David (critique copy)

8/11/2019 David (critique copy)

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 2

Chapter 2 18

Chapter 3 .....23

Chapter 4 .... 29


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1

A siren screeched, a terrible and ear-splitting noise.An emergency light activated, painting the bridge red. Afemale voice announced its warning, barely audible over thetocsin.

Danger. Command modu le breached. Oxygen levels atninety-seven percent and falling.

A true cacophony arose as shouting joined the noise.Every headset was filled with a dozen voices. Juniorpersonnel looked to their superiors, anxious faces throwninto relief by stark white screens. Fingers trembled overcontrols, paralyzed by confusion. The superiors did theirbest to mask their own agitation. Commanding officersstrained their throats, shouting above the tumult inattempts to regain control of their stations.

A crack split through the pandemonium, draggingeverything to a screeching halt.

What was that? someone whispered.

Oh, shit . L ook!A gunnery officer stood and pointed, gold junior

lieutenant s bars glinting in the red glare.Every head turned, following his pointing finger to

the edge of the view glass - the only barrier thatseparated them and the starry expanse of space. Thethunderous noise rent their ears again, akin to thecreaking of a falling tree. The fracture was making its wayup the thick glass, each lightning burst branching farther.Nobody moved.

The overhead speaker clicked, and a sigh filled thebridge with static.

All stations, abort. Were done here.It went off with another click.

The siren ceased. The red light went out, sending thebridge back into darkness. There was silence for a moment.Someone swore in the far end.


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The voice from the speaker belonged to David Jonthan,the commander of the ship. He swiveled in his seat at therear of the bridge and stood as, slowly, chatter rose from

the rest of the cadets below. He brushed the wrinkles outof his black tunic, movements sharp with vexation.

Brilliant , he fumed. Another training exercise,failed . True, it was only the second, but it was the secondunder his command. How many more would it take? And howcould he expect to make it as a Captain, when he could noteven get past the damned training ? The creases of a frowndeepened in his face. He glanced at his console screen withits brittle glass, jaw and fists clenched.

A blue light flickered on the console. His eyesshifted to it as it shaped itself into a translucent humanform, wearing informal clothing. Its hands were shoved intoits pockets, a coat thrown over an arm.

David sighed. What, Luke? I dont know why you re taking that tone. I wasnt

going to say anything, Luke said, pushing up his glasses.He sounded hurt, but his eyes twinkled.

David shook his head, preferring to observe the restof the bridge rather than engage with the AI. The image ofspace displayed on the enormous screen was fading to white.As was the supposed crack. The lights were coming back on,and the clock on the wall signaled it was time to go atlast.

People were gathering their things from their desks,stretching and chatting amongst each other. The way theymoved, he could almost hear the creaking in their joints.His own back felt quite stiff. It had been a long day, andhe felt in his bones just the same as how they looked.

Luke was rambling off information and statisticsbehind him. The same as last time. Where to improve, whatwas improved upon, reaction time versus average reactiontime, so on and so forth. David only registered muffledbabbling.

He was in almost in his mid-twenties twenty-two, tobe exact. His goal had been to be accomplished by thistime, damn it.

But thats too unrealistic. Youll never make it that fast. Give it up.

The echoes of what they all said played back in hismind almost daily now. Sometimes his brain turned their


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voices into daft sounding mockeries. Sometimes they weredemons, snarling into his ear.

He turned to address the little blue man.

Look, Luke. Would you be able to forward all of thisto my personal pad? I think Im in need of some rest.

Luke cut his monologue short and gave David a balefullook.

Fine. Forwarding now. Have a good night, Captain . The way he enunciated the last word stung him, and

David turned off the AI display jamming the button with alittle more force than he had intended.

* * *

The door to his quarters slid closed without a sound.They were not lavish, by a C aptains stand ards. The wallswere a conservative slate gray, and there was minimalfurniture. Of course his title of Ship Commander was, fornow, only for training purposes. He was as much of atrainee as any of his subordinates, though his slot as apossible captain ranked him a hair higher. An upperclassmanof sorts. Pulling the door to the bathroom closed, hiseyes turned reluctantly to meet the deep blue ones in themirror. They studied his face.

Pale. Sharp nose. Lips pursed. Jet black hair sweptin to the classic style of a ships top brass . He grimaced,running thin fingers through his locks. He mussed them,taking some small pleasure in the act.

He tried to relax. The muscles in his face gave alittle, but the stern expression stuck. Had he worn thislook the entire time? Well, that would explain the timidway some of the juniors had approached him at least. Hehuffed through his nose, and switched on the cold water tosplash his face, yelping when a drop smacked into his eye.He rubbed it, muttering curses as he left the bathroom.

It had been a long time since hed last been this way .Serious. Somber. Before, it had just been joking around inclassrooms with his mates, passing notes behind theteachers backs the old fashioned way. They made fun of his baby face, saying, Are you sure youre o ld enough tobecome a Captain ? They had even christened him with a


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nickname. Captain Cherub. He had resented that a little,but could realize it was all in jest.

Those times were no more. Now the jabs at his age came

not from friends, but from the looks of older officers,given when he spoke of his desire to be a commander. Thefurtive glances they shared with one another. Surely theydidnt mean to offend. B ut he always caught their raisedeyebrows, betraying their thoughts on the matter.

And now here he was, in the next stage of training.The laughter had faded, to be replaced with a permanentlook of dour concentration. He blinked, noticing that hisface had tightened once again. His thoughts had wanderedright back. A groan crept out of his throat. He abandonedthe buttons of his blouse, and fell into bed. His eyesclosed and he smiled, plunging his face into the cool, softpillow.

* * *

His eyes opened. They swept his surroundings, takingthem in. Rows upon rows of empty desks sat in a vast,brightly lit semi-circular space. The floors were a sterilewhite, as were the desks. Terminals sat upon each, theirscreens dark. The glass viewport at the front was immense,and afforded him a view of millions of unblinking specks.He half wondered what they would look like with the lightoff.

Together the bulbs flickered out, engulfing the bridgein darkness. He experienced no surprise at the occurrence.It felt natural that they would abide his wish.

It did not take long for his eyes to readjust, and thesky outside of the dome came alive. Diamonds and amethysts.Amber and ruby. The fires of a billion stars blazed;uncountable engines of the firmament, churning with lifeand flame. This was no simulation. The most intricate

program in the galaxy could never replicate such wonder.

The bridge was empty, save for him. His stepsreverberated off of the walls as he walked down the centeraisle, gazing at each desk as he passed them. He passed Hemoved closer to one, and ran his hand over the chair. He


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gave the material a squeeze. Soft, synthetic leather. Notthe metal ergonomic nightmares of the simulator , he thoughtwith a smile.

Silence sat dead in the air. Upon reaching the end ofthe walkway, he turned. His eyes fell on the seat at theopposite end, in the center of the aisle. It was perchedupon a dais, and in front of it sat the semicircularcommand console. He blinked, and found himself sitting infront of it. He started in surprise, but felt no surge ofadrenaline until the AI display activated, resolving intoLukes translucent blue form. The derisive smile wasreplaced by a blank look, and he gazed at David.

Captain?

The ship purred beneath his feet. Its every inchburned with an undeniable fervor. Cried for him to send ittearing into empyrean. Were he to command it, he felt surethat it would take him to Heaven itself.

The stars outside of the viewport gleamed likecountless diamonds in the black of space. He didnt knowwhere it would take him, but he knew what he wanted.Engage.

Engage confirmed. Enjoy the flight, sir. Lukevanished, leaving David alone again. The stars began toshift in the view port as the ship heaved its enormousbulk.

It was indiscernible at first, but as the secondsticked by, the whine grew more audible. It was accompaniedby the vibrating hum of powerful engines; a sound David hadonly heard once before in his life. The nearlyimperceptible way it shook his body was unfamiliar however,and it felt surprisingly good. He smiled at the thought ofa ship in Acceleration being a large, expensive massagechair. Perhaps he could ask someone to install a similarfunction into his seat if he ever earned his own ship. Eyesclosing, he settled back into the leather, and exhaledthrough his nose. Relaxed at last.

Pounding on the door jolted him awake. He checked hiswatch out of reflex o eight hundred .

O e ight hundred.Shit.

* * *


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Master Chief Petty Officer Gonzalez, trainee Jonthan

reports as ordered , David blurted, snapping a crispsalute. The grizzled TO stared at him, mouth a flat line.David swallowed.

The man gazed at him for a moment more, then growled,C heck y our collar, trainee.

David blinked, and glanced down. The left point of hiscollar was sticking up; the flamboyant flair of the late.He patted it down and returned to the position ofattention. He did not stutter an apology he had alreadylearned it was a mistake to speak back. The TO had his backto him now, and was looking at the rest of the bridge.Where everyone else were already in their seats, eyesriveted straight ahead, and silent.

Assume your station, trainee Jonthan . We will speaklater .

Aye Chief.

He made his way to the command chair without a word,the only sound his echoing footsteps. Taking his seat, heclipped the seatbelt together and booted the display. Lukeappeared to his left. He didnt say a thing, but David didnot want to meet those eyes. Not now, not ever.

Your mission today, ladies and gentlemen, boomed theTO, is simple, thankfully. Given your difficultiesyesterday, I thought you might appreciate a little break.

Is the condescension really necessary? Davids faceburned, and he resisted the urge to slide lower in hisseat.

So your only objective today is to investigate anAssyrian hideout, dispatch any resistance, and report backwith results. Think you can handle that?

Ay e Chief ! came the echoed cry. Alright. Well see. He turned to the wall panel

behind him and activated the intercom, initiating thesimulation program at the same time . Exe rcise, exercise,exercise. The lights began to dim. Simulation is underway. Begin start up procedures for all terminals, and enjoy

the view, trainees . The door to the simulation room openedbehind David, letting in a slit of light. It disappeared asthe TO stepped out.

One by one, screens throughout the bridge came on aseveryone booted their stations; bright squares in the dark.


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The enormous view screen above them was resolving, forminga domed panorama of space. Millions of stars blinked theirgreeting. He thought back to his dream, and how the sky had

looked. His mouth tasted bitter from envy. No matter, hewould see that sky again. All he had to do was pass aclass.

Alright. Alright, I can do this, he thought, heartpounding.

Assyrians. Not their official name, but those who hadfought them before remarked some with respect, some withfear the ferocity they displayed in combat, primitivetechnology notwithstanding. He skimmed the ship overview,seeing the message relaying the coordinates to the contactpoint. Navigation would already be inputting those, and hehad an idea. His thumb pressed the intercom switch. A small

motivational speech wasnt stupid or corny , right?Alright everybody, he heard his voice echo back tohim from the speakers. It sounded dangerously thin. I knowweve been having trouble, but I know were improving. Ibelieve in each and every one of you. So are we ready togo?

Muttering roiled off of the rest of the trainees. Afew people looked at him, smirking. His heart sank. It was a stupid idea.

H - hell yeah! stammered a female voice from thegunnery section; the closest right-station to the commandterminal.

David narrowed his eyes, peering through the gloom.Was that Jessica? He spotted her. She was staring down ather desk, glancing to either side, eyes wide. She caughthis gaze, and he beamed at her, heart shooting into histhroat. She smiled back, then looked down again, lettingher short brown hair hide her face from giggling peers.Maybe this wouldnt be so bad after all.

Alright, he said , clearing his throat . Everybodyready?

A few people nodded this time. Good enough for him.Alright then. Rock and roll in three, twoLukes image flickered to life. His arms were crossed,

foot tapping. David turned his gaze on him, and nodded.One.

Lukes voice resonated throughout the bridge.Acceleration engaged.


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* * *

The waiting was always the least fun part for him. TheTOs did not allow chatting during Acceleration, and thesilence during could lull one into relaxing. And a loweredguard was more dangerous than any TOs spittle . The holebeneath Davids pacing feet was getting deeper.

Captain, if you worry yourself as much as youreworrying those boots, this e xercise isnt going to go muchbetter than last time.

Please save it, Luke, David said. How much fartheruntil Deceleration?

The navigation station reports a two minute ETA. Thank you. Luke nodded, and disappeared. David pursed his lips.

Maybe he could have been less brusque with the man.The stars were gone from the viewport, save for a

white spot in the center. He wondered what it had been likebefore FTL flight, and how people might have reacted to thediscovery. Life must have been so slow in those times. Hewould have hated to be trapped on the confines of a singlerock.

He cast a glance Jessicas way . She was poring overnotes at her desk, and didnt catch him looking. Thatswhat he should be doing too. A notepad lay open, waiting

for him on his own terminal. A pen sat on a blank page.Research be damned; he refused to take notes. He preferredhis personal pad, even though he had been told plenty oftimes that the reason they provided notepads at all was forthe added benefit of making information easier to retainvia manual input or whatever nonsense the lieutenants hadspouted. He shook his head. He had to keep his thoughtsclear. Clear, and free of all this negativity . It wastaking him over.

Deceleration ending in fifteen seconds, Lukes voicesaid. David looked up. The white spot on the viewport wasgetting bigger. Five four three two mark.

All at once the spot expanded and billions of starsfilled the dome. If David had had the time to admire theview, he would have thought it was a beautiful sight. Aplanet sat in the front of the screen, illuminated by itsnearby Home Star. It was a hazy orange hue, with whiteclouds painting striations in the atmosphere.


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another reason it had been dangerous to settle. Theirorbits were short-lived and ended in fir e; the Assyrianssetup had to be temporary and opportunistic rather than

permanent. They might just flee when they attacked. Or theymight not. They were about to find out either way. Fourmore thumps vibrated under his seat.

Holo drones launched. Davids heart felt like it would beat straight out of

his chest. This was the pivotal point. Once the holo droneswere in place, they would have a semi perfect replicationof the operation space. At this range, it was impossible tomake out individual ships.

Theyre withdrawing their cargo sh ips into theasteroid, Captain! Theyve must have spotted the droneslaunching!

Damn it! He skimmed the ships hologram replica on hisconsole. The railguns were at seventy-five percent.Maintain camouflage, but be ready to deactivate for railsalvos.

Roger! Gunnery, do we have that solution? Negative Captain, but we only need twenty more

seconds! Heat signatures detected from the Assyrians Captain,

theyre warming up their guns! Lee said.ETA until holo drones are in place? Five seconds Captain!

David counted them out, holding his breath. Finally ,he thought, as the translucent blue cube materialized inthe center of his console. Four yellow hexagons; just cargoships. Data put them at fifty kilometers. And- he heaved asigh of relief. Only two reds, signifying weaponized ships.And Darts, at that. It wouldn t be a cake walk, but theycould handle that many.

The small assault vessels were zooming towards them onan intercept course. They were maneuvering in an oddpattern.

No, theyre zig -zagging. Trying to throw targeting.

Status on targeting solution, Gunnery!Two seconds! One ! Acquired! Ready to fire,Captain! Jes sica replied, triumph in her voice.

F our shots - fire rails ! Cloak deactivating! came engineering. Four thumps rocked the ship, counter thrusters


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flaring. Four lumps of magnetized slag rocketed towards theAssyrian ships. His eyes followed them the entire way. Justone would be enough to turn a small assault ship into dust,

but he wanted this done. The cargo ships would be easypickings.

Were so close . His knuckles turned white as hisfingers gripped the armrests of his seat.

The first shot went wild, as did the second. The thirdand fourth-

Damn it! he thought, and slammed a fist on thearmrest. A moan arose from the bridge. The Darts haddodged, and were closing the gap.

ETA on next salvo, Gunnery! he said.Already locked and loaded! Take aim four shots!Four thumps , and the projectiles rocketed away. The

needle shaped crafts were at half the distance now, andtheir heavy TS4 would never be able to out maneuver them.They had to land those shots. Please , he begged,fingernails digging into the chair.

An explosion rocked the ship, and he jerked againsthis seatbelt. Alarms sounded off, and red light flared. Theview outside of the screen spun. A cloud of rent metal flewpast.

Weve been hit! What?! Where did that come from!

The drones section was in a clamor, all of the fiveofficers looking from their screens to each other, tryingto find anything in the holo cube, any sign of what mighthave struck them. No Dart had that much firepower.

Negative knowledge, Captain! came Lees response. Hewas looking at David with a casual look, and raising hisarms in a shrug.

Hull is compromised - were venting air, Captain! Darts are now within fight er range, Captain! Were still tumbling, Captain! David racked his mind. Correct for spin! he

stammered out; he couldnt th ink of what else they could

do. What the hell had hit them?The ship s replica was glowing an angry red just belowthe command module. A few hundred feet upward, and thiswould have been over much sooner.

Theres something on the hologram! one of the dronesofficers said. Im not getting any data on what it is!


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A massive red blip was now sitting just above them inthe holo cube. Its form was obscured by visual static. Ajammer? It was close enough to be within visual range, and

David scanned through the external cameras. He stopped whenhe saw something. Jesus , it was so close. He recognizedthat shape. Long, with a nose that resembled a claw.

Reaper! came a cry. Zero twelve zero zero ! Itswarming up for another shot!

David could make out two pinpricks of light on thehull of the ship, getting brighter. That thing had tornstraight through their plating. They wouldnt surviveanother round. He bent his brain over the coals, trying tothink of something . Anything . Guns? No, they would never beable to load and fire quick enough. Could they dodge thenext shot? Out of the question they were far too close to

maneuver out of the way in time. What could they do ? Theywere helpless. In the camera, two spots of light explodedaway from the ship above, arcing with deadly speed straightfor them. He just watched.

They didnt even feel the twin impacts. The Assyrianshad struck right at their command center; the brain of aship. The simulation was over.

He slumped back into his chair. Again , he thought.Again .

There was a silence on the bridge. Nobody spoke. Thensomeone wrenched off their headset and threw it. Itclattered along the floor. Looking at everyone, David sawsome of them had their heads in their hands. He dared notlook at Jessica.

Lukes form flickered into being above the AI display.Training simulation has ended. Results are beingcalculated and will be reported once complete.

I better not fucking fail this class because of you,Jonthan!

Heads turned. A lieutenant was standing at his desk,glaring at David. His fists were clenched, and he shiftedin a way that made David wonder if he was going to make arun at him. He stood, unsure of what he could even say.

Stand down, trainee, barked the TO.David spun, opening his mouth. But the burly officerwas glowering at the lieutenant, not him. He felt angerrising at the man before him, nonetheless. He snapped toattention. Master Chief Petty Officer Gonzalez, traineeJonthan reports as order ed. Request permission to speak .


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Granted. With respect Chief, what was that ? What was what, trainee? You were sent on a routine

mission, and you failed. I should think that is what. A routine - Chief, that was not routine! A

Dreadnought ? What are the chances a Dreadnought would ever show up to- The look on the TOs face stopped him dead inhis tracks. He had seen him angry before, but not likethis.

A darkness lowered over his eyes as he inspectedDavid, head to toe. A Captain should be able to considerevery possibility, trainee. A Captain , he repeated,thrusting the last word at him.

It struck him like a blow to the face. He blushed outof chagrin, making his cheeks burn.

Aye Chief , he said. The TO glowered at him for a moment more, then

addressed the rest of the people staring . Alright cadets,pack up your things and take a break. You will be in yourassigned seats by the time your next class begins. Is thatunderstood?

Aye Chief ! they bellowed. Good. Dismissed. A chorus of metal chairs scraping against the floor

filled the room as the rest of the cadets gathered theirthings and left.

And you, the TO said, pointing at David. Come withme.

David stared at the back of the TOs head as theywalked through the halls. The mans trimmed hair was black,but he could see it graying in some spots. He was surelyone of the older TOs on the station. And one of the most jeffective. According to the rumor mill, this man had a onehundred percent pass rate in his classes. David hadwondered if that was due more to his merit as a teacher, orbecause most dropped out long before the final exam. Heremembered a few cadets from his own bunch that doing justthat.

In his mind, David snorted. And to think, he hadlooked forward to being in this mans class.

Ill be challenged, he had thought. Ill learn so muchmore under him than the others. He had assumed he wouldntflounder; that he would be different. That he would be the


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one who tried their hardest and succeeded, the star of theclass. He had been arrogant. And now he was paying for it.

Still failing, even after all this time. He sulked as

they walked, reaching to wipe the corner of his eye.March at the position of attention, trainee! said a

passing TO.Aye Chief! David had been startled, but Chief Gonzalez continued

on as if nothing had happened. No words passed between themuntil they, at last, reached Gonzalezs office.

Close the door behind you, cadet, he said, movingaround his desk. The keys clinked as he tossed them onto aneat stack of papers.

Aye Chief.

It was a small room. The furnishings were nothing morethan a couple of chairs, a desk, and sundry adornments. Butit was spotless . David was astonished that anything couldbe so tidy. Of course it made sense Gonzalez had areputation. But this was almost a supernatural level of-

Stand at the position of attention , cad et. Aye Chief! he said, snapping into position.A moment of silence passed between them.Look at me, cadet. David complied. To his relief, the dangerous look from

before was gone from the Chiefs face. His mouth was stillset in a stern line, but he didnt look like he was an inchfrom slapping someone anymore.

What do you want out of this class? I m sorry ? Most people have their reasons for taking this on.

Desire to lead, maybe they want to move up the ranks, themoney some have even just wanted to get into a ship andblow strack up. What do you want? Why are you here ?

David blinked. Was Gonzalez going to give him amotivational speech? To become a Captain, Chief -

Then why are you not acting lik e it? The desk shookas Gonzalez slammed his palm on it.

David flinched.Gonzalez glowered at him. Ive seen your grades,

Jonthan. You arent failing, but you arent the top of theclass. Some of the other cadets dont accept you as aCaptain, as you saw. And Im starting to think you dontaccept yourself as a Captain, either. So I ll ask again.Why. Are. You. Here? He punctuated the words with moreraps on the desk.


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I - And do t hink carefully before you speak, cadet. Davids mouth shut. His emotions were in turmoil. Was

this a pep talk? Were his grades dipping again? ButGonzalez had said he wasnt failing. Or - was he thinking ofrolling him back? The thought of not seeing Jessica againflashed through the back of his mind and made his stomachconstrict.

There was another moment of silence as he racked hisbrain. Was there some answer he should give? He had metsuperiors that wanted that. He didnt take Gonzalez as thekind of person.

Be honest, Jonthan. David looked up. To his surprise, the TOs expression

had changed. The furrowed eyebrows and flashing eyes were

replaced by a look of patience. The man put his elbows onthe table and laced his fingers together, waiting. Thebobble head of a Galaxy football player was still shaking.

Aye Chief. I- He hesitated. I want to be a Captain,Chief. I know I already said that. I know there must betons of others that say the exact same thing. And I dontknow how much the words alone are worth but I want to bea Captain.

And why is that ? With respect, Chief, I would- rather not say. But I

assure you I have effective reasons . The man gazed at him. David watched where his eyes

went. Checking his haircut. Checking his uniform. Tracedthe ribbon rack.

Even despite being late that morning, before he lefthis room he had slaved over it to make certain it was nomore than a micrometer out of line. Gonzalezs gaze seemedto linger there for a moment, before looking directly athim. He felt like those piercing eyes could see straightthrough his soul.

I assure you, you would not be boring me, Jonthan.You, like every other cadet, are free in that one regard.Was that a flash of a smile? If it was, it was quicklyreplaced. You should absolutely realize it i s a leaders

job to know the people under them. I will not press you forit, as it seems it is a matter that you want to keeppersonal. But I do think that you, more than I, need toknow what you are doing here.

David decided the best route would be to be direct.Chief, am I going to be rolled back?


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Gonzalez did not answer at first, and his stomachdropped. This was it. He was screwed. He wouldnt get tograduate next year.

No. A shiver ran down his back, and he exhaled.But. There will be an additi onal question on your

next exam. It will not be for points, Gonzalez added,seeing Davids confused look. But I should like if youprovided an answer.

Aye Chief. Do you have any questions for me before I di smiss

you? David thought. Aye Chief. Just one. If I may ask

why did you pull me aside? Gonzalez stood, moving into the position of attention.

Apart from being late this morning and that wont happenagain, will it? Negative Chief. Good. Apart from that - you will understand if and

when you get to my kind of position, cadet. Dismissed. David snapped a salute. Aye Chief.


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2

Jessica cast a glance at the clock. Davids desk satempty next to hers. He was going to be late. The rest ofthe cadets were quietly chatting amongst themselves, andthe teacher stood at the front of the class. She waswatching the door , and didnt look happy.

Come on , Jessica urged.

At last the door slid open, revealing an out of breathDavid.

Trainee Jonthan, do you mind explaining why you arearriving at this point in time?

Chief Petty Officer Jones, trainee Jonthan reportsas ordered. My apologies maam, I was attending anappointment with Chief Gonzalez. Request permission toenter the classroom.

Granted. Get to your seat, cadet. Aye Chief.

Jessica kept her eyes forward as David made his way tohis seat. The teacher turned her back and began writing onthe board, announcing the topic for the day.

Tearing out a small piece of paper from her notebook,Jessica scribbled a messy Youre late! and slipped itDavid, watching the teacher. Their seats were in the cornerof the last row, but TOs had eyes in the back of theirheads. You could never be too careful.

She heard David snort. His pen scratched away quietly,and he slid the paper back.

Tell me about it. Did nt you see me get pulled asideby Chief Gonzalez?

She hadnt. Shed wondered where hed gone. Whathappened? Did he yell at you? Scribble. No. Ill tell you later. Okay.


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She faced forward, tuning back into the teacherslecture. In the corner of her eye, she saw David fold thepaper up and slip it between the pages of his notepad.

* * *

I dont think that was really fair, what Gonzalezsaid before, Jessica said.

Chief Gonzalez. And honestly? I don t blame him onebit. I should have been able to think of that. Or at leastbe more careful. I was reckless. They could ve been settingup a dummy so they could ambush us, wipe the commandcenter, and take our technology or something .

I dont really see the Assyrians doing that. They were sitting on the edge of a platform, a

hexagonally segmented half-sphere around them providing aspectacular view of the stars. Tracts of clouds driftedlazily across the surface of Camon far below, the planetthe training station orbited. Tens of millions of milesaway, light from the Home Star Arnon shone through theglass, casting shadows behind her and David. It was herfavorite spot on the station, and the TOs would have killedthem if they found out. She swung her legs, the frightfuldrop over the edge giving her a small thrill. It made herfeel like a kid again.

Whatever. I do nt know, Jessica. They could ve beenwaiting to throw us a party for all I know, and one of thegoons on the dreadnought accidentally pressed the buttonfor the guns instead of the confetti cannon.

His tone hurt, and she stopped swinging her feet. Imsorry.

David looked a t her. She didnt look back. She heardhim sigh . Hey. Hey, Im sorry. Really. I didnt mean to beharsh.

Its okay, she muttered. Youre under a lot ofpressure.

Thats no excuse. Hey, he said, putting a hand onher shoulder. Im sorry. Thats not what a friend does.Forgive me?

She shrugged, but smiled. Alright. I forgive you.With a condition.

And whats that? Anything.


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Pistachio ice cream. Waffle cone. David reeled. Pistachi o! Do you know how rare that is

here?

She shrugged again. I guess I dont forgive youthen.

He laughed. It was a hearty, genuine sound. It wasgood to hear again . Alright, alright. I did say anything.

And one more thing! Oh no. Whats that? She whipped out the notepad that had been sitting by

her leg. You have to study with me. He groaned and leaned back onto the floor, legs

dangling over the edge.No whining! she said. You arent failing, but you

could do w ith a bit of study! You sound like Gonzalez, David said, putting an arm

over his eyes. Oh yeah. I forgot about that. What happened?

He shrugged. You know. TO stuff. Banged the desk alittle, questioned my motivation, asked me why I want to behere.

And what did you say? He was silent for a moment. I didnt really want to

say anything. And he respected that. She laid back too, setting the notebook in her lap.

The floor felt cold through her clothes. Part of her

worried about needing to get the dust out later, but shecast the thought aside for the time being.

She could spot the outline of the Writer constellationthrough the glass, and traced the feather pen with hergaze.

Their conversation lapsed into silence, each lost intheir own separate thoughts . It wasnt an uncomfortablequiet ; they had been friends since the day theyd met onthe station. They didnt need to speak t o have meaningfulconversation.

Do you ever miss home? she blurted. Whered that come from? I dont know. But do you? I mean, I know I do,

sometimes . Mustve been nice, he said. His arm was still over

his eyes, and he sounded sleepy.Another silence.


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I used to b ake apple pie with Nana , she said. Shetaught me how to make stuff. Pies, strudels, cookies. Icould never make them as delicious as she could though.

Grandmothers are known for that, David mumbled. She poked him in the side. Dont fall asleep, or

youll be late again. He retorted with an exaggerated snoring noise. She

laughed, and tickled him.His shriek echoed off of the walls. No, stop! Ill

fall off! he gasped between laughs.She let him go after another poke, and laid back down.

Gradually, their giggling subsided.

Why are you here, Sica? he asked at last. Stop calling me that, David, she said, pouting.Sorry. Let me try again. Why are you here? If I can

ask. Chief Gonzalez said some people just want to get intoa ship to blow stuff up. Is that why youre in gunnery?

She chewed her cheek, taking a moment to think. Notreally. Its more like and dont laugh - I happen to likethe math.

You like math. Yup. Ive always wanted to be an officer in the

military, and I really like math. I mean there were otherthings I kind of wanted to do, but it just sort of alignedthis way .

You couldve done math in tons of other stuff. Likefinance.

S he made a face. I would take being in an Assy rianship being blown up to being in finance.

He snorted.Honestly though ? I dont know. I didnt mind much the

thought of being in a combat ship. It actually seemedpretty cool when I was first signing up.

Now Nana, she hated the idea. She said it would bedangerous, and I might be better off just working on atrade ship or something. But grandpa encouraged me, whenshe wasn't listening .

She put on her best crotchety voice and closed an eyelike a pirate. Oh, don't be like us, darlin. Live a lifeof adventure in the sky! And bring us back a star or two toput on the mantle. It would make a nice conversationpiece .

Aye, yer granpap was a wise man! Theres plunder to


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be had! David said, imitating her .She felt a twinge of surprise at his burst of

jocularity, and couldnt help but giggle. Yarr, you speak

the tongue of thieves, lad? Aye, lass. Learnt it when I was but a boy on the sea,

cast about by wave an d enemy alike! Ho ho, so you have lived a life of the pirate then!

But surely not as I have! I was born on a ship! Tossed likea salad from me mothers nethers, and made delicious by thesalt of the sea!

David sputtered and laughed.Together they collapsed into hysterics, the cavernous

space echoing with their howling.Eventually they started to settle down, their laughter

subsiding. Then Jessica gave a quiet snort, and they

resumed with full force.Even as their giggling subsided again, and David wiped

a tear from his eye, Jessicas smile persisted. It wasbeginning to hurt her chee ks, but she couldnt care less.

Hey, Jess? Yeah? Keep up the good work, okay? She blushed. What? I'm ser ious . Youre all shy and demure, but youre

sharp as a tack. You ought to be more assertive with smartslike that.

She smiled, warmth filling her chest. Thank you,David. That means a lot.

No problem. Do I still need to buy you that icecream ?

Yes, you do.


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3FOURTEEN YEARS AGO

Oooh, youre gonna be in trouble, Seamus said. Theboy, Davids classmate with red hair and a freckle filledface, was leaning over the aisle between their seats andpeeking at Davids test. He grinned, showing a gap betweenhis two front teeth.

At the top o f Davids test sat a big red F. T he inkstill glistened wet on the paper.

Seamus shoved his own paper into Davids face. Lookwhat I got.

An A with a circle around it was in the top cornerof the page. There was even a checkmark by it. David lookedback at his own paper. There was no checkmark. Just a big,wet F.

Your parents are gonna be so mad, Seamus chimed . Healmost sounded delighted . I bet theyre gonna take awayyour V- mask.

I dont have a V - mask, David muttered.Not anymore you dont.That doesnt even make any sense. Sure it does. They were gonna buy you one, and now

youre never gonna get it. David didnt bother replying.

The sound of the dismissal bell startled him out ofhis daydream. A chorus of chairs scraping against the floorsignaled the start of the race; twenty pairs of handsclamored for backpacks in cubbies, and twenty pairs of feetscuffled for the door.

Alright class, the teacher said, raising her voiceover the giggling and chatter. E njoy the long weekend. Nowi f you didnt do too well on the test today, co nsider usingthat time to study.

David di dn t move for a moment. Then, reluctantly, hegot up to retrieve his backpack. The other kids had


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colorful designs on theirs, with tons of pockets to putthings in. The envy of the class had the most pockets, fullto the brim with colorful pens and pencils.

Davids backpack had no designs. It had two pockets,but one of them had a hole in the bottom, and he was forcedto stuff the first with his books and quite plain -pencils.

He was eight, and one of the lankier kids in hisclass. His short black hair stuck out in every variety ofangle, and resisted all of his attempts at smoothing itdown. The other kids made fun of his deep blue eyes,calling him pretty boy, pretty boy. They poked at hisbackpack with fat fingers and jests. They were kids, andcondemned anything noticeably different from themselves.

But he didnt hate them. Didnt hate their prettybackpacks and pencils. He hated the walk home. Hated therain that drenched through his backpack and made his paperssoggy. Hated the thin hole in the sole of his shoe, wherehis toe poked out and the sock was already wearing thin.Hated how he always kept one foot on the floor when he sat,to hide the bottom of his shoe.

Most of all, he hated the fear.

* * *

He slowly pushed the wooden door open, each creak asloud as a gunshot, then carefully eased it shut, turningthe knob as it closed so there would be no loud click ofthe latch. His feet landed silent on the floorboards as hesnuck forward. The sound of the television drifted fromdown the hall. He couldnt make out what was being said,but he recognized the opening jingle of the news. The doorto his room stood open at the end of the hall; a mile away.All he had to do was slip through, and he would haveescaped. Would escape the screaming for a night.

Drawing up resolve, he continued tip-toeing forward.It was a dark, clammy hallway, and paint was peeling inmultiple places. Light shone through the door where thetelevision was, casting a dim glow on the opposite wall. Itflickered with the shifting of the screen.


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He was getting closer and closer to the door, and thenjust a little ways past that and into his room. Just alittle more. He could hear what was being said on the

television now.multiple reports of radiation poisoning. Scientists

are absolutely baffled, and most have yet to reply to ourqueries, still accounting for message relay time

He stopped just before the edge of light comingthrough the door. When he took another step, he would becaught in that light. He hoped desperately the man insidewould not be looking around in that precise moment. He tooka few moments to breathe, pumping himself up. It was just alittle more. Two feet of light, then five feet to the door.Two feet of light, five feet to the door.

Alright , he thought. Go!

He dashed through on the balls of his feet, and hewas through! He heard a cough from the room, and froze but nothing else followed. He waited for a moment more tobe sure. Nothing. Just the sound of the television. Hebreathed a silent sigh of relief, and took a step forward.

Creeeeaaak. His blood ran cold.

Whos there? Who the fuck is there? There was thesound of someone leaping to their feet, stomping on thefloorboards and making them vibrate beneath his shoes. A

shadow filled the light.Its just me, dad, David said , turning.A man came dashing through the door, wearing a white

undershirt and baggy pajama pants. He was holding a bottle,and a strong waft of alcohol filled Davids nose . A facecovered in stubble looked around. Bleary, narrowed eyestook their time focusing on him. David! Jesus shit, youscared the h ell outta me. Why didnt you tell me you werehome, boy?

I didnt want to disturb you. I was just going to putmy backpack in my room and then go to the kitchen, Davidsaid, shrugging and edging towards his room.

Oh nonsense, nonsense! Come h ere, come on. How wasschool?

It looked like he would have to go in. His father waswaving a hand for him to follow, moving with the staggeredstep of drink.

He dragged his feet after him. An overpowering stink


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of cigarettes and alcohol came over him as he entered thedark room. Clothes were strewn about the floor and over thechair sat in front of the TV. Trails of smoke snaked into

the air from an ashtray at its feet.

Pictures he didnt understand played on the screen. Hewatched as ships flew away from a nearby planet, and textunderneath the image displayed, ray-dee-ay ay- shunscared. Scare . He had no idea what it meant, and hisfather didnt give him time to think about it.

Plopping down into the chair and bending down to pickup the cigarette, the man beckoned him over. Come on, boy.Aint got all day.

Yes sir. You had a uh, a test today, right? Howd ydo, boy? I

bet you aced it, huh? He flashed a grin full of yellowedteeth. One more was missing since th e last time hedsmiled.

Yes sir. Uhm - Well dont keep me in suspense boy, hand it over now.

Lets see what you been learnin these days. David unzipped his backpack and procured the test. He

held on to it for a moment, hesitating. His father gesturedfor it again.

He handed it over.His father stuck the crumpled cigarette between his

lips, the end turning bright orange as he lifted the test

to his face and squinted.

Davids heart pounded. Please dont see. Please dontsee. It was a desperate hope. A silly plea.

His fathers eyes roamed the page, no doubt seeing allthe X marks by his answers. His eyebrows twitched downward,as if confused. Then his eyes went to the top of the paper.They stopped there, unmoving.

He swore his heart would beat straight out of hischest. He half wished it would. He pictured it landing onthe floor, still beating. Pictured keeling over, to die ina pile of smelly clothes. An undignified death, but aguaranteed escape.

The glow of the cigarette drew him back. It swathed acorner of his fathers face in orange . His eyebrows weredrawn down now. Despite the television providing plenty oflight, he could feel a shadow descend.

What is this?


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David didnt answer. His mouth clamped shut, lipstrembling.

Answer me, boy. What is this?

I - I said, what the fuck is this shit , boy?His father leapt to his feet, towering over him. His

back was to the television, and Dav id couldnt see his faceanymore. He felt glad for that. He did not want to see thefury in those eyes. The mans fists were clenched, the testcrumpling in one hand.

What the fuck did I tell you about coming back herewith this bullshit? his fathe r said, tossing the paperinto his face. If I told you once, Ive told you athousand god damn times!

He couldnt speak. Couldnt move. His body trembledviolently, and he felt hot tears stream down his cheeks.His father bent down until he was at face level with him.

Well? Whatve you got to say for yourself, damn it! A fleck of spittle landed near his eye, and he

flinched. Im - Im sorry, dad, he stammered through hissobs, chest seizing.

Im sorry! Hah! Im soooorry , he says! Well Imsoooorry doesnt mean shit , god dammit! Fucking shit all is what it is!

The hand came out of nowhere, and struck him acrossthe face. His cheek stung, tingling. His eyes shut tight,

and he held in the cry of pain. This man would feast onthat.

The blows came again. And again. And again. Eachpunctuated by a different curse and vow. The drink gave hisfather such a terrible strength.

Dont cry, he thought, trying to hold in more of thesobs that came. Dont cry. Dont cry. He bit his lip untilhe tasted blood. And still he kept his eyes shut. It wouldpass. It had to. He had to get tired.

Another blow, stronger than the others, knocked him tothe floor. His face struck the boards, and he cried out atlast.

Please! Stop! Please! he cried, curling into a ball,the rough wood scratching at his skin. More blows cameacross his back.

Ill stop when you stop bringing home a flunky of ason, and bring back the other one! I think you might know


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him! Short, black hair, smart as a whip! Have you seen him,boy? I know I havent! Havent seen him in a long whilenow! his father bellowed.

He didnt know how much longer he spent on the floor,blows raining down on him. Mercifully, his father soontired and, chest heaving, threw himself into the chair. Hebrought the cigarette to his lips with a trembling hand.His eyes looked down at David, the fury drained out ofthem.

You know I hate doin that, boy. I really do. David didnt reply. He couldnt. All h e could do was

lay there, feeling numb. He knew from experience that hewould feel the bruises later, but for now nothing. Noteven sobs came anymore.

Maybe youll understand better when youre older. Ido it because I love ye, not because I want to. You need tounderstand that if you dont succeed now, lifell get muchharder for you than a few measly bumps and scratches.

No response.

Here, Ill tuck ye in tonight, boy. The man stoodand reached down to lift David to his feet.

David recoiled from his touch, but otherwise did notreact. His father sighed.

Alright, come on now. Gi t up. With a grunt, heheaved David to his feet by the arm.

His legs shook, the skin already turning an ugly shade

in the pallid candescence. He would have to wear long pantsagain. Step by step, they made their way to his bedroom, adoor down. His fathers guiding hand remained on hisshoulder; he could feel the rough calluses through hisshirt. His eyes stayed on the floor.

Eventually they reached his bedside, and he pulledhimself into it with some effort. His father lifted thethin, threadbare sheet over him, tucking the frayed edgesunder the inch thick mattress. In the dark, David couldhear the sheet rustle as his legs continued to trembleunder it.

A hand patted his forehead, and brushed his locks outof his face. I love you, boy. Sleep tight now. Footstepsthumped quietly on the floorboards.

The hinges of the plywood door creaked as his fatherslowly pulled it shut, and the darkness was complete.


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4

Jonthans the one that really needs to step up inthis class, not us .

Im just telling you, if I fail because of him, Imgoing to take him to the ground .

In his minds eye, David saw the speaker punch theirfist into their palm. He shook his head and looked away

from the table of huddled cadets.

They thought he couldnt see them casting glances hisway. They sniggered behind their hands, laughing at somejoke he hadnt heard but was undoubtedly the butt end of.He pretended to be immersed in his scrambled eggs. Theywere light and a wan yellow, and tasted like water. Hetypically liked eggs, even for lunch, but not so muchtoday. He nudged them around the plate. Took a sip ofwater. Glanced back. One of them was still looking at him.

He tossed his utensils down and picked up the tray,standing up. He could eat elsewhere.

There you are, a voice said. David looked up, finding Lee Ornick setting his tray

down. Hows it going, Lee? Pretty good man. How about that exercise this

morning? Some bee- ess that was, huh? Ornick stabbed apiece of meat with his fork and shoved it into his mouth.He chewed vigorously.

I guess, David said. He was still not sure how hefelt about Lee. The brown haired and brown eyed boy had abit of a loud mouth, and never seemed to feel bothered by

much. At least he didnt scorn him like the others. It wasa welcome reprieve, even if it came at the cost oflistening to him chew with his mouth open.

Ugh, this tastes like strack. What do you think theymade it with?

I have no clue.


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Im telling you, Lee said, still shoving food intohis face. Theyre using us as guinea pigs to t est theirfood printing recipes. He took a sip of water and

swallowed, a pained look coming across his face. Dry asfuck , too.

For a split second David contemplated moving again,but decided against it. He looked around the cafeteria.Where was Jes sica? He couldnt spot her among the hundredsof other cadets. He remembered with some dejection that shewould probably still be in a meeting with the studentcouncil, as they tended to run long. He would simply haveto tolerate being alone with Ornick for now.

The cafeteria buzzed with chatter. One of the onlyplaces they were allowed some small freedom. TOs stood atthe entrances and exits, arms crossed and brows furrowed.Hed hypothesized that they were there for the simplepurpose of ambient intimidation. But behind those cowingfaces, they had to be bored out of their minds.

At last! He spotted a bobbing head of brown hairmaking its way through the food line. It was moving quickly there was only thirty or so minutes left for lunch. Shedisappeared for a moment behind the wall separating theline and rest of the cafeteria, then soon popped out againat the exit, holding a tray of food.

He lifted a hand and waved to her. Spotting him, shemade her way through the tables. Her tray landed with aclack as she slid in beside him.

Hey! she said. She was out of breath, and alreadyunwrapping her utensils. She looked particularly crisptoday in her navy blue uniform. Being part of the studentcouncil was a big deal, and he had no doubt that if therewas so much as a hair out of line, you were out.

Finally decide to join us? he said, biting down on apiece of meat. Ornick was right; it was dry as hell.

Oh quiet. I have some news! Totally worth the wait.But gotta eat. S he devoured a few bites with astonishingspeed.

Well dont choke on it either, Ornick said,chortling at his own joke. They gave him a look in unison.Sorry.

So, David said after shed gotten a few more bitesin. Whats the news?


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Mm- she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. Well,I found out today that were actually among the topclasses! There are a few above us, but out of the one

hundred total, were in the top ten! She hesitated. If westart acing the sims, we could probably be in the top fivein no time. She seemed to be watching for his reaction asshe said that.

He shrugged, pushing down the feeling of deflation. Hewas the one keeping them where they were . Cool. All I needto do is do a bit of extra studying, h uh?

Yup! Damn, Jonthan. Holdin us down , man.His eyebrow twitched, but he didnt retort. Say what

you would about Ornick he didnt have a malicious bone inhis body. Didnt stop him from inadvertently saying thewrong things on occasion.

Could I offer a tip? Jessica said. By all means. Well so Darts are pretty annoying, right? They do have that reputation, yeah . Theyre like, the worst , Ornick interjected. Well I was meaning to tell you. Next time, try

giving us in gunnery a bit more time for targeting. Thatis, we had a lock, but we can also add layers of security predicting more accurately where a target could go next.

Its fine to fire immediately, just keep in mind itmight be less accurate. Barring extreme circumstances David huffed we could have won that one. Not to make youfeel bad, she hurriedly added. Just keep it in mind.

Will do. I appreciate it, he said with a smile. Jessica was the senior gunnery officer, and knew her stuff.He would be a fool to not listen to every word she said.Hed met a few officers that dismissed suggestions, andnobody seemed to like them much. Not that many of thepeople in his own class liked him. The thought still left ahint of a bitter taste in his mouth. Whatever. He didntneed to be the most popular kid in school. He just neededto not fail.

Documents

David (critique copy)