Free Epic: Book 02 - Outlaw Trigger by Lee Stephen Page B

She flicked her gaze at him, as a water droplet fell from her nose. “Is it…all right if I talk to you for a moment, sir?”
    “ Sure. Is something wrong?”
    She shook her head. “No sir, not at all. I only want to chat.” She leaned against the pool’s edge beside him. “When I met you yesterday and you spoke your name, I knew it sounded familiar. Now I realize why.”
    The Golden Lion. It was inescapable. Most people didn’t match his name with his title, until they saw him in his gold-collared armor. But then, there were always the observant ones who made the connection. Ones like Esther.
    “ I can’t tell you how much I admire your accomplishments, sir,” she said. “I don’t mean that as flattery…I mean it as truth. There are lots of us who look up to what you’ve done. We aspire to it ourselves.”
    “ I was surrounded by a lot of exceptional talent.”
    “ Much talent is wasted by lack of leadership, sir.”
    It was a wise statement. He couldn’t dispute it. “God opened a door, I just stepped through. It’s taken me a decent ways so far.” That was an understatement and he knew it. Only months ago, he’d been an alpha private out of Philadelphia . Now he was a bona fide lieutenant. Not even Klaus Faerber had reached officer status that quickly. Discreetly, Scott was rewriting the record books. Or not so discreetly, depending on how closely people paid attention to the news. Reactions always varied when he introduced himself.
    “ You’ve used your position quite well, sir, if I may say that.”
    Scott smiled a bit. “I guess I won’t stop you from saying it.” It was useless to disregard praise; he’d tried before without success. “Thank you.”
    “ You’re welcome, sir.”
    “ You must be proud of yourself, too. How old are you?”
    “ Twenty-two, sir.”
    She was almost the same age as him. “You’re twenty-two and a scout already. That’s impressive.” Scout training lasted four years, and it was the most comprehensive training in the Academy. She must have enlisted at eighteen. “I know you must be pleased.”
    “ Yes sir, I am. To graduate meant a great deal to me.”
    He smiled. “You think you’re ready for the real EDEN now?”
    She retucked a damp tendril. “That’s what training is for. To prepare one for the real thing, is it not?”
    Scott couldn’t help but smile. She had no idea what she was getting involved in. She couldn’t know, not until that first plasma bolt whizzed past her head, and her vision flashed white for the first time. “You’ll do fine. Just follow our lead when we give it, and do what we ask of you. Our job is to keep you alive.”
    “ I’m excited about combat, sir, but I will confess I’m a bit nervous.”
    That was natural. When Scott had first seen South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, his heart had nearly leapt out of his chest. “It’ll all come.”
    Esther watched the center of the pool and sighed. She sunk down until her chin touched the water. “I was scared when they’d told me I’d be stationed here. I’d requested London , but…I suppose Academy had other plans.”
    Scott’s eyes followed hers, where they distanced in the reflections of the water. He knew the feeling of being stationed far from home. So did Becan. So did a lot of people. “I asked for Detroit Station —my fiancee lives near there. They sent me to Virginia. I thought that was bad…then I came here.” Virginia wasn’t bad at all. At Richmond , he’d had it made. He just hadn’t realized it back then.
    Esther’s smile disappeared for a moment, but resurfaced as she dipped her head his way. “I was going to say, sir…that having you as one of my leaders makes it easier.”
    He canted his head in her direction. It was an unexpected compliment. It was sweet. “Thank you.” He smiled. “I mean that.”
    She grinned. “You’re welcome, sir. I meant it as well.”
    From the center of the pool, Becan waved his hands frantically. “Esty! Come an’