looking for a partner all week. No one seems interested in taking me on. Are you game?â She leaned forward as she said the last. I was a bit taken aback by her aggressiveness; that was something new in a woman for me. I found it intriguing, and she had certainly shaken me out of my funk.
âWell if no one on High Station will offer you the honor of a challenge, then I must accept. For Quantar, of course,â I said. I also thought the exercise would do me some good after the stress of the last few days.
âOf course,â she smiled widely. âYouâre a brave young man, taking on a challenge so quickly without even knowing your opponent. So tell me, how did you do in your fencing class at the Academy?â
âI ended up sixth,â I responded.
âAh, so you have some skill then! Excellent!â she said again, then got up suddenly to take her leave. âI have a court reserved at 0700 tomorrow, or should I say today, on the recreation deck. Donât be late.â She said the last as if it were an order. I looked at my watch.
âBut itâs nearly 0100 already and Iâve been drinking all night!â I protested. She smiled again, turned to go, then turned halfway back.
âOh, and, Cochrane, I should probably mention I was Champion my final year at the Academy.â
âAcademy Champion?â I asked through the fog of my beer. She shook her head negatively.
âWorld Champion,â she said. I swallowed hard.
â
Carinthian
World Champion?â I asked.
She just smiled again.
âSee you at 0700.â
Fencing with Dobrina
I got up early and arrived at the rec deck by 0630, thankfully nursing only a slight hangover from my previous eveningâs adventure. After confirming which court Commander Kierkopf had reserved, I checked out a fencing suit and mask and sorted through the foils, finally settling on one that I hoped would help me to use my weight and muscle to advantage. After dressing I scurried out to the court, ten minutes early.
Commander Kierkopf was already there, stretching and flexing her foil.
âGood to see you, Commander,â she said, smiling like a predator smiles at its prey. âI was worried you werenât going to show.â
I shrugged the barb off. âGood to see you as well, Commander Kierkopf.â I swallowed a last shot of my hydrating drink, then motioned to the starting marks with a wave of my hand and an affected bow, hoping courtesy, no matter how disingenuous, would serve me well. She donned her mask without another word and took her mark with practiced ease. I stepped up slowly, dipped my leading foot in talc, secured my mask, and took my mark, left hand leading.
âI didnât know you were left-handed,â she said, noting my stance with interest and stepping back from her mark while feigning an adjustment to her glove. No doubt this was merely a tactic to allow her to reassess her original strategy. I too stepped off my mark as a courtesy and circled briefly.
I was lucky in a way, having been born left-handed, but my parents, thinking it might be awkward, had converted me to a right-hander as a child. As I grew older I found that my natural left-handedness had come more to the fore and given me the advantage of being somewhat ambidextrous.
I replied to her inquiry nearly as casually as she had brought it up. âWell, we hardly got a chance to get to know each other last night, now did we?â I said. She nodded in reply.
âQuite right, Mr. Cochrane, quite right. Next time I wonât be so casual,â she said. I took my mark in response, sensing that I may have gained a slight advantage of surprise but still fully aware of my disadvantages in the match. She took her place again and said, âMark!â
I touched her foil with mine, a small metal click as the blades connected. âMark!â I said in reply. She tapped my foil.
â
En garde
!â
The next few