The Great Beyond

by A. K. DuBoff

  “You see, the captain told me his Yacht was a one-person pod. He was going to put me in it and go down with the ship. He was a true hero. But you, Rico?” She shook her head. “I know you better than that.”

  Rico’s mind reeled through their brief reunion. “But you… You fixed my leg! You protected me, and… the snuggling! It was all just…” His voice cracked. “You said I was the one that got away!”

  Meegan shrugged. “I did what I had to do to get home to my kids.”

  “Kids? But I thought you’d never—”

  With a final deafening rumble, the ship’s engines burned out. The bridge went dark, illuminated only by the stars shining through the transparent dome. The holographic captain blinked out of existence, taking his forcegate with him.

  Rico gasped in horror as the infected Qualexi set their sights on new prey. He whirled back to the Captain’s Yacht just as the iris of its door began to close. Meegan gave him a smile and a friendly wave from within.

  “So long, Rico. This time I’m the one that got away.”

  THE END

  — — —

  About the Author

  Your old pal Marcus Alexander Hart is an award-winning novelist, self-proclaimed karaoke star, and default awesome dude. His books include the paranormal thriller One Must Kill Another and the subversive teen comedy Alexis vs. the Afterlife. Up next is a new sci-fi adventure comedy series entitled Galaxy Cruise.

  Sign up for Marcus’s newsletter and get three free ebooks, and probably a couple dumb YouTube videos:

  www.oldpalmarcus.com/free-books/

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  OldPalMarcus.com

  STAR CADETS

  by CW Lamb

  The hover bus came to a jolting stop, bringing Ken to full consciousness and out of the half-sleep he had been enjoying for most of the night. He could still feel his jump bag, pressing against the back of his legs and tucked safely under his seat, as he peered out the window. Squinting through the glare of the morning sun, he dialed up the filtering on the bus window tint, until he could clearly make out the symbol of the Galactic Academy just outside. A silver Rocketship, standing straight and tall, with two diagonal orbital loops intersecting at is center; the emblem was duplicated in miniature on his jacket’s left breast.

  A smile crossed his lips as he shook off the last of the sleepiness that had accompanied the boredom of the hover bus ride. This was to be his home for the next three years, a childhood dream come true. Reaching between his legs, he found the strap on his bag without looking away from the window, and in one swift move, pivoted from his seat to stand in the center aisle of the bus.

  “Hey, watch it,” he heard as he bounced off a moving wall with arms and legs.

  Landing in his seat once more, Ken looked up in time to see a mass of muscle wearing a uniform identical to his own, only much larger. At nearly six feet tall himself, the other cadet made him feel tiny.

  “Sorry, didn’t see you,” was all he could manage as he worked to keep from sliding off his seat and onto the floor.

  “Seriously?” The guy exclaimed as he shook his head in disbelief and then proceeded to the front of the hover bus, to exit behind those ahead of him.

  Recovering his balance, Ken waited for an opening in the line of people passing him by, all in the same Cadet Blue uniform as his, before once more attempting to exit the bus. Descending the few steps to the ground, he could see the bus still hovered in place, the gap between the vehicle and the ground no more than a foot at rest. Although it was now low enough to allow the passengers to exit, it was still high enough to lose his duffle underneath if he wasn’t there to collect it. Ahead, he could see the open hatch as the attendant tossed bag after bag from the luggage compartment.

  “Last one,” he heard the man say as a duffle went flying past Ken while he approached the opening.

  All around him, cadets were scrambling to identify their nearly identical possessions, packed according to the strict guidelines provided by the Academy. One regulation Jump Bag and Duffle per cadet, no exceptions.

  “Hall,” he heard someone shout out the name on the duffle in front of them before moving on to the next, continuing the search for their own possessions.

  After rushing to claim his bag, Ken adjusted the strap that allowed him to sling it over one shoulder. Then, holding the jump bag by its straps in the other hand, he headed toward the Academy entrance. He lined up behind the other cadets who had arrived there before him, watching as one cadet after another was interrogated by the two security guards before being allowed through the gates. Also dressed in Cadet Blue, he could see the pips on their collars, indicating they were third-year students.

  “ID,” the one closest to him said as he held out the scanner, his Space Patrol armband denoting his role.

  Ken silently presented his wrist, his ID bracelet in place for the device to read.

  “Hall, Kenneth. Coeur D’Alene, Idaho,” the SP guard read off the display.

  “That’s me,” Ken replied with a nod, his image in the display confirming his identity.

  “Head over to Building 3 for room assignment,” the other guard directed as he read something off his hand-held display while motioning with his free hand.

  Hurrying past, so as to not hold up those behind him, Ken then paused to adjust the shoulder strap on his duffle before he headed in the direction indicated. Doing his best not to gawk as he walked, Ken slowed his pace as he scanned the area around him, thrilled to see all the shimmering glass and steel buildings that made up the Galactic Academy. In every direction, he saw cadets in blue, some with rank pips on their collars denoting their status as second- or third-year cadets like the gate guards.

  Mixed in with the sea of blue was the occasional gray of the Galactic Service, all graduates of this academy, and experienced spacers. Ken assumed those in gray were likely instructors, assigned to the school after years of experience in real spaceships, not just the training vessels he was destined for. Returning his attention to the building before him, Ken took the steps two at a time and, in his haste, nearly rear-ended a cadet standing just inside the doorway.

  “Star Cadet Kenneth Hall, reporting for duty,” he announced to the gray-clad woman sitting at a desk after waiting his turn.

  “Hall,” she repeated as she scanned the display in front of her.

  “Third floor, room 327, take those stairs,” she announced after finding the proper entry, then motioning to the stairwell past her desk and on the right.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Ken replied, not sure if he was supposed to salute or not.

  Fresh out of the public university, where he graduated near the overall top of his class with a degree in astrophysics, he had yet to go through the Academy orientation. Galactic Service had many branches, some more in line with civilian pursuits like research or exploration, but all adhered to a military organizational structure.

  Climbing the stairs to the third floor, he glanced both ways until he determined the numbering sequence. Heading to his left, he went down two doors before he found his room, 327. Inside, he was surprised to see someone was already unpacking.

  “Oh, excuse me,” he said, stopping in the doorway.

  “Looks like we’re roomies,” the man said in reply.

  It didn’t take Ken any time at all to recognize the person before him as the one he had collided with on the bus earlier that morning. Unsure if he should say something about it, he was cut off before he could try.

  “I’m Max,” the man continued. He paused his unpacking for long enough to extend one hand.

  As he shook it, Ken was reminded just how large the man was when his hand was swallowed in his grasp.

  “Hope you don’t mind, but I took the single; bunks and I don’t get along too well,” he said as he resumed settling in.

  Ken noted that the room held three beds, one single and two more, set up as bunks.

  “No problem for me,” a voice replied as a
small form brushed past Ken, tossing her bags on the lower bunk.

  “Dibs on the lower,” she said with a smile as she turned to face the two men towering over her.

  “Are you in the right room?” Ken blurted before he realized what he had said, not expecting co-ed rooms.

  “Star Cadet Sandra Cytherean at your service. You can call me Sandy,” she said with a mock salute.

  “Cytherean? You’re from the Venus colony?” Ken asked. However, now that he’s had a good look at her, he realized the question was unnecessary.

  Small in stature, white hair, and pale in complexion, she was a clear product of her environment. Dense clouds and slightly lesser gravity made her exactly as described, Earth’s smaller sister planet. Truth be told, he didn’t know much about Venus, and she was the first Venusian he had ever met so far as he knew, but she was also stunningly beautiful.

  “Max,” the man mountain said with a return salute as he finished putting his things away.

  “Just Max? You a Martian? You sure look like one,” she replied casually as she plopped on her bunk, not even bothering to open her bags.

  Max just nodded in affirmation as he continued his work.

  “Wait, the man is from Mars and the woman is from Venus? Am I the only one who thinks this is going to be a problem?” Ken half-joked as he looked at his two roommates.

  “Maybe for you, but I don’t see any issues. Hey, you aren’t one of those Earth First bigots, are you?” Sandy said, leaning forward with her eyes narrowing as if she were seeing Ken for the first time.

  “No, not at all,” Ken stuttered. He waved her off, waiting for Sandy to relax while Max just stood watching the pair.

  “To be honest, though, you are the first Martian and Venusian I’ve ever met. It’s kind of exciting,” Ken added with a shrug as he tossed his bags on the upper bunk.

  “So, where are you from?” Max asked, no apparent offense taken by Ken’s earlier question.

  “Idaho,” Ken replied while he inspected his empty wall locker, sizing it up for space, thinking of what was in his duffle.

  “I-da-what?” Sandy asked with a smirk, leading him into a joke Ken had heard his whole life.

  —

  “First of all, let me welcome you to what will become the greatest and most rewarding challenge you have ever faced,” the man in the stark while uniform began as the auditorium quieted.

  Ken had hardly begun unpacking when the announcement had been made for all first years to gather in the main auditorium. With Sandy leading the way, the three soon found themselves awash in clusters of cadet blue as the other cadets adhered to the instructions for roommates to stay together.

  Several times during their walk to the destination, Ken noted other male cadets pointing out Sandy to their companions. She was, apparently, oblivious of her remarkable good looks, as she ignored their attempts to get her attention. However, more than once, he saw the potential suitor waved off with a whispered exchange, the look of disappointment clear on their faces. Ken made a mental note to carefully approach his new roommate on the subject, once he felt more confident with her.

  “My name is Admiral O’Brien, and I am the Dean and commanding officer of this Academy,” the man continued from the podium.

  Behind him, in a row of chairs, sat other men and women in uniforms of either colors of white or gray. From their seats, Ken couldn’t make out their exact rank, but he knew that all those dressed in white were senior officers like the admiral. Those in gray were what Ken called the ‘doers’—people who still commanded ships of their own and were only here teaching as part of their service rotation.

  Ken listened as each of those on the stage were introduced, one by one, and it was then that he noticed one of the officers in gray was also Venusian. Her last name was the same as Sandy and her appearance strikingly similar, although much older.

  “Is that your mom?” Ken whispered to Sandy, only to receive a look of confusion in return.

  Before he could ask more, the admiral returned to addressing the cadets directly.

  “If you followed the instructions issued, and you had better have, you should be sitting with your assigned roommates,” the admiral stated with an edge in his voice.

  “I want each and every one of you to look to your left and to your right, because these are your shipmates for the next three years. Every training ship has a three-person complement. Your crews consist of a ship’s Pilot and Commander, an Astronavigation Officer, and ship’s Engineering Officer. If your role is not obvious to you, talk to your partners; it soon will be.”

  Ken took a deep breath as he looked to his roommates beside him. Astronavigation 101 was a required class, one that he had barely passed, and mostly by the sympathy of his instructor and lots of late-night study sessions. His engineering skills were slightly better than that, but his model atomic motor proved to be the slowest thrust producer in the class. He liked to think his understanding was solid; it was the execution that challenged him.

  It was then that Ken realized both Sandy and Max were staring at him, as well, both were apparently speechless.

  —

  “Commander Cytherean, there must be some mistake,” Sandy repeated emphatically as she leaped from her seat, with the other two cadets still sitting on either side of her.

  All were in the Head of Personnel’s office. Unlike other institutions, the Galactic Academy was not just a school. One must have already completed a university-level curriculum before being accepted, and then once you graduated here, you were put to work in one of the various divisions of the Galactic Service. Thus, they did not have an academic enrollment department; it was just personnel management.

  After the all-hands meeting for First Year cadets in the Auditorium, the three had returned to their quarters where they compared notes. In short order, they realized that, to varying degrees, none of the three completely agreed with the current assignments.

  While Max was quite satisfied with his role as Engineering Officer, he was ambivalent about his shipmates as a whole. Ken interpreted it as, leave me alone and I’ll do my job. Sandy, on the other hand, was beside herself upset that the Academy had neglected to see her innate leadership abilities and hadn’t waved the practice of making the ship’s Pilot the Commander. She was positive she could perform the duties required and still navigate, thus deserving of the waiver.

  “Sandra-9872, please take your seat!” the officer behind the desk instructed firmly.

  The woman before them was the same Ken had seen in the auditorium, the one he speculated was Sandy’s mom. This close, though noticeably older than Sandy, Ken could still see similar stunning beauty in the woman—the same features, just more mature.

  “Now, as to your personnel assignments,” the woman started after Sandy had reseated herself, “I can personally vouch for your placement, as I was the one who put you three together.”

  “Why?” Sandy blurted once more before being silenced with the wave of a hand.

  “I assume none of you are questioning your primary assignments, as you are all the very best at what you do.”

  A small snort escaped Sandy’s lips as she rolled her eyes at Ken. During their conversation before coming here, he had been forced to concede his shortfalls in astronavigation and mechanics. The fact that neither roommate had disclosed their placement in astrophysics, nor any deficiencies for that matter, had just dawned on him. He had been so caught up in his own limitations that he had chosen not to press the issue with either of the two.

  “Regardless of what opinions you may have formed about one another in the very short time you have been together, it is my opinion, and therefore the Academy’s opinion, that the three of you are properly assigned. So, until such time as you are in agreement with the academy’s decision, I suggest you hold yourself to the highest standard of Star Cadet behavior and get along.”

  Ken could see Sandy was not happy with the decision. However, since the entire monologue had been recited with the
two women locked in a stare-down, she could hardly question the intent of the message.

  “If there is nothing else, you are all dismissed,” the woman finished. She began sorting through the papers on her desk.

  With that, the three rose and began filing out of the room, their instructions clear. Lagging slightly behind, Ken waited until the others had left the room before turning in place.

  “Ma’am,” he began.

  “Yes, Hall?” the woman replied without looking up.

  “Are you and Sandy related? I mean, you have the same last name and you bear a striking resemblance to one another,” he offered cautiously.

  Looking up from her desk, she at first appeared irritated at the question, but something in his face must have changed her mind, softening her expression and inspiring her to speak more softly than before.

  “In a way, but I believe that is a conversation you need to have with her, Hall. Dismissed.” She returned her gaze to the paperwork before her once more.

  —

  Unlike traditional educational institutions, the Galactic Academy had a more hands-on approach to teaching. They took every opportunity to empower the cadet with their own learning, whenever possible. They were also very straightforward about the intent of certain courses. The case in point was the antigravity sports class they were assigned to attend first thing the following morning. The cadets called it Spaceball.

  After leaving Personnel, the three roommates had returned to their quarters in silence, spending the rest of the afternoon quietly unpacking and getting settled in. The only interruption was the delivery of their class equipment. Once more, all First Years were called together, only this time into a smaller assembly hall.

  In each seat were two devices: one about the size of a book, only half the thickness, and the other a smaller version of the same. Taking his seat next to his roommates, Ken placed both pieces in his lap, resisting the urge to fiddle with the pair, a battle he could see others around him loosing.