Extreme Prejudice

[Tannis V'larr]

Imperial Academy of Carida, 4 BBY

When Cadet Tannis V'larr had expressed his interest in completing a junior command certification, several of his colleagues had heartily recommended that he request Lieutenant Vanadis as his instructor. He'd been intrigued to learn that she was a woman - females in the Imperial Academy were almost as much a rarity as aliens. Surely, to overcome such odds and earn such a universally positive reputation among her former students, this Freya Vanadis must have been possessed of an indomitable drive and sparkling professionalism. Tannis believed it quite likely that she would see him as a kindred spirit, a fellow minority struggling to prove his brilliance to the intractable old guard of the Empire.

He was further encouraged when his roommate suggested that he go speak to her before the semester began. Undoubtedly, she would be curious as to why a cadet fast-tracked for the Fighter Corps would be interested in command. Seeing her beforehand would help them both to start on the right foot.

Which was why Tannis was now walking crisply through the corridors of the Tactical Complex of the academy seeking the office of Lieutenant Freya Vanadis. He was so single-mindedly pursuing his task that he missed the somewhat pitying look the receptionist had given when he'd requested her office number.

Finding her door closed, the Sikarran halfbreed pressed the door chime and waited to be admitted.

[Freya Vanadis]

The incadescent disc of Caridan loomed over the horizon, sluggishly rising above jagged mountaintops that surrounded the Spinara Plateau on which the Imperial Academy lay. The morning was Freya's favourite part of the day; she enjoyed watching officers literally kick cadets out of bed at the break of dawn, making them run around the track field in their underwear. Winter time always assured temperatures below zero; notwithstanding the coolness of the surroundings, sculptured bodies bathed in sweat, heavy breaths instantly turning into steam.

Occasionally, a bold student would look up to see Vanadis watch the exercise through the window off her top-floor office, a wry, barely visible smile delineating on her face. A moment of curiosity would earn him a dozen push-ups against the frozen ground, a price often paid for a glimpse of candy every rookie dreamt of.

No exaltation in combat or class alike would ever earn such an office, especially not for a female Lieutenant. If Freya's father was not Hakon Vanadis, Moff of Teta sector, the blonde would probably be assigned at a lone desk, doing paperwork. Prowess in tactic and navigation means little when one is born of the wrong gender; her instructors had advised another career choice even before she enrolled at the Academy, yet they knew so little of her father's range of influence. Leveraged through the web of favours and returned favours, Freya Vanadis found herself occupying a position many envied and craved. Immersed in her ritual, she hardly heard the door buzzer.

"Enter." she voiced, still fully facing the window. Freya stood with legs apart, hands clasped behind her back, the form-fitting bodysuit wrapping her physique like a glove. Light seeped through shoulder-length blond hair that freely framed her face, the glow of the morning adding a golden hue.

[Tannis V'larr]

The door slid open, and Tannis stepped inside and stood smartly at attention. He was moderately surprised to see her staring out the window, more surprised to see her out of uniform, but as a cadet it certainly wasn't his place to question such things.

"Lieutenant Vanadis, sir," he said, "Cadet Second-Class Tannis V'larr."

When that did not elicit an immediate response, he added, "I sent you a message yesterday to inform you to anticipate my visit."

[Freya Vanadis]

Spinning on her heel, Freya slowly turned to face him. That same cryptic smile remained on her face, regardless to loathing of anything which did not have human origins, be it a living being, art or technology. A pretence of tolerance was an act Vanadis perfected; it made men and aliens lax, their guard lowered. Trust had to be earned to make use of their talents, later discarding them like worn slippers and taking all the credit. V'larr's flawless record made him suitable for a toy that was to be chewed, perforated and then spat out.

"I know." the blonde finally spoke, letting her smile gradually fade - "I'm sorry I haven't confirmed. I was absent most of the day, away from the comm."

What a terrible, terrible lie.

Freya had at least twenty opportunities to send the message back, but she simply couldn't be bothered to. Not until she read Tannis' record, at least. Then it was just her pride preventing her from hitting the reply button.

"Please, take a seat." she offered, motioning to the chair on the opposite side of the table. Her inner voice chimed as she slid into her seat;
I will have the janitor throw it away once you had sat on it.

"But I am here now. How can I help you, cadet V'larr?" asked Vanadis, briefly studying the Sikarran's features. He looked even more repelling than on the holophotos attached to his student file.

[Tannis V'larr]

Tannis sat down in such a way as to scarcely wrinkle his uniform.

"Primarily, I wished to introduce myself to you, sir," he said. "I am, of course, enrolled in your section of Primary Naval Tactics this semester. I was strongly advised to request you as my instructor. As this will be my first command elective, I thought it prudent to formally make your acquaintance and ask how I might best prepare myself for your class."

It seemed over-ingratiating, even to him. But he'd been told, if he was interpreting the aphorism correctly, "she'd eat that brown-nosing dren right up."

[Freya Vanadis]

"I usually make acquaintance in class, cadet." she said, the tone of her voice mildly sharpening just to put him in place. Maybe his grades gave him confidence to make appointments with officers just to introduce himself. Who was he, to begin with? Was he from a respected Imperial family? No. Did his kin own anything of importance to the Empire? No. All he had were top marks in all subjects he took, stirring spirits among xenophobic academics. A flawless record was never enough, Vanadis knew.

"Strongly advised?" the blonde woman repeated, allowing for a chuckle.
Seems I'm not the only one who hates mutts around here.
Vanadis wanted to thank in person to whoever had sent this little morsel her way.
"I'm glad my former students think my lectures were useful. However, you'd be up against command candidates, since this is a part of their regular curriculum in the second year." she warned, tossing the bait. If he was really as ambitious as his records suggested, he would bite right through it.
"You are the first cadet in over a half of a century who requested such a thing. I would be a fool not to indulge you, as the honour is my own as well."

Biting her lower lip inwardly, Vanadis gnawed on his apparent inexperience.
"There isn't much you can do to prepare, Tannis."
Calling the Sikarran halfbreed by his name was intentional, merely to gain his trust.
"Tons of literature exist on the subject, with me bombarding you with it the entirety of the next semester. But there is nothing that can prepare you for the captain's chair. You get there by being unprepared." concluded the Lieutenant.

[Tannis V'larr]

She had succeeded in putting Tannis off-balance. Already he suspected that he was making a fool of himself by coming here, and that indeed this had probably been his barrack-mate's intention in sending him in the first place. However, thanks to his mental discipline, the only outward sign of his discomfort was a subtle shift in his eyes.

"By being unprepared, sir?" he said. "I'm not certain I understand."

[Freya Vanadis]

"There are things I cannot teach you - you either have them or you don't." the blonde woman stated sharply, pushing herself up from her seat. Once she stood, Freya ironed out those few creases on her abdomen and turned to face the window.

"For this very reason, command is so different than other paths you can take at this academy. To know the strengths and weaknesses of others... is but one feat of a good captain. A crew is a collection of diverse people with often diverging personalities - your job is to make them converge into one single spirit and get the job done." Vanadis discoursed as she observed the last batch of cadets making their morning run. Her aquamarine gaze scraped against chiselled torsos when she idly licked her lips.

"There is no simulation, no manual to prepare you for what is to come." the Lieutenant warned, moving past the window to lean on the edge of the table, right before the Sikarran. She angled towards V'larr just a notch, enough for him to get a glimpse of her teeming cleavage encased in dark leather of her jumpsuit.
"I will put you into a situation you were never in before, in circumstances where your innate prowess will be the difference between victory and failure. Captains are born, cadet, not made." she said, peering deeply into his amber eyes - "I expect you to fail. They all do...at the end gambit."

[Tannis V'larr]

Tannis monitored Lieutenant Vanadis's peculiar mannerisms with dispassionate curiosity. The way she looked out the window at the exercising cadets might have put him in the mind of a manka cat stalking a herd of nerf, if he were given to such fanciful comparisons. She was mystifying to him, and not at all what he expected.

He did not break eye contact with her as she leaned. "If it is not impertinent of me to ask, sir," he said, "what is the utility of a test where all cadets fail?"

[Freya Vanadis]

"Good question, cadet." the blonde woman retorted, pushing herself off the edge of the table to stand. With hands clasped behind her back, she scrutinized the Sikarran half-breed through her watery gaze whilst looking down upon him. The position gave her an almost perverse sense of power, a mysterious albeit feint smile luring him to look up.

"To conquer and dominate - such is the nature of men - to strive to succeed in everything they endeavour to do. On the other hand, some battles are lost even before they begun. No matter what protocols are run, no matter what tactical decisions are made... In these circumstances, where failure is inevitable, mortal men crumble down." she voiced somewhat poetically, stepping outwards to walk in a broad circle, sauntering around Tannis like a hungry wolf. A datapad was picked up from the table containing some special literature she prepared for him.

"Those not pulverized by burdens of imminent downfall, live to lead again. Through failure we learn most - about others and more importanly, about ourselves. Trial and error, cadet V'larr, this is how the universe was made."

Freya stopped by his side and handed him the datapad; her left sleeve barely moved up in the motion, revealing an ominously-looking tattoo of Ordo Notronis , the inscription a hallmark of a secretive, radical fraction of COMPNOR. The media often speculated about their existence, yet the group remained nothing more than an urban legend. Or so it was thought.
"Something to give you a kick-start. The Art of War by Tzu-Sun. A literary piece as old as war itself, but useful nevertheless. I suggest you study it." said Vanadis and retrieved her hand, leather seam covering the artwork adorning her wrist.

[Tannis V'larr]

Trial and error - certainly a familiar concept to a member of a species so thoroughly committed to the pursuit of science, yet being told to take such an approach was unsettling where his life was at stake, or, almost as importantly, his academic performance. Tannis certainly did not relish the idea of undertaking a test that had been designed to ensure his failure. But dwelling on these matters could only distract him from more immediate concerns, such as salvaging his dignity before this instructor whom he was anxious to impress.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I..."

As he reached for the datapad, he saw the tattoo - the Gothic Aurabesh script encircling an insignia not dissimilar from the Imperial Crest. He had not seen the mark before, but it unsettled him.

"I shall avail myself fully, sir. Thank you."

He took the pad without further comment, but his multipartite brain was busily re-parsing their entire conversation. Ordo Notronis, a variant of Notron, an archaic name for Coruscant and a rallying cry for certain extreme sects of human supremacists. It was an uncomfortable leap in logic to make, and yet he was almost certain Lieutenant Vanadis had been very intentional in showing it to him, as if she meant it as a message, or as a warning.

"I shall look forward to our first class meeting, sir." He was certain he had overstayed his welcome, and eager to be out from under the weight of her hungry eyes and perplexing smile.

[Freya Vanadis]

In complete silence, Freya let her wary eyes follow the Sikarran halfbreed as he left her office. Long after he was gone, she mulled over everything that was said. His ambition was bewildering; if only such avidity was to be witnessed amongst his human peers, the blond mused. Undoubtedly, Freya would push the cadet's limits, as it was done to all prospective students, even more so due to his mixed heritage. An example had to be set - only purebloods were fit to be soldiers of the Empire. V'larr had just walked into a wolf's den without even realizing it; with a bemused smile, Vanadis slumped into her chair and went on to review her lecture notes, readying herself for the beginning of yet another academic year.

***

"This concludes today's lecture, cadets." Freya proclaimed, clasping hands behind her back. The auditorium grew silent, expectant of yet another impossible homework assignment she was going to give. Yet nothing was added, no amendment followed her words. Just that genuine alluring smile.
"Enjoy the ball." she added, hands casually placed to grip the sides of the podium.

The weekend ahead was dedicated to the annual officer's reception, a formal event where lecturers were to mingle with students in a more relaxed atmosphere. Marked as the social event of the year, Vanadis was always making sure she would captivate as much attention as possible upon walking down that flight of stairs. The end of the academic year was drawing near - why not show her students she was not all blood and steel?

[Tannis V'larr]

Tannis waited as the freshman cadets filtered out of Lieutenant Vanadis's classroom. Outwardly, he was patient and placid, monitoring the hallway traffic with disinterest, standing at ease with his hands behind his back. Inwardly, he was undeniably agitated - boiling, even, as evidenced by his death grip on the poor datapad in his right hand.

When the last cadet had exited, giving the Sikarran halfbreed a quizzical look as he passed, Tannis crisply turned and walked through the door, gratified to see that the lieutenant had not yet left.

"Pardon me for disturbing you, sir," he said. "There is an urgent matter I wish to discuss with you, if you have a few minutes."

[Freya Vanadis]

"You are not disturbing, Cadet V'larr." she reassured, entertaining her fingers with various buttons on the podium console that brought up an array of holograms, all of which were previously used in class. Vanadis browsed through them, as if looking for something, a minor detail she forgot to mention in the lecture. Pale blue light illuminated her form, reflecting off the leather surface of her jumpsuit. Watery eyes scanned the contents intently, attention casually divided between the Sikarran halfbreed and the materials at hand.

"What can I do for you, cadet?" she quizzed upon peeling her gaze off the tactical display, having found the information she was looking for. It was there, hidden amidst heaps of data, to test if any of the cadets had eye for detail. Tannis did, as was established in the past semester.