Dawnhammer Origins: Angel One

Valeri

"To be perfectly honest, Jess, the only reason we're asking for ten is because that's the legal limit. If it were up to me, it would be a hundred."

Jessica Robertson's mouth shut with a snap. Envira was not a woman to mince words. If she said it, she meant it. A hundred?
"You think she's worth a hundred pilots for two years?"

"Easily." Envira rose with sickening grace and flowed across the room. "See for yourself." She brushed her hand against an area of the wall that was completely indistinguishable from any other place on it. The outline of a door appeared as a portion of the wall sank in, then slid away to reveal a young girl.

Even from the distance of ten feet, Jessica's breath caught. Hard, pale blue eyes cut right through her. She felt as if, for a brief moment, the girl could see into her very soul. There were no secrets in that moment. She felt exposed, laid bare before the intense scrutiny of the child. And then, it was over.

The chief recruiting officer for OnyxCorps stood slowly. She had no doubt whatsoever that the girl had just weighed her up, judged her, and come to a solid conclusion.

"Cadet Valeri?" The woman asked, somewhat shakily. The girl stepped through the door, turned, and ripped off a salute so sharp it could have cut through plate metal.

"Mrs. Robertson." She stated in a voice that Jessica could only have described as military. It was clipped, direct, and completely devoid of any nuance or emotion.

Envira reached a hand down and touched the girl's shoulder. "Cadet, we do not salute civilians."

"No ma'am. Mrs. Robertson currently holds the rank of Lieutenant, First Class with the Black Angels. Logistics and Supply Division. She retained her commission upon leaving the squadron."

Envira looked up with surprise. "Is this true, Jess? You're an Angel?"

Jessica had frozen in mid-stride. Those records were sealed. OnyxCorps' elusive owner had made sure that there would never be a thought to favoritism within the corporation. Only the top-level brass in the company could have gotten the information.

"How could you know that, Cadet?" Jessica asked in astonishment.

"OnyxCorps cadets are expected to keep a working knowledge of current events in the solar system, Ma'am. When the Nephilim platform was released by your company, a news broadcast showed an exclusive clip of the fighter's cockpit in which your name was visible below the canopy. 'LT. Jessica Robertson.' Only a first-grade officer has authority to pilot experimental-class combat vessels, therefore you must have been a Lieutenant, First Class. Later that year, another broadcast confirmed you as the lead for Research and Development, which is a civilian component of OnyxCorps. Unless you were able to attain the rank of Captain in a matter of months, it was a safe assumption that you maintained the rank of Lieutenant, First Class. The only way you could have lost the commission would have been as a penalty for a crime or a violation of the Terran Unified Military Accord which grants equal status to civilian and governmental militaries and allows rank to be transferred after the person in question leaves service. Had you committed a crime or violated the Accord, it's doubtful that OnyxCorps would have retained you as a civilian officer."

With a long suffering smile, Envira addressed Jessica. "She has a condition known as 'Hyperthymesia'. She can remember almost anything she has seen, read, heard, or thought from any day in her life. In vivid detail."

"You make it sound like a disability." Jessica was beyond impressed. Mr. Hammer could lock down files, but how would he, or the entire security division of OnyxCorps, ever hope to control information with a someone like Valeri around?"