by SF Edwards
Arion surged ahead and wrapped his arm around Deniv, holding him back. Gavit slipped in ahead of Chris and snagged the ball away from Bichard.
Out of the corner of his eye, Blazer caught Zithe’s smile. “Good! I’m open!” Zithe yelled as he put his arms up for a catch.
Gavit raised the ball to throw it. As he did so, it jerked out of his hands and continued to bounce up the field towards Bichard. Gavit and Zithe both stood dumbfounded as the ball leapt away. A thin streamer of translucent resin connected the ball to Bichard’s left elbow. Blazer didn’t have the breath to laugh as Bichard retrieved the ball, coiling the resin line up as he ran. He swung the ball about over his head and hurled it forward towards the goal.
Zithe looked at the referee with rage in his eyes. “Are you going to call that? It’s a weapon!”
“Would you call a tentacle or your hand a weapon? The line has to be drawn somewhere. No. That is a body part and not a weapon,” declared the drill instructor.
Blazer threw all the strength he had into his legs. He ran past Bichard, leaping into the air to catch the ball. The resin line snapped two metra behind him. As Blazer landed, Seri stood in his way. She made for the ball but he slipped around her and ran for the goal.
What are you doing? he asked himself. You never play forward. You don’t go for the goal. You give support to the attackers. In all the time he had played slamball, he had only scored once or twice per season. Most of those goals had been flukes or goals of opportunity. He’d never set himself up to make the goal. It was unlike him.
Then Blazer heard Marda calling out to him, urging him on to score. “Go! Go! Go! Score one for me!” she screamed as she jumped up and down on the sidelines.
He looked over his shoulder and saw her cheering him on. The expression on her face quickly turned to horror and he looked ahead again. Datt was right on top of him. Blazer was quicker than the bulky clone from Zell-Tag and dropped. Sliding across the wet grass, he threw the ball. It glanced off the edge of the goal and back into the field.
Blazer’s gut wrenched and he twisted around looking for the ball. Seri was almost upon it as Blazer scrambled. She scooped the ball up but before she could stabilize it, Gokhead stole the ball away from her and chucked it at the upper goal.
Once again, the ball rang off the hoop and back into the field, towards Blazer. Gaining his feet, Blazer jumped and kicked. He caught the ball squarely—sending it sailing through the lower hoop.
Blazer’s knees felt like jelly as his team erupted into applause. I did it. His gamble had paid off and he’d earned their respect and loyalty. The whistle sounded a moment later and all eyes turned toward the referee.
“PT is ended. Get yourselves cleaned up and good game!”
Everyone on the Blade Force ran together into a massive group at the center of the field laughing for the first time in decles. They congratulated each other, reliving moments, whether they played on the same side or not.
Bichard took Deniv in a quick headlock to flick Deniv’s ears before releasing him. Bichard’s intimidating smile lit up his face. “You still owe me those drinks.”
Deniv laughed, slapping Bichard hard on the back. “You got it, big bug. Nice move, Arion,” he went on. “Disabling me like that. I could have beaten Bichard’s little trick otherwise.” Arion just smiled.
Zithe walked up to Blazer, anger radiating from his every pore. “That was cheating.”
Panting and sweating from the exertion, Blazer just smiled back at him. “No, it wasn’t. That was using my teammate’s abilities to their fullest.”
All of Blazer’s friends from the Navigator’s Guild nodded in response.
“You should have seen the look on your face when we used that move,” Blazer went on.
Zithe was still angry, but couldn’t do anything about it.
Blazer headed over and wrapped an arm around Gokhead. “And you! You are the Drash! I thought we had lost it there, and then suddenly, there you are…”
“You’re not mad, are you?” Gokhead asked, looking for approval.
“No. No. You did well! You did great! Sheol you deserved that goal! I just wish you had gotten it.”
“Deserved, yes, but you wanted it,” Gokhead insisted, motioning over his shoulder to the crowd of cadets on the sidelines.
Marda and several of her team members remained standing there. Blazer looked over at her and shrugged. Yes, I wanted it, for her.
Deniv moved in close and wrapped an arm around him while he pointed surreptitiously at Marda. “So, you think you’re going to ‘score’ this duwn?”
Blazer shook his head at him. “I doubt it. I think I ought to take her out for a date first.”
Gavit pulled Deniv back off of Blazer. “Exactly! Let the man be a gentleman.”
“Oh come on, Gavit! We’ve all heard your exploits. If even half of the tales about your love life are true…”
“They’re blown way out of proportion. Trust me!” Gavit replied.
“Really? I’ve heard that after every one of your winning aero races you took a different girl to bed.”
Gavit shrugged. “I would take them out and have a good time with them. I only took a couple to bed, and never…” A haunted look formed in Gavit’s eyes. The words left unspoken hovered there as loss, betrayal, and regret filled them. “But no, I didn’t take all of them to bed. I just let people think that. Not to say I didn’t take the choicest ones to bed though,” he completed with a laugh.
Chris slapped Gavit on the back of the head. “Oinker.”
“Hey! I had some genuine feelings for some of those girls,” he said, a cocky smile pushing the haunted look away while he fixed his hair after rubbing the back of his head.
Zithe looked at Gokhead, holding him in a predator’s glare. “You were well out of position even though it scored you the goal. What would have happened if Seri had managed to loft the ball to one of my team? Your position was undefended and it would have left your goal open to us.”
Both Blazer and Seri shot Zithe a hard look. Blazer was the first one to respond, “A certain level of autonomy is good. It allows things to flow as necessary. Besides, Arion dropped back to cover for him.”
Zithe looked at Arion, “What?”
“When he ran past me, Gokhead waved me to take his slot. I did. Neither of us wanted to leave our goal open and he was faster than me. It made sense, so I did it.”
Gokhead nodded enthusiastically. “Of course. I arranged to cover my position when the opportunity arose. I couldn’t leave us open like that.”
Seri rested a hand on Gokhead’s shoulder and met Zithe’s gaze, staring him down. “It was well executed and showed that you can think for yourself. You aren’t just some robot. Now, let’s do as the drill instructor said and go get cleaned up.” She looked down at her leg and noticed a splash of blood there. “Whose blood is this anyway?”
Everyone looked around. They all had scratches, bruises and some even had some blood on their clothes. “Maybe mine,” Arion said scratching his head. “Probably from when you tried to get the ball from me a few plays ago.”
Seri wiped away at the blood and nodded. That made sense and with Arion being a self-healer the blood contained no pathogens.
The team headed for the showers and Blazer remained behind, waving them on. “I’ll catch up!” he called and turned to face Marda and her team. She was only a few paces away when he turned to see a smile cross her face. “You a mind reader too?” he asked as he noticed her sweaty PT uniform cling to her in all the right places.
“No, but I wanted to congratulate you. That was a great game,” she replied, her face lighting up.
“Thanks! I haven’t seen you much since orientation. How have you been?” he asked stepping closer to her. He wanted to get right in next to her.
“I’ve been good. Busy, but good. You understand.”
“Not having any trouble with any of your classes are you?” he asked noting the concern in her voice.
“Not really. My physics are a little rusty though.”
Blazer arched an eyebrow at her. “Really?”
“I’m not bad at physics,” she explained throwing her hands up. “But when you’re used to dealing with these guys,” she motioned around at the spirit orbs orbiting them. “You tend to be better versed in meta and quantum physics than the more traditional physics studies. Plus, I have been so wrapped up in biology and chemistry the last couple annura that I haven’t really studied it much.”
Blazer understood. He heard others with mediumistic or psionic abilities say the same. “Is anyone on your team helping you out?”
“Not really. I haven’t asked though. I probably should.”
Blazer brightened and straightened. “I could help you out. I’m really good at physics. Why don’t we set up a study date later? Maybe you can help me out with my chemistry too. I need some help with that.”
Marda raised an eyebrow in response. “Which chemistry?”
Blazer laughed nervously under his breath as he tried to think of something clever to say, but everything just sounded too corny. “Academic, I promise!”
Marda smiled back at him. “Half a hect in the library then. That should give us some time to get cleaned up.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said, taking her hand and they walked towards the locker rooms together.
UCSB DATE: 1000.203
Star System: Classified, UCSBA-13, Dorm Complex
Marda stood outside the hatch waiting. How should I do this? Should I ring the buzzer, knock or just wait until he comes out? God, why am I being so foolish about a study session? She and Blazer had been going on study dates every cycle for two decles now. Why is this time any different? Then she realized what it was. The stakes increased with each meeting. The first few were in the library. Then they transitioned outside into the fields or wooded areas and the last one had been in her room. Was this his way of stepping things up? Is he trying to go further by turning these innocent little study sessions into a real relationship?
Her roommates stayed in the room with them the last time and kept looking over their shoulders to make sure that there was no impropriety going on. I wouldn’t mind a little impropriety. Blazer had always been such a gentleman. The little glances, the soft touch of his hand, or the way he would move in just a little too close to demonstrate something showed that he wanted more. The orbs even told her that he liked her and maybe even felt something more for her than that. I definitely care for him.
She took a step away from the door and shook her head. What am I thinking? This is childish. Here I am, an independent woman, away from home and the trappings of childhood and I’m acting like a little schoolgirl. Swallowing, she walked up to the hatch and raised her hand to knock. She always preferred knocking. It was an act that was far more personal than just ringing the buzzer. Before she could rap on the door, it disappeared, sliding away into the wall. She stepped back again in surprise.
Arion stood there, his face rock hard, impassive and unreadable. He looked her up and down. “Hi, Marda.”
She smiled at him. He did not smile back. “Hi, Arion. Is Blazer in?”
Before Arion could answer, Blazer poked his head out from under Arion’s arm. “Hey! Come on in. These guys are just about to leave.”
Marda took a step forward and stopped, sudden curiosity about why the others were leaving, staying her. Are they going to give us privacy? Privacy for what? Is Blazer finally going to make a real move?
She and Blazer hadn’t been going out that long and hadn’t even made any romantic overtures yet, and she wanted him to make a move. What kind of girl am I turning into? No, I won’t give in so easily. I just can’t.
She shook her head and looked in the room as Arion stepped out of the way. “Where are all of you heading?”
Arion looked back into the room. “All over. We just wanted to give you two some privacy and a quiet place to study.” Arion quickly stepped out around her into the hallway. “I’ve got someplace to be.”
Bichard followed. “I am working with some of my other classmates on a project.”
Gavit and Deniv headed to the door in his wake. Gavit studied his macomm as Deniv looked the two of them over. “Now I know you two are supposed to be studying physics and chemistry, but if those topics combine and lead to biology, just let us know so we won’t interrupt,” he commented with a sly grin.
Gavit shot Deniv a look that spoke dimensions about keeping his mouth shut. He shoved a hand into Deniv’s back and, with a nod to Blazer, pushed Deniv out into the passageway. “Come on. We’ll use one of the big holos up in the rec room and I’ll show you that race video you wanted to see.”
Blazer shook his head. Deniv seemed to have a way of making biology sound dirty. “They just…”
Marda just smiled, halting him. “It’s OK. I completely understand.”
At last, Marda entered--the door closing behind her as her hearts began to race. For the first time she was alone with Blazer and in his room no less! I wonder what’s going through his mind. Is he thinking what I am? She kept glancing up at his bed and imagined what would happen if he took her there. Is that really what I want? Certain parts of her mind and body did, but other parts of her mind screamed at her to stop, slow down and not give in to temptation. Seeing Blazer stand there in his civilian clothes reminding her of what men were supposed to look like, not mustard yellow horrors, but real men. That didn’t help matters.
Blazer guided her to his desk, holding a spare chair out for her. He helped her sit then slid into his own next to her. “I hope you don’t mind. I called a few things up already,” he said motioning to the screen.
“No not at all,” she replied.
“Do you want anything to eat or drink?”
Marda shook her head. She hated anything that came out of an autocook. It never tasted right and she was sure that was all they had stocked in their small dorm fridge.
“Are you sure? We’ve got some fresh fruit and juice in the fridge?” he continued.
Marda looked over at the small refrigeration unit. Typically, cadets didn’t keep any fresh food. Most contained only leftovers consisting of junk food from the mall or maybe a few fizzy drinks. If the cadets were really daring, they snuck in alcohol too. Hearing that they had fresh fruit and juice was a pleasant surprise.
“Where did you get it?” she asked.
“We run over to the farm about every couple cycles and load up on stuff for snacks or in case we miss chow. We got the idea after that first breakfast when you showed up with all that fresh fruit.”
Marda nodded, remembering the chastisement that insufferable jerk Chertsin had given her squadron over it. “Maybe later. I just ate, so,” she stated as she motioned to their homework and they set to it.
Blazer walked her through several problems as she looked on. She really wasn’t as bad at physics as she first let on to Blazer. It was really more an excuse to spend time with him than anything else. She enjoyed spending her spare time with him.
Blazer on the other hand was near hopeless at chemistry. Memorizing the names of all the various chemical compounds based on their chemical formulae was something he had difficulty with. Yet he could quote every physics formula they’d been shown like they were printed on the inside of his eyelids. He saw the use in the physics formulas unlike the names of the chemical compounds.
She slid in close to him when she explained something about the chemical structure on the screen. He nodded in understanding and she put her hand down to rest on his exposed thigh. It was muscular, not overly so like a body-builder’s, but filled with strength like a runner’s. She felt it twitch just a little when he noted something on the screen and she could feel the power in those legs. She began to imagine what he could do with them. He asked her a question about something on the screen, breaking her concentration, and looking up, she took her hand away.
“That’s right!” she responded. Blazer entered the answer into his home
work with a joyful smile. She looked up into his face, at the eagerness in his eyes. He was a quick learner and she enjoyed teaching him. In far too short a time, they’d finished their physics and chemistry assignments; leaving them sitting in silence.
Blazer was getting better at chemistry every cycle and soon might not need her help. She knew that he recognized she didn’t need his help with physics. She didn’t want this relationship to end and she could tell he didn’t either.
“How’s your math?” he asked, desperation in his voice for another subject he could help her with.
“Great! I scored ninety-eighth percentile on the aptitude tests,” Marda replied, flushing with pride.
Blazer’s shoulders slumped just a hair. Marda read that subtle movement and she realized that she must have scored better than him. She sat for a moment and thought desperately, trying to think what other class or subject she needed help with. Were they to stop now, she was sure the duwn would end or they would end up somewhere she wasn’t sure she wanted the relationship to go yet. Marda thought hard and came up with a class she had difficulty with. “My navigation could use some work,” she replied with a sheepish smile.
Blazer perked up in an instant. Smiling, he turned to the computer and brought up a navigation simulator. “Stellar navigation is probably the ultimate combination of traditional math and physics. It’s all about calculating trajectories and routes to optimize time in transit and fuel spent.”
She nodded in understanding. She understood the basic concept but the application sometimes was difficult for her when she had to bring all the elements together. To an extent, she blamed the metaphysics of dealing with spirits. To them solid matter meant nothing. Few objects not imbued with quantum shields could contain or restrict them. Running the navigation plots on the computer, especially when using the holographic displays where everything was partially translucent, would sometimes make her plot courses through planets by mistake. It always took a conscious effort on her part to make the screen opaque to compensate. That helped to remind her that they were real and present.
