“Are you familiar with the Icarus Division lad?” Admiral Fabio’s delightfully mischievous grin curled its way across his face. Leena couldn’t help but shiver in anticipation. She enjoyed this almost as much as the Admiral did. Partly because of that brilliant smile, but mostly because of the faces people made when they learned the truth. She turned her head to the rigid Starfleet fanboy in the seat beside her. His entire universe was going to implode. She couldn’t wait to watch.
“No sir.” He had the most boring voice Leena had ever encountered. It wasn’t quite at the chartered accountant level, but she had never met one of those. If she had to share her ship with him, she’d be dead in less than a week. Or, more likely he would.
“Icarus is Starfleet’s special intelligence. We fly into the sun so that humanity doesn’t get burned.” Leena could see the gears grinding in André’s head. Crunching and contorting, trying to make space for new cogs.
“But, Starfleet doesn’t…” Leena smiled. Denial. The reaction of a Starfleet loyalist was always the most fun. Their heroic vision of the fleet has no space for espionage. The Admiral’s grin grew, stretching across his face like a cheshire cat that had stumbled on a pot of cream. André’s fists clenched. His face mutated into a boiling lobster. Leena bit her lip. Maybe he wasn’t as stiff as she had thought. A nervous giggle escaped from her. The Admiral threw a dagger with his eyes, letting his focus slip momentarily from André. The boy moved. He lunged forward. Leena squeaked as his head flew downwards. And groaned as he landed in a deep bow.
“I apologize.” André sounded anything but apologetic. “I am currently missing my graduation, so if you have nothing of any importance to say then I will take my leave.” He turned with a face that would have made a lion shiver and marched towards the door. Leena glanced at the Admiral. He raised an eyebrow. She needed no more direction. André may have been intelligent, but he was no match for her physical abilities. She easily outstripped him, flinging herself between him and his escape. He stopped. “Move, or I will move you.” His words didn’t faze her. She threw a smirk across the room, daring him to try.
André sprinted forward. A roar echoing from him as he charged. Leena braced and smiled. Everyone underestimated her. She adjusted her stance. Twisted sideways and caught his arm as it flew past. Her leg came up to meet his shin, sending him careering to the floor. And let herself fall, knee first, onto his back.
“I moved.” Pinning his hands behind his back she lifted him and pulled him back to the Admiral.
“Thank you, Leena.” She pulled a length of rope from her pocket. “I don’t think that will be necessary.” The Admiral had placed a hand on André’s shoulder. “He knows there’s no point in trying to run.” His smile was warmer. A smile that Leena knew well, but few other people ever got to see. A smile that told her the fun was over. She slumped back into her chair, folded her arms, and frowned. Her only hope of avoiding that voice now was if André refused the job. And no one refused the Icarus Division.
“Please, let me go.” Hope had been sucked out of his voice. “If you let me go, I won’t report you. Impersonating an officer, kidnapping they’re all…”
“No one here is impersonating anything.” Fabio’s voice was calm, soft. “And kidnapping is well within Icarus’ scope of operations.” Leena had always been amazed at how level headed he could stay in moments like this. Some nobody threatening to turn him in. If she was in charge the boy’s head would be on the floor. She sighed. There was probably a good reason she didn’t have that kind of authority. “I urge you, please listen to what I have to say.” André’s knees buckled. He crumpled melting into tears at the Admiral’s feet.
“Why? What was the point?” Leena sat up. Intrigued by his distress. “I was supposed to be safe.” Tears rolled thick and fast down his face. “Everything. I put everything I had into it.” The flood of emotion was more than Leena could have hoped for. Anger, violence, feinting, she’d seen it all. But total emotional meltdown, that was new. “I should have been safe. Coming first was supposed to keep me Out of the bullpen.” His sobs faded and his shoulders slumped towards the floor. “I just wanted to be a Starfleet officer.
“And you will be.” The Admiral’s wrinkled hand reached out and lifted André’s chin. “André Vázquez, I would like to offer you a commission in the Eurasian Starfleet.” A flicker of hope returned to André’s eyes. “Only the best are given the chance to join Icarus. And throughout our entire history, only two have been welcomed from outside of Starfleet’s ranks.” Fabio pulled André to his feet and stretched out his hand. The boy, slightly dazed, took hold of it, and the Admiral shook, vigorously. “Welcome to Icarus Commander Vázquez. Your uniform is waiting for you on board the ship. I’ll leave your Captain; a fellow Platides alumni, and the other outsider, to show you around” Leena stood up and sighed. She was going to have to learn cope with commander riger mortis.