third man said. He stepped in front of her so she could see him.
Chief Werensa. Now she looked at the two other men and saw the second one, the one who caught her, was Sergeant Erascu.
“If you’ll come with me, ma’am,” Werensa said, “we’ll discuss what just happened and evaluate it.”
She nodded and followed him, feeling foolish and at the same time angry. They’d tricked her, hurt her.
She thought she was finished for the evening. It wasn’t fair.
Werensa must have understood some of her emotion.
“Believe me, real attackers would not have been so gentle or considerate,” he said as he led her back to the building she had just left.
“Considerate? I thought he’d ripped my arms off.”
“You will have some bruises, yes. But a real attacker could have killed you, assaulted you or abducted you,” Werensa answered calmly. “You had no real defense.”
“I fought off the first one.”
“He allowed you to escape.”
Allowed? Oh, buckrats.
Werensa took her to a different room, one with an HV, and told her to sit.
“The first thing you must learn to do is look around you.” He turned on the HV. Allysha saw herself enter the training room where Werensa waited. Erascu leaned against the wall to the left of the door.
“You did not see the man standing to your left because you focused your attention in front of you.
Danger
can come from any direction. If you enter a room, evaluate it, and continue to evaluate.”
She flushed. “I know I tend to tunnel vision. It’s part of the reason I’m good at my job.”
“It will not help you in a survival situation. If we now continue on, when you walked across the park.”
She emerged from the building, heading for the pathway. “Notice here and here,” said Werensa, pointing to two different parts of the building’s façade. “This is Sergeant Erascu in the shadows of this doorway and over here is Corporal Essa, who emerges from the trees for a moment to follow you.”
“I wasn’t expecting—”
“You expect attackers to warn you? Carry a sign, give you a fair chance?”
She shook her head. Buckrats, what an idiot she’d made of herself.
“I am not training you for a bout where you earn a brightly colored belt,” he said. “I’m training you to survive. Based on what I’ve seen, that wouldn’t be for very long even against a fairly incompetent attacker. You must learn to be aware, to think quickly and react in such a way that you forestall the danger. The best defense to an attack is to prevent it from happening at all.”
****
“A week is not long enough,” Werensa said, shaking his head. “Not long enough at all. But…” He shrugged. “It is certainly better than nothing.”
Allysha gave him a half grin. “I’d love to say it’s been fun, Chief, but it hasn’t. If it’s any consolation, I know I’m much, much better equipped to look after myself than I was last week.”
Werensa humphed and Sergeant Erascu swallowed a grin while her attacker clambered to his feet.
They’d set her one last test when she came back to the Fleet buildings. Allysha noticed the assailant as soon as she walked through the door and countered his attack, a final proof to Chief Werensa that she’d learned her lessons.
“What must you remember?” Werensa barked.
“APE. Assess, Plan, Execute.” Allysha said.
Keep your eyes open, know where you are, notice the details, what you can use. Think about what you could do even if you don’t anticipate any problems. The canon was drilled into her over the week on isolated, beautiful Eastmark Island. Rugged, sea-sculpted cliffs rose from the ocean. Further inland, dense forest surrounded a lake. Allysha would have liked to explore but she never had an opportunity.
She stayed in an apartment in a special training block where they could wake her at all hours of the night, test her in the forest, lock her in a dark room, and interrupt her meals. She was glad to board the shuttle that
Chief Werensa. Now she looked at the two other men and saw the second one, the one who caught her, was Sergeant Erascu.
“If you’ll come with me, ma’am,” Werensa said, “we’ll discuss what just happened and evaluate it.”
She nodded and followed him, feeling foolish and at the same time angry. They’d tricked her, hurt her.
She thought she was finished for the evening. It wasn’t fair.
Werensa must have understood some of her emotion.
“Believe me, real attackers would not have been so gentle or considerate,” he said as he led her back to the building she had just left.
“Considerate? I thought he’d ripped my arms off.”
“You will have some bruises, yes. But a real attacker could have killed you, assaulted you or abducted you,” Werensa answered calmly. “You had no real defense.”
“I fought off the first one.”
“He allowed you to escape.”
Allowed? Oh, buckrats.
Werensa took her to a different room, one with an HV, and told her to sit.
“The first thing you must learn to do is look around you.” He turned on the HV. Allysha saw herself enter the training room where Werensa waited. Erascu leaned against the wall to the left of the door.
“You did not see the man standing to your left because you focused your attention in front of you.
Danger
can come from any direction. If you enter a room, evaluate it, and continue to evaluate.”
She flushed. “I know I tend to tunnel vision. It’s part of the reason I’m good at my job.”
“It will not help you in a survival situation. If we now continue on, when you walked across the park.”
She emerged from the building, heading for the pathway. “Notice here and here,” said Werensa, pointing to two different parts of the building’s façade. “This is Sergeant Erascu in the shadows of this doorway and over here is Corporal Essa, who emerges from the trees for a moment to follow you.”
“I wasn’t expecting—”
“You expect attackers to warn you? Carry a sign, give you a fair chance?”
She shook her head. Buckrats, what an idiot she’d made of herself.
“I am not training you for a bout where you earn a brightly colored belt,” he said. “I’m training you to survive. Based on what I’ve seen, that wouldn’t be for very long even against a fairly incompetent attacker. You must learn to be aware, to think quickly and react in such a way that you forestall the danger. The best defense to an attack is to prevent it from happening at all.”
****
“A week is not long enough,” Werensa said, shaking his head. “Not long enough at all. But…” He shrugged. “It is certainly better than nothing.”
Allysha gave him a half grin. “I’d love to say it’s been fun, Chief, but it hasn’t. If it’s any consolation, I know I’m much, much better equipped to look after myself than I was last week.”
Werensa humphed and Sergeant Erascu swallowed a grin while her attacker clambered to his feet.
They’d set her one last test when she came back to the Fleet buildings. Allysha noticed the assailant as soon as she walked through the door and countered his attack, a final proof to Chief Werensa that she’d learned her lessons.
“What must you remember?” Werensa barked.
“APE. Assess, Plan, Execute.” Allysha said.
Keep your eyes open, know where you are, notice the details, what you can use. Think about what you could do even if you don’t anticipate any problems. The canon was drilled into her over the week on isolated, beautiful Eastmark Island. Rugged, sea-sculpted cliffs rose from the ocean. Further inland, dense forest surrounded a lake. Allysha would have liked to explore but she never had an opportunity.
She stayed in an apartment in a special training block where they could wake her at all hours of the night, test her in the forest, lock her in a dark room, and interrupt her meals. She was glad to board the shuttle that
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