by Jack Hanson
Black nodded, and looked to the team. “Good job you lot, you looked sharp and on the bounce out there with the Old Man watching. Keep it up. Harper, go march them over to the armory, download that armor and clean the weapons, and then you’re done for the afternoon. Dismissed.”
Chapter Ten—Queen takes King
Our enforcement of the non-fraternization policy is as important as teaching the troops to fire an assault rifle. It is the bedrock of our discipline, and if it goes everything else will follow. We must make the most of the situation and crack down on such breaches with all of our authority and show that it is unacceptable.
—Terran Empire Policy Paper on Fraternization, produced by order of Janissary Command
Jane studied her opponent across the chessboard, taking in the angles of his face and intensity in his eyes as he looked at the spread in front of him. He was good, his tactics always on the fourth or fifth step ahead, and she never managed to surprise him. At the same time, she was never surprised totally by him either. Each had beaten the other as much as they had lost.
“Harper?” Hailey asked her.
She glanced up, startled out of her day dream. “Yes?” she managed.
“Harper, we’ve played each other over and over again, and generally one of us wins and the other loses,” he said.
“Well, isn’t that how it’s supposed to go?” she asked, and then blushed when she realized how it sounded.
He laughed, a surprised chuckle that charmed her. “Well generally, yes, but why does it have to stop there? Let’s make it interesting.”
Jane’s mouth went dry, and she had to swallow several times to work up the saliva to speak. “Oh?” she managed, and instantly jumped on herself for not saying something clever.
“Oh,” Hailey repeated. “Let’s make a wager. Winner owes the loser a favor. Anything that’s not against the Cadet Code, or outside the bounds of common sense.”
Jane looked at the board, seeing she was already down a bishop and a pawn, and wishing he had done this when the game had begun.
“If you’re not interested Harper, I—” he began.
“Deal!” she spat out, in a tone sharp enough to make several other players look over in surprise before turning back to their own game.
Hailey looked down at the board.
“Deal, and I do believe it’s your move,” he pointed out.
Jane began to think, to try and shove down the rising panic that occurred when she was placed in a stressful situation. To be fair, she had felt far better about being a leader now. She rarely, if ever, talked into her shoulder any more, and didn’t lock up when the situation wasn’t something she planned. This wrench Hailey had thrown into her plans startled her. Her hand trembled so much she almost wiped the board when she went to make her first move.
This caused her to make several more fumbling moves, barely able to think ahead two steps, let alone her usual four, until she found herself in a very untenable position. They had both lost their queens, but she had also lost a rook and both her bishops, leaving her with several pawns, a knight, and a rook.
Gritting her teeth behind her lips, Jane shoved down her panic long enough to realize that she had gotten herself into this situation because of her own foolishness. Gathering her willpower, she looked at the board for the first time, her anger and desire mingling to shove the panic aside as she plotted moves.
At first it all seemed hopeless, but then things started to come together, gold lines running from piece to piece in her vision, knowing that if she moved here and here, he would move there and there. She didn’t know how she knew it, maybe from him playing against her so long, but she followed her instinct and he did indeed move his bishop and rook into place.
After that the rest almost felt like cheating. Hailey shook his head as Jane countered each move, managing to run a pawn in for a queen. Several moves later, and Hailey tipped his king in surrender.
“Harper, that was quite a comeback,” he said.
Jane shook her head, feeling dazed. “Yeah, yeah it was huh?” she asked, feeling out of it.
“Are you alright?” Hailey asked.
Jane nodded, and frowned a little. “Yes, just a little light-headed. I was thinking too hard I guess.”
“As hard as you needed to. You won,” Hailey reminded her.
“I did, didn’t I?” Jane said, and feeling a gush of confidence she continued headlong. “And I get to choose what I want, and I want you to take me out to ice cream tonight.”
As soon as the words left her lips she began to deflate, knowing that right now he was going to say “No! Are you crazy? I was just joking.” before walking off, but he only nodded.
“Nineteen hundred alright for you then?” he asked.
Stunned, Jane could only nod in reply, and tried to return the friendly smile he gave her.
She was going out on a date with Jordan Hailey.
What had she done?
That last question raced through her mind as she gathered herself, rushed out the door, and ran to Orpheus Barracks, offering prayers her one hope was at the barracks, the only chance she felt she had to pull this off. She did stop once, to get a granola bar to settle her jumpy stomach, suddenly hungry because of her nerves.
* * *
Salem was reclined on her bed, playing a rhythm game on her reader that involved tapping different kinds of cute bears to make different harmonies. Running had finished early, and she was wearing a pair of old track shorts and a Ganymede Lady Eagles t-shirt.
When her door flew in, Salem threw herself against her wall, chucking a pillow at the intruder hard enough to trip them. Salem leapt from the bed and peered out the door. She saw a panting Jane looking up at her.
“Are you alright? Did something happen?” Salem asked, pulling her earbuds out. The wireless devices stopping their transmitting when she pressed them together.
“No, no. I just need help,” Jane said, and explained.
Salem relaxed and folded her legs under herself as she reclined on a chair, coyly smiling as Jane finished her story.
“What? What! Why are you smiling like that?” Jane demanded, sitting up.
“I don’t know if I should tell you,” teased Salem, looking up to the sky.
“Oh, you’d better or…” Jane said.
“Now, now, threats make me forget things,” Salem told her. “Ask me nicely and I’ll try to remember what I was going to say.”
Taking a deep breath, Jane said, “Salem, will you please tell me what you know?”
Salem tilted her head to the side, smiling. “There, was that so hard? Now, Hailey is in Petra and Laila’s team, and they were telling me that they heard his friend telling another girl that Hailey was trying to figure out how to ask this girl out without her running off and being scared of him,” she said.
Jane’s eagerness bottomed out suddenly. “Oh… I see. I wonder who this girl is,” she said, despondent.
Salem frowned, stood up, and took Jane by the shoulders. “You silly git, you’re the girl! Hailey has been eyeballing you this whole time!”
Jane mouthed what Salem was saying, and then nodded her head, eyes brightening. “You’re right, but… Why?”
“Well,” Salem responded, dropping her hands and looking into the mirror. “Someone of impeccable taste probably gave you a pointer here and there to help you lure him in,” she said, and then stopped her teasing. “A little bit of self-confidence goes a long way,” she told Jane more seriously.
“A little self-confidence?” Jane asked.
“Yes,” said Salem. “You’re not talking into your shoulder anymore. You do your hair, and you actually wear a little bit of makeup now. You put a little bit of effort into yourself, and it’s reaped dividends.”
“I taught you that word,” retorted Jane, and Salem gave her another big lopsided
smile and a hug.
“Yeah okay, we can argue later about who taught whom what, we need to get you ready for your date,” Salem said, taking Jane by the hand and leading her into the latrine.
The boys came in from their activities, sweaty and ready to take a long shower, only to find the bathroom shut.
“Hey! What are you doing in there?” demanded Sand, knocking loudly.
“Go away! We’re doing girl things!” responded Salem with a laugh.
Sand tried the door and found it was locked. He turned to Paris. “Damn it,” he said.
“Eh, they’ll be out sooner or later. I’m going to lie down for a bit. Today was legs and it was a killer,” Paris said, ceding the right of the first shower to Sand. To be fair, when Paris exerted himself, it wasn’t a musky odor, but a spicy, pleasant scent that wafted around him. Sand beat at the door again, halfheartedly.
“Go away, Sand!” Salem shouted, and then giggled. Unable to do anything else but wait, Sand retreated to his room.
Salem stuck her head out, her hair plaited up in a very loose bun, and looked around. Checking to see if the room was clear of the other two occupants, Salem made her way quietly to Jane’s room. Opening the girl’s wardrobe, she scanned the clothing in the dark, making a choice here and there, shaking her head and putting something back, and finally gathering an outfit.
With a few clothes draped over her arm, she made her way across the space to her room, and pulled out a jacket with a fur lined hood, and some boots, then went back to the latrine.
* * *
When Hailey walked down the steps, Jane was waiting, wearing her only pair of jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and a polo top. Salem’s boots gave her an inch or two of boost, and the ruff around the hood of the jacket was lined with some sort of perfume. Stopping short, Hailey cocked his head to look at Jane.
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Jane blushed and almost ducked her head, but remembered what Salem said about self-confidence.
“Hey,” she called out, and forced herself to walk towards him.
“Hey yourself, you look cute,” he said and gave her a little hug. Nothing too forward, but he held on a second longer than a normal greeting. Jane forced herself to relax.
“So, ice cream then?” he asked as they started to walk towards the monorail that headed directly into the downtown of Alarius.
“That’s what I said, wasn’t it?” Jane asked. She had barely talked to boys before this year, and now she was flirting with a handsome one. Steeling her nerves, she made inconsequential small talk as they walked, and boarded the monorail. They greeted a few of the classmates they knew. A few cadets did double takes at seeing the pair walking by them, but said nothing.
“So, how’s your last year going?” Hailey asked as the train began its journey into town.
Jane shrugged. “I don’t know yet. Different than I expected, I suppose.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” he asked.
“Well, I’m actually feeling close to my teammates this time around. Sand is a bouncy boy scout, Paris can be rather nice and polite when he’s not down on himself, and Salem…” she trailed off a bit.
“Living with the Battle Princess herself? How’s that?” Hailey commented.
“Is that her nickname or something? Chief Sergeant Donovan called her that the first day. Seems so long ago,” Jane replied with a shake of her head. “Salem isn’t that bad at all. I think she’s actually genuinely nice now, as opposed to trying to make people like her.”
“I take it she was the one who helped with your makeup,” Hailey teased, and watched her blush, and then nod her head with a laugh.
“Yep, that was all her,” she admitted.
“I heard about your run in with Donovan,” he said. “Nasty piece of work, but I guess your advisor knocked him down a peg according to the rumor mill.”
The train stopped before Jane could respond, and the two stood and walked into the cold night of Alarius. The open sky-style lighting made the stars dance brightly even though they were in the city center, and Jane drew her jacket tighter around her. The soft murmur of crowds out for the evening wrapped around them, adding a comfortable background noise to their date.
“Yeah, Black is something else,” Jane admitted. “It’s almost kind of freaky how he knows so much about us.”
“Oh?” said Hailey, looking over at Jane.
“Yeah he just… Well it’s not creepy, just freaks you out a little. It’s never what color underwear you’re wearing or anything. It’s stuff about how you’re doing, what you’re thinking, that sort of thing.”
“Maybe he’s psychic… they’re out there, you know,” Hailey commented, smiling a little around the corner of his mouth.
“No, he’s not psychic. They’re all working for the League of Silence or in special schools,” Jane said. “I think he’s just good at reading people. He’s been in the military for his whole life, apparently. Grew up in a military orphanage.”
“You’re right. I was about to suggest he’s a Harvester or a FOSsil,” he said.
Jane snorted. “I wouldn’t. If he heard that he might just snap you in half. He’s been coming to our melee tactics classes, and he’s monstrous to spar against, even pulling his punches.”
They stopped at the light, waiting for it to change as traffic flowed by.
“Your team is lucky. I don’t know of anyone else that has the Old Bloods and a Khajali as their instructors,” he told her.
Jane’s lip quirked a little. She wondered if the ribald humor the Old Bloods shared when they bantered back and forth balanced the demands of the Khajali.
“We can’t be the only ones,” she pointed out.
Hailey nodded. “As far as I know, at least in the fourth year class, but I don’t know if they’re teaching the junior classes as well or what. Oh, here we are,” he said, holding the ice cream parlor’s door for her.
It was a small place, but there were a few booths to sit and a real person to serve customers.
The girl behind the counter looked up brightly and smiled. “Hi there. It’s a little cold for ice cream, but we have bubble cream as well,” she said.
“Oh, I haven’t had bubble cream in forever,” said Hailey.
“No, they don’t sell it where I’m from,” admitted Jane, and the pair ordered a double scoop each. Rocky road for Hailey, and scrambled mint for Jane. The two accepted their frothy, steaming drinks with the lump of ice cream melting away slowly in the center of the hot – but not too hot – center.
“It’s nice to have an actual person behind the counter instead of another service droid,” Hailey commented, sitting down in a booth. “So… where are you from?”
“Europa Station,” said Jane.
“Wow, from the home system? That’s quite a trip,” Hailey said, seemingly impressed. “And your parents?”
“Engineers for Science Command,” she said, taking a quick sip of her beverage. “They send me here to get me out of their hair, I think. They’re not the type of people who were supposed to have kids. It’s always weird coming home. I mean, I think they love me, sure, but I don’t think they know how to show it.” She paused as she wrapped her head around that thought. “Huh, sorry, that’s a bit personal to drop on the first date,” she admitted.
“Nah, if it was on your chest, it’s alright,” he said.
“Well what about you?” Jane asked.
“What is there to say? One’s a janissary, and the other flies for Star Command,” he said. Star Command was the military arm of the Imperial Command, the naval counterpart to Janissary Command.
“Good parents?” she asked.
“Mmm, they’re alright. Kind of like what you described… Well, maybe not so much. Sometimes they get so wrapped up in their careers it feels like I’m underfoot when I’m home,” he admitted.
“See
ms to be a common theme,” Jane pointed out. “Is it our society that makes us like this? Or are we just being teenagers?”
“Maybe more of the latter, but a little bit of the former. Did you know pre-enlistment, the people who decided to fight wars didn’t have to serve in the military?” he began, and then laughed. “Of course you’d know… you’re a clever girl.”
Jane blushed, and laughed lightly. “Well, let’s pretend I knew only a little,” she said, finishing her drink. They threw away their trash, waved to the bubbly girl behind the counter, and then made their way back to the monorail, exchanging light chit chat.
“Plans this weekend?” he asked.
Jane shook her head, feeling more at peace than she could remember.
“No, nothing really. Salem wants me to go out with her and her friends, and I finally broke down and accepted,” she said, unable to believe that Salem had extended the offer, or she had said yes and was actually looking forward to it.
The two got off the monorail and Hailey walked her to Orpheus Barracks. They stopped outside the steps, their breath forming vapor in the air and mingling above them.
“I had a good time,” he said.
“So did I. I’m really glad I pulled it together at the end,” she said with a nervous little laugh.
“Eh, either way, I would have asked for the same thing,” Hailey said, noncommittally.
“Oh?” Jane squeaked, feeling light headed for a second.
“Mhmm. Well, there’s one other thing I could have asked for,” he said innocuously.
“What’s that?” said Jane. She had done a good job flirting all night, not being nervous and awkward, but didn’t realize a trap when she saw it.
“This,” he said, and his arm moved around her hip, and their lips brushed, his tentatively on hers. She was too shocked to do anything for a moment, and he began to pull away in rejection. Her hands flew up, clamped on the back of his head and a shoulder, and then pulled him back in.