Victoria's Challenge by M. K. Eidem

if I could meet with Reymont. Cade was disinterested and disruptive in class. I’d learned his mother had been killed six moon cycles earlier in a Regulian attack. I thought my personal experience in the area would help him come to terms with the matter. We met on F deck so Cade could play.”
    “So to clarify , six weeks ago.”
    “Give or take a day.”
    “You had no contact with him before your arrival on the Retribution?”
    “No.”
    “Ensign Jager claims he is the reason you petitioned your Uncle, the High Admiral, to be placed as educator on the Retribution.”
    “ Absolutely not!”
    “No ? You didn’t petition your Uncle. Or no it wasn’t because of Ensign Jager.”
    “No, it wasn’t because of Jager, I didn’t know him.”
    “But you did petition the High Admiral.”
    “Yes ,” Victoria admits.
    “Why ?
    Standing , Victoria turns to find Lucas directly behind her but she quickly looks away.
    “Several reasons.”
    “I need to know what they were.”
    Sighing , she turns back to Barek and sits.
    “I recently finished my schooling.”
    “That’s on record.”
    “ For the last three cycles I’ve been interning at Camotes with Dr. Selfridge, specializing in burn victims. I was offered a permanent position upon graduation. I wasn’t sure I wanted to accept, so I took a sabbatical. I petitioned the High Admiral to allow me to return to the Retribution as an educator for personal reasons.”
    “Would those reasons be Ensign Jager?”
    “No!” Victoria runs a hand through her hair. “I’ve been considering an alternate medical path. The position on the Retribution allowed me to explore it.”
    “You need to explain further.”
    “Why do you need to know? It’s personal!”
    “The point Ensign Jager is making.”
    “Fuck! Fine! I’m considering joining the Coalition’s civilian medical service.” She hears Lucas suck in his breath, behind her. “But due to my past experiences, I wasn’t sure how I’d handle long term space exposure. The six-cycle educator position seemed the perfect compromise. I could see how I’d react not only to combat but to the time itself without the added pressure of practicing medicine.” She holds up a hand stopping Barek’s comment. “No, it didn’t turn out that way.” Victoria’s eyes bore in his. “So I petitioned the High Admiral. He understood my concerns, felt the six month trial period sufficient, that if I chose the Coalition, it would benefit his men.”
    “Why the civilian medical service.”
    “I don’t meet Coalition requirements for military service.”
    “Which requirements?”
    “Height for one, but the major one is I’m not Carinian.”
    “You’re a royal.”
    “My Aunt is a royal, which makes her Carinian. Not me.”
    “That by default makes you a Royal.”
    “Only if I carry the imperial mark, which I don’t. Aunt Cassie isn’t the only one who studied Carinian Law, Colonel Tibullus.”
    Barek leans back , assessing her.
    “So when was the first time you met with Ensign Jager privately? ” He returns to the subject.
    “ Privately? As in a room alone?’
    “Yes.”
    “Never.”
    “Do you recall when you have met with him?” He eyes her sharply
    “Occasionally he’d pick up Cade. There were always other parents and kids around. I don’t remember speaking to him. Three weeks ago I went to Emans.”
    “It was your first time there?”
    “Yes, for my first few weeks on the Retribution, I was settling in, getting to know my students. I decided that if I was going to make an informed decision about my future, I needed to socialize. To see if I could fit in here.”
    “Why wouldn’t you ?”
    “My aunt’s a Queen, her husband High Admiral, and then there’s me… someone not from Carina. Some find that… uncomfortable. Therefore, when I walked into Emans and was invited to join a table, I was pleased. Ensign Jager was someone at the table.”
    “Did you go back to quarters with him that night?”
    “NO ! I