Star Runners (27 page)

The other pilots left the room. The emptiness made the hum of the hologram projector all the louder.

"What was that?" Scorpion asked.

Austin frowned. "I'm sorry."

She arched her back as her shoulders swelled. "WHAT WAS THAT?"

Her scream jolted him in his seat. His hands shook.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You're sorry." She stepped forward. "What you did out there made the entire squadron look bad. You know command looks at the results of the annual contest. Thank the maker we're not the rookies again next year. Command evaluates and accesses all of their assets including me and my ability to command."

She sighed and leaned against a chair. For the first time, Austin noticed her disheveled appearance. Loose strands of hair spilled down onto her shoulders like currents of black ink. Darkness surrounded her reddening eyes.

"I thought my orders were clear; protect the targets."

"They were."

"Then why didn't you do that?"

"I don't know."

She raised her tablet. "I checked your file while I was waiting for you to return."

Austin rolled his eyes, repressing a sigh.

When Dad passed away and Austin's grades slipped, the school counselors always started off these half-baked sessions by "checking his file." Nothing they ever said mattered at the time, nothing could have taken the place of having Dad back, but the counselors thought they would say a magical phrase or word and he'd feel all better. They could write reports of their success and thump their chests on the way home to their families, talking about what a difference they had made that day. He didn't expect Scorpion to be any different. For the first time since he had known her, he wanted her to stop talking.

"Something interesting in your survival training back on Earth," she continued, her voice leveling out after screaming a moment before. "It says here you lasted longer than any recruit in years?"

"Yes, lieutenant."

She crossed her arms. "How did they get you?"

He thought of the night in the swamp, the frigid water slipping in his boots and clothing like a river of ice. He worried they would send him home if he failed the test. He thought his scholarship would end and he would have to go home. But it didn't end that night. In fact, everything changed. His entire world changed.

Refocusing his attention on the last couple hours of the Gauntlet, he thought of the boats searching the water. "They sent search parties... I thought they were going to find me."

"Yes," she said, leaning forward, "but how did they get you?"

Austin stared at his hands. "I pressed up against a tree, hoped they would pass by, but they didn't. They were yelling on the loud speakers, said my mother needed me."

"And?"

He looked at her, his eyes wide as he remembered the instructors taunting him in the swamp with stories of Skylar being in trouble. His muscles tensed. "That was totally different."

She smirked. "How?"

He fought back the urge to stand and yell. "First of all, it wasn't a sim."

"I told you this sim was a combat sim. Everything had to be recreated as if it were real!"

"But it wasn't!"

She rested her hands on her hips. "You were under direct orders to treat this event as if it were real. I was your CO. You had to obey my orders and you couldn't even do that."

"I couldn't let her be destroyed. She had two bogeys on her."

"And the instructors at your recruit school said you gave up the moment you heard your classmate was in trouble. You don't see a pattern here?"

"No." He puffed up his chest. "What happened to 'leave no one behind?'"

"That's a great motto. Still doesn't trump orders." She raised her hand. "Look, has it ever occurred to you that people are going to die out there? It happens. What we do is dangerous and, sometimes, taking orders is all that brings us back."

Austin stared at the wall, his eyes burning.

"You think about that tonight, Rock," she said and walked out of the room.

He sat down, soaked in the quiet moment. He pulled out his tablet and reviewed the after action report. Taking one glance at the lopsided score, his stomach turned. Josh had done well, very well, in fact. Four of the freighters and three of the Tizona students were marked to him. His best friend really was the greatest.

He scrolled down and, for the first time that day, saw something to make him smile.

One of his simulation kills had been Nicholas Pavlosky.

Well, that's at least something.

"She's right, you know."

The voice echoed in the empty briefing room.

"I know," Austin said without looking up from his tablet.
Why can't every one leave him alone...

Nubern quietly shut the hatch behind him. When he turned around, Austin didn't see the accusing stare he expected. Instead, Nubern's eyebrows wrinkled with worry.

"I want to talk with you, son."

Austin's eyes burned again. "Yes, sir."

"No, nothing so formal." Nubern moved in front of the hologram projector in the center of the room and leaned against it. He folded his arms across his chest, turning his head as if to study Austin's face. "How are you?"

Austin shrugged. "Fine, sir."

"No, you're not. But if you must play this game, I'll allow it."

He sighed.

"I don't know if I'm cut out for this," he blurted out without thinking.

"You want to quit?"

"No way." He shook his head. "I figured you're sending me home."

"Why would you think that?"

"I disobeyed a direct order and jeopardized the entire mission."

Nubern nodded. "True, you would be shipped home and could be kicked out of the navy had this been a real mission. But it wasn't. It's a sim. That's why we do these things. You just happened to mess up, big time."

Austin winced. "Yes, sir."

"Why do you think you did what you did?"

"I don't know."

"I think you do." Nubern leaned forward. "It's okay, son. We're off the record."

Austin thought back to the moment he went back to help Skylar. "It happened so fast."

When he didn't continue, Nubern said, "It always does. Keep going."

"I knew I should listen to Scorpion. I knew that. It wasn't that I didn't take the combat sim seriously. I'm mad she thinks that's what it is. I took it so seriously I didn't want Skylar to get killed."

"I see. Continue."

"I guess I'm having trouble dealing with the fact this is all real," Austin said, his voice cracking. "People really are going to die while I'm in service."

"Yes," Nubern said without delay. "They will. The sooner you realize it the better. With your skills, you'll be dealing out your share, too."

Austin thought about taking a life and a chill went up his back. "I'm just a guy from the suburbs. I can't kill anyone. I'm still a kid."

"All the great ones start that way."

Austin slid his finger along the side of his tablet. "What do you think happens when we die?"

Nubern shrugged. "I don't think you should trouble yourself with such things. Take what you've learned from today and apply it to your next encounter. Don't let this gnaw at you, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Nubern reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "This will pass. It's just another day."

"You have no class on the fifth day of next week because of Rockshot," Scorpion said.

Austin looked up from his tablet full of notes on propulsion and advanced dog fighting tactics. What did she say? Rockshot?

"Think of Rockshot as a little fun competition as you near the end of another series of classes," she said. "Rockshot is also worth a hefty share of points toward graduation as well."

Points had been the hot topic in the weeks since the Tizona-Lobera combat sim competition. Austin and his other classmates officially graduated past probationary recruit and became pilot trainees. In order to earn Legion wings and become a full naval pilot, a recruit had to earn one hundred points to graduate. Since points were granted for anything from classwork to sim time to actual flight time in a trainer, the chance to earn extra points had the recruits' attention. Earn enough points and you graduate from trainee to lieutenant. Once a lieutenant, you were granted leave and able to go home.

After the lopsided victory in the combat sim, most of the Lobera students had earned enough points to be granted that trip home. Luckily, Josh was still on the station taking his advanced classes, but it was only a matter of time before he would be able to graduate and visit home.

Austin stared at nothing as he thought of home. It would soon be late spring in Georgia, the pollen counts rising and washing everything in a dusty yellow.

"Rockshot is a timed race with points being granted for the best times," Scorpion said. "Get a better ranking, earn more points."

Sitting next to Austin, her red hair in a ponytail, Etti Mar raised her hand as if she were afraid someone would smack it back down again.

"Lieutenant? Where is the race?"

"Well, that's the real point of Rockshot. It's not in a sim."

She keyed for the hologram projector and a blue image of Tarton's Junction Station glowed, washing the room in cool aqua as if they were underwater.

"As you know, we are here. Far out past the red line, farther than any of you in this class have been, is the Pany Asteroid Cluster. This cluster orbits far around the nebulae. This is where we'll hold Rockshot. You will fly in a trainer, but you will be in command of your craft. The trainer is only there for emergency purposes."

Austin swallowed hard. Flying at racing speed through an asteroid belt seemed dangerous, even for flight training.

"Lieutenant?" Bear asked. "Is this mandatory?"

"I'm surprised at you, Bear, asking a question like that. Everyone must compete; yes."

Skylar raised her hand from the far side of the room.

"Any special instructions to prepare for that day?" she asked.

Scorpion shrugged. "Keep at your sims, pay attention during your flight time. I think all of you in here will be just fine. During Rockshot, all power is diverted into your shields and engines in the event you decide to get up close and personal with the asteroids. Your lasers will be cold and you won't have any missiles or torps. Just simple, naked flying. The alert fighters will be on standby at the perimeter in the event we have any visitors. Any other questions? No? Okay, that's all for today."

The class came to life and the conversations started, some talking about their crappy lunch or Rockshot.

Austin closed his tablet and dragged his feet in front of the lieutenant, who was busy shutting down the room for the next class.

"May I help you, Rock?" she asked without looking up.

"Yes," he said before hesitating. The situation between the two of them had been awkward since his refusal to ignore a direct order during the combat sim. "How did you do on Rockshot?"

Her expression softened. "That was a good day. A very good day. Earned me my first trip back home when I won. I didn't have any family there by that point, but it was still nice to get home. Of course, I couldn't talk to anyone about it."

Austin thought again of home as he fiddled with the translator in his ear. "I'll bet. I've never timed myself during a flight. It's always been about taking down the other guy."

"That's one of the reasons they started time trials like this a while back. Speed and maneuverability are important."

"Austin!" Bear called from open hatch. "You coming?"

"Be right there," he said and turned back to Scorpion. "Lieutenant, thank you for your time."

"Of course."

Austin hurried out into the busy hallway full of moving trainees, pilots and crew members. Since the competition had released most of the Lobera pilots, including Nicholas Pavlosky, the hallways had been a bit less crowded. The experienced pilots stationed at Tarton's Junction still walked through the halls without giving the trainees another look. Austin didn't know if it was a rule, but the trainees and crew members always seemed to hug the walls and cease conversation whenever the true pilots marched past. Some of the pilots hailed from Tizona and Lobera, but other squadrons mixed in with the green and blue uniforms. The red uniforms designated the Excalibur Squadron and the black uniforms the Tarnex Squadron. Both Excalibur and Tarnex walked with the true Lobera and Tizona pilots.

The weathered pilots all had a distant stare similar to Scorpion when they marched through the halls. The lieutenant explained the fate of a Legion Star Runner was traveling from post to post, responding to emergencies and missions, before being whisked away to another end of the galaxy to do the same. For these full time pilots, Tarton's Junction was just one of countless stops during their service to the Legion.  

More came to Tarton's Junction every day. The hangar deck became busier with less open space. It was evident command had put more emphasis on the chaos Dax Rodon and his Tyral Pirates caused in Quadrant Eight.

"Getting a little extra credit?" Bear asked, coming up from behind Austin in the hallway.

"I asked her if she had done the Rockshot."

Skylar rolled her eyes. "Of course she probably won the thing."

"She did."

She blinked. "Oh. Did she give the secret?"

"Not really. Seems pretty straight forward."

They turned toward the mess hall, but Austin saw Josh heading in the opposite direction.

"You guys go on. I'll catch up with you later."

Austin jogged down the hall, dodging a server robot as he did so. "Josh!"

Josh turned, his face pale and thin, his green flight suit hanging loose on his body. "Hey, man."

"You okay, buddy?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah. Been tired lately."

“How did Nicholas Pavlosky go home before you? Did he get extra points for being a jerk?”

Josh smiled slightly. “I know you don’t like him, but he’s a really good student.”

"Oh. So, you heading back to your quarters?"

"Yeah."

"I'll walk with you." Austin cleared his throat. "So, how many you lacking?"

"When I finish this course, I'll be at around ninety-five."

"Wow. Almost there, huh?"

They walked in silence for a few steps.

"Have you heard about Rockshot?" Austin asked.

Josh grumbled. "Yeah, it was a big deal last year. I didn't really come close to breaking the record, but I did okay. For us Lobera trainees still on board, it might be our chance to go home."

Something in Josh's voice nagged at Austin. He sounded weak or depressed like it took a great deal of energy to get out the words, almost like he would rather be whispering.

"You sure you aren't sick?"

Josh sighed. "When you've been here almost two years, taking classes, going on training missions, seeing nothing but that nebulae for natural light, you'll know exactly how I feel."

Austin frowned. "Sorry."

Josh blinked for a long moment. "No, I'm sorry, man. I'm just stressed. These classes get tough. I remember when I was a first year trainee and things weren't too bad. But this advanced combat tactics and the history of the Legion Navy is draining me. That and the fact most of my squadron is gone now is just getting to me."

Austin nodded. "No big deal, really. I hadn't thought about that. I wouldn't know what I'd do if the classmates I arrived with were gone. I'd be pretty bummed." He smiled and pushed his friend's shoulder. "I do know what you mean about natural light, though. I already miss sunshine."

"No kidding." Josh's face brightened and some of the life returned. "I've heard most of the Legion carriers have sun rooms for this sort of thing. You know, so your body can absorb Vitamin D or something? It's for the long tours in deep space when you are gone for years at a time. I guess that's what awaits us out there."

"I guess so."

"You ever feel like we don't do anything fun anymore?"

He thought for a moment, surprised at the question. "Like what? Ballgames?"

Josh shook his head. "We used to have sports. You had baseball and I had football. And we had
Star Runners
to play at night. But now our game has become our job. Am I making sense?"

"That's true." Austin thought the same thing a few days before. "Flying the Trident is now our job, but how cool is that?"

Austin tried his best to sell an idea he didn't really know if he felt. Working as a pilot for the Legion Navy definitely had its drawbacks with long months away from home and the chance you might not come back at all, but he wanted to steer Josh's thoughts away from such things.

It must have worked because Josh smiled, or possibly he was also acting. "I'm glad you can still think so. Keep reminding me. Maybe it'll catch on."

"Hey, think about this, man? How many poor guys are still playing the game online back home, daydreaming about space and what's out there?" Austin waved his hands at a viewport they passed. "Look out there. That's all the reminder you'll need."

They reached Josh's quarters.

"Well, good luck in Rockshot next week if I don't see you before," Josh said.

"You, too."

Austin turned to weave through the crowd in the direction of the mess hall.

"Austin!"

He turned.

"Thanks for coming to see me. Let's hang out after Rockshot. Sound good?"

Austin nodded. "You bet. And listen, man, you'll win this thing and go home anyway. I don't know what you're worried about."

"Maybe you're right. We'll see."

*****

The hangar buzzed with activity. Hundreds of pilots, officers and crew packed between the lines of Tridents on deck. The most recent fighter hovered over the deck, the wings still steaming as the frigid temperatures of space mixed with the atmo of Tarton's Junction. Glowing above them all, hanging like lights over Main Street during a Christmas parade, were the holographic numbers they had all been waiting for:

47.40.

Austin smiled. The Rockshot record was still standing, but only by two-hundredths of a second.

When the hovering Trident landed on deck with a thud of metal against metal, the crowd burst into applause and moved closer to the fighter. The canopy opened, revealing Skylar and Scorpion, and the crowd again cheered. Austin cupped his hands in front of his face and yelled for his friend.

Watching Rockshot from Tarton's Junction had been nerve-racking. Austin wanted to jump out and help Skylar, but all he could do was watch. That must be what it's like to be a commander. He hoped he never had to know that feeling again. The other Lobera students hadn't come close to beating the Rockshot record, but Skylar cruised through the asteroid field like a veteran pilot with years of experience. She banked smoothly through the turns, avoided the rocks and maintained her speed.

Captain Finian "Loco" Rolling stood back away from the swaying crowd cheering Skylar, his arms crossed over his broad chest. Rolling had flown in the trainer Tridents with some of the other Tizona students, but never with Austin. Today, that would all change during Austin's Rockshot run. After watching the other Lobera pilots take their shots, it seemed the trainers had little to do with Rockshot, their only purpose being to keep the fighters out of danger by taking over the controls in an emergency. Of course, the trainee would be disqualified if the trainer became the pilot. And this would no doubt lead to weeks of ridicule and torment on the station.

Austin's stomach turned. What if he lost his nerve and Rolling had to take over? What if an asteroid knocked him off course? He remembered flying in the asteroid fields on the game back home. "Flying" being a bit of a stretch since he felt his Trident was more of a pinball as he knocked around between the twirling hunks of rock. Hopefully, he had become a better pilot in the months since last summer.

Skylar stepped down the ladder to the hangar deck and the crowd of Tizona students enveloped her, carrying her out of Austin's vision. As much as he wanted to, Austin didn't have time to go congratulate his friend. Rolling locked eyes with him. He cocked his head toward the Trident and slipped away from the crowd as they chanted Skylar's call sign.

"Cheetah! Cheetah! Cheetah!"

The sound of the crowd screaming Skylar's call sign muffled as Austin stepped between the line of Tridents. Even when he made it twenty yards from the crowd, it still sounded as if the entire station had come down to congratulate Skylar. Austin grinned despite the lump forming in his own gut. Skylar deserved this.