Read Online Star Force: Divergent (SF74) by Aer-ki Jyr - Free Book Online

for no one knew her body better than her and what it needed at
this moment. Training was a way to customize oneself into what you wanted, and
the only person that could truly do that for her was herself. Back in her
maturia days the workouts had been provided so they’d get the benefits even if
they didn’t understand what they were doing, but ever since entering this
program she’d never been told to do so much as a pushup…rather given blocks of
time such as this to work on her core fitness. The scheduled sessions were always
new skill related, or for testing.
    Jyra heard someone else join the six of them that were
in the gymnasium, but this set of footsteps headed her way and seemed to stop
nearby her empty corner where she was paralleling a wall without touching it.
She opened her eyes slowly, then saw an upside down version of Keith standing
in front of her.
    “Need something?” she asked, holding the pose but
mildly upset by the disturbance.
    “You’re close to the end, aren’t you?”
    “So I’m told.”
    “How tough does it get?”
    “Dude, I’ve told you before I can’t give away mission
secrets.”
    “I know that…and that’s not what I’m asking.”
    “Then what are you asking?”
    “Do you think I’ll make it through?”
    Jyra sighed and gave up on her meditation, extending a
foot back to the wall and kicking off and collapsing over into an upside down
‘V’ that she then stood up from, spinning around to face the slightly smaller
man that was one of the newer faces here. “I have no way of knowing that.”
    “But do you see any weaknesses that I should address?”
    “Honestly I don’t know you that well.”
    “Bull shit. If you’re like the rest of us you’ve
studied the personnel files of everyone else here.”
    Jyra raised an eyebrow. “That’s common practice?”
    “You’re saying you didn’t?”
    “No, it just didn’t come up in any of my previous
discussions. In fact, most of my friends have moved on already.”
    “Passed or washed out?”
    “I don’t know of anyone who has washed out.”
    “Really? I know two who have in the past month.”
    “Who?”
    “Mark Dalley and Henry Kirshner .”
    “Washed out or quit?”
    “I…don’t know, for sure. Either way they’re gone and
they didn’t exactly stop by to state their reasons.”
    “No one is allowed to talk upon departure. When
someone passes their final trial they’re immediately removed. We know this
going in.”
    “What if they fail?”
    “Then you wash out and don’t get a second chance.”
    “Ouch,” Kevin said, realizing the implications of
that. “Even Archons get a second shot at it.”
    “Do they? I never heard more than rumors about their
training.”
    “I’ve got a few that are friends. One actually gave me
the referral to this program. She said that if you fail the final Archon trial
you have to start the program all over again with a new class…or quit.”
    “Archons don’t quit.”
    “I think that’s the point. Making them go through it
all over again to test their commitment. But why the line of no return for us?”
    “It makes sense.”
    “How so?”
    “You’re new, but you’ll get the vibe later in your
training.”
    “Vibe?”
    “There’s an unofficial moto that’s been passed down
through trainees here. ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’ I’d recommend you keep
that in mind going forward.”
    Kevin thought about it for a moment. “How does that
apply to no second chances?”
    “You have to find a way to make it happen.”
    “That’s counter to everything Star Force stands for,
training wise.”
    “No.”
    “No? What am I missing?”
    “Arc Commandos are meant to be the elite, in ways that
even I’m still learning. None of us are rookies, and we didn’t earn our way
into this program, we were invited. I think the Archons are looking for people
with special aptitudes and this training is meant to confirm those picks and
enhance what we’re doing naturally.