Chapter Six

Alicia jogged along the fence line, she had been home three days, yesterday had been busy as she caught up on colony business and was briefed on their current power situation. And passed on the rumors she had learned, and now knew to be true; Terra Nova would not go back online.

It put them in vulnerable a position, and with two EMPs in less than a year they could not afford it. She had served in the land wars, she knew what technology could do when compromised; with proper preparation they would be stronger without it. She would head up the first phase of that on a security stand point.

Stopping outside the training compound she stretched her back and then bent to touch her toes; easing the last few kinks out before she went to work. Given their future may not include sonic pistols for each soldier they had decided hand to hand combat could use some improving. Between the three of them, Nathaniel, Guzman and herself she figured there was going to be plenty of stiff and sore muscles over the next few weeks; but they wouldn't be the ones taking a beating.

Apparently there was no pity to be had on the first round of soldiers as she stepped into the room and a wall of warm air; they had no ac. By the end of the day the room would be muggy and rank when she had finished putting the kids through their first round.

All soldiers without watch assignments had been reposted for today's mid shift and stood assembled at the mats; Guzman leaned against the wall nearby. She nodded to him as she stripped away her weapons and the light vest she wore over her tank. The waiting soldiers were not nearly as calm and as all of the night watch was assembled she figured some were waiting to be called out.

Dropping her gear belt on the pile Alicia turned to face them. "We knew going forward wasn't going to be easy. We knew we would have to adapt to this world. Here is your first lesson."

She took a moment to flex her knuckles, she sincerely hoped none had overindulged at lunch as she could already smell the sweat in the room. "Weapons that need a trigger, the weapons you rely on are no good to you if they don't have power or if someone takes them off you. Then the only weapon you have as your own body."

There was a mix of reactions, to their credit most looked interested, a few looked concerned but there were a couple of smirks she wanted to get rid of. "The Sixers only have the weapons they can make, they've adapted. The Phoenix have experience you don't; most of you were kids during the land wars and the rest of you had other lives."

Their veteran soldiers had been pulled in for the discussion this morning and had been given their orders; Guzman would train them. There was a number of reasons she had taken on all the members of security with no previous military experience prior to Terra Nova. In the war zones, trenches and battle fields around the dying planet veterans had learned every way weapons could fail. Those who came in the first two pilgrimages had seen all war had to offer and had come ready for another.

A shortfall in their training for all the soldiers who began here, in this new world was the size of the enemy they knew. Not the Sixers, though Nathaniel told her they were becoming allies slowly, and not the Phoenix but the predators that towered over them. That was the enemy they had trained these people to fight, there had been other training in there but now the human threat loomed large. There would be new weapons to learn but more importantly would be their skills in close quarters.

"Today I will disarm each and every one of you and we will fight until one of us goes down. Tomorrow we will do the same thing, we will continue to do it until you can put me down." She let those words hang in the air, she glared out; there were still a few smirks. But one she didn't mind, that one was entirely for her benefit, Guzman smirked and looked like a man who should have his feet kicked up in front of a screen; he knew what this would be.

"Denke up." She called the first joker to the mat, the young man schooled his expression. Alicia knew what he was thinking as she handed him the blunt knife they would use; there was nearly forty soldiers here. All had served some time, but she figured he wasn't considering the fact she had fifteen years in; fifteen years in Commander Taylor's bull pen.

He immediately settled his hips low, bent his knees and shifted to the balls of his feet. In the ring it was a good stance, and he didn't lead with his weapon; a fatal mistake she figured many would make. Alicia didn't drop into position right away, instead she let him circle her a few times like an animal looking for a way to strike.

She saw what he didn't, knew what he didn't and when he lunged she ducked back; he slid past her. Hit a knee on the mat but she was on her feet behind him and yanked her forearm across in throat; pulling it snuggly against his wind pipe. Flexing her hand and increasing pressure she took the knife from his hand as he let panic take over.

Holding the knife she released him roughly, letting him flop on the mat life a fish. "You may as well have told me were you wanted to hit you stared at my hip long enough."

She stepped over him and extended the handle to the silent group; it was a moment before the next one took the offer. The room was now suitably interested, but when Skye stepped up Alicia kept her face blank; this would warm her up. Soon they were into it and calling out tips to their friends without realizing that only made it easier for her.

….

End of shift was less than an hour away when he stepped into the training compound, greeted by a stinking wall of hot air and sweat. His wife had been at it for hours and when he saw her he could tell she was working hard; but her stance and her eyes told him she was loving it.

He couldn't miss the fact that every person in the room was watching her closely as she circled Dunham; the young soldier was scared of her; it was practically rolling off the kid in waves. Years ago he had put her in the bull pen with his men to break her; this was what they'd made. Given the exhaustion showing on her and the worn faces of the soldiers she was nearly done for the day.

Dunham lunged and in what he was sure was a kind move Alicia spun, avoided and stuck out a foot then pinned the young man under her hip; reaching for the knife he clung to. Nathaniel sidled up to Guzman who was chuckling at the sight before him.

"How have they been?"

"Pathetic Sir, with a handful of exceptions absolutely pathetic. She's just played with most of them and the ones who have hit her haven't followed through. Reynolds was decent and Skye might have had a chance if she hadn't put up a welcome sign on her right flank; those two got her into a hold at least." Guzman reported cheerfully.

They both watched the next round silently, Logans moved fast, dancing around Alicia; wielding the knife in wide arcs. She was tired but he practically heard her disgust, saw something flicker in her eyes and looked closer at the boy; he saw it too.

She stayed out of reach and let him move, wasting his energy quickly as the light went out in his eyes; he had been trying to bait her. When his arm lowered a fraction, almost disappointed she struck and sent the knife flying away; he saw the surprise in the kid's face as Alicia pulled him into a choke hold.

The kid was a fighter, he stomped her instep hard and twisted wildly, he saw the kid land several blows to her ribs in effort to get free; but he saw the fire in her eyes. Alicia let him go to spin back on her, fancy foot work was gone the kid was fighting to win. He landed punches, not trying to put her in a hold but simply beat her down; Nathaniel knew it wouldn't work. But a mean right hook threw her back and he felt his gut tighten. It wasn't easy to watch the boy try for a second, Alicia didn't let it connect, she evaded and let the force of his swing throw his weight before a well placed elbow to his back sent him sprawling.

"Decent." Guzman commented.

"Was that the last one?" He checked, it was time to show these recruits some real control, on the man's nod he smiled slowly. "Time to play."

He rounded the mat as Alicia squared her shoulders, clearly reading his intent. They would spar but he knew he had an unfair advantage so this would be an exercise in control for them both rather than a fair fight.

There were hushed whispers as they dropped to circle each other, she threw the first punch, stopping it a hair from his chest. In a dance they knew well they ducked, dodged and twisted to field each other's blows. The only contact they made was holds and the blows necessary to escape them. It took him a solid ten minutes to pin her to the mat, holding her down he looked up to meet the soldiers' eyes. "Let that be your lesson. Same time tomorrow. Dismissed."

As the soldiers filed out he picked her up carefully. In a few hours it would sink in, she would be stiff and sore; probably covered in bruises. Right now she grins at him, and gives him a terribly chaste kiss before pulling away and turning to her gear.

He hadn't spent the shift as energetically as she had and steps easily around her; scooping up her gear himself. Silently she stands, allowing him to fasten the cargo belt around her waist, clip the weapon holsters to it and reach down to strap them to her thighs; knife on one hip and pistol on the other. They each carried one of her antique weapons and had discussed the fact that they would be getting far more use out of them in the future.

"It wasn't as bad as it looked, they made mistakes; but they made the ones I offered them. They won't make them again, and a few proved they were thinking it through."

"Even though they failed." He smirked. "I'll believe you when I see some getting close to pinning you." But he was glad that tomorrow was Guzman's turn. She did not need to practice combat every day and as he was the one who took her home and saw what it did to her he was happy to spread the task around.

"Skye was good, if she hadn't had the knife she would have been hard to take, it gave her a false sense of security; she left her right side open for me." Alicia didn't fight when he tucked her under his arm and they stepped out into the hot sun; but with the breeze it was much nicer than the training compound.

"Held the knife in her right hand." He guessed, it was a mistake too many made; better they make it in a training ring with their CO then in the field with an enemy. Alicia would cause them a little pain to help them remember the lesson; an enemy would kill them and take the knife for a prize.