‘And the assassin was working alone?’ Darius asked. ‘Aside from Tracey Spears, obviously.’
‘We’ve uncovered no evidence suggesting there was another Redwing involved. First Lieutenant Fawn Tyrell is fairly sure that, if there is anyone else, Tracey knows nothing about them. Tracey never had direct contact with the assassin. Contact was via anonymous messaging. She was told to get out of the results ceremony as soon as the results were announced. Assuming she didn’t win, obviously. The idea there was to kill as many people as possible, leaving us with no choice but to bring Tracey in as the new president. Now that Tracey’s in custody, we can finally stop the protection details.’ Courtney looked over at Nava. ‘You can stand down, Nava Ward. Mitsuko should be safe now.’
‘You don’t think we should keep it up for a little longer?’ Mitsuko asked. ‘There may be reprisals.’
‘First Lieutenant Fawn Tyrell says that they’ll have given the entire operation up as a failure. The Redwings have many faults, but they don’t bother continuing a plan once it’s clearly dead.’
‘That’s excellent news,’ Darius said. His smile looked genuine. ‘Nava Ward can go back to… whatever it is she does. Thank you for your diligent protection of our new president.’
It was a less than graceful dismissal, but it was water off a duck’s back to Nava. She nodded. ‘I’ll return to my own apartment this afternoon.’ She started to turn, but Courtney interrupted the movement.
‘Actually, Nava, could you just hold on a second?’
Nava paused and turned back. ‘Of course, Courtney Martell.’
‘What possible reason is there for her to stay?’ Darius asked. There was more annoyance in his voice now, which was a mistake.
‘I can see we have a lot of work to do improving your attitude, Darius,’ Mitsuko said. She was smiling, making a joke of it. Her eyes, however, suggested that she meant exactly what she said.
‘The reason,’ Courtney said, ‘is that I need to ask her something. Nava Ward, I’d like you to join the Student Security Force.’ Both Darius and Leland started at that. ‘You’ve shown exemplary ability while guarding–’
‘Respectfully,’ Nava said, ‘I decline.’
‘What? Why?’
‘She’s support stream, Courtney,’ Darius said. ‘You know they can’t cut it in–’
‘That’s exactly why I want her in the force,’ Courtney snapped. ‘She’s got the combat skills to take on just about anyone in the school. And support students are useful to the SSF under the right circumstances. Donovan Ilbert Morgan’s analysis skills are essential to our activities. I’m not sure how we’re going to replace him when he leaves at the end of this year.’
‘But all the other members are combat stream.’
‘And that’s a perfect reason for Nava Ward to–’
‘I repeat,’ Nava said, ‘I’m afraid I must decline. Courtney Martell, you don’t want me in the Student Security Force.’
‘If I didn’t want you, I wouldn’t have asked,’ Courtney snapped, visibly annoyed now. ‘What reason do you have for declining? No one has ever declined before.’
‘As I understand it, a nomination to the SSF must come from the current captain but taking up the position is entirely voluntary. I don’t need a reason. However, I will give one. I’d estimate that it will take no more than a month before I kill someone should I accept a position in the SSF.’
‘What? But–’
‘Putting a support student in an enforcement role will cause resentment among a certain segment of combat students.’ Nava did not say that Darius was one of them, but she obviously meant it and he glowered across the room at her. ‘They will resent the idea that someone on the support stream is good enough to enforce the school rules against any of them. They will start probing to determine whether I can do my job. It will start with minor things, which I will ignore, and escalate. Eventually, they will engineer a situation which I have to respond to and, since they will be intent upon doing me harm, I will react to them as enemy combatants. Then you will have one or more corpses on your hands as a result of the arrogance of students too foolish to realise that their games have consequences. I cannot, in all conscience, agree to put myself in that situation.’
Courtney stared at her for a long second. ‘Not having you in the force is a huge waste of resources.’
‘If you require my talents and they can be used in a suitable way, I have no objection to lending assistance where it’s required. The politics of the situation make my regular participation in the SSF’s duties impossible.’
Looking away, Courtney nodded. ‘You may have a point.’ She lifted her head and looked across the table at Darius. ‘I’m not withdrawing the nomination. If things change, we’ll revisit this.’
‘I can accept that,’ Nava said. Then she turned and left the room.
~~~
‘You didn’t even say goodbye,’ Mitsuko complained at dinner.
‘It’s not like I moved to another planet, Suki,’ Nava responded. ‘I’m sitting beside you now. “Goodbye” is hardly an appropriate thing to say. I just moved my stuff back to my assigned apartment.’
‘Well, you could’ve…’ Mitsuko trailed off, frowning; she was not sure what Nava ‘could’ have done either. Or she was sure but was not going to say it in front of Melissa and Rochester.
‘I can’t believe you turned down Courtney Martell,’ Rochester said. ‘Members of the SSF have rank.’
‘I’m not interested in that, Chess,’ Nava replied. ‘I’m in this school to learn, not to lord it over anyone else, and certainly not to be forced into a position where I have to defend myself from idiots who think they have something to prove.’
‘But wouldn’t they be put off by what happened in January? Everyone knows about the duel.’
‘No,’ Mitsuko said,
