Gayle wasn’t even all the way through her first full day of remediation for being involved with Markus, that she already decided she was asking for a third favor. She had worked too hard over the last ten years to be minding a bunch of newbies through their morning exercises and answering stupid questions that could be answered if they’d just used their dumb heads. If one more new recruit asked her where the yavit Lower Trainee Cantinia was, she’d punch them out.
The fact that she had been assigned three full months of this made her grind her teeth as she marched past the half confused new Cadets probably trying to figure out where their next assignment would be at. She made sure not to make eye contact with any of them. She even dodged a few who looked like they might flag her down. It was close to her own dinner hour and free time, and she was done playing Keeper to these idiots.
Had she ever been as green as these newbies? She suppose she had. Gayle vaguely remembered feeling overwhelmed and out of place at the College when she’d first come here long ago, but so much had happened since then, it felt like she had been another person entirely in those days. Hard to believe that she had once been committed to a family managed hatchery on the water world of Lazune. Sure, she missed the far less harsh weather, but she definitely didn’t miss the ever present stink of fish. If she failed to gain herself a Protector assignment, she dreaded the thought of going back there, because she was sure as yavit wasn’t going to take up a teaching position with these yahoos.
If her association with Markus jeopardized her career at the College, Gayle would hunt that bastard down and give him something he wouldn’t soon forget. She had almost considered coming clean to Command more times than she could count as she went about yesterday and today holding the newbies hands, but she couldn’t shake that maybe Markus was right about someone in Command being in on the the attack against the Heir. After meeting him, Gayle was glad she had stuck to her choice to help Markus.
Gayle wasn’t sure what she had expected, the only other high born she’d met in person had been Markus, and he wasn’t a good standard to measure the other high borns with, she was sure. He seemed to be in a whole class of his own. Everything she’d ever heard about high borns suggested them to be pretentious, egotistical, and many to be surly around those of lower stations. The Heir was none of these things.
He had a distinct kindness and amenable behavior about him that had actually caused Gayle to like the Heir almost right away. Maybe he was playing a part, he was attempting to hide using a fake identity after all. Or maybe that was how the Heir truly was. If the latter was true, she could see why Markus still felt a strong connection to him even after years of them being apart. For Markus, this wasn’t about protecting one of the Empire’s leaders, this was him protecting a friend.
Gayle supposed that at first, she decided to help Markus because he was her friend and he promised to help her with favors in the future, but now, Gayle realized that since meeting the Heir, that maybe she was doing this for him too. It was hard to allow something bad to happen to someone you’ve meet face to face, and genuinely liked. So despite the overwhelming desire to march back to Command and to finally tell them the truth, so that maybe they’d congratulate her and take her off remediation, Gayle put one foot in front of the other with a determination to hold out just a little bit longer.
“Pledge Tau-mine, may I speak with you?” A voice said behind her.
Gayle pretended she didn’t hear as she kept moving through the crowd. Maybe the newbie would find another Pledge to bother. But the man called her two more times. Each time, the voice getting louder. The last time there was a hard edge to it. It got many of the people around her to turn around to look.
Yavit.
Gayle stopped in her tracks and made her own turn to the voice who had been calling out. She consciously restrained herself so not to strike out and murder this person who was interrupting her attempt to get some dinner and some peace and quiet.
She was shocked when she saw who was standing behind her in his dark gray uniform clearly declaring him to be from the Vanguard. Her first instinct was to ask what was he doing on Protectorate grounds, but then she recognized his face immediately, and she was pretty sure she knew why the College had allowed him access to the compound. She’d never met this man in person, but Markus had talked enough about him during the Program.
“Arch-Major Roth, forgive me, sir, I thought-”
He finished for her with his deep gravely voice, “You thought I was some annoying Cadet wanting to ask a question?” he finished with a smirk.
Gayle found herself blushing, at his words, but also because she felt a sudden and intense attraction to this man. She wasn’t exactly sure what it was about him that called to her. He wasn’t all that muscular, not like some of the people here at the College, or even herself. But the way he stood there is the middle of the street surrounded by Cadets rushing about like he was secretly commanding them himself made a shiver go up her spine. Or maybe it was those glorious golden eyes that seemed to see right to her very soul. Gayle found her heart speeding up a little and it was a moment before she noticed that she had missed an opportunity to say anything as he spoke again.
“Is there somewhere we can talk with a few less ears?”
She found herself nodding and unable to tear her eyes from his golden gaze. “Yes, this way.”
With effort, Gayle made herself look away, and again she felt her cheeks heat up. Yavit. She was acting like some infatuated teenager. “Get a hold of yourself,” Gayle had whisper to keep her focused, or more like unfocused on the Major.
She led the man through the crowd until she found a combat courtyard that was empty. It would remain so since it was late in the day. She moved through the archway and to one of the corners, so their voices wouldn’t echo off the stones. She knew their conversation would require secrecy. Markus warned her that his father might send someone to investigate the Heir’s disappearance, he even said it might be Nathias Roth. Gayle just hoped she could navigate her way through this without messing things up.
The Arch-Major looked around the courtyard in approval. “This will do nicely. I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me, Pledge Tau-mine. I know you are busy. I also know you were recently assigned to the new class coming in for remediation. Do you mind telling me about the reason you received your undesirable assignment?”
He was dancing around what he wanted. Did he suspect their conversation would be overheard, or did he think he could win points by being cute? Her sudden attraction got turned down a notch. There was a reason she and Markus got a long so well. That man could be as blunt as a punch in the face, which she much preferred over someone who pulled their punches.
“I’m assuming you already talked to Command and received all the information about what’s been going on with the Heir. I doubt that I can add anything new.”
Nathias relaxed his stance to make himself appear more approachable, which only made Gayle want to laugh. It was also funny the surface thoughts he had running to give her a show. He was currently in a close combat fight with Markus, and Roth was winning. The Major must have known she was a Telepath. Did he get that from Markus or Command?
Stolen novel; please report.
“You missed a good chance for a kill shot in your mental sparring match with Markus, though I’d be more entertained if you were both fighting naked.”
Major Roth blinked at her for a long moment as if he was surprised at her words. He then tilted his head back and laughed, and despite the corner they were in, his booming voice bounced around the empty courtyard. It was a long moment before he came back to himself. He wiped away tears of mirth and spoke.
“Markus said you didn’t mess around. Guess I should have taken that to heart in our conversation. The physical and mental one.”
Gayle couldn’t help but smile at that, and suddenly she was very aware of how close his body was to hers. Gayle cleared her throat and tried to ignore the distracting feel of his presence.
She shrugged. “I prefer direct over indirect, and I can keep my Dome-ni in check. I’m not always scanning everyone I meet.”
Nathias gave her a look, “And yet you saw me sparring with Markus.”
“Because you were practically projecting it at me! I could hardly miss it,” Gayle threw back.
Nathias put up his hands as if in surrender. “Fine. It’s a habit. I hear I’m going anywhere near a Telepath, I project. It’s a Mind Bender projection strategy.”
Gayle rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, you are bad at it. I’ve been around plenty of Mind Benders and you’re the nosiest I’ve ever heard.”
The corner of Nathias’s mouth quirked upward in a smile. “That’s kind of the point.”
Gayle huffed and then crossed her arms over her chest because she didn’t like how her body responded to his boyish smile. “I suppose.”
“Look, I know you and Markus are friends. He told me all about you two,” Nathias said, trying to get their conversation back on track. “Even if Captain Dexter hadn’t told me about your involvement with Markus, I would have come looking for you. You are among the very few at this College he trusts. If he told anyone about what he was doing, it would be you.”
Gayle glared, trying her best to at least put some emotional distance between them. She knew what he wanted, and she wasn’t going to give it. If Markus had wanted Nathias to know his plans, he would have told her to tell the Major when he showed up, which he hadn’t. So her lips were sealed. “And as I told Command, he didn’t tell me his plans for after the abduction.”
Nathias raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t he? I know you know that Markus and I have been friends since childhood. So you know it’s true when I say that I know him better than most. I might even know him better than you do. Here are some things I know about Markus Nador.
“The first one being, that there is no way that Markus would befriend a person who would give him up when things got a little rough, and he most certainly, wouldn’t allow himself to get caught by anyone unless he wanted to be caught. And above all else, he would never, ever leave Adar without protection, especially if he was allowing himself to be caught.
“I think you know a lot more than you are saying Pledge Tau-mine, and I definitely think you know where Adar is and are protecting him, while Markus is flushing out the attacker. That was the whole reason for him getting caught. Tell me, I’m wrong.
The courtyard around them was silent for a long time as the two of them stared at each other. Gayle felt a sinking sensation that this wasn’t going go the way she had hoped, and she hated that Markus had put her in this position in the first place.
“If you know so much, then why are you even talking to me?” Gayle finally said.
Nathias shrugged. “Because Markus won’t give up Adar’s location. I am hoping you are smarter than he is, because right now, he’s being stupid and running headlong into serious trouble as usual.”
Well, Gayle certainly couldn’t argue with that logic, but she’d known Markus much longer than she’d known Nathias. He couldn’t possibly think his logic would triumph a decade of friendship, did he?
“And if you are the friend of Markus’s that you say you are, then you know yavit well, I won’t tell you anything either.”
Nathias let out a long exasperated sigh. “I’m just trying to help Pledge Tau-mine.”
“And if Markus had wanted you to have a part in his plan, he would have told you where to find the Heir when you asked him. He didn’t, so I don’t see we have anything to talk about. If you will excuse me,” Gayle turned around and started to leave.
“I also know something else about Markus.” The Arch-Major’s words reverberated around the courtyard as the man raised his voice. “That sometimes he likes to take on more than he can actually handle. I am assuming he told you about Zorren’s involvement in this?”
“Yes,” Gayle said without turning around and making for the exit as fast as her feet could take her.
“Then you know how dangerous this could get for everyone.”
Gayle turned back to the man and folded her arms across her chest once more like that might protect her from this man and the persuasion she was starting to feel working on her. Was it his logic or her silly teenager-girl infatuation? “I can’t tell you were he is. Would you, if you were in my shoes?”
The man seemed to think about that for a moment, and then slowly shook his head. “No, I would not.” He gave a heavy nod as if finally admitting defeat. “I suppose I knew this was a lost cause even before I sought you out. I’m just concerned about Markus and Adar. I knew the Heir too as a child. I certainly wasn’t as close to him as Markus had been, but all three of us had spent time together. I just want to help my friends.”
Gayle paused for a long moment as she crossed the courtyard to stand in front of the man once more. She looked deep in his eyes and she could see the earnest in them––the truth. Something told her that she could trust him. Yavit. Markus trusted him––mostly. When he wasn’t being a stubborn idiot.
She felt her lungs deflate as she spoke. “I still can’t tell you were the Heir is, and you wouldn’t respect me or my friendship with Markus if I did. But I can give you the link to the Heir’s distress beacon. Don’t try to back track it to find the Heir’s location. It won’t work. But if he does set off the beacon, you will get a notice and be able to access his location at that time. I hope I don’t have to tell you not to share this with anyone.” Gayle tapped her unity ring, scrolled through the data on the transparent window that popped up in front of her and transferred the beacon’s link to the man’s bracelet.
The Arch-Major nodded. “Thank you, Pledge Tau-mine. I appreciate this, and I promise that only my eyes will see this.”
Gayle felt her cheeks starting to heat up at his gratitude, and she wanted to kick herself. It hadn’t been that long since she’d had sex. She had arrangements with several of her fellow colleagues, which of course Markus had been one of them when he had been at the College, which meant she was usually sufficiently satisfied. This irritating infatuation thing she had toward Markus’s friend was not something she was used to. It made her feel all sort so things she didn’t like.
“You might as well call me Gayle,” she heard herself saying to her immense chagrin, and yet, a part of her wanted to giggle. “Besides me,” She quickly said to cover up her impulsiveness, “there is one other who will be called if this beacon goes off, and no, don’t even ask for the name of the other person.”
The man gave her a genuine smile this time. It lit up his face in a way that made Gayle’s heart skip a beat. “Thank you, Gayle. Please call me Nathias, at least when we are in private.”
Gayle looked away to the other side of the courtyard and locked her jaw into place absolutely refusing to blush one more time for this man. The yavit bastard. She let out a long exhale once she felt she had herself under control.
A thought came to her as she considered what would happen if Nathias showed up to help the Heir. He wouldn’t know who to protect with the identity modifier in place. She considered telling him about it. On one hand, it might be giving too much away, on the other, the man wouldn’t be able to help the Heir if he didn’t realize who the Heir actually was. She stepped in closer until her mouth was right up against her ear.
“The Heir is using an identity modifier, so he may not look like his normal self, but that’s all I can say about that.”
She stepped back. Her heart racing from the close contact, but also wondering if she had said too much. It still wasn’t much. She hadn’t told Nathias what the Heir looked like, so he still wouldn’t know that, but Nathias seemed like a capable man, and he could use the beacon signal to triangulate the Heir’s exact location once the beacon was activated.
The man gave a curt nod. “Understood. I’ll be careful of the situation and people until I know who is who.”
She nodded. That’s all she could ask of him, and truth be told, she was relieved to have more help in the protection of the Heir. There was no telling how many people in total were after him, and Markus was stuck in a holding cell for an indefinite amount of time. She hoped that Markus could get the evidence he needed before anyone discovered the Heir’s hiding place, but she wasn’t a fool. This whole thing could go sideways in a second, and having someone like Nathias Roth as backup was a smart plan.
Gayle steeled herself as she exited the courtyard, plunging into the thick crowd of Cadets walking the streets, and hoped no one else would flag her down before she got a chance to get her yavit dinner.