“Not looking after yourself! Go take a shower and change your stinky clothes and then I’ll tell you what I came here for.” She raised an eyebrow and pointed at the door, giving Marcus no choice but to obey.
He sighed. “I know when I’m defeated.” As he got up to leave he glanced at the indefatigable seventeen-year-old. “You are a very bossy young woman.”
Tina smirked, sitting down to give Fudge the attention she was demanding. “And you are a forgetful old genius who needs a kick in the butt now and again. Now go. I missed lunch, so I don’t want to miss dinner as well.”
Marcus grinned as he headed for the door. “Who’s forgetful now? You can just order something from the bar. Someone will bring it through.”
Tina messaged her mom to say she was having dinner with Marcus, then ordered for the two of them before setting out Fudge’s food and water bowls from her bag while she waited for Marcus to return.
Twenty minutes later he came back from the bathroom clean-shaven and freshly dressed, followed shortly by their food.
Tim ‘Rocky’ Kinley came in through the secure door to the bar bearing two delicious-smelling pizza boxes. “Who’s hungry?”
“Me!” Tina rushed over to take the boxes from the burly bouncer. “Thanks, Tim!”
Marcus gave Tim a wave from the table as he left and took the box Tina held out to him. They ate, chatting about nothing and appreciating the meal as Fudge scampered around their feet, playing with a crumpled napkin.
Tina watched the kitten with a smile as she finished her third slice. “That’s better.”
Marcus put his crust down and wiped his hands on a napkin. “As you’re so fond of telling me, brains need calories to produce genius. Now, what did you want to talk about?”
Tina frowned, wiping the grease from her fingers. “School. Or more accurately, what I should do after graduation.”
Marcus pushed his box away and sat back. “I thought you were all set to go into biology?”
She shook her head. “I switched to applied mathematics.”
“That’s how you fixed the ESD ray calculations! You’ve been studying!”
Tina giggled. “Nope, I’m just better than you are at reading your writing through three layers of beer rings. I’ve certainly had enough practice!”
“I’m just pulling your leg. Your ability with numbers is astounding.” Marcus beamed. “That cannon rig was excellent, given what you had to work with. I saw Jean’s vid of the siege. So you want to be an engineer?”
Tina laughed. “And spend my days covered in grease? Not for me, thanks. I’m more of a problem-solver. But then, I also think what my mom does is pretty epic. Project management on the scale she’s doing it is an art form.”
Marcus shrugged. “So what’s the problem?”
Tina gaped at him. “I just told you! I have to decide and get back to Dorene about it soonest.”
He considered her dilemma for a long minute, picking at his pizza crust. “Consider the skill base you need for the career you want to have, and which track will prepare you best. Either way, you should keep up with your math studies. You have a gift, my dear.”
Tina winked at Marcus as she snagged the last slice of pizza from his box. “Oh, I intend to. How else am I going to take over your department when you’re ready to be put out to pasture?”
Marcus was lost for words once again.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Etheric Academy, PET Annex
Maxim breathed through the next move of the kata Peter had him practicing.
He drew his breath in slowly as he set his stance, then pushed it out fast as he executed the strike and landed in position ready for the next step.
In…and out. In…and out, letting his breathing be his guide as he moved through each technique.
He bent his knees and twisted to wind up momentum for the final kick, leaping as he swept his foot up and around at shoulder height before landing lightly on the mat to face Peter and make his rei.
Peter gave Maxim a round of applause as he bowed. “That was great! Let’s go again, but this time remember to give your hips an extra twist as you bend for that last kick. I want to see your foot reach my head height this time.”
Maxim nodded, taking a swig from his water bottle before seating himself in a low crouch with his back held straight, ready to begin the pattern of movements again.
Peter gave him the nod. “When you’re ready. How are you feeling about seeing Doc Dietrich today?”
Maxim shook his head. “I do not know. Ambivalent, I suppose?”
Peter smiled knowingly. “Talking about it will help, buddy. Trust me. Now, let me see you make that kick go over my head.”
Maxim regulated his breathing once more, his attention back on controlling his body to get the maximum effect out of each movement. He was grateful that the focus required to execute each kick, block, and strike perfectly afforded his tired mind a break.
Just the thought of his impending therapy session was enough to bring his troubles to the forefront and the distraction caused him to miss a step.
Peter saw Maxim’s attention slip, the misstep leaving him undefended on his left side. “Hold onto your focus,” he told the younger man. “Take it from the top.”
Maxim ground to a halt and began again, but it was Peter’s turn to be distracted by somebody pinging him.
Peter frowned as he received the message. “Sorry, Maxim. I’ve gotta go,”
“Is everything okay?” Maxim asked.
Peter nodded, grabbing his bag and heading for the door. “A situation I’ve been keeping my eye on needs my attention. Nothing to worry about. You just keep practicing, kiddo.”
Maxim made a face at being called ‘kiddo’ but prepared to start over as the door shut behind Peter. Almost as soon as he’d begun his tablet beeped, reminding him to go to his appointment.
“Already? Stupid counseling,” he grumbled to himself as he threw his pads into his bag and set off for the medical wing.
__
An hour later, Maxim left Doctor Dietrich’s office and made his way to the Grimes residence.
Cheryl Lynn opened the door with a big smile. “Hey, Maxim!”
“Hey, Ms. Grimes,” Maxim replied. “Is Nestor still here with Todd?”
“He is. Come on in.” Cheryl Lynn stood aside so Maxim could enter. “We were about to have dinner. You and Nestor are welcome to stay if you’d like?”
Maxim was tempted. Cheryl Lynn’s leftovers were legendary among the Alpha Class students. Anytime Tina visited home and didn’t bring anything back with her, she heard about it from the others. “It smells really good, Ms. Grimes, but I wouldn’t want to impose on you.”
Cheryl Lynn grinned as she escorted him to Todd’s room. “Such lovely manners, just like Nestor! Lord knows I made enough, and Tina’s doing something over with Marcus so she’s not going to make it. You boys will be doing me a favor if you stay and eat with us.”
Maxim blushed. “You’re the best, Ms. Grimes.”
“I’ll call when dinner’s ready. You boys have fun.” Cheryl Lynn smiled and left for the kitchen.
Maxim went into Todd’s room, disturbing the younger boys from their game. He waved for them to continue and sat down on a chair to watch them play.
They quickly fell back into the deep concentration the game required as they tried to outdo each other’s aerial exploits. It left Maxim some time to think about his mandatory counseling session.
It hadn’t been anything like he’d expected. He’d gone into Doctor Dietrich’s room prepared for an inquisition about his feelings.
Instead, the doctor had introduced himself and then let Maxim guide the conversation. It had been awkward at first—Maxim being the stoic type at the best of times—but Doctor Dietrich had pointed to the bag by Maxim’s feet and asked what combat styles Maxim was training in.
Before Maxim knew it, his hour was up and nobody had mentioned the ‘f’ word once.
He had promised to re
turn in two days’ time for another ‘discussion,’ as the doctor had called it. He didn’t know if the talking would help him at all, but the doctor had shown him a couple of sweet jujitsu moves he wanted to follow up on.
It looked like the game was coming to its conclusion.
Maxim thought he saw the finish line in the distance on the screen and a moment later Cheryl Lynn called them for dinner, just as they crossed the line in a photo finish.
“One minute, Mom!” Todd called back as they waited for the results to load.
Todd jumped up and took a victory pose. “WHOOP!”
Maxim looked on quizzically while Todd pulled his tablet out and Nestor dropped his head into his hands with a groan.
Todd pointed his tablet’s camera at Nestor and grinned. “Come on, bro, you’ve got to do it! You made me do it last time!”
“I am making much less fuss than you did,” Nestor snarked, tilting his chin at a defiant angle as he spoke to the camera through gritted teeth. “Todd Grimes is the best pilot there ever was or will be. He leaves us mere mortals in his space dust. All hail Todd Grimes.”
Maxim burst into laughter, throwing the pillows from Todd’s bed at both their heads. “It’s crap like this that makes everyone else think pilots are arrogant narcissists.”
“Hey, I can’t help it if everyone feels compelled to acknowledge my awesomeness,” Todd bragged, flexing his biceps as he strutted to the door.
Nestor punched Maxim in the arm as he went past. “You say a word about this to the others and I will never speak to you again.”
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Medical Level, Psychiatric Wing, Ward G
Peter gave Rickie a fist-bump as he came through the door and got a quick rundown of the day’s events from his fellow original Guardian before he headed to the reception desk to speak to the nurse there.
He was pleasantly surprised to find the sterile white walls of the hospital corridor replaced by the warm décor of the ward. The walls were painted in a deep, pinkish terracotta and pale olive, there was art on the walls, and bookcases and potted plants filled the spaces between the overstuffed chairs and sofas in the waiting area. Beyond the reception desk, a half-wall topped with glass separated the dayroom, which Peter could see was just as thoughtfully detailed.
A nurse at the desk noticed his observation and smiled “You like it?”
“Yeah, it’s nice. A big change from the other wards,” He couldn’t see her name badge. “Um...”
“Lucy. When this place was being designed, the Queen asked us how we would have it done if we were in charge. We all said that the long-term patients should be made to feel like they’re at home, so a home is what she had them build. What can I do for you, Commander Silvers?”
Peter waved a hand at her. “Peter’s fine. I got a message from Meredith about the Wechselbalg man with the memory loss. He made another attempt to leave?”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah, earlier today. It’s okay, we had Rickie here to help out. It was a good thing you did—assigning us a Guardian. The presence of other Wechselbalg seems to soothe the patient when he’s awake.”
“That’s why I came…about Ilya. I wanted to get the info on the woman who brought him in, but Meredith couldn’t give it to me. Something about patient confidentiality?”
“Why do you want to know?” Lucy asked.
Peter shrugged. “I dunno. I guess this guy’s situation is getting to me. Wechselbalg aren’t made to be alone. I want to do the right thing by him, and maybe if I find out what the woman who found him knows I might be able to find someone who knows him among the Wechselbalg. All I need to start is her name and address, if you have it.”
Lucy scrunched her mouth as she deliberated, and finally she sighed and reached for a scrap of paper and a pen. “I’m not supposed to do this, but he’s gotten to all of us. I want you to promise you’ll do your best to find his people.”
Peter took the piece of paper from her with a grin. “You’re an angel, Lucy. And I will do my best, I promise.”
CHAPTER NINE
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Etheric Academy, Cafeteria
Yana lifted her breakfast tray over the students’ heads as she made her way to one of the smaller tables in the corner where Tina sat by herself.
Tina looked up as Yana stopped at the table. “Oh. Hey.”
“Mind if I join you?” Yana sat down opposite her friend, not waiting for a reply. She glanced at the Alpha Class table, catching Halli’s eye and giving a little shrug.
Halli rolled her eyes toward Ron, who sat next to her looking equally morose. “Why aren’t you sitting with everyone else? Did you and Ron have another fight?”
Tina sighed and stabbed her oatmeal with her spoon. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Yana patted Tina’s free hand in sympathy. “Okay, but I’m here if you change your mind.”
Tina put her spoon down. “It’s just… We graduate in a few weeks, and then what? We have to face facts, but Ron doesn’t want to admit we’re going our separate ways.”
“But you can still see each other!” Yana exclaimed.
“How?” Tina shook her head. “I’m going to be studying too hard over the next few years to even think about personal time. Why can’t we just enjoy the time we have before we graduate instead of arguing about the inevitable?”
Yana tried to keep a straight face. “That’s…” she trailed off, searching for something positive to say, “practical,” she finished lamely.
Tina shrugged and picked up her spoon again. “I can’t help being practical. You can go sit with Ron if you like. I don’t mind.”
Yana looked over at Ron again. “No, everyone else is sitting with him. He doesn’t need me as well.”
Masha came over to join them, planting her tray next to Tina’s. “Will you two just make up already?”
“Masha!”
Masha was unrepentant. “What, Yana? Do you want to spend the last few weeks of school with their impending breakup hanging over our heads?”
Yana sighed, getting up. “No. Masha is right, Tina. You two have to stop arguing. Come on, let’s go sit with the others.”
Masha picked her tray up again and joined Yana. “Are you coming?”
Tina stood up and shook her head. “I don’t think so. You two go. I’m going back to the dorm to feed Fudge before class.”
Yana watched her go. “I hate that they’re fighting.”
“Me too,” Masha agreed with a sigh. “Like we haven’t got enough going on.”
Yana studied Masha’s face. “You’re not happy either?”
Masha snorted. “What have I got to be happy about? A few hundred years of playing by the rules and following orders in the Guardians?”
Yana was confused. “I thought you were going to be a spy or something?”
“Yeah, but apparently ‘that’s not a viable career path.’” She huffed. “I felt like I contributed something vital at the castle, you know? What I did led to us saving the doc’s family. It made me realize that I want to be more than the hammer. I want to be the scalpel. I want to walk the line and protect the Empire from the shadows.” Masha gazed at nothing, lost in her dream. “I would make a good spy, going from planet to planet saving the day with exploits so incredible that people wouldn’t believe they were real.”
Yana shot Masha a sympathetic look as they took their seats at the table with the others. “How do you even become a spy? And who would you spy on?”
“Every new alien we meet, of course!” Masha grinned. “But like my mom and dad said, there’s no way that’s going to happen. It’s either DipCorps or the Guardians–and there’s no way I’m subjecting myself to a lifetime of standing around in a cocktail dress making small talk with a bunch of arrogant fashion-conscious diplomats!”
Yana snickered. “You? Smalltalk?”
“I know, right? Can you see me being all fancy-pants in an evening dress and heels?” Masha stuck her pinkie finger out as she took a pointedly delicate
sip of her juice. “I’ll leave all that to Mischa, thank you very much. She fits right in with the society types.”
“Hey!” Mischa complained, pointing her fork at her twin. “Actually, no, you’re right. I had an interesting discussion with Dean Hauser about my options, and I do like the idea of socializing in the name of the Empire. How did your interview go, Yana?”
“It was very informative. I have a much clearer idea of what to expect when my internship starts.”
Masha tilted her head as she ate, waving for Yana to go on.
“My role will be to learn about each new species as we come into contact with them to facilitate smooth communications. While you were all down in Wales, one of the things Tina’s mom had us do was sit in on her classes while she learned about the different species we expect to encounter. I want to know how we are different—and if our commonalities can bring us together in peace instead of war. Like Human Resources, but on a galactic scale.”
Masha nodded, finishing her mouthful of food. “You have high hopes, Yana.”
“How can I have anything else?” Yana declared. “I am human, and to be human is to hope!” She scooped the last bite of her breakfast up. “Hurry up now or we’ll be late for the rabbits.”
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Plants and Ecologies Space, Rabbit Habitat
Masha sat cross-legged on a blanket on the floor with Mischa, Yana, and Halli.
They each held a rabbit on a towel on their knees, gently tugging a slicker brush through their rabbit’s wool one clump at a time.
Around them in loose circles the rest of the students did the same, each depositing the loosened wool in baskets given to them for that purpose while Bernadette spoke about the rabbits.
The head handler paced back and forth in her jodhpurs, her wellingtons squeaking with every step. “While the regular angora rabbit sheds its wool every ninety days or so, the genetics team has tweaked our angoras to make that cycle shorter to increase fiber yields. This, along with an adjustment to the genes that regulate the density of the angoras’ wool, makes our angoras an ideal animal to fulfill our needs. While the Queen’s dogs are fluffy and cute, they do nothing to help our self-sufficiency.”
Alpha Class - Graduation_A Kurtherian Gambit Series Page 6