Tell us who you are and what you do

My name is Victoria Cross and I’m Colonial Prosecutor on Alpha Centauri 2. My husband is Nick Walker, U.F. Marshal, retired.

How did you meet Nick?

In boot camp, San Diego.

You were a Star Marine? Why?

I wanted to be a lawyer, but law school is expensive and I didn’t want to take out a loan that would take me fifty years to repay. The Star Marines were willing to foot the bill in return for a six-year commitment.

Were you ever in combat?

No. I’ve wished a few times that I had been, but people tell me that’s a pretty stupid thing to wish for.

What people?

My husband, Nick.

How did you and Nick get together? In training, or later?

We were in the same training platoon. Each platoon had forty men—well, forty people—and I was one of five girls in the group. That left thirty-five men, and Nick was one of them.

Was it love at first sight?

[short laugh] Not exactly! Have you ever been around a bunch of male recruits? Assholes, all of them! They all think they’re God’s gift to the galaxy, and they all think they’re irresistible to women. At the same time, they feel threatened by female recruits. After all, if a man washes out and the girls don’t, what does that say about his masculinity?

How many washed out?

Four of the girls and almost half the men. By the time we graduated, we had roughly half as many as when we started.

You were the only girl to make it? In spite of the prejudice?

Yes. The men were hazing us all pretty hard, but at least in the beginning there were five of us. By the time the last girl dropped out, I was facing them alone. I found out later they had placed bets on how long we would last.

What was it like being the only girl?

I had never felt so alone in my life. But I couldn’t let them see how much it got to me, and I refused to quit. Not only did I need the Star Marines to get me into law school, I just had too much pride to let those bastards beat me.

Did you ever cry?

[laughs] Are you kidding? Every night. But I never let them catch me at it.

How did you manage that?

Our barrack was segregated. I had separate quarters.

You were all alone, and yet you made it through. How did you do it?

By about six weeks in, the worst of the assholes had washed out. Most of those who were still there actually had a little character about them, and I think they began to see how hard it was for me. As the only girl left, I wasn’t much of a threat to them anymore, and they started helping me.

All of them?

No. Nick was the first one to cave. After a few days, the rest began to follow his lead.

What was your worst moment in boot camp?

That goddamn pond! It was only four feet deep, but we had to swim it without touching the bottom. If your feet touched the bottom, you were gone.

It was a quarter mile across, more than four hundred yards. I was never a strong swimmer, and the water was stagnant and stinky; you almost felt like you might come across a body floating just under the surface. I made it about halfway, and some of the men had crossed it already. I was scared and exhausted, and I knew I would never make it.

But you did…

Yeah. I had stopped swimming and was treading water, trying to keep my feet off the bottom. The men started yelling at me to keep  going, but I just couldn’t.

Then they got quiet, and I knew they realized I was finished. I knew it, too. I had given it all I had, but it wasn’t enough. My dreams of law school were over.

So what happened?

Nick suddenly lunged forward and started screaming at me. He called me a goddamn pussy! I got so mad I wanted to kill him; suddenly all I could think about was getting my hands around his throat, so I started swimming again. I was so mad I forgot how tired I was, and I made it across.

Is that when you fell in love with him?

Not quite, but it was maybe the beginning. Once I realized what he was trying to do, I wasn’t mad anymore. I still had several weeks to go, and it was rough, but he literally saved my career that day. If he hadn’t, I would never have become a lawyer.

When did you know for sure that you loved him?

Maybe two weeks before we graduated. By then we had all made it, assuming we didn’t do something stupid to screw it up, and I had time to think about things. When I put it all together, I knew he was the man I wanted.

Okay, you made it through boot camp and fell in love at the same time. What came after that?

Law school. The Star Marines sent me to Pepperdine, just north of Los Angeles. Nick went to Luna 1 for advanced infantry training.

You were separated.

Right. We tried to keep in touch, but he was gone for nine months and we were both busy, so it got harder and harder.

And then something else happened that broke you up. Tell us about that.

[long pause] No. That’s too personal. I’m not going to talk about that.

Fair enough. Tell us about your law career.

I finished law school in three years, then went to work for the Judge Advocate General, also known as JAG. I was a rookie prosecutor for four years, and when I got my discharge, I was offered a position with the U.F. Attorney’s office. They sent me to Lucaston on Alpha 2.

Were you aware that Walker was also on Alpha 2?

I honestly don’t remember if he was there yet, or still on Sirius 1. Whichever it was, he ended up at Trimmer Springs, about four hundred miles west of Lucaston.

You never ran into each other?

Not right away. It happened a couple of years later, if I remember correctly.

As a government prosecutor, surely you were on the news a lot?

Now and then, but not that often. And lucky for me, Nick rarely watches the news.

Why was that lucky for you?

Our breakup was pretty painful for both of us. I was sure he never wanted to see me again and it was going to be very awkward if we ran into each other. As long as he stayed in Trimmer Springs, it wasn’t much of a problem.

Then something happened. Tell about that.

[sighs] My associate, Brian Godney, got to looking at Nick’s career stats and decided his body count was too high. He found a willing judge and requested a hearing to look into it. My boss was furious, but the judge had appointed Brian special prosecutor and nothing could be done until the hearing was over.

And you got roped into it?

Yes. I wanted no part of it, but my boss told me that maybe I could actually help Nick if I was on the prosecution team. So I did it.

That’s when you and Nick met again?

Yes, in the courtroom.

Then something dramatic happened…

[laughs] You could say that. The first day of the hearing was pretty awkward, but that night when Brian and I were mapping strategy for the next day, he accused me of being jealous of him! I was already angry about the hearing and that was the final straw. The next day in court I quit my job and offered Nick my services to defend him.

You rattled a lot of cages with that move!

I guess it was unprecedented. Brian went ballistic, but it didn’t help him. And I beat his socks off in court.

Were you and Nick back together at that point?

No. Nick was involved with a woman named Susanne Norgaard. She was a native of Vega 3, which has the most stunning women in the galaxy. No way I could compete with her. [another sigh] Without going into too much detail, Suzanne died before the case was over and Nick lost his job because the judge also died and his replacement was a hard-ass who hated just about everyone in law enforcement.

While all this was going on, Nick was trying to catch a terrorist who was blowing people up, but the guy got away and Nick spent the next two years hunting him. On his own.

In the interest of time, let’s not get too far afield here. How did you and Nick become an item again?

While Nick was chasing the terrorist, I did the same thing electronically. I used subpoenas to track his starship…flight plans, fuel stops, stuff like that…and figured out that he was probably on Tau Ceti 4. I contacted Nick and told him where to look, and we went after the terrorist together. It was during that mission that Nick and I gradually settled our differences.

And now you’re married.

Yes, and we have two boys. I really never thought it would happen, but sometimes adversity works in your favor. It certainly has for me.

Any final thoughts? Anything you would like to share?

[pause] Just that it’s been quite a ride, I guess. And it’s not over. We’ve both suffered trauma and heartaches, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Back