Exit Strategy (Tales Of The Citadel #58)(2)

“They would be happy at the steps I have taken, but yes, I suppose they want me to continue on without them.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Veera sipped at her tea.

“I am going to teach my survival class, and then, I am going to Myella’s baby shower.” She shrugged.

“What are you going to do for yourself?”

Yna chuckled. “I am going to go to work tomorrow and the day after, and every person I teach to survive is my legacy.”

“What about family?”

“I don’t have a family.”

“I mean starting one of your own.”

Yna blinked slowly. “I don’t self-replicate.”

“Then, will you find anyone to replicate with?” Veera raised her brows.

“Not in my plans. Why?”

“Just asking.” Veera chuckled. “Stanik was asking.”

“Right.” Yna sighed. “You know what I went through and what is still left on my skin. It isn’t something that I would expose to a lover.”

“You would be surprised at what men would be attracted to.”

Yna gestured to her suit. “Attracted to what is under this suit? That would be a particularly skewed individual.”

“You underestimate yourself.”

Yna pulled her instructor robe open and dispersed the Masuo over her torso. Ridges of scarring that had followed the edge of her suit were exposed.

For three years after her capture, she had been used on news vids as an example of the dangers of Resicor talents. They had held her family’s safety over her head to make her act in the manner they wished. At the end of the third year, her sister had told her the horrible truth. It was her family that had turned her in. She escaped for the first time that evening.

Her suit was fused to her skin and exposed her like nothing else in a world where it marked her as dangerous. She was captured over and over after every escape, finally being sent off world where she was sold from owner to owner, with one particular gem leaving the marks on her body. He had deducted that it was possible to use the restrictor suit to carry a charge. She had been scorched and on the floor when the Sector Guard first found her.

The Masuo had been given to her as a medical aid to keep her skin from getting an infection from the burns. The genetic binding mixed with the electric field had turned the edges of her suit into branding irons. When she was healed, she chose the restraint suit as her daily wear. It just felt right.

“You need to make peace with it, Yna.”

“I have; I just don’t expect anyone else to.” She reformed her suit and settled her robes back into even lines. “Is there anything else?”

“It can wait until after your class. Come see me before you go to the shower.”

“Yes, Administrator.” Yna bowed and winked at Fixit. “You too, mighty beast.”

Fixit preened and fluffed out his feathers, showing off his wingspan from his perch on his person’s shoulder.

As a tiny group, they left her quarters, and she headed to the classrooms while Veera headed for the stairs.

Yna walked to her classroom and excused herself for being late.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to continue our journey into the fine art of lock picking.” She grinned and brought out the sample locks that she had selected. “You may find yourself on a low-tech world with limited options and an escape window that is rapidly closing. You need to learn to get out, and picking locks is a key component of a good exit strategy. Now, class, line up around the workstation, and let’s begin.”

She took them through the use of implements, talents, and force. Two hours after she had begun, her class was rubbing their fingertips and trying to guess the type of lock she would point to next.

The chime rang, and they all groaned with disappointment. Yna chuckled and inclined her head. “You can practice with the locks I have put in the simulator. I expect you to be able to open a lock without difficulty by next week. It doesn’t matter which one, you just need to open one to pass this part of the class.”

They grinned, nodded and filed out. She put her sample locks away and closed up the classroom. Veera was waiting.





Chapter Two


Stanik smiled from his desk outside Veera’s office. “They are in there.”

She nodded and headed through the doors. The squeaking coming from the basket on the desk let her know that Stanik was babysitting some of Fixit’s relatives.

The soft smile was on her lips when she entered Veera’s office, and it faded when she saw the man sitting across from the administrator.

“You.”

He got to his feet until he was face to face with her, and then, he kept rising. She was staring at the small sigil over his left pec when she grunted. “To what do I owe this singular experience?”

Veera cleared her throat. “Guardsman Ahlgos has requested your assistance on a mission.”

Yna stubbornly stared at the reinforced chest in front of her. “I decline.”

“It is a personal matter. I will ask her myself if you will give us the room for a few minutes.”

Veera and Fixit couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Ahlgos remained close, but he started speaking. “Specialist Yna, I have a favour to ask of you.”