The Spook: Shadow Meridian.
'We are in the business of lies and deceit, of shadow and secrecy, and of humility and duty. The Luna Naval Academy has played host to thousands of agents over the years and was the stomping ground of the best of them. From Drake to Dare, Luna fostered their best traits, and their worst if they were useful, to create a breed of soldiers set apart from the rest. These are soldiers that even Dr Halsey and her SPARTANs have come to fear.
It is for this reason that no ONI field agent has ever been valedictorian. You see, to be Valedictorian is to court attention and fame, to 'take the black', as they say, is to set aside glory and honour for a quiet life of danger and secrecy. It is a goofy tradition, truth be told, and one that continues to irritate the academy's board of directors to no end. I would not stop it for the world, and hopefully, when I'm gone, neither will Serin.' - Admiral Margaret Parangosky, CINCONI
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August 23rd 2551:
UNSC Luna Naval Academy, Luna
01:53 hours local time.
The game was in its last stages, the pieces were set and, as far as she was concerned, the final killing blow was all that remained. There was satisfaction in seeing it through. All the work, all the observation and practice, it was all serving a greater purpose. Knowing the way that her target walked, talked, flirted and dressed was one thing. Convincing a person, however drunk, that she was actually someone else was another thing entirely. That didn't bother the young cadet now, as she played her first card, she was in too deep to back out and her pulse raced with the passion of a young lover. That passion was not for the man in front of her, who she was pushed against like some untalented harlot, desperate for a job. The man himself was a repulsive oaf, lumbering about like a flounder stuck on a hook. It was the thrill of the hunt that had her blood burning with delight. She had her kill. Now, it was time to play a little. Sliding a slender hand up the old fools' leg elicited exactly the response she wanted.
"Katya, you are insatiable!" He slurred, raising his glass of scotch to the roof.
"It's just the alcohol," she giggled in a perfect imitation Russian accent, "I'm not this interesting when I'm sober."
Katya was notoriously genuine when she was drunk. She was a flirt and a vixen, yes, but several shots of premium vodka later and the absence of sobriety among those she trusted and Katya Volkovskaya was spilling her feelings to anyone who would listen.
"Nonsense!" he said, loudly, "you are the most beautiful-" his senses kicked him in the head, "er, talented, student that we have here."
"Oh, thank you!" she replied.
"No, no, I'm serious," he said, motioning to the bartender for another round. "I can't believe you're not in the lead for valedictorian."
Here. We. Go.
"You really think that I should be in the lead?" 'Katya' asked, leaning forward with the most subtle of pouts.
"Mm" he affirmed, swallowing his drink, "Madeleine was the favourite, what with her lineage, but she proved herself incompetent with that gaff over our security defences. Bit off more than she could chew, bless her."
He was oily. Not like the real Katya, or Drake, or anyone else who had the slick poise of an ONI agent. No, this guy was slimy, greasy, and gross. He moved with the grace of a sloth and stature of a mole rat.
"I suppose that she just didn't know her limits" 'Katya' replied, flashing her lashes at the Dean.
"Not like you. You know your capabilities perfectly well. You could easily be the best, but you haven't found that killer instinct, you know?"
Katya wasn't dumb and she wasn't a pushover. Looking about the bar, anyone of them could be a friend of hers, waiting to spot anything out of the ordinary. She had done more than enough research on Katya to know how she would respond to negging.
"I think my rifling scores beg to differ." she replied, playfully.
"I wasn't talking about that." He grinned and looked about gingerly, searching for someone who might disapprove of what he was about to do.
Here it comes. The final moves.
"How far are you willing to go, to get what you want?" he asked, touching her exposed thigh.
She suppressed her revulsion, but answered without skipping a beat. For Maddie, this was as honest as she was going to get for the rest of her working life.
"I would do anything." She replied, pulling his meaty hand further towards her inner thigh.
Her eyes met his; she knew that the hunt was a success.
No one will miss you when you're gone.
No one will doubt my position. They will all know.
I, I am the best of the two of us.
And Katya? Katya is nothing.