by C J Klinger
Before her hair had been reduced to stubble, she had been a brunette with slightly wavy locks. Her tan complexion was in stark contrast to her electric blue eyes, another gift from her mother. Her Hyloxian companion, Anni-Kyfor had large golden eyes with irises that contracted into thin slits in bright light. She was covered with a soft downy fir that morphed into different colors according to her mood or her surroundings. Normally the Hyloxian would have had a short mane that stated in the middle of her forehead and went halfway down her back, but that too had been sheared in the ritual that all cadets endured for the first three years in the Space Academy. This survival course marked the end of their time on campus and the end of buzz-cut Saturday as the cadets called the weekly visit to the base barber. Their final year would be spent in various field assignments culminating in graduation and promotion to second lieutenant.
As a McKinnah, Adeline was the fourth generation of her family to join the CSF Space Force, which had been founded by her great-grandfather, Jonathon McKinnah, Senior. Her grandfather, Jonathon James McKinnah, Jr. had become the second commander-in-chief of the CSF and was now retired from active duty. Her father, Jonathon McKinnah the Third was currently the Admiral in charge of Fleet Operations. He was rumored to be in line to become the next Commander-In-Chief like his father and grandfather before him, but he had consistently stated he was not interested in the job. Her mother had left the space force when Adeline was born but later had gone to work for the Interplanetary Resettlement Organization, a CIP Department responsible for helping pioneers open new worlds. She was currently serving a one-year term as Secretary-General of the organization.
Anni-Kyfor was the daughter of Adalan-Kyfor, Commander of the Hylox Empire Space Forces. Adalan-Kyfor and Adeline’s parents, Annika and Jonathon McKinnah had fought together against the Khruelians. They had become very close friends during the war and found the time to visit each other’s world as often as possible. Annika had named her daughter Adaline after Adalan-Kyfor, and Adalan-Kyfor had named her daughter Anni-Kyfor.
The two cadets dozed for an hour waiting for sunset and an opportunity to advance toward their goal, a marker approximately fifteen kilometers north of their position. They, along with twenty other cadets had been dropped off in the predawn light fifteen hours earlier with information about the location of their destination and simple instruction to get there within three days without being detected or caught. None of them had any idea which planet they were on, but Adaline was sure it was Evenia. Anni-Kyfor agreed with her.
Anni stirred and stretched. “I have an idea,” she said.
“Oh, oh, we’re in trouble now,” Adaline said while checking their surroundings through a peephole in the camo-cover.
“No really, Adi, it’s a good idea,” The Hyloxian said defensively.
Adaline zipped up the peep-hole and grinned at her friend, “Unlike the last one that got us ten days detention?”
“How could I know Professor Pun jar-Mendez would learn about our plans to sneak into town?”
Adaline put her hand on her friend’s leg and said, “He’s from Vajrashila, Anni, he reads minds. You should know those things.”
Anni-Kyfor withdrew her leg from her friend's touch and sat pouting, not willing to concede their last detention was her fault.
“Alright, alright, Anni, it wasn’t entirely your fault. I should have warned you about him.” Adaline said then asked, “Now, what’s your idea?”
The mercurial Hyloxian immediately forgot about their last misadventure and began explaining her latest plan. “The idea is to get to the marker without being caught, right?”
“Yes, go on,” Adaline said.
Anni grinned exposing a perfect set of white fangs and incisor teeth. “What if we were to become the hunters instead of the hunted?”
In spite of her reservations, Adaline was interested. “What do you have in mind?”
Anni leaned forward and explained.