The Empire's Corps: Book 07 - Reality Check

by Christopher Nuttall

  Kailee nodded. She could guess.

  “He left me there, afterwards,” Janet added. “Broken, bleeding ... and angry. I didn't tell anyone what had happened; I thought they wouldn't believe me. Instead, I took my hunting bow and put an arrow through his head the next time he went riding. And then I fled to the local recruiting office and joined the Imperial Army. They took me off Hamish’s World and I never looked back.

  “Earth is a nightmare. I don’t understand how you and your friends can live there. You get fed crap to eat and crap to believe, yet you think that the government takes care of you. It is manifestly obvious that the government doesn't take care of you, yet you believe it. And there isn’t even a hint of safety anywhere. How can you stand it?”

  “You were raped on your homeworld,” Kailee pointed out, before she could stop herself. “I ...”

  “I was the unlucky exception,” Janet snapped. “Rape is rare on Hamish’s World. On Earth, a girl like you is lucky to live to her twenties without being forced into sex at least once. The figures for men aren't much better. Hell, chances are that half of your classmates will be dead of something violent before they reach their thirties! You don't even try to punish the offenders, which only encourages them.”

  She shook her head, visibly forcing herself to calm down. “You might make your dream come true,” she added. “But my honest advice to anyone would be to try to find something that took them away from Earth before it was too late. And you have been handed such an opportunity on a silver platter. You could just stay on Meridian if you wished.”

  “The government would know,” Kailee said, dully. “I ...”

  Janet surprised her by laughing. “You don’t get it,” she said. “The government doesn't give a shit about you – or anyone else. You have this myth of government super-competence burned into your head, even when you should be able to see that the government is far from perfect and doesn't really care about anyone. It cannot even begin to provide all the services you think you’re entitled to claim.”

  She lowered her voice. “If you chose to stay,” she added, “no one would care in the slightest. Why would they bother to hunt you down?”

  Unsure, Kailee shook her head in disbelief. Or denial.

  She honestly wasn't sure which.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As strange and absurd as this seems, the bureaucrats had a rational goal in creating the examination system (and other such ideas). Better results meant more funding, which allowed them to build up their bureaucratic empires – and gave them something to fight for. The fact that this actually ignored the whole concept of what was best for the kids was immaterial. Indeed, the overall goal – of educating children – was replaced by the goal of obtaining as much funding as possible.

  - Professor Leo Caesius. Education and the Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire.

  “I am bored,” Barry said.

  Darrin nodded in agreement. Neither of them were particularly interested in their studies, while Steve, Abdul and Harold had formed their own study group and Gary was off on his own somewhere. All they had to do was play endless games; the simple ones were boring, while neither of them had the patience to learn how to play the more complex ones. There was no shortage of flicks and other entertainments in the starship’s datanet, but – for some reason – there were restrictions on how long they could just sit in front of the screen and watch.

  It wasn't as if the starship was very exciting. The bridge, engineering and a handful of other sections were completely sealed off, while the remainder of the ship was just ... boring. They had found some entertainment while sneaking into the stasis compartments and admiring girls trapped in the fields like flies in amber, but after they’d been caught by a crewman the doors had been locked and they’d received a stern lecture from Lieutenant Royce. Darrin hadn't taken the lecture too seriously, yet there had been no way to get back into the compartment.

  He looked down at the game board and rolled his eyes. The only way to make Starships and Wormholes more exciting was to have imaginative forfeits – and to do that properly they would need girls. Most of the other games weren't any more interesting, particularly the ones where Barry could be outthought. He took it badly.

  Barry stood up and started to pace around the living compartment. They were alone – Janet had taken the girls somewhere, Yates was away doing something of his own – without anything to do to keep themselves occupied. Darrin watched Barry uneasily, unsure quite what the tougher boy had in mind. They’d been pushed together by circumstance, but he neither liked nor trusted Barry. He might turn on Darrin at any moment.

  “There has to be something we can do,” Barry said. “I wonder ...”

  He pushed at the hatch leading into the female sleeping compartment. It clicked open; Darrin looked up in shock. The hatch was supposed to be locked at all times, only accessible through the wristcoms handed out to the girls. He didn't even know if Yates had access, although he would have bet against it. The male teachers back home were barred from entering the female toilets, even in case of emergency. It would mean instant dismissal.

  Fascinated, he stood up and followed Barry into their sleeping compartment. It was disappointingly similar to the male compartment, although it was definitely neater; a handful of pieces of clothing hung from one of the unoccupied beds, drawing Barry towards them like a moth to a flame. He pulled a bra from the bed and held it up, a strange leer on his face. It was such an odd expression that Darrin found himself bursting into laughter.

  “So tell me,” Barry said, “who do you think this belongs to?”

  Darrin considered it. Thanks to the shipsuits, they knew that Samantha and Yuki were the only two girls with large enough breasts to wear the bra properly. Yuki had always struck him as shy, while the bra definitely was not designed for a shy girl. It had to be Samantha’s, by process of elimination. Who else could it belong to?

  “Samantha,” he said.

  Barry grinned, then pulled open one of the cabinets. Unlike the lockers at school, the cabinets didn't seem lockable. Inside, there were pieces of underwear ranging from boringly practical to outrageously sexy. Barry pulled them out, examined them and then stuffed a couple in his pocket. Darrin considered taking a pair of panties for himself, then dismissed the thought. Nice as it would be, he had a feeling that the girls would notice. His plans to talk one or more of them into bed would take a blow.

  He swore as he heard the main hatch opening, then tried to press himself against the bulkhead even though he knew it would be futile. Who knew what would happen if they were caught inside the female compartment. Barry, the dunderhead, strode up to the hatch as if he didn't have a care in the world, still carrying one of the bras in his hands. And then Darrin heard him laugh.

  “Gary,” he sneered. “Come and have a look at this!”

  ***

  Yates hadn't been kidding, Gary decided, when he'd said that exercise machines were really redesigned torture devices. His body had started to ache after two minutes of riding the bike-like machine and he'd only managed to stay on for another minute before he'd given up and climbed off. One of the other machines had been taken by a starship crewman and he’d watched in disbelief as the burly man lifted weights into the air, each one heavier than anything Gary could lift with his bare hands.

  He’d left the compartment soon afterwards and walked back to their sleeping quarters, hoping that Yates or Janet would be there. Instead, he'd walked inside ... and come face-to-face with Barry, who seemed to have managed to get into the female compartment. The bully caught Gary’s arm before Gary could retreat, pulling him forward into the forbidden compartment and pushing him into the wall. No matter what Yates had said, Gary didn't dare resist.

  “Look around you,” Barry said, waving a pair of frilly panties under Gary’s nose. “Doesn't this place excite you?”

  Gary told himself he could endure, as he had endured so much before. He’d always been at Barry’s mercy; that had been
a fact of life, ever since the oversized boy had first taken a dislike to him. Part of him might have been interested in seeing where the girls slept, but having Barry there too was a distraction. He blinked in surprise as he saw Darrin, then wondered why he was bothering to be surprised. He’d learned the simple fact that everyone ganged up on him long ago.

  Barry half-pulled him into the tiny washroom and snickered. “Just think,” he said, in a genial voice that didn't fool Gary for a second. “Here, those pretty girls are naked, washing the dirt and sweat and whatever off their bodies. Aren't you lucky to be here?”

  Gary glared at him, but he didn't dare struggle. Few girls showered at school, if only because they knew that the boys might sneak in at any moment. There were even hundreds of pictures of girls making their way around the school, some of them very compromising indeed. Even Gary had seen them.

  Barry pulled something from his pockets, then pushed Gary’s hands against the railing. A moment later, Gary found himself firmly tied in place. Barry tied his feet together too, then stood back and laughed. Gary had to stand on his toes just to be even remotely comfortable.

  “Quite a picture,” Barry said. He motioned for Darrin to look, then tugged down the lower half of Gary’s shipsuit, revealing his groin. “And just think what the girls will say.”

  He banged the door closed before Gary could say anything, leaving him hanging there helplessly. The light clicked off a moment later. Gary struggled in the darkness, but whatever Barry had used to bind his hands was strong enough to resist his best efforts, no matter how hard he struggled. Desperately, he tried putting all of his weight on the railing, but it refused to break ...

  How long had it been? He couldn't see his wristcom, but it already felt like hours. God knew Barry had locked him in the lockers or storage compartments at school, yet sooner or later someone had come along and let him out. Here ... he had a sudden awful image of a girl opening the door and staring at his exposed penis. The thought terrified him; even if Yates and Janet believed him when he told them what happened, everyone would laugh. Shame boiled through his soul, mocking him. Yates was wrong. He didn't have the potential to be strong and brave and look after himself.

  You’re always going to be a victim, the voice said. Everyone will taunt you for the rest of your life, until the day you die.

  Yates had taunted him too, he thought. He'd held out a promise that things could get better, that he would find a meaningful job away from Earth, that he would be able to stand up for himself ... but the promise was a lie. How could someone as weak as Gary become strong enough to stand up to Barry? He hadn't even dared to cry out when he’d been tied to the railing and forced to stand in the girls washroom, waiting helplessly for discovery. What could he do?

  There was a sound from outside. It was impossible to tell what it was; the CityBlock was almost completely soundproofed, but odd sounds sometimes echoed through the starship’s hull at random intervals, quite apart from the ever-present hum of the drives. The sounds had made it harder to sleep, although that might also have been something to do with sleeping near Barry and fearing that Yates might leave at any moment. Was that one of the girls or was Barry just messing with his mind? Or was it something altogether different?

  He heard an outraged yell and felt his blood run cold. Barry probably hadn't bothered to clean up the mess, not after emptying so many cabinets out onto the deck. His desperate search for underwear ... Gary felt sick at the very thought. Some of the boys at school had prided themselves on stealing underwear after having sex with the girls, or even simply pinching it from a locker while the girls were at PE, but he had never indulged himself like that. What was the point?

  There was a crashing sound, then someone pulled the door open. The light clicked on at the same moment; Gary closed his eyes against the light, a moment before he heard a loud scream. The girl had come face to face with his naked penis. He opened his eyes, just in time to see the girl spin around and run for her life. She clearly hadn't noticed that his hands were tired firmly to the railing.

  Gary would have collapsed if he could have moved. The girl would be making fun of him by now, probably mocking his size to the other girls. There were boys who would have beaten any girl who dared to suggest that their penises were not giant-sized, but everyone knew that Gary couldn’t fight to save his life. They’d have more proof now ...

  A moment later, the hatch opened and Janet stalked in. Her gaze flickered disapprovingly over the mess, then fixed on Gary’s face. Gary cringed backwards, expecting a blow – or worse – at any moment. No authority figure had ever taken his side. It was easier to blame the victim than try to stand up to Barry and his cronies.

  “Hold still,” Janet ordered. She reached out and pulled the cloth wrapped around Gary’s hands free. A moment later, he pulled his pants up and covered himself, then started to pick at the cloth around his ankles. Janet’s next question surprised him. “Who did this to you?”

  Gary stared at her, helplessly. He could tell her ... and yet, he knew that nothing would be done. Barry would merely take it out on him later, as if being a sneak was something contemptible while humiliating someone else was acceptable behaviour. But might made right, Gary knew. Barry’s might ensured that no one would dare to mess with him.

  Janet studied him for a long moment. “Stay here,” she ordered, quietly. “I’ll be back soon.”

  She left, closing the hatch behind her. Gary looked at it for a long moment, then started to cry.

  ***

  Barry giggled like a little girl as they heard the yell from the female compartment. Darrin was much less amused, although the sight of Yuki running out of the hatch screaming was actually quite funny. Barry had given him a sip from a flask he'd borrowed from a crewman and his teeth had started to hurt immediately afterwards. But Barry seemed to have no trouble drinking it.

  They closed the door to the male compartment as Janet came into the main compartment and marched into the female section. Barry’s sniggers grew louder; Gary was going to be in real trouble, he gloated, for stealing all the underwear and for exposing himself to Yuki. No one would believe Gary, Barry insisted, if Gary told them what had really happened. Darrin frowned, then gulped as the hatch opened, revealing Yates. An extremely-cross looking Yates.

  “Perhaps you would like to explain,” Yates said, before either of them could say a word, “just what you were thinking?”

  “We weren't thinking anything,” Barry said. “The little idiot got himself tied up ...”

  His voice trailed off as Yates glared at him. “I would be really impressed,” he said, with a mildness that didn't fool Darrin for a moment, “if Gary had managed to tie himself up so effectively. Dear me! It would be quite a feat. And I wonder, if he did it himself, just how you knew what had happened to him?”

  Darrin winced. Yates wasn't looking directly at him, but he was somehow certain that Yates had caught his movement. The man was uncanny. And he was directly challenging them ... most teachers wouldn't have said a word to Barry or even Darrin, no matter how much evidence there was of their guilt. It was much easier to blame the pupils like Gary, the ones who couldn't fight back.

  “I heard him gloating,” Barry said, unconvincingly. “We tried to talk him out of it.”

  Yates snorted. “Do you really think that I am foolish enough to believe you?”

  Barry swung his legs over the side of his bunk and stood. “Are you suggesting that I am a liar?”

  Shut up, Darrin thought, desperately. Yates isn't like any of our teachers, even Mr. Howarth ...

  “I know you’re lying,” Yates snapped. He pointed his finger towards the pair of panties lying on the bed. “And I know you took something from their compartment ...”

  Barry let out a roar and lunged at Yates. Yates seemed unmoved; he moved to one side, cocked his fist and threw a punch into Barry’s jaw. Barry’s entire body seemed to vibrate, as if he was on the verge of falling over backwards, then he collapsed and hit the
deck. A nasty mark appeared on his jaw, but there was no blood.

  Darrin gulped as Yates looked up at him. He'd thought himself used to violence – he’d had to fight himself, even before he'd knocked out Fitz – but he’d never seen anything like that. One moment, Barry had been as tough and intimidating as always, the next ... he was lying in a heap on the deck, having failed to land even a single blow. Darrin wished, suddenly, that there had been more witnesses. No one would be so scared of Barry after he had been taken down so quickly.

  “I trust,” Yates said, in a deceptively casual voice, “that you are not going to be as foolish?”

  “No, sir,” Darrin said, quickly. He couldn't keep his eyes off Yates. Any teacher back home on Earth who had laid hands on a student would be dismissed, no matter how much the student had deserved it. Yates ... had just knocked Barry out with a single punch. “I ...”

  Yates picked up the flask and sniffed it. “It is not a good idea to drink ship-brewed alcohol,” he said, as casually as if he were ordering dinner. “Most of it is dangerously strong – spacers tend to have a higher alcohol tolerance engineered into their bodies, allowing them to consume it safely. You could have seriously injured yourself if you had drunk too much.”

  He picked up Barry and slung him over his shoulder. “Once he recovers, you and he will be scrubbing decks for the rest of the trip, I think,” he added. “And I suggest that you don't spend too long complaining about how unfair this punishment is. Believe me, it could be a great deal worse.

  “In fact, you might want to think carefully about associating with your friend here at all.”

  Darrin watched, unable to quite believe his eyes, as Yates carried Barry effortlessly through the hatch. Once he was gone, Darrin stood, scooped up the underwear Barry had stolen and carried it back into the main compartment. Janet stared at him coldly as he passed her the underwear, the look in her eye making him feel as though he was a slug – or something worse. But she took the underwear without a word.