CHAPTER 26 LEE
THEIR WORLD was shaken up even more the following week, by another fun reminder that arrived during their morning trainings:
Placement deadlines were coming up.
Yet another parameter to add to the mix.
And with that application due date quickly approaching—it was like his options were being funneled into one of those narrow air purification lines that ran throughout the ship.
But with nowhere to go, they simply churned round, rehashing the same arguments in his head.
He could barely think straight anymore, let alone be trusted to make rational decisions where his future was concerned.
He watched his first year Rads slide through the modicum review he’d set up, covering the concepts from last term with swaggering ease.
It had all seemed so straight-forward back then.
Back before he’d known all that lay outside the ship.
Back before he’d learned there were games and politics involved.
As he’d told Whistler the other day, he’d gotten nowhere with their search on the General. He had no further clues into what he might be up to, or why he’d been after Segura, or how they were supposed to fit into any of this. If he still wanted to fit into any of this…
Only this morning over breakfast, Lee had found reports of that fancy new audit division, AAIR, taking over some imports checkpoint along one of the major star routes.
They had certainly been granted some very liberal accessibilities.
If Lee didn’t know better, he’d say it sounded eerily similar to the rest of the General’s shadow market activity and monitoring of the energy landscape.
But why create a new division for that? What sudden urgency could have arisen to demand such a position be necessary, unless this was also related to Segura’s recent appearance…
Lee shook his head to shake the thought. But that would be much too obsessive, wouldn’t it? General Narron wouldn’t still be after Segura…
He thought about reaching out to Nolan. But that would mean admitting they still questioned the General and the AMG. He didn’t know what sort of red flags that would put on their potential Placement opportunities. No, Nolan had to be a last resort.
Which reminded him. He hadn’t heard back yet on their lab results from their latest raid to De Zolar. They needed to file those soon.
He sent out a quick follow-up before going back to the Commander’s message on Placement deadlines once more.
It stared at him. Here she was, hastening them along, as if they could just ignore what was going on right before their faces.
As if they could ever go back to the way things were before.
As if he wanted to. But then again, Lee wasn’t sure at this point what he wanted.
The alert for the blaster showcase after lunch took over the face of his hyperband. They had the Laser Rounds coming up again, too. Yet one more thing to get behind.
Silencing his notifications, Lee tucked his arms behind his back, settling in for the crawl.
And crawl they did, as he led his cadets back through layer after layer of basic fundamentals, key concepts they should be able to operate without a second thought.
It was a lesson that was useful for his Rads.
Drudgingly dull for his older Xs and Ultras.
But he couldn’t help it. These were the future of their galaxy.
Pretty soon he would be gone and they would be on their own to shape their futures, and decide what to make of them when the ground was pulled out from underneath them.
He knew too well how quickly things could change overnight.
“I think my brain has been fried like those chickpeas they served at dinner last night,” Kiara complained as she and Nikola walked out from that last training with Lee.
“I believe technically when the dish is prepared that way it’s called falafel,” Nikola explained.
“I don’t think you realize how hungry I am after that doozy of a lesson. No offense Waters.”
“None taken,” Lee said, already bracing himself for the onslaught of the Canteen as they fell into line alongside a few of the other Gammas.
“Sup, Waters.” They nodded to him as Sean launched into his Placement news.
“Did you guys submit yours yet? I just finished mine this morning, Sector V,” he announced proudly. “Completed the application right before that reminder went out. Mine was probably the one that spurred the Commander.”
Lee rolled his eyes, Flyn seeming to do the same as Marco took the bait with his subtle accent. “I wonder who she’s even waiting on, I submitted mine over a week ago. What about you, Waters? Where did you request Placement?”
“Eh.” Lee pasted a faintly amused expression to his face as he pretended to toy with them.
“We all know where he and Hanneman are headed,” Flyn said, cutting in. “Sector XVII.” He clapped Lee on the back. “I’m applying too, hopefully you save some posts for the rest of us.”
“Right,” Lee said, shooting them a tight grin. He feigned interest as best he could as Marco told them about the post he’d applied for over another of the sectors, some industrial oversight, grateful to give himself over to loading a tray when they reached the food.
Kat was waiting for him when he got to their table with Kiara and Nikola. “Congratulations, Hanneman,” Flyn called after them, splitting off to his own table.
“Should I know what that means?” Kat asked, glancing back behind them.
“Nah. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Commander Kat Hanneman.
That dream wasn’t so far off from where she was sitting. Fearless and uninhibited—provided she didn’t get pulled down too deep in the chaos with the AMG…
She shrugged, snapping up a few of the green bean fries from his tray.
“So I’m guessing you got the reminder about applications today?” she asked when they’d slipped around the other side of the table.
“I was just talking with the guys about that.”
“Should we talk about our applications?” she asked, eyes very carefully finding a speck on the table.
“I don’t really think it’s necessary right now,” Lee said, also finding a speck of interest to monitor.
“Right. Me neither,” she said quickly. But he could hear the slight tremor in her voice.
“But if we were to talk about them,” he said, carefully backtracking, “I suppose we’d want to make sure we had our alternative posts aligned, just in case?”
“You really think there’s a chance they don’t put us exactly where we apply? Have you seen our rankings?”
Lee shrugged. “Always the chance. Dad would probably tell me it’s smart to have a backup plan anyway…
” Which wasn’t a total fib. While he doubted Thea Waters had ever seriously considered a backup plan for him or his son, it seemed like something sensible his dad could have mentioned sometime in his life.
And on the chance of a delay occurring for one reason or another…
“So, what. We, like, pick some alternatives?” Kat asked. Her ponytail swayed behind her, as astounded by the abstract possibility as she was.
He watched the pendulum slow. “Something like that.”
They picked through his lunch in record time. But even so, the Canteen was already starting to empty out by the time they were standing up.
“Hey, I was going to run my holoblock upstairs really quick before the showcase. Want me to take yours too?” Kat asked.
“Sure, thanks,” he said.
But as he dumped his tray, falling into step with the flood heading back over to the training levels amid even more snippets of conversation about Placement, Lee siphoned off to the side, sighing. Screw it. He couldn’t handle that today.
Changing plans, Lee slipped up into the Hideaway.
It was extra quiet this afternoon. Aside from him and a couple Micros with their heads in their holoblocks catching up on course work, Lee had the place to himself.
He peered out over the railing into the Canteen to watch the stragglers finishing up lunch.
Just to give him something to do, he slipped over to the vending machines.
He didn’t bother to check any of the flavor options as he punched in the code for the skinny can.
“You’re missing the showcase.”
Lee glanced over sidelong as Zane approached, very conscious of how their last conversation had gone and the things to which they’d each admitted. But Zane’s focus was on the contents inside the machine. So bending down swiftly, Lee scooped up his drink. “They’ll live.”
He was going to take his drink up to his dorm, but stopped himself. He didn’t really have anywhere he wanted to be, anyway. “Why aren’t you down there?”
“It’s as you said. They’ll live.” Zane punched in the code for a drink.
“Could hurt your chances with Placement if you dip a few points,” Lee said, testing that tension a bit.
“And yet, I don’t see you scrambling,” Zane fired back as the machine spit his drink out.
“Touché.” Lee tapped his drink against Zane’s. And the two of them stood there in tin-punctured silence as they each cracked their drinks open. There really was no hurry to get anywhere if they weren’t rushing to make the showcase.
“Have you sent in your applications yet?” Zane asked casually, while Lee took a swig. “You have been… quiet, despite the recent turbulence.”
Lee scrutinized the ingredient label. Strawberry, how lovely. But Zane had always been upfront with him. He could be trusted with this.
Lee lowered his drink. “I haven’t.” He wouldn’t speak for Kat—not here, not about this.
Nor about the fact that if he and Kat held out too much longer, there would be no raider future waiting for them at the end of this.
At least not together. Not siphoned along the same path. He sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“You really haven’t decided, have you?” Zane asked, the golden-brown skin of his brow furrowing. “Leland Waters, of all the cadets…”
Lee shot him a look, warning him about slagging his name—especially right now.
“I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“What about you?” Lee cut in.
“Working on it,” Zane said, quietly. And this time it was Lee’s turn to be surprised. He was certain Zane had submitted his application weeks ago. He could only imagine the pressure on his shoulders right now. But then again, he didn’t have to imagine much, they were living the same nightmare.
It was ironic how much of the Academy they’d wasted going at each other’s throats, only to find a whole plain of common ground and shared core values sprawling underneath.
“I’ll watch for your name with graduation,” Zane said as he finished his drink, crushing the skinny can under his boot.
Lee wasn’t entirely sure what to take from that parting comment. What that said about him—about Zane. He was still mulling it over a couple hours later when the Hideaway began to fill up again. The showcase must be over. But he still hadn’t seen Kat.
He checked his hyperband for good measure, but there was nothing there from her. Glancing around him once more, Lee slipped down to the training levels.
He drew in a steady breath before entering the blaster range.
Kat stood alone at the zap-line of one of the farthest lanes. She had her blaster drawn, carefully aimed at one of the targets on the wall. She held it with perfect grip, her hands steady as she released a blast, annihilating the target at the other end with a glittering zap and ping.
She aimed another.
And another.
Decimating target after target as she continued to hold her form.
Padding over on soft feet, Lee sidled over to lean quietly against the waist-high barrier beyond her shoulder. He stood there watching her for another round of blasts. A zapping simmering of light and color.
She’d withheld the next shot, lifting her head just a fraction before he realized she was aware he was here.
“You ditched out on me today.”
Waiting until she’d lowered her blaster, Lee swung himself over the barrier. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he stopped himself a quarter meter away. “I know,” he said.
“Whistler and I cleaned up nicely, even without you. You know, Zane wasn’t there either?”
“Wasn’t he?” Lee asked carefully.
And Lee had no excuses ready for her when Kat whirled suddenly to face him. Her eyes were wild and blazing, her breaths sharp as she peered up at him.
“We’re still doing this, right? You’re taking this seriously? It’s not some big charade we’re stringing along with a floating dream at the end? Like if I fill my application out, if I submit it, yours will be there too?”
“I—Kat—”
And at first he read her face for anger.
The blush flooding her cheeks, a frustration at him for showing signs of hesitation at the plan they’d always talked about.
The dreams they’d devised together. But then he read the fear in her eyes.
This wasn’t about him missing the showcase—not entirely.
This was about her. This was about Kat’s future, and having somewhere safe to stand at the end of this.
She read something in his face, eyes skimming over him, before she nodded, swallowing back the emotion surging head-ward.
“Our applications aren’t technically due for a few more weeks.
We don’t have to make a decision today. Just promise me—if any of this changes, if our plan changes, you’ll let me know? ”
And there was no hesitation as Lee strode towards her.
As he gripped her cheek with his callused hand.
“Of course I’ll let you know. Kat, you don’t get to live out our dream without me.
” He stroked the soft skin with his thumb, tracing gingerly under her eye, collecting the phantom tears that had never poured.
“That’s kind of the point, right? You and me, Intergalactic Explorers. ”
He held her face in his hands, held her eyes with his eyes as the new realization, the new resolve settled over them.
They’d changed. Somewhere along this craze of a year, he and Kat had changed. He knew they’d have to make a decision on Placement before long. They couldn’t very well stare at their applications and make it become a future, just like he couldn’t make it give him the answers he so badly needed.
But the names, and the dream—the dream still fit.