?" Try as she would, Mirrin could not keep the surprise out of her voice. It had been years since she had received any word from her mother, since she had left as the executive officer of an expeditionary force to conquer a small insignificant planet out in the fringe of the galaxy. "How is Mother? Has something happened to her?"

"Nothing to worry about. She is well. In fact, she wishes for you to join her."

"Me? But I have yet to graduate from the Academy."

"I think I can waive that requirement. You do not have much left, and I believe this experience would benefit you far more than the remaining weeks." She cracked the faintest of smiles. "There are advantages to being the Academy Commandant, you know. The High Command may deny your mother's request, but they will grant mine."

"But am I ready, Grandm... Commandant?"

"This is what we have been training you for since birth. You are as ready as we can make you. And remember, this is what you were born to do." Reaching her office, the woman sat down at her desk, and waved a hand, gesturing the girl to also take a seat.

The captain, who had followed them at a discreet distance, joined them. The woman quickly gave him some instructions. He bowed, and left, leaving the two women alone again.

"He will have your orders for you by this evening. You will be leaving by the first available means of transportation."

She was almost too excited for words. "Yes, Grandm... Commandant."

"Remember, girl, this is not an Academy exercise. There is more at stake here than merely a passing grade. Your life, and the lives of others, are at stake."

Even that stern reminder couldn't dampen her spirits. "Yes, Grandm... Commandant."

"And remember, Cadet. If you carry out this assignment successfully, as I am sure you will, they cannot deny you a slot in the Special Operations."

Special Operations! The very elite. The cream of the crop. The girl had often dreamed of wearing the distinctive red uniform of Special Operations.

She knew that she wasn't the only one at the Academy with such dreams. She also knew that the dream would stay just that for most of them. Less than one percent of all Warriors Prime were even considered for the Special Operations school. More of them washed out of the advanced training programs than completed them successfully. In some years the fatality rate was actually higher than was the graduation rate, the training programs were that rigorous. The ones who succeeded were truly the elite.

"Yes, Grandm... Commandant."

"And you can avenge your aunt. You will avenge your aunt." Mirrin had been named after her grandmother's eldest daughter, her mother's sister. A Velorian Planetary Protector had killed Aunt Mirrin in combat, before being captured herself in turn.

"Yes, Grandmother."

The woman snapped her fingers. "There is one more thing, Mirrin." Opening a desk drawer, she rooted around inside for a moment before coming up with a small box. "I had hoped to give you this under other circumstances, but if I do not do it now, I never will." She handed over the box.

Mirrin took the box. Seeing the woman's nod, she opened it and looked inside. She brought her hands up to her mouth in delight, almost swallowing the box and its contents in the process. Somewhat sheepishly, she brought her hands, along with the box and its contents, back down to her lap.

"Remember, this is not official until you get there." The woman tried, and failed, to sound stern, as a faint smile cracked her face.

"Yes, Grandm... Commandant."

All trace of military discipline vanished as the girl all but leaped over the desk to hug her grandmother.

The first leg of the "first available means of transportation" turned out to be aboard a troop transport. Mostly empty, since they were going out to a relatively quiet sector. Besides herself and the ship's crew, there was only a battalion of raw Beta recruits straight out of boot camp, being sent out to their first posting. Their officers were the only other Primes aboard.

The officers kept pretty much to themselves, leaving the battalion to the Beta noncoms and completely ignoring the lone cadet. She was sure that they had other things to occupy their time; she had noticed that the officers were exactly balanced between males and females.

She spent the first few days in her cabin, emerging only for meals. And she may as well have taken her meals in her cabin for all of the socializing that occurred with the others.

Returning to her cabin after another meal at which she had exchanged fewer than a dozen words with the others, she punched the commands into the hypno-teacher to continue the language lessons. The inhabitants of that planet had dozens of major languages, and hundreds of dialects, but she was quickly picking up one of the main ones, the one called English. Connecting the terminals to her skull, she prepared to go to sleep, to let the hypno-teacher do its thing while she slept.

After breakfast she returned to her cabin to resume her studies. But there were only a certain number of times that she could view the files that her grandmother had provided for her. Deciding that she couldn't concentrate on it, she turned off the viewscreen with one hand and rubbed her eyes with the other. Standing up, she headed for the door.

Being a troop transport, and a Beta transport at that, there were no proper training facilities for Primes. But at least she could walk. And if the main cargo hold was available, maybe she could even get some jogging in.

Unfortunately the cargo hold was not available. A platoon of the Betas were in there, engaged in some martial arts training while their noncoms supervised. Finding an unobtrusive perch, she sat down to watch.

It was fascinating, in a way. She had never before seen any of the Beta training. It was similar in some ways, and yet so different, from what she was intimately familiar with.

She had always enjoyed the martial arts, at least, once she had caught up to the other children her own age. She had been a late bloomer, understandable given her bloodline, and for many years she had been the weakest one among her peers. That had changed as she grew older, until now she was by far the strongest. She had easily caught up to the others, and rapidly overtook them. Ever since then she had always excelled at all forms of the martial arts.

"No, not like that, you tall clumsy oaf! Can you not do anything right?"

One of the martial arts instructors had let it be known that he thought that she was too tall to make a good fighter. He was a veteran fighter, compactly built, a bit shorter than the average for an Arion Prime. Despite his lack of stature, or as he claimed, because of it, he was the best unarmed fighter at the Academy.

Like most males, he thought that it was up to the men to do the fighting. He considered the Velorians to be an aberration, with their corps of Planetary Protectors being comprised exclusively of females.

"But I defeated him! I thought the object was to win," Mirrin retorted, looking up from her defeated opponent as she got back up to her feet.

He snapped back at her in the way of drill instructors everywhere in the galaxy. "You are not here to think, Cadet!"

"But I defeated him!" she repeated.

"Only because your opponent is even clumsier than you are, and just as incompetent. A half-grown Kintzi cub could have defeated him."

Mirrin looked down at her opponent, who was just now beginning to get back up to his feet. He was three years her senior. He had made it to the semifinals in the Academy tournament the year before. The other three semifinalists had all graduated, leaving him as the best fighter among the returning cadets. He was not clumsy, and he most certainly was not incompetent when it came to the martial arts.

The instructor looked around the room, and then pointed at one of the other cadets. "You! Get in there and show her how to do it." Mirrin looked at her new opponent. He was good, but not nearly as good as the one whom she had just defeated. And certainly not anywhere near as good as she was.

The bout didn't take very long, with Mirrin scoring a decisive victory. It was an easy victory for her, not even requiring her to exert herself fully.

Even though she was satisfied with the way in which she had achieved her victory, the instructor was not. He immediately launched into a scathing critique of the bout, finding flaws with nearly every move of the two participants, ridiculing them before the entire class. Not too surprisingly, he found more faults with her technique, attributing her victory to a mistake on the part of her opponent.

The instructor probably could have gone on berating her for hours, if not for days, if the buzzer hadn't signaled the end of the period, forcing him to dismiss the class.

She hung back as the other students filed out. Soon, she and the instructor were alone. "Perhaps you would show me the proper way?" she asked formally.

He seemed to be surprised at her request, but he couldn't resist the opportunity to put her in her place. He immediately agreed, and they took their positions to begin the bout.

It was a complete mismatch. His technique was better, and he had far more experience. But she was much quicker, and much stronger, not to mention her longer reach. In less than a minute, he was down on the mat, with her crouched on top of him. She stopped with her fist just inches from his throat, demonstrating that she could have killed him right then and there.

When he slapped her thigh to acknowledge her victory, she got up off of him and allowed him to rise back up to his feet. He scowled at her, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Lucky move," he said. "Think you can do it again?"

She knew that it hadn't been luck. "No. I know I can," she replied confidently.

She saw the steely look of determination on his face. She knew that he had never lost a bout to a cadet before. Not when he was really trying, instead of simply showing somebody just how it was done. But then, she also knew that he had never faced another cadet quite like her before, either. And not only that, but she had learned to fight from other instructors, instructors who had been in combat. Men to whom the martial arts were not a mere sport, but instead a matter of life and death. Men whom she could now overpower with ease in the arena. Men whom she could now overpower in bed.

They circled each other warily. Wanting to teach the impertinent cadet a lesson, he lunged for her. She easily sidestepped his charge, delivering a blow to his kidneys as he went by. Since this was a training session, and not a real fight, she pulled her punch. Still, it was hard enough to send him down to the mat on his hands and knees. She was immediately behind him, circling an arm around his neck, proving that she could easily kill him again, before releasing him and stepping back.

There was no embarrassment on his face this time, as he got back up to his feet. Instead, she could see the anger in his eyes. Pure rage. He charged at her immediately.

She calmly ducked under his arms, taking his legs out from under him with a sweep of her leg. She was on top of him as he went down, putting an arm across his windpipe. But this time, she didn't get up off of him. Instead, she increased the pressure, cutting off his breath. Putting both of his hands on her arm, he pushed with all of his strength, but was unable to extricate himself from her hold. "Now, who is the clumsy oaf?" she asked him, using his own words to taunt him.

He kept struggling, almost succeeding in throwing her off of him. Only by flexing her legs harder in order to generate enough power was she able to stay on top of him.

"Am I still a clumsy oaf?" she asked him again.

He managed to get enough air to gasp out a reply. "No. You. Are. Not."

She released her hold and got up off of him. Turning on her heels, she walked out.

A new martial arts instructor took over the class the next day.

Bringing her mind back to the present, she looked around and saw that the cargo hold was empty. Jumping down from her perch, she went through some exercises before returning to her cabin.

"Excuse me, Ma'am."

Mirrin looked up from her meal to see a sergeant standing before her, shifting nervously from foot to foot as he tried to keep his eyes on her face instead of on what her uniform didn't conceal very much of a little further down.

She lowered the fork that had been halfway to her mouth. "Yes, Sergeant?"

"I noticed you watching my men yesterday."

"Yes?" She had thought that she had been unobserved, not that it was a big deal.

"I wonder whether you would be willing to observe again today, and perhaps give us the benefit of your experience."

"My what? My experience? What makes you think that I have any experience?" She shrugged her shoulders, which caused him to lower his eyes to follow the secondary motions on the front of her chest.

He looked back up to her face when those motions stopped. "You are a Prime, Ma'am. You certainly must know techniques that neither myself nor the other instructors do."

"As you say, I am a Prime. Do you think that your Betas could learn those techniques?" She raised her fork to her mouth again.

"No, Ma'am. But you could still give us a few pointers. And perhaps even spar with some of us."

She was incredulous, almost dropping her fork in her surprise. "Spar? Me? With your men? You realize that I could easily kill your entire platoon?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I do." He cracked a smile. "I would have to ask you to please not do that."

"You understand that I cannot be responsible for any injuries I might cause your men." She took a deep breath. "Or deaths."

"Of course, Ma'am."

"Very well, Sergeant. What time would you like me to be there?"

He told her when the next training session would be later that day, and she agreed to be there. After he took his leave, she picked at the remains of her meal.

She had never considered becoming an instructor, despite her expertise. And certainly not to a group of Betas, none of whom had as much strength in his entire body as she did in her little finger.

Still, it could be a good experience for her, especially considering where she was going. The human inhabitants of that planet had even less strength than did the Betas.

When she showed up for the training session she wasn't sure who was more nervous, herself or the assembled Betas. The sergeant quickly took charge, pairing off the Betas to spar and inviting her to simply walk around and watch.

She initially did no more than watch and listen, more to the other instructors as they corrected the men rather than to the men themselves, who seemed to her to be moving in slow motion. She then started to pick out and correct the same kinds of mistakes.

"No, not like that." She stepped in and corrected one man's technique. "Here, you have to do it like this."

"How would you do it, Ma'am?" The sergeant was at her shoulder. The men in her neighborhood stopped their sparring and turned to watch.

"I would swing a little lower," she waved her hand in the general vicinity. "And a lot faster."

"Would you like to show us?" the man whom she had just corrected asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Her left arm barely blurred as it went into motion, swinging and then returning to its original position.

She had intended to stop her blow short of its target but misjudged slightly when he stepped into her blow instead of trying to avoid it. Her fist didn't connect with anything near its full potential force, but it still was enough to send him staggering into the man behind him, knocking them both down to the deck. The two men lay there, looking up at her in amazement.

"Sorry. I did not mean to actually hit you." It didn't occur to her that she had just apologized to a pair of Betas as she bent down, grabbed each of them by an arm and easily pulled them back up to their feet. "Did I hurt you?" She released them when they proved capable of standing on their own, shaken but unhurt.

"I did not even see your arm move," the sergeant said, still standing behind her.

"That was not at full speed," she said, turning to him and smiling. If you men will step back a little, I will show you some moves at full speed."

The men backed away as quickly as they could, all of the Betas forming a large ring with her at its center. She went through a set of exercises at full speed, and then once again a lot slower in order to give them a chance to actually see what she was doing. She received an unexpected round of applause when she stopped.

"Would you like to try to land some blows on me?" she asked the sergeant as the ring closed in upon her. "I will not strike back. I will only evade and parry."

"I would be honored to try, Ma'am." He bowed to her formally.

The ring opened up again, this time with two people at its center. They bowed to each other. She then straightened up and put her hands on her hips, standing with her feet spread slightly. "You may begin when you are ready. Remember, you do not need to hold anything back."

He circled around her once, as she turned to keep her smiling face to him. He then went into action, throwing a flurry of blows with his fists and feet. She barely seemed to be moving, yet every one of his blows landed on one of her hands. She was careful to cushion the blows, not wanting him to hurt himself against her.

He backed away from her, beginning to breathe hard from his effort. Her breathing was still normal, the smile still on her face. "Again," she said.

"As you wish." He came at her again, but this time not one of his blows struck anything other than empty air as she danced around him, occasionally seeming to disappear as she evaded his futile attempts to strike her.

He feinted with his right fist and then launched a flying kick at her face. Only she wasn't in front of him any more. She had stopped his leap by catching him with an arm around his waist. She held him tucked horizontally under her arm and turned full circle, showing her audience that she could kill him easily if she chose to do so.

"Now you know why Betas train with mostly with weapons while Primes train unarmed." She tossed him into the air and caught him with her hands on his hips. There was another round of applause as she set him down on his feet.

"However, you will not always have weapons available," the sergeant said to his troops, completely unfazed by his rough handling. "And sometimes, you will be fighting without any Warriors Prime nearby to bail you out." He then turned to her and nodded, "Thank you, Ma'am, for a very enlightening demonstration." There was another round of applause before he reorganized the men to resume their training.

She resumed her earlier observing, occasionally stopping somebody and correcting a flaw in technique. The end of the training session caught her by surprise, as a Prime she had long been accustomed to working harder and longer.

She had turned and was starting to walk away when the sergeant caught up to her. "Excuse me, Ma'am."

She turned back to him. "My name is Mirrin."

He seemed to be a bit taken back at her offer of informality, but seized upon it. "I, I am Kentar. I was wondering if you would be willing to come back tomorrow."

"Sure, why not? I do not have anything better to do."

"Good. I will see you tomorrow, at the same time, Ma... Mirrin."

"I will be here, Kentar."

The session the next day went pretty much as it had the day before. At the end, she allowed Kentar to send his entire platoon at her, one squad at a time. The object was for her to stand inside a circle about three feet across while they tried to either knock her down or drag her out of it.

After she had successfully resisted the efforts of each squad, Kentar sent the entire platoon at her at once. They swarmed all over her but she was able to shake them off without even lifting her feet from the deck, gently prying loose the grips of those who had managed to grab hold of her.

She tried to be careful to avoid hurting the fragile Betas, but she broke one arm when she didn't release him quite quickly enough. Fortunately it was a clean break so that the medics in the infirmary should be able to patch him up and get him back as good as new in a day or two.

"You were superb!" Kentar told her after he had dismissed the others.

"It was nothing," she shrugged her shoulders, which drew his eyes to her chest. "Any of my classmates could have done the same."

"I don't think any of them would have looked as good as you did doing it," he said, without raising his eyes from her chest.

That remark surprised her. He wasn't a particularly tall man, even taking into account the fact that he was a Beta, the top of his head barely coming up to her shoulders. However he was much broader, probably weighing nearly twice what she did. Not that he was fat. His body showed the evidence of a lifetime of hard work, not that it could have been a very long lifetime, he looked rather young to be a platoon sergeant. She again wondered whether her first martial arts instructor at the Academy had been right, that shorter people really did make better fighters.

She quickly brushed that thought aside. Kentar was nothing like that instructor had been. She had found herself liking him more and more, for all that he was just a Beta. Even then, she still surprised herself by accepting his offer to join him for the evening meal.

She had never been the type to let the man pick her. She had always picked her men.

Mirrin was unusually tall, even for an Arion Prime. She had always been tall for her age, the tallest one among her friends. She'd always endured quite a bit of good-natured ribbing because of that. And now, she wasn't just the tallest female at the Academy, she was taller than most of the males were, as well. She was enduring a lot more good-natured ribbing.

And some not so good-natured ribbing. For a while.

The worst came from Stedek. Her senior by one year, he was one of the few males that weren't shorter than she was, standing a couple of inches taller. At his age, it was normal, even expected, for male Primes to boast of their sexual prowess. It was another of those double standards that she despised; the females were not supposed to talk about such things at all.

But Stedek went well beyond that. He was also boasting of his next sexual conquest. His comments had been getting worse and worse, about what it would be like to bed such a tall girl. The fact that none of the males had yet succeeded in bedding her only added to his venom.

Since he was senior to her, there wasn't much that she could do about it.

Not much officially, at any rate. Even though she had connections at the Academy, powerful connections, she knew that this was a problem that she would have to deal with on her own. She was able to drop some hints that she just might be amenable to letting Stedek find out personally just what it would be like to bed a certain tall girl. It didn't take him long to rise to the bait.

She had gotten into the habit of taking a walk behind the barracks, just before lights out. Tonight was no different.

It had started out no different, at any rate. As she turned a corner into the darkest segment of her walk, she saw Stedek. He was leaning against the wall, waiting for her. When he saw her turning the corner, he pushed himself away from the wall and walked to meet her.

Reaching her, he put his arms around her. She didn't resist as he pulled her to him. She barely had to rise up on her toes to put her lips just inches from his. "So, Stedek, you really want to know what I can be like?" she whispered to him.

He didn't answer her in words. She didn't resist as he pushed her down to the ground. His hands lingered on her breasts before they started working on her uniform, in a way that told her that he'd had plenty of experience. Their noses touched, as he sought out her lips with his. Even through his uniform, she could feel the insistent pressure of his huge manhood pressing against her thigh.

The pressure made her remember that she hadn't had a man since she'd been at the Academy. She'd always preferred older, more experienced, men, and she'd had little interest in her fellow cadets, especially the idiots like Stedek. And the busy Academy schedule left her with no time to go see any of her former lovers. Especially as a first-year cadet, she wouldn't even get her first overnight pass until later in the year.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she concentrated on the man with her now. She started to remove his uniform, hoping that her hands weren't betraying her relative inexperience.

She was actually able to put her inexperience to good use. By the time that he got her uniform off completely, she had only gotten his partially off. His arms were still entangled in the straps, restricting his movement.

Balling one hand up into a fist, she brought it up, striking a blow that would have shattered steel. It struck something much harder, the underside of the chin of a young Arion Prime. A second blow smashed into his adam's apple. At the same time, she brought a knee up between his legs, hitting him in the balls.

Stedek was too stunned by the twin blows to do much more than groan, as she rolled him off of her, dumping him on his back. She was immediately on top of him, straddling him, with her knees on either side of him. A blow like a sledgehammer, only much harder, exploded against the side of his face. "Was this what you thought it would be like?" Her other fist struck the other side of his face.

He got one arm free from his uniform and brought it up, trying to cover his face. She grabbed one of them and twisted, putting all of her weight, and more, into it. Adjusting her grip so that she was pinning both of his arms down with one of hers, her other arm flailed away at his face and chest, her fist almost going supersonic with every swing. "Is. This. What. You. Expected?" she asked again, each word punctuated by another blow to his face or to his chest.

She kept pounding him until he stopped moving. And stopped groaning. Standing up and recovering her uniform, she quickly put it back on. Leaving his unconscious body lying on the ground, she walked back to her quarters in the barracks.

Stedek appeared at the morning roll call, holding one arm to his side. His face was bruised, one eye blackened. There were additional bruises on his body. He refused to explain how he had gotten so injured, even when he was questioned personally by the Commandant.

The Commandant also questioned Mirrin about Stedek's injuries. Mirrin was able to feign ignorance, though she was sure that the Commandant suspected the truth, if she didn't know the whole story outright.

It was a long time before Stedek spoke to her again. Or about her.

"Mirrin? Are you done, or are you going to eat the plate too?"

She looked up with a start. Looking down, she saw that she had finished everything on her plate while not listening to a word that he had said. "Sorry, Kentar. I was just thinking."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"No, I do not think I should."

They talked about nothing of consequence, and then she really surprised herself by inviting him to her cabin. She surprised herself even more when she didn't resist his efforts to get her out of her uniform.

She should have known right then and there that this just wasn't going to work out.

It was ludicrous. As eager as he was, and as much as he tugged and pulled, he just couldn't get her undress uniform, something a bit skimpier than a Terran string bikini, off of her. One moment, he was climbing on top of her, the next moment he was hanging from the straps of her uniform. She had known that the Betas were weak, but she had never realized just how pathetically weak they actually were. If not for her frustration, she probably would have burst out laughing.

With mounting frustration, she brushed him off of her and tossed him onto her bunk. Sliding her fingers under her uniform, she quickly peeled it off and walked to the bunk.

Sliding an arm under him, she lifted him up to her, seeking his mouth with hers. She felt her breasts just beginning to flatten against his broad chest. She felt his hands on her body, his light caresses, so different from those of a Prime, felt surprisingly good. But the nature of his caresses quickly changed, it seemed almost as if he was trying to push her away, squirming in her light embrace. Curious, she broke off the kiss.

Once his mouth was free from hers, he screamed.

Surprised, she opened her arms, dropping him. He hit the edge of the bunk and fell to the deck at her feet. Remembering her manners, she reached down to help him back up. He tried to crawl under the bunk.

A single sharp word from her was enough to stop his attempts to hide. Lightly grasping his wrist, she effortlessly pulled the unresisting man back up to his feet. There were two bruises just beginning to appear on his chest. Putting an arm around his waist and lifting him up a little higher, she took a quick look with her tachyon vision and saw that there was no internal damage. Relieved, she laid him down on her bunk.

It never occurred to her to apologize to a Beta for hurting him. Instead, she sat down next to him on the bunk, biting her lower lip and pondering just what she could do with such a fragile male.

He sat up and tried to get up off of the bunk. Putting a hand on his chest, she pushed him back down. She idly stroked his chest lightly with her fingers, as she continued to ponder what to do next.

A wince and something brushing lightly against her arm made her look down. He had put his hands on her arm and was trying to push it aside. Even though he was putting all of his strength into the effort, there was no impediment in her arm's motions, as she continued stroking his chest with her fingertips.

His feeble struggles amused her a little. Commanding him to try to get away from her, she continued stroking his broad muscular chest with her fingers. Bending her arm slightly, she curled her fingers up into a fist, holding him down with just her little finger in the middle of his chest. Yes, this was fun, demonstrating that his entire big male body didn't have anywhere near the strength that her little female finger did. She smiled down at him, as his continued struggles still failed to budge her arm.

She decided to try something else, to use try using another part of her body. Leaning down over him, she pulled her arm away. Before he could get up she leaned over a little further, putting her left breast onto the middle of his chest. She had to ease the pressure a little bit when he started gasping for air, but she was able to pin him to the bunk with just her softest flesh. Even when he put his hands on her waist and pushed with all of his strength, he was still unable to move her off of him.

Quickly tiring of this little game, she unpinned him and lay down on her bunk. Grabbing him before he could get away from her, she set him down on top of her. He tried to push himself off of her. A single word put a stop to that, before she put a hand on the back of his head, bringing his face down to hers again for another kiss.

At least, she remembered to be gentler with his fragile Beta body, keeping her arm very loosely around his body, her breasts barely flattening from his weight.

The kiss just wasn't doing much for her. After a few more seconds, she broke it off. Pushing down lightly on the top of his head, she forced his face down to her left breast, forcing him to lick all around it, before forcing her nipple into his mouth. She gently guided his hands to her breasts, pressing them against her soft mounds, until they began caressing and squeezing on their own.

His caresses were so light that she had to move one of his hands to join the other, working over the same breast as the one that he was suckling. Keeping one arm loosely around his body, she began lightly stroking her other breast, her fingertips applying no more than a hundred times the pressure he was applying with his hands.

The delicious contrast between his light caresses and her much firmer ones quickly made her want more. Lifting him up off of her and spreading her legs, she placed him in position. But even though he was fully erect, and completely under the influence of her pheromones, all of his feeble attempts couldn't get his soft Beta manhood to penetrate more than an inch or so into her moist and waiting slit.

She relaxed her inner muscles, as he thrust himself at her again. He went in another half an inch.

His pitiful attempts were only serving to increase her frustrations. Relaxing her inner muscles even further, she lent him some of her strength by putting her hands on his hips, and pushed him in another inch or so. He screamed, practically in her ear.

She eased up on the pressure, looking at his face. "What is the matter with you?" A look of scorn crossed her face. "Is this your first time with a woman?" Naturally, it never occurred to her that she was unlike any other woman with whom he'd ever been before.

Without waiting for the man's answer, she began pushing him into her again, relaxing and loosening her inner muscles as much as she possibly could. He went in about another inch, before he screamed again. He was in less than half the way in, but he was so soft that she could barely feel him in there.

Her frustration was beginning to change to disgust. Lifting him out of her, she laid him down on top of her, putting his face directly on top of her left breast. Still under the influence of her pheromones, he closed his mouth over her nipple and began suckling. His hands came up to caress and fondle her breasts.

His caresses were so light, it was maddening. Lightly grasping his left wrist, she moved his hand to join the other one on her left breast. He continued working over her left breast, using his mouth and both hands. "Harder!" she commanded. She barely felt the difference that his additional efforts caused, even when he bit down on her nipple.

She ran her right hand lightly over her right breast, her fingertips applying only about fifty times the pressure that his large hands were applying to her left breast. Pinching her nipple between her thumb and forefinger, she gradually increased the pressure until she was applying more than enough force to crush ordinary steel.

Hoping that the additional foreplay had made him harder, or her softer, she picked him up off of her and laid him down on his back. Straddling him, she tried to lower herself onto his manhood. He screamed yet again, as he started to bend, instead of parting her nether lips. She slapped him very lightly, only snapping his head around, stilling his screams. But it was no use. Even though his manhood was considerably smaller than those of her previous lovers, it just couldn't enter her.

Disgusted, she got up off of him. A quick flick of her wrist dumped him off of her bunk and onto the hard metal deck. "Leave!" she commanded him, sitting down on her bunk. He picked himself up off of the deck and retrieving his uniform, began to put it on. "Now!" she snapped out, half rising to her feet. He ran out of her cabin, carrying his uniform.

She sank back down onto her bunk. With a sigh of resignation, she turned on the viewscreen again, to go back to studying her mother's files.

It was hard to concentrate, however, with her body still tingling from her arousal. Unbidden, her hands began stroking and caressing her breasts. Soon, she way lying down on her back, her hands holding her breasts several hundred times harder than the man had been doing. Her right hand left her breast, traveling down her flat stomach, the fingers tangling in her bush, before effortlessly sliding in where the man's soft manhood had been unable to go.

She did not attend another Beta training session for the remainder of the trip. Nor did Kentar seek her out in the messhall.

A smile lit up her face as she thought about all those the men at the sector headquarters. It would be a pleasure to be with real men again. Men with whom she could have some real fun. Primes, not wimpy Betas.

It didn't take her long to get settled into her temporary quarters at the spaceport. Her stay at the port wouldn't be very long, only until the courier boat came to take her to her final destination. But it would be long enough for her purposes. As soon as she had found the messhall for a quick meal, she went out in search of the gym. A real gym, with equipment designed for Primes.

Just as she had hoped, the gym wasn't too crowded. In fact, there was only one other person there. Taking a quick look at him, she went over to the far side of the gym and began doing some stretching exercises to get ready for her workout.

Setting a machine for the maximum resistance, she began working on her legs. A standard issue machine, it couldn't give her quite enough resistance to extend her all the way, but it still felt good to be able to let herself go, to be able to use most of her strength, especially after being cooped up on that transport for so long.

She was so caught up in the joy of using her muscles that she didn't notice that the man had come over and was now standing over her. She didn't even hear him when he spoke to her. It wasn't until she felt his hand on her shoulder that she looked up from her workout to find him running his fingers through her long black hair.

He didn't need to say a word in order to tell her what he wanted. And her workout had gotten her wanting the exact same thing.

He wasn't the best looking man she'd ever seen in her life. But then, he wasn't the ugliest, either. After the long trip aboard the transport, it didn't matter what he looked like. As far as she was concerned, he could have had one eye --- or three --- as long as he was male and that part of him was fully functional.

As it turned out, he wasn't all that unattractive. Neither was he all that old. Older than her classmates at the Academy, but she'd experienced older men before.

There was no need to exchange names. Less than a dozen words were spoken before they were in a corner, with their clothes off.

It really felt good to have a man's hand on her body again. A real man, not a Beta.

It really felt good to have a man's body under her hands again. A real man, not a Beta.

She quickly threw him onto his back and straddled him. Unlike Kentar, he had no trouble sliding into her, going in deep.

Several hours later, she emerged from the gym, once again dressed in her uniform. Even though she had used the man to exhaustion, her appetite had not been fully sated. If anything, the past few hours had only whetted her appetite for more.

One man, even a mature Warrior Prime in the peak of health, had not been enough for her. It seldom had.

Walking down the corridor from the gym back toward the living quarters, she had just turned the first corner when she all but walked into a man. This man was smaller than the one she had left sleeping in the gym, no taller than she was, but she was in no mood to care. Quickly putting an arm around him, she pulled him to her. He offered no resistance while her other hand began removing his clothes, but made no attempt to undress her.

It was only when she pulled him closer that she understood why he had made no attempt to undress her. She'd just felt her breasts begin to flatten against his chest when he screamed in pain.

She was disgusted with herself. How could she have mistaken a Beta for a man?

The disgust did nothing to dampen her ardor, however. She knew that she still needed to find a man, or preferably more than one. A real man, not a mere Beta. Opening her embrace, she flung the Beta aside.

She paid no more heed to the injured and unconscious Beta crumpled against the wall as she continued down the corridor in search of men, her lower lip between her teeth. Fortunately for her, she didn't have to go very far. She didn't even get to the next corner before a door on her left opened.

It didn't take a very long look to see that the person who had opened it was male. She also saw that he was alone.

There was nothing that she could do about the first fact. Nor did she want to. There was something that she could do about the second fact. Before he had stepped completely out of the room she leaned her shoulder into him and pushed him back in, closing the door behind her as they passed through.

A quick look told her that she was in the locker room, apparently deserted but for the two of them. She kept pushing him until they were in the drab but functional shower. There were times when she wished that Arions, and Primes in particular, went for a little more color in their surroundings. However, this wasn't the time to thinking of such things. Shaking her head to discard that thought and pinning him to the wall with one hand, she reached over his shoulder with the other and turned on one of the steam jets.

Soon the room was filled with the superheated steam, hot enough to instantly cook any lesser beings. Neither the steam nor its heat did anything to impede the two of them as they removed the other's uniforms.

Several hours later a lone female emerged from the men's locker room, her body and hair slicked down with water. An hour later some men found one of their number asleep in the shower, one of the jets still pouring out steam.

They were able to rouse him, but he gave no explanation as to what he had been doing.

Boring weeks, with nothing to do.

There wasn't even another Prime aboard the courier boat, male or female. Just a bunch of Betas. A downtrodden and resentful bunch of Betas, their primary mission seemingly that of making their sole passenger as unhappy and as lonely as they themselves were.

Her eyes were going blurry from the viewscreen, where she had been studying the files that her mother had sent for her. Blinking a couple of times to clear her eyes, she looked down at the man tucked under her left arm. His efforts were definitely flagging. Disengaging his mouth from her nipple, she switched him over to her right side, tucking him under her right arm and bringing his face to her right breast. The change of venue seemed to do him some good, for he resumed suckling with a little more animation.

Not that there was much difference. It only sent a slight tingle through her when he bit down as hard as he could on her nipple. Still, that was about all he, or any of the men, could do for her.

And his invigoration didn't last very long. Soon, she could barely feel what he was doing. Deciding that she'd gotten everything that she was going to get out of him for today, she stood up, dropping him onto the metal deck. As he picked himself up off of the deck and began to put his uniform back on, she ordered him to send his relief.

As the door closed behind him, she sighed softly to herself. It was hardly worth the bother, to have a Beta suckling at her breasts. Even a steady stream of them could just barely keep her entertained.

But still, she had to admit that it was better than nothing, as she opened the door to allow the next man entry. She'd gotten in the habit of having one of the men try to keep her amused while she studied her files, and she wasn't about to break the habit just yet. After all, she was only half way through her studies for the day.

Boring weeks, with nothing to do.

Just what was she supposed to do to occupy herself? Here she was, the only female, with twelve men around her. And there wasn't a single blasted thing that she could do with them!

It had been the same thing with the other men. They all were so soft, so weak. Even though she tried them all, not a single one of them had been able to give her much pleasure. And what little pleasure they had been able to give her didn't last very long. Not when a simple little hug on her part would knock him unconscious.

Or worse. So far, she had managed to avoid causing any serious injuries among the crew. Just lots of bruises, a couple of cracked ribs, and a dislocated arm. She hadn't broken any bones, and all of the men still lived, the operation of the boat unimpaired.

They just couldn't do much for her. Not unless she was to do that to one or more of them. And she wasn't about to go that far. Not with this bunch of worthless Betas.

Out of sheer frustration, she'd tried having more than one of the men at once. But there were only twelve of them, some of whom always had to be on duty, and her cabin wasn't big enough for more two or three of them, anyway.

With a sigh, she looked down at the male, lying between her legs. He wasn't moving, only the slow rise and fall of his chest telling her that he was even alive. Whether he was merely asleep, or had passed out unconscious from the light pressure that she had been applying with her legs around his head just to keep him in position, she couldn't tell. Not that she cared very much. Nonetheless, she relaxed her legs and let his body drop free.

The other one was being better. A little bit better, though not a whole lot better. At least, he was still suckling at her breast. Moving her hand from his back to the back of his head, she pressed his face a little harder against her breast. He suckled for a few more seconds, before he tried to push himself away from her, with no effect. There was a faint and well-muffled gurgling sound, before he stopped suckling, his entire body going limp as it collapsed on top of hers.

Sighing louder, this time with disgust, she lifted the two unconscious men off of her. She briefly thought about simply dropping them onto the hard metal deck, and then decided against it. After all it was a long trip, and she would need them again later. Instead, she stood up, tucking them both under an arm. With her other hand, she picked up their discarded uniforms from the deck. Striding to the door and opening it, she lay them down in the corridor and tossed their uniforms on top. She knew that one of the other crewmen would find them soon, and carry them off to his quarters; the crew had gotten accustomed to her behavior.

They probably didn't approve of her behavior, but what difference did that make? What did she care what Betas thought of her? Since when did the opinions of Betas count for anything?

Closing the door and returning to her bunk, she lay back down. She briefly thought about summoning another man or two to her cabin to attend her. But she quickly rejected that idea; all that would do would be to add to her current frustrations. Rolling over and sitting up on her bunk, she turned on the viewscreen and stabbed at some buttons, to again review the files that she had been sent.

Even though she tried to concentrate on the data regarding the rather insignificant little planet and its inhabitants, her mind really wasn't in it. She'd studied the files so often already on this trip; she likely wasn't going to see anything new this time around.

She read again about the inhabitants, and their physical strength. Or rather, their complete lack of physical strength. She remembered her first reactions to reading the reports, thinking that it had to be a mistake of some kind; nothing could possibly be that weak, and still be alive.

Her recent experiences with the Betas had started to convince her. All of her life, she had known that the Betas were pathetically weak, though she had never realized just how weak they actually were.

But these creatures! They were even weaker than the Betas were!

How could those stupid Velorians actually believe that both the Arions and the Velorians were actually descended from them? It was ludicrous to think that she shared anything in common with those feeble creatures. It was hard to believe that she shared anything in common with these Betas, even.

Sure, the inhabitants of that planet, the Terrans, looked similar. At least, in shape. They had such wildly varying coloration, though. Some of them had black hair, like proper people; some of them could even pass for Arions. Some of them had golden hair, like the Velorians. But there were all shades in between, as well. Some even had red hair!

But the similarities ended with the appearance. The Terrans were so pathetically weak! Only about a fifth of the strength of a Beta. It was a wonder that they could even stand up under the weak gravity of their native planet.

She read on, reading about their crude technology. They still made widespread use of primitive internal combustion engines. Their most common weapons used small metal projectiles, propelled by expanding gases. Even more primitive than the ones she had been exposed to during one of her Academy classes. All of the cadets had been shot with those weapons, so that they would know what it felt like.

She'd never admit it to anybody, but she'd actually enjoyed the experience. Especially when those projectiles had struck her breasts, the sharp little impacts sending a warm glow spreading over the whole front of her body.

Boring weeks, with nothing to do.

A quick glance at the viewscreen on the wall told her that the trip was finally almost over; they were only hours away from docking with the attack transport.

Finally. Her first assignment. Not some Academy make-work assignment, but a real combat assignment.

A few months ago she had been a cadet in her final year at the Arion Military Academy. Or rather, she would be, if she wasn't here. There had only been a month to go before graduation. But even among the elite of the Arion military, she had been in a class of her own. Literally, though her classmates had been unaware of the fact.

As the top cadet in her class, she would automatically have become a candidate for the Special Operations training. But successful completion of this assignment would guarantee her a slot in Special Operations.

This assignment would show the others just what she truly was capable of doing. This assignment would show the others just how special, how unique, she was.

She began making preparations for her disembarkation. Putting on the uniform, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. It would be nice to get off of this crate. To get away from those pathetic Betas.

Naturally it did not occur to her to think that it would be just as much of a relief for the Beta crew to have her disembark from their courier boat.

When they had docked with the attack transport, the courier captain came to her cabin to accompany her. She could tell from the expression on his face that he would prefer not to be with her, but it was his duty to pay his respects to the commander of the attack force. Again, it didn't occur to her that the captain was relieved to be able to finally escort her off of his ship, to get her away from his crew. And away from himself.

As the two of them started to walk down the access tube, their way was blocked by four of the crewmen, struggling with the cargo that they were attempting to offload. She and the captain stopped to wait and watch, but it quickly became apparent that the men weren't going to be moving that crate out of the way any time particularly soon.

Normally, such menial tasks would be beneath her dignity, beneath the dignity of any Warrior Prime. However, in her desire to get off of the courier ship as quickly as possible, no such considerations crossed her mind. Unslinging her bag from her shoulder and handing it to the Captain, she walked forward. Reaching her right hand over one of the men's shoulder, she grasped the crate and lifted. Effortlessly lifting the entire crate out of the men's grasp and balancing it with one hand, she settled it onto her shoulder. She continued walking down the access tube, five awed Betas following silently at her heels. Emerging from the access tube into the shuttle bay, she lowered the crate to the deck.

The cargo handlers would later discover the marks of her fingers imprinted deeply into the metal. It wouldn't be the first time that they'd seen a Prime's handprint in the metal, but it would be the deepest that they'd ever seen.

Retrieving the bag from the courier Captain, who was obviously relieved to be divested of its weight, she marched forward. The Captain remained in his proper place at her heels.

Seeing the familiar face across the landing bay, Mirrin checked the impulse to go rushing to the older woman. Reporting in on her first real assignment, she had to keep her military decorum. Besides, the woman was not in command here. Standing next to her was an older man wearing the insignia of a colonel, while behind them was a younger woman wearing the insignia of a senior lieutenant.

Stopping the proper distance in front of the Colonel, and setting her bag down, she produced her best parade ground salute and reported in. "Senior Cadet Mirrin reporting for duty, Sir!"

The Colonel crisply returned her salute. "Welcome aboard, Cadet." Then his expression softened. "I am sure you and the Major have a lot to talk about. But I would like to have you join me for dinner tonight, along with Lieutenant Sirren, here." He waved a hand toward the other woman, who nodded politely to Mirrin. "She is the one who has fought this planet's Velorian Protector. Twice."

Mirrin looked at the lieutenant, who, though she couldn't have been more than a couple of years Mirrin's senior, wore the insignia of a senior lieutenant. Tall for a female Prime, though not as tall as Mirrin was. Standing straight and proud with the glorious red campaign cape draped about her shoulders attesting to her prowess in combat, she had the look of experience about her, which the cape and the Colonel's words only emphasized.

The Colonel hadn't stated whether the lieutenant had defeated the Velorian. But if she had, Mirrin wouldn't be here. And yet the lieutenant was here, so she couldn't have been defeated too badly. And twice.

Anybody who could fight a Velorian twice and survive was worthy of respect. Mirrin found herself liking the lieutenant, even though she hadn't said a single word yet, and instinctively knew that she would enjoy working closely with her.

It also meant that the lieutenant had experience down on the planet. Mirrin had dozens of questions, things that the files hadn't covered.

But this wasn't the time for such thoughts. The Colonel was waiting for her reply. "I would be honored, Sir."

"Excellent. Major, would you be so kind as to show the cadet to her quarters?"

Normally, such tasks would be delegated to a junior officer, at best, if not to a Beta. However, all parties understood that this was not a normal situation. "Certainly, Colonel," the Major replied. She then turned to Mirrin. "Come, Cadet."

Mirrin followed the Major through the maze of corridors. Even when they reached the quarters assigned to Mirrin, the Major didn't drop her formal military demeanor. "How was your trip, Cadet?"

"Long. And boring." Mirrin had already decided not to tell the Major about what she had done to help pass the time. Instead, she dropped her bag and put her arms around the older woman. "I missed you so much, Mother."

The Major returned Mirrin's completely unmilitary embrace. "And I you, Daughter."

"Grandmother sends you her regards. She is proud of the job you are doing here."

"You will make her even prouder, Daughter."

"Oh, I hope so, Mother."

The Major finally pulled out of her daughter's embrace. Her formal military demeanor immediately returned. "Dinner will be in four hours, Cadet. Full dress uniform. I believe the Commandant gave you the appropriate accessories."

"Yes, Moth... Yes, Major."

The Major turned and strode to the door, before turning around. "I will leave you to freshen up after your long journey, then." She cracked the faintest of smiles. "We will talk afterwards, Daughter."

"Yes, Maj... Yes, Mother."

"I will see you then." With that, she strode out, closing the door behind her.

Unpacking the bare essentials, Mirrin started getting ready for the dinner. Her first social event with her new commanding officer, she knew that she had to make a good impression. She knew a few things about him, from her mother's letters, but not much that told her just what kind of man he was.

Well, she would find out soon enough. First was a hot shower. A real shower. The showers on the courier boat had been designed for Betas; they had been lukewarm at best. At the transshipment station, she had been too busy to spend much time luxuriating in the shower. And the transport certainly hadn't been designed for comfort. Here, in the Prime quarters, she could get a real hot shower, the way that she liked them.

Stripping off her uniform and stepping into the bathroom, she was delighted to discover not only a shower, but a tub, as well. A hot bath would be even better than a hot shower, much better, especially after those long boring weeks aboard the courier boat.

Over half an hour later, she finally emerged, dripping from the nearly boiling water, feeling considerably better. Quickly drying herself with her heat vision and the mirrored walls, she started to prepare for the dinner.

Getting her dress uniform out of her kit, she laid it out on her bed. Digging out the small box that had been her grandmother's parting gift, she attached the insignia of a junior lieutenant to the uniform. This would be the first time that she would appear as a junior lieutenant, not as a cadet.

Holding the uniform in front of her, she turned to look at the mirror. That insignia would look good on her.

Looking closer at her reflection in the mirror, she shook her head to toss her hair out of her face. Seeing a trace of that hated reminder of her uniqueness, she suppressed her rage and sighed. Retrieving a small bottle from her kit, one of the few non-regulation item that she carried, but something that she never went without, something that she had used for all of her life.

She returned to the mirror and sat down. Watching her reflection, Mirrin carefully applied the dye to blacken the golden roots of her hair.