Casey sighed heavily in exaggeration. “Well, I guess that would come first. Still, I think you’re missing an amazing opportunity.”
Andie laughed. “Another time. You could always come to the dances, you know,” Andie reminded. “They’re open to University students.”
Casey cocked his head thoughtfully. “I might be able to manage that,” he conceded. “Once in awhile, but only if you promise to dance at least once with me.”
“OK,” Andie agreed. “But only once.”
That night Casey did show up at the dance, with Drake and some other friends in tow. Andie had her promised one dance with Casey and then flatly refused to dance anymore. She didn’t have anything against dancing with a friend, but she didn’t have a clue what she was doing, and she avoided dancing as much as possible. It was better than making a fool out of herself.
She didn’t get to see Casey much after that. Every so often he’d surprise her and show up at the dances, but as her Academy life continued on the intense training path, and he settled into a busy new social life, their schedules barely allowed them to meet. Still, between text comms and the occasional live comm, they managed to keep each other fairly updated in their respective lives. Andie followed in amusement some girl named Kathlyn’s relentless pursuit of Casey. Casey insisted repeatedly that they were just friends, but after one Academy dance where Casey brought Kathlyn, Andie could easily see that the other girl was interested in more than just friendship. And Casey clearly didn’t seem to notice or care. Poor, clueless Casey. For her own part, Andie got Kelly to film her very first flight in the skiff, which she forwarded to Casey, Jo, and her Uncle Mark. After debating it back and forth, she finally caved and sent it on to her parents. To her surprise, her father just sent her a message back congratulating her on the solo flight, while her mother sent a hysterical message wondering why, of all possible ships, Andie had to get stuck in the most dangerous one? Couldn’t she possibly request a change of track? Andie just sent a message back explaining that she couldn’t change tracks now, and anyway, she soothed, skiffs were much safer than they used to be.
Her mother probably didn’t quite believe it, but she didn’t say anything more. Maybe her parents were finally coming around, recognizing that she was an adult and she could make her own decisions!
♦
The rest of her term passed so quickly it seemed like one day Andie was taking her first flight in the skiff and then the next she was staring at the envelope that contained her base assignment. Kelly sat on the bunk next to her holding her own paper. Kelly had chosen the surveillance ship track with an additional focus on deep space piloting. “Just in case,” she had explained to Andie. “I want to keep my options open, but most of all I want long range experience.” Andie just shook her head. Kelly had no desire to live life on the edge. She just wanted to make enough money to eventually start yet another business, this time in the shipping trade, once her five year contract with the Armada was up. There couldn’t be two more opposite personalities. However, both girls had enjoyed living together so much that they weren’t looking forward to getting assigned to different ends of the planet.
“What do you think we’ll get?” asked Kelly, eyeing the paper apprehensively. She had never lived outside Omphalos before, Andie knew.
“I’m sure you’re going to stay here,” Andie reassured. “It’s got one of the two deep space launches. So if you get a deep space assignment, you’ve a good shot at it.”
“Or I could be assigned to Dos Cientos. It’s got the other launch.”
“Well, Dos Cientos isn’t so bad,” returned Andie lightly. “I don’t think so anyway.” Kelly just rolled her eyes. “Besides, it’s the biggest base on the whole planet. Chances are we’ll both end up there at some point. Might as well get used to the idea now, huh?”
“You only say that because that backwater outpost is your home,” Kelly said darkly.
“Come on, Kelly, where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Let’s just get this over with, OK?” Kelly said, her voice trembling. “On the count of three.”
On three they sliced their envelopes open and pulled out the duty assignments.
“Dos Cientos,” Kelly sighed heavily. “Surveillance. Well, it could be worse.”
“I’m assigned to Dos Cientos too!” Andie said happily. “Maybe we can still live together, huh?”
“How did you end up assigned to Dos Cientos?” Kelly pondered. “Didn’t the Captain say just last week that Dos Cientos already had a full skiff squadron?” Andie’s brow creased; Kelly was right, he had mentioned that. Maybe there had been an unplanned transfer?
Or maybe her dad had pulled some more strings to make sure he could still keep an eye on her.
Andie sighed. “I think I have some idea. My father probably had something to do with that.” Kelly grinned wickedly. “Hey, maybe being the friend of an admiral’s daughter will do me some good there!”
“Dream on. My dad won’t be the commanding officer over us. He’s rear admiral over the troopships.”
“Still, every little bit helps.” The girls laughed together, and then headed out to the rec hall to celebrate with their classmates. Only a few short days and they would become full-fledged Armada pilots. Once again, things had worked out better than Andie had dreamed.
4. Graduation and the Quintan Edge
Andie’s greatest triumph came when both her parents showed up for her graduation ceremony. Quite honestly, when she had invited them, she had been sure that they wouldn’t make the trip out from Dos Cientos. Instead, she had a small cheering section all for her—Uncle Mark, her parents, Jenna, and Casey had all shown up to support her. After the ceremony, the small group congregated around her. Jenna asked to see Andie’s golden wings, which had been pinned to her dress uniform. Her mother’s congratulations seemed a little forced, but at least she was making a valiant effort to not let her worry dampen the occasion. Her father warmly praised her, something Andie had never expected to hear, ever.
“Does that mean you forgive me for sneaking off?” she asked, a bit timidly. Her father smiled. “I still think you should have discussed it with us, but not every father can say his daughter pursues her dreams no matter what. You seem to have a talent for this, and I’m proud of you!” Andie caught the wink from her uncle Mark. Later he pulled her aside. “He’s been bragging about you to everyone who will listen. No 18-year-old girl has ever ranked so high in her class. Just don’t let it make you cocky,” her uncle warned, his tone more serious. Andie was taken aback. “OK, I won’t let it go to my head.”
“Cocky pilots make mistakes,” he reminded. Andie raised her eyebrows. Of all people, she didn’t expect this kind of lecture from her uncle. But that was all he had to say on the subject and he had moved off to talk to her mother.
Casey playfully bumped her shoulder with his. “So, returning to Dos Cientos is a break, huh? And here I was sure they were going to station you here so I could bug you more often.”
“I’m just glad I didn’t get shuffled off to Cantonia. Who would want to live in the middle of that desert?” She shuddered. “That will probably be your luck though, right?”
“I guess we’ll know in four more years.”
Andie smiled slyly. “If you graduate from the University on time. You’ll have to rein in the late nights a bit though, party boy.”
“Who me?” he asked innocently. Andie just shook her head at him.
“Casey,” invited her mother, “do you want to join us for dinner? You’re welcome to come with us.”
“I would love to, but I’ve got to head back and pack. I’m leaving on the shuttle home tonight for the break,” he explained. “By the way, Andie,” he began, pulling a small envelope from his back pocket, “this is for tonight.”
She tore it open and a small red cash card dropped into her palm. She turned it over; it had �
�QE” stamped in gold across the front.
“What’s this?” she asked in surprise.
“You won the bet again, so your party tonight is on me, remember? That should be enough house credit to enjoy yourself.” His eyes clouded a bit. “Only . . . I wish . . .” he trailed off, unable to finish his thought. “Well, anyway, I guess I’ll be seeing you when you get back. Have a safe trip.”
“You too, Casey.” Andie fingered the card. For a moment she was tempted to give it back, but she knew he would protest. “Thank you,” she added. Casey squeezed her hand and said good-bye to her family. Then he was off.
♦
Dinner in the capital was a grand affair. Her parents took her to dinner to celebrate, and Jenna and Uncle Mark joined the party. The restaurant her father chose was pricey and very formal. Andie tried not to stare too openly at the other guests, but the glittery slimsuits on the women and the silk tunics on the men were dazzling. Most of the guests, both male and female, had sparkling pastel powder on their faces and in their hair. Andie had never felt more like an awkward outpost girl than at that moment. Of course, she had seen people like this on video streams, but never in real life. Fortunately, the restaurant seemed to also be a favorite haunt of Armada brass—dress uniforms were sprinkled throughout the crowd. It reassured her that in her own dress uniform she wouldn’t stand out that much. Her father and uncle also wore their dress uniforms; as for her mother and sister, nobody in their right mind could ever think they were awkward. Andie sighed in envy again. Jenna was simply radiant. She had donned an emerald green slimsuit that brought out her eyes, and her golden hair was pulled into a simple but elegant knot. Even without the pastel cosmetics that everyone else seemed to liberally apply, her porcelain skin seemed to glow, and men at other tables were neglecting their own companions to stare at her. Still, Andie reminded herself brightly, Jenna wasn’t a skiff pilot. For once, she wouldn’t change places with her sister for anything.
The food consisted of a bewildering fourteen courses, one dish taken from every planet in the Union. Andie adventurously sampled them all. The Camrian roast was pretty good, and of course she liked the Zenithian pilaf. The rich Terran chocolate mousse was one of the best desserts she had ever tasted. Some of the others were a little strange but she could see how they might grow on one. But the Caliguan squid! Did people actually eat that? She nearly gagged it back up. (Then she noticed that she was the only person at the table who actually tried it. Obviously the rest of her family was better informed.)
When the meal finally ended, Andie felt like she had been stuffed to bursting. Everyone else looked like they felt the same way, except perhaps Jenna, who had shown amazing self-control. As a group they were noticeably slower on their way out. At the tube station, the group separated, with Andie’s parents heading to the shuttleport while Andie, Uncle Mark, and Jenna took the tube that would head back to the University and Academy grounds.
When they reached the University, Jenna stopped Andie for a second before she headed back onto the campus. She cleared her throat nervously, and Andie cocked her head curiously. It wasn’t like Jenna to be so obviously out of her element. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry, Andie, for the way I acted when you first wanted to stay,” Jenna apologized. “It was wrong of me to be such a jerk about it.” Amazing for Jenna to admit when she was wrong! Had she ever done it before? Yet she wasn’t the only one at fault here.
“I’m sorry, too,” Andie sighed. “It really was unfair to make you a party to what I was doing, and I shouldn’t have snuck off in the first place. And I shouldn’t have been mad at you when you found out.” If she had to eat humble pie, might as well make it good.
Jenna visibly relaxed. Andie guessed she had expected a scene or something. “Well, I won’t see you before you leave, so take care, Sis. Comm me and let me know how your job goes, OK?”
Andie promised she would, and Jenna hugged her and then Uncle Mark before heading through the gates onto campus.
Andie watched her leave with an unfamiliar emotion dawning inside. Was it possible that she could actually be friends with her sister? It would be a relief not to be constantly fighting with Jenna.
Her uncle had stood aside discreetly while the sisters were talking, but as they watched Jenna walk away he drew closer to Andie.
“Maybe you two are beginning to understand each other,” he observed.
“Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Andie responded with a final glance at her sister. Her uncle just smiled. “All in good time,” he said. They started to walk down the street to the Academy grounds together.
“Uncle Mark,” Andie began suddenly, “maybe you can help me out with something that I’ve been trying to make sense of.” He looked at her in surprise.
“Yes?”
“Why did my parents not make a bigger fuss when they found out I was training to become a skiff pilot? They both went so ballistic about me getting a pilot’s license, I really expected them to lose it when they found out I was going to be flying the most dangerous Armada ship.”
Uncle Mark was silent for a minute. Andie waited patiently. She sensed that he did know something about this, and he wouldn’t disappoint her.
“Well,” he finally sighed, “you’ve always known that your parents didn’t want you to choose a risky career.”
“Because of Erik,” she stated tonelessly.
“Well, yes, partly.”
Andie stopped walking abruptly. “Partly?” she asked, surprised.
“Ever since Rich became a father he has dreamed that one day one of you would follow in his footsteps and become an Armada officer. But after your brother died so unexpectedly, he was afraid, just like any parent would be afraid, of losing you and Jenna as well. The Armada suddenly didn’t seem like the greatest choice. However, the dream was still there buried deep, and as soon as you made it clear you were going to join the Armada regardless, I think part of him was excited that dream was getting fulfilled. Especially when you showed that you have a true gift for piloting.” In a way, none of this surprised Andie. Somehow she had sensed that her father had relented when she had started scoring so well. She started walking again, skipping a bit to catch up with her uncle.
“But your mother, Andie,” continued her uncle, “she was completely against you joining the Armada from the first. She was against it even before anything ever happened to Erik.”
“What?” Andie was shocked. “I never knew that. What does she have against the Armada? C’mon, she’s the Armada’s public relations consultant!”
“Your mother is . . . well, I guess the best way to describe it is superstitious. She calls it the Armada curse.” Andie laughed before she could help herself. A curse? That was the silliest idea ever! Surely her mother didn’t believe in curses!
“Don’t you know about your grandparents? Your mother’s parents?” he asked.
“Sure, my grandfather was an Armada captain who died during the Roran Uprising. My grandmother was a communications lieutenant or something like that. She died before I was born, but I think it was a stroke or something. Not some Armada-inflicted accident.”
“From what I understand, your grandfather had some kind of confrontation with the Roran leader during the uprising.” Her uncle’s brow creased. “Your mother believes he cursed your family—or at least anyone in the family involved with the Armada. Your grandfather was killed a week later. Then your grandmother had that stroke while on duty only a few months later. At age 42.” That did give Andie pause. Forty-two was awfully young to die from a stroke.
“There have been other Armada related deaths in your family,” Uncle Mark continued. “Your mother’s cousin Lydia died in a training accident as an Armada cadet. Also, she had another cousin whose name I can’t remember whose ship was lost during a portal malfunction on a deep-space mission.” Andie was speechless for a moment. Why had she never known this? W
as there a curse on their family? Then she shook it off. That was ridiculous. In a family where military service was something of a tradition, there were bound to be a larger number of early deaths. The Armada wasn’t exactly a risk free career choice. Obviously her mother had dealt with all that loss by inventing some curse to explain it. But there was one huge glaring flaw in this crazy story of her uncle’s.
“If my mom thought all this was part of some curse, why in the world did she marry an Armada officer herself? Why did she go to work trying to make sure everyone sees the good side of the Armada?”
“Well, the Armada life is all she’s known. And you can’t always help who you fall in love with. I just think she hoped for something different for her children. When your brother died, it convinced her that her family truly is cursed. She tried to get your father to resign, but of course he wouldn’t leave the Armada. It nearly broke up their marriage.”
It was like a puzzle piece finally fell into place. Andie remembered the tense silences and the long periods of time when her parents didn’t seem to want to be around each other. But she had always attributed that to her brother’s death. After all, nobody had been normal for a long time. Eventually, her parents had drawn closer to each other again. She wondered briefly what had finally healed the breach.
“That still doesn’t explain why she didn’t make a bigger fuss than she did,” mused Andie. “Considering this curse stuff, it seems like she would have still fought me tooth and nail on it.”
“Maybe she just decided to let you make your own life,” suggested Uncle Mark. “Of course, why don’t you prove your mother wrong about all that curse stuff, huh?” he continued on a lighter note.
Andie smiled. “It’s at the top of my list.” They had reached her bunkroom. Kelly was standing at the door, tapping her foot impatiently.
The Legend of Sirra Bruche (Roran Curse Book 1) Page 6