Read Online Mindguard by Andrei Cherascu - Free Book Online Page A

couldn’t be true. Perhaps it was some
sort of test, to see her reaction. In that case, were the others aware of it?
    “Dismissed,”
said the commander. He quickly left the room, followed by his brother. Tamisa
looked at Villo; he was smiling at her. “Congratulations,” he said with a wink.
The bastard was definitely in on it.
    “You asshole,”
she whispered and stormed off to talk to the commander. She caught up with the
brothers on the hallway. “Sir, with all due respect, what are you doing?”
    Martin gave her
a scolding look but the commander seemed like he truly had no idea what she was
talking about.
    “Ms. Faber?”
    “Sir, I am on my
first ever mission, I can’t be in command of a team!”
    “I just put you
in command.” His voice was calm, if somewhat patronizing.
    “Sir, was this
Villo’s idea?” She was irate at the thought that Villo might have tried to give
her special treatment. 
    “You mean Mr.
Kantil?” Only then did Tamisa realize that it had been a mistake to refer to
her instructor as ‘Villo’ in front of the commander.
    “Ms. Faber,” the
commander said calmly, “you are under the false impression that Instructor
Kantil is your friend. I assure you, he is not. If he comes off as overly
friendly sometimes it is because that is his chosen teaching method. I
wholeheartedly encourage it because it always produces positive results and
helps us perform a better analysis of a cadet’s ability and psychology. But now
you are no longer a cadet Ms. Faber, you are an active member of the
Enforcement Unit. Mr. Kantil is now your colleague. He is no longer your
instructor and least of all your friend.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Anything else?”
    Martin Anderson
gave her a look meant to discourage any further conversation, but Tamisa wasn’t
done. “Sir, it just… it seems so unusual to put an Enforcer on her first
mission in charge of a group of much more experienced soldiers. On top of that,
I’m also the only woman, which -”
    “Hold on! Right
there, pause that thought!” Thomas Anderson raised one hand in the air as he
spoke. “Are you trying to tell me that you feel you are not as competent as the
men? Are you not equally prepared?” 
    What the hell
is this? Tamisa thought. Was this entire thing orchestrated just to
humiliate me? Bully me into admitting that I don’t think I’m as competent as
the others? She decided to accept the challenge.
    “I am just as
prepared as any of the men sir, perhaps more.” So be it then , she
thought, preparing for a fiery argument. The commander, however, didn’t seem as
if he thought he was getting into an argument.
    “All right,“ he
said calmly, “then you admit you are just as prepared as they are. The only
thing left is your lack of experience in combat situations. Now, with the sole exception
of Mr. Muench, none of the others have ever had missions in the Djago Desert, a
place of singular threat. That means you have the same level of experience in
this situation as they do. For reasons I will not discuss with you, I feel Mr.
Muench does not have the proper skills to lead the team in this particular
mission. That means I was left to choose from the others. I chose you.”
    “Yes sir,” she
said, suddenly feeling very ashamed of herself. She had no right to question
the commander’s motives, nor Villo’s professionalism. Anderson seemed to guess
what she was thinking. “Don’t feel awkward, Ms. Faber,” he said. ”I think it is
a good thing that you questioned your ability. It shows you have a very
objective grasp of your situation and your limitations. But now the time for
doubt is over. You need to start preparing for your first field command.”
    “I’ll meet with
you in a few hours to discuss the particularities of your command,” Martin
added. 
    Tamisa’s mood
swiftly improved. In fact, she felt great. A rush of pride overtook her at the
realization that she will not only be the first active female enforcer in