Cadet: Star Defenders Book Two: Space Opera Adventure

by Pamela Stewart

  She tilted back in her seat and stared at me. “Recruited? But conscription just started again. Were you doing your mandatory?”

  All citizens were required to do their year in the service unless deferred. It had been more of a peace corp, coming-of-age thing before, but now...it was required for the entire Axis’s safety.

  “It wasn’t mandatory. I was too young.”

  She furrowed her brows. “How old were you?”

  “I was fourteen when I was recruited.”

  I was looking at Binary, who sat at my right, but a gasp came from someone else.

  Someone across from me.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the horrified look on Vega’s face. Kenzie stared out the window, making a point of not joining the conversation.

  Binary scoffed. “They don’t take kids that young. Try again.” She thought I was playing. Most people didn’t believe me.

  I didn’t want to dig into the story, but I had to prove my honesty. “It was the service or jail. I chose the service.”

  Vega’s mouth dropped, but she quickly snapped it closed and pretended to be looking out the window at the big, blank wall. Binary’s face furrowed even deeper then released. “You were the Hub Jacker? Dayum. My dad followed that case even from the outer patrol. I always thought he’d gotten away. Like a modern-day Robin Hood or something.”

  “Who?” I asked. The name didn’t sound familiar.

  “He was a thief that took from the rich and gave to the poor on OE. Just a kid’s story my mom used to read me.” She looked mildly unguarded for a moment—all the toughness faded when she mentioned her mom.

  “I didn’t give it to the poor.” I almost smiled but caught myself. It was inappropriate to be proud of that past—a past in which I’d done whatever it took to survive. I had been wrong and should’ve followed the laws of the Axis.

  “You have to go on. Seriously. What did you do at fourteen that the authorities sentenced you to the military?” Vega said so loud the civs in the next pod of seats glanced over.

  I put up a hand. “I don’t usually talk about that time in my life. I tried on the shuttle, but you...”

  She raised a hand and met my eyes. “Tell me now. I mean...” She looked at the others who had suddenly gotten way more interested in the conversation.

  “Tell us now.”

  “Not a lot to tell.”

  Vega seemed to force herself to lean back into her body-contouring seat. “I’m sure everyone would like to know the story.”

  “I was a Hub orphan working in the factories. I was small and quick. I’d been pressed into the service of the Shipper’s Clan Consortium working the docks. One of my friends died while trying to escape. I needed to get out, so I watched and learned how to jack inter-sat hoppers.”

  I’d kept it to the basics, but the memories were still vivid, and there was way more to the story. But I’d survived and thrived for a time.

  “What happened next?” Vega again.

  I glanced away, gathering my thoughts. The outer windows showed only the interior tubing and points of lights that blurred together into a line.

  “That’s a longer story. Gleason found me and gave me a choice. I’ve never regretted joining.”

  “But you were too young to know what you wanted!” Vega burst out. Both Binary and Kenzie’s attention rested on Vega, who had forgotten about their existence again. “Sorry. Go on.”

  “Nothing else to say. I’m a Wings fan if anyone was curious.”

  I settled back and pushed my hair from my forehead.

  As if the memories weren’t teeming now. As if the music in my head hadn’t turned up to full.

  Vega kept a sharp eye on me. Binary looked uncertain on how to proceed. That kind of story was a hard thing to follow. I’d hoped mentioning the WW would loosen everyone up. I might have been wrong. Nothing in my training dealt with complex relationships. I could lie, sure, but I was already lying so much.

  I was tired of the deceptions. If they wanted me to fight, why didn’t they just give me a ship?

  “I think the Wings will destroy the Agi-Cutters,” Binary said, and everyone seemed to breathe out.

  “My last credit is on the Cutters. They better deliver.” Kenzie finally rejoined the conversation.

  We all chuckled, and the tension broke.

  Chatter grew loud on the crowded train, and talking became pointless. Binary made a few overtures, leaning in.

  “Did you enjoy the Academy?”

  “Yes. The instructors were terrible, though. I’m sure you can relate.”

  She gave a low throaty laugh and pressed in so close I could smell her spicy perfume. I keenly sensed Vega watching every motion between us.

  Warmth spread into my stomach that might have been hope. I pushed it away. She was probably worried about her friend getting involved with a liar.

  Liar. The word still echoed in my brain.

  She wasn’t wrong. I was a liar. All my life, I’d said whatever it took to survive. Justified? In most cases, but it always left a thread of slime through my soul.

  The train made a jerking motion. Kenzie popped to her feet first. I opened my mouth to warn her as the train buckled, and she almost flew forward. Vega, with blistering fast speed, threw out a hand and snatched the back of her uniform to keep her from face planting.

  “Thanks. I haven’t been to the main Axis before. Got a bit excited.” Kenzie sucked in a breath and sat again as the train jerked forward in spurts until it finally stopped. The announcer’s voice blasted over the PA, and the lights by the double sliding doors turned green.

  Those standing were the first to file out. We rose as a group with me leading, Binary very close behind me, and the others lagging. I fought my way through the crowd to find an open area in Hub Central Station. The Hub of the hub or at least the center of most inter-Axis transportation.

  Massive was an understatement. Hundreds of lines ran in, splitting and rejoining. Moving food and supplies and people from station to station. Mostly on time and accident-free. It moved like clockwork with the help of hundreds of people and loads of tech. The Cross-Axis train was the primary mode of transport in the Axis.

  But there were other ways between stations, and I knew most of them, legal and illegal.

  I finally located a spot that we could regroup under a massive white arch that joined two of the lines together.

  Large holo numbers hung above each alcove entry showing their destinations in smaller font beneath. I stopped to find Binary, and Kenzie had gotten separated, and I couldn’t find them in the press of passengers. But Vega came up to me and stood very close, fully meeting my gaze.

  “I’m sorry I pressed you earlier. I can’t imagine what it was like for you in that situation. I’ve heard storie—” One of Vega’s gifts was her blatant honesty.

  “Most of them are probably true. But I’m a success story. I got out. And now...well, it’s better...” I always got a bit tongue-tied with her. I fumbled for words to make the story seem better so she wouldn’t pity me.

  Of all things, I hated pity most.

  “It’s okay. You wouldn’t be who you are today if not for what you went through. You have no reason to feel ashamed. If anything, the brass shouldn’t have punished a fourteen-year-old as an adult. That’s terrible. On U170, things would’ve been different. A family would’ve adopted you. You would’ve been taught a trade and gotten an education. Children should never have to live like that.”

  I nodded slightly and pressed my lips together. Vega’s words cut into me. There was pity but also warmth. I pictured one of the vidclips I’d seen of a planet with endless landscapes and sprawling houses. In the house, I saw a woman and man, welcoming me in. A real fire burned in the fireplace, and the house smelled of bread. My heart constricted.

  Children shouldn’t live in fear, but it was the reality of the Axis. Gleason and the Ax-Mil had saved me.

  Maybe someday I could make a difference in the policies of the H
ub, but for now, I was a spy on a mission and getting extremely distracted.

  “We should try to find the others. Where did they get to?”

  Vega wasn’t looking at the crowd. She was looking at me, and it made me feel uncomfortable. My uniform collar seemed to tighten. She stared at me, unblinking.

  “I’d love it if I could show you my homeworld someday. Let you meet my parents.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, and she continued. “I’m sorry. Really sorry for the way I’ve been acting. I took what you did as a personal slight. Mostly because...never mind. Just...” She darted away toward someone. Jess.

  It shouldn’t matter to me. It didn’t, as long as she was safe.

  “Hey,” a soft, sultry voice said from behind me. Binary.

  I turned. We were the same height, so I accidentally brushed against her chest. She gave me a slight invitational smile and a side-eye.

  “Sorry,” I said. Again, I didn’t want to give her the wrong idea. But it didn’t seem like she was accepting the ground rules. She socialized like she flew—by the seat of her pants. Fearless and bold.

  Some of those traits were good in general, but everything with her was...extra, bigger than life, too much.

  McKenzie stood behind her, so short it was easy to miss her in the crowd. Most were streaming toward the humbleball pitch.

  I tried not to look at the reunion between Vega and Jess, but my eyes strayed to them. They were still together, both talking at once.

  She gave him her unfettered smile. Not the forced one. This one turned up her looks from beautiful to stunning. At least, Jess seemed to be stunned.

  Binary cleared her throat, her attention not on them but me. “We should go.” Her voice was low and gravely.

  Kenzie shook her head.

  Vega and her guest joined us, their hands clasped, both still surrounded in a halo of pheromones, eyes slightly glazed.

  “Come on. The game is starting.” Binary walked on with McKenzie at her side, and I trotted to keep up. Even though we were the same height, she had about two inches more leg than I did, and she wasn’t waiting for or looking at me.

  The message had been received.

  We exited the station onto a conveyor to the humbleball pitch—Binary and Kenzie in front, Vega and Jess behind—and me stuck in the middle.

  It was going to be a very interesting night.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Dax

  The atmo control was worse the farther I walked. I would've run, but my head spun when I breathed too hard. Not a good sign. No more connector trains had ventured down this tube. For that, I was grateful.

  I'd left my wristlet back in the chamber to avoid detection, but a glance at a grid map would have helped right now. How many miles did I have to go? This path seemed endless. If I'd been going just for me, I would've turned back already.

  Amelie was waiting for me back there. She'd be going to the hand-to-hand class. She didn't need to be in that situation after the night she'd had. A fire in my stomach made me grit my teeth. She should feel safe in an Axis run Academy. Hell, I should even feel safe.

  I didn't know what method they were using to prepare us for war, but it wasn't mixing with my Hub sensibilities. You defended your people. Always. I guessed it would make sense someday. And it may not matter anyway.

  I'd been gone way too long. If Axis-Mil labeled me AWOL, I could be expelled or thrown in the brig. And it wouldn't be like the ship’s makeshift brig. No, it would be a deep hole somewhere in the belly of the Hub or the depths of an asteroid mining colony. If the Hub had been hard, those destinations could be worse. Scratch that, would be worse.

  But that didn't solve the problem. My sisters were in trouble, and nothing else mattered. I would find out what my useless parents were doing and where the creds were going at least.

  A rumble in the distance caught my attention. Another train was coming. And fast. Maybe I could use it to my advantage. If I could somehow snag a ride, I'd be in the Hub in minutes instead of hours or days. But the inter-station transport flew at a speed that would shred me. I searched the tunnel. Repair suits hung into the wall outlets at intervals. Most people wouldn't have seen them. They were built to be used by maintenance.

  But I had my Hub vision. There, if you didn't notice something, you could end up being floated, so I tended to see things.

  I found the hand magnets like the ones we'd used when working on the Lazarus and shimmied into the suit. The cadet uniform had some built-in protections but not enough to travel at 200 MPH. The plain gray work overalls that all the maintenance workers used had connectors for both O2 and wind friction protection if they had to fix faults in the integrity of the Axis.

  The train hummed close. It sped at me like a spaceship coming in for a landing. I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. The craft could obliterate me, leaving just a red blotch.

  There had to be a way to increase my odds. If I went down, my sisters would almost certainly die as well. I glanced down the path and looked along the curved dark wall of the tube, hoping for some inspiration. A light glow from the wall drew me. It was at eye level near the suits.

  A map.

  It showed the path I'd just come down from the Mil station to the central Hub.

  The train had to go there for any transfers. The Hub allowed access to all the stations. There was a curve that I couldn't see in the dim service lights coming in about a half-mile.

  If I could get there, the train would have to slow to take the turn. Could I make it to the intersection before the train caught me?

  Not if I stood around thinking it over. I sprinted in the direction of the turn. The sound of the train stalked me, growing louder with every second. The sound of my footfalls was drowned out by the engine.

  There wasn't enough air. I gasped as I ran. The arm of my gray suit squeezed me suddenly, and air flowed into my helmet. The damn outfit was way more advanced than it looked. I saw the curve about forty feet in front of me when the lights hit me. The train was on top of me.

  I ran with the adrenaline that supercharged my throbbing heart, racing the train to the curve. I wasn't going to make it, and there was no time to get out of the way.

  I didn't stop. I kept seeing my sister's dirty face asking for food. No, I would not die this day. I leaped and tapped on my hand magnets just as the train reached me. I was still about ten feet from the actual curve, but it had slowed its pace enough for me to make contact...and for one hand to immediately slip off.

  My body flailed, bouncing between the train and the tunnel. My side blazed alive with pain. I forced my free hand to attach to the train. My heartbeat in my ears was almost drowning out the scream of wind force against my helmet. I grabbed again, and this time my left hand attached.

  There was just enough room for me to pass without a foot to spare between me and the tube. I swung my arm around to connect the magnet with the train.

  The tube smashed into my arm and closed in.

  I screamed, unable to move my arm again. My shoulders throbbed. Did the tube narrow? I hadn't noticed on the map, but if it did, I was going to be a greasy spot on the magnetic track.

  I attempted to see what was coming, but the movement of the train pinned my head down. Something whacked me, and my side flamed again. I was pretty sure my ribs were broken. If the next whack hit my head, I may not survive.

  This had been a mistake. Maybe my last mistake.

  No, I had too many reasons to live, even if I was an idiot.

  The sides of the tunnel closed in more. Protrusions on the wall crashed into me at intervals. The tunnel wall encroached.

  “Please. If not for me, then for my sisters.” I pressed my helmet as close to the train as possible and closed my eyes.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Amelie

  My stomach told me I’d missed lunch and possibly dinner. It clenched, and nausea rose in the rear of my throat. The doctor had skittered about the lab in and out of his mysterious s
ealed room.

  Sometimes a muffled, high-pitched screech, like metal scraping against metal, penetrated the thick poly-steel wall.

  The lab lights dimmed for the evening, and the rest of the crew dispersed. No one spoke to each other or interacted without the doctor’s consent. The environment was very much like the Satellite during testing season, which put my nerves on edge. I checked my com, but I had only gotten a message from Vega saying she had tickets for a humbleball match.

  That had been an hour ago.

  If it were a typical game, she wouldn’t be back until late. How had she gotten an external pass on her third day? But Vega always had some aura around her that drew strange and unusual circumstances.

  I was tired anyway, and I’d gotten to skip out on Combat Training. If nothing else came of the internship with Doctor Sinclair, that much alone made it worth it.

  The tiny creatures swirled frantically in their vat, missing the agitation. I set the auto to the lowest mark as the Doctor had instructed.

  The door leading to the other experiments stood silent again.

  I hadn’t seen anyone enter in hours. Whatever was in there was waiting to be explored.

  If I just sent a signal... No, I had to follow the rules. I forced myself not to examine the door and search for a way in as I hung my jacket.

  Maybe I could still catch Dax, although the thought of going to his floor again gave me a mild sense of panic. There was no logical reason to feel unsafe. Not only could I somewhat protect myself, but there was surveillance on every level. I’d double-checked the locations of all the vidcaps and the rotation of the security patrols after the attack. It had been a fluke that those boys had cornered me in an area with few patrols.

  But the tightening in my stomach didn’t respond to my tirade of logic. My stomach wanted to go into my bunk and bolt the hatch. With a deep breath, I chose to ignore my incorrect body signals and tried to com Dax. Nothing.

  He hadn’t responded in hours. Could he have gone off with Vega to the game? That made my stomach plummet to a new low. They were having fun without me.