The UEC stations three fleets in each fringe sector. The sector commander then keeps one fleet for defense and uses the other two for patrols or combat operations. While these fleets may not deter a Hegemony Battlegroup, they can hold forces off long enough for reinforcements.

  Excerpt from UEC Military Tactics Vol 2

  Did Mara want to see the ship? What kind of question was that? As if she'd risk getting kidnapped just to look at the outside. She was getting on that ship no matter what Anders said at this point.

  "Nah, think I'm gonna go see what those UEC guys think of me. Bet their ship is bigger," she said.

  Anders ignored her and walked up the ship's ramp. Rude. She followed him, but he could have at least responded with something.

  Large overhead lights lit the cargo hold of the ship and reflected off the polished slate-coloured surface. Stacks of metal crates were secured off to the sides, and two armoured vehicles—one with a heavily armed turret on top—sat in the middle.

  A few cargo… demon bots lumbered around, with the last of whatever supplies the crew had ordered. Her fists clenched, and she moved to the opposite side of Anders so that he blocked her view of them.

  "What, not a fan of my mechs?" Anders said.

  Mara glared at him. "They're an affront to human progress, a blight upon society, and an insult to our ancestors."

  "If you're trying to sound poignant, that statement made zero sense."

  "Fine, they're stupid and I hate them. Better?"

  "I'll assume there's a story around that, but please don't damage my property."

  "No promises."

  They continued walking, and across the bay stood the only other real person. A tall woman with short red-hair who sat on a crate near the door, likely leading further into the ship.

  Mara followed Anders over. Getting closer, the woman had definitely been one of the clean people who'd been stalking her before that alley incident. She balled her fists. Now wasn't the time to unpack that yet.

  Anders turned to her. "Mara, I'd like you to meet my XO, or second-in-command, Ariah."

  "Nice to meet ya. I like your hair," Mara said.

  Ariah smiled. "Anders, you told me she had an attitude."

  "I'm sure it'll come out, or maybe it's just reserved for me, not sure yet. I'm going to give her a quick tour. Are we all ready for launch?"

  "Cargo is ready and loaded, and the dockmaster cleared us for departure. We're just waiting for Axel to return. "

  "He's always late. Tell him engines hot in fifteen minutes."

  "I'll make sure he's here. Nice meeting you Mara, you'll be seeing me around."

  Ariah left for the loading ramp. She seemed nice, but anyone could put on a front. Maybe she ate babies or something.

  "So, would you rather see your room first or the armoury?" Anders asked.

  "Wait, I get a room to myself?" Mara said.

  Anders tilted his head. "Where did you think you'd stay?"

  "Not sure. Figured you'd set me up in a cargo container or something. Why would I get an entire room?"

  "Because my crew would think I'm awful and possibly mutiny if I did that. The ship has plenty of space, so you'll have your own private room like the rest of us."

  That… wasn't what she expected. Actually, she didn't know what to think. It still hadn't sunk in that she was leaving Hemura. She'd spent her entire life here, and now she'd leave it all behind? It wasn't like she had attachments here, but the colony was a part of her, despite everything.

  "I mean, let's do the armoury first then." Mara said. "Seems like an odd option, though. You gonna give me a gun or something?"

  He looked at her. "No, I'm not giving you a gun. Why would you even think that? There are some tests I'd like to try with you, and the armoury is where our training rooms are."

  Her cheeks flushed. Stupid. That made more sense, though it wasn't like she actually expected him to just hand her a pistol or something.

  She followed him through the ship until they came to the door marked as the armoury. Inside, the walls were covered in an assortment of weapons. Locked behind thick glass, and it unfortunately looked like she wouldn't be taking any of them for a spin.

  Mara moved between sections. Some of these rifles were taller than she was! She even found one whose barrel was thicker than her arm.

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  Anders walked up beside her. "Ah, the Barracuda. It'll put a 35mm round through anything short of an actual tank."

  "Wouldn't the recoil blow your arm off?" She said.

  "It's got enough dampeners built in to prevent that. But we rarely take it out due to the sheer weight. It also doesn't blend in well, being you-sized and all, and we often take more low-key contracts."

  It seemed doubtful dampeners would be enough, but if he said so. "Speaking of blending in, don't you guys know how to dress like colonists? You kinda stood out a bit."

  "I'd imagine it's something we could work on, so what set you off?"

  "I don't know, just how clean everyone was? You can't buy a basic worker's outfit and call it a day. Get the clothes dirty, rip them up a little, and mess up your hair."

  He nodded. "That actually makes sense. I like it."

  "Like to think I know a thing or two about it. Pretty much been my entire life."

  Not exactly something to be proud of, but it was nice being good at something, even if that something was knowing the streets.

  "These tests then, what'd you want me to do?" she asked.

  "I'd like to test your psionic strength, and getting some sort of baseline will help to track your progress as you grow into your abilities." He passed her a small headset. "It also might grant some insight into your non-existent signature."

  She placed the device on her head. "So… what's this thing?" An odd calm came over her as it faintly buzzed. Her previously heightened senses almost seemed to fade a bit.

  "It's a temporary psionic amp, and also a sensor. It won't be as effective as a proper embedded one, but it'll prevent you from hurting yourself. I don't want to see a repeat of that alley."

  She clenched a fist. "You want me to punch something again?"

  "There are many ways of using psionics, but seeing as that's all you know, yes."

  Something told her that punching might be a little unconventional. Doubtful a highborn old family kid would get down and dirty. They'd probably flick their fingers or shout an insult and watch their target explode.

  Anders led her to another room. Everything from the door to the control panels was heavily reinforced.

  He stood in the centre of the space. "I want you to hit me."

  "What? Why?" she said.

  "To test your strength."

  She stared at him as if he were insane. Because he was. "I—I saw what I did to those men. I don't want to hurt you too."

  "I'll be fine. My barrier is my specialty."

  "Barrier? There's nothing there."

  "But you can sense it."

  The usual forceful energy emanated from him. "Wait, that's why you always look like a raging ball of energy?" she asked.

  He nodded, but refused to elaborate, the bastard.

  "Guess I'll just hit you then," she said.

  Mara drew her arm back and focused on her fist. That same distorted reality formed around her hand. She punched Anders. Or she would have, if her fist hadn't hit some invisible wall beforehand.

  She stared at her hand and then at Anders. "How'd you do that? Does it work on anything? Can you bump into things with it?"

  "You'll learn about it at the academy, and usually you'd form it like a skin-tight suit over your body. The wall was just to help you understand it better," he said.

  "Is it hard to learn then?"

  "The issue is you hurting yourself trying to control it. Until you better understand psionics, a barrier would be dangerous to practice. It is, however, one of the first major tests at the academy."

  "They have an entire class on barriers?"

  "They aren't the entire focus—control is—but they're a great way to test skill."

  She went and sat on a bench off the side. "I'm confused, though. Why's it dangerous to use?"

  "You're enacting your energy on the physical world. What do you think would happen if you accidentally made a barrier within yourself?"

  "Oh."

  Would it be like a saw blade just phasing into your body? She shuddered. "Think I see what you mean."

  "But it's good that you understand the danger. I also don't want you practicing without that headset." He pointed to the device on her head. "It wasn't some half-baked lie when I mentioned you almost died before."

  The pain had been real. Blood, those men. Flashes of their contorted bodies flooded her mind. She took a few slow breaths. "I won't."

  "Good. Now, in other news." He was playing around with a panel on the wall. "From what little the headset gleamed, and my own observations. Your punch just now was notably weaker than what you did before, as if the amp is doing the reverse of what it should."

  "But I put everything I could into it? Should I do it again?"

  "We'll have plenty of time for more tests. But I believe your oddity might run deeper than what I thought."

  She groaned. "Why me? You say people will want to study me, but then I either almost kill myself or can't even use my powers correctly while staying safe?"

  "Safety's more important than strength, but I suspect you'll be weaker than your true potential until I figure out the issue. The headset detected no psionic energy, which tracks. But its amp only activated for a split-second." He mumbled to himself for a moment. "Very odd, it's almost as if there's a compatibility issue."

  "I take it that's not common?"

  "Not at all. It's like a magnifying glass. Any light going through gets focused, and it'd be odd to see it scatter instead, breaking the rules of physics." He walked over and sat on the bench next to her. "Lesser visible power is good though, as the less attention you draw the better, and what you did in that alley was quite impressive."

  "I don't like attention anyway, but what if I'm too weak for the academy instead?"

  "No need to worry. Your hit just now would still be enough to seriously injure any unprotected person. You'll fit right in, just not top of the class, and it gives you the chance to focus more on proper control, rather than brute force."

  It seemed she'd be more apt for stealthy tasks. Her improved senses and lack of raw strength meant punching people on the frontline likely wouldn't be the play. Unless she took off the amp…

  Stupid idea.

  She yawned. "I think I'm ready for the room now. I haven't had good rest in… I don't even know how long."

  Anders stood. "Of course."

  They arrived in the crew quarters. A long common space sat in the middle, surrounded by doors to the individual rooms and a few hallways. A kitchen sat on one side, while an entertainment area was on the other.

  A few people were lounging on a couch, while the sounds of a sport—one she'd never seen—tournament played. Someone had made coffee recently, and a short man was flipping a mix of meat and vegetables in a frying pan.

  Anders announced their presence, and they got a few waves. "I'm sure you'll meet everyone at your own pace. No need to overwhelm you with names yet."

  That worked for her. She wasn't shy per se, but getting close to people wasn't her style.

  She followed Anders to a room at the end of a hallway on the left. Inside, she stopped. A bed sat in the corner, an actual bed, with a mattress and everything. It even had pillows. She should have figured it wouldn't be a bare room or anything, but the past was hard to shake.

  A few shelves lined the walls, and a small desk sat in the corner. She'd be able to display her models and posters for once.

  "Thanks," she mumbled.

  "No need to thank me," Anders said. "If you get hungry, feel free to raid the kitchen. Our trip to Faris II will take about twenty days, based on our jump route, and we'll be heading straight to Lunis once we arrive at the planet. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Intra—the ship's AI."

  "Wait, you have a shipboard AI? I thought those were reserved for military command ships?"

  "Greetings, Mara," a female voice spoke.