Liara’s expression fell, disappointment filling it as she conceded his point.
"I'll do it," Finn said, his expression stony.
Roderick grunted in agreement. “Fine, I’ll inform the rest.”
He stalked off before anyone could speak.
Kira and the rest followed slowly as Liara escorted them to the beginning of the course, keeping pace easily. "I apologize for my marshal. Our people have always been resistant to change. Please don't judge them too harshly."
Kira held up a hand. "Don't bother. Just give me an idea of what I'm about to face."
She didn't care about apologies or justifications. They were already past that. This was the current state of things. She had to concentrate on getting through this next part before bothering with the messy emotional side of things.
"It's called theodiripattern. It's meant to test your teamwork."
Kira let out a soft huff. That wasn't the news she wanted to hear, given one member of their team hated her, another would be focused on trying to protect her, and the last had joined for reasons only he understood.
Excited chatter from those gathered accompanied them as they approached the entrance to the training field. Kira ignored the onlookers and focused on ferreting out all the information she could before they were thrown into the arena.
"Avoid getting hit by the drones’ laser fire. Their weapons are meant to simulate actual wounds. It can be quite shocking to the system. Some freeze up as their bodies struggle to reconcile the pain with reality," Liara explained.
"Good to know," Kira murmured.
Raider snorted.
"You get points for every drone you take down and every salvo you successfully repel. Points are deducted for every hit you take. The time until completion also factors into your overall score."
Kira nodded. Seemed simple enough.
"Good luck," Liara offered. "If you can, stay behind Graydon and Finn. Both men have run this course before. If you're wounded and can't continue, raise your hand to forfeit."
Liara stopped at the edge of the fence, her expression grave as Kira moved past her.
Jin settled right over Kira's shoulder. "I'm going with you."
"Much as I appreciate that, I want you to stay out here," Kira said. "Keep an eye on things while we're competing."
He sighed before rising, gaining altitude so he could watch the scene from above.
Graydon handed her and Raider two wooden swords. "Try not to hit yourselves in the face with these."
Kira took the sword, aiming a dark glare his way. He chuckled to himself as she tested the swing of it in her hands. It was light and flexible. Not quite as well balanced as her old energy sword, but not bad.
Raider's expression was dissatisfied as he took his.
Kira sighed, wishing any of the others were here. Blue, for instance, would have been a good choice. The other woman preferred using her brain and would probably have rigged up some type of trap in the space of five minutes, incapacitating the drones and allowing them to stroll unmolested to the other side.
Raider was too much like Kira. He relied on brute strength and speed to dominate the field. She didn't know if either skill would be enough today.
Finn was an unknown quantity. Her only experience was the brief tussle they had last night. She assumed he had some level of skill given his status as warrior and guard, but how that would mesh with the rest of the team Kira had no clue.
"Think you can handle this?" Graydon asked Kira with a taunting smirk.
"We're about to see."
"If you get too scared, you can always hide behind me." His smirk deepened into a wicked smile and he leaned closer. "Don't worry, I can protect your weak self."
"I'll keep that in mind," she said dryly.
