by Jacob Holo
“Could be, but probably not. Vierj never mentioned anything along those lines. You know, before we killed her.”
“Hmm.” Seth glanced at the time. “Uh oh.”
“What?”
“I promised Tesset I would join her for dinner. I’m late.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you. I know you have more important things to do than chat with me.”
“Well, I—”
“Feel free to leave whenever you like. I won’t stop you. No reason for you to feel guilty.”
“Uhh…”
Jack laughed. “Well, in all seriousness, go on. Go enjoy the company of that sweet young lady.”
“‘Sweet young lady’? Where did you get that from?”
“Well, she is. I mean, as far as you Aktenai warriors go, she’s pretty cool. You know, I kind of wish I had someone like that to be with.”
“You do remember her reaction the first time the two of you met.”
“Yeah. I’ve had some bad first impressions with the opposite sex, but that one has got to be the worst!”
“Jack, if it’s companionship you seek, I’m sure the Choir would happily find you a suitable partner.”
“Oh no! Not in a million years! I am never, ever, ever going to fall into their web again! Remember, that’s your flaw, not mine.”
“Ouch…”
Chapter 3
Empath
Tesset picked up the rook and moved it forward, supporting her two bishops. The playing piece clicked neatly into place. Across the small table, Jared glowered at the situation. His aura radiated a sense of defiance against his inevitable doom.
Tesset smiled. “Your move.”
Jared placed his elbows on the table edge and leaned forward, fingers running through his short hair. His focus darted from piece to piece.
“I should have seen that coming,” he muttered.
“I did use the same tactic the last time we played.”
“I know.”
“And I explained how to counter it.”
“I know.”
“You really should have seen it coming.”
“Yes, I know.”
Tesset left Jared to ponder the chessboard. She expanded her sense to encompass the entire rec center. The two of them sat on the sidelines of the basketball court where the members of Knight Squadron took turns at the game. Two teams of four competed for the large, roughly textured ball. Those not playing sat on the sidelines, talking, resting, or enjoying chilled drinks.
Tesset liked playing the ball game but occasionally ran afoul of certain rules. As effective as her talent was, she couldn’t perceive the colored markings on the floor. This forced her to keep her distance from game boundaries she couldn’t detect.
She passed her sense from person to person, reading their powerful auras. As with all pilots, their auras glowed brightly in her mind’s eye, radiating everything from mood and disposition to injuries, state of awareness, and (in the case of two Earthers) their ambitious level of inebriation.
Tesset relaxed and let her ability expand further, bringing every last part of the Resolute into her awareness. She could feel the bay technicians and medics and the small flicker of life residing within each dormant seraph. And there, tucked away at the far end of the Resolute, was a frozen monster-of-a-seraph.
Jack’s seraph.
Even sedated, it radiated a potent aura as mangled and twisted as its pilot’s.
Tesset shuddered. She pulled her sense back and refocused on the chessboard.
Jared seemed ready to make his move. Though she could not perceive the game piece colors, their facing and the shape of their bases allowed her to play the game. Jared picked up one of his pawns, distinct with its smoothly rounded base, and moved it cautiously forward.
Tesset idly scratched an ear just below the blindfold. “That’s rather timid.”
“Can’t be helped. I’m in trouble. Caution is the word of the day.”
“It didn’t do you any good last time.”
“Well, we’ll see about that.” Jared leaned back and crossed his arms, his aura communicating a sense of renewed confidence.
I need to be careful, Tesset thought. Jared has a plan. It might even work this time.
Out on the basketball court, the two teams fiercely competed for the ball, their shoes squeaking on the polished floor. With seven Earth Nation pilots and five Aktenai pilots, Knight Squadron was an oddity in the Alliance’s military structure. Aktenai pilots often worked in tight male-female pairings, but the Earth Nation preferred large mono-gendered squadrons.
Tesset wondered why that was. Many aspects of Earth society eluded her attempts to understand.
For example, why did they find it necessary to coddle their women so? The first time Jared tried to pull out a chair for her, she smacked his hand away. Honestly, as if she was too weak to move the chair herself.
On the court, Yonu stole the ball from an Earther pilot named Tackett and threw it in a high arc. When the ball came back down, it passed through the net with a satisfying squish. Tackett growled and began to make a highly improbable sexual suggestion.
Jared turned sharply in his seat. “Tackett! You keep that filthy mouth of yours shut. There are ladies present.”
“Ah… yes, sir. Just a momentary slip. It won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t.” Jared turned back around and tugged his uniform straight.
“I don’t get it,” Tesset said.
“Hmm? What?”
“You Earthers use such weak insults. I don’t understand why words like f—”
“Ah, ah!”
Tesset sighed wearily. “Words synonymous with copulation are supposed to be such strong insults.”
“Precedent, I think. To be perfectly honest, I have the same problems with Aktenai. Everything is cursed this and accursed that. Curse-curse-curse-curse-curse.”
Tesset cringed.
The game ground to a halt. Yonu was so fully distracted a pass sprang off her chest and bounced out of bounds. Every Aktenai present stared at their commander.
Jared looked across at his unwanted audience. He shrugged his shoulders. “What?”
“You really shouldn’t say that,” Tesset whispered.
“What? Curse-curse-curse?”
Tesset shivered in disgust.
“I’ll take care of this!” Yonu marched smartly over and struck Jared firmly across the cheek.
“Ouch!” Jared rubbed his cheek. “What did I do this time?”
Yonu turned around and walked onto the court. “Tackett, go get the ball! The rest of you pick your jaws up off the floor and get ready to play!”
Jared sighed. “Is it really that bad?”
Tesset gave him an exaggerated nod.
“I shouldn’t have said that, right?”
Tesset nodded again.
“It’s like I just said the f-word over and over again, right?”
“Yeah, probably about the same.”
“Hmm, I see.” Jared turned to the playing field and cupped his mouth. “Sorry about that! Cultural whoops!”
Some of the Aktenai players stopped playing and nodded their approval, only to have EN pilots steal the ball and score.
Jared sighed and turned back to the chessboard. “Where were we? Did you move yet?”
“Oh, sorry.” Tesset picked up her remaining knight and moved it over to reinforce her other pieces.
“So, why knights?” she asked.
“Hmm?”
“Knight Squadron. Why knights?” Tesset asked. “Actually, what are knights, anyway?”
“Well, we are. Sort of.” Jared’s aura showed surprise at the question. “Well, I don’t mean the historical kind, more like the mythical whitewashed kind. The historical ones were actually not very noble and chivalrous, I think.”
“You aren’t making any sense.”
“But then again, I guess they were just a product of their environment. I mean, I’d be kind of grum
py if I didn’t have a self-cleaning toilet or a bed that made itself.”
Tesset shook her head. “How does Yonu put up with you?”
“I ask myself that very same question from time to time,” Jared said matter-of-factly.
The two of them played a few more turns. Tesset’s pieces moved in for the inevitable checkmate. She rested her cheek on a fist and blew out a bored breath.
“For someone who enjoys this game so much, you’re not very good at it. Really, I don’t understand how you can find such a simple game so amusing.”
“Simple?” This seemed to startle Jared. “Well, it’s— I mean it’s rather— There are all sorts of strategies you have to employ and, you know, stuff to keep track of. Future moves and that sort of thing. Plus, chess is not simple!”
“Compared to Za’Chei it is.”
Jared blinked in surprise. “What was that?”
“You’ve heard of Za’Chei, right?”
“Well, yeah. But it can’t be more complicated than chess.”
“Oh, I beg to differ.”
“Really?”
“It’s a classic Aktenai game of strategy. Balezuur of the Eleven created it thousands of years ago. He’s actually the one who taught me how to play. We used it as an exercise to train my unique sense.”
“I don’t know. It’s got all those graphics and explosions. Too flashy for me.”
“Come on, Jared. Are you really that attached to these boring, static playing pieces?” Tesset wiggled her queen.
“Hey, now. I like my good old chess set. It’s a classic.”
“Just so you know, Za’Chei is about twice as old as chess.”
“Hmm…” Jared scrunched up his face. “And it’s complex?”
“Like I said, it makes chess look simple.”
“The game play is deep?”
Tesset nodded. “They say it takes most people a hundred years to master the game.”
Jared rubbed his chin and raised an eyebrow. “And you play this game?”
“Well, I haven’t played that much since I became a pilot, but yeah, I enjoy the occasional game.” Tesset leaned forward and whispered. “Seth is horrible at it. I can normally beat him in less than ten moves.”
“All right. I’m willing to give it a try. Would you mind teaching me how to play?”
Tesset kept her face neutral. “Not at all. I’d be happy to.”
Excellent. Another victim, she thought. I’ll eventually find someone on this ship that can put up a decent challenge.
A horn sounded, and the basketball match stopped at its halfway mark. One of the EN pilots sat down on the bench next to Tesset and grabbed a water bottle. Yonu walked up and surveyed the available players for her team.
Jared raised his hand and waggled it in the air.
“Tesset. Let’s go,” Yonu said.
“All right!” She pushed out of her seat.
“What? You chose the blind girl over me?” Jared asked.
“If I wanted to lose, I would have picked you.”
“I’m tall, and I’ve got good reach.”
“You’re also really easy to steal from.”
“No, I’m not!”
“Wait your turn, Jared.”
“You’re breaking my heart!”
“That’s not all I’ll break if you don’t shut up!”
Tesset giggled as she jogged out onto the court. Seeing Jared and Yonu bickering like that made it was hard to believe how effective a duo they were in battle.
She took her position and waited for the game to start. Physical exertion always helped relieve the jitters she felt before any launch. And, besides, she was quite good at the game. Many of the other pilots hadn’t known how to treat her the first time she’d taken to the court. A few slowed down to let the poor blind girl have a chance. They didn’t understand the edge her sense granted.
Tesset didn’t have any great physical advantages. She was fast, dexterous, and possessed good stamina, but it was her situational awareness that proved decisive. No one could sneak up on her. She never lost sight of the ball. She knew where every player was at every moment of the game, and not just their position. She could read the telltales in their auras, gauging their fatigue, and even guessing their next moves.
Pilots learned quickly that she was not to be trifled with.
One of the pilots on the sidelines blew a whistle, and the game began. They played a few matches, and Tesset gave a good reckoning of herself. Other pilots often found it disconcerting playing against her. They unconsciously used the eyes and tilt of the head to judge an opponent’s next course of action. But whatever direction Tesset faced was immaterial to where her focus lay, and she often faked them out by giving false clues.
The games wore on, and Tesset found herself reaching a deliciously relaxed level of exertion. Whatever nervousness she’d stored up for the upcoming battle melted away, replaced only with a little physical fatigue.
And then Tesset saw him coming.
As always, his aura distinguished him from all others. Tesset had never sensed an aura so intense, neither before nor after meeting him for the first time. Pilots always possessed strong and unique auras, but his was on a scale she’d never seen equaled. Strength and determination and resolve radiated from him, filling her mind’s eye. He was so beautiful.
Distracted by his approach, Tesset lost track of the game. A pilot on the other team stripped the ball from her hands but couldn’t take control. The ball skipped across the ground, and a whistle blew as the ball went out of bounds.
“Come on, Tesset!” Yonu said. “Stay focused.”
One of the EN pilots spotted Seth walking into the gymnasium. “Officer on deck!” All the EN pilots stood rigidly at attention, one of them rising too quickly. Tesset heard a gasp of pain as Jared’s knee impacted on the chessboard’s edge.
The ball bounced across the ground, and Seth put his foot out to stop it. Tesset noted he wore a loose shirt and shorts to match the other players. She covered a bemused smile with her hand.
Seth picked up the ball and bounced it experimentally a few times. With both hands. It was almost embarrassing to watch.
Apparently satisfied that the ball would bounce consistently, Seth gripped it and turned to other pilots. “If there are no objections, I’d like to join in.”
“We would be happy to have you on our team, sir,” one of the EN pilots offered.
“If it’s all the same, I’d prefer to be on Tesset’s team.”
“Of course.” Yonu turned to her players. “Mansfield! Bench!”
“Right away, ma’am!”
Jared seemed ready to protest, but Yonu gave him a stern look.
Seth passed the ball to Yonu and jogged over to his team.
“Do you even know how to play?” Tesset whispered.
“Sort of.” He gave her a wink.
The match began and, to everyone’s surprise, Seth did quite well. Yonu’s team still lost, but Tesset had a lot of fun playing. Even Seth seemed to enjoy himself, though he normally steered clear of these recreational sports. When the match ended, Seth and Tesset sat down on the bench. Mansfield and a criminally eager Jared got up to take their slots.
Tesset offered him a towel, which he accepted gratefully. He began sopping up the sweat dripping down his face.
“You’ve gotten better,” she said.
“Not good enough, apparently.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. You had fun, right?”
Seth smiled. “Yeah, that was something approximating fun.”
Tesset handed him a water bottle.
“Thanks.” Seth took a long swig from the bottle. “Ahhh, that’s nice.”
“So what is it you want to talk about?”
Seth radiated mild amusement. “What makes you say that?”
“Come on, this is me we’re talking about. It’s written all over your aura.”
“Is it, now?” Seth asked, developing a sly grin.
“Yep
. Very blatant.”
“Well, there’s just no fooling you, is there?”
“Nope. Not a chance.”
Seth smiled, ruffling her hair.
“So don’t try to dodge the topic,” she said. “I’m on to your tricks.”
“Well, I just thought I should apologize for being late yesterday,” Seth said, as if she should believe so simple an answer. He hadn’t been that late.
Tesset tilted her head to one side. “Is that all you wanted to say?”
Seth leaned back on the bench. “Well, I think I’ve been overly preoccupied with… with the past. I think you know what I mean.”
“Known problem. So what’s new?”
Seth’s aura became completely serious. “I want to fix that.”
Tesset hadn’t expected this. “You mean it, don’t you?”
“Yes, I think I should finally just let it go. It’s time to move on. It’s been five years and, I think, that’s long enough. I should,” he paused, then nodded his head, as if affirming that he’d made the right decision. “I should leave behind a past I can’t change.”
Tesset forgot where she was. She forgot the other pilots, her surroundings, everything but Seth. She had wanted to hear those words from him for so long. In that moment, modesty vanished like smoke.
She leaned forward, threw her arms around him, and kissed him deeply and passionately. More than a few eyes turned and focused on their small scene. Tesset didn’t care.
Chapter 4
Debt
Jack Donolon walked briskly through the Glorious Destiny’s claustrophobic corridors. This close to the ship’s exterior, the hull became a tightly packed honeycomb of bulkheads, passages, and redundant armor layers.
Still, they could have made it just a little roomier, Jack thought, squeezing sideways through a utility junction full of thick, vertically-run cables.
The command ship measured five kilometers from bow to stern, with the vessel’s massive centerline cannon taking up only half that volume. Really, couldn’t they afford some decent corridors with all the internal space?
Jack took a gravity lift down deeper into the hull and dropped into a wider passage. He hurried past Outcasts from various nations as he navigated his way down to the archangel bays, situated along the ship’s ventral spine.