I remember the day they told me he had gone. I was in the second month at Meny when the messenger from Society arrived. At first I assumed it was just some stupid prank, in fact I think my initial reaction to his words were "No shit Sherlock, he's a Necanthrope."
The pitting look he gave with the "No, I mean he's gone." said it all.And suddenly I was alone.
It was at the memorial that I realised how important he had been.
Teeth himself read the eulogy. After the service he came over and looked down at me. "WE WILL BE EXPECTING GREAT THINGS."
It took all the self control Dad had taught me not to shudder, and I still feel damned by his words.The next three months at Meny were hell. All the people who had been holding back because of 'Dad' decided to come out of the woodwork and make up for lost time. Think less of me if you want but I'll admit I cried my self to sleep more often than not.
It all came to a screeching halt when Preen, who was himself a necanthrope by that time, turned up and eviscerated one of the main perpetrators in the middle of the gym. I really wish he hadn't, they would probably got bored and found a new target eventually. It was almost as if they expected me not to be able to cope with it. I reminded him of CG and the paper work and he called me an ungrateful little shit and left.By the time I got to the end of my package word had got round and no one wanted to form a squad with me. I found myself assigned to a group of no-hopers with the unlikely, yet utterly fitting, name of Exiles
Strangely enough that was the point I realised I was on my own. I figured that if some one was still watching over me there was no way I would have ended up with them. And actually it came as a relief. Finally I was free of it at last. I don't know, may be teenage rebellion came late to me. Well its probably a given when your dad is the sort of man who Red Rains the post man for bending a 'do not bend' package.
Any way where the exiles were concerned I had a chance of a fresh start, and that was just what I wanted.
There were four of them and me. Each of us people who for one reason or another no one else wanted, but who had way more of a survival instinct than to try to go it alone.
Iona, a monkey I&I who had a real attitude problem.
Kr'tn, a snake pilot nav, too bound up in honour and all that to comfortably sit in a squad of anything other than all shaktar, and yet for some reason never revealed to me, who was too unpopular with his own kind for that to happen.
Slip, a death squad furball who was considered a coward by most of his year
and Marcus.
What can I say about Marcus at that point?
He was still alive. Which considering his performance in Basic training was a minor miracle in itself. The only thing Marcus ever had going for him was pure dumb luck. But it is utterly amazing how far you can get on pure dumb luck.
and myself. Top of my grade, but every one assumed I'd bought it so it meant NOTHING. Even I could never be sure that some one hadn't influenced the scorings.Do you know how that feels? To know that all your hard work means nothing because no one will ever believe you truly deserve it.
I spent the first few months of my operative life wallowing over that one. Ironically it was Iona that snapped me out off it. She just stormed into my room after one of those shitty blues that I am sure they keep on file just for new squads like us and barated me big style. But some where in amongst all the bile was;
".. what do you care what they think You know how well you did. You know how much you deserved that rating or not. You didn't have your eyes shut for nine months. You know how good or crap your competition was. And in the end that's all that counts."And then she broke my door on the way out.
I am for ever grateful she didn't train in KMS.
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