CHAPTER ONE - MARAL
Everyone had always said she had her mother's hands. And the longer she looked at them, the more that idea colonized her, possessed her.
She would stare at them for an hour, sometimes, alone, and allow herself to stop thinking. Just let her eyes un-focus, like tired swimmers giving up and sinking.
She liked to let her head drown in the black hole of her mother, drown and remember.
No. Not remember. Those moments from the dead past (her mother's hair, lily white, silhouetted against the distant sun), she can't remember them, can't even remember breakfast.
Those moments remember her.
"That's a direct order, Maral!".
Maral blinked, clearing her eyes. No time for sinking now. She had to do something. What was it?
Agata strode toward her, planting armored feet a pace away from where she sat on the steel bench with her back to the grey wall. The older woman gazed down at her with raw-edged contempt.
"Quit staring at your hands and do as your told". A gauntlet on her shoulder, squeezing hard. "Back in the ring". Agata leaned down, bringing them almost nose to nose. "Now".
Maral rose sharply from the bench, sending Agata back a step. Despite the other woman's rank, Maral was the tallest member of the maniple, and that always counted for something.
"Yes ma'am".
Rahel was already in the "ring", just a circle five meters in diameter drawn on the cold metal floor. She was moving, shadow boxing, fists jabbing at the air as she worked around the blows of an invisible opponent.
Maral approached the ring and stepped over it, pretending there was a belt. The moment her foot fell, Rahel pounced.
Inside her guard in a second, the smaller woman pummeled her with half a dozen lightning-quick punches to her gut.
Maral tucked her chin, bent down, and waded forward into the blows. She planted her feet and then bolted forward, trying to bum rush Rahel out of the ring.
She blew through her opponent's guard, but Rahel wasn't done. She hooked around Maral's rush, ending up behind her. As soon as Maral turned, there she was, jabbing at the air and working her feet. Rahel smiled through the sweat.
Maral grunted and rushed her again, trying for a cross from the right. Rahel slipped under it. Another, this time from the left, but again Rahel ducked the swipe.
This time the smaller opponent retaliated, throwing a vicious jab to Maral's jaw that snapped her head back, nearly tipping her over. The hit proved disorienting enough that Rahel went for another, then a third, leaving Maral reeling and perilously close to the edge of the ring.
At that point, a simple push would have sufficed to take Maral out of the ring, and subsequently, the fight.
Instead, Rahel strode confidently forward, planting herself just a scant foot in front of Maral. She planted herself there, smiled at Maral, and kicked the larger woman's legs out from under her.
It was Rahel's mistake, leaving her in the fight.
Maral crashed to the floor in a panting heap, legs splayed out beneath her. For what felt like an eternity, she couldn't even lift her head. Just drowned a bit in there, face pressed to the freezing floor, drowned and felt like a swimmer at the end of her rope.
Then she managed to drag her skull off the ground and plant her chin.
She was looking straight up at Agata. Her arms were crossed over her chest, lily white hair spilling down her back.
Their eyes met, and all Maral could see in them was contempt. In that moment she felt like a worm, and Agata seemed to stretch and warp until she was a giant, her titanic shadow falling over Maral.
Back on the floor, back in her head, a blue hand reached down. Rahel. What a poisonous word it seemed.
Maral grabbed the hand, twisted the fingers backwards, shook the hand violently. There was a sound (sounds) that she didn't think about. Then screaming. Agata shouting.
She pulled the hand, arm, and all to the floor with her. Turned the body atop her, flipped herself to straddle her opponent. It was begging her to stop.
Instead, Maral raised her fists above her head like an ape and brought them down hard. The crunch of bone. And again. Blood. And again. Screaming.
"Absolutely not".
Justicar Agata was standing, arms crossed behind her back, before a bare desk. Behind that desk sat Paladin Rife, commanding officer of the Queensguard.
In other words, Agata's boss.
"Ma'am, hear me out. Sister Maral Kant has performed admirably in all the exercises up to this point. She's cooperative with Sisters Jacinta Drez and Rahel Teuss-".
"Teuss?", the Paladin said, cutting Agata off. "You can't expect them to maintain a working relationship after the incident in training yesterday. I'm sorry Justicar, but you'll have to find someone else. Talk to Paladin Bryl, pull one of her Corsairs".
Agata nodded, began to turn and walk out of the Paladin's office.
"Ma'am?".
"What, Justicar?".
"You realize that if I'm forced to restart the recruitment process for this mission, the whole thing will get handed over to the Pavel and the Army?".
The Paladin gave pause at that.
"Venj isn't due in the City for three weeks. You found Kant and Teuss in two".
"Yes", came Agata's reply, "But they were the best I could pull. Without Kant, I'll have to try twice as many women, and end up with an inferior soldier. On top of that, I'll have to put them through the scenarios, build their relationships with the other members of the mission...Ma'am, we'd be better off having some enmity between Teuss and Kant than starting over again".
The Paladin thought for a moment. "You think the relationship can be salvaged?".
Agata smiled grimly. "I think a little competition would drive performance".
The Paladin chuckled. "I'll yield to your experience with these matters. Just keep tabs on her. You know she's-".
Agata nodded sharply. "I've read the psych report like you. And seen the interviews, with and without the hypnosis from the Techeuns. Her violent tendencies will prove a good counterpoint to Sister Drez, I'm convinced of it".
"And you still think she won't prove a liability in the field?". The Paladin leaned forward in her chair. "This mission's going to require a lot of this detail you've put together. After what Venj did to those Guardians on Hildea, the City's going to be up in arms. Central command in those Guardians is weak, if even one gets it in his head that-".
"May I ask a question ma'am?".
The Paladin's mouth crinkled at the interruption. "Go on", she replied acidly.
"Why is Venj being sent? As in, why would the Queen send her as part of a diplomatic effort to repair the damage that she caused?".
The Paladin smiled a paper-thin smile.
"She makes interesting decisions, doesn't she?".