Starship: Rogue

Chapter Fourteen

 The morning of her second day on the army base, Rowan woke from a nightmare with a start. The display on her tablet announced that it was 0515, and that the weather in Juneau was cold with a chance of snow.

She rolled out of bed with a groan, landing on her bad knee. As guests, each of the Rangers had been given their own room, so at least she didn't wake anyone up when she turned the air blue. She popped two of the painkillers Carter had told her to take, then hobbled over to her luggage and got dressed in her uniform. Usually, she might not have bothered, but on a military base, she wanted the status it gave her. She chose to wear the tall boots, rather than the combat boots, pulled on the suede jacket, rather than the winter coat, since she didn't plan on going outside at any point.

When she was dressed, she packed a messenger bag with her tablet, a book, and a few other odds and ends, then, finally, put on her comms bracelet. The stone in the center was clear and dark, and the silver band was cool and quiet. Rowan tugged her sleeve over it so no one else would see it and ask awkward questions, then, making sure nothing sensitive was out in the open, she left her room.

She knew from experience that Ripple would be up by now, so she went to the mess hall, served herself up some breakfast, and joined Ripple at the table they'd been assigned. "Morning," Ripple said, sipping her coffee, her black eyes as distant as ever.

"Yeah," Rowan said, stirring a packet of sugar into her tea. "Whatever."

Ripple gave her flicker of a smile that meant she was amused. "Someone's in a bad mood." She took a bite of porridge and made a face. "God, I miss our food. So, what did you make of Fletcher last night?"

Rowan glanced around the mess hall and caught sight of the girl in question, sitting with her training group. "Pretty much what her file says. She's level-headed, not unlike you, and nothing seemed to faze her. I paired her with Jase to see what she'd do, and she just took it in stride. He didn't even worry her, and you know how intimidating he is. That tells me she'd logical; she knows how to outthink people.

"But she's also got passion. She's not so logical she's cold. No offense." Ripple rolled her eyes. "She's smart, too. Did you see her trying to outmaneuver Indigo? She knew she couldn't take her in a straight fight. She might not be as well-trained as us, but she has the discipline to get there."

Ripple nibbled at a piece of fruit. Her gaze landed on Fletcher, and she turned pensive. "You're right. She's got potential. And Jase liked her. He's usually pretty guarded, you know? But he took to her."

Rowan nodded. "I need to talk to her trainer."

They finished breakfast and went back to the training center just as Fletcher's training group began their workout. Rowan and Ripple slipped into the stands, watching the whole group, not just Fletcher.

Rowan found her attention drifting to the other cadet who'd caught her attention, Wren Solberg. Levi was right; he was willful, stubborn and entitled, but not entirely without reason. He had an aptitude for combat, and the skills to excel at almost anything, though his communication skills left plenty to desire. While he didn't have the same discipline as Fletcher, he still could make a valuable asset, with a bit of an attitude adjustment. Rowan was pretty sure she and Ripple were more than up to the task.

Still, the big question was if he and Fletcher could work closely together. She'd seen them in the kill house. They didn't work seamlessly together. Their styles and mindsets were too different, but, even without working perfectly in unison, they'd still done formidably well, despite never really working together.

If that wasn't potential, Rowan didn't know what was.

But there was another pairing that showed potential: Fletcher and her friend, Moreau. The two girls seemed to read each other's minds, and they moved as one. As much as Rowan wanted Solberg, Moreau was her second choice. Either way, Fletcher was all-but guaranteed, unless she turned down the offer.