Development of the background story of John Vero. If youd like to give me feedback do so here.
Chapter 1 - A New Direction
Officer John Vero of Liberty Police Inc. was starting to wonder if he had gotten in over his head.
He had scaled the fire escape on the old brick building easily enough. He had used the proper techniques to bypass any security system that may still have been operational. He silently entered through a window of an unoccupied room. All very simple and all by the book. Now, as he stood peering down the hallway of the nearly empty third floor, his adrenaline started pumping. The moment of truth was soon at hand. In thirty seconds the whole thing would be over.
For three and a half weeks Vero had been investigating and tracking the movements of Andre Lankey a key member of the Liberty Rogues in the California system. Now Vero finally had the evidence he needed to put Lankey on a prison station for a long time. Lankey was the prime suspect in a high profile kidnapping case; a case that Vero was tasked with closing.
Ever since being promoted in the LPI to an investigator, Vero had worked relentlessly on each case assignment until the criminals were brought to justice. Whether part of a group investigation team or working solo his success rates on cases were so high that his name had gotten around as a reliable closer. He was sure that it was because of his success rates that he was on his current assignment.
The son of a politically well connected businessman here on planet Los Angles had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom. This wasnt even his precinct, but someone had pulled some strings to get Vero on the case. He wasnt sure who, but that didnt matter right now, all that mattered was getting this little boy back to his parents and catching the criminals who had kidnapped him.
Many Investigations Officers in the LPI did not take part in hostage rescue attempts, but Vero had a difficult time delegating work to others when he thought it was critical. Of course he felt all his work was critical, but in this kind of situation he was most certainly correct.
He had been through the standard stealth entry and target elimination training courses, but he hadnt had much real life practice.
Two fellow LPI officers were working their way in and up through the lower floors of the building.
Using high powered infra-red imaging and directional sound receivers, on loan from LSF, the surveillance team was able to identify the approximate location of the hostage and the number of his captors.
From what Vero had observed during four days of staking out this hideout; Lankeys partner would be out for another thirty five minutes; leaving only Lankey in the building with the hostage. Lankeys partner would be picked up by the team that was tailing him as soon as they had word that the boy was safe.
On the second floor of the building across the street was the local LPI Captain with the surveillance team and their array of equipment.
Vero was in constant communication with the surveillance team via earpiece receiver and microphone.
Two snipers were stationed atop buildings across the street. Five more officers were ready in a transport parked at street level waiting for any sign that things had gone bad.
Veros heart rate quickened as he moved out into the hallway. It was dark except for a few dim overhead lights that did little to hold back the darkness except in small widely spaced pools of light.
He could see a streetlamp in the distance through a window at the end of the hall nearest the target room.
He crept closer to the door that surveillance had identified as where the hostage was being held. Veros job was to secure and shield the hostage in that room while other officers took down the kidnapper.
There on the stairwell were the two other officers moving slowly up the main stairwell. Guns trained on an open doorway. From the changing light and sounds coming from the room it was obvious that an entertainment holo-vid was playing in the room.
As the officers on the stairs neared the top a door diagonally across the hall from the target room opened. A man stepped into the hall between Vero and the stairway. From the light that poured through the doorway Vero could see that he was dressed in slacks and a t-shirt with a holster strapped under his left arm. It was Andre Lankey.
Lankey saw the two officers nearing the head of the stairs and pulled his pistol. Knowing the possibility of hitting Vero the two officers held fire and moved quickly back down the stairway. Likewise Vero could not fire at the mans back without the possibility of hitting his teammates down the hall, so that left only one option.
When the kidnaper raised his gun to aim at the officers on the stairs Vero tackled him from behind. He chopped downward on the mans gun arm as he did, knocking the gun from his grasp. Vero rolled through the move and came out in a fighting position.
Vero was now between Lankey and the other officers. Neither of them could get a clear shot at him.
The kidnapper was a bit dazed as he got to his feet. As he did he pulled a small fighting knife from a sheath at his side. He charged for Vero, the knife held out ahead of him and pointing for Veros ribs.
Vero was ready for him.
He blocked the knife arm with a backhand snap of his right arm, rolled his hand over and grabbed the kidnappers wrist. As Lankeys momentum carried him, Veros left hand found a grip on Lankeys belt. Vero pulled, turned and threw his attacker toward the wall at the end of the hall. Lankey collided hard against the wall, but recovered and turned on Vero, the knife still held in his hand. Vero stepped forward quickly and brought his right leg up to plant a solid side kick into Lankeys chest. The blow took the wind out of Lankey as it lifted him from his feet and threw him backwards. There was the sound of glass breaking, and Lankey disappeared from view. Hed been knocked through the window at the end of the hallway.
Time stood still for a second or two and then there was a loud crash from below.
Immediately after that Vero heard a crackle in his earpiece. For all our sakes, I hope that wasnt the hostage.
Veros voice activated the mic that hung below his left ear, Trust me, Captain, it wasnt.
Vero sat on a folding chair outside the capital building on planet Los Angles. He and the rest of the entry team were receiving commendations for their parts in the safe return of the boy and the capture of one of the criminals responsible.
Andre Lankey had died of injuries caused by crashing into the windshield of a parked vehicle after his three story fall.
There had been a LPI investigation into Lankeys death, and Vero had sat before a board of review while statements were made. In the end the board ruled that Vero had acted in accordance with the best interests of public safety.
Veros mind wandered as a few speeches were made by politicians and Company VIPs. Before he realized it the ceremony was over and he was standing and being introduced to dignitaries, one after another.
A whirlwind of faces and names combined with handshakes, bows and other polite greetings.
Vero knew hed forget almost all of them as soon as they stepped away, but one man he knew he would never forget the moment he saw him.
A man wearing a black suit appeared from within the crowd and stepped up to Vero. The crowd seemed to part before him as if he carried some reversed magnetic field that pushed everything out of his way. He was shorter than Veros six foot two inches yet the way he carried himself made him as imposing a figure as any giant. There was an aura of confidence and control about him.
I have read through your reports on your last several cases Officer Vero. said the man in black. I am impressed.
Veros mind was still a bit muddled after all the introductions. He couldnt help but feel that hed seen this man before but he could not remember any specifics Thank you, sir. I dont believe we have been introduced?
Ah, no we havent. Please forgive me said the man in black extending his hand to Vero who grasped it in a firm handshake. My name is Logan and Id like to speak with you about a possible change of career paths.
It was then that Vero recognized who the man was. He was not wearing a suit but a jet black uniform. The collar top was trimmed in gold edging. Pinned to that collar, one on each side, were small golden wreathes intersected by a sword and quill.
The man in black was Special Agent Logan of the Liberty Security Force, and the recently appointed Commandant of the Liberty Security Forces Agent Training Academy at West Point.
Veros life was about to take a new direction and it would change more than he ever expected it to.
The armored transport designated Gamma One was nearing the end of the trade lane from Manhattan to West Point Academy.
Cadet recruit number 10679 was seated alone at one end of the row furthest forward in the upper passenger compartment. Vero sat in silence, going over in his mind the events leading up to his entry into the Liberty Security Forces Agent Training Academy.
Man, this is gonna be great! exclaimed a Cadet seated several places to Veros left.
Vero glanced over at the young man. Clean cut black hair, the thinness of youth, an air of impatience about him. Vero read the newly embroidered name above the right breast pocket of the young Cadets uniform, RAVEN.
Probably not even 20 standard years old , Vero thought to himself. He glanced around the passenger compartment and looked at the other Cadets on board.
Four men and one woman. All seemed to be considerably younger than Vero.
He started to wonder again if he had made the right decision in leaving the LPI. He had been close to promotion when he had left. Perhaps even the success on his last case would have brought that promotion.
Now here he was in a position with no rank at all, no seniority at all, about to learn a completely new role, and competing with classmates 10 years, or more, younger than he.
He was starting to think he didnt belong here.
Just then the rear compartment hatch opened and a man perhaps Veros age stepped out onto the deck. All eyes turned to the newcomer as he entered the passenger compartment. He was dressed like the other Cadets, and Vero could see that the name above his pocket read HUGHES.
Cadet Hughes glanced around the passenger compartment and seemed pleased that all eyes where on him. Then he seemed to notice Cadet Storm, the only female cadet, and he strode over and seated himself beside her.
Hey gorgeous , Hughes said with a wide grin.
Almost instantly the Cadet seated in the next row, rose and turned to face Hughes.
Regulation nine of the Cadet Handbook states that all persons shall be addressed as sir, maam, or by their rank if known.
Hughes turned his face to the Cadet standing in the row before him and said. Thanks for the reminder.uh. Hughes looked from the Cadets face down to his name and then back to his face. Cadet Victory. Ill be sure to get it right next time.
Hughes then turned back to Cadet Storm and with a wink he said, So as I was saying; Hey there, Cadet gorgeous.
I will have to report your behavior to the Commandant, stated Cadet Victory.
Hughes bristled and stood up quickly saying, You know what you can do with your report to the Commandant?
Several seconds passed as the two cadets coldly stared at each other. Each cadet present could feel the mood in the room shift. The tension in the room was thick.
Then the transport captains voice broke in over the comm system, All passengers take your seats. Dock in one minute.
The announcement broke the tension between the two men, and a few quiet sighs of relief were expelled around the compartment.
Cadet Victory blinked his eyes once then turned and strode across the center aisle and took a new seat. Cadet Hughes seated himself again next to Cadet Storm and began speaking to her in quieter tones while the transport entered the docking sequence.
Five minutes later Vero carried his duffel down the ramp to the deck of West Point Academys Docking Bay Four. Several other Cadets were already on the deck and the remaining Cadets were right behind Vero as he exited Gamma One.
The Cadets stood in a lose group waiting to see what would happen next.
Dock workers moved hurriedly about, prepping Gamma One for its return flight to Planet Manhattan.
As the Cadets watched the activity a LSF Avenger fighter entered the bay and touched down on a raised platform.
As soon as the ship came to rest, an army of technicians swarmed over it. Panels were opened and cables and hoses were plugged into the ship.
A boarding ladder was rolled into place and the canopy opened. The pilot climbed down and strode across the deck directly towards the Cadets.
As he approached the Cadets each one stood straighter as if preparing for review.
The Agent stopped before them and looked each one over before he spoke, I am Special Agent Macross. Ill be your basic flight and gunnery instructor. Im going to say this point blank just so that none of you gets any ideas about climbing aboard one of those beauties. He gestured over his shoulder at the Avenger Fighter.
There are seven of you now. Two more of your classmates will be coming in later and that will bring your class total to nine. This accelerated Cadet program is designed for six Cadets. The word is that the Commandant might push it to eight Cadets at most. That means at least one of you will not be with us after the first week.
The Commandants expectation is that we will get maybe two Agents out of the six to eight Cadets we start with. Thats not very good odds of any of you making the cut.
Now that youve heard that, Ill tell you this. Gamma One leaves in five minutes on its return flight to Manhattan. If any of you is not willing to work your butts off proving that you are good enough to be one of those two that make it, I suggest you be aboard when Gamma One departs West Point.
Vero looked from Special Agent Macross to Gamma One then back again. He glanced at Cadet Victory who stood unmoving at attention on his left, and then at Cadet Raven on his right, who looked a bit nervous softly biting his lower lip.
Vero thought about his family at home on Manhattan, and his career with Liberty Police Inc., halted mid stream. He thought about the uncertainty of success in the Liberty Security Force. Two out of the nine Cadets would graduate, Special Agent Macross had said. Would he be one of those two?
Fear of potential failure welled up in him at that moment. It was a fear that Vero would get to know very well during the coming weeks.
To Vero the desire to return to what he knew and was comfortable with was strong. The fear of being seen as a failure was stronger though. He wasnt going to quit now. He squared his shoulders and stood straighter as he waited for what Special Agent Macross would say next.
Macross had been looking at each Cadet as they absorbed his words. Finally when it was clear that no one would move to re-board Gamma One, he turned and began walking.
Ill take you over to admissions and well get each of you your bunk assignments. Welcome to West Point and welcome to the LSF.
Vero lay on his bunk staring up at the ceiling in the near darkness of his sleeping quarters. It was his second night at West Point Academy and he had been unable to sleep for most of the night. Thoughts of all he had learned during orientation the day before swam through his head, threatening to become a confused jumble.
He shifted to reposition the sheet beneath him.
Crumb! it was an old expletive substitute hed picked up from his mother-in-law, of all places. It was much cleaner than what hed like to have used. Where in Sirius do they get these mattresses? he grumbled to himself.
The mattress surface seemed to be a woven textile of natural fibers from some plant Vero remembered seeing on an educational holo back in grade school. The holo had described natives of some Asian regions on old Earth as having woven their own very comfortable mattresses from the Jute plant or some such. Right now Vero wished it had been a lost art when the sleeper ships had left Sol.
After a pair of LSF issue boxer shorts and a tee shirt, the sheet, though heavily starched, provided his second line of defense against the rough surface. Hed considered placing the one standard issue heavy blanket beneath him as well, but the temperature controls in the bunk rooms seemed to have a wicked sense of humor. The climate had shifted wildly between too warm and too cold through the long night and Vero found himself alternately throwing the blanket off and pulling it back on through these fluctuations.
Finally, unable to find comfort enough to return to sleep, he arose and made his way to the showers. Once finished there he returned to his bunkroom and dressed in the fatigues he had been issued. A standard light flight suit in grey. It identified him as one of the few LSF Cadets on station. West Point Academy was built for, and run by, the Liberty Navy. Navy Cadets wore similar flight suits, but theirs were blue rather than the grey assigned to LSF Cadets.
Oddly enough the official uniforms of both Navy and LSF officers were blue, and most civilians could not discern the difference between them on first glance.
LSF recruits had a bit more freedom than Navy Cadets on station. Whereas the Navy Cadets had seemingly every minute planned and controlled by drill instructors; the LSF Cadets had a class and training schedule posted in their ready room that left some room for flexibility in their day.
Vero left his bunkroom and headed for the mess hall. He figured getting there a few minutes before the Navy Cadets might be a good idea and since he still wasnt 100% sure of the stations layout yet the extra time he had would leave room for a wrong turn or two.
Arriving without much trouble Vero spotted two of his LSF classmates Cadet Victory and Cadet Walker already seated and eating. He went through the food line quickly and with his tray laden with Synth proteins, carbs, and some bona fide fruit he made his way over to join them.
Vero had learned during the orientation day that Walker was Bretonian born and raised. He was a tech specialist and recent graduate of University of New London. With a strong analytical mind and an athletic build, Vero expected Walker would be one of the top Cadets in this class once things got rolling.
Cadet Victory seemed to be a drill instructors dream soldier. A recent Officer Training Program graduate from his local community college. Yes sir seemed to be on the tip of Victorys tongue at every instant. He volunteered for every task offered and finished each task exactly by the book. Vero wondered why he hadnt gone into the Navy instead of joining the LSF.
Vero was ten or more years older than each of them and he wondered if hed be able to keep up with them once the physical training started.
So looks like well be assigned our Cadet Defenders today, Vero commented as he sat down.
Vessel orientation begins at 1400, Victory responded between bites.
Vero and Walker made eye contact and there seemed to be some amusement in Walkers eye at Victorys response.
Either of you ever piloted one? asked Vero, trying to keep the conversation alive.
I have 6.2 hours on the BDR-337 class, Victorys response was delivered again between bites of food. Previous to that 4.5 hours on CTE-1270AV trainers.
All my flight experience has been in the Starflier, Cavalier, and one flight in a Crusader, explained Walker.
Vero listened to their responses while he took a few bites of his food.
What about you, Vero? Walker questioned. Have you had any previous flight experience?
Vero swallowed while he nodded his head, I was LPI before coming here. Mostly footwork, but Ive flown somewhere in the neighborhood of five hundred patrols in a Patriot.
Victorys eyes lit up in response. Any combat situations?
A few, Vero replied. Mostly Liberty Rogues in Bloodhounds. With a bit of luck Ive survived each encounter.
Confirmed kills? Victory again.
Yes, forty three confirmed solo. Around ninety assists.
Victory sighed heavily and his eyes became unfocused for a moment.
What about the others? Either of you know if they have previous flight time? asked Walker.
Vero responded, I hear Hughes was a Liberty Navy fighter jock for two years. I dont know if he has any actual combat experience though.
Storm was Bretonia Police Authority before, but she worked a desk job, said Victory. Somebody said Defiant and Diaz were both freelancers out in the border worlds for a while. Theyd have to have combat experience if thats true. Raven is right out of school and probably has less flight time than I do. I have no idea about the background of the last Cadet whos coming in today.
Rambo, is his name, Walker informed them. Theres a rumor he was a top bounty hunter out in the Taus. Hes supposedly got thousands of kills hunting Outcasts. The rumors say he joined LSF as part of a Liberty relocation program after testifying in some big trial. Hell be an interesting study if thats all true.
The three Cadets finished their breakfasts in silence. Each one lost in his own thoughts.
Finally, Walker said Oh seven thirty, class in half and hour. Might be time to head towards the ready room.
The others nodded in agreement and after dropping their trays on the moving belt that lead to the kitchen washroom they headed for the LSF Cadet Ready Room.
