When the sun began to rise over the farmland of Coock City, the alarm clock in Vera's room went off. But Vera was awake already. The excitement concerning this day had made her find little sleep.

Tha glass box with the stun pistol was standing on the table in her room. Her father had put it there after the party. Again and again Vera had stood up from her bed to examine the box and the attached code lock. She needed a five digit code to open the box - she had learned as much about it already. So it wouldn't be her birthday. But what was it then? A random number picked by her father? Probably not. Igor Lippson was as careful as he was unimaginitive, and since he was the only one who knew the code he would have chosen one directly connected to Vera or to himself. But she couldn't figure it out, no matter how much she racked her brain.

As Helen came into the room to look in for Vera she found her lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking. "You're already up" she stated in surprise. "Are you nervous about your mission?"

Vera rose up and looked at her, giving her an indifferent shrug. "A little. But more like excited."

At this point Helen noticed the jacket on the floor where Vera had dropped it last night. She picked it up, ready to call her daughter out on her untidyness, when she saw the name at the front. She also knew of the nickname Vera had among the mercenaries. "Dad's idea?" she asked, pointing at the red letters.

"Who else?" Vera grumbled, slowly standing up from her bed.

"So I guess you don't want to put this on today" her mother deduced of her reaction. She had also found the rest of the combat suit having been put back into the gift box. Vera determinedly shook her head.

"I'd rather wear my night gown on a mission than running around with this name on my chest" she declared vigorously. But Helen reacted in a typical fashion for her, with a motherly, but commanding pose and look, with both her hands akimbo.

"No, you don't" she said decisively. "But you said you need some proper clothing. Something suitable for hiking through the wilderness."

Vera grinned. "It's called reconnaissance" she corrected her mother in an attempt to appear smart.

Helen couldn't laugh about this. She was already fed up with having a smart-arse as her husband. So her reply came out with appropriate sarcasm: "Then I have to put more camouflaged clothes for you on the shopping list. Ah, well, at least those stains you usually have on you when you come home from outside won't show up on it."

"As if I always came home in dirty clothes" Vera moaned annoyed, but her mother raised her eyebrows: "More often than you would admit. So, what do you want to wear?"

The selection was huge. Over the past few years her parents had provided Vera with a large stock of clothing that adjusted to her size up to a certain point. Even clothes she had received five years ago still fit her like a second skin. Just the matter of fashion had a lot of potential for improvement. She wouldn't be caught dead in the street in her children's clothing, being not trendy anymore. The rest... oh well...

Bit by bit Vera and Helen went through all the possible attires, but Vera wasn't able to pick one. Until Helen made a point that the purpose of it was not to make her look good, but to protect her from the weather. Apart from that, a "reconnaissance mission" as Vera named it would call for more unobtrusive clothing. That being said, most of the colourful ensembles she had gotten as a child dropped out as possible choices. But Vera still longed for not running around looking like the worst dork. So dressing her up became a somewhat drawn-out process.

Eventually she had accomplished it. She went into the kitchen where her father was already sitting with his breakfast, examining her from head to toe. He didn't comment on her attire which was a good sign - had he not liked it, he would have spoken out loud. But there was nothing to complain about: A dark grey pair of trousers made of durable material and with a slightly wider cut than the skintight pants she used to wear; a longsleeved black top without any markings or decorations on it; her light brown long hair being carefully combed and falling openly over her shoulders. She had even put on matching socks for a change.

Silently Vera grabbed something to eat and sat down at the table with her father. They were used to not talk much in the morning. But when she had taken her seat and Igor looked up from his plate once in a while he only said: "Your first mission today, Vera? Just don't mess up!"

He said no more. He didn't have to. Vera kept grinning. The fact that she had been earning her own money over the last two years by getting blown up in training missions had also made him reluctantly respect her a little. Even her father who used to call her a "little troublemaker" realized that she was growing up and could be trusted with more important tasks. He showed her that he was ready to take her seriously if she managed to behave like it. Of course some mistrust would always remain. For after all he knew Vera well.

During breakfast Vera noticed that her mother had already made preparations before waking her up. Her backpack she always used for trips and travels was standing on the sideboard, halfway open. Vera was able to make out the lids of two unbreakable synthetic bottles already stored in there, and even without taking a closer look Vera was sure that everything else her mother wanted to supply her with had already been put in.

"So when did Mum get up?" Vera then asked. She knew that Helen took great care in planning and preparing for a trip, always spending a lot of time with it.

Igor grunted something incomprehensible. After he had taken a sip of coffee his words came out much clearer: "She had been up almost the entire night, rolling around restlessly. And she has been working in the kitchen for the last two hours."

Vera looked at the clock in astonishment. It wasn't even past eight. She had to have gotten up long before dawn. Like it was actually her who went on this mission, she thought by herself.

Having finished half of her breakfast Vera stood up and took a closer look at the contents of her backpack. After a short glimpse she wondered for how long Helen thought she would be gone. The sheer quantity of food in there could be enough for Vera to survive an entire week at least. Ration packs in all colours and flavours formed the basis, stuff that her father himself used to take on his missions. A box with sugar bars, Vera's favourite sort of sweets, was put next to a large bag with sandwiches and several other pastries, and on top of that she found a small rectangular box. Curiously she opened it to find two pieces of her birthday cake with two synthetic forks with it. Amidst this collection of solid food Helen had managed to store three drinking bottles: two litre bottles with water and chemical supplements helping greatly to quench one's thirst, and a slightly bigger bottle with fruit juice produced by the Lippson farm.

"I thought you might want to give Tammy the cake" Helen explained, arriving at the kitchen herself. "After all she couldn't make it to the party yesterday. That way she can still have a piece of it."

Vera nodded. Good idea, she thought. And the rest of the food should be enough to get all the others at the academy through the day. Cautiously she lifted the backback, letting out a slight groan. All these supplies had quite the weight. Igor called her back to attention: "Before you get occupied with your food for the later day, just finish your breakfast first!"

Moaning, but obedient, Vera trotted back to the table and continued eating. Her parents had breakfast, too, and it seemed to be like any other morning at the Lippson estate. A few words were exchanged, some trivial grown-up topics were discussed. But eventually Vera noticed that there was an unusual silence present here. As if Igor and Helen had trouble uttering every single word they spoke to each other. And when she herself looked up from her plate and into her parents' faces she saw the worried glances they gave each other. Many of these glances were about Vera.

She understood Helen's worries more and more. Even with her being such a young age she had noticed how much her mother cared for her. Not that it didn't please her, no doubt, but there were moments in which she was totally fed up with all the caring. Helen clinged to her daughter, she loved her with all her heart. Vera now growing up and going out on missions as a mercenary seemed to be a thought she had trouble adjusting to.

But even Igor looked worried which baffled her. Maybe his trust in her wasn't as great as she had considered a moment ago. But maybe it was just his own experience that showed him the way Vera was about to take. This mission was harmless, and she wouldn't be alone. She wouldn't have to fight for her life or defend herself, she wouldn't even have to deal with other people. But if this turned out to be a success and Hank started to give her more important and more dangerous tasks...

This thought made her instantly loose her appetite. She pushed her plate to the middle of the table and ignored the puzzled face of her mother. "Can we go now?" she asked.

At the academy Vera and Igor exited the family speeder and got a reception from Hank and Jackson already waiting for them. Vera wore her backpack which after a while didn't feel as heavy anymore as during her breakfast since the weight was distributed sensibly. She had followed Hank's advice concerning durable shoes and had put on the hiking boots her parents had purchased her last year. And a dark blue weatherproof jacket shielded her from the cool morning breeze.

Igor fetched the box with Vera's new combat suit and the glass container with her stun pistol from the speeder. Vera had asked him to put the suit into her locker at the academy. If she would bring herself to wear this stupid nickname on her chest, she'd rather do it at the academy than at home. Taking the gun with him had been Igor's idea. The container would be safely stored within the armory - so Vera couldn't think of really stupid ideas to gain access to it.

"Hello Vera!" she was greeted by Hank. "Nice to see you. Tamelia is waiting for you at your shuttle."

"All right!" Vera called happily and was about to start running to the landing pad to begin her mission. But she had hardly taken three steps before she was overcome with doubt. There was this persistant feeling that she had forgotten something important. Slowly she turned around, looked back at her father and saw disapproval in his face. She was right: She had forgotten something.

Igor instantly turned to Hank and Jackson. "I take it you haven't agreed on the fee for this mission, right?"

The two men looked at him with baffled faces. But not as baffled as Vera herself. "I get money for this?"

"Ehm..." Nervously Hank put one foot next to the other. "Since it is not a training mission..."

"Exactly" Igor confirmed and put his hands on his hips. His stature made it a very impressive pose already. "You are sending my little girl..."

"Whom do you call little?" Vera moaned as a reflex, but Igor wouldn't be irritated by this. "... on a recon mission into no man's land, and you're not even offering her a bounty for it?"

Defensively Hank raised his hands. "In some way it is part of the apprenticeship I have offered Vera. In such a case..." He ended apruptly, seeing Igor's grim face. Slowly he lowered his hands again. "Two hundred?" he then suggested more sheepishly.

Even Vera thought this offer insolent. "I get 150 already for every time wearing the bomb vest!"

"Five hundred" Igor replied calmly, fixating Hank with his gaze. "After all she is my only child."

Jackson looked from one to another, but wisely stayed out of this discussion. But even with his intimidating pose Igor didn't manage to catch Hank off-guard so easily. "It's not a combat mission. Vera will face no danger. Two-fifty."

"Vera will  be outside the academy, hence without protection" Igor countered. "No one will guarantee her safety. Four hundred."

Hank crossed his arms before his chest. "Tamelia will be with her. She knows what she's doing. Three hundred."

Vera observed this discussion with her mouth open. It was like the two man were haggling for her like for a pet or some sort of commodity. She might have found that amusing, had one of these men not been her own father of all people. "Three fifty" she said trenchantly before Igor could react again. "If I don't start my apprenticeship here I want to be able to put some money on the side."

That stopped the discussion in an instant, gaining her surprised looks from all sides. But no one looked as completely stunned as Hank at this moment - he didn't seem to have considered the option that Vera wouldn't be trained by him. So he opened and closed his mouth again and again, being unable to utter one more word. Igor was the first to overcome his shock. "I do think this sounds fair" he backed up Vera's offer.

As Jackson nodded as well and gave Hank a meaningful look he then stopped trying to say something and agreed with a silent nod himself. With some reluctance he stretched his hand out towards Vera and Igor. But not until Igor gave Vera a little push she understood and shook Hanks hand to make the agreement complete. "As soon as I am back I want that code for the gun" she declared as vigorously as before, but this time in Igor's direction.

"Now don't get cocky!" Igor responded in a growl. He wouldn't be foiled that easily. "Now go! Tammy's waiting for you."

So Vera left. On her way to the shuttle she wondered what had just happened there. She had never seen anything like this. On one hand it was great that she would be getting paid a reasonable sum for this task, something she had not even considered. On the other hand she was creeped out by the way her father had talked to and haggled with his own boss. She also felt a little ashamed for the way he had spoken of her. Didn't he trust her after all, seeing her as helpless and in need of protection?

Much later, after a lot of consideration on her part, she would understand that those two men had staged this negotiation just to teach her an important lesson. It was a principle on which Igor Lippson had built his whole career on, and he hoped that Vera would take it to heart like he had: Never go on a mission for free if you can get paid for it!