'Beyda,' Instructor Antonov barked the final name. 'The rest of you will be on red team. All leave has been cancelled so pack a survival kit and report to your stations. Yellow team leaves by sea from the west dock, Blue by air from gate twelve and Red stays at the Academy. You have thirty minutes people!'

'Hey,' Bruce slung a friendly arm around Kallan's shoulders as they started toward the exit, 'looks like we get to spend some quality time together, Cadet James.' Expressively he looked to the horizon which didn't exist and waved his hand in the air. 'Boat ride into the sunset, tropical island destination, what more could we ask for.'

'For the next ten days,' Luc Reaux chipped in, crowding Kallan's left side, 'we'll be doing our survival training on some remote and inaccessible south pacific island. It might be considered romantic by some.'

'Each team of fifty,' Kallan shrugged off the limb and refused to be drawn, 'will be further split into platoons of ten. The object is to get your share of the limited resources, make do with the assets you find in your environment and keep your fellow cadets cohesive enough to survive without a distress call. It's a test of everything we've learnt in the last twenty two weeks. At the end of this practical assessment we'll lose more classmates who won't be able to cope with the reality of becoming an IRO officer.'

'Wow,' Bruce commented as she stormed away, leaving five stunned men in her wake. Only Dylan didn't seem shocked by her out of character flare-up.

'I know she's dedicated,' Luc added watching Dylan's calm reaction. He seemed to be the only male keeping his distance, 'but I wonder if being assigned without you has something to do with her mood.'

The group looked expectantly at Dylan for an answer. Shrugging, he offered, 'Leila Reeves dropped out yesterday.' It did the trick, taking the focus off being the only one of their close knit group who'd been assigned to another coloured team.

'Oh,' Tiny muttered, 'no wonder Kallan's in a bad mood. She's been spending a lot of time trying to make sure it didn't happen.'

'So what about you, Beyda,' Chadapa questioned, 'I can't believe they assigned you to blue.'

'Lee Wu, third in our class ranking is in Red,' he offered, watching while the pennies drop.

'So,' Luc analysed the situation, 'you think that's how they separated us into groups.'

'Kallan first,' Bruce counted on his fingers, 'Dylan close, but second none the less.' Teasing his friend, he concluded, 'Lee third. That leaves fourth placed Luc back in yellow. I can appreciate the logic and our illustrious leader.'

'Just don't appreciate her too much,' Dylan stated in a dry tone, 'a third year cadet tried to get fresh with her at the end of exam party Friday night.'

'I heard about that,' Tiny whistled in appreciation, 'I can't believe Kallan actually went. She hates them more than you.'

'First time for everything,' Luc teased. 'Maybe it had something to do with Dylan's attachment to Senior Cadet Charleston.'

Dylan made a face, indicating his inability to get away from the situation which hadn't appealed to him in the least.

'Or maybe Dylan went to save Kallan's honour from oath at least twice her size,' Tiny returned good-naturedly.

'She dropped him like a stone when he…ah…contacted a body part she felt strongly about,' Dylan managed with only the slightest of smiles, 'Kallan doesn't need anyone to defend her honour.'

'Wish I'd been there to see that,' Bruce added.

'You,' Dylan's rare streak of amusement hit, 'were otherwise engaged.'

'Yeh,' Bruce didn't sound at all embarrassed, 'leaving you the opportunity to spend the night with Kallan.'

'What?' the rest of the group suddenly became interested.

'Because I haven't been assigned a new roommate since Taro left,' Dylan offered, realising that would only start rumours. Grinning he paused long enough to get everyone's complete attention before firing his final volley. 'Where did you expect Cadet James to sleep,' Dylan asked in a logical tone laced liberally with sarcasm, 'with you and her roommate using Kallan's bunk for entertainment.'

'Eeeuw,' the rest of the group chastised the brash Australian. At the same time they didn't want to know how Dylan and Kallan discovered the fact.

'Are you still here?' Lt Antonov roared, surprising the milling cadets. He had a habit of sneaking up silently and listening in to conversations.

They scattered in a hurry. Rubbing his chin, he wondered if he should put Beyda and James on report for the overheard conversation. It sounded innocent enough but you never could tell with hormone driven teenagers, and it'd ruin their perfect records and reputations. Laughing at his folly, he wondered at the pair. They were so competitive. From everything he'd witnessed over the first semester, they formed a close bond but he'd never seen an inappropriate gesture or an improper caress signifying a more intimate association between them. If they were hiding a sexual relationship, they'd done a spectacular job of keeping it concealed and he admired them in that case.

Twenty minutes later, Kallan stood on the pier, surrounded by the group of Cadets she'd come think of as her close friends. Tiny on one side, Chadapa and Valesh talking to each other in Hindi on the other, they waited for further instructions with Luc and Bruce.

'Five launches,' Luc observed.

'Fifty one of us,' Kallan commented to the others as her active, intelligent mind worked out the best way to split the group. Of the fifteen women remaining in the freshman year, they'd been divided evenly among the colours. 'Teams of ten,' she concluded. 'There's only a small chance we'll be assigned together.'

'Listen up, Cadets,' an instructor they'd never seen before appeared behind them. Pointing to the first boat he stated, 'your survival gear's on board. The skipper will take you to your destination, help you unload and return for you in ten days. Able, Cottee, Huxtable, Ito, Kahn, Malik, Mercado, Pareira, Satori and Wang, team one. Load your gear and go.'

The named cadets, all male, push their way through the milling crowd. Kallan noticed the female contingent stood together as a cohesive group. Bruce, Chadapa and Luc ended up in the third cluster with all five female cadets. Realising it to be a good choice for both male and female members, Kallan wondered who'd selected that team. A lot of thought had gone into the choices. Valesh became assigned to the seventh team, leaving Kallan standing on the dock beside Tiny.

'Odenga,' the Instructor called the final name in the ninth group.

'Kallan,' Tiny lamented, looking at the male cadets she be forced to spend the next ten days with.

'I'll survive,' she reassured the big man still standing at her side.

'No,' he shook his head, 'you won't and I won't let you go with the likes of Symmes and Yancy. I promised Dylan I'd keep you safe. I'm not sure what is or isn't going on between you two, but I agree with him on this one. There are certain individuals I wouldn't allow any of the girls to be trapped with, especially you.'

'Sir,' he shouted, gaining the young Lt's attention. Not one of their usual trainers, he looked surprised to be questioned. 'I'm sorry sir, but is Cadet James in the last group?'

Glancing down at his board, he looked at the names. Counting ten, then realising twelve stood on the dock, he asked, 'which one of you is James.'

Raising her hand, Kallan felt her heart in her mouth. Symmes and Yancy, both intelligent enough to keep their chauvinistic opinions and wandering hands out of the Instructors notice hadn't scored a single reprimand although they deserved several. Not one of the female cadets remaining in the freshman year wanted anything to do with the pair. In fact they tried never to be around the somewhat brash and crude individuals when alone.

'Looks like you don't listen very well,' he chastised, eyeing Kallan suspiciously, 'you're not in Yellow. Report to Lt Antonov. He's at gate twelve in the aerodrome.' Stunned by the sudden change, Kallan stood stock still. 'Didn't you hear my order,' he growled, 'get a move on. Or are you hoping I'll change my mind and let you go on vacation with your boyfriend.'

She heard Yancy snicker and poke Symmes in the ribs. Glancing at Tiny, Kallan winked at him. Mistaking the thank you gesture for a good bye between lovers, the instructor barked, 'on the double.' She marched quick time, out of the officer's range.

'Lt Antonov,' Kallan panted, arriving out of breath at the departure gate.

'What,' he looked down at the slip of a girl, 'are you doing in my team?' Expecting an answer, he realised the cadet didn't have the capacity. 'Doesn't matter, get on board. I'll assign you to a troop once we're in the air. You're lucky, another fifteen seconds and we'd have closed the lock.'

Ducking into the shuttle, she spotted a seat not far from the back. Slipping into it, surprised brown eyes met green. A smile erupted on both faces. Waiting until the bird accelerated into the air and Kallan managed to catch her breath, Dylan finally asked 'how?'

'I can thank you for this, and Tiny,' she grinned, concluded a short version a few minutes later, 'Tiny saved me from spending the next ten days with the spider brothers.'

'I want,' Lt Antonov stood in the aisle listening. Once again he'd managed to be in the right place at the right time to capture the content of the conversation. A graduate of the academy, he understood the gender inequality that went unreported. Waiting for the perfect opportunity, he demanded, 'a full report on my desk not more than three days after we return from this training exercise. That behaviour towards the female complement is unacceptable.'

'Sir,' Kallan couldn't help the sigh, 'I've chosen my friendship well, encouraged the other female cadets to do the same and managed to avoid trouble. I won't be able to corroborate any of my accusations.'

'Yes you will,' Dylan piped up, a serious expression covering his face, 'because I'll back you up. Once the others we usually hang out with know, they'll be willing to officially report the behaviour of those two in the locker rooms. I told you, there are some of us willing to defend a woman's honour rather than deflate it.'

'This,' Lt Antonov's brow furrowed, 'isn't an isolated incident.' Suddenly the friendship between these two, and the seemly mismatched group they associated with, made a lot more sense.

'I'm afraid not sir,' Kallan managed through gritted teeth, remembering Leila's ordeal, 'but I've never given anyone the opportunity to act inappropriately with me.'

'I heard about your incident Friday night,' Mikael Antonov considered, 'seems you can take care of yourself, however I'm not about to put any of the female cadets under my command in danger. Originally I'd planned to assign women to the same platoon. In your case,' he offered, 'I'd be willing to let you stay with Beyda. I can see why you've developed such a strong friendship.'

'Thank you sir,' Kallan answered, trying to hide her astounded elation. Too many ears surrounded them to allow her natural reaction.

'Don't thank me,' Antonov returned aware his decision might cause trouble, 'it comes as a cost for the both of you. If you really want to be Thunderbird Captain's, you're going to hold the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people in your hand on every mission. So your training starts now. You know your fellow cadets better than anyone else,' he stated, handing them the troop lists on an electronic data pad, 'I'm making you responsible for dividing them into five teams. The two of you will camp with me. Your assignment, to maintain the safety and integrity of every individual, ensuring they pass the survival training.'

'That,' Dylan swallowed audibly, 'is a big responsibility.'

Gaining his attention with a glance, Kallan's determined voice added, 'but one we'd take every day if we reach our goal. We can do this.'

'You have twenty minutes until be land,' Antonov supplied, 'to finalise your decision. You can use the galley to discuss your choices.'

'We need to assign the women first,' Dylan suggested in a hushed tone. Glancing at his classmates moving around the cabin, he noticed several trying not to watch them. Word of the new assignment travelled quickly, ostracising Cadets James and Beyda. 'The question is, all together, or separately.'

'Pairs,' Kallan stated, moving the names on the screen. 'This way,' she added two names to each troop, 'they stay safe but don't feel like they're getting special treatment.'

'What about team leaders?' he asked. 'Whether they like it or not, someone needs to be in charge. Wouldn't it be better to pre-assign the role?'

'I agree. In the real world, the responsibility would automatically fall to the highest ranking officer. Jacinta Gonzalez has the initiative to be in charge,' Kallan stated, 'along with these.' Moving several names to one side, Dylan approved her assessment.

'So, Brown, De Silver, Gonzalez, McMillian and Reinhardt as leaders,' Dylan nodded his acceptance.

'These,' Kallan pulled out four names, 'are going to cause trouble, and these,' she selected three more, 'I'm worried about their ability to cope.'

'These,' Dylan's experience in the male locker rooms gave him insight, 'are not to be assigned to groups with women in them.'

'Really,' Kallan would never have guess at one of them.

'Trust me,' Dylan's brown orbs filled with anger. 'So what do you think of this,' he suggested, moving names around with speed.

'No,' Kallan shook her head, changing five names, 'part of our overall goal is to keep everyone safe and help them to pass this test. These two are proactive in protecting the weaker in their team. That way we have the trouble makers spread over all the teams and more easily managed.'

Allowing them several minutes to study their plan, Lt Antonov approached them. 'Finished?'

'I think so, Sir,' Kallan offered the data pad. 'My biggest concern is the separation of Dylan and myself from the main body of Cadets. It's going to place us in an awkward position with our classmates when this is over.'

'Kallan,' Dylan answered, 'we've been given an opportunity.'

'It's going to single us out, Dylan,' she stated, 'more so than being at the head of the class.'

'You did that,' he's analysed the situation, 'inadvertently the moment you came aboard, so let's make it work for us, not against us.'

'Very astute of you,' Antonov couldn't hold back a slight smile. 'I can see why you've placed first and second in your class. Return to your seats, we'll be landing shortly. Then the work will start.'