“This shouldn’t work, it breaks our understanding of physics,” said Rose, as their group examined a cold fusion reactor the size of a large truck.
Kayla had given it a brief inspection and was aware that such power plants were normally both highly experimental and required enormous installations. But she was growing impatient with the endless parade of technology demonstrations. When were they going to learn about soldiers?
“Well, we know they’re a very secretive group,” offered one of Rose’s friends.
“But this will change the world,” Rose argued. “It’s criminal that the Academy hasn’t shared this tech.”
Kayla wasn’t surprised to learn this. From the start, she suspected the tour group would be shown things that didn’t make sense. Like they were being tempted with forbidden knowledge, until the evening’s presentation would reveal the catch. She glanced at Rose, but there was only confusion in her rival’s eyes.
They had already been treated to several scientific presentations, which had been interesting, but Kayla was losing her patience. A dark-skinned girl had been keeping to the back of the group and looking glum. Kayla, fidgeting with boredom, and remembering Urtiga’s advice about meeting people, plucked up the courage to approach her. She smiled at the girl’s unfriendly scowl and extended her hand.
“Hi, I’m Kayla Barnes,” she said. “Do you also have the feeling you’re at the wrong party?”
The girl eyed her hand suspiciously, then shook it. “Thandi Khawula. I don’t normally get along with intellectual types.”
“Didn’t you come from a top school?”
Thandi narrowed her eyes. “Don’t see what my school has to do with anything. I guess you’re from one of those super-rich Helvet places?”
“No. Well, yeah. But, I mean, that’s not why I’m here. I mean, it is, but…” Kayla trailed off. “The Academy is not what I expected, I guess.”
“So, what did you expect?”
“Um… machine guns? Sniper rifles? Stuff like that, I guess.”
Thandi’s eyes went wide. “Seriously?”
Kayla described her encounter with Urtiga without mentioning what had happened to her father. She managed not to tear up at the memory and saw with satisfaction her new acquaintance become more engaged.
“That’s awesome,” Thandi said. “Shooting monsters, yeah? That’s the kind of thing I want to hear about. I was getting ready for a boxing scholarship. I’m a Zulu, you know.”
Kayla smiled blankly.
“Zulus are warriors with a proud heritage,” Thandi explained. “So, I was into fighting, winning competitions, and getting set for a career, but my coach told me to come here. I have no idea why, but she’s has never led me wrong before.”
“I think everyone is misjudging what the Academy is.”
Thandi shrugged. “The stories can’t be wrong. They’re showing us a bunch of high-tech toys too advanced for our civilization.”
“I guess,” Kayla said. “But now I’m here, something seems off.”
“I know what you mean.”
They chatted more while the tour continued. Thandi was from Intaba, one of the outer worlds, and her boxing stories fascinated Kayla. She hadn’t been exposed to fighting in the high-brow culture of Rackeye. Now she wanted to know everything there was to know about Combat Sports.
During the lunch break, Thandi showed her how to throw a real punch and held out her hand as a target. When Kayla missed completely, she laughed. “Keep trying. It takes practice to get it right.”
Kayla hit the outstretched palm dead on.
Thandi swore and shook her hand. “Okay, not bad,” she muttered.
There were more lab visits, more gadgets, more lectures on physics theories, and, while the tour was interesting, Kayla tuned most of it out.
“Do you think you’ll get accepted to the Academy?” she asked her new friend.
Thandi shrugged. “I’m not impressed so far. Your story was incredible, but that’s not what we’re being shown. I’m thinking I might not want to stay if I have to work behind a desk all day making super batteries, or some nonsense.”
“Something the tour guide said bothered me.”
“What?”
“She said, ‘if you want to join us’. Like she was saying it’s really our choice.”
Thandi’s brow creased. “That doesn’t add up. What kind of choice would make ninety-five percent of the galaxies’ most overachieving girls walk away?”
“I don’t know,” Kayla said, “but the ‘dolls’ seem pretty excited by all of it.”
“Dolls?”
Kayla nodded to Rose and her friends, and Thandi giggled.
The rest of the group’s probing questions to the Academy’s presenters were deflected with the refrain; ‘That will be answered in this evening’s presentation’. Rose’s enthusiasm, however, hadn’t diminished. The more that was revealed, the more impressed she and the ‘dolls’ became, until they started to act like Christmas had come early. Every presentation triggered new gasps and applause. Kayla suspected they were trying to impress the researchers with their enthusiasm, but the scientists didn’t seem to care what the girls thought. As another row of hands went into the air, she spotted the tour guide trying to suppress a yawn.
Once they arrived at the Academy’s Zoo, the group found a startling change of pace. Sprawling paddocks and huge, caged enclosures contained creatures unlike anything humans had encountered on any of the colonized worlds. Avian predators the size of wolves fixed the girls with worryingly focused gazes. Flying insects the size of eagles buzzed passed with a drone that shook Kayla’s ribcage.
The tour guide explained that all the specimens were quite dangerous and highly aggressive. Kayla searched intently for anything like the monsters on Caldera, but found only disappointment.
The ‘dolls’ cooed over a psychopathically enraged canine-like-animal, who refused to let the reinforced glass barrier discourage him from trying to attack them. Kayla and Thandi wandered away from the group.
They passed alone into the next room; a large two-story hall lined with vault doors. One, on the far wall, was much larger than the others, and the pair moved closer. The front of the vault was inlaid with a small glass window that revealed the door was a yard thick of solid metal. Behind it, a small room was scanned by blue laser beams. A hollow casing sat on top of a plinth with a tiny shard of some reflective material mounted inside.
Thandi leaned in closer to look. “Whatever’s in there has got to be either very valuable, or very dangerous,” she said.
“It’s a mimetic, parasitic, silicone-based lifeform,” said the tour guide behind them, who had left the rest of the group with the animals.
Thandi’s head whipped around as Kayla nearly jumped out of her skin. She took a breath and gave the guide a quizzical look.
“It invades organisms and controls their bodies like a puppet,” the woman explained.
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Thandi’s eyes went wide. “And you keep it in a zoo that teenagers come to visit?”
“It’s dead,” the guide said, and winked. “Probably.”
“Then what do you need the security for?” Kayla asked.
The woman shrugged. “In case someone tried to steal it. Could be used to engineer some really nasty bioweaponry if it got into the wrong hands.”
“No wonder you keep this place secret,” Kayla observed. “Where did you find this silicone… thing?”
“All I’m going to tell you is that it killed six women before they managed to contain it.”
There was a long pause as this information sank in.
“Are there more lifeforms like this out there?” Thandi asked.
“Absolutely,” the tour guide said.
Kayla shivered at the sincerity in her eyes. Then she thought about the monsters on Caldera and her resolve hardened. She had to be in the right place.
“I guess my coach didn’t send me here because she thought I’d make a good lab assistant,” Thandi said.
“No. She didn’t,” the guide said. “Let’s get back to the others—tour’s almost complete.”
They finished the day back at the hotel, where they were taken into a large auditorium. Kayla found a seat at the front with Thandi. Once the hall was filled with the entire tour group, the excited chatter hushed. The lights dimmed and Colonel Qaghan took the podium.
“Good evening, ladies,” she began. “Now that the tour has concluded, and you’ve gotten a good look at what a career here has to offer, it’s time for the full truth. Most of you will have heard rumors about memory erasing drugs. I will take this opportunity to assure you that they are completely true.”
There were gasps from the audience.
Qaghan waited for silence before she continued. “A chemical mixture was administered to you through the air in the transit shuttle. If, after tomorrow, you decide you will stay with us, we will provide an antidote. Otherwise, you will return home under the belief that the Academy has rejected you, with only vague memories of what you experienced. Our organization is top secret and relies on a variety of cover stories to help us recruit the best female minds in the galaxy.
“We have waited until now to tell you this, because we didn’t want you to make any undeserved assumptions. The scientific and technical work we do here is very important, and you will all have a chance to be engaged in it. I want you to bear that in mind while you listen to what I have to say next.”
Kayla sat up in her seat. This was what she had been waiting for.
A high-resolution map of the galaxy appeared on the screen behind her and zoomed in on the region containing the human worlds. The thirty-seven colonized systems appeared, highlighted in red.
“As far as the general population knows, no evidence of alien intelligence has ever been discovered during our species’ exploration of the stars. As I’m sure you have already guessed, that is not the reality. Ten to twenty thousand years ago, an alien civilization occupied this part of the galaxy.”
Thousands of stars lit up green on the map, and Kayla’s jaw dropped. This was way beyond anything she had imagined.
“We call them the Jotnar,” the Colonel continued, “and we don’t know exactly what happened to them. We do know that in the final era of their reign, their society was consumed by a civil war. We know this, because our organization has, over the centuries, located the remnants of this conflict scattered across these worlds. Every war leaves trash out in the open; minefields, unexploded ordinance, unused munitions. Even wrecked warships, and weapons of mass destruction. I’m talking about devices that vastly exceed anything you can imagine in terms of destructive capacity. Bombs that can crack a planet into fragments, chemical agents that can poison an entire atmosphere, energy weapons that irradiate cities in seconds, or bioweapons that can render entire species extinct.”
Kayla leaned forward. She was hanging on to every word.
“The war this species waged almost certainly led to its destruction, wiping much of the evidence of their existence away. The rest remains hidden from humanity because we have removed it. We are Valkyrie, and we exist to locate and neutralize these types of weapons. We work in secrecy, because there are dangerous people who would do anything to get their hands on alien super weapons. Imagine what it could mean for terrorists, criminals or even governments to wield this kind of power.
“Our work is essential for the protection of human civilization, but it is also extremely dangerous. In the last year, we have lost fifteen women, killed in action.”
A gallery of portraits replaced the map of the galaxy. Kayla saw bright, smiling eyes looking back at her, and she wondered what death felt like. Searing and painful, or cold and lonely? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw girls with crossed arms, frowns, and shaking heads. She glanced at Thandi, who was, like her, wide eyed and leaning forward in her seat.
“The obstacles we face,” continued the Colonel, “include automated defense systems and ruthless, mobile killing machines. Neutralizing and destroying them is by far the most difficult and urgent task our organization faces. For this reason, we require all our personnel to serve first and foremost as soldiers. Should you decide to join us, you will have to complete our twelve-month training course. It is physically and mentally demanding. Most of you who decide to enter will fail to pass. If you do, you will serve as an infantry Ranger for a minimum of five years, before you earn the opportunity to move into a specialty, such as research and development. All of you, no matter what you contribute, have to be focused on supporting the women in the field who are going into harm’s way. Therefore, combat operations must be instilled in you as a foundation.”
Kayla’s heart hammered in her chest as she took this in. She glanced around and saw girls in shock now, hands held firmly to their mouths as they glanced nervously at their friends. Some, like Thandi, were watching with an expression of hunger.
“Ladies, I understand this is a lot to take in, and I know you will have a lot of questions; most of which must regrettably remain unanswered. I know that the nature of this organization means we have given you an unfair choice. You won’t have years to consider your decision—you have one day. I will take this moment to reassure you that Valkyrie is a completely voluntary organization. You will be free to leave at any time, though we will erase your memory. In fact, within four months, eighty percent of those who choose to stay will have changed their minds.
“If you do not wish to join us, please do not allow yourself to feel any shame or self-recrimination. The life we are proposing is not for everyone. While we have gathered the best and brightest young women from your generation, the reality is that your talents and abilities are not enough. If you do not have within yourself a sincere desire to commit to and succeed in this work—an inner motivation that is not moved by stress, fatigue or pain—then you won’t make it through the training course.
Kayla raised an eyebrow. Lack of resolve under stress had not been one of her weaknesses up to now. Even more importantly, as the lone applicant from the Calderan farms, she couldn’t shame her fellow colonists by letting a bunch of Helvets succeed where she failed. Valkyrie would have to kill her to get her to quit.
“Tomorrow,” Qaghan continued, “you may wander throughout the city and speak with anyone you encounter. I encourage you to keep an open mind as you talk to them. In the evening, you will return to this auditorium, and you will have a decision to make.”
After the speech, a video about the training course played on the screen. It looked like typical military training; young women in uniform sports clothes engaged in a variety of exercises, hiking, and obstacle courses. As the video went on, fewer and fewer girls appeared on screen. Excited or anxious expressions were replaced by fatigued smiles, then zombie-like exhaustion.
There were short interview segments with the trainees, some on the verge of tears. Kayla would never forget the empty look on the face of one trainee, her dead eyes fixated on a distant point on the horizon.
“I don’t even know what day it is,” she said. “I’m doing the best I can, but most of the time, I just hope I make it to lunch. I came so far, and I can’t quit. That’s all that matters to me.”
Kayla’s gut tightened as she took in the girl’s words. Maybe it wouldn’t be so easy.
“Okay, so that was insane,” said Thandi when the video was over.
Colonel Qaghan had left the auditorium. Most of the girls didn’t return to their rooms and gathered in groups to talk heatedly. Kayla heard varied reactions throughout the room, and many were incredulous at the idea that they would be expected to put their lives in danger.
“Disgusting that they pull this crap. What a joke,” a voice said in the next aisle.
“Do you think they’ll let us tell our parents at least?” asked another.
“What do you want to do tomorrow, Kayla?” Thandi asked.
Kayla ran a hand through her hair. “Is that really what you’re thinking about?”
Thandi shrugged. “We stay, we trust them, we find out more of the truth. Only thing I know for sure is I’m not walking away from this yet.”
“That video didn’t scare you?”
Thandi shrugged. “Boxing is pretty demanding. I’m in good shape, so I don’t think I’ll struggle with this training course. The Lord has laid a righteous path before me, and I must walk it.”
“Huh?”
“God? The Creator?” Thandi gave her a worried look. “You’ve heard of Christianity before, right?”
“Oh sure,” Kayla nodded without thinking. “Uh… The guy who killed his son… uh, who was also himself because he was saving the world?”
Thandi’s expression turned stony, and Kayla wondered if she should have paid more attention in her religious studies class. The tutor had been a shrill and unpleasant woman who had a lot to say about the importance of faith to some people’s worldview, though Kayla had usually made use of the dreary hour to daydream about hunting techniques.
“Nevermind,” Thandi said. “Fortunately, you have me to lead you back to the light.”
For a second, Kayla had the sensation she was talking to another Helvet. She tried to look past the moment. After all, she hadn’t had any real friends since she was a child, and even then, there had been plenty to disagree about.
“I’m sure you’ll do okay,” she said reassuringly.
Thandi looked questioningly at her. “You don’t look worried about it either.”
Kayla wasn’t, but she’d had an advantage that none of the other girls had. She’d been mentally preparing for something like this since she was eight years old. After watching Urtiga shoot the monster that killed her father, she’d dreamed of doing whatever it took to destroy the rest of the creatures. The thought of failing the training course angered her. Over the years, every new attack on Caldera had reminded her of her purpose. Colonists were dying, and Valkyrie was going to help her save them. She had worked so hard for so long, in a school full of people she despised, and who despised her, so that she could go to the Academy. This was her destiny.