When we’re on the ship, how many times have you seen me spend lavishly? None. I just don’t spend money when we’re away on missions. During all that time in space, I just quietly collect my paycheck and keep to myself. But when I go on shore leave, that’s my time to treat myself like a king. I take all that money that I’ve been saving up over the months and I stay at the best hotel possible. I eat the best food I can. I drink the most expensive drinks. And why, you ask? Because I’m an infantryman. My next mission is very possibly my last.”
Adam’s shoulder’s drooped. “So yes, we could stay at a cheaper place, but I’m not going to. Leave if you want or stay if you want, but I’d prefer you enjoyed this time with me.”
Yen arched and eyebrow and look at Penchant, who shrugged as well. “Well, Adam, I guess we’re staying. After all, if we don’t who knows how much of an emotional sissy you’ll turn into.”
Penchant and Yen both laughed, the Lithid’s gravelly laughter sounding coarse and grating. Adam smiled, despite himself. “Laugh it up,” he said. “And remind me to shoot you later, when I get the chance.”
The manager returned with three copies of their room key. “If you’re both done having fun at my expense,” Adam offered, “then let’s go upstairs and get ready for a wild night on the town.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Keryn walked the empty halls of the
It was a welcomed change from the past four weeks. Keryn had thought that the hardest part of getting promoted to Squadron Commander would have been planning new strategies and taking her pilots through the simulations. Instead, her hardest task had been finding creative ways to avoid Yen Xiao. He hadn’t actively sought her company and she knew his blood still boiled at the thought of their argument. Still, against her own desires, she had refrained from apologizing. Though the time apart had been difficult, it had also been invigorating. Keryn found more and more time to examine her own interests and desires and, slowly, she grew more confident as a leader. Her Squadron still grumbled at the thought of more simulations, but they performed admirably, no matter how difficult the battlefield she envisioned.
Walking down one of the empty corridors, Keryn turned the corner and almost ran into Captain Hodge. Sliding quickly apart, the Captain placed her hand on her chest in evident shock.
“Squadron Commander,” she said breathlessly. “I hadn’t expected anyone else to still be aboard.” Slowly, Captain Hodge regained her composure. Her look of surprise was replaced by one of suspicion. “Why are you still on board?”
Keryn shrugged. “I had a lot of work to do, ma’am. I figured I could take some quiet time while everyone in the Squadron is enjoying their shore leave to catch up on some of the projects I’d been procrastinating to finish for the past four weeks.”
Shaking her head in disapproval, Captain Hodge replied. “You’re exactly right, Keryn. Everyone under your command is enjoying their shore leave, except for you.”
“There’s nothing for me down there that I can’t appreciate by remaining on board.”
The Captain frowned. “You don’t honestly believe that, do you?”
“I believe it enough, does that count?” Keryn asked, laughing slightly.
Captain Hodge sat on a bench nearby. Tapping the seat next to her, she invited Keryn to sit as well. “You know, it may sound like a bad cliche, but you remind me a lot of a younger me. When I was a young officer, I believed that I could change the world… if only there was one more hour in every day. I worked myself nearly to death to try to set myself apart from my peers. And I was successful. I was one of the youngest Avalon to ever be promoted to the rank of Captain and be given command of my own Cruiser. It was a remarkable day, but you know who celebrated with me?”
Keryn knew where the story was going, and frowned at the realization. “No one, ma’am.”
“Exactly. Against popular belief, there is no such thing as being married to your work. At the end of the day, your work is a fickle lover. The job that you fill, the one that you’re so attached to, can easily be filled by anyone else. So if you want something that’s actually committed to you, you need to get your butt off this ship and go enjoy your shore leave.”
Keryn smiled. “Is that an order, ma’am?”
“If it has to be,” Captain Hodge laughed.
Keryn lowered her eyes, unsure if she would follow that order even if it was given. She didn’t want to go through the grueling effort of trying to find a good man amongst the sea of horny Crewmen all on their shore leave. If she was going to go through that much work, she might as well stay on the ship and do some work that would truly make a difference.
As though reading her mind, Captain Hodge interrupted. “I can see you’re still not sold on the idea,” she said in her musical tones. “Come with me, Keryn.”
With no more directive than that, the Captain stood and began walking toward the front of the ship. Curious, Keryn climbed to her feet and followed. Leading her through winding halls and past dozens of work crews, Captain Hodge never looked back to ensure Keryn was still behind her. A strange sixth sense let her know that Keryn hadn’t strayed far. The Captain was cryptically quiet, something that only piqued Keryn’s interest further. As they neared midship, Captain Hodge came to a stop in front of a bank of elevators. More than familiar with this particular lift, Keryn had taken this specific elevator down to the hangar bay many times before. As the doors opened, both women stepped inside.
Confined in a smaller space, Keryn couldn’t resist asking questions. “Exactly what is it you need to show me in the hangar bay?”
“You’ll see,” the Avalon replied, adjusting her feathery wings. “It’s my final gift to you before I ship you down to the planet for your shore leave.”
Keryn rolled her eyes, but was sure to do it in a way that the Captain couldn’t see.
As the doors slid open, Keryn was surprised to see that they were not on the hangar bay floor. Instead, the elevators opened onto the observation deck which overlooked the open bay. Keryn had come here many times since the battle with the Terran Fleet, often to check on the repair work being conducted on her ships. They had patched up the fighters and transport ships as much as possible, but some repairs could only be conducted once they reached a facility like the space station.
Captain Hodge stepped toward the glass and motioned for Keryn to join her at the window. Nonchalantly, Keryn stepped forward. She already knew what she would see. Welders and munitions specialists would be working diligently to repair and rearm the Squadron, making it space worthy for any eventuality. Once, Keryn would have thought them daft for spending so much effort preparing a Squadron of ships during peacetime operations. But now that they were at war with the Empire, the next battle could truly be only months away.
When she stepped to the glass, Keryn was floored by what she saw. The repairs were evidently completed long ago. The piles of scrap metal and worker’s tools had long since been removed. Both the
“Who are those men and what are they doing to my ships?” Keryn asked with a mixture of surprise and anger. Those ships were her direct responsibility as the Squadron Commander. She found it hard to believe that Captain Hodge would approve anyone to make modifications to her ships without her consent.
“Keep watching,” Captain Hodge said calmly.
Looking closer, Keryn watched as one of the men turned around, his eyes cast toward the observation deck where they watched. Emblazoned upon his chest in stark red design was an emblem with which everyone in the
