StarCraft: Brain Storm

Chapter 35: A Fistful of Answers

The air conditioner clicked off, taking away the only sound that had filled Jim's quarters for the past two minutes. What was left was a silence thick enough to be cut with a knife and served on small plastic plates. Jim's two eyes were fixed on Jefferies' single one in an intense, narrowed, stare. Jefferies looked back at him with complete calm on his features, looking as if he'd just stated that the weather was nice.

"Start talking. Fast," Jim finally said, his voice like a stabbing wound to Jefferies' silence-adjusted ears.

"What about?" Jefferies asked.

"You know damn well what about."

"Not really."

Silence returned as Jim thought through how to go about the situation. After a second, he continued.

"You mentioned Soryu. A woman in that picture right over there. A woman who I haven't seen since she saved my skin six years ago on Tarsonis. Now, I want you to explain it before I lose my cool," Jim said, carefully spacing his words in a clear, concise and easy to understand cadence.

Jefferies nodded. "Okay, fine. I was a Ghost under the Confederacy for a long time, taking part in some of the most famous assassinations in history. As well as the typical insertion ops, but those are comparatively dull in conversation, huh Jim?"

"Get to the point," Jim hissed.

"Okay, okay. Can't even humor a bit of rambling," Jefferies muttered, "After a while, the higher ups decided they had a better purpose for me. I was sent back to Tarsonis, where they gave me control over the construction of a brand new training facility for Ghost recruits. What resulted was what I still consider to this day to be the greatest training camp for Ghosts ever made."

Jefferies paused, then when he saw that Jim's stare hadn't weakened, continued. "They gave me a job in the training process."

"At the new camp?" Jim asked.

"No. I was only to train the very best of what came out of that camp. Usually, I took a trainee and they'd be with me for six months. One-on-one training tailored for that individual, designed on the spot to sculpt the greatest soldier possible. I'm not much for bragging, but some of the best Ghosts you've never heard of were trained under me."

"And Asuka was one of those," Jim said. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah, she was the first kid I tried to train side-by-side with another student," Jefferies said, reaching up unconsciously and touching the patch over his left eye with a delicate gesture.

The door buzzer rang. "What?!" Jim shouted, startled by the interruption.

The door slid open, revealing an ensign who was clearly shaken by Jim's angry greeting. "Uh, Major Goss? You're needed in the communications room."

"What?" Jim asked, pissed that he had to quit this close to all the answers he wanted about Asuka's past.

"Colonel Jax's exact words were 'make it double fucking quick'."

Jim sighed and picked up a shirt, which seemed to be enough for the ensign to take his leave. He pulled on his typical off-duty clothing and headed for the door, followed closely by Jefferies. The two men entered the hallway in silence, turning in different directions.

"To be continued," Jim promised over his shoulder.

Jefferies said nothing as he walked off.

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Bill's face as Jim entered looked worried. It was the same look that his younger brother had used whenever a poker game turned south and he started to lose money. Jim opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but Bill beat him to it.

"The anchor for Liberty News Network is on the line. He's asking for you."

Jim cursed beneath his breath and picked up the headset Bill offered to him.

"Yeah Liberty?" Jim asked.

"Jim, what the fuck!? You kidnapped him?!" Michael Liberty's voice fumed at him, "I thought leaving him there would be bad enough, but you had him radio in that he was left behind and then took him away!"

"Whoa, whoa. Mike, all I did was leave him there."

"I sent out people that said the Dream's abandoned! If you didn't take him, than who did? Huh?"