No One Can Hear You Thrive

By Cassandra Morphy

Once again, graduation is upon Dor and Kenya, as their basic training comes to an end. But this was only the beginning of their time training under the fleet. Unfortunately, their A-schools were on different planets, bringing the two to yet another separation. This one, however, was set to be a short one. This one, supposedly, was set to be their last.

Except, with Dor and Derryl heading to the same A-school, the feelings that always lingered between them quickly reared its head once more. And as the tests prove to be more difficult than either had been expecting, than either had experienced before, they only got closer as they strive to get through their program in one piece. However, how close is too close when hiding out alone in a classroom together?

With the larger than normal demon population at their A-school seemingly having no trouble getting through the coursework, Dor starts to think that something else is going on in their strange, secretive program. For Dor, failing isn't an option. Especially since, in space, no one can hear you thrive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassandra Morphy
• Release date: Oct 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005969103

Cassandra Morphy

Cassandra Morphy is a Business Data Analyst, working with numbers by day, but words by night. She grew up escaping the world, into the other realities of books, TV shows, and movies, and now she writes about those same worlds. Her only hope in life is to reach one person with her work, the way so many others had reached her. As a TV addict and avid movie goer, her entire life is just one big research project, focused on generating innovative ideas for worlds that don’t exist anywhere other than in her sick, twisted mind.

Book preview

Chapter One

Battle Stations

Red lights were flashing overhead as sirens blared throughout the ship. I was stuck there at the communications station as I stared at the viewscreen in front of me. The planet was coming on fast, and we had lost control of the ship. It reminded me of our approach into New Triton, but this time the ship wasn't designed for entering the atmosphere. This time, Kenya was with me.

I looked towards Kenya at the navigation station behind me. Her eyes were trained on her console, feverishly tapping at buttons at a seemingly random pattern. Kenya was my best friend... and wife. I still had trouble with that concept, as we're both girls. Growing up on a backwater planet like New Kansas can do that. But it wasn't like we were married for real. Just legally, for the sake of the fleet. And as I turned back towards the viewscreen, I had a feeling that the fleet was going to get us killed.

There wasn't much for me to do, anything for me to do really, as we came into the atmosphere. Fire flared up around the edges of the display. My console beeped at me, drawing my attention away from our impending doom to see a flurry of communication signals coming in from the surface. Automatically, I followed the instructions that came with them, logging them into the system with three buttons and then sending them on to the space station in orbit. Why we were required to do something like that as the ship came in to crash was beyond me. But perhaps that was just part of the test.

Someone screamed behind us, running out of the room. The door from the bridge was wide open, letting anyone that so chose to run for their lives out into the rest of the ship. Not that it would help anyone to be off the bridge. At the speed that we were coming in, no one on the ship would survive. Perhaps the escape pods would make it, but the call to abandon ship hadn't come. Nothing had come from the captain.

I looked back to the captain's chair. Dissen was sitting there, clutching at the armrest as he stared at the screen in front of us. His mouth hung open in a silent scream. It looked like he wanted to run from the bridge as well, but he couldn't. He was the captain. He was supposed to lead us. He was supposed to go down with the ship. And as the planet filled the viewscreen, that was exactly what he was doing. There were probably instructions on the screen in front of him, mounted on the command chair. Instructions that he was supposed to relay to the rest of us. Instead, he just stared at the viewscreen and the planet as we came in for a crash.

The red lights turned off as the viewscreen went dark. The words You Are Dead displayed on all screens around the bridge, all the stations that we were manning. Given everything that had been going on at basic training, it wasn't the worst thing that could happen. However, I had a feeling that every single person in our division just failed Battle Stations, all because Dissen froze up in a crisis. If Kenya had been the one to draw captain, that wouldn't have happened.

The one good thing that came out of joining the fleet was that Kenya grew into herself. She became the leader that she was meant to be. It was nice to see her like that. And, with the prospect of spending more time at basic, I guessed that would continue.

After a millie of us just sitting there in the dark, the only light in the room coming from those white letters on the screens, the main lights in the simulator snapped back on. I shielded my eyes against the brightness, letting them adjust to it. While I was distracted, ET3 Brighten came into the room from further in the simulator. From back deeper in the ship.

Well, well, well, he said. Aren't you a bunch of geniuses. I'd almost be flattered by the comment, though I knew it was meant to be sarcastic, despite the lack of tone. You've managed to crash into a planet, taking all two hundred crewmen with it. I've never seen a group do so poorly on the simulator in my life. Never have I had a group fail program 8495 before. It's often described as being the easiest of the problem simulations. Maybe if you had rolled the clear trip simulation, you might have been able to pass it. But, then again, maybe you'd manage to fly the ship into an asteroid even on that one. Everyone, out of the ship on the double.

I hurried out of my seat the moment that he said the order. When he says on the double, he means it, and isn't afraid to make us do it again if we don't do it fast enough for his tastes. Several people in the division followed behind me, rushing out of the bridge. Dissen, however, stayed where he was. His hands still gripped the armrests on the command chair. His gaze was still locked on the viewscreen in front of us.

Poor Dissen, Kenya said, in her usual twang, as she fell in next to me. We weren't the first two off the bridge, but we were close to it. The division stationed throughout the simulator quickly filled the corridors, as we made our way to the aft exit. We'd form up properly once we were out on clear ground again.

Poor Dissen? Hunt asked, as she fell in next to us. Hunt was the EPO of the division, basically the tutor for those of us that struggled with the very easy coursework. Kenya and I were never among that group, but were expected to attend the study sessions anyway. The dumb ape just got us killed.

Not actually killed, though, Stellar said, as she joined us. Well, I mean, obviously. We're still alive.

No thanks to that ape, Hunt said. And now we're stuck in basic for another week at least.

Not necessarily, Brit said, as she came up next to us. It's not like the simulator was the only thing we did in Battle Stations. It's just the last thing. Failing this doesn't mean we failed everything, does it?

Who knows? I asked, when I noticed the three of them looking over at us for a clear answer. Once we get back to the compartment, we'll see the scores. It's not like we're the first ones to die in a simulation before. I'm sure people have actually died in a simulator at times.

Stellar laughed at my words as if they were a joke. Then again, Stellar had found a lot of things funny in basic that just plain weren't. Together, the five of us, the ones that had become something of friends during our stay there at basic training, followed the rest of the division out of the simulator and into the dawning day.

Battle Stations had lasted almost six diddies so far. It had started soon after dinner and was threatening to keep us from breakfast. We were all dead tired, dead on our feet, and stumbling forward as we formed up in our usual lines. I spotted Azazel, B. standing in the middle and led the way for Brit as we formed up as usual. Kenya headed off towards the front of the line, getting ready to lead us through the base to our next stop. I was hoping it would be breakfast.

Azazel, B. nodded towards us as we came over to her. Despite being a demon, she wasn't that bad. We had come to something of an understanding, despite my habit of hanging out with Hulandans, when I stuck it to them in a big way as she put it. But as the prospect of the end of our stay at basic loomed over us, I might actually miss her and the other Azazels a little.

Not much, but a little.

As we waited for the rest of the division to come out of the simulator, I just stared around at the area as the world slowly brightened around us. We were off in the far corner of the base, standing next to just another block of a building. While the inside looked exactly like a standard Bron class destroyer, the outside looked like just another building. It could have easily been confused for the one standing next to it.

I could just make out the processing center in the distance, eight buildings away from us. It reminded me of the struggles that I had there. The challenges that I had to overcome. And not just those put against me by the petty officers and the standard training of basic. But that was behind me, once and for all. And with renewed promises of staying out of trouble, to both my parents and to Kenya, I had every intention of keeping my word.

This time, at least.

It seemed to take forever for the flow of people out of the simulator to stop. There were only about a hundred or so in the division, an equal mix of men and women, but with the close quarters of the simulator, it was not easy for us to get out of there quickly. I was certain that ET3 would yell at us for not making it out of there fast enough, maybe even make us do it again. But there was still no sign of him. Nor Dissen for that matter. The two of them were probably still back on the bridge, where the volatile petty officer was no doubt reading the idiot the riot act. If any of us was going to fail Battle Stations over our simulator scores, he certainly would. Not even his petty officer father would get him out of that.

The group silently stood there, with our collective thumbs up our collective butts, waiting for our petty officer to tell us where to go next. While the simulator was supposed to finish off the night, and close out the test, we would still need to head somewhere next. Even if it was back to the compartment for some much needed sleep. I could see several of the people in the line swinging back and forth as they struggled to stay vertical. To stay awake. Us just standing there wasn't helping things. We needed to be doing something. Going somewhere. Otherwise, we might as well just lie down there, on the smart pavement, and try to get some sleep.

I glanced down at my implant on my left wrist, where it's been for as long as I can remember, to check the time. We had been standing there for almost five millies by the time that Dissen and ET3 finally emerged from the simulator. ET3 headed over to the front of the line, next to Kenya, while Dissen headed to his usual spot at the back, leading the tail of the column to our next destination. Dissen still looked like he was about to be sick, but the color was starting to recover in his cheeks. Whatever ET3 had said to him in there, it seemed to have helped things. Then again, ET3 wasn't exactly known for the warm and fuzzies.

Forward, ET3 called out, setting the division forward into the base. As we approached the tunnel that would lead us back across to the other side of the base, I tried to guess where we would be heading next. I wasn't sure which I would have preferred, the mess for breakfast or the compartment for sleep.

Unfortunately, I wasn't going to get either.

Chapter Two

Finals

It was another half diddy of running around the base before we made it back to the compartment. Running in formation was probably the weirdest thing I've ever done, and I've done some pretty weird things in the past few months. Even weirder was ET3's ability to run through the gaps that he found between us. I'd almost think he was a rare talent for doing just that.

The division was dead on our feet as we made our way back up the stairwell. The moment that we were inside the building, everyone started letting out the grunts and groans that we weren't allowed to sound on the street. The group had come a long way during my time with them. I had come a long way as well. It was moments like that, where it was most obvious, that still surprised me.

The men quickly fell away from the rest of the division by the study room, filtering over to their compartment on the other side of the building. As the women continued on into ours, we all fell off at our bunks. Thankfully, my bunk was just a few over from the backdoor of the compartment, promising me warmth and comfort just a few decrons after making it inside. That promise was broken the moment that ET3 came into the compartment.

Attention, he shouted. That was an order that none of us was excused from.

With a heavy groan, I pulled myself off of the bunk that I had just laid down on to stand in front of it. I wasn't the only one to have fallen into their racks, and nowhere near the last to be in position. Even the Azazels, the eternally badass demons who always considered themselves superior to everyone else there, were glaring over at the petty officer as if he were pure evil.

ET3 was standing at the far end of the compartment, over by where the office was. Slowly, he made his way stalking through the compartment, down the aisle between the two sides of bunks. One by one, he glared over at us, as if we were little more than something he stepped on. Not people that had just gone through a long, arduous, overnight challenge that was supposed to mark the end of our time there at basic. Not members of the fleet, recruits or otherwise. Perhaps we had done so poorly on the test that we were going to be kicked out of the program all together. Not that that would be new to me.

It is now ten hundred hours. Reveille was sounded four hours ago. No one is allowed back in their bunks until lights out tonight. No one is to be sleeping anywhere in this compartment. We'll be resuming our normally scheduled watch standing, with Azazel, F. starting.

A groan of disappointment flitted out from Azazel, F. across from me, before she was able to stifle it. ET3 didn't miss this, as his eyes flicked over towards her. A few muffled snickers stemmed up from the rest of the group, though none of the other demons joined in. While they sometimes enjoyed seeing the torment of others, that was never directed towards their fellow demons.

If the watch stander finds someone sleeping today, that person will take their place, ET3 said, much to the delight of Azazel, F. That seemed exactly the kind of thing that she would be into, hunting people down for breaking the rules and punishing them for it. She might have even volunteered for it, had she not already been scheduled for the watch. As for the rest of you, you have free time until lunch. I suggest you use it well. Do not disturb me unless someone is about to jump off the building... again.

No one laughed at the comment as he made his way back over to the office at the far end of the compartment. With Worse's death still on people's minds, it seemed like the comment was in bad taste. My eyes followed the petty officer as he headed inside the office. I wondered if I should report him for the comment. But perhaps that should be saved for someone that wasn't already on everyone's bad side.

The division was released from our positions the moment that the office door slammed shut. However, no one was exactly jumping for joy about the free time. Many of them just flopped down on the floor, trying desperately not to fall asleep. I knew that I couldn't do that. I needed to be moving if I had any hope of staying awake.

Instead, I headed for the front of the compartment, down the front hallway towards the scores list. Brit and Edwards fell in behind me. Hunt and Kenya must have had a similar thought, as they were already standing there, staring up at the list, long before we got there. The scores went back all the way to our first day at basic, twelve weeks earlier.

Nothing's in yet, Kenya said, as way of greeting, as we came over next to her. That's probably what he's doing in there now.

He didn't say anything about us failing, Hunt said. That's a good thing, right?

With ET3, it's hard to tell, Brit said. Why couldn't SO2 have been the one to walk us through Battle Stations? She always seems so much nicer than ET3.

I seriously don't know what you are talking about with that one, I said. SO2 has always seemed just as mean to me. If not meaner.

Well, what did you expect? Hunt asked, as she glared over at me. You accused Hulandans of infecting people, to a Hulandan.

Uh, they were infecting people, Brit said. I'm still waiting for my tests to come back.

Yeah, what's up with that? Edwards asked. The rest of us already know that we've been infected.

For some reason, Edwards didn't seem as disappointed as the others that had been infected. There were twelve members of the division that had been put on the mysterious regiment that was tainted by the Hulandan spores. Every one of their tests had come back positive for infection. Positive for a shortened lifespan of, at best, twelve more years before they died of spore burnout. While there were several parameters that determined just how long they had left to live, the end was always the same.

However, Edwards had gotten infected in her gender conforming regiment, rather than the pain relievers the others had gotten. Perhaps that had more to do with it than her usual sunny disposition that never once seemed to dip, despite everything that she had been through.

Oh, look, Kenya said, pointing towards the board in front of us.

One by one, our scores popped onto the board, along the last column of the scores sheet. The sheet automatically adjusted the order that people were in, always showing the rankings among us. Kenya had been at the top of the leaderboard for the entire time that we had spent at basic. And with her scores coming in from Battle Stations, that wasn't about to change. Even with the failed simulation, she managed to land an 86 for Battle Stations as a whole. Hunt, the second highest, also managed an 86. No one else in the division was even close to deposing either of them.

Not after Edward's PT scores were adjusted for her new Hulandan status.

Of course, it was no surprise that Kenya and Hunt would take the top spots in the division. They were both Hulandan, which generally meant they were stronger, faster, and smarter than everyone else. The ranges between the factions weren't as skewed as some might say, and I've been able to keep up with Kenya's scholastic scores easily enough. Even though I was only a pure blood. However, with my terrible physical scores, which were heavily weighted in the rankings, and my 78 for Battle Stations, I managed to land at 38 in the rankings. Certainly not terrible, but not great either.

Despite expecting my low rank, seeing it there in black and white still hit me like a freight train. The whole reason why Kenya and I had gotten married before joining up with the fleet was so that we could stay together out there. That we'd see the universe together. But only the top five or so in the rankings were guaranteed a spot in the academy. Kenya and Hunt would be moving on to becoming officers, while I'd be stuck in A-School and head directly to the fleet after it. At best, I'd be getting a desk job somewhere near the academy while I waited for Kenya to finish up her yearlong education program. Still, I was happy for her. Happy that she seemed to be excelling there in the fleet, even though I wasn't.

So, that's it, then, I guess, I said.

Maybe not, Kenya shrugged. She watched the rest of the scores tick in, as if they would somehow drop the over thirty people between us in the rankings. It's not just the top recruits in the divisions that make it to the academy. As always, Kenya was on the same page as me, even without me needing to voice it. You could, I don't know, get a special disposition.

Me? I asked. Miss 'I don't know a rule I couldn't break'? That's so not happening.

Hey, you managed not to break the no fraternization rule, Hunt said, pointing between Kenya and me. Unless you guys found somewhere to hide out that I don't know about.

A nervous bout of laughter flitted out of my mouth against my better judgement. While Kenya and me being married was common knowledge among the division, the exact nature of that marriage wasn't. In fact, no one there knew the truth. They couldn't. If anyone let anything slip to the fleet, to the higher ups, there was no telling what would happen. I just knew that it wouldn't be good.

I guess that's a yes, then? Hunt asked. She eyed Kenya with a broad smile. Kenya just blushed in response.

Trying to change the subject, I pointed back towards the board, where the last of the scores had come in. Dissen had always been in the middle of the pack, relying on his high physical scores to get him through it. When his Battle Station scores came in, he dropped to the bottom.

Poor Dissen, I said.

Yeah, right, Hunt muttered. Dumb ape.

Fifty-seven? Edwards asked. I didn't think he did that bad.

He deserved worse, came a call from the office right next to us, making it clear that ET3 could hear our conversation the entire time. My eyes went wide as I stared at the door. My mind reeled as it flitted through the conversation, making sure that there wasn't anything discussed that he couldn't hear. Other than the suggestion that Kenya and I had been hiding out somewhere, which we very much weren't, I thought we were in the clear.

Don't you need at least a seventy to pass Battle Stations? Edwards asked. She lowered her voice as she turned away from the door to the office, trying to make it so that the petty officer wouldn't be able to hear her. We need to pass Battle Stations to graduate, don't we?

He's not alone, I said, pointing at a group of people that had dropped to the bottom of the rankings. One of them, Harrison, I was relatively certain was on the bridge with us. Perhaps he had been the one that had run screaming from the bridge.

I accidentally touched the smart paint where the score list was posted. It seemed to trigger something in the display, as several people's names were suddenly highlighted in black. Dissen and Harrison were among them, as well as everyone that had failed Battle Stations. Once they were marked, three more people, who took up the bottom few rows of the rankings, were also marked in black. That put Duke and Mark at the bottom of those still in white. They were the two that I had dubbed the idiot twins back in high school, despite them not being related. Still, it surprised me to no end that they had managed to scrape by a passing overall grade. I scanned their scores several times just to make sure that the math wasn't off somewhere. But between the hunger, tiredness, and my general dislike of math, I didn't get far in checking it. Besides, computers didn't make mistakes like that.

I guess that answers my question, Edwards said, as she pointed at the black rows. Eight people sent back. Think they'll be going back to week one?

Week twelve, Hunt said. They all passed PT 2, otherwise they wouldn't have run Battle Stations with us. The physical tests are the locks. You need to have done something really bad to be sent back to day one.

You mean like breaking into the processing center? I asked. Twice?

That's... different, Hunt said.

Uh, guys? Kenya said.

Kenya tapped me on the shoulder before pointing back at the score list. She needn't have bothered, as we were all still staring at it. The top ten people in the division were suddenly marked in blue. These would be the ones moving on to the academy. With it being the top ten, instead of just the top five, Brit managed to get one of those slots as well. She barely managed a smile as she realized that. Once that was done, the title of the list changed from Running Scores to Final Scores.

And just like that, it's The Pilgrims all over again, I said. Well, not as bad. You at least made it into the academy. And, well, I guess it wasn't like we were counting on getting in.

Right, Kenya said, nodding her agreement. We are counting on getting through. Together. The Pilgrims or bust, right?

God, are you still harping on The Pilgrims? Hunt asked. Brit seemed to bristle at the use of the lord's name. I didn't like it that much either, though I was never all that religious. The fleet is where all the action is anyway.

Who said anything about action? Kenya asked. We want to see the universe. That's out there, beyond the galaxy. Beyond the... She trailed off, as her thoughts no doubt turned to the impending war between the fleet and the Delnadian Empire. The war that was very much classified at the moment.

Known worlds, I supplied, when her words hung heavily in the air.

Yeah, she said.

I'd come with you guys if I could, Edwards said. I think they have something else in mind for us. She pointed between herself and Brit, the only ones there that had been infected. It reminded me of the fact that I was the only pure blood in my little clique.

I'm still hoping they just made a mistake with mine, Brit said. Otherwise, my results would be back already, right? She looked at the rest of us, as if one of us would have any better understanding on how they were testing the blood than she did.

Who knows, I said.

I shrugged as I led the rest of the group away from the score list. If those were the final scores, and the final word on those that made the academy, they weren't about to change anytime soon. Besides, the rest of the division had started to form up, wanting to look at their own scores. While most people in the division weren't as much of a nerd as Kenya and me, this was their future as well.

As we emerged from the crowd, I was surprised to see that Stellar was still sitting by her bunk. She was leaning back against it, her eyes closed. From the other side of the room, it looked like she had fallen asleep. As I returned to my bunk and the area around it, I eyed the group behind me, the rest of the division clustered by the score list. Azazel, F. was nowhere to be seen, so it looked like Stellar would get off without being punished. As usual. Stellar had a knack for managing that.

Still, as I came over to the bunk, I bumped into her, jarring her awake. No sleep, I mumbled.

I wasn't sleeping, Stellar said, around a large yawn. What's happening over there?

I just laughed as I settled down on the floor in front of my bunk. Brit and Edwards settled in around us, as they bunked down there as well. Kenya and Hunt had tagged along, despite their bunks being in the front of the room. But, with the mob over there, swarming out to consume their area, I didn't blame them. Feelings were still a bit hot when it came to the Hulandans, especially among those recently infected. Despite Kenya and Hunt having no hand in the actions of the other Hulandans on the base, there had been several attempts already.

Scores are posted, I said, answering Stellar's question.

Oh, how did I do?

Middle of the pack, Edwards said.

Perfect, Stellar said. Exactly where I belong.

You're not going to check? Kenya asked. She sounded surprised, despite knowing Stellar for about as long as I did. Nothing about Stellar surprised me anymore.

Chapter Three

Slipping Away

With the major tests behind us, namely PT 2 and Battle Stations, there wasn't much left in that last week before graduation. We still had PT, just like every day. I was beginning to think that wasn't something that I was going to be able to get away from just by graduating from basic. Our classes were all done. Instead of classes, we spent more free time in the compartment, getting our dress uniforms ready for the ceremony. But more than that, we were practicing marching in formation, something that we had never done before during our stay. Something that wasn't likely to come up out in the fleet either.

In comparison to all the weeks before, that last week at basic was probably the most peaceful. The least stressful. It would have been the best, except it was missing something. It was missing time alone with Kenya. That was the thing that I missed the most about my life before joining the fleet.

I still don't see why we have to bother with all of this, Stellar complained, as the group broke back up again. It was awkward doing the formation marches in the confined space of the compartment. However, doing it outside was strictly against the rules... unless we were already doing it well enough to do it right. We very much weren't.

It's to make it seem like we know what we're doing when we do it in front of an audience at graduation, Kenya said. It's a tradition as old as all of them. The best way for us to show that we actually learned something here.

Something more than just how to climb a rope, Brit added.

Just think, a couple more days and you'll never have to do it again, I said. Graduation on Saturday, then on to A-school for some, the academy for others, the fleet for the idiot twins.

And the laboratory for the rest of us, Edwards pointed out.

Speaking of which, Kenya said.

Which? I asked.

She smiled at me, but generally ignored the question. Dor, care to take a walk with me?

Ooh, Edwards said, smiling. The others sent out a few wolf whistles, as if they had any idea on what she had in mind. I just figured that she wanted to talk over a few things before we never saw each other again. Or whatever happened from her getting into the academy without me.

I rolled my eyes at the others before taking Kenya's hand and letting her lead me through the compartment. No one else there seemed to take any notice of us heading through. We were too close to graduation for anyone to care if we were off to fraternize or whatever. Even if we were making up for lost time or whatever it was that they'd think. All I knew was that Kenya wanted to talk, away from the prying eyes and ears of the division. We hadn't had much time just talking, just the two of us. Not since the Leviathan.

She led me into the bathroom, and around through the backdoor to the laundry room. Despite being tucked away behind the rest of the bathroom, the place wouldn't provide us much privacy from the rest of the division. For one, our voices would carry through to the rest of the space, echoing around the tile walls to anyone coming inside. And the sounds from the rest of the bathroom went the other way just as easily. Not that there were many places in the compartment that would lend us the kind of privacy we'd want. Or anyone would want, couple or not.

And we were definitely not a couple.

So, what's up? I asked, as we slipped into the back room.

Not here, she said, putting her finger to her lips. She pulled me further into the space, looking around the doorway and out into the bathroom proper. The door to the rest of the compartment slowly closed, giving us slightly more privacy. But anyone could walk in at any moment.

Once she was certain that no one would come in, she turned to the window next to her. The window overlooked the poorly maintained courtyard at the center of the building, though the windows themselves were too opaque to see through. She pulled one of the windows up, keeping her eyes on the door to the compartment while she did so. Once it was open, she hopped up on the narrow ledge that ran along the edge of the windows, climbing outside into the day beyond.

What are you doing? I asked. But it was already too late. Kenya was outside, in the courtyard, and very much out of bounds.

Come on, she said. It's easier than it looks.

Yeah, says the Hulandan, I said. I just stood there, eyeing the sill where she had climbed up. It was bad enough having to climb a rope in PT. This looked quite beyond me.

How do you think Worse got up to the roof? You can use the pile of laundry if you think you need it. Come on. We need some proper privacy for once.

And if we get caught? I asked. They'll send us back to week one.

We're not going to get caught, she said, though she had no way of knowing that.

I just stared out through the window after her for a moment. The opening was clearly large enough for her to climb through, though she was easily smaller than me. And more flexible. But I had to remind myself that neither of those came from her being Hulandan. They just came from her being Kenya.

I stood there a moment, eyeing the door like Kenya had. The window was low enough that I could stick my head through, unlike the ones back in the compartment that all opened on the upper half. However, we were a floor up from the ground, and I wasn't comfortable enough with the idea of falling that whole way. Kenya seemed to just shrug off that very real possibility, but she was more likely to survive such a fall. Except, wasn't I just thinking of how we never had time together anymore? That there wasn't really a space in the compartment where we could just be us? Not the couple that's supposed to be in love. Not the fleet recruits heading for war, or whatever was going to happen with the Delnadians. Just Kenya and Dor, best friends.

Kenya just hung there, holding onto something on the outside of the building that I couldn't quite see as she stared back at me through the open window. She never tried to pressure me or anything; Kenya wasn't the kind of person to do that. But still, for some stupid reason, I started moving towards the window.

We are so going to get in trouble, I mumbled to myself, though I knew that Kenya would be able to hear me. We're going to get caught and sent back to week one and we'll have to do this whole mess all over again.

Well, maybe that way, you won't do so poorly on the PT tests and you'll be coming to the academy with me, she said. Look on the bright side, eh?

The bright side of falling on my butt? I asked. I just managed to get my head through the window, sticking out as far as I could reach without my feet leaving the floor. As I looked around outside, I noticed that Kenya was holding onto some kind of a drainpipe, as easily as she had managed the rope. Her foot was solidly placed on a fastener that was holding it against the wall. And yet, the thing showed no sign of strain from her being there.

Come on, Kenya said. She pulled me further out of the window, causing me to lose my tentative grasp on the sill... and the floor... and my sense of gravity. Kenya is incredibly strong.

Before I knew what was happening, I was flipping over in the air, sailing down to the ground below. I could feel Kenya's hand in mine, though it quickly slipped through as I descended. The ground was a lot softer than I was expecting, and I rolled with the fall, coming to a halt against the trunk of an old tree.

Ow, I muttered, as I picked myself up off the ground and dusted myself off. As I looked up the side of the building to Kenya above me, I was glad that our compartment was on the second floor and not the third.

Kenya jumped from her precarious perch, sliding down the slick bark of the tree that I had fallen into, and landed on the ground next to me. I almost wanted to applaud the effort, except I had no idea how we were going to be getting out of there without help.

Alright, so, what are we going to be getting in trouble for this time? I asked, once we were both solidly on the ground. I eyed the windows that still surrounded us, the ones that looked through to the ground floor compartments. I couldn't help but think that we still had eyes on us. That our privacy was no more assured there than in the laundry room above. And why are we doing it in here?

Well, I meant to get us up to the roof, but then I remembered that you can't climb worth a damn, Kenya said.

Kenya, I said, practically stamping my foot.

I just wanted some alone time with my wife, she said, as if that were obvious. Isn't that enough of a reason?

I eyed the windows around us once more, suddenly sure that we were being listened to. Kenya would be able to tell, with her heightened senses. And yet, that was the best we were going to be able to do as far as privacy while still at basic.

We could have just as easily found a quiet corner of the compartment, I said, trying to keep my voice low enough not to be heard by anyone. But the division in that compartment was just as likely to have their own Hulandan and demons, just as capable of hearing us as Kenya would be of hearing them.

Relax, Kenya said, the teasing tone in her voice gradually fading. The division down here is at PT 1. We have all the secrecy that we can ever have here. I'll know if anyone comes into the bathroom upstairs, too, so we can speak freely. I just... Well, when Hunt mentioned us finding a quiet place all to ourselves, I started to wonder just how Worse had made it up to the roof. And if we could do something similar. So, here we are.

Not that I don't appreciate the time alone with you, really I do. I miss my best friend. But what do we have to talk about that can't wait three months?

Well, for one thing, it might not be three months, she said. If you get assigned--

If I get assigned, we still have email, and video and VR calls. We don't even know how restricted we're going to be after we leave here. I'm sure we could--

Except you're not going to A-school alone, she said.

What? I asked, shocked. Confused. What are you--

Derryl? she said. The linguist in the other compartment. The guy that you almost... She trailed off, rather than mentioning just what we had almost done, back when we thought we were going to be stuck on the Delnadian space station.

Is that what this is about? I asked. Kenya, come on. We agreed. Remember? I'd pull up the list of rules that we agreed to, but my implant is still disabled. No dating was definitely on the list, though. Whatever is, or isn't, between Derryl and me... It's never going to happen. At least not until after we make it to The Pilgrims. That's what we agreed on, right?

R-right, she said. Despite her agreement, her bluster was still plain, just beneath the surface. I knew that there was something else that she wanted to say, something that she was holding in. But I had no idea what prompted any of this. No thoughts to guess upon. Kenya had always been quiet, especially before we became friends. Seeing her like that was almost painful, but I knew from experience that I wasn't going to be able to pull anything out of her. Not until she was ready to say it.

So... Was that it? You were worried that I'd go back on our promises and start... What? Dating Derryl? Now, I know that I haven't been all that reliable at following the rules since joining the fleet, but--

That's putting it mildly.

But those were all for good reasons.

And visiting the ship mage on the Leviathan was for a good reason? she asked, reminding me of that first time that I broke the rules. Well, other than marrying her and letting the recruiter think it was anything more than platonic.

Yes, I thought she would be lonely, I said, smiling over at her. There's no valid reason to date Derryl while under the scrutiny of the fleet. Not only did I promise not to date, we both promised not to date, but I can't even come up with a good reason to break that promise. To risk us both getting booted just for him. It's two, three years, right? Five at the most, now that you're going to the academy. We make The Pilgrims, or we get our own ship. That's the deal. I'm sticking to it.

I'd ask if she was too, but she had never given me a reason to suspect otherwise. More than her exceptional performance in basic training, she seemed far better than me at keeping the secret. Even Smith and Dot, our fellow same sex couple out of New Kansas, was convinced that Kenya was gay. They only thought that I was bi, whatever that meant. But even that seemed like a failure compared to Kenya.

Oh, she said. The word was quiet, barely loud enough for me to hear. I wasn't sure if she believed me, or if my denial was enough to convince her. And yet, what she said next was the last thing that I expected her to say. But... well... I guess... I mean, if you wanted to... d-date D-Derryl. I'd... be...

Oh, no, I said, pointing an accusatory finger at her. We agreed and that's final. No slipping out of it. Why? Did you have your sights set on someone? I noticed that Porter made it to the academy. That nerd.

Dor, we're nerds.

I know.

And, no, I'm not... I mean... Porter? Seriously? Does he look like my type?

A little, I guess, I said. I mean, Evan was more of a geek than a nerd. But...

No. Just, no. I'm not... I'm not interested in anyone else--In anyone. I just. I wanted... I don't want... I didn't want you... not having something, or someone, just for the sake of a promise to me. I'm not... petty.

I know you're not, I said. I placed my hand on her shoulder, looking deep into her eyes when I said that. In the small, enclosed space of the courtyard, we were practically right on top of each other. And yet, I felt like I needed that connection, that closeness, to reassure her of my intentions. I'm not going to mess anything up for you. For us. I want to get to The Pilgrims. Don't you?

I... I don't know...

She shrugged, her shoulders going up against my hand. For a split second, I was afraid that I had done more damage to her than I had known. Was she backing out of the deal because she didn't want to see the universe with me anymore? Did she want to stay in the fleet and let me off the hook for our plans? Had she ever wanted The Pilgrims, or was that just me pushing my plans on her? Again. But I should have known better. I should have known Kenya better.

The Pilgrims has always been the dream, for me just as much as for you. But... well... if it's not meant to be...

It is, I said. It always has been. We just hit a little detour. Besides, even if we don't make it to The Pilgrims, we have our other plans.

Plan C? she asked, smiling at the thought.

"Exactly. Plan A was