Elinor
Elinor moved her practice blade sharply to her left as Commander Drake brought hers down fast and quick on her. She moved as quickly as she could to try and counter the attack, but a second was already coming, and she barely got in front of it before the third slammed into her shoulder.
Elinor was breathing heavy. Commander Drake had agreed to train her in hand to hand combat, but the commander seemed to take great delight in beating her with the wooden sticks, and bruises they left.
Commander Drake was another student of her father, and Elinor had been excited when the Commander had first agreed to train her, but she was quickly regretting it, and could remember her father telling her that she was the finest combat specialist she had ever served with.
Elinor dropped to one knee, still breathing heavy, and raised her practice blade to block the fourth blow. “I yield,” Elinor said as she panted.
Commander Drake grinned, and lowered her blade. “Better,” Commander Drake said.
“Better?” Elinor asked with a laugh masked by her heavy breathing. “What was that? Two minutes?”
“Better than a quick death,” Drake said and threw Elinor a towel from the side of the sparing room. “Still, most death blows come within the first common of strikes. Few seconds if your good unless someone is playing with you.”
“Are you playing with me?” Elinor asked as her breathing began to normal.
Drake laughed. “Playing? But nor am I going for the kill. This is about training, or proving ones skill.” The commander wiped her own face with her towel. “It’s about getting better, and you have come along way since you came on board.”
Elinor knew she was lucky to train with the Commander, not many would waste time with an ensign when there were classes for it, but than again, few wanted to train with the commander unless they were willing to be bruised, and a real target had to be better than bots.
“Thanks,” Elinor said, and stood, and made her way to the edge of the room where her water bottle stood, and took a sip before she refilled it.
“You ever think about a career in security?” Drake asked Elinor.
Elinor looked at the commander before she shrugged. “Not really,” she replied. “I like Ops. Intelligence is a vital role for any ship, and to be honest, not many Captains are promoted from Security, and I intend to finish my career a Captain.”
Commander Drake nodded. “True, but the best Captain’s were security officers,” she said as she looked at Elinor with her cool eyes. “Your father, and the Crown Prince for example.”
Elinor smiled. “Both my father and the Crown Prince were starfighter jocks,” she said curiously.
“Well yes,” Commander Drake agreed, “But they also served security duties when not in the seat. It’s not rare for smaller ships to require dual roles.”
Elinor nodded. She couldn’t disagree, she knew that was true, but she also knew her father would never call himself a security officer. He was a pilot first and foremost, at least before he had become the captain of the ‘Ansgar’ and than a General in the Commonwealth Forces. “Is that why you agreed to train me? SO you could poach me from Commander Zax?”
Commander Drake laughed. “I’d gladly training any command deck staff to increase the protection of the Crown Prince. Besides, few give me the chance of a real duel these days, and the fact that you are General Grimmhart’s daughter doesn’t hurt.” Drake looked at Elinor and smiled. “That man would be the living hell out of me, I doubt I could even best him these days. AT least this is some sort of payback.”
Elinor smiled, and rubbed her shoulder. “Thanks.”
“Any plans while we are in system?” Drake asked.
Elinor shook her head. “Seahold is rich, but it’s got to be the least populous system on the Fabian Gateway Network. A billion people, but that counts all the minor subsystems sworn to Lord Wild. In truth there are less than 325 million in the system. I’ll save my leave, and bank it.”
Commander Drake snorted. “That is what you seem to do at every port.”
Elinor looked at the commander and raised an eye brow. “Keeping an eye on me?”
“Wouldn’t have offered you a position without it,” Commander Drake said with a smile. “Let me know if you change your mind though. The Crown Prince would be lucky to have you by his side.”
