Chapter 55

Skylar found Lina waiting outside the simulation room five minutes before their lesson was supposed to begin. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed and head on the smooth metal with her eyes closed. He slowly approached her, having had the few minutes it took to reach the training room to think of what he was going to say. But all thought of how to apologize for their argument left his mind as soon as he saw her.

“Lina.” He cleared his throat. She opened her eyes for a moment to look at him before closing them again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you back there. There wasn’t anything wrong with you wanting to ask me about that. After all, we have been practically inseparable since we got here. I just would have preferred a more private setting.”

“No, you were right.” She sighed and pushed herself off the wall. “You deserve privacy. There was no reason to go snooping, especially on my best friend. I promise it won’t happen again.”

“So, we’re still friends then?” Skylar asked automatically.

“Of course, you idiot.” She smiled at him before wrapping her arms tightly around his middle. “We’re in this together, no matter what happens.”

He returned the hug. Part of him had been worried that she would never want to talk to him again. Even though it had been no more than an hour since their argument, relief flooded through him. It felt as if a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders.

After several moments, he released her and took a step back. She glanced down the corridor behind him before raising her hand in greeting. A few moments later, Skylar heard the patter of feet that could only be Keith rushing up to meet them. He turned to see the boy rushing up to them, datapad clutched in one hand.

“Hi Lina!” His excitement was contagious; Skylar felt himself smiling in spite of himself. “What cool flying tricks do you have planned today, Skylar?”

Before Skylar could reply, the door hissed open and one of the instructors, an older man with a completely bald head named Major Schiele, stepped out. He looked over the three of them for a moment. His nostrils flared as he stared down at them. An unpleasant smile dominated the lower part of his face.

“In,” he said. His voice sounded like a starfighter engine in the quiet corridor. When they entered, he turned on his heel and followed them, the door shutting with a whoosh behind him.

The interior of the room was the same nondescript with a bay of electronics on one side, three lounge chairs nearer the center, and then a rack of plain white towels at the other side. A virtual reality headset connected to the electronics sat ready for Keith on the chair nearest the door.

As they all clambered onto the chairs and made themselves ready for the simulation training, Schiele folded his hands behind his back and watched impassively. Skylar felt a knot form in his stomach, worried about what the man was going to say or do to them.

“Today, we are going to be trying something different,” Schiele said, looking them each over. The headset sat on Keith’s forehead, waiting to be pulled down over his eyes. “By order of General Zorn, Cadet Guezal rather than Cadet Reid will be squadron leader for the day.”

All of them gaped at the man for a few moments. At first, Skylar didn’t know what to say. Judging by the looks on Lina’s and Keith’s faces, they didn’t either. For the past year, he had been the one to be squadron leader because it was determined he was the overall best candidate for it out of the members of their squad, before Keith had been assigned to it. Finally, it was Skylar that did break the silence.

“Did he say why the change was made, sir?” He fought to keep his voice calm and barely succeeded. There was no point in getting angry, but that still didn’t stop his breathing from quickening. His arms started to shake no matter how much he tried to prevent it.

“The commandant does not need to explain his actions to filth such as yourself, Cadet Reid.” Schiele paced in front of them, refusing to look anywhere but straight ahead. When he reached one end of the room, he turned and slowly paced back the way he came. “But he indicated his hope that if orders came from someone you actually seem to care about—since you don’t seem to care when they come from the Command Center—that you would actually follow them.”

“I follow orders fine.” Skylar’s teeth were so tight together, the words came out as nothing more than a low growl. He felt the other two staring at him, and it didn’t take long for Lina’s message to come through to his CAM.

<Calm,> she said, just like that day with Zorn.

<Easy for you to say,> he replied, glad the message couldn’t transmit emotion due to their age. <You’re not the one that has to deal with this bullshit all the time.>

<I’ve been by your side for it all though.>

He dismissed the message and returned his focus to Schiele.

“Cadet Reid will remember to address his superiors by either their title or ‘sir’.” Schiele stopped pacing in front of Skylar and stared directly at him. “If another reminder is needed, it will be accompanied by punishment. Now, if there is a marked improvement in performance, the change in squadron leader will be made permanent. If not, the performance of the cadets in question will be further analyzed for whether more drastic action needs to be taken.”

“Has there been something wrong with our performance, sir?” Skylar knew the sarcasm was clearly evident in his voice, but he didn’t care. “Wouldn’t it be best to tell us what it is so we can improve?”

“The training exercise for today is simple,” Schiele continued, appearing to have not heard Skylar’s question. “A return to the basics to ensure the new squadron leader is familiarized with her new role. A squadron of Druthagar fighters have been spotted heading for a mining platform orbiting a gas giant. You are to eliminate the Druthagar forces with minimal casualties. Assume your positions. The exercise will begin momentarily.”

Schiele strode from the room without another word. Skylar turned to Lina, his mouth dropping open in order to rant about the unfairness of it all when she held up a hand.

“Later,” she hissed at him.

With a sigh, she lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. Skylar watched her for a moment, wondering what Zorn had planned. His insides churned as he slammed his head against the bed. This was just another way of the general trying to exert control over Skylar. Surely, that was it.

The simulation started sooner than expected. One moment he was on the bed, waiting, and the next he was in the virtual cockpit of the starfighter. It took some time to get used to following Lina’s commands instead of giving them himself, but, eventually, he fell into the rhythm she set. Their formations were picture perfect from what he could tell. Each of their objectives were accomplished with ease.

The worst part, however, was that he didn’t feel pushed or motivated throughout it. Without being able to rush to the front, bobbing and weaving between enemy fighters and missiles, the whole training felt bland. Sure, there was an adrenaline rush, but that was to be expected. It wasn’t anything like what it typically was. He frequently felt himself growing bored in the cockpit.

Before he knew it, the simulation training was over, and he found himself sitting on the bed again. Where normally his hair would be slick with sweat, there was now not a drop of moisture. His heart rate felt hardly above resting. He looked over to the other two to find Lina smiling slightly and Keith taking off his headset. The latter’s hair stuck up in all directions and appeared wet. Major Schiele stood on the opposite side of the room, looking them over like a tiger getting ready to strike its prey. Finally, he cleared his throat and pulled a datapad from behind his back.

“A near perfect training.” The major looked down at the reports on the datapad as he paced in front of them. “There were a few points just a hair out of place, but that is to be expected for a new squadron leader’s first time. Overall, well done, Cadet Guezal. Dismissed.”

Lina’s face turned red as Schiele left the room. Skylar stood and grabbed a towel, pretending to mop sweat off his forehead despite being very aware there was none. He heard shuffling behind him as Keith finished pulling off his gloves.

“Well done, Lina.” Skylar knew his voice sounded insincere. He faced the wall, unwilling to turn to look at her. “Good job as leader.”

“I didn’t ask for that, Skylar.” Her voice sounded as if it came from right behind him. A hand landed on his shoulder, but he brushed it away. “If it were up to me, I’d be perfectly happy with you leading us.”

“Sure.” Skylar tried to stop himself from scoffing but failed. He balled up the towel and slammed it into the used bin. From somewhere he couldn’t exactly explain or pinpoint, anger welled up from within him. Not just anger. Jealousy. Flying was supposed to be the one thing he was good at. But now that was being taken away from him.

“Listen.” Lina grabbed his shoulder roughly and spun him around to face her. Holding him in place, she looked him in the eye. “This is just their way of trying to upset you. Don’t let them realize how much this is getting to you. They change squadron leaders all the time in the other groups from what I’ve heard. So don’t feel bad that it’s finally happened to you. That doesn’t make you any less than you were.”

This book was originally published on NovelPhoenix. Check it out there for the real experience.

Skylar mulled over her words. She was right, after all. He also heard of the squads being mixed up as a way of testing each cadet’s potential. If the Hyperions really wanted to take away flying, surely there would be better ways than just taking away his leadership position. Still, the sting of its suddenness stabbed into him like a jagged dagger.

“You’re right.” Skylar sighed and forced a smile. He was surprised and pleased to find, however, he did not need to fake the sincerity in his voice. “Plus, I should be happy for you. Congratulations, and good job. For real this time.”

Lina smiled and squeezed his shoulder before releasing him and grabbing a towel. She leaned against the wall as she mopped the sweat from her forehead.

“I gotta say, it was more stressful than I thought. You always make it seem so easy.”

“Well,” Skylar said, feeling his face flush slightly, “it’s not that difficult when I don’t listen to what they’re saying and just do what I want. You were actually following their orders.”

“What happened to your cool flying, Skylar?” Keith asked as he put the headset and gloves back into the rack of equipment.

“The Hyperions couldn’t handle it.” Skylar walked to the door, ruffling Keith’s hair as he went. “Besides, I don’t want to show them all my secrets.”

Skylar and Lina made their way from the simulation room, waving bye to Keith who started down the corridor in the opposite direction. They headed in the direction of the mess hall. Skylar’s stomach gave a loud grumble, and he hastily placed his hand against it in a futile attempt at stifling it.

“You wouldn’t be so hungry if you hadn’t skipped breakfast,” she teased, though she kept one eye on him to gauge his reaction. When he didn’t blow up at her, she seemed to relax slightly.

“I’m sorry about all that. I just…”

“Want to stand out in a way you can control,” she whispered, finishing his thought. “You’re ostracized because of something you have no way of changing, so you hope that you can make a difference by finding some other way to make a name for yourself.”

“Something like that.” Skylar, for a moment, found it unbelievable she was able to succinctly sum up his thoughts on the matter. Then he remembered how they had been by each others’ sides for the last six years. And then it wasn’t as far fetched as it originally seemed. “I promise to try to do better. I’m even going to be eating lunch today with that mystery girl.”

“What do you mean, ‘mystery girl?’” Lina asked. Then she feigned a gasp of shock, pushing his shoulder gently. “A lunch date! Does this mean you finally have a girlfriend?”

Her cackle filled the corridor, sending some younger cadets jogging away with frightened glances back at her. She stared at them as they went, a delighted smile touching the corners of her lips.

“Very funny, Lina. Very mature. It’s not like that.” As he said the words, he remembered how Mian had called it a date. Part of him wondered what exactly she meant by that. “It’s that girl I mentioned before. The one I didn’t know where she came from, and you thought she must be a new recruit. After I stormed out of the mess, I found her in our dormitory. She said she’s been here the entire time we have been.”

Lina seemed to mull the words over. He wasn’t sure exactly what kind of reaction he was hoping to get out of her. Shock, perhaps. Confusion. Maybe he wanted her to agree with him on how impossible the whole situation was.

“It’s possible, I suppose.” She shrugged as they reached the lifts that would bring them to the same floor as the mess hall. “Can’t keep track of everyone, now can we?”

“But, Lina.” He fought to keep the exasperation out of his voice. The doors hissed open. Two boys stepped off, bumping roughly into Skylar, while another, timid looking girl stayed on the lift. Lina and Skylar stepped on, prompting him to lower his voice. “I’d think we would have noticed this girl if she had been here this whole time. I may not talk to any of the people in there, but I at least know what they look like. And I never saw her before about a month ago. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Sometimes we’re blinded to random things in life. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”

The door opened again on the mess hall floor. Ahead of them was a small line of chattering cadets of varying ages making its way into the room. Lina poked him in the side.

“So, did she say when she was meeting you?”

“Not exactly,” Skylar replied, thinking back to their brief encounter. “Just lunch.”

“I’ll make sure I leave you two alone. Don’t want her getting the wrong idea about me, you know?” She winked and nudged him. “After all, this is your first date. Oh, there she is.”

Before he had a chance to issue a rebuttal, Lina pointed across the room to a table against one of the walls. Mian sat alone with a tray of food, a glass of water, and her datapad on the table. She took slow, small bites and swiped between pages on the tablet. For some reason, Skylar felt like his stomach was going to leap out of his body and run from the mess hall.

“I’ll find somewhere else to sit today,” Lina said. “Don’t worry, though, I’ll keep an eye on you to make sure you’re okay.”

“I hardly think I need a bodyguard, Lina.” Skylar couldn’t help but smile though it felt like it may have come out as more of a grimace.

“Not a bodyguard.” She straightened up and assumed a posh demeanor, as if she were a butler. “I think of myself as more of a chaperone.”

They reached the front of the line and received their trays and food, at which point Lina broke off to a table near the center of the room. Skylar stood there, suddenly feeling very self confident about eating with Mian. His breath caught in his throat. Perhaps he could run from the hall, though his legs felt like they were bolted to the ground. It wasn’t that far to the door, and it didn’t seem like Mian had noticed him yet. If he just snuck to the door…

<Get a move on.> Lina’s message startled him, nearly causing him to jump in place. <She’s waiting for you.>

Skylar looked and saw Mian looking over at him, a curious look on her face. But she was also smiling at him. He took a deep breath and, one step after another, walked over to her table. Several pairs of staring eyes and the occasional mutter from the other cadets followed him.

“You feeling alright?” she asked, setting her fork down on her tray and folding her arms in front of her. “It looks like you’re about to explode.”

“Just…” As he started the sentence, he wasn’t exactly sure what his plan was to finish it. He didn’t think it was a good idea to tell her he was nervous to talk to her. Instead, he took a breath and used sitting down as an excuse to delay the answer. “Just a lot on my mind.”

“I’m sure,” she said, sympathy hanging on each word. She nodded towards one of the tables pointing and staring at the two of them. “I suppose I put a target on my back just like the friend you walked in with, didn’t I?”

“Most of them are nothing more than bark anyway. I’d watch out for Maxwell Dietrich and his oafs though.”

“Have you thought about fighting back?” She twirled her fork in her hand as she stared at him.

“What do you mean?” Skylar stopped with a forkful of chicken and potatoes halfway to his mouth.

“You know, showing them you can’t be picked on. No offense, but they go after you because you make it easy for them. If they knew you weren’t a pushover, they’d be less likely to choose you and move on to someone else.”

“It’s been six years of torture.” He shoved the food into his mouth and chewed it slowly. “I doubt one time of fighting back would make a difference.”

“Probably not.” She brandished her own fork of food towards him. “But if you do it once, it makes it that much easier to do it again. Plus, they’ll think twice the next time.”

“I’ll think about it. I’m much better at flying than fighting though.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen some of your statistics in my flying classes. You have more confirmed ‘kills’ than anyone else.” As Mian spoke, he started smiling at the fact she knew that off the top of her head. Then she continued, “More confirmed ‘deaths’ than anyone else too. But they do use some of your better stunts as examples.”

“Good examples or bad examples?” he asked, chuckling.

“Depends on how you did that day.” She laughed, filling the air around them with the sweet sound. “I’ve been told I’m not half bad myself, but I have a long way to go.”

“What kind of stats do you have in the simulators?” He sat back, happy to have a conversation he could contribute to.

“Oh, nowhere near as good as yours. I’d really put myself about average, so I try to get in extra training when I can. Hand-to-hand combat is more my speed, so if you need any pointers, I could help you out there.”

“I might take you up on that.” His thoughts wandered to the second time he had seen her, when she was getting tips from Lieutenant Ramsland.

Skylar looked at her in silence for a few seconds that seemed to drag into an eternity. So far, she was nothing like he expected, though he wasn’t sure exactly what he was expected. Looking closer, he noticed a small scar just beneath her left eye. She kept her gaze trained on her food as she continued eating.

“So, you’ve been here six years, huh?” Skylar asked. Mian nodded her affirmation, sipping on her water. “Are you from Stariek then?”

She hesitated as she kept drinking, though the water level in the glass did not seem to be diminishing. A few moments passed before she gulped. Then she slowly lowered the cup to the table. It hit the metal top with a clink.

“No, actually. I’m from Hyperia. My parents are low ranking government officials there. Something to do with the Appropriations Committee for the Empire.”

“So they’re part of the reason I’m here then. Why we’re all here.” Skylar strained to keep the resentment of the accusation out of his voice. Judging by the look on her face, he knew it didn’t work.

“They actually voted against the invasion of Stariek,” Mian whispered, spearing a gray piece of chicken with her fork without looking up at him. She forced it into her mouth and chewed for a several silent seconds before swallowing and saying, “From what I understand, it’s why I was sent here.”

“Oh.” Skylar’s throat suddenly tightened, and he took a bite of his own chicken, though the action was more automatic than intentional. “I guess I sort of jumped the gun a little there, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Mian waved the question away and looked back up at him. “I don’t blame you for being upset. You’ve been through a lot, more than I think most of the people here.”

“I suppose I have.” He shrugged. The thought hadn’t occurred to him before, but its veracity as she said it was unquestionable. “But that still doesn’t mean I should be rude to you, especially when I’ve just met you.”

“You didn’t mean to be. Plus, you apologized immediately after. I think that matters more in the long run. You could’ve doubled down, but you didn’t.”

“I suppose.” He looked around the room and found many of the other tables still staring at the two of them. Some turned away as he noticed them while others smirked and continued gazing. With a sigh, Skylar shook his head and returned his attention to Mian. “So, what do you do for fun?”

As soon as the question left his mouth, he realized how stupid he sounded and wished he could have smacked his forehead. Then she smiled at him, took a sip of her water, and folded her hands in front of her.

“Oh, a bit of this, a bit of that…”

Their conversation continued for he next half hour, long past the point of their food having been eaten. It only ended when the bell signaling the start of their next period went off, and they went their separate ways. Lina smirked at Skylar as he met up with her on his way to their simulation training but otherwise said or did nothing.

“What?” he asked her.

“Oh, nothing.” She spoke with an airy tone. “Just noticed that you haven’t stopped smiling since we left the mess hall.”

Skylar felt his cheeks flush as the sudden realization he was smiling hit him. Instead of replying, he looked away and down at his feet. He couldn’t wait to meet up with Mian.