Defender of the Empire: Cadet #1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

like a bunch of dead fish?” I asked. Shorty L glared at me, so I continued. “Now you have a decision to make. You could send your last two guys at me and then you will have no one else to send.” I said. “Only plus of that is that you could run without them seeing you. Or you could just come at me yourself, which would make it the last two who will just run.” I paused to let them think about it for a moment. “Or,” I began, “you could just leave with your friends and make up a beautiful story about how you had survived a skirmish with three Telmicks or something.” It took them a moment but the three thugs gathered their buddies and ran away.
                  I waited a single moment before dropping the crowbar and rushing to the old woman’s side. “Are you okay ma’am?”
                  Her intelligent bright blue eyes looked from me to the retreating thugs. She returned to me and smiled in gratitude. “I thank ye, lass. Help me up?” She asked holding out a withered, bony hand. I grasped it with one hand and began to pull her up. My other arm was offered as a support. “Where did ye learn to move like that?” She asked me once she was upright.
    As I steadied her I said “I guess you could say the best school in existence.” Not wanting to reveal where I came from.
    She raised a steel gray brow at that. “Oh? And what would that be, lassie?”
    “Life.” I replied. Once sure that she could stand on her own I began gathering up her belongings and putting them back in her bag. “I’m sorry I didn’t arrive sooner.” I said.
    She smiled. “Lass, you came. That is all that matters.”
    I met her gaze for a moment before nodding and handing her her bag. “Do you want me to escort you to wherever it is you are going?”
    “That’s fine, dear. I can find my way. T’is not far.”
    I looked about the empty hall under construction and wondered where the woman could possibly be going. “Are you sure?” I asked. Because I wasn’t.
    She smiled knowingly. “I’m sure. I don’t want to keep you from where you are going. Thank you again, lass.”  She said before turning and walking down the hall back the way I had come. I watched her go. I knew that she would reach the more populated sections within a couple minutes. If she headed any other way I would have followed anyway. I started to turn when I had a horrible thought. The thugs had gone that way, too. What if they were lying in wait? Ah, what the hell. It isn’t as if anyone is expecting me. I thought picking up Bertha the Crowbar and followed after her. I kept a wary eye from a distance on her progress. Within a few minutes she made it to the busier sections without incident. Assured that she hadn’t been mugged again, I turned around and continued on my way. 
    I began to wonder if I should turn around myself as the halls were getting darker. My only light soon came from dim console lights. My grip tightened on Bertha. My goal was to be as silent as possible, but the LF boots I had been issued were defeating it. I stopped and slipped them off. My ears tickled from straining to hear any possible sound because I doubt that I would ever see it coming. I clipped the boots together and held them in one hand. I wished I could just leave them behind, but there was some ‘civilized’ policy that stated ‘no shoes, no service.” And I need to at least enter the Academy Branch. Another thing that I wish I could have done was make my white clothing darker to match my surroundings. But like leaving the boots I couldn’t do that either.
    Grasping Bertha in one hand and my boots in the other I continued. My feet padded softly making next to no noise. Just when I considered that I made a wrong move in continuing down this creepy dark hallway I found the main corridor that lead toward the central section of the station. At least I assumed it was because it was bigger than the corridor I had just left. What made me hesitate