Naturally her parents knew of her wish. What puzzled Vera the most was: They argued about this matter. Mostly when Vera was in bed where they figured she wouldn't  take notice of it. But since Vera had perfected her skill of pretending to be asleep a long time ago, she could eavesdrop unnoticed.

Mrs. Helen Lippson objected as expected. It was too dangerous, what would it lead to, and so on. Vera had the distinct feeling that no compelling argument was made by her mother, apart from her unmeasurable concern for her daughter. But more surprising was the case her father made: "I'm just saying she is slowly growing up and preparing for her real life. Perhaps it is about time for her to learn how to face the dangers of this galaxy."

"Igor!" her mother told him off. "You brought us to Geshtachius and created a home for us here to keep us away from the dangers of the galaxy in the first place. Why would you make something so dangerous available to Vera? What is it good for?"

"Because there is no place in this universe that is absolutely safe," Igor replied. "And whatever we do to protect her: One day Vera will get herself into trouble, just like she did two years ago. I think it is best when she is prepared to protect herself by then."

This went back and forth for some time. Vera listened breathlessly and had to agree to both of them equally. Geshtachius Prime was as dull a planet as could be, full of farms and recreational centres, with a gouvernment and a widespread machinery of lawmen protecting its inhabitants from any and every thread. Deadly weapons were entirely forbidden on this planet, only stun weapons were legal to use. The reason Hank Bodderias built up his mercenary academy here of all places was that it was neutral ground, and no mercenary or enemy would ever get the idea of misbehaving here.

But Vera had no intention of spending the rest of her days on Geshtachius Prime. She knew perfectly well what her father was referring to. Had she taken that flight to Aquatica two years ago instead of being apprehended by the security forces, she would had landed on a completely different planet where she would have been anything but save. In retrospect, having read stories and hearsay about that world - a world covered entirely by an ocean and inhabited by people in giant swimming cities crawling with criminals, mercenaries and outright scum - she was glad not having travelled there. But there were other planets. And Vera at least wanted to see one before dying of boredom on Geshtachius.

Still, after all what she had heard about life "out there", she had to agree to her father, too: It was better for her to be prepared for what expected her. At least by being able to defend herself.

One year ago she already received training in self defense. A trainer at the academy had shown her how to protect herself from being attacked by an adult. Some things Vera had internalized and practiced at every possible opportunity - like memorizing the weak spots on the human body where even someone with her limited strength would do damage, or using her small size and her agility to her advantage. The same trainer also gave her a crash course in escapism - getting out of a stronger opponent's grip or clasp, or even escaping modern handcuffs used by security forces.

But nothing like that would help her against an opponent armed with a laser weapon.

Even after her parents had gone to be Vera was lying wide awake in her room, staring at the ceiling and thinking. When they moved to the farm on Geshtachius Prime she had been so little that she couldn't remember anything from her life before that. Sometimes her mother told her about her former home aboard a space station in the Centralius core systems. Although there wasn't much to tell - Helen Lippson had been training to become a robot technician, her father went about his business as a mercenary, and Vera had stayed in the quarters under the surveillance of cameras and a babysitter she had given the hardest of times. She had never visited another planet - at least not that she knew of. But sometimes in her dreams she imagined having been on other planets as a baby.

Geshtachius was her home. She new nothing else but this world. But she knew there was more, and that drove her crazy.

The days until her thirteenth birthday passed, so one morning she came into the kitchen to find a big package in front of her parents on the table. After the mandatory birthday wishes and Helen pouring out a cup of Vera's favourite tea Igor pushed the package over to her with an inviting gesture. "Now, open it!" he demanded in his typical brass-friendly manner.

Vera curiously tore the gift wrapping apart. Beneath it she found a durable glass container with a complicated coded lock. What she could see in there... She was speechless. "You like it?", Igor asked.

"Gee... wow!" That's all she was able to say, being struck with sheer joyousness over this gift. Helen watched her daughter's reaction from the other side of the table and had mixed feelings. It didn't please her either that her husband seemingly took joy in explaining everything to Vera.

"It was specially made," he told her and showed her the tags attached to the barrel and the grip of the weapon. "The stun blast is weaker than most of the weapons we use at Hank's. You can only stun a normal person if you place the shot right between his eyes or in his chest if it's not shielded. On the upside this pistol contains up to twenty shots before the charge is depleted. Besides, it is smaller and lighter than most weapons of this kind."

Vera listened and nodded happily. She was looking forward to get her hand on this gun. Then she examined the glass container and the attached lock... and paused. "What's the code?"

She noticed that meaningful look her parents exchanged and knew instantly that this came with a catch. Igor let out a sigh. "Before you start playing around with this gun you first have to prove that you can handle it responsibly. You cannot run around shooting people with it. This weapon is for self-defense in life threatening situations. Not to blast down people you don't like."

"I know that, all right," Vera replied, trying to sound not too disappointed. There certainly were a few people in her life on whom she had loved to test the gun.

Her dad gave her a piercing glance. "Now after the breakfast we fly to the academy, so you will go to the shooting range. Along with Jackson."

Hadn't it been way below her dignity she would have jumped up with a cheer and hugged her father. Her birthday had become so much better by now. She hurried up with her breakfast which wasn't that easy since she couldn't bring herself to stop smiling.

"Happy birthday!" was what she heard from all the other employees upon her arrival at the academy. News had travelled fast that the youngest mercenary in their team had grown up now. It appeared like this one year difference was enough for the others to show her some more respect and appreciation. At least Vera thought so. She enjoyed it, being true or not.

Even Jackson who had known her from her first day at the academy seemed to treat her like an adult. Still like a friend - he had always been somewhat of a big brother to her who had looked after her a little, just like Tammy had. But now like a matured friend, not like the little child she appeared to have been at twelve years of age. "It won't take long then for you to go into battle with us and Tammy going back to wearing the vest," he stated laughingly when Vera told him about her birthday present.

"I'd like that," Vera replied with a grin. She knew that Tammy had preceeded her for this scenario. But Hank Bodderias had explained to her over the past two years that Vera being an innocent child was far better at this. It drove the mercenaries who got tested right to the edge of insanity.

They arrived at the shooting range which Jackson had already prepared. On a table several stun weapons from the academy were already layed out. Jackson pointed at them in an inviting manner: "Free choice, Vera. Feel free to pick one!"

She hesitated for a moment. Up until this day they had told her to keep her hands off the weapons. She had never been allowed to even touch them unless to pick them up and carefully put them back into storage without touching barrel or trigger. Of course she had tried both on occasion, out of curiousity and spite. Touching the trigger had brought her loads of trouble. Touching the barrel... well, she refrained of ever doing that again after she had badly burned her fingertips. Now she stretched out her hand and softly touched one of the guns on the table. Jackson was watching her, and for the first time he didn't call her out for doing so. "Go on, just take one!"

She finally brought herself to pick up one of those weapons she could use with both hands cause it was equipped with a second handle at the front. The pistol weighed more than she had expected. She took it in both hands like she was supposed to, and looked through the sight. She put her finger on the trigger, but she knew the pistol wouldn't fire with the safety catch still in place. Her seeking gaze found a target, and she amazed herself that she managed to surpress the urge to pretend shooting with funny noises.

At last she lowered the gun. Jackson had stepped beside her, holding a cable in his hand. "First rule in handling such weapons: Do not put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot. If not, you stretch your finger like this." He showed her how to put her trigger finger on the little edge above the trigger.

Vera internalized this information and nodded. "I see."

"Good. Now for the second rule: Laser weapons have no recoil like these heavy energy blasters some mercenaries use. But when you shoot, be careful to have a stable stand. Put your right foot back a little!" He showed her, too, being patient as a trainer having to deal with a clueless trainee. Vera caught on quick and took on the stance he expected from her. He went on explaining: "That way you don't trip over your own feet when you quickly have to turn around to other enemies."

Vera gave him a sceptic look. "Isn't it better to take cover then?" she inquired sharply.

Jackson smirked. "Normally, yes. But you should consider it during the exercise we're about to begin." He waved her to follow him. They approached the training stand, just a few yards away. A circle on the ground, about two metres in diametre, marked the area Vera was allowed to stand in. She had watched shooting exercises before and knew that she had failed if she stepped out of the circle. Jackson attached the cable to Vera's gun and put the other end into a plug on the ground.

Vera grinned at him provokatively. "Now show me what you've got, Jackson!"

"Don't get cocky, greenhorn," Jackson countered with a smirk. But he immediately turned on a straight face again. "Let's go easy first. Quarter circle with immobile targets. Get ready, we're about to begin!"

Having said that he left Vera to her own and entered the control room a little above the shooting range. Vera turned around to the target area and readied her gun. She took a quick glimpse over her shoulder at the windows of the control room and saw Jackson take a seat at the switchboard. She watched him lean over to the communicator as his voice came out of the speakers: "You hear me? Good to go?"

"Good to go!" Vera confirmed and directed her attention back at the target zone which opened to a cone-shaped area in front of her. She turned the safety catch off with her right thumb and raised the gun to eye level so she could take better aim. With the sound signalling that the area was active she put her index finger down from the edge onto the trigger.

The first target appeared... Vera's eyes grew big in astonishment. Then she lowered the gun and turned around to the control room windows. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"It's the easiest difficulty," Jackson justified. "Let me see if you are able to hit anything!"

"I don't think anyone would miss that," Vera proclaimed, turning back to the target. The targeting disc reached from one side of the area to the other and towered two metres above Vera with the bullseye being almost as tall as she was. She could have hit that thing with her eyes closed, even without having ever fired a gun. She sighed and examined the disc. Then she raised the gun and pulled the trigger. A bright energy blast  flashed and hit the disc almost precisely in its centre. With a flicker the disc disappeared... just to reappear one second later.

"Very good!" Jackson approved. "Keep it up!"

Vera was about to protest and ask for a more difficult target when she realized that this disc was smaller than the first one. Instead of filling out the entire target area it left a few inches around the edges, and even the bullseye turned out to be a little more of a challenge. Again she pointed the gun, this time with more care, and shot. The blast touched the exact spot on the disc she had picked out as centre. Two seconds later another target appeared - that one was significantly smaller. Another time she raised the gone, took aim and shot. The disc vanished, being replaced by an even smaller one. After that the next disc had just about Vera's size. And they kept getting smaller.

After ten discs Jackson piped up again: "You've covered the basics. We can get to the next stage."

It's about time, Vera thought by herself. And the next stage did step the game up. Jackson marked stationary targets for her appearing as holograms in the target area. A scenery appeared as a tavern on a strange planet - probably a desert planet, judging by the amounts of dust around there. Vera was ordered to hit certain targets while avoiding to hit certain other ones. She achieved her goal with ease, although she switched her gun for a bigger one which handled more like a rifle than a pistol. As soon as she started to shoot off bottle necks of booze bottles which she identified to be filled with stronger stuff above 40 percent Jackson understood that the time had come to put her through harder exercises.

For this he stepped out of the control booth and advised Vera to switch her weapon again. This time he put a gun in her hands that resembled her birthday present slightly in size and handling. With a serious manner he took her aside: "Listen! I was planning to skip that exercise, but I think you're ready for it now. Just remember, if you can't handle it, then tell me or just leave the circle!"

Veras glance was full of questions What was about to come that worried him so much? She shook her head. "It's OK. Whatever you have to offer I can handle."

Jackson seemed not completely convinced, but he gave it a shrug and returned to the control booth. Vera examined her new weapon closely. It didn't quite resemble her own gun, being larger, heavier and harder to handle, but it came close enough. Like Jackson taught her she put her finger close to the trigger until the targets would appear, found a firm stance with both her legs, but her left hand underneath the handle to stabilize her grip. The weapon's sight was directly before her eyes, and she awaited the next challenge.

The target area flickered, and a man appeared in front of Vera's muzzle A big man with dark beard, reaching for the gun in his belt.

Vera hesitated.

But only for a short moment. Then she took aim at the man and blasted a laser beam into his chest. Just a hologram, she tried to calm herself inside her. But it didn't work. She felt her heart beat faster. This target also didn't just vanish like the others she had shot. As if this shot had really been lethal the man grasped the spot he got shot in and collapsed. Only when he had fallen to the floor and was lying there motionlessly the picture disappeared.

"Is everything allright?" she heard a concerned voice over the speakers. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat an nodded without looking back. My gun can only stun people, she reminded herself. Whatever happens here, it is not real. Still, the queesy feeling stayed with her. And the second opponent appeared before her.

Suddenly she had an idea. What if I don't kill them?

As the second enemy reached for his gun, trying to point it at Vera, she aimed at his shoulder and fired. She placed the shot like a professional. The blast hurled the man backwards, down to the floor where he came to land with a painful groan. But at least he still kept moving and breathing as he vanished. It took a few seconds for her to face the next enemy, but these few seconds sufficed for Vera to calm down and focus on the exercise.

Right before letting all hell loose on the target area.

She took care to not mortally wound anyone, but her shots connected to body parts and effectively rendered her targets neutralized. Jackson slowly raised the difficulty - the targets began not only to move, but also managed to return fire with harmless energy bolts. But none of them managed to hit while Vera obliterated them without mercy. Her shots in legs and knees brought the men to the ground, her hits in arms and shoulders prevented return fire. One shot even connected to her opponent's gun and set it on fire. A scream of pain was uttered as the wounded burned his hand in the explosion, holding it while he disappeared alive. After a while several enemies turned up simultaneously and made Vera fire many shots in a sequence to not get fired upon herself. Still, all this time she not only managed to prevent a counter-attack against her, but to also use what she had learned in her self defense lessons, aiming for her opponents' weak points.

Even Jackson felt obligated to comment on it: "Ouch! That really had to hurt."

 After an hour Igor came to visit the shooting range and to look in on things. What he found there astonished him. His daughter was standing in the training circle, covered in sweat and breathless, the gun in her hands glowing, and the target area, still looking like a tavern, turned into a warzone. The last opponents had not disappeared. It had been five of them, slammed to the ground by furious rapid fire, pressing their hands on gunshot wounds and wailing in pain. Igor looked at the scenery presented to him and shook his head, then entered the control booth to have Jackson show him the results of the exercise.

He could totally see why Jackson had such a pale face as he examined the results. "Good lord!" he uttered.

Jackson nodded in agreement. "I can hardly believe it myself. She made it to level 20 without taking a hit. I'd say your daughter got the hang of it pretty fast."

"Level 20," echoed Igor without voice. "I never made it past level 12."

"Perhaps it is just that we are too old," Jackson suggested in a diplomatic manner. "Suffice to say that you don't have to worry about her. She definetely knows how to handle her gun."

"You are right." Igor stared grimly out of the window, watching Vera step out of the training circle and put the gun back among the others on the table. She was exhausted, but still joyful. "Now I have to worry about other things. Like teaching her to know when it is best to leave the gun in its holster."