Chapter 13 – Week 5
Space, MHQ, Training Hall. Monday.
The day had started awfully for Scarlet. She was now the Unit's Captain, and even though she had been proud to be chosen for that role, she had learned the downsides of it. Now, everyone in her Unit came to her with irrelevant and stupid questions. Like 'what time is it, Cap?' or 'what's on today's program, Cap?'. She knew they were doing it on purpose, jealous of her higher position over them. She snorted. She was still one of them. The only thing that changed was that she received some information they didn't. And her job was to relay them.
That morning in History class, they had a test on the basics of history dates. Everything from 20'000 BC to 2000 AD. The next test would be from 2000 AD to now. That she could more or less do and remember. But that day's test? Nope. She had hated every minute of it. Especially when the whole network in their class had been turned off against cheating. No going through the web on your tablet, of accessing anything through brain chips or earpieces. They were in what the Military called a Black Hole.
"I wonder why they call it a Black Hole," Daveed had asked, over lunch, after discussing the test and the turned-down network.
Puck finished eating and said, "because it's the only place in the Universe where no one can reach you, and where you can't reach anyone. It's like a bubble."
"Then why not call it The Bubble, then?" Scarlet asked. "It's less ominous."
"Because we're in space, Cap," Zeph said. "Makes more sense."
"Also, Military people have an odd sense of humor," Xian added.
Scarlet sighed. No one used her name anymore. Not even Scarlet or Smith. Only Cap.
After lunch, they all headed to their dorms to change into hand-to-hand combat clothes: skinny 'onesies' that regulated their body temperature and evacuated the heat and humidity of the sweat. Said like that, it wasn't very sexy. But it was actually very comfortable and practical. They didn't have to be careful of sweat circles under their armpits or on their backs. The suit did a good job.
Scarlet arrived in her shared room where Zola was already, pulling on the tight training suit.
"Hey," Scarlet said, greeting the Inidesian.
"Hi," Zola replied. "How's Unit 1, Captain?"
Scarlet nodded and hid her annoyance. "Fine. Yours?"
"Good, too."
Ever since Scarlet had become her Unit's Captain, it had been awkward between the two roommates. Zola had wanted to become Captain of her own Unit, and she was still processing the fact that she wasn't. It had already been more than a week.
Scarlet changed in silence and let go a sigh of relief when Zola left the room before her. If she wanted to have friends again, she needed to lose her position as Captain. And the only way to do that was to do something really wrong. Break the rules. Punch someone in the face.
They were going to have combat lessons with Jinx. Maybe she could try something there? No. A punch in that class would go unnoticed she's had to bid her time and find something else to do. Or maybe things would just smooth over and everything would come back to normal. She'd just have to see how things went.
She pulled on her light training shoes and headed outside. All the boys in her Unit were waiting for her at the intersection of both wings. As soon as they saw her, they started to walk towards the Training hall, leaving her trailing behind.
"You okay, Scar?" someone asked her, making Scarlet jump.
She hadn't heard that nickname on the ship, yet. She looked up to meet Mr-Colored-Hair looking down at her from his six feet height, and his hair was fairly white at the moment.
"Yeah, I think so," she replied shrugging.
"Good," he replied. "So, who are we punching in the face today?"
Scarlet snorted. "That's not how it works, and you know that."
Jack shrugged. "So? You can still land a good punch and call it a day. I mean, it's not called hand-to-hand combat for nothing." He smirked and Scarlet chuckled.
"Not supposed to talk in the halls," Puck hissed at them. "You should know better, Cap."
Scarlet sighed but held her back straighter. "I do whatever the hell I want, Puck. As you said, I'm the Captain."
Jack sniggered and they walked silently to the Training Hall, which was only a couple of minutes away.
Each Unit stood together, talking amongst themselves until Nym Jynx came in.
"Warmup, everyone," she said loud enough for everyone to hear, but not as loud as screaming.
Everyone went about their warmup routine, teaming up by two and doing some exercises. Scarlet teamed up with Jack, and they worked out until both were warm and sweaty. Well, not literally, since their suits made it impossible to sweat.
Professor Jynx went to the wall and pressed a button on a pad, making the floor open and a combat ring rise from underneath the training hall floor. It was six meters long and wide, a perfect square.
"Okay, listen up," she said. "Today we are going to test your endurance in fighting. You will be paired up and will fight with the techniques we've been working on since the beginning." She paused. "On this side of the training hall," she said, pointing to her left, "the winners of the fights. On the other side, the losers." She pressed on another button on the pad and the screen turned on, with the Recruits paired up randomly.
Scarlet found herself against Itxaropen, and she gulped at the sight of the tall girl in front of her. The Xagionite had already shown some nice skills in the previous weeks.
Jynx pressed yet another set of buttons and fifteen other combat rings like the first one appeared from under the floor.
"All right, pair up according to the screen and fight. Winner on the left, losers on the right after that. The screen will give you other pairings according to your results." The pairs went to the rings and set themselves into position to fight. "Start!" Jynx said. She kept track of the pairs on her tablet, noting who won, and the computer did the rest.
"Okay," Scarlet said under her breath. "I can do this."
She and Itxa circled each other like predators, none of them wanting to do the first move.
"Smith, Sustrai!" Jynx called them. "We're falling asleep here, come on!"
Scarlet took a deep breath and braced herself, feeling that Itxa would do the first move. She did, and Scarlet parred easily. Followed a series of moves they had learned in the past weeks, but Scarlet did the first mistake: she broke eye contact and looked at Itxa's legs. She fell on the floor, both shoulders on the ground.
"You lose," Itxa said. She walked away to the left of the room, where her next opponent was waiting for her. Scarlet stayed in the ring, which was on the right side of the hall, and her next opponent faced her. It was Phoebe, who had lost against Echo. They fought, too, and Scarlet won this time. Opponent after opponent, Scarlet and the others were tiring fast. Her pattern of the afternoon was lose-win-lose-win-lose-lose-win-lose-lose-lose. She ended up in the twenty-seventh place on the final scoreboard of the day, while Arris was in the first place in hand to hand combat.
-.-.-
In the ring next to hers and unknown to everyone, Zeph double-tapped his left side temple, saving the image of the scoreboard for this lesson. Maybe he would be able to make sense of the final weekly scoreboard, this time…
-x-x-x-
Outer space, Military Headquarters, Intelligence room. Wednesday.
Echo Vellena felt like she was doing her Academy years all over again. Everything they were going over in every single class was old stuff. She always had a sense of déjà vu, and she usually went through other things to work on during lessons on her tablet. Like quantum physics. If she could be ahead of everyone – especially Solana and Phoebe – in every subject, maybe she could be at the top of the scoreboard. Because ever since this special program had started, she had never been at the very top. Not once. She used to be number one in everything, before. Why not now?
Nova nudged her in the arm. "Pay attention, Echo."
Echo rolled her eyes. But then, she noticed it was Vaughn Dayholt going through the interrogation exercise. He was being interrogated by Sayler Beck, and she was being ruthless on him. Poor Dune Racer boy was completely disoriented by her questions.
Echo snorted. The boy was only used to fangirls worshipping him. Not girls interrogating him to find some dirty shit on him. She smirked and paid closer attention. But the more she listened, the more she realized that there would be nothing juicy on him. He was terrified, but he had nothing to hide. Five years of Academy training had at least taught her to read between the lines. So instead of focusing on the questions and answers, she focused on him.
It was way more interesting than quantum physics, anyway.
He wasn't as cute as Lenny, that was for sure – unless she was just biased – but he had his own charms. How he was stressed and scared brought out his dark brown eyes.
"Shut the fuck up, Vellena," she mentally scolded herself. What was she thinking? Lenny was superior to everyone. There was no way she was pushing away the long-time crush she had on him for a boy she had just met a few weeks ago. No way. She had put too much time and energy in crushing on Lenny, that there was no way she was changing gears about that.
Not yet, anyway.
"Next," Jonah Emrys said, "Cadet Vesper is going to interrogate Cadet Vellena."
Echo hid her surprise well. The fuck? Space Pirate was going to question her? Fine. She'll give her something to chew on. She knew how to do this better than anyone, anyway.
She stood and sat on the interrogation chair.
"Just... one thing," Emrys said. "For good measure." He smirked and tied Echo's wrists to the manacles attached to the table.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Echo burst out. "Dune Boy didn't have manacles!"
"No, but you do," he replied. "Interrogators usually cuff problematic suspects."
Echo grunted, but she gave her wrists nonetheless. She noticed how Phoebe was smirking about the whole thing.
"State your name," Phoebe said.
"Echo."
"Whole name," Phoebe said.
Echo played dumb. She was going to be the most annoying pretend suspect ever. "Vellena."
"Whole. Name."
"Echo Vellena," she said.
"Age and date of birth?" Phoebe asked. It was mandatory protocol to ask simple questions in the beginning. But Echo wouldn't buy into the charade.
"Twenty-three," she said. "Born November 16th, 2211."
"Is it true you were born on VUCCANOE?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes."
"Is it true you're an Academy student?"
"Yes."
"Why? Only ANGELES kids can enter."
Echo shrugged. "I was good enough."
"That's not how it works and you know it Echo," Phoebe said. "What did your dad do to get you in? Who did he f-"
Echo sprang to her feet to jump across the table, but her cuffs held her back. "Take that back, you-"
"Cadet Vesper," Emrys said, cutting the rivals in their interrogation. "This is a very serious exercise. Not a personal vendetta."
"I know!" Phoebe said. "I'm just using the techniques you taught us."
"Like hell you are," Echo said, still standing next to the table. "You're just a jealous little bitch because I'm better than you in everything!"
"Not on the weekly scoreboard," Phoebe said, keeping her calm. "You were always below me."
"Fight!" someone said in the classroom. Echo wasn't sure who it was – probably Vlad or Tommy – and she would gladly punch the space Pirate in the face if she didn't have these fucking manacles on.
"You and I both know the board is wrong," Echo said. "I'm going to cut you," she hissed.
"Okay, that's enough," professor Emrys said. "You're not even trying." He came over to take off Echo's cuffs, and as soon as she was free, she lunged herself at the redhead, sitting on her chest and punched her in the face.
Before she could do any more damage, people held the two girls apart. Echo was screaming insanities at Phoebe and two boys had to hold her back.
"Both of you in solitary," Emrys said. He called backup on his earpiece and four officers came in and manhandled the girls to get them to two different cells.
Echo knew well enough not to resist them, or they'd get additional time. On the other hand, Phoebe was using her daddy card.
"Let go of me!" she yelled. "My dad will know about this. I didn't do anything! She attacked me!"
Echo sniggered to herself. The Daddy's Girl wanted to play the smartest during the interrogation practice? Let's see how she could play this game.
To be honest, the cell section on the Mothership was new to Echo. During five years at the Academy, she had never once been put away, as they called it. Even with all her yelling and ordering around. But maybe the punch had been a bit too much, even though Pheebee deserved it. She had insulted her dad.
One of the officers holding her opened a cell with his fingerprint – his pinky finger, Echo noticed – and pushed her inside. The door closed behind her with a threatening click.
"Well, fuck," Echo said once she was alone. She sat on the single piece of furniture – not counting a small toilet in the corner – which was going to be her bed for the night and sighed. She looked around. There was nothing else. Not even blankets or pillows on the bed.
She lay down with an arm behind her head. If she was going to fall, at least she brought Phoebe down with her. And that was the least she could do. She took out her tablet from her pocket and noticed she couldn't even access the web, let alone turn it on.
"Crap," she muttered. "There must be an annihilator in each cell." She put it back into her pocket and sighed, again. There wasn't much else to do, anyway.
-x-x-x-
Somewhere in Space, military spaceship, computer room. Thursday.
Sayler Beck wasn't particularly fond of computer engineering. Yes, she was decent with it. She had to, being the Captain of the Nautilus and all; everyone needed to know a bit of everything, in addition to their main job.
But listening to the pink-haired nerd talking about how to be nice to computers because they could feel your stress, anger, and fear was a bit too much for her. She listened with one ear while doing something else, like going through messages on her tablet with her Nautilus crew. She had reached out to them a week ago, sending them her contact identification on her personal tablet.
-.-
Captain headass: this class is literally so boring why
Captain headass: i feel like i'm back at the flight academy
Spinning is a good trick (poirot): what a tragedy
+5 healing buff: what class are you in?
Captain headass: comp engineering
Spinning is a good trick (poirot): tf you saying?
Spinning is a good trick (poirot): That's literally the best class
The Mandalorian: ur the only one that thinks that.
Spinning is a good trick (poirot): that is an incorrect statement
Captain headass: disagree Poirot.
Captain headass: also the prof is creepy
+5 healing buff: Is he ugly?
Captain headass: she. Pink hair
Captain headass: very chatty
The Mandalorian: cute
Spinning is a good trick (poirot): please shut up
Captain headass: she tells us comps have souls?
Spinning is a good trick (poirot): more soul than me
+5 healing buff: yeah, that's a little creepy.
Captain headass: the prof? or Poirot?
Captain headass: also how's Nemo?
+5 healing buff: all of the above.
+5 healing buff: Nemo's fine. I think he misses you.
The Mandalorian: nah, he's always been grumpy.
Spinning is a good trick (poirot): good. he misses you, tho.
+5 healing buff: he sleeps on your bed exclusively. Yesterday, he pecked Aryll for trying to sit in your chair.
Captain headass: HAH.
Spinning is a good trick (poirot): how's your Unit?
The Mandalorian: they won't replace us, anyway.
-.-
A tiny beeping sound from her computer made her look at the screen.
JACK'S BD TODAY. JOIN US AT THE U1 TABLE AT LUNCH. SHH. HE DOESN'T KNOW.
Sayler snorted. She checked the date: February first. Good to know. She typed a reply to the last group chat message.
Captain headass: Never. You guys are my family.
"Uhm, Cadet Beck? Salyer? Is that your name?" Professor Ellis said, interrupting her class.
Salyer looked up. "Yeah?"
"Uhm, I don't think it's the right moment for a group chat, right now," she said, mustering all the self-confidence she had, which made Sayler smirk.
"Sorry, Miss," Sayler said. "I thought it was more important to catch up with friends than learn how to code in binary." She paused. "Java works just fine, and I'm actually pretty decent with it.
Blythe Ellis quickly tucked a pink strand of hair behind her ear. Sayler also noticed that she wasn't wearing her hood like she usually did when not giving a class.
"Java is good for planetary coding, Cadet," Ellis said. "Binary is mainly used in the Military. It's important you know how it works and how to use it." She cleared the throat. "Who's Nemo, by the way? He's mentioned in your group chat, but he doesn't have a contact ID, and he doesn't talk either."
Salyer's cheeks suddenly burned. How did Blythe Ellis read her group chat from where she was? She had never walked behind her. Had she read the whole thing? Crap.
Too stunned by the question, Sayler answered the truth. "A bird."
"Oh," Ellis said. "Well, pay attention."
Sayler didn't know where to hide. She slid the lowest possible on her chair and put her tablet in her pocket. She made sure not to touch it until the end of the lesson, which she did try to pay more attention to.
The minutes went by so slowly. Each time she checked the time, only two or three minutes had passed.
Her fingers were itching for a piloting dashboard. She needed to fly. Anything, and anywhere. Just two lessons per week of piloting weren't enough. She used to be on the cockpit of the Nautilus practically every single day! And chatting with her crew had made her want to fly even more.
As soon as the lesson was over, she gathered her things and was the first to leave the room. She wasn't risking sticking around for a chat with Blythe Ellis. She had humiliated her enough as it was. Sayler was also the first one to get to the Mess Hall, and she quickly stood in line to get her food. The quicker she would be done with this, the quicker she would be able to fly. Once it was her turn, she pressed her thumb on the scanner and waited.
Cadet Sayler Beck, 16.02.2208
800 calories for this meal
She sighed. Eight hundred calories were never going to help her get through the afternoon. She took the blue box and headed for the U3 table, as usual.
"Sayler, didn't you get the message?" Clara said, grabbing her arm. "It's Jack's birthday! Come on!"
Salyer rolled her eyes. "Do you even know who Jack is, Clara? He's not even in our Unit..."
"So? Come on, it'll be fun."
Salyer followed the bubbly Clara where most of the Special Program recruits were gathered, with Jack sitting at the table with a cupcake in front of him. There was also a blue candle on top of it. A real one. With fire.
Sayler gasped. "Are you crazy? Lighting fire on a spaceship?"
"So what?" Clara asked, confused.
"It'll burn up the oxygen! Blow it out," she said to Jack.
"Wait!" Corra said. "Not until we sing Happy birthday..." She counted to three and everyone started singing. In different tones, with different words. And different melodies. In truth, each planet had its own birthday song. So it sounded more like a big mish-mash of words and notes. It was horrible.
Jack quickly blew out the candle and everyone cheered.
Puck then took the candle away and hid it in his pocket once it was cooled down. Sayler deducted that he had smuggled it in. How? From where? She didn't know. And frankly, she didn't care, either. Once the excitement had died down, she went to her table, where Evander was already eating. Alone.
"You don't care for birthdays?" she asked, sitting across from him.
"Says the girl with a bird for a friend," he replied without skipping a beat. "And no. I don't."
Sayler ate in silence. Quickly. The rest of the unit was eating at the U1 table, so when she was done, she stood. "Tell Tommy I'll join you at the Sim, this afternoon." She didn't wait for Evander's reply and simply left the Mess Hall, putting her blue box in the recycling tunnel before leaving. If she could just squeeze in some alone flying time before the group simulation that afternoon, she would be happy.
She opened a SimPod with her handprint and sat in the piloting seat. She felt instantly better and prepared her pod for a short flight before her Unit arrived.
-x-x-x-
Deep Space, MHQ, male sleeping quarters. Sunday.
Like every other Sunday since arriving on the biggest spaceship in the universe, Altair Janus slept in. Yes, there was still the room inspection at 0630, showers at 0700, and breakfast at 0730. And that was the worst part of the week. Sleeping was priority number one. Cleaning one's room? Bottom of the list.
He and Evander, his roommate, were the worst and that was not a secret. Room inspection always lasted way too long because of them. And that morning was no different.
He and Ev stood outside their room, standing at attention, saluting, while Lieutenant Lennox Vesper and two other officers looked around each room in turn. Right now, they were in room number one: Altair and Ev's room.
Lennox stormed out if the room. "Cadets Axton and Janus," he bellowed for everyone in the wing to hear. "Is this a joke to you?" He held in front of him a pair of dirty boxers. "I don't even want to know who's it is," he said. Then, talking to his two helpers still in the room, he said, "take everything out."
All the boys down the hall didn't dare move a finger. Altair and Evander were past that.
"Are you kidding me?" Evander said, boiling. "We cleaned up everything!"
"Shut up, Ev!" Altair hissed. "Solitary is not an option right now."
Ev shrugged. "Right now, it's kind of my vacation house. So, I don't fucking care."
Janus rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched as all the furniture and their belongings were tossed into the corridor. Lennox was watching with a grim expression.
"You think I find this funny?" he asked. "It's Sunday! Trust me when I say I have better things to do, today!"
"Yeah, well, so do I," Janus replied, nonchalant. He noticed then that Lenny was balling his fists at his side, trying to stay calm. "And I think it'd be better for everyone if you just let the whole thing pass. Like, it's Sunday. Chill, man." Janus knew he was probably going too far. But if he could get away with that, he knew he could get away with more.
Unfortunately for him, talking back to a higher officer, especially Lieutenant Vesper, was going to be fatal to him. Not fatal fatal. But not far.
Lennox pressed his index finger to his earpiece, connecting it to the central comms room of the ship. "Can you send two officers in the SP male wing?" he said loud enough for at least Altair to hear.
Three minutes later, two Sergeants came in and saluted the Lieutenant.
"Take Cadet Janus to Solitary," he ordered.
They obeyed and each took Altair's arms, leading him to the lowest levels of the ship. Janus didn't fight them. He knew what he was doing all along. If he was in solitary, he wouldn't have to pick up the furniture, and he could sleep all day long, and as long as they kept him there.
Also, it would mean Evander wasn't the only one going to solitary all the time. And he was the third one to go this week. First, Phoebe and Echo. Now him. He wondered how many people at the most they could send in a cell in a week.
His Unit was a nice bunch. None of them had been sent here before. He was the first one.
Once his two guards had closed the door behind him, he lay down on the bed with an arm behind his head and closed his eyes. As he calmed down to sleep, he heard noises that were new to him. Like a drop-drop-drop somewhere. Or creaking doors. Slamming doors. How many people were sent in solitary? He shrugged and tried to sleep. Unfortunately, this bed was much less comfortable than his own in his room.
When Altair woke up sometime later, he had no idea what time it was. It could be lunchtime – because number two on his priority list was food – snack time, or super time. Either way, he was hungry. With no notion whatsoever of the time of the day. Or night?
His first instinct was to look into his pockets, where he always kept a snack. No such luck. He hadn't had the time to put anything there that morning. The only thing he found was his tablet.
Again, luck was not on his side. It was off.
"Damnit," he said. "I forgot to charge it. Again."
Only, it wasn't that. It was the annihilator in the cells.
He slipped the tablet back into his pocket and looked around, trying to find something to do. Right next to him on the wall, there were marks, five by five. Days passing? Hours? How long did they keep recruits in here, anyway? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
His tummy rumbled, asking for food.
"Sorry, buddy. Can't help you right now..." he told his belly.
He passed the time measuring the length and width of the cell. He estimated it at four by for meters long. Not much space. The more he tried not to think about food, the more he thought about it, the hungrier he was. He lay back down on the bed and thought about Nadia.
It was actually the first time he had thought about her since he came to space. He wondered how she was doing, and if her pregnancy was showing yet or not.
"If it's a boy," he mused out loud, "he should be called Percival." He snorted. What an awful name. "And if it's a girl, then she should be named Genevieve."
Baby-names came to his mind and he sorted them out mentally.
Peter. Bruce. Steve. Tony.
Kara. Natasha. Diana. Wanda.
The door opening made him jump and he sat up on his bed. In the doorway stood Lieutenant Lennox Vesper himself.
"So, how do you like solitary confinement?" he asked. "I figured it wouldn't change much from a usual Sunday, for you." He paused but didn't let Altair reply. "Except for the food, though. You must be hungry." He smirked. "I've never seen you miss a single meal."
As if on cue, his belly groaned in agreement.
"Are you ready to have a better attitude, Cadet?" Lennox asked.
Altair knew that food was on the line. "Sir, yes sir!" he replied, saluting his superior.
"Good. Follow me." Without waiting, Lieutenant Vesper walked away and Janus followed suit. He ended up in the empty Mess Hall where there was a blue box waiting for him on the usual U4 table.
Altair knew protocol dictated that he couldn't speak unless spoken to, so he raised his hand as if he was back in school again.
"What," Lennox said, visibly annoyed to be babysitting him.
"What time is it?"
Lennox looked to the side of his vision. It was the first time Altair noticed Lennox had contacts. Of course, he would have, being in the military and all.
"Almost midnight," he replied. "I hope spending your only free day in solitary taught you something."
"Yes sir," Altair said, ready to agree to everything, as long as he had food to quell his hunger.
Altair knew he was pushing his luck, again, but he had to ask. "Sorry sir, but is there a way to contact someone on a planet from here?"
Lennox glared at him. "Yes. But not for you. Contact with family is authorized only on birthdays or in case of emergency."
Altair nodded. He'd find someone who could. He remembered a girl having a group chat with a bird or something? He only needed to remember who it was…
Hi guys!
so I finally wrote this chapter. I was so busy these past two weeks, that I wrote this chapter only when I was either on a bus or in a train... so yeah, I wrote it on my phone, and edited on my comp!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope the longer length will make up for the two-week wait! ^^' let me know what you think of these four POVS^^ And Thanks Kay for your help with the Nautilus Grop chat^^
also, I'm not sure I'll be able to deliver a chapter next Monday with 3-4 Christmas gatherings this week with different sides of the family... so please be patient!
Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays! :D