Laila
Laila forced a smile, hoping that the tension she felt wasn’t visible to Zac. There was no point in being embarrassed, what was done was done. The job came first. It had always come first.
So why did this feel so difficult?
Zac’s gaze held hers for a fraction longer than necessary before he nodded and spoke into the comm unit on his wrist. His second-in-command, T’arq, must have been waiting in the hallway outside.
The large blonde Taurean strode confidently into the room, smiling as he looked between Laila and Zac as if the tension between them did not exist. He flopped down into one of the chairs around the table, picking up a tablet and flipping through the screens.
“Let’s get to it,” Zac said.
Thankful for T’arq’s presence, Laila took the seat opposite, forcing herself to not watch as Zac sat in the seat next to her. She shifted slightly.
Zac passed her a tablet. “You should have this information already. Do you have any questions?”
Laila quickly flicked through the pages, confirming it was the same dossier her Space Force superiors had given her before her departure. “Yes, there are a few things I am hoping you can clarify…”
The rest of the morning passed with the three of them going over the training schedule and the profiles of the various team members they would work with. The more she and Zac spoke, the more relaxed she became. He was professional, and she found it easy to work with him, actually laughing a few times at the banter between the two Taureans.
Maybe this would turn out all right, after all.
* * *
That afternoon, the team assembled in one of the many physical training rooms on the space station. It was about the size of a basketball court, with similar removable hoops and nets for various ball sports, and every type of gym equipment you could imagine. T’arq had posed the idea of a game to get the team used to one another, and so here she was, in a t-shirt and shorts, about to play the Taurean version of basketball with CJ and a bunch of mountainous Taureans.
Casting her eyes around the group, Laila watched as they warmed up before the game. She recognized T’arq, of course, known as a crack pilot, and CJ, the team’s medic. CJ was moving through a series of stretches, casting glances sideways at a huge Taurean, Domik Vo’Ress, who was their weapons specialist. Laila had already learned that his job title was only the tip of the iceberg with Domik. If you needed to know something, Domik’s almost encyclopedic brain should be your first stop. Looks could be deceptive.
The tapping of CJ’s trainer-clad foot on the floor caught her attention. “Um, slight problem.” She waved her hands around the court, gesturing between the team members. “We can’t play with odd numbers.”
Domik’s deep laugh rumbled as he cocked an eyebrow at the feisty medic. “No problem. I asked my brother Oren to join us.” He gestured towards a tall—did they all have to be that tall?—Taurean who had just entered the room.
Ah, Oren Ka’Ress. Laila knew of him from her meeting with Zac and T’arq this morning—he was to be part of the team, though they had glossed over his role—something to do with intelligence?
CJ leaned towards Laila, bumping shoulders as she whispered, “I get that they’re a warrior race, but shit. Would you look at them?” She whistled slowly, waving a hand toward the four men who were greeting each other like old friends, and waggled her eyebrows lasciviously.
CJ’s comment was a little too close to home. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Ah-huh. Sure,” the medic replied, drawing out the last syllable with a pointed quirk of her lips.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
A laugh from T’arq drew everyone’s attention as he split from the group. “Alright, everyone. Let’s get this game going!”
Laila had never been more thankful for organized sports. They split into two teams, CJ, Domik, and T’arq on one, and Laila, Zac, and Oren on the second.
The aim of the game was simple—get the ball through the hoop. But, unlike basketball, you could only use one hand on the ball. It made passing more difficult, but she and CJ soon got the hang of it.
The next hour passed quickly, the ball game ending in a tie and resulting in a shoot off. Laila’s team won by a single point.
Heart lighter than it had been for days, Laila headed off to shower.
* * *
This mission was not going well. A few days later and Laila was feeling frustrated. Hurrying along the corridor outside her quarters, Laila straightened her uniform jacket. The combat boots and fatigues of the Space Force uniform were familiar, though the differences between her uniform and that of the Taureans made her feel conspicuous. She added uniform difference to her list of things to address with Zac.
Since arriving on the space station, each morning Laila would meet the team for physical training, after which they would go over the day's activities, many of which were combined with other humans who were to be eventually stationed on different starships. On their second day, the humans had been shown the sophisticated virtual simulation suites, or sims, as the Taureans called them.
The sims were used to run through battle scenarios. Laila didn't fully understand how they worked, but she never questioned their effectiveness as a training tool after someone had killed her virtually the first time. The special suit she wore while in the suite sent electrical impulses through her muscles, effectively freezing her in place. That first time she had been “killed” her muscles had ached for half a day afterwards. And the feeling of helplessness? No, thank you.
