《Galactiquest》


 Arc 1: Moon Episode Index

    Arc 1: Moon


    Episode 1: Bon Voyage, Celestion-5</a>


    Episode 2: Sight for Four Eyes</a>


    Episode 3: Life in Orbit</a>


    Episode 4: Overworked</a>


    Episode 5: Maintenance with Roxie and Mia</a>


    Episode 6: A Very Special Announcement</a>


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    Episode 7: Stargazing</a>


    Special 1: The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly</a>


    Episode 8: Mingling on the Moon</a>


    Episode 9: Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain</a>


    Episode 10: Earth to Mia</a>


    Episode 11: New Kid on the Ship</a>


    Episode 12: The Confession</a>


    Episode 13: Adventures in Spacepunk</a> (2/22 chapters completed)

 [Bon Voyage, Celestion 5] Ch 1. Boarding for Takeoff

    Escaping the June heat into the safety of air conditioning, a group of white and orange uniforms scattered among the crowd of civilians. The shortest stumbled over the dividing line marking his exit from the outside world. It didn''t bring him down much, because like the rest of his fellow star rangers, soon, he''d be taking the trip of a lifetime. Soon, he''d be going to space.


    Now if only he knew where to go.


    He spotted another star ranger, and from the looks of his badge, this guy was higher-ranked. A corporal. ¡°Excuse me, sir, can you direct me to the Celestion boarding area?¡±


    ¡°Head straight and uhhhh, make a left at the¨Cwait, you said you were going to the Celestion units?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The younger one gave a nod. ¡°It¡¯s my first deployment, actually. I can¡¯t wait to take off for space!¡±


    ¡°You got assigned to that project on your first deployment?¡± The corporal studied him up and down. ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a lucky boy? No wonder you look like you¡¯re gonna explode with excitement!¡±


    ¡°I might!¡± Whether he laughed at his own joke or from sheer excitement, even he couldn¡¯t tell. The older man laughed with him.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re on such a special ship, I think they¡¯re to theee,¡± the corporal snapped his fingers, ¡°the right of the escalators. Yeah.¡±


    The rookie gave a hearty salute, which the corporal returned. ¡°Thank you, sir; I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± He walked a little bit before turning back. ¡°Take care!¡±


    ¡°Go get ¡®em, tiger!¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± Stubby legs carried him into the crowd as fast as they could while the corporal¡¯s snickering faded into the background.


    So this was the spaceport. Bustling, spacious, sprawling; it was everything he hoped it would be and more. He saw himself in the reflection of the floor, grinning with wonder. Despite the crowd, a lofty ceiling made him feel as though he had all the space in the world; so much, he could get lost in it.


    He did until bumping into someone. ¡°Whoops, sorry.¡±


    The passerby gave him a scowl before continuing left of the escalator. He had quite a scar on his face.


    The rookie continued right. As he neared his destination, enormous windows came into view, showcasing the runway under the clear blue sky. He beelined directly for them. Precious inches of space were the only thing separating his face from the glass, and he almost dropped his duffle bags in awe of the state-of-the-art spacecraft. Today, he would board one.


    Today, his wildest dreams would come true.


    He checked his phone. His ship was scheduled to take off in 30 minutes. Judging by the lack of uniforms, no other star rangers sat in this waiting area. Strange. He must¡¯ve been the first to show up. Punctuality was sure to make a good impression with his captain, so he sat down and celebrated making it here so early.


    A monitor nearby played an informational video about Earth¡¯s one and only moon colony: Lunaria, the city of his dreams. Though so far away, he felt like it lay within his grasp for the first time. What choice did he have but to be captivated by it?


    ¡°Are you heading to your first deployment?¡± The girl a few seats over might as well have appeared from thin air.


    ¡°Hm? How¡¯d you know?¡± He shook his head out of a daze. Only now did he realize his mouth had been hanging open for who knew how long.


    ¡°You seemed pretty enthralled by that video for a star ranger.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Some nights, I spent so long looking at the dome through my telescope, I¡¯d dream about it.¡± He sighed. ¡°Even now, I can almost breathe that artificial air.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s cool. My aunt¡¯s paying my way. I bet you¡¯re glad you don¡¯t have to pay those ticket prices either, huh?¡± She had a pretty laugh.


    ¡°Gosh, I thought I¡¯d have to spend my life savings just for a visit. Thank goodness for the IF.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± she tilted her head, ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered, why¡¯s it called the Interstellar Forces when we haven¡¯t gone past Mars yet?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to dream big now and grow into it later. It worked for me, so¡­!¡± he ended with a shrug. ¡°And who knows,¡± he knew, ¡°we might be going past Mars soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cute. Sorry about the budget cuts, though. No more weapons, I get, but you guys don¡¯t even have your own ships anymore? They¡¯re just deploying you with us civilians?¡±


    ¡°My ship¡¯s kind of a special case.¡± Out of curiosity he decided to check his phone. ¡°But I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to che¨C¡±


    His eyes widened in horror at what time it displayed. It was 25 minutes past when he should have boarded.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± asked the girl.


    ¡°Sorry, I gotta go.¡± He gathered his bags and hurried over to the receptionist. ¡°Excuse me. This is the boarding area for the Celestion ships, right?¡± Maybe everyone else was just late. ¡°I was supposed to be boarding a ship 25 minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no sir. Are you with the Interstellar Forces? All military spacecraft are located on the opposite end.¡± The receptionist motioned directly behind him.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much,¡± He shook the receptionist¡¯s hand vigorously. ¡°Seriously, my career is in your hands. And yours too,¡± he sped past the girl, ¡°have a nice trip, bye!¡±


    The stocky star ranger ran toward his new destination, stumbling and nearly dropping his bags along the way. Did the others leave without him? He sure hoped not. No matter how much he loved the spaceport, he¡¯d rather not be stuck waiting there while his crew had a blast in space. Time was of the essence. He had no room for distractions, not even¨C


    Oooh, a replica of the spaceport? His little brother would¡¯ve loved to see something like that! It would only take a second to text him a picture.


    No. Now wasn¡¯t the time for that. He had a mission, and nothing could get in his way. He passed by souvenir shops with cool t-shirts that he¡¯d love to get his hands on. Now wasn¡¯t the time for that. The fresh smell of cheesy pizza reminded him that he hadn¡¯t eaten since the early morning. Now wasn¡¯t the time for that, either. Somebody called the name L¨¦onardo Summers in the background. Now wasn¡¯t the time for¨C


    Wait. That was his name.


    He turned toward the call. It came from another star ranger with a bleached blond afro. A rush of relief washed over him, and he rushed over to the guy calling his name, almost dropping his bags in the process.


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    ¡°W-Wait, that¡¯s me! I¡¯m¡­!¡± he panted ¡°I¡¯m L¨¦onardo Summers!¡±


    The other guy looked his way, smiling. ¡°There you are. I¡¯ve been lookin¡¯ all over the place for you!¡±


    ¡°Ah, gosh! I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    He stopped to catch his breath. Usually, he had much more stamina, but all the running around while carrying his luggage made his limbs feel like lead and his chest feel like it was on fire. That didn¡¯t stop him from trying to give an explanation.


    ¡°I had been waiting in the completely wrong area. I thought it was the right area, but I thought it was strange because no other star rangers were there, but I stayed anyway because Lunaria and a cute girl, then I checked my watch, and it was like ¡®Shoot, I¡¯m late!¡¯, and¨C¡±


    The other guy chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay, man. Catch your breath. Seems like we both had a busy day.¡±


    ¡°You can say that again.¡± the rookie replied, his voice now raspy. ¡°Are you with the Celestion-5?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the name¡¯s Emil. I¡¯ll be your lieutenant captain.¡±


    Lieutenant captain? The rookie had been expecting someone in their mid-twenties or early thirties to hold that position. This Emil looked around the same age as him, a recent high school graduate.


    He looked amazing, too. Emil stood a couple inches taller, around average height. His bright, amber eyes glistened with warmth and good nature. His skin was a deep olive tone that went well with his hair. He had a smile emanating with charisma. To the rookie, Emil looked more at home on a silver screen than in the Interstellar Forces. Was this guy even real?


    ¡°Ranger Summers, reporting for duty, sir!¡± He dropped one of his bags so he could properly salute. Might as well try to make a good impression after being so late.


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you, too.¡± Emil returned the gesture. ¡°Want me to help you with your bags? You looked like you were struggling.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± He handed his lieutenant the bag still in his hand. ¡°Here, this one is lighter.¡±


    ¡°Thanks~¡± Emil took it in one hand and offered a handshake with the other. His grip was crushing, but the rookie tried not to show pain. ¡°Shall we be off? The others are waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been ready my whole life!¡± Reinvigorated, the rookie picked up his other bag with newfound energy and a smile to match.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of spirit, L¨¦onardo.¡± Emil shared his energy. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna like you.¡± He winked.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna like you too. And please, you can just call me Leon.¡±


    The two walked to the other end of the spaceport, the crowd thinning as they went. By the time they got to their boarding area, it was just the two of them and a receptionist.


    Emil slapped his forehead. ¡°Aww man, did they leave without us?¡±


    ¡°They left already?¡± Leon felt his heart begin to break. To think that after all this preparation, it took one wrong turn to crush his dreams.


    That must¡¯ve shown on his face. ¡°Woah, hey now, don¡¯t look so down. I didn¡¯t mean that they took off, see?¡± Emil pointed toward the window. ¡°Our ship¡¯s right outside waitin¡¯ for us.¡±


    Sure enough, one ship remained on the runway. Leon rushed to the window to get a better look.


    There it was. A sleek, silver behemoth sporting golden wings and a curved window at the front. Its shape was reminiscent of an airplane, but much rounder. From the top, it resembled a star.


    ¡°That¡¯s our ship?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Emil now stood at his side. ¡°I know it¡¯s kinda small, but¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s incredible!¡± Leon¡¯s eyes opened as wide as they could, taking in every little detail. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get inside!¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to wait much longer, then.¡± Emil smiled, already walking toward the boarding tunnel. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Leon followed him through and down some stairs into the wide open runway. He felt a slight breeze on his skin, the last time he might ever do so before going into space.


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± Leon felt as if he might start crying as they approached the ship. He had to keep his cool, at least in front of Emil.


    ¡°Glad¡¯ja think so! Me and the captain spent the last coupla days sprucing things up.¡± Emil averted his eyes with a smile. ¡°Mostly him, though.¡±


    Finally, they found themselves standing underneath the ship. Ahead of them was a room begging for Leon to enter, but all he could do was stand in place, staring.


    ¡°Here we are!¡± Emil bowed and gracefully rolled out an arm toward the room. ¡°This is the loading deck, where we load things and people.¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t budge.


    Emil nudged him along. ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be shy!¡±


    Leon did as told. He now stood inside the Celestion-5.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m here. I¡¯m standing in a real, actual spaceship.¡± He tapped the floor with his foot a few times to make sure it was real. A large mirror on the wall reflected his joy from a distance.


    ¡°We are.¡± A smile rivalling Leon¡¯s spread to Emil¡¯s face, revealing a chipped tooth. ¡°Is this your first time on one?¡±


    ¡°It is!¡±


    He rubbed his hands together. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you in for a treat? I¡¯d hate to rush you, but we can¡¯t keep the others waiting for too long.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right, you¡¯re right.¡± Though Leon could¡¯ve stayed in this room forever, he didn¡¯t want to hold up the others.


    Emil handed him his other bag. ¡°Just throw your bags wherever and let¡¯s head upstairs, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Leon placed his bags by a group of luggage. Those must belong to his crewmates. He couldn¡¯t wait to meet them all.


    ¡°Ahh, you don¡¯t have to call me that.¡± Emil waved his words away. ¡°Save the formalities for when we¡¯re around the captain.¡± He winked.


    He allowed Leon to take the spiral staircase ahead of him. A door near the top caught the latter¡¯s attention.


    ¡°What¡¯s that room?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that? That¡¯s the incinerator. We¡¯ll use that to burn our trash, and I thiiink it¡¯ll help fuel the ship? The captain knows more about that kinda stuff.¡±


    ¡°Coool¨CAh!¡± He bumped his head on the ceiling.


    ¡°Whoops, be careful. Press that button on the panel up above you.¡±


    When he did so, a circular door slid open, allowing him to enter the next room.


    ¡°Yeah, now we¡¯re going places.¡±


    Go places, they did. They finished climbing the stairs to see¡­ another set of stairs.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of spiral staircases on this ship, huh?¡± Leon noticed.


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Emil joined him in climbing the next set. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how many times I tripped over these.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Leon couldn¡¯t imagine him missing a step, let alone tripping over anything. ¡°You seem so¨CI dunno if this is the right word, but stylish? Graceful! Yeah, graceful is the word I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    ¡°Me? Graceful?¡± Incredulous laughter could be heard from behind.


    ¡°You seem that way to me. Honestly, you¡¯re just a cool guy in general.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow, um. Thanks, I try.¡± Emil sounded somewhat touched. ¡°You¡¯re a cool guy too.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Leon couldn¡¯t believe his ears. This would be the best thing to happen to him all day if he weren¡¯t going to space. ¡°I never really thought of myself as cool.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, your enthusiasm¡¯s pretty cool.¡±


    ¡°My enthusiasm?¡± he asked, enthusiastically.


    ¡°Yeah, like that! I feel pumped up just talkin¡¯ to ya.¡±


    He felt like floating up the rest of the stairs.


    ¡°Watch out for the ceiling.¡±


    Leon stopped just in time to avoid bumping his head again. He saw another panel and disk-shaped door above him. ¡°Do I just press this?¡±


    ¡°Y¨C Actually, knock first. Someone might be standing above you, and I don¡¯t exaaactly remember if these have motion sensors.¡±


    ¡°Good call. Don¡¯t want anyone tumbling down on us.¡± Leon knocked on the disk.


    ¡°We¡¯re comin¡¯ through!¡± Emil shouted to the ceiling, then addressed Leon. ¡°You can open it now.¡±


    The disk slid open after Leon pressed the panel where, thankfully, no one fell. No more stairs awaited him and Emil in the next room. Instead, four other star rangers stood in a row.


    ¡°Everyone still here? Good.¡± Suddenly, Emil frowned after surveying the room. ¡°Wait, where¡¯s the captain?¡±


    Someone pointed to the door at the front, decorated with a little star.


    Emil tilted his head back, sighing. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± He pointed toward one end of the row. ¡°Leon, you stand over there.¡±


    After closing the entrance, he jogged through the door ahead, mumbling something about a lousy way to treat guests. Leon barely had any time to look around before he heard him shouting from behind the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m baaack! ...Of course I found the last guy! We couldn¡¯t just leave him behind! What would Dad think? ...They¡¯re waiting for you to come back! Now get down here so I don¡¯t hafta climb another set of stairs!¡±


    The door cracked open slightly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be with you shortly.¡± Emil closed the door as quickly as he opened it.


    Leon didn¡¯t mind the wait. He still tried to process the fact that he was on a spaceship. Looking at this room, it didn¡¯t feel like it. Walls of teal surrounded him, only broken up by a brown door and the orange stripe on which he and the others stood. Still, being here was just so exciting, he couldn¡¯t help feeling giddy.


    He almost didn¡¯t notice the jiggling of the doorknob, as it opened to reveal the Celestion-5¡¯s most important crewmember.

 [Bon Voyage, Celestion 5] Ch 2. The Captains Address

    All eyes fell on the man in the doorway. At least, Leon assumed that, since the newcomer stood in front of him, and in order to see where everyone else¡¯s eyes were looking, he would have to look away. It was still a safe assumption.


    After all, this was the first time any of them got a look at their captain.


    The captain stared ahead, looking directly at no one but seeming to have everyone in his sights. Built like a stone pillar, he might not have been the tallest in the room, but the rookie found him to be the most imposing, except for maybe that guy on the other side of the line-up, who was much taller and had a mean look about him.


    The stony man stepped forward with all the poise expected of an experienced captain, though he didn¡¯t look much older than early twenties.


    ¡°Attention. Hand, salute.¡± Leon¡¯s hand shot up to salute at the captain¡¯s command. He peered over to his right to make sure he did the right thing. Everyone else¡¯s hands were in the same position, even the tall guy, whose salute was much slower than the others. The captain glanced over in his direction, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    A fluorescent yellow cape billowed behind him as he finally stepped into the room. Leon wasn¡¯t even aware that captains could wear capes. It looked so majestic. He wanted one of his own, but he knew the captain must¡¯ve earned it through discipline.


    Speaking of majestic, the impossibly cool lieutenant sidestepped from behind him. Leon couldn¡¯t help smiling his way, and to his surprise, Emil winked back. It made him feel special.


    The captain also had his eye on Emil, but he wasn¡¯t smiling.


    ¡°Lieutenant.¡± he addressed him, almost questioningly.


    ¡°Yeah br¨CYeah Captain?¡±


    After the captain glanced back and forth between him and the others, he understood and immediately stood at attention, saluting.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Apologies don¡¯t protect you from rule violations.¡± The captain turned his head toward his crew. ¡°This, of course, goes for all of you as well. As star rangers, I expect you to know the rules,¡± he turned toward the tall guy, ¡°as well as the ramifications for breaking them. At ease.¡±


    Leon, as well as the others, relaxed his posture at the captain¡¯s command. He couldn¡¯t remember if this was the command where he could speak or not, but no one else did, so he kept quiet.


    ¡°Now we may proceed.¡± The captain cleared his throat. ¡°You¡¯re now aboard the Celestion-5, the fifth and arguably most crucial ship in the Celestion project. Our mission is bigger than us, bigger than anything the Interstellar Forces has done thus far.¡±


    He took a moment to pause.


    ¡°We are going to Neptune.¡±


    Though he was told the mission objective months in advance, Leon still gasped, struggling to keep a smile off his face. He couldn¡¯t believe this was finally happening to him.


    His hopes and dreams lie just beyond the Earth¡¯s atmosphere. He¡¯d be with them in just under a few hours. A few days and a quarter-million miles beyond that, he would take his first steps on the Moon, filled with the same excitement as pioneers were more than half a century ago. He could cry right now. Would he make it to Neptune before dying of excitement? Only time could tell.


    The captain continued. ¡°The only reason any of us are standing here right now is random selection, sheer luck. But as you know, luck is not what runs the Interstellar Forces. No, the Interstellar Forces runs on perseverance, hard work, and the pursuit of knowledge.¡±


    He gazed up at the ceiling, giving himself a moment to contain his passion.


    ¡°It runs on honor, strength, and integrity. Feats mankind couldn¡¯t have dreamed of just decades ago have been achieved through the arduous physical and mental labor of those who came before us. We should be humbled that despite all odds, the Interstellar Forces, and the United States of America as a whole has chosen us to undertake such a mission, to seize an opportunity like this, to¨C¡±


    A quiet cough from Emil snapped the captain out of his speech. In fact, he went completely silent and blinked a few times before continuing on.


    ¡°A-Anyway, we¡¯ll have a lot to prove. But the fact that each of you have passed Interstellar Forces basic training tells me that you have it in you to,¡± his once strong voice quieted down to a monotonous mumble as he tipped down his hat, ¡°handle this assignment.¡±


    Silence followed. Leon got the feeling that something was supposed to be happening, but no one knew what. The captain glanced at Emil expectantly, who looked back at him, confused.


    ¡°Lieutenant?¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t reply. He seemed almost frozen in place. Thus continued the awkward staring contest with the captain.


    ¡°You are permitted to ask our crew to state their positions.¡±


    A conflicted expression crossed his face as he continued standing there. ¡°Uh, Captain? You didn¡¯t give me the order.¡±


    ¡°What order? I just gave you an order.¡±


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    ¡°You didn¡¯t say I could say anything yet, the last thing you said was ¡®at ease.¡¯ I thought we were supposed to stand here like statues no matter what, like you did back in academy!¡±


    ¡°What? That was¨CEmil, remember? Coach told me¨C¡±


    As the discussion went on, Leon took the opportunity to get a better look at his crewmates, starting with the girl next to him. She stood around Emil and the captain¡¯s height. Freckles lightly smattered across her face, and she had red hair natural enough to abide by military guidelines but unnatural enough to remind him of Lunaria¡¯s fashionable space punks.


    ¡°Hi, are you from Lunaria?¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, and that was when he realized how rude he was being.He forgot to introduce himself first.


    ¡°I¡¯m Leon, by the way. Leon Summers.¡± he whispered, so as not to interrupt the captains¡¯ conversation. ¡°Is your hair dyed? It looks kind of pink.¡±


    She shook her head in an odd direction, toward the front of the room. Maybe that was how they did it on the Moon.


    ¡°Is that a no¡­?¡±


    She jerked her hand forward a couple times. Leon had no idea what that meant, but if he had to guess, maybe she wanted to shake hands? He offered his hand to her.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Leon. Again.¡± He forgot he¡¯d already introduced himself.


    She obviously shook her head this time, but at what, Leon did not know. Was ¡®Leon¡¯ not an acceptable space punk name? Did she not want a handshake? He didn¡¯t even know if she was really from the Moon or not. This girl was so mysterious.


    ¡°A-Are you from Lunaria?¡±


    She paused, then nodded once before resuming her other strange gestures. Leon couldn¡¯t believe that he met a real life Lunarian! He had so many questions about what life on the Moon was like. It¡¯d probably take him the whole trip to Neptune and back to ask them all.


    ¡°Have you lived on the Moon your whole life?¡±


    Her lips formed a tight line. She took a deep breath, and nodded once. Then, she spoke.


    ¡°We can talk. Later.¡± she whispered. ¡°Right now,¡± she gestured to the front of the room, ¡°th-the captain¨C¡±


    ¡°The captain what, Ranger Wattson?¡±


    As he asked this, the captain stared directly at her and Leon, moreso at her. She froze completely, like a horror-stricken salt pillar. Leon felt as if he¡¯d swallowed his heart.


    Her mouth opened and closed like a broken fish animatronic. Finally, words forced themselves out. ¡°M¡­ My apologies, C-Captain. Sir.¡±


    The captain remained unimpressed. ¡°What did I say about apologies?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t save me from punishment, sir.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully your memory serves you that well next time. I¡¯ll still be writing down your name for a conduct violation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡± Her already pale skin blanched completely. Leon wanted nothing more than to apologize, but judging by the captain¡¯s glare, now wasn¡¯t a good time to say much of anything.


    ¡°Lieutenant, continue on with the procedure.¡± As the captain glanced at him, Leon felt his posture growing straighter than he ever thought it could.


    ¡°Alllrighty!¡± With a clap of his hands, the lieutenant cut through the silence. ¡°III¡¯m gonna need you all to introduce yourselves, last name first, first name last, and rank. Got it? Good. We¡¯ll start with you.¡±


    Emil went over to the side of the line opposite from where Leon stood. ¡°Your name and rank, please?¡±


    A girl¡¯s voice chimed. ¡°Allen, Roxanne. Ranger.¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re also in medical training?¡±


    ¡°Sir, yep, sir!¡±


    ¡°Seems like we already have something in common. Nice meeting you, Roxanne.¡± Emil walked down to the next person. ¡°State your name and rank, please?¡±


    ¡°Kelly, Aiden. Ranger.¡± Droned a board voice. It must¡¯ve been the tall guy.


    ¡°Have we met before? I coulda sworn I¡¯ve seen you around somewhere.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ sir.¡±


    ¡°Okaaay then. Nice to meet¡¯cha anyway.¡± the lieutenant¡¯s footsteps grew closer. ¡°Now you! You really don¡¯t need to introduce yourself, but why don¡¯t you humor us anyway?¡±


    It caught Leon¡¯s attention that after this ranger, the redhead would introduce herself next, and then he¡¯d get to introduce himself. How exciting.


    ¡°An honor to meet you.¡± Emil replied, after getting the dark haired ranger¡¯s introduction. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we get to be on board with a real life hero! Can I get your autograph later?¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant, this is not the time.¡± The captain interrupted.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Sir.¡± Emil finally moved to the star ranger next to Leon. ¡°Next, you have a tough act to follow, but now it¡¯s your time to shine. State your name and rank, p-leeease?¡±


    ¡°Wattson¡­ Mia. Ranger.¡± Mia. That was her name. She sounded so defeated. Leon wished he could say something to cheer her up.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. And lastly we have,¡± Emil stood right in front of Leon, ¡°you. Who I already met back at the spaceport. Well, I saw all of you, but I had to specifically go looking for this guy. I already know your name and rank, but introduce yourself to the rest, please?¡±


    ¡°L¨¦¨C Summers, L¨¦onardo. L¨¦onardo Summers!¡±


    ¡°Your rank is L¨¦onardo Summers?¡±


    Leon laughed. ¡°I meant¨C Ranger. I¡¯m a ranger.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also a rookie, if I¡¯m correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the team, Rookie.¡± Emil winked once more. The day wasn¡¯t even over yet and Leon already had his own nickname. He felt like he could drift off into space at any second.


    The lieutenant returned to the captain¡¯s side and the latter spoke once again. ¡°Now that everyone is accounted for, does anyone have any questions?¡±


    A hand raised.


    ¡°Yes, Ranger Allen?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is¡­¡± The captain stopped to think. ¡°You may address me as Captain Galhardo.¡±


    ¡°Okie-dokie, Captain Galhardo, sir!¡±


    The same hand raised itself.


    ¡°Yes, Ranger Allen?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± She must¡¯ve been addressing the lieutenant captain this time.


    ¡°I¡¯m Emil.¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant Captain Galhardo.¡± corrected Captain Galhardo.


    ¡°Okaaaaay! I mean, yes sir.¡±


    Silence followed for a few moments, only for Ranger Allen to raise her hand a third time.


    ¡°Ranger¡­ Allen?¡±


    ¡°Are you guys brothers?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± both captains answered.


    ¡°Cool, sirs.¡±


    Before the ranger could ask another question, Captain Galhardo spoke once more. ¡°If you have any further questions, please direct them to the lieutenant captain as he gives you a tour of the ship. In the meantime, I¡¯ll be configuring the control room.¡±


    As quickly as he said it, he left the room. For a brief moment, his cape got caught in the doorway and he had to open it again for it to get unstuck.


    ¡°Well,¡± Emil clasped his hands together, ¡°time to give you guys a tour.¡±

 [Bon Voyage, Celestion 5] Ch 3. Touring the Ship

    ¡°Now where do I begin¡­?¡± Emil asked no one in particular, tapping his chin. He turned to the door behind him. ¡°Well, this right here leads to the observation deck, but I think I¡¯m gonna save that for laaast, so the only other place we can go is downstairs. Sound good?¡±


    It sounded good enough to Leon. His eyes were dying to scour every inch of this ship, his new home.


    Like a graceful breeze, Emil swept past him, stepping over the orange line separating one half of the room from the other.


    ¡°Jun, you¡¯re gonna wanna move back some. In fact, everyone gather around me for a sec.¡±


    Everyone congregated around him as he moved near some sort of panel on the wall. There were a few buttons on it, as well as a display screen that flashed a bright green. White numbers read 100%.


    ¡°Say hello to our braaand spanking new oxygen panel!¡± He presented it as if it were a prize. ¡°It¡¯s here to make sure we don¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Yaaay~¡± Celebration escaped Ranger Allen¡¯s lips before she sheepishly covered them up.


    ¡°No, living¡¯s good. Celebrate!¡± Emil urged her on. ¡°Feel free to talk. It¡¯d be a boring tour if no one else said anything. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me¨C¡±


    He mimicked swimming the breaststroke, motioning for the crowd to part. When they did, he sauntered over to the orange stripe where the crew once stood. The metal disk stationed at its midway point was his destination.


    ¡°The room below, the tall staircase you guys climbed to get here? That¡¯s the airlock. When we get to space and have to let people in and out of the ship, all the air drains out of there into¡­ uhhh,¡± Emil paced around the disk, in deep thought, ¡°I dunno, somewhere! It goes somewhere so that we don¡¯t lose it in space.¡±


    ¡°Like an engine room?¡± asked Leon. ¡°I heard about that in training.¡±


    ¡°Probably. Anyway, that means sometimes the room below won¡¯t have any oxygen in it, and if you open it, that¡¯s baaad news.¡± Emil pointed between the entrance disk and the wall panel. ¡°So make sure not to open this unless that panel¡¯s green, or as I like to remember: Green is good, Red is dead.¡±


    As Leon took a closer look at the guide beside the panel, he noticed many colors between the green and red. ¡°What¡¯s orange?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Emil tilted his head back some, shrugging. ¡°Orange is okay, I guess. Good eye, Rookie. I¡¯ll let you do the honors of opening the door. Just press that big rectangular button below the screen.¡±


    Overcome with the excitement of impressing one of his superiors, Leon immediately reached for the button.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    All eyes turned to Mia. Her mouth remained open, a little startled, as if the words had been stolen from it.


    ¡°Lieutenant, you¡¯re standing on the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Oh shoot¨C¡± Emil hopped off of the disk. ¡°Thank you Wattson. Mia, right?¡±


    She nodded.


    He leaned down toward the panel. ¡°That would¡¯ve been a bad tumble, so thank you very much for looking out for me. Just as a warning, don¡¯t do what I just did.¡± With a snap and a point, he motioned to Leon dazzlingly. ¡°You can open the door now.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, sir!¡± Leon obeyed, feeling pride and a sense of purpose, though a little offput by the near-accident he caused. He stood by the panel, absentmindedly watching the others leave, until Mia¡¯s pale red hair disappeared into the airlock. There¡¯s something he felt like he meant to tell her¡­


    ¡°Hey Leon, you comin¡¯ down?¡± The lieutenant¡¯s distant call cut through his thoughts.


    ¡°O-oh. Yes, sir, right away, sir.¡±


    Leon scrambled down the staircase into a cylindrical, pale yellow room. Midway down, a strip of screen that he hadn¡¯t noticed before lined the wall. It flashed the same bright green as the one on the panel in the room above, with white text reading 100% circling around it. After a moment, it changed to display the temperature.


    ¡°It looks like Lorie managed to turn this thing on.¡± Emil marveled at the screen from the bottom of the stairwell. ¡°That¡¯s the oxygen reading, as you might be able to tell. It displays on every panel on the ship, which is located in all the rooms connected to this one. Always, always, always make sure to check the panels before opening the doors.¡±


    Leon joined the rest of the group as they followed Emil to one of the four doors on the bottom floor, the only one not made from glass.


    ¡°Pop quiz!¡± The lieutenant suddenly pivoted around. ¡°Is it safe to open this door?¡±


    Leon took a brief look at the green panel beside the door while joining the others in a chorus of affirmation.


    ¡°Nice jooob everybody. You¡¯re gonna do just great, I know it.¡± Emil winked. He had such a positive vibe, Leon couldn¡¯t help but feel energized.


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    He opened the door into darkness. Lighting from the airlock illuminated a few boxes, but nothing else.


    ¡°Uh, lights?¡± He cautiously stepped into the room, examining something on the other side of the doorframe. ¡°Did they still not get the electricity in this room working? The panel¡¯s the only thing on.¡±


    With a shrug, he closed the door and then turned toward the others.


    ¡°I guess our tour of the storage room is canceled. Oh well, nothing much to see in there but some boxes and refrigerators. Let¡¯s mosey on over to the generator room.¡±


    A few feet to the left stood another door. Emil opened it and led them into a hallway so cramped that everyone had to enter in a single-file line.


    ¡°This looks magical...!¡± Allen¡¯s voice could be heard from inside. What could possibly be waiting in store for Leon? His curiosity piqued.


    A chunk of complex machinery occupied the center of the room, forcing everyone to crowd around it. That must¡¯ve been the generator. The real showstoppers, however, were the pipes connecting to it. Clear pipes sunk into the floor and lined the walls, carrying glowing blue gel speckled with black dots.


    ¡°Woah,¡± he couldn¡¯t stop himself from reacting, ¡°this is incredible.¡±


    ¡°What kind of sorcery is at work here?¡± asked Ranger Allen. It¡¯d sound like an odd question at any other time, but with the way the gel moved through the pipes on its own, it might as well have been magic to Leon.


    ¡°It¡¯s,¡± Emil attempted to explain, ¡°actually, this is really embarrassing, but I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll have to ask Lorie.¡±


    ¡°Who is this Lorie you speak of?¡±


    ¡°Did I say¨C? I meant¨CShoot. I already said too much. Just forget I said anything~¡± he handwaved, figuratively and literally. That made it even harder to forget.


    Squeezing past the others, he continued his tour.


    ¡°On your left, you¡¯ll see some goo pipes, on your right, you¡¯ll see some more goo pipes, but in the center here, we have this bad boy!¡± His hand patted the generator. ¡°It takes all the goo and circulates it around so we have power. Something like that.¡±


    ¡°Cooool.¡± Leon placed a hand on one of the pipes. It surprised him that he didn¡¯t immediately get scalded, something he only considered after the fact.


    ¡°Is it safe to touch the pipes?¡± Mia didn¡¯t ask him directly, but he retracted his hand as if she did.


    ¡°Yeah, they should be.¡± someone answered. To tell the truth, Leon wasn¡¯t paying that much attention during the initial roll call, and he was too busy staring at his hand in embarrassment to see who said it. Their voice sounded strangely familiar.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty enough to stay in here all day, but we have a lot more ship to see, and not a lot of time to do it, and just in case the captain overheard,¡± Emil cupped his hands over his mouth and toward the ceiling, ¡°I said ship, with a ¡®p¡¯, don¡¯t have a heart attack!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the clarification, Lieutenant.¡± came the captain¡¯s voice over an intercom. ¡°We¡¯re scheduled to take off in an hour.¡±


    ¡°I thought we had longer.¡±


    ¡°We started our briefing late.¡±


    Leon felt a pang of guilt, knowing he was the reason. He hoped against hope that no one else knew. A few of the others glanced in his direction.


    ¡°Ahhh, sorry about that.¡± He apologized with a light chuckle. ¡°I was waiting on the wrong side of the spaceport, and¨C¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you¡¯re fiiine.¡± interrupted Emil. ¡°We¡¯ll have more time to go over things in detail after launch. Alright, let¡¯s keep moving, let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    The others funneled into the hall again as he walked backward into it.


    ¡°And we¡¯re walking, and we¡¯re walking, and we¡¯re stopping at the door because I have one more pop quiz for you guys!¡± Emil surveyed the group once more as he stood in front of the panel. ¡°It¡¯s the last time I¡¯ll do this, I swear. Is it safe to open this door?¡±


    Everyone answered the same as last time.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, you guys couldn¡¯t even see the panel.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ¡®cause you¡¯re blocking it.¡± The tall guy pointed out. ¡°The one outside says it¡¯s safe.¡±


    Emil looked over his shoulder, then back at him. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. Good thinking,¡± he winked, ¡°you guys are really clever.¡±


    ¡°I was the only one who said I saw it. I dunno where they were looking.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to let everybody steal your thunder. Hows about I make it up to you, Mr. Wise Guy, and let you have the honor of opening the door?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re closest to it.¡±


    ¡°You suuure you don¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°Positive.¡±


    It took a moment for him to respond. ¡°Okay.¡±


    With a push of the button, the crew returned to the airlock, and with the push of another, they entered a room that was almost certainly a gym. It¡¯s smaller than the ones Leon was used to seeing though bigger than what he expected for a ship this small.


    ¡°So this is the gym!¡± Emil motioned to one of the orange walls. ¡°We got a lot of exercise equipment, yoga mats, all that stuff. I¡¯ll let you guys explore it for yourselves. So go on, be free, explore to your hearts¡¯ content! ...within the next five minutes.¡±


    The group dispersed to different areas. Leon decided to check out the weights. For curiosity¡¯s sake, he picked up a 30lb dumbbell, a little lighter than what he was normally comfortable working with. Ranger Allen looked up from surveying the adjustable barbells beside him.


    ¡°Hello!¡± he greeted.


    Allen gave him a big, friendly grin. ¡°Hi there~¡± Getting a closer look at her, she didn¡¯t look much older than Leon, and stood around the same height with curly red hair. ¡°Just making sure you have a spotting partner. It¡¯s the number one rule of lifting safety.¡±


    ¡°They have a wide variety of these, hm? Some of these look like overkill, though. Like that 100lb one. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met anyone who can lift something like that, not with one hand.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Nope, not at all.¡±


    After he said that, she stooped down and came back up with the 100lb weight in one hand.


    ¡°Nice meeting you!¡± She smiled as if the weight in her hand weighed little more than a dandelion.


    ¡°Wh-Wha¡­? Amaaazing.¡± Her strength mesmerized Leon so much, he almost dropped his dumbbell in shock. He set it down to prevent foot-related accidents. ¡°That¡¯s super cool! I can¡¯t believe I met someone with super-strength today.¡±


    ¡°Awww, you¡¯re too kind.¡± Allen set her weight down.


    ¡°No, seriously! How did you do that? And can you teach me?¡±


    She gave an ominous laugh. ¡°If we train together, my secrets shall be revealed in due time. Farewell, newcomer.¡± A cheery smile cut through her mysterious act. ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re moving onto the next room.¡± Emil called.


    Allen left to join the rest, while Leon attempted to pick up the 100lb dumbbell only for it to barely budge. A little disappointed, he left to join his crew.

 [Bon Voyage, Celestion 5] Ch 4. Tours End

    Completing the circuit, the group came to the last door.


    ¡°Here we are on the last leg of our tour, but certainly not the least.¡± began Emil. ¡°Hope you find it cozy, ¡®cause this is where you guys¡¯ living quarters are. Let¡¯s dive right in.¡±


    A spacious kitchen welcomed the crew with a table in the center, brand-new cooking station on the right, and an area in the back with a couch and flat screen television. The walls were a cheery yellow.


    ¡°I love this color...¡± Leon muttered to no one in particular.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty nice, isn¡¯t it? And check out these chairs.¡±


    Emil crouched down beside one of the chairs stationed at the table. After picking one up, he lowered it back down, but just before it reached the ground, it snapped back onto the floor.


    ¡°Magnetized.¡± was his one-word explanation. He then rose to his feet. ¡°Most of the stuff in this room is held in place by ¡®em. Gotta make sure things aren¡¯t floating around the place when we¡¯re in 0G.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering¨C¡± Leon began.


    ¡°Go ahead, Rook!¡±


    ¡°¨CThis ship has gravity, right? Is there any reason we¡¯d need to use zero gravity? Not that I¡¯m complaining or anything, I¡¯d love to experience it for a few days just to see what it¡¯s like.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s gonna be your lucky week.¡± Emil pointed a finger at him.


    ¡°Oh boy, as if it isn¡¯t already!¡± Even without the lack of gravity, Leon¡¯s spirits rose. He¡¯d get to experience space just like the first star rangers did many decades ago.


    ¡°Quick question.¡± The oddly familiar one smoothed dark, wavy bangs out of her face¡­ or his face? Leon couldn¡¯t tell at this angle. The androgynous voice didn¡¯t help. ¡°The Celestion crews were chosen by chance, yeah?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a coupla exceptions as you¡¯re no doubt aware,¡± Emil winked, ¡°not to mention the captains, but yeah, most of us are random picks.¡±


    ¡°Right, cool. So, like, not to harsh the vibes, but I noticed that none of us except you and the captain are ranked higher than rangers.¡±


    ¡°I almost ascended to corporal~¡± Allen spoke up.


    ¡°I know, Rox.¡± The familiar one addressed Emil again. ¡°I dunno, I kinda assumed we¡¯d get stationed on each ship based on our experience and ability level.¡±


    That did surprise Leon when he first heard about the opportunity. Described by his old warrant officer as ¡®remarkably average in all abilities,¡¯ he never dreamed he¡¯d be offered the chance to go to Neptune. No one from his base deployed to space in years. He hadn¡¯t even earned the star on his uniform yet. No way would he let such good luck pass him by.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Emil pinched one of his curls, ¡°that does make sense.¡±


    A click from the ceiling brought with it Captain Galhardo¡¯s voice. ¡°Randomized crews are a key element of the Celestion Project. Though each captain, including myself, went through a series of tests to ensure our capability.¡±


    ¡°Well, there you have it. Besides, as long as my brother¡¯s piloting, we¡¯ll make it back a-ok. Nothin¡¯ to worry about.¡± In only a few strides, Emil made his way to the cooking area. ¡°Over here we have a microwave, an oven, dishes, other kitchen-y stuff¨COooh, guys, I gotta show you something!¡±


    He stuck his arm over the stove, to the confusion of Leon and most of the others, and to their horror, turned it on.


    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous! You¡¯re gonna burn yourself.¡± warned Ranger Allen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know it looks bad, but¨C¡±


    The captain¡¯s voice cut over the intercom. ¡°Turn off the stove immediately.¡±


    ¡°But our uniforms are fireproof.¡±


    ¡°Those ones aren¡¯t; the spacesuits are.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Looking sheepishly at the others, Emil yanked his hand away from the stove and turned it off. ¡°So I almost set myself on fire?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Whoops. Thanks, Captain Bro!¡± Emil winked at the ceiling in spite of the captain not being present. Leon looked around to see if there were any cameras, but nothing camera-like stood out to him in the room.


    ¡°Be more careful, Lieutenant.¡± A click signaled that the intercom had turned off.


    Ranger Allen took this as an opportunity to educate the others. ¡°Roxie Safety Tip: Never ever put your hand or any body part over an open stove.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what she said.¡± agreed the one Leon thought he recognized.


    ¡°Ah, thank you Roxie, couldn¡¯t have said it better myself, heh.¡± Emil averted his eyes from the others and to the refrigerator. ¡°This is our fridge. It¡¯s stocked with¨C¡±


    He opened it up to reveal blank shelves. Opening the freezer compartment at the bottom revealed the same.


    ¡°¨Cnothing.¡± Emil scratched his head, looking down into the freezer. ¡°Uhhh, I guess we¡¯re gonna hafta stock it with stuff from the storage room. So much for that. However,¡± he unfolded a hand toward the television, ¡°there¡¯s still the TV.¡±


    ¡°Does it got any good channels?¡± asked the tall guy.


    ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t have any good channels. It has the hottest channels from the nation¡¯s #1 satellite service along with prepaid access to the most popular and reliable streaming site there is, Jetflix.¡±


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    He dashed over to the couch and reached over to retrieve a remote. When he pressed the button, nothing happened.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    He pressed the button a few more times before turning to the rest of the group.


    ¡°Um, sorry guys! I promise there¡¯s things that work on this ship, even though that¡¯s not really a¡­ reassuring thing to hear when it¡¯s about to launch us off into space, but trust me, the necessities work just fine.¡± Emil hurried over to the door. ¡°Let¡¯s just pretend all of this didn¡¯t happen and go check out the other rooms, shall we?¡±


    When he entered the door ahead of the others, Tall Guy mumbled something that Leon couldn¡¯t quite pick up, followed by the oddly familiar ranger saying something about Emil trying his best. Leon agreed. He tried his best, and Leon appreciated that even if the grumpy tall guy was too much of a stick in the mud to.


    They followed Emil into a narrow hallway. There were two doors on the left, one on the right, and two more further down on the left. The lieutenant approached the first door on the left.


    ¡°I thiiink this is the guys¡¯ room?¡± He studied the red circle on the door. ¡°Yeah. Y¡¯see, the designers thought it¡¯d be a fun idea to mark the men¡¯s rooms with Mars and the women¡¯s rooms with Venus. I¡¯m sure you guys¡¯ll be able to get a feel for it when you get settled in, but be careful about walking into each others¡¯ rooms. Anyway, Aiden, Leon, this is your room.¡±


    He opened the door to reveal a blue room with a panel on the far wall and a desk with a chair just underneath it. On the crimson carpet sat beds that matched¨Ca singular one on the right and a bunk bed on the left. As the group entered, Leon saw some shelves resting on the wall nearest to the door.


    He also realized this room wasn¡¯t meant for six people to stand in.


    ¡°Okay it¡¯s kind of obvious that this room was only meant to hold three people max. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t be in here long, I just gotta show you one thing.¡± Emil reassured. ¡°On each bed, there¡¯s a seatbelt, so when we¡¯re up in space and there¡¯s no gravity, if you¡¯re like me and move a lot in your sleep, you don¡¯t have to worry about floating out of bed.¡±


    ¡°Safety sleeping.¡± Roxie commented.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, safety sleeping.¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t see the seatbelts, but seeing anything at all was a struggle as the shortest in the room, surrounded by the others.


    Emil led them back into the narrow hallway and walked past the women¡¯s room and the room door on the right.


    ¡°The girls¡¯ room is basically the same, but orange, and the room we just passed is the infirmary. If we have enough time left, I¡¯ll take you guys back there, but me and Roxie have more use for that than the rest of you, hopefully.¡±


    The next stop was the men¡¯s restroom, with tiled red floors broken up by blue, teal, and grey. A hand dryer hung on the far wall. Three sinks were on the left, with the same number of stalls on the opposite side.


    ¡°Having all of you in here at once probably isn¡¯t gonna work, so I¡¯ll pick two of you to meet me in here. Rookie, you¡¯re probably going to need this explanation more than anyone else since you¡¯re the new guy and Jun,¡± he motioned to the dark-haired ranger, ¡°since you¡¯re no stranger to men¡¯s restrooms.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Leon figured out where he¡¯d seen Jun before. ¡°Are you¡­? You¡¯re Jun Kim!¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± replied the living, breathing historical figure nonchalantly.


    ¡°But you¡¯re that Jun Kim.¡± Leon couldn¡¯t believe he stood in front of the Jun Kim, first woman to join the IF. Originally having buzzcut hair, half of it obscured one eye. It must¡¯ve grown out in the past four or five years since the initial commotion of Jun breaching the IF¡¯s men-only rule.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many other Jun Kims you¡¯ve met, but I¡¯m assuming I¡¯m the one, yes.¡±


    Emil tilted his head at Leon. ¡°Were you completely checked out when I introduced her?¡±


    ¡°M-Maybe a little bit.¡± admitted Leon, the heat of embarrassment reddening his cheeks. ¡°But that¡¯s super cool! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re here in person and I get to meet you! You¡¯re amazing!¡±


    ¡°Heh. Thanks.¡± With a hair flip, Jun¡¯s other eye could momentarily be seen.


    ¡°May I continue with the bathroom tour?¡± Emil bowed, stretching an arm toward the stalls behind him.


    ¡°Oh. Yeah. I didn¡¯t mean to cause an interruption, aha¡­¡± Leon scratched at the side of his neck. He then returned Emil¡¯s bow. ¡°You may continue.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Emil bowed once more.


    ¡°You are most welcome.¡± Leon continued the bowing, and both he and Emil had to stifle laughter.


    ¡°Enough chivalry. My bro¡¯s probably watching us and shaking his head right now.¡± The lieutenant gave a chuckle.


    ¡°There¡¯s cameras in the bathrooms?¡± This was the first time Mia spoke up since the generator room.


    ¡°Right, I should probably go over that first so you guys don¡¯t freak out.¡±


    Emil motioned toward the ceiling.


    ¡°There¡¯s cameras all around this ship, except for me and the captain¡¯s bathroom, since we don¡¯t have stalls like these do. But! All of them have blind spots, and the bathrooms¡¯ blind spots are these babies.¡±


    He tapped a hand against the first stall.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re inside one of these, no one can see you. You¡¯re completely safe. On the other hand, as soon as you step out,¡± Emil entered the first stall, then hopped out, pretending to cover himself, ¡°you¡¯re exposed! How embarrassing! To avoid that, always make sure to get dressed inside the stalls.¡±


    ¡°Inside the stalls, got it. Hopefully. But knowing me, I¡¯ll be the first one to forget. Heh...¡± Leon trailed off in light, preemptively ashamed laughter.


    ¡°I believe you can do it. I believe you all can get through this without messing it up.¡± Emil¡¯s words made Leon¡¯s heart overflow with motivation. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ all I can do, so please promise me you¡¯ll remember.¡±


    ¡°You have my word.¡± Leon gave him the most earnest salute he could muster.


    Emil returned it. ¡°Good. And to help you all remember,¡± he reached inside of the stall, pulling out a plastic cover reminiscent of the one that covered Leon¡¯s prom tuxedo a month ago, ¡°here¡¯s something to cover your clothes with. That way, you can take a change of clothes with you into the stalls.¡±


    ¡°Niiice. I wish we had those covers back when I first joined. Trying to shield my clothes while taking a shower was hectic and unfun.¡± Jun spoke up. ¡°What about the toilets, though?¡±


    ¡°What about the toilets?¡±


    ¡°If these are shower stalls, where are the toilets?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in there too, see?¡± Emil motioned for Leon and Jun to come closer.


    Inside, little more than shelves and a hook on the walls distinguished the area from a normal restroom stall. The toilet was slightly more complicated, but Leon knew that was to accommodate for zero gravity. The real surprise was toward the ceiling. A futuristic, detachable shower head hung from the wall above.


    ¡°Wow, this looks super hi-tech.¡± Leon told no one in particular.


    ¡°Yeah, this setup¡¯s real chill.¡± agreed Jun.


    ¡°Nothing but the best for us~ There¡¯s also a space drier in the back.¡± Emil pointed to the back of the aisle between the stalls and the sinks. ¡°Don¡¯t quote me on this, but I think it might use the suction from the vacuum of space to dry our hands?¡±


    ¡°That sounds so cool!¡± Leon rushed over to get a better look at the hand drier.


    ¡°That sounds like it would kill us.¡± noted Jun.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I said don¡¯t quote me on it.¡± Emil winked. ¡°If you guys are done looking around, you can head back into the hallway so the others can take a looksie.¡±


    Leon and Jun took their leave and allowed for the next two rangers to look inside. After them, the last, which just so happened to be Mia. Leon couldn¡¯t quite remember what he wanted to tell her, but he felt it coming back to him. Something to do with a misunderstanding. Wait, that¡¯s it. He meant to tell her that he¨C


    ¡°Attention all star rangers: Please report to the operating deck.¡± With a click of the intercom, the captain¡¯s message ended, and so did Leon¡¯s train of thought. The sound of his heartbeat crowded out anything else that could come to mind.


    ¡°Well, you heard the man. Let¡¯s go.¡± Walking backwards and motioning for the others, Emil led the group toward their destination.


    As the crew exited the kitchen and ascended the stairs, so did Leon¡¯s heart. He prepared himself to reach heights he¡¯d only dreamed of. In just minutes, it would be his reality.

 [Bon Voyage, Celestion 5] Ch 5. Takeoff

    After making it back up to the room where he first laid eyes on his captain, Leon entered the door ahead to get a much anticipated first look at the next room.


    He was greeted by a curved ceiling that stretched several times above his height. His footsteps echoed against the floor tiles as he lined up with the others in front of Captain Galhardo, who was already waiting for them.


    ¡°Attention crew.¡±


    The captain continued on with a speech, but Leon was too busy taking in his surroundings to catch much of what was said. Much like in the spaceport, he could see his reflection in the tiled flooring along with the focused expressions of his crewmates. Mostly focused. The tall guy seemed bored out of his mind.


    Beyond the sea of mirrored tiles was a gigantic curved window from which light flooded in from all sides. Leon saw the spaceport outside, but instead, he imagined it surrounded by endless stars. A few more minutes, and he wouldn''t have to imagine anymore. He had to restrain every atom in his body, or else he¡¯d explode with excitement.


    Next, another spiral staircase caught his eye. His eyes followed it up to a door leading into some structure jutting out of the ceiling. Where did it lead?


    ¡°Ranger Summers?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir¨COuch!¡± Leon hit himself in the forehead while trying to salute.


    ¡°The room above is not of your concern.¡± Captain Galhardo closed his eyes, looking disappointed. ¡°Please stay focused.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, I will sir!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s just our room.¡± Emil spoke up.


    The captain¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he looked as though he¡¯d stopped breathing.


    ¡°You¡¯re not suppos¨C¡± He cut off his strained whisper as his eyes darted back and forth between his brother and crew. An awkward silence arose.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know I was supposed to keep that a secret.¡±


    The captain finally exhaled. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I should¡¯ve mentioned it to you earlier before¨C¡± With a cough, he regained his composure and addressed the crew. ¡°A-Anyway, you may now proceed to the deck window while I initiate takeoff.¡±


    He drew his cap over his eyes and briskly turned around, sending his yellow cape billowing outward in a grand display. Leon would have been mystified by this if he weren¡¯t already stumbling over to the window as fast as he could.


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    A mechanical whining alerted him to something rising from one of the floor panels nearby. It was some kind of standing seat, sort of like the ones on those amusement park rides that raise people high in the air before dropping them. Those were the closest Leon had ever gotten to space, at least until now.


    ¡°Alright everybody, make sure you get buckled in those seats nice and tight.¡± instructed Emil. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want you tumbling all over the place when we take off.¡± Leon couldn¡¯t see it, but he imagined him winking.


    He did manage to see the other five seats stationed around the window, as well as two in the middle of the room, none of which had been there before. In front of the ones in the middle sat some sort of station, complete with steering handles. The captain took a seat in front of it. That must¡¯ve been the helm.


    ¡°You all buckled up?¡± Leon was too busy pondering the helm to notice Emil checking the seats until just now.


    He quickly buckled up. ¡°Yes, sir, I¡¯m buckled in.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Emil gave a thumbs-up before turning toward the captain. ¡°Everyone¡¯s safe and secure. Except me!¡± He ran over to his brother and took the other seat by the helm, and Leon returned his focus to the window in front of him.


    Leon committed the outside scenery to memory as if it¡¯d be the last time he would ever see fields of grass or the almost-setting sun. The tension was killing him, so it might be.


    Behind him, Captain Galhardo exchanged communication with the spaceport, and Leon hung onto every word despite not understanding their jargon. White plumes of smoke began billowing out from underneath the ship. He wanted to reach out and touch them, but the window remained a barrier. Finally came the words Leon was waiting for.


    ¡°T minus 15 seconds.¡± crackled the voice from the captain¡¯s speakers.


    Leon looked back at the captain, ever focused on the helm. Emil, beside him, silently waved and gave positive gestures to the rest of the crew, signalling they were about to lift off.


    ¡°Ten, nine, eight, seven¡­¡±


    The smoke increased.


    ¡°Six, five, four¡­¡±


    How was everyone else so calm? Leon could scream.


    ¡°Three.¡±


    He felt his heart racing.


    ¡°Two.¡±


    His smile couldn¡¯t get any wider.


    ¡°One.¡±


    The ship was shaking, and so was he.


    ¡°Zero. Ignition, liftoff.¡±


    The ground beneath the ship began to shrink away. Leon couldn¡¯t believe his eyes when the grandiose spaceport shrank to a speck in a matter of seconds. Surrounding trees, grass, and other greenery melded into patchwork as they continued to rise.


    Soon, they broke through a ceiling of clouds, engulfing the ship in endless white, completely covering the ground. Mountains of clouds reflected gold in the glow of the sunset. It would¡¯ve looked like a whole new world if Leon hadn¡¯t seen it before in airplanes. Still, even this world escaped him rapidly and transformed into a cottony blanket before his very eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯re up so high.¡± He whispered to no one in particular. ¡°I can see the Earth beginning to curve. This is so exciting!¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Someone called out to him. He looked to his left to see Jun Kim, the Jun Kim, pointing straight ahead.


    ¡°Wh¨C? J-Jun K¨C?¡±


    ¡°Look up.¡±


    Following that advice, he saw something that made his jaw drop: Darkness. A sky of stars broken only by the clouds below.


    Leon covered his mouth. ¡°Oh my gooosh. I¡¯m... I¡¯m in space?¡±


    Jun smiled, nodding.


    He pressed his hands to his temples. ¡°I¡¯m in space! We¡¯re in space!¡±


    Leon¡¯s heart overflowed with excitement. Tears blurred his sight, but he still couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. A smile spread across his face so wide, he¡¯d have found it difficult to keep his mouth closed if he tried. He felt so light, he could¨C


    Wait.


    He couldn¡¯t feel his seat under him anymore.


    He was floating.

 [Bon Voyage, Celestion 5] Ch 6. Orbit

    ¡°We are now in the Earth¡¯s orbit. You may take off your seatbelts.¡± informed the captain, taking a few steps away from the helm. It descended into the floor until tiles covered up the hole it left behind. The same happened to Leon¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Cooool.¡± Leon couldn¡¯t contain his thoughts.


    Emil thumbed toward his brother, mouthing ¡®I know right?¡¯ Though that wasn¡¯t what Leon was referring to, he couldn¡¯t deny the captain was cool.


    Captain Galhardo appeared not to hear or see either of them, too preoccupied with gliding toward the front of the deck.


    ¡°We will remain in orbit for the next seven days to make sure each star ranger is accustomed to microgravity. From then, we¡¯ll begin training with the Interstellar Forces-issued jetpack armor. Ranger Summers,¡± he addressed, not even turning to look at him, ¡°I understand that you have not used this armor before, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¨CI mean, no sir.¡± He tried to stand straight and salute, but he had tilted while floating.


    The captain quickly glanced his way. ¡°You¡¯ll want to take advantage of this next week, then.¡± He returned to surveying the Earth below. ¡°During our training, we will be headed toward the Moon Base to receive further instructions about how to start our mission. Any questions or concerns?¡±


    No one had any questions or concerns.


    ¡°You are free to do whatever you wish to become accustomed to your surroundings, provided it fall within the Interstellar Forces Guidelines. With the exception of the room upstairs and the loading deck, you may go wherever you please.¡±


    Leon had a question, maybe even a concern.


    ¡°Captain Galhardo?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ranger Summers?¡±


    ¡°How do I get down?¡±


    By now, Leon hovered a foot above the ground, and he drifted too far away to use the window to push himself back down. He was at the mercy of gravity, and there was none.


    ¡°Oh, whoops.¡± Upon noticing, Jun pulled him down by the hand.


    ¡°Thank you, Ranger Kim.¡± The captain quickly acknowledged Jun¡¯s efforts before turning away once more.


    ¡°Thanks, Jun.¡± Leon offered his gratitude. ¡°Wait, do I call you Jun? Is that okay? Ranger Kim? Gosh, I never thought I¡¯d be on speaking terms with you at all. I¡¯m not even super sure if all this is real right now, being in space, and looking at the Earth from all the way up here. I feel a little lightheaded!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re in zero-gravity~¡± A mass of reddish hair attached to a person¡¯s body floated by. Hands parted it away to reveal Roxie¡¯s face. ¡°Junzie, can you give me a spin?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    Jun grabbed one of Roxie¡¯s ankles and gave her the momentum to do a perpetual midair cartwheel.


    ¡°Weee!¡± Roxie continued floating away like that. It looked fun.


    Jun focused back on Leon. ¡°Yeah, you can call me Jun. That¡¯s my name.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so cooool!¡± Suddenly, something occurred to him. ¡°Wait, do you know her?¡± He turned to look at Roxie, who still spun.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jun nodded, sending wavy black bangs upward, but not down. ¡°Aside from you and the captains, I know pretty much everyone else here, so I dunno how well the randomization worked out.¡±


    ¡°Really, everyone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s kinda funny. I met Roxie, like, a few years ago on one of the main vessels. Literally crashed right into me. She¡¯s a riot. Then there¡¯s,¡± Jun looked around, ¡°Where is¡­ Ah-ha!¡±


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    The two looked up to find the tall guy on the ceiling.


    ¡°That¡¯s Aiden. Hey, Aiden.¡±


    Aiden lazily lifted up a hand.


    ¡°Oh dang, I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d wave back. But yeah, he was my roommate when all the stuff went down a few years back. The first one I told, actually.¡±


    ¡°Wow. He must be so honored.¡± Leon couldn¡¯t imagine being a part of such a historical incident.


    ¡°He¡¯s a bit¡­ Don¡¯t get too discouraged by him. Annnd Mia? I don¡¯t know her too well, but me and Roxie met her on the Moon Base last year. She¡¯s pretty quiet, pretty chill.¡±


    Mia. All the wonder and excitement made Leon forget that he meant to apologize.


    ¡°Anyway, if you need anyone to, like, show you around or give you tips...¡± Instead of finishing the sentence, Jun finger-gunned at Leon and floated away. Awe-inspiring.


    ¡°B-Bye.¡± He managed to blurt out. ¡°And thank you! I hope we can be friends!¡±


    Jun gave a thumbs-up.


    Leon turned around, covering his mouth. ¡°Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! I can¡¯t believe I got to talk to¡­!¡± Now facing the window, the big blue sphere outside gripped his attention, rendering his thoughts into little more than high-pitched squeals. The moment he dreamed of since childhood was finally here. He was in space.


    In turning around, he trapped himself in a spin but eventually steadied himself. He now faced where the captain stood. Leon needed to thank him.


    ¡°Captain!¡± Leon propelled himself forward.


    Captain Galhardo turned toward Leon¡¯s voice. His cape hung static in the air. Leon nearly reached where he was standing at this point.


    ¡°Permission to speak, Captain?¡± Leon saluted, not really sure if it was necessary. He drew a blank on what he learned from basic training; hopefully, he didn¡¯t break a rule of some kind.


    ¡°Permission granted.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much¨C¡± The side of Leon¡¯s face smacked into the window. He adjusted himself. ¡°Thank you so much, sir. Going to space has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I just-- I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making that a reality for me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± The captain seemed so cool and unphased. ¡°Though part of it was your own hard work.¡±


    He had the look of someone choosing his words carefully, like a true leader.


    ¡°Being accepted into the Interstellar Forces is no mistake. If you¡¯re here, it means you put forth an effort worthy of being recognized as a star ranger and are trusted to continue putting forth that effort for the sake of science and discovery.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. You can count on me to give my all!¡±


    ¡°I expect no less. Expect no less from me, either.¡±


    Leon watched the captain gaze off into the distance. Though probably a few years older than him at most, he had the presence of someone wise beyond his years. This was a captain Leon could put his faith in.


    ¡°Also,¡± Galhardo spoke once more, ¡°I would advise you to stay close to the walls and floors to prevent,¡± he looked at the print on the window left by Leon¡¯s face, ¡°accidents.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Leon felt slightly embarrassed, but that was overpowered by his gratitude. ¡°Thank you so much, sir. I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    The captain gave nothing more than a nod, and with that, Leon turned toward someone he¡¯d been meaning to talk to for a long time: Mia. Until recently, she stood alone, but now Emil was chatting with her.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡± Leon began.


    ¡°No problem, I was just on my way.¡± Emil drifted backwards in a reclined position.


    ¡°I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier.¡± Leon turned his attention to Mia. ¡°I should¡¯ve waited until later to strike up a conversation. You were just looking out for me, and it wasn¡¯t fair for you to get in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Oh, um,¡± Mia seemed surprised, ¡°thank you.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, so that¡¯s what that was all about.¡± Emil almost floated on his back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mia, I¡¯ll put in a good word for you with my bro.¡± He winked and gave a thumbs up.


    ¡°Thank you, Lieutenant.¡±


    ¡°Can I come with you?¡± Leon asked.


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    Together, the two drifted back to the captain.


    ¡°Hey, Rookie¡¯s got somethin¡¯ to tell ya.¡± Emil got the captain to turn around.


    ¡°Captain, sir?¡± Leon began. ¡°About earlier, when Mia was talking? That was my fault, actually. I was talking to her and she was trying to get me to shut up.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Captain Galhardo looked up, closing his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll inform Ranger Wattson that a mistake was made. Her name will not be written up for a conduct violation.¡±


    Leon turned around to smile and wave at Mia. Emil gave her two more thumbs up.


    ¡°But yours will.¡±


    ¡°I understand, sir.¡± Leon nodded solemnly.


    ¡°As for punishment¡­ Lieutenant, you mentioned the refrigerator being empty?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And the storage room¡¯s lights aren¡¯t working?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The captain raised a hand to his chin. ¡°Ranger Summers, your punishment is to retrieve food from the storage room and stock the refrigerator.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Leon saluted.


    ¡°Lieutenant, please supervise him and make sure to record what¡¯s being taken out of the storage room.¡±


    ¡°Will do~¡±


    The captain glared at him.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The captain returned to stargazing, and Leon followed Emil out of the room. On the way, he tried to wave to Mia again, but she was too busy looking out of the window. He wished he could stick around for longer. Maybe having to leave so soon was the real punishment.

 [Bon Voyage, Celestion 5] Ch 7. Inventory Conversational

    ¡°See anything in there?¡± Emil waited in the doorway, clipboard in hand.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Leon replied.


    ¡°Pick up whatever you can get your hands on. The space food should be at the front anyways.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Leon felt around the darkness until he encountered a box, a pretty large one at that. Two more of equal size sat on top of it.


    ¡°These look pretty heavy. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to lift any of them.¡±


    ¡°Give it a try. You can do it.¡± Emil cheered.


    Leon shrugged. ¡°Well, okay. I¡¯ll try the one up top.¡±


    ¡°No, lift the whole stack. You got this, Rookie!¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡± Leon found Emil¡¯s confidence bewildering. He wouldn¡¯t call himself weak, but lifting the whole stack at once would be nothing short of superhuman. Regardless, he tried lifting up the bottom box.


    All three boxes went up with ease, as if they didn¡¯t weigh a pound. Technically they didn¡¯t, thanks to zero gravity. Leon slapped his forehead.


    ¡°Did¡¯ja pick ¡®em up?¡± Emil¡¯s voice rang with glee.


    ¡°I completely forgot about the gravity.¡± Leon laughed at himself. ¡°Thanks for not making fun of me; it must¡¯ve sounded like the most obvious thing in the world.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I figured you were still thinking in Earth logic.¡± Emil began to clap as Leon approached the doorway. ¡°Woo, you did it.¡±


    ¡°I did!¡±


    ¡°You did it, yaaaaay!¡±


    The new voice startled both Emil and Leon. Roxie peeked down from the top of the doorway.


    ¡°What¡¯cha doooin¡¯~?¡±


    Leon held two of the boxes in each hand. ¡°Look, Roxie, I¡¯m as strong as you!¡±


    He noticed the third box floating away just in time for him to catch it. Roxie giggled.


    ¡°He¡¯s getting food.¡± Emil answered.


    ¡°Ahh, sustenance.¡± Roxie rubbed her hands together. ¡°So that¡¯s why the captain told me to tell you not to put anything in the refrigerator yet.¡±


    ¡°He did?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the order.¡±


    ¡°Where do I put these, then?¡± asked Leon.


    Emil stretched out one of his curls and let go of it. To Leon¡¯s surprise, it bounced back. ¡°Hmmm, you can probably just leave ¡®em in the kitchen for now. Here, I¡¯ll get the door.¡±


    He opened the door to the kitchen, allowing Leon and Roxie to enter.


    ¡°Just put them over there.¡± He pointed toward the back-right corner.


    Just as Leon was about to propel himself forward, Emil stopped him. The food left his hand. ¡°Ah, the boxes!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Just sit back and watch.¡±


    Leon watched in awe as the boxes drifted toward their destination on their own.


    ¡°A big part of operating in zero G is learning how to do things the laziest way possible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important knowledge to have on your travels. The knowledge of efficiency!¡± Roxie agreed. ¡°Use it wisely and you will go far! But¨C!¡±


    Roxie propelled herself over to the boxes. When she reached them, she pushed down on the topmost one.


    ¡°¨CAlways make certain that heavy objects are on the ground when you¡¯re done moving them. That way disaster won¡¯t strike someone on the head when the gravity comes back.¡±


    Leon lifted his head. ¡°Oh yeah, I remember learning that. Thanks for reminding me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome~ Remember not to forget it.¡±


    ¡°I will¡­ won¡¯t?¡± He found himself confused on how to answer that. ¡°I¡¯ll do the safe thing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do that.¡± added Emil. ¡°And while we¡¯re at it, let¡¯s break open one of these bad boys.¡±


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    They pried open the first box, revealing a wide variety of food and drink packets inside.


    Emil sighed. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re gonna be here for a while...¡± He pulled out a slip of paper tucked into one side of the box. It looked like a list of some sort. ¡°We have to check inventory for every item on the list. Luckily, this looks like it¡¯ll last us at least a few days. Leon, hand me one of the packets.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    ¡°Can I help?¡± asked Roxie.


    ¡°This is supposed to be part of Leon¡¯s punishment, but technically all he was supposed to do was bring the boxes in here and put stuff in the fridge, and since we¡¯re not supposed to put stuff in the fridge, I¡¯d say he¡¯s done his time.¡± Emil winked.


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve done much at all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your first day, you were just excited.¡± Emil waved a hand. ¡°If it makes you feel better, I woulda let Mia off the hook too.¡±


    ¡°Punished?¡± Roxie cocked her head to one side. ¡°Punishment for what? Being a ray of sunshine?¡± She turned to Leon. ¡°You know, Jun told me they¨CJun took the seat by you to watch your reaction when we got to space.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t the only one watching him.¡± blurted Emil. ¡°When you¡¯ve been up here so many times, one of the best things is seeing how new people react. I may¡¯ve not been able to see you that well, but you were so excited. It was,¡± he kissed his fingers, ¡°magnifique!¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Leon felt flustered. So many people were watching him and he didn¡¯t even notice.


    ¡°Awwww, I wish I could¡¯ve seen it.¡± Roxie handed another packet to Emil. ¡°Sadly, I had to choose between you and Mia. But her reaction was also really cute, so I¡¯m not too sad. I¡¯ve never seen her eyes get so big!¡±


    ¡°It was her first time in space, too?¡± That made no sense to Leon. She¡¯s already from the Moon.


    ¡°Sorta. That was her first time on Earth, so it was also her first time taking off from Earth.¡±


    ¡°Woooah. She¡¯d never been to Earth?¡± Leon couldn¡¯t imagine living life without ever having stepped foot on Earth. This opened up even more questions to ask her.


    ¡°Nope~¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty rare.¡± Emil noted. ¡°Most people I¡¯ve met from Lunaria either moved from Earth or at least visited.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Suddenly, Roxie scrutinized Emil. ¡°You and the captain look pretty young. How old are you guys?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 18, he¡¯s 19.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The captain was just a year older than Leon? He would¡¯ve guessed 22 at least.


    ¡°Huwaaah?¡± Roxie sounded even more surprised. ¡°You¡¯re babies!¡±


    Sure, they were young, but Roxie didn¡¯t seem that much older. Then again, Jun mentioned meeting her a few years ago.


    Even Emil was confused. ¡°Wait, how old are you?¡±


    ¡°22.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Both reacted with mild surprise.


    ¡°And you are,¡± her eyes bored into Leon as she placed her fingers on her temples, like a psychic, ¡°18.¡±


    ¡°Woah, you actually guessed right.¡±


    ¡°Yaaay!¡± Roxie clapped. ¡°If you were any older, I would¡¯ve eaten my hat.¡±


    The rookie sighed. ¡°I get that a lot.¡±


    ¡°People are really that willing to eat their hats? I didn¡¯t even have one.¡±


    ¡°Everyone still thinks I¡¯m 16.¡± He passed another packet to Emil. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind so much if they didn¡¯t think I was committing fraud. Before I graduated, some of the freshmen used to ask me where I got my ID from. I got it from the DMV. Legally. Stop asking me to help you commit crimes.¡±


    ¡°Aww.¡± Emil checked another off the list. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I don¡¯t think you look that young. Or, well,¡± he stopped to think, ¡°I feel like you could go either way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Leon felt much more like the adult man he was.


    ¡°Such is life for us with round faces.¡± Roxie squished hers. ¡°It is a blessing and a curse. The downside: People think you¡¯re lying about your age. On the plus side, you look friendly and adorable, and you can hide food in your cheeks without anyone noticing. Now that I say it out loud, it¡¯s more of a blessing than anything.¡±


    ¡°I never thought to smuggle food in my mouth.¡± Leon poked his cheek. He felt like he learned something useful.


    Emil laughed. Then, he seemed to realize something. ¡°Speaking of stuffing your faces, you guys might not wanna eat too much on the first day. Especially you, Rookie, since it¡¯s your first time. Space sickness isn¡¯t pretty.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I heard about that. I feel kinda lightheaded even right now.¡± Leon did not look forward to that part of space flight. ¡°Have you ever gotten space sick?¡±


    ¡°I did!¡± volunteered Roxie. ¡°It wasn¡¯t fun. Make sure to hydrate yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. What about you, Emil?¡±


    Emil scoffed. ¡°Me and L¨CMe and the captain are practically immune to it. Our school had anti-gravity drills all the time. I may¡¯ve gotten sick the first coupla times, but they usually had barf bags set out for that.¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡°That reminds me. Roxie, we should probably get the barf bags out of the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°Excellent idea. You never know when space sickness will strike!¡±


    Emil almost propelled himself to the door, but latched onto one of the boxes at the last moment.


    ¡°Shoot. I still gotta take inventory for all this food. Uhhhh,¡± he looked around, before finally stopping on Leon, ¡°you can count, right?¡±


    ¡°I hope so. I¡¯ve been doing it most of my life.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Emil gave him a thumbs up and a wink. ¡°Sorry to leave you alone like this, but could¡¯ja count the rest of this stuff and mark it off the list for me?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Leon was more than happy to help.


    ¡°Great.¡± Emil gave him two thumbs up; double the praise. ¡°C¡¯mon, Roxie, let¡¯s go to the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°Aye aye~¡±


    With those two gone, Leon was left to his own devices. He continued counting and categorizing the packets, putting the ones already accounted for as close to himself as possible with the lack of gravity. His lightheadedness developed into a headache the more he read. Still, he was determined to power through it by thinking about all the good that happened today.


    Like going to space. He thought of that most and almost couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. When he did, though, he remembered all the cool people he met.


    Captain and Lieutenant Galhardo, one intimidating and the other approachable, both incredibly cool in their own way; Jun Kim, a national celebrity who was nice enough to talk to a humble rookie like him; Roxie Allen, a somewhat odd, but friendly girl; and Mia Wattson, a quiet girl from Lunaria who he hadn¡¯t talked to much. Hopefully, that would change in the future.


    The only person he hadn¡¯t met yet was floating through the door.


    ¡°Something¡¯s up.¡± He seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with Jun. ¡°It¡¯s really fishy that the chief commander¡¯s sons get to be in charge. They¡¯re rookies. It¡¯s like letting that dorky kid you were talking to run the place.¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t know who he referred to, but he felt bad for whoever the dorky kid was.


    ¡°I mean, I know what it looks like, but like, that guy¡¯s not the type to¨C¡± Jun froze upon seeing Leon. ¡°¡®Sup?¡±


    ¡°Hi Jun.¡± Leon waved, knocking some of the packets in the newcomers¡¯ direction. ¡°Ah, could one of you send those back?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jun batted some of the packets away.


    Aiden, instead, caught one. He took note of the straw poking out of it.


    ¡°Cool. A drink.¡± Without hesitation, he opened it up and started drinking from it.


    ¡°I-I dunno if we¡¯re supposed to open any of these yet.¡± Leon warned.


    Aiden stared at him blankly. ¡°Oh.¡±


    He continued drinking it.


    Leon didn¡¯t know what to say or how to react, but before he figured it out, Aiden pushed himself toward the back door and threw the empty packet in the garbage on the way out.


    ¡°Uhhh, so that¡¯s Aiden.¡± Jun introduced.


    Leon realized two things. One, Aiden was the guy with the scar, the one Leon bumped into at the spaceport.


    Two, he would be his new roommate.

 [Bon Voyage, Celestion 5] Ch 8. A Roommate to Remember

    A light dinner and a shower later, Leon floated into his dorm in IF-issued pajamas. Aiden, already in the room, leaned against the wall over the bottom bunk, rubbing one of his temples.


    ¡°Hey Aiden.¡±


    Aiden looked at him, but didn¡¯t respond. He must not be much of a talker.


    ¡°I feel like we got off on the wrong foot today, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be buddies in no time.¡±


    Aiden made a confused grunt. ¡°Off on the wrong foot¡­?¡± He finally spoke. ¡°If me drinking fruit punch was enough to ruin your life, I dunno how this friendship is gonna work out.¡±


    Leon opened his mouth but had no idea how to continue the conversation. He came up with something after a few seconds. ¡°So! Did you have anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The rookie paused so Aiden could elaborate, but he didn¡¯t, so Leon kept going. ¡°I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was pretty good. I wish I could¡¯ve tried some of the other stuff we had, but I didn¡¯t wanna eat too much in case I get sick later on. You wouldn¡¯t believe the variety we have.¡±


    The circular panel on the far side of the room broke his focus.


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s this for?¡± He opened it, discovering it was¨C ¡°A window! I can¡¯t believe we have our own window! Come look at all the stars out here!¡±


    ¡°I can see them from here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course, you¡¯ve seen them before, haven¡¯t you?¡± Leon took a quick glance at Aiden before gluing his eyes back on the window. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t think I could ever get enough of this. They just keep going on and on, forever. Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡± He looked to Aiden for an answer.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Aiden raised his eyebrows, then looked away. ¡°It is.¡±


    Leon continued looking at the endless starscape. ¡°I think so too.¡± He remembered something. ¡°I should let my family know I made it. And send them some pictures! Have you called up your family yet?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Eh.¡± Aiden waved a hand.


    Leon decided to change the conversation. ¡°So, how long have you been in the IF?¡±


    ¡°I dunno? Some years? I don¡¯t really keep count.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± The rookie pondered in between taking pictures. ¡°You¡¯ve been here at least four or five years, if you and Jun Kim were roommates.¡±


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    ¡°Oh yeah. I was here about a year before him.¡±


    Him? Didn¡¯t Jun mention breaking the news to him first? Aiden couldn¡¯t have possibly not gotten the memo.


    ¡°How was Jun as a roommate?¡± Leon rubbed his hands together. "Gosh, it feels like I can get real insider information out of you. Was she just as cool back then?"


    ¡°He¡¯s kind of a nerd, really.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You remind me of him.¡±


    Leon wasn¡¯t sure if they talked about the same person, or if that was a compliment or an insult. He decided to take the more positive alternative.


    ¡°Really? Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you both have the same nark vibes. You¡¯re a little more heavy on the ¡®hey buddy, hey pal¡¯ act, but I¡¯m sure the captains will be very proud of you.¡± Aiden gave a light, sarcastic round of clapping.


    Leon blinked. ¡°What¡¯s a nark?¡±


    Aiden looked bewildered for a moment, then resumed his dull scowl. ¡°A tattle-tale basically.¡±


    ¡°Tattle-tale? You think I was put up to this?¡±


    The taller ranger noticed Leon¡¯s genuine confusion, and began to seem just as confused. ¡°So you¡¯re not keeping tabs on me? You¡¯re just like tha¨C?¡±


    Leon¡¯s phone rang.


    ¡°Sorry, I have to take this.¡± Leon answered the phone. ¡°Hello? I¡¯m in space!¡±


    ¡°L¨¦onardo!¡±


    ¡°Mam¨¢! Did you see the pictures?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. ?Estoy muy orgulloso de ti! You¡¯ve come so far!¡± For someone who was initially hesitant on his decision to enlist in the IF, she sounded happier than he¡¯d ever heard her.


    ¡°Yeah, what she said!¡± shouted a voice in the background.


    ¡°Hi, Dad! I¡¯m in space!¡±


    ¡°You sure are!¡± His father was now on the speaker. ¡°I remember when I first started flying and saw the cloud tops for the first time. It was the coolest thing in the world to me! Now I¡¯ve got a whole son in space¡­¡±


    ¡°The clouds on the way up were beautiful. You would¡¯ve loved them.¡±


    His father laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll see them soon. Anyway, how do the stars look?¡±


    ¡°Amazing¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew he¡¯d say that.¡± Leon heard his mother in the background.


    The three continued catching up. He recounted the events of his day, like the mixup at the spaceport, the people he met, how beautiful Earth looked from space, and how confusing baths were in zero gravity. Occasionally, his parents would mention that his brother smiled or waved during the conversation. Leon found it a little strange that he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Is ¨¢ngie doing okay? I haven¡¯t heard him speak yet.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh, you know, he¡¯s a little emotional that you left,¡± his mother spoke, ¡°so he¡¯s been teary, but he¡¯s¨Che¡¯s doing fine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s very fine and here with us, smiling!¡± His father seemed very enthusiastic about his other son¡¯s wellbeing.


    ¡°Oh, okay. Tell him I said hi. Anyway, I should probably start heading to bed now. I¡¯ll talk to you later. Take care, I love you! Te queiro! Bye!¡±


    After they parted ways, Leon strapped his phone on a nearby desk. He turned around only to be greeted by a T-shirt to the face. An Interstellar Forces standard issue nightshirt, to be exact, but not his.


    ¡°Could you pass that back here?¡± asked a shirtless Aiden. ¡°I¡¯d¡¯ve gotten it myself but--¡± He gestured to the rest of his body under the covers, which from what Leon could see, looked concerningly bare.


    ¡°You¡¯re naked??¡±


    Aiden looked under his covers and back at Leon. ¡°Yeah. Are you gonna give me my shirt back? I don¡¯t mind getting it myself, but I was trying to be considerate.¡±


    Leon flung the shirt back without hesitation while Aiden snickered.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Aiden grabbed his shirt as it drifted toward him and tucked it under his blanket.


    ¡°No problem. Why are you naked?¡± Leon asked shakily.


    ¡°Why would I need to wear clothes when I¡¯m already underneath a cover?¡±


    ¡°I¨CWh¨C? I-I guess that makes sense?¡±


    ¡°Like it¡¯s any of your business.¡± Aiden rolled his eyes. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to bed.¡±


    ¡°I should get some shut-eye too.¡± Pulling back his covers, Leon got into bed. He started buckling himself in. ¡°Goodnight, Aiden.¡±


    Aiden lazily waved in response.


    Over the next few hours, Leon found it hard to sleep. The lights being on didn¡¯t bother him much, and Aiden¡¯s antics, while hard not to think about, didn¡¯t keep him up at night.


    The window begged him to stay up, though. Millions of stars lay beyond his reach, beyond anyone¡¯s reach, sparkling beautifully as ever. Even if his headache still persisted, even if his roommate was a little troublesome, a view like this was worth it all.

 Next Episode: Sight for Four Eyes

    ¡°Hello? Is anyone listening? I hope not. We¡¯re training with the jet armor today, which means one of us has to be on monitor duty while the other''s in space. In other words¡­ partnered. Ugh. It¡¯s just my luck I get paired up with that guy who got me in trouble last week. Hopefully he won¡¯t make a fool out of me again, and if everything goes smoothly, maybe the captain won¡¯t think I¡¯m a loser. All I have to do is make sure he¡¯s¡­


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    Wait. Where is he?


    He¡¯s how far away from the ship?? No, no, no, no, this can¡¯t be happening! Losing a guy in space is not going to look good on my performance review!


    Oh Mia, what have you gotten yourself into¡­?¡±

 [Sight for Four Eyes] Ch 1. Interplanetary Buddy System

    Everyone took their places in line, waiting for a command. Seven days after takeoff, the crew had its first official briefing since leaving Earth. Mia found herself longing for the planet; it was her first time there, and she didn¡¯t even get to see much aside from the spaceport!


    She took a quick glance at the guy beside her. Leon, was it? He smiled at her, but didn¡¯t say anything, thankfully. He almost destroyed her reputation trying to talk to her last week, and she was dead set on not letting that happen again.


    Putting that aside, she focused on the two captains standing before her. The lieutenant spoke first.


    ¡°As you can probably tell,¡± he tapped the ground with his foot a few times, ¡°we¡¯re no longer in zero gravity!¡±


    ¡°Microgravity.¡± corrected the captain.


    ¡°Yeah, that! While we¡¯re not exaaactly at standard Earth gravity, this is close enough.¡± Emil put a finger to his head. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, bro, but this is the same amount of gravity as the community ships and Lunaria, right? So for us and Mia, we should feel basically at home!¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    The blond fistpumped. It was nice that he had so much energy, but it made Mia all the more aware of his age. At her age, she had nowhere near enough experience to be a lieutenant captain, but here he stood at 18 doing just that. Maybe this was fine, because as she understood the job, it was mostly doing maintenance checks for the captain. The 19-year-old captain. Sure, the captain himself was the same age as her, but he seemed more contained, more responsible. He got them into space without killing them, so that was a good start. Gotta stay positive!


    Emil had no trouble doing that. ¡°Before we get started, I¡¯d like to congratulate everyone for not having any really bad cases of space sickness!¡± He absentmindedly pulled one of his curls into a line. ¡°Especially since I was kinda sick myself and in no mood to tend to anyone else. Great work, everyone!¡± He clapped. ¡°So with that outta the way, Captain, tell us what we¡¯re doin¡¯!¡±


    The captain cleared his throat. ¡°We¡¯ll have to begin training with the jet armor on our way to the moon as I mentioned when we first entered the Earth¡¯s orbit. Since we¡¯ve had a week to get accustomed to the lack of gravity, this would be a good time to start. Before we do--¡±


    Mia froze, even though she¡¯d already been standing perfectly still. The captain stared directly at her. She panicked. What did she do wrong this time? Did the captain have a vendetta against her specifically?


    ¡°Ranger Wattson, Ranger Summers. I forgot to mention it last week, but you two should switch places in the lineup. My mistake.¡± He tipped his hat.


    Mia and Leon swapped spots. Now, Mia was at the end of the line.


    ¡°Thank you. Before we start,¡± continued Captain Galhardo, ¡°I have to assign each of you a partner. One to test the jets and the other to watch them from the cameras on the observation deck.¡±


    Partner. Mia cringed at the word. Flashbacks of group projects turned solo flickered through her mind. By nature, a partnership like this couldn¡¯t turn out that way, but even still, she preferred to work by herself.


    ¡°There is one small problem, though.¡± The captain¡¯s eyes wavered back and forth across the group. ¡°There¡¯s an odd number of you. For now, I¡¯ve decided that the best option is to have one group of three and cycle out the members. Does anyone not want to participate today?¡±


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    Mia thought about raising her hand. She really thought about it. However, she wasn¡¯t sure about her standing with the captain. First impressions mean a lot, and even though he knew otherwise now, he did initially think she caused trouble during the last meeting. Sitting out now might send a bad message. She didn¡¯t raise her hand. Someone else did, though.


    ¡°Ranger Kelly?¡± asked the captain. ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Cap.¡± Ranger Kelly responded. ¡°By the way, don¡¯t worry about assigning me to a group or anything. It¡¯s not like I need anyone to watch me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± In one fell swoop, the captain materialized a small booklet from his cape, flipped it open, and flipped a finger along the pages before stopping at one. ¡°Interstellar Forces Handbook Chapter 11 Section 13: ¡®In space, no star ranger may perform any extra-vehicular activity without the surveillance of another star ranger using an Interstellar Forces-issued observation panel.¡¯ It¡¯s the very reason we have to be in groups of two or more.¡±


    ¡°Wait!!¡± Emil interrupted. Up until now, he¡¯d been rubbing his chin, squinting at someone intently. ¡°I know where I saw you!¡± A wide, chipped-toothed smile spread on his face. ¡°You¡¯re the guy! The cool jet tricks guy! We saw you a couple times when we visited one of the bigger vessels, and I thought you were so cool! I wanted to be just like you! I even waved at you once and you waved back!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you were that kid...?¡± answered Ranger Kelly. ¡°I barely remember.¡±


    The lieutenant¡¯s happiness only grew. ¡°You remember??¡± He turned to his brother with breakneck speed, causing the captain to recoil fearfully. ¡°Can I be partnered with Aiden? Pleeeease?¡±


    ¡°S-sure, okay¡­ I. Guess you can take over until further notice.¡± Captain Galhardo regained his composure. ¡°Now that that¡¯s taken care of, assigning the rest of you to partners should not be a problem.¡±


    Mia weighed her options, which proved to be simple enough since there were only three. First, Roxie Allen. She was obviously the best choice; though Mia had only known her for a year, the petite, curly-haired bubbly girl earned a place in Mia¡¯s heart. Working with her would be equally as good as working alone. Then there was Jun. While it would be nerve-wracking to work with a national hero, from her experience, Jun didn¡¯t talk too much. Mia¡¯s time as an observation panelist on the Moon Base taught her that jet fliers like that were golden. Plus, Mia liked Jun¡¯s personality. Finally--


    ¡°That leaves Rangers Wattson and Summers to be paired up.¡±


    Over Ranger Summers¡¯s head, Mia could see Jun and Roxie already celebrating. She didn¡¯t even hear them get called! They were much closer anyway, so this was best-case scenario for them¡­


    ¡°Hi Mia! I didn¡¯t see you much last week!¡± Leon greeted. ¡°You didn¡¯t get too sick, did you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. Not too badly, but it was a little hard to eat.¡±


    ¡°Same here. I guess we kept missing each other!¡± He smiled. ¡°I hope we get to talk more now, especially since we¡¯re partners and everything.¡±


    Mia smiled in return, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the bucktoothed ranger. He seemed eager to get to know her, but she was eager to not be known. This would be a problem. From her experience, these types tended to be the most persistent, and while that worked with Roxie, Mia remained apprehensive.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to try out the jet armor!¡± continued Leon. ¡°Unless you wanna go first. The captain did say we should probably choose now.¡±


    ¡°He did?¡± Great. More important info missed. ¡°You can go first!¡± she conceded. Mia wasn¡¯t too experienced with the jet armor, and having a stranger watch her flounder in space didn¡¯t sound like her idea of a good day.


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Leon¡¯s enthusiasm felt palpable. ¡°This has been on my bucket list for years!¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Mia smiled, genuinely this time.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Emil clapped. ¡°Everyone got their roles for today sorted out? Those who wanna go outside the ship, come with me.¡± He turned to Aiden. ¡°Sorry Aiden, I figured it¡¯d be good if at least one of the captains go out with the others this first time, but I promise I¡¯ll let you show off next time!¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    The captain coughed.


    What followed was the most unenthusiastic ¡®Yes, sir¡¯ Mia ever heard in her life. How did Aiden even get into the IF with that attitude?


    After Emil descended the staircase along with Leon and Jun, the rest followed Captain Galhardo into the observation deck. With a press of a button, three observation stations rose out of the tiled floor, conveniently in front of the window. It was time to get to work.

 [Sight for Four Eyes] Ch 2. Head in the Stars

    ¡°Incredible!! You look so cool!¡± Leon marveled at the lieutenant captain, fully dressed for space exploration.


    Around his chest wrapped metal armor, topped with a plating that resembled extreme shoulder pads. Two giant yellow jetpacks were strapped to the back, along with a smaller one strapped on each metal sandal he wore. Leon and Jun wore the same thing, but his armor had a few tweaks to distinguish him as a lieutenant. Plus, he wore it with more style somehow.


    Emil blinked and laughed in disbelief. ¡°Really...?¡± he asked as if this were the first time anyone told him, which couldn¡¯t possibly be true. ¡°Oh. Wow! Thanks so--!¡± He coughed, then spoke in a lower pitch. ¡°Thanks, Rookie!¡±


    ¡°How come we have a mirror here?¡± asked Jun. ¡°The walls and stuff are already reflective.¡±


    The blond shrugged in response. Meanwhile, Leon looked at himself in the mirror, clad in all his armor. All that was left was the helmet, so he decided to put it on.


    ¡°Wait, Leon!¡±


    He turned around to see Jun. The rubber neck lining of the IF jumpsuit was stretched over the eldest ranger¡¯s head. Both of Jun¡¯s eyes were revealed, as the black bangs that usually covered the right one had been tucked into the makeshift cap.


    ¡°You gotta wear it like this before putting on your helmet.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Leon remembered. ¡°Thanks for reminding me!¡± He promptly pulled his neck piece over his head, then slipped on the helmet.


    Emil did the same. He also pressed something on the side of his helmet. A click sounded in Leon¡¯s.


    ¡°Can you guys hear me?¡± Emil¡¯s voice crackled over the headset.


    ¡°I can!¡± Leon confirmed.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jun gave a thumbs up.


    ¡°Great!¡± Emil could be seen winking through his helmet. ¡°Now¡¯s a good time for a quick refresher course on safety and the controls. Jun, I know you know all this already, but bear with me. So first, lift up the right panel on you guys¡¯ helmets and press the button underneath that. What that¡¯ll do is secure your helmets to your necks. Then jiggle the helmet around a bit. If it pulls at your neck, then you know it¡¯s on tight enough to keep all the oxygen in. Do the same with your gloves, too. Lack of oxygen is really rough on the skin!¡±


    Jun and Emil started testing out their helmets and gloves, and Leon followed their lead.


    ¡°Okay! Now that we¡¯re all safe, we can go over the jets. They¡¯re controlled by these buttons under our chest plate thingy.¡± He pointed to four buttons underneath the triangular plate on his chest. ¡°The top ones control the jets on our backs; the bottom ones are for the jets on our feet. And now that we have on our jumpsuits--¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes widened as Emil lifted one of his foot jets up to his arm.


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    ¡°--I can show you guys something neat!¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant, please refrain from using the jets inside of the ship.¡± The captain¡¯s voice cut in. ¡°You will propel yourself across the loading deck.¡±


    Visibly disappointed, Emil put his foot down. His attempt to set himself on fire was thwarted yet again.


    ¡°Is everyone prepared for the loading deck to be drained?¡±


    Emil paused for a moment. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say we are, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Affirmative. I will commence draining out the air from the loading dock in T minus ten... nine... eight...¡±


    There seemed to be no change when the captain reached zero.


    The lieutenant checked on the others. ¡°You guys are still able to breathe, right?¡± Leon and Jun confirmed that they could breathe. ¡°Okay! We¡¯re all set for the hatch to open.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lieutenant.¡±


    Captain Galhardo began another countdown, and after reaching zero, the door at the end of the loading deck lifted up to reveal nothing but a starlit sky. A lack of gravity was the only thing keeping Leon from running out into the twinkling expanse.


    Jun and Emil flickered their shoe jets to propel themselves forward, so Leon did too¡­ Only he held on too long, so it skyrocketed him out of the ship. This surprised him, but even though he¡¯d flung himself uncontrollably into space with no known way of stopping, he kind of enjoyed himself. Stars surrounded him in every direction. What more could he want?


    He felt a hand grab him, yanking him backward and back into reality. This caused him to spin around, revealing that his savior was Jun. Emil floated toward them.


    ¡°Whoopsie, that was a close one! If you ever find yourself unable to stop,¡± Emil began, ¡°try to use the same force to propel yourself in the opposite direction!¡± He demonstrated this by kicking his legs out in front of him and firing his shoe jets. His momentum slowed to a near halt. ¡°There¡¯s no breaks in space, so you won¡¯t be able to stop completely, but it¡¯ll slow you down quite a bit!¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you both!¡±


    ¡°Welcome.¡± replied Jun.


    Emil chuckled. ¡°No problem. Anyway, I¡¯ve been talkin¡¯ your ears off long enough. If you tap the button on the right panel on your helmet--¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t hear Emil¡¯s voice after doing that.


    ¡°Emil? Jun? Anyone? I can¡¯t hear anything...¡±


    A chime sounded.


    ¡°...Hello?¡± It was Mia! ¡°Leon?¡±


    ¡°Hi Mia! I¡¯m actually in space! Can you believe it??¡±


    ¡°It must be very exciting for you.¡± She sounded so nice, so serene. Having Mia as a partner meant he could finally get to know more about this mysterious girl. It thrilled him to think that they could be friends, and he really wanted her to like him.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Leon watched as Emil and Jun split off from each other. ¡°Hm. Jun and Emil left. I guess that means we¡¯re just supposed to do whatever.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know for sure, but make sure to stay around the ship, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± He answered. ¡°Do you know where the Earth is from here?¡±


    There was a pause. ¡°It should be onnnn--- Okay, let me figure out where you are in relation to the ship¡­ Oh, there you are. It should be to your left.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks!¡± responded the bucktoothed ranger. Mild embarrassment overcame him. ¡°...How do I turn?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ It¡¯s been a while for me, but. I think you stick your right leg out and pulse the jet on that foot?¡±


    Leon followed her directions and began floating to the left. ¡°Hey!! It¡¯s working! Thanks so much!!¡±


    He heard some kind of noise of surprise from her end. ¡°Um, please tone it down some. I am wearing headphones.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Leon covered his mouth with a hand, even though the helmet blocked it from making any difference. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯ve done this before? How was it?¡±


    ¡°Nerve-wracking, but¡­ okay in the end.¡±


    ¡°Nice! I mean, the ¡®it being okay in the end¡¯ part, not the nerve-wracking part, haha!¡± he clarified. Something to his left caught his attention. ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just noticed¡­ I just noticed¡­¡± To his left floated the entire Earth, not just the section he saw from the ship, the full planet. Swirly clouds and land masses of varying colors decorated the giant blue marble in the sky. In that moment, it was just him, his home planet, and the millions of stars and other celestial bodies surrounding them both. This was peace. This was paradise. He felt tears come to his eyes.


    ¡°I just noticed the most beautiful thing I¡¯ve ever seen in my life¡­!¡±


    The tears in his eyes made it hard to see the Earth, but it was no less breathtaking.

 [Sight for Four Eyes] Ch 3. Partners in Panic

    ¡°I wish you could see it from here!¡± said Leon, unaware that Mia could see the Earth crystal clearly through the cameras on his helmet and armor. She couldn¡¯t deny it was impressive. Even though she¡¯d seen the blue sphere many times from the moon¡¯s surface, seeing it after having been there put things into a new perspective. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful¡­¡± Mia detected a crack in his voice.


    Then she heard sniffles.


    ¡°Um, Leon¡­?¡± she asked with caution. ¡°You¡¯re not crying, are you?¡±


    Leon sniffled. ¡°Oh yeah, sorry. I get kinda emotional when thinking about space.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± A horrified realization overcame her. ¡°Oh¡­ ohhhhh no, you reeeally shouldn¡¯t cry in space¡­!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s so beautiful!¡±


    ¡°No, this is serious! Tears are going to build up in your eyes with the lack of gravity!¡± the freckled ranger explained. ¡°Can you see right now?¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it--¡±


    ¡°Ranger Wattson?¡± Mia¡¯s heart stopped upon recognizing the captain¡¯s voice. She took off her headphones and turned to see him standing over her seat. ¡°I¡¯m hearing reports that Ranger Summers is missing from the group. Where is he?¡±


    Sounds tumbled out of Mia¡¯s mouth, but few of them resulted in words. Finally, she pulled herself together. ¡°I¡¯m trying to direct him towards the others, sir!¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The unreadable captain responded with a single grunt before turning toward the other observers. ¡°Remember crew, you are your partners¡¯ second set of eyes.¡±


    Second set of eyes¡­ Mia looked at her observation panel. She could see what Leon should¡¯ve been able to and then some. In front of the window, she saw Jun and Emil, the latter doing simple tricks to pass the time. She donned her headset once more, a plan hatching in her mind.


    Leon¡¯s frightened voice greeted her. ¡°M-Mia, are you there?¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry!¡± She only just realized she left him alone after he realized he couldn¡¯t see. ¡°We can probably make this work, I think I have an idea.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°I can still see everything, so I¡¯m going to need you to follow my directions the best you can, okay?¡±


    ¡°Can do!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mia studied the different camera views in front of her. ¡°Can you turn around? Just kind of put one foot behind your other knee and activate that jet, and that should make you spin.


    ¡°Got it!¡± The cameras spun with Leon, indefinitely. ¡°Wait, let me see if I can steady myself.¡± Mia watched the cameras go back and forth and back again, until they steadied to the point where she could see a silver and yellow speck in the distance.


    She realized that was the ship. A quick check on the observation panel revealed that it floated a whopping 111 kilometers away and counting -- almost 70 miles. Her heart stopped. What had she done? The first jet flight of the mission and Mia had already lost her flier. Nothing like this ever happened back on the moon! She had a pretty decent track record when it came to being on observation duty, but the captain wouldn¡¯t know that. He¡¯d only see a bumbling fool who lost an entire person!


    ¡°Where is the ship...?¡± asked Leon, snapping Mia out of thinking about what she¡¯d have to put on a resume. ¡°I can¡¯t see it from here.¡±


    ¡°Ummm¡­ It¡¯s in front of you, but kind of far away at the moment.¡± Mia replied, trying to hide her fear. It wouldn¡¯t do any good to let a first-timer know how worried she felt.


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    ¡°Will I be able to get back¡­?¡±


    Mia wondered the same thing. A distance like this might not be too much for someone more experienced, but Leon could barely fly, and now he was partially blinded. From his perspective, it must¡¯ve looked like being stranded in space! He was probably freaking out!


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mia answered. Of course he could get back. It just required careful navigation. ¡°The jets go pretty fast, so you should be able to get there in no time. Try to propel yourself forward please?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The freckled ranger could see that Leon was flying toward the ship, but not nearly fast enough to catch up.


    ¡°Are you using all four jets?¡±


    ¡°No, just the shoe ones.¡± He answered.


    ¡°Use all four, and keep pressing them until I say stop, okay?¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Mia watched intently as Leon¡¯s numbers accelerated towards a satisfactory speed.


    ¡°This is really fast!¡± Leon remarked. ¡°I kinda wish I could see better, but still, it¡¯s really exciting! I feel so free!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The redhead continued focusing on the numbers. ¡°Okay, could you stop pressing the buttons now?¡±


    ¡°What butto--?¡± With every second hesitated, his speed climbed, making Mia anxious. ¡°Ah! Yeah!¡±


    ¡°Thank you...¡± She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Leon¡¯s speed even out. He continued cruising along, and by her calculations, should reach the ship in the next few minutes. She had to remain vigilant. Someone like him needed extra time to stop, and reacting too late might cause him to sail past the ship in the other direction. Not to mention she had to ensure he didn¡¯t crash into the ship, one of the other crew members, or whatever else might be lurking out in space. This was not a time for distractions.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Leon began, distracting her. ¡°I was a little worried back there about looking like a screw-up in front of you and the others. Still kinda am, honestly.¡± He laughed. ¡°I can hear someone at boot camp right now being like ¡®Summers, get your act together!¡¯,¡± he attempted the gruffest voice he could manage, which wasn¡¯t all that threatening, ¡°but you just kind of took it in stride. Thanks for that!¡±


    ¡°Oh! No problem.¡± Mia wondered why he wasn¡¯t more concerned with how far he strayed from the ship, but she herself didn¡¯t notice that until after worrying about her own reputation, so she could understand. ¡°No amount of training can really get you prepared for the jet armor until you¡¯ve actually tried it. Besides, I was kind of panicking too.¡±


    ¡°At least I wasn¡¯t alone! What were you panicking about?¡±


    ¡°I--¡± She struggled to divide her attention between the conversation and the observation panel until she noticed something alarming. ¡°You¡¯re on a crash course with the ship¡­¡± She thought aloud.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Leon, please focus! Are you able to angle yourself downward?¡± Mia scrambled to figure out how to word her advice. Ideally, she¡¯d want to slow him down while also moving him out of the way of the ship, but he wasn¡¯t nearly advanced enough for such a maneuver, and she wasn¡¯t advanced enough to teach him. Steering him out of the ship¡¯s way was their best bet.


    ¡°I can try!¡±


    ¡°Please do that! And let me know when you have!¡± Mia¡¯s voice wavered. Slightly easing her worries, the helmet camera tilted downward.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it!¡±


    ¡°Okay, now fire your jets, all four!¡±


    ¡°All four??¡±


    ¡°Yes, all four!¡± She couldn¡¯t contain her panic. ¡°You¡¯re getting closer!¡± Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Roxie mouthing a concerned question, but she couldn¡¯t answer it. Mia¡¯s breathing steadied upon seeing that Leon¡¯s trajectory angled itself down and away from the ship. She gave Roxie a smile and a shaky thumbs up. He was safe.


    ¡°You can stop the jets now.¡± she informed him. She also noticed he was going much faster than she intended. ¡°Actually, try to turn yourself opposite of where you¡¯re headed and fire them the other way. I¡¯m going to try to slow you down to the ship¡¯s speed, okay?¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡±


    ¡°Perfect¡­¡± Mia watched as the numbers decelerated. ¡°Annnd you can stop the jets...now!¡± Leon¡¯s speed evened out at a speed slightly faster than the ship. Mia could see its underside from the helmet¡¯s camera.


    ¡°Woah, that was a close one¡­¡± Leon remarked. ¡°I mean, I did get to fly in space, so I would¡¯ve died happy, but I¡¯d rather not be smacked into the side of the ship.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d also prefer that.¡± The freckled ranger slumped back into her chair and sighed. Finally, she felt like she could relax.


    ¡°Oh hey, I can see Emil and Jun! They¡¯re waving at me!¡± True to Leon¡¯s words, Mia saw the two rangers outside waving at someone below the window. She smiled. This could¡¯ve gone a lot worse. ¡°I¡¯m gonna try to get closer to them!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Uh-oh!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mia wondered what could¡¯ve possibly gone wrong now. ¡°Did something happ--?¡± The cameras on her observation panel began to spin wildly, but that wasn¡¯t what caught Mia¡¯s attention.


    What caught Mia¡¯s attention-- and everyone else¡¯s-- was the sight of Leon spinning uncontrollably up and across the window¡¯s line of sight. Mortification wouldn¡¯t even begin to describe what she felt on his behalf.


    ¡°Whoop. There he goes.¡± Aiden reported over his headset, stifling laughter. When Mia looked to her right, she saw him and Roxie intermittently glancing between the window and her.


    ¡°It seems as though Ranger Summers has been accounted for.¡± the captain spoke as the freckled ranger fought the urge to crawl under her observation panel.

 [Sight for Four Eyes] Ch 4. Grounded

    ¡°Are you okay¡­?¡± Mia asked.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine!¡± Leon felt a little embarrassed, but if anything, he figured this would be something to laugh about later down the line. ¡°Emil and Jun are helping me out.¡±


    After the other two rangers steadied him, one of them--his vision was too blurry to see who--pointed to the right side of their helmet, Leon¡¯s left.


    ¡°I think someone wants me to press the button on my helmet.¡± Leon informed.


    ¡°That works out fine, actually. Um, I have to,¡± Mia hesitated, and Leon could hear the captain¡¯s voice in the background, ¡°talk with the captain.¡±


    ¡°Okay, have fun!¡± Leon pressed the button and heard the clicking sound again.


    Jun spoke first. ¡°Duuude, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Where were you??¡± asked Emil. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were behind the ship!¡±


    ¡°I...was.¡± Leon sheepishly admitted, looking at one of them.


    ¡°Emil¡¯s over there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, over here, buddy!¡± The lieutenant confirmed. ¡°Hey, are you¡­ crying?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah! I pressed that button when you told me to, but I didn¡¯t hear the rest of what you said, and you and Jun just kind of left, so I figured I¡¯d go look at the Earth, and that¡¯s when I got misty-eyed.¡± explained the rookie. ¡°When I turned around, I couldn¡¯t even see the ship!¡±


    ¡°Man, that¡¯s wild¡­¡± Jun reacted. ¡°Yeah, after he told us to press that button, I mentioned that we should always be in front of the ship so that¡­ that doesn¡¯t happen.¡±


    Emil held himself accountable. ¡°That was my bad. Sorry! I should¡¯ve mentioned it way beforehand, but I guess now you learned the hard way. How far back were you? Do you know?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Leon answered the blurry face. ¡°All I know is that Mia got me back here safely.¡± He felt so thankful, which reminded him that he needed to thank her later.


    ¡°Good on her.¡± He could barely make out Jun clapping.


    ¡°Yeah, go Mia!¡± the lieutenant agreed. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get you back on the ship. You¡¯ve had enough adventure for the day.¡±


    Arm in arm, the trio made their way back inside of the loading deck. The door shut behind them once they verified that all three were there and accounted for. Gravity returned and so did the oxygen, but they had to wait until the panel at the top of the staircase turned green before they could remove their helmets. Not that Leon remembered how.


    Emil, blond locks in full view once more, noticed this, lifted up the panel on the right side of his helmet, and pressed a button. Air rushed out of the helmet, and Leon was finally able to remove it from his head. As he blinked, his eyes, now tear-free, adjusted to the environment.


    ¡°Thanks, Emil!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± He winked.


    The three removed all their armor and placed it in their respective cubby holes, then headed upstairs. Today was the first time Leon saw the oxygen panels by each doorway display anything other than a green screen. The group actually had to pay attention to them on the way up to the observation deck to make sure they didn¡¯t step into a room with a less than breathable amount of air.


    ¡°We¡¯re back~!¡± Emil threw open the door. Aiden merely blinked in response, but the captain spun around, his cape billowing out behind him.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Jun stepped into the observation deck next. ¡°Hey guyyys.¡±


    ¡°Junzie!¡± Roxie clapped excitedly.


    ¡°Hiiii!¡± Leon waved.


    Mia meekly waved the fingers of one hand back at him.


    ¡°Welcome back.¡± Captain Galhardo greeted. ¡°Please take your place by your respective partner so that I may start the performance review.¡±


    Uh oh. Performance review? Leon wondered if his hiccup would negatively impact that, but he did make it back safely, so maybe there was nothing to worry about. Maybe. He stood by Mia, beaming down at her. She nervously smiled back.


    ¡°Ranger Kelly and Lieutenant Captain Galhardo.¡± The captain approached Aiden and his brother first. ¡°Ranger Kelly, you could stand to be more vigilant about watching the cameras, but luckily nothing happened to your partner. Take this as a warning. Lieutenant, your command of the jet armor was decent, but do be careful about pulling so many unnecessary stunts. You nearly collided with Ranger Kim.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Emil whispered to Jun.


    The captain stepped over to where Roxie and Jun stood. ¡°Ranger Allen, Ranger Kim. Excellent work. Ranger Allen, you maintained good communication and kept focused on your partner¡¯s surroundings. Ranger Kim, your handling of the jet armor was satisfactory and you responded quickly to your partner¡¯s warnings.¡±


    Jun placed a hand on Roxie¡¯s shoulder, grinning. Roxie closed her eyes, smiling back.


    The captain walked over to the remaining pair. ¡°Ranger Wattson¡­ Ranger Summers.¡± He closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°Ranger Summers, if you weren¡¯t sure where to go, you should¡¯ve kept a close distance to one of the other rangers. Ranger Wattson, if you weren¡¯t sure where he should go, you should¡¯ve notified me or advised him to contact the other rangers, especially if he was visually impaired. Ranger Summers venturing off on his own was a potentially costly and dangerous mistake on both your parts, and you should make certain never to let it happen again.¡±


    Leon found himself unable to look the captain in his eyes. Thankfully the captain himself hadn¡¯t looked directly at either of them.


    ¡°That being said¡­¡± Captain Galhardo tilted his head toward the ground. ¡°For the situation to go as badly as it did, you both handled it exceptionally well. Ranger Wattson, your resourcefulness is to be commended, and Ranger Summers, for someone as inexperienced as yourself, you¡¯ve improved rapidly over the course of this outing. Keep practicing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain!¡± Leon perked up.


    ¡°Thank you, Captain¡­¡± Mia nodded humbly.


    The captain made another dramatic turnaround. ¡°That concludes the evaluation. You all are dismissed.¡± He began walking toward his room.


    After standing up from the observation station, Mia pressed a button on it, sending it sinking into the tiled floor. Leon was enthralled.


    ¡°How does it do that¡­?¡±


    Mia shrugged. ¡°I dunno, but it¡¯s certainly fancier than the ones on the Moon Base.¡±


    ¡°You used to do this on the Moon??¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Wowww. No wonder you were so calm and stuff! You must¡¯ve had cases like this all the time!¡±


    The freckled redhead laughed nervously.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s a no¡­?¡± Leon scratched the side of his head. ¡°Either way, thank you so much for not giving up on me! I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d be if it weren¡¯t for you. Probably still crying and lost in space!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s--¡± Mia waved her hands. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have just left you there. Especially since I did just kind of let you wander off on your own. Let¡¯s just make sure never to let something like that happen again, okay?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it!¡± Leon held out a hand to shake. Mia stared at it for a second before taking it.


    ¡°Do not despair!¡± Roxie jumped out in front of the two, startling them both.


    ¡°R-Roxie! Hey¡­¡± Mia stumbled backward.


    ¡°From what I was able to hear, the situation went much worse than what the captain mentioned, but do not despair!¡± Roxie repeated, clamping a hand on Leon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I too, was really bad at using the jet armor. But if I had someone as wise and collected as Mia to guide me--¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? I¡¯m not--!¡±


    ¡°--I would¡¯ve never met Jun.¡± Roxie concluded.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jun called from the background.


    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s nice!¡± Leon felt comforted by the knowledge that sometimes mistakes can bring people closer together.


    A long, awkward pause ensued between Leon and Roxie. Finally, she spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the moral of that was supposed to be. It kind of sounds like I¡¯m saying to keep being bad at flying, which is not what I want, because just hearing you guys¡¯ conversation was stressful! Don¡¯t do that again!¡±


    ¡°Keep practicing, you¡¯ll get it.¡± Jun advised.


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better,¡± Mia offered, ¡°I still need a lot of practice with the armor, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Emil shouted. ¡°We all need practice! Maybe with enough practice, I can be like Aiden!¡±


    ¡°No one can be me. Do your own thing.¡± With that, Aiden walked away from the group.


    ¡°...That works too!¡± Like magic, Emil transformed Aiden¡¯s words into something positive. ¡°With enough practice, we can all become our best selves!¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± praised Jun.


    ¡°So inspiring¡­¡± Leon felt like he could go right back out into space.


    ¡°Today is a cause for celebration! Because you¡¯re alive!¡± Roxie pointed at him. ¡°And I¡¯m alive! And we¡¯re all alive!¡±


    ¡°And we can cook!!¡± Emil blurted out, seemingly unrelated. ¡°Now that we have gravity, we can cook things! C¡¯mon, everybody, let¡¯s head to the kitchen!¡±


    ¡°We can share some jet armor pointers while we¡¯re there.¡± Jun suggested.


    Leon left along with the others, content in being surrounded by new friends. He hoped to venture back out into the stars soon, especially knowing he had Mia, a partner he could rely on.

 Next Episode: Life in Orbit

    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Psst! Aiden, the viewers! They are thirsting for knowledge!¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re so nosy, why don¡¯t you tell ¡®em? You¡¯re in this too.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°My time will come¡­ the episode after next. Bye-bye~!¡±


    ¡°...Fine. You wanna know stuff? If I¡¯m bein¡¯ honest, unless you¡¯re ¡®attached¡¯ to us or whatever, you¡¯re not gonna get much out of this next episode. I¡¯ll let you in on something, though. Some of our more¡­ notable members are hiding secrets. If you want the truth, stick with me. It¡¯s not like they want you to know.¡±

 [Life in Orbit] Ch 1. Early Morning Exchange

    Mia read to herself in the silence of her dorm. At least, she did until a horrible noise jolted her out of her thoughts. Jun snored in the bunk bed across from her. It was an honor to share a room with the very person who gave her the right to enlist in the Interstellar Forces, but the snoring she could live without. Struggling to read with such a racket going on, she decided to move to the kitchen.


    The kitchen was brightly lit, and there were many places to sit, but most importantly, no one else was in the room. Mia could read in peace and quiet, and she did exactly that.


    Until Leon showed up.


    ¡°Morning, Mia!¡± He walked through the door with a cheery demeanor. ¡°It¡¯s morning, right? Hard to tell when you¡¯re in space.¡±


    Leon could¡¯ve checked for himself on the microwave clock behind Mia, or the clock on the oven, or the giant clock in the airlock, or, most conveniently for him, the clock in his room, but Mia got the sinking feeling he wasn¡¯t looking for an answer so much as a conversation.


    Mia looked behind her. ¡°5:45.¡±


    ¡°Thanks! Hm. Kind of early!¡± He bounced on his heels some. ¡°It¡¯s sooo weird not seeing the sun in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    Leon gasped. ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re from Lunaria! Wait.¡± His excitement took a pause. ¡°Don¡¯t they have an artificial sky there?¡±


    ¡°I live outside of the dome.¡± Mia really didn¡¯t want to give this relative stranger so much information about where she lived, but she had no choice. ¡°Since there¡¯s no atmosphere, you can see stars all the time.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like paradise¡­¡± Leon¡¯s wonder was palpable. She wished she could be as excited, but starry skies had become mundane to her. ¡°But I think I would miss the sun, though.¡±


    ¡°You can still see the sun, it just doesn¡¯t change the color of the sky.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ Wait! That means I didn¡¯t hafta get up so early.¡± He chuckled to himself. ¡°I guess I could just go back to my room and look at the stars.¡±


    Good. Mia can return to reading her book.


    ¡°But!¡± He sat down in the seat across from her, unaware of her internal agony. ¡°I can see them any time. Gosh, that¡¯s so amazing¡­¡± He marveled to himself. ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten to talk to you too much, though, other than yesterday when I cried in space.¡± He laughed. ¡°There¡¯s sooo many questions I wanna ask you!¡±


    ¡°About what¡­?¡± Mia set her book down and gave up any hope that this conversation would end soon. Couldn¡¯t a girl read about astrogeology in peace?


    ¡°Like¡­ Oh!¡± As if to answer no, Leon took notice of it. ¡°¡®A Guide to Solar System Astrogeology.¡¯ Does that have to do with the different kinds of rocks planets have?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Interesting!¡± Few people ever meant that when it came to her interests. Mia took his words with a grain of salt. ¡°I¡¯m more of a stars guy, myself. Back on Earth, I¡¯d stay up just to watch them, but you get to do that all the time!¡±


    The red-haired ranger smiled in response.


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited to actually meet someone from Lunaria, you have no idea!¡± Leon¡¯s voice rose in pitch. ¡°My gramps always told me it wasn¡¯t really on the moon; he¡¯s an IF denier.¡±


    ¡°Oh, gosh¡­¡± Mia¡¯s existence would prove an Interstellar Forces denier wrong, but from what she knew of them, they were the kind of people who had little trust in things like ¡®facts¡¯, ¡®science¡¯, or ¡®video evidence that the IF went to the moon and established a colony that has been there for the past four decades.¡¯ An IF denier could be put on the Moon and still think it was a government conspiracy.


    ¡°I know, I can¡¯t believe I almost started to buy into it...¡± Leon mused, looking away from her in what seemed like the first time in an eternity. His gaze snapped right back to her in an instant. ¡°But I get to actually go there! I¡¯m so excited!!¡± He rested his face on one hand. ¡°I¡¯ll get to see the colorful skyscrapers, the artificial sky, space punks--¡± His head sprang up. ¡°By the way, are you a space punk? I don¡¯t think I got an answer to that last time.¡±


    That was because they were in the middle of an important briefing last time. An important briefing she got in trouble during because she tried to warn him not to talk too much. Mia still felt a little sore about that.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t really keep up with trends.¡± She could¡¯ve left it at no, but didn¡¯t want to sound too short.


    ¡°Hm? Really? But your hair is so colorful!¡± A confused look crossed Leon¡¯s face, which confused Mia.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ always been this red.¡± The freckled ranger took a lock of her own hair in her hand. Did he really think weird hair colors were all one needed to be a space punk? From weight alone, he should¡¯ve realized that Mia didn¡¯t fit the bill even if she cared to dress like a B-movie come to life.


    ¡°Woooah....¡± The slightly less stout ranger had a look on his face as if Mia¡¯s hair had come alive and started doing magic tricks. He... did know people had naturally red hair, right?


    ¡°Um, did you have any other questions?¡± She had run out of things to pretend to look at.


    Leon snapped out of his daze. ¡°Oh yeah!¡± His smile fell. ¡°...Shoot, I forgot.¡± He closed his eyes, digging a pointer finger into each side of his forehead. ¡°What was it¡­?¡±


    Mia¡¯s hands found their way back to her book. Maybe she could sneak in a few lines while he strained to remember what he forgot.


    ¡°I know what¡¯ll help me remember!¡± The bucktoothed ranger suddenly stood up. ¡°Brain food!¡±


    After glancing at him, Mia just as quickly went back to reading. She heard him rummaging through one of the boxes behind him for food.


    ¡°Does Lunaria have rain? Inside the dome?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± she answered. ¡°They¡¯re still working on that.¡±


    ¡°Cooool! You never have to worry about clouds blocking the sky!¡±


    A few more seconds went by of uninterrupted reading time.


    Leon¡¯s rummaging stopped. ¡°Wait¡­ Is the night sky in the dome simulated too?¡±


    Mia continued reading. ¡°I¡¯m rarely there at night, but I think they turn off the simulation by then.¡±


    He gasped. ¡°That¡¯s incredible! The weather doesn¡¯t matter at all! You¡¯re always guaranteed to see the night sky. Luckyyy¡­¡±


    This wasn¡¯t so bad, actually. Since Leon was preoccupied with finding breakfast, she didn¡¯t feel pressured to give him her full undivided attention. Plus, answering questions about living on the moon colony was easy enough. After all, it was all she knew.


    ¡°So Mia, what do you like to do?¡±


    Oh no. A personal question.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°I like¡­ reading.¡± This was the safe answer Mia had come up with. Usually people didn¡¯t press on from there, but there was a possibility of him asking--


    ¡°Cool! What kind of stuff do you read?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I read¡­ I read a lot of things.¡± This answer was both true and nondescript. A win for Mia!


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I should probably read more, myself. Ooh!¡± Leon picked up a packet from the box. ¡°Found some cereal!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice.¡± The freckled ranger hoped that he¡¯d stop interrogating her now that he had some food.


    He did not. ¡°Do you have any favorite books?¡±


    Why did he want to know so much about her? Couldn¡¯t he just ignore her existence like 99% of other people? It would make things so much easier for everyone involved. Mia couldn¡¯t answer his question even if she wanted to, since her mind decided this was a convenient time to forget every book she¡¯d ever read. As the silence progressed from acceptable to awkward, only a miracle could save her now.


    A box of miracles emerged through the airlock¡¯s doors. Sort of. It struggled quite a bit. Its carrier¡¯s trademark blond afro poked out from behind it.


    ¡°Good morning, Emil!¡± Leon greeted the lieutenant captain.


    ¡°M...Morning!¡± Emil strained.


    ¡°Lieutenant, do you need help with that?¡± Mia rose from her seat. Leon also started toward him.


    Before either could reach Emil, he set down the box, slumping over dramatically.


    ¡°Phew~ I may not have worked out since high school, but I¡¯ve still got it!¡± He flexed one arm, winking at the other two.


    Mia laughed to herself. ¡°But didn¡¯t you just graduate¡­¡± a concerning realization dawned on her mid-sentence, ¡°...a few¡­ weeks ago?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± His answer rang with confidence. He struggled to lift up the box again, so instead, he pushed it over to Leon with his foot. ¡°So, what¡¯cha guys up to?¡±


    Leon visibly wracked his brain for a few seconds. ¡°...Oh yeah! I was looking for a milk packet for my cereal.¡±


    ¡°There might be one in this box.¡± the blond suggested, tapping it with his foot. While Leon began to search through it, Emil turned to Mia. ¡°What¡¯re you up to? Reading?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± she answered.


    ¡°Cool! I¡¯ll let you get back to that.¡± He pointed at Mia and winked, not in a flirty way, but in a way that suggested he read a book titled ¡°How to Be A Cool Guy¡± and followed it to the letter. Luckily for him, he had enough confidence to brute-force it into working. The most important thing to Mia was that he seemed to realize that she wanted to be left alone with her book, unlike a certain buck-toothed ranger.


    ¡°Found it.¡± Leon held up a packet of milk in the air. ¡°Thanks, Emil, you¡¯re a life-saver!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± The lieutenant did a few arm stretches before turning away. ¡°I¡¯d love to hang around and chit-chat, but the generator room¡¯s not gonna check itself. Until we meet again,¡± he left through the door he came, ¡°ciao!¡±


    ¡°What a nice guy...¡± Leon remarked after he left.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The freckled ranger had to agree. Thanks to Emil, he didn¡¯t realize that she never answered his question. Plus, she got to read a little more! She continued to do so as the brunet ranger used the sink to hydrate his powdered milk.


    Leon returned to the seat across from her with his breakfast in a bowl. He lifted a spoonful to his mouth, and--


    ¡°I remember what I meant to ask you earlier!¡± he blurted out.


    ¡°O-Oh?¡± Mia was taken aback by this sudden outburst. ¡°What is it?


    ¡°What made you join the IF?¡± He took a bite of cereal. ¡°For me, I wanted to see outer space for myself, but for someone like you who grew up out here, I wonder what would make you join.¡±


    Money. The cold hard facts are in the cold hard cash. Her family was nearly broke, but no one needed to know that, especially not a nosy coworker.


    ¡°Did you have any dreams?¡± he added on. ¡°Any places you wanted to see?¡±


    Mia never had time to dream, but the second question was a little easier for her.


    ¡°Earth.¡± she answered, honestly. ¡°I wanted to see Earth.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, that¡¯s right, you¡¯ve never been before!¡±


    ¡°How did you¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t remember telling him that information. The only people who should know are her roommates, Roxie and Jun.


    ¡°Roxie told me last week.¡± Leon continued, oblivious to Mia¡¯s momentary alarm. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine what that must be like. If only we could swap places!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ That would be nice.¡± agreed the freckled ranger. The thought of cloudy skies, non-recycled air, and being at the whim of the elements brought a smile to her face.


    The door to the back hall opened.


    ¡°Hello and good morning to all ye who be gathered here this sunless dawn!¡± Roxie¡¯s presence took up the doorway as much as it could.


    ¡°Good morning, Roxie.¡± Mia greeted her curly-haired friend. It had been a year since they first met on the moon base, though it didn¡¯t seem like that long. Sometimes, Mia felt like forever wouldn¡¯t be long enough to spend time with someone like her, but maybe she was getting too far ahead of herself. She felt the need to hide her face behind her book.


    ¡°Hi Roxie!¡± Leon waved before going back to his cereal.


    ¡°Hiii~¡± Roxie waved both of her hands in a cutesy circular fashion. She then pointed at Leon. ¡°Good, you¡¯re eating breakfast! You¡¯ll need to increase your stamina for the coming day.¡±


    He laughed, raising a spoon. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m leveling up my stats.¡±


    Ah, they were both ¡®gamers.¡¯ Mia didn¡¯t play many videogames herself, but she saw enough gamers online to recognize how they talked. Like any other brand of nerd, some ran the risk of being completely obnoxious. Roxie wasn¡¯t, but only time would tell if Leon could be trusted.


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Roxie chimed. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten our plans, right?¡±


    Leon stopped eating. ¡°What plans¡­? Ah, right! We were supposed to exercise today!¡±


    ¡°Ding-dong~! Correct!¡± she sang. ¡°Mia, do you wanna train with us?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no, thank you.¡± As much as she loved spending time with Roxie, Mia had to decline. Maybe if it were just her alone, Mia might take her up on the offer, but Leon complicated matters.


    Her energetic friend bounded toward one of the food boxes and swiped up a few packets of eggs to rehydrate and sausage to heat up in the microwave.


    ¡°Have you fueled up yet?¡± Roxie asked the reading ranger. ¡°Make sure you do before we go out in space today!¡±


    Mia dreaded the thought. Yesterday¡¯s jet armor training session ended in such a disaster, she couldn¡¯t think about today¡¯s session without nerves and shame gripping her being. Still, more training would happen today whether she wanted it or not, so she might as well get ready. She reluctantly closed her book and got some oatmeal.


    ¡°I should ask about extra training.¡± Leon thought aloud, as if getting lost in space yesterday wasn¡¯t enough for him. ¡°Are you up for it, Mia?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Saying no to his excitement felt rude, no matter how much she wanted to. Besides, they¡¯d never get better if they didn¡¯t practice.


    ¡°Yaaay!¡± He cheered.


    ¡°Yaaay!¡± Roxie joined him.


    The three ate breakfast together, though Leon finished first. Since Roxie was there, his dogged curiosity could be split between the both of them. In other words, less questions for Mia.


    ¡°Hey, do you guys ever think about why we¡¯re here?¡± The bucktoothed ranger clasped his hands together.


    ¡°On the Celestion-5?¡± Mia asked. That was an easy answer. They were going to Neptune.


    ¡°No, no, I meant in the universe. Is there a reason we exist?¡±


    ¡°Oooh, an existential question!¡± Roxie chimed. ¡°I love it! I feel like there¡¯s no singular reason for all of humanity. Each person has their own reason for existence. It¡¯s like a customized surprise for each and every one of us.¡±


    Leon gasped. ¡°That¡¯s really close to what I think, too! Though I do want to believe there¡¯s a reason all life we know of ended up on Earth. I don¡¯t know what it is yet, but I hope someday we¡¯re able to reach out to something else¡­¡± He gazed off into the distance with dreams in his eyes. Still, they found their way back to Mia. ¡°What about you?? What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what do you think, Mia?¡±


    ¡°Uhh?¡± The freckled ranger never really thought about this kind of thing. In her opinion, 6:30 in the morning was far too early for existential thinking. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I kind of think we¡¯re just here for no particular reason.¡± Self-consciousness crept up on her. Was her answer boring? Not dreamy enough?


    ¡°There¡¯s a magic in that, too!¡± It was as if Roxie could read her thoughts. ¡°Think about it. We¡¯re just a bunch of creatures who randomly popped up one day, haunting the Earth! Isn¡¯t that neat?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Leon agreed. ¡°Usually, when I ask that question, people say it¡¯s out-there or too much to think about, but I really like hearing other people¡¯s answers. People have so many different ones. I think Mia¡¯s is the most common, though.¡±


    So it was boring, even to him. Thankfully, Roxie spiced it up in a way only she could do. Mia appreciated that.


    ¡°What I want to know,¡± the curly redhead began, ¡°Is if there are multiple universes?¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Like parallel universes?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Roxie nodded vigorously. ¡°Infinite universes with infinite possibilities!¡±


    From there, the conversation focused on the idea of alternate realities. Mia struggled to keep up, but Leon and Roxie were so enthralled by each other¡¯s ideas, that her confusion went unnoticed. She finished up her oatmeal and continued reading, occasionally stopping to answer a question the other two directed at her. Eventually, everyone finished their meal.


    ¡°We¡¯re headed off to our training!¡± Roxie announced.


    ¡°Feel free to join us if you change your mind!¡± Leon offered. Wishful thinking.


    They left the room, but their similarities stuck with Mia. They were both the kind of people who tried to make friends with anyone they could, the kind of person wariness prevented Mia from being.


    Was such caution justified? She remembered being almost as skeptical of Roxie, thinking that the latter could never be a compatible friend with someone like her. Roxie was too sociable, too charming. She had to have only reached out to the freckled ranger out of a sense of misguided pity, or so Mia thought. In actuality, they had a lot of the same interests, and if Mia hadn¡¯t happened to notice one day, she could¡¯ve pushed her best friend away.


    As she returned to her now-empty room--Jun must¡¯ve woken up--she wondered if Leon could be the same, someone who genuinely wanted to befriend her. Still, like her book, there weren¡¯t many chances to get her to open up, not right now.

 [Life in Orbit] Ch 2. Midday Mingling

    Roxie engaged in a series of leg stretches along with her new friend, Leon. The latter struggled to balance on one leg, but what he lacked in grace, he made up for in determination. And adorableness. She wanted nothing more than to pinch his little face, but she would have to abstain, for it would break social norms as well as personal boundaries. Maybe someday, when the time is right.


    ¡°We should rest.¡± Roxie decreed. ¡°As mortals, we only have so much energy to expend.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Leon finished stretching. ¡°Thanks for working out with me. I know I have a lot to improve on, but I feel certain that things aren¡¯t going to go as bad as yesterday.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± She raised a fist high into the air. ¡°And if you keep up your training, you¡¯ll improve on the little flaws you do have in no time!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± The bucktoothed ranger gave a bucktoothed smile. Roxie couldn¡¯t tell if his or her excitement was more contagious.


    The curly redhead remembered something important.


    ¡°Roxie Safety Tip!¡± Her finger shot up in an attempt to look informative. ¡°When using the jet armor, tap the jets lightly until you get used to them. That way you don¡¯t crash into anyone, or the ship, or propel yourself off into the distant unknown.¡±


    ¡°Wow, thanks for the advice! I¡¯ll try to remember it.¡± Leon tapped his forehead.


    ¡°Please do, for it is important to your health and my peace of mind!¡±


    Leon laughed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do my best. You know,¡± he lifted a finger, ¡°you talk like a--a medieval¡­¡± He mimicked something that Roxie approximated as sword fighting.


    ¡°A knight?¡± While answering his question, a row of gymnastic sticks caught Roxie¡¯s attention. She made her way over to them.


    ¡°Yeah, a knight!¡± The stocky ranger rested a hand on his head sheepishly. ¡°Hopefully, I¡¯ll remember your tip better than I did the concept of knights. I tend to forget words a lot. Knowing two languages can make your brain crowded--I mean, crowd your brain. Yeah, that.¡±


    ¡°You know another language?¡± Roxie¡¯s head snapped toward Leon¡¯s direction. Little did he know, he just mentioned a topic of great interest to her.


    ¡°My mom grew up in Spain, so we speak Spanish around the house sometimes.¡± He absentmindedly fiddled with one of the disk weights on the chest machine. Seeing something so heavy being suspended so high in the air made Roxie a little nervous.


    ¡°I love languages!¡± She tried to focus on something other than the thought of the weight falling on Leon. ¡°I wish I actually knew one other than English, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Awww.¡±


    ¡°Once, I tried learning German, but I don¡¯t really remember much of it, other than ¡®Hallo, guten morgen~¡¯¡±


    ¡°Cool, that kinda sounds like ¡®good morning.¡¯¡± The rookie ranger took his hand off of the dreaded weight.


    ¡°Yep! You are correct! English and German share a ton of similarities, so a lot of times, there are phrases that sound similar. Isn¡¯t that neat?¡± She hoped he thought it was.


    ¡°It is! There are words in Spanish like that, too.¡± He closed his eyes. ¡°Though I can¡¯t remember any off the top of my head.¡± He opened them. ¡°Oh wait! Macho! Macho is one that¡¯s the same in both Spanish and English.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a loan word.¡± noticed Roxie.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    She picked up one of the batons. ¡°It¡¯s a word that was borrowed, or loaned, from one language by another.¡± To illustrate the idea, she passed the baton from one hand to another.


    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s really interesting!¡± Leon¡¯s response made her feel joy. ¡°I think Japanese has some of those.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re correct again!¡± Roxie pointed the baton in his direction. ¡°Do you know any Japanese?¡±


    The rookie looked away. ¡°Oh, not a lot. I tried picking it up a while ago, but not much really stuck.¡±


    ¡°Do you watch anime?¡±


    ¡°Wha--How did you know?¡± He looked as if he¡¯d been caught in a crime.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the exact reason why I tried to learn Japanese!¡± Roxie poked the baton into her chest. ¡°I tried to learn German because of metal.¡±


    ¡°You listen to metal?¡± Leon¡¯s face showed a surprise that Roxie was not unused to whenever she mentioned that. ¡°You seem like such a happy person, I wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡± He laughed.


    ¡°I do! That is part of the reason I talk in the syntax of times far bygone.¡± She leaned forward. ¡°Do youuu~?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± He waved his hands, ¡°Metal is a genre I¡¯m a little scared to approach. I¡¯m more into¡­ power ballads... I think they¡¯re called? Like the Royals!¡±


    ¡°Oh, there are subgenres of metal that sound more like power ballads. If you want, I can recommend some things you might like.¡± Roxie offered. ¡°You can count on me to guide you through these waters of subgenres upon subgenres.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Leon thought for a moment. ¡°I might take you up on that!¡±


    ¡°Yaaaay!¡± Roxie clapped. Not only did she get to talk about linguistics, but she might get the chance to introduce someone to her favorite music as well. ¡°What¡¯s your favorite anime?¡±


    ¡°People tell me it¡¯s a ¡®casual¡¯ answer,¡± he made air quotes with his hands, ¡°but my favorite anime of all time is Galaxy Gal! I rewatch it every so often.¡±


    The older ranger gasped. ¡°I love Galaxy Gal! Which solar soldier is your favorite?¡±


    ¡°Venus! She¡¯s my hero~¡± He stared into space. ¡°I always wanted to be just like her!¡±


    ¡°Awww, that¡¯s so sweet! My favorite is Neptune. In fact,¡± she tossed her baton a few times, ¡°in high school, I signed up to be a majorette just so I could do this! Soldier Neptune: Awake!¡±


    Roxie proceeded to take her baton in both hands and slowly lift it above her head. In the show, this would be the point where Soldier Neptune¡¯s hair changed to teal and her iconic goggles appeared, but she and Leon would just have to make do with their imaginations. With her left hand, she twirled the baton, moving it slowly from left to right. She then tossed it up in the air, did a spin, and caught it with her right hand. Finally, she resumed twirling it, passed it behind her back and into her left hand before returning it to her right and pretending to drive it into the ground like a trident. During this entire performance, she sang the transformation theme, yet somehow even that didn¡¯t deter the awestruck look on Leon¡¯s face.


    His jaw dropped. ¡°That was...Soldier Neptune¡¯s transformation...¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°You can do that? ...In real life?¡±


    Roxie nodded vigorously.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible¡­¡± Leon trailed off. He didn¡¯t even notice the door opening behind him.


    Emil poked his head in, before the rest of him walked through the door.


    ¡°What¡¯s incredible?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Roxie recreated Soldier Neptu--!!¡± Leon stopped mid-explanation, a little flustered. ¡°I-I mean, she did a really cool baton trick.¡±


    ¡°Oh cool!¡± Emil raised his short, thick eyebrows. ¡°One of my friends tried to teach me how to twirl one once.¡±


    He picked up one of the other gymnastic sticks and twirled it a little bit before it flew out of his hand, hitting the same disk weight Leon toyed with earlier. The lieutenant captain drew in air through his teeth. He looked quite embarrassed.


    ¡°Do not worry!¡± Roxie assured him. ¡°It happens to even the best of us.¡±


    Emil laughed. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    He picked up the baton and stood under the cursed weight, blissfully unaware of how easily it could crush him. Thankfully, it seemed stable. For now.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°By the way.¡± He pivoted around. ¡°I love the way you talk! It¡¯s very...¡± he snapped his fingers. ¡°I dunno what to call it, but it¡¯s unique!¡±


    ¡°I told her earlier that she sounded like a knight.¡± Leon piped in. He then turned to Roxie. ¡°I feel like I should be calling you The Great Roxanne or something.¡±


    She tapped her chin with her baton. ¡°The Great Roxanne¡­ That sounds nice, like a protector of justice. However! I¡¯ve always felt that Roxanne was too formal of a name for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I feel the same way about my name.¡± He pointed to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I love my full name, but L¨¦onardo Sebastian Summers feels too¡­ much to be called every day.¡±


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s your full name?¡± Roxie nearly dropped her baton. ¡°That sounds so heroic! That¡¯s a name I imagine for someone standing on a cliff with their hair flowing in the wind.¡±


    ¡°I know riiight?¡± Leon gushed. ¡°But I¡¯m only ever called by my full name when I get in trouble.¡±


    ¡°My middle name is Amelia! It makes me sound like the kind of girl who might say something like--¡± Roxie drew her hands to her chest, looking away fearfully, ¡°¡®Father forbade me from going out past the prairie lands. He told me there¡¯s dangerous men in the big city willing to scoop me up and take me away.¡¯¡±


    Laughter came from Leon and Emil. She could¡¯ve sworn the lieutenant muttered something like ¡°story of my life,¡± but couldn¡¯t hear him quite clearly.


    She pointed at him. ¡°Do you have a middle name?¡±


    Emil practiced baton twirling some more. ¡°I have two. Technically, one¡¯s part of my first name, but no one goes around calling me Emil Roger, and I hope they never do. My middle-middle name is Randolf. So my full name is Emil Roger Randolf Galhardo-Alverez. I¡¯d like it better if it flowed well, you know what I mean?¡±


    Neither Roxie nor Leon quite understood.


    Emil shook his head and sighed. ¡°For example, Lorie¡¯s is--¡± He abruptly covered his mouth.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Lorie?¡± Leon asked.


    ¡°Yeah, you mentioned them last week, and changed the subject.¡± Roxie wanted to know who this mysterious Lorie was.


    ¡°Did I?¡± Emil covered his mouth coyly. ¡°Um¡­ disregard that. Actually, I¡­ gotta go talk to... the captain about something.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I meant to ask him something, too!¡± Leon remembered. ¡°Can I go with you?¡±


    ¡°Sure! I could go ask him for you if you want, but if you wanna come with, I ain¡¯t gonna stop you.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Leon turned to wave at Roxie. ¡°See you later, Roxie!¡±


    ¡°See ya!¡± Emil winked.


    The two left Roxie alone with her thoughts. Gymnastic stick in hand, she pretended to sword fight an invisible assailant. She imagined herself as a lone warrior, fending off a vicious pack of space pirates. A crowd cheered her on in awe. After successfully defending them from the pirates, she turned to leave. One of the civilians wanted to thank her, but didn¡¯t know her name. What was her name¡­? Roxie was far too casual a name for such a hero, Roxanne, too mundane. ...Roxaelia? Roxaelia. It had been decided.


    Roxie held her makeshift sword high. ¡°You may call me The Great Roxaelia, protector of justice and defender of the innocent!¡± She pointed at the door. ¡°Fear not, for evil cowers at my na--¡±


    At the door stood Jun their tall friend. Aiden was his name, right?


    ¡°Good morning, Great Roxaelia.¡± Jun waved and stepped in.


    Roxie ran up to give them a hug. ¡°Good morning, Junzie!¡± She let go of Jun. ¡°Good morning, friend of Jun!¡±


    Aiden seemed not to know how to react to her.


    Jun lightly elbowed him. ¡°C¡¯mon, say hi to Roxie.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ hey?¡±


    ¡°Hello!¡± Roxie beamed up at him. Silence followed. ¡°It is an honor to meet someone who knew Jun in the before times.¡± She only realized after the fact that maybe she should¡¯ve spoken more normally to him, but the words had already left her mouth. ¡°What was¡­¡± her tongue refused to utter the word ¡®she¡¯, ¡°What was Jun like back then?¡±


    Jun seemed to pick up on this. ¡°Rox, it¡¯s okay, he knows about the they/them thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, goody, goody!¡± The youngest, shortest ranger of the three clapped. ¡°He knows your true form!¡± Everyone else on the ship knew Jun as ¡®she¡¯ or ¡®her¡¯, but only Roxie knew the truth, or so she thought. She was thrilled that her friend had more than one person to be themself around.


    Aiden cast a glance at Jun that said ¡®Where did you find this girl?¡¯, and Jun returned one back that firmly told him ¡®Bro, be nice.¡¯


    ¡°Uhhh,¡± he pointed a thumb over at Jun, ¡°He¡¯s the same as now. Maybe a little bit more of a dweeb. I still can¡¯t believe he was able to hide in the IF for so long...¡±


    ¡°You go by ¡®he,¡¯ too?¡± Roxie looked toward her older friend for an answer.


    ¡°After everyone discovered I wasn¡¯t a dude, I tried to get as many people as possible to call me ''he.'' I also tried to, like, use everyone¡¯s confusion to subtly get people to call me ''they,'' but most people ended up picking the first ''he'' or ''she'' instead.¡± Jun shrugged. ¡°But out of those, I don¡¯t mind ''he,'' especially since I don¡¯t, like, have the pressure of trying to pretend I¡¯m a man anymore. Sure beats the alternative.¡±


    ¡°Okaaay~!¡± She gave a thumbs up. ¡°You are still they to me!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Rox.¡± Jun patted her head. They looked toward Aiden. ¡°She¡¯s like my little sister, just like you¡¯re like my grumpy little brother.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡± The blond rolled his eyes and sulked over toward the free weights.


    ¡°You¡¯re older than him?¡± Aiden sure didn¡¯t look younger than Jun, at least not to Roxie.


    ¡°By a year.¡± answered Jun.


    So Aiden was 26, a few years older than Roxie. This led her to an interesting revelation.


    ¡°We¡¯re the oldest people on the ship!¡± she announced. ¡°In fact, we¡¯re the only ones in our 20¡¯s!¡±


    Aiden looked over toward her and snickered. She noticed a flash of horror cross Jun¡¯s face. Roxie felt like she could understand why. She didn¡¯t feel like much of an adult herself, and while Aiden had the intimidation factor of someone older, he didn¡¯t necessarily seem mature. They must feel lonely having no one else on their level. How tragic. However, Roxie and Jun¡¯s other roommate, Mia, was wise beyond her years. They would probably get along very well if Mia were less shy.


    ¡°Haha, wow¡­ I never noticed that before¡­¡± Jun trailed off. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go¡­ hop on the treadmill.¡±


    ¡°Okie-dokie! I¡¯ll lift weights with Aiden!¡±


    Roxie trotted over to the weights, and picked up two 70-pound weights. She and Aiden started doing reps together.


    ¡°Make sure to start with lower weights first.¡± she warned. ¡°You don¡¯t want to strain your muscles. That¡¯s a Roxie Safety Tip.¡±


    Aiden glanced at her, but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Do you like lifting weights?¡± she asked.


    He didn¡¯t even look at her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to do on this ship.¡±


    ¡°Sure there is! There are many people to talk to, like Jun, and me, and--Ooh, you¡¯re roommates with Leon right? He¡¯s very friendly and cute!¡± She switched to weights that were 80 lbs each.


    ¡°He sure tries to be¡­¡± The tall blond seemed annoyed. ¡°You too.¡± He gave her a meaningful look, but it wasn¡¯t a happy one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too discouraged by him, Rox.¡± Jun called from across the room. ¡°Kelly, no one¡¯s been sent to keep tabs on you; this isn¡¯t like when we first met. Some people actually want to be your friend.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± Aiden responded.


    ¡°I want to be your friend...¡± Roxie suddenly felt bad for him.


    He looked at her this time. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean that, I meant--I don¡¯t trust the guys on this ship as far as I can throw them. You and what¡¯s-her-face--?¡±


    ¡°Mia?¡± Roxie picked up 90-pound weights.


    ¡°--Yeah, her. I ain¡¯t worried about you guys. Jun already spied on me once, but I know that he¡¯s cool now--¡±


    Jun tilted their head back toward him. ¡°Awww, thanks Aiden.¡±


    ¡°--But the other three,¡± Aiden shook his head and put his weights down. ¡°I can¡¯t get behind them. They¡¯re either up to something, or if they¡¯re not, they seem like the types that are willing to go along with whatever lies they¡¯re told by authority.¡±


    ¡°I mean, like, even if they are like that, that¡¯s not their fault.¡± responded the dark haired ranger. ¡°Not everyone¡¯s born a rebel like you, Kelly.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± He picked up his weights once more. ¡°Just sayin¡¯. I don¡¯t expect much outta two kids whose daddy gave them keys to their own space yacht.¡±


    Was he talking about Captain Galhardo and Emil? Thinking about it, their last name did sound familiar to Roxie. Suddenly, it hit her like the 100-pound weights she just picked up.


    ¡°Are the captains related to that Cesar Galhardo guy? The one that stopped those guys from building a death ray on the moon 30 years ago?¡±


    ¡°Chief Commander Galhardo, yes.¡± confirmed Jun.


    ¡°Ohhh~ He¡¯s a Chief Commander now! Congratulations!¡± Though Roxie celebrated, tenseness still lingered in the air.


    ¡°Yeah. Uhhh, Aiden, we should, like, talk about this laterrrr.¡± Jun tried to sound casual, but stress colored their words. ¡°You might be cool with getting in trouble for gossip, but I¡¯d rather Roxie not.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything in return, but he looked at Roxie and nodded.


    ¡°Besides!¡± Jun perked up. ¡°The only reason people kept tabs on you was because you were the most athletic or whatever, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not anymore.¡± They told him. ¡°You¡¯re not even the strongest on this ship, so don¡¯t think you can get away with what you used to.¡±


    ¡°Whaddaya mean? Who here is stronger than--?¡± Aiden stopped mid-question to furrow his eyebrows at Roxie. ¡°...Are those 100s?¡±


    Roxie looked at the weights in her hands. ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± He seemed to be impressed. ¡°Okay, JK. I see your point.¡± He smiled?? ¡°See? It was a good idea for the IF to let women in. If not, they would¡¯ve been stuck with me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and we know how that went.¡± Jun stopped the treadmill. ¡°She might even be able to outrun you, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh really¡­?¡± Aiden began walking toward the treadmills.


    ¡°Jun, I appreciate your pride in me, but I am not so sure I¡¯m comfortable with the idea of running on a treadmill. Besides,¡± Roxie placed a hand on her chest, ¡°I am not very aerodynamically built.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shoot, sorry Roxie, I was getting a little carried away. Didn¡¯t mean to volunteer you for a race.¡± The oldest ranger went over to the chest press machine. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m gonna work out my shoulders or whatever this thing does.¡± They tapped it with their hand.


    Roxie stopped lifting weights in order to cheer her friend on while they exercised. Jun operated the chest press pretty smoothly for someone who didn¡¯t know what it did, but maybe knowing wasn¡¯t necessary. Her mind drifted off to wondering how many other people used machines like this while not knowing what they did.


    Until she heard a groan.


    The metal bar holding up one of the disc weights started to tilt, the one suspended over Aiden¡¯s head. Roxie tackled him out of the way, sending both to the ground before the disc weight landed mere feet away.


    ¡°Aiden, Roxie, are you alright?¡± Jun almost didn¡¯t sound like themself, asking with such an authoritative voice.


    ¡°Do you need medical assistance??¡± The frantic words left Roxie¡¯s mouth in one breath. She clung to Aiden on the ground.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m alright.¡± He slowly got up, without any scratches other than the scar already on his face. ¡°But I would¡¯ve if that thing landed on me. You saved my skin.¡±


    Roxie nodded. She didn¡¯t completely register Aiden trying to pry her off of his arm.


    ¡°Um, Jun, your friend looks kinda traumatized.¡±


    Jun helped Roxie up from the floor while the bearded ranger stood up on his own.


    ¡°Are you alright, Roxie?¡± One of Jun¡¯s concerned eyes stared down at her. The other was hidden behind dark bangs. ¡°You¡¯re shaking¡­¡±


    The younger ranger slapped her face. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Her voice quieted down. ¡°I think I¡¯m fine...¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± With a hand on her shoulder, Jun guided her along. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the kitchen. We¡¯ll tell Emil about this when he comes back, alright?¡±


    Roxie nodded.


    With a near-death experience behind them, the trio left the gym. Roxie did something worthy of being called The Great Roxaelia, but she didn¡¯t feel so great.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    She looked up toward Aiden.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± he told her.


    Though she lost some peace of mind, Roxie was thankful to gain some of Aiden¡¯s respect.

 [Life in Orbit] Ch 3. Nighttime Negotiation

    Aiden navigated the long outdated forums of interstellarfonies.net, having a good laugh. It was the unofficial hub for Interstellar Forces deniers, where old geezers with way too much time on their hands really knew how to craft a story. Little did they know, Aiden did a little crafting of his own, building upon their wildest conspiracies.


    ¡°What¡¯cha doin¡¯?¡± His roommate Leon stood by the freshly-stocked refrigerator, chomping on a cheese stick.


    ¡°Convincing old geezers that the moon isn¡¯t real.¡± Aiden gave an honest answer.


    ¡°W-Why?¡±


    He smirked at him. ¡°Because I can.¡±


    The horrified expression on Leon¡¯s face was worth more than a thousand words.


    ¡°Aidennn,¡± he whined, ¡°it¡¯s bad enough that they don¡¯t believe in the IF, why do you want to rob them of the majesty of space?¡±


    ¡°Kid, they don¡¯t believe in the majesty of space. These people believe in a government plot to siphon their tax dollars by building a dome city in a desert somewhere and pretending it¡¯s on the Moon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on IF.Net, aren¡¯t you?¡± Leon took another bite of his cheese stick.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    He shook his head, then seemed to notice something. ¡°Hey¡­ Isn¡¯t that Jun¡¯s tablet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he let me borrow it.¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t seem to believe that answer, but Aiden didn¡¯t care. He could ask Jun himself if he wanted to know so badly. In fact, they almost bumped into each other as Leon left the kitchen.


    ¡°Aiden¡¯s using your tablet for evil.¡± were his parting words. Snitch.


    Jun watched him leave, then gave Aiden a tired look. ¡°Do I even wanna know?¡±


    Aiden raised his eyebrows. ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°Whatever, as long as you¡¯re not messing around on any of my accounts.¡± The older ranger took a seat beside him.


    Aiden folded his friend¡¯s tablet back into a phone and slid it across the table. ¡°Here, you can have it back.¡±


    Jun swiped it up. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your friend doing? Still spooked?¡±


    ¡°Nah, she bounced back pretty quickly.¡±


    He was glad to hear she was doing alright. She may¡¯ve been a little weirdo, but she was the little weirdo who saved his life today.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about what she said.¡± began the blond, pinching his beard. ¡°About how we¡¯re older than everybody else. Number one, that¡¯s nuts. You know that¡¯s nuts, right? There are four people younger than her, and two of them are our captains.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ really interesting situation to find ourselves in, yeah.¡± Jun tried to hide how obviously freaked out he was. He failed.


    ¡°Number two, I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯,¡± he drummed his fists on the table. ¡°Who¡¯s to stop you from being fully¡­ yourself?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Aiden would be more direct, but outing Jun in front of whoever might be watching the cameras wasn¡¯t his intention.


    He covered his mouth. ¡°The ¡®them¡¯ thing.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡± Jun reacted like the airhead he liked pretending to be. ¡°What¡¯s stopping me from telling the others about that? I¡¯m The First Woman in the IF, there are a lot of eyes on me. I don¡¯t know these people yet; one of them might leak it out to the public.¡±


    ¡°JK, you know like half the ship! Me, Roxie, and didn¡¯t you say you and her know that other red-headed girl?¡±


    ¡°Not that well, but I can¡¯t see her starting anything.¡± responded the dark-haired ranger. ¡°I don¡¯t really sense your roommate doing anything like that either, but like I said, I don¡¯t really know him well enough yet to really tell...¡±


    ¡°What about the other two?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t really get a read on them.¡± Jun closed his eyes, or at least the one Aiden could see. ¡°We rarely see one of them and the younger one¡­ might be okay¡­? It¡¯s hard to tell.¡±


    Aiden leaned toward Jun. ¡°The way I see it, besides you, me and Roxie are the only ones who really have any experience in the IF, and we¡¯re already on your side, more or less. The others are gonna need our help at some point.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re saying¡­? Hold our experience over their heads?¡± Jun made it sound like such a bad thing.


    ¡°Yeah! If they have a problem with you being who you are, let them see how far they can get without you!¡± It made perfect sense to Aiden. ¡°If they¡¯re smart, they won¡¯t get on your bad side.¡±


    Jun ran a hand through his bangs. ¡°They might be young, but they¡¯re not helpless!¡±


    Aiden snickered. ¡°Please. You shoulda seen your face when Rox told you we were the only ones over 20. Blondie barely knows how this ship works!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure their dad taught them everything they needed to know. Galhardo¡¯s an okay guy as far as the chief commanders go; I talked to him a couple times back in the day. Really thorough, gave me some good advice.¡± Jun reminisced. ¡°So I don¡¯t think this is a case of thoughtless nepotism.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s thoughtful nepotism. What a relief.¡± Aiden wanted to show Jun how ridiculous he just sounded. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you had a favorite overlord.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like¡­ whatever.¡± The dark-haired ranger rested his head in his hand.


    ¡°You know what? You might be onto something.¡± Aiden leaned back. ¡°Maybe it is thoughtful nepotism. Because they¡¯re puppets!¡±


    ¡°What??¡±


    ¡°Why else would he pick his sons to do this? He wanted two guys who¡¯d follow his every word. One to stay up in his room and listen and the other to keep us from noticing anything.¡±


    Jun covered his face. ¡°...Have you been hanging out on IF denier forums again? You¡¯re starting to sound like them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s beside the point.¡±


    The older ranger groaned. ¡°You¡¯re so gonna get yourself fired, bro.¡±


    Aiden ignored his warning. ¡°Anyway, why else do you think we didn¡¯t see our captain for a whole week?¡±


    ¡°I dunno!¡± Jun shrugged. ¡°Maybe he got space sick! Or maybe he¡¯s just nervous. And I mean, if I¡¯m not mistaken, this is his first time in the IF and he¡¯s got a whole ship and crew to look after. I¡¯d be a little freaked out in his shoes, plus, he struck me as the quiet type. Besides...¡± He looked away. ¡°I know for a fact that your theory is wrong.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± This piqued Aiden¡¯s interest. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I have my reasons.¡±


    He waited for a second. ¡°Sooo, you gonna tell me what they are?¡±


    A smug look crossed Jun¡¯s face.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The blond sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve been hangin¡¯ out with me too much.¡±


    ¡°Now you know how it feels!¡± The older ranger was entirely too pleased with himself. ¡°But¡­ I would tell you if I felt like I could.¡±


    Aiden believed that much. Jun wasn¡¯t the type to bluff. However, this did leave the two at a standstill, which was annoying.


    ¡°Why do you even care, anyway?¡± Jun moved on, more annoyingly.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°About people calling me the wrong thing. Back when I first told you about it, you thought I was being ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Aiden admitted. ¡°But now I think everything is ridiculous, so you might as well.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t follow.¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself.¡± He remembered Jun¡¯s words. ¡°People rely on us to care way more about gender than it really matters, for what? So they can charge more for life insurance? Pink razors?¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve figured that would be the thing that stuck with you.¡±


    ¡°But were you lying?¡± Aiden got a head shake in response. ¡°And that¡¯s just the little stuff! Don¡¯t even get me started on how many dudes are told they should be proud to die in a war because it¡¯ll make them a ¡®real man.¡¯ Or that women will explode if they go to space, so all they should focus on is being good enough servants for their man. What is this?¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± Jun shrugged. ¡°Bro, I¡¯m just as confused as you are. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be this passionate about it though.¡±


    ¡°Because so many people fell for it! They think it¡¯s fair. That it makes sense. I¡¯m mad I didn¡¯t notice until you told me. I always thought it was kinda goofy how far dudes were willing to go to prove their masculinity or whatever, but I had no idea it went this deep.¡± Aiden shrugged in disbelief. ¡°But it was right in front of me the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t feel bad for not realizing it sooner. If it makes you feel better,¡± like Jun needed to make him feel better, ¡°I think it¡¯s easier for people to realize it when people don¡¯t ¡®act like¡¯ the gender they¡¯re seen as. Like, you¡¯d be considered a manly man.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even care about that.¡± Aiden knew what he was trying to get at, but he wanted to set the record straight that he never cared to live up to that kind of thing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t, but other people do. No one¡¯s gonna point out that you¡¯re weird for a guy, or try to make you feel insecure about it. Even if they did, it wouldn¡¯t work as well because you already fit the bill so well. Not to mention that you¡¯re not the type to care about stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was never like, insecure about it or anything, but people sure make it a habit to point out how not-feminine I am.¡± Jun leaned back in his chair.


    Aiden remembered the kind of stuff people would say behind Jun¡¯s back. Honestly, guys criticizing him for being too masculine was the least annoying of it.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t too bad on its own, but I did realize that a lot of the things I wanted to do were mostly done by guys. It¡¯d make it harder for me to prove that I¡¯m capable, plus I¡¯d be a target. Same for you if you wanted to be a nurse or elementary school teacher.¡±


    ¡°Would you trust me if I was a nurse or a teacher?¡± Aiden raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°No, but that¡¯s because I know you, not because you¡¯re a guy.¡±


    ¡°At least you didn¡¯t become a pig.¡± He took the reasonable conclusion from this. ¡°You woulda been a capable one though. Except for your pacifism and your whole moral code thing.¡±


    ¡°The pacifism was after I left training.¡± Jun lowered his voice. ¡°Also maybe cool it with the cop hate around the authority figure who could be listening to us, like, right now?¡±


    Aiden ignored him and shook his head. ¡°Man, I¡¯ve just been noticing this stuff more and more.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the club, I guess.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re treated like different species or somethin¡¯ just because one of us has a¡ª¡±


    Another blond burst into the kitchen. The lieutenant captain hustled over to the oven.


    ¡°Hi guys, did the oven go off yet?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s something in the oven?¡± asked Jun.


    ¡°Did I forget to put something in the oven? Shoot!¡± Emil panickedly paced around before opening up the freezer. ¡°Oh good! I did remember to stock the fridge!¡±


    The curly blond tossed a box into the air and caught it before pulling out a pan from one of the cupboards.


    He turned to Jun and Aiden. ¡°Are you guys okay with pizza rolls for dinner?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s food to me.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°...Yeah, that sounds great!¡± Jun humored him. The eldest ranger had the same look on his face that Aiden saw in parents whose children made them gifts out of trash: Encouragement mixed with pity.


    ¡°Cool, cool!¡± The young lieutenant dumped a bunch of pizza rolls on a pan and shoved it into the oven.


    ¡°Did you preheat the oven yet?¡± asked the non-blond.


    Emil snatched the pan out of the oven and pressed a few buttons Aiden was unfamiliar with. He didn¡¯t cook much.


    ¡°Let me know when the timer beeps!¡± Emil paced around some more. ¡°I should be somewhere close by. Actually!¡± He sat down across from Aiden. ¡°I think I¡¯ll chill out here for a little bit.¡± Even sitting down, he still kept moving his leg. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything else I need to do. I checked the storage room, stocked the fridge, checked the generator room--still not entirely sure how it works or what I¡¯m checking for, but I checked it!--then I did extra training with Rookie before the real jet armor training for the day--by the way Aiden, you did amazing--¡±


    Aiden knew this.


    ¡°And then¡­¡± Emil slowed down. ¡°Oh right! L--The captain told me to check the gym. Something happen in there? There were a bunch of signs that were like ¡®Do not use this!¡± and ¡°Cursed!¡± and then there was a weight on the floor?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, that fell off the machine today.¡± Jun explained.


    ¡°Nearly hit me in the head.¡± The bearded ranger patted the back of his head.


    ¡°What??¡± Emil¡¯s eyes grew in horror. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯ll get that fixed right away! Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still alive, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡± He wiped his brow as if he were the one who almost died. ¡°Just yesterday, I got so excited that I finally got to talk to you! Can¡¯t have ya dying!¡± He winked. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you remember me...¡±


    ¡°Barely.¡±


    ¡°Still! Whenever dad would take us on different ships, I¡¯d always look for you outside. I know it probably sounds kinda dorky, but seeing you do jet tricks was the highlight of my day.¡±


    Aiden laughed. Emil was right, he sounded like a huge dork, but an endearing one. Still, Aiden had to remind himself that this kid was his boss. He still didn¡¯t trust him.


    ¡°And I can¡¯t forget about you either, Jun Kim, First Lady of the IF!¡±


    Jun tried to laugh. ¡°That makes me sound like I married the admiral.¡±


    ¡°Noo, you¡¯re far more important than that,¡± Emil hesitated, ¡°not to diss the admiral¡¯s wife or anything! But I¡¯m really glad you came along.¡± His eyes seemed sincere. ¡°Back in the Academy--¡±


    Ugh. Of course he graduated from the Interstellar Forces Preparatory Academy. Private school students made Aiden want to gag. The ones he usually came across were stuck up, stingy, and/or incredibly patronizing.


    ¡°--I always thought it was kinda cruel that girls could go there even though they weren¡¯t allowed in the IF. One of my friends really wanted to enlist, but she couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Aww man.¡± Jun sympathized with his story.


    Emil continued. ¡°The IFPA hyped up being in the IF like it was the best and only thing you should be doing with your life. I already felt like that was overkill, but my friend told me it kinda made her and the other girls feel like they were worth less than the rest of us.¡±


    Overkill? Sure, Aiden agreed wholeheartedly with that, but he didn¡¯t expect a son of one of the chief commanders to feel that way.


    ¡°Me and my friend were both so excited when the news came out that women could enlist! So, thanks. You¡¯re really cool~¡± The bleached blond pointed and winked at Jun.


    ¡°No problem!¡± Jun returned it. ¡°And you¡¯re really cool for caring. Did your friend ever enlist?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. We kinda fell out.¡± Emil stretched out one of his curls. ¡°She had a crush on me, but I didn¡¯t feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh, I know how that is.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Aiden remembered a girl who used to follow him around during his teenage years. It was annoying.


    ¡°She got mad at me and we never really spoke after that. I miss her, though. Hope she finds someone for her.¡± The lieutenant realized something. ¡°Did I remember to tell you guys about the no dating rule on this ship?¡±


    ¡°We ain¡¯t breakin¡¯ it.¡± Aiden gave him a mild scowl. Not a death glare, but enough to let him know how tired he was of that accusation between him and Jun.


    ¡°Oh! No, no, no, no, I didn¡¯t think you guys were--No!¡± Emil waved his hands in denial. ¡°I just meant to tell everyone last week. It¡¯s not like a hard and fast rule, but we¡¯re discouraged from dating each other within the Celestion units. At least until the mission is over. I kinda understand why. Could you imagine a breakup on a tiny ship like this? Awkwaaard.¡±


    ¡°Ye--¡± The oven beeped, cutting Jun off.


    ¡°There¡¯s the oven!¡± The rookie lieutenant sprang up from his seat and popped the pizza rolls into the oven. ¡°Those should be ready in about 20 minutes.¡± He sat back down. ¡°But yeah, that rule shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem for me. I can¡¯t see myself in a relationship anytime soon, especially not now. Don¡¯t get me wrong, getting to know you guys is cool, but I¡¯m smart enough to know a lieutenant dating subordinates doesn¡¯t look too good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to keep in mind.¡± The oldest ranger applauded him. Aiden agreed with that.


    Emil drummed on the table. ¡°It¡¯s rare that I come across a rule in the IF that I completely understand. I know some keep us safe, but a lotta them feel too strict. That might just be me, though.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­?¡± Aiden lifted his head up.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The other blond stared down at the table. ¡°It probably didn¡¯t help that Dad enforced some of them at home, plus some of his own, and I wasn¡¯t always the best at following them.¡± He looked up. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯ve been in the IF my whole life!¡±


    He laughed, but Aiden could tell that he wasn¡¯t entirely fond of his upbringing. In a way, it reminded Aiden a little of himself. He knew what it was like, growing up in a strict household, though Emil didn¡¯t seem quite as much of a deliberate troublemaker.


    ¡°Hey, people make mistakes.¡± Jun tried to cheer the kid up.


    ¡°Tell that to my big bro.¡± Emil shook his head, smiling. ¡°There¡¯s no one more ready to be in the IF, not even Rookie!¡± How ironic that he nicknamed Leon Rookie when he himself and the captain are also rookies. ¡°My dad and brother are like clones. Sometimes I think Lo--the captain might be a liiittle bit stricter. It¡¯s annoying sometimes, but you can tell it¡¯s ¡®cause he loves the IF so much. He knows everything about it! He even memorized the handbook! Isn¡¯t that cool?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty cool!¡± Jun smiled.


    Cool? Sinking your life into the IF¡¯s rules was the saddest and most pathetic thing Aiden could think of. However, this did give him two important pieces of information. One, if Chief Commander Galhardo knew his sons well, he¡¯d know that Emil wouldn¡¯t follow orders just for the sake of following orders. If Aiden¡¯s theory was true, Emil probably got left out of the loop. The captain, however, seemed like the perfect candidate for a puppet leader. Since they were on the subject of him, Aiden had few questions.


    ¡°How come we never see your brother around? What¡¯s he doing up there in his room?¡±


    Emil squinted his eyes. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know, actually. He said he had some important things to do, but he never told me what.¡±


    He was absolutely getting left out of the loop. Aiden almost felt bad for him. Almost. Jun did say he had some reason to believe that the Galhardos weren¡¯t picked so that their dad could control things from behind the scenes, but until Aiden found what that reason was, he was sticking to his theory.


    A few minutes later, Emil had a concerned look on his face.


    ¡°Did I set the timer on the oven¡­?¡±


    Jun looked behind Aiden. ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember when I put the pizza rolls in?¡± Emil grew frantic.


    The dark-haired ranger tilted his head. ¡°I think it was, like, 6:45ish? It¡¯s 7:07 right now.¡±


    Emil scrambled over to the kitchen drawers to find an oven mitt. He took the pizza rolls out of the oven.


    ¡°Phew, they¡¯re safe!¡± He placed them on the counter. ¡°If my brother were here, he¡¯d probably tell me this isn¡¯t a ¡®proper dinner.¡¯ But he¡¯s not here right now, and this is about all I can cook, so,¡± he held out his arms, ¡°bon appetit~!¡±


    Emil grabbed a plate and put some pizza rolls on it, mildly burning himself in the process.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna take these up to the captain, and by the time I come back they should actually be edible. ¡± With a wink, he left the room.


    Jun was the first to speak afterwards. ¡°He¡¯s trying his best. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a part of any sinister plans.¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you changed your mind! That¡¯s chill.¡± He bobbed his head, staring into space. ¡°...You know what¡¯s kinda sad?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was able to guess your plan, the one about using our experience as a bargaining chip, because¡­ I was kinda thinking the same thing.¡± Jun¡¯s face grew serious. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can go another year as The First Woman in the IF. There¡¯s not gonna be many chances where it¡¯ll just be you and me or me and Rox. Less chances to be who I am."


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Aiden hadn¡¯t thought of that, actually.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see myself being like ¡®If you don¡¯t accept me, I¡¯m not gonna help you anymore,¡¯ but I feel like this is as good an opportunity as any to come out with it.¡± Jun shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m gonna let the others know dinner¡¯s ready.¡±


    ¡°¡®K.¡±


    Aiden watched his friend go. To be honest, he didn¡¯t quite understand Jun¡¯s gender, but he knew they weren¡¯t happy as a woman. He already watched them sacrifice so much pretending to be a man. Were they supposed to go through that again for the rest of their life? There was already enough injustice in this world. Someone like Jun didn¡¯t need to experience any more than they had to, at least Aiden thought so. They deserved better. They were the one person Aiden trusted¡­


    So he thought. Today¡­ things felt different. Aiden might not understand Roxie at all, but she seemed too weird to do any real harm. Then there was Emil. On one hand, he was a rich kid fresh out of private school who got into a position of authority from extreme privilege, everything Aiden hated. On the other hand, Aiden got glimpses of a kind boy who actually cared to question how things worked and who benefited or suffered as a result. Maybe there was hope for him, but only time would tell what kind of person Emil truly was. Aiden hated being made to look like a fool.


    For the time being, two things were true. There were fresh pizza rolls, and no one else was in the room. He knew he could trust that his stomach was hungry.

 Next Episode: Overworked

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up? How¡¯s it goin¡¯? Emil h-- Whoops, nearly dropped something! Emil here. Glad to see ya¡¯! I was just helping my bro out with a couple things¡­ more like a lotta things. I meeean, my bro¡¯s really busy right now with¡­ stuff. He never really told me what. Weird.  Anyway, we haven¡¯t exaaaactly doled out jobs yet, but I don¡¯t wanna stress everybody out in the first couple weeks. So I¡¯ve been doing a little bit of everything. Cooking, cleaning, restocking stuff¡­ What was I doing just now? It¡¯ll come back to me.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Not gonna lie, I¡¯m feelin¡¯ a little outta my league here, but it¡¯s all cool. It¡¯s about time I start pulling my own weight. I just wish I was more, y¡¯know-- Shoot! That¡¯s what I forgot!


    Uhhh, sorry buddy! Nice chatting with ya, but I reeeally gotta dip out for a sec.


    Shoot shoot shoot, I hope I¡¯m not too late¡­!¡±

 [Overworked]

    These stairs would be the death of Emil. He stumbled down them on his way to his destination. What was he doing there? As the blond stood in the doorway of the burner room, that question echoed in his mind. Suddenly, steam erupted from one of the pipes, as if to give him an answer. He knew fixing pipes wasn¡¯t what he meant to be doing right now, but he might as well since he made it all the way down here.


    There was one problem, though. He had no tools! The lieutenant held his head in his hands, laughing. Who would he be if he didn¡¯t make such careless mistakes? He left the room, thinking he must¡¯ve forgotten them when he¡­


    What exactly did he do last? He tallied most of the medical supplies by hand, set out some food on the kitchen counter to thaw, or at least he thought he did, he went by the gym to fix¡­what was it he meant to fix? Was there anything to fix? The events of the day jumbled into mush. All he knew for sure was that he¡¯d been running around the ship so much, he could qualify for a marathon.


    The tools were in the burner room! Recollection smacked the lieutenant captain in the face, as did his own hand for almost going around in circles. He groaned as he walked back down the troublesome staircase.


    Back in the burner room, he handled the adjustable wrench carefully. Not out of skill, though. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t really sure what he was doing. A burst of steam nearly missed his face, sending him tumbling backward on the floor with a yell. As he rubbed his face, the door slammed open. National hero Jun Kim towered in the doorway, followed by the rookie ranger Leon Summers. Both looked frantic.


    ¡°I heard a scream.¡± Jun must¡¯ve thought there was real trouble. How embarrassing!


    ¡°Emil, are you okay?¡± Leon looked so worried.


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Though he said that, Emil couldn¡¯t muster it in himself to get off the floor.


    Jun helped him up to his feet instead. It surprised Emil how concerned the older ranger looked. All traces of a breezy surfer were gone and replaced with someone much more alert and vigilant. It reminded him of his brother. Emil felt bad for making Jun worry, but also wished he could change his own demeanor that easily. He felt too silly and too irresponsible to belong in the Interstellar Forces. Meanwhile, Leon cautiously made his way toward the steam.


    ¡°Hey Rookie, don¡¯t get too close to that, okay? Nearly melted my face off...¡± warned the blond.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry, I was just taking a closer look!¡± Leon pointed at the pipe. ¡°Were you trying to tighten that bolt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The lieutenant chuckled in spite of himself. ¡°I know a goofball like me shouldn¡¯t be anywhere near this stuff, but I don¡¯t know when to quit. I don¡¯t even know if I really know how to use this wrench!¡± Emil was starting to learn that little brother privileges came with setbacks. Other people usually handled this stuff for him.


    ¡°Me neither, actually!¡±


    ¡°O-oh really?¡± Emil breathed a sigh of relief. Despite his lighthearted joking, he felt self-conscious not knowing how to use something as simple as a wrench, especially as a guy. He always made a careful effort to be just masculine enough not to cause suspicion. It was a tiring act no one knew about, but he wanted to keep it that way. In any event, He was glad to meet another non-handyman.


    ¡°I can show you guys, if you feel like it.¡± Once again, Jun was a hero. At least one person in this group knew what they were doing.


    ¡°That¡¯d be great!¡± The blond wished he had Leon¡¯s energy right now.


    ¡°Cool.¡± Jun backed out of the room. ¡°I¡¯m gonna run by my dorm to pick up my gloves real quick.¡±


    Once Jun left, Emil absentmindedly stretched his arms, yawned, and then slouched over.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s bad, but I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not the only one who doesn¡¯t know how to wrench things!¡± He chuckled. ¡°I thought it was something so basic, everyone knew.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Emil! Besides, even if it was, we¡¯d be glad to help you out!¡±


    ¡°Aaaah, you don¡¯t have to do all that¡­ But thanks!¡± Though he appreciated Leon¡¯s offer, the lieutenant didn¡¯t want to trouble anyone else with his problems. With an entire crew under him now, he felt like it was high time he started practicing that responsibility thing his brother and father loved so much.


    Jun mozied back into the room a few minutes later, wearing the standard Interstellar Forces teal gloves. Jet-black waves of hair swished back and forth over her right eye. It gave her the carefree look Emil was more used to seeing. It had been five years since Jun posed as a man to get into the IF, but the older ranger still kept an androgynous look. May rumors speculated why this was the case, but she never gave a straight answer or otherwise.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this party started.¡± the eldest ranger announced with a dry smile. ¡°Rox is gonna kill me if I burn myself because of this, but--¡±


    Bending backwards, Jun limboed under the steam, springing back up on the other side.


    ¡°Tadaaa.¡±


    Emil and Leon gave their applause. The former tried to cheer, but it came out in a yawn.


    Jun bowed. ¡°Thank you, thank---¡± She suddenly drew back after almost bowing head-first into the steam. ¡°First lesson of wrenching!¡± She pointed at the steam. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Noted!¡± The lieutenant tried his best to pay attention like the good student his teachers always said he could¡¯ve been.


    The eldest ranger paused. ¡°So were you, like, trying to tighten this bolt orrr¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Emil pulled at one of his curls. ¡°...I think so?¡±


    ¡°Okay, so¡­ Actually, I should be on the other side. I¡¯m gonna walk back around to the other side like a normal person.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way we could turn off the steam?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°Good thinking!¡± encouraged the blond. ¡°That would probably cut down on a lot of the almost-dying going on. I thiiink it¡¯s that over there?¡± His finger found its way over to point at a valve at the back of the room.


    Leon hurried over to the valve. He struggled turning it, but eventually the steam slowed down to a stop. Afterwards, Jun instructed the other two step by step on how to use a wrench, even letting them try it out for themselves.


    ¡°Sweeeet, you guys got the hang of it pretty quickly!¡± Jun clapped.


    ¡°All thanks to you, Jun!¡± The lieutenant gave a thumbs-up and winked.


    The dark-haired ranger thumbed at the door. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna go grab a bite to eat. You two joinin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No thanks!¡± Leon declined. ¡°I¡¯m headed to the gym.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you there earlier?¡± Like everything else today, Emil couldn¡¯t quite remember.


    ¡°Yeah, but I figured with as much free time as I have now, I should do what I can to be in tip-top shape! I wanna make sure I¡¯m ready the next time I use the jet armor!¡±


    Emil had no idea what exercising would have to do with flying in zero gravity, but he didn¡¯t ask questions. With a quick salute, Leon headed out of the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourself, Rookie!¡± the lieutenant called after him. He got the feeling that he meant to tell Leon something, but it didn¡¯t come to mind. It probably wasn¡¯t that important.


    ¡°What about you, Emil?¡± Jun turned to him. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you sit down all day. Or yesterday. Why don¡¯t you, like... take a load off for a while, dude?¡±


    Sure, he may¡¯ve looked overly busy to Jun, but it wasn¡¯t like he worked that hard. He had plenty of times to take a rest! Like¡­ Actually, he couldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°You know¡­ Maybe that¡¯s not a bad idea.¡±


    Jun gave a thumbs-up of approval. ¡°Niiice.¡±


    He appreciated Jun looking out for him like that. They made their way back up to the first floor with no problem.


    ¡°Sorry to cause such a fuss.¡± Emil apologized. ¡°What have you been up to?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much...¡±


    ¡°Anything good on TV? Enjoy service while it lasts. Once we go past the moon, we¡¯ll be stuck with whatever movies we brought with us.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jun looked at him, confused. ¡°The TV still doesn¡¯t work yet.¡±


    ¡°Ughhh, seriously...?¡± The lieutenant groaned. One more thing for him to fix. ¡°Sorry. I really shouldn¡¯t let myself get so heated. Gotta stay cool~¡± He pretended to smooth back his hair. His brother, his father, and even Jun always seemed so cool-headed. He didn¡¯t understand how nothing got under their skin.


    Jun smiled at his antics. He must¡¯ve looked like a silly kid in comparison to her, but that was alright.


    ¡°You know, even though I¡¯ve only known you for two weeks, not counting all the times I saw you on TV back in middle school--¡±


    ¡°Dang, you were in middle school back when I was found out?¡± Jun¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡°I mean, you are only like 18, so I guess it makes sense, but¡­ still¡­ Anyway, what were you gonna say? Sorry for cutting in.¡±


    ¡°No problem! I was just gonna say, you remind me of a big cousin or something.¡± The lieutenant felt like he could be more himself around Jun, more himself than around a good portion of his family, actually. He got the feeling that the two of them were alike on some level, a level they couldn¡¯t talk about freely, not with his brother¡¯s eyes monitoring the ship¡¯s cameras.


    ¡°Aww.¡± Jun lightly elbowed Emil¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re like a little cousin to me too, ¡®cept I can actually understand you.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t understand your cousins?¡±


    ¡°Nah. Ma¡¯s side of the family lives in South Korea, and Pops is an only child. Me and him only understand a little bit of Korean, not enough to actually, like, talk to anyone. There¡¯s this one cousin I have--¡± Jun laughed. ¡°--Me and him communicate exclusively in finger guns. Like so.¡± The older ranger finger gunned at Emil.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He zoned out for a second, but managed to return it. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine not bein¡¯ able to understand my folks.¡± Emil leaned on the staircase to the second floor. ¡°My mom¡¯s family mostly lives in the States, but my grandparents on her side only know a little English. You¡¯ve actually been to Korea though?¡±


    Jun moved toward the kitchen door, probably wanting lunch. ¡°Yep, we used to go every few years, but I haven¡¯t been since the, ahem, incident. Anyway, I wish I was bilingual. It¡¯s cool that you are. I¡¯m assuming the captain is, too?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Emil pumped his arm. ¡°Dad made sure we learned every last in and out of the Spanish language!¡± He remembered the days he and his brother were made to sift through endless pages of Spanish academia. No matter the language, it was still a chore.


    ¡°Cool!¡± Jun looked around. ¡°Where is the captain, anyway? I haven¡¯t seen him around.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ probably in his room.¡± The blond looked down. As tired as he felt, he knew his brother had to be under so much more pressure than he could even imagine. Emil had to stay strong.


    To tell the truth, he¡¯d been feeling a little sour lately. He didn¡¯t like it. This mission needed a good start, that good start needed a good crew, and that good crew needed good morale from a leader who was in a good mood! Since his brother wasn¡¯t planning on showing his face any time soon, Emil took it upon himself to be that guy.


    He didn¡¯t mind that! Pumping people up was something he considered to be one of his best traits. Fixing things was not. Neither was staying focused on tasks he already didn¡¯t want to do. Those were all his brother¡¯s strengths, Lorenzo¡¯s strengths. Even if Emil was somehow able to hold this ship together, it didn¡¯t come as easily to him as it did for his brother.


    After all, Lorenzo actually trained to be a captain.


    ¡°Emil? You comin¡¯ in or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, whoops~!¡± The lieutenant had been too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice Jun holding the door open for him. ¡°Thanks, Jun!¡±


    Emil entered the kitchen, but his thoughts were still on his brother. Aside from the stress of being a first-time captain, he knew something else kept Lorenzo from coming out of his room. The captain was allergic to people. At least, he acted like it. It was a terrible trait to have on a ship this small, and such a shame too. There were so many cool people in this crew! How Emil wished his brother would give them a chance.


    Speaking of their crew, two of its members were already in the kitchen when he and Jun arrived. Roxie¡¯s head snapped toward the newcomers, while Aiden only expended enough energy to make a quick glance. They sat across the table from each other. Aiden slouched, resting his chin on his hands. Emil couldn¡¯t tell if his expression showed extreme boredom or mild interest. In contrast, Roxie looked as chipper as ever; even her hair was bouncing!


    The lieutenant snapped out of his daze to notice their eyes on him. He realized he hadn¡¯t said anything to them yet. That wasn¡¯t like the enthusiastic lieutenant captain they knew. He feared they would find out something was wrong; he had to say something quick!


    ¡°Heeey guys! How are you all doing on this fine day...or night? Hard to tell in space, hahaa.¡± Oof. That sounded way more lethargic than he hoped. So much for enthusiasm.


    ¡°Hi Junzie! Oh, hi Emzie! Glad you¡¯re okay!¡± Thank goodness Roxie didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    ¡°¡®Sup Rox?¡± was Jun¡¯s greeting, before she went to go pull the rest of the leftovers out of the refrigerator.


    Emil laughed. ¡°Emzie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought it was cute!¡± Roxie explained. ¡°I¡¯m still trying to figure out a nickname for Aiden, though. How about Kelsie? Since your last name is Kelly?¡±


    The older blond lacked any enthusiasm. ¡°...No thanks.¡±


    ¡°Darn!¡± Roxie snapped her fingers. ¡°No worries! I will not cease until I find a nickname for you befitting of your stature!¡±


    ¡±You know.¡± Emil paced toward the back of the kitchen before turning to Aiden. ¡°Back when I didn¡¯t know your name, I thought of you as the Shooting Star, cause in the jet armor, you¡¯d go so fast that you looked like one.¡±


    Aiden laughed.


    ¡°I know it sounds corny, you don¡¯t have to laugh!¡± The lieutenant felt more like himself after chatting with the others. Still, even after sitting beside Roxie, he couldn¡¯t stop tapping his foot. He felt like he should be doing something else¡­


    ¡°Emil?¡± Emil found himself caught off guard by Roxie¡¯s brown eyes. They stared at him expectantly.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your hair looks less poofy than usual.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? I haven¡¯t had a chance to look at it recently.¡± Weird. His afro usually maintained itself without that much picking throughout the day. He felt it for confirmation. It didn¡¯t feel that much flatter, but maybe he should¡¯ve taken his comb with him.


    ¡°I meant metaphorically speaking.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡± This confused him even more.


    Aiden seemed to notice. ¡°Get used to it, she¡¯s been speaking in riddles all day.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember telling you any riddles! It must¡¯ve been hyperbole, since I tend to exaggerate things for--Anyway!¡± Roxie placed her hands on the table. ¡°Emil, what I meant to say is, the hair of your heart is less poofy.¡±


    Emil glanced at Aiden for hope of an explanation, but he only returned a look that said ¡°I told you so.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean... my chest¡­ hair¡­?¡± The lieutenant glanced down at his chest.


    ¡°No! Why would I even know that?? I meant--¡±


    ¡°She meant you seem tired lately.¡± Jun returned to the table with food from the microwave and a translation.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Roxie bobbed her head. ¡°That¡¯s what I was saying!¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say that instead of--you know what?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°You do your thing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you~¡±


    ¡°Aww man.¡± Emil sighed. ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t do a great job of hiding it, huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean... We did see you almost fall down the stairs earlier.¡± Jun pointed out.


    The lieutenant could feel his face flush with embarrassment. From this table, there was a clear view of the staircase. Deciding to laugh instead, he opted to cover his face in dramatic shame.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you saw me at my lowest moment! My image is ruined~¡±


    ¡±Don¡¯t give up hope!¡± Roxie leaned toward him, bursting with encouragement. That was his job! ¡°You can rise from this, like a phoenix from the ashes! But I also meant to tell you that me and Mia organized the medical supplies so that they¡¯d be easier to keep track of next time!¡±


    ¡°O-oh! Thank you so much, Roxie.¡± Someone took care of something for him? Emil felt thoroughly touched. ¡°Tell Mia I said thanks too! Really, that¡¯s so kind of you guys, I-I¡¯m kind of at a loss for words...!¡±


    ¡±Awwww, any time! And about counting the medical supplies--I¡¯ll handle it next time if you want. The infirmary is my domain as well!¡± She jabbed a thumb into her chest. ¡°I will protect it with my life! And that way you¡¯ll have one less thing on your hands.¡±


    ¡°Roxie, I-- You¡¯re too kind!¡± He could¡¯ve hugged her right now. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay with all that work? I could handle it next time if you--¡±


    ¡°Say no more!¡± she commanded. Just as quickly as she interrupted Emil, she gave him a cutesy smile. ¡°It¡¯s just the infirmary! You can still have the rest of the ship.¡±


    Emil pulled at one of his curls. ¡°Hmmm¡­..You know what? I¡¯ll think about it!¡±


    ¡°Aye-aye, lieutenant captain!¡± Roxie saluted. ¡°By the way, did Rookie ever get to ask you his question?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He didn¡¯t remember a question. ¡°I don¡¯t think he asked me anything earlier, but my memory hasn¡¯t really been what the cool kids call ¡®reliable¡¯ lately, so maybe it just slipped the ol¡¯ noggin.¡± Emil flicked himself in the head a few times, half for emphasis, half in the hope that it would jog his memory.


    ¡°I think Jun and Leon were going to ask--¡±


    Jun quickly swallowed some food. ¡°Slow down Rox, I think I wanna save it for when Leon gets back.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Roxie understood. ¡°Good idea!¡±


    Maybe he was imagining it, but Emil felt some energy return to him. Part of him thought he should take more breaks like this during the day, but that was the old Emil. The cute but irresponsible Galhardo-Alverez brother. He wanted to be the cute and responsible brother¡­ but Lorenzo had too much responsibility for Emil to take his place. Maybe he could settle for the cute and not-as-irresponsible-in-comparison brother. Yes. He now had an attainable goal.


    A thud came from the direction of the gym. Emil broke into a cold sweat as he finally remembered what he forgot to tell Leon.


    ¡°Oh shoot.¡± He made a break for the gym. ¡°Oh shoot, oh shoot ohshoot ohshoot ohshoot!¡±


    His suspicions were confirmed when he got to the scene. A weight from the chest machine had fallen, missing Leon by the skin of his bucked teeth. Emil originally went to the burner room to retrieve the tools needed to fix it properly after it nearly fell on Aiden last week. It all flooded back to him, but he was too late. The weight of his mistakes almost crashed down on someone else¡¯s head.


    ¡°Rookie are you alright?¡±


    Leon managed to pry his eyes away from the fallen weight in front of him. ¡°Yeah, just a little shaken up, but I¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    Emil rested a hand on his head, horrified. ¡°Oh man, I am so sorry for not telling you about that, you could¡¯ve been--!!¡±


    ¡°Oh good, you guys are okay!¡± called Jun¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get a major workout with all this running around. You guys know I¡¯m too old for this, heh.¡± She joked, as if she were any older than 27.


    Emil looked behind him to see that Jun, Roxie, and a straggling Aiden followed him to the gym.


    If the weight didn¡¯t crash into Leon, Roxie did. ¡°Oh my gosh, are you alright??¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine!¡± He managed to choke out from a bear hug.


    Roxie released him and pointed at the weight. ¡°Will it not cease until it has a victim??¡±


    ¡°Did that weight fall again?¡± Aiden grimaced at it. ¡°Who put it back up? And what are these for?¡± He picked up a toolset laying nearby.


    ¡°I did¡­¡± Emil admitted, though he didn¡¯t remember how the toolset got there. ¡°I was planning on fixing it today, but I got distracted by so many things, I--¡± He shook his head, picking up the weight. Shame welled up inside of him. ¡°I shoulda tried to focus more. Someone could¡¯ve gotten hurt because of me!¡±


    ¡°Emil, don¡¯t be so hard on yourself.¡± Leon spoke up. ¡°If anything, it was my fault.¡± He smiled sheepishly. ¡°I remembered seeing you try to fix it earlier today, so I thought I¡¯d surprise you by getting the rest done! It sure was a surprise alright¡­ Sorry for making you worry.¡±


    ¡°Leon¡­¡± The lieutenant¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°You should¡¯ve just reminded me to fix it!¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ but--¡±


    ¡°Me and Leon were gonna ask you if you had any chores you needed us to do.¡± Jun explained. ¡°It didn¡¯t feel right sitting back while you worked yourself to death.¡±


    ¡°You guys thought I was working myself to death? Me?¡± Emil laughed. ¡°Are you sure you have the right guy?¡±


    ¡°Who else has been running around the ship like a chicken with its head cut off the past few weeks?¡± asked Aiden.


    ¡°Aiden? Even you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I was gonna volunteer to work, but¡­¡± The older blond stroked his beard. ¡°I¡¯m bored to death of sitting around the kitchen all day. Plus, you¡¯re starting to look like you¡¯re barely holding it together.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that serious, really.¡± The lieutenant still couldn¡¯t understand why everyone was so worried about him. ¡°I¡¯ve hardly done anything at all today! I had to get Jun to teach me how to use a wrench, I forgot to fix this machine that nearly flattened Rookie, I forgot to thaw the food out--Shoot! I forgot to thaw the food out!!¡± The realization struck him after he said it. ¡°See? I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not really responsible or organized enough to have a real reason to be tired.¡± He smiled. ¡°No need to worry about a silly, carefree guy like me. I¡¯m probably just tired from pulling my weight for once.¡±


    Aiden shrugged. ¡°If by your weight you mean the weight of the entire ship, then okay. Whatever floats your boat I guess¡­¡±


    Jun placed a hand on Emil¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yeah man, you seem a little overworked. Your brain¡¯s all jumbled up from doing a lot lately. You¡¯re underselling your hard work.¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t know what to say. He couldn¡¯t deny that he felt like he¡¯d been working hard lately, but in his experience, rarely did anyone acknowledge how hard he tried.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been a rock carrying us to shore! You lift us on your shoulders like a titan!¡± Roxie grew serious. ¡°As a medical student, I can say with certainty that all this stress is going to wear down on your health sooner or later. We all need to be strong if we want to survive this trip.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Leon added. ¡°We¡¯re a crew! It¡¯s not fair for you to do all the work for us. If we help each other, we¡¯re sure to succeed!¡±


    We¡¯re a crew. It seemed so obvious to Emil now. This ship wasn¡¯t just him and his brother. The others were there to help, too!


    ¡°By the power of friendship!¡± Roxie pumped her fist.


    ¡°By the power of friendship!¡± Leon joined her.


    ¡°Yeah, what they said.¡± Jun half-heartedly pumped a fist. ¡°But honestly, dude, just take it easy for a little while, okay? We got your back, ¡®cause we don¡¯t want you to lose your spark.¡± She lightly fist bumped him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Wow, you¡­ you guys. You guys really are the best crew in the universe! I really can¡¯t believe you all¡­¡± He winked, poking a finger in his cheek. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you all care so much about little ol¡¯ me!¡±


    ¡°Ch¡¯yeah~¡± Jun lifted her head casually.


    ¡°Of course!¡± agreed Roxie.


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t?¡± asked Leon. He looked to Aiden. ¡°...Aiden? Aren¡¯t you going to agree with us?¡±


    Aiden stood toward the back with his arms folded. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know you like that, but I also don¡¯t wanna see the ship crash and burn when you do, so don¡¯t overdo it next time.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I won¡¯t!¡± promised the lieutenant. ¡°And if I somehow do, you¡¯re all free to tell me to sit down.¡±


    Aiden gave a thumbs-up to that statement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go see if I can make something for us to have for dinner!¡± Before anyone else could say anything, Leon ran off to the kitchen.


    ¡°Yo, Aiden. Stay here and help me fix this chest machine thing.¡± Jun tapped the machine with one hand. ¡°Roxie, I¡¯m probably going to need your help, too.¡±


    ¡°Can do!¡± Roxie saluted. ¡°I should probably bring a first aid kit just in case any accidents happen!¡± With that, she bounded in the same direction as Leon.


    ¡°So, what do you plan on doing?¡± Jun raised an eyebrow at Emil. ¡°Nothing that involves work, I hope.¡±


    ¡°Naaaah, don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Emil fanned the notion away. ¡°¡®Sides, I¡¯m feeling kind of sore anyway. I think I¡¯m gonna chill out in the kitchen and watch some TV--¡±


    ¡°The TV doesn¡¯t work, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ Oh well! Rookie¡¯ll have some company! But don¡¯t think I won¡¯t check on you guys every so often~¡± He winked. ¡°Be seein¡¯ you guys!¡±


    Jun waved. ¡°Later!¡±


    Emil headed to the kitchen, with renewed love for his new friends. He silently promised to himself that he would take care of them, but for their sake, he¡¯d take better care of himself too.

 Next Episode: Maintenance with Roxie and Mia

    ¡°Hi hiiiii~! It is I, The Great Roxaelia! Or am I? That is for you, my dear listener, to find out, uhuhu~


    I have come to inform you that a special someone on this ship is holding knowledge about our very source of power! But don¡¯t worry, I will unlock these secrets for you. Just ¡®cause you¡¯re soooo cute~


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Speaking of cute, I will leave you with this one hint. The holder of this knowledge is one of the cutest people on this ship.


    Muhahaha! That was a trick. You can¡¯t possibly figure out who I¡¯m talking about based on that alone. You¡¯ll just have to read to find ou-


    Ah. Betrayed by the title¡­¡±

 [Maintenance with Roxie and Mia]

    ¡°Hiii Junzie!¡±


    The masked star ranger halted work to look over at Roxie. They took off their helmet to reveal...Oh. Oh! It was Mia, not Jun, as Roxie initially thought. Nevertheless, she was happy to see a friend!


    ¡°Oh, Roxie. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be here¡­¡± the freckled girl spoke in her usual cautious tone. Her mood brightened up a little. ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°Hi Mia, is Jun here?¡± Roxie searched around by cupping her hands around her eyes to form binoculars, as if Jun could be hiding in a room as small as this. Mia let out a soft chuckle. Exactly one syllable¡¯s worth of a chuckle.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she supposed to be with you?¡±


    This room, lined from wall to wall with glowing pipes, never ceased to amaze Roxie. Cyan goo illuminated the intricate tubing from the inside. Just what was that goo made of anyway? Maybe Mia knew of the tubes¡¯ secrets. The dim glow of the generator room gave it a magical touch, perfect if it were to be a setting in The Adventures of the Great Roxaelia. Or just The Great Roxaelia? It was a working title. Either way, a forest filled with whatever this blue slime was would be really neat! Though maybe a forest was too cliche...Thankfully, Roxie remembered she was in the presence of her trusted second opinion!


    ¡°Is journeying through an enchanted forest too overdone?¡± Roxie nearly pressed her face against the pipe nearest to her. ¡°Whatever this goo is would fit perfectly if I had Roxaelia travel through a forest, but I don¡¯t want to retread beaten ground too much.¡±


    ¡°I think you could put a spin on it to keep it fresh. Knowing you, that won¡¯t be a problem!¡± So it was cliche. Roxie appreciated Mia believing in her, but that didn¡¯t get her any closer to figuring out the most fitting usage for the mysterious substance. ¡°Were you looking for Jun for something¡­?¡± Mia repeated.


    ¡°Oh yeah! I just finished up my shift with--¡± Roxie struggled to find a way to word the sentence without casting her friend¡¯s identity in the spotlight. ¡°We just finished up our shift and I think Jun went to take a shower, but now I can¡¯t find--!¡± Sheepishness overcame Roxie upon realizing she knew where Jun was the entire time. ¡°I forgot!¡± She poked the side of her head comedically before leaning in Mia¡¯s direction. ¡°Anyway, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I was just sorting out a clump of magnets.¡± Mia hovered over an opening leading into one of the pipes. Roxie remembered her using some kind of stick to separate the slime from the black dots within it when she first entered the room. They kept the ship running.. She didn¡¯t quite understand how they worked other than something about ferro-fluids and friction. Actually, now might have been a good time to ask Mia.


    ¡°Hey Mia, how does the generator work again?¡± She crouched down beside Mia to get a better look.


    ¡°Oh! Um, you see these magnets?¡± Mia began. She brushed a bang from her face. ¡°Since they attract each other, they push the slime along with it. Eventually, they get to the generator.¡± Roxie¡¯s eyes followed to where Mia pointed. Behind them, the pipes converged into a complex-looking, boxy hunk of machinery.


    Applying what she studied of the human body, Roxie assumed a complicated structure like that could break down from even the tiniest of interferences. Fixing that thing looks like a steep challenge, not meant for the faint of heart. It looked so important, too. Roxie feared to think of what might happen if the generator broke down, but her curiosity compelled her to ask anyway.


    ¡°What mysteries must lurk in that intricate box? We don¡¯t depend on it for our survival, do we?¡± It might have been a grandiose way of asking, but Roxie needed to confirm whether the ship¡¯s power system was as 100% infallible as she had been told. She also didn¡¯t want Mia to know how worried she was.


    ¡°Oh no, the only really important thing in there is the fan. When the magnets and goo--why don¡¯t we have a technical name for this stuff? I feel like a baby for calling it goo and slime!¡±


    Roxie giggled at Mia¡¯s complaint. She knew moments like this were something only she got to see. ¡°May I suggest plasm?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s really great Roxie! You¡¯re a lifesaver!¡± Mia¡¯s entire face lit up, and not just from the goo. Roxie could pinch her rosy, freckled cheeks right this instant, but Mia was the type of person who valued personal space. Unfortunately, she¡¯d have to abstain. For now.


    She always found it endearing how Mia so openly looked up to her. This was nothing like the shy, closed off girl Roxie met last year. Wait, what were they talking about?


    ¡°So, anyway, when the magnets and plasm pass the fan, they spin it, creating the friction that powers the ship. All of it¡¯s mechanical, so there¡¯s no motors involved.¡± Mia continued sorting the magnets. ¡°The most we have to worry about are these magnets getting clumped together and stopping the flow of the plasm, which is why I¡¯m here now!¡± She smiled at Roxie.


    ¡°So you¡¯re separating them? What if they were friends?¡± Roxie¡¯s heart bled for the imaginary relationships of the magnets. ¡°What of the bonds they forged together? You can¡¯t just break that up! They¡¯ll be shattered!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must.¡± Mia calmly replied; her smile is thinly veiled. She continued separating the magnets heartlessly. ¡°Their pining for one another drives things along, much like a cheap romance novel.¡±


    Roxie snickered, not expecting that comparison. Mia joined in.


    ¡°You thought that was funny?¡± The freckled redhead told her, stifling her own laugh. ¡°Uh, thanks. I¡¯m not really much of a jokester. In fact, I was worried I sounded hopelessly nerdy. Which I am, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Ho ho! You forget that I am a nerd too.¡± the curly, non-freckled redhead reminded her.


    ¡°You¡¯re the cooler nerd!¡± Mia argued back. ¡°Actually,¡± she laughed, ¡°that¡¯s why it was so hard for me to open up to you at first. I thought you were way out of my league.¡±


    ¡°Noooo! What made you think such a thing? I will personally banish the thought from your mind!¡± Roxie drew out an imaginary rapier, threatening to slice Mia¡¯s self-deprecating thoughts in half.


    ¡°You were so friendly and held conversations so easily. It¡¯s like you could talk about anything! And I can only talk about¡­books? Maybe some geology and physics? It¡¯s not easy to find people who are interested in that. So I don¡¯t talk much! Since you seemed so confident and social, I¡­¡± Mia looked away bashfully, then made eye contact with Roxie again. ¡°I-I dunno, I just assumed that you were someone with cooler hobbies and wouldn¡¯t be interested in what I had to say.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, silly Wattson! I could listen to anyone talk about almost anything! Especially you. I could listen to your voice all day.¡±


    ¡°M-my voice??¡± Mia stammered, almost dropping her sorting stick into the pipe. She quickly retrieved it. ¡°Oh, wouldn¡¯t want that getting stuck. Then we¡¯d have to reset the whole system.¡± That would be tragic. Roxie remembered getting assigned help place tiny magnets into the plasm. It was a tedious, painstaking process, and though this was a much smaller ship than the one she originally worked on, she still didn¡¯t look forward to it.


    After averting the crisis, Mia picked up the subject again. ¡°You like my voice¡­?¡±


    Roxie was genuinely shocked that Mia was genuinely shocked by this compliment. Mia had such a distinct voice, after all. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really soothing, like a caress to the ears. Has no one told you this before?¡±


    ¡°Roxie!¡± Mia chided. ¡°You¡¯re going to make me blush!¡±


    ¡°You already are.¡± Roxie held back a chuckle as Mia rushed to cover her face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you adorable!!¡±


    The flustered ranger groaned, descending into laughter. Roxie continued laughing with her until they both settled down. ¡°Thanks, Roxie.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome! I¡¯m actually surprised you thought I was confident.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°I am more now since we know each other better, but to let you in on my dark secrets, the enigmas of my mind, sometimes I talk a lot because I¡¯m nervous.¡± Roxie remembered spitballing different conversation topics at Mia just to see if any stuck. Time and again, each came to an abrupt end.


    ¡°Oh, were you nervous talking to me¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yep~!¡± Roxie nodded so hard, it sent her curly mass of hair flying forward.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve never guessed!¡± Mia scoffed, surprised. ¡°M-me too, but I¡¯m the complete opposite. I completely shut off when I¡¯m nervous, so that must¡¯ve been a nightmare for you. I¡¯m so sorry about that!¡±


    ¡°Do not worry, my dear Wattson.¡± Roxie reassured her freckle-dusted friend, ¡°We both navigated the waters of social awkwardness together and conquered them with the might of the fiercest sailors!¡± She made a triumphant fist. ¡°Our friendship has thrived to spite it!¡±


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°I¡¯m glad it has.¡± A thoughtful tone clung to Mia¡¯s words. ¡°I just-- Wow, I¡­ I can¡¯t believe I tried pushing you away.¡± She smiled. ¡°I thought you were just trying to befriend me out of pity at first.¡±


    Guilt pierced through Roxie¡¯s being. She thought back to when she saw Mia by herself at the Moon Base cafeteria. She did pity her.


    ¡°Even if you were,¡± She continued, not appearing to notice Roxie¡¯s turmoil, ¡°at least you didn¡¯t use me to see where the best restaurants were. Like I could even get in with the mandates. Heh.¡±


    ¡°Mandates? They lock you out of restaurants? Like a wanted criminal?¡±


    Mia blinked. ¡°Did you not know about that? Wait. That¡¯s right, you¡¯re not a Lunarian citizen are you?¡±


    ¡°Nope! I may have lived on the Moon Base, but I¡¯m legally chained to Kansas.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that makes sense. They don¡¯t weigh the tourists.¡±


    ¡°They weigh you?¡± Roxie thought the scales outside of the cafes she¡¯d been to were just for fun.


    Mia nodded. ¡°It used to be that you¡¯d get charged extra if you were over a certain BMI, but I think some places now won¡¯t even let you enter. There¡¯s a lot of restrictions like that. Malls, movie theaters, even medical places are considering not taking in fat people unless it¡¯s a real emergency. So, not a lot of places I can go. Good thing I don¡¯t have a social life!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Roxie struggled to find the words. ¡°That¡¯s bad!¡± She couldn¡¯t stop her heart from pounding. It¡¯d kill her, of course, but she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what Mia said about Lunarian health practices. Some things can be caught early, before they¡¯re an emergency. If people with problems like that were turned away, they¡¯re basically being left to die.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia continued, casual as ever, ¡°it¡¯s a little annoying, but--¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s murder!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She thought for a moment. ¡°Oh, the medical thing? That¡¯s just something that¡¯s in consideration. Everything else is more or less a holdover from when we had limited oxygen.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t anymore, right?¡±


    ¡°We do, but if they¡¯re letting tourists my size and bigger up there, then I guess it¡¯s not that big of a deal. I dunno, it''s complicated.¡± Mia¡¯s hazel eyes softened with concern. ¡°A-Anyway, sorry for bringing the mood down with this.¡±


    ¡°Do not you mind!¡± Roxie awkwardly extended a contraction in an attempt to lighten things. More thoughts about Lunaria swam in her head. She swallowed them. They went down like live fish, but it was better not to drown Mia any more with her own concerns. Despite her efforts, one last thought got away. ¡°Leave the past with the dust behind you, as I like to say¡­. I¡¯ve only said that just now, but I think I¡¯ll keep it for future reference! Lunaria should consider it.¡±


    ¡°I suppose easing up a little wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°But do not you worry!¡± Roxie stuck a thumb into her chest. ¡°Your health will always be my priority!¡±


    ¡°...Thanks.¡± With a heartwarming smile, the natural redhead brushed hair away from her face and returned back to her work.


    Roxie kneeled next to Mia as she began separating the magnets again. She sat still, but her mind wandered back to her own words.


    ''Your health will always be my priority!''


    As the Celestion-5¡¯s top medical staff, she spoke nothing but truth. The problem was that she was the Celestion-5¡¯s top medical staff. Not a surgeon, a doctor, nor a nurse. Just her, a nurse¡¯s aide. Sure, she did most of the dirty work when it came to handling patients, but only under the guidance of others. Could she guide herself? Six lives in her hands and little credentials made her doubtful.


    It made her wonder why she, terrified of death, disease, and disaster ever decided to go into a medical field in the first place.


    Then she remembered.


    ¡°Hey, Mia?¡±


    Mia jumped a little. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Wanna know why I went into nursing?¡± Roxie twisted some of her curls around one finger.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This sounds silly and fantastical, but please don¡¯t laugh!¡± Her hair strangled her finger at this point.


    Mia gazed at her with full sincerity. Somehow, it made her more nervous.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d develop psychic powers!¡±


    Confusion showed on Mia¡¯s face. ¡°Psychic¡­?¡±


    ¡°My mom was clairvoyant! Allegedly.¡± Roxie held up a finger. ¡°There¡¯s many a tale of her eerie predictions, so I thought¡­ maybe I¡¯d inherit it, but I haven¡¯t yet.¡± She slumped.


    Mia slowed her sorting, glancing at Roxie. ¡°Sorry but¡­ I¡¯m not sure I understand what this has to do with nursing.¡±


    ¡°She was a doctor!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡±


    Roxie leaned forward to inspect the chunky blues of the plasma. ¡°Going into a medical field might unlock secret powers if I have them. That¡¯s what I thought. Life¡¯s less stressful when you already know what¡¯s going to happen, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Mia nodded sagely. ¡°But. I am kind of surprised. You seemed like the kind of person who¡¯d embrace not knowing what¡¯s next.¡±


    ¡°I like surprises, but only good ones.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Have you felt any more psychic?¡± Uncertainty followed her words, but Roxie could tell Mia was trying her best to support her.


    ¡°No¡­ Unfortunately, I¡¯m not magical.¡± Roxie lifted a hand to her forehead, as if not being able to see fate was a fate worse than an early fate.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re pretty m¡­¡± As soon as Roxie made eye-contact, Mia hastily returned to her sorting. The fastest sorting Roxie had ever seen.


    Of course, Roxie couldn¡¯t help but take advantage of wordplay. ¡°Awww, thank you! I think you¡¯re a cutie-patootie too~!¡±


    ¡°Th-Thank you! I meant to say--¡± Mia turned away. ¡°Well, even if you¡¯re not psychic¡­ It¡¯s still practical to go into nursing! You may not be able to predict bad surprises, but at least you¡¯ll know what to do when they happen.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Roxie¡¯s heart felt as fluffy as her hair upon hearing that. Mia was right. Unfortunately, like a curse disguised as a wish, her knowledge didn¡¯t come without its price. Roxie learned how to mitigate some emergencies, but she also learned many more potential medical crises that could happen, some that still stumped even the best doctors.


    But the Interstellar Forces was known for being the safest of the military branches. Surely tragedy couldn¡¯t strike¡­ as often. The possibility remained, and Roxie¡¯s mind juggled possibilities in endless amounts. What could she do to stop fate? What good was she as a nurse? Those answers weren¡¯t clear, but she knew what she must do now: Find something else to think about!


    ¡°Hey Mia, do you---?¡±


    Roxie¡¯s tap on the shoulder startled the other star ranger, making her drop the stick into the pipe.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Roxie panickedly apologized.


    ¡°No worries, I got it!¡± Mia reassured. She stuck her gloved fingers in the pipe, feeling around for the stick. It sunk further and further into the horizontal piping below, and out of her grasp. ¡°Okay, maybe I don¡¯t got it¡­¡± She sighed, hanging her head in defeat. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to take this whole thing apart!¡±


    ¡°Not if I have anything to say about it!¡± Determination powered Roxie¡¯s mental lightbulb. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea!¡±


    Roxie took off and ran out of the generator room into the airlock, through the kitchen, down the hallway until finally she made it to her work station: the infirmary. Loading as many surgical tools as she could into her arms, she carefully but briskly made her way back to the generator room.


    ¡°Are you going to...perform an operation on this pipe?¡± asked Mia as she returned.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to do, and you¡¯re going to help me!¡± Roxie proclaimed.


    Mia gave Roxie a salute. ¡°Ma¡¯am, yes Ma¡¯am!¡±


    Roxie set down the supplies in a safe area nearby Mia. With a loud clasp of her hands, she turned her attention toward the other ranger. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business!¡± Roxie sat down. ¡°Hand me the forceps, please, Nurse Wattson.¡±


    ¡°F...Forceps? Um...¡± Mia sifted through the collection and pulled out what she thought were forceps.


    ¡°Those are needles.¡± Roxie corrected.


    Mia pulled out another one.


    ¡°Those are retractors.¡±


    Mia pulled out yet another instrument.


    ¡°That¡¯s a scalpel. Nurse Wattson, how on Earth did you make it through medical school?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I know~¡± Roxie laughed, dropping character. ¡°Forceps are the ones that look like tweezers--actually, the retractors might work better! Good thinking, Wattson!¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± Mia replied with a hint of surprise. She rummaged around and pulled out a scissors-like instrument with clamps on the ends. ¡°These?¡±


    ¡°Yes those.¡± Roxie gently lifted them from Mia¡¯s hands. ¡°Thank you, nurse.¡±


    The medic carefully inserted her instrument into the pipe, slowly closing it around the tip of the obstructing object. She slowly lifted it up, but it slipped out of the clamps. Roxie felt as if she would break into a cold sweat. The room was silent.


    ¡°Mia, are you breathing?¡±


    ¡°Barely.¡±


    ¡°Please refrain from holding your breath. I¡¯d like for my nurse to be conscious throughout the process.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dr. Allen.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ Dr. Allen¡¯s my mother. Call me Roxie.¡±


    Mia shook her head.


    Roxie made a second attempt at retrieving the stick. It was more secure this time around, but the surrounding plasm made it slippery. Guiding the sorting stick gently, she shimmied it up the vertical tube. It slipped away again, but more progress was gained than lost. She clasped the stick again, a bit more careless this time, and quickly yanked it up, out, and away from the tube. Success.


    ¡°The extraction procedure is complete!¡± Roxie exclaimed.


    Mia lightly clapped. ¡°Nice work, Dr. Roxie.¡± She had professional and detached before she broke character, adopting a warmer tone. ¡°You really are a lifesaver, Roxie.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done it without the support of my trusty nurse!¡± Roxie dropped the stick in Mia¡¯s hand. ¡°Here you go!¡±¡±


    ¡°Thanks again! It was a pleasure to assist you.¡± Mia politely bowed in Roxie¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Can you believe this was my first surgery?¡± Roxie¡¯s smile dampened a little when she looked at the surgery utensils. ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t have brought all of these out.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Now I¡¯m gonna have to sterilize them all.¡±


    ¡°Oh no! I think I should be able to separate this clump of magnets pretty quick. I can help you sterilize your medical stuff afterwards if you want!¡±


    ¡°Awwww, you¡¯re such a sweetie-pie.¡± Pretending to be coy, Roxie hid her face.


    ¡°Not as much as you are.¡± Mia returned, confidently at first, but sounding a little shocked as the words left her mouth. She looked like she meant to say something else, but couldn¡¯t figure out what to say. Eventually, she got distracted by the stick. It was covered in plasma. ¡°I should probably wipe this off so I don¡¯t drop it again.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together!¡±


    ¡°That sounds great...¡±


    Roxie jauntily exited the generator room, with Mia behind her.

 Next Episode: A Very Special Announcement

    ¡°...¡¯Sup?


    I got an announcement to make. What¡¯s it about? Can¡¯t say. You¡¯ll hafta find out yourself.


    ...Real talk? I haven¡¯t been this spooked about announcing something about myself since¡­ the last time I had to do it, I guess. But just like last time, I dunno if it¡¯s something I can put off much longer. You think I could¡¯ve just hung up an ¡®It¡¯s a Girl!¡± banner and got the point across, but considering the nature of the Interstellar Forces at the time, there weren¡¯t exactly babies being born on ships.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Anyway, like, be there or¡­ don¡¯t. I can¡¯t force you to do what you don¡¯t want to. Live your life! Jun outtie. Peace.¡±

 [A Very Special Announcement] Ch 1. Surprise Announcements

    Jun cracked their knuckles, apprehensively surveying their four coworkers. In front of them, Roxie gave them a bright smile, Aiden looked completely uninterested in what was going on, and Mia stood alert, trying to ignore Leon¡¯s attempts to get her attention. To the right of Jun stood the two captains, with Emil giving a thumbs up, and Captain Galhardo mentally preparing to address his crew.


    ¡°You have been called here because Ranger Kim has a special announcement to make.¡± He turned to Jun. ¡°Start whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±


    Captain Galhardo politely nodded to Jun and backed away, along with Emil.


    ¡°You got this, Jun!¡± the latter whispered while finger-gunning.


    Jun gives a nervous smile to Emil and clears their throat.


    ¡°...Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh, hey guys.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Jun!¡± Leon greeted.


    ¡°Hiiiii~!¡± sang Roxie


    ¡°Hello.¡± Mia replied.


    Aiden waved exactly once.


    ¡°Okay, that probably wasn¡¯t the most professional way to start off what I was gonna say, but like, please bear with me for a sec.¡± The eldest ranger paused to think. ¡°Probably shoulda wrote this down on notecards or something.¡± They mumbled.


    Emil gave a thumbs up. ¡°It¡¯s fine, take your time!¡±


    ¡°Okay. So¡­ Being on this ship with you all has been a pleasure so far and I feel lucky to have established camaraderie with each and every person present in this room.¡± They began professionally, before dropping the act. ¡°Buuuuut since we¡¯re gonna be stationed with each other for however many months, I feel like it¡¯d be best if I was upfront with you guys about something. Some of you, like Aiden and Roxie know this already but, um...I¡¯m transgender.¡±


    Mia blinked in surprise. Leon¡¯s mouth dropped slightly.


    Jun continued. ¡°More specifically, I¡¯m nonbinary, meaning I don¡¯t necessarily identify as a man or a woman....?¡± They forced a cough from their mouth. ¡°I-It¡¯s kinda hard to explain, but basically, I don¡¯t really feel like I fit in either category, sooooo¡­¡±


    They shrugged, making sure to break eye contact with the others. Unsuccessfully, they also tried to shove their hands in pockets that didn¡¯t exist. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much that. As far as pronouns go, you can refer to me as they or them, or¡­ if you must, he and him is fine, like what Aiden does.¡±


    Everyone looked to Aiden, who didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°She and her I guess, are okay too....?¡± The dark-hared ranger couldn¡¯t get that out of their mouth without a wince. ¡°Anything¡¯s pretty much fine as long as you¡¯re not calling me like ¡®it¡¯ or something, ¡®cause that just makes me feel weeeird. Do you guys...like, have any questions, comments, or concerns? I know this probably isn¡¯t something you hear about everyday, so if you need to ask something that¡¯ll make my and your lives easier, just shoot me a question, I¡¯ll answer it.¡±


    Leon raised a hand.


    ¡°Yes, Leon?¡±


    ¡°Do you want us to stick to calling you one of those¡­¡± He snapped his fingers, gears visibly ticking in his head as he tried to remember the word. ¡°Pronouns, like he, she, or they, or alternate between them?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good question.¡± Jun thought for a moment. ¡°Uhhhh, if you¡¯re gonna stick with one, I¡¯d rather it be he or they, personally? But I don¡¯t mind if you alternate.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Oh, okay!¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Anyone else?¡± They saw Mia¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah, Mia.¡±


    She hesitated. ¡°This is kind of similar to the previous question, but when referring to you by nouns, like man or woman, would you prefer gender-neutral terms like ¡®person¡¯ or would you rather us alternate between that, and things like man or wo---¡± The freckled redhead cut herself off. ¡°Wait, you already said you don¡¯t identify as either of those. Shoot! Sorry, this was a redundant question, please ignore me.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s cool!¡± Jun tried to reassure ¡°And yeah, I¡¯d much prefer you guys refer to me by gender-neutral nouns. Glad you asked!¡±


    The eldest ranger scanned around the room once more. Aiden lifted a finger up.


    Jun rubbed their hands together. ¡°What¡¯cha got for me, Kelly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering, but is it--like a thing where--I know you don¡¯t do this, but could other nonbinary people go by the pronouns or whatever people always called them?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s a thing. I don¡¯t necessarily, but other nonbinary people can, yeah.¡± they answered.


    ¡°Gotcha. Then I also have an announcement to make.¡± Aiden clasped his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m nonbinary too, and if any of you got a problem with that or my bro, then you can deal with me, cause I ain¡¯t afraid of anybody here.¡±


    Jun¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°W-wai--Aiden?¡± A smile spread on their face. ¡°Duuuude, I didn¡¯t even know that!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t either until just now!¡± The tallest ranger shrugged. ¡°When you first told me, I had no clue what you were talking about, but after you explained it to me a little more, I just kinda¡­ y¡¯know¡­thought about it for awhile.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s cool then! At least I¡¯m not alone now.¡±


    ¡°Even if you were the only trans person here, you wouldn¡¯t have been alone because you have all of our support,¡± The lieutenant turned to the others, ¡°right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Leon agreed.


    Mia nodded.


    ¡°I love you Junzie!¡± Roxie reached out her arms toward Jun. ¡°You too Aiden!¡±


    ¡°You two are valued members of our crew as well as the IF as a whole.¡± stated the captain. ¡°If there is anything I or the lieutenant captain can do to meet your accommodations, we would gladly work with you.¡±


    Emil continued from his brother¡¯s statement. ¡°But above all else, I just want you to know that we love you and have your back, okay? We wouldn¡¯t be the same without either of you!--Oh! That reminds me, I actually had a question for you both.¡±


    Jun was interested. ¡°Shoot away!¡±


    ¡°So, you haven¡¯t come out to anyone else, right?¡± The curly blond looked toward the straight-haired blond. ¡°Aiden, I¡¯m assuming this goes for you too?¡±


    ¡°The only people who know,¡± Jun looked around, ¡°are in this room right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same for me.¡± answered Aiden.


    ¡°Okay, okay, so if ever we¡¯re talking to someone outside of this us, this crew, how comfortable are you with your identity being known to others? I don¡¯t want any of us to accidentally out you guys or anything.¡± Emil waved his hands. He kept surprising Jun with how well he¡¯d been handling this process. It¡¯s as if he knew someone else who had to go through these hurdles.


    ¡°Oh yeah! Glad you asked that.¡± Jun stopped to ponder. ¡°As far as pronouns go, because of that whole...situation I had a couple years back,¡± they laughed, ¡°everyone already knows I go by he or she at least, though¡­¡± They paused again. ¡°Actually. If you¡¯re not Aiden, just stick with she and her. It won¡¯t be the end of the world if you slip up and call me ¡®he¡¯, but I never got they and them to stick to outsiders no matter how hard I tried.¡± They slumped their shoulders dramatically and sighed. ¡°But as far as telling people I¡¯m nonbinary,¡± The dark-haired ranger smiled nervously, ¡°¡­d-don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m still trying to figure out the best time to, like, let everyone else know, so I¡¯ll ride that wave when I get to it.¡±


    Emil lifted his head. ¡°Ah, got it! Aiden?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Okay then! Do either of you have anything else you¡¯d like to say?¡± He asked.


    No one had anything else to say, so Jun decided to express their appreciation. ¡°Uh, thanks for being chill about it, everybody. Means a lot to me¡­ That¡¯s pretty much all I have to say for the moment, what about you, Aiden?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°So that about does it for this meeting.¡± concluded Emil. ¡°Got anything you want to say, captain?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Um, yes.¡± The captain cleared his throat. ¡°Closing remarks. First of all, Rangers Kim and Kelly, we¡¯re glad you were comfortable sharing that with us. The strength of the Interstellar Forces lies within members of various backgrounds and we as an organization take pride in that. As such, we will not tolerate any bigotry or discrimination onboard this ship.¡± For someone who seemed kind of strung along by Emil when Jun initially brought up everything to the two of them, he was handling things much better than they expected. ¡°If any such instances occur, please report it to myself or the lieutenant captain immediately and we will handle it. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± shouted the rangers standing in line.


    ¡°Yeah, just be cool and respect one another.¡± Emil reiterated. ¡°If any of you guys would like to come out with anything, feel free to. And if you¡¯re not comfortable, that¡¯s totally understandable, too, but I just want you to know you have our support. That¡¯s about all I got to say. Anyone else?¡±


    No one answered.


    ¡°That concludes this meeting.¡± The captain adjusted his hat. ¡°You are now permitted to return to your usual schedules.¡±


    Everyone saluted, then parted ways.

 [A Very Special Announcement] Ch 2. Chain Reaction

    Jun drummed their fingers on the kitchen table. ¡°Sooo¡­ What¡¯s on the schedule?¡±


    ¡°IIII can¡¯t really think of anything pressing that needs to be done!¡± Emil poked the side of his head. ¡°We already did jet training today, and there¡¯s nothing around the ship that needs fixing.¡± He laughed. ¡°Things sure do get done quickly when I¡¯m not the only one doing them! I¡¯m glad I finally assigned you guys jobs!¡±


    ¡°So are we.¡± Jun replied. ¡°And like¡­ Really guys, I can¡¯t thank you enough for being so cool about all of this.¡± They looked at Emil across the table. ¡°You especially were really smooth about getting this set up! Thanks, dude!¡±


    Emil covered his face. ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing, really!¡± He winked. ¡°I just wanna make sure everyone¡¯s as comfortable as can be, ¡®specially since we¡¯ll be stuck together for a while.¡±


    ¡°An admirable goal!¡± Roxie commented. ¡°You should be proud of yourself!¡±


    The blond covered his face some more. ¡°Nooooo! It¡¯s all Jun and Aiden! They¡¯re the ones who were brave enough to come out. I just gave them the stage, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Jun noticed Mia seemed to be mulling over something the entire time.


    Roxie also noticed. ¡°Mia, what¡¯cha thinkin¡¯ about?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Mia seemed caught off guard. ¡°Um¡­ I was just thinking. Well, Jun, Aiden, I agree with Emil that coming out was a really brave thing to do, and, um, I was just thinking maybe--I mean, I don¡¯t wanna make a whole announcement about it, but I figured if you guys were able to do that and it work out okay, maybe...I can?¡±


    ¡°Miaaa?¡± Roxie leaned forward, beaming. ¡°You¡¯re nonbinary too?¡±


    ¡°Wh-No, no.¡± Mia corrected. ¡°But what I was meaning to say was--I¡¯ve never told anyone this before, but. Um.¡± She smiled nervously. ¡°I guess I¡¯m the local lesbian of the ship!¡±


    ¡°Oh my gosh, I didn¡¯t know!¡± Roxie clapped. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you!¡±


    Jun was also pleasantly shocked. ¡°Oh sweet!¡±


    Leon clapped. ¡°Cool!¡±


    Aiden gave two thumbs up.


    At the front of the table, one couldn¡¯t help but notice Emil drawing a long, excited gasp. ¡°Whaaaat? You¡¯re gay too?¡±


    ¡°Emil?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re also--?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m gay!!¡± The lieutenant burst with joy. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d get the chance to talk to someone like me! I¡¯m so psyched right now!!¡±


    ¡°O-oh wow.¡± Mia seemed flustered by the intensity of his reaction. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know I would have that kind of effect.¡± She smiled. ¡°You¡¯re the first I met too!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know I was pan?¡± asked Roxie.


    ¡°You¡¯re pan??¡± Mia¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°I¡¯m pan!!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s pan~¡± Jun did jazz hands in their friend¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Whaaat?? Nice!!¡± Emil cheered.


    ¡°Yaaay!¡± Leon stopped mid-clap, looking slightly embarrassed. ¡°Ah, what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea either!¡± the lieutenant admitted.


    ¡°Fret not! I was prepared to explain.¡± Roxie closed her eyes sagely. ¡°I only mean to say that gender is not a factor in who I court. Theoretically, I could date anyone.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± Leon lifted his head up. ¡°Kinda like my brother. He¡¯s bi!¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Yeah, kinda like that!¡±


    ¡°I wish he could be here right now...¡± He mused. ¡°It¡¯d probably be really great if he could see a buncha people like him. I should text him about it later!¡±


    ¡°Hnnnnnnnn!¡± Jun held up a finger. ¡°Probably be best if you didn¡¯t use specific names or identifiers.¡±


    ¡°Yeeeeah.¡± Emil winced. ¡°I get what you¡¯re going for, but not all of us are out and open yet, and this is a preeetty small ship. There¡¯s not too many of us to choose from. If word spread, it... might not be good for some of us.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry!¡± the rookie apologized.


    Emil shrugged. ¡°No problem, you weren¡¯t aware! Not to stereotype, but going off of that, I¡¯m guessing youuu¡¯re--actually, why don¡¯t you say?¡± He held up his hands. ¡°I-If you¡¯re comfortable, that is! Don¡¯t wanna force anybody.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s fine!¡± Leon scratched the side of his head sheepishly. ¡°Were you going to guess I was straight?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Leon laughed. ¡°You¡¯re correct!¡±


    ¡°Cool!¡± Emil returned the laughter. ¡°And Jun? Aiden? What about you guys? Actually¡­ Would it even be possible for you to be straight or gay ¡®cuzza your gender and everything?¡±


    Aiden shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve only been nonbinary for like 5 minutes, don¡¯t ask me.¡±


    Everyone looked toward Jun.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± They began. ¡°I have heard other nonbinary people refer to themselves as gay, but I¡¯ve never seen any say they¡¯re straight. They might exist? I dunno, that¡¯s a convo for a nonbinary person who actually feels attraction because I¡­ don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ experience attraction?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°Nope! I¡¯m ace.¡± Jun already knew they would have to continue with an explanation. ¡°Short for asexual. Though, theoretically, I could be able to experience romantic attraction and not sexual attraction... if I were not also aromantic. Some people can be one and not the other, but I¡¯m both!¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡± Aiden raised a hand.


    ¡°Yeah! Like, before either of us knew about any of this stuff, or even that those words existed, me and Aiden had a conversation that basically ended up in us figuring out we weren¡¯t complete weirdos for not being attracted to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Something similar happened to me, actually.¡± Mia spoke up. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the words either until much later, but for a while, I thought I wasn¡¯t attracted to anyone. That is, before I found out I was a lesbian.¡±


    ¡°Woooooah! The same happened to me but, like, in reverse!¡± Jun told her. ¡°I thought I was a lesbian for a while. We¡¯re like, opposite twins~ High five!¡±


    Mia meekly high fived Jun, then shook hands.


    ¡°Interesting!¡± the lieutenant reacted. ¡°I had no idea that was even a thing! I only know the first four letters, haha¡­ But that¡¯s so cool! I¡¯m so glad I get to learn new stuff from you guys! Jun. I know you keep thanking us and stuff, but you really set off a chain reaction. I don¡¯t think any of us woulda had the courage without you...¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Roxie shouted.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mia reacted more quietly, but the heartfelt look on her face conveyed more than volume ever could.


    Aiden casually tilted his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have figured it out if it weren¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¡°Aww guys, I¡­ Really, I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Jun couldn¡¯t deny how happy they were to see so many out and proud people around them, but they felt wrong taking all the credit. ¡° I¡¯m really proud of you all. I mean, I couldn¡¯t force you guys to come out. You did it yourself!¡±


    Love filled the room as many ¡®aww¡¯s, ¡®thank you¡¯s, and other words of positivity were passed between each of the crew members.


    ¡°You guys are all really great, I think!¡± Leon praised. ¡°I¡¯ve never been the only straight guy in a group before. It¡¯s really cool!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re not the only one!¡± Emil paused after saying this, a dawn of realization showing on his face. Jun had a sinking feeling they knew what it was. The lieutenant quickly recovered his smile. ¡°You and the captain can keep each other company!¡±


    Jun looked to their right, where Aiden sat, making a peculiar face. He looked to be deep in thought.


    ¡°For the record.¡± The bearded ranger drove a finger down on the table¡¯s surface. ¡°If somebody has a problem with any of you--Not you, Rookie, you¡¯re straight, no one¡¯ll bother you--If anybody has a problem with any of you, send ¡®em to me.¡±


    Silence followed.


    ¡°Um...Thank¡­ Thank you?¡± Mia spoke softly. ¡°Thank you.¡± She repeated, in a more confident voice.


    ¡°We¡¯ll protect you too!¡± proclaimed Roxie.


    Aiden was taken aback. ¡°Wait, wh--?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bro.¡± Jun realized ¡®bro¡¯ might not be the best term for him anymore. They could always ask later. ¡°Yeah, bud.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t-- I don¡¯t need-- Okay.¡± With a huff and a slump of his shoulders, Aiden¡¯s ego was defeated. For now.


    ¡°I may not be much of a fighter--¡± Jun was thankful that Leon didn¡¯t notice Aiden mouthing ¡®You have nothing to lose!¡¯, ¡°--but if any of you guys need a distraction or someone to listen, I¡¯m here!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Emil muttered. ¡°Yeah!¡± He stood up. ¡°We¡¯ve all got each other¡¯s backs here, right? We shouldn¡¯t have anything to worry about!¡± He surveyed everyone seated before him. ¡°I know it¡¯s only been a coupla weeks, but I¡¯ve come to appreciate each and every one of you guys!¡± Vigor filled his eyes so much, he had to close one of them. ¡°Just know I¡¯d be willing to fight for you.¡±


    He sauntered to the front door. ¡°Anyway! I remembered I had a little business to take care of. Stay beautiful, everyone!¡±


    The lieutenant left the room with a sense of purpose in his step and warmth lingering in the room. He seemed so strong. Leon mumbled something about how cool he was, as usual; the others didn¡¯t say anything, but Jun could tell they all felt it. Afterwards, most of the kitchen dwellers scattered to their own devices: Roxie and Leon left for the gym, and Mia retreated to her dorm. This left Jun and Aiden alone at the table.


    ¡°Today was eventful, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Jun asked.


    Aiden grunted. He rested his chin on his hands, not looking at Jun or anything else in particular.


    ¡°Yeah, I think it was cool, too! So,¡± they quieted down, ¡°what brought that on?¡±


    He looked at them, mildly confused.


    ¡°The hero speech.¡±


    Aiden stared at the front door Emil exited out of. ¡°...I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve gotten attached to the little goofball.¡±


    Jun chuckled. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all?¡±

 [A Very Special Announcement] Ch 3. Broken Communication

    The door in front of Emil was made of wood and not even real wood. Still, it might as well have been a two ton block of steel, and even opening a door like that might be easier than facing whatever awaited him on the other side.


    Then, he remembered. He remembered he had people behind him, people who were willing to catch him if things went wrong. The blond didn¡¯t feel as scared anymore. He opened the door.


    Inside the dimly lit room, his brother sat in one of the spinny chairs, not utilizing its fun potential, as usual. The camera panel, which displayed all the rooms in the ship, was in front of him, but he stared at another, unrelated screen, typing.


    ¡°Hey Lorie¡­?¡±


    Lorenzo turned his head toward Emil. ¡°Hello.¡±


    The blond slowly closed the door behind him. ¡°Hooow¡¯s it goin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Work is going as scheduled.¡± the captain replied. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s been going better than planned now that you¡¯ve assigned the other rangers tasks. Good job, all of you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, bro.¡±


    Did he not know? The cameras were right in front of him, he had to have heard something!


    Emil decided to ask the question himself. ¡°Um, hey, d-did you¡­ Were you watching the cameras?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear anything¡­?¡±


    Lorenzo stopped typing. ¡°No. I was working on a report. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no reason!¡± Emil felt his shoulders relax.


    The captain¡¯s eyes narrow. He has a slightly confused expression. ¡°You seem almost on edge. Is there something you want to share with me?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ Yes.¡± Emil admitted.


    Lorenzo faced his seat toward his brother. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°I was gonna aaaask¡­ Are you doing okay?¡± The lieutenant gave a concerned smile.


    ¡°What??¡±


    ¡°Do you like this job?¡± He reiterated, more seriously. ¡°You were really gung-ho about doing so much stuff around the ship. Now that we have a crew, you barely leave your room.¡±


    ¡°Of course I like my job! I¡¯ve been preparing for it for years!¡± Lorenzo shot back, more passionately than Emil expected from him.


    ¡°Woah bro, there¡¯s no need to get snappy!¡± Emil held up his hands, laughing. ¡°I wanted to make sure you didn¡¯t feel like you were trapped. Heck,¡± He began ambling around the room, ¡°I wasn¡¯t even super sure I wanted to do this mission at first, but now that I¡¯m surrounded by all these cool people, I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡±


    ¡°I do not feel trapped.¡± Lorenzo turns away, folding his arms like a spoiled brat. ¡°I just feel--!¡± He abruptly shut his mouth, turning away even farther.


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    Emil followed him around. ¡°You just feel what? I¡¯m your little bro; you can tell me anything!¡±


    ¡°This is something I can deal with on my own.¡± Lorenzo used his feet to push the chair the other way.


    Emil continued following, stifling back laughter. ¡°Loriiiie! Tell me, tell me, tell me! C¡¯mooon, you seem even quieter than usual!¡± They switched directions. ¡°What¡¯s bugging you?¡± They switched once again. ¡°The crew¡¯s starting to think I¡¯m the one doing all the wor--Wait!¡±


    He stopped the chair, looking over his brother¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a report, that¡¯s just the to-do list we were handed weeks ago! And we pretty much have it all done except for ¡®keep training¡¯ and ¡®go to the moon¡¯. Have you been¡­?¡± Emil couldn¡¯t believe he was going to accuse his brother of this. ¡°Have you been putting up a front?¡±


    ¡°I was typing something.¡± Lorenzo clarified. ¡°But I deleted it when you came in the room. But...¡± He frowned. ¡°You aren¡¯t incorrect. The truth is, I haven¡¯t had as much work to do as I¡¯ve led you and the others to believe.¡±


    ¡°Lorie¡­ I¡¯ve been busting my butt for the past few weeks!¡± Emil¡¯s voice carried no trace of anger, just exasperated confusion.


    The captain looked down. ¡°I know. Believe me, I¡¯ve realized that without you, I don¡¯t know how much I would be able to accomplish. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°But why though?¡± Emil tried to lower his face into Lorenzo¡¯s line of sight. ¡°You seem just fine when you¡¯re out there with the others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m interacting with them on a strictly professional basis. That¡¯s what I¡¯m prepared to do. Outside of that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhh.¡± The blond stood back up. ¡°Are you afraid of talking to the crew?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of them!¡± Lorenzo corrected. ¡°I¡¯m afraid of them thinking that I¡¯m incompetant. Which they now do. Because I¡¯ve proved myself unable to carry my weight on my own ship.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re afraid of them!¡± accused Emil. ¡°They¡¯re not scary, I promise! Well, most of them at least, but you¡¯re not that afraid of Aiden, are you?¡±


    ¡°Why do I need to talk to them anyway?¡±


    ¡°To feel more comfortable around them.¡± He slowly turned the chair back and forth. ¡°To get to know them and let them get to know you!¡±


    ¡°They know as much as they need to about me. Maybe too much already.¡± Lorenzo eyed his brother.


    ¡°What, do you think they¡¯re gonna use it against y--?¡± Emil thought about their dad for a second. He answered his own question. ¡°Don¡¯t answer that. But if you¡¯re so worried about that, why don¡¯t you get to know them so the score is even?¡±


    ¡°You tell me pretty much everything I need to know. And if I want to know more about them, the cameras are right here.¡± Lorenzo gestured toward them.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we like to call--!¡± Emil did a little tap dance. ¡°Stalking! You¡¯re stalking your crew; that¡¯s not great!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m authorized!¡±


    ¡°An authorized stalker, got it.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lorenzo looked away.


    ¡°And you¡¯re not gonna get more comfortable with them by staying up here.¡±


    ¡°...I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± He rested a hand over his chin. ¡°I¡­ I need to let them know I¡¯m a captain they can depend on, and my actions have not sufficiently proved that thus far¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­?¡±


    ¡°What if they want to know more about me? What do I say?¡± He almost looked insecure, something Emil rarely saw from his brother. ¡°I¡¯m not particularly interesting to most people.¡±


    ¡°Loooriiiie!¡± Emil gawked at him in pity. ¡°Is that what you¡¯ve been worried about this whole time? You shoulda said so! I can think of a billion cool things about you! Why do you think girls were always after you in high school?¡±


    ¡°Because of you?¡±


    ¡°Because I told them how cool you were!¡± He pointed to himself. ¡°And I only told them the truth! Did you never take a chance with ¡®em because you thought you weren¡¯t cool enough?¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s¡­ No, that¡¯s not it. I think I just wasn¡¯t....¡± Lorenzo looked like he was about to say something else, but stopped. He spoke once more. ¡°You have a magnetic personality. I do not. But for the sake of you and the rest of my crew, I will try to put aside my apprehension to properly do my job.¡±


    ¡°Sweet!¡± Emil winked and gave Lorenzo a thumbs up. He started walking toward the door. ¡°We need more people to cook anyway! I like Aiden and everything, but it¡¯ll be too soon when we have another ¡®dinner¡¯ of peanut butter and sadness.¡±


    ¡°Was this all just a ploy to get me to cook for you again??¡±


    ¡°Maybe~¡± He left the room and Lorenzo, who was shaking his head.

 [A Very Special Announcement] Ch 4. Different Interests

    Emil entered the captains¡¯ quarters, prepared to tell his brother what he¡¯d meant to tell him days ago. It couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He had to do this now.


    ¡°Um¡­.Lorenzo?¡±


    Lorenzo turned his head. ¡°Yes?¡±


    The blond thought about addressing this information more formally, but he decided to go with something more his style, simple and quick. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking aaand, I¡¯m not-- I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been really interested in women.¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡±


    This took Emil so off-guard, he assumed it was an auditory hallucination. He continued. ¡°I prefer men¡­¡±


    ¡°I have no preference.¡±


    ¡°Wh--??¡± The lieutenant squinted. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re okay with the whole ¡®me liking men¡¯ thing?¡±


    Lorenzo didn¡¯t even look at him. ¡°You know, for the past few days I was thinking and, I always thought I was straight because I don¡¯t have an interest in men, but then I realized that when women expressed attraction toward me, I felt trapped and wanted nothing more than to be out of the situation. Is that weird?¡±


    Emil rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°I mean, III don¡¯t really feel that way. I like the attention, but I¡¯m not really into them the same way, you get it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you seem like that type.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean??¡± Emil gave a faux-indignant huff. He then thought back on Lorenzo¡¯s interactions with the girls he tried setting him up with. ¡°But¡­ Now that I think about it, you did always look kinda uncomfortable in those situations... I never woulda guessed that was the reason why, though. My bad!¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°But if I don¡¯t like men or women, what does that make me...?¡±


    Emil couldn¡¯t believe he was having this conversation. He was overjoyed. ¡°Y-You still didn¡¯t answer my question though!¡± He waved. ¡°To answer yours, I guess you¡¯d be asexual, or was it aromantic? You should probably ask Jun about it! They know more.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s actually a word for--?¡± The captain abruptly cleared his throat. ¡°I was getting to you! Anyway, I was trying to say that now I get that you can¡¯t really choose what you like. I only thought you could because I thought everyone was like me.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ had no idea.¡± Emil experienced a whirlwind of emotions. He couldn¡¯t stop laughing. Tears formed in his eyes. ¡°Phew¡­That was much easier than anticipated.¡±


    ¡°You were that afraid to tell me?¡±


    He looked away. ¡°I know you¡¯re more of a traditional guy, so I thought maybe you wouldn¡¯t be so thrilled¡­¡±


    Lorenzo thought for a moment. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry if I did anything to make you feel that way. Though¡­it¡¯s good that you told me now instead of earlier or I probably wouldn¡¯t have been as understanding.¡± He looked toward Emil. ¡°What made you tell me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kind of the last person on the ship to know.¡± Emil scratched his hair, looking away. ¡°I didn¡¯t want it to slip out from someone else and surprise you.¡±


    ¡°Last person¡­?¡± The captain looked sad in a way. ¡°That¡¯s understandable.¡±


    ¡°I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of me...¡±


    Lorenzo looked toward his brother. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡±


    Nothing is said, but Emil screamed internally. It was a rarity to hear his brother express something like that so directly. So, even if he proved it in his own way, it was still nice to hear.


    ¡°Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?¡± asked Lorenzo.


    ¡°Mom already knows.¡±


    ¡°I kinda figured you¡¯d tell her if anyone.¡±


    Emil paced around. ¡°Dad? ...Maybe someday¡­ It took enough for me to tell you.¡± He stopped. ¡°I¡¯m gonna wait awhile.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Soooo.¡± He thumbed toward the door. ¡°You want me to go ask Jun what you are, or do you wanna do it yourself, orrrr...?¡±


    Lorenzo stood up. ¡°If it¡¯s fine with you, could we both go?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, alright!¡± Emil bumped his brother¡¯s shoulder as he approached the door. ¡°You can count on me.¡±


    ¡°Me too. From now on.¡±


    They both left their room. On the way down, it proved to be hard for Emil to keep a toothy grin off his face. He didn¡¯t mind. He didn¡¯t mind at all.

 Next Episode: Stargazing

    ¡°Date: June 29, 0400 hours.


    Yesterday marks three weeks into the Celestion-5¡¯s maiden voyage. We are to arrive at the Moon Base tomorrow.


    Systems are optimal.


    It appears Lieutenant Galhardo hasn¡¯t been following the sleep regimen I planned out for him. This will be corrected. Aside from a few¡­ incidents, the rest of the crew has been performing well, but their trust has yet to be earned from me. The Lieutenant attributes this mistrust to fear. He is mistaken. Caution is best when dealing with others.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Others such as Ranger Summers. Aside from his energy, he may seem unremarkable in every way, but anything could be lurking underneath that plain exterior. Unfortunately, a series of events has lead me to be locked in conversation with him. Be it through small talk or solicitation, I won¡¯t let him extract any compromising details from me.


    --Cpt. Galhardo¡±

 [Stargazing]

    The alarm clock read 4:30 A.M.


    An empty bed lay to Lorenzo¡¯s right, which could only mean one thing: His brother hadn¡¯t gone to sleep yet. The captain felt a pang of annoyance. Emil should have been in bed almost two hours ago, according to the sleep schedule Lorenzo toiled over. He sighed. Emil would have no one to blame but himself if he woke up groggy later in the morning, but the crew deserved to have two alert captains, and Lorenzo was going to make sure of that.


    A well-rested Lorenzo sprung out of bed and went to work making it according to Interstellar Forces specifications. He folded the sheets, tucked them under the mattress, and pulled them taught enough so that a quarter could bounce off of it. To make absolutely sure of that last specification, Lorenzo swiped his handy bed-testing quarter off of his desk and dropped it on his bed, catching it as it bounced back up. A faint smile crossed his face as he thought about how proud his commanding officers would be, including his dad.


    The next order of business was to figure out what to do about the lieutenant captain. Surveillance cameras on the wall showed Emil pacing around in the gym. No one else was up right now, except for one crewmember washing his hands in the restroom. Lorenzo could go downstairs and tell his younger brother to go to bed before anyone noticed them. He could do that, but what he saw in the reflection alarmed him.


    He was in his pajamas! His hair was a mess! This could not do, this absolutely would not do; if anyone happened to wake up as he retrieved Emil, they¡¯d see the sight of their captain disheveled and underdressed. Unacceptable! Lorenzo immediately took a shower and combed through his wavy, dark hair. He even slicked down his sideburns for good measure.


    Lorenzo pulled on the Interstellar Forces powder blue jumpsuit, complete with reflective orange stripes for visibility in space. He then donned the symbols of his captain status: An orange, brimmed cap and a star pin with two orange lines protruding to his left, placed over the heart. In the mirror, he now saw the spitting image of a respectable captain, but something was missing. A yellow cape draped over his chair, longing to be worn.


    The captain confidently took a step out of his room into the observation deck, majestic cape flowing behind him. That confidence soon diminished as he realized he wasn¡¯t the only one there.


    ¡°Oh, hi Captain!¡±


    At the bottom of the staircase, just in front of the window looking out into space stood a stubby star ranger grinning up at him. Lorenzo recognized it to be L¨¦onardo Summers.


    ¡°Good¡­ morning, Ranger Summers.¡± Lorenzo replied, masking unease. He quickly made his way down the stairs, hoping to avoid further conversation, but just as he reached the bottom, the door opened.


    In waltzed the curfew-dodging lieutenant captain himself. Emil stretched one arm, yawning, while scratching at his blond afro with the other. He jumped at the sight of his older brother.


    ¡°Oh! Hey..¡± He glanced away, laughing nervously. ¡°Fancy seeing you here so early¡­¡± he trailed off in another yawn.


    ¡°Lieutenant Captain Galhardo, there¡¯s something that needs your attention upstairs.¡± Lorenzo ordered. That was his way of discretely telling his brother to go to bed; he wanted to keep up the illusion that at least one captain was awake at any hour of the day. No one must know about the two-hour window where both were asleep. Lorenzo shuddered to think what his crew would do if they knew they were unsupervised.


    Emil weakly saluted. ¡°Aye, aye, Captain Bro...¡±


    Lorenzo didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°I mean, Captain Galhardo.¡±


    Lorenzo nodded in approval. He and his subordinate watched as Emil trudged his way up the stairs. The captain wished he could tell his brother to get a good night¡¯s rest, but that would defeat the purpose of coding his words. He tried to think of something else to say.


    ¡°Lieutenant captain!¡± Lorenzo commanded.


    ¡°.....Huh?¡±


    ¡°Do your best on this task. I¡¯m counting on you.¡±


    With a chuckle, Emil gave a thumbs up in response. Good, he understood. The younger captain finally disappeared into the brothers¡¯ shared room.


    ¡°He must have a really important job ahead of him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll do great!¡± Ranger Summers believed in the bluff. Not too surprising; he never struck Lorenzo as the most perceptive guy, but the captain knew he couldn¡¯t brag in that department either. He could only pretend.


    ¡°What kind of assignment is it? Or is it confidential captain stuff?¡± Summers questioned.


    ¡°Confidential.¡± Lorenzo¡¯s response seemed to placate the star ranger. He originally planned to stay on the observation deck and watch the stars go by, but now that one of his subordinates was here, the idea didn¡¯t seem too appealing anymore.


    Maybe he could go train in the gym for once. Normally, he exercised with some weights he stashed in his room, but no one should be in the gym this early, making it the perfect time for Lorenzo to use it. He wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being forced into an awkward conversation with anyone.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the gym.¡± Lorenzo said as he walked out of the door into the meeting room.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Summers chimed. ¡°Good idea, actually! I¡¯ll probably head down there myself in a couple minutes! See you later, captain!¡±


    So much for that idea. Lorenzo hastened his footsteps in the hopes that he could fully cherish the few minutes of exercise he¡¯d have to himself, but as soon as he opened the passageway down into the airlock, he spotted two rangers--Allen and Wattson--heading into the gym. Why were so many people up already? Only he should be allowed to be up this early! He quickly closed the passageway before they could see him.


    It appeared the captain would be trapped into conversation no matter what he did, so he took this time to weigh his options.


    If he went to the gym, he¡¯d have to talk to two people rather than one, which discouraged him. However, from what he¡¯s seen of Ranger Wattson, she kept mostly to herself. Still, there was the issue of Ranger Allen. It was stressful enough talking to the average person, but the few conversations Lorenzo had with her felt like walking through a minefield while blindfolded.


    Summers wasn¡¯t much better either, in that regard. However, whenever he talked about the Interstellar Forces, Lorenzo could sense the same kind of passion for it that he himself had. Knowing what to talk about would make the situation much less horrible. Also, Lorenzo wanted to look at the stars too. He opened the door back into the observation deck.


    ¡°Hey! That was a quick work out!¡± L¨¦onardo joked. At least, Lorenzo thought that was a joke. Was he supposed to laugh? Before Lorenzo could contemplate further, Leon spoke again. ¡°Did you not go down to the gym?¡±


    ¡°Rangers Allen and Wattson were already down there, so I decided not to disturb their training.¡± Lorenzo answered.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh. I¡¯m sure Roxie and Mia wouldn¡¯t mind! But if you wanna stargaze with me, feel free!¡±


    ¡°I... I think I will.¡± The captain¡¯s cape fluttered behind him as he shuffled over to the ranger. He noticed Summers was sufficiently dressed, but his hair looked messy. ¡°Ranger Summers, did you not comb your hair?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The bucktoothed ranger averted his eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t really expecting anyone to be up this early! My apologies, Captain Galhardo!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect such things. Have you been up here this early before?¡±


    ¡°Once or twice! The window in my room is too small to appreciate¡­all this.¡± He motioned towards the view outside. ¡°No one else was moving around, so I assumed everyone was still asleep!¡± His face took on a questioning look. ¡°Wait, should I not be here right now?¡±


    Lorenzo resisted the urge to pull out the IF handbook he kept in his cape. He knew it well enough to know it didn¡¯t cover this.


    ¡°I...don¡¯t think there¡¯s any regulations against it.¡± He silently wondered if he should redo his and Emil¡¯s sleeping schedule.


    The captain looked on as the other star ranger tried to brush his hair into place using only his hands. It didn¡¯t quite work. Lorenzo anticipated how awkward the silence must¡¯ve been, so he attempted to break it.


    ¡°Remember. The Interstellar Forces values appearance. A neat appearance symbolizes a respect for the institution, and respect is one of the hallmarks of a good star ranger.¡± He felt like a fool.


    ¡°Yes sir! I¡¯ll do my best, sir!¡±


    After Summers gave a salute, the room went quiet again. Lorenzo decided to take this chance to enjoy the scenery. The endless sky with millions upon millions of stars took his breath away.


    Despite this being his ship, he never really got to enjoy this room as much as he¡¯d like. He spent most of his time here monitoring the others, unable to truly appreciate the large, curved window and its view into the infinite cosmos. He couldn¡¯t see a view like this from his room. Still, coming here would¡¯ve run him the risk of having to interact with his crewmates outside of work, giving them more opportunities to see through his vulnerabilities. That was a risk he simply couldn¡¯t take.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they beautiful¡­?¡± Summers asked. He was too mesmerized by the stars to make eye contact. Good.


    ¡°They¡¯re quite amazing.¡± Lorenzo preoccupied himself with thoughts about what lay beyond the Solar System. The stars outside this window, would humankind ever be able to reach them one day? He hoped he¡¯d be alive to take part in it.


    Summers broke the silence once more. ¡°I remember when my mom used to yell at me for staying up so late.¡± He gave a chuckle. What an awkward conversation topic. Lorenzo wondered if he should laugh along or express concern. Why were others so complicated?


    Thankfully, the ranger continued talking. ¡°I just wanted to look at the night sky before the sun came up. Now I don¡¯t have to give up sleep to look at the stars. I can do it whenever I want!¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re still awake at 4 AM?¡± questioned Lorenzo, concerned.


    ¡°Haha! I guess some habits are just hard to break.¡± Ranger Summers replied. ¡°Either way,¡± he turned toward Lorenzo, ¡°I¡¯m glad I got a chance to be here. Everyday, I think about how lucky I am to be a part of the IF, to be part of this mission.¡±


    Lorenzo cautiously looked down toward his subordinate. ¡°I feel the same way... It¡¯s something I¡¯ve prepared for most of my life, but actually being here, I don¡¯t want to take it for granted.¡±


    ¡°Me either!¡± the younger star ranger replied. Something seemed to catch his attention. ¡°Oh, by the way! I realized I never got the chance to tell you this, but you¡¯re a really great captain!¡±


    That caught Lorenzo off guard. All this time, he hoped he set the example of a good captain, but hearing someone other than Emil actually say it shocked him.


    Summers continued. ¡°I can tell you and Emil really care about what you do, and seeing that makes me want to try my hardest! Emil told me about how you have the IF handbook memorized--¡±


    Great. Summers must¡¯ve surely thought he had no life.


    ¡°--and I don¡¯t think I could ever do that, but that takes a special kind of dedication that I aspire to have!¡±


    Stunned silence overcame Lorenzo. He pulled his hat over his eyes in the hopes that his subordinate wouldn¡¯t notice his composure slipping. Now he knew what Emil had to put up with from this guy.


    Lorenzo cleared his throat. ¡°...Thank you very much, Ranger Summers.¡±


    ¡°I hope we find a lotta cool stuff on our journey!¡± The star ranger rocked back and forth on his heels.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we will. After we pass the asteroid belt, we¡¯re basically entering uncharted territory. We should be able to collect a lot of previously unknown data.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait ¡®till we get there!¡± He slowed to a halt. ¡°I could stand here all day, but I should probably go work out at the gym. It was nice stargazing with you, captain!¡±


    Lorenzo nodded in reply as his subordinate walked toward the door. He felt like he should say something to L¨¦onardo before he left.


    The captain coughed. ¡°Ranger Summers. A moment, please?¡±


    Summers stopped in his tracks.


    ¡°I just wanted to say,¡± Lorenzo continued, ¡°being a captain would be a lot harder for me without crew members who take pride in their job. Keep up the good work.¡± Stoically, he gave the ranger a thumbs-up.


    A buck-toothed smile spread across Summers¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you, captain! I¡¯ll try!¡±


    ¡°And remember to comb your hair!¡± the captain shouted just before L¨¦onardo exited the room.


    At last, Lorenzo was alone. Though his conversation went much more pleasantly than expected, it still took a lot out of the 19-year-old. He decided not to go to the gym, and instead appreciate the view from the observation deck. All was at peace, all was quiet.

 ??? Episode: The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly

    ¡°The Interstellar Forces, where men can reach for the stars.


    I gotta say, the view¡¯s killer up here, but it¡¯s kind of a bummer that everyone pushes me around just ¡®cause I¡¯m the new guy. My roomie¡¯s some dude named Aiden, a major vibe killer and maybe actual killer? He did say he served time. I¡¯m s¡¯posed to, like, whip him into shape or something. To be honest, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible, but it¡¯s not like I have a choice. I gotta make sure I stick around for a while. There¡¯s some business to take care of.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    By the way, the name¡¯s Jun. Jun Kim.¡±

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 1. First Impressions

    Four star rangers had a conversation, three unaware that the other was living a lie.


    Carelessly sailing through space in the Virgo, its crew enjoyed their 2nd lunch period. Jun Kim, a new recruit, sat at a cafeteria table.


    ¡°Did you guys hear about the protest in Connecticut?¡± asked the guy sitting across from Jun. His brown hair and beard were more unkempt than any warrant officer would allow. Though he hadn¡¯t mentioned his opinion on the protest, the scowl on his face spoke volumes.


    ¡°You mean the one about the IF¡¯s gender ban?¡± A plain-looking guy spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, that one.¡± The scruffy man didn¡¯t bother looking up from his tray. He angrily stirred his food into a mess.


    ¡°Why do women have to make a problem out of everything?¡± Another guy huffed. He had red hair and a handsome face. At least, Jun thought other people would probably think that. ¡°Watch them complain when they finally do get let in.¡±


    Jun and the plain guy exchanged a look of discomfort.


    ¡°What, do you think they should join?¡± Scruffy¡¯s scowl bored into Jun.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how it would be different from any other branch.¡± The new recruit answered, before eating a forkful of broccoli. It needed salt.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The plain guy spoke up. ¡°The other branches are doing fine.¡±


    ¡°The other branches don¡¯t have to worry about an XX mutation.¡± Scruffy Guy replied smugly.


    Just then, a tray slammed down beside Jun.


    ¡°I heard that the radiation waves beyond Mars would make them infirtile.¡± The tray¡¯s owner, a middle-aged man, joined into the conversation as if he was always there.


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Jun.


    ¡°It was proven.¡± Scruffy Guy looked at the rookie incredulously. ¡°Does the name Mason Connery ring a bell?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know about that guy. I know what he said.¡± The dark-haired ranger ate a spoonful of mashed potatoes. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t make sense to me. If X chromosomes were an issue, then we¡¯d all be in trouble.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. Our Y chromosome is what protects us from the radiogenetic alteration.¡±


    Our. Us. Good. People were buying it. Jun saw an opportunity to change some minds. If people accepted the rookie as one of their own, maybe they¡¯d listen.


    ¡°Besides,¡± added the middle-aged corporal, ¡°men and women already have different organs and hormones. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible that based on that alone, women¡¯s reproductive systems could go through weird changes if they went past Mars? I wouldn¡¯t chance it.¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡± Handsome Guy picked at his food.


    ¡°Has it ever been tested before?¡± Jun asked.


    Scruffy continued his condescending looks. ¡°No. Do you think they want a lawsuit?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there are people willing to try it.¡± The rookie glanced around. ¡°They never said it¡¯d cause cancer or anything like that, right? Just infertility?¡±


    ¡°Just infertility?¡± The oldest man got offended. ¡°That destroys families!¡±


    Plain Guy appeared to be confused. ¡°But technically the families... wouldn¡¯t be--¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± blurted Handsome Guy.


    ¡°I knew a girl I went to college with who said she didn¡¯t want kids. There¡¯s probably other girls like that who¡¯d really want to join the Interstellar Forces.¡± Jun explained, trying not to notice Scruffy becoming increasingly more annoyed.


    The middle-aged corporal laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about women, do you? You ever had a girlfriend?¡®


    ¡°...No?¡±


    ¡°Trust me. What a woman says and what she means is totally different. Just ask my wife!¡±


    He and Handsome laughed.


    ¡°Women want kids.¡± he continued. ¡°Even if they don¡¯t, they will someday. My wife told me so!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a proven psychological phenomenon!¡± Scruffy had no problem staring directly at Jun. He hadn¡¯t stopped for a while, or at least it felt like it.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t a female star ranger have kids before going to space?¡± That came out higher-pitched than the rookie intended.


    ¡°But they wouldn¡¯t be able to spend time with their kids. Women are naturally more empathetic. They¡¯re better equipped for taking care of children, it wouldn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got a point!¡± agreed middle-aged man.


    Handsome seemed unsure. ¡°I dunno. I wouldn¡¯t say my mom was good at taking care of us growing up.¡± Jun could relate.


    ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to becoming a dad someday.¡± Plain spoke up, more confident than before. ¡°If me and my wife were both in the IF, I wouldn¡¯t mind taking care of the kids for her when she can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s plenty of kids without moms that are okay.¡± added Jun.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your proof?¡± Scruffy Guy shot back.


    ¡°Wha--?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m proof, but I¡¯d be lying.¡± Handsome Guy joked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any personally,¡± Jun admitted, ¡°but they exist.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe you should keep your mouth shut if you until you have some concrete evidence!¡± Scruffy Guy balled up a meaty fist.


    No matter who they agreed with, everyone was put off by Scruffy¡¯s sudden explosion. But Jun tested fate.


    ¡°Okay, sorry I don¡¯t know every parental situation of everyone ever, but I guess you have a point. I don¡¯t have any ¡®concrete evidence.¡¯ Tell that to your friend Mason Connery.¡±


    ¡®Ooh¡¯-ing commenced.


    ¡°Keep talking like that and you¡¯ll get to tell him.¡±


    The ¡®ooh¡¯s turned into slightly louder ¡®ohh¡¯s.


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    ¡°Now, now, boys, calm down.¡± Middle-aged Guy addressed both of them, though Jun felt pretty calm. Scruffy was the one with the problem.


    ¡°No one mentioned adoption!¡± called a rough-looking guy a few seats down.


    ¡°No one was talking to you!¡± Scruffy shouted back.


    ¡°That guy¡¯s so annoying¡­¡± Handsome muttered under his breath, so the guy a few seats down wouldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Jun agreed. ¡°Adoption¡¯s always an option. They can serve in the IF and then adopt a kid! Problem solved.¡±


    Scruffy looked away, tapping his fist on the table.


    ¡°You thinking of becoming a father?¡± asked Middle-aged Guy.


    ¡°No?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°That explains it. I don¡¯t blame you though. The teenage years are rough; that¡¯s why I¡¯m glad I¡¯m up here! But the thing is, men want their own kids. It¡¯s not the same with adoption.¡±


    ¡°Plus, you gotta be careful with them.¡± Handsome added. ¡°I saw a TV show about adopted kids offing their parents.¡± He drew a line across his neck. ¡°It¡¯s scary, man.¡± Handsome Guy paused, scratching his chin. ¡°But,¡± he began. ¡°I think we¡¯ve been too hard on these guys. I¡¯m starting to think women should be allowed in the IF!¡±


    Jun was surprised. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Think of how they¡¯d look in the jumpsuits!¡±


    A middle-aged elbow poked Jun. ¡°Smart thinking! You should¡¯ve told us that earlier!¡±


    The rookie smiled, masking disappointment.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Plain Guy trailed off when the others stared at him. ¡°I mean, I guess you can look at it that way.¡± He glanced away, stabbing a piece of broccoli. ¡°But, I¡¯m just thinking. This is the IF we¡¯re talking about, a lot of guys here aren¡¯t exactly straight. Imagine if they all started hitting on the rest of us. That would get weird, right?¡±


    The other three guys nodded.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t complain about cute girls in jumpsuits, but I don¡¯t wanna get sued for checking them out too hard, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jun agreed, trying not to stand out too much.


    ¡°Yeah, think about the lawsuits!¡± Scruffy spat at the rookie.


    ¡°Dude, what is your problem with that guy?¡± asked the rough guy from earlier, between casually sipping a juice pouch.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you!!¡±


    Handsome leaned back, using his hands as a shield. ¡°You are getting pretty heated, though.¡±


    Middle-aged Man decided to continue the other conversation. ¡°They¡¯re right about the lawsuits. Don¡¯t even get them started demanding stuff. My wife already bleeds my wallet dry. Could you imagine a whole army of women? The IF would go bankrupt!¡±


    ¡°Accommodations would have to be made.¡± added Plain Guy. ¡°The bathrooms and shower systems would have to be completely redone.¡±


    ¡°Complete with interior decorating~¡± joked Handsome Guy.


    ¡°And when we don¡¯t give them everything they want,¡± Scruffy continued, ¡°they¡¯ll sue for discrimination. They say they want to be treated equally, but when they have to do the same work as us, they¡¯ll start complaining. And after all that, they¡¯ll still have the nerve to talk about us not taking them seriously!¡± He stabbed a fork into his food. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a trip?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Handsome and Middle-aged Guy shouted in agreement.


    ¡°When it comes to the workload, the IF could just tell them to suck it up like the rest of us. Dudes around here complain all the time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Handsome agreed. "I do it all the time."


    ¡°I¡¯m guilty of that, too.¡± Plain Guy raised a hand. ¡°But I¡¯d take this over basic training any day.¡±


    The dark-haired ranger laughed. ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth?¡± Jun looked at Scruffy Guy and shrugged. ¡°See? It¡¯s that simple. And if they¡¯re star rangers like the rest of us, I dunno, maybe we should take them seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Plain nodded. ¡°I think so, t--¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not. Listening!¡± Scruffy pounded the table. He pinched between his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. There¡¯s politics involved!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but there¡¯s no need to get worked up.¡± Middle-aged Guy made an attempt to mitigate the situation. ¡°Political correctness gets in the way of everything. We wouldn¡¯t be able to have fun anymore because there would be a ton of strict women around taking everything way too seriously.¡±


    ¡°I know right?¡± Handsome chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s usually how it goes.¡±


    The rookie looked toward Plain Guy for backup, but he looked more worried than anything.


    ¡°Maybe we need to counter protest to keep them out.¡± The middle-aged corporal suggested.


    ¡°There¡¯s already a movement doing that.¡± informed Scruffy.


    ¡°Good! Any man in his right mind should join.¡± A middle-aged smile crossed the corporal¡¯s face.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯m not in my right mind.¡± Jun waved a fork in the air.


    ¡°Would you just shut up??¡± shouted Scruffy Guy.


    ¡°Hey, hey, cool it.¡± Handsome unsuccessfully tried to cool the situation.


    Scruffy only focused on the rookie. ¡°What we¡¯re trying to get through your thick little skull is that there¡¯s no winning against the females! You and your friend,¡± He motioned to Plain Guy, who moved away from Jun, ¡°can suck up to them all you want, but they won¡¯t care! That¡¯s why we need to fight back!¡±


    ¡°What are you getting so mad about? Have you ever talked to a woman before??¡± Jun asked, not counting herself, of course.


    The new recruit wondered if that was a bad choice of words, because she suddenly found her uniform jacket being gripped by Scruffy. Handsome grimaced and Plain completely left the table.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s enough.¡± Middle-Aged Guy scolded. It wasn¡¯t very threatening, considering he moved a few seats down to say it.


    Jun was mostly unfazed, as she could easily dislodge herself if she wanted to.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to fight anybody.¡± began the rookie. ¡°It¡¯s my first deployment, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to change the subject!¡± Scruffy shook Jun a bit.


    ¡°I''m not! Look, there¡¯s a corporal right there.¡± Jun motioned to middle-aged man. ¡°He could easily write us up. I don¡¯t wanna get sent back home.¡±


    Handsome Guy stifled a laugh. Further away, Jun saw the rough looking guy from a few seats down not even bothering to stifle his laughter. Middle-Aged Guy faced the opposite from the altercation, as if he was never involved.


    ¡°You¡¯re just gonna tell on him?¡± Handsome smirked.


    ¡°Yeah, fighting is against the rules, right?¡±


    More laughter ensued.


    Middle-Aged Guy turned back around. ¡°You can slug him if you want, kid. I won¡¯t tell.¡±


    Scruffy¡¯s size and weight would normally be enough to make him a threat to most people, but despite that, he didn¡¯t seem like the type to fight much. Jun didn¡¯t want to resort to violence so quickly. Causing a scene wasn¡¯t ideal when you wanted to blend in on a ship full of men.


    He swung a fist at Jun. She pushed his arm off course and stepped back fast enough to break his grip from the uniform jacket. In a fit of rage, he lunged across the table, but the rookie was too far back to reach. He picked up his tray of mush, and flung it at Jun¡¯s head. She crossed her arms over her face instead of simply moving out of the way. A messy mistake.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Jun shook off a combination of mashed potatoes, gravy, and broccoli from her sleeves.


    Scruffy seemed to be finished with his little tantrum. He only stood there, still seething at the new recruit, but not making any attempts to move closer. Jun turned to walk away and report the incident to someone who would actually do something about it. Then, she heard someone speak.


    ¡°You think you can pick on a guy who won¡¯t fight back?¡±


    Jun turned to see Rough Guy placing a hand on Scruffy¡¯s shoulder. He was a blond, bearded ranger who stood a few inches taller than Scruffy Guy. A scar trailed down the left side of his face. He didn¡¯t look like the type of guy you¡¯d want to meet in a back alley.


    ¡°Hey, dude, you don¡¯t gotta do that.¡± The rookie told him. ¡°I was just gonna report him to someone.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°If you get violent, I¡¯ll report you too!¡±


    Rough Guy slowly turned his head toward Jun, giving a disgusted look.


    ¡°Whoop-dee-doo-da-day Mr. Snitch. Tell anyone you want. I don¡¯t give a--!¡±


    Scruffy took a swing at him. Rough Guy dodged his hand and slams him into the table, dunking his own tray of food on top of Scruffy Guy¡¯s head. That was the last thing the rookie witnessed before hurrying out of the area.


    Jun managed to find the ship¡¯s Disciplinary Department. Inside, a couple of corporals and warrant officers were laughing over conversation. Someone else was dressed in a uniform the new recruit hadn¡¯t seen before. The new recruit felt silly standing in the doorway covered in today¡¯s lunch. She felt even sillier when the others started laughing at her.


    ¡°Look at this poor sap!¡± A warrant officer pointed and laughed. Jun smiled a little, not too bothered. It must¡¯ve been funny, seeing someone show up like this.


    The one whose outfit stood out turned around. He was an older man with steely eyes. Jun noticed the star-shaped pin on his uniform had two orange stripes to its right. This could only be Captain Phelps. Seeing the ship¡¯s captain was a rare occurrence. The dark-haired ranger straightened her posture.


    ¡°What on Earth happened to you?¡± The captain squinted at Jun.


    ¡°I came to report a fight in the cafeteria hall, sir.¡±


    ¡°Between who?¡± asked a warrant officer.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Actually, I never got their names.¡± Jun replied, sheepishly. ¡°One was tall-ish, brown hair and a beard, kinda messy looking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised Kelly wasn¡¯t involved.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who that is¡­¡±


    ¡°Must be a fresh recruit.¡± Another corporal pointed a thumb at Jun, before addressing her directly. ¡°Tall guy, blond hair, big scar under his eye, you can¡¯t miss him.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s the other guy!¡±


    Everyone in the room groaned.


    ¡°No one even bothers reporting him anymore.¡± The captain shook his head. ¡°You¡¯d have to be really brave or really naive to do so. Which one are you?¡±


    Jun took a moment to consider her situation, impersonating a man in a men-only branch of military, surrounded by other men, without much of a plan. That went beyond naive. On the other hand, a weaker person wouldn¡¯t dare try this stunt.


    ¡°I¡¯d say a little bit of both, sir.¡± joked the rookie.


    ¡°Good. We have a job for you.¡±

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 2. Common Ground

    Jun found herself resting on the bottom bunk bed in her newly assigned room. The ranger had a different one originally, but she¡¯d been moved to this one for a special, secret task. That task came barging through the door.


    ¡°¡®Sup, Kelly?¡± the rookie sat up to greet him. Aiden Kelly, a troublesome ranger Jun had been assigned to keep tabs on, was her new roommate. For the past two weeks, she talked to him every chance she could get, hoping a more casual approach would gain his trust and make him less suspicious. Maybe getting to know him would get to the root of why he acted the way he did. The only thing Jun found out about him was that he was a tough nut to crack.


    He didn¡¯t respond to the question, only glaring.


    ¡°What¡¯cha got planned for today?¡±


    Aiden paid no attention to his roommate, instead retrieving something from the drawer.


    ¡°I was just thinkin¡¯,¡± Jun grasped for straws, ¡°like, you don¡¯t gotta, but I¡¯d like to get to know my roommate a bit more, establish some, uh, common grou--¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying.¡±


    Completely shot down, the rookie didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Look. I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re working for, or what your game is, but I know that you don¡¯t like me, and I really don¡¯t like you. So can you just stay outta my face? Go spy on someone else.¡±


    Jun started to crack up.


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    ¡°The heck is your problem...?¡±


    ¡°Am I that bad of an actor?¡± The dark-haired ranger wiped away a tear, calming down from laughter. ¡°To be honest, I was starting to get annoyed with myself. I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t tried to deck me yet.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not worth the effort.¡±


    ¡°Wow, thankssss...¡± Jun thanked him sarcastically. ¡°Gonna be honest with you, I didn¡¯t sign up for this either. I swear I¡¯m not normally this clingy.¡±


    Aiden leaned his head to one side. ¡°...So are you supposed to be my parole officer or somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, basically.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± He scoffed. ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on pretty thin ice with the warrant officers. And the captain.¡±


    ¡°¡®You¡¯re on thin ice, Kelly!¡¯¡± Aiden mocked. ¡°Yeah, they say that every week. Lemme guess, they wanted you to ¡®put me on the straight and narrow?¡¯¡±


    ¡°You got it. I don¡¯t know how they wanted me to do it.¡± admitted Jun. ¡°I was trying not to be annoying and stalkery about it.¡±


    ¡°You were.¡±


    ¡°I triiied.¡± Jun shrugged.


    The blond ranger shook his head. ¡°Why are you even telling me? Aren¡¯t you supposed to keep this a secret?¡±


    ¡°You already figured out what was going on, so why bother? I¡¯m not a good liar.¡± Jun told him, while pretending to be someone she wasn¡¯t. Ordinarily, though, this would be true.


    ¡°You¡¯re really not.¡±


    ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t seem the type to trust people that easily anyway, so I was pretty much losing from the start.¡±


    ¡°You were.¡± He smiled.


    The dark-haired ranger couldn¡¯t help but feel that even though keeping the assignment a secret was a bust, she was getting somewhere. Where, she didn¡¯t know, but somewhere.


    ¡°Could you--?¡± Jun began. ¡°Nah, forget it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was gonna ask could you pretend like you don¡¯t know any of this around the warrant officers.¡± The rookie grinned sheepishly.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Aiden leaned his weight on one leg. ¡°But I¡¯m not gonna snitch about it, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks, dude!¡± Jun felt somewhat lucky for this. ¡°But do be warned, this doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m gonna let you off the hook if you do anything reckless.¡±


    ¡°What are you, a cop??¡± He sneered.


    ¡°I was almost one.¡± admitted the rookie.


    Aiden¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°...That explains a lot.¡±


    He left the room as abruptly as he entered. Jun almost flopped back onto the bed when he poked his head back through the door.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t last a day where I¡¯m from.¡± were his last words before leaving for good.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 3. Enforcing the Law

    Jun had a rough day. Hoping to get some peace, the rookie ate lunch alone. Aiden Kelly, the enemy of peace, plopped down across the table.


    ¡°Shup?¡± He was chomping on an apple.


    ¡°What brings you here¡­?¡± the new recruit asked wearily.


    ¡°I needed a place to sit, and you look like you¡¯re not in the mood to bother me.¡±


    Jun stared at him, then went back to eating. The tables had been turned. Now she knew how he felt all those times she ¡®just happened to stop by¡¯ during lunch. He was actually more considerate than she had been, since he just ate in silence instead of trying to start a conversation. When Aiden finished his apple, he tossed the core into a dumpster a few feet away.


    The rookie nodded in approval. ¡°Haha, nice.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I thought you¡¯d be the type to be like,¡± Aiden started to do a nasally voice, ¡°¡®No throwing food in the lunch hall.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve if you missed.¡± Jun stabbed a couple leaves of lettuce. ¡°Or if someone else was walking by.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve hit nobody on purpose. Unless I didn¡¯t like ¡®em.¡±


    The rookie¡¯s head shook disapprovingly.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Aiden rested his face in one hand. ¡°It¡¯s just like a pig to think you can pick and choose when to enforce the law. You say you were an ex-cop?¡±


    ¡°I was almost a cop.¡±


    ¡°Just as bad.¡± He seemed to have a moment of clarity. ¡°Oh. Ohhhhhhh~ Yeeeeah, now I see! Of course you agreed to babysit me. To play pretend, since you couldn¡¯t be one of the real cops.¡±


    ¡°Hey man, you don¡¯t gotta, like, psychoanalyze things. I was just tryin¡¯ to get by. They told me to do something, and I did it.¡± the dark-haired ranger explained. ¡°All part of the job.¡±


    Aiden huffed dismissively. ¡°Sounds like something a cop would say. You¡¯re perfect for the military.¡±


    ¡°You really seem to have a thing against authority.¡± Jun raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Sure do!¡±


    The new recruit gave him an incredulous look. ¡°Then why did you join the military?¡±


    ¡°Look, Jake--¡±


    ¡°Jun.¡±


    ¡°--Jun, whatever.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°You might not understand, being raised in your cookie-cutter suburban house, but I didn¡¯t have a lot of options.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t know where I come from!¡±


    ¡°Then where did you live?¡±


    The rookie smiled in shame. ¡°...A cookie-cutter suburban house.¡±


    The blond laughed snidely. ¡°Thought so.¡±


    ¡°Where did you live?¡±


    ¡°Skid Row.¡± Aiden answered. ¡°It¡¯s in LA.¡±


    ¡°Did your family have an apartment there?¡± Jun wondered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have a family or an apartment.¡± He looked away. ¡°In Skid Row, you¡¯re lucky to have a tent.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jun hadn¡¯t considered getting an answer like that. ¡°You were homeless?¡±


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    Aiden nodded. ¡°I was on the run when a recruitment officer told me to sign up for this. ¡®Said the IF need some muscle like me around.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you were on the run? From¡­¡± the rookie whispered, ¡°th-the police??¡±


    ¡°Yep. Your people.¡± He looked at Jun condescendingly.


    ¡°They¡¯re not my--Nevermind.¡± Jun dropped the argument. She went back to whispering. ¡°Dude, are you sure you wanna say that out loud??¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I? Everyone who needs to know knows already. They already approved my waiver.¡±


    ¡°You can get in with a criminal record??¡±


    Aiden laughed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here if I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± It seemed unfathomable to Jun that the Interstellar Forces would let this guy in. ¡°W-What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Murder.¡± he answered with a stone face. He couldn¡¯t hold it for long because he started laughing at Jun¡¯s expression. ¡°Theft. Petty theft that time around. ¡®Cause it¡¯s not like I had any, y¡¯know, money to buy stuff.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, that makes sense¡­¡± The rookie could sympathize with that, even though she couldn¡¯t help but wonder who would lie about murder for kicks and giggles.


    ¡°Now I can get food and a place to rest without having to worry about getting stabbed in my sleep, and for free!¡± Aiden looked at Jun¡¯s tray. ¡°You gonna eat any of those carrots?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Jun pushed the tray toward him, watching as he took a carrot. His life before joining the IF was something she could barely imagine. ¡°Do you like, like this job?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy. I do some exercises, carry some boxes around, test out whatever new flying equipment they got for me.¡± Aiden crunched on a carrot. ¡°I¡¯m good at my job, and they know it.¡±


    ¡°They?¡±


    ¡°The guys up top. That¡¯s why they sent you over here, ain¡¯t it?¡± Aiden pointed a carrot at the new recruit. ¡°If I was any old rando they would¡¯ve gotten rid of me last year!¡±


    Jun hadn¡¯t thought about that. Why were they keeping this guy around? ¡°But they just can¡¯t have you breaking the rules all the time, can they? I mean, if other people saw you get away with it, and started thinking they could, wouldn¡¯t it, like, mess up the whole structure of the ship?¡±


    ¡°It already has! How new are you??¡± Aiden finished the carrot and grabbed another one. ¡°Wait, you said this was your first deployment?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡± He lifted his head up. ¡°Figures they¡¯d get a rookie to do their dirty work. A bootleg cop at that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a cop.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were, that¡¯s the only reason I haven¡¯t kicked your teeth in. But don¡¯t count your luck.¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You look too goofy to be a pig, though. You¡¯re like a piglet. A pig-lite if you will. Is that why they kicked you out? Were you not cut out for them?¡±


    ¡°No, I quit.¡± The rookie absentmindedly pushed around a cherry tomato with a fork.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t cut out for them.¡± Jun smiled sheepishly.


    ¡°Pfff. Why not?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, could you imagine me using a gun? Arresting people?¡± The rookie laughed. ¡°I¡¯d look like a joke!¡±


    Aiden simply stared. Jun couldn¡¯t tell if he knew there was more than that to the story.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s hope for you yet.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re probably wondering why the IF keeps a guy like me around.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s been on my mind.¡±


    His hands propped his chin up. ¡°So basically the situation is they can¡¯t get rid of me.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Enlistment to the IF is so low that they take what they can get. You heard that rumor that all the people who couldn¡¯t make it into the other branches get sent here, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. But I thought that was just, like, just a rumor.¡±


    Aiden cocked his head to the side. ¡°I dunno if it¡¯s real or not, actually. Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m still one of the most fit dudes in the IF right now. And I don¡¯t have any other skills, so they don¡¯t have to worry about me ranking up to corporal or anything like that. I¡¯m like their best test dummy.¡±


    ¡°So because of that, you do whatever you want?¡± asked the rookie.


    ¡°Yep.¡± The blond stared up into the distance, then stared back at Jun. ¡°Anyway, the other guys noticed I was able to get away with stuff and now they¡¯re becoming a little testy~¡± He wiggled his fingers. ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re here. If you can keep me in line, the higher ups get to claim that they were,¡± He began to speak in a whimsical falsetto voice, ¡°¡®enforcing the rules the whoooole time~¡¯ They figure if they can control me, the rest will fall back in step.¡±


    To be honest, Jun had no idea what to make of his conspiracy theory.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, do ya?¡±


    ¡°Not really sure if I should.¡± Jun replied blankly.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Aiden grabbed the rest of the rookie¡¯s carrots, then stood up. ¡°You¡¯ll see it for yourself if you stick around long enough.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s my job to not let that happen!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your problem.¡± He held a carrot between his teeth.


    The more Jun thought it over, the more Aiden¡¯s story started to make sense. Other star rangers on the ship didn¡¯t seem to be too concerned with the rules, least of all him. She still didn¡¯t want to believe it. It sounded ridiculous for one, and Aiden hadn¡¯t proved himself to be the most trustworthy guy. Also, one question still lingered on the rookie¡¯s mind.


    ¡°What if they found someone that can do your job better than you?¡±


    Aiden paused.


    ¡°I dunno.¡± He took the carrot out of his mouth. ¡°But I can tell you one thing: It hasn¡¯t happened yet.¡±


    He took the carrots and left Jun to wonder how she got into this situation.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 4. Had it Coming

    A shipment of new faces had been gathered from a stop on the Interstellar Forces Moon Base. The Lunarian base¡¯s more promising cadets had the opportunity to be transferred to the Virgo. It felt like mere weeks since Jun had been a young, simple cadet, mainly because it was. She couldn¡¯t reminisce for too long, though. Aiden needed to be found; who could tell what he¡¯d do if left to his own devices for much longer.


    The rookie found him buying a snack from the vending machine near one of the shower rooms. So she thought. Upon closer inspection, he put a dollar into the machine only to snatch it out as soon as it registered the amount. He grabbed a bag of chips, and to add insult to injury, he received change for the dollar he didn¡¯t pay.


    Jun squinted at him. ¡°Dude, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Eating chips.¡± the blond answered while eating chips.


    ¡°I can see that.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡¯d you ask?¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Wasting my time¡­¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s stealing, right?¡±


    ¡°Puh-lease.¡± he said through another mouthful, before swallowing. ¡°You ever think about where this money comes from? Where it goes?¡±


    ¡°It came from people who worked hard to get it, I can tell you that much.¡± Jun didn¡¯t get why he had to steal. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have the money, he got paid just as much as everyone else.


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Whatever. The suckers who gave money already got what they wanted. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m mugging people.¡±


    Jun sighed.


    ¡°You¡¯re half-right, though. There¡¯s a scam going on, but I¡¯m not running it.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± The dark-haired ranger looked at him through tired eyes. ¡°Tell me, o wise one, what grand schemes are taking place that you are most definitely not the source of?¡±


    Jun waited for a response while Aiden poured the last crumbs into his hands and ate them.


    ¡°Think about it.¡± he began. ¡°We do all of this work for the IF, and they pay us, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we can spend any of this money outside.¡± He balled up the now empty bag.


    Jun disagreed. ¡°I spent some of mine back in Lunaria.¡±


    ¡°Besides that. We¡¯ll be trapped on this ship for another month, month and a half? Add that to the return trip back to the moon, the month we already spent in orbit, and that¡¯s 4 months we¡¯ll be on this ship. These,¡± Aiden tapped the vending machine, ¡°are the only places we¡¯ll be able to spend money that entire time.¡±


    ¡°And your point is¡­?¡±


    ¡°Where is that money going?¡±


    The rookie leaned her head back. ¡°I dunno, to the chip companies?¡±


    Aiden shook his head. ¡°Sure. Some of it might. But the rest goes back into the IF¡¯s pockets. These are donation boxes. Isn¡¯t that funny?¡± He laughed. ¡°We break our backs for them and they have the nerve to take it right back out of our pockets.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯re putting guns to our heads to buy overpriced chips. They already give us the food we need for free.¡± reasoned Jun. ¡°And what if it does go back to the IF? They might be using it for charity or new technology or something. You don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You really think a US military branch needs to be defended on money of all things? Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re getting funded.¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah,¡± Jun had to admit he was kind of right, ¡°but it is the IF. It¡¯s not like people are as willing to give money to us, especially not the government. We¡¯re not as useful to them as the Army or the Navy...¡± It dawned on the rookie how sad the situation was. The Interstellar Forces stood as the only branch of military that didn¡¯t focus on fighting wars. Granted, that purpose more or less got stripped from them. Still, the general public and the government would rather give money to institutions that kill the unknown than one that seeks to learn about the unknown.


    ¡°True.¡± Finally, Aiden agreed with something Jun said. ¡°But--¡±


    Before he could finish, a boy from the shower room barreled into Jun. The boy couldn¡¯t have been more than three or four years younger than her, 19-ish. He looked mortified, covered only in a towel.


    ¡°S-Sorry, I--¡± he began.


    Snickering could be heard from inside the shower room.


    ¡°I thought I told you to grab his towel!¡± whispered a voice from inside.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have time!¡± whined another.


    Jun opened the door to see three more guys inside, in uniform. Their uniforms didn¡¯t have a star pin at all. Cadets. They froze mid discussion.


    ¡°You.¡± the dark-haired ranger addressed the toweled boy. ¡°You can go back inside.¡±


    He rushed into the shower room, past his three peers.


    ¡°You three.¡± She addressed the others. ¡°Out here.¡±


    They quietly entered the hall. One looked nervous, the other ashamed. The third guy had a look that said ¡®I don¡¯t see what the problem is, officer.¡± He might¡¯ve been around Jun¡¯s age.


    ¡°You know harassment is like, a policy we¡¯re against in the IF, right?¡± Jun asked.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± the ashamed one looked down.


    ¡°I-It was just a prank.¡± the nervous one defended. ¡°We¡¯re sorry, you won¡¯t hear any trouble from us again, sir.¡±


    Sir. The dark-haired ranger had never been called that before. It felt nice. She suppressed a smile, noticing Aiden¡¯s scrutiny.


    The third guy gave his friend a look that said ¡®Will you shut up?¡¯


    He then spoke to Jun. ¡°I don¡¯t see what the problem is, sir. We were just showing the guy how the IF operates.¡±


    The rookie didn¡¯t buy that for a second. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a while and I¡¯ve never seen any dudes walking butt naked through the halls.¡±


    ¡°You have in the rooms though.¡± Aiden added.


    ¡°That¡¯s just you.¡± Jun grimaced. As if to make living with Aiden harder than it already was, he slept naked. ¡°Ignore him. Anyway, I have a duty to report you guys for what you did.¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t understand!¡± complained the third cadet. ¡°My uncle used to do that to his unit when they took too long in the showers.¡±


    ¡°Your uncle?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he used to be a warrant officer on this ship. Murray? Ask any of the others, they¡¯ll know who he is.¡± The smug look on his face annoyed Jun.


    ¡°Oh. Him.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t seem to like this Murray character.


    ¡°See?¡± Murray¡¯s nephew pointed at Aiden. ¡°He knows who he is.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t know that¡­¡± Jun attempted to loosen up. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Eric.¡± The cadet pointed to himself proudly. ¡°Eric Murray. The Second.¡±


    ¡°Jeremy Sanders.¡± His nervous friend followed, looking a little happier.


    The third one¡¯s shame turned to confusion. ¡°Brandon Reynolds?¡±


    ¡°Cool, I¡¯m Jun Kim!¡± the rookie introduced herself.


    Aiden gave Jun a dirty look. It was understandable why. It must¡¯ve looked like she was letting them off the hook, but in actuality, the rookie was just trying to get their names to report later.


    Cadet Murray turned back to his friends. ¡°See? I told you guys things¡¯ll work out.¡± He then offered Jun a handshake. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to put in a good word for you with my uncle.¡±


    ¡°Are you just gonna let these guys off?¡± Aiden gave Jun a distrustful look.


    ¡°Wait a sec, Kelly, you¡¯ve got it all wro--¡±


    Before Jun could explain, Eric opened his mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting worked up over nothing.¡± He waved Aiden off. ¡°If you¡¯re so mad, then do something about it. Just try and report me, I guarantee they won¡¯t--¡±


    The cadet slammed to the floor before Jun could register that Aiden shoved him. The blond ranger picked him up and pinned him to the wall.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to report you to nobody.¡± Aiden towered over the bug-eyed cadet.


    Jun walked toward them. ¡°Kelly, knock it off.¡±


    ¡°Quiet, traitor, can¡¯t you see we¡¯re trying to have a conversation?¡± He turned back to Eric. ¡°Ignore him.¡± He pounded the wall beside the cadet¡¯s head, then reared a fist. ¡°If I catch you or your little friends pulling anymore sh--¡±


    The rookie had to think quickly to prevent the cadet¡¯s skull from being cracked by Aiden¡¯s fist. Jun charged into Aiden, pinning his arms behind his back a little further down the wall. Eric and his friends took the opportunity to flee the scene.


    ¡°If you had waited for two seconds--¡±


    ¡°I got my eye on you!!¡± Aiden shouted after them.


    Jun pushed him back against the wall. ¡°If you had waited for two seconds I would¡¯ve turned it around on them!¡±


    ¡°Suuuure you would¡¯ve. He called you ¡®sir¡¯ and you couldn¡¯t help yourself, could you?¡±


    He leaned his weight against Jun, toppling both to the ground.


    ¡°Ow!¡± The rookie pushed Aiden off of her.


    He stood up, kicking Jun in the leg. ¡°Did you get your power trip?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that!¡± The dark-haired ranger sat up. ¡°If you come with me to the Disciplinary Department, I¡¯ll report them, I swear.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your promises¡­¡±


    Aiden went back to the vending machine.


    The toweled boy from earlier poked his head out. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°He scared them off.¡± Jun nodded toward Aiden.


    ¡°Oh, thank you, sir!¡±


    The blond ranger didn¡¯t say anything at first, he just focused on the vending machine. A snack fell out, along with more change.


    ¡°Here.¡± Aiden tossed the package to the now-fully-clothed cadet, then walked away.


    ¡°What a nice guy.¡± the cadet remarked after he left.


    Jun didn¡¯t know if that was 100% true or not, but Aiden seemed to at least have good intentions. She changed the subject.


    ¡°Have those guys been bothering you for a long time?¡±


    ¡°Yeah--I mean, yes sir!¡± he corrected. ¡°Mostly Eric.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Jun cradled the kicked leg. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the DD hears about that. Let me know if they bother you again after that, okay?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± the cadet turned to leave, but turned back around. ¡°Um, do you need help?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ could you not tell them my name?¡±


    Jun grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t even know your name, kid.¡±


    Later in the evening, Jun flopped onto the bottom bunk. A nap was needed after a day this long and weary.


    Of course this is the time Aiden walked in.


    ¡°I reported them.¡± Jun didn¡¯t even bother lifting her head up from the bed.


    ¡°I heard.¡± He grumbled. ¡°You reported me too.¡±


    The rookie turned over. ¡°For assault.¡±


    ¡°I saw them when the WOs dragged me in.¡± He sat on the drawers. ¡°Can¡¯t believe they actually got in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± For a moment, Jun worried that Eric was right.


    ¡°After I left, I heard some of the older WOs talk about that one guy¡¯s uncle, Murray. Turns out they hated him too. Eric acts just like him.¡±


    ¡°Really? They let him get away with stuff like that?¡±


    Aiden cocked an eyebrow at Jun, then went back to looking elsewhere. ¡°He had the authority.¡±


    ¡°If the other WOs hated him, why didn¡¯t they do something?¡± asked Jun.


    ¡°They got him moved. Now he¡¯s some other ship¡¯s problem.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound helpful¡­¡±


    Aiden shook his head. ¡°They don¡¯t care.¡±


    Jun thought back to why Aiden said they assigned her to him. Since then, most of the warrant officers and some corporals have been breathing down her back, demanding some progress be made with him. Making someone they didn¡¯t like into someone else¡¯s problem fit perfectly with their actions.


    The rookie felt the need to clear something up. ¡°When I first reported you, that time you slammed mashed potatoes into that one guy--¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Aiden laughed. ¡°He was already getting on my nerves. Don¡¯t think I did it for you.¡±


    ¡°O...kay.¡± Jun resumed the story. ¡°When I went down to the Disciplinary Department, I didn¡¯t know your names. They already guessed you were involved, but as soon as I told them that, they like, didn¡¯t even care about the other guy. They never punished him or anything, even though he started it. They didn¡¯t even care to ask how the fight went down! As soon as you were mentioned, they dumped me on you, just like that.¡±


    He snickered. ¡°Good thing I beat him up, then.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I told you that because that¡¯s why I was acting all buddy-buddy with Eric and his friends today. I wanted to get names this time.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The blond reacted in dull surprise. ¡°Huh... I still don¡¯t know why you think tattling will solve everything. Especially for a guy like that? I can¡¯t stand rich brats who know they can get away with anything.¡±


    ¡°He was punished, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but only because they didn¡¯t like his uncle as much as he thought.¡±


    ¡°Oh...Still, it kinda worked!¡± Jun insisted. ¡°I dunno, I wanna believe that there are other people who actually care about justice.¡±


    Aiden almost said something but dropped it.


    "I want to believe in the IF''s justice system."


    "You''d do better believing in aliens."


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna fight anyone." Jun continued. "I don¡¯t want any bloodshed if it can be helped. And maybe it can¡¯t always be avoided but¡­ I dunno.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what you think.¡± He seemed to be contemplating something. His eyes stared into space. ¡°...You probably thought I was going to pound that guy¡¯s face in. That¡¯s why you tackled me, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± It surprised Jun that he caught on to that.


    ¡°I was trying to make him think that. The most I woulda done was slap him.¡±


    That¡¯s not too much better in Jun¡¯s eyes, but better. ¡°I guess we both misunderstood each other. Still would¡¯ve tried to stop you.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡± He continued staring into space. ¡°In my experience, it¡¯s like this.¡± Finally he turned to the rookie. ¡°People with power don¡¯t listen to people who don¡¯t have it. They think they¡¯re too good for that. A slap in the face won¡¯t change minds. A punch won¡¯t solve every problem, but sometimes it¡¯s the only thing you have to make them stop.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Jun¡¯s head bobbed. The rookie didn¡¯t want to believe the world was like that but felt comforted knowing there was reasoning behind Aiden¡¯s behavior. He wasn¡¯t a bad person. Still, Jun had doubts about his logic. ¡°Do you really think Eric had power in that situation? He was just a cadet.¡±


    ¡°He and his buddies had enough power to push that one guy out without clothes on, and he had enough power to think he could get away with it even if he got reported. He had it coming.¡± Aiden smiled. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. I don¡¯t trust your way of doing things, either.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I understand, it¡¯s just¡­ yeah¡­¡± Jun chuckled.


    ¡°Your heart¡¯s¡­ in the right place¡­ I guess.¡± Aiden begrudgingly admitted.


    ¡°Yours too¡­ I think.¡± the rookie hesitated. ¡°I think we¡¯re on the same page.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Nah. I wouldn¡¯t go that far. Maybe in the same book. But since you said you care so much about ¡®justice,¡¯¡± He used air quotes, ¡°then keep yourself in check. Ask yourself why you¡¯re doing what you¡¯re doing. If you¡¯re doing something for yourself at the expense of the weak, then you¡¯ve already lost.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± agreed Jun. ¡°Yeah¡­ My motto is not to use unnecessary force against people who can¡¯t defend themselves.¡±


    He nodded, then laughed.


    The dark-haired ranger lifted her head up from the bed. ¡°What¡¯s so funny to you?¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡± answered the blond ranger. ¡°You do your thing, I do mine.¡±


    ¡°But my job now is to stop you from doing your thing.¡±


    ¡°Tough luck. I¡¯m gonna do what I want, when I want, and how I want to, and none of you are gonna stop me. Got that?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Jun replied, unfazed.


    Aiden snorted in confusion, not really knowing how to react.


    ¡°Okay then, later... Weirdo.¡± After saying that, he left.


    Jun wondered whether or not to follow him. Could anything Aiden said really be trusted? On the other hand, was he as dangerous as other people made him out to be? From Jun¡¯s experience, possibly, depending on the situation. It was hard to answer. Maybe the real question was ¡®Is Aiden a threat to innocent people?¡¯ Jun didn¡¯t see that being the case.


    It had been too long of a day for the rookie to really process all these questions. Jun decided to sleep on it. ...Until her phone buzzed.


    ¡°Kelly spotted at the mess hall. You nearby?¡± texted Warrant Officer Lee.


    ¡°thanks for the heads up.¡± she texted back.


    Jun finally remembered the real reason she needed to keep track of Aiden: It had never been her decision to make.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 5. Morning Workout

    A pin could drop in the training room and all would be able to hear it. Everyone in Jun¡¯s unit stood silently, awaiting the lead corporal¡¯s commands. Everyone except for one notable exception.


    ¡°Ranger Kim!¡± Corporal Hampton barked into Jun¡¯s ear. Anyone could tell he was aiming to be a warrant officer.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Where! In Jupiter¡¯s red blazes is Ranger Kelly??¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, sir!¡±


    He took a few steps so he could deafen the rookie¡¯s other ear. ¡°It¡¯s been a month and you still don¡¯t know??¡±


    ¡°He was gone when I woke up...sir.¡± Jun almost forgot.


    ¡°Then wake up sooner!¡± demanded the corporal. ¡°Captain Phelps didn¡¯t hire you to pal around with him. I want that menace present and I want him here yesterday. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Alright, men.¡± Hampton addressed to everyone. ¡°As you know, this is not a democracy. But today I will give you a choice. Since Kelly is not here with us, someone has to put in the work for him. Either all of you do 1 ? miles, 6 laps, or you all get to do the standard 4-lap mile, but Ranger Kim here,¡± he clamped a hand on Jun¡¯s shoulder. ¡°has to run 8 laps. 2 whole miles. Raise your hands if you want to run 6 laps!¡±


    That wasn¡¯t even a choice. Still, Jun sheepishly held up a hand, already knowing that no one else would. The regular exercises were already hard on the rookie, but the next 15 minutes proved to be torture. Swallowing magma would be preferable to the burning in her lungs.


    ¡°Wow, you look like you¡¯re about to die.¡± Aiden almost went unnoticed by Jun after staggering out of the training room.


    ¡®Where were you?¡¯ the dark-haired ranger could¡¯ve asked, had a coughing fit not struck at that moment. Her oxygen-deprived mind could only think of the warnings she saw when searching for a chest binder: ¡®Don¡¯t wear when doing rigorous activity.¡¯ ¡®Take breaks if you feel short of breath.¡¯ ¡®Never sleep in this.¡¯ All of these were disregarded, and now the rookie was paying the price.


    ¡°Are you¡­ okay?¡±


    Jun nodded.


    ¡°Okaaaaay¡­¡± He didn¡¯t seem to believe it, but he left anyway. Jerk.


    This couldn¡¯t happen again. Jun was determined not to let an incident like this happen again if it killed her, because the alternative might.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Aiden asked from the top bunk. Bedtime arrived, but Jun sat, arms folded on the single bed across from him.


    ¡°Making sure you don¡¯t disappear.¡± the rookie answered, preparing for a long, long night. ¡°You¡¯re coming to training with me tomorrow.¡±


    He propped his head up with his hand. ¡°So let me get this straight: You¡¯re going to stay up all night and watch me sleep?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You know you¡¯re going to have to watch me get dressed, right?¡± The blond ranger pointed to his clothes, which were all on the floor.


    ¡°That¡¯s a sacrifice I¡¯ll have to make.¡±


    ¡°And what if I still don¡¯t wanna go?¡±


    ¡°You will go.¡±


    He shook his head and laid back down. ¡°Okay. Goodnight, creep.¡±


    Jun watched until Aiden fell asleep. She watched and waited, occasionally checking the clock on their dresser. Minutes could not go by any slower. Still, the rookie¡¯s eyes were open and alert, ready to stay that way for the next 6-8 hours.


    The clock read 6:00 when Jun woke up. Aiden nor his clothes were anywhere to be seen. He slipped away.


    Grabbing her cellphone, the rookie texted any corporal or warrant officer she thought might be nice enough to tell her Aiden¡¯s whereabouts. Jun rushed out of the dorm and around the ship, not wanting to waste too much time waiting for answers. Time slipped away far too quickly. No sightings were reported, just rejections. Jun visited every place she had seen him, but no luck.


    The rookie came to a stop. Looking in any random place wouldn¡¯t work, decisiveness is key. Where would someone go if they didn¡¯t want to go to physical training? Probably the most inconvenient place possible. Where would that be, though?


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    As if to answer, the phone buzzed in Jun¡¯s pocket.


    ¡°I saw him heading into hall E-18.¡± reported Corporal Morello.


    Jun texted back a simple ¡°thanks!!¡± and left for hall E-18. The rookie often went there for technician training, and it was located halfway across the ship from the training room. While majorly inconvenient, at least it was still on the same floor.


    7:00. Thirty minutes left. Aiden stood on the other end of the hall when Jun entered.


    ¡°I found you¡­¡± Jun couldn¡¯t help but smile. The dark-haired ranger began chuckling, but it devolved into coughs. The wild goose chase she went on served as enough of a workout. ¡°We need to--we really need to head to training.¡±


    ¡°Then you better get going!¡± He shouted.


    ¡°If you¡¯re late then it¡¯s as good as me being late! I can¡¯t go back without y--!¡± the rookie got cut off by more coughing.


    Aiden finally made his way over. As slowly. As possible.


    ¡°Why do you need me there so bad? If anything, you should stay here. You look like a wreck.¡± He laughed when he approached Jun.


    ¡°Yeah? Well I¡¯m gonna be more of a wreck if I have to run 2 miles again.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go?¡± Jun wondered if he really thought that would work, until remembering that it did for him. ¡°I can¡¯t just not go. What¡¯ll happen when I go back the next day? I can¡¯t go in like ¡® ¡®Sup Hampton. Sorry about being a no-show yesterday, I had to, like, take a chill.¡¯ He¡¯d work me to death!¡±


    ¡°Who said you had to go back at all?¡±


    Jun¡¯s head shook. ¡°Kelly, you said it yourself. The only reason they let you get away with stuff like that is because they can¡¯t get rid of you. I¡¯m just an average guy!¡±


    7:08. The rookie couldn¡¯t afford to get sent home now. Someone counted on her to at least make it past Mars. Anything less than that would render her struggles worthless.


    Aiden seemed to be contemplating something. He looked out of the window beside him, to the billions of stars in the distance. As stressed as she was, Jun had to admit it was a pretty sight.


    Finally, he gave an annoyed sigh, and walked toward the door.


    ¡°You comin¡¯?¡± he asked.


    Jun couldn¡¯t believe he changed his mind that quickly. ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided whether to go to training yet. I could turn around at any time.¡±


    The rookie ignored that, happy he even headed that way at all.


    ¡°Our trainer guy is Hampton, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± answered Jun.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± the blond ranger grimaced. ¡°Now I remember why I stopped showing up. He¡¯s like a drill sergeant.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that basically what he¡¯s supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°Why should he?¡± he argued. ¡°And why do we have to do PT anyway?¡±


    ¡°So we don¡¯t pull a muscle or get too like, out of shape when it comes to when we have to train with the jet armor.¡± reasoned the rookie. To be honest, Jun didn¡¯t really know. ¡°At least, that¡¯s what I guess it is. I dunno.¡±


    Aiden folded his arms. ¡°That¡¯s never been a problem for me. I don¡¯t see why I have to do it.¡±


    Jun shook her head. He sounded like a stubborn child.


    ¡°How is punishing you for what I do gonna help either of us?¡± the blond ranger continued. ¡°Are you any more useful when you¡¯re strung out from all that exercise?¡±


    ¡°No ,but I think he does it because¡­ I dunno.¡± Jun shrugged. ¡°I think it¡¯s to teach cooperation or something¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bad way of doing it! You can¡¯t tell me otherwise.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Jun looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t like it either, but it¡¯s not like we can whine. It¡¯s the military.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°We gotta do things we don¡¯t like. It¡¯s a part of life.¡±


    Aiden turned to Jun. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡±


    Thinking about it, the rookie realized he probably had a lot of experience with that.


    ¡°I did a lotta things I didn¡¯t wanna do because I had to.¡± He stopped walking. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do PT. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll die if we miss a day!¡±


    7:15. There wasn¡¯t time for this. Jun started to catch on that Aiden wouldn¡¯t go along with the program unless he had a reason that worked for him.


    ¡°What if something happened to the ship where we all had to leave with the jet armor?¡± Jun questioned. ¡°If all of us weren¡¯t fit enough to use it, some people could get lost in space.¡±


    ¡°How is jumping jacks gonna help with that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± That almost stumped the rookie. ¡°But stretches will!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Aiden seemed satisfied. ¡°Sure, I can buy that. But if that¡¯s so important, then why doesn¡¯t the corporal do it? Why not the warrant officers or the staff majors or the captains?¡±


    ¡°Because--!¡± Jun really didn¡¯t know the answer to that one. ¡°Uhhhhhhhhhhh...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer that.¡± He folded his arms behind his head, starting to walk again. ¡°You already convinced me to go¡­ but you can¡¯t convince me the IF is doing this all for our sake.¡±


    Jun breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re not, I can¡¯t argue that, but-- Dude, like, I admire how much you¡¯re willing to ask questions about the purpose of authority and why things are, but a lot of it is there so that we each do our part. If we didn¡¯t, we¡¯d die in space.¡±


    Aiden looked back at Jun, squinting. ¡°Of course we won¡¯t let ourselves die! People are gonna do what they need to to survive, regardless of someone tellin¡¯ ¡®em to.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Jun wasn¡¯t. ¡°I feel like there¡¯s a certain amount of cooperation that needs to be enforced for us to function as a society. Not everyone¡¯s gonna do what they need to on their own.¡±


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Whatever, Officer Kim. Who even needs a society?¡±


    Jun didn¡¯t expect to get this deep of a philosophical question this early in the morning. She wishes she kept her mouth shut after he said he¡¯d go.


    ¡°If we each did what we needed to survive, wouldn¡¯t that be enough?¡± Aiden continued.


    ¡°M-maybe? But what about people who can¡¯t, like kids?¡±


    He paused. ¡°There¡¯s enough people willing to help each other without needing to be told to.¡±


    Jun smiled. What a surprisingly comforting statement to come from Aiden Kelly.


    ¡°Like me!¡± Aiden grinned, pointing at himself.


    ¡°You almost left me out to dry!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you needed help!¡± He defended. ¡°But when you told me, I figured I didn¡¯t want Hampton to pin your blood on my hands if you passed out. Just wanted to make sure you were thinkin¡¯. The IF counts on us not questioning their rules.¡±


    ¡°Kelly, it¡¯s too early in the morning to think. Plus, I barely got any sleep!¡± complained the dark-haired ranger. ¡°Save your ideological discussions for later.¡±


    ¡°Barely got any sleep? Ha! You were knocked out when I got up.¡±


    7:20. Jun shook her head and clamped a hand onto Aiden¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s just get going.¡±


    He shook the hand off and hurried along, followed by Jun.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 6. Ping-Pong Break

    Between looking after Aiden, Jun had made a couple of friends. Matthew Burnham, the plain-looking guy she had lunch with the first time she met Aiden, continued having lunch with her. Jaleel Brown and Corey Ridley, who often worked with Jun while fixing ship machinery, often joined them. All three were pleasant to hang around. It comforted Jun to know that though technically she was an outsider, these three considered the rookie one of their own.


    Today, a familiar face approached the group.


    ¡°Um, hey¡­ I dunno if you remember me,¡± began the cadet, ¡°but I was with Eric. Eric Murray?¡±


    Jun turned around. ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re¡­.¡± She snapped her fingers, trying to remember the name. ¡°Brad...?¡±


    ¡°Brandon.¡± he corrected. ¡°Were you the one that reported us?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡± He gave a slight, ashamed smile. ¡°I actually wanted to thank you. Everything was a joke with Eric, so when he started pushing us around, we either went with it or we were ¡®too sensitive.¡¯¡± he used air quotes. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize how far I went along with it until you showed up.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Jun smiled. ¡°Glad I could do that for ya.¡±


    ¡°And thanks for beating up that huge scary guy for us.¡± He playfully bowed down to Jun. ¡°You¡¯re not the hero we deserved, but you¡¯re the one we needed.¡±


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    If Jun remembered that incident correctly, she was the one who ended up on the floor with Aiden kicking her in the leg. Brandon and the others left before that time, though.


    ¡°You did what?¡± Corey¡¯s mouth dropped.


    Jun tried to explain. ¡°Oh no, you got the situation all wrong. I just held Kelly off from him for a little bit.¡±


    Jaleel raised his glasses. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you say Kelly? 6¡¯4¡± and shredded Kelly?¡±


    ¡°Looks-like-he¡¯s-done-5-to-10 Kelly? That guy?¡± added Corey.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± confirmed Brandon, barely having learned Aiden¡¯s name.


    ¡°Come on guys, he¡¯s like 6¡¯2¡± at most.¡± Jun told them.


    Matthew spoke up. ¡°When we first met, he got into a fight with this other big guy and smacked his fist out of the way mid-punch. Then Kelly slammed that guy into a table; it was nuts.¡±


    Corey leaned toward the rookie. ¡°Jun, teach us your skills.¡±


    ¡°Remind me to have you around the next time I get into a fight.¡± joked Jaleel.


    The buzz continued around Jun for a few more minutes before it finally died down as the group got finished with their lunch. Corey suggested they go play ping-pong in the rec room later, and everyone agreed. Someone brought up the fact that there was an odd number of them. Suddenly, Jun thought of something.


    ¡°Hey guys, if I run into Kelly before then, is it okay if I invite him?¡±


    They gave her a bewildered stare.


    ¡°I promise you guys won¡¯t, like, die or anything.¡±


    Brandon spoke. ¡°As¡­ As long as you¡¯re there, I guess.¡±


    The others hesitantly agreed.


    ¡°Cool!¡± Jun gave a thumbs up. ¡°See you later!¡± She finger-gunned away.


    During a stop to her dorm, Jun saw Aiden lounging on the top bunk bed.


    ¡°Heyyy.¡± the rookie greeted. ¡°Me and a coupla the guys are gonna go play ping-pong in the rec room. We could use another player. Wanna come with?¡±


    He didn¡¯t even look down at Jun. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Alright then!¡±


    With that, Jun left to go play ping-pong.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 7. Lunch with the Boys

    The news of Aiden¡¯s ¡°defeat¡± spread around, and Jun suddenly found herself surrounded by more friends. The dark-haired ranger tried to mitigate the rumors as much as possible, but the truth had trouble getting through. Still, Jun had no problem chatting and joking around with them.


    Today, another familiar face approached the group. They all fell silent.


    ¡°Ey, JK.¡± Aiden waved to Jun. He took an empty seat at the table despite--or in spite of-- the others nervously glancing between each other and him. Brandon looked especially skittish. Unfortunately for him, Aiden took the seat on his right.


    ¡°Heeeey, Kelly!¡± Jun greeted. ¡°Fancy seeing you here! Make yourself at home.¡±


    He looked around at the others, smirking. ¡°...¡¯Sup?¡±


    A few quiet ¡®hello¡¯s and ¡®hi¡¯s followed.


    ¡°So you guys heard about Jun beating me up?¡±


    Worried glances followed.


    ¡°I never told them that!¡± Even Jun was a little concerned of what might happen next.


    Aiden snickered, looking around the table. ¡°You really think I could get taken down by that guy?¡±


    The rookie meekly smiled and shrugged.


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    ¡°He¡¯s alright. Puts up a good fight.¡± He scratched his beard. ¡°Maybe he could take me out if he actually threw a punch, but don¡¯t go around thinkin¡¯ he¡¯s some kind of macho warrior man.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that kinda guy.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Aiden smiled. ¡°If you were, you definitely coulda taken down that one loser.¡± He pointed at Matthew. ¡°You remember.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± Matthew hesitated. ¡°I remember! But honestly I thought Jun was as good as dead.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Naaaah.¡± denied Jun. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve done anything. I was just gonna let him have his temper tantrum.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± A proud grin crossed Aiden¡¯s face.


    Matthew and Jun laughed, but the latter noticed the rest of the table still seemed on edge.


    ¡°Hey guys, lighten up!¡± the rookie reassured. ¡°Aiden¡¯s not gonna, like, bite you or anything¡­ I think?¡±


    ¡°Pffff! Don¡¯t go making any promises.¡± He warned. ¡°But I¡¯m in a good mood today.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± Jun¡¯s eyes rolled. ¡°You¡¯re not the type-a guy to go around randomly smashing dudes¡¯ heads in.¡±


    Visible apprehension showed on Brandon¡¯s face.


    ¡°Not if they don¡¯t deserve it.¡± Aiden added on.


    ¡°See?¡± the dark-haired ranger looked around the table. ¡°You guys are chill, you should all be fine.¡±


    Slowly, but surely, the group¡¯s fears began to melt away. They continue talking as usual, with Aiden joining in. By the end of the lunch break, he fit into the group. As they parted ways, he called Jun over.


    ¡°Was one of those guys from Eric¡¯s crew?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Aiden laughed. ¡°I could tell by the look on his face when he saw me. Looked like he was about to have a heart attack!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s actually pretty chill. Hasn¡¯t hung out with him for a while since... that one incident.¡± Jun explained. ¡°Told me he had some reasons for leaving.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh.¡± He scratched his beard. ¡°If you say he¡¯s cool, I ain¡¯t gonna bother him.¡±


    The dark-haired ranger chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯d appreciate that.¡±


    Jun thought Aiden¡¯s visit would be a one-time thing, but from then on, he joined the group at lunch every so often. He livened up the table in his own special way. It was nice having him around!

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 8. Married to Regulations

    Jun wandered through the Virgo¡¯s halls. A tough decision had to be made today, and Ranger Kim was trying to hide her dread.


    ¡°Hey, JK, you hear about the mandatory physical?¡±


    Jun kept walking, too lost in thought to hear the question.


    ¡°Hey! ...Hey Jun!¡±


    That jolted her out of her thoughts. She nearly broke her neck to see who addressed her. It was just Aiden. The dark-haired ranger felt somewhat relieved. Somewhat.


    ¡°Ah, what--what were you saying?¡± Jun tried to play off her jumpiness.


    ¡°Did you hear about the physical exam?¡± asked Aiden.


    ¡°Ahh, yeah. It was just on my mind¡­¡± It had been on Jun¡¯s mind all day.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna take the physical exam.¡± Aiden reiterated.


    Jun looked around. ¡°You¡­ do know I¡¯m like the worst person to tell that to, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Aiden¡¯s lip curled defiantly. ¡°Still not gonna do it though.¡±


    ¡°Is there some kinda ideological reason you¡¯re not, or¡­?¡±


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    ¡°Nah. I just hate doctors.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The dark-haired ranger sighed. ¡°To tell you the truth, I might not either.¡±


    Aiden raised his eyebrows.


    For obvious reasons, doing a physical exam would not be ideal when pretending to be a man. This wasn¡¯t the first one Jun took, but things were different now. It was all fun and games before. Being found out on Earth would¡¯ve meant a slap on the wrist, maybe a story in the news, but now, halfway to Mars with no way back, the consequences were much greater. Much scarier. The rookie didn¡¯t realize it would be this serious.


    ¡°It depends¡­¡± Jun started walking again. ¡°I gotta get going. See you later.¡±


    They saw each other again much later on. This time, Jun shakily clutched a prescription bottle in one hand. The less-experienced ranger felt a mix of emotions, but mostly fatigue.


    Jun weakly finger-gunned at Aiden. ¡°Hey, stranger.¡±


    ¡°Hey, yourself.¡± He quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Are you...okay? You look garbage. ...What¡¯s in the bottle?¡±


    ¡°Testosterone.¡± Jun gave a wan smirk. ¡°They noticed a deficiency during my blood tests. Earlier today, I got a runthrough of the exam from somebody who took it. I dunno if it¡¯ll like, change your mind or anything, but it helped me feel better, knowing what to expect. It¡¯s basically the same one we took when enlisting.¡±


    ¡°You said there were blood tests again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Aiden looked away, narrowing his eyes. ¡°No thanks. I heard enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh well.¡± The dark-haired ranger shrugged.


    ¡°So, what now? You gonna report me for skipping my exam?¡± the blond one asked nonchalantly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I was planning on doing the same thing.¡±


    He scrutinized Jun. ¡°Actually. There¡¯s something I do wanna know.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What did they do that made you all shaky like that?¡±


    ¡°Shaky?¡± Jun looked down at the container in her twitching hand. Maybe she was a little shaky. ¡°O-Oh that, hahaaaaa¡­ I don¡¯t really like physical exams that much.¡±


    ¡°You must not, for you to want to skip out.¡± He had a blank expression. It looked almost sympathetic. ¡°What made you go through with it?¡±


    ¡°Heheh, I¡¯m practically married to the regulations¡­¡±


    Aiden grimaced. ¡°How depressing.¡±

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 9. Family Ties

    Jun declined an offer to sit with friends at lunch. She overheard them talking about the care packages they received from their families and significant others back on Earth. The dark-haired ranger felt happy for them, but the happiness was dampened by the news she got today.


    ¡®Dw, I told them I dont know where you are¡¯


    For someone who orchestrated this whole plan, Jun¡¯s accomplice had very little to do. Yet, she still messed that up. All she had to do was make up a place Jun could be. It could¡¯ve been anywhere. She could¡¯ve said Jun took a vacation. She could¡¯ve said Jun left all her possessions behind to go backpacking in South America to ¡®find herself.¡¯ She even could¡¯ve said that Jun joined a cult! Jun¡¯s parents would still be worried, sure, but they would at least have something to go off of, they¡¯d have some hope that she was still alive, but now--


    But now Aiden sat at Jun¡¯s table. Originally, he sat with the others, but now he slouched in front of the dark-haired ranger, resting both elbows on the table.


    ¡°¡®Sup?¡±


    Jun didn¡¯t make eye contact. ¡°Not much.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got family, right?¡± He absentmindedly drummed the table. ¡°Like parents and stuff?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡±


    She tilted her head back. ¡°Uhhhh, I dunno. My mom and pops were pretty alright. Pops taught me how to fix cars; that¡¯s what he did for a living. My mom¡¯s a caterer.¡±


    ¡°A caterer?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like, people who bring food to weddings and parties and stuff. I had to tag along sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Sounds boring.¡± Aiden remarked. ¡°Could you at least eat the food?¡±


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    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Ughhh, what¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°Free labor.¡±


    ¡°Disgusting.¡± He shook his head.


    Jun chuckled at Aiden¡¯s aversion to unjust work practices.


    ¡°You have any brothers or sisters?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jun answered, ¡°I was an only child.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, I would¡¯ve gone nuts if I was the only kid there. Probably.¡± The blond ranger rested his chin in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m havin¡¯ a hard time imagining growing up like that. The only thing remotely close I can think of is the group home.¡±


    ¡°Group home?¡± Jun had no idea what that was.


    ¡°The best way I could explain it to someone like you is--it¡¯s like school but you live there.¡±


    ¡°Like a boarding school?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sorta.¡± Aiden pressed his finger against his head. ¡°The couple running ours treated it that way. We sat through lessons during the day, ate, showered, went to sleep, rinse and repeat. No TV, no outside friends, every so often they¡¯d take us out to do something.¡±


    Jun winced. ¡°Sounds rough.¡±


    ¡°It was what it was. I used to get on my roommates¡¯ nerves so much¡­¡± He laughed. ¡°If the IF thinks I¡¯m trouble now, they should¡¯ve seen me back then.¡±


    ¡°I can only imagine¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder how the others are doing¡­¡± Aiden thought aloud. ¡°They should be outta there by now. Probably experiencing culture shock after being let out of their cage.¡±


    ¡°Dang, I thought my mom was a little pushy but that sounds miserable.¡± Jun sympathized. ¡°I prolly would¡¯ve wanted to run away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I did!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you just¡­ ran away?¡±


    ¡°Sure did.¡± Aiden nodded pridefully. ¡°I got bored living there and left. Not one of my best decisions, but it made me less bratty, so I can¡¯t take it back. I like the way I am now.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    He folded his arms on the table. ¡°Did you get along with your folks?¡±


    ¡°Mostly. We weren¡¯t like close-knit or anything; each of us kinda just did our own thing. Sometimes Mom or Pops would talk to me, but usually I hung out with kids from school. My mom and I butt heads sometimes, but we started patching things up...¡± Jun trailed off, wondering what her mom must¡¯ve been doing now. She¡¯s tough, hopefully she wasn¡¯t too worried. Her dad wasn¡¯t the type to get rattled either. Jun felt bad for worrying, but if that weren¡¯t an issue, it wouldn¡¯t bother her to be so far from them.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Aiden mused. ¡°After I ran away, most of the kids my age I met were also runaways, so you can imagine they didn¡¯t have the best family situations. Not knowing my blood relatives doesn¡¯t bother me.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh. Probably best not to worry about it at this point, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°A family¡¯s just a buncha people, anyway. You can find those anywhere.¡±

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 10. Ping-Pong Break: The Sequel

    ¡®Dont worry youre strong! If anyone can do this its you! And when this is all over you get to come back a HERO¡¯


    ¡®steph could you please take this seriously i¡¯m dying¡¯ Jun almost texted back, but quickly erased. Her accomplice, Stephanie, did a good job of cheering Jun on from back home, but especially so when brushing off Jun¡¯s concerns. The imposter ranger was disappointed in her friend, but also disappointed in herself for even bringing up these feelings. She should handle them herself. Instead of the original text, she texted a simple ¡®yeah. thanks¡¯


    Brandon walked up to her. ¡°Hey Jun! Are you heading to the vending machine?¡±


    ¡°N-nah, I¡¯m not really that hungry.¡± Jun quickly put away the phone. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably be going by that way though.¡±


    Brandon smiled. ¡°Hey, can I come with?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Today would¡¯ve been another day Jun spent alone, had Brandon not tagged along with her. It wasn¡¯t like she wanted to become more distant from her new friends, but spending time around less people gave them less chances to notice anything off about her. The dark-haired ranger hadn¡¯t even talked to Aiden that much in the past few days.


    Brandon stopped by the vending machine where she and Aiden first met him. That reminded Jun to check her phone. It had been 36 hours since any of the warrant officers sent the rookie any messages on Aiden¡¯s whereabouts. A new record! This either meant hadn¡¯t gotten into any trouble, or that Jun would soon. She took the more positive option.


    A few minutes later, the same boy that bumped into Jun a few weeks ago came out of the shower room, fully clothed this time. Jun lifted her head to greet him, and he did the same back with a smile. However, when he saw Brandon, the smile disappeared. Brandon stopped in his tracks, a sandwich cracker lifted midway to his face. He seemed like he wanted to say something to the boy, but the boy left before he could.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the same guy--?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Brandon answered dejectedly. ¡°He¡¯s cool. I wish I could apologize for back then, but every time I see him it goes like¡­like that.¡±


    ¡°Aww man¡­¡± Jun sympathized.


    ¡°Even if I do get to apologize, will I ever be able to talk to him? Be friends?¡±


    Jun grit her teeth. ¡°Hmmmm, the thing is, I can see that you¡¯re turning yourself around, but if I were in his shoes, I dunno if I¡¯d give you a second chance after what you did. I wouldn¡¯t count on getting buddy-buddy with him, but he¡¯d probably appreciate the apology.¡±


    Brandon smiled weakly, looking a little disappointed. ¡°Thanks, Jun. Next time, I¡¯ll apologize for sure.¡±


    ¡°Cool!¡±


    ¡°You want one?¡± He offered a cracker to Jun.


    ¡°Sure, thanks.¡± Jun ate the peanut-butter and cracker combo. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna head out for now. See ya later, Brandon.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    The dark-haired ranger turned around, confused.


    ¡°You¡¯re free today, too, right?¡± asked Brandon.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Thought so. Matt, Jaleel and some of the others are waiting for you by your dorm.¡± he explained. ¡°We were gonna surprise you!¡±


    ¡°...With what?¡±


    Brandon laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not a surprise if you know already!¡±


    So Jun followed Brandon back to her dorm, and just as he said, a few of their friends were waiting for them.


    ¡°Hey Jun!¡± Matthew waved.


    ¡°Just the guy we¡¯ve been waiting for!¡± greeted Jaleel as Jun got closer.


    ¡°¡®Sup guys.¡± Jun stopped in front of the group. ¡°Did you guys plan some kinda surprise for me? It¡¯s not even, like, my birthday~¡±


    ¡°He knows already?¡± asked Antonio who Jun didn¡¯t know that well, but he hung around Jaleel.


    ¡°Sorry, I had to tell him.¡± apologized Brandon.


    Jun shrugged. ¡°I still dunno what it is.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Jaleel clenched his fist. ¡°There¡¯s still a surprise left!¡±


    ¡°So what is it?¡±


    ¡°You seemed kinda down lately, so we were gonna invite you to play ping-pong with us.¡± answered Matthew. ¡°We also found out there¡¯s laser tag on this ship and we wanted to check it out.¡±


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    This took the dark-haired ranger by surprise. For starters, was her weariness starting to show? If so, that kinda bummed her out. On a brighter note, the other guys noticing this and going out of their way to try to cheer Jun up showed that they cared in a way she never expected them to. How touching. Was this the meaning of being bros?


    ¡°Wow.¡± Jun looked away, humbled. ¡°I-uhhh, you didn¡¯t have to do all this, but, like, thanks for looking out for me.¡±


    ¡°Corey had to work today, so he couldn¡¯t wait here with us.¡± Jaleel explained. ¡°He might stop by later. Also, we couldn¡¯t find Aiden to invite him, but you¡¯re pretty good at that, so if you wanted him to come with us, he can.¡±


    ¡°Did you check our room?¡± asked Jun.


    ¡°...You guys are roommates?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°...Oh.¡±


    While the group exchanged sheepish expressions, Jun walked past them to her dorm room. Inside, Aiden lounged on the top bunk.


    ¡°Hey Aiden.¡± Jun leaned into the doorway. ¡°Me and the crew are gonna play some ping-pong and laser tag, wanna hang?¡±


    Aiden glanced down. ¡°...Sure.¡±


    The dark-haired ranger gave a thumbs-up to her friends waiting down the hall. ¡°He said he¡¯s coming!¡±


    Whoops and hollers came from the group. Jun raised an arm, returning a half-hearted ¡°Woo!¡±


    Aiden shook his head, smiling, then jumped down from his bunk bed and followed Jun out of the room.


    By no means was Jun the best ping-pong player, but she still had fun talking to her new friends. She even learned more about them! For example, she only just found out Antonio and Jaleel were dating. They met through a shared hobby of collecting computer hardware. The others had a laugh at Jun, teasing her for not knowing sooner, but she was too happy for the couple to care. Matthew used to play in competitive ping-pong leagues when he was younger, which he absolutely showed off. Aiden tried to learn some ping-pong tricks from him but couldn¡¯t quite get the hang of it. According to Matthew, though, Aiden had a reputation for being talented with the IF¡¯s jet armor. The other guys seemed to be aware of this too, praising Aiden¡¯s skills. Jun doubted that Aiden¡¯s ego needed any more pumping up, but it was nice to see the group go from completely terrified of him to this. Corey stopped by, only to get hit by one of Matthew¡¯s serves, but it was alright, everyone had a good time.


    Then came laser tag. Jun never played before, but that didn¡¯t matter, because she annihilated everyone. Game after game, the result was the same as they all fell down before her. They had to switch over to other game modes to attempt to even out the playing field. Still, Jun managed to do really well. Many questions were asked about where these skills came from, but the dark-haired ranger never gave any satisfying answers. Eventually, members of the group parted ways until only Matthew, Jun, and Aiden were left.


    ¡°...And so I told him, ¡®Yeah, we¡¯re cool! Just don¡¯t hit on me, haha.¡¯ And then he was like ¡®You really think I would hit on you?¡¯ and I feel like I really learned something important that day.¡± Matthew concluded his story. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not the only clueless straight guy here.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Jun smiled at the irony of his words. She wasn¡¯t a guy and probably wasn¡¯t straight either, but Matthew didn¡¯t need to know any of that. No one did.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll see you guys tomorrow!¡± Matthew waved as he left Jun and Aiden behind.


    Jun and Aiden began putting away their vests and guns. The latter had been oddly quiet for a while. Then, he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°What really made you quit the cops?¡± he asked suddenly.


    Jun laughed nervously. ¡°What? Where did that come from?¡±


    Aiden held a stare both unimpressed and unwavering. Jun tried to shrug it off as hard as she possibly could, but her shoulders couldn¡¯t shake hard enough.


    ¡°You¡¯re too good at this to not be ¡®cut out¡¯ for being a cop.¡± he continued. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty alright fighter and you have freakishly good aim. Any pig would¡¯ve begged you to stay. What¡¯s the real reason you left?¡±


    ¡°Just because I have good aim with a laser gun doesn¡¯t mean I do with real guns. They¡¯re like completely different!¡±


    ¡°So you have shot a real gun before.¡± Aiden raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°That¡¯s not-- I never said-- Fine.¡± Jun realized she wouldn¡¯t be able to change the subject this time. ¡°Fine. If anyone has to know, it might as well be you.¡±


    Aiden didn¡¯t say anything. He just waited for Jun to continue.


    ¡°In target practice, I found out I was really good at shooting a gun. Static targets, moving targets, big, small, you name them, I never missed. Everyone was really impressed with me. But then I realized something.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jun stared at the laser guns. ¡°I was training to kill. Like, actual real people.¡±


    ¡°You just figured that out?¡± Aiden scoffed.


    ¡°I mean, like, I sorta knew, but I always figured if I ever really needed to kill anyone, it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem, right?¡±


    Aiden nodded.


    ¡°But it was.¡± Jun continued. ¡°The more I thought about it, the more I just couldn¡¯t reconcile with ever having to kill anyone. Maybe it¡¯s naive or whatever, but I feel like most people can change for the better, and who am I to decide the ones who can¡¯t? I dunno, I just don¡¯t feel right taking a life.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± the blond ranger seemed to contemplate something. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I 100% feel the same way, but I can respect you not being trigger-happy.¡±


    Jun gave a wan smile. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°So was that it?¡±


    ¡°Y--Actually no.¡± the dark-haired ranger corrected. ¡°Something else was bothering me about the precinct I trained under. They kept pushing this thing where they were like ¡®you can tell a criminal just by looking at them¡¯ which, to me, had a lot of bad implications. I¡¯m not even gonna tell you the stuff they¡¯d say about the homeless. And it¡¯s all like, I went to school for four years to learn the justice system and how it¡¯s supposed to work, and you guys are gonna tell me I can arrest anyone who looks ¡®bad¡¯? And what does that even mean? Do I wanna know?¡±


    ¡°I think you already know.¡±


    Jun turned to Aiden. ¡°...I do. Maybe I shoulda stayed to change things from the inside. And like you said, they practically begged me to stay, but... I was so disturbed, I couldn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Aiden responded.


    ¡°And now I don¡¯t have any plans for my future. Oh well~¡± Jun threw her hands in the air, before they limply collapsed to her sides.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. Survive.¡±


    ¡°...I guess so.¡±


    Aiden and Jun began walking back to their room.


    ¡°I knew a guy like you.¡± Aiden pointed to Jun. ¡°Ex-cop. Tried to change the pigs, but they kicked him out and he ended up on Skid Row with the rest of us. Good cops don¡¯t last long. They either change or they¡¯re gotten rid of.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jun wondered if she would¡¯ve gotten kicked out. She couldn¡¯t see it, but she also didn¡¯t expect her precinct to be the way it was. Some mysteries were better left unanswered. ¡°You¡¯re actually the first one I told the full story to. Thanks for letting me vent.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Aiden smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have someone else complain about the cops for once.¡±


    Jun laughed.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± He stopped walking. ¡°I think you''re¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jun turned around.


    Aiden squinted and seemed to contemplate something. He sighed. ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    Jun blinked, then shrugged.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 11. Cool Rock

    The Virgo landed on Mars after a two-month long trek. It decked on the Olympus Mons Base stationed in its namesake mountain. Actually, it was a volcano, which kind of worried Jun, but it hadn¡¯t erupted in the decade or so of its existence. It felt good to finally be back on land. The Martian landscape proved to be a beautiful, yet alien sight, even if Jun didn¡¯t get to see much of it from inside the base.


    This also marked the first time Jun saw any other women since the Moon. Wives and daughters of the Interstellar Forces¡¯ Martian personnel made their presence known in ways Jun wouldn¡¯t have expected. Of course, there were many working in the kitchens, doing cleaning jobs, or employed in secretarial work, but there were also many working alongside their husbands or fathers who were engineers, geologists, biologists, and doctors. The dark-haired ranger found it impressive.


    A thought occurred to Jun. If she were to be found out, this would be the safest place. She hadn¡¯t gotten a text back from Stephanie in weeks, not even counting the lag between sending messages. However, Jun¡¯s goal, and Stephanie¡¯s too, was far too close to stop now. Past Mars were the so-called radiation waves that would supposedly destroy any woman who passed through them. Proving Mason Connery wrong stood just around the corner. Besides, she didn¡¯t want to go back to being a woman so soon. It felt unnatural. More unnatural than pretending to be a man, somehow, which still felt a little strange, all things considered. Maybe Jun was just being weird.


    So, the dark-haired ranger went about life as normal, at least as normal as it could be under the circumstances. She spent her days fixing cameras across the Martian Base, and before she knew it, it was time to board the ship again. Or so she thought.


    As each star ranger donned their helmet, a role call for the Virgo began, each corporal taking account for their unit. One person from Jun¡¯s unit was noticeably absent.


    ¡°Ranger Kim!¡± called Corporal Hampton.


    ¡°Present!¡± answered Jun.


    ¡°I know that! But where in Phobos and/or Deimos is Ranger Kelly??¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± After saying it, the ranger realized that answer wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°But I will find out, sir!¡±


    ¡°You have one hour, or we¡¯re leavin¡¯ both of ya on Mars!¡±


    ¡°Sir, yes, sir!¡± Jun saluted.


    Luckily, Jun knew just where to go to find answers. The security room monitored every camera in the base. If Aiden was still in the base, one of the security staff members could tell her where.


    Jun stumbled into the room before quickly becoming aware of how unnecessary that was. ¡°Uhhhh, have you guys seen this really tall blond dude with a scar and big hair?¡±


    Various no¡¯s and negative responses followed, but one ranger spoke up.


    ¡°I think I saw him put on his helmet, so he might be outside, I think?¡± he said. ¡°You should check with the observation panelists. They¡¯re near the geoprocessing plant.¡±


    Jun gave a quick ¡°thanks¡± before heading to her next destination.


    Near the geoprocessing plant, Jun could hear two observation panelists discussing something in hushed voices.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Should we have let that guy through?¡±


    ¡°If you care so much, ask him yourself. I wouldn¡¯t argue with that guy!¡±


    ¡°Hey, excuse me.¡± Jun interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a friend. You guys wouldn¡¯t have happened to see a tall blond guy recently would you?¡±


    ¡°With a scar?¡± asked the first one.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the guy!¡± Jun confirmed. ¡°I need to like, get him back on our ship. Do you know where he went?¡±


    ¡°He went out on the surface.¡± the second one pointed toward the door.


    With permission, Jun exited the base onto the surface of Olympus Mons. Winds stirred up the dust, reminding her of the very real threat of wind storms. She tuned her helmet to seek out local signals and began walking.


    ¡°Ranger Kim to Ranger Kelly?¡± Jun got no response. ¡°I repeat, Ranger Kim to Ranger Kelly?¡± Still no response. ¡°Our ship¡¯s scheduled to leave in like 35 minutes, so we need to be back on the ship before they leave us on Mars!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t hafta shout, we¡¯re on headsets!¡± Finally, he responded.


    ¡°What the heck are you doing out here? Where even are you?¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡±


    A small rock bounced past Jun, coming from the right. Aiden sat on a small boulder a couple feet away.


    ¡°Check out this cool rock.¡± He pointed to it.


    ¡°That is a very cool rock you¡¯re sitting on,¡± admitted the dark-haired ranger, ¡°but we¡¯re not even supposed to be outside the base.¡±


    Aiden kicked his legs. ¡°It¡¯ll only take a few minutes to get back. Anyway, I wanted to show you this cool rock I found a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°A few days ago?¡± Jun walked toward him. ¡°You¡¯ve been out here more than once?¡±


    ¡°It was either this or be a guinea pig for the staff majors. They¡¯re weird. Good for drama, though. I heard about this one guy who tried blackmailing his whole team. It was wild! Couldn¡¯t work for him. I would''ve started a riot.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You can sit up here if you want.¡± He made space.


    ¡°...Okay, but why are you out here so late? We gotta go, man.¡±


    Aiden leaned back. ¡°What¡¯s the use of goin¡¯ to Mars if we can¡¯t even look at it?¡±


    ¡°I dunno.¡± Jun answered. ¡°Not getting caught in a dust storm and dying probably.¡±


    ¡°Party pooper.¡± Aiden jumped off the rock. ¡°I figured they¡¯d send you to come find me, so I wanted to show you something actually worth looking at.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I really do appreciate this rock formation you showed me. It¡¯s super cool! I¡¯d just rather not spend an eternity sitting on it.¡±


    They begin to walk back.


    ¡°Even if we did get stuck here, we could always live on base.¡± the blond ranger argued.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Martian scientists would appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Martians¡­ It feels so weird to say that. Jun, look!¡± He pointed at Phobos and Deimos. ¡°There¡¯s two moons here¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Jun briefly stopped walking to admire them, as well as the Martian landscape. Sunset on Mars turned the sky blue instead of orange. It felt bizarre, just like Aiden¡¯s happiness. ¡°You seem a lot more giddy than usual. You okay?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on Mars¡­¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re on Mars.¡±


    ¡°Me neither¡­¡± agreed Jun. ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss this place, even if I didn¡¯t get to see much of it.¡±


    ¡°You got to see more than most people, thanks to me.¡± Aiden pointed at himself.


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡± Jun tried not to give him too much credit, since he almost got them stranded here.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t even send a rescue party or nothin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Just me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Aiden toed some dust on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m glad. You¡¯re¡­ weird, but in a cool way.¡±


    Jun laughed. ¡°Thanks man, you¡¯re weird and cool too!¡±


    They walked back to the base and continued on to the Virgo, where they made it back just in time. After boarding the ship, it took off.


    Later on, Jun found Aiden lingering in E-18, the hallway with a long window. He almost looked sad that they were leaving Mars. This gave the black-haired ranger an idea.


    ¡°Hey Aiden. Why don¡¯t we take a picture in front of Mars?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Jun took out her phone. ¡°It¡¯s a little far away, but we can still catch it in the photo if we take it now.¡± She held the phone in one hand and made a shaka sign with the other. ¡°Come on, get in the picture.¡±


    Aiden stood beside Jun, holding his hand up in the least enthusiastic wave possible, but Jun snapped the photo anyway. This marked their graduation from probable acquaintances to definite friends.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 12. No Womans Land

    ¡°Wish I could¡¯ve been there to see Jun annihilate everyone at laser tag.¡± Corey lamented. He and Jaleel, along with Jun, were sent to fix the light panels on one section of the Virgo.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t miss much.¡± Jun assured him.


    ¡°Only because you murdered everyone before the games really got started.¡± chided Jaleel.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like, that bad, right?¡± the rookie asked him.


    ¡°You always say stuff like that.¡± Corey began to mimic Jun. ¡°¡®Oh, I beat Kelly in a fight, no big deal, brah.¡¯--¡±


    ¡°I never beat him in a fight. I only held him off from beating up some other guy!¡±


    ¡°As if that makes a difference! You still came out alive. That¡¯s basically winning against him.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Jaleel added on, ¡°at this point, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Jun were hiding some kind of secret.¡±


    For a split second, Jun worried that he was onto her.


    Corey picked up on it. ¡°Ah! See? He just had a look that said, ¡®Oh no, he¡¯s onto me!¡¯¡±


    ¡°Cough it up, man. Admit it, you were in special ops or something, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    Jun shook her head at that accusation. ¡°You guys are imagining things...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll come out sooner or later.¡± Corey¡¯s words came off more threatening than he probably intended. ¡°Anyway, since you¡¯re so good at everything, why don¡¯t you help me install this light coil.¡±


    ¡°Nah, that¡¯s Jaleel¡¯s specialty.--¡±


    Before Jun had a chance to finish joking around, two guys barreled down the hallway clad in nothing but their¡­ nothing, actually. What was it about the IF that made people want to become exhibitionists? Jun would never know. Someone once said the wise man covers his face upon being discovered in the nude. These were two very wise guys, wearing paper bags over their heads. A Venus symbol with a circle-backslash sign over it decorated each bag.


    ¡°Fellas,¡± Jaleel began with a sigh, ¡°it¡¯s that time again. Folks are about to get buck-wild.¡±


    ¡°And buck-naked.¡± Jun added on. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, this is your first trip here.¡± Corey acknowledged. ¡°Since women aren¡¯t allowed this far out in space, we call it No Woman¡¯s Land. A buncha guys throw a big party when we arrive here. It¡¯s not ¡®official¡¯,¡± he made air quotes, ¡°but depending on which ship you¡¯re on, the higher ups don¡¯t care as much. And the Virgo? Really doesn¡¯t care!¡±


    ¡°Correction.¡± Jaleel raised a finger. ¡°They do care, they just wait until the next day to give punishment. Last year, my unit was put on clean-up duty.¡±


    ¡°Ughhh! Wasn¡¯t last year when they--??¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He cut off Corey¡¯s question before he could finish. Whatever happened last year, Jaleel¡¯s haunted eyes told Jun that it was better left unsaid.


    Corey turned to Jun. ¡°You going to the party tonight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really into wild parties like that.¡± Jun told the truth, but not the whole truth.


    ¡°Me neither.¡± Jaleel went back to screwing in the light panels. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this on the Orion. The No Woman¡¯s Land parties on that ship were more about brotherhood and camaraderie.¡±


    ¡°Here, it¡¯s more like a ¡®no girls allowed¡¯ party.¡± explained Corey. ¡°Most of the guys really just want an excuse to party, but some dudes take it way seriously and try to make it into some kind of woman-hating religious experience and it gets weird.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s no women here.¡± the rookie ranger lied.


    ¡°I know right? Still, even guys who look a little too feminine run the risk of getting smacked around if they bump into the wrong group on a day like today. The three of us should be fine, though.¡± Corey sat on his stepladder. ¡°But I¡¯m with you guys. If I do go, it¡¯ll be to grab some snacks and get out, ¡®cause last year was....¡± He shook his head and blew out a deep breath.


    ¡°Just a heads up,¡± added Jaleel, ¡°I¡¯d lock your doors if I were you guys. Last year, some guys busted into one of my friends¡¯ dorms. They didn¡¯t rob him or anything, but you never know.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡± Jun appreciated it.


    The three parted ways after finishing their work for the day. Things were mostly normal around the ship. Sure, there were flyers posted with women crossed out on them, and sure, a few guys used a picture of a prominent anti-gender-ban protester as a dartboard, but other than that, everything was the same as usual. A couple star rangers were nice enough to give Jun candy, received with only slightly shaking hands! It came from a pi?ata shaped like a woman.


    After reaching the dorm, Jun slammed the door shut and locked it.


    ¡°i¡¯m in.¡± texted the dark-haired ranger. ¡°i made it to ¡®no woman¡¯s land¡¯¡±


    Stephanie wouldn¡¯t be able to see the text for probably a few days, and it would take about a week total for Jun to receive her message, assuming she texted right back.


    ¡°mission complete, i guess.¡± Jun continued texting. ¡°if i were found out now, i¡¯d be in big trouble though. i¡¯d probably get killed or something.¡± Hmm. That sounded too serious. A few ¡°lol¡±s were added for levity.


    Jun felt conflicted. On one hand, she met a lot of pretty cool guys here, and got along with them well. They treated her more like a regular person than anyone before them. A few misconceptions about Jun stemmed from being seen as a man, but they were nowhere near as frequent or prominent as when people saw her as a woman. Her own mother didn¡¯t even know her that well. The rookie ranger knew well enough that most of her peers weren¡¯t the type to rip any woman they saw into shreds. On the other hand, there were enough of them that were that type, and so many more who were willing to turn a blind eye to such hatred.


    Could her new friends be trusted? Being on an all-male ship didn¡¯t bring up many opportunities to bring up feminism, not that Jun cared much until now. Jaleel and Corey seemed to be alright, maybe Matthew too, but what about the others? Brandon may look up to her now, but would he be disgusted if he found out the truth? What about Aiden? She had to live with him! Even if they were all safe, would they see her differently when the truth came out? The obvious answer was yes. How differently, is the real question. Could they still be friends? No matter the answer, the ranger in disguise couldn¡¯t afford to get too comfortable.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Jun stayed barricaded in the dorm. In order to pass the time, she practiced the Krav Maga techniques taught in police training. Using it against one attacker had proven to be easy, but doubt lurked in the back of her mind that she had enough skill to fend off multiple. Still, she kept on training for hours on end, long after tiring out. Strangely enough, Aiden hadn¡¯t come in yet. Jun had reason to believe that Aiden was an alright guy, but that didn¡¯t stop suspicion from growing.


    A knock on the door put the dark-haired ranger on high alert. She pressed a shoulder up to it.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± The rookie¡¯s voice, though a little haggard, retained some terseness.


    ¡°Who else would it be? Let me in!¡±


    Jun opened the door to reveal Aiden, looking annoyed as usual, but this time, he carried a bowl of assorted chips, a couple cans of soda, and some snack cakes. He hurried into the room.


    ¡°Lock the door before some losers show up!¡± Aiden didn¡¯t have to say it twice. His roommate locked the door as soon as he entered.


    Something hit Jun on the back of the head. She whipped around and got into a basic defense stance. A package of snack cakes lay on the ground.


    ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s just some snacks.¡± Aiden held his hands out in front of him, eyes wide open. ¡°What have you been doing in here all day, anyway? You look strung out.¡±


    ¡°Just practicing some fighting.¡± Jun shrugged. ¡°Never know when you need it, haha. You know how it is...¡± She fingergunned at him.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot of weirdos out tonight.¡± Good. He bought it. ¡°That¡¯s why I grabbed these chips and dipped.¡±


    ¡°Chip and dip.¡± Jun snickered and leaned on the door. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. ¡°Those are stolen, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Pshhhh!¡± Aiden scoffed, eating a chip. ¡°Please. Any semblance of laws you still thought we had is gone. Thrown out the window.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I know it¡¯s a lawless wasteland outside, I just didn¡¯t want a bunch of guys pounding on the door because they want their chips back.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll get over it.¡± He waved a hand. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d be all for a lawless wasteland, but¡­ not like this.¡± He shook his head and opened a can of soda. ¡°For a buncha dudes who complain about there not being women around, they sure do seem to hate ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°It really does seem like that.¡± Jun picked up the package of snack cakes. ¡°They like, want them around for eye candy but don¡¯t actually want them around.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But, like...If they just want a woman-shaped thing to look at without the, you know, actual human being attached¡­¡± Jun continued. ¡°they could build one. Like that pi?ata I saw on the way here.¡±


    Aiden raised his head. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what that leg was from. It still had candy in it. I meant to pick it up on the way here, but my hands were full.¡±


    Jun probably would¡¯ve been on edge if he did that, but still found something funny in the image of Aiden standing at the door holding a paper mache leg.


    The bearded ranger leaned his head back. ¡°I don¡¯t really get what the big deal about women is anyway. I¡¯ve never seen a girl pretty enough for me to lose my mind over. And most dudes I know have a weird love-hate relationship with them that doesn¡¯t even seem like it¡¯s worth it...You probably don¡¯t get what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    Jun stopped in the middle of eating a snack cake. ¡°Dude¡­ I have never understood a thing in my life.¡±


    Aiden cracked up.


    ¡°But yeah, no, I think I get you¡­¡± The dark-haired ranger finished one cake. ¡°People make a big deal out of men and women being so different. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that drastic at all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Jun sat on the bottom bunk. ¡°Like back in high school, I used to hang out with this group of skaters, and there was this one girl in our group. Some of the other guys would tell her things like ¡®Wooah, you¡¯re like, so chill. You¡¯re like one of us, liiike a she-bro! Why aren¡¯t there other chill she-bros like you?¡¯ She wasn¡¯t special or anything, she just liked the same things we did, but! Any time there were other girls skateboarding, the guys in our group would try to hit on them. So whenever they asked the girl in our group ¡®Why aren¡¯t there other girls like you?¡¯ I remembered all the times they pretty much scared away all the other girls by clumsily flirting with them. It was so embarrassing to watch...¡±


    Aiden snickered. ¡°What would they do?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, none of us were what you would call good, including the girl in our group. But whenever the others saw another girl, suddenly they thought they were the next pro skaters. It never worked out.¡±


    He snickered some more.


    ¡°Usually, the girls they flirted with were better than us.¡±


    The blond shook his head. ¡°I hate when people act like chicks can¡¯t do anything for themselves. This one girl? We were fighting over food or something and she picked me up and threw me in the dumpster.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you of all people would admit to getting beat up.¡±


    ¡°What? She won fair and square! And I found something in the dumpster anyway, so it all worked out.¡± Aiden shrugged.


    Finding food in the dumpster wasn¡¯t what most people would call ¡®things working out,¡¯ but Jun figured that in his circumstances, food was food. Now that she thought about it, he wasn¡¯t a picky eater.


    ¡°But anyway,¡± Aiden continued, ¡°One thing I know for sure is that when a woman¡¯s gotta fend for herself,¡± he took a handful of chips. ¡°she can do as good of a job as the rest of us. The only thing really stopping them is guys.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± asked Jun, taking some more chips. Outside, a couple of guys were whooping and hollering.


    ¡°You know, like the IF. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that whole exploding ovaries thing is made up to keep the IF a boys-only club.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh! Yeah¡­¡± The hollering died down, but Jun felt tense. ¡°I don¡¯t buy it either.¡± she whispered.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with the whispering?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna talk about this too loud. Last time I brought the subject up, a guy tried to punch my lights out, haha. You never know who¡¯s listening.¡± The shorter ranger stared at the door. Before, when Jun mentioned this subject in the cafeteria, she was younger, not as bright. The past few months have been a learning process, and most importantly, she learned that if she wanted to stay under the radar, it was best not to talk about that sort of thing. On a night like tonight, the last thing she needed was anyone else¡¯s suspicion.


    ¡°Why are you so concerned now? They¡¯ve got a security camera in our room!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡± Jun almost forgot about that. The security cameras were much bigger threats. Eyes and ears were everywhere. Safety was an illusion.


    ¡°You want a soda¡­?¡± Aiden held a can in Jun¡¯s direction, looking concerned.


    Jun snapped back to reality. ¡°Cool, tha--Actually, no thanks. I don¡¯t want to have to head to the bathrooms any time soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good call. ¡± Aiden put the can back. ¡°Especially after what happened the last time...¡±


    Suddenly, he stared at Jun, looking as if he was about to ask something. Did he notice something off about her? Did she finally slip up?


    ¡°Is there something you wanna ask¡­?¡±


    ¡°...Yeah, sure, why not?¡± he replied. ¡°You did a lot of talkin¡¯ about the guys in your friend group, but did you ever try to pick up chicks? You act like you were all cool in the background, but for all I know, you were right there with ¡®em!¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m not really into girls.¡± Normally, Jun would¡¯ve pretended to be a straight man, but Aiden seemed to not be homophobic.


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯d say I wasn¡¯t, but I¡¯m not into guys either.¡±The taller ranger sneered. ¡°No one believes me when I say I¡¯m not into anyone¡­¡±


    Jun¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°...You either?¡±


    ¡°Either?¡± So did Aiden¡¯s. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re--?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also--?¡±


    A smile crossed Aiden¡¯s face. ¡°I knew it. I knew it! I knew I wasn¡¯t making things up!¡±


    ¡°Duuude! I thought I was just weird and confused!¡± This revelation blew Jun¡¯s mind. She didn¡¯t see this coming at all. ¡°For a while, I accepted I was gay, but then I remembered that you had to be attracted to other--¡± The dark-haired ranger almost slipped up from being so honest. ¡°--men for that to be true. I even dated a guy once. Didn¡¯t work out.¡± That last part was true.


    Aiden started to pace around the room. ¡°Everyone else I told thought I was lying! That I was in the closet or that I was gonna find a girl to ¡®heal¡¯ me or whatever. As if I needed that!¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not attracted to anyone at all??¡±


    ¡°No!¡± He laughed.


    ¡°Me neither!!¡± This was the happiest Jun felt all day. ¡°Brooo¡­¡±


    Aiden stopped pacing. ¡°So what does that make us¡­? Are we straight? Gay? Bisexualll¡­?¡±


    Good question. The dark-haired ranger had no answer. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know. But whatever we are, we¡¯re not alone.¡±


    Jun raised up a fist for a fistbump. Aiden rolled his eyes but bumped fists anyway. A night that started off with unbearable uncertainty ended in a joyful realization, both for Jun and Aiden. In times like this, Jun felt that maybe things weren¡¯t so bad, after all.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 13. Something Fixed, Something Broken

    Halfway back to Earth, repairs needed to be done on the Virgo¡¯s exterior, and Jun had been one of the few tasked to do them. It was easier work than expected; a few new bolts here, a few new screws there. For every star ranger outside of the ship, there was one onboard watching them through cameras. Jun was paired up with Luis, a friendly enough guy who helped pass the time with light conversation.


    ¡°How long do ya have left, Jun?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh, I should be done after I tighten these last few bolts.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± He asked. ¡°If you turn around, you¡¯ll get to see somethin¡¯ awesome!¡±


    ¡°Turn where?¡±


    ¡°To your le--I mean right.¡±


    On Jun¡¯s right, a group of star rangers were practicing with the jet armor. Jun also wore the armor, with two large jets attached to her back and two smaller ones on each ankle. One of them in particular was doing some ridiculous stunts. He made an arc upward before flipping upside down and propelling back downward. That couldn¡¯t have been done on anyone¡¯s orders.


    ¡°I wonder who that guy is.¡± Jun also wondered if the tricks he did were safe but doubted it.


    ¡°Someone told me his name before, but I forgot.¡± Luis responded. ¡°He¡¯s kinda like a loner. I think I heard he isn¡¯t liked very well. They¡¯re probably jealous. People try an¡¯ copy him, but no one¡¯s ever as good as the original, y¡¯know?¡±


    Loner. Not well-liked. Jun had an idea of who that might be. ¡°Does he have a scar on the left side of his face?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s on the ri--No. Wait, you¡¯re right! It is on the left side, his right. How did you know?¡±


    Jun sighed. ¡°That¡¯s my roommate.¡±


    ¡°Whaaat? You know him??¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°You get to talk to him??¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Luis quieted down some. ¡°Not to sound stalkerish, but I¡¯ve been meanin¡¯ to talk to him for a while now. What¡¯s he like?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s kind of a wild card. I wouldn¡¯t necessarily call him nice.¡± Jun returned to tightening bolts after taking one last look at Aiden¡¯s group. True to Luis¡¯s word, another star ranger was trying unsuccessfully to copy his moves.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Luis sounded dejected.


    ¡°He¡¯s an okay guy, though! I¡¯d say we¡¯re friends.¡± The technician finished the last bolt. ¡°There. You can let the guys on deck know I¡¯m ready to come back.¡±


    ¡°Can do!¡± Luis¡¯s transmission cut out for a second. He came back shortly. ¡°It¡¯s all ready to go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d talk to him if I weren¡¯t so chicken.¡±


    ¡°Aww, don¡¯t be so hard on yourself.¡± Jun carefully tried to point downward towards the ship¡¯s loading deck but had some trouble. Not everyone could be Aiden Kelly. ¡°He may not be the most approachable guy in the world, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll bite. Maybe I can arrange for you guys to meet!¡±


    ¡°Really? Wow¡­ I guess I¡¯ll hafta take you up on that sometime! Thanks, Jun!¡±


    ¡°No prob.¡±


    ¡°I wish you could see him right now¡­ He¡¯s amaz---What the--?? Jun, watch out!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jun looked around but saw no danger.


    ¡°Incomin¡¯, on your righ--I mean left!¡±


    Before Jun could react, something collided into her left shoulder, sending her spinning out of control.


    ¡°Jun! Are you okay? Can you stabilize??¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Jun was too dizzy to concentrate but managed to use the ankle jets to stop spinning. ¡°I think I¡¯m stable now. What was that?¡±


    ¡°Some ameteur.¡± Luis replied. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m really sorry, I-- See? That¡¯s what I mean about people tryin¡¯ to copy your roommate. They can¡¯t do it right and people get hurt! Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Jun¡¯s shoulder stung more than she wanted to let on. ¡°My shoulder¡¯s a little sore.¡±


    ¡°D''ya need to go to the infirmary?¡±


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine if I sleep on it.¡±

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kim and Ranger Kelly] Ch 14. Before the Storm

    Sleeping on it did not work.


    Jun stayed bedridden for nearly two? Three days straight? She lost track of time. After all, she was stuck facing the direction opposite of the clock. Jun tried to convince herself that a couple more days of bedrest would get her back into shape, but a person could only lie to themself for so long. Someone was bound to realize that something was very, very wrong.


    Someone entered the room. Footsteps walked up to Jun¡¯s bed and stopped. A finger poked her good shoulder.


    ¡°Are you... okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Aiden, I¡¯m good.¡±


    He didn¡¯t sound convinced. ¡°Can you move?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, totally! See?¡± Jun waved with the good hand.


    ¡°No, I meant the rest of you.¡± Jun couldn¡¯t see his face, but she was pretty sure Aiden rolled his eyes. ¡°Hampton keeps trying to make me do your exercises.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Nope. And if you don¡¯t want the rest of our unit busting down our door for making them do extra work, you¡¯ll show up tomorrow.¡±


    Jun sighed. ¡°Just, just give me a couple extra days. I¡¯ll be back and ready, I promise!¡±


    ¡°You promised that two days ago. I don¡¯t mind covering for you, but I think you need to get that shoulder checked out.¡±


    The dark-haired ranger craned her neck to look up at Aiden. ¡°You¡¯re telling me to go to the infirmary?¡±


    ¡°Listen.¡± Aiden had a sober expression. ¡°As someone who hates doctors, I think you need to see a doctor. Do you need help getting up?¡± He offered a hand.


    Jun didn¡¯t take it, instead pushing herself up with the other hand. It was a lot more painful than the last time she sat up, but she tried not to show it. ¡°See, I¡¯m almost back to normal.¡±


    The blond ranger grimaced, shaking his head.


    Jun gritted her teeth, accepting defeat, and prepared to make a decision that would likely turn her life upside down. ¡°Fine. Hand me my phone.¡±


    Aiden tossed the phone in Jun¡¯s direction, but it missed her good hand by a few inches. Thankfully, she was still able to pick it up.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°the jig¡¯s up, steph.¡± Jun texted. ¡°my shoulder¡¯s busted.¡± She closed the phone and stood up, clutching the aforementioned shoulder, and walked toward the door.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna pass out or anything, right?¡±


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯m good.¡± answered Jun. Suddenly, she whirled around. ¡°Before I go. Who¡¯s the least skeevy doctor you can think of on this ship?¡±


    ¡°Least skeevy¡­?¡± Aiden¡¯s face showed confusion.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jun affirmed, firmly.


    ¡°Kingsley.¡± Aiden matched Jun¡¯s seriousness. ¡°I have issue with the guy for tryin¡¯ to stick a needle in me, but he¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Jun gave a serious thumbs-up and walked out of the door.


    ¡°Stay safe.¡± Aiden called after her. He said something else, but the door had already closed behind Jun and she couldn¡¯t hear what it was. Resolutely, she made her way down the hallway and into the unknown.


    ¡°You¡¯re going the wrong way.¡±


    Jun turned around to see Aiden standing back by their dorm. She made her way back down the hallway, far less triumphantly.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Jun said as she passed him. Then she stopped. ¡°Actually¡­ Come with me.¡±


    Aiden nodded and followed along. They walked side by side, not saying anything to each other, except for the occasional direction from Aiden. Jun thought very hard about what she was about to tell him. Eventually, they made it to the waiting room for the infirmary. It was a quiet place. Very few people were inside right now, and none lingered outside. They stopped before going in.


    ¡°Well, there you go.¡± Aiden motioned toward the waiting room.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± He scratched his beard. ¡°You don¡¯t gotta tell me anything you don¡¯t want to, but¡­ You seem like you had some bad experiences with docs too. If anything goes wrong in there¡­ You let me know.¡± His mouth formed into an evil smile. ¡°I¡¯ll make them regret it.¡±


    ¡°I dunno how I¡¯m gonna be able to tell you if I¡¯m in an operating room, but thanks for the sentiment.¡± Jun paused, looking at the ground. ¡°But,¡± she placed a hand on his shoulder, half for moral support, half for physical support, ¡°there is something I have to tell you.¡±


    Aiden said nothing. He didn¡¯t even flinch.


    ¡°I know this is prolly gonna be hard to take in at first, but you seem like the least likely person to freak out about this.¡± She began to speak in a hushed voice. ¡°So, um, like¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m... uhhh.¡±


    The taller ranger raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m a woman, I guess?¡± Jun shrugged with her one good shoulder. ¡°Sur...prise¡­?¡±


    Aiden blinked. Then he seemed to come to a realization. ¡°Oh! So you¡¯re like,¡± He snapped his fingers a couple times, ¡°traaaans-something? Yo, I knew a coupla women like that. They looked out for me sometimes. If anybody got a problem with you for it--¡±


    Jun didn¡¯t quite know how to tell him he made the wrong assumption, but she was touched nonetheless. ¡°Th-thanks? But I¡¯m not trans.¡± Actually, Jun started to feel less sure of that. ¡°At least, I¡¯m not a trans woman...¡±


    The blond squinted and blinked a few more times. ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re¡­?¡±


    ¡°I kinda snuck into the IF.¡±


    Jun could see things clicking together in Aiden¡¯s mind. His eyes widened. ¡°How did you not get caught??¡±


    ¡°Shh! Not too loud!¡± Jun warned, looking around for bypassers and cameras. ¡°Anyway¡­ I figured since this¡¯ll come out when I go to get my shoulder checked, I might as well tell someone I trusted. I¡¯d tell you not to tell anyone, but the whole ship¡¯s probably gonna know about it within the next week.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Aiden smirked. ¡°I¡¯m no snitch.¡±


    Jun gave a wan smile. ¡°Thanks¡­ Catch you on the flipside.¡±


    Aiden... saluted? ¡°Good luck in there.¡±


    With one last wave to each other, both parted ways, as Jun entered the waiting room, ready to face the coming storm.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kelly and Ranger Kim] Ch 15. Some Things Dont Change

    Lucky for Jun, Aiden had good taste in doctors. Dr. Kingsley did freak out upon learning about her, but in a good, concerned-for-her-safety way. No one was allowed near Jun¡¯s room without his knowledge. Whenever a nurse had to tend to her injuries, he stayed in the room just to keep an eye on things.


    Dr. Kingsley kept Jun¡¯s gender a secret as much as he could, but as she expected, word got around. In the meantime, Jun and the doctor exchanged idle chat and got to know each other. He had a wife and three kids back on the Moon and was a doctor even before joining the Interstellar Forces, bypassing the normal rank system.


    Dr. Kingsley went over his notes. ¡°How long had you been wearing that chest binder?¡±


    ¡°More than it said I should.¡±


    He nodded solemnly. ¡°That¡¯s apparent. I¡¯d recommend you not wear it again until your chest heals up. Not that you¡¯d need to, since everyone knows already. One of my sons started wearing one, and I keep telling him to take breaks every so often.¡± He wagged a finger. ¡°Your x-rays make for a good warning.¡±


    ¡°Is it that bad?¡± Jun winced.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t help your accident, that¡¯s for sure.¡± The doctor looked up from his notes. ¡°But we should get you fixed up in no time!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, doc.¡±


    ¡°How did you even get into the IF anyway? They did background checks on you, right?¡±


    ¡°Not very thorough ones.¡± Jun leaned her head back on her pillow. ¡°All I really had to do was get a haircut and get my gender marker changed.¡±


    ¡°But I was under the assumption that the IF didn¡¯t take in transgender people. Wouldn¡¯t they have taken you for one?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they were expecting anyone like me to just walk in.¡± Jun could¡¯ve also mentioned that Stephanie found a way to get the gender on Jun¡¯s electronic birth certificate changed, but that would be admitting to forgery.


    The doctor raised his eyebrows. ¡°You learn something new every day. Guess my son could join after all, if he wanted to...¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t enforce the rules more strictly.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± He agreed. ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m sure people¡¯ll be talking about what you did for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Jun didn¡¯t really want to think about it. ¡°Did I get any ¡®visitors¡¯ today?¡±


    Dr. Kingsley sighed, nodding. ¡°A ranger by the name of Eric Murray showed up claiming that you were friends.¡±


    ¡°Wow, Murray? I know that guy.¡±


    The doctor appeared shocked. ¡°Oh, is he actually a friend of yours?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± scoffed the injured ranger. ¡°I reported him for harassing some kid.¡±


    Kingsley laughed, shaking his head. ¡°Sometimes I worry that we send people away who you¡¯d want to visit. But I¡¯d rather keep everyone out than let the wrong guy in, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get you.¡± Jun knew the risks involved better than anyone.


    Sometimes she wished she could see her friends again, but didn¡¯t know if she ever would. Of course she¡¯d see them again physically, but she doubted that the vibes between them would be the same.


    There was only one person she¡¯d take the chance of meeting again. ¡°Has Aiden Kelly ever showed up at the desk?¡±


    ¡°Usually, whenever there¡¯s trouble, he¡¯s involved somehow,¡± Dr. Kingsley began, ¡°but I don¡¯t think anyone has ever seen him show up. Why? Do you think he¡¯ll start anything?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I was just gonna say if he came around, send him back. He can visit for a few.¡±


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Really??¡± the doctor nearly shouted. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jun confirmed. ¡°He¡¯s the only other person I told directly, right before I checked in here. Actually, he¡¯s the one that recommended me to you.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­? I would¡¯ve thought he hated me.¡±


    ¡°He seems to have some issue with doctors in general, but out of all of the ones here, he said you were the most trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m...flattered.¡± Dr. Kingsley seemed at a loss for words. ¡°Well, I did hear from someone else that he had an overdue checkup. If I end up seeing him anytime soon, I¡¯ll let him know he¡¯s free to visit you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks doc.¡± Jun gave a thumbs up.


    A few weeks later, Dr. Kingsley announced that there would be a visitor. Minutes after that, someone else entered the room.


    ¡°¡®Sup?¡± Jun waved weakly. The painkillers made her a little drowsy.


    ¡°Hey yourself.¡± Aiden leaned on one of the walls.


    ¡°So¡­¡± the patient began awkwardly. ¡°How¡¯s it goin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s wild out there, right?¡± Aiden looked around. ¡°I¡¯m surprised they let me in.¡±


    ¡°I gave ¡®em the okay.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He began to laugh. ¡°I can not believe you. Here I thought you were Mr. Goody Two-Shoes, but little did I know that you were breaking rule #1 just by existing here. Wow.¡± He placed a hand on his head. ¡°Wooow, you really had some guts pulling this one off. Right under our noses.¡±


    ¡°Aiden, be honest. How do you feel about this whole," Jun waved her hand around her general vicinity, "situation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hilarious!¡±


    ¡°Nghhh, I meant about me.¡± the patient clarified.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Are we still cool? We still bros?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a¡­ lady?¡± Aiden tilted his head.


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t mind being called bro, or dude, or a guy, or he or any of that.¡± Jun actually dreaded going back to being referred to and seen as a woman, though she didn¡¯t know why. Still, if she could convince someone to treat her the same way as when they thought she was a man, she¡¯d try.


    ¡°Huh. If we¡¯re still bros, then we¡¯re still bros.¡± The blond shrugged. ¡°You weren¡¯t faking your personality or anything like that, were you?¡±


    ¡°No--?¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± He interrupted. ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t. You wanna know why?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m me, so I already know why.¡± Jun had no idea where he was going with this.


    ¡°They finally made me take my medical exam today, and then I remembered how cagey you were about taking yours.¡± Aiden scratched his beard. ¡°And then it hit me! No one in their right mind would take a medical exam in your situation. It¡¯s the perfect way to get found out! Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m married to the rules?¡± Jun grinned sheepishly.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re obsessed with the rules.¡± Aiden reiterated. ¡°That¡¯s even more depressing. Get help.¡±


    Jun laughed.


    ¡°Other than that!¡± he continued, ¡°I got nothing but respect for you. You turned the IF upside-down in a way I never could¡¯ve dreamed of doing. Who knew you had it in you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Jun admitted. ¡°How are the other guys taking it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean the lunch guys? They¡¯re mostly still in shock.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Can¡¯t really blame them.¡±


    ¡°Everyone else is losing their minds, but you probably don¡¯t need me to tell you that it¡¯s a mess out there.¡± Aiden pointed a thumb at the door.


    ¡°I figured as much.¡± Jun looked away.


    ¡°How¡¯s the infirmary been?¡±


    ¡°Boring, mostly. But safe, which is really all I can ask for right now. Doc Kingsley has everything under control.¡±


    ¡°Someone better.¡± Aiden crossed his arms. ¡°Especially since you can¡¯t with whatever¡¯s going on with your shoulder. Did you break something?¡±


    ¡°My shoulder.¡± The patient tapped said shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s some other stuff too, but it basically amounts to my shoulder being messed up. The good news is that I¡¯ve got a lot of free time to spend on my phone.¡±


    Jun picked up said phone and opened it.


    ¡°I was thinking about what you asked, what are we if we¡¯re not attracted to anyone. According to the internet, we¡¯re asexual. Aromantic too, if we¡¯re not into dating either. I¡¯m not. You?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Cool. Then we¡¯re both that.¡±


    The blond lifted his head. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any news about me being in the IF, so I don¡¯t think it reached Earth quite yet. Wonder if the higher-ups are trying to keep this a secret for now.¡±


    Pure, unbridled joy spread across Aiden¡¯s face. ¡°Oh man¡­ I can just imagine them squirming. Beautiful¡­¡±


    The patient laughed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll enjoy my last few moments of peace and quiet.¡±


    ¡°You do that.¡± He turned toward the door. ¡°I¡¯m gonna head out now.¡±


    ¡°See ya.¡± Jun waved. ¡°Feel free to come back. I¡¯ll be here for probably the next couple weeks.¡±


    ¡°¡®Kay. Take care of yourself.¡± With a casual salute, Aiden left the room.


    Jun felt relieved. Aiden¡¯s perception of their friendship barely changed at all. With the many changes that were probably going to happen going forward, it was nice to have one constant.


    With nothing left to do, Jun scrolled around on the website where she found out about asexuality and aromanticism. A section for different gender identities piqued her curiosity. Expecting there only to be sections for transgender men and women, it surprised Jun to see that there was another category to choose from: Nonbinary Identities.


    ¡®Nonbinary Identities: Any gender identity that isn¡¯t exclusively male or female.¡¯


    This situation pulled Jun between womanhood and manhood. The former never sat quite right, but she resigned herself to being considered a woman, because being a man, while it fit better, still didn¡¯t fit.


    No other options seemed to exist. Yet here they were, a list of many brand new labels both daunting and freeing. Neither man nor woman, Jun finally had the word to define herself on her own terms: Nonbinary. Things finally clicked for her!


    No. Things finally clicked for them.

 [The Misadventures of Ranger Kelly and Ranger Kim] Ch 16. Return Visit

    A few weeks passed, changing Jun¡¯s life dramatically. Everyone knew about Jun Kim, both on the Virgo and on Earth, but knew of them as the First Female Star Ranger, which though understandable, was annoying. For safety reasons, Jun had been moved to a different room after being discharged from the hospital. They no longer had a roommate to talk to, but they had enough messages from their parents and interviewers to make up for that. Stephanie texted far more frequently, not to ask about her friend, but to gleefully inform them about all the misogynists they upset back on Earth. She didn''t seem to care about the fact that Jun risked being jailed for fraud, as well as herself if they mentioned her involvement. Still, Jun had some unfinished business to tend to.


    They knocked on the door to their old dorm.


    Aiden opened the door, mildly surprised. ¡°JK? They let you come back here? Alone?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, there¡¯s bodyguards right outside.¡± Jun walked in. ¡°I just came to get my stuff. Dr. Kingsley made some arrangements and got me a room upstairs. This¡¯ll be all yours now.¡±


    ¡°I could get used to it.¡±


    The shorter ranger crouched down and reached under their old bed, pulling out a suitcase.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a celebrity now.¡± Aiden commented. ¡°Everyone¡¯s talking about whether you should stay in the IF or not. I heard Captain Phelps even called you into his quarters today.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jun extended the handle on their suitcase. ¡°It was kind of a shock. He said he¡¯d fight tooth and nail to keep me on the crew.¡±


    ¡°He said that??¡± The blond reacted in disbelief. ¡°Huh. I thought he would¡¯ve been the type to complain about you throwing off the honor or tradition of the IF.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Instead, he told me how proud he was of my accomplishments as a star ranger.¡° Jun grimaced. ¡°He did add in some weird stuff about me being able to ¡®calm you down¡¯ with my ¡®womanly intuition¡¯ or something like that.¡± They wiggled their fingers to add emphasis to certain words.


    ¡°Ew. I didn¡¯t calm down for anyone but me.¡± Aiden¡¯s green eyes narrowed. ¡°Just who does he think I am?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know you bro.¡± The dark-haired ranger assured him. ¡°He just doesn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    He cracked his knuckles. ¡°Maybe I should stir up some trouble again to stir his memory.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t stop me, not with that arm of yours.¡± He pointed at Jun¡¯s sling.


    Two guards peered into the room as Aiden said that.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay guys.¡± Jun told them. ¡°He was just joking. Everything¡¯s cool.¡±


    The guards retreated.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t joking about the guards, huh¡­¡± Aiden stared blankly at the door.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Jun returned to the previous topic. ¡°Technically, it¡¯s, like, not even my problem anymore, but it¡¯d still weigh on my conscious if you did anything too rash, so don¡¯t. Besides, the ship¡¯s hectic enough as it is, right? Would you really stand out?¡±


    ¡°Wanna bet?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± They reconsidered. ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡± Aiden sat down on the single bed. ¡°That reminds me, what¡¯s been going on with you lately? Run into anybody that needs a beatdown?¡±


    ¡°I got bodyguards for that, Aiden.¡± Jun sat down on their bed for one final time. ¡°But I gotta say though, things turned out as less of a trainwreck than I thought they would. More people seem to be for me than against.¡± They leaned back a little. ¡°Kinda reminds me of, like, No Woman¡¯s Land, where it only seems like there¡¯s a lot of pushback because of a few really vocal guys. But there¡¯s also been vocal guys in support of me! And I can get any bathroom I want all to myself, so it all evens out, I guess.¡± Not that Jun used the public ones anymore. They had their own in their new room.


    ¡°Good for you.¡± Aiden looked away. ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ less popular these days. Some people have gotten the idea that I knew the whole time and was ¡®holding out on them.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Oh gosh...¡° Jun covered their face. ¡°Ugh, now I see where Captain Phelps was coming from. Groooss.¡± They remembered something. ¡°Hey! I know something that¡¯ll cheer you up!¡±


    The bearded ranger waited for an explanation.


    ¡°Annoying our superiors!¡±


    He smiled.


    Jun laughed to themself. ¡°See? I knew you¡¯d be happy about that! So, like, my room¡¯s up with all the more important people. Captain Phelps, some of the staff majors, higher ranking warrant officers, people like that. There¡¯s actual security and stuff up there. Anyway, as you can probably guess, some of the old guys up there aren¡¯t so thrilled about me being here. I passed one of the warrant officers in the hallways and I was like,¡± they waved, ¡°¡®Sup, brah?¡¯ I mean, I didn¡¯t say that exactly, but he had this, like really annoyed look on his face, but it¡¯s not like he can do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°Niiiice!¡± Aiden¡¯s smile grew wider.


    ¡°I guess I can think of it as payback for setting me up to babysit you when they didn¡¯t wanna do it. That was really chill of them. Righteous~¡± They added sarcastically.


    ¡°Think of it this way, you got to meet a cool guy like me.¡± The blond ranger pointed to himself.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jun agreed sincerely. ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°And so did I.¡±


    ¡°Awww, dude, bro, you like, warmed my heart place!¡± Despite the exaggerated surfer accent, Aiden¡¯s words really warmed their heart.


    ¡°I never said it was you!¡± Aiden quickly turned away. ¡°But¡­ If anyone, it would be you. I guess.¡±


    Jun stifled laughter at their friend¡¯s stubbornness toward expressing affection but acknowledged that he was at least trying.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d love to chat with you some more, but I feel bad for my bodyguards having to wait around like this while we talk.¡± To be honest, Jun wished they could have the chance to talk to Aiden without the bodyguards around. Coming out to anyone else would be next to impossible with the amount of media coverage around them supposedly being a woman, but they trusted Aiden. Even if he didn¡¯t understand, which was likely, they trusted him. Telling him would have to wait until some other time, though. They stood up and grabbed their suitcase. ¡°We¡¯ll probably see each other again, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Aiden stood up too.


    Jun held out their fist, and without hesitation, Aiden bumped it with one of his own. The shorter ranger opened theirs up and wiggled their fingers, as if it exploded. Aiden¡­ did not follow. Instead, he laughed.


    ¡°No matter what, you¡¯re still the same dork you always were.¡± That almost sounded sweet, but Jun could just have gotten used to him at this point.


    ¡°You too.¡±


    ¡°Whatever!¡± He scoffed.


    Jun gave Aiden a casual salute with two fingers before grabbing their suitcase again. ¡°Catch you later.¡±


    He returned it. ¡°Good luck out there.¡±


    With that, Jun left their old room behind, flanked by a few bodyguards. They ran a mental check to see if they forgot anything, but nothing came to mind. What they knew would never forget was their newfound friendship with Aiden Kelly.

 Next Episode: Mingling on the Moon

    ¡°Hi, it¡¯s me, Leon, and I¡¯m over the Moon! Get it? ¡®Cause we¡¯re on the Moon! ...Not sure if that joke works, now that I think about it.


    Anyway, we¡¯re going to the Moon Base for some kind of important meeting, I forget what about. I was too excited about getting to jump around on the Moon. You won¡¯t believe the height you can get here, it¡¯s amazing!


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Also, we get to meet some new people  New friends¡­ or maybe new enemies. Nah, that¡¯s just something Roxie would say. I doubt we¡¯ll meet anyone who¡¯d hate us. Everyone in our crew is pretty cool, I think, though Aiden is kinda¡­


    H-Hey, when did our stuff go missing?¡±

 [Mingling on the Moon] Ch 1. A Lunar Arrival

    Leon Summers found himself face-first on the Moon¡¯s surface. In his excitement to take his first steps on new land, he tripped over a rock. It¡¯s okay though. Reduced gravity made his landing a soft one. Besides, he couldn''t be more happy to exist!


    ¡°You okay there, Rookie?¡± The lieutenant captain¡¯s words clicked in over his headset.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been better!¡± Leon began making snow angels--moon angels--on the ground. He picked up some rock--moon rocks--and beamed at them with unbridled joy. ¡°These are moon rocks...!¡±


    ¡°They sure are, dude!¡± Jun¡¯s voice answered. They might¡¯ve been one of the people staring down at Leon, but there was too much dust on his helmet for him to tell.


    Someone gave him their hand and helped him to his feet. The kind soul was even nice enough to wipe the dust from his helmet, revealing herself to be Roxie.


    ¡°Thanks Roxie!¡± The rookie¡¯s face started to ache from smiling so hard, but he couldn¡¯t stop. ¡°Can you believe that we¡¯re here? On the actual Moon? I feel like I¡¯m dreaming!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dream!¡± Roxie shook her head in such a way that would¡¯ve normally sent her curls bouncing all over the place, had they not been confined inside her helmet. She hooked her arm into his. ¡°You¡¯re journeying into a new frontier. The final one, in fact! So we¡¯ve been told.¡±


    Miles of foreign, rocky terrain stretched out on either side of the crew. The Moon''s surface looked darker than it did from Earth''s surface, which made the Celestion-5 stand out in comparison. A silver chariot in a desert of darkness. That sounded like something Roxie would say!


    Just as Leon thought that, she turned to him. ¡°Are you ready to venture forth, traveller?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± He¡¯d never been more ready for anything in his life.


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s gooo!¡± Roxie broke into a skip, lifting Leon upward as her arm swung forward. The low gravity sent them soaring into the non-existent air, floating down as gently as feathers. It felt like magic.


    ¡°This is so much fun!¡± Leon skipped along with her as he took in the Moon¡¯s landscape from new heights. The two continued to bounce around in circles, laughing all the way. Jun smiled up at them. ¡°Hey Jun, do you wanna join us?¡±


    ¡°Bounce with us, Junzie!¡± invited Roxie.


    They waved. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m fine just watching you guys have fun.¡±


    ¡°Awww.¡± Roxie whined. Someone else caught her attention. In the direction she looked, a lone star ranger stood by herself. Mia. ¡°Dearest Wattson! Would you like to join us?¡±


    The freckled ranger stepped back. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we be conserving our oxygen?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re correct, Ranger Wattson.¡±


    Out from the ship strode Captain Galhardo. Poised and calm, he surveyed his surroundings with the keenness of a hawk. He didn¡¯t flinch. When Leon and Roxie nearly crashed into him, he merely tugged Leon down by the hand.


    ¡°Cooool¡­¡± Leon and Roxie whispered in unison. They soon realized that whispering meant nothing when you¡¯re in what was essentially an in-person group chat. The captain gave them a quick glance.


    ¡°Uh, thanks Captain!¡± Leon spoke up. ¡°For bringing us back down to Earth¡­ or should I say the Moon~?¡± He winked. In the background, Emil did the same. The captain reacted to neither of them.


    ¡°We will be journeying over to the Interstellar Forces Moon Base ahead.¡± The 19-year-old captain motioned a hand toward a bulky structure about a mile in front of the group. ¡°The trip should only take 20 minutes, but that is no excuse to be wasteful with our oxygen supply. Or our jet fuel.¡±


    As he said this, he looked toward his brother, who was currently propelling himself upward with short bursts from his ankle jets. He looked like he was trying to do a flip, but couldn¡¯t quite make it back on his feet.


    ¡°Oops, sorry bro!¡± Emil apologized, lifting himself from the ground.


    ¡°By the way, Lieutenant, where is Ranger Kelly?¡±


    Only now did Leon realize that his roommate Aiden was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Uhhhh,¡± began the lieutenant captain, ¡°I dooon¡¯t know. Last time I saw him, he was using his jets to do flips over there.¡± He pointed toward the Moon Base. ¡°You shoulda seen it! It was so cool!¡±


    The captain¡¯s sigh could be heard by all. ¡°Ranger Kelly, state your whereabouts.¡±


    A few moments went by without an answer.


    ¡°Ranger Kelly,¡± Captain Galhardo repeated more sternly, ¡°where--?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at the Moon Base.¡± Aiden¡¯s voice clicked in, grouchy as ever.


    ¡°I must ask who gave you permission to proceed to the Moon Base?¡±


    Emil crossed his arms as if to say ¡®Don¡¯t look at me.¡¯


    ¡°Me, I guess,¡± answered Aiden. ¡°Everyone was takin¡¯ so long, I figured I might as well fly over. Anyway, they¡¯re letting me inside now. Later, Cap.¡±


    ¡°Ranger Kelly, it¡¯s important that we arrive there as a--!¡± Aiden¡¯s connection shut off before the captain got a chance to properly scold him.


    Tension and silence hung in the non-existent air.


    ¡°...I guess I will have to deal with Ranger Kelly later.¡± The captain looked down toward the ground, crossing his arms. ¡°For now, we should begin walking toward the base.¡±


    Leon walked forward with the others, but he began to notice how much slower he went on the Moon compared to Earth. He felt like he was walking through molasses, or rather, moonlasses. He chuckled at his own pun.


    A few feet away, Emil pretended to run in slow motion.


    ¡°Lieutenant.¡± Captain Galhardo did not seem to be in the mood for his brother¡¯s games.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m wasting oxygen. I¡¯m just havin¡¯ a little fun on the way!¡±


    ¡°This is our first meeting with the other members of the Celestion Project, so we need to make a suitable first impression.¡± His voice lowered. ¡°It¡¯s already bad enough that Ranger Kelly entered without us...¡±


    ¡°We could just fly over there like he did, right?¡± The lieutenant flapped his hands like wings. ¡°That would save us more oxygen and we could catch up to Aiden quicker.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re correct, but--¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°It would look lazy.¡± The older Galhardo winced. ¡°Plus, using jet armor on the Moon is different from doing so in the microgravity of space. It might be dangerous for some of our less experienced members. I don¡¯t want to use them without reason.¡±


    The rookie was glad to know he was working for a captain who looked out for everyone. As if aware of his appreciation, Captain Galhardo made eye-contact with him.


    ¡°Fiiiine.¡± Emil lazily spun on one foot as he walked. ¡°Is Dad gonna be there?¡±


    ¡°No, Chief Commander Galhardo is currently headed to Mars.¡±


    ¡°C¨¦sar Galhardo is your dad?¡± Leon blurted out. ¡°I remember learning about him in history class!¡± Thinking about it, that should¡¯ve been obvious. Galhardo wasn¡¯t a particularly popular name.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± replied Emil, almost simultaneously with his brother.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of unnerving that a death ray was almost built miles from my house. Thank goodness your father intervened.¡± Mia¡¯s words were barely perceptible.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Just as soon as he said that, Leon realized how it could be taken the wrong way. ¡°I mean the living near the Moon Base thing, not the living near a real-life death ray thing.¡±


    ¡°Did they ever find out where it was supposed to target?¡± asked Roxie. ¡°I remember hearing that being a top secret mystery!¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°No.¡± answered the captain.


    ¡°Our dad never even told us.¡± Emil added. ¡°He said it¡¯s for our safety that we don¡¯t know, but that¡¯s kinda his go-to catchphrase for anything he doesn¡¯t want us knowing or doing. Anyway, Mom¡¯s the only one he ever told.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why he never told us. Secrets like that are best kept by one person. If not one, then at least people you can keep an eye on.¡±


    ¡°Heeey, it¡¯s not like he knew he and Mom were gonna get divor--¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant!¡±


    Emil looked around, and even Leon could see him grit his teeth in embarrassment. No one else dared to say a word.


    ¡°It was¡­ amicable¡­¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t matter in the end which country it was.¡± Jun broke the ice. ¡°All that matters is that nobody got hurt.¡±


    ¡°A crisis was averted!¡± Roxie chirped.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m glad there wasn¡¯t a tragedy or a war or anything, but I¡¯m still sad people were planning to do that to begin with,¡± lamented Leon. ¡°The Moon Base was supposed to be a symbol of peace, a beacon of humanity. It¡¯s such a shame those guys went and ruined that.¡±


    ¡°I understand how you feel, Ranger Summers.¡± The captain surprisingly acknowledged Leon¡¯s words.


    ¡°I thought Lunaria was supposed to be the beacon of humanity¡­¡± thought Mia out loud.


    ¡°Lunaria, the Moon Base, people on Earth tend to view them as the same thing.¡± Emil waved a hand. ¡°The difference only matters to us space-livin¡¯ folk.¡±


    Leon took a moment to appreciate this new environment. Shallow craters surrounded him, the same ones he used to view through his telescope back home. Would someone be able to see him through theirs? The thought of it gave him butterflies in his stomach. He waved toward the Earth, just in case someone was watching. And they were! It was Mia, beside him.


    ¡°Hey Mia!¡± He caught the freckled ranger off guard. ¡°Have you ever used a telescope to look at the Earth?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, a few times. When I was younger.¡± She always seemed to answer in as little words as possible. How mysterious...


    ¡°Were you able to see any people?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Aww man¡­ I hope people can see us up here, though.¡± Leon continued waving. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be great?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d prefer not to be watched by people so far away.¡±


    ¡°You also prefer not to be watched from close up!¡± Roxie¡¯s head popped up over her shoulder, making Mia jump. She began waving her hands over the freckled girl¡¯s visor. ¡°The Invisible Mia Wattson, obscured from all except her own heart.¡±


    Mia laughed. ¡°I wish¡­¡±


    She seemed like such good friends with Roxie. It made Leon smile.


    ¡°You know,¡± he began, ¡°I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve taken my first steps on the Moon with a better group of people. You guys are pretty great! This is only supposed to be a 20-minute trip and all, but I could spend hours walking around with you all!¡±


    ¡°Awwww! You¡¯re such a sweetie pie!¡± If it weren¡¯t for his oxygen tank, Roxie would¡¯ve squeezed all the air out of him.


    ¡°Thanks Rookie! You--¡± the lieutenant pointed at him from behind his own head, ¡°--are a cool guy too. Don¡¯t go forgetting it!¡± He winked.


    ¡°It¡¯s been cool hanging out with you too,¡± Jun looked back toward him. It was surreal how little time it took for them to go from an almost mythical figure to being like the big sibling he never had. ¡°About the 20-minute trip thing, though, it has been about that long, right? Like, I¡¯m not, like, bugging out am I?¡±


    ¡°Oh thank goodness, I thought it was just me!¡± blurted Emil. ¡°We¡¯ve been walking waaay too long for us to be, what, halfway there?¡±


    ¡°It seems that I neglected to account for the Moon¡¯s gravity,¡± admitted the captain. ¡°That is my mistake. We should still have more than enough oxygen to get there, though, but let¡¯s not take too long.¡±


    His younger brother saluted. ¡°Aye-aye, Captain!¡± Just then, something caught his attention. He hopped back toward Leon. ¡°Yo, Rookie! Check out the horizon!¡±


    Just over the horizon, Leon could see the beginnings of an arc. A dome. And not just any dome, either. One that glowed with hopes, dreams, and a projection of an artificial blue sky.


    ¡°Is that--??¡±


    ¡°It is!¡± The lieutenant winked with both eyes. How impressive!


    ¡°The Lunarian Dome!¡± Leon gasped. ¡°Home of Lunaria, the Moon¡¯s one and only colony! A place where the stars shine every night!¡±


    ¡°And even in the day if you leave the dome.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a glimpse into the future! A city above it all! On the cutting edge of everything, from technology to transportation!¡±


    ¡°You sound a little like a tourism ad.¡± Jun noted through a smile.


    ¡°I can just taste that fresh, stale air!¡± The rookie ranger took a deep breath. ¡°Maybe if I¡¯m lucky, I¡¯ll get to see the sky bluescreen! Or space punk fashion! In person! Or! Or! Or I could finally drink a real bottle of Astro Juice!¡±


    ¡°The coveted elixir, only available in Lunaria!¡± added Roxie.


    Leon vaulted a few leaps ahead of the group, who stopped for some reason. ¡°I wanna get a closer look!¡±


    ¡°Ranger Summers, stay back!¡±


    Gravity was already in motion before Leon could even register the captain¡¯s command. In trying to get a better look at the Lunarian Dome, he found himself high above the ground, but when he looked back, the crew was even higher above him. That¡¯s when he realized he fell into a crater.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± He landed a little harder than he expected, but that was lucky. A fall like this on Earth would¡¯ve broken a few bones for sure.


    ¡°You okay down there, dude?¡± Jun looked down from above.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, all things considered!¡±


    ¡°You should be more careful.¡± Captain Galhardo appeared beside them. ¡°The Moon may have low gravity, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s completely absent.¡± He scanned the area ahead. ¡°We¡¯re on shallow ground, thankfully, but a large fall could still be dangerous, even fatal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure not to let this happen again,¡± reassured Leon, feeling the embarrassment heat up his cheeks. Then, something occurred to him. ¡°How do I get back up?¡±


    Roxie crouched down beside Jun. ¡°Maybe we could chain our bodies together to create a ladder!¡±


    ¡°IIII have a better idea!¡± Emil raised a finger.


    As soon as he said that, he slid down the side of the crater. Leon didn¡¯t know how both of them being stuck down there would help anyone, but he was glad to have company, either way!


    ¡°So you¡¯re probably thinking, ¡®Why in the heck did he jump down here? Aren¡¯t we both stuck now?¡¯ But that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong!¡± Emil tapped his helmet with a finger. ¡°Y¡¯see, I have a little tip from me to you that¡¯ll help with Moon travel~¡±


    ¡°A tip?¡± Leon was all ears. Somehow, Emil made falling down a hole sound like a cool and hip thing to do.


    ¡°The cool thing about the Moon¡¯s gravity is that it takes less effort to jump off of stuff.¡± The lieutenant rested his hand on the wall. ¡°Stuff like this.¡±


    ¡°The wall?¡±


    Emil winked in response. ¡°Now back on Earth, you wouldn¡¯t be able to run up this baby. Tragic. But--¡±


    He backed up and took a running leap toward the cliff face. With one jump, he managed to latch onto a rock ledge several feet up.


    ¡°You can do this!¡± He let go. However, instead of falling down, he pushed himself up the wall with one foot, and then the other, leaping up the wall until he made his way up to the others.


    ¡°No way¡­¡± Leon¡¯s mouth hung open. ¡°You can wall jump on the Moon?¡±


    ¡°You can wall jump on the Moon??¡± Roxie repeated, equally surprised.


    ¡°Wall jump, that¡¯s a good name for it!¡± Emil sat down, dangling his legs over the side. ¡°But yeah, I can do it, and guess what?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°So can you!¡± Emil pointed down at Leon.


    The rookie gasped. "Me?"


    ¡°Yeah, give it a try, I¡¯ll--¡± The captain caught Emil''s attention. ¡°Hey, is there somethin¡¯ on your mind?¡±


    The captain rested a hand on his chin. ¡°This is taking more time than I accounted for. At this rate, we¡¯ll be cutting it uncomfortably close. It might be quicker if he used the jets, but--¡±


    ¡°Oh, so now you wanna use the jets~¡± teased the lieutenant. ¡°I was really excited to teach him this, though. It¡¯s a really good tip for when you run out of jet fuel. Not everyone gets to go to Interstellar Forces Junior Space Camp like us, you know. It¡¯ll be a learning experience for everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ll grant him one attempt at your ¡®wall jumping¡¯ idea, but if he can¡¯t make it up here, you are to retrieve him using the jet armor.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Emil fist-pumped. ¡°One chance is all he¡¯ll need, ain¡¯t that right, Rookie? Here, I¡¯ll even give you a hand.¡± He leaned over the ledge, holding out an arm.


    Leon believed in Emil, and with his encouragement, he believed in himself. With a hop, skip, and a jump, he found himself scaling up the steep incline. He felt almost as graceful as the lieutenant looked, at least until he lost his footing halfway up.


    ¡°Psst. You can use your hands to grab onto stuff if you slip,¡± the lieutenant reminded him.


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Leon latched onto a rock above him. ¡°Thanks for the tip!¡±


    He let go and tried kicking against the wall, but began to float downward.


    ¡°Wait!¡± He grabbed onto another rock before trying again, continuing to slip downard. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ve got this!¡±


    ¡°You can do it! I believe in you.¡± Though Emil¡¯s hand slipped further out of his reach, the lieutenant never doubted him.


    ¡°Yeah, you got this!¡± Jun finger-gunned in his direction.


    ¡°Flee from the clutches of defeat!¡± Roxie cheered.


    Leon began to manage running in place against the wall.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing a lot better than I did on my first try.¡± remarked Mia.


    The captain only tapped his foot, not saying anything, but Leon could feel his support. Knowing that everyone believed in him lifted him higher. Literally. He regained his footing and scaled the rest of the incline with few mistakes. Emil snatched his hand up with a crushing grip as soon as it was within reach.


    ¡°Look at you, I knew you could make it!¡± The lieutenant steadied him by the shoulders, before clasping them out of joy. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you.¡±


    ¡°I did! And I wouldn¡¯t have been able to without an amazing teacher like you~¡±


    ¡°Oh my gosh, Rookie, you¡¯re gonna flatter me into an early grave.¡± Emil chuckled, covering his visor.


    Leon turned to the others. ¡°Also, I can¡¯t not mention the rest of you guys. Thanks so much for hanging in there with me!¡±


    ¡°No prob.¡± Jun fistbumped him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve mastered the wall jump!¡± announced Roxie.


    Mia simply nodded.


    ¡°Congratulations on your efforts, Ranger Summers,¡± spoke the captain, ¡°and your instruction, Lieutenant.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Captain!¡± Leon felt ready to burst with happiness. After weeks of screw-ups, he managed to do something that made the captain proud.


    Emil covered his face with both hands. ¡°Aww, it was nothin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°With your method, it¡¯s guaranteed that we¡¯ll all have enough fuel to fly over to the Moon Base.¡±


    Emil lifted his head up. ¡°You mean you¡¯re actually gonna let us do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Captain Galhardo nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve lost too much time. Ranger Allen, Ranger Kim, you¡¯ve both done jet armor training on the moon, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± the captain continued. ¡°I imagine you¡¯ve done partnered training as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He walked over to the lieutenant. ¡°Ranger Allen, you carry Ranger Wattson--¡±


    Roxie lifted Mia over her head. She made sure to lower her before the captain turned back around.


    ¡°--Ranger Kim, carry Ranger Summers--¡±


    Jun hooked their arms under Leon¡¯s.


    ¡°--And I will carry Lieutenant Galhardo.¡±


    ¡°Wait, bro, I can fly by myself perfectly fine!¡± Emil protested.


    ¡°Maybe on the way back.¡± The captain picked up his brother from under his arms. ¡°For now, I don¡¯t want to take any chances. Is everyone ready?¡±


    Everyone else signaled their readiness. The captain activated his jets. Jun and Roxie did, too. So did Leon. He and Jun rocketed up high above the others.


    ¡°Woah, woah, bud!¡± Jun almost lost their grip on him. ¡°Let me handle the jets, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oops!¡± Leon stopped his jets. ¡°Was I not supposed to do that?¡±


    ¡°Nah, you weren¡¯t.¡± Despite saying this, the eldest ranger sounded more amused than annoyed.


    Jun managed to safely guide them back to the others, while Leon relaxed and watched the craters pass by on the ground. The sparkling cityscape of Lunaria also came into view. He wanted to go there more than anything, but before he knew it, the crew reached their real destination, the IF¡¯s Moon Base.

 [Mingling on the Moon] Ch 2. Missing Ranger Report

    Jun and the others landed safely at the Moon Base¡¯s entrance despite the hiccup with Leon. From far away, its white and metallic exterior might¡¯ve blended in with the Moon¡¯s surface, but close up, it looked like a bulky hunk of bits and chunks that didn¡¯t belong. It had been updated many times in the past forty years and even the five that Jun had been enlisted, but few people would be able to tell.


    ¡°There you go.¡± The eldest ranger set Leon down.


    ¡°Thanks Jun! Sorry about nearly launching us out of the Moon.¡±


    Jun waved it off. They¡¯ve had worse incidents using the jets. As if to remind them of one, Roxie crashed into their side, but this time, she gave them a hug.


    ¡°Waaah, you¡¯re alive!¡±


    ¡°Of course, Rox.¡± Jun patted the helmet of their adorable little friend.


    Roxie extended her affection to Leon as well.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive too!¡± She abruptly broke away from the hug, pointing one finger upward. ¡°Roxie Safety Tip: When flying partnered, don¡¯t use your jets unless you¡¯re the designated flyer!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll know not to do that again, that¡¯s for sure!¡± promised Leon, smiling sheepishly.


    Further away, Jun could see the captain and his brother closer toward the entrance. The captain stared up at a camera, adjusting the communication signal on the side of his helmet.


    Emil spun around toward the others. ¡°He¡¯s talking to whoever¡¯s gonna let us in. You guys should prooobably start skedaddlin¡¯ on over here. You can even use your jets if you want; he¡¯s not looking!¡± He capped off the last statement with a mischievous wink.


    Jun opted for the chillest form of transportation, gliding forward with sparse usage of their ankle jets. Roxie did a super bounce using hers. Mia simply walked forward, probably not wanting to get in trouble in case the captain looked over; Jun could respect that.


    Leon tried to attempt what Roxie did but couldn¡¯t get into a landing position, softly crashing into Emil¡¯s shoulder with his own. The lieutenant was in the middle of steadying him when his brother finally turned around.


    The captain gestured at the two of them, confused. He mouthed something that Jun guessed was ¡®What are you doing?¡¯


    Emil hooked an arm around Leon¡¯s shoulder, pulling the two close as if they were just palling around. Leon caught on and gave the captain two thumbs up. Even if the captain didn¡¯t, the camera workers must have been seeing all of this. Jun had to snicker, just as they probably were.


    Before the captain could scrutinize the duo even further, the entrance behind him slowly parted its doors.


    Captain Galhardo tuned his signal back to his crew. ¡°As you can see, we¡¯ve been granted permission to enter the Moon Base.¡± He glanced at his brother. ¡°You are all expected to act accordingly. Follow me.¡±


    The entrance shut behind them once the crew entered, sealing them off from the Moon¡¯s surface and starry sky. They now stood in a dimly lit room, but Jun knew it wouldn¡¯t be this way for long.


    Jun turned to Leon, the only one who probably didn¡¯t know. ¡°You might wanna close your--¡±


    Bright lights flooded the room.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Light must¡¯ve assaulted Leon¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Aww darn it.¡± Jun was mildly disappointed at their temporary blindness.


    The captains seemed to be having a hard time too. Jun wondered if they had never been here before.


    ¡°Ow¡­ Do they normally do that??¡± Emil answered their question by asking one of his own. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they just turn the lights on before we entered?¡±


    The captain shielded his visor. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh. I dunno actually.¡± Jun shrugged. They had to admit that Emil had a good point.


    ¡°Where are we anyway?¡± asked Leon.


    Surprisingly, Mia answered. ¡°We¡¯re in the acclimation chamber. It functions kind of the same way as the loading deck does on our ship.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, basically.¡± agreed Jun. ¡°It, like, gets all the dust off of us and does gravity stuff.¡±


    As soon as they said that, pressure increased in the chamber. Jun hopped to test out the gravity, and sure enough, they couldn¡¯t jump nearly as high as they could outside. A shower of air blew down on them next, accompanied by a panel on the wall changing from red to green. At the same time, vacuums under the grated flooring sucked down all the moon dust that fell to the ground. A door on the other side of the room slid open once the process finished.


    ¡°The acclimation process is complete. You are now permitted to remove your helmets and spacewear.¡± A voice clicked in over their helmets as soon as the panel fully turned bright green. The crew obeyed its command, stripping down to the formal outfits they wore underneath their jumpsuits.


    It was always fun to see Roxie and Emil¡¯s hair burst out from their helmets, though it must¡¯ve also been entertaining to see Jun¡¯s bangs flop in front of their eyes. They almost managed to catch a glimpse of the captain without his hat, which reminded Jun of a question they¡¯d been meaning to ask him.


    Carrying his spacewear and helmet, he began walking forward with purpose. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. We have a meeting to attend to, and if we want to make it on time, we¡¯ll need to move quickly, especially with respect to finding Ranger Kelly.¡±


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    Along with the others, Jun followed behind him. With purpose, of course. ¡°Hey Captain, about that meeting?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ranger Kim?¡±


    ¡°What is it for, other than meeting with the other crews?¡±


    ¡°Good question.¡± He secured the brim of his hat, not bothering to look back. ¡°We are to meet with our ship commanders, who will give us special instructions for how to prepare for the duration of the trip.¡±


    Another quick air shower rained down on them as they entered a tunnel lined with cameras.


    ¡°I feel as though many eyes are upon us!¡± Roxie¡¯s head swiveled back and forth to get a good view of the cameras.


    ¡°The Moon Base has an exceptional security system.¡± explained the captain.To be honest, Jun thought this amount of cameras was excessive, but they figured they might as well give one of the bored camera workers something to look at.


    They threw a double shaka sign at one of the cameras. Emil happened to see them at the time and decided to finger-gun at another camera, presumably winking. Roxie gave one a peace sign, and Leon waved excitedly to as many as he could. At the front of the group, Captain Galhardo was blissfully unaware of their shenanigans. Jun almost felt bad for goofing off behind his back.


    Finally, they entered the general hall, a place Jun was more familiar with.


    ¡°Are you guys with the Celestion-5?¡± Jun even recognized one of the voices from the check-in counter, but couldn¡¯t quite place it.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Emil answered.


    The guy at the counter stared at them, confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t y¡¯all supposed to have one more?¡±


    ¡°One of our crew members¡­ defected.¡± The captain explained, clearly ashamed.


    ¡°Oh, no, no! I already got him accounted for.¡± The oddly familiar check-in guy pointed towards some boxes in a section marked C-5. ¡°See? His stuff¡¯s over there. You guys can start puttin¡¯ your stuff there too, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Thanks! I¡¯m tired of lugging this around!¡± Emil took up the offer, along with most of the others. Jun was still trying to figure out if they knew this guy or not.


    Suddenly it hit them.


    ¡°...Luis?¡±


    ¡°Woaaaaaaah! You remember me?¡± A shocked smile spread on his face. ¡°The Jun Kim knows who I am?¡±


    ¡°Sure, bud!¡± They smiled. ¡°I still owe you one.¡±


    Emil¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°You two know each other?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was her observation panelist when the accident happened! Right before she got found out.¡±


    Being called ¡®her¡¯ and ''she'' took Jun off guard, but of course he wouldn¡¯t know. They¡¯d only come out to their crew just a week ago, but that was enough time for them to get comfy.


    Luis turned to Jun. ¡°Had no idea it¡¯d set off that chain of events. Sorry ¡®bout that!¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s all good. There was no time to react. Plus, I wasn¡¯t even able to fulfill that promise I made to you.¡± Jun adjusted their bangs. ¡°When did you get stationed here?¡±


    ¡°¡®Bout a month ago. Wish I were on the observation panels, but no one can really put on a show like Aiden, so I guess it¡¯s for the best.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°He¡¯s just too cool!¡± Emil added.


    ¡°You understand!¡±


    ¡°I wish you could¡¯ve seen him earlier, he was doing flips and stuff outside!¡±


    ¡°Aww man! Really?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Captain Galhardo broke up the Aiden Fan Club. ¡°You saw Ranger Kelly pass through, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I even got to talk to ¡®im!¡± It made Jun happy that he finally got to talk to Aiden, even if they weren¡¯t the one to make it happen. In a way, their promise did get fulfilled!


    ¡°Do you know where he went?¡±


    Luis scratched his forehead. ¡°Uhh¡­ Well, he went down that hall--¡± he pointed ahead of the crew, ¡°--an¡¯ made a¡­ right? Left? I¡¯m really sorry Captain, I¡¯m not that good with directions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for doing what you could.¡± The captain looked ahead. ¡°We should start looking for him now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry to keep ya!¡±


    ¡°Dooon¡¯t worry about it!¡± Emil waved off his apology. ¡°It was nice meetin¡¯ you!¡±


    ¡°Wait, before we go--¡± Jun interrupted, ¡°--Luis, what were you saying about there not being enough of us?¡±


    This caught the captain¡¯s interest. ¡°Yes. I would like to know, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was just sayin¡­ there should be eight people in each Celestion crew.¡±


    ¡°Eight¡­?¡± Captain Galhardo¡¯s eyes went wide. If he were any more expressive, his face would¡¯ve read as terrified. He slowly turned to his brother. ¡°You¡­ you didn¡¯t forget anyone at the spaceport, did you?¡±


    ¡°No? I made sure not to!¡± Emil defended. ¡°There were only seven on my list. Leon was the last one!¡±


    Luis rose a piece of paper. ¡°I still have the list if you want me to check.¡± He began skimming it. Suddenly, he squinted. ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­ Are you guys missing a ¡®Ranger Pending?¡¯ Didn¡¯t even include their first name, geez¡­¡±


    ¡°Ranger pending¡­?¡± The captain repeated. ¡°Did they not assign the eighth member yet?¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡± Luis slapped his head. ¡°That makes way more sense. You gotta excuse my brain. It¡¯s not always working at 100%.¡±


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, would¡¯ve made the same mistake!¡± Leon spoke up. Jun almost forgot he, Mia, and Roxie were there, but they were having their own conversation.


    ¡°No worries!¡± Emil tapped two fingers against his forehead. ¡°Happens to the best of us~¡±


    The captain stood deep in thought until his eyes briefly met Jun¡¯s. ¡°Ranger Kim?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best acquainted with Ranger Kelly. Do you have any idea where he may be?¡±


    Jun had to keep from chuckling. It was just like the old days, with frazzled authority figures asking them to track down Aiden as if they had some sort of innate Aiden-sensing ability. At least the captain was nice about it. The only other thing that changed was that they had to pretend to be a woman in public, not a man.


    They thought for a moment. ¡°If I had to guess, either the dining area or the gym. You might also catch him at a vending machine, but I don¡¯t know the location of every single one on this base.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your insight.¡± The captain nodded. He began to address them as well as the others. ¡°The meeting should begin at¡± he looked at a nearby clock, ¡°--1315 hours. Ranger Wattson, Ranger Summers--¡±


    Mia and Leon waited for instruction.


    ¡°You are to check the cafeteria in search of Ranger Kelly.¡±


    Mia nodded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Leon saluted. ¡°Can do, sir!¡±


    ¡°Ranger Allen, Ranger Kim,¡± the captain continued, ¡°you two are to search in the gym.¡±


    ¡°We will search to the best of our ability, sir!¡± Roxie saluted, sending a bunch of curls flying forward with a nod.


    ¡°Yeah, sir, what she said.¡± agreed Jun.


    ¡°Myself and the lieutenant will find the conference room in order to inquire about our other missing star ranger.¡± explained the captain. ¡°If none of you are able to find Ranger Kelly within the next hour, report to the conference room. We can find him later if we need to, but I¡¯d rather just him being late than all of you, understand?¡±


    The others agreed.


    ¡°Well then, best of luck to you all.¡± With that, he began walking away.


    ¡°We¡¯ll let¡¯cha know if we find him on the way!¡± Emil added, before catching up with his brother.


    ¡°Good luck! We¡¯ll see you later!¡± Leon began walking in the wrong direction.


    ¡°The cafeteria¡¯s that way.¡± Mia corrected.


    Leon turned around. ¡°Ah.¡± He laughed. ¡°You¡¯re the expert!¡±


    ¡°Hope you find him.¡± was Mia''s parting.


    ¡°May your travels fare well!¡± Roxie called as the others left. She hooked Jun¡¯s arm into hers. ¡°Come on, Junzie, we¡¯re on the hunt!¡±


    ¡°That we are.¡± Jun turned around for one last goodbye. ¡°Catch ya later, Luis.¡±


    ¡°Good seein¡¯ ya again!¡± He waved.


    Jun and Roxie started their journey to the gym, determined to answer one question: where in the heck was Aiden Kelly? Wherever he was, Jun hoped he wasn¡¯t causing much trouble.


    Knowing him, though, that might be too much to ask.

 [Mingling on the Moon] Ch 3. Getting Served in the Cafeteria

    Aiden¡¯s impatience rewarded him with a lunch in the cafeteria. He ate it proudly, knowing that the other chumps were probably just getting in. The bearded ranger finished his meal and got rid of his tray. All that was left to do now was chill out and make sure he didn¡¯t get caught by the captain or his cronies.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Leon and that redheaded girl, Mia. She saw him too, but turned her head away, probably to tell the doofus with her that she spotted him.


    This seemed like a good time to change location.


    ¡°Kelly? Kelly, is that you?¡± The voice calling after him might as well have been nails on a chalkboard.


    Aiden reluctantly looked behind to see two star rangers walk up to him, but it wasn¡¯t Mia nor Leon. Instead, it was some blonde chick and a downbeat-looking dude.


    ¡°Yo, AK! It¡¯s us! Remember?¡± asked the girl he didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°No.¡± Aiden answered and walked away.


    ¡°C¡¯mooon! You gotta remember your posse!¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be Triple Trouble without you!¡± her friend whined.


    Getting passed between so many ships, Aiden couldn¡¯t keep track of everyone he met, but now that they mentioned it, he vaguely remembered some obnoxious dweebs calling themselves Triple Trouble, along with him. He also remembered wanting nothing to do with it. A bad reputation never bothered Aiden, but he¡¯d rather earn it on his own than through association.


    He tried to walk away again, but somebody must¡¯ve felt like testing their luck by grabbing his arm.


    Naturally, Aiden flung it off. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our man, alright! I couldn¡¯t miss that ugly mug anywhere!¡± Blondie had no sense of self-preservation, apparently. Aiden didn¡¯t feel like wasting his breath to explain he wasn¡¯t a man. She could barely understand the word ¡®no,¡¯ let alone ¡®nonbinary.¡¯


    Her friend, on the other hand, hovered behind her. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d think you¡¯d forgotten us.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had.¡±


    ¡°Told¡¯ja he couldn¡¯t forget about Bella-Bellatrix and her old pal Gordy Golden!¡± She elbowed her sidekick. ¡°Aidennn, you should hang out with us! Catch up on things, you know?¡±


    Aiden scanned the room for his crewmates. Mia was leading Leon towards some other area of the cafeteria. This would be a perfect time to leave, but the dipstick duo currently tagging along would expose him in an instant.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He agreed against his will. ¡°Let¡¯s catch up.¡±


    They dragged him over to a table nearby, where some other people sat eating their lunches. Good. If he can get more people to join the conversation, they might all distract each other. It¡¯ll give him an opening to get out of there.


    He started with an obvious question. ¡°Is there a meeting or somethin¡¯ goin¡¯ on?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Those new units came in today, the Celestion units.¡± The disgust with which Bella said ¡®Celestion¡¯ was palpable. ¡°There¡¯s already two other ships docked in today, including ours, and now we have to deal a buncha flabby freeloaders hoggin¡¯ up all the food! It¡¯s nuts!¡±


    ¡°Plus, they¡¯re just annoying.¡± Gordy sulked. ¡°At least the rangers are. Us higher ranks already get a free pass to be lazy, but I can¡¯t stand how I had to bust my butt doing busy work as a ranger while those Celestion creeps get to do whatever they want.¡± Judging by the pin on his uniform, he¡¯d somehow been promoted to corporal.


    Aiden wasn¡¯t too bothered by what they had to say. It was true that rangers were usually expected to do menial labor and physical training, and anyone who ended up on one of the Celestion ships lucked out of having to.


    ¡°I¡¯d ditch physical training altogether.¡± suggested the bearded ranger. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have to fight or nothin¡¯, and we have regular gravity, so we¡¯re not gonna turn into jelly or whatever they had to worry about back in the day." He leaned his face into his hand. "Besides, if you¡¯re mad, why not get mad at the commanders who set all this up? They have control over who gets picked, not the rangers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Gordy¡¯s expression softened.


    ¡°But Celestion rangers are still annoying! The thought of seeing one of their smug little faces makes me wanna--¡± Bella boxed at the air.


    Aiden¡¯s eyes wandered around, eager to get away from his new ¡°friends.¡± He spotted Mia and Leon again, this time as far away as they could possibly be from him. At this point, he had to wonder if Mia was going out of her way to avoid him. The thought brought a smile to his face.


    ¡°See, he gets it!¡± Bella pointed at Aiden.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d like to deck ¡®em too, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Neither Leon nor the captains gave Aiden a reason to want to punch them, and he¡¯d be out of a job if he did anything to the latter two. Sure, Leon and Captain Galhardo could be annoying, but they weren¡¯t a threat to anyone yet.


    ¡°Aww. I thought at least you¡¯d be on my side here!¡±


    Aiden looked for someone else to talk to. Thankfully, there were a few people around.


    ¡°What do you guys think about the whole Celestion thing?¡± he asked no one in particular. ¡°Any of you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a part of the Celestion-2.¡± a corporal spoke up. "It''s not my fault they picked me, though..." he added, as if being picked wasn''t something he could opt out of. As if people would care.


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    Nonetheless, a few pointed looks were shot at the guy for daring to admit his association with the Celestion Project. Bella mouthed a sarcastic ¡°great¡± and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯re basically a glorified supply ship and guinea pigs on the side, so I¡¯m pretty neutral about the whole thing. All of us are a little older, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any rangers on our ship.¡± The corporal glanced at Gordy. He must¡¯ve heard him earlier. ¡°If you really wanna get mad though, there¡¯s the Celestion-5.¡±


    ¡°What about the Celestion-5?¡± Gordy craned his neck toward the other corporal.


    ¡°I heard their crew is all rangers. Basically teenagers. And they get to go to Neptune!¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s no fair!¡± huffed Bella.


    ¡°Not gonna lie, I¡¯m a little jealous, too. And you wanna know the real kicker?¡± A medic chimed in. ¡°Their captains are a coupla kids right out of basic training!¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh!¡± Bella slammed her hands on the table, while Aiden pretended to be mildly surprised at this news.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they that Galhardo guy¡¯s kids?¡±


    ¡°No wonder they¡¯re captains!¡±


    ¡°And they get the most exciting mission! What a load of garbage!¡±


    ¡°None of them deserve it!¡±


    So many people were getting worked up about the Celestion-5. Even people who weren¡¯t involved in the conversation before threw in their two cents. As funny as it was to watch, Aiden figured it would be a good time to make a run for it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can stay so calm about this.¡± Gordy shook his head at his fellow corporal. ¡°I¡¯d be so mad if I were on any of the other ships!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you shoulda been here earlier. This one captain was fuming ¡®cause his ship had to follow behind them.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so bad, actually.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, too. He was joking at first, but he kept bringing up the fact that the Celestion-5 would get all the fame, while his crew would be a footnote if they¡¯re lucky.¡±


    ¡°What a bummer...¡±


    The conversation faded away as Aiden distanced himself from the table. He looked back one last time to see that Bella and Gordy were too busy ranting to notice he left. Too easy.


    Aiden strolled off into the crowd, too pleased with himself to see where he was going. That was when he bumped into someone.


    ¡°Aah--!¡± A red ponytail swung around to reveal a round, freckled face, frozen in shock. ¡°A...Aiden...¡±


    Aiden could curse himself for bumping into Mia after coming so close to freedom. She didn¡¯t seem happy to see him, either.


    Someone else did.


    ¡°Aiden! We found you!¡± Leon smiled his usual dopey grin. ¡°I was starting to think we might be wasting our time here, and maybe you were at the gym like Jun said.¡±


    Aiden swore under his breath. Of course Captain Galhardo would get Jun¡¯s help in tracking him down. That guy knew him too well.


    ¡°The captain¡¯s been looking for you!¡±


    ¡°He can keep looking.¡± He took a couple steps ahead of them.


    Leon followed. ¡°Not if we bring you back to him.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Aiden scoffed. He glanced at Mia, trudging along and looking like she would rather be anywhere else.


    ¡°Yeah, me and Mia won¡¯t let you out of our sight until all of us are back together!¡± Leon hooked an arm, brimming with the kind of foolish confidence that made him look pitiful.


    ¡°You will?¡± The blond ranger addressed Mia this time.


    Mia shook her head at Leon. ¡°I dunno about this¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The rookie took on a puppy-dog-like expression. ¡°But the captain told us to bring him back if we find him.¡±


    ¡°I know but--¡± Mia grimaced in pain. ¡°What are we gonna do if Aiden doesn¡¯t want to go?¡±


    ¡°Good question. I¡¯ll leave you two to figure that one out.¡± Aiden continued walking ahead.


    ¡°Wait! Come back!¡± whined the buck-toothed ranger, as if that would make him change his mind.


    ¡°Hey! You got a problem with our guy AK?¡±


    As if this moment couldn¡¯t get any worse, Bella showed up, followed by Gordy.


    ¡°Hi! Who are you?¡± Leon asked. ¡°Are you Aiden¡¯s friends?¡±


    ¡°You better believe it!¡± Bella announced. ¡°I¡¯m Bella-Bellatrix and this here is Gordy Golden.¡± She slung an arm around him. ¡°Together with AK, we¡¯re Triple Trouble and we¡¯re gonna give you triple trouble if you mess with us!¡±


    Aiden mouthed to Mia that he¡¯d never seen these people in his life. She seemed to understand.


    ¡°Did you guys need him for something?¡± Gordy asked like a normal person.


    ¡°Maybe we should go--¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re with the Celestion-5, nice to meet you!¡± Leon interrupted Mia¡¯s common sense. ¡°I promise we''re not looking for any triple trouble. Aiden just left the group earlier and Captain Galhardo sent us to find him!¡±


    Bella marched up to Leon and Mia, with Gordy trailing behind. She sized them up and down, clearly unimpressed with what she saw. She and Gordy traded smug grins.


    ¡°Celestion-5, eh? You guys are rangers?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Leon couldn¡¯t read the room if it were spelled out for him. It was kind of sad. ¡°I just joined, actually!¡±


    ¡°Heh. I can tell¡­ Do you guys do PT?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have mandatory physical training, but I try to keep myself in shape at the gym.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± She looked him up and down again. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±


    ¡°It probably doesn¡¯t right now, but I¡¯m hoping results¡¯ll show soon!¡± Leon nervously chuckled.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Bella turned to Mia.


    Mia wore a blank expression, though Aiden could see a flicker of discomfort behind it. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, but we need to take Aiden back to our captain.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys stick around and have lunch? Sure, all the good food is taken, but I¡¯m sure the salad bar is still open!¡± Disgust seeped through the blonde woman¡¯s words.


    Bella acted like Leon and Mia were personally responsible for the supposed lack of lunch, even though Aiden could see other star rangers easily getting food. Gordy stifled a laugh. Aiden was embarrassed for everyone involved.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have places to be?¡± It took everything for Aiden not to pick them up and place them into the nearest trash can.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Kelly, we got this!¡± Bella waved her hands. ¡°We¡¯re all friends here, right?¡±


    Aiden said no, but was drowned out by Gordy having a coughing fit. Upon any inspection, it was incredibly fake.


    ¡°Can you guys stand back a little?¡± asked Bella. ¡°I think you¡¯re taking up his oxygen.¡±


    Leon legitimately believed in this. ¡°Oh, sure thing--!¡±


    Aiden took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s go, you two.¡±


    ¡°Good idea!¡± Bella piped up.


    ¡°Not you.¡±


    Bella looked offended. Aiden was offended it took her this long to take a hint. ¡°C¡¯mooon, Aiden, why are you playing nice with these guys? I know they¡¯re your crew or whatever, but they obviously have it too good. Look at ¡®em! They¡¯re lucky to have made it past the physical exam!¡±


    Instead of answering, he walked away. Mia didn¡¯t hesitate to follow, though Leon had to take some persuasion.


    ¡°But Aidennn, you can¡¯t leave us!¡±


    Aiden had no trouble leaving them.


    ¡°Kellyyy, come back!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we need you.¡± Gordy joined in. ¡°We¡¯re a team!¡±


    Aiden whirled around. The look in their eyes told him that they understood he wasn¡¯t playing around this time.


    ¡°I¡¯m only gonna say this once.¡± He began. ¡°We¡¯re not a team, and we never were. Never will be! Find somebody else to bug or go cry about it; I don¡¯t care. Just get lost.¡±


    Bella had the nerve to look hurt. ¡°But why¡­ Why would you choose them over us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather hang out with genuine nerds than a coupla posers,¡± he turned to Mia, ¡°no offense.¡±


    ¡°None taken.¡±


    He turned back to Bella, whose face flushed bright red, and Gordy, cowering behind her.


    ¡°Anyway, uhh¡­ scram.¡±


    With that, Aiden left the cafeteria with Leon and Mia, Leon lagging behind.


    ¡°Uhh, they were¡­¡± he looked back, ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°You can say they¡¯re annoying.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re annoying.¡± Mia spoke up.


    Aiden snorted, not expecting that from her. From the little he knew of her, she seemed the type to take anything thrown at her with polite detachment. She probably didn¡¯t get to say stuff like this often.


    ¡°So, where are we going?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°To the captains.¡± After putting up with Bella and Gordy, a lecture from Captain Galhardo sounded almost pleasant. ¡°Now hurry up before I change my mind.¡±

 [Mingling on the Moon] Ch 4. The Costs of Being a Good Boy

    Lorenzo tried to get his mind off of Ranger Kelly¡¯s whereabouts. Thankfully, his brother did what he did best, distracting him.


    Emil fidgeted beside him in the elevator. He rarely ever stopped moving, but this time he seemed more jittery than usual.


    ¡°There should be a bathroom on this floor if you¡¯re in need of it.¡± Lorenzo stared at his brother, tapping his feet in place.


    The lieutenant chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t hafta pee.¡± He paused. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we take the stairs?¡±


    ¡°I thought you would¡¯ve appreciated getting to the conference room faster.¡± Lorenzo took off his hat and neatened his hair in the elevator¡¯s reflective walls. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you hate stairs?¡±


    Emil bounced on his feet. ¡°Maybe a liiiittle. But elevators,¡± he rubbed his arms, ¡°I dunno, I feel like one of these days, one¡¯s gonna stop while I¡¯m on it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had a fear of elevators.¡± Lorenzo worried on his brother¡¯s behalf. It was a good thing they were alone right now, because who knew who might¡¯ve taken advantage of this flaw. Still, nothing guaranteed their safety. He glanced at the elevator camera. Anyone could be listening.


    ¡°Pshhh, I¡¯m not afraid of ¡®em!¡± Defensiveness might have been hiding behind Emil¡¯s laughter. ¡°I¡¯m just,¡± his eyes darted around, ¡°concerned.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Lorenzo didn¡¯t know what to make of that response. He focused instead on smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes. ¡°I¡¯ll keep your concerns in mind.¡±


    Emil set his chin down on Lorenzo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What about you? You seem awfully concerned with your looks today.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make the best impression I can.¡± Lorenzo brushed off his shoulder after Emil stood back up. ¡°I suggest you do the same. We¡¯re C¨¦sar Galhardo¡¯s sons, after all.¡±


    The blond rolled his eyes. ¡°How can I forget?¡±


    ¡°He has enemies.¡±


    ¡°Again, how can I forget?¡± Emil began pacing. ¡°Y¡¯know, you and Dad keep talkin¡¯ about all the ¡®enemies¡¯ we have, but I¡¯ve never heard of any of ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he does a good job protecting us. But he can¡¯t do that right now.¡± Lorenzo stopped Emil and began neatening up his uniform and hair. ¡°There are many people who believe we¡¯re not qualified for our positions. This is a chance to prove we¡¯re fit to honor the Interstellar Forces¡¯s legacy.¡±


    The elevator opened to pale halls. The two captains straight ahead down the corridor where the conference room was supposed to be. A guard waited outside, signalling that they were heading in the right direction. Even he was a little older than them.


    ¡°Are you headed to the Celestion conference?¡± he asked.


    Lorenzo nodded. ¡°We are.¡±


    ¡°Which group are you guys with?¡±


    ¡°Celestion-5!¡± Emil answered.


    The guard¡¯s smile dropped as he read his tablet. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t let you guys in yet. Your captains need to show up first.¡±


    Lorenzo and Emil exchanged glances.


    ¡°Uhhh, we are the captains.¡± Emil pointed at the pin on his jacket. ¡°See?¡±


    Suddenly, Lorenzo realized that after all of his preparations, he hadn¡¯t put his hat back on. He might as well have shown up in tattered rags. What an unforgivable error!


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to see your IDs.¡±


    The brothers both took out their IDs and showed them to the guard.


    His eyes widened as he did a hasty salute. ¡°Oh! My apologies, sirs! Go right on ahead.¡±


    ¡°No, the apologies are all mine.¡± Lorenzo told him, saluting back along with Emil. ¡°You simply did your job.¡±


    They parted ways as the two captains continued down the hallway. Behind them, Lorenzo heard some footsteps and a conversation.


    ¡°Hello, sirs, the Celestion conference is right this way. Which ship are you from?¡±


    An older man answered. ¡°Seven.¡±


    ¡°Go right on ahead.¡±


    Lorenzo felt a tap from Emil.


    ¡°You hear that?¡± he whispered in Spanish. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they have to show IDs?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they did, we don¡¯t know. It¡¯s none of our business.¡± Lorenzo scolded.


    Two doors stood in front of them. Lorenzo knew many people would be on the other side, people who already had it in their minds that he and his brother were just two kids who had no business leading this mission. Would he prove them right or wrong?


    ¡°Hey. You nervous?¡± Emil looked at him with concern. The last thing a capable captain needed was concern, especially from his little brother.


    Lorenzo took a deep breath and opened the door.


    Inside was a circular conference venue of chrome and powder blue. Four thin columns stood in each ¡®corner¡¯ of the room. A mixture of polyethylene glycol, ferric magnets, and glow-in-the-dark powder filled each one, the same mixture that kept the Celestion-5¡¯s generator working. It looked like a futuristic blue and black waterfall, so it doubled as decoration.


    Only about 20 people stood in the room. Most of the chairs sat in stacks, making it look even emptier. Lorenzo didn¡¯t know whether to feel happy that less people were here than expected or worried that more people would notice him. Most of them grouped around tables near the walls. A few started to stare.


    Emil winked and waved to some, then turned to his brother. ¡°Huh. We must be pretty early.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Lorenzo moved toward an empty table. ¡°Maybe we can find someone to ask about our eighth crewmember.¡±


    ¡°That someone¡¯s not gonna be over there! Where are we goin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°To find¡­ a vantage point.¡± It wasn¡¯t quite a lie, he just didn¡¯t think of things that way when he said it. Truthfully, he needed some time to get himself together before talking to other people.


    Emil tugged on Lorenzo¡¯s sleeve, which the latter had to re-straighten, lest the other star rangers think he was some unkempt, sloppy teenage boy.


    ¡°I think we should check out that table.¡± Emil tilted his head toward a group of people he¡¯d waved at on the other side of the room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we should--¡±


    Before Lorenzo could finish, the doors opened again to reveal two older men. He¡¯d never seen them in person before, but he knew who they were. So did everyone else¡­


    ...except Emil.


    ¡°Who are those guys?¡± he asked. ¡°The whole room went quiet when they came in.¡±


    ¡°Captain Stone and Commander Myers from the Luna 13.¡± Lorenzo¡¯s eyes stayed locked on the legendary star rangers. ¡°You remember learning about it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that that mission from waaaay back where their ship nearly exploded like 15 times?¡±


    ¡°And almost crashed. If they were any less skilled, they wouldn¡¯t have made it out alive.¡±


    The group from the table Emil wanted to visit immediately flocked Stone and Myers. Lorenzo suddenly realized the voice in the hallway belonged to one of them. He stood mere feet in front of icons and didn¡¯t even realize it!


    Another realization dawned on him. ¡°Of course they¡¯d be on the Celestion-7¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Little Cesar!¡± A familiar voice jolted Lorenzo out of his thoughts, but it wasn¡¯t Emil¡¯s.


    A group of star rangers came over to their table, led by none other than Captain Vanderbilt of the Celestion-6, grandson of Colonel Hans Vanderbilt of the Army. He wouldn¡¯t let anyone forget it. Lorenzo and Emil often crossed paths with him growing up. Emil could barely stand him. Lorenzo tolerated him more, but that didn¡¯t translate to any fondness for the man.


    ¡°Hello, Captain Vanderbilt.¡± Lorenzo struggled making eye contact with most people, but Vanderbilt¡¯s piercing blue eyes might as well have been stabbing him. They shook hands.


    Vanderbilt went on to shake Emil¡¯s hand. ¡°Nice to see ya, Roger!¡±


    ¡°Please. Call me Emil.¡± Behind Emil¡¯s smile, Lorenzo knew that being called by his second name made him seethe.


    ¡°Roger that!¡± This had to be Vanderbilt¡¯s tenth time making that joke, at least. He shook his hands from Emil¡¯s grip. ¡°I guess you can see the men of the hour over there, Captain Stone and Lieutenant Meyers.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re the captains of the Celestion-7¡­¡± mused Lorenzo.


    ¡°Apparently so! I can¡¯t believe Command managed to keep them a secret until now.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Emil looked between the two of them. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they have had to compete against you guys in that tournament test thingy?¡±


    The tall woman beside Vanderbilt blinked awake and adjusted her glasses. ¡°Wha¡­ Sorry, what test??¡±


    ¡°Geez Jenny, have you been asleep this whole time?¡± chided Vanderbilt. He then turned to the Galhardos. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is our ship doctor Jennifer, she just got her license recently.¡±


    ¡°The exams did a number on my sleep schedule.¡± she explained sheepishly.


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Lorenzo responded, not knowing what else to say. ¡°Pleased to meet you, Dr¡­.¡±


    ¡°Jones.¡± She shook his hand. ¡°You can call me Dr. Jones.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Doc!¡± Emil greeted.


    Vanderbilt motioned to the shorter, bespeckled man beside him. ¡°And you two are already aware of my trusty sidekick, Lt. Joshi!¡±


    ¡°Nice seein¡¯ you around, fellow lieutenant!¡± Emil winked and pointed.


    The eldest man chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s nice seeing you two again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, Lt. Joshi.¡± The first and last time Lorenzo had met Joshi was after the tournament results were announced. Speaking of which--


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°What was that about a tournament again?¡± Dr. Jones kept blinking to stay awake.


    ¡°Contrary to popular belief, the Celestion crews aren¡¯t chosen by random selection.¡± began Lorenzo.


    ¡° ¡®Unstructured¡¯ selection, they call it.¡± Joshi chimed in.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± asked Emil.


    ¡°They opted¡­¡± Lt. Joshi suppressed a smile, ¡°they opted not to expend the effort to make it truly random. That¡¯s why you might get people who already know each other.¡±


    That sounded like calling the command team lazy, but Lorenzo decided to continue without saying anything about it. ¡°When they decided who all of the potential captains would be, a tournament was held to determine how well we could pilot the new Celestion ships. The results decided which ship we would get.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t the Celestions all basically the same?¡± asked Dr. Jones. ¡°That¡¯s the whole point of our mission...right?¡± She yawned. ¡°Same ships, same number of people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the number of each ship corresponds to the difficulty of our mission. The higher the number, the harder the mission.¡±


    ¡°And the higher the talent of the captain¡¯s piloting!¡± Vanderbilt bowed graciously. ¡°That is how I got the honor of leading the Celestion-6.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s one exception, isn¡¯t there~?¡± Emil elbowed Lorenzo as Vanderbilt¡¯s smile all but disappeared.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Lorenzo adjusted his hat. ¡°Due to the Celestion-5 and Celestion-6¡¯s missions being so similar, it was hard to determine which mission was more difficult. Eventually, it was decided the winner of the tournament gets to pilot the Celestion-5, since that ship will be required to enter new territory first.¡±


    Dr. Jones smiled. ¡°And that¡¯s you! Congratulations.¡±


    She, Joshi, and Emil clapped for him.


    He tipped his hat. ¡°Thank you. This isn¡¯t a responsibility I take lightly. I will try to honor it as best as I can.¡±


    ¡°I have faith that you will.¡± Lt. Joshi smiled. Whether it was kind or facetious, Lorenzo had trouble telling. He wasn¡¯t the most literate in reading faces. It put him at a regrettable disadvantage when dealing with others, so he learned to be suspicious of everyone at all times.


    ¡°For the record!¡± Vanderbilt pointed a finger. ¡°He only won because he¡¯s not used to making his own decisions, coming out of high school and all that. The judges were expecting us to follow their every order.¡±


    Joshi¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°I would hope you follow their every order! This is a risky mission.¡±


    Vanderbilt huffed. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing, Dev. I just want the kid to know that there¡¯s more to being a captain than piloting. You need to know how to make your own decisions.¡± Something off to the side caught his attention. ¡°Oh, well look at that! If it isn¡¯t Debra and Selene! Come and join us!¡±


    The two women seemed to be in the middle of leaving the area, but Vanderbilt beckoned them over anyway. Lorenzo knew of them as Captain Pryce and Lieutenant Limbaco of the Celestion-4.


    ¡°Captain Vanderbilt.¡± Pryce didn¡¯t even attempt to smile. Lorenzo felt a little more comfortable not being the only straight-faced one there.


    ¡°We were just talking about what it means to be a captain. I figured you¡¯d be interested!¡± Vanderbilt gave them a bright smile.


    Lt. Limbaco answered this time, since Captain Pryce didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Oh, how, uh, considerate of you, Captain.¡±


    ¡°This is Jenny,¡± Vanderbilt motioned to the doctor, who just snapped out of a daze, ¡°and you should already be familiar with Lt. Joshi, Little Cesar, and his brother Rog--¡±


    ¡°Emil!¡± Emil interrupted before he could finish. ¡°My name is Emil.¡± He shook both new captains¡¯ hands.


    ¡°Nice to meet you all!¡± Limbaco greeted.


    ¡°It truly is.¡± Captain Pryce smiled this time. She shook Lorenzo¡¯s hand. ¡°Captain Galhardo, congratulations on being selected to pilot the Celestion-5. You must be so proud!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain Pryce.¡± He returned the handshake.


    Vanderbilt leaned toward Pryce. ¡°I¡¯m pretty proud of the boy, myself. I¡¯ve known him since he was in diapers, not that it was long ago!¡±


    He laughed at his own joke, though it made the younger captain uncomfortable. Emil almost said something, but Lorenzo tapped him on the shoulder. Whatever emotions the blond felt were channeled into rapid leg bouncing.


    ¡°We have kind of a mentor-protege relationship going on.¡±


    ¡°We do¡­?¡± Lorenzo did not remember Captain Vanderbilt having that much of an impact on his life.


    Either way, Vanderbilt did not seem to like that question very much. Emil covered his mouth to conceal his smile, while Pryce didn¡¯t bother. Joshi shook his head, Lambaco looked away, and Jones¡­ was about to fall asleep standing up.


    Captain Vanderbilt looked at her and back toward Lorenzo. ¡°Would you be a nice young man and fetch these ladies some chairs? Grab a couple for the rest of us, too.¡±


    Lorenzo did as he was told, happy to get away from everyone laughing at him. He could think about more important things, like finding out about their eighth crew member. In fact, as he grabbed a few chairs from one of the unsteady stacks, he realized that question could be the perfect ticket out of this conversation for good.


    The captain returned with a few chairs just in time to hear a question that made his blood run cold.


    ¡°I just noticed something.¡± Emil began. ¡°How come none of the captains are wearing capes today?¡±


    Lambaco giggled. ¡°Capes?¡± She turned to Captain Pryce. ¡°Imagine if you guys wore capes. Oh my gosh, this kid¡¯s adorable.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would be very ridiculous to wear capes at a conference meeting.¡± Lorenzo answered, swallowing his own embarrassment.


    ¡°But--¡± Emil began. ¡°I guess so¡­¡± He gave up. Thankfully.


    Lorenzo desperately tried to change the conversation. ¡°I brought chairs.¡±


    Dr. Jones accepted the first one. ¡°Oh, thank you so much.¡±


    She sat down and rested her head on the table.


    Lt. Lambaco received the second one. ¡°Thank you~ What a nice boy you are! So polite for your age.¡±


    Lorenzo tried giving the last one to Captain Pryce, but she handed it off to Lt. Joshi instead. He admired that; putting others before oneself was an essential trait of any good star ranger. She looked so dependable doing it, too.


    She crossed her arms and stared intently at where the Celestion-7 captains stood. Lorenzo noticed the people who surrounded them earlier were nowhere to be seen. Before he could dwell on that, Emil¡¯s phone buzzed. He checked it.


    ¡°Ah, kids these days.¡± Vanderbilt sighed. ¡°Distracted by their phones.¡±


    ¡°I knooow.¡± agreed Lambaco. ¡°My oldest is so obsessed with hers. Make sure you¡¯re not texting while driving the ship~¡± she warned Lorenzo.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think of it.¡±


    ¡°Who could it possibly be?¡± Vanderbilt waved a hand dismissively.


    ¡°One of our rangers had important info to send to us.¡± Emil sounded oddly professional, which made Lorenzo a little proud. He reverted back to his normal self and whispered to Lorenzo. ¡°Mia and Rookie found Aiden.¡±


    Lorenzo breathed a sigh of relief. Now he only had to worry about the eighth ranger. ¡°Let Ranger Kim and Allen know he¡¯s been found.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Important info?¡± A smile formed on Captain Vanderbilt¡¯s face. ¡°I wonder if it was one of those mems.¡±


    Emil tilted his head. ¡°...Mems?¡±


    ¡°I believe the correct pronunciation is me-me¡¯s.¡± suggested Joshi.


    ¡°Oh, mehmees?¡± Lt. Lambaco chimed in. ¡°I love those!¡±


    ¡°Captain Vanderbilt, I¡¯m not looking up memes on my phone.¡± Emil promised.


    ¡°Meem?¡± repeated Vanderbilt. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right at all!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Captain Vanderbilt?¡± Lorenzo figured this was a good enough time to ask his question. ¡°Do you know where anyone who works with Command might be right now? We need to talk to them about something.¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve asked earlier.¡± Pryce answered. ¡°They were flocked around Captain Stone and Lt. Myers.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    ¡°Now why don¡¯t you busy yourself with the rest of those chairs? My feet are killing me.¡± Vanderbilt whined.


    ¡°Right away, sir.¡±


    Lorenzo excused himself while the others continued to argue about how to pronounce memes. When he returned with the other chairs, Pryce still maintained an elegant stare in the direction of the Celestion-7 captains.


    Vanderbilt noticed, too. ¡°A little envious, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Envious? No. I¡¯m not related to any big names,¡± her eyes wandered between Vanderbilt and the Galhardos, ¡°so I¡¯m lucky to have gotten the chance to pilot in the first place.¡± Her gaze returned to the Celestion-7 captains. ¡°I¡¯m concerned. Knowing how dangerous your missions are, I worry about what Command is putting them up to, especially at their age.¡±


    ¡°They do seem pretty up there in years¡­¡± Emil added on.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they know what they¡¯re doing.¡± reassured Joshi.


    Pryce looked back toward the others. ¡°They¡¯d have to, otherwise they would¡¯ve participated in the tournament like the rest of us. Heck, most of us weren¡¯t even captains to begin with; the IF couldn¡¯t pull that many away from their routes.¡±


    ¡°They thought the Celestion project was beneath them anyway.¡± Vanderbilt leaned back in his chair. ¡°How foolish of them to miss out on a chance to make history. That tournament was a cakewalk for a bonafide captain like me.¡±


    ¡°And yet you still lost to a child.¡± Her words stung Lorenzo.


    Vanderbilt took a deep breath. ¡°Ha! Debbie, you clearly don¡¯t understand. Someone needs to be able to clean up after these kids, and I just happened to get stuck with the job!¡±


    ¡°Big talk about cleaning up from someone who couldn¡¯t even clean up the competition.¡± muttered Emil.


    ¡°Emil!¡± Lorenzo fought the urge to clamp a hand over his brother¡¯s mouth. ¡°I apologize, I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t mean to say that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I did!¡± Emil squandered any chances of apologizing. ¡°I get it. Lorenzo¡¯s younger than the average captain. If he got picked just ¡®cuzza our dad, I could understand being mad about it. I could understand being mad at me. But I¡¯m not gonna sit here and let anyone pretend that my brother didn¡¯t earn the right to pilot the Celestion-5.¡± He stood up, smiling. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ve had enough of being condescended to for one day~¡±


    Emil left the table.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s in a bad mood.¡± Captain Vanderbilt remarked, not looking much better.


    Lorenzo looked down at his brother¡¯s empty chair. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ always been sensitive to how others treat me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very sweet of him.¡± responded Lt. Lambaco.


    ¡°Hmph. I was joking about cleaning up after you guys.¡± Vanderbilt absentmindedly poked a finger into the table. ¡°Didn¡¯t your parents get a handle on Roger¡¯s hotheadedness?¡±


    ¡°His name is Emil.¡± Lorenzo picked up Emil¡¯s chair as well as his own. ¡°I apologize for his outburst, but I must be going now. We have to talk to Command.¡±


    Vanderbilt perked up. ¡°You know¡­ I think I heard one of them say earlier that they lost something near the entrance. I can¡¯t imagine being so careless.¡±


    Lorenzo couldn¡¯t either.


    ¡°Would you take my chair too?¡± Vanderbilt stood up. ¡°I need to make a call.¡±


    He walked away, leaving Lorenzo with three chairs to carry. When he went to go pick up Vanderbilt¡¯s chair, Lt. Joshi stopped him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Joshi glanced toward his captain and back at Lorenzo. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lt. Joshi.¡±


    Lorenzo walked over to Emil, standing by himself near one of the chrome, pear-shaped speakers. He didn¡¯t know what to say when he got there, but that didn¡¯t matter because Emil spoke first.


    ¡°I¡¯m not apologizing.¡±


    ¡°We have to be professional about this.¡±


    Emil tapped his foot. ¡°Why do we have to be the only ones? Wait, I got it.¡± He began to imitate their father¡¯s Venezuelan accent. ¡°I am so sorry, my sons, but as my sons, you will be held to a higher standard. If people think you are below that standard, they may try to harm you. Do not let them be lice upon the hair de su reputaci¨®n.¡±


    It was somewhat unnerving how well he mimicked their father and how well he was able to predict the gist of what Lorenzo would¡¯ve told him.


    ¡°Why do we always have to be the ones to suck it up when people mess with us? When they don¡¯t respect us?¡± Emil began pacing. ¡°You were as polite as could be and what thanks did you get? Humiliated, looked down on, and treated like a servant boy!¡±


    Lorenzo thought for a moment. ¡°We could always file a report against Captain Vanderbilt for harassment.¡±


    Emil stopped and spun to face him. ¡°How well has that worked before?¡±


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t catch everyone who made fun of me.¡± Lorenzo reminisced back to his early school days. ¡°All they did was call me a robot. It wasn¡¯t that bad. They got tired, eventually!¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you should¡¯ve had to put up with it.¡± Emil pouted. ¡°And that¡¯s exactly the problem! It¡¯s not just Vanderbilt this time. I don¡¯t think anybody there saw us as equals. You were called a child!¡±


    Lorenzo had nothing to say to that. He thought he¡¯d accepted that being seen as a kid by Vanderbilt, but being treated that way in front of other captains did embarrass him a little, while Pryce calling him a child still hurt minutes later.


    Something eventually came to mind, though.


    ¡°We could tell Dad.¡±


    The blond squinted. ¡°No! That¡¯s a terrible idea!¡±


    ¡°Why not? If Command won¡¯t do anything about it, Dad will.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exaaactly what they¡¯re gonna expect from us. Whiny rich boys crying to Dad. Waaah.¡± He mimicked crying with his hands. ¡°Besides, that feels wrong! How are we supposed to be equals if we can call on him when things don¡¯t go our way?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a backup plan in case Command doesn¡¯t enforce the rules, which they should.¡± Lorenzo had utmost faith in the IF to follow and enforce its rules.


    ¡°No.¡± Emil placed his hands on his hips. ¡°If we¡¯re gonna be adults, we gotta handle this like adults. By ourselves.¡±


    ¡°...I agree. But how?¡±


    He tilted his head back and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let me think.¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t cause that big of a scene, but Lorenzo could feel the back-and-forth stares of onlookers, realizing something was wrong. Obviously, this situation upset Emil, but he needed to calm down.


    Lorenzo decided to approach things his way: Self-isolation.


    ¡°They¡¯re not important. We need to focus on ourselves and our mission.¡± he advised. ¡°Captain Vanderbilt told me that the command team might be on the first floor.¡±


    ¡°And you believe him?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have anything else to go on. You can stay here and calm down while I go back down stairs and look for them.¡± Searching the entire first floor would take a lot of time, time that couldn¡¯t be wasted going down the stairs.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go too!¡± Emil offered.


    Lorenzo shook his head. ¡°I need to take the elevator. It¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll have enough time to look.¡±


    He appreciated the offer, but if anyone overheard their earlier talk on the elevator, they might shut it down just to get to Emil¡¯s head. Lorenzo couldn¡¯t let that happen. He also had something to tell him.


    ¡°As your older brother and your captain, it is my job to keep you safe. Not the other way around.¡±


    ¡°Wow, uh, that¡¯s out of nowhere. Thanks!¡± Emil smiled a chipped-toothed smile, a reminder of the time he fought one of Lorenzo¡¯s bullies. ¡°But there¡¯s no rule that says we can¡¯t look out for each other~¡± He winked.


    Lorenzo sighed, shook his head, and turned to leave. There was no winning with Emil, but Lorenzo appreciated the constants in life.

 [Mingling on the Moon] Ch 5. Hot Potato

    Fluorescent lights and pale walls blurred together as Jun and Roxie continued the search for Aiden. Walking to the Moon Base Gym took a lot longer than Jun remembered. They weren¡¯t in much of a hurry, though. Knowing Aiden, he¡¯d appear at the conference as if he never went missing. Still, they wanted to put in some effort. Captain Galhardo put his faith in them, and the guy was probably stressed out enough on a day like today.


    Besides, Roxie was having so much fun! She marched ahead, as peppy as ever. Every few steps, she¡¯d try out a new Aiden-tracking technique, which is probably why it took so long to get to the gym in the first place. As a Criminal Justice major and Aiden-knower, Jun knew these techniques wouldn¡¯t be able to track down anything, but they had fun playing along.


    A vending machine caught their eye.


    ¡°Hey Rox, want a snack?¡±


    Instead of turning around, Roxie marched in a semicircle to face Jun. ¡°I only hunger for victory!¡±


    Jun shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    They took out a dollar bill from their wallet and put it into the vending machine, but they didn¡¯t let go of it. Instead, they yanked it out at the last moment.


    Nothing came out.


    Jun attempted the trick a few more times just to see if they did it right, but no dice. This vending machine wouldn¡¯t fall for their trick. Maybe they should try one last time.


    ¡°Are you stealing?¡±


    Roxie¡¯s question broke Jun¡¯s concentration, making them forfeit their dollar to the vending machine.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Kinda, yeah.¡± Jun admittedly felt a little ashamed to be caught doing this, especially by her. ¡°But it was for a reason.¡±


    Roxie leaned over Jun. ¡°Was the reason free food?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± They stood up. ¡°I just realized Aiden might be at one of the vending machines. He used to do this trick on them, like, all the time.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, so you were doing petty crimes to summon him! How clever!¡±


    Jun laughed. ¡°Not quite. But it narrows down our options. Even if he is at a vending machine, he won¡¯t be there long.¡±


    As their eyes scanned the brightly colored bags and sugary sweets, a row of tiny, bear-shaped bottles stood out from the rest. They pressed the button corresponding to it. A bear fell into the pickup slot, and they picked it up.


    ¡°It¡¯s so cuuuute!¡± Roxie fawned over the bottle.


    ¡°Pure Honey courtesy of Ursa Major Farms. Edible packaging.¡± Jun read its label. ¡°Cool. Dunno what I¡¯m gonna do with a bottle of honey, though.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we could use it to bait Aiden.¡±


    The older ranger laughed at the mental image of that, then put the bottle in their pocket. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Come on, let¡¯s head to the gym.¡±


    ¡°Onward, we go!¡±


    Roxie continued marching forward. She abruptly stopped upon seeing a yellow cone and spread her arms out, preventing Jun from going forward.


    ¡°Ah, a wet floor.¡± Jun noticed. ¡°You saved my life.¡±


    Roxie hugged them. ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do for you, my friend.¡± She turned to the cone. ¡°We have to approach carefully from here so that we don¡¯t slip and shatter our skulls on this nicely-mopped floor!¡±


    ¡°Ye--huh??¡±


    A flash of frizzy hair, goggles, and bad judgement careened toward Jun and Roxie.


    Roxie let go of Jun and spread her arms out. ¡°I¡¯ll catch you!¡±


    Just as the words left her mouth, the stranger crashed into her, sending both tumbling to the ground. Jun managed to step in right in time to cushion Roxie¡¯s fall.


    They steadied Roxie up. ¡°Are you both okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m peachy-keen!¡± Roxie held a shaky thumbs-up.


    ¡°Sparky?¡± called someone carefully making her way down the hall with a toolbox. ¡°Sparky are ya okay?¡±


    The one who crashed into Roxie sprang up, lifting a thumb into the air. ¡°Never been better!¡±


    When the newcomer finally got to the three on the floor, she towered over them, and still probably would even if they were all standing up. She was strawberry blond and built like a mountain, with biceps the size of balloons. Jun thought she looked pretty cool, kind of like a lady they used to idolize as a kid.


    The smaller stranger spread her arms out to the side, and her large friend put down the toolbox and lifted her up. From there, they both helped Jun and Roxie off of the ground.


    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that!¡± The small one adjusted her goggles back on her head. ¡°Name¡¯s Sierra, but my friends call me Sparky!¡±


    ¡°Are we friends?¡± asked Roxie.


    ¡°Well, you saved my bacon, so I don¡¯t see why not!¡± Sparky patted her friend on the back. ¡°This¡¯s my buddy, Shirley!¡±


    Shirley waved. ¡°My friends call me Shirley. What¡¯s your names?¡±


    ¡°I am known by many names, but most people call me Roxie!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Jun.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet ya!¡± Shirley smiled a charming, crooked smile. ¡°And thanks for savin¡¯ Sparky!¡±


    Roxie turned to Sparky. ¡°And now for a Roxie Safety Tip. Be careful on wet floors!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to tell me that!¡± Sparky laughed.


    ¡°She was trying to be careful.¡± clarified Shirley.


    Running at full speed down a wet hallway did not fit Jun¡¯s idea of careful. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I figured the faster I ran, the less my feet would touch the ground, which in turn means the less chances I would have to slip and fall.¡±


    Sparky moved her curly brown hair out of the way to reveal the insignia of a Staff Major, the IF¡¯s equivalent of having a doctorate. Judging by her green shirt, she worked in the technical science branch, or as Jun knew of it, the mad scientist branch. What they had in smarts, they often lacked in other things, like self control, ethics, or in Sparky¡¯s case, common sense.


    Her explanation managed to confuse even Roxie. ¡°Well, please don¡¯t do that again!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± promised Sparky. Suddenly, her eyes wandered over Jun. ¡°...Haven¡¯t I seen you somewhere?¡±


    Jun looked around, pretending not to know what she meant. ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Shirley waved a finger at them. ¡°I was thinkin¡¯ the same thing! Did¡¯ja used to work on the Gemini?¡±


    ¡°No, no! I don¡¯t think we met before!¡± Sparky guessed correctly. ¡°You said your name was Jun, right?¡± Her entire face pursed up. ¡°...You wouldn¡¯t happen to be Jun Kim, would you?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, like, am I¡­?¡± Jun scratched the side of their head, pretending to be confused before laughing and giving up the act. ¡°Yeah, you got me.¡±


    ¡°Thought so!¡± The frizzy-haired scientist pointed a finger at Jun. ¡°I saw through those bangs!¡±


    Apparently everyone did. It embarrassed Jun how little the bangs hid their identity. Still, they lifted them up to show their full face.


    ¡°Whoooah! You¡¯re right!¡± Shirley seemed to be shocked by this even though Jun already confessed. ¡°Nothing gets past Major Sparky¡¯s eyes!¡± She pointed a thumb at her friend. ¡°She¡¯s the smartest gal I know. Anyway, it¡¯s an honor to meet¡¯cha!¡±


    Shirley engaged in a crushing handshake with Jun.


    ¡°Ya know, you look a lot shorter than on the TV!¡± She noted.


    ¡°Usually I get the opposite.¡±


    She also shook hands with Roxie. ¡°And it¡¯s an honor t¡¯meet you too!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not anyone special!¡± Roxie spouted nonsense. How could she not know how special she was to Jun?


    ¡°Well, y¡¯saved my buddy, so you¡¯re special to me!¡± Shirley understood.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Awww, thanks!¡± Roxie pressed her hands to her cheeks, highlighting her adorableness.


    Sparky pointed to a door beside her. ¡°We were just gonna head to the gym, why don¡¯t you come and hang out with us?¡±


    ¡°We were just headed that way ourselves.¡± Jun wouldn¡¯t mind hanging out with them, either. They seem like a riot.


    ¡°We¡¯re on a mission!¡± Roxie added on.


    Right. As much as Jun wanted to, they couldn¡¯t linger around. ¡°Yeah¡­ We¡¯re looking for someone, so I dunno how long we¡¯ll be able to stay.¡±


    Shirly slumped over. ¡°Awww.¡±


    Sparky, on the other hand, amped up. ¡°Well, I guess we better get going, then! Can¡¯t waste any time!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Roxie matched her energy.


    The two of them led the way, while Jun ambled behind with Shirley.


    ¡°Who are ya lookin¡¯ for?¡± asked Shirley.


    ¡°One of our guys just kind of up and wandered off.¡± Jun scanned around the gym looking for Aiden. They hoped to find him shuffling around here somewhere, otherwise Mia and Leon would find him first, and they didn¡¯t know how to deal with Aiden the way Jun did.


    ¡°What¡¯s he look like?¡±


    ¡°Blond. Beard. Scar. Hair about as tall as you.¡± they elaborated.


    ¡°Darn.¡± Shirley snapped her fingers. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen him.¡±


    Roxie suddenly stopped. ¡°Aha!¡±


    Jun caught up to her. ¡°Did you find him?¡±


    ¡°No, Mia said she saw him in the cafeteria!¡± Roxie showed Jun the phone. Mia¡¯s message was a simple ¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯


    ¡°I wonder have they talked to him yet.¡± Jun imagined Mia wouldn¡¯t be too thrilled about being in that situation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll text her!¡±


    Mia¡¯s message came back fairly quick. It read ¡®No. I¡¯m keeping an eye on him. Don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll make a run for it, but I think he saw me.¡¯


    ¡°Huh. I guess we should stay here just in case.¡± Jun took this as an excuse to have a good time. They turned to Shirley and Sparky. ¡°Somebody else found him in the cafeteria, so we¡¯re free to chill for now!¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡± Sparky pumped her arm.


    Shirley patted her stomach. ¡°Aw man, I wish we had stopped by there, first. I¡¯m starving! Wonder if we¡¯ll be able to make it there before the conference starts...¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to!¡± Sparky set her toolbox on the ground beside one of the treadmills. From it, she pulled out¡­


    ¡°...Is that a potato?¡± That was the last thing Jun expected to see.


    ¡°It¡¯s raw.¡± Roxie pointed out, a little concerned. As far as Jun could see, the gym had no microwaves. ¡°They¡¯re packed full of antinutrients and maybe poison, especially with the skin on.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be raw for long!¡± Sparky took some tools out and opened up a panel on the side of the treadmill. Mesmerized and confused, Jun watched as she used her tools to undo some of the wires. She stuck them into the potato.


    ¡°Yeeeah! Treadmill cookin¡¯!¡± Shirley cheered.


    ¡°Uhhh, Is that, like, safe?¡± Jun looked to Roxie, hoping she had some kind of safety tip for this.


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± answered Shirley. ¡°Sparky rewired one of the treadmills on our ship to do the same thing, and it hasn¡¯t caught on fire or anything, yet. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s a whizz with this kinda stuff. Once she puts it back together, it¡¯s good as new!¡±


    Jun shrugged. ¡°Huh, okay.¡±


    Roxie still worried for Sparky. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you at least arm yourself with gloves?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good call!¡± Sparky dug into her toolbox and pulled out some rubber gloves to put on. She also donned her goggles. ¡°You guys almost got to see why they call me Sparky.¡±


    Jun had a feeling they could figure it out. Only now did they notice both her and Shirley looked to be in their 30s, at least a few years older than Jun. Age didn¡¯t always guarantee wisdom. They knew that already. Still, it served as a good reminder, especially with how much they worried about the youthfulness of the Celestion-5 crew.


    Capability is what they should worry about. The others have been handling themselves well so far. No one¡¯s died yet. Besides, Jun was no stranger to having everyone rely on them. Maybe they should just chill until they¡¯re needed.


    ¡°It¡¯s all ready!¡± Sparky stood up, having finished rigging up her potato-treadmill contraption. ¡°A little jog on the treadmill should be enough to cook it.¡±


    She then began jogging on the treadmill.


    ¡°Cool.¡± Jun decided to busy themself with other things, like exercising. They decided to try a shoulder machine nearby.


    In the meantime, Roxie busied herself with a barbell, while Shirley spotted her.


    ¡°You¡¯re so strong for someone so small!¡± the latter gushed. ¡°How are you so gosh-darn tiny?¡±


    ¡°Genetics!¡± Roxie wasn¡¯t that much shorter than average, but compared to Shirley, she looked pint-sized. ¡°How much can you lift?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Shirley appeared to get flustered. ¡°Awh, it¡¯s not like I really keep track of it or anything.¡±


    ¡°She can lift me above her head!¡± Sparky shouted over her own footsteps.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Roxie craned her neck up at Shirley. ¡°Can you lift me?¡±


    Shirley laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not!¡±


    She lifted Roxie high into the air as if she weighed nothing at all.


    ¡°Weeee!¡± Roxie spread her arms out. ¡°Look, Junzie, I have ascended, thanks to Shirley!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s impressive.¡± Jun couldn¡¯t help but admire Shirley¡¯s strength. She could pick up an entire Roxie while they could barely get the shoulder machine working.


    Shirley set Roxie down. ¡°Aww, thanks. I don¡¯t normally like showin¡¯ off, but people seem to get a kick out of getting picked up. I can¡¯t refuse.¡±


    ¡°Shirley¡¯s a big softie!¡± Sparky sounded haggard, jogging so hard.


    ¡°Have you ever gotten picked up before?¡± Roxie asked Shirley.


    The taller woman scratched her neck. ¡°Ah, no. I¡¯m too big for that.¡±


    Roxie pounded her chest. ¡°Then it is decided.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s decided?¡±


    ¡°My new goal.¡± She pointed at Shirley. ¡°One day, I will be strong enough to pick you up. In fact, I¡¯ll pick up all of my friends! As long as I breathe, I shall let no friend go uncarried!¡±


    ¡°Awww, that¡¯s sweet! Ya don¡¯t have to do all that, though.¡±


    ¡°It has already been decided.¡± Roxie held up her arms. ¡°These arms will support you physically and emotionally!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t stop her.¡± Jun warned. ¡°She¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Shirley tilted her head. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, the least I can do is help ya out. If ya need any help trainin¡¯, just give me a call. I¡¯ll be glad to!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of help¡­¡± Jun began. ¡°I, uh, don¡¯t really know how to use this shoulder thing. Last time I used one of these, it kinda fell apart.¡±


    ¡°Literally!¡± clarified Roxie.


    ¡°Oh, sure thing!¡± Shirley began walking over. ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do for a hero.¡±


    Roxie continued lifting smaller weights while Shirley helped Jun. She looked at her phone. ¡°Mia and Leon were victorious in the hunt! Emil just texted me to let me know.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Jun responded while Shirley set up the machine for them. They checked the time. There was still a good amount of time left before the conference started, which reminded them of something Sparky said earlier. ¡°Were you guys also headed to that Celestion conference today?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...!¡± Sparky wheezed.


    ¡°So are we!¡± Roxie stopped lifting weights. Then she frowned. ¡°Oh no¡­ I just realized I won¡¯t be able to train with Shirley.¡±


    ¡°Which... ship are you guys on?¡± asked Sparky between breaths.


    ¡°Celestion-5.¡± Jun answered.


    Shirley gasped. ¡°That¡¯s perfect! We¡¯re with the Celestion-6! We¡¯ll be right behind ya!¡±¡±


    ¡°You will?¡± Jun admittedly had no idea what the other ships did. Wasn¡¯t that something only the captains knew at this point?


    ¡°Yeah¡­! Our captain¡­ never shuts up about it.¡± Fog clouded Sparky¡¯s goggles. The smell of cooked potatoes came from her direction. ¡°I think I¡¯m done now.¡±


    A phone rang.


    ¡°Speaking of him, that¡¯s him now! Sorry, I gotta take this.¡± Shirley answered the phone.


    In the meantime, Jun and Roxie watched in awe as Sparky unplugged a fully-cooked potato from the treadmill. She then reconnected the wires as they were pre-potato.


    ¡°Just to make sure everything¡¯s working as intended--¡± Sparky turned the treadmill back on. It looked to be running normally.


    Despite her visible exhaustion, she started running on it again.


    ¡°Do you guys¡­ smell anything burning?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Roxie shook her head. ¡°I only smell a freshly cooked potato.¡±


    Jun bobbed their head in agreement, mildly surprised that the treadmill didn¡¯t burst into flames. Sparky obviously knew what she was doing, resulting in the fruits--or potato--of her labor. She even did the courtesy of checking that her tampering wouldn¡¯t backfire on the next person. Jun gained some respect for her.


    ¡°Good¡­¡± Sparky stopped the treadmill again and took off her gloves and goggles. ¡°Gotta make sure the circuitry won¡¯t short out.¡±


    Shirley came back from her phone call, looking a little bummed out. ¡°It¡¯s been nice meetin¡¯ ya, but me and Sparky¡¯s gotta run an errand.¡±


    ¡°An errand? What errand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of a hush-hush deal.¡± She shifted her eyes from side to side, half covering her mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll tell ya on the way out.¡±


    ¡°Welp! Hopefully we¡¯ll be seeing you at the conference.¡± Sparky waved.


    ¡°See ya.¡± Jun lifted a finger.


    Roxie waved for both of them. ¡°Bye-bye!¡±


    ¡°See ya later!¡± Shirley flashed a crooked smile. She then turned to Sparky. ¡°Mind if I have that potato now?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± Sparky stooped down...


    ...and picked up the potato with her bare hands.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Hothothothot--!¡± She tossed it to Shirley.


    ¡°Yowza!!¡± In a panic, Shirley tossed it to Roxie.


    ¡°Owowowowow!¡± Poor Roxie nearly dropped the potato.


    Jun caught it. ¡°Notmybestdecision--!¡±


    A literal game of hot potato ensued, with the burning lump haphazardly passing between the four of them. The fact that they all managed to keep it from touching the ground would¡¯ve been impressive if not so painful.


    In the midst of it all, Roxie took off her uniform coat.


    ¡°Quick, throw it here!¡± Having enough sense for all of them, she made a makeshift hammock with her jacket.


    Shirley tossed it right into place. Score.


    Jun ran over to a nearby fountain and pressed it with their hip. ¡°Over here!¡±


    The other three rushed to run their hands under the cool water as Jun did the same. They noticed red marks on their palms.


    ¡°Agh, burns!¡± Sparky continued waving her hands. ¡°We need to go to the clinic.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ll never be able to do our errand in time!¡± Shirley then went back to blowing on her hands.


    Roxie looked around frantically before something clicked in her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡± She ran back over to the potato bundled up in her coat. ¡°Jun, do you still have that honey from earlier?¡±


    Jun took out the bear-shaped container from their pocket and tossed it to Roxie. They immediately regretted it upon hearing Roxie yelp after catching it in her hands, but she caught it.


    ¡°I used to study under the clinic here.¡± She opened the honey bottle. ¡°When we were learning how to treat minor burns, we went over some home remedies.¡± She ripped strips of the potato peel off and rushed to the water fountain to wash off the excess flesh. The potato¡¯s, not her own.


    ¡°My potato!¡± Shirley reached out for it.


    Roxie darted back to her coat and the bottle of honey. She smeared a thin layer of honey on a peel and held it up, chanting as if she were reciting some arcane spell.


    ¡°The potato may harm, but the potato! Can! Heal!¡±


    Roxie did the same thing to the other potato peels. Then, she carried them two at a time to the others to place them over their burns.


    ¡°I¡¯d still get those hands checked out by a doctor,¡± Roxie resumed giving medical advice as she placed the honeyed potato strips onto her own hands, ¡°but that should hold you over until after the conference. Don¡¯t take them off!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a real lifesaver! Thanks for the tip!¡± Sparky awkwardly tried to pick up her toolbox.


    ¡°Yeah, you got it, boss!¡± Shirley gave something resembling a thumbs-up. ¡°Can I have my potato now?¡±


    The potato was apparently cool enough to handle. Roxie gave it to Shirley, who took a bite out of it.


    ¡°Mmm!¡± Shirley surveyed the potato. ¡°The bits of honey from my hand give it a nice flavor. Anyway, see ya later!¡±


    Shirley and Sparky left the gym, leaving behind only the scent of potatoes and honey. Or maybe that smell came from Jun¡¯s own hands. The world may never know.


    The world should know, however, about Roxie¡¯s coolness. Jun decided to make that happen, starting with Roxie herself.


    ¡°That was, like, real sick, Rox.¡± Though their words lacked enthusiasm, they hoped it could be carried through with a fist bump. In actuality, it was a knuckle bump, since neither could close their hands. ¡°You saved our skin. Literally.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Roxie posed heroically. ¡°But without your contributions, it would¡¯ve all been for naught. ...So, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°I guess we head up to the conference room.¡±


    ¡°Okay~¡± Roxie began walking with Jun. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to run into Shirley and Sparky again!¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡±


    Jun and Roxie exited the gym. They didn¡¯t accomplish any of what they set out to do, but they made new friends in the process. Wasn¡¯t that worth enough?

 [Mingling on the Moon] Ch 6. Sticky-Fingered Bandits

    Aiden and the nerd brigade stepped off of the elevator and onto the fifth floor.


    ¡°Wow, they keep the floors up here really clean. I can see my reflection!¡± Leon gawked as if these sterile halls looked much different from the ones downstairs. The floors did look cleaner, though.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get used to seein¡¯ it.¡± Aiden walked ahead of him. ¡°The only time they let us lowly rangers up here is for cleaning duty. And that¡¯s if they like you.¡± If Captain Galhardo didn¡¯t have his dad¡¯s name to cling to, Aiden could easily see him winding up like that. A premium janitor for the higher-ups. Or worse, he could¡¯ve ended up like Jun, a babysitter for problem rangers.


    ¡°Huh. I wonder if they¡¯ll ever let me clean up here!¡± Leon continued, completely unfazed. It shouldn¡¯t have surprised Aiden that the IF¡¯s #1 fanboy would be honored to do menial labor. ¡°Mia, have you ever done it?¡±


    ¡°Wha--?¡± Mia snapped out of a daze.


    ¡°Have you ever cleaned--?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, no. I¡¯ve never been here either.¡±


    ¡°Really? You seem like someone who¡¯d be liked by upper-level people. You¡¯re good at following rules and stuff!¡± Leon was right, Mia would¡¯ve been the type they¡¯d pick for busywork.


    ¡°I keep a low profile.¡±


    She ended the conversation just in time for the three to approach a guard, who just so happened to be a warrant officer. They rarely had good experiences with Aiden. Judging by this guy¡¯s face, word got around.


    He stared them up and down suspiciously. ¡°Are you here for the Celestion Conference¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Leon answered. ¡°We¡¯re with the Celestion-5!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­!¡± The guard relaxed a little. ¡°Sorry, but your captain has to be here to verify you all.¡±


    Aiden groaned. Of course he¡¯d be punished the one time he decided to play by the rules. ¡°What about his brother? Ain¡¯t he in there?¡±


    ¡°I believe so, but--¡±


    Aiden stepped forward, only for the guard to plaster himself against the doors.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Ranger!?¡± He looked more afraid than threatening. Aiden almost felt bad.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to get verification. Emil knows who we are; he can vouch for us.¡±


    ¡°You need to be verified before you can enter the room! That¡¯s the whole point of verification!¡± The guard shouted so much, veins started popping out of his forehead. Why were warrant officers like this?


    Leon showed up beside Aiden. ¡°Is there a way you could get Emil to come out here and give us the okay to go in?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who Emil is, but if he¡¯s not your captain, there¡¯s nothing he could say to let me let you through!¡±


    ¡°...Um, sir? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier if we just showed our IDs?¡± Mia stood far behind the others. This situation probably wasn¡¯t doing favors for her low profile.


    The guard glanced down at his tablet. ¡°We only check captains¡¯ IDs here. That¡¯s just how it¡¯s set up for today. I¡¯m going to have to ask you to leave now before I call in reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°Do you at least have an idea of where our captain might¡¯ve gone?¡± Her voice could barely be heard. It sounded like she stepped back even farther.


    ¡°Yeah, then we could go find him and bring him back!¡± Like with everything else, Leon was weirdly excited about this.


    The guard calmed down. Finally. ¡°He took the elevator. It looked like it stopped at the first floor.¡±


    Right back where they came from. Aiden couldn¡¯t roll his eyes any harder.


    ¡°Thanks, sir!¡± Leon saluted before stumbling back to the elevator with Mia.


    Aiden took one last look at the doors. It would be so easy to just barge in and be done with it. But the guard hovered his finger over the tablet, probably to call whatever reinforcements he mentioned earlier. Aiden didn¡¯t feel like dealing with that, not today.


    ¡°Aiden, are you coming?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    Leon¡¯s voice was the first thing he heard upon boarding the elevator. ¡°Where do you think the captain could be? Do you think he went to go look for Aiden on his own?¡±


    Aiden leaned up against the wall. ¡°Can¡¯t you guys text him?¡±


    ¡°No, Emil¡¯s the only one who has his number. He¡¯s really secretive like that!¡±


    ¡°Wonder why¡­¡± Aiden didn¡¯t put it past the captain to be acting as a puppet for someone higher up on the chain of command. There was no reason for someone to be that tight-lipped without having something worth shutting up about. But what? ...He didn¡¯t have an answer for that. Yet. But without an answer, even Aiden had to acknowledge his theory held no more weight than the weirdos on the internet who refused to believe the IF ever went to the moon. Annoying.


    He and the others left the elevator as it opened on the first floor, but quickly came to a stop when they realized they still didn¡¯t know where to go.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Leon bounced on the tips of his feet. ¡°Maybe he got hungry and stopped by the cafeteria for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh.¡± Aiden had no plans of returning there. ¡°You two can go back there if you wanna catch up with ¡®Triple Trouble.¡¯¡± He started walking forward. ¡°I¡¯m going this way.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Wait!¡± Leon hurried up behind him. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to keep an eye on you!¡±


    ¡°Better catch up then.¡± The blond ranger continued strolling.


    Too busy calling back to Leon, Aiden walked directly into a cart pushed by a brick wall of a woman and her much smaller goggled friend.


    ¡°Woah there, you okay bud?¡± Her crooked teeth smiled down at him as her friend bent over to stuff some containers back underneath the cart¡¯s cloak. ¡°Sorry about that!¡±


    He dusted himself off. ¡°Nah, I wasn¡¯t lookin¡¯ where I was going.¡±


    For a brief second, she looked a little spooked before faking another smile. ¡°Uhhhh anyway, good t¡¯ see ya!¡± She began pushing her cart, leaving her friend in the dust. ¡°Have a nice one!¡±


    Goggles ran after her. ¡°Wait I wasn¡¯t finished yet!¡±


    Aiden didn¡¯t even get a chance to wave bye before the two sped off.


    Leon peered out from behind him. ¡°Did you know her?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Aiden knew too many faces to remember them all, but he was certain he wouldn¡¯t have forgotten those two.


    The bucktoothed ranger looked in the direction they left. ¡°Aww, she seemed really nice.¡±


    She seemed really suspicious to Aiden. Suspicious, but not his problem.


    ¡°I just thought of something!¡± Leon turned back around.¡°We should text Emil and see if he knows where the captain is.¡±


    ¡°Already on it.¡± Like a ghost, Mia appeared from behind and kept on walking past the others. ¡°He said he went to the front desk.¡±


    The other two followed her back to the entrance, where sure enough, Captain Galhardo paced back and forth. His face looked almost as blank as usual, this time with a little dash of panic as he muttered something on the phone.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s gone¡­ I don¡¯t know who did it, that¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to--Listen, I need you to tell me if you¡¯ve noticed anything out of the ordinary¡­ What do you mean by potato hands? It is imperative to me that you explain what potato hands are... Please stop laughing, this is serious... Ranger Kim ate a... what?...I see. Yes, please inform me if you find out anything. Goodbye.¡±


    He did a double take upon seeing Aiden and the others. ¡°Oh, hello there. You came at a critical moment.¡±


    ¡°Is something the matter, Captain?¡± Leon tilted his head.


    The captain motioned at the wall beside him, the same wall Aiden remembered putting his equipment, only now it was suspiciously empty.


    ¡°What happened to our stuff?¡± Leon stooped down at the wall. ¡°Where¡¯d it all go?¡±


    Galhardo faced away from all of them. ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to know.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Aiden pointed at the still-empty wall, ¡°they¡¯re not here.¡±


    ¡°I am aware of that, Ranger Kelly.¡± The captain gave a suspicious look over his shoulder. ¡°By the way, you wouldn¡¯t have exited the cafeteria at any point, would you?¡±


    Aiden had to laugh. Of course he¡¯d be suspect number one. ¡°No. I was in there the whole time.¡±


    Captain Galhardo didn¡¯t buy it, but hey, he was the one who asked!


    ¡°I can verify Aiden was in there as soon as we got in.¡± Surprisingly, Mia spoke up for him.


    So of course Leon had to ruin it. ¡°He was? But I thought we didn¡¯t see him until way later!¡±


    ¡°Your text came rather late for having seen him that early.¡± The captain¡¯s suspicion shifted to Mia.


    ¡°Uhhh, um¡­!¡± Mia gulped. ¡°I-I was just letting him finish his lunch. I, uh, figured we shouldn¡¯t disturb him!¡±


    ¡°Awww, you shoulda told me, then we could¡¯ve all had lunch together!¡± Leon continued unaware that Mia had actually saved his skin. Sure, maybe she was looking out for herself, but if they¡¯d joined Aiden earlier, there was no doubt Leon would¡¯ve outed all of them as members of the Celestion-5, and he would¡¯ve gotten his feelings hurt. Aiden and the kid didn¡¯t click, but putting his optimism through the woodchipper of frenzied jealousy would¡¯ve been a bit much.


    The captain stared at her for what must¡¯ve been an agonizing number of seconds. ¡°...You should¡¯ve notified us earlier.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, it won¡¯t happen again!¡± She nodded profusely. ¡°Um, anyway we¡¯ve been with him the whole time since.¡±


    ¡°Yep, we stuck together like three peas in a pod!¡± Leon did a corny arm pump.


    ¡°We¡¯ve all got alibis. Airtight. Besides,¡± Aiden strolled over to the reception desk where his fan--Luis or something like that--sat behind the counter looking dejected. He plopped his arm elbow on it and pointed at him, ¡°this guy woulda remembered me.¡±


    Luis sighed. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. I wasn¡¯t there at the time. No one else came by after you guys an¡¯ I thought I could sneak a quick trip to the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°Never leave your post unattended.¡± It must¡¯ve been a shame Captain Galhardo didn¡¯t have his rulebook with him, otherwise, he could¡¯ve recited the exact section he got that from. ¡°If you must, ensure there¡¯s someone else monitoring it in your place.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Luis sulked. ¡°An¡¯ they had the nerve to mess up my pens too¡­ I had to clean potato gunk off of ¡®em. I don¡¯t even know what else was stuck on, it was like syrup or something? Who eats potatoes with syrup?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird...¡± Mia walked up to the clipboard on the counter. ¡°They weren¡¯t serving potatoes today, were they?¡± She looked between Aiden and Leon for answers.


    ¡°Ah, I was too busy getting lost.¡± Leon leaned from behind the freckled ranger to get a better look at Aiden. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see, smell, or taste any potatoes. No syrup either¡­¡±


    The captain tapped his chin. ¡°...Might it have been honey?¡±


    ¡°It coulda been.¡± guessed Luis.


    That meant something to Galhardo, although Aiden couldn¡¯t tell what. ¡°Thank you for the information, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±


    ¡°Glad I could...help?¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Before Luis could finish, the captain sped off down the hall to his right, waving for the others to follow like sheep. Leon hurried along and Mia quickly set down the checkout clipboard to follow suit.


    The tallest of the group, however, could not leave one of his fans--at least one not named Bella or Gordy--so dejected. Aiden leaned on the counter, thumbing toward the captain. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that guy, he¡¯s--¡±


    ¡°Aiden, are you coming?¡± interrupted Leon.


    Aiden glared at him, rolled his eyes, and gave one final wave to Luis. ¡°Later.¡±


    ¡°Hope to see ya around!¡±


    A quick jog later, and Aiden had already caught up to the others. Captain Galhardo continued to book it, looking back not once, while Mia and Leon struggled to keep pace.


    ¡°One thing I don¡¯t really get.¡± Leon visibly searched for thoughts in his head. ¡°Why would anyone steal from us? It¡¯s not like we had any money in there--¡± a search through his uniform pockets left him blushing, ¡°--or it¡¯s not like we were supposed to.¡±


    ¡°No one is ever aware of how many enemies they have lurking in the shadows.¡± The captain continued walking ahead. ¡°That¡¯s why we must always stay vigilant.¡±


    ¡°Woah.... That¡¯s kinda scary. I can¡¯t imagine who¡¯d want to be my enemy.¡± The shortest ranger looked around before his eyes stopped on Aiden.


    Aiden shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up, kid. You¡¯re a mild annoyance at best.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s¡­ almost kind of nice? Thanks?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the captain¡¯s just tryin¡¯ to say we¡¯re not the most popular kids on the block right now.¡± He explained. ¡°Y¡¯know how the IF is at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to the military branches?¡±


    ¡°Every branch of the U.S. Military is equally important, Ranger Kelly.¡± Did the captain actually believe what he just said? Aiden couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, but ask anyone in the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force, and they¡¯ll tell you they think we¡¯re a buncha losers who have it too easy. Heck, even the Coast Guard doesn¡¯t take us seriously.¡±


    ¡°I have heard that¡­¡± Leon trailed off.


    ¡°The IF is the same way.¡± Aiden swirled a finger in the air to look more educational. ¡°There¡¯s a hierarchy. All the other star rangers think they¡¯re above the other Celestion crews, and the other Celestion crews think they¡¯re above us. They hate us.¡±


    Leon looked up at him. ¡°Is that why your friends were so mad at us?¡±


    ¡°Those weren¡¯t my friends.¡±


    ¡°...Ranger Kelly, may I ask where you¡¯re getting all of this ¡®information¡¯ from?¡± Captain Galhardo actually looked back that time. The truth about their reputation must¡¯ve gotten under his skin.


    The tallest ranger shrugged. ¡°When you listen around, you hear things.¡±


    ¡°Try not to believe everything you hear.¡± That couldn¡¯t be more hilarious coming from the walking, talking Interstellar Forces propaganda machine. He came to a stop once the group reached the elevator. ¡°Besides, it doesn¡¯t even matter in this case.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Leon.


    Aiden leaned on a wall beside him. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve been actin¡¯ like you already know who the thieves are. What gives?¡±


    Captain Galhardo pressed the elevator button. ¡°I happen to know some information that almost certainly points us toward the culprits.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ What is it?¡±


    ¡°I was on the phone with the lieutenant and he mentioned that Ranger Kim and Allen were with him.¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Aiden closed his eyes. ¡°How¡¯d they get in? The whole reason we came back down here is because the guard wouldn¡¯t let us in without you!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell him that the lieutenant was still there?¡±


    Leon answered this time. ¡°Yeah, he still wouldn¡¯t let us in.¡±


    ¡°...Interesting.¡± Captain Galhardo rested a hand on his chin. ¡°Even more interesting is that Ranger Kim and Ranger Allen showed up with potato skins and honey smeared on their hands. Most interestingly, Ranger Kim ate the empty bottle of honey. Considering what the receptionist said earlier about his pens--¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, hold up.¡± Aiden had to stop this thought train before it went off the rails. ¡°Are you tryin¡¯ to say that Jun and Roxie stole our stuff??¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense at all, Jun and Roxie would never do something like that!¡± Even Leon knew better!


    ¡°You expect us to believe Jun ¡®Married to the Regulations¡¯ Kim would ever steal?¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. He was supposed to be the group¡¯s conspiracist, not the captain! ¡°And yeah, Roxie¡¯s a little weird, I don¡¯t know her too well, but that doesn¡¯t make her a thief!¡±


    The captain didn¡¯t back down. ¡°You can never know anyone¡¯s intentions but your own. Evidence is the fingerprint of the truth, and theirs are covered in honey and potatoes. It is highly unlikely that anyone else on this base would fit that description.¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t know anyone¡¯s ¡®intentions!¡¯¡± Aiden pushed himself off the wall with one foot. ¡°All you do is sit up in your room doing who-knows-what while you watch us run around like lab rats! You wouldn¡¯t know the first thing about us!¡±


    ¡°Um, wouldn¡¯t watching us constantly imply that he would know... things?¡± It was strange that Mia hadn¡¯t spoken up earlier considering she was closer to Roxie than she was anyone else, but knowing her, she¡¯s the type to keep her head down and her mouth shut. As if to give an example, she ducked her head back down to text on her phone.


    ¡°Security cameras don¡¯t show the full picture.¡± The blond ranger smirked. ¡°If they did, I wouldn¡¯ta broken outta jail.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re just messing with us, right Aiden? You didn¡¯t really break out of jail, did you? ...Did you?¡±


    Aiden paid Leon the same amount of attention that the captain paid to the elevator closing: Very little.


    ¡°I understand why you might be upset, Ranger Kelly, but if it eases your mind, Rangers Kim and Allen weren¡¯t my first suspects.¡± Captain Galhardo stared not at him, but through him. He closed his eyes. ¡°Theft charges, a history of clashes with authority and peers, and general misconduct--that you¡¯ve shown even today--led me to suspect you first. It¡¯s truly a miracle that you¡¯re allowed to serve in the Interstellar Forces at all. You won¡¯t be punished too harshly for your actions today, but let this be a warning,¡± His hat cast a shadow over his stare, ¡°You are not invincible anymore.¡±


    Aiden nodded, lifting his hands. ¡°Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s no big surprise. I¡¯m not even mad about it. But riddle me this, Cap¡¯n:¡± He marched right up to Captain Galhardo and stooped down to his eye level, ¡°Why would Jun, Roxie, or any of us steal our own stuff when we need it to get back to the ship?


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the answer to that.¡± Galhardo admitted. ¡°But unless there¡¯s anyone else who fits what we know about the criminals, we don¡¯t have any other options.¡±


    Mia shook her phone. ¡°Uhhh, excuse me, Captain, may I?¡±


    The captain nodded at her.


    ¡°So, um, I was able to confirm some things with Roxie and Jun---at least through the lieutenant, the others couldn¡¯t answer their phones because...you know,¡± she wiggled her hands, ¡°Ahem! Anyway, not only do I have an idea of who the culprits are, but also what they look like.¡±


    ¡°Oh cool! Please, please tell us more, Mia!¡± Whether the news itself or moving on from the fight excited Leon more was hard to tell.


    ¡°Roxie and Jun sustained some minor burns on their hands, which is why Roxie covered them in potato skins.¡±


    ¡°Where did they get the potatoes from?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is that there are two more people with the same injuries, and those two people¡¯s names happened to be on the clipboard at the receptionist¡¯s desk: Shirley Quinn and Sierra Flores.¡±


    The captain found the strength to lift his giant eyebrows. ¡°That is very important information, Ranger Wattson, thank you.¡± He took out his tablet. ¡°Those names sound familiar¡­¡±


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re the only one whose been thinkin¡¯ today.¡± Aiden had to admit. ¡°...Wait, how''d Jun and Roxie get in?"


    Mia typed on her phone. "The guard recognized Jun and let them in no questions asked."


    "That''s... disturbing." Galhardo cringed.


    "That''s the IF." Aiden muttered low enough not to get the IF superfan on his case again. "How do we know what Sheryl and what''s-her-face look like, though?¡±


    ¡°Easy. You walked right into them.¡± Mia pocketed her phone.


    ¡°No way!¡± Leon pouted. ¡°That really nice lady from earlier did it?¡±


    ¡°Roxie and Jun¡¯s descriptions matched her and her friend exactly. Tall, buff, strawberry-blonde lady and a small, curly brunette with goggles.¡±


    It all came together for Aiden. Jun or Roxie must¡¯ve described him to them while they were still searching, and that was why he freaked Blondie out so badly.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time to look. The conference starts in less than 20 minutes.¡± Lorenzo continued to scroll through his tablet. He stopped to look up toward Aiden. ¡°Ranger Kelly. This is a very important question. If you were to steal our equipment, where would you hide it?¡±


    Did he think Aiden had some kind of psychic thief wisdom? Come on!


    ¡°If it were me,¡± Aiden began, ¡°I¡¯d hide ¡®em in the gym. Lots of empty lockers to shove ¡®em into.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, to the gym!¡± The captain started speedwalking before Aiden could finish.


    The bearded ranger trailed behind the others. ¡°But I get the feeling these two aren¡¯t the brightest light bulbs in the shed.¡±


    Leon slowed down. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°For one, they wrote their names right out there for us to see. Both of ¡®em! You only need one signature to check things out, and no one was there to force ¡®em to do that much. Two¡­¡±


    Mia came to a stop. ¡°Weren¡¯t they headed away from the gym?¡±


    ¡°Bingo.¡±


    The four ended up at the same intersection where Aiden first walked into the bigger blonde, better off than when they started but still hopelessly lost.


    The captain adjusted his hat in frustration. ¡°If they¡¯re not there, where could they possibly be?¡±


    ¡°Well, the gym¡¯s that way,¡± Aiden pointed to the right end of the hall, ¡°so probably not there. Or maybe they went back. ...Wouldn¡¯t it be faster if we split up?¡±


    ¡°And have one of you run loose again? Absolutely not.¡±


    It was worth a try.


    ¡°Hey,¡± A lone cart strolling to the left end of the hall caught Leon¡¯s attention, ¡°is that one of those new self-driving carts?¡± He started following it. ¡°Coooool¡­! I¡¯ve always wanted to see one in action!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Mia didn¡¯t pay the cart much attention. ¡°It¡¯s not really that convenient unless you know exactly where you want to send it. In fact, it¡¯s the same one we saw our, um, suspects pushing around earlier.¡±


    ¡°Before, I only thought they didn¡¯t know where they were going.¡± Aiden stroked his beard. ¡°Now I know for a fact they don¡¯t know where they¡¯re going.¡±


    The captain rubbed his temples. ¡°So they could be anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Mia corrected. ¡°They¡¯re too long to fit in elevators.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re bound to the first floor!¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s only so many places on the first floor that aren¡¯t restricted or places we¡¯ve already ruled out¡­¡± She leaned her head in one hand, ¡°but that¡¯s still too many places to search for the time we have.¡±


    Aiden shook his head. Logic was the furthest thing from their suspects¡¯ minds, so why should they bother with it? So he concentrated on one thought and one thought only: If he were some naive doofus who didn¡¯t know his way around the base, where would he go?


    His eyes drifted toward Leon further down the hall. He started following him.


    ¡°Ranger Kelly, where are you going?¡± Captain Galhardo started after him.


    ¡°You guys are goin¡¯ about it all wrong, Rookie¡¯s got the right idea.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Leon turned around, smiling sheepishly. ¡°What idea? Sorry, I kinda forgot what I was doing!¡±


    Aiden smiled at him. ¡°Exactly. Just go wherever your heart takes you.¡±


    ¡°Is that a good idea¡­?¡±


    ¡°Good ideas are the last thing we need right now. Don¡¯t think about it, just run to the end of a hall and we¡¯ll catch up.¡±


    ¡°O...kay?¡± Leon looked between him and the others before making a light jog to the end of the hall. He waved. ¡°Over here!¡±


    Aiden made his way toward him. Mia and Captain Galhardo caught up along the way. Everything was going according to plan.


    ¡°What on Earth do you think you¡¯re doing? We only have,¡± the captain checked his tablet-turned-watch, ¡°13 minutes left!¡±


    ¡°The way I see it, Rookie has a 50/50 chance of taking us exactly where we need to go,¡± Aiden explained, ¡°or in the complete opposite direction.¡±


    ¡°And what logic are you using to come to this decision?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    Aiden left the others dumbfounded and in the dust until they finally caught up to him and Leon.


    The rookie pointed to their right and began running in that direction. ¡°This way!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a dead end?¡± asked Mia. Aiden wished she didn¡¯t interrupt the madness to his method, but it was pretty clear no one was at that end of the hall.


    ¡°Really?¡± Leon stopped in his tracks. ¡°Thanks, I guess we can go in the other direction then.¡±


    Everyone followed him to the next end of the hall, where they faced yet another intersection.


    ¡°I feel like we should go¡­ left!¡±


    ¡°Um, Leon?¡± Mia probably wanted to tell Leon that he¡¯d be going right back to where they started, but Aiden had no intention of letting that happen. He motioned for her to be quiet.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Leon looked at her.


    The redhead glanced at Aiden and back to him. ¡°N-Nevermind.¡±


    ¡°Okay, see you over at the next corner!¡± Once again, Leon picked a direction and ran with it.


    ¡°We¡¯re going in circles.¡± stated the captain, as if Aiden didn¡¯t already know.


    ¡°Our thieves aren¡¯t making any sense, so why should we?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Worse case scenario, at least we¡¯ll be closer to the elevator.¡±


    Galhardo sighed. ¡°In any news, I now remember how I know Ranger Quinn and Major Flores. Their names are on the Celestion-6 crew list.¡± He slid the watch off of his hand and expanded it to phone size. ¡°If I get the lieutenant to talk to their captain, we could end this whole charade and get on with our lives.¡±


    A memory from the cafeteria bubbled to the top of Aiden¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Are you sure you wanna do that? From what I heard, at least one of the other captains hates your guts.¡±


    ¡°Ranger Kelly, what did I say about believing everything you hear?¡±


    ¡°I mean,¡± Aiden shuffled his shoulders, ¡°someone said one of the captains was mad at you earlier today. Something about havin¡¯ to follow behind you, I dunno.¡±


    The captain lowered his phone. ¡°The Celestion-6 does follow behind us, yes, but are you trying to imply¡­?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t stoop that low. He wouldn¡¯t¡­ stoop that low.¡± The second time sounded like Galhardo was trying to convince himself, not Aiden.


    Suddenly, Leon began waving frantically at the end of the hallway, occasionally pointing to something to the left. The others joined him only to catch part of a conversation going on nearby.


    ¡°...wish we had more t¡¯ work with.¡± Aiden recognized that as the blonde one¡¯s voice. She rested her elbow on the side of the cart, completely blocking Goggles from view. ¡°¡¯S not like we know the place.¡±


    Her friend spoke up. ¡°I know, I know, but we were trusted for a reason.¡±


    ¡°I dunno.¡± Blondie shrugged. ¡°I kinda feel like the reason was that we were the closest ones around.¡±


    ¡°I think we should just leave it here.¡±


    ¡°Right out in the open?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so obvious, no one would think of it! ¡®Sides, we gotta get to the conference anywho.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re prolly right, Sparky. I do kinda worry though. What if somebody else swipes it right from underneath us? Then we won¡¯t be able t¡¯ surprise ¡®em!¡±


    Surprise? She talked like they were planning a birthday party, not a heist!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be back out before anyone notices. Then it¡¯ll be the perfect prank!¡±


    ¡°Theft is not a prank, it is a crime!¡± Wait. That wasn¡¯t either woman¡¯s voice.


    It was the captain¡¯s. Sure enough, when Aiden looked around, only Leon and Mia were still with him behind the corner. The captain, however, stood out in the open, pointing the finger of blame at the thieves.


    To make things look even more like a clown show, Captain Galhardo, like some kind of magician, materializes a copy of the IF handbook out of his hat. ¡°In Chapter 5, Section 5 of the Interstellar Forces Handbook, theft is among the many crimes subject to punishment by court martial. Do you have any explanation for what you¡¯ve done, and are you willing to face the consequences?¡±


    Aiden couldn¡¯t decide if he wanted to die of laughter or second-hand embarrassment. Either way, he quietly wheezed for air.


    Leon was the next to step into the fray. ¡°Hello, hi! Could you please give us our stuff back? We¡¯ve kinda been looking for it all over the place and we need it to get back to our ship.¡±


    Finally, Aiden decided to make his grand entrance. ¡°Hey. Just give us our stuff back.¡±


    Mia stayed behind the safety of the wall, wanting to be anywhere but a part of this. Aiden couldn¡¯t blame her, not at all.


    Shirley and Sierra, whoever was which, neither of them looked cold-blooded enough to be thieves or mischievous enough to be pranksters. They just looked¡­ kinda sad. Both were frozen in place like deer in headlights, whispering to each other.


    ¡°I think we messed up.¡±


    ¡°Do ya wanna give it all back? The little one seems nice.¡±


    ¡°Hnnnnn, he¡¯s adorable, but we gotta--¡±


    The sound of an elevator door opening cuts through the quiet. Both thieves¡¯ eyes lock onto the door beside them, then back at the group, then back at the door, so on and so forth until¡­


    They just start ramming the cart in there.


    ¡°Shirley, hurry pick it up, pick it up!¡± The shorter one rushed her friend. Must be Sierra.


    The captain hurried to the elevator. ¡°Your escape is doomed from the start, that cart is too big to fit inside--¡±


    Shirley shoved the words right back into Captain Galhardo¡¯s mouth when she lifted one end of the cart and stood it upright inside the elevator. She then squeezed in beside Sierra, who frantically pressed some buttons inside.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry guys it¡¯s not what it looks like!¡± were Sierra¡¯s final words before shutting the elevator in the captain¡¯s face.


    The finest artists could not capture the shock, awe, and confusion on his mug. The chaos of it all, it was how the French say¡­ whatever French people say whenever something¡¯s magnificent, Aiden didn¡¯t know.


    Captain Galhardo could only stand there, blinking, until he finally remembered the door to the stairwell just behind Mia. He made a run for it. ¡°We can catch them at the top of the stairs, follow me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Leon sprinted after him.


    As they both disappeared up the stairs, Aiden finally let go of all the bottled up laughter. Some tears even came out. He could barely breathe.


    ¡°...Did they not know there¡¯s other elevators on this floor?¡± Mia asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the best part!¡± squeaked Aiden.

 [Mingling on the Moon] Ch 7. Facts, Fiction, and Finding Solutions

    Lungs burning, blood churning, Lorenzo burst onto the polished concrete of the fifth floor. He spotted the escaped criminals to his right, struggling to pull the cart out of the elevator. Ranger Quinn locked eyes with him for a moment before barreling it down the hall leading toward the conference.


    Ranger Summers entered just a moment later, followed by¡­ no one else.


    ¡°Ranger Summers, where are Kelly and Wattson?¡±


    He looked behind him, down the stairwell. ¡°I thought they¡¯d be behind me, but¡­¡±


    Lorenzo thought he had cornered two criminals only to have another one on the loose. Again. He should¡¯ve known it was too convenient for Kelly¡¯s harebrained scheme to work, and now he and Wattson were M.I.A. How many new ways could things go wrong today? Now wasn¡¯t the time to find out.


    ¡°They went to the conference room.¡± Lorenzo looked on ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Summers nodded, preparing for another run.


    The captain blocked him with his arm. ¡°No. We have to look presentable.¡±


    In the floor¡¯s reflection, Lorenzo saw two haggard, disheveled, moderately sweaty young men. They lacked the image of anyone who should honor the Interstellar Forces, let alone such a historical voyage as the Celestion-5¡¯s. He tucked his hair back into his hat and dabbed the sweat off of his face. His life may have been falling apart right now, but he didn¡¯t have to look like it.


    Ranger Summers followed suit, and afterwards, the two rounded the corner and presented themselves to the guard like two calm, mature adults.


    ¡°Is he with your crew, sir?¡± the guard gestured to Summers.


    ¡°He is.¡± Lorenzo nodded.


    ¡°So are we.¡±


    Ambling in behind them was none other than Ranger Kelly, followed by Ranger Wattson. The captain had a few questions he¡¯d like to ask them, but none were pressing at the moment. At least one problem was taken care of.


    Once inside, their next problem stood front and center in the crowded room. All eyes fell on Major Flores and Ranger Quinn as they pleaded with Captain Vanderbilt. The situation caused such a ruckus, it caught the attention of a Command member.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of all of this?¡± The commander, a balding, older gentleman, placed himself between Vanderbilt and the culprits.


    Lorenzo left his subordinates behind to approach the group. ¡°We believe Major Flores and Ranger Quinn used this cart to take our belongings without our knowledge. When confronted, they fled here.¡± He gestured toward the cart. ¡°May I request your permission to examine this?¡±


    ¡°Permission granted.¡±


    After a nod of appreciation, Lorenzo stooped down and lifted up the cloth covering the cart. Underneath hid a collection of boxes. He took one, trying to hide his disgust when his bare hands felt the sticky sensation of honey residue. A quick examination revealed the name on it to be Leonardo Summers.


    ¡°Just as I expected, this belongs to one of my subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that mine? Can I have it?¡± Summers reached forward. ¡°I just need to get my wallet out of it real fast.¡±


    Lorenzo handed the box to him, more interested in what the commander would have to say about this.


    ¡°What were you doing with the Celestion-5¡¯s equipment?¡± He crossed his arms at the two thieves.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t tryin¡¯ t¡¯ steal anything, sir.¡± Quinn was the first to defend herself. ¡°I mean,¡± she scratched behind her neck, ¡°I guess technically that¡¯s what we were doin¡¯, huh? But the only reason we did is because Cap¡¯n Vanderbilt wanted to give ¡®em a fun little welcoming surprise. Ya weren¡¯t s¡¯posed to know about it, so we kinda panicked when you found us in the hallway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Flores agreed with this story. ¡°To be honest, the more I think about it, the more it sounds like a bit much for a prank, but we figured Captain Vanderbilt knew what he was doing. Sorry for the big misunderstanding!¡±


    That sounded like the worst excuse Lorenzo had ever heard. Which was honestly relieving. While Vanderbilt wasn¡¯t a man whom he put much trust in, he did put trust in the fact that the Interstellar Forces wouldn¡¯t let someone that petty hold such a high position.


    The commander¡¯s eyes shifted toward Vanderbilt. ¡°Is this true?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Vanderbilt placed a hand on his chest. ¡°Why I¡¯ve never seen such scheming since my--¡± he paused to count something, ¡°--second wife! Shirley, Sierra, as your captain, I am appalled that you would involve me in such a ridiculous lie! But,¡± he lifted his hands, ¡°who am I to let you get punished over a harmless prank? Just give the nice boy his boxes back and all will be forgiven.¡±


    ¡°Woah, woah, Captain, I¡¯ll admit that we screwed up a little, but you can¡¯t just pin the blame on us like that!¡± Major Flores tapped her accomplice with the back of her hand. ¡°Shirley, he called you, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ it¡¯s not like we can show ¡®em what was said.¡± The taller woman pulled out her phone. ¡°All we got is some texts¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect!¡± Flores made a grabbing motion with her hands until Quinn gave her the phone. She scrolled through it for a while until she was satisfied, then handed off the sticky phone to Lorenzo. With her sticky hands.


    ¡®We got most all of em. Can¡¯t find Ranger Pending¡¯s though.¡± sent Quinn, presumably.


    ¡®The others should be enough...¡¯ sent someone labeled as ¡®Capt. Vandy.¡¯


    ¡®Where should we put it?¡¯


    ¡®Somewhere where they won¡¯t find it...¡¯


    ¡®Where¡¯s that?¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s your job to find out!¡¯


    While the times matched up to when the equipment was probably stolen, it would¡¯ve been hard to prove this exchange was about the robbery from these messages alone. It would¡¯ve been, if not for Ranger Pending. Through all of the commotion, Lorenzo had nearly forgotten, but it made sense why the thieves had trouble finding everything. He needed to make sure of one last detail, though.


    ¡°Your thoughts, Captain Galhardo?¡± The commander looked at him for answers.


    ¡°Ranger Pending doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Lorenzo addressed Quinn. ¡°My crew has only seven members, that¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t find the eighth box.¡± He then turned to the commander. ¡°May I make a quick call, sir? I need to verify something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a weird time to be making phone calls.¡± The commander rubbed his head. ¡°Only if it¡¯s quick.¡±


    Captain Vanderbilt chuckled. ¡°Ah, where would you kids be without your phones?¡±


    Using Ranger Quinn¡¯s phone, Lorenzo dialed the other number. A ringtone went off nearby.


    It came from Vanderbilt¡¯s direction.


    A hush fell over the room as eyebrows raised, eyes darted at one another, and whispers were traded. The sound of muffled laughter led Lorenzo¡¯s eyes to Ranger Kelly. He was joined by Emil, who did a sloppy job of hiding in his own glee.


    Captain Vanderbilt did not answer his phone. ¡°Oh weird.¡± He announced, a little louder than necessary. ¡°Must be the wife calling. I-I could¡¯ve sworn I told her I¡¯d be in a meeting today!¡±


    Lorenzo handed the phone to the commander. The bald man¡¯s face went through a range of different expressions before finally sighing.


    ¡°...Good grief, Claude.¡± He shook his head at Vanderbilt. ¡°A word of advice? Just because Captain Galhardo is the same age as a college freshman doesn¡¯t mean you get to haze him like one.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hazing him, I was just trying to teach him a lesson about--! About the importance of keeping track of your belongings!¡± Captain Vanderbilt nodded at Ranger Quinn and Major Flores, trying to get them to agree. They seemed uncertain.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± Flores nodded her head to the side, ¡°couldn¡¯t our stuff have gotten robbed just as easily?¡±


    Her captain had nothing to say to that.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The commander approached him. ¡°You may not believe this, but piloting the Celestion-6 is a very important mission. One that we chose you for because we thought you were capable for the job.¡± He lifted up a finger. ¡°A job that requires not just technical expertise, but a lot of trust between us in the command staff, you and your crew, and the Celestion-5. If we can¡¯t trust you, then we can¡¯t send you on this mission.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Vanderbilt panicked. ¡°But w-what about my crew?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you asked, considering how eager you were to throw them under the bus just now.¡± The older man motioned toward the table where the two famous members of the Celestion-7 sat. ¡°Wanna know a secret about the Celestion-7? Every single member of that crew is a trained pilot, much better than you or Galhardo. We could replace you with any one of them. No one would even know you were there.¡±


    ¡°I understand, sir.¡± Captain Vanderbilt looked even paler than usual.


    ¡°Then show it. Get your act together. And drop the schoolboy shenanigans, it¡¯s embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The commander placed Quinn¡¯s phone back into her hand.


    ¡°Thank ya, sir!¡± She smiled down at him, but the smile vanished just as quick. ¡°So, uh, is there gonna be a punishment for me an¡¯ Sparky?¡±


    He thought for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss that later. Speaking out against a superior is an offense on its own, but considering the circumstances¡­¡± he glanced at a dejected Vanderbilt, ¡°we¡¯ll see. I can¡¯t promise you¡¯ll get off scot free, though.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank ya, sir.¡±


    ¡°You are dismissed.¡±


    Major Flores and Ranger Quinn gave a crisp salute--their captain¡¯s was much more sluggish--to the commander, who returned it. The three Celestion-6 members departed afterward. Rather than feeling vindicated, the entire situation left Lorenzo a little uneasy. For this mission to go smoothly, he knew both captains would have to put their lives in each other¡¯s hands. Not just their own, but their entire crew¡¯s. How could he trust Vanderbilt with his life when he couldn¡¯t even trust him with his luggage?


    ¡°Captain Galhardo, I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve introduced myself.¡± The commander held out his hand to shake. ¡°Commander Bellamy.¡±


    Lorenzo shook it. ¡°Nice to meet you, Commander.¡±


    Bellamy¡¯s hand struggled to unstick from his. ¡°Your father and I used to work with the same fleet. I can¡¯t think of a finer man to be where he is now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Lorenzo struggled to look away from where Vanderbilt stood, sulking by a stack of chairs.


    The commander glanced at the middle-aged captain. ¡°I take it you¡¯re concerned about Vanderbilt?¡±


    Lorenzo could trust Bellamy to maintain order so far, maybe he could trust him with his concerns. A little bit. After all, it was in the best interests of the mission. ¡°With all due respect, sir... I am. Theft is a breach of trust in its very nature. As you¡¯ve mentioned earlier, trust is an important part of our mission.¡±


    ¡°You are correct.¡± Bellamy agreed. ¡°Vanderbilt may be a bit¡­ pouty right now, but I imagine when push comes to shove, he¡¯ll shape up. His personality has always been troublesome, but he¡¯s good at his job. And to be honest? What I said about replacing him was a scare tactic more than anything.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We can replace him,¡± he tilted his head, ¡°but that would require finding a replacement for the Celestion-7 member that goes in his place. We don¡¯t have enough people we could ask, and few people in their right mind would go on that mission in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ understand, sir.¡± That just left Lorenzo with more questions. ¡°A question I was wondering about earlier: If, for example, someone filed a complaint against a captain of a Celestion vessel, how would that be handled?¡±


    ¡°If someone filed a complaint, I doubt we¡¯d read it. Not for anyone above the Celestion-4. We¡¯ve spent so many years setting up this project, we can¡¯t afford to lose any of you.¡± Bellamy examined his hands. ¡°If someone really wanted to do something about a captain they¡¯d have to go over our heads and send the word directly to your father.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡±


    Like pen lasers, Bellamy¡¯s eyes bore into Lorenzo¡¯s. ¡°A word of advice? Going over people¡¯s heads like that disrupts the flow of things around here. We have a chain of command for a reason. Imagine how it would impact his workflow if your father had to solve the problems of every single captain.¡± He smiled. ¡°Just take my word on Vanderbilt. He¡¯ll sort himself out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Lorenzo¡¯s father was a very important man with a very important job. His sons learned from a very young age that they shouldn¡¯t bother him with every little problem. Why start now? While Vanderbilt wasn¡¯t a man whom he put much trust in, he did put trust in the fact that the Interstellar Forces wouldn¡¯t let him die.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡± asked the commander.


    ¡°...Shouldn¡¯t the meeting have started now?¡±


    ¡°Right, right!¡± Bellamy lifted a hand. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to start it off, but,¡± he wiggled his fingers, ¡°I¡¯ve gotta get this gunk off my hands. Your brother let me know about the whole missing ranger situation, the other Command staff should be in the back room over¡­¡± he pointed to a door on the right side of the room, ¡°...there. You two can take this time to meet with them.¡±


    With that, the commander left for the nearest restroom, and Lorenzo busied himself with searching for his younger brother in the crowd.


    ¡°Captain Galhardo.¡± Just as he had located Emil, a woman¡¯s voice called from behind. Captain Pryce walked up to him.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    She stared at the ground before looking back up at him. ¡°I just came to apologize for some of the things I said earlier. While I am¡­ concerned about your age, calling a peer a child was beyond unprofessional of me. I¡¯m sorry. Best of luck on the Celestion-5.¡±


    Lorenzo gave a small nod of appreciation. He didn¡¯t want it to show too much, but he felt much better knowing that at least one of his peers could be professional. ¡°I wish the same for your journey, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The two parted, and Lorenzo resumed his journey of relocating his brother¡¯s blond afro among the crowd. He found him again, this time with the rest of their crew.


    ¡°...So then he says--¡± Emil proceeded to do a terrible impression of Lorenzo, ¡°¡®It is imperative to me that you explain what potat--¡¯¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant. ¡±Lorenzo tapped him on the back, stopping this farce.


    ¡°Oh, heeeey, bro!¡± The blond turned around, lowering his voice to a whisper. ¡°Did¡¯ja see the look on Vanderbilt¡¯s face when you busted him? It was priceless!¡± he pinched his fingers together.


    Lorenzo had no joy in reliving that moment. ¡°Commander Bellamy told us to go to the back room.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Emil rubbed his hands together. ¡°Is it time to find out who our newbie is?¡± He turned to the others and winked. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back guys, we¡¯re gonna go see about our missing buddy! Ciao~!¡±


    Lorenzo entered the crowd, assuming his younger brother would follow.


    He felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Hey Lorie, wait up!¡±


    The captain continued walking, but slowed down some.


    ¡°So, what did you and the commander talk about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much.¡± Lorenzo held out an arm instinctively, catching Emil mid-stumble. ¡°Captain Pryce apologized, though.¡±


    ¡°Thanks bro.¡± Emil steadied himself. ¡°What¡¯d she say?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still concerned about my age but thought it was rude to call me a child.¡±


    ¡°Dunno if the first part was necessary, but hey! It¡¯s nice she said sorry.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Speakin¡¯ of, you have a little apologizing to do yourself, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Lorenzo turned to his brother. ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Accusing Jun and Roxie of theft! And Aiden too!¡± Emil raised an eyebrow. ¡°Didn¡¯t you think it was a little weird for them to have done it?¡±


    ¡°Ranger Kelly is a known thief and Ranger Kim and Allen matched what we knew about the culprits.¡± Lorenzo explained.


    ¡°Aiden stole for survival and the other two have never shown any sign they¡¯d steal at all.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve never shown any sign they wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Emil sighed. ¡°...I worry about you and dad a lot.¡±


    As Lorenzo did Emil. ¡°But I will apologize.¡±


    The blond seemed content with this. ¡°Good.¡±


    Finally, they made it to the door where the Command members were located behind. Lorenzo could make out Bellamy¡¯s bald head entering on the other side of the room. He didn¡¯t know if they had enough time left before the conference started, but knocked anyway.


    A muffled ¡°Come in!¡± came from the other side.


    Lorenzo opened the door to reveal some kind of storage room where a few men sat in spare chairs from the conference room. The dim glow of a tablet and a printer barely lit the room, but he could see that darts and a blindfold were scattered around. A dartboard was set up at the other end.


    ¡°This was all kinda on short notice, so we don¡¯t have all of our usual decision-making apparatuses.¡± The man sitting in the chair nearest to the door flippantly waved his hands. He raised up a sheet of paper with names printed on it. ¡°We printed out a list of personnel from some no-name base in¡­¡± he squinted at the list, then shouted to one of the others. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t we do this base already?¡±


    Another commander shrugged. ¡°Does it matter? Small-town guys¡¯ll jump at the chance to go anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Is this really¡­ okay?¡± Lorenzo struggled to accept what he saw. This lack of care was not something he¡¯d expected to be accepted by such high-ranking officers in the Interstellar Forces. Then again, the Celestion crews were picked semi-randomly. This could lead to the same results whether or not they used fancy equipment. ...It still didn¡¯t feel right.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡± The first commander reassured him. ¡°This¡¯ll be done real quick. All we need is for one of you to put on this,¡± he picked up the blindfold, ¡°pick up one of those,¡± he pointed at a dart, ¡°and someone to pin this list to the board over there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Emil volunteered himself.


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Emil took the list and a dart, pinned both to the dartboard, and walked back to the front of the room to get blindfolded.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome one and all to the Celestion Project Conference.¡± Commander Bellamy¡¯s voice boomed from outside.


    ¡°Sir, would it be alright if we address this after the conference?¡±


    The first commander and one of his peers were busy spinning around a blindfolded Emil. ¡°Did it start already?¡± He stopped Emil in place. ¡°Tell ya what, we¡¯ll give all the information to this guy,¡± he patted the blond on the back, ¡°and you can go attend the meeting. Neither of you¡¯ll hafta miss a thing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll handle it!¡± Emil gave a thumbs up in entirely the wrong direction.


    ¡°Appreciated, Lieutenant, and thank you, sirs.¡± Lorenzo nodded to each of the commanders before exchanging a salute.


    Lucky for Lorenzo, when he exited into the conference room, everyone else was already standing up and too busy paying attention to Bellamy to notice he¡¯d come in late. The captain took a deep breath, trying to expel the doubts in his mind through his nose. There was nothing to worry about; he¡¯d just gotten worked up from a stressful day. He tried to focus on Bellamy¡¯s words in order to calm down.


    ¡°This year marks 60 years since America took its first few steps on the moon.¡±


    A projection behind the commander showed pictures of American hero Herbert Legard taking his first steps on the Moon ...and tripping over.


    ¡°As you can see, we¡¯re no stranger to hiccups here and there,¡± Bellamy surveyed his audience, ¡°but our biggest strength is that we¡¯re able to push past those things and make innovations. Because this is the Interstellar Forces, and in the Interstellar Forces... there is always¡­ a solution.¡±


    The projection played footage of Legard getting standing back up, leading to the much more famous clip of him jumping on the Moon¡¯s surface. More footage played of the Interstellar Forces¡¯ achievements over the past six decades. Footage recording the construction of Lunaria and the Moon Base transitioned to clips of people boarding the first commercial spacecraft in all their bulky glory. From there played a slideshow of the Martian Base¡¯s construction, before finally ending off with a picture from a few years ago of Ranger Kim shaking hands with the president, marking the day that any adult US citizen, regardless of gender, could enlist in the Interstellar Forces.


    It was only human to make mistakes. Even Lorenzo knew that. What he¡¯d seen and experienced today were just a few errors in the otherwise functional organization. The Interstellar Forces recovered from worse blunders and would continue to do so as long as he and everyone else did their best to make sure these mistakes happened as little as possible.


    There was always a solution. Knowing that brought him comfort.

 [Mingling on the Moon] Ch 8. Cooling All the Way Down

    Leon clapped with everyone else as soon as the conference ended. He could barely see over the crowd, and he barely understood what was said, but being a part of an official Interstellar Forces conference was good enough for him.


    Not for Aiden. ¡°What was up with that video?¡± He turned to Jun. ¡°Why¡¯d they end it on you? So embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Jun¡¯s not embarrassing!¡± Leon argued.


    Jun chuckled. ¡°I dunno, I looked kinda lost in that pic, not gonna lie.¡±


    ¡°No, not you. You¡¯re cool.¡± Aiden clarified. ¡°The IF is embarrassing. Why make it so obvious that it took building a base on Mars before they opened it up to everyone?¡± He gave a sarcastic clap. ¡°Good job guys. Soooo innovative.¡± A smug smirk crossed his face. ¡°Bet they¡¯ll never mention they almost put ¡®em in jail.¡± He pointed a finger at Jun.


    ¡°Jail??¡± Leon had never heard about that. Roxie and Mia showed the same confusion.


    ¡°Oh yeah, that.¡± Jun mentioned casually. ¡°There was a vote whether or not to lock me up for breaking the rules. I narrowly avoided getting arrested.¡± They elbowed Aiden. ¡°Otherwise, we both would¡¯ve done time, huh?¡±


    That reminded Leon of a question he desperately needed to ask. ¡°So. Aiden¡­ about breaking out of jail...?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Aiden glanced at him. ¡°I did it.¡±


    Leon decided Jun would be more helpful. ¡°Is he just messing with me?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± They were just as nonchalant. ¡°Messing with you would¡¯ve been if he told you he went in for--¡±


    ¡°Hi, Shirley! Hi, Sparky!¡± Roxie¡¯s greetings distracted Leon from the terror of realizing his roommate was an escaped convict.


    The tall lady and her goggled friend from earlier came up to the group. They both looked a little embarrassed.


    Goggle lady spoke first. ¡°Sorry again for stealing your stuff! We¡¯ll be more careful the next time someone asks us for ¡®errands.¡¯¡±


    Tall lady rubbed the back of her neck. ¡°Yeah, we didn¡¯t mean t¡¯ hurt anybody.¡±


    ¡°S¡¯all good.¡± Jun flipped their bangs. How could they be so cool all the time?


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you guys wanted to steal our stuff!¡± added Leon. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone here would forgive you.¡±


    ¡°I dooo~¡± Roxie chimed.


    ¡°No hard feelings.¡± Mia gave a polite smile.


    Aiden shrugged, which was basically full forgiveness coming from him.


    ¡°Plus it was kinda cool the way you picked up that whole cart!¡± Leon laughed.


    A huge grin formed on the tall lady¡¯s face. ¡°Aww shucks kid, thanks. And I¡¯m glad you all forgive me an¡¯ Sparky! Hope your captain¡¯s not too mad¡­¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± Sparky leaned forward, ¡°does he always carry the handbook in his hat like that?¡±


    ¡°No, he usually carries it in his cape!¡± answered Leon.


    Sparky giggled. ¡°His what?? Oh, he sounds like a riot! Anyway, me and Shirley were about to ask¡­ something. What was it?¡±


    ¡°Beats me.¡± Shirley shrugged. ¡°Ooh! How¡¯d¡¯ja like the video? I thought it was pretty neat.¡± She pointed at Jun. ¡°You even made a little cameo!¡±


    Jun hid the other half of their face. ¡°Haha, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Herbert Legard fell down, it kind of reminded me of you earlier!¡± Roxie poked Leon¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Really...?¡± Leon deflated. ¡°I wish I could¡¯ve seen that... There were so many tall people in front of me.¡±


    Shirley frowned on his behalf. ¡°Aww, I wish ya would¡¯ve stood by us. I coulda picked you up!¡±


    ¡°Really??¡± Leon un-deflated.


    ¡°She could pick you up right now if she felt like it!¡± Sparky elbowed her friend, beaming with pride.


    After spending the entire conference underneath everyone, he¡¯d love for a change of pace. ¡°Do you feel like it?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± Shirley lifted him up by the back of his uniform jacket.


    Everyone aside from Shirley, Jun, and Aiden looked so short in comparison to where he dangled. He had a clear view over at least half of the crowd. Was this what it felt like to be 5¡¯10¡±?


    ¡°Woooah!¡± Leon appreciated his new view. Across the room, he saw someone familiar. ¡°I can even see the captain from here! Hi, Captain!¡±


    Leon waved to Captain Galhardo, who didn¡¯t see him at first, but did a double take when he did.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s what we meant to ask!¡± Sparky remembered. ¡°We were gonna take the cart back downstairs for you guys, but we wanted to make sure it was okay with your captain first and not have another¡­ incident.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go ask him!¡± volunteered Leon.


    Shirley set him down gently, and from there, he ventured forth into the crowd. He had trouble remembering exactly where his captain was, but he remembered him being near a wall with a door. That shouldn¡¯t have been so hard to find.


    It¡­ really shouldn¡¯t have been, but for some reason, the wall kept escaping him. Eventually, he stumbled upon the right wall with the right door, and it only took almost walking out of the entrance to find it!


    Leon nearly called out to the captain, but the door beside him opened before he did.


    Emil came out, waving a piece of paper. ¡°Yoooo bro, you¡¯ll never guess who our new guy i--Ahhh!!¡±


    Leon¡¯s presence surprised the lieutenant so much, he stumbled back into the door. He managed to turn it into a cool pose, though, all while shoving the paper into his jacket. If Leon could be half as stylish, he¡¯d die happily.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Hahaaaa, what is up Rookie? Didn¡¯t see ya there.¡±


    The captain turned to him. ¡°Did you have something to tell me about our new recruit?¡±


    ¡°You found out who it is??¡± Leon was dying to know.


    Emil closed his eyes, smiling a chipped-tooth smile. ¡°Heh. Sorry Rookie, but it¡¯s, uhhh,¡± he winked, ¡°high-level clearance right now.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± informed his brother.


    ¡°...I know, but I want it to be a surpriiise.¡±


    The captain said nothing else to him in response. ¡°Ranger Summers, did you need something?¡±


    Leon remembered what he came here for. ¡°Oh yeah, the ladies who took our stuff earlier wanted to know if they could take it back downstairs!¡±


    ¡°...Where are they?¡±


    The crowd cleared enough that Leon could guide the captains back to the rest of the group without too many hiccups, though Emil had to stop him when he almost passed the others entirely.


    Shirley greeted them first. ¡°Oh hey, Cap¡¯n! We were just wondering--¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of your offer.¡± interrupted the captain. ¡°You may transport our belongings... so long as I accompany you.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, sir! It might get a little crowded in the elevator, though.¡±


    Captain Galhardo turned his focus to Jun and Roxie. ¡°Ranger Kim, Ranger Allen, I wanted to apologize for accusing you of a crime you didn¡¯t commit. I,¡± he tilted his head down, ¡°...jumped to conclusions too soon, and for that, I am sorry. I also wish you a quick recovery from your burns.¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted, Captain.¡± Jun matched his formality and became an entirely new person. Just as quickly, they relaxed back to their normal self. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like we can really blame you.¡± They showed their potato skin-covered palms. ¡°Who goes around looking like this?¡±


    ¡°We do!¡± Sparky raised her hands, followed by Shirley.


    Roxie followed the rest. ¡°We four are bound together by the skin of the potato and the adhesive of the honey! May our wounds disappear but our memories never fade!¡±


    ¡°...Yeah.¡± Jun lifted their head.


    ¡°That sounds¡­ really intense!¡± Leon scratched at his cheek. ¡°Is there a way to become friends without sacrificing my hands?¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm~¡± Roxie poked a finger into her own cheek. She turned to Shirley and Sparky. ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    Sparky scoffed. ¡°Are you kidding? Of course! Look at this guy. What a sweetheart!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, thank you!¡± Leon felt his cheeks burning.


    ¡°Very polite, too.¡± Shirly pressed her fingertips together.


    As soon as Leon could uncover his face, he noticed the captain searching intently for something.


    Emil noticed too. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, bro?¡±


    The captain grabbed the brim of his cap. ¡°I had planned to apologize to Ranger Kelly, but I am unable to locate him.¡±


    Leon took a quick look around the group, and sure enough, Aiden was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°The cart with our belongings seems to be missing, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, we never brought it over, did we...?¡± mused Shirley.


    Captain Galhardo didn¡¯t seem too happy about this, not at all. If he was willing to believe Jun and Roxie might¡¯ve stolen the cart, he had to be thinking Aiden stole it. Especially after their fight.


    To be honest, the same thought crossed Leon¡¯s mind. The past three weeks taught Leon two things about his roommate: One, he was a grump, two, everything else about him was unpredictable. Still, stealing the cart just after working so hard to find it struck Leon as weird even for Aiden. But what did he know? He didn¡¯t even know Aiden broke out of prison. The thoughts whirled around in his head like the sound of wheels behind him.


    Jun tapped Leon¡¯s arm just in time for him to get out of the way of a cart. The cart! Pushed by Aiden!


    ¡°Ranger Kelly, where have you been?¡± demanded Captain Galhardo.


    Aiden brushed his hands on his jacket. ¡°I went to take this cart back before it went missing again.¡±


    ¡°Good lookin¡¯ out, Aiden!¡± Emil cheered. ¡°By the way,¡± he elbowed his brother, ¡°the captain has something he¡¯d like to say to you.¡±


    The captain yanked his arm away from Emil¡¯s elbow. ¡°I was wrong to suspect you of theft earlier. My apologies, Ranger Kelly.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Aiden smirked.


    Captain Galhardo grabbed onto the cart¡¯s handle, while Aiden let go.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this from here.¡± He looked up at the bearded ranger before turning to Sparky and Shirley. ¡°Major Flores, Ranger Quinn, please follow me.¡± Finally, he addressed the others. ¡°The rest of you can take the stairwell. Report to the reception desk as soon as possible.¡±


    Sparky, Shirley, and the captain all departed with the cart, leaving Leon and the other Celestion-5 members behind.


    Mia was the next to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking the other elevator.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Aiden shambled after her.


    Leon, Jun, Roxie, and Emil followed them into the hallway. When they rounded a corner, Emil lagged behind.


    ¡°Actually, I think I¡¯m gonna take the stairs this time!¡± He thumbed behind him, taking a few steps backward.


    As he disappeared behind the corner, Leon wavered back and forth until deciding to go with him.


    The rookie caught up with him just as he opened the door to the stairwell. ¡°Hey Emil, wait up!¡±


    Emil smiled upon seeing Leon. He continued propping the door open with his arm, until Leon took hold of it instead.


    ¡°After you~¡± Leon bowed.


    ¡°Why thank you, good sir!¡± the lieutenant lifted an imaginary top hat.


    The two ventured down the stairs together.


    ¡°So,¡± Emil gave a knowing smile, ¡°did¡¯ja come with me just so you could find out more about the new guy?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! I just figured it¡¯d be kind of lonely going down the stairs by yourself. So I wanted to tag along!¡± admitted the ranger. ¡°...Buuut if you¡¯re willing to give me a hint, I won¡¯t mind!¡±


    His blond friend laughed. ¡°Trust me, if I could, I would. But thanks for keepin¡¯ me company!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Leon decided to change the subject. ¡°I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to run back down all these stairs.¡±


    Emil¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You ran? All the way up here??¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised my brother didn¡¯t stop you.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, he ran too! He actually told us too.¡±


    The lieutenant made an exaggerated gasp, holding a hand over his mouth. ¡°He what? I can not believe he would do such a thing. Normally, I¡¯d expect him to be like--¡± he straightened up his posture and abandoned all emotion, ¡°¡®Ranger Summers, I would hope you know that according to Chapter 73, Section 12 of the Interstellar Forces Handbook, it is prohibited to run upstairs.¡±


    Leon clapped. ¡°Your impression of him is perfect! If I wasn¡¯t looking at you, I¡¯d think he was right here!¡±


    ¡°Thank you~¡± Emil bowed. ¡°I¡¯d hope so! I¡¯ve been living with him for all 18 years of my life!¡± He rubbed his knuckles against his chest. ¡°I¡¯d like to think my impression of him is my best one.¡±


    ¡°You do impressions?¡± To Leon, Emil seemed like a fountain of neverending talents.


    The lieutenant tilted his head from side to side. ¡°Sorta. It¡¯s not really something I advertise, but I do like paying attention to people¡¯s quirks and stuff. So when I mimic them, people say I do a good job, which, hey! That makes me happy. The better I know someone, the better I have a feel for their style of doing things, but I think most people are like that.¡±


    Leon thought about it. ¡°Hm. Do I know anybody well enough to do that?¡±


    ¡°Family¡¯s usually a good place to start.¡±


    ¡°Ooh! I could probably do one of my little brother!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeeeeah!¡± Emil folded his arms behind his head. ¡°You did mention having a brother before, didn¡¯t you? Weird. I always thought you had little bro vibes.¡±


    Leon chuckled. ¡°No, I get that a lot, but I¡¯m the oldest.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he like?¡±


    He almost answered, but the thought of his little brother gave him a surprisingly strong sense of bittersweetness. It came out as a sigh.


    Emil slowed down to match Leon¡¯s pace. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing!¡± Leon snapped out of it. ¡°I was just thinking about him. He put on a brave face when I left, but¡­ I know he probably misses me a lot. I hope he¡¯s doing alright.¡±


    Emil smiled and gave him a hearty clamp on the shoulder. ¡°I may not know him, but with someone like you in his corner, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s okay.¡± He winked. ¡°He¡¯s probably a lot stronger than you know!¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re anything like my bro, you worry too much.¡± He waved a hand, as if waving Leon¡¯s worries away.


    Leon thought for a moment. ¡°Yeah...you¡¯re probably right.¡±


    The lieutenant began walking ahead. ¡°By the way, I may not be able to tell you who the new guy is, but I do know that it¡¯ll probably be a month until he finishes training.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a cadet?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Emil slumped over dramatically. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, but you won¡¯t be the rookie anymore.¡± He lifted a finger, before flashing a grin back at Leon. ¡°Technically. You¡¯ll always be Rookie in my heart!¡±


    Leon laughed. ¡°Thanks! But I¡¯m okay with not being the newest guy. Maybe I can even show him the ropes!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± The blond gave a thumbs up and winked.


    The soon-to-not-be-the-biggest-rookie joined him further down the stairs. His mind wandered to the new recruit. Who was he? What was he like?


    More than that, Leon wondered what he might be able to teach him. Maybe some tips on how not to deal with Aiden? Leon was no master of that himself, that was Jun¡¯s territory. Could he teach the newbie more tips about how to follow the rules? Captain Galhardo had more authority in that field than he would ever have in his life.


    Maybe Leon had nothing to teach, but if that was the case, he knew one thing he could do for sure: Share with him the joy of space and making new friends!

 Next Episode: Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain

    ¡°I, the entity who may or may not be The Great Roxaelia, have made my return!


    And we¡¯re gearing up for a smackdown! A day full of duels! And it¡¯s all thanks to the Interstellar Forces Coordination Simulator, hi-tech glasses intended for us to hone our movement in low gravity. In actuality, it lets us live out our wildest shmup dreams!


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I have also set up an arrangement with the starry-eyed Rookie himself, Leon Summers. Whoever finds our captain first gets to revel in glory!


    Also, yeah, our captain¡¯s missing. No one has seen him in a week, and there¡¯s a bunch of strange mysteries, like a secret person, a secret room, and other eerie events. These will all come to light in our next episode! Dooon¡¯t miss it~!¡±

 [Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain] Ch 1. Tutorial Stage

    With a reflective tiled floor as his stage and the stars as his backdrop, Captain Galhardo addressed the five members of his crew in the observation deck. The yellow cape at his back drifted in microgravity.


    ¡°As you may know, aside from travelling to Neptune and documenting findings along the way, one of the Celestion-5¡¯s other duties is to test out experimental equipment for the Interstellar Forces.¡± He picked up a plastic box at his side and handed it to his younger brother.


    His younger brother, the lieutenant, took the box and handed out five pairs of glasses to the five crew members. Five strangers the captain did not know. Five strangers the captain did not want to know. Five strangers the captain¡¯s brother badgered him to know. So, he began to scope out which one he might consider talking to.


    ¡°One for you, Mia~¡± Lieutenant Galhardo gracefully extended the first pair toward Ranger Mia Wattson.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± From what the captain knew of the freckled redhead, she didn¡¯t like talking much. It¡¯d be easy to leave a conversation with her if things went wrong. He remembered her reading a book about astrogeology; that aligned closely enough with his interests to feel comfortable starting a conversation. However, he always caught her in the midst of doing something suspicious. Could Wattson be trusted?


    ¡°Here¡¯s one for you, Rookie!¡± The lieutenant winked, handing the second pair to Ranger Leonardo Summers, who eagerly accepted.


    ¡°Wooah, these are sooo cool!¡± As his nickname implied, the bucktoothed brunet had recently enlisted, just like the captains themselves. Both he and Captain Galhardo shared a passion for the Interstellar Forces and space itself. Conversation would be easy enough if they kept to those topics, but Summers often got curious. Eventually, he¡¯d ask one too many questions¡­


    ¡°And one for you, Jun.¡± Lieutenant Galhardo handed the third pair to Ranger Jun Kim before engaging in a fist bump.


    ¡°Eyyy, thanks, Emil.¡± Ranger Kim swished the jet black bangs obscuring their eye. For a self-proclaimed ¡®surfer brah,¡¯ they displayed competence and maturity any good star ranger should have. It seemed absurd that they had to disguise as a man in order to enlist. To think that was only four years ago... Thanks to them, no one needed to repeat that. Captain Galhardo thought highly of Kim, but that was the problem. Being eight years his senior and having such historical significance, he would no doubt look immature next to them. It¡¯d be best not to have more people seeing him as a child.


    ¡°Here¡¯s yours, Aiden!¡± The captain¡¯s younger brother gave the fourth pair and a chip-toothed smile to Ranger Aiden Kelly.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Even slouching, the lean, mean goateed ranger towered over everyone else. Ranger Kelly¡¯s enthusiasm matched his respect for the military in general, and he had blond hair as dirty as the crimes he committed before enlisting. The only trait he and the captain had in common was a lack of attraction, and even that was better shared with Ranger Kim. To make matters worse, the lieutenant saw him as some kind of role model when he looked more like a model for Bad Influences Weekly.


    ¡°And here you go, Roxie!¡± Lieutenant Galhardo presented the fifth pair to Ranger Roxanne Allen.


    ¡°Yaaaay! I bestow upon you my thanks!¡± The curly redhead lifted her glasses high into the air. Ranger Allen only held a low rank because she hadn¡¯t yet completed her nurse training. Yet still she was the ship¡¯s best trained medical personnel. That in itself concerned the captain, but her personality scared him even more. On all levels except physical, she existed on a plane of reality he could never hope to comprehend. The thought of holding a conversation with her made him break into a cold sweat.


    The lieutenant captain twirled his own pair of the highly expensive, highly experimental glasses in midair before putting them on. He turned to Captain Galhardo. ¡°Is it time to get this party started?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a training session, Lieutenant.¡± The captain wished his brother would take things more seriously. ¡°But yes, we may begin.¡±


    ¡°Okay everybody, let¡¯s put on our glasses~!¡± Lieutenant Galhardo put his on first. ¡°There¡¯s a button on the top right to turn them on. If you could just press that please and thank you?¡±


    Everyone obeyed without hesitation, even Ranger Kelly. The curly blond lieutenant had a knack for getting people to adore him. It was something his brother lacked and made him an invaluable part of the crew. Everyone trusted him, including the captain.


    It made him a crutch.


    ¡°When it turns on, you should see something that says--¡±


    ¡°I see something that says Observation Mode!¡± Ranger Summers blurted out.


    ¡°Yeah, that!¡± continued the lieutenant, not minding this interruption.


    The captain, however, would not let this stand. ¡°Ranger Summers, you should know talking out of turn is a violation of protocol. As for your punishment--¡±


    ¡°Ooh! Ooh!¡± The lieutenant waved his hand. What part of ¡®talking out of turn is a violation¡¯ did he not understand? ¡°Can I handle the punishment, bro?¡±


    Captain Galhardo did not answer.


    The lieutenant cleared his throat. ¡°Permission to request punishment delivery, Captain Galhardo?¡±


    ¡°...Permission granted.¡± This would be the lieutenant¡¯s punishment, too, knowing him.


    ¡°For your punishment,¡± he addressed Ranger Summers, ¡°you¡¯ll be the first one to test it out!¡±


    ¡°Wait, we had a demonstration planned; you can¡¯t just--!¡± The captain regained his composure. ¡°Ahem. Perhaps a hands-on lesson would be more informative. You may continue with your... punishment.¡±


    Though he said the word ¡®punishment¡¯, Ranger Summers looked so eager about testing, it might as well have been a reward.


    Lieutenant Galhardo dug out a pair of gloves and a belt from the box of testing materials and floated them over to Ranger Summers. ¡°Here, put these on. They¡¯ll let you interact with the glasses.¡±


    Summers fastened on the belt, which had a target on his abdomen and one on his back. Both captains wore the same one underneath their jumpsuits. They also had on the same gloves, teal, rubbery, and almost identical to the standard-issue Interstellar Forces ones, except with circuitry patterns on the palms.


    ¡°Are you getting any pop-up boxes?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yeah!¡± Ranger Summers snapped out of mouthing an awe-struck ¡®wow...¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m getting one that¡¯s asking if I want my-- ...collision belt? --to be set to Shock, Stun, or Surprise. Is that the thing I¡¯m wearing with the targets?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± The lieutenant smiled. ¡°Pick Stun. You won¡¯t be able to feel the shock through your jumpsuit, but you might feel Stun¡¯s vibration.¡± He placed his fingertips on his forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they put Shock as an option in the first place. Who¡¯d wanna get zapped constantly?¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good motivator for not getting hit.¡± informed the captain.


    His brother shrugged. ¡°I guess. Pick Shock if you¡¯re cool with pain, it¡¯s on the right. If not, pick Stun, which is in the middle~¡±


    The captain selected the option on the right.


    ¡°If you¡¯re feelin¡¯ extra saucy, though, pick Surprise--on the left--¡± the lieutenant mimed pulling himself over to the left. Wholly unnecessary, ¡°to randomize the results. ...That sounds funny, actually!¡±


    Captain Galhardo shook his head as he watched his brother presumably change his settings to Surprise. It was worse than Shock, in his opinion. At least he knew what to expect...


    Ranger Kelly raised a hand.


    It shocked the captain that he had the courtesy to do that. ¡°You have a question, Ranger Kelly?¡±


    ¡°Why bother saying where each button is when he can see ¡®em? It¡¯s not like it matters to us.¡±


    The captain and lieutenant briefly panicked.


    ¡°It¡¯s procedure.¡± Galhardo answered coolly. Technically, it wasn¡¯t a lie. He did tell his brother to specify where everything was for a reason. ¡°These prototypes aren¡¯t well-suited for those who need reading glasses.¡±


    Ranger Kelly looked around. ¡°None of us wear glasses, though.¡±


    ¡°You never know.¡± The lieutenant wagged his finger. ¡°Someone coooould be pretending not to need ¡®em!¡±


    A sigh left the captain¡¯s nostrils as he hoped no one read into that. Another text prompt popped up on his glasses. He closed out of it, assuming it was just the notification that Leon joined. Yet another followed, with two indistinguishable options.


    ¡°Okay!¡± The lieutenant clapped. ¡°I see you¡¯re mostly set up. You should see something asking if you wanna set your glasses to Defensive Mode or Offensive Mode. Go ahead and pick Defensive, on the left!¡±


    The captain set his own glasses to what should be Defensive Mode. Summers did the same. A new prompt appeared, filled with text. Before he could strain to unblur the letters, it disappeared.


    A new one appeared, clear as day: ¡®Session Start!¡¯


    ¡°Let the games begin!¡± Lieutenant Galhardo lowered a pointer finger in Ranger Summers¡¯ direction. From it shot out a steady stream of red orbs. This initiated his first pattern, simply titled ¡®I Made This¡¯ from what the captain could make out.


    ¡°What are thooo--? Woah!¡± Before the words left Summers¡¯ mouth, an orb hit him.


    ¡°Better move out of the way!¡±


    Leon obeyed, though not before the captain noticed that a few more should have hit him.


    ¡°It seems that the simulation fails to notice when a target has been hit more than once.¡± He stated.


    ¡°Yeah, that happened yesterday.¡± recalled the lieutenant. ¡°It usually comes back in a few, though.¡±


    ¡°Oooh! Like I-frames!¡± Ranger Allen blurted out.


    How many times did the captain have to repeat himself? ¡°Ranger Allen, you are speaking out of turn.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I get to go next?¡±


    He didn¡¯t have the words to express his frustration. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ think of something for you to do.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s an I-frame?¡± asked Lieutenant Galhardo. Neither captain understood what she said, but that was nothing new.


    ¡°Have you guys played a video game?¡±


    ¡°Only at friends¡¯ houses. Our dad didn¡¯t think they were ¡®productive forms of entertainment.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡± She tilted her head back. ¡°Well, when you get hit in a video game, usually there¡¯s a second or two before you can get hit again. Those few seconds are called I-frames. Without them, gamers would descend into chaos, rage, and sadness!¡± She curled her fingers to express these emotions.


    ¡°They¡¯re short for ¡®invincibility frames!¡¯¡± Summers spoke up, having successfully glided away from the red shots.


    ¡°Yes, he speaks truth.¡± Allen confirmed.


    ¡°Oh, cool! I didn¡¯t know that! You guys must really be into videogames to know about--Agh...!¡± The lieutenant winced--or winked, it was hard to tell with him--in pain. ¡°Hahaha... Definitely a shock!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? What happened? It¡¯s not like he could get hit, right?¡± The bucktoothed ranger turned his worried eyes toward the captain.


    He shook his head. ¡°Do you see the three lights to the top-right?¡±


    ¡°Yea--wait, I only have two now.¡± noticed Summers.


    ¡°Because you sustained a hit.¡± The captain floated out of the way of his brother¡¯s next pattern, a stream of orbs firing out from him in four directions, titled ¡®I Made This 2.¡¯ ¡°Once the lights are all gone, you¡¯ve failed the simulation, but if you can survive each offense pattern with at least one left, the pattern maker loses a light instead.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡± Summers followed suit. ¡°So it¡¯s like hit points! If I lose them all, I die, and then I have to start over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a dramatic way of putting it, but yes.¡±


    ¡°But if I don¡¯t die, then he takes a hit!¡±


    Speaking of which, ¡®I Made This 2¡¯ stopped firing.


    ¡°Hahaaa, a stun this time!¡± the lieutenant rejoiced. Spreading his arms out side-to-side, in front, and behind he started a new pattern¡­ that looked exactly the same as the last one. ¡°This is the last pattern-thingy I figured out how to make! Hope you like!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the same as your last one?¡± asked his brother.


    ¡°Trust me, this one¡¯s special.¡± He winked. As if to back him up, the pattern was named ¡®I Made This ~Special~¡¯


    Captain Galhardo stayed in place. Behind him, Ranger Summers floated on his side, struggling to right himself.


    Suddenly, Summers gasped. ¡°He¡¯s like a boss! That¡¯s so cool!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? He was always your boss.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I meant--Captain, behind you!¡±


    Suddenly, the orbs started firing diagonal from how they did originally. Time was of the essence and the captain only had enough to sidestep the shot, but astigmatism made him see double. He took a chance, he took a side¡­ and took a shock, too.


    ¡°Captain, are you alright?¡± Summers lay hopelessly divorced from the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Honestly, the shame of getting hit was more painful than the shock itself. Captain Galhardo adjusted his hat and lent his cape to his subordinate.


    The bucktoothed ranger latched on while his captain led them to safety. ¡°Thanks! Wait¡­ Did you also take that hit just to save me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± From the others¡¯ perspective, it must¡¯ve looked like he walked into it. How embarrassing. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing.¡±


    ¡°Wow, Captain. Thank you so much! I really owe you one!¡±


    He more than repaid the favor just by being there. It gave the captain an excuse to screw up so blatantly, one that he couldn¡¯t afford not to have. His weakness had been so nearly exposed! Would Summers or any of the others still respect him if they knew he was afflicted with his mother¡¯s eyes? Would they look down on him with their clear vision? He didn¡¯t want to find out.


    The rest of the pattern was easy enough to dodge. He found a space where he and Summers only had to lean back and forth to avoid the shots. Finally, it stopped.


    ¡°Annnd--Ooh~ A stun. Lucky!¡± The lieutenant celebrated. ¡°Anyway, that concludes your punishment, Rookie.¡± He swiveled over to the others, but the lack of gravity made it so that he kept turning. Not that he cared. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to test out these glasses for a while, make patterns, dodge ¡®em, and report any issues. That¡¯s about it. Any questions?¡±


    Ranger Kim raised a hand.


    ¡°Yeah, Jun?¡±


    ¡°Are they, like, for anything in particular, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oops! Good question. These are supposed to help us test our reflexes in zero-gravity, or something like that, right, L--right, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Captain Galhardo pushed himself toward the rest of the group. ¡°The Interstellar Forces Coordination Simulator was also invented to help gauge coordination when navigating in microgravity. Our jumpsuits are mostly impenetrable, but space debris can still be a problem.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like when you drop a sleeve of cookies on the floor. The sleeve won¡¯t break but the cookies might. Except we¡¯re the cookies.¡±


    ¡°Good analogy.¡± He felt a tug on his cape. Behind him, Ranger Summers still clung to him like toilet paper on a shoe.


    ¡°Uhhh, excuse me sir, but is there a way I could get down?¡±


    Summers¡¯ words made him remember something that could help with his situation. ¡°Lieutenant, did you bring the other prototype?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s--¡± Lieutenant Galhardo searched around the room as he continued spinning. ¡°It¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°I see that.¡±


    ¡°I think I forgot to take it outta the stairway.¡± He admitted sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ll go get it real qui-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡± Waiting in a room of strangers with nothing to do sounded miserable. Sure, running away like this wouldn¡¯t help him get more comfortable around his crew, but was it really necessary? All his job required was piloting the ship, doing research, giving orders, and maybe some maintenance. Making friends wasn¡¯t part of the equation.


    Besides, keeping people at an arm¡¯s length was the Galhardo way of life, and unlike his brother, few people were truly interested in getting to know him beyond that. The feeling was mutual.


    Lieutenant Galhardo would make friends. His brother couldn¡¯t stop him; he could only hope he didn¡¯t get hurt. The captain, however, would tend to his responsibilities and little else. He knew the lieutenant would keep hounding him, but there was one last place where he could retreat. A place only he knew of:


    His final sanctuary.


    He opened the door to leave the observation deck, but one thing held him back. Behind him, Ranger Summers lowered himself using the doorway.


    ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± He let go of the captain¡¯s cape. ¡°There you go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Captain Galhardo lifted his cape, closed the door, and disappeared.

 [Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain] Ch 2. A Bookworms Dilemma

    Leon began the day entering a whole new world of excitement. Tons of new features had been discovered in the week since the glasses were issued. Mini patterns could be placed anywhere to be dodged at any time, making the whole ship come alive. Even the halls were full of magic!


    And danger.


    He knew Roxie was lurking somewhere, but didn¡¯t see any sign of her.


    A thin blue laser shot out of the door to his left.


    ¡°Hmhmhnn~!¡± Roxie poked her head out of the infirmary. Now that Leon thought about it, it made sense for a medic to be there. ¡°It is I! Here to make sure you get your morning medicine!¡±


    Leon stopped just in time to avoid floating into the laser, but Roxie summoned a syringe-shaped projection to fire a spread of shots. As fast as they were coming at him, he¡¯d be a sitting duck¡­


    If he weren¡¯t wearing cool new air jets! The other prototype given to the crew last week were pairs of ankle straps with air jets attached to them.They required a flex of the ankle to use, which felt awkward, but it was worth it! No longer did Leon need to rely on the walls, the floors, or a cape to get around. He could fly as free as a bird!


    And he flew straight into one of Roxie¡¯s shots.


    ¡°Huhuhu! I got you~¡± Roxie used her own jets to float back toward the kitchen.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Leon¡¯s pout quickly turned into a smile. ¡°I love these glasses so much.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they great?¡± she tapped her own.


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t wait to show off my patterns to the new guy!¡± Since finding out the Celestion-5 would be welcoming a new member, the rookie ranger hadn¡¯t been able to get him off of his mind.


    ¡°Me neither! Wait, how do we know it¡¯s a--Owwie!¡± Roxie smacked lightly into the kitchen door. ¡°How do we know it¡¯s a guy?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an empty bed in me and Aiden¡¯s room.¡± Leon reasoned. ¡°Unless they¡¯re like Jun and Aiden, they¡¯re probably a guy.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! That gets me thinking¡­¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± He pressed a foot into the ground to prevent him from colliding into Roxie.


    ¡°About Lorie.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Roxie folded her arms, chuckling like a villain. ¡°You haven¡¯t been paying close attention¡­¡± She dropped her smugness. ¡°Sometimes Emil talks about one called Lorie¡­ He gets really cagey when you ask who it is, though.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, I remember now! Maybe that¡¯s the new guy¡¯s name.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°The captains found out we¡¯d be getting a new pal when we did. I personally like to think that Lorie¡¯s a gnome who lives in the ship and fixes things, like the storage room lights and the chest machine.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ think Lorie¡¯s a gnome.¡±


    ¡°A girl can dream!¡±


    ¡°I wonder who that is, though¡­ Maybe the captain knows?¡±


    Roxie lifted her head. ¡°Oh yeah, where is he anyway? He never gave me any punishment for speaking out last week. I would prefer he not, but I haven¡¯t seen him since.¡±


    Leon tried to remember if he¡¯d seen the captain since then, but his mind drew blanks. ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­ We should go look for him!¡±


    ¡°We think alike! But I have one catch.¡± The medic lifted a finger. ¡°Let¡¯s make it a race! First one to find the captain wins.¡±


    ¡°Wins what?¡±


    ¡°Glory, my boy!¡±


    That sounded like a good enough prize to Leon. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re on!¡±


    ¡°Okie-dokie! Let¡¯s begin!¡±


    Roxie pried herself off of the door, opened it, and went through. It seemed like an unfair advantage. Leon followed her into the kitchen, where a familiar freckled face buried itself into a manual.


    ¡°Mia!¡± Roxie propelled herself over to the table where her roommate sat.


    Leon did the same. ¡°Good morning, Mia!¡±


    ¡°Hi, Roxie.¡± She lifted her head from the manual. ¡°Um, good morning Leon.¡±


    He leaned toward her. ¡°Have you seen the captain lately?¡±


    ¡°Yeah-- what?¡±


    Roxie followed suit. ¡°Do you know of the one named Lorie?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not--¡±


    ¡°You have seen the captain?¡± Leon leaned closer. ¡°Great! Where is he?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean--wait!¡±


    ¡°Are you not allowed to speak of Lorie?¡± So did Roxie. ¡±What is the true nature of this entity? I must know!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know anything about anything I¡¯m just trying to figure out how to make patterns please!¡± Mia shielded herself with the manual.


    Leon tilted back. ¡°...Oh.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The freckled redhead took a deep breath and lowered it, returning to her calm, collected self. ¡°Um, my apologies. Could you¡­ maybe ask a little slower?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to figure out where the captain is so we can ask about Lorie.¡± He explained.


    ¡°...Who?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know~¡± The dyed redhead chimed in. ¡°Did you say you needed help with your patterns? We could assist you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯d love to.¡± offered Leon.


    Mia looked between the two. ¡°I mostly need someone to test out what I have so far. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course, my dear Wattson.¡± Roxie placed a hand on her chest. ¡°Allow me to set my glasses to Defensive Mode.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll set mine to Offensive.¡± Mia put on her pair of glasses, which were sitting on the table.


    Leon floated in place. ¡°I¡¯m already ready already!¡±


    He waited for about a minute as the other two reconfigured their glasses.


    Roxie finished first and gave a midair bow.¡± Shall we dance?¡±


    ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡± Mia giggled, returning it. Upon making eye-contact with Leon, she stopped, and so did her warm smile. ¡°Um, I mean, let¡¯s begin.¡±


    With a wave of her hand, Mia started her first pattern. A curved, pink wall began to sweep the room, straightening out and curving in the other direction as it moved across.


    ¡°Wooooah.¡± Leon watched it, dumbstruck.


    ¡°Is this too much?¡± She asked. ¡°The manual says we should try to make them dodgeable.¡±


    ¡°It is sufficiently dodgeable, I think!¡± Roxie reported from a safe corner of the room.


    Leon narrowly avoided the pink wall trying to make it over to where she was. He smacked into the real wall cheek-first.


    ¡°Uwaaah! Rookie, are you hurt?¡± She moved her curls out of the way to properly look at him. ¡°Roxie Safety Tip! Always look where you float. Lucky for you, you were blessed with squishy, round, highly pinchable cheeks for cushioning.¡±


    He rubbed his face. ¡°...Thanks, Roxie.¡±


    Another pink wall emerged from the opposite direction, just a few feet away from them. Before Leon could register what was happening, Roxie hooked an arm in his and dragged both of them toward the corner opposite of where they came in.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m starting to wonder if it¡¯s too slow.¡± Mia thought aloud.


    ¡°Hmmm, maybe! You could probably add some smaller projectiles as the wall drags across.¡± Roxie let go of Leon and turned around to face her.


    ¡°Not a bad idea¡­¡± Mia took a notebook from the table and jotted something down.


    ¡°¡®Pageturner.¡¯¡± Roxie read the name of the pattern. ¡°Cute name!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda cheesy, I know.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh! ¡®Cause it looks like a page turning!¡± Leon realized. He also realized Roxie was about to smack into the wall again. He grabbed her arm just as she was about to collide with it. ¡°Always look where you float.¡±


    ¡°Oops!¡± Roxie knocked a fist on her forehead and stuck a tongue out. Sometimes Leon found it hard to believe she was a real person and not an anime character come to life.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Mia flinched, probably from a stun. She hovered over to the other side of the kitchen table. ¡°Here comes the next one.¡±


    The pattern name changed to ¡®Crescent Fall.¡¯ Mia mimed pushing something forward, and from the wall behind her appeared a bunch of spinning, white, crescent-shaped projectiles. They approached the wall where Leon and Roxie floated, but the crescents were so slow and so spread out that the two had no trouble dodging them.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Mia observed them. ¡°Too slow.¡± She jotted something down in her notebook.


    ¡°I dunno, I kinda like it this way.¡± Leon felt at ease watching the crescents go by. ¡°I like how they spin!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty!¡± One of the crescents circled around Roxie¡¯s waist, narrowly avoiding her. ¡°Was that supposed to hit me?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Mia looked between her notebook and the manual floating beside her head. ¡°The white part didn¡¯t hit you, did it?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s intentional.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Roxie lifted her hands. She tested her luck with another crescent, but it hit her instead.


    The crescent fall unfortunately came to an end when the title changed to ¡®Pageturner v2.¡¯ Much like ¡®Pageturner,¡¯ a pink wall formed, but this time in the middle of the room. One side curved toward the door to the hallway, closer to Leon. The other side curved toward Roxie, who still floated closer to the door to the stairway.


    Leon found himself trapped in the back corner of the kitchen. He hovered over boxes of food as the wall closed in on him. At the last second, he realized he could hide behind them.


    Suddenly, he heard the sounds of metal clanking behind the kitchen wall. ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s what noise?¡± Roxie had no boxes to hide behind, but staying in the very corner of the room seemed to work for her.


    Mia carried herself and her books back to where she originally started. ¡°The metal sounds? I¡¯ve been hearing those for the past few days.¡±


    ¡°Is it coming from the storage? Or maybe the infirmary?¡± Leon pressed his ear against the wall. ¡°It kinda sounds like a big hunk of metal. There¡¯s nothing like that in either room, not that I know of.¡±


    ¡°Me either.¡± Mia set her books on the air beside her. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing, but if it is something, then¡­ well¡­¡± She ended her thought with a shrug.


    ¡°That¡¯s concerning!¡± remarked Roxie.


    Leon thought so too. What concerned him at the moment though, was the next part of the pattern.


    Mia clasped her hands together, summoning another wall. It parted from where she was, which meant Leon and Roxie had to move to the opposite corners of the room.


    She flinched again. ¡°Okay, last pattern for now.¡± A faint smile crossed her face. ¡°I¡¯m actually kind of proud of this one.¡±


    The freckled ranger lined up two fingers together and moved each outward in an arc. Green, glowing orbs lined the room in a similar shape. She clasped her hands together, and it began to close in. Gaps between the orbs grew smaller, and after a certain point, escape became impossible. It looked pretty threatening, but there was one problem.


    Leon and Roxie were safely behind the arc when it started.


    Mia put her face in her hand. ¡°I should¡¯ve thought that through¡­¡±


    ¡°It was a valiant effort!¡± Roxie cheered on her friend.


    Leon joined in. ¡°Plus, ¡®Dome of Restriction¡¯ is a really cool name!¡± It reminded him of the Moon colony, where Mia lived. ¡°It¡¯s kinda like Lunaria, but bad!¡±


    Mia chuckled to herself.


    ¡°Maybe you could put more rows of shots behind the arc.¡± suggested Roxie. ¡°That way there won¡¯t be as big of a blind spot.¡±


    ¡°Good idea!¡± Mia paused the simulation. ¡°In fact, there¡¯s something else I¡¯d been meaning to try.¡±


    The other two waited for a little bit as she changed some settings.


    ¡°There.¡± She put in the final touches. ¡°Hopefully this won¡¯t backfire too. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± answered Roxie.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Leon seconded.


    The simulation started back up upon Mia summoning the arc again. This time, four rows of shots popped in instead of just one. Leon made way for the arc to form and joined Roxie in the middle of the room, across from Mia.


    Instead of clasping her hands together, she raised them into the air. She then crossed them, flinging each half of the shots to different parts of the room.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled. ¡°It worked!¡±


    ¡°You did--Nonononono!¡± Roxie narrowly dodged a shower of orbs.


    ¡°Yaaaaay, I¡¯m so happy for y--Huah??¡± A few barely missed Leon¡¯s target.


    Mia wrote in her notebook while continuing to sling shots left and right.


    Leon pressed himself against the stairway door while trying to avoid them. As he did, he thought he saw the captain through the gym¡¯s doorway. That¡¯s right! He was looking for the captain! It was obvious he wasn¡¯t in the kitchen, but Leon wouldn¡¯t leave when Mia still needed help.


    At least not normally, but a slew of projectiles came flying at him and he panicked. The hallway door shut behind him just in time to save him a hit.


    Roxie pointed at him from the kitchen, shouting something before getting hit by an orb. Leon couldn¡¯t help but snicker. He mouthed an apology, then fled the scene.


    When he got closer, he could see that Jun was in the gym, not the captain. Not that it stopped him. Maybe they knew where he was! Heading inside, he hoped he would be one step closer to the captain, Lorie, and a little glory.

 [Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain] Ch 3. Tidal Wave of Memories

    ¡°Scoundrel! Cheater!¡± Roxie still couldn¡¯t believe the betrayal she just faced.


    ¡°Sorry for holding you up with my stuff.¡± Mia apologized.


    Not a moment later, Roxie wrapped Mia in her arms. ¡°Nooo, don¡¯t you worry your ponytailed little head!¡± Her voice deepened. ¡°Rookie is the one who must pay.¡±


    ¡°See you later then.¡± Mia strained to speak. ¡°I hope you win the race.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your well wishes.¡± Roxie stopped squeezing the life out of her. ¡°I am off!¡±


    With a wave, she used her air jets to flee to the door. If only she had a cape like the captain, then she could make the dramatic exit she truly deserved. Still, Mia supported her either way. It was nice to know that.


    Thus began Roxie¡¯s valiant journey for truth and justice! She flew around the cylindrical airlock, making sure not to collide with mini patterns or the winding staircase in the center. A green LED display in the center read July 7th, 10:47 A.M. But now was not the time to check the time! Where could Leon be? The last she saw his rosy face, haha-ing at her misfortune, he headed toward the gym. So, she entered.


    ¡°Yo, Rox.¡± The much beloved Jun Kim sat atop the chest machine. Normally, that would be extremely dangerous, but without gravity to pull them down, it was harmless. ¡°Whatcha up to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on a hunt for the captain.¡± Roxie explained. ¡°The sands of time slip from my hands as we speak.¡±


    They got down from the machine. ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡±


    ¡°Waaaah!¡± Roxie dropped her pride and hugged Jun, mock crying. ¡°I thought Leon was squishy and loveable, but--but he tricked me and left me to fend for myself! I can¡¯t let him win, I just can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Oh no. Super uncool of him.¡± Jun patted her back.


    ¡°I know, right??¡±


    ¡°But,¡± they let go, ¡°sadly, I have no choice.¡±


    ¡°You have no choice?¡±


    They put on their pair of glasses. ¡°Leon¡¯s just a rookie, he needs all the help he can get. He wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against someone as cool and resourceful as you.¡±


    ¡°Teeheehee~ Thank you, Junzie!¡± Roxie pressed her hands against her cheeks. ¡°Wait.¡± She stopped. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re trying to stop me?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Gasp!¡± She said the word instead of gasping. ¡°Why would you, my best friend, betray me after my heart has already been wounded?¡±


    ¡°I have to. For justice.¡± Jun closed at least one of their eyes. The other was obscured by bangs. ¡°Plus, I need someone to test out my patterns.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Roxie nodded solemnly. ¡°Then we must do batte.¡±


    ¡°...Yeah.¡±


    A duel between keepers of justice began. Jun used their jets to float upward and spread their arms out, summoning a row of blue orbs in front of and behind Roxie. They began to move quickly back and forth, hypnotically, like waves.


    ¡°Look out, it¡¯s high tide.¡± warned Jun. This pattern was in fact named ¡®High Tide.¡¯


    It was a little difficult to keep up with how fast and far the shots were moving, especially with all of the gym equipment around. After backing into the treadmill, she moved over to the weights, but her foot got caught on one.


    ¡°Oops, let me help you with that.¡± Jun lended Roxie a hand just in time for her to avoid the next wave. They moved her over to a spot where she could move around more freely.


    ¡°Thanks, Junzie!¡± She finally got more into the swing of things.


    ¡°No prob. Did I ever tell you I nearly became a lifeguard?¡±


    Roxie got into the rhythm of the waves. ¡°No, you have not!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard it was like, way gnarly as a job. So I chose dog walking instead.¡± Jun searched through their phone, expanded it to tablet size, and flipped it around to show Roxie. It showed a picture of a teenage Jun, with slightly longer hair and slightly shorter bangs. They were surrounded by adorable dogs.


    ¡°Cute puppies! Babies!!¡± Roxie lost awareness of anything else.


    Jun pointed at their own dog, a black labrador retriever. ¡°That¡¯s Cupid. I figured I¡¯d take her along.¡±


    ¡°Cupiiie!¡±


    Something caught their attention. ¡°Hey, Rox?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh?¡± The cute dogs still consumed her attention.


    ¡°Surf¡¯s up.¡±


    ¡°Okay~ Wait, huh?¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    As Roxie registered what had been said, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a surfboard shape speeding toward her! She bolted out of the way just in time, but not without screaming.


    ¡°Jun, you know cute things are my weakness! How could you??¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would change so fast--I mean,¡± their tone became dryer, ¡°it was part of my plan. Haha.¡±


    A friend was a fearsome foe to have! Roxie would dwell on that, but she was too busy dodging surfboards.


    ¡°Not to, like, toot my own horn, but I like this pattern because it¡¯s practical.¡± Jun watched as Roxie scrambled. ¡°In space, you never know when somebody¡¯s gonna try to do hot stunts and crash into your shoulder, forcing you to reveal a secret that lands you a lotta unwanted attention, some potential jail time, and your mom blowing up your phone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a mom.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡± A twinge of regret flashed across their face. ¡°Sorry, I--¡±


    ¡°But my dad would!¡± Roxie wanted to keep the mood light. Friends don¡¯t let friends worry! That lighthearted joke, however, brought up some not-so-lighthearted regrets. Maybe she should tell her dad--


    Bzzzt.


    Lost in thought, she¡¯d been struck from behind by an unseen surfboard.


    ¡°Rox, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I just zoned out.¡± Roxie lightly knocked on her forehead, hoping Jun¡¯s supernatural perception didn¡¯t pick up on the lie.


    ¡°It happens.¡± Jun shrugged. ¡°It looks like it¡¯d be easier to stay in one spot and dodge things as they come instead of going all over the place.¡±


    ¡°Good idea!¡± Roxie took the advice to heart, and had a much easier time dodging. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re my friend.¡±


    Jun¡¯s words touched Roxie¡¯s heart, almost enough to make her forget about the surfboard speeding toward her. A friend really was a fearsome foe to have!


    The pattern known as ¡®Surf¡¯s Up¡¯ came to an end. Jun spread their arms out once more, summoning many rows of blue dots. This began a pattern called ¡®Low Tide,¡¯ which was much like ¡®High Tide,¡¯ but the shots moved much slower, much shorter distances. Roxie got into the swing of it more easily, but it felt more tense.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re getting the hang of it.¡± Jun cheered on.


    ¡°I am!¡± Roxie beamed pridefully. As ¡®Low Tide¡¯ continued, she remembered something she wanted to ask. ¡°Jun, you know how to fix stuff, right?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the stuff. Why?¡±


    ¡°Did you fix the TV?¡± She didn¡¯t actually know for sure if it was the mysterious Lorie or not.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t even know it was fixed.¡±


    ¡°It was on when I woke up.¡± Roxie recounted. ¡°Someone even left the toolbox in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Weird.¡± was all Jun had to say.


    Roxie took a breather as ¡®Low Tide¡¯ stopped. Suddenly, targets appeared around the gym, and the title changed to ¡®Target Practice.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if this one works.¡±


    Jun got back on top of the chest machine. They cocked a finger gun and fired a shot at a target clear across the room. The target shattered into pieces that scattered around the gym. Roxie had to dodge a few.


    They fired at more targets. It didn¡¯t matter where they were. Above the treadmill? Bang. Through the handles of the exercise bike? Bang. Between the weights? Bang. Bang. Bang.


    ¡°Cooool!¡± She was more impressed than anything. ¡°How do you do that?¡±


    ¡°This?¡± Jun shot another target. They shrugged.


    ¡°Your skills are admirable!¡±


    They winced. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. It makes for bogus laser tag matches.¡±


    ¡°Would they not be legendary?¡±


    ¡°Legendarily short.¡±


    When Jun shot down all of the targets, another set appeared out of thin air.


    They hesitated making the first shot. ¡°You wanna know what I find weird?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This ship doesn¡¯t have an engine room.¡± The elder ranger took the shot. ¡°Not that I can see.¡±


    Roxie dodged the debris from it. ¡°But I thought we had the generator room.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just for electricity.¡± Jun took another shot. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make the ship fly or anything. I¡¯ve worked as a technician on many ships and I¡¯ve never seen one without an engine room. It¡¯s like, totes messing me up. What if something goes wrong with the engine and we can¡¯t fix it?¡±


    Just the idea made Roxie¡¯s stomach turn. ¡°Maybe I should ask the captain¡­ Wait!¡± She realized she hadn¡¯t asked the most important question yet. ¡°Junziiie, do you know where the captain is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any more than you guys do.¡±


    ¡°Darn it!¡± Roxie puffed up her cheeks. ¡°How does a whole captain and a whole engine room just vanish?¡±


    Jun shrugged, then shuddered, signalling the end of ¡®Target Practice.¡¯ Once again, they climbed down from the chest machine.


    ¡°Wanna see something way cool?¡± They beckoned Roxie over.


    Roxie propelled herself next to Jun, not sure what to expect, but trusting them. As an opponent, this would be a great opportunity to lead her into a trap, but if she knew Jun, she knew she could trust them.


    ¡°You ever been inside a wave?¡±


    ¡°Tides are a fantasy in Kansas.¡±


    Jun chuckled. ¡°Check this.¡±


    With the lift of an arm, A tide of large, white circles followed by glowing blue orbs arced over them and crashed into the ground. Jun and Roxie stood safely inside of the wave, taking in the surroundings.


    Roxie gasped. ¡°You commanded the tides? Just for me??¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± They gave a nod. ¡°You¡¯ve never really lived until you¡¯ve seen the inside of a barrel.¡±


    Roxie looked around for wooden barrels, but she couldn¡¯t see any.


    ¡°A wave.¡± clarified Jun, noticing Roxie¡¯s confusion.


    ¡°Ohhhh. So that¡¯s why it¡¯s called ¡®Fish in a Barrel!¡¯¡± The pattern¡¯s name made more sense to her, but not completely. ¡°But where¡¯s the fish?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re coming right now. Watch out!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± A green fish darted past Roxie.


    More showed up, leaping from one part of the wave to another.


    Jun gave Roxie more room to move around. ¡°It¡¯ll never be the real deal, but I wanted to show people what the inside of a wave looked like. Like a prize for making it this far. Then I figured I shouldn¡¯t make it too easy, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°What a beautiful challenge!¡± Roxie found it hard to concentrate on the fish with all of the magic around her.


    ¡°Glad to deliver.¡± With that, Jun disappeared into the wave.


    The curly redhead continued dodging fish, and could have done so forever. All things came to an end, though. Even holographic fish weren¡¯t safe from the clutches of the reaper, a fact that rarely left her mind. Knowing that made it harder to smile. She still tried. People depended on it, and so did she.


    ¡°Oh no, you¡¯ve defeated me.¡± The dark-haired ranger held up their hands. ¡°You¡¯re too cool for me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true at all! You were holding back!¡±


    ¡°Only ¡®cause you made such a sad face earlier.¡± They laughed. If a fake sad face could have that much of an effect, Roxie didn¡¯t want to know what a real one could do. ¡°Anyway, I was mostly trying to keep you from Aiden. He might not be as kind right now.¡±


    This piqued the younger ranger¡¯s interest. ¡°Ah, so you were training me for the real battle!¡±


    ¡°...Wait. This is bad.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. So you were betraying me to betray Aiden!¡± She lifted a finger to the sky. ¡°What a gambit!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I--¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your tutelage! I am off!¡±


    Roxie made yet another exit with another mission: Find Aiden. He may know the captain¡¯s whereabouts, and maybe, just maybe, she could also make a certain cheater pay his dues. Only one thing she knew for sure:


    ...She still wished she had a cape.

 [Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain] Ch 4. Scowling in Shadows

    Leon wandered through the darkness of the storage room. Towers of boxes greeted him at every turn, sometimes face first.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Leon rubbed his nose. Things were harder to see further away from the door, and the storage room was much more spacious than he had anticipated. The captain could be anywhere. He continued calling for him. ¡°Captain? Captain Galhardo?¡±


    A few jagged green shots whizzed by from behind him.


    He turned around. ¡°Captain?¡±


    The bucktoothed ranger could barely make out a shadow disappearing behind some of the boxes.


    Leon followed it. ¡°Captain, it¡¯s me, Leon!¡±


    Whoever it was continued further into the storage room, but not without firing back more shots. They were much more random than any he¡¯d encountered so far. Still, Leon dodged them. But why would the captain fire at him?


    ¡°Oh, I get it! This must be some kind of test!¡±


    Leon continued following the shadow. An increasing amount of shots scattered about, but he had no trouble avoiding them. In fact, they helped guide him through the box maze.


    Suddenly, he heard a thump and muttered cursing.


    ¡°Captain¡­?¡± The captain didn¡¯t seem like the type to swear. Leon moved in closer.


    Too close! Leon crashed into him, but not for long. A hand immediately grabbed his face and pushed him back.


    ¡°Get offa me!¡± It was Aiden¡¯s voice, clear as day.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Leon reached out for something else to guide him, but his hands kept touching his roommate.


    Aiden gripped his hands and put them on a box. He then lightly pushed Leon away with a foot. A little uncalled for, but what was Aiden if not kind of a jerk?


    ¡°Thanks, Aiden!¡± Leon used the box to anchor himself. ¡°What are you doing here, anyway?¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡± Now that Leon could see him better, his silhouette was much taller than the captain¡¯s. ¡°You think a guy would take the hint after getting shot at. Don¡¯t you think Captain Galhardo would¡¯ve answered after calling him the umpteenth time?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s hiding?¡± He guessed. ¡°Emil did say the captain finds it hard to warm up to people.¡±


    ¡°...So you think he¡¯s playin¡¯ hide-and-seek?¡±


    ¡°Could be! My little brother¡¯s really shy too. He used to hide from my friends whenever they came over. Eventually, they started saying I made him up, which was so annoying, you wouldn¡¯t believe!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t imagine¡­¡±


    ¡°That reminds me! One guy did see him for a split second and thought he was a ghost, so then people started thinking our house was haunted; it became kind of a whole thing. Anyway, my mom told me he might¡¯ve made some friends! I¡¯m really happy about it ¡®cause up until now, I was the only one he had, and I was worried he¡¯d be super lonely without me. He¡¯s kind of--¡±


    Leon heard shuffling behind him. He turned around to see Aiden.


    ¡°Ah, there you are!¡± Leon chuckled. ¡°You shoulda told me I was talking to the boxes. I must¡¯ve looked silly!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a captain to look for?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right!¡± Leon remembered his mission. ¡°Do you know where he is? I can¡¯t find him anywhere!¡±


    ¡°Did¡¯ja check his room?¡± asked Aiden. ¡°Y¡¯know, where he always is?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh, that makes sense! Thanks Aiden!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Aiden¡¯s words faded away as he disappeared into the darkness.


    Stopping for a chat was always nice, but Leon had to return to his search. One problem, though: The room was still very dark. On top of that, Leon couldn¡¯t remember all of the turns he¡¯d taken when following Aiden. Getting out of the storage room still shouldn¡¯t have been too hard of a task.


    Gotta keep hope alive! That was what Leon kept telling himself as the minutes grew longer with no sign of an exit in sight. Every time he thought he got closer, a wrong turn would send him back to where he started. Or was it? Leon couldn¡¯t really tell. Wherever he ended up, he knew it wasn¡¯t the exit.


    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± The annoyance in Aiden¡¯s voice rang clear.


    Still, Leon was happy to see anyone at all. ¡°Fancy seeing you again, roomie!¡±


    ¡°How hard can it be to find the exit? It¡¯s the only place light is coming from!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡± He wondered how he¡¯d been able to tell when he was getting closer. It seemed so obvious now! ¡°Guess I should be going.¡±


    ¡°...Wait a sec.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Aiden approached him from the shadows. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m feelin¡¯ a little charitable! I¡¯ll show you to the door.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°But howzabout a little bet first?¡±


    ¡°A bet?¡± Leon scratched his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m kinda already in the middle of a bet right now.¡±


    ¡°Huh. What a shame. If you won, I might consider wearing pajamas for a week!¡±


    Glory could wait. Having a roommate not sleep in the nude was worth so much more. ¡°Actually¡­ What kind of bet is this?¡±


    ¡°Simple. You dodge a couple patterns. If ya don¡¯t fail, you win.¡±


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a deal!¡± Leon was always in the mood to practice dodging. This should be fun!


    ¡°One catch.¡± Dim light reflected off of Aiden¡¯s smiling teeth. ¡°A bet like this needs to be a little more¡­ shocking, don¡¯t¡¯cha think?¡±


    Of course there had to be a catch. ¡°...You want me to change my settings to Shock?¡±


    ¡°Shock or no deal.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Leon changed his collision settings accordingly.


    Aiden made his way to the top of a tower of boxes. He snapped his fingers, summoning a group of thin, green shots around his hand. The blond ranger watched them for a little bit before lazily aiming them at Leon.


    Leon dodged successfully, but smacked into a box.


    ¡°Heh!¡± Aiden sent another group of projectiles toward Leon.


    The bucktoothed ranger tripped over a box lying on the ground, sending him spinning in midair, thankfully out of the way of those shots. He couldn¡¯t say the same for the next set.


    ¡°Gahh!¡± The shock hurt more than expected. It also made Leon realize something he hadn¡¯t taken into account: He took a hit earlier this morning, which meant he was now on his last one. ¡°Hey, Aiden. I was down to two hits before we started. Can I get an extra try to make up for it?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Before Aiden could fire another set of shots, the pattern changed from¡­ ¡®pat_1¡¯ to ¡®pat_2.¡¯


    ¡°You didn¡¯t name your patterns?¡± Leon couldn¡¯t imagine not naming his patterns.


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Aiden descended from the box tower.


    ¡°That¡¯s where all the fun is! Where¡¯s the joy in creating an attack if it doesn¡¯t have a cool-sounding name you can shout?¡±


    ¡°Pshh. Sounds dorky to me.¡± Aiden raised his hands to both sides and fired a spray of shots from each one.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s fun!¡± Leon got out of the line of fire. ¡°I could name some for you, but uhhh--¡± another round grazed his arm, ¡°--I¡¯m kind of in a bind right now.¡±


    The blond laughed at his misfortune. He rotated in place, firing more shots whenever he could, but as long as Leon stayed at his back, he couldn¡¯t be hit. Leon cracked the code!


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Unfortunately, Aiden did too. He changed directions on a dime, and Leon wound up in the range of his next attack. Leon forgot to hold his leg out to turn around and instead sent himself flying forward, well past Aiden¡¯s reach. Aiden spun faster, but couldn¡¯t quite catch up. At that point, the bucktoothed ranger figured out how to turn more smoothly, flying circles around him.


    Remembering how to slow down was another task entirely. Leon knew he was as good as toast when Aiden changed directions again. Before he could fully accept defeat, however, he remembered Mia¡¯s advice from a month ago. He stuck his legs forward and propelled in the opposite direction. It made for a quick turn, too!


    Leon turned around just in time for the shots to miss his stomach. After all, they were just holograms. He only needed to worry about them hitting the collision belt; the rest of him was free game. When he thought about it, that feature was counterintuitive to the whole purpose. If an asteroid or something hit him in the leg, it would still be bad, right?


    As he thought about that, he noticed Aiden smirking. Leon smiled back, until he realized Aiden¡¯s smirk was rarely a good sign. Sure enough the blond¡¯s palm faced directly at his victim. He prepared to aim another shot, but before he could, something startled him. His pattern stopped, and his smile vanished with it.


    A new pattern, ¡®pat_1(2),¡¯ began with Aiden shooting projectiles, this time in a straight line. Leon sidestepped them, but instead of staying in the same place, he followed. Aiden fired again, and Leon sidestepped. This went on and on until Leon realized he hit a wall. The stream of ammo he just escaped boxed him into a corner of boxes, priming him to be taken out by the oncoming shot.


    Something sparked inside him. Maybe it was desperation from the fact that he only had one hit left, but the gaps between each shot seemed wider. Everything would be okay as long as he didn¡¯t panic. And somehow, he didn¡¯t. Leon maneuvered between each projectile with surgeon-like precision before his brain could even register which ones would be a threat. Before Aiden could even register he got out unharmed.


    ¡°How did you--? How the--??¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Leon laughed in disbelief, at least until Aiden fired another shot at him. ¡°I really feel like I¡¯m getting better at this!¡±


    Aiden went into rapid-fire mode, but Leon took things slow and steady. Always sidestepping at the last moment so he¡¯d have more space left over as he made his way back to where he came from. It was kind of easy, but there was a problem. Eventually, he¡¯d wind up in the same situation at the other end, and all the optimism in the world couldn¡¯t convince Leon that he¡¯d be able to pull off a second miracle dodge.


    His opponent sped ahead of him. Aiden fired a wall of shots Leon was bound to run into, but Leon switched directions just in the nick of time, only for another line of projectiles to be waiting for him. The tense shuffle continued back and forth. He still found himself dodging even after the shots had stopped.


    The next pattern read ¡®pat_3.¡¯ No shots fired. Aiden just stood there. It kind of creeped Leon out. Thankfully, he took a step toward Leon. Wait. That wasn¡¯t good either. Leon backed up, but the momentum from his baby step couldn¡¯t outpace Aiden¡¯s long-legged stride. Leon was able to make out his expression now. Any smirks or snickers from earlier were long gone, all replaced with a cold glare.


    A noise across the room caught Leon¡¯s attention. He looked to his right to see what could¡¯ve made it, but the towers of boxes hid whatever it was from his view. What they couldn¡¯t hide were the projectiles creeping dangerously close out of the corner of his eye.


    Leon flew upward to avoid them. He celebrated to the tune of Aiden asking an expletive-filled question about why his shots went so slow. His own shadow painted the wall. Turning around, the bright light of the doorway looked so tiny from up high, but at least Leon knew where it was now.


    ¡°Hey Aiden, I found the door. Do I go now, or¡­?¡± When Leon glanced back down, no one was there. ¡°Huh. Well, this isn¡¯t good.¡±


    The reflective orange stripe of an IF jumpsuit flashed before disappearing behind a cluster of boxes way across the room. What would Aiden be doing so far away? And how? Was he that fast?


    As if to make things more confusing, a lone, pill-shaped shot passed from behind Leon¡¯s head.


    ¡°Is this thing broken?¡±


    Leon turned around to face a frustrated Aiden staring at his hand. ¡°Ah, there you are! You gotta hit the collision target for it to count.¡± He patted his stomach. ¡°See? Right here.¡±


    ¡°...Thanks.¡±


    Was it foolish to show Aiden his weak point? Yeah. Did Leon think things through before doing so? Not really. Did he regret it? Surprisingly, not much. Maybe this gesture of kindness would help Aiden soften up to him. Maybe he¡¯d really appreciate it.


    Or maybe he¡¯d return the favor by firing at Leon immediately.


    The shot itself was much too slow to be a threat, but it killed the mood. As Leon watched it pass by, part of him wondered if Aiden was a lost cause. No, not a lost cause. No one was a lost cause. Still, some hearts were out of Leon¡¯s reach, as much as it hurt to admit. At least Aiden didn¡¯t seem hateful, just weirdly grouchy. Either way, Leon was determined not to give up yet, not so soon after last time...


    Aiden disappeared again, and reappeared just as soon. Like an asteroid caught in a planet¡¯s orbit, he haphazardly circled around Leon. Projectiles fired toward the bucktoothed ranger. While slow-moving, they quickly became a problem when aimed at him from all sides. It felt like he needed eyes on the back of his head to keep track of them all.


    Leon managed to swerve in and out between each set of shots. That didn¡¯t last too long. Aiden began firing quicker, filling the sphere he trapped Leon in more densely as time went on. Soon, Leon had to retreat to the very center. He bided his time by twisting and turning to dodge the ones that he could, but it seemed inevitable that the rest would close in on him. He watched as a few wrapped around his waist like an unwanted hug.


    They all disappeared. The title now read ¡®pat_1(3).¡¯ Leon breathed a sigh of relief.


    Aiden exhaled in frustration. He drifted away from his target for a little bit before firing three lines of projectiles, each at a different angle. It was nothing compared to what Leon just escaped. However, if the last attack taught him anything, it was not to judge a pattern by its beginnings.


    The blond darted to a spot that was just as far away from Leon, and fired again. Then, he went back to fire from the place he started. Aiden flung himself back and forth at increasingly breakneck speeds to the point where his shots crossed over each other. It required quite a bit of focus to stay in the safe zones.


    Still, Leon couldn¡¯t help but admire his opponent¡¯s skills. Aiden maneuvered his jets with a level of control and grace that Leon didn¡¯t even have walking in normal gravity. He bounced off of the air itself when he switched directions. His flips were precise, never turning more than he needed to. It looked unnatural, yet he moved with the air jets-- brand-new prototypes --as if he were born with them. No wonder Emil was a big fan!


    Aiden stopped just as soon as his pattern did, shaking his head and banging a fist against the wall when ¡®pat_1(3)¡¯ changed to ¡®pat_(4).¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m really surprised I lasted this long.¡± Leon observed.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t have sounded less thrilled. He took a momentary breather.


    Just then, something occurred to Leon. ¡°Gee, you don¡¯t seem all that bothered by the shocks, huh?¡±


    ¡°What shocks? Why would I let myself get shocked?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it obvious? ¡°We were¡­ We were both supposed to change our settings to Shock. That was the deal!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Aiden explained. ¡°We agreed that you would put your settings on Shock.¡°


    ¡°Hey, what the heck? That¡¯s not fair!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you complaining about? You almost won!¡±


    Leon went from annoyed to intrigued. ¡°Almost won? Is this your last pattern?¡±


    Aiden didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he clasped his hands together, took a deep breath, and opened them. When he did, translucent, holographic asteroids filled the nearby area.


    ¡°Woooah!¡± Leon marveled at the asteroid field. ¡°Wait, does touching these count as a hit?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± His roommate coyly shrugged. ¡°Why don¡¯t you hug one and find out?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it definitely counts as a hit.¡±


    Aiden sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    With a wave of his hand, the asteroids around Leon began to float back toward the doorway. All Leon had to do was float with them. Or so it seemed.


    Aiden shot a couple projectiles at the asteroid field. His target wasn¡¯t bothered by this, until he noticed that the asteroids didn¡¯t stop them. Leon maneuvered through the asteroids to clear their path. It was much like making his way to his seat at a movie theater, except the other guests could taze him if he bumped into them.


    More shots came from different angles as Aiden zoomed around Leon and the asteroids. He became an occasional blur in Leon¡¯s vision. The air jets had to be carrying him at the highest speed they could. The shots were sporadic; he couldn¡¯t aim well while going so fast. However, the projectiles themselves flew by quickly, and Leon didn¡¯t have much room to get out of their way.


    The bucktoothed ranger had yet another problem on top of everything else: His own mind. Whatever superhuman focus he had a few patterns ago dwindled as soon as Aiden told him he almost won. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. He was so close to a week where he wouldn¡¯t have to avert his eyes from his roommate¡¯s bedtime routine, a week where he didn¡¯t get an accidental peek at Aiden¡¯s birthday suit if he didn¡¯t look away in time.


    All he had to do was stay focused.


    Something shuffled close by. Leon pried his eyes away from the area just in time to wiggle out of the way of Aiden¡¯s next shots. He tried his best to focus less on how cool it would feel to fly around like Aiden, and more on how cool it would be not to get zapped at the last moment. In a way, even Aiden helped his concentration. Whenever Leon found himself staring at the ever-closer door, he would zip by and fire a few more shots.


    Focusing didn¡¯t get any easier though. The closer Leon got to the door, the closer Aiden came to hitting him. His heart nearly lept out of his chest when he realized he was only a few feet away. The middle of the asteroid belt proved to be the safest area, since Aiden fired from the front and back, but with the doorway so close by, Leon could practically walk out. He should be in the clear if he made his way to the back. Besides, Aiden¡¯s pattern should be ending soon, right?


    ¡°¡®Sup?¡±


    Leon met face to face with Aiden as he slipped between him and freedom. Time slowed to a crawl as Aiden lifted a hand up to shoot.


    Before he could, his eyes fixated on something to Leon¡¯s left.


    ¡°What are you--?¡±


    It was Aiden who lost focus this time. He continued soaring to the left, crashing into¡­


    ...Roxie?


    The two flew further back into the storage room due to the lack of gravity. Aiden tried using his jets to stabilize them both, but Roxie had the same idea, which made them careen all over the place. They were too busy to notice Leon. He leapt out of the doorway and into victory just as soon as ¡®pat_4¡¯ ended, and the asteroids vanished.


    ¡°Get offa me!¡± Aiden¡¯s usual grace was thrown off by Roxie.


    ¡°Okay~¡± Roxie let go, which sent her off into a different direction. ¡°But don¡¯t-- Uwoah!¡± After a little trouble, she managed to stabilize herself high up in the air. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re getting away that easily. I was sent to do battle with you!¡±


    ¡°By who?¡± Aiden found a wall to stop himself.


    ¡°I will not betray the person who betrayed me to betray you, but they were priming me for this encounter!¡±


    He sneered. ¡°Jun.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re good.¡± She stroked her chin, impressed.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Aiden pushed himself off of the wall. ¡°You wanna fight? I¡¯ll give you one. You already made me lose a bet with Rookie down there.¡±


    Roxie¡¯s head snapped toward Leon, who was still watching from the doorway.


    ¡°You.¡± She turned back to Aiden. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but our battle will have to wait.¡± Her gaze focused back on Leon. ¡°I have some vengeance to deliver.¡±


    Aiden glanced between her and Leon. ¡°...I can wait.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t mind me.¡± Leon felt the pressure from their stares. ¡°You guys can go¡­have yourself a¡­ great fight!¡±


    With no more hesitation, he flew up the nearby staircase, chased by the sound of Roxie¡¯s cry:


    ¡°CHEEEATERRRR!!!¡±

 [Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain] Ch 5. Starlight Trippers

    Roxie caught herself on the pole holding up the airlock¡¯s spiral staircase, pointing up at her rival. ¡°You can run away from me, but you can¡¯t outrun your shame!¡±


    Leon attempted to do just that. Little did he know, Roxie had a special weapon up her sleeve: Lasers. She unleashed a torrent of them, climbing up the room like a helix.


    The element of surprise was on her side, for Leon busied himself stopping at the door atop the stairs, unaware of the reckoning to come. By the time he glanced down, the lasers were at his feet. Roxie watched with ravenous glee as he jammed his finger against the door panel. His eyes darted around, searching for safety, but the door to freedom wouldn¡¯t open for him. Not in a just world.


    This world was unjust. Right as the lasers made it up to his leg, the door opened, and he flew up and through it out of their reach. Phooey!


    Something occurred to her in that moment. In her quest for revenge, she lost sight of what was truly important: Glory! She allowed Leon to get one step closer to it by standing still as he made his escape.


    Roxie soared up after him. Opening the door panel, she entered the meeting room. His back faced her. He was too busy taking a breather to notice she was there. This disappointed Roxie, as she desired to make as grand an entrance as possible. Then a sneaky little thought bubbled through her mind.


    As Leon approached the door, Roxie hovered behind him like the ghost of his sins. He put his hand on the doorknob.


    She tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Hi~¡±


    ¡°Oh, hi Rox--Ahhhh!!¡± Her victim cowered against the door.


    ¡°Eheeheeheehee~¡± Roxie pointed at his cute little face. ¡°I got you! Meanie.¡±


    ¡°Meanie?¡±


    She nodded, frowning. ¡°You turned your back on your friends. And then when I got hit, and you laughed at meee! How cruel!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Leon¡¯s voice and expression showed sincere guilt. ¡°Wow, I... guess I did bail on you guys. Things were moving so fast, I panicked. But you can count on me not to do it again! Or laugh at you. That was kinda mean.¡±


    ¡°Worry not. Your actions may have wounded me,¡± Roxie clutched her heart dramatically, ¡°but I would¡¯ve done the same.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°No, I have honor. I just wanted to make you feel better.¡± She poked her cheeks to form a smile.


    ¡°Thanks! I think.¡±


    ¡°Laugh all you want, for I¡¯ll be laughing the last laugh when I--¡±


    Roxie reached for the doorknob, but Leon plastered himself against the door. They stared at each other in tense silence.


    ¡°Hoh! It seems we are at an impasse.¡± she noted.


    ¡°Yeah, we are kinda stuck here, aren¡¯t we?¡± He repeated the sentiment. ¡°We both know where to go.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Silence continued.


    Leon¡¯s starry eyes lit up. ¡°I know! We should have a battle.¡±


    ¡°The fruits of your thinking cap are very sweet.¡± Roxie stroked her chin thoughtfully.


    He struggled to parse her words, then continued. ¡°Whoever wins gets a head start.¡±


    ¡°And the loser¡¯s soft little face will be pinched!¡± She rubbed her hands together at the thought.


    Leon returned a look most unimpressed, the most unimpressed she¡¯d ever seen him. He sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really sure you¡¯re going to win this, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Confidence breeds victory, my friend.¡± Roxie patted him on the shoulder and dragged him to the middle of the room.


    The two stood in a tiny, square room of teal, broken only by the orange line dividing them both. No boxes nor exercise equipment were present to hide behind. Their battle would be a test of true skill.


    ¡°Are you ready to be pinched mercilessly?¡±


    Leon reached for his glasses. ¡°I just need to change a setting real quick, then you can start.¡±


    ¡°Ho ho! You are mistaken.¡± Roxie waved her finger. ¡°No, no, no. It is you who will be initiating the battle! That way you can¡¯t run even if you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Suddenly, Leon smiled. ¡°That means I get to show you my patterns! Alright, you¡¯re on! Are you ready for defeat?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let victory slip through my hands!¡±


    ¡°And I won¡¯t let myself get pinched.¡± With brimming confidence, he started the battle, pushing one hand forward and drawing the other back. ¡°Prepare yourself for ¡®Star Crossers!¡¯¡±


    A pair of stars crossed by Roxie. What a fitting name for the attack! Little did Leon know, Jun gifted her with the wisdom to handle this kind of pattern. She mostly stayed in one place, moving out of the way of the passing pairs.


    Leon, forgetting he was her opponent, started clapping. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re doing grea--Ouch!!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± She stopped in place just as the attack changed to.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He grimaced. ¡°I just forgot to set my collision settings back to ¡®Stun.¡¯ Do you know how to pause?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Roxie took note as Leon swirled his fingers. Two giant stars circled around her with light trailing behind them. ¡°Mia knows. Do you want me to go ask her?¡±


    ¡°My patterns will probably run out by the time you go downstairs and back. I¡¯ll have to tough it out either way.¡± resigned Leon. ¡°Of course, if you lose, I won¡¯t have to for long.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Well you better hope I do!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot my next attack name.¡± he noticed. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can make it past this Shooting Star Serenade!¡±


    The stars homed in on Roxie. She dodged out of the way. It was an easy enough pattern that she treated herself to a congratulatory chuckle.


    She soon suffered a rude awakening. When the stars collided, they exploded into much smaller stars, spread out at random. She thought she had the hang of that, but as the small stars were starting to clear out, one of the bigger stars reappeared.


    The other struck her from the side.


    ¡°Waaaaah!¡± The shame of being hit hurt more than the stun. If she hadn¡¯t switched to offensive mode prior to fighting Leon, she would¡¯ve lost right here. Thankfully, her hit points reset when she changed modes.


    Roxie fled out of the way of the star that hit her, as it and its partner homed in on where she was. On the opposite corner of the room, she braced herself for the incoming star storm.


    Leon stood in front of the door, just a few feet away. ¡°How do you like it?¡± He asked as Roxie dodged his attack. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on my patterns all week. At first, I was just gonna have it be the two bigger stars, but I thought that might be too simple. Now, I¡¯m not so sure if I could even do this one. You¡¯re really in the zone right now!¡±


    A star grazed Roxie¡¯s side, barely missing her collision target. ¡°Your every word is a test on my grip of the zone.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re acing it. Except for that one time you got hit.¡± By his cheery response, Roxie could tell he didn¡¯t quite get the message. But that¡¯s okay. His chatter just adds an extra layer of challenge. ¡°But that just means I won¡¯t get shocked this time, so thanks for that! Anyway, I hope you¡¯re ready for,¡± he shoved both arms forward, ¡°Cosmic Drift!¡±


    ¡°You bet I am!¡± Roxie glided over to the middle of the room, sliding to a halt as she planted her feet. She had as much fun dodging his patterns as he did announcing them.


    Stars of different shapes, sizes, and colors advanced toward her. A magical sight decorated the air.


    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty¡­¡± She was so overcome by the beauty of the pattern that she almost failed to realize the smaller stars moved faster than the rest.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it??¡± asked Leon, the proud father of a lovely pattern. ¡°I love looking at this pattern almost as much as I do looking at space.¡± He sighed dreamily at the thought of the cosmos.


    Weaving through the starry battlefield came naturally to Roxie. In a way, it felt almost serene. A smirk crossed her face as she spotted Leon on the ground, stewing in thought while she had all the fun.


    ¡°I feel so graceful and free, one with the universe.¡± she gloated. ¡°You call this a challenge? Truly, you are the fool to miss out on an opportunity like this.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Leon¡¯s cheeks puffed up as he pouted. Soon they would be hers for the pinching. ¡°Aww man, I lost my train of thought. Oh wait,¡± he regained it just as quickly, ¡°now I remember what I meant to do.¡±


    Leon lept over to a corner of the room and pushed his arms forward again. The stars shifted diagonally.


    ¡°H-Hey!¡± The change in direction sent a group of stars aimed straight at her abdomen. She drifted away from them, trying to search for an escape route. A lovely backdrop of stars became a disorienting web of danger in the flick of a hand.


    ¡°I thought you were having fun!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Roxie found herself against the back wall. ¡°I may be scared and confused, but I¡¯m having a great time!¡± She edged along it to get out of the oncoming projectiles.


    ¡°Great, so am I! If we weren¡¯t fighting, I¡¯d be rooting for you. I guess I still kinda am though. It¡¯s so cool watching you dodge everything, I can¡¯t really help it.¡± Leon smiled from ear to ear. ¡°Plus, it makes me feel less bad about doing this.¡±


    The stocky ranger hovered toward the left wall, then changed his mind and went toward the right. From there, he changed the course of the stars yet again.


    Roxie learned to go with the flow as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the flow forsook her by forcing her into the corner where the back wall met the left. Everywhere Roxie looked, stars approached her.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Some moved faster than others. Using this to her advantage, Roxie kicked herself off of the back wall, sliding narrowly past one of the heavier stars, while its quicker counterparts slammed into the corner Roxie escaped. She then kicked off of the left wall toward a bigger star, using her air jets to safely swivel around it into a clearing where she could get her bearings.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Leon clapped. ¡°Ow!¡±


    The stars disappeared in a flash.


    He hurried over to the light switch. ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready to arrive at the ¡®Constellation Station!¡¯¡±


    Roxie looked at the name pattern. ¡°It says ¡®Super Star Crossers X.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oops, I guess I left that one in.¡± Leon drew his hand away from the light switch. Just as he did with ¡®Star Crossers,¡¯ he pushed one hand forward and one hand back. Not much changed, except two pairs of stars crossed this time.


    This didn¡¯t phase Roxie. Both were on either side of the room, far away from her.


    Leon did the same motion again, but this time diagonally, which meant thrusting one of his hands directly into his chest.


    Focusing on that left Roxie with barely enough time to dodge the two sets of stars crossing in the middle of the room. ¡°Hoho! Clever technique. Distracting me with awkward movements so you can land the kill!¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I just didn¡¯t think this one through.¡± Leon summoned more stars the normal way. ¡°I was meaning to come back to it once I changed the name. Does it sound too anime?¡±


    ¡°It sounds more like a video game to me.¡± Roxie dodged another set of stars without much thought. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Sweet! I didn¡¯t want to be known as an anime fanboy.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯d rather be known as a gamer? Are we not cut from the same cloth? Do we not share the same table in society¡¯s dining hall?¡±


    ¡°Woah, woah, I never said I was a ¡®gamer.¡¯¡± He used air quotes between his next set of stars.


    ¡°Yet like roses by other names, we still reek the same stench!¡±


    Leon sniffed at himself before realizing his jumpsuits blocked any scent he could emanate. ¡°A-Anyway, it¡¯s easier to pass myself off as someone who happens to play video games here and there. I¡¯m not ashamed of the anime I like--most of it, anyway--it¡¯s just that when people know you like anime, they lump you in with certain people.¡±


    ¡°People like me?¡± Roxie leaned toward Leon with a smile smug enough to put any anime girl reaction image to shame, before revealing her own technique: The ability to do anime meme dances!


    ¡°I-I never said--What are you--Is that Chokoladansen?¡±


    ¡°Maaaybe.¡± Roxie chokoladansen¡¯d her way through the next sets of stars. Leon seemed to be doing them faster now. ¡°Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re better than me.¡± She threw her hands behind her as she dashed past the next set. ¡°We know we both did the Dashi dash in middle school.¡±


    ¡°No! How did you--Ahh!¡± Critical hit! Leon took a moment to sigh as the next pattern appeared. ¡°Anyway. Now¡¯s the time for ¡®Constellation Station.¡¯ Oooh, I should turn off the lights for this one.¡± He returned to his giddy self as he rushed over to the light switch. ¡°You¡¯re gonna love this!¡±


    Light vanished from the room except for the glow of the oxygen panel. Leon rose both hands up, summoning a grid of blue pinpoints. He pushed forward, and they drifted slowly toward the back of the room.


    Roxie joined them. She reached out, pretending to hold one in her hand. A faint line suddenly appeared between the dot in her hand and one nearby, followed by more lines connecting more points.


    Leon floated to the top of the room. ¡°Come up here! You can see it better.¡±


    After maneuvering through the grid up to the ceiling, Roxie could see the lines connecting between seven points to form a familiar shape. ¡°It¡¯s the Big Dipper!¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s the Little Dipper. The Big Dipper¡¯s handle has a bump in it.¡±


    ¡°Oh no! I¡¯ve been outed as a fake star-liker!¡± Roxie called herself out before Leon had the chance. In the dens of comic book stores and convention halls, she knew she¡¯d be burnt at the stake for making such a rookie mistake. Her shame surpassed that of a known anime fan¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can like stars without being super knowledgeable. That¡¯s the beauty of them.¡± Leon¡¯s eyes never parted from the ¡®Constellation Station.¡¯ ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to hear me ramble about them, that¡¯s alright with me.¡± He laughed to himself. ¡°You don¡¯t even have to be willing. I¡¯m pretty sure Aiden ignores me half the time, and I still keep going. I just like talking about things that make me happy.¡±


    Roxie laughed with him. His gentle nature made the heat of battle cozy. Both watched as most of the Little Dipper submerged into the back wall. The lasers linking it together disappeared. New ones appeared, linking in the shape of a W.


    ¡°Ooh, this one¡¯s Casseopeia.¡± Leon pointed to it. ¡°I mostly put this one in ¡®cause it was easy to make. It¡¯s supposed to be a lady, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Not just any lady,¡± Roxie corrected, ¡°but the lady who bragged that she and her daughter were more beautiful than the sea nymphs. Poseidon chained her daughter to a rock to get eaten by a giant sea monster.¡±


    ¡°Geez, that¡¯s kinda messed up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s life under the Greek pantheon.¡± She shook her head solemnly. ¡°But worry not, the daughter, Andromeda, was saved.¡±


    ¡°Like the villain from Galaxy Gal? Or I guess like the Andromeda Galaxy, since that¡¯s what she rules over.¡± Leon didn¡¯t seem to mind talking anime with her. ¡°Cool! I didn¡¯t know that. We both learned something new today.¡±


    ¡°The exchange of knowledge gifts the finest of riches!¡± Roxie held her fist high.


    As she hovered her way over to watch Casseopeia beside her friend, it disappeared. A new constellation formed around Roxie, a distorted trapezoid with a hook coming off one of its points.


    ¡°This is Leo!¡± Leon pointed out. ¡°Or at least it¡¯s supposed to be. I couldn¡¯t really get all the stars to fit, but I figured I had to put it in since it¡¯s the constellation I was born under, or something like that, I don¡¯t know astrology.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also your namesake, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s just a funny coincidence.¡± His face showed sudden concern. ¡°Uh, Roxie? Are you sure you¡¯ll be able to clear this one?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry your head. This lion is no match for The Great Roxaelia!¡± To be honest, she didn¡¯t know what he was so worried about. She¡¯d been able to breeze through this pattern with no thought at all. As long as she stayed between the points on the grid, she barely had to move. Being trapped in a trapezoid shouldn¡¯t change much.


    ¡°Is The Great Roxaelia a name you call yourself or someone you made up?¡±


    Roxie chuckled. ¡°The Great Roxaelia can not be confined within the boundaries of real and fake. Her trials and triumphs transcend reality! And you, lucky viewer, get the chance to witness one in real time.¡±


    ¡°How exciting!¡± Leon clapped.


    ¡°Trapped in the belly of the celestial lion,¡± Roxie narrated, ¡°our fearless warrior is surrounded not by organs nor fluids, but deadly energy fields.¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡±


    The bottom of Leo began to disappear into the wall. ¡°It phases through its cage, bringing her closer, inch by inch, to her demise. Thinking fast,¡± Roxie moved toward the point with the hook, ¡°she makes her way up to the creature¡¯s throat, but the passage is too narrow to pass through.¡±


    ¡°How will she--¡±


    ¡°How will The Great Roxaelia escape this situation?¡± She wondered that for herself as her back pressed against the wall. ¡°Is this the end of her adventures?¡± She should¡¯ve pressed against the ceiling instead, but with the lasers less than a foot away, her chance had passed. ¡°Find out next episode!¡± The lasers drew closer. Her heart thumped against her chest as if it wanted to leap out at them. ¡°Uhhh, this is where we cut to commercial break!¡±


    ¡°Ow...¡±


    The lasers and the entire grid disappeared. Roxie breathed a sigh of relief.


    Leon turned on the lights. ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to get used to these shocks.¡±


    ¡°And what a shocking conclusion it was! For Roxaelia¡¯s ally, uhhh,¡± Roxie needed more time to think of a name for Leon¡¯s character, ¡°Name Pending, used his¡­ stun ray to disrupt the lion¡¯s form. Good work!¡±


    ¡°Name Pending?¡± questioned Leon. ¡°What? Am I related to Ranger Pending?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of a name for you yet, Rookie.¡± Roxie pushed herself down from the top of the room. ¡°Just you wait!¡±


    ¡°Okay. In the meantime, prepare yourself for my-- Oops, this isn¡¯t the pattern I thought it was. I guess get ready for ¡®Super Star Crossers X Deluxe!!¡¯¡±


    Leon folded his hands together, sending rows of stars at Roxie from each side of the room. There was no option to simply move out of the way of their paths. Instead, Roxie followed behind one row before pivoting to the next row when they crossed. Whether side to side, front to back, or diagonally, this remained a sound strategy.


    ¡°Ow! Nevermind, I¡¯m not used to it!¡± Leon¡¯s pain signaled the changing of patterns. ¡°Well, now it¡¯s time for you to see,¡± his voice deepened, ¡°my final attack.¡±


    Roxie commended his dramatic flair even though he was too soft and loveable for it to come off as menacing.


    ¡°You might wanna stand back for this one.¡±


    Leon stepped toward the middle of the room, while Roxie drifted back as advised.


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited for you to see this one!¡± His eyes crinkled with glee. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Activate! ¡®Double Neutron Supernova!¡¯¡±


    Twisting his whole body around, Leon held his arms out. Giant, glowing orbs decorated with stars burst from the walls, trailing unbreakable light. They spun a vortex, drawing closer to him.


    ¡°What??¡± Roxie marveled as she tried to remain in the vortex¡¯s lanes. ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡±


    ¡°Thanks! I modeled it off of real neutron stars!¡±


    ¡°Wow, based on a true story?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but be jealous at how cool this pattern made him look. ¡°I¡¯m impressed.¡±


    ¡°And you haven¡¯t seen the best part yet. Watch this!¡±


    As the stars engulfed Leon and touched one another, an explosion of projectiles erupted from either side of the center, striking Roxie in the process.


    The sudden impact shook her to the core, not that the stun setting helped. ¡®What was that??¡±


    ¡°This is what happens when stars die.¡±


    His words hit Roxie almost as hard as the explosion. She wanted to take in the moment with awe, but she was down to her last hit. Like clockwork, the spiral slowly wound tighter and tighter. It was to the point where she stood shoulder to shoulder with each ray of light. Any closer, and she¡¯d be toast.


    With hope dwindling, she glanced at her life counter where there were¡­ two bars? Was she seeing double? She could¡¯ve sworn she took two hits during the battle.


    Another explosion happened right in front of her face. Upon instinct, she took a step back, dodging it before it could expand.


    ¡°That was close!¡±


    Leon¡¯s voice sounded much closer. It was then Roxie realized that the vortex didn¡¯t tighten, she had just gotten pulled toward the center. A newfound hope overtook her. While she had less confidence in her math and her memory, she wouldn¡¯t waste this chance!


    Roxie wandered backward until she reached the walls. Another explosion occurred, but it didn¡¯t throw any projectiles in her direction.


    ¡°How could something so terrible be so beautiful?¡±


    ¡°My pattern?¡± The stars enveloped Leon, causing another explosion.


    ¡°No!¡± Roxie scrambled forward to avoid it. ¡°The death of a star.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh. That¡¯s just how stars are. Amazing, even in death.¡±


    ¡°Can a star¡¯s life be cut short?¡± She wondered aloud.


    Another explosion came from Leon¡¯s direction. ¡°Hmmm. If it¡¯s too close to a bigger star, maybe, but that doesn¡¯t happen often. Plus, old stars often become new stars, so they never really die.¡±


    Not ideal, but she¡¯d take it over being human. ¡°I wish we could be stars.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Leon agreed, but probably not for the same reasons.


    The stars embraced one more time, sending out an explosion before Roxie could react. Projectiles flew past, grazing her sides, but never coming into contact with her collision detector. For a moment, it felt exhilarating, terrifying, and unpredictable all at once. But that was life. And just like that, everything stopped.


    ¡°Ow! You won!¡±


    It took Roxie a second to return to the moment. When she did, she struck a cute pose, poking herself in the cheek. ¡°Hehe, byuuun~¡±


    Leon stared, mildly bewildered. ¡°Sometimes, I don¡¯t understand how you exist.¡±


    ¡°Many have said that.¡± Though keeping lighthearted, Roxie waited tensely for Leon to point out which aspect of her made her existence unrealistic.


    ¡°You¡¯re like someone tried to bring an anime character to life.¡±


    What a novel response! She let down her guard, relieved. ¡°I could say the same of you.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, I guess that¡¯s why we¡¯re friends.¡± He held out a hand. ¡°Anyway, congratulations! You really hung in there.¡±


    Roxie scooped him up in a hug.


    ¡°I-- Oh, okay!¡± He returned it.


    She let go, taking his hands instead. ¡°Be proud, for you were a valiant opponent!¡±


    ¡°Aww, thanks Roxie, I¡¯m really glad you enjoyed my patterns.¡± He smiled a warm, bucktoothed smile.


    Roxie faced toward the door. ¡°Well, I guess our struggle for glory draws to a close.¡± She stepped toward it, grabbing the knob. ¡°I¡¯ll see you on the other side.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you forgot--¡±


    ¡°I forgot what?¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes shifted. ¡°Youuu forgooot to tell me how long the head start lasts.¡±


    Roxie thought about how long it would take for her to reach the captains¡¯ quarters. ¡°15 seconds should be fair enough. But only after I leave.¡±


    ¡°You got it!¡±


    That couldn¡¯t have been what she forgot, but whatever it was, it could wait. While life felt scary at times, it was beautiful, and she wanted to experience those parts as much as she could while she had the time. The desire to hug all of her friends overcame her. As she stepped into the observation deck, she wondered if maybe Emil would be the next to embrace.


    Along with those feelings came a twinge of jealousy. Leon obviously had so much fun showing her his patterns. She yearned for the chance to show hers off. But it had to wait for another time.

 [Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain] Ch 6. Party in the Captains Room

    13¡­ 14¡­ 15 seconds.


    Leon entered the observation deck, hoping Roxie hadn¡¯t made it to the captains¡¯ room, but knowing she probably did. Oh well. At least he had one victory today.


    Sure enough, Roxie was already knocking on the captains¡¯ door. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the room inside looked like but didn¡¯t follow her. She had already won.


    So did he, in a way. While she stood high above the tiled floors, he got to look out the window, into an ocean of stars. In the middle sat that familiar blue marble he called home: Earth. They should land in a couple weeks. He couldn¡¯t deny a part of him felt homesick, even though he was having the time of his life.


    Leon floated toward the window for a closer look. There were so many things he wished he could return to, like the crisp winter air on his legs or his friends laughing as he wore shorts in the snow. Other things, he was glad to leave behind. Though could he really say he¡¯d never turn his back on a friend when¡­? No. He shouldn¡¯t worry about that.


    ¡°Yo, Rookie!¡± Emil¡¯s voice echoed through the room.


    Leon placed a foot on the floor, stopping on a dime. He turned around to see Roxie joined by the lieutenant captain at the top of the stairs.


    ¡°C¡¯mon up here, we¡¯re waiting on you~¡± Emil winked, pointing down at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right up!¡± Leon pushed himself off of the floor. He could¡¯ve sworn the tile sunk beneath his foot, but he was too busy soaring into the air to pay it much mind.


    Soaring a little too high, actually. He must¡¯ve pumped the air jets a little too hard, because he flew straight past Roxie and Emil toward the ceiling. A hand grabbed his foot just in time.


    ¡°Got¡¯cha!¡± Emil struck a stylish pose. ¡°Uh-oh.¡± Unfortunately, he forgot to grab onto the stair railing, so he got swept up with Leon.


    Roxie came to the rescue. With a mighty tug, she pulled him back to the ground in no time.


    ¡°Thanks Roxie, I don¡¯t know where we¡¯d be without ya.¡±


    ¡°On the ceiling!¡± she answered. ¡°Celebratory hug?¡±


    ¡°Ah, what the heck?¡± Emil welcomed her with an open arm. The other slung around Leon¡¯s shoulder, pulling him down.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He laughed sheepishly. ¡°You guys are lifesavers.¡±


    The lieutenant let them go. ¡°Come in, come in. I¡¯ve been expecting you.¡±


    Leon and Roxie followed him into a dim, red room. Leon remembered back to a month ago, how alarmed the captain was when Emil first mentioned this room existed. His goosebumps told him they probably shouldn¡¯t be here, yet it didn¡¯t stop his eyes from taking in every sight, from the golden beds in front of him, to the wooden desk on the other side.


    Most eye-catching of all was the screen above the desk, which had to take up a good third of the wall. It displayed camera feeds from all over the Celestion-5.


    ¡°Woah¡­ This is like every room in the ship.¡± Leon continued marveling. ¡°Look, Mia¡¯s still reading at the kitchen table. And there in the gym, Aiden¡¯s talking to Jun!¡± He pointed to the top-leftmost section. ¡°I can even see us right here!¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Emil nodded. ¡°Pretty sweet, huh? Notice anything else?¡±


    Roxie tilted her head. ¡°Where¡¯s the captain?¡±


    ¡°Ding, ding, ding!¡± He spun to face her. ¡°That¡¯s the million-dollar question of the day: Where the heck did he go?¡±


    Leon shared a look with Roxie. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s been gone the entire week!¡± Roxie followed up. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen him since??¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve seen him.¡± Emil tapped his forehead. ¡°He still has to sleep. I just don¡¯t know where he runs off to.¡± He placed his hands on the desk. ¡°So I¡¯ve been watchin¡¯ these cameras all day. No luck.¡±


    Leon thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s somewhere where the cameras can¡¯t see him?¡±


    ¡°You guys hit every blind spot there is on the way up.¡± Emil¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave the cameras. ¡°If he were hiding in ¡®em, you woulda seen him. The only room without cameras is our bathroom,¡± he hopped over to a door on the very right and opened it up to reveal a toilet, ¡°...and he¡¯s not here!¡±


    ¡°What manner of vanishing magic does he possess?¡± pondered Roxie.


    The lieutenant sighed. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanna know.¡±


    Leon looked from him to Roxie. ¡°Uhhhh, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeeeeah. You guys¡¯ bet¡¯ll have to be a draw, I guess.¡± Emil leaned on the bathroom door. ¡°I gotta give you props for keeping me entertained. Shame it was all for nothing.¡±


    ¡°It was not all for naught!¡± Roxie pointed to the sky. ¡°We still had another question, remember?¡±


    Leon did not remember.


    She continued anyway. ¡°We still need to uncover the identity of the mysterious Lorie!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± He finally remembered. ¡°Yeah, who¡¯s Lorie?¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± Emil grimaced. ¡°I was hoping you wouldn¡¯t remember that.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate the strength of our memory!¡± Roxie overestimated the strength of Leon¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯d tell you guys if I could, but it¡¯s kind of a secret.¡±


    ¡°Pleeease? Pretty pleeease?¡±


    Emil shielded his face to protect himself from Roxie¡¯s puppy dog eyes. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Can you at least give us a hint?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°Weeeelll, I suppoooose.¡± He tapped his chin. Suddenly, the lieutenant leapt from his place and snatched a pair of simulator glasses from the desk, brushing by the other two before landing on the opposite wall. ¡°But you¡¯ll hafta fight me for it first.¡± He wagged a finger. ¡°If at least one of you wins, I¡¯ll give you a hint on who Lorie is. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Leon was ready.


    ¡°You¡¯re on!¡± Roxie too.


    ¡°Alriiiight!¡± Emil winked, moving toward the middle of the room. ¡°Let¡¯s get this party started.¡±


    Between the two beds, Emil started his first pattern ¡®I Made This Again.¡¯ A slow stream of projectiles fired from his hand, creating a line between his opponents. His hand swiveled in Roxie¡¯s direction. The stream itself curved like a rope being swung around. She fled from it, only to trap herself in the back corner of the room. It looked like game over for her, but using her feet, she pushed herself off the floor, along the wall, and over the beds. Leon found himself impressed even though she was screaming the entire time.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaah!¡± Roxie continued cowering, making her way around the room and back.


    The projectile rope detached from Emil¡¯s hand, clumped up, and spread out toward them. Luckily, the gaps between each shot were so big, Leon and Roxie could just stand in place.


    Emil stood there, a little befuddled. ¡°Huh. Oh well, think of this as a warm up!¡±


    He fired up another stream, this time turning in the other direction. Roxie took action first, circling back around the room the way she came. Leon followed her lead, but as he leapt over the beds, his foot caught the edge of one. He came out fine, though his heart hitched a little in his chest.


    Emil, on the other hand, wheezed like he¡¯d breathed his last breath. He sucked it back through his teeth, eyes bugging out. Quickly, he regained his cool.


    ¡°Ah, new rule, everyone!¡± With a smile, he rushed over to the bed. ¡°Uhhhh, don¡¯t go near this bed, okay?¡± He winked, then hurriedly began smoothing out where Leon had tripped.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Leon replied from the safety of the other side of the room. ¡°Wait, how do we do that when your attack swings around the room?¡±


    ¡°I understand the answer to your troubles.¡± Roxie tapped him on the shoulder. The two stood still as the detached projectiles passed them by. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the next time around.¡±


    But there was no next time around. Their opponent was too busy to start it again. He continued fixing the bed, muttering to himself.


    ¡°Looks good, looks good. Now to check. Where isss¡­?¡± Emil looked around before his eyes locked on to the desk on the other side of the bed. He ran up the wall over to the other side and grabbed a coin out of its drawer before launching it into the bed. It did not bounce. ¡°Right. This doesn¡¯t work without gravity. Aghh!¡± His hands squeezed his hair. ¡°Now I messed it up even more!¡±


    Leon glanced at Roxie. ¡°Should we get his attention?¡±


    ¡°The longer he¡¯s distracted, the better chance we¡¯ll have at winning!¡± She whispered.


    Leon felt a little bad for worrying him this much, even though the bed he tripped over looked just as neat as the other one, if not more so.


    Emil smoothed it over some more before placing his hands on his hips. He pointed one at it, turning back to the others. ¡°Does this look like anyone¡¯s ever slept in it?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡± answered Roxie.


    ¡°Not good enough.¡± He raised his hands in defeat. ¡°I did my best.¡±


    Leon scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cool, it¡¯s cool.¡± Emil waved his hands. ¡°I can say I did it. Now back to¨C¡± he squinted, ¡°Huh?? When did it move to the next pattern?¡±


    ¡°It moved to the next pattern?¡± Leon looked at his display, and sure enough, the pattern title changed to ¡®The Ol¡¯ Razzle Dazzle.¡¯


    ¡°Yep!¡± Roxie smiled innocently.


    Emil slumped his shoulders, pouting. ¡°You coulda tooooold meeee.¡±


    ¡°Would you not have done the same in our position?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re right~ Guess I better make the most of this.¡±


    The lieutenant placed one hand on top of the other, sliding the fingers of the top hand between the ones on the bottom. Thin rays of light spread out from where he was, some long enough to cut Leon and Roxie off from each other, others too short to reach the walls.


    Leon pushed himself away from the rays as they spun quickly in his direction. Too quickly for him to get by with just floating away. He pumped his air jets to give him a speed boost. Unfortunately, he went too fast and found himself on a crash course with the ray in front of him.


    ¡°Remember the bed!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Uhh¨C¡± It didn¡¯t even occur to Leon that he was getting dangerously close to the special bed. Without thinking, he jammed a foot down and came to a stop. Leon accepted his fate of getting hit. It never came. Instead, the rays passed over his head. That confused him until he noticed the world turning sideways. His face hit the carpet. He must¡¯ve been going so fast that the momentum carried the rest of his body to the ground.


    ¡°Are you good down there?¡± Emil¡¯s voice called from above.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Leon raised a thumbs up. ¡°Actually, better than fine. I¡¯m not getting hit!¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a design flaw¡­¡±


    ¡°What a clever technique!¡± From under the bed, Roxie¡¯s feet could be seen hopping back and forth roughly in the same place she started.


    ¡°Thanks, but how are you surviving right now?¡±


    ¡°Did you pay attention to the lines?¡±


    Leon looked up to see that not only were the rays of light spinning, but shrinking and growing as they did. ¡°Ohhhhhhh, I get it! When they shrink, you can just go around it. Then you don¡¯t have to move so much.¡±


    ¡°You got it!¡± answered Emil. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve told you, but Roxie already caught on, so eh.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s probably a way you can get your pattern to tilt from side to side so people can¡¯t just hide under it.¡±


    ¡°Or above!¡± Roxie¡¯s feet were no longer on the ground.


    Emil groaned. ¡°You guys are lucky I don¡¯t remember how to pause.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I!¡± Leon laid his head on its side. ¡°Huh?¡± Underneath the special bed, Leon saw nothing, but he could see many things stashed under the bed farther away. One stood out to him in particular. ¡°Is that a guitar??¡±


    ¡°Are you looking under my bed?¡± Emil laughed. ¡°Wow Rookie, didn¡¯t know you were that nosy. Give a guy some priva¡­¡± He never finished his sentence.


    Leon gasped. ¡°It¡¯s yours?? Do you know how to play it?¡±


    ¡°Mm-hm!¡± Could Emil get any cooler? ¡°My stepdad taught me. Maybe I could play for you guys sometime.¡±


    ¡°Wooow¡­¡± Leon continued staring at the electric guitar in awe.


    ¡°Ahh¨C! Yep, that¡¯s the end of that one.¡± announced Emil. ¡°Rookie, come over this way so you don¡¯t give me a heart attack.¡±


    Leon pushed himself up on his feet, and made his way past Emil and his bed over to Roxie. Wait. If the other bed was Emil¡¯s, then the one he tripped over had to be the captain¡¯s. He imagined the disapproving eyes of Captain Galhardo bearing down on him and felt dread. No wonder Emil panicked.


    Emil spread his hands in front of and behind him, firing a stream of shots that Leon and Roxie sidestepped, and one in the opposite direction. He fired two more side to side, much like ¡®I Made This 2.¡¯ That¡¯s probably why it was called ¡®I Made This 2 Again.¡¯


    This time, he kept his arms held out and pivoted, sending all the streams turning with him. If this attack was anything like the last one, Leon figured he could just avoid it by going up. He did just that, and Roxie followed.


    ¡°Heh! You think you guys got it all figured out, don¡¯t¡¯cha? Check this!¡± Emil tilted his body, changing the trajectory of all his shots so that the others stood in the line of fire.


    Leon desperately tried hand-walking on the ceiling to dodge one stream, only to find his leg being yanked down by Roxie as she scrambled down the wall.


    She pulled him down just in time to avoid taking a hit. ¡°It¡¯ll be easier on the floor!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Roxie!¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Emil tilted himself upright. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to spend the whole pattern like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome~¡± Roxie pushed her knuckles against her cheeks. ¡°Now, behold!¡± She turned to the oncoming stream, watched it, then stepped through the gaps. ¡°See? It¡¯s easy! Kind of like jump roping.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡± That brought comfort to Leon, until it didn¡¯t. ¡°I was never good at jump rope.¡±


    ¡°No time to learn like the present.¡± At this point, Emil nearly faced the opposite wall.


    He was right. It was time for Leon to step forward into a new challenge. So he did.


    ¡°W-Wait, stop!¡±


    ¡°Stop?¡± As he obeyed Roxie¡¯s warning, a shot grazed Leon¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    ¡°G¨COh!!¡± Another would¡¯ve hit him in the side if he hadn¡¯t reacted. ¡°That was close!¡±


    While waiting for the next stream, Leon¡¯s mind wandered back to the captain¡¯s bed. It seemed like its neatness was a big deal. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t take it as bad if he thought Emil did it, but knowing the captain, he might not let him off so easily.


    ¡°Hey, Emil, you don¡¯t have to take the blame for the bed thing. You can tell Captain Galhardo I messed it up.¡±


    Emil tensed up. ¡°Thanks, but that would let him know you guys were here. No can do.¡±


    Roxie tilted her head. ¡°We¡¯re not permitted?¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest!¡± He sounded as if he¡¯d announced a prize. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really thinking.¡±


    ¡°Is it against the rules?¡± Leon saw the next stream pass the corner, heading toward him and Roxie.


    ¡°Not really, but¡ª Actually, I think the handbook says if the captain isn¡¯t present, the next in command gains their authority. That should cover me, right? I¡¯d check, but uhh,¡± Emil¡¯s voice quieted down, ¡°I don¡¯t exactly know where my copy is.¡±


    ¡°You can borrow mine!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lifesaver, Rookie!¡±


    ¡°I can get it from my duffle ba¨C No, it wasn¡¯t in there. Is it on the desk? The shelf? Where did I last¡­? Oh, right, it¡¯s on my bed!¡± Leon¡¯s cheeks began to burn. ¡°At home. Uhhhh, Roxie? You wouldn¡¯t happen to have yours, would you?¡±


    ¡°Not right now!¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course not right now, I meant in your room or something.¡±


    ¡°No, ¡®not right now¡¯ as in ¡®now is not the time for such things because w¡¯¨CWaaaah!¡± She screamed as shots passed by her before realizing she didn¡¯t take damage, ¡°--you¡¯re in danger!¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t have much time to think before his turn came. He stepped forward, letting gravity take him where it may. It took him right through a gap and to Roxie, where they gave each other a double high-five.


    It took him a moment to remember what he asked before. ¡°So do you have your handbook?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fiiine.¡± Emil cut in before she could answer. ¡°That¡¯s just one more reason to find my bro! He always keeps two copies on him.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s thorough.¡±


    ¡°That seems too heavy for his cape.¡± remarked Roxie.


    ¡°That¡¯s the¨COw!¡± Emil¡¯s pattern ended. He tapped his head. ¡°That¡¯s the thing. He has one physical copy. The other¡¯s in his mind.¡±


    Roxie gasped. ¡°Mental storage!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right~¡± He winked.


    The lieutenant spread out his hands, creating arced green walls of light. Slowly, they expanded toward Leon and Roxie like a ¡®Soundwave,¡¯ the pattern¡¯s name .


    ¡°Sometimes I wish my brain worked more like his.¡±


    Neither ranger had to move to clear the first gap, but in its place came another wave.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Emil continued making more. ¡°When he sets a goal, he devotes himself to it. Strict exercise regimen, eating really healthy, studying all night, he¡¯d been training all his life to be a star ranger. Sure, we kinda got it drilled into us, but he took it to the next level!¡±


    ¡°Wow, he sounds really¨C Uhh, what¡¯s the word?¡± Leon positioned himself between a gap by the computer desk. ¡°It¡¯s like single-minded, but not in a bad way.¡±


    ¡°Committed! Driven!¡± Roxie¡¯s words were muffled by the wall she had to plaster herself against to avoid a wave. Emil¡¯s bed being in the area gave her less wiggle room. ¡°Dedicated!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one! Dedicated!¡± Leon motioned for Roxie to come over to his side.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± It was hard to see Emil through multiple walls, but Leon could hear his excitement. ¡°Not only that, but he¡¯s really practical, too. When we got older, Dad was usually busy or gone, so he¡¯d handle a lotta the housework.¡±


    ¡°With all of his other routines?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how he had the time. It takes a lot for me to focus on things I need to do!¡±


    ¡°Really? You were able to keep up with a lot a couple weeks ago.¡±


    Emil chuckled. ¡°And look where that got me. Flat chest hair and a flattened Rookie.¡±


    ¡°Almost flattened.¡± Leon corrected. ¡°Wait, what was that about chest hair??¡±


    ¡°Hair of the heart!¡± Roxie finally made it to the desk. ¡°His heart hair was suffering.¡±


    Now Leon understood even less. ¡°I didn¡¯t know hearts had hair, but that sounds bad. Take care of yourself.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t hafta tell me twice!¡± One of Emil¡¯s next waves aimed directly at Leon and Roxie. The next free spot was back where she¡¯d come from. With a tilt of his head, Leon led the way over. ¡°I¡¯m spoiled, so I¡¯m only good for making people smile. My brother does the important stuff, like¨COh, I think he¡¯s the one who fixed the TV!¡±


    ¡°Well it has to be either him or Lorie!¡± Roxie pulled Leon away from crashing into a wall. He gave her a thumbs up and pointed to the next opening.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I guess so!¡±


    It was easier to get around the waves before they expanded, Leon figured out, so he decided to move closer to Emil. He could finally see his face.


    Emil¡¯s eyes locked onto him. He smiled. ¡°Hey there.¡±


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    His smile turned to laughter as he created a wall right in front of Leon.


    ¡°Comrade, take my hand!¡± Behind him, Roxie reached out. Leon took her hand and she dragged him a safe distance. They continued floating back with the wave.


    ¡°Sorry Roxie, I keep thinking I have things figured out, and then it all goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! Your strategy was a smart one, you just got a teensy bit too close.¡± She pinched her hands together.


    ¡° Wow, I¡¯m not used to getting that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say you were on the right track! I mean¨C!!¡± Emil cut himself off. ¡°Don¡¯t take my word for it, I¡¯m not the brightest bulb in the shed.¡±


    ¡°You seem pretty smart to me.¡± Not that Emil was a genius, but Leon didn¡¯t see him as less intelligent than anyone he knew.


    Roxie guided Leon to the next opening. ¡°And even if you¡¯re not, it¡¯s what¡¯s in your heart that counts~¡±


    Emil stopped creating waves. ¡°Guys, I was just jo¨C¡±


    ¡°Like the blood keeping you alive!¡±


    ¡°...Thanks.¡±


    The area cleared, allowing Leon and Roxie to move a little closer, but not too much. Emil smiled to himself, deep in thought. He looked calmer than usual, at least until he noticed the other two nearby. His arms moved to create more waves, but something startled him before he could. That something was named ¡®I Made This ~More Special~¡¯


    ¡°We should probably move back.¡± If this was anything like the original version, Leon had an idea what to expect.


    Just as he expected, the pattern started off identically to ¡®I Made This 2 Again.¡¯ Four streams of projectiles, turning with him as he spun around. This time though, he pivoted twice to make himself go a little faster.


    ¡°If you really wanna talk about smart people,¡± Emil continued, ¡°my brother was at the top of his class. I cheered all the way through his valedictorian speech!¡±


    ¡°Valedictorian?? Of IF Prep Academy?¡± Leon followed Roxie as she crossed a gap in the first stream, though again, it nearly hit him. He could never get the timing right.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it really competitive?¡± Even she was surprised.


    ¡°Maybe for the rest of us, but nobody came close to him.¡± Emil beamed with so much pride, he might as well have been talking about his own accomplishments.


    Suddenly, he stopped and pulled his arms in. All four streams ejected from him, and he fired four more streams, this time diagonally. He pivoted himself in the opposite direction.


    ¡°That¡¯s the reason he got scouted for the Celestion mission, actually. Our principal wouldn¡¯t stop gushing about him and he knew somebody who knew somebody.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t hear anything from your dad first?¡± Roxie narrowly leapt through a gap. ¡°Whew! My dad would advertise my triumphs more than he¡¯d advertise cars!¡±


    ¡°Pshh! Like my dad would let people know we exist.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Instead of trying his luck, Leon followed the streams until Emil dispersed them again. ¡°Do you know why they selected you?¡±


    ¡°Someone else was supposed to go, but they couldn¡¯t find anyone willing, so Dad was like,¡± Emil put on a deeper voice, ¡°¡®You. Go with him.¡¯ I don¡¯t get it. Like yeah, people don¡¯t think much of us ¡®cuzza our age, but it¡¯s hard for me to look at my brother and not think everything¡¯s gonna be alright. It¡¯s like what can¡¯t he do, you know?¡±


    ¡°Awww! How sweet! Huh?¡± Roxie was momentarily distracted by Leon waving at her. She picked up the hint and followed him. ¡°You must look up to him a lot.¡±


    ¡°Of course~¡± Emil stopped once again and dispersed the streams, while Leon and Roxie crossed the larger gap it made. He watched them celebrate.


    ¡°I wish I had a little sibling. They could adore me, and I would smother them. But alas,¡± She held a hand to her forehead, ¡°the stork has deprived me.¡±


    Emil laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure Rookie knows what I¡¯m talking about,¡± He fired his next set of shots, ¡°but me and my bro can get on each other¡¯s nerves.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Leon thought as he floated away from danger. ¡°Actually, we never fight.¡±


    ¡°Never?? That must be great!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess so.¡± He felt like he could say more, but didn¡¯t know what. Emil pushing away the next streams saved him from having to think about it.


    Roxie crossed through the next gap with Leon. ¡°Emil, the captain is someone of many talents, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Then why is he using invisibility so much?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh! You mean why he¡¯s hiding?¡± deciphered Emil. He sighed. ¡°Wish I knew. ¡­Is he that afraid of p¨C?¡± Emil twitched a little, and suddenly his pattern stopped. ¡°Stun again.¡±


    ¡°Afraid of what?¡± Leon couldn¡¯t imagine the captain having much to fear.


    A chip-toothed grin crossed Emil¡¯s face. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know? I¡¯ve been ramblin¡¯ about me and my bro for so long now, I think it¡¯s high time you guys be ¡®In The Spotlight.¡¯¡±


    As his finger lowered toward the two rangers, spotlights shined down on them. It trapped them in an area outlined by a circle on the ground. Outside, a grid of orange lights appeared one by one.


    ¡°Wooooah.¡± Leon looked around, too mesmerized to worry.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Emil tapped his chin, ¡°I only had one person in mind when I was creating this, so you might have to squeeze in.¡±


    Roxie pointed upward. ¡°So is it bad if we step out?¡±


    Emil coyly shrugged, which might as well have been a yes.


    She pointed again, toward Leon¡¯s side. ¡°Behind you!¡±


    ¡°What? Ahh!¡± Leon noticed the edge of the spotlight creeping toward him just in time to jump away. Unfortunately, this left him drifting toward another edge.


    ¡°Wait wait wait, noooo!¡± Roxie grabbed his hand, but because she didn¡¯t pull back, his momentum pulled her with him. Normally this wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, but the cramped space made every move crucial.


    She yanked his hand back, saving him from the edge, but now they were locked in a slow yet uncontrollable spin, tugging each others¡¯ hands back and forth to save each other from disaster. The more he thought about it, Leon felt it was a little silly considering how well they¡¯ve been doing. Then it hit him.


    Roxie only had one hit left.


    Emil crouched on top of a nearby computer chair, his eyes wide with excitement. ¡°I¡¯m on the edge of my seat!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad our suffering amuses¨CEeyaaah!¡± Roxie couldn¡¯t even finish her sarcasm before realizing her back was dangerously close to the wall.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got you!¡± Leon raised his hands to pull her back. ¡°Oops!¡± What he didn¡¯t plan for was her rising as well.


    ¡°Put me down, put me down!¡± She squeaked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how! Wait, duh!¡± If he could pull her up, he could pull her down.


    With one tug, she lowered until she touched the floor. It took even less effort for her to get Leon grounded. They let go and took a bow.


    Emil stood on his chair and clapped. ¡°Bravo! Bravo! Great performance! Gotta say, I¡¯ve been enjoying your teamwork so far. Some people could take notes.¡± He spoke through his teeth. ¡°But now the real show begins. Here¡¯s some flowers for your troubles.¡± Emil motioned tossing out flowers with a wink and a smile. Five pink ones appeared, flying toward Leon and Roxie at high speeds.


    Both somehow avoided them by cowering, but just as they did, Emil threw out five more.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we don¡¯t need any flowers!¡± Leon pleaded.


    ¡°No, no, I insist.¡± Emil kept tossing them out like candy. ¡°You¡¯re doing such a good job right now! So in sync! I¡¯m proud of you!¡±


    ¡°Your words are appreciated, your projectiles are not!¡± Roxie nearly backed into the wall by Emil¡¯s bed dodging a flower.


    Leon saw that the spotlight began backing toward the left wall. ¡°It¡¯s kinda hard to keep track of the spotlight and the flowers at the same time with so little room to move around in.¡±


    ¡°All jokes aside, you two have been doing really good despite me designing it for one. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Emil¡¯s warm encouragement gave Leon a boost in will power.


    ¡°Roxie!¡± A lightbulb went off in his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do both!¡±


    ¡°We do if we want to live!¡±


    ¡°No, I mean¨C¡±


    ¡°Look out!¡±


    Leon backed away from a flower in time. ¡°I mean we can each focus on a different thing.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh! And we can hold hands to guide each other to safety!¡± Roxie made grabbing motions with her hands.


    He put his in hers. ¡°Good idea! It¡¯ll be like prom, but in a bedroom with no music.¡±


    ¡°And the corsages are on the attack!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a corsa¨C?¡±


    ¡°Leave room for jasmines!¡± called Emil.


    Roxie pushed Leon away as a flower whizzed between them.


    ¡°Is that what those flowers are?¡± asked Leon.


    Emil shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Ask my uncle.¡±


    Though stilted slow dancing, Leon and Roxie maneuvered their way through the flowers, all while staying in the spotlight. Emil¡¯s throws got lazier over time. Leon glanced up to see him laying on his bed.


    He propped his chin up with his hand. ¡°I wish I got to go to prom, but my dad didn¡¯t like us being out at night.¡±


    ¡°Mine either!¡± chimed Roxie. ¡°He was afraid I¡¯d get kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°Mine too!¡±


    ¡°Hm? They wouldn¡¯t let you go to prom but they let you go to Neptune?¡± That sounded weird to Leon.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ask me how my dad¡¯s mind works!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like? Tell us, tell us!¡± Roxie urged.


    Leon thought for a moment. ¡°Well, I went with my girlfriend at the time,¡± having to add ¡®at the time¡¯ made his heart sink, ¡°we got dressed up. It was a lot of taking pictures. And dancing! There was dancing too. I kept stepping on her toes, so I guess I¡¯m doing a little better now.¡± Leon sighed. ¡°I miss her¡­¡±


    ¡°Awww. I know how it feels.¡± She related. ¡°Sometimes, I still miss mine.¡±


    Emil gasped. ¡°Roxie, you had a girlfriend? Niiice!¡± His legs kicked back and forth. ¡°A-And you having a girlfriend is cool too, Rookie¨COw!!¡±


    The spotlights vanished. Leon and Roxie finally let go of each other and the need to stay in one place. Emil dove from his bed to the computer chair and crawled his way up to a crouch.


    ¡°I was kinda hoping one of you would make it this far.¡± He dragged a hand around himself. Beadlike orbs trailed behind it. ¡°¡®Cause like it says in the title, ¡®I Made This For You~¡¯¡±


    ¡°For us?¡± Leon watched him stand up, then point at the ceiling. Faint red lasers shot out from each orb, expanding into thicker, brighter ones. Those looked like trouble. What looked like even more trouble was Emil resting his foot on the side of the desk. Nonchalantly, he kicked it, sending the chair and himself and the lasers into a spin quicker than any before!


    Leon and Roxie, caught between two, soared across the room to keep up with them. They soon found themselves sitting ducks, trapped against a wall. The lasers dimmed just before making contact.


    ¡°Rookie!¡± Roxie¡¯s voice came from a distance.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time to be idle!¡± She made it all the way back to the front door as Leon finally processed that the dim lasers weren¡¯t dangerous.


    And then they became bright again.


    Bzzt!


    ¡°Ow!¡± Once again, Leon forgot to change his settings.


    ¡°Was that my first hit?¡± Emil¡¯s chair continued to twirl. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how long his post-stun invincibility would last, but made the most of his time rushing back over to the door. The next thing he knew, a cloud of red curls blinded him.


    ¡°Gyahhh!¡±


    ¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡±


    He and Roxie spiraled out of control, having crashed into each other on her way to the back wall. They drifted toward it, but the lasers looked like they could outpace them. Leon gave them an extra boost. It sent them crashing into the wall just as the lasers went dim.


    He held his arm out to her. ¡°We should probably stick together.¡±


    ¡°Agreed!¡± She hooked hers in his and sent them flying to the other side of the room.


    They fled the lasers from one side, turned, then rushed back to the start. This back and forth kept them unscathed, and they really got into the rhythm of it!


    Too much for Emil¡¯s liking. ¡°I¡¯m not hearing any struggling, so I¡¯m gonna guess you two got the hang of it. Let¡¯s kick it up a notch!¡±


    Out of the corner of his eye, Leon saw Emil flinging something bluish from his hands. He glanced behind him to see a big, star-shaped projectile hurtling toward Roxie like a shuriken.


    ¡°Roxie, behind you!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It was too late for either to escape. Leon spun them around to take the hit instead.


    ¡°A sacrifice?¡± A smile crept on Roxie¡¯s face. ¡°For meee? Thanks! I owe you my next life!¡±


    ¡°Your ne¨CAhh!¡± A second blue star barely missed Leon¡¯s head. It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if it didn¡¯t, but it was still scary! Roxie dragged him back toward the door, where a third star bounced into the corner and out of their path. ¡°Next life? Don¡¯t you have one hit left?¡±


    ¡°I have two.¡±


    ¡°How?? You took two during our fight!¡±


    ¡°I dunno. Magic!¡± Roxie unhooked one arm from Leon, spun herself in the opposite direction, and hooked the other one in. ¡°This is a more optimal formation. We don¡¯t have to turn around, and we can keep a better lookout for the death stars.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Leon stuck one leg out and pushed them over to avoid one.


    ¡°Ohhh, did you get that glitch?¡± asked Emil.


    ¡°What glitch? Eee!¡± A star barely cleared Roxie and Leon.


    It smacked into Emil, but that didn¡¯t phase him. ¡°The glitch where if you get really close to enough shots,¡± he flung out another to take its place, ¡°it gives you an extra chance to get hit.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like deceit!¡±


    ¡°Believe what you want, but I¡¯m tellin¡¯ the truth.¡±


    ¡°You were kinda squeezed in by my last attack.¡± recalled Leon.


    ¡°Cool pattern, by the way.¡± Emil complimented.


    ¡°Haha, thanks!¡± Leon¡¯s face tingled with pride. ¡°By the way, I really like the stars, even if they are trying to kill us.¡±


    Emil tried to look at him but spun too fast to stare in any one spot. ¡°Figured you would.¡± He spread his arms out. ¡°Anything to make my opponents comfortable!¡±


    ¡°Can you make them stop?¡± asked Roxie.


    ¡°No!¡±


    The lasers hardly registered as a threat anymore. Leon and Roxie flew back and forth like clockwork. The stars, on the other hand, were unpredictable, usually out of sight, but always on the mind. Leon and Roxie never got used to them, screaming every time one shot past.


    Emil danced in his chair. ¡°This is my favorite song!¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The lieutenant looked like nothing more than a blur. It almost distracted him from a blue streak speeding by.


    ¡°Roxie, push us¨C!¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaah!¡± It was too late for her.


    To add insult to injury, the pattern stopped. The lieutenant launched himself upwards, majestically spinning with his arms outstretched. Leon clapped. Roxie joined in.


    Emil placed a hand on the ceiling, stopping himself. ¡°And now for the finale!¡± He winked before pushing himself down toward his bed. ¡°I felt a little bad partying to your pain. So as a treat for making it this far,¡± From under it, he grabbed his guitar and pick, hooking up the former to a small box, ¡°you can have some music!¡±


    A performance from Emil? Leon felt like he¡¯d already won.


    Much like the last attack, the blond summoned beadlike orbs with his hands, creating dim lasers. This time they were fewer and unevenly spaced.


    He stopped the chair with his foot. ¡°Welcome, welcome, lady and gentleman! I hope you¡¯re ready to experience thrills, chills, and maybe even a prize, ¡®cause we¡¯re about to play a game of ¡®Rushin¡¯ Roulette!¡¯¡±


    Instead of spinning himself, Emil pushed the orbs around like a roulette wheel. Then he launched into a sick guitar riff!


    ¡°Soooo cooool¡­! Roxie, isn¡¯t this so cool?? He¡¯s playing the guitar right in front of us!!¡± Leon¡¯s voice reached heights he didn¡¯t know were possible. Roxie moved around behind him, probably dancing. She may¡¯ve said something, but he couldn¡¯t hear her over his own joy.


    She suddenly hooked an arm in his, pulling him along. ¡°This is not a concert, this is war. Focus.¡±


    Emil stopped playing. ¡°You don¡¯t hafta worry about the lasers, you¡¯ll know when they¡¯re coming. Save your breath for the next part.¡±


    The lasers slowed to a stop, brightened shortly after, and transformed into see-through walls. This locked Leon and Roxie into the largest section of the ¡®wheel.¡¯


    ¡°Congratulations! Let¡¯s see what our lucky contestants won! It looks like¨C¡± something pink emerged from the center, ¡°--flowers!¡± Emil played happy jingle while alternating rows of flowers approached Leon and Roxie.


    Stepping side to side, Leon did his best to weave through them. ¡°These are beautiful!¡±


    ¡°And easy!¡± Roxie spoke for herself.


    ¡°Yeah, this one¡¯s not so rough,¡± Emil sounded a little disappointed, ¡°but check out the other ones if you wanna see a really bad time.¡±


    ¡°And risk my last life, no thank you!¡±


    That reminded Leon that he was on his last too. He couldn¡¯t afford to get distracted now, no matter how awesome Emil¡¯s guitar playing was!


    Finally, the pink flowers stopped coming, and the lasers dimmed down. Emil sent them into another spin. Leon took a breather, but Roxie still paced around, alert as ever.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to think about the lasers until they stop.¡± He reminded her.


    ¡°That¡¯s what he wants you to think.¡± Roxie squinted at Emil, sitting in his chair sideways, continuing to perform. ¡°But if I know about game shows, the best prizes are in the tiny slivers.¡±


    ¡°That is correeect!¡± The guitarist played another jingle. ¡°But can you get there fast enough?¡± A more sinister tune played.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you!¡± Roxie pointed at him.


    Leon spotted the smallest sliver of the wheel. It looked big enough for only one of them, maybe both if they stood in line. With the lasers so close together, he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to take that risk. He figured he¡¯d go with what he knew.


    Upon slowing down, Roxie¡¯s choice was clear. She soared up and over Emil into the back corner of the room where the lasers locked her into place. In the wrong section.


    ¡°Oooh, tough luck for Roxie.¡± Emil¡¯s guitar whined for her. ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s in store for Leon!¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t it just be flowers again?¡± What emerged next answered Leon¡¯s question. Stars shot from the edges of his section, bouncing around chaotically.


    ¡°Oh, lucky you! Stars! And a buncha them!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel really lucky right now!¡± Leon ran for his life. He didn¡¯t want to know how things could be even worse for Roxie, but he found out anyway.


    Across the room, Roxie¡¯s section filled with white projectiles. Tiny pellets in neat columns hid most of her from Leon¡¯s view. She didn¡¯t seem to have a chance.


    Somehow she survived, even when they enveloped her. ¡°Ha! This doesn¡¯t seem too bad. Give me all your might!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Emil warned.


    ¡°Wait! No! Not that much! Wait! Wait! Nooo!!¡±


    ¡°R-Roxie??¡± Leon saw nothing but a curtain of white. A star passed in front of his face. He didn¡¯t have time to worry. Scrambling from the star storm, he had to hope Roxie was okay.


    The stars and pellets vanished to reveal nothing where Roxie once stood. She was nowhere to be seen.


    But she could be heard.


    ¡°Rookie¡­¡± Roxie drifted slowly across the ceiling. ¡°It¡¯s all up,¡± she coughed, ¡°to you¡­!¡± Finally, she pretended to go limp.


    ¡°Roxie, no!¡± Leon reached out for her.


    Emil played a bit of Ave Maria. ¡°What a touching emotional moment. Really tugs at the heartstrings, don¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Avenge meee¡­¡± For a dead person, Roxie sure did talk a lot.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll try!¡±


    The lieutenant turned his chair toward Leon. ¡°C¡¯mooon, put a little more confidence in it!¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t know if he could. He was on his last hit and if the next ¡®prize¡¯ were any more hectic, he might not live to see the next spin. What could he do?


    ¡°Emil?¡± An idea started to come to mind. A ridiculous one, but maybe that was what he needed. ¡°The sections next to the smallest one, do those stay the same?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Only the big one changes.¡± A sudden smirk crossed Emil¡¯s face. ¡°I see that look. What¡¯s goin¡¯ on in that head of yours?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve decided on it yet.¡±


    ¡°Well you better do it soon! Things are slowing down.¡±


    The dim lines became more visible as things came to a halt. It looked like the next sliver would appear over Emil¡¯s bed, and next to it, a danger section to Leon¡¯s left. He stepped into it.


    Roxie gasped in horror. ¡°Leon!! That¡¯s certain death!¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m going¡­ to live!¡± The words left Leon¡¯s mouth without thinking, and he found himself pointing at the distance. He felt his confidence building up after the fact.


    ¡°Oooooh! The drama, the spice!¡± Emil leaned forward, absolutely delighted. ¡°The audience is gonna eat this up!¡±


    ¡°I am eating this up!¡± Roxie confirmed.


    ¡°Go for it, Rookie!¡± Emil strummed his guitar. ¡°Show us whatcha got!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if it was the fact that he couldn¡¯t escape or Emil¡¯s guitar playing, but Leon welled up with more courage than ever. ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡±


    White pellets emerged slowly. All Leon needed to do was stand completely still between them and he should be fine. Which led to Problem #1: Leon was heavier than Roxie.


    He got the idea to stand sideways, which gave the pellets enough space to pass by without hitting him. Hopefully, he was close enough for what he needed to do.


    ¡°It¡¯s a tight fit, but not too bad.¡± He felt cold sweat on his temple, but all he had to do was stay like this, right?


    Roxie hovered over him with extreme concern. She looked toward Emil. ¡°Can he call a lifeline from beyond the grave?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯ll allow it.¡± permitted Emil. ¡°But only in rhyme. We need some more spectacle.¡±


    Roxie put on her best ghost voice. ¡°An unwelcome surprise awaits you ahead! Back up carefully, or you¡¯ll be dead!¡±


    True to her words, what Leon saw surprised him. Unwelcomely! The pellets shifted so that the next columns were directly in his path, but the second part confused him. ¡°Where do I back up? Everywhere looks the same.¡±


    ¡°You may ask for advice when you don¡¯t know how to avoid your fate, the time is now!¡±


    It took Leon a second, but not one too soon, he backed up in time and felt over the moon!


    ¡°I did it! I did it!¡± If he could stand still just a little longer, he should be in the clear.


    ¡°Huzzah!¡± Roxie cheered for him, but something else caught her attention. ¡°Emil! What¡¯s that on the observation deck camera?¡±


    ¡±What the¨C? Is that a hole in the floor??¡±


    ¡°Wher¨COuch!!¡± Leon made the mistake of turning his body and took a hit. He came so far, but everything he worked for vanished in an instant.


    That¡¯s what he thought until he realized his plan worked. He gained a hit to spare! Using the split second of invincibility he had, he flew up through the pellets and through the boundary, emerging into the sliver without even tripping over Emil¡¯s bed. It contained the best prize he could hope for: Absolutely nothing.


    After some well-deserved relaxation, not only did the walls disappear, but the entire pattern too, revealing Emil and Roxie glued to the camera panel.


    ¡°Guys! I won!¡±


    ¡°All riiight!¡± Emil riffed a celebratory tune.


    Roxie clapped. ¡°You avenged me! Good job!¡± She leaned over Emil. ¡°Now you have to tell us your hint.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah, just a sec.¡± He waved Leon over. ¡°Sorry to cut your celebration short, but do you know anything about this?¡±


    Instead of 16 small camera feeds, Leon saw a large one. It showed a hole in the floor of the observation deck the size of a few tiles.


    He thought for a moment. ¡°Uhhhh, I remember stepping on a tile on the way over here. It sunk a little.¡± His pride in winning melted away to embarrassment. ¡°...Did I break something?¡±


    ¡°Behold the stairs!¡± Roxie pointed out faint steps inside the hole.


    So it wasn¡¯t broken. ¡°Where does it lead to?¡±


    Emil¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Dunno. But I got a feeling we can find out.¡±


    Leon and Roxie watched as he set down his guitar, stood up, and glided to the door. He looked back and winked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get some answers.¡±

 [Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain] Ch 7. Rules of Engagement

    Roxie descended the stairs into a world of brass and green. She and her companions were greeted with a spacious area filled with unfamiliar piping and machinery.


    Emil whistled. ¡°This place is huge!¡±


    ¡°I dunno how, but it looks bigger than the observation deck.¡± Leon noted. ¡°Do you think the captain could be down here?¡±


    ¡°He has to be.¡± Emil frowned. ¡°But this place¡¯s a lot bigger than I expected. I¡¯m gonna need to put on my air jets if I wanna get anywhere.¡± He pulled himself through the opening into the observation deck and popped his head back down to see the others. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back! Don¡¯t touch any weird machines while I¡¯m gone, okay?¡±


    ¡°You can trust in my safety senses!¡± Roxie saluted.


    With a signature wink, Emil left his two friends in the dim expanse. Her senses already picked up on danger, unbeknownst to them, so she followed her instinct and ventured further in on her own.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± asked her bucktoothed buddy. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wait for Emil to come back?¡±


    He had a point, but other things were at hand. She thought for a moment. ¡°We should be able to hear him when he gets back, and I¡¯ll only go straight ahead. That way it¡¯ll be easy to come back.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it not safe to go wandering around in an unfamiliar area?¡± He followed her anyway.


    Roxie took a deep breath. She should give him some kind of explanation. ¡°I have a bad feeling about this. A secret area hidden by a secret door that only the captain knows about? Filled with heavy machinery? That¡¯s dangerous! What if something happened to him down here and he couldn¡¯t call for help?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t think about that. ¡° Of course he didn¡¯t. It was Roxie¡¯s burden to think of these things. ¡°But Emil did say he¡¯s been coming back up to sleep, so he should be fine. By the way, what did you think of Emil¡¯s hint?¡±


    ¡°¡®There¡¯s only seven people on the ship.¡¯¡± Roxie repeated. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not you, me, or him, so that narrows it down to four.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Mia or Aiden.¡± guessed Leon. ¡°Jun has a lot of nicknames. Have they ever been called Lorie before?¡±


    ¡°Not that I am aware.¡± At this distance, Roxie couldn¡¯t even see the stairs anymore. ¡°...Do we know the captain¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it¡­? Actually, I don¡¯t know. What if he¡¯s Lorie?¡±


    ¡°Then a mystery has been solved!¡± She tried to place the name with the serious captain. ¡°Awww, that¡¯d be such a cute name for him! I wonder if¨CFmhffhhffmfh!¡±


    Roxie¡¯s senses didn¡¯t detect the wad of cloth she became tangled in.


    Thankfully, Leon gave her much-needed assistance. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    She popped her head out. ¡°Thanks to your help, my friend!¡±


    Unblinded, she was able to behold a sight most wondrous. Giant tanks lined the back wall, but in front of them, fabrics of many colors and patterns decorated the open area ahead. She moved to touch a golden one, draping it over her back like a cape.


    Leon laughed. ¡°You kind of look like the captain. It¡¯s kinda weird that all this fabric is back here. What¡¯s it for?¡±


    ¡°For style!¡± Roxie felt a surge of energy. Her dreams of a cape of her own lay in reach. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like the flair of an elegant cape to boost your confidence. I feel the power flowing through me!¡±


    ¡°Unhand them.¡± commanded a voice much deeper than Leon¡¯s.


    Behind the two stood none other than Captain Galhardo, shrouded in his own fluorescent yellow cape. The visor on his cap obscured his eyes, but judging by his mouth, he was none too happy to see them.


    ¡°Ranger Summers, Ranger Allen, why are you here?¡±


    Leon answered first. ¡°We were looking all over for you, sir.¡±


    ¡°We were worried disaster struck!¡± added Roxie. She made her way over to the others. ¡°So we came to rescue you from this forsaken metal sanctuary!¡±


    The captain took a familiar handbook out of his cape. ¡°As you should know, rangers are prohibited from entering unknown areas without the approval of a commanding officer as stated by Chapter 3, Section 21. Ranger Allen, you¡¯re breaking the additional rule outlined by Chapter 8, Section 14: ¡®Rangers are not allowed to touch sensitive materials without permission from the commanding officer responsible for it.¡¯ I would assume you¡¯re both aware of these.¡±


    ¡°But Emil came with us, sir!¡± Leon informed him.


    ¡°Then where is the lieutenant?¡±


    ¡°He went back upstairs¨C¡±


    ¡°Yet you remain.¡± Captain Galhardo¡¯s cape trailed behind him as he glided over to the tanks. ¡°Set your damage configurations to ¡®Shock.¡¯¡±


    Roxie and Leon obeyed, though the latter whined a little, having recently switched his setting back to ¡®Stun.¡¯ An ominous vibe encircled the area, and Roxie smelled a battle on the horizon.


    ¡°I may consider making your punishments less severe only if both of you survive. Regardless of the outcome, let this be a lesson you won¡¯t forget.¡± Captain Galhardo raised his book. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Fittingly, his first attack had the title of ¡®Study Session.¡¯ He touched his fingertips to different pages of the Interstellar Forces Handbook, summoning holographic copies of them like apparitions from a spell book. They swirled around his ankles to his torso, from where he flung them at Leon and Roxie at breakneck speeds.


    Just as the cyan pages approached, they slowed down to a near halt, clustering together. Only narrow space remained for Roxie and Leon to squeeze between them. Despite the danger, Roxie remained impressed. She wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°You can clone real life objects into the simulation?¡± Leon dodged oncoming pages. ¡°That¡¯s so cool! How did you do it?¡±


    The captain did not answer. In fact, it seemed like he flung more pages in Leon¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Uh, permission to ask how you did it, sir?¡±


    ¡°Permission denied.¡±


    ¡°Rookie, over here!¡± Roxie attempted to call him over to her area, where the pages were less dense. However, the captain started throwing more at her too. Did she break another rule? ¡°Permission to speak to my teammate, sir?¡±


    ¡°Permission denied.¡±


    Well, that would be a problem. Teamwork helped the two so much in the previous battle. How could they ally together if they couldn¡¯t even talk?


    Before she could think about it, the next pattern, ¡®Racing Pawns,¡¯ began. Captain Galhardo waved one hand left and the other right, summoning rows of blue walls between him and his opponents. Much like his brother¡¯s ¡®Soundwave,¡¯ the walls approached them and contained gaps, but these walls bunched much closer together and simply moved left and right, alternating between rows.


    Roxie leapt through the first gap. From there, the movement of the walls became disorienting, but in her, might she powered on. Struggling, scrambling, she pounced at every opportunity to enter the next gap. She soon made her way toward the back wall. The tanks were protected by new walls materializing, so Roxie made sure to give them some space. Captain Galhardo probably set it up this way purposefully, but thinking of him gave rise to a new thought: Where did he go?


    The captain vanished from his initial position at the back wall. Roxie couldn¡¯t see any trace of him when she looked around, but far behind her, she could make out an ominous cloud of red bubbles approaching. Luckily, she was too far away to have to worry about them.


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    ¡­But was Leon? He hadn¡¯t made it to her row, and from the looks of it, nowhere close. In her rush to self-preservation, she¡¯d abandoned her boy!


    She made her way back through the walls, but the timing was trickier since they moved away from her. About halfway through, the red bubbles drew near, only a few rows behind her. An ominous caped silhouette stood behind them. Still no sign of Leon. If he were any farther back, there may be no hope of saving him. Just when all her hope had died, she heard a clap.


    Leon waved his hands, mouthing. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯


    Along with him, Roxie stepped back through an oncoming gap. She pointed at him, mouthing, ¡°You!¡±


    A red bubble phased through her hand. More followed, flying toward them faster than the rest and cutting their silent conversation short. Roxie made her way back toward the wall, this time keeping an eye on Leon as he did the same. Shortly after Leon caught up, the walls and bubbles ceased to exist.


    Captain Galhardo and his opponents stood in opposite positions, but not for long. He flew to the back wall, using an arm to brake. The next pattern, ¡°Total Recall,¡± started with him summoning many pages of the IF handbook close to himself. Roxie and Leon fled back where they began. From there, they dodged a rapid-fire onslaught of pages in zigzagging diagonal waves.


    When it ended, Roxie looked to her left to check on Leon. He seemed to be doing okay, though he still hopped back and forth, not realizing the pattern finished.


    Glowing orange orbs materialized from the captain¡¯s hands, commencing ¡®Tower Defense for the Diocese.¡¯ He placed two at his sides and three more in front of them. All five began to fire thin orange projectiles at diagonals. Staying between each stream was simple enough, until the angles between them started to close.


    Roxie made her way up and through the bottom right orb¡¯s stream, then through the top right¡¯s, positioning herself right next to it. Leon did the same, but kept his place farther back. At this point, all of the projectiles fired in single, straight lines.


    The patterns so far hadn¡¯t let her get too close to the captain, but now she could see him clearly. His visor still covered his eyes. She could see a little bit of his simulator glasses from the side, but she felt something amiss. Before she could uncover the secrets of his glasses, the orb on his other side glowed white. So did the one beside her.


    Lasers fired up, down, and side to side from each orb, the top ones catching her hair as she fled not a split-second too soon. What lie under the captain¡¯s visor, she may never know, but what she did know was that she¡¯d do things Leon¡¯s way next time around. Though it did fill her with a little pride seeing him look at her with a ¡®How did you survive??¡¯ face.


    Things progressed in Roxie¡¯s favor after she knew what to expect. By the time the pattern ended, it had become second nature, weaving through the projectiles and lasers.


    Captain Galhardo brought two more white orbs into existence for his next pattern, ¡®Fall in Line¡¯, putting them roughly in the same position as the ones that nearly obliterated Roxie. Those fired downward, while a horizontal wall cut him off from the others.


    Pages were birthed from the middle wall, approaching Roxie and Leon in rows, much like the walls in ¡®Racing Pawns.¡¯ The spaces between were much tighter this time, meaning Roxie had to be quicker and more precise about where she stepped. On the bright side, the pages all being the same size meant she could develop a rhythm for it.


    Looking over at Leon, he was having just as breezy of an easy time. Almost. His sense of rhythm seemed a little lacking. Still, the patterns so far were straightforward enough that it didn¡¯t matter. Surely, this predictability would be the captain¡¯s downfall!


    That¡¯s what she thought until the next pattern began. For ¡®Knightly Order,¡¯ Captain Galhardo sent out another white orb. Another laser, Roxie assumed, but its placement made it impossible to tell where it would fire. But it didn¡¯t fire lasers at all.


    Instead, pairs of orbs shot out, splitting in opposite ¡®L¡¯ paths before stopping at their destination. The next ones did the same, and they kept multiplying until the area was completely filled with them. Even then, the original ones kept sending orbs to the same positions. The pattern looked frightening at first, but upon closer realization, all she really had to do was avoid the incoming ones. Easily a challenge The Great Roxaelia and her unnamed sidekick could overcome.


    Then everything started moving. The original orb started moving in a circle, moving all of its offspring with it. Was it predictable? Theoretically, but spinning the entire world around made predicting anything difficult. It was enough to make a girl dizzy!


    Both rangers stumbled around for the rest of the attack, with neither rhythm nor rhyme. Roxie felt herself succumbing to mild paranoia. It seemed like every time she looked, a new set of orbs were aimed in her direction. Just as she prepared to sacrifice one of her hits, something somewhere answered her prayers.


    All the orbs disappeared, leaving Roxie unharmed. Her friend however, didn¡¯t have the luxury of being spared. With sad, puppy-dog eyes, he held up two fingers. She lifted a fist, urging him to be strong.


    Beginning ¡®Mandates Make the World Turn,¡¯ the captain formed a box with his hands, creating one large enough to trap Roxie and Leon inside. Lines of IF Handbook pages shot from the walls, curving, then finally disappearing in the center. Enduring the torment of the orbs, she was happy to welcome another shape.


    Even as it closed in on them. Still and silent, Captain Galhardo crushed the imaginary box with his hands, drawing the virtual walls closer to his prey. If only Roxie could be half as ominous. It broke her heart to see him delivering such final boss energy, and he didn¡¯t even know what that meant!


    A broken heart would have to wait, as this pattern demanded her full attention. She hopped back and forth with unmatched clarity, dodging each spray of pages before she realized what she was doing.


    The gift of clarity missed Leon. Roxie caught sight of him struggling out of the corner of her eye. He was on his way backing into the center, where a different group of pages were about to strike.


    Roxie pushed her friend away from certain doom. Unfortunately, she took a hit in the process. She didn¡¯t intend for her own sacrifice, but she figured she¡¯d just let him think that. For now, they were even. And for now, mandates didn¡¯t make the world turn, since the pattern ended.


    From the captain¡¯s hands sprung a glowing orb larger than any Roxie had ever seen. Its size engulfed half of his body. A small, white, projectile shot from it, harmlessly passing between her and Leon.


    Then the orb smacked into the cloths on the left. Had it been physical, they would¡¯ve flown, but Roxie still could¡¯ve sworn they moved somewhat. Thus began ¡®The Queen¡¯s Gambit.¡¯


    The ¡®queen¡¯ continued careening around the room in every straight line she could, horizontal, vertical, and diagonal, sometimes stopping midway to turn. Quick reflexes were Roxie and Leon¡¯s only hope of avoiding her rampage. Even that wasn¡¯t enough, for the queen left behind a trail of light with every dash. Instead of simply disappearing, the trail clumped into more white projectiles, dispersing slowly in every direction. They quickly cluttered the battlefield, making it that much harder to dodge the queen¡¯s wrath.


    Roxie fled to the back-right of the room where the queen¡¯s children had yet to congregate. She passed by the captain, conducting the queen¡¯s reign of terror with flicks of his hands. As she did so, she witnessed something shocking. The captain made eye-contact. This revealed a second pair of glasses under his coordination simulators! Was this his secret weapon?


    A flash of white engulfed Roxie before she could ponder the answer.


    ¡°Roxie!¡± Leon¡¯s shock overrode the order not to talk.


    Captain Galhardo made sure he would pay the price. From the back corner, he sent the queen diagonally in Leon¡¯s direction. Leon evaded her just in time. Just in time to hit one of her many projectiles. In her last breaths, the queen took both down to their last hits.


    Next began what Roxie hoped was the captain¡¯s final attack. Having come this far, she and Leon couldn¡¯t afford to lose steam now, or everything they suffered for would go to waste. No! They had to keep on fighting! Though seeing the title of ¡®Checkmate¡¯ gave her the feeling this fight wouldn¡¯t be an easy one. She joined Leon on the other side of the room, far away from the next threat.


    With his cape billowed at his back, the captain sent three orange orbs above and behind him. They sprayed orange projectiles that peppered the air like danger confetti, while pages from his handbook spiraled around him before being sent out in rapid waves.


    Roxie darted through the orange and cyan with enhanced focus. She didn¡¯t have time to check on Leon, trusting he did the same. Her breath hitched with each near miss. She fought against both the projectiles and her own nerves. She attributed the sudden ease of difficulty to her strengthened will, but soon she realized the orange ones stopped coming.


    The orbs turned black. A foreboding stillness hung in the air. It lasted only a second before they fired mega lasers. The two on the sides moved in heavy circles, while the topmost one fired down and up. If Emil¡¯s attacks were jump rope, this would be double dutch. Triple dutch, even!


    Roxie took shelter under the center laser and beckoned Leon over with her hands. Together, they dodged more waves of pages while the other two lasers circled back around. Heart-pounding tension rose as the center laser lowered on their heads, but soon the area around it cleared, and the two separated to safety.


    The orbs returned to orange, firing projectiles yet again. Roxie knew what to do, but creeping panic made it harder to do it. Her moves got sloppier. The pages that she found easy to dodge before now gave her constant frights. Maybe with how close she got to them, she could gain an extra hit point, but it wouldn¡¯t matter if Leon lost.


    She was able to take a small breather when the lasers came back, but her nerves subsided only a little. The next round of projectiles became a game of endurance as much as it was a game of reflexes. Roxie didn¡¯t know how much longer she could go on.


    Under the cover of the center laser, Roxie and Leon faltered. Both kept bumping into each other, barely parting in time to dodge the next set of pages. It all came to a head when they collided a final time. The center laser brushed against their heads, but if they fled it, they wouldn¡¯t have enough time to make it past the wave of pages. As all was shrouded in darkness, they held a tight grip on each others¡¯ hands.


    Their fate had been sealed.

 [Sanctuary of the Elusive Captain] Ch 8. Good End

    ¡°Ow! That really got me!¡±


    Roxie expected a shock, but nothing came. From what she heard, it didn¡¯t hit Leon either.  ¡®Checkmate¡¯ disappeared, revealing the fluffy bleached hair of their savior. Of course, he winked.


    ¡°Emil! You came back!¡± Leon voiced Roxie¡¯s glee.


    ¡°Told¡¯ja I would.¡± Emil looked over his shoulder, giving them a thumbs up. ¡°I woulda been here sooner if someone hadn¡¯t closed the secret passageway.¡± He looked ahead.


    ¡°Lieutenant, What are you doing here?¡± The captain broke his silence.


    ¡°I could ask you the same thing!¡± His brother glided over toward him. ¡°What is this place?¡±


    Captain Galhardo¡¯s visor once again covered his eyes. ¡°We can discuss this later.¡±


    ¡°They already know about the place, so you might as well tell ¡®em.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°We are currently standing in the ship¡¯s engine room.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an engine here?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°It¡¯s not in this section, which is why I had you test patterns here.¡±


    Emil looked around. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what you guys were doing?¡±


    ¡°We trespassed and touched the sensitive materials, and for that, we face punishment.¡± Roxie explained, pointing at the cloths.


    Emil touched one of them. ¡°These blankets? They don¡¯t look like sensitive materials to me.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not blankets.¡±


    ¡°What are they?¡±


    The captain folded his arms. ¡°...Capes.¡±


    ¡°Nice collection!¡± Roxie commented. ¡°But it seems really dangerous to keep them here. What if they get caught on something?¡±


    He looked down and to his side. ¡°They¡¯re clear from any moving parts. But you are correct in that this isn¡¯t the place for personal belongings.¡±


    ¡°Why not put ¡®em under your bed?¡± suggested Emil.  ¡°That¡¯s where I keep all my stuff!¡±


    ¡°I will consider that, Lieutenant.¡±


    Leon raised a hand, but the captain kept his head down, so he wasn¡¯t able to see it.


    Emil answered for him. ¡°Yes, Rookie?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was just gonna ask if it was okay to speak now.¡±


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    ¡°You did it anyway.¡± Roxie pointed out.


    ¡°Did I?¡± Leon laughed sheepishly. ¡°Also, I was gonna point out that your hat¡¯s kinda covering your face.¡±


    ¡°I am aware of that.¡± answered Captain Galhardo.


    Roxie wondered why. She could only come to one conclusion. ¡°Are you trying to hide your secret extra pair of glasses? They gave you a special advantage, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh.¡± Emil looked around. ¡°If you call being able to read the settings a special advantage, I guess.¡±


    His brother finally looked up. ¡°I was hoping to keep that between us.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Was that what you were afraid of?¡± Leon asked. ¡°People finding out you wear glasses? Don¡¯t worry, Captain Lorie, lots of people wear glasses. We won¡¯t think less of you because of it. There¡¯s no need to be insecure!¡±


    ¡°I am not insecu¨CWhat did you just call me?¡±


    Leon looked toward Roxie and Emil, the latter of which was making a ¡®cut it out¡¯ gesture with his hand to his neck. ¡°What did I say?


    ¡°You called him ¡®Captain Lorie.¡¯¡± Roxie whispered.


    ¡°I did? Ah, Emil didn¡¯t tell us that, just so you know!¡± Leon continued digging the lieutenant captain¡¯s grave.


    ¡°Not directly.¡± Roxie tried to save him. ¡°We figured it out from context clues.¡±


    ¡°Yeeeeah, and I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll never call you that again, right guys?¡± Emil smiled at Roxie and Leon, but his eyes were full of desperation. The other two nodded. ¡°Anyway, the glasses thing. Don¡¯t tell me you hid down here for a week ¡®cuzza that.¡±


    The captain busied himself taking down his capes.


    Emil sighed. ¡°Lorenzo,¡± he spoke his full name, ¡°I thought we went over this. You can¡¯t keep hiding for weeks at a time and leaving me with all the work! People are gonna think you¡¯re lazy, and I know neither of us want that.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t left with all of the work. Any tasks I needed to handle, I accomplished.¡± His brother explained. ¡°Just when no one else was present. But,¡± he took another cape in his hand, ¡°if my absence makes the crew question my competence either way, I¡¯ll be more present.¡±


    ¡°Good! ¡®Cause you¡¯re all outta hiding places!¡± Emil cheesed. ¡°Unless there¡¯s some other secret room you haven¡¯t told me about.¡±


    ¡°There are none.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Leon added, ¡°spending all your time alone in a place like this seems so lonely. You can come up and talk to us. Everything we know about you so far¡¯s been from Emil,¨C¡±


    The captain shot his younger brother a look.


    Emil raised his hands defensively. ¡°Only good things!¡±


    ¡°¨CBut we¡¯d love to get to know you for ourselves!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Roxie chimed in. ¡°Let us discuss capes together!¡±


    ¡°See? I told¡¯ja people wanna get to know you!¡± Emil slung an arm around the captain¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You might be able to ignore it from me, but I think you¡¯re outnumbered here.¡±


    The captain took a deep breath and began to walk toward the stairs. Emil, Roxie, and Leon followed, leaving the battlefield stripped of both cloths and mysteries. How embarrassing!


    ¡°And remember,¡± the captain floated toward the opening, ¡°none of you are permitted to tell other of this area or enter it without my permission. Understand?¡±


    ¡°You mean the suspicious-lookin¡¯ place down there?¡± a voice asked from above. ¡°And what¡¯s with the blankets?¡±


    The captains, Roxie, and Leon all emerged to see Aiden, who the voice belonged to.


    ¡°Is that the engine room?¡± Jun joined him. ¡°Cool glasses, Captain. I was kinda wondering how the simulation glasses would work for people who had prescriptions. Seems like a design flaw.¡±


    Mia stood further back. ¡°We heard some talking coming from the walls, so¡­¡±


    Roxie detected a hint of mortification behind the captain¡¯s face of stone. While he and Emil handled all of the questions and comments, Roxie remembered one loose thread that hadn¡¯t been dealt with yet.


    ¡°Rookie~?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Leon¡¯s baby face grew suspicious as Roxie¡¯s hand reached toward it.


    ¡°We have some unfinished business.¡±


    Leon resigned himself to getting pinched. Thus, all was right with the world.

 Next Episode: Earth to Mia

    ¡°Um, hello. I¡¯m a little surprised you¡¯ve come this far. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve did this, but¡­


    We¡¯re landing on Earth to get some supplies. I don¡¯t have the best of luck when it comes to things like this, but I¡¯m pretty excited. It¡¯ll be my first time really getting to visit-- By the way, I¡¯m Mia. I don¡¯t know if I mentioned my name yet.


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    Anyway, there¡¯s bound to be a bunch of surprises next episode, for me at least. Some may be good, others not so much. I have my fingers crossed that everything turns out okay in the end. Uhh, see you then!¡±

 [Earth to Mia] Ch 1. A World That Never Ends

    The loading deck¡¯s door opened up to a flash of white. A noon summer sky, tarmac, and the nearby spaceport came into view as the crew¡¯s eyes adjusted. The Celestion-5 had made its landing, and for the second time ever, Mia stepped on Earth.


    Warmth touched her skin, a sensation she was unused to outside of the shower. Soft, thick air entered her lungs, and even though the scent of rocket fuel lingered, it somehow felt so much fresher than anything under the Lunarian Dome. Wind swept her hair to the side, nature¡¯s cooling fan. She saw clouds in the sky¨Creal ones¨Cin shapes she¡¯d never seen before, and there wasn¡¯t an OrbiSoft error screen to be seen.


    A black shape soared across the sky. A bird! Mia had only seen those on TV! Her eyes tracked it as it flapped its way into the horizon. It ventured into forever, and she felt she could stare at it for just as long.


    ¡°Are you enjoying the scenery?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wha??¡±


    ¡°Ah, I asked--¡± Leon began to repeat.


    Mia finally recovered. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Wait! I just realized! This is all probably new to you, isn¡¯t it? It must be so exciting!¡± His cloying eyes looked up at her.


    But they weren¡¯t the only ones.


    ¡°Miaaaa!¡± Roxie ran over to her with a tube of something in hand. ¡°You are very pale and have literally never seen the sun. It¡¯s first priority that your skin is protected!¡±


    Mia let Roxie squirt sunscreen into her hands, not bringing up the fact that the sun still could be seen from the Moon, because it was nothing like this. This time, Mia could feel it. Was this just normal to everyone else?


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to be watching your reactions! Just like when I first went to space.¡± Leon smiled as if that was in any way comforting. Maybe to him.


    ¡°You! Next!¡± Roxie thrust the bottle in his hands.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re the star today, Mia!¡± Emil stretched while Roxie targeted Jun and Aiden next. ¡°There¡¯s really no place like Earth, so watching you experience it all should be fun for everyone.¡± He turned to his brother. ¡°Can¡¯t we just stay here until the new guy shows up? It¡¯ll only be a week or so, and we got nothin¡¯ else to do.¡±


    ¡°That would disrupt the spaceport.¡± responded Captain Galhardo, walking ahead of the rest. ¡°We¡¯re just here to pick up a fuel shipment from the nearby base.¡±


    ¡°Captains, please accept my humble offering of sunblock! Your skin will thank you!¡± Roxie ran to the front of the group.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do~¡± Emil walked backward, reaching a hand out.


    ¡°...Thank you, Ranger Allen.¡± The captain didn¡¯t seem sure how to respond to her but appreciated it.


    Roxie distributed sunscreen to herself last while they all ventured forward. Mia took her time walking, but it still felt too soon when they had to leave behind the wonders of nature to enter the spaceport¡¯s jet bridge. Inside the terminal gate, she saw the crowds of people, noise, and chaos that they would eventually have to work their way through. How annoying. At least she still got to look out of the windows.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy to be back here!¡± The spaceport might¡¯ve been exciting to Leon, but for Mia, it was nothing she couldn¡¯t see on the Moon. ¡°It¡¯s soooo cool. Literally, too! I was feeling kinda hot out there.¡± He fanned himself.


    ¡°And now you¡¯ll get to enjoy it more insteada havin¡¯ to rush.¡± Emil winked at him.


    ¡°Haha, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°But I bet you¡¯re not too excited to be here.¡± He spun toward Mia, reading her mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t be here long, I promise.¡±


    ¡°I dunno if I can promise that.¡± Jun stood off to the side, fiddling with their bangs. ¡°Do I look less recognizable?¡±


    ¡°Still look like a goofball to me.¡± Aiden crossed his arms.


    ¡°But do I look like a recognizable one? Rox, help me out.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm~¡± Roxie stood on her tiptoes to survey Jun¡¯s face. ¡°You youness shines through to me, even through messy hair.¡±


    ¡°We could get you some sunglasses from a gift shop if you need ¡®em.¡± Emil offered, very obviously without his brother¡¯s approval.


    ¡°Nah, that¡¯s okay.¡± Jun declined. ¡°I¡¯m prolly just being paranoid. Not that many people¡¯ll recognize me.¡± As they said this, they made eye contact with a starstruck gate agent. ¡°¡¯Sup?¡±


    He shyly waved. ¡°So you¡¯re¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Can I get your autograph?¡±


    Travelling with Jun made the group a target of stares and whispers. It bothered Mia quite a bit, so she couldn¡¯t imagine how annoying it must¡¯ve been being at the center of it. A few people asked for autographs and pictures, but Jun got out of it by saying they were on business.


    Some shouted compliments. ¡°I love you, Jun!!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for making the IF a bigger joke!¡± Some didn¡¯t. Jun kept a calm head no matter what.


    ¡°Wow, some people love embarrassing themselves in public.¡± While he spoke lightheartedly, Mia could tell Emil was upset on Jun¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredibly tame.¡± Jun brushed it off.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°Surprised he didn¡¯t claim you were a spy for¨Cwhat country was it again?¡±


    ¡°Throw a dart at the map and you¡¯ll get there.¡± They chuckled.


    Emil bumped the captain¡¯s arm. ¡°That sounds familiar, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Captain Galhardo glanced back at Jun a few times. ¡°If you would like to purchase sunglasses¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, sir.¡±


    ¡°Is this what happens everywhere you go?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s died down, but some places are always gonna be worse than others.¡± Jun explained. ¡°That¡¯s like the reason I stayed in the IF. More people are used to me. Sorta. To be honest, part of why I came on this mission is to get away from people.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡± Getting away from the chaos of home was a big reason Mia signed on, the possibility of travelling to Earth being the other. It paid well too. She didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d make it back from Neptune in one piece, but those things were worth it.


    With so many onlookers, Mia kept her eyes on the floor. The reflection allowed her to still take a look around. People passed by in clothes of cotton and denim instead of plastic and nylon. They didn¡¯t know how lucky they were to have easy access to such comfortable fabric. Mia gazed at her own uniform. The blue cotton shirt that came with it was among the first she¡¯d ever owned.


    They stopped along the way so the captain could talk to spaceport staff about scheduling details before stopping at the rental car checkout counter. Mia waited with the others as the captains talked with the man behind it only for Emil to come back with his eyes on the ground.


    He scratched behind his head. ¡°Soooo it turns out you gotta be 21 to rent a car! This is really embarrassing, but,¡± he looked at Roxie, Aiden, and Jun, ¡°would any of you be willing to rent some trucks for us?¡±


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    ¡°Do you think they would let me rent a car?¡± Aiden pointed at himself. ¡°With my history?¡±


    Jun tapped his arm. ¡°Yeah, your history of not having a license would set you back, brah.¡±


    ¡°Could you do it, Jun?¡± Emil pouted. ¡°Please? We¡¯ll pay you back!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jun hesitated. ¡°S-Sure thing, y¨C¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Roxie shot her ID in the air. ¡°Worry not your pretty little heads! I will come to your aid with my seniority!¡±


    Emil laughed. ¡°Thanks, Roxie.¡±


    The two returned to the desk where Roxie stood between the captains, handling business as if she were their legal guardian.


    ¡°They can¡¯t rent a car, but they can fly us to Neptune?¡± Aiden chuckled.


    ¡°Hahaaa, it¡¯s way interesting, for sure!¡± Jun forced out a laugh.


    Eventually the group came to a parking garage. It smelled awful, as if Mia had stuck her face into the exhaust pipe of a bus. She covered her nose and mouth.


    ¡°I heard there¡¯s not a lot of cars in Lunaria.¡± Leon looked up at her. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    She nodded through stinging eyes, then choked out, ¡°It¡¯s mostly buses.¡±


    ¡°The only people who have cars are cops and rich people, and rich people can only rent.¡± Emil added. He turned to Mia. ¡°So I guess you¡¯ll be riding in luxury today!¡±


    She would ride in a tin can to get out of this place.


    Jun took notice. ¡°Hey Mia, are you doing okay?¡±


    She nodded out of habit.


    ¡°Yeah, we should get you to a car soon. C¡¯mon, everybody.¡± Emil waved them along.


    Captain Galhardo led the group down a corridor filled with cars, trucks, and motorcycles. It did make Mia feel like she intruded on some secret storage room for the wealthy, though the vehicles were a lot more personalized than any she¡¯d seen in Lunaria. Mostly stick figure families, bumper stickers with opinions nobody asked for, and a cartoon character farting on things. Interesting tastes.


    Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Roxie. She offered more sunscreen.


    ¡°Roxie, I think I¡¯m pretty protected from the Sun here.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Put some in your hand to ward off the foul fumes.¡±


    Mia offered one hand, in which Roxie squeezed a pea-sized drop of sunscreen. Maybe it was something about the tiny size, or maybe the fumes got to her, but it made her laugh. The fumes definitely got to her. She put it on her hand and covered her nose with it. Now Mia smelled sunscreen and exhaust fumes, but somehow that made it a little more tolerable.


    ¡°Thanks, Roxie.¡±


    The group finally came to two pickup trucks. Mia couldn¡¯t wait to get inside of one and out of this garage. Sunscreen could only hold her over for so long.


    Emil leaned on one truck, facing the captain. ¡°So I guess here¡¯s where we split up. Who are you takin¡¯ with you?¡±


    ¡°Ranger Kim¡­¡± Captain Galhardo took a look at his other options, ¡°and Ranger Wattson.¡±


    ¡°Only two, huh?¡± Emil snickered.


    ¡°There¡¯s an odd number of us. It¡¯s to be expected.¡± The captain gave him a set of keys. ¡°Besides, I figured you would enjoy the company.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t deny that.¡± His brother twirled them. ¡°But I am a little sad I¡¯ll get to miss out on Mia¡¯s first car ride.¡±


    ¡°Me toooo!¡± Roxie whined. Leon also looked a little dejected.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not going to be all that exciting.¡± Mia tried to reassure her. To be honest, she was hoping she¡¯d get to ride with Roxie, but it¡¯d be a little silly to complain.


    ¡°Hey Mia, you mind getting recorded?¡± asked Jun.


    ¡°Wh-what??¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go along with it if you¡¯re, like, not comfortable. I was just thinking it¡¯d be a way the others could see your reaction.¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°That is fine!¡± Roxie threw her arms into the air. ¡°There are many non-car things we can show you when we get to the base!¡±


    Mia looked forward to that.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll still miss youuuu!¡± She crushed Mia with a hug. The freckled ranger still hadn¡¯t gotten used to that kind of thing, but it felt nice to hug her back. Roxie then did the same to Jun. ¡°And you too Junzie!¡±


    Jun ruffled her hair. ¡°You too, Rox.¡±


    ¡°I will also miss you, Captain, but Emil told me you¡¯re not fond of physical contact, so please accept my air hug!¡± She hugged the air.


    The captain glanced at his brother, his face blank but his eyes asking for help. Finally, he gave a nod to Roxie.


    Jun gave a fist bump to the rest of the lieutenant¡¯s group. ¡°See you on the other side.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get going.¡± Emil headed to the driver¡¯s door. ¡°Mia¡¯s probably about to pass out.¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. Mia silently thanked him.


    ¡°Have a nice trip, Mia!¡± Leon waved, and she returned it. He went to get in the truck with the others. ¡°I call shotgun!¡±


    Just as the words left his mouth, Aiden shut the passenger door behind him.


    ¡°...Or not.¡±


    The captain entered the driver¡¯s seat of the other truck while Mia got into the one behind it. A strange new smell entered her nose, but anything beat the garage. Jun took passenger¡¯s side.


    Captain Galhardo took his clip phone off of his wrist, expanded it to GPS size, then stuck it to the windshield. He eyed Jun warily. ¡°Ranger Kim, are you certain you want to sit in the passenger¡¯s seat? You are free to crouch in the back seat if you prefer.¡±


    ¡°U-Uhhhh.¡± Jun made startled eye contact with Mia. ¡°Crouch down, like in the leg area?¡±


    ¡°For safety.¡± How was he able to say it so casually? ¡°You are a controversial public figure. I understand you could be at risk for¡­ certain threats.¡± His eyes bore into Mia. Was she the threat?


    ¡°Psst. Mia. Seatbelt.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Mia hadn¡¯t had to use one before. She fumbled around with it a little more than she thought a normal person should, but eventually got it to click.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine right here.¡± Jun answered the captain¡¯s question. ¡°I don¡¯t think my back would forgive me if I crouched the whole way, haha.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Captain Galhardo started the car.


    He drove the truck out of the parking garage and into a city, with Emil¡¯s following behind. The city itself looked much like Lunaria, in theory. Buildings here were a lot less colorful, more greenery decorated the surroundings, and obviously, more cars clogged up the streets. Birds glided in the sky, while some perched on wires and buildings. They were like free range pets of the public. Mia couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.


    ¡°Sorry for what happened at the spaceport.¡± Jun apologized. ¡°I hope it didn¡¯t, like, freak you guys out too bad.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Mia spotted a bird eating french fries off the sidewalk. A pigeon, was it? They were so round up close.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped in your situation.¡± responded the captain. ¡°Just make sure to keep an eye out. You never know what dangers may be around the corner.¡±


    ¡°...Yeah.¡± Jun bobbed their head. Something seemed to click for them. Maybe. Mia was too busy watching an airplane to fully pay attention. ¡°Hey, Emil said that something about what happened was familiar.¡±


    ¡°Our father was accused of being a spy for the Venezuelan government.¡± That caught her attention. ¡°Among other South American governments.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh yeah, I¡¯ve been accused of spying for everywhere from Thailand to Taiwan. Not from anybody reputable, but y¡¯know.¡± They shrugged.


    ¡°Much of what happened today reminded me of stories our father told us.¡± The captain kept his eyes ahead.


    ¡°He must¡¯ve had a rough time.¡±


    He nodded slightly.


    ¡°Has anything... bad happened to you guys because of him?¡±


    ¡°The threat is always there.¡± His eyes shifted. ¡°You can¡¯t see who has the knife at your back.¡± For a brief moment, his eyes met with Mia¡¯s. She didn¡¯t have a knife. ¡°When we were toddlers, he received a letter. It involved the family. Nothing came of it. Yet.¡±


    Mia started to get an idea why he hides from the others for days on end.


    ¡°Dang, that¡¯s terrible¡­ It¡¯s been like years, but I¡¯m still kinda reeling from my dad¡¯s auto shop getting vandalized.¡± Jun leaned their head back. ¡°When you get famous from a scandal, especially when something happens like that, it¡¯s really hard to imagine being able to fit into the world the way you used to. You¡¯re worried you¡¯re a danger to everyone close to you. I can¡¯t imagine having kids in the picture, though.¡± They shuddered.


    Captain Galhardo opened his mouth to say something, but didn¡¯t.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard enough to trust people under normal circumstances.¡± Mia spoke. ¡°If any of that happened to me, I¡¯d never want to leave my house again.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Jun remembered she existed. ¡°Wow, uh, didn¡¯t mean to make your first car ride such a bummer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°So, Captain,¡± they changed the subject, ¡°how far away is this base?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a 30-minute drive.¡±


    ¡°Cool, cool.¡±


    Mia¡¯s eyes returned to the window. They were outside of city limits by now. Mia could only think of a few trees she¡¯d seen in Lunaria and never as tall as the ones here. They lined each side of the road, blurring into walls of green if she didn¡¯t focus hard enough.


    ¡­Blur?


    ¡°Um, h-how fast are we going?¡±


    ¡°The speed limit is 75 mph.¡± answered the captain.


    Mia¡¯s eyes widened. That was way too fast for a hunk of metal this big! With Earth physics? How were people still alive on this planet?


    ¡°You¡¯re probably thinking this is way too fast.¡± Jun laughed. ¡°You can relax. This is a safe speed. Mostly.¡±


    ¡°If it comforts you, Ranger Wattson, I¡¯m going 74 mph.¡±


    That didn¡¯t comfort Mia too much, but she couldn¡¯t stop them from dying either way, so she focused her thoughts elsewhere. The trees. Various shapes, sizes, and shades of green decorated the roadside. She¡¯d read many books describing trees taller than buildings, densely packed into forests. Even with what she saw on TV, she could never fully imagine them for herself. Yet here they were, right in front of her.


    Jun smiled at her from the rearview mirror. ¡°Enjoying the road?¡±


    Mia nodded. Ahead, the road itself stretched on forever, and the trees followed. Or so it seemed. Those things had to stop at some point, right? ¡°Where does it all end?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what you¡¯re talking about.¡± They shrugged. ¡°This highway could stretch across the whole state. Some travel the whole country. And the trees? Who knows? And if you¡¯re talking about where it¡¯s free to, like, exist?¡± They turned back to her. ¡°The Earth is round. It never ends.¡±

 [Earth to Mia] Ch 2. Bitter Sweetheart

    The truck pulled up to a gate on a lonely side road. Mia took her ID card out of her pocket while Captain Galhardo showed his to the ranger on guard duty. Then Jun showed theirs.


    The guard blinked a couple times. ¡°Are you the Jun Kim?¡±


    ¡°Have been all day.¡±


    ¡°And Galhardo. You wouldn¡¯t happen to be related to¡­?¡±


    Captain Galhardo didn¡¯t answer, only staring.


    The guard gave both of their cards back and opened the gate. ¡°Sorry, you can go ahead!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re letting us go without verifying our other passenger?¡± finally spoke the captain.


    ¡°Right, sir! My mistake, sir!¡± Saluting in a panic, the guard then approached Mia¡¯s window. She gave him her ID and relief washed over his face, probably because she wasn¡¯t someone he recognized. He gave it back and returned to his post. ¡°You¡¯re all clear to go. Have a nice afternoon.¡± While he didn¡¯t say anything else, he looked about two seconds away from blurting out, ¡®Please don¡¯t tell your dad!¡¯


    The gate finally opened. Captain Galhardo drove through into an area with diverging streets, greenery, and beige, boxy buildings. A brick sign to the left read Fort Stillman. It felt odd to still be able to see the sky with so many buildings around, but they were all so short. Mia liked it.


    ¡°That happens to me a lot.¡± Jun moved their bangs. ¡°Me and Roxie got past a guard on the Moon Base last month ¡®cause they recognized me. Apparently we weren¡¯t supposed to get in without you?¡±


    Captain Galhardo shook his head. ¡°What a disturbing lapse in judgement. It¡¯s a good thing I let that guard know his error. That should teach him to be more careful about who he lets in.¡±


    He made a few turns, then entered a parking lot. The truck finally stopped near an island of grass and small trees. To get out, Mia and the captain would need to step in it.


    ¡°Captain?¡± She watched him exit the car. ¡°Is it alright to step on that grass?¡±


    ¡°It is permitted.¡±


    Mia stepped out of the car, grass crunching beneath her shoes. She couldn¡¯t resist lifting a foot up and placing it back down again just to feel the sensation. This was actually familiar to her, but she hadn¡¯t felt it in so long, it might as well have been new.


    A glance at the captain and Jun prompted her to quit messing around and follow them to the building ahead.


    ¡°There¡¯s grass under the dome, isn¡¯t there?¡± Jun called back.


    Mia hurried up to them. ¡°Yeah, but mostly in the park.¡± The park reminded her of happier days. Much more naive days. ¡°I haven¡¯t had the time to visit in so long.¡±


    ¡°Ah, got¡¯cha.¡±


    She took one last look at the island before entering the building. The greenery looked lonely, trapped in an artificial surrounding it could live in, but not thrive. But something else caught her attention.


    ¡°The other truck was pretty far behind us.¡± Her eyes lingered on the empty parking space beside their truck. ¡°Will Em¨CWill the lieutenant know where to go?¡±


    ¡°He should¨C¡±


    Before the captain could finish his sentence, the blue truck could be seen driving past the building on the road to its right.


    ¡°He¡¯ll call.¡±


    Inside of the building was kind of dim, kind of dull, and kind of grimy. The tiles and fluorescent lights had brownish stains. She could imagine the Moon Base officers screaming their heads off if they saw something like this, though she had to agree she wasn¡¯t a fan. The ranger behind the counter carried herself prim and proper despite her surroundings.


    Captain Galhardo approached her. ¡°Excuse me,¡± He took out his ID card, ¡°I¡¯m here to retrieve a fuel shipment for the Celestion-5. How may I contact the star ranger in charge of it?¡±


    ¡°May I have your ID card,¡± she looked a little surprised when she finally looked up at him, ¡°sir?¡± After accepting it, she typed something, then handed it back. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ You are Captain Lorenzo Galhardo-Alverez of the Celestion-5, correct?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    She frowned at her screen. ¡°Hmmm, we haven¡¯t received a fuel shipment for your ship, sir.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain? I could¡¯ve sworn I sent it¡­¡± His voice grew quiet, reminding Mia he was only 19, just like her.


    The receptionist continued typing. ¡°Oh! I see where you placed the order, but whoever processed it didn¡¯t send it through. I¡¯ll handle that for you.¡±


    Captain Galhardo¡¯s posture somehow got more rigid. ¡°I-I see. Thank you, Ranger¡­¡±


    ¡°Basara.¡± The Interstellar Forces should really invest in nametags.


    ¡°Ranger Basara. Do you know when it should arrive?¡±


    ¡°It should be here by the end of the week, sir.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡± The captain sighed, then turned to Mia and Jun. ¡°I¡¯m going to call the spaceport to see if our parking can be extended. If it can, I¡¯ll arrange for temporary lodging.¡± As frustrated as he looked, Mia crossed her fingers for that option. A whole week of staying on Earth was more than she could dream of.


    A somewhat portly older man strolled down the hallway as this exchange happened. His eyebrows rose when he saw Captain Galhardo. ¡°A captain! It¡¯s not often we see your kind around these parts.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Staff Major¡­¡±


    ¡°Staff Major Johannson.¡± He shook the captain¡¯s hand. ¡°You know, you look like a dead ringer for¡­ Ahhh, what¡¯s that guy¡¯s name? The chief commander, you know the one, with the huge sideburns and eyebrows that look like they could kill a man. If you had a mustache, you¡¯d be his twin.¡± He looked over at Jun. ¡°And you look like Jun Kim!¡±


    ¡°I get that a lot.¡±


    ¡°Prettier though. You actually look like a woman!¡± The staff major laughed.


    ¡°Uh, cool, thanks?¡± Jun laughed as if they wanted to die. ¡°Not really sure how to react to being called a prettier version of myself.¡±


    Now it was Johannson¡¯s turn to wish for death. He didn¡¯t seem to have a response, so he changed the subject. ¡°Sooo, Captain, what are you all here for?¡±


    ¡°We came to retrieve a fuel tank for our ship.¡± explained Captain Galhardo.


    ¡°And out of everyone to help you with the heavy lifting, you brought these lovely ladies?¡±


    Mia couldn¡¯t remember being called a lovely lady before, but if this was how it felt, she¡¯d rather not be called it again. She briefly met eyes with Basara, whose chipperness seemed¡­ off. Different than before he showed up. Jun managed to keep a straight face though.


    The captain took a moment to respond. ¡°With all due respect, sir, I don¡¯t see what difference it makes. If they couldn¡¯t pass the physical exams, they wouldn¡¯t be in the Interstellar Forces.¡±


    Technically, Mia was a few pounds too heavy for her height range, but otherwise passed her physical exams, so a superior took pity on her and gave her an exemption. She didn¡¯t feel the need to bring that up now, though.


    ¡°Ranger Kim passed even before the exams were adjusted by sex.¡± he added.


    A thin smile Johannson¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re rational. Straightforward. A man of logic. I like that, but¡­ have you ever had a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll understand when the time comes.¡± He chuckled, then winked at Mia for reasons she couldn¡¯t understand. It¡¯s not like she¡¯d ever had a girlfriend!


    Her wrist vibrated. She took off her bracelet and converted it into her phone to see a message from Jun.


    ¡®yikes. this guy¡¯


    Mia texted back. ¡®Not a fan of this guy¡¯s wink.¡¯


    ¡®he¡¯s no emil¡¯


    ¡®Emil should sue.¡¯


    Jun stifled a smile.


    ¡°I hope Naila¡¯s been treating you nice.¡± Johannson continued. ¡°She¡¯s a sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Basara replied in a voice not too different from an AI.


    ¡°Make sure this guy gets his fuel tank.¡± He spoke to her like a child.


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Sure you are.¡± He thumbed at the captain. ¡°He seems like a good catch!¡±


    ¡®yo she looks dead inside.¡¯ Jun commented. ¡®hold on a sec.¡¯ They pocketed their phone and got Captain Galhardo¡¯s attention. ¡°Excuse me, Captain Galhardo, would it be okay if I¨C¡±


    ¡°Galhardo! That¡¯s who I was¡­¡± Johannson stared at the captain as if he was a ghost. ¡°By Jove, you¡¯re Galhardo¡¯s son, aren¡¯t you? The one on that experimental project!¡±


    Captain Galhardo nodded hesitantly. ¡°Yes, sir. Please excuse me, but I need to make a call to the spaceport.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re fine. I was just going to,¡± the staff major tapped his fingers against his thigh, ¡°I was just going to attend to some things. Good luck on your journey. Nice meeting you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, sir.¡±


    Both hurriedly parted from each other, with Johannson practically knocking Mia over to get out of the building. The captain bolted to the waiting area opposite of the reception desk.


    He looked back at Jun, dialing his phone. ¡°Ranger Kim, see what you can find out about the lodging arrangements. I will let you know if we need to rent them.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain.¡± They gave a thumbs-up and headed over to the desk.


    With the other two busy, Mia wondered what to do. Or she would¡¯ve if her phone hadn¡¯t buzzed again. This time, a call from Roxie. She answered it.


    ¡°Hiiiii~ We¡¯re lost!¡± Roxie¡¯s voice chimed over the speaker.


    ¡°We kinda fell behind at the check-in gate.¡± Leon¡¯s followed. ¡°The guy checking our IDs was really thorough!¡±


    ¡°Do you know your whereabouts?¡±


    ¡°Ummmm,¡± Mia tried to think of directions, ¡°you passed us a while ago. If I remember correctly, we turned right from the gate, then left, then made another right. I think your truck went straight ahead instead. Does that help?¡±


    ¡°That helps a lot!¡± Emil called from farther away. Did Roxie have her on speaker phone? ¡°Ask her if she wants anything from McBeefy¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Would you like to partake in McBeefy¡¯s?¡± Roxie repeated.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Thanks, I heard Emil. We¡¯re not allowed to eat inside the buildings, are we? It seems a little rude.¡±


    ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t be in there long, right?¡± asked Emil.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Mia watched as the captain gave Jun the okay to rent. ¡°We might be here for a few days.¡±


    Noisy celebration blared from the other end. Mia may¡¯ve dodged a bullet by not riding in Emil¡¯s truck.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll pay for a vanilla milkshake. Small.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s on me. What about Jun and my bro?¡±


    Mia looked back at the others. ¡°Uhh, they¡¯re both kind of in the middle of something.¡±


    ¡°Not to worry!¡± Roxie reassured her. ¡°For this truck is equipped with Jun and Captain-knowers!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll figure somethin¡¯ out for them.¡± added Emil. ¡°See you in a few!¡±


    She heard Leon next. ¡°Bye, Mia!¡±


    ¡°Bye-bye~¡± Roxie¡¯s voice sounded so cute.


    ¡°Bye-by¨C¡± Mia shook her head. Right. Speaker phone. ¡°Goodbye, everyone.¡±


    Roxie and Mia hung up one after the other. When the latter looked up from the tile, she saw the captain finish up with his conversation.


    He hung up his phone. ¡°The Celestion-5¡¯s docking time can be extended as late as August 3rd, but I have to arrange it in person.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡± Jun turned to Ranger Basara. ¡°So I guess we¡¯ll be renting for six days.¡±


    ¡°Sir, won¡¯t we just have to come back on August 6th?¡± asked Mia.


    The captain adjusted his hat. ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re already overstaying our welcome. We¡¯ll have to trust that our fuel will get here on time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it should be here by then for sure!¡± assured Basara.


    ¡°Y¡­Yes, thank you.¡± Captain Galhardo nodded toward her, but didn¡¯t make eye contact. Not that that was weird for him. This time, though, Mia would¡¯ve thought he believed looking at her would turn him into stone. He immediately exited the door.


    Mia caught up with him just as he reached the truck. ¡°Captain! The lieutenant is on his way here. Shouldn¡¯t we wait for him?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I just figured we should wait out here.¡± He crossed his arms, looking around.


    Jun did not follow them. From where Mia stood, she could barely make out their form, still standing by the reception desk. The captain turned his attention there as well.


    ¡°Did Ranger Basara take an interest in me that seemed excessive or out of the ordinary?¡±


    ¡°Not that I could notice.¡± Mia heard him exhale when she told him that. Did he think she was spying? He didn¡¯t get cagey with her until after Johannson showed up, so something else might¡¯ve bothered him. Being so guarded all the time, maybe he found it difficult to talk to people he didn¡¯t know. She still hadn¡¯t gotten used to that either.


    A pale blue truck turned around the corner and ran over her train of thought. It parked just beside the red one she and the others came in. As soon as it stopped, poofy blond hair poked its way out of the driver¡¯s window.


    ¡°Someone order a chicken salad?¡± Emil waved a container around.


    ¡°No?¡± responded the confused captain.


    Emil leapt out of the car and gave him the salad. ¡°Well, lucky you! You get one for free! And before you lecture me about how we have food back on the ship,¡± he took a bite from a chicken sandwich, ¡°Mia already told us the situation.¡±


    Captain Galhardo glowered at the salad. He took it, defeated. ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I come bearing your milkshake!¡± Roxie¡¯s arm stuck out from the back.


    Mia didn¡¯t know if ordering food had gained her the captain¡¯s ire and left before she could. Just then, Jun emerged from the building.


    ¡°Captain, I got the directions to the place we¡¯re gonna stay.¡± They waved some papers. ¡°Plus some other stuff you might want like payment details.¡±


    ¡°Very much appreciated, Ranger Kim.¡± Captain Galhardo took most of the stack, leaving them with only one. He made his way back to the truck. ¡°I¡¯m going to go make some arrangements at the spaceport. We can meet back at our rooms.¡±


    ¡°Cool! See ya later!¡± Emil waved his brother goodbye.


    The captain drove off, leaving the others behind. Everyone else enjoyed their meal outside, with Emil opening the bed of the truck so people could sit there. Mia opted to stand to the side of it instead. Aiden leaned against the other side.


    He handed a bag to Jun. ¡°Here¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°Yoooo, you guys got me the spicy nugs?¡± Jun rummaged around in the bag, pulling out a container of reddish chicken nuggets. ¡°Niiice.¡± They hopped on the edge of the truck bed next to Emil.


    Mia continued sipping on her milkshake while the rest of the group ate. Occasionally someone would ask her how she liked Earth so far, but the conversation went so many places at once that no one had the time to barrage her with questions. They were too busy laughing and joking around.


    Spending time with people she didn¡¯t completely hate, not saddled with anyone else¡¯s responsibilities, and doing so under a gentle breeze and the summer sun, Mia found herself having fun. Was this living the Earth Girl lifestyle or just how it felt to not miss out on a social life? She couldn¡¯t know, but it felt so pleasant it started to scare her. When would it all go wrong?


    Staff Major Johannson rounded the corner of the building as if to answer her question. He stopped to stare at the group. ¡°Where¡¯s your captain?¡±


    ¡°He left!¡± Emil answered.


    Johannson wiped his brow. ¡°Ha! He seems like a nice guy but sheesh, it must be nerve-wracking being around Galhardo¡¯s son!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it can be,¡± Emil kicked his legs, ¡°but I can¡¯t really talk, ¡®cause I¡¯m his other one!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well I¡¯ll leave you to your meal then!¡± The staff major re-entered the building mercifully fast.


    ¡°Hope I didn¡¯t scare that guy off too bad.¡± The younger Galhardo grimaced. ¡°He looked like he had a heart attack.¡±


    Jun laughed. ¡°Nah, you did us a favor. You should¡¯ve seen the look on his face when he realized who I was after he called me a prettier Jun Kim who,¡± they deepened their voice even more, doing air quotes, ¡°¡®actually looked like a woman.¡¯¡±


    Emil audibly cringed.


    ¡°Like, I don¡¯t really get why people harp on that so much? Looking like a dude was the whole point. I wouldn¡¯t have gotten into the IF if I didn¡¯t, duh!¡± They picked up another nugget. ¡°Mia, what was the other stuff he said?¡±


    Mia finished another sip of her milkshake. ¡°Do you mean when he made fun of the captain for not taking any guys to help him with the fuel tank or when he said the captain was too logical to have ever had a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°He what??¡± Emil¡¯s head snapped toward her.


    ¡°As if Roxie can¡¯t carry more than all of us.¡± Aiden ate his own order of spicy nuggets. ¡°He should be glad the IF ain¡¯t still stuck with me.¡±


    ¡°Dang, I actually forgot about that.¡± Jun brushed their bangs aside. ¡°I meant how he implied the receptionist was flirting with Captain Galhardo.¡±


    ¡°Ooh!¡± Emil winced. ¡°I hope Lorie didn¡¯t freak out too bad¡­¡±


    ¡°I was too busy paying attention to her to see how he reacted. She wasn¡¯t doing anything flirty though.¡± clarified the eldest ranger.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter. Just the thought¡¯s enough to really put him off somebody.¡± Emil unknowingly answered Mia¡¯s question from earlier. Captain Galhardo didn¡¯t suspect anything, he really just didn¡¯t like flirting. ¡°If he did react, I hope she didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    Leon finished up his fish sandwich. ¡°Are you guys alright? That sounds like a not great experience.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the worst that can happen.¡± Jun dusted off their hands. ¡°Just really annoying.¡± They continued asMia nodded in agreement. ¡°I feel bad for the receptionist though, Naila. She says he¡¯s like that, like, all the time.¡±


    ¡°Geesh, I knew the IF had issues with that, but I didn¡¯t know it was so obvious!¡± Emil paused from kicking his legs.


    ¡°You just have to keep your head down and power through it.¡± Mia shared her all-purpose philosophy. ¡°Back on the Moon Base, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d get overlooked for my male coworkers, but I was happy to be paid at all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s okay to want things to be fair.¡± Leon¡¯s sentiment was nice, but if Mia let herself want things, even outside of work, she would simply lose her mind.


    ¡°Yeah, girls would come up to tell me things they were too nervous to bring up to their superiors.¡± Jun reminisced. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s a well-meaning guy who doesn¡¯t realize what he¡¯s doing, and I can get through to him. But when it¡¯s someone this blatant and a superior, there¡¯s not much I can do but listen and give advice.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s something I¡¯m missing, but can¡¯t they tell someone higher up? Sexism is one of the things you can report, right?¡±


    ¡°Report at your own risk.¡± Roxie gave a genuinely ominous warning after finishing her second beefless Unbeefable Burger. ¡°You may be removed from your station.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re reporting it to your direct superior, there¡¯s like a 50/50 chance they¡¯ll help,¡± explained Jun, ¡°but going above your superior is seen as a biiiig problemo.¡±


    ¡°Then what can you do?¡± Leon stared hopelessly into the wrapper of his sandwich.


    ¡°Nothin¡¯.¡± answered Aiden. ¡°Nothin¡¯ legal.¡± He looked back at Roxie and Mia. ¡°So come to me if you want any illegal advice. I can¡¯t promise you won¡¯t go to jail, but you¡¯ll feel better.¡±


    Mia stifled a laugh. Something about what he said reminded her of when she had an older sibling.


    ¡°And come to me if you need an ear to listen.¡± Jun offered. ¡°I know we¡¯ve been talking about sexism, but that goes for all of you guys.¡±


    Emil crumpled his sandwich wrapper. ¡°We¡¯re gonna be stuck together for who-knows-how-long, so we might as well have a good time.¡± He sounded so serious about having fun. ¡°If you¡¯re not, tell me, even if it¡¯s my fault, or the captain¡¯s. I wanna make sure everyone feels good.¡±


    Jun smiled. ¡°You¡¯re doing good so far.¡±


    He beamed. ¡°Thanks. It looks like everyone¡¯s finished, so give me all your trash and then we can hit the road.¡±


    The lieutenant captain took as much trash as his hands and teeth could carry. With no space left, he offered a shoulder over for Mia to place her empty cup.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll throw it away myself.¡± offered Mia.


    He mumbled something positive and winked.


    The two headed over to the building¡¯s entrance, where Emil crammed trash into the nearby garbage can. Seeing this made Mia wonder how the remaining crew were going to cram into one truck.


    ¡°Will that truck fit all of us?¡±


    Emil pushed the last bit of trash down with his shoe. ¡°If we cram in, it should fit five! And we have,¡± he began counting the others, ¡°one, two, three, four, five¡­¡± His finger finally rested on himself. ¡°Huh. I see the problem. Maybe someone can ride in the back?¡±


    ¡°Is that legal?¡±


    ¡°People do it all the time in Texas. From what I remember anyway.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in California.¡± Mia searched her question on the phone and received an answer that made her eyebrows rise. ¡°Oh! You can ride in the back as long as you have ¡®approved restraints.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Where do we find those?¡±


    Mia looked that up. ¡°I¡¯m not getting any clear answers.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can ask somebody inside.¡± Emil thumbed at the door. ¡°C¡¯mon!¡±


    Mia followed Emil back into the waiting room, where they were greeted by Basara¡­ and Johannson. They avoided the latter, going up to the reception desk.


    Emil leaned on it. ¡°Hey, weird question, but do you know of any place where we could get truck restraints?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I don¨C¡±


    ¡°What do you need them for?¡± Johannson butted in before Basara could fully answer.


    Emil turned his head ever so slightly to look back at him. ¡°Uhh, our truck can¡¯t fit all of our crew right now.¡±


    ¡°Naila!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡­?¡± Her dark eyes narrowed in pain.


    ¡°Be a sweetheart and take them wherever they want to go!¡±


    ¡°Major Johannson, I have a meeting with my unit in 15 minutes. I really can¡¯t afford to be late again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s cool. It¡¯s not that serious.¡± Emil declined. ¡°We don¡¯t need to be anywhere right now.¡±


    Johannson waved a hand. ¡°No, I insist! They won¡¯t miss you, Naila. Now go on. Tell ¡®em it¡¯s an order from me.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, sir.¡±


    Before Emil could figure out what else to say, Johannson disappeared into a nearby hallway. He turned to Basara. ¡°You don¡¯t hafta drive us anywhere.¡±


    She shrugged, smiling sadly. ¡°I might as well. If he sees any of you left behind, he¡¯ll know I didn¡¯t follow orders. Sure, he could¡¯ve called to let my corporal know in advance, but he never does and I get in trouble because no one ever communicates around here, ahhh!¡± While playful, Mia got the idea that Basara¡¯s scream was anything but a joke.


    ¡°Sorry for bringing you into this.¡± Mia held the door open for the other two.


    ¡°It¡¯s not you guys¡¯ fault.¡± Naila followed after Emil. ¡°He¡¯s always saying, ¡®Be a sweetheart and do this. Be a sweetheart and do that,¡¯ like I¡¯m his child or something!¡± Her eye twitched with rage, then snapped back to serenity. ¡°But I gotta suck it up and keep it moving!¡± She noticed the red patch on Emil¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°You specialized in Medical Science, Lieutenant?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can say all that,¡± Emil tilted his head back and forth, ¡°but I took a first aid class.¡±


    ¡°Cool, I work in first response!¡± She showed off her own red patch. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be testing out a new kind of gurney at the meeting today.¡±


    ¡°Hey guys. Hey Naila.¡± Jun hopped off of the truck bed. ¡°End of your shift?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± Naila explained. ¡°I¡¯ve been tasked to drive you wherever you¡¯d like to go!¡±


    ¡°You can say forced.¡± Aiden saw through her words.


    ¡°Unfortunately we gotta have her drive us some of the way, or else someone,¡± Emil tilted his head back, ¡°will notice she didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°So where would you like to go?¡± She smiled with the manufactured cheer of a stewardess.


    ¡°Well, we were headed to the barracks, but¡­¡± Jun trailed off. No one really seemed comfortable with the arrangement.


    Mia imagined herself in Naila¡¯s place, in hot water because a superior treated her like a personal errand girl when she had other obligations. If only they could get her to her meeting while also going wherever they wanted to go.


    Wherever they wanted to go.


    ¡°Um, what if,¡± Mia twiddled her fingers, ¡°what if we wanted to go to wherever your meeting is?¡±


    ¡°Good thinking!¡± Emil¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t some of you have to walk the rest of the way?¡± Naila brushed her hair aside. ¡°Would you know where to go?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Mia volunteered.


    Roxie raised her hand. ¡°I would also like to go with you, to see the Earth through a Lunarian¡¯s eyes!¡±


    Jun held up the piece of paper they kept from Captain Galhardo. ¡°I grabbed an extra copy of the directions, so I can text those to Rox on the way.¡±


    ¡°And if anyone asks, us sweethearts will say you gave us a wonderful tour.¡± Emil winked.


    Naila smiled, genuinely this time. ¡°Wow, thank you! I owe you all a bunch, seriously!¡± Her eyes fell on Mia. ¡°You especially. It¡¯s nice to have people looking out for me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do.¡± Mia had no idea how to respond. At this rate her face would turn the same shade as her hair. ¡°Uh, we should probably get going. You have a meeting to catch.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Naila laughed. ¡°Come on.¡± She waved Mia and Roxie over, and the two followed her to a small white car. The weather may¡¯ve cooled down, but Mia¡¯s face held onto the warm buzz from making someone else¡¯s day. Roxie swinging her hand on the way over didn¡¯t help. Neither did struggling to put on the seatbelt again. But even as clouds blocked the sun, Mia couldn¡¯t imagine how her day could get any brighter.

 [Earth to Mia] Ch 3. Life in the Cracks

    Mia watched the sky darken to a surreal shade of grey from the back seat of Naila¡¯s car. She¡¯d seen this on TV, but never paid attention to how the surroundings dulled in color, how life drained from them.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to rain today¡­¡± lamented the driver.


    ¡°Mother Nature must¡¯ve made her own plans.¡± Roxie remarked solemnly. She watched flags rustle in the wind. ¡°California doesn¡¯t get tornadoes, does it?¡±


    ¡°Not any strong ones.¡±


    ¡°Lucky~ Tornadoes are the worst.¡± What an eerily straightforward way for her to put it.


    ¡°They sound like it. I hope the weather clears up soon. There¡¯s a lake close to where your crew is staying, behind all the trees.¡± Naila smiled to herself. ¡°Skipping rocks there helps me destress.¡±


    Roxie looked into the back seat, her eyes filled with the same excitement as Mia¡¯s heart. ¡°Mia, did you hear that? The wonders of nature are just beyond our reach! You can feast upon it with your very eyes!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided!¡± She turned back around, folding her arms. ¡°We¡¯re going to the lake!¡±


    Naila nearly asked something, but instead pulled over to the sidewalk and braked the car. ¡°I just realized you¡¯ll be closer to the barracks if I let you off here. Just go straight down that street,¡± She pointed at the corner they just passed, ¡°make a right at McBeefy¡¯s, and then go straight until you see a bunch of trees. That¡¯s when you¡¯ll know you¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the ride.¡± Mia struggled not to step on Naila¡¯s backpack or her medical books as she exited the car.


    Roxie simply hopped out. ¡°And thank you for your knowledge of the lake!¡±


    ¡°No problem. Stay dry!¡±


    ¡°You too!¡± Only after the fact did Mia realize what a fool she sounded like. Naila had a car. The freckled ranger didn¡¯t have enough time to fix her mistake before she drove off.


    ¡°Onward!¡± Roxie led the way, denying Mia the chance to dwell on it.


    Mia caught up to her as she rounded the corner. To their left, a metal fence separated them from a field with a running track. How would it have felt to run with the wind at her back? ¡°Does it feel nicer, running laps on Earth?¡±


    Roxie tilted her head side to side as she walked. ¡°That¡¯s not as simple a question as you may think.¡± She wagged a finger. ¡°We are always at the mercy of the weather here, my dear Wattson. Once you¡¯ve experienced a training session in the blistering heat of a summer afternoon, you¡¯ll know the sun¡¯s full wrath. But don¡¯t be fooled by winter. She¡¯s just as harsh a mistress, her cold winds sending daggers into your lungs with every breath¡­!¡±


    ¡°Oh. What about weather like this?¡±


    ¡°This is fine!¡± She answered cheerily.


    Darkened windows across the street reflected cars that sped by much faster than the 30-mph-limit. Mia saw her own reflection, and Roxie¡¯s, alone on the sidewalk, so quiet compared to Lunaria.


    She held her hands out. ¡°It¡¯s so empty.¡±


    ¡°No one walks in America!¡± Roxie explained.


    ¡°But,¡± Mia thumbed behind her, ¡°so many people were walking around in that city we came from.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s a city. Us country folk have to fend for ourselves!¡± The shorter redhead stabbed a finger into her own chest. ¡°Driver¡¯s licenses are a necessity in the rural wilderness.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have buses?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s drive or die!¡±


    Mia smiled, then grimaced when her heel collided with something unexpectedly squishy. Her foot sprang up, revealing a tomato slice absolutely covered in pepper. Moving pepper. ¡°...Are those ants?¡±


    Roxie turned, then gasp. ¡°What a feast! Their queen will be so proud!¡±


    Mia studied the ants intently. They crawled along the sidewalk, with a trail leading all the way back to the fence. Along the way, grass sprouted from a crack in the sidewalk. ¡°It¡¯s weird that someone would plant this here.¡±


    ¡°No one planted it, silly!¡± Roxie¡¯s laugh carried nothing but kindness. ¡°Grass grows wherever it wants to.¡±


    ¡°I never knew a crack in the sidewalk could be so alive.¡± The freckled ranger watched ants carry tomato pulp back to their home. She could do this for hours.


    ¡°Waaaah, how cute~!¡±


    ¡°They are kind of cute in a way.¡± Mia never thought she¡¯d be saying this about ants, but she never thought she¡¯d see ants.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about the ants.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Rumbling cut through the sky. It shook Mia to her core, but in an exciting way.


    ¡°Sorry Mia, but we¡¯ll have to leave the ants to their work! Time is ticking until¨C¡±


    A darkened spot appeared on the sidewalk, and more joined it. Something cold landed on the back of Mia¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Gyah!¡± Roxie ran away. Her arms failed to protect her mass of hair. ¡°My dye is under attack!¡±


    Mia ran after her, taking off her uniform coat. She finally caught up at the corner across from McBeefy¡¯s. ¡°Here¡­¡± she wheezed. ¡°W¡­ We can¡­¡±


    Instead of wasting precious breath to explain, she lifted her coat above herself and Roxie. Roxie held the side closest to her, allowing Mia to let go of it.


    ¡°Thankies!¡± Roxie¡¯s round eyes looked up at her. ¡°I could use my coat if you want.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Mia strained. ¡°Feels good!¡±


    Rain sprinkled her left arm like freckles. She didn¡¯t lie; it felt nice! Looking toward the sky, Mia couldn¡¯t see any source of the raindrops.


    ¡°The water¡­ It¡¯s falling out of the sky.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what rain is!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¨C,¡± Logistically, Mia knew this was true, but it might as well have been magic to her. ¡°Yeah. I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°You have a lot to learn.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to.¡±


    Mia continued with Roxie down the final sidewalk, watching rain fall into the open field across the street. Beyond them, the sidewalk would come to an end soon. All it lead to were grassy clearings on either side of the road.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Naila say there¡¯d be trees around here?¡±


    ¡°There are!¡± Roxie pointed ahead. ¡°See?¡± Mia¡¯s eyes followed her hand to a miniscule forest in the distance. It had to be a mile or two away from the end of the sidewalk.


    ¡°We have to walk all the way there??¡± The younger ranger¡¯s excitement proved to be too much for her body, because she launched into a coughing fit.


    Roxie slowed down, worry clear on her face. ¡°Mia, are you okay?¡±


    Mia nodded anyway, too embarrassed to tell the truth. She never cared for running, but the short jog over to Roxie shouldn¡¯t have taken such a toll on her. It hadn¡¯t been that long since she last ran. She shouldn¡¯t be this out of shape.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have asthma, do you?¡±


    She finally recovered. ¡°Can you even get into the IF with it?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s mild, yes.¡± answered Roxie.


    ¡°My breathing exams came out normal, so I don¡¯t think so.¡± Mia tried to remember if there were any signs she might¡¯ve been missing. ¡°I dunno, I never had any issues with it growing up.¡±


    ¡°Roxie Safety Tip!¡± She pointed with her free hand. ¡°If you have trouble breathing, let someone know.¡±


    Raindrops slithered down Mia¡¯s elbow. The sprinkling became a steady downpour, shrouding their destination in mist. At this pace, she didn¡¯t know how long it would take them to get there, but she knew her coat couldn¡¯t hold out for much longer. Even now, it sagged and dripped onto their shoulders.


    ¡°Um,¡± Mia looked behind, ¡°do you think we should head back to McBeefy¡¯s? We¡¯re still close. Maybe we could call Emil to pick us up from there. I can¡¯t imagine being out here is very Roxie Safety Tip of us.¡±


    ¡°You are correct.¡± Roxie lifted up the sagging section. ¡°McBeefy¡¯s is an oasis of warmth and acceptance, so long as we buy a combo meal for $5.99! A perfect place to retreat.¡±


    The two turned around, only to be met with curtains of rain. Their surroundings became a blur that only the light of the McBeefy¡¯s sign could cut through. Angus, the bull mascot, crossed his arms and smiled down on them. The yellow circle at his back shined like a halo.


    ¡°How much water can fall from the sky?¡± It amazed Mia more than it annoyed her, and getting soaked was not her usual method of fun. Lightning flashed. She couldn¡¯t even show it to Roxie before it disappeared. Thunder roared so loud, it nearly drowned out the truck passing by. ¡°You could make an ocean out of this¡­¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we here on Earth call¨CMy truck!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s¨C¡± Before she could finish, Roxie sprinted away from McBeefy¡¯s, waving at a familiar red truck with a familiar driver.


    ¡°Captain Galhardo! Captain Galhardo, it¡¯s your faithful crew!¡± Roxie¡¯s curls glistened in the rain. Grey splotches splattered her white coat. ¡°Please don¡¯t forsake us!¡± Her pleas continued in vain as the truck continued at a respectable speed. ¡°Please! Captaaaain!!¡±


    Her calls went unheard. The truck passed the end of the sidewalk, where Roxie stood alone. Both her arms and voice lowered, defeated. Once again, Mia used her coat to shield her from the rain, but with how soaked it had become, the gesture meant little from a practical standpoint.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡± Roxie whined. She leaned her wet hair on Mia¡¯s shoulder, and together, they watched the truck drive away¡­ onto the side of the road?


    It veered into the patch of grass beyond the end of the sidewalk, backing up carefully as to not hit the fence. Finally, it stopped a few feet from where Mia and Roxie stood. They huddled over to its side.


    ¡°You came back!¡± The driver¡¯s window didn¡¯t have a chance to come down before Roxie shouted her appreciation.


    ¡°The door is unlocked.¡± spoke Captain Galhardo.


    Roxie practically hopped into the back seat, offering Mia a hand once she got settled. The latter wrung out her shirt before getting in. Both were too soaked for it to make a difference, but Mia figured she¡¯d be polite.


    ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡± Mia smelled the leftover scent of chicken salad.


    ¡°We are grateful for your salvation!¡± Roxie took off her own coat, revealing a blue shirt much drier than Mia¡¯s. ¡°If I may ask, is it okay if we turn up the heat? I would like to protect us against hypothermia as much as possible.¡±


    Without a word, Captain Galhardo turned up the heat dial. Roxie and Mia thanked him while he checked the road for passing cars. There were none.


    He eased onto the road, looking warily at his passengers. ¡°...What were you two doing on your own? Where is the lieutenant?¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t enough room in the other truck.¡± Roxie answered. ¡°So we walked!¡±


    ¡°Why not wait for him to pick you up?¡±


    ¡°Ranger Basara was ordered to drive us,¡± Mia explained, ¡°but she had duties to attend to, so she dropped us off halfway.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    Mia listened to the sound of rain pounding against metal. She found out during the picnic that cars come with built-in radios. Emil seemed particularly horrified upon finding out that his brother never turned his on, but she didn¡¯t mind right now. The wind and rain provided its own tune.


    Within minutes, they drove into the wooded area. The road turned, leading into a real life Earth neighborhood, where small, quaint, nearly identical houses were packed together. The blue truck could be seen sitting outside of one. It¡¯s driver typed on his cellphone under a canopy. Around the same time, Mia saw a text he sent Roxie asking where they were. He watched as the red truck parked.


    Roxie left the car after Mia, holding up her phone. ¡°We¡¯re here!¡±


    Emil smiled upon seeing the two of them. ¡°Heeeey, I was just coming to get you guys before you got,¡± his smile dampened, ¡°soaked.¡± The captain caught his attention. ¡°You¡¯re back fast! Did you get everything set up with the spaceport?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go.¡± answered Captain Galhardo. ¡°We¡¯ll need luggage, so I came back to take crewmembers to get theirs. I¡¯ll be needing Rangers Summers and Kelly.¡±


    ¡°Leon went next door for something, ¡®cause, uhhh¡­¡± many expressions of discomfort played out on Emil¡¯s face. ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t you come in? It¡¯s easier than explaining.¡± He opened the door. ¡°Don¡¯t bother taking off your shoes, you can¡¯t do much more damage than what¡¯s already done.¡±


    ¡°Damage?¡± The captain stepped in first. ¡°Who caused damage?¡±


    ¡°None of us!¡± His brother held his hands up. ¡°Trust me, we couldn¡¯t get the chance.¡±


    Mia entered the house last, stepping on a mold-green carpet, it¡¯s furry texture an affront to hygiene. The smell proved just as much. A silver bug skittered across her path and along the cracked, textured white walls¨Cat least the parts that weren¡¯t stained. She could tell she stood in a combination living room/dining area, but from what decade, she didn¡¯t know. Most of the furniture looked older than Lunaria itself, some older than her mother. She sneezed.


    ¡°This place looks very, um,¡± as she struggled to find a polite word, a spider attacked the silver bug, ¡°very lively.¡±


    Emil laughed. ¡°Yeah, this house kinda developed its own ecosystem along the way. The living room isn¡¯t that bad, though. A couple spiders here, a couple¨C¡± He squinted at the silver bug fight. ¡°...What the heck is that? Anyway, it¡¯s the rest of the place you should worry about.¡±


    Roxie nearly sat down on a floral print couch.


    ¡°Woah woah woah there Roxie! We still haven¡¯t got a verdict on the bedbug situation here yet¨C¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find any bedbugs!¡± Jun¡¯s voice called from the hallway.


    Roxie resumed sitting down.


    ¡°Did find cockroaches though. Lots of ¡®em in the mattresses. Way grody.¡±


    She immediately jumped up.


    ¡°How could any star ranger let a lodging facility come to this?¡± Captain Galhardo entered the hallway, inspecting a bunch of paper towels shoved under a door.


    ¡°Dunno if I can blame the cleaning crew. If I got assigned this place I would nnNOT touch that door!¡± Emil hurried over to him.


    The captain drew his hand away from the doorknob. ¡°What¡¯s behind it?¡±


    Before Emil could answer, the door behind Mia opened, hitting her in the back.


    ¡°Oh, sorry Mia, I didn¡¯t know you were there!¡± apologized a lightly drenched Leon. He turned his attention to Emil. ¡°The next door neighbors said they¡¯d trade us wasp spray for mouse traps.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any mouse traps.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any mouse traps!¡± Leon relayed. Mia heard a door shut from outside.


    ¡°Aww, they have mice?¡± asked Roxie. ¡°I wish we had mice.¡±


    ¡°Ranger Summers, I need you to accompany me to the spaceport.¡± ordered Captain Galhardo.


    ¡°Of course sir, I¡¯d love to!¡± Leon stepped inside. ¡°There¡¯s a diorama back there that I meant to take a picture of, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Now where is Ranger Kelly?¡± The captain addressed his brother.


    ¡°Yoooo, this is a whole rainbow of mold!¡± echoed Aiden¡¯s voice. ¡°Jun, come check it out!¡±


    ¡°Do not check it out!¡± Roxie bolted into the hallway. ¡°Check out of the mold room immediately!¡±


    Emil faced the captain. ¡°Hey bro, we should get hotel rooms.¡±


    The captain crossed his arms. ¡°Hotel rooms are expensive.¡±


    ¡°We can afford ¡®em! Sure, we might get paid less than¨C¡±


    Mia sneezed a few more times, interrupting. The captain seemed relieved at this. ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°No prob. You okay?¡± Emil smiled when she gave a thumbs up, then resumed the other conversation. ¡°Look, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be spending loads of money in space. Might as well use what we have now! Besides, imagine if we bring any of these little creatures home, and heaven forbid, they infest the new guy¡¯s bed. He¡¯ll think we¡¯re a buncha slobs!¡±


    His brother exhaled. ¡°You¡¯ve made your point. But we¡¯re not getting hotel rooms. A different lodging facility should suffice.¡±


    ¡°I dunno.¡± He tugged at one of his curls. ¡°If the neighbors were begging for mouse traps, we might be swapping one infestation for another. But anything¡¯s better than the wasp nest room.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Captain Galhardo flinched away from the paper towel door. ¡°You could¡¯ve just told me¨C¡±


    Roxie returned with Jun and Aiden¡¯s arms hooked into hers. ¡°We¡¯ve returned, free of spores. I think.¡±


    ¡°Ranger Kelly, you are to accompany myself and Ranger Summers to the spaceport to retrieve your luggage, understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain.¡± Aiden sounded like he¡¯d rather do anything else. He sulked behind the captain, following him to the door.


    Leon opened it, and after the other two left, he turned to Mia. ¡°I hope you¡¯re enjoying Earth so far! Too bad I couldn¡¯t see you experience it more.¡± How tragic. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll be back in time to see your reaction to¨C¡±


    ¡°Ranger Summers.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sir!¡± He glanced back at Mia. ¡°I guess it¡¯ll have to be a surprise. Goodbye, everyone!¡± With a wave, the door closed behind him.


    Emil re-entered the living room, along with Roxie and Jun. He lifted his arms. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s just us!¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Jun stood awkwardly with the others. ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    He grabbed a remote from the possibly-cockroach-infested-couch. ¡°We could watch TV while we wait for the others.¡± Emil pressed the power button, but the TV didn¡¯t turn on. He tapped it many times to no avail. ¡°Huh. Maybe it¡¯s not plugged in. Mia, can you check since you¡¯re over there?¡±


    Mia looked beyond the spider claiming its silver feast into a tangle of wires behind the TV set. She couldn¡¯t hope to make sense of them even if she tried. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t have to.


    The TV turned on. Then off. Then on again, repeating the cycle rapidly until a loud pop sent Mia jumping away. The TV turned off again¡­ along with all of the lights.


    Emil¡¯s jaw dropped. So did his remote, which he backed away from as if to avoid blame. ¡°So. TV¡¯s a bust. Annnd we¡¯re stuck in a dark, musty, buggy house.¡±


    Staying far from the TV, Mia walked around and over to tacky floral curtains. ¡°We could open these. Then it wouldn¡¯t have to be dark.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll solve one problem!¡± Emil winked.


    She cautiously parted open the curtains. The whole room carried such a diseased aura that she felt itchy just being there. Specifically on her right hand. A fuzzy spider happened to be crawling on top of it.


    ¡°O-Oh, hello there!¡± Had she flinched any more, it would¡¯ve flown off her hand into who-knows-where. Her hand pressed against the curtain, and thankfully, it took the hint. ¡°There you go.¡± Earth creatures didn¡¯t respect personal space.


    Now Mia could get back to her true purpose for doing this: watching the rain. It had mostly died down by this point. Still, watching raindrops merge into one another one the windowsill entertained her more than the cable network ever could.


    Roxie joined her by the window, instead watching the spider. ¡°Go free, fuzzy friend! Join your brethren!¡±


    Mia glanced over to see it climb onto the window sill, filled with black, fuzzy things that didn¡¯t quite look like spiders. Maybe they were eggs. ¡°Do spiders normally lay that many eggs?¡±


    ¡°No, no, spider eggs don¡¯t look like that. That¡¯s¡­¡± Roxie¡¯s eyes grew wide with alarm. ¡°That¡¯s mold.¡±


    ¡°Wh-Wha¨C? Whachoo! Achoo!!¡± A sneezing fit interrupted Mia¡¯s question.


    ¡°Looks like it got in the air vents too.¡± Jun joined Emil over in the kitchen area. Above them, black speckles caked an air vent.


    ¡°Geez, no wonder Mia¡¯s been sneezin¡¯ up a storm!¡± Emil backed away from it. ¡°Weeee should probably get outta here, huh?¡±


    ¡°Immediately!¡± confirmed Roxie. ¡°This house belongs to the mold now!¡±


    She took Mia¡¯s hand and rushed out of the door. Jun and Emil followed. The four fit like sardines under the two-person canopy, but at least they weren¡¯t getting poisoned!


    Mia glanced back at the door. ¡°I was really looking forward to seeing nature, but I think I prefer when it¡¯s outside.¡±


    Jun laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, not all houses here are that gnarly.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting a better one if it takes all day.¡± Emil marched forward. He jingled his car keys. ¡°No time like the present to get started.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Jun walked with him and so did Mia.


    Roxie, however, stayed behind. ¡°Wait! This house may be claimed by pests and pestilence, but it has one good thing going for it!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Location! Legend has it that a lake rests beyond the trees.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Mia forgot. ¡°Naila told us there¡¯s lake nearby.¡± She reiterated to the others.


    ¡°We should let Mia see it before we leave. Pretty please?¡± begged Roxie.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to¨C¡±


    ¡°Who am I to refuse?¡± Emil shrugged. ¡°Might as well view something worth lookin¡¯ at after experiencing,¡± he grimaced at the house, ¡°that. Where is it?¡±


    Jun leaned over. ¡°I think I see it behind the house.¡±


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s go!¡± He waved an arm and changed direction. Roxie bounded past him.


    Mia lagged behind the others, too busy watching the sky part, revealing a beautiful blue once more. Earth changed so constantly, she didn¡¯t know what to expect. How could any of this be mundane to so many people? A surprise waited around every corner! Somehow, this didn¡¯t scare her. It brought exhilaration.

 [Earth to Mia] Ch 4. Breathtaking Views

    The crunching of wet grass and leaves accompanied the trek between the trees. Mia tripped over a branch. After regaining her balance, she noticed green needles and a bulbous brown thing attached. Familiarity compelled her to pluck off the brown growth, a pine cone if she recalled correctly. It reminded her of ones painted in the nature book she often rented as a kid. Seeing one up close, moving its rough scales around in her hands, it rendered her dumbstruck. Did others feel this way when meeting celebrities?


    ¡°Hey.¡± called Jun, the actual celebrity she met. They might be on-par with the pine cone, but it did have needles attached. ¡°You¡¯ll wanna see this.¡±


    Mia and her pine cone emerged from the trees into a gorgeous sight: Water spanning a couple blocks, rippling ever so gently. Pine trees as well as flat-leaved ones created a towering barrier around it. Bugs zipped through the air. Birds flittered between the trees. Though she and the others stood alone, life burst from every inch of the area.


    She stepped up to the lake¡¯s shore. Her reflection stared up at her. She couldn¡¯t believe it; all this water, just sitting here. Naturally. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my bad, I meant the sky.¡± Jun¡¯s reflection pointed upward.


    ¡°The sky?¡±


    Little evidence of the rain lingered in this part of the sky, with only a few white clouds scattered against the blue. Mia appreciated it, though she didn¡¯t know why Jun took the time to point it out. Then, something caught her eye. Just under the sun, a patch of colors hung in the air.


    Roxie gasped as soon as Mia laid eyes on it. ¡°A rainbow!¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± Emil¡¯s footsteps approached. ¡°Consider yourself lucky, Mia. You don¡¯t get to see these everyday!¡±


    Mia¡¯s brain could hardly register that the rainbow wasn¡¯t some kind of simulation. Its faintness and patchiness helped a little to prove its authenticity. Lunaria would never program a rainbow that could go unnoticed, but that¡¯s what made this one so beautiful.


    Her phone bracelet vibrated. She set the pine cone down and took it off to see a message from Emil, a picture of the same rainbow. ¡®Look what we saw!¡¯ it read, followed by a couple of rainbow emojis.


    ¡°I sent a picture to everyone.¡± Emil explained aloud. ¡°It can¡¯t hold up to the real thing, but I figured Mia would want a souvenir.¡±


    He was right. The phone picture couldn¡¯t capture its beauty, but something about the gesture made Mia¡¯s heart well up with gratitude. Earlier, she worried that everyone would just gawk at her reactions for their own entertainment. Maybe they still were, but someone thought of her when taking this picture. Someone bothered to point out the rainbow to her. Someone suggested going to the lake so she wouldn¡¯t miss it. For some reason, these people felt the need to do things for her sake. Her eyes teared up. How dramatic. She didn¡¯t feel that emotional.


    A splash cut through her thoughts.


    ¡°Mia!¡± Roxie called from further down the shore carrying a pile of rocks. ¡°You should partake in the rock skipping experience!¡±


    ¡°I used to love rock skipping!¡± Emil rushed down to the shore to pick up some rocks. Jun strolled to the other side of the shore, between Mia and Roxie.


    Mia picked up rocks to throw, but quickly found that she couldn¡¯t part with them. How could she? As many rocks as there were on the Moon, she could never pick them up with her bare hands no matter how much she wanted to as a kid. These came with much smoother textures and colors other than black and white.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna throw any?¡± Emil took notice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s so much variety in the rocks here. It¡¯s nice to be able to touch them.¡± She watched Roxie and Jun¡¯s rocks collide into each other. ¡°My dad used to take me hiking back home. We¡¯d pick up rocks, but couldn¡¯t take them home. Moon dust is a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh. You should take some with you! Maybe bring some back for your dad.¡±


    Shoot. She knew she shouldn¡¯t have brought him up. ¡°Um, he¡¯s not¡­¡±


    He read the room. ¡°Oh, sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine!¡± Good. She didn¡¯t have to go into specifics. ¡°I¡¯ll just keep the ones I like the most.¡±


    Mia separated unique rocks from ones that looked similar to ones on the Moon, setting the former down by the pinecone. She threw one into the pond. It sunk immediately.


    ¡°You have to flick it like this.¡± Jun demonstrated.


    Mia followed their lead. Her rock sent ripples through the water, skipping three or four times before finally sinking. She did it again. A smile grew with each little bounce and each little splash. How simple, throwing without thinking. No wonder Naila found this relaxing!


    The others managed to send their rocks much farther, probably because they were willing to use the smoother rocks. But distance wasn¡¯t her goal anyway. In fact, trying to throw harder exhausted her more.


    A fish jumped out of the water and slapped one of Mia¡¯s rocks with its tail. She jumped too, gasping, then laughing. ¡°Um, whoops! I¡¯d say that¡¯s kind of rude, but I¡¯m the one throwing rocks into its home. Sorry?¡±


    ¡°That fish parried your attack!¡± Roxie pointed.


    ¡°It¡¯s swinging like it¡¯s tryin¡¯ to go pro.¡± Emil skipped a rock far into the water.


    Jun whistled at it. ¡°How are you, like, throwing those so far? Like what¡¯s your trick?¡±


    ¡°Anger issues~¡± He winked. His expression grew calmer, tossing another rock. ¡°Skipping rocks in the pond behind my grandparents¡¯ house helped me calm down as a kid. But I had to find other ways since there¡¯s no ponds in space. Just like there¡¯s no ADHD meds in the IF¡­!¡± As Mia¡¯s brother would say, his smile reeked of pain. ¡°I like to think I¡¯ve mellowed out, though.¡±


    Mia couldn¡¯t imagine revealing something so personal about herself, let alone around people she¡¯d barely known for two months. She worried for him. Going by how the captain talked about his life earlier, she wondered if he did too.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about the meds thing.¡± Jun tossed a rock and caught it. ¡°Sounds kinda bogus.¡±


    ¡°Yeeeah.¡± Emil skipped another rock. ¡°I can already hear my bro getting onto me for tellin¡¯ you guys.¡± He waved his hands, feigning panic. ¡°¡®You can¡¯t let them know your diagnosis, they¡¯re gonna kill you, aaaaah!¡¯¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t murder you for having ADHD.¡± Roxie promised.


    ¡°Jail time¡¯s not worth killing for. To me at least.¡± Mia moved her pine cone and rock hoard farther away from the shore. The back of her hand brushed against some grass. It felt surprisingly silky.


    ¡°I¡¯m a pacifist, so murder¡¯s kind of like against my whole thing.¡± Jun moved the same rock around in their hand. ¡°The captain seems very¨C¡± They cut themself off. ¡°Hey Mia, you want this rock?¡±


    ¡°Huh??¡± Mia didn¡¯t register the question at first, too mortified at being caught petting grass like a weirdo. ¡°Sure, thanks.¡± The change in conversation was abrupt, but she¡¯d accept a free rock any day.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re really enjoying life. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you this happy before.¡±


    ¡°Me either!¡± Emil added.


    Their words took Mia by surprise. She couldn¡¯t remember being this happy in a long time. Even then, most of her best memories were tainted, and being let down became so routine, she could only trust written words to bring her joy without disappointment. Sometimes those failed her too! Her books would always be there for her, but she didn¡¯t know when she¡¯d get the chance to experience this planet again, if ever. She should enjoy it. Nothing bad happened yet, so maybe she should let go of her fear, too.


    ¡°I knooow, it¡¯s so cute!¡± Roxie gushed. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen her reaction to ants!¡±


    Mia¡¯s face grew red from all the attention. ¡°Uhhh, I¡¯m going to see about collecting more rocks.¡±


    ¡°Cool. What about leaves?¡± asked Jun.


    ¡°Leaves?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I figured you might want some for the road.¡± Jun pointed toward a cluster of trees far away. ¡°There should be some good ones over there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Roxie volunteered, running over to the trees.


    Mia trailed behind. She didn¡¯t want anything that would shrivel up on the ship, but she figured she¡¯d check the leaves out. Over her shoulder, she caught Jun tapping Emil on the shoulder with the back of their hand.


    ¡°Hey, is your bro, like, okay?¡± They asked in a hushed tone. Mia could barely make out their recounting of the drive from the spaceport.


    ¡°Awww, that means he cares!¡± Emil practically yelled. His voice lowered after that. ¡°All jokes aside, I¡¯m glad he opened up,¡± he sounded unsure of that choice of words, ¡°to you like that. He¡¯s just doing what we were taught, but sometimes I¡¯m worried¡­¡±


    ¡°Behold!¡± Roxie dropped some pine needles into Mia¡¯s hands. They were braided.


    Mia surveyed it. ¡°You did this?¡±


    ¡°I did, and I challenge you to do the same!¡± Roxie placed an unbraided plug of pine needles into her hands.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Me??¡± Mia couldn¡¯t braid to save her life.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a right of passage, my dear Wattson. We used to do this all the time as kids with the few trees in my town.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have many trees like this?¡± She attempted to anyway.


    Roxie shook her head. ¡°Only wheat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see wheat someday.¡± Mia¡¯s ¡°braid¡± turned into a horrific knot. ¡°There¡¯s so much I haven¡¯t seen before. I feel like an alien here.¡±


    ¡°Technically, you are one!¡±


    Mia scratched at her hand. She hadn¡¯t thought of it like that, but it made sense. ¡°I guess I am. Wow. I must be the most boring alien alive!¡±


    ¡°Noooo!¡± Roxie denied.


    ¡°I got excited for pine cones.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty neat! Not many people get excited about pine cones!¡± She tried so hard to make Mia sound interesting. It might not be true, but she appreciated the effort. ¡°What other things do you notice with your Lunarian eyes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something I can see, but,¡± the freckled girl took a deep breath, ¡°the air here is really thick.¡±


    ¡°...Thick?¡±


    ¡°Is it because of all the trees?¡± She scratched her hand again. Did that spider bite her?


    ¡°What do you mean thick?¡±


    ¡°Heavy. If Lunarian air is like water, this would be a milkshake. A little harder to get through the straw, but way more delicious.¡± A black bird with a red belly darted through the air, catching her attention. ¡°Is that a pigeon?¡± The taller girl found herself tearing up again, but didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°No.¡± Roxie corrected. ¡°But I think we have more pressing matters to attend to here. Are you struggling to breathe?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s enough to be a struggle, but it is harder than usual.¡± A creeping suspicion told Mia that air shouldn¡¯t be thick.


    ¡°Mia, you forgot my safety ti¨C¡± Roxie abruptly stopped, blinking. ¡°Have you seen your hands lately?¡±


    ¡°No, why?¡±


    Mia answered her own question as soon as she asked. Swollen red splotches covered both sides of both of her hands. Rolling up her sleeves revealed they went halfway up her forearms.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s¨C¡± she coughed. ¡°What¡¯s going¡­ on? I can¡¯t¡­¡± No matter how she breathed, the air wouldn¡¯t fit down her throat. She patted the base of her neck to signal it to Roxie.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get help for you soon, okay?¡± Roxie turned toward the shore.


    Emil still carried on a conversation with Jun. ¡°I know they¡¯re just worried, but sometimes it makes me feel¨C¡±


    ¡°Jun! Emil! Mia¡¯s having a reaction to something!¡±


    ¡°The leaves?¡± asked Emil.


    ¡°Anaphylaxis!¡±


    He sprinted over right away. Jun didn¡¯t take much longer to join him.


    ¡°Jun, call 911!¡± Roxie ordered.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°I should take her coat, right?¡± Emil looked to Roxie for advice. She nodded. He offered a hand toward Mia. ¡°May I have your coat please?¡±


    Mia did as told.


    ¡°Put that on the ground.¡± Roxie pointed in front of where Mia stood. Emil followed her direction. ¡°Mia, do you have an autoinjector pen with you?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Okay, now we¡¯re going to lay you flat on the ground.¡± Roxie reached out for one of Mia¡¯s arms. ¡°Emil, help me out.¡±


    Emil took her other arm, and before she knew it, she lay on the ground, on her back, looking up at the two of them, gasping for air. Not only was the situation terrifying, it felt wrong to be this helpless, having other people look after her like this. She always fixed her own problems!


    ¡°Just try to focus on breathing.¡± The older ranger smoothed out the coat beneath her, barely hiding fear. Mia had no idea what else Roxie thought she could focus on.


    ¡°And I know it¡¯s scary, but try to stay calm.¡± Emil¡¯s uncertain eyes stared back at Mia as she tried to figure out how to suffocate more calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t hyperventilate.¡±


    Though some of their advice sounded obvious, they were the medics, not her. She focused on her breathing as Jun told the others something. She focused on her breathing when the ambulance put her on a gurney. She focused on her breathing when someone¨C Naila?¨Cadministered an oxygen mask. She focused, and focused, and focused until she found herself in a sterile hospital room, staring up at the ceiling.


    At some point Mia¡¯s breathing came back, she didn¡¯t know when. She stayed conscious the entire time, but if someone asked her what happened in the past¨Cshe checked her phone¨C3 hours, she wouldn¡¯t be able to say much. Somehow she lived, even if she came out of the ordeal with sniffles and sneezes.


    A ship doctor without a ship came by to ask her some general medical questions. ¡°Can you list for me any new substances you¡¯ve come into contact with today, whether it be a food, fabric, farm animal, that kind of thing?¡±


    The thought overwhelmed Mia. ¡°Ummm, grass, rocks, a tree branch, mold? I don¡¯t know if I can properly list them all; it¡¯s my first time on Earth.¡±


    The old man lifted his bushy grey eyebrows. ¡°Excuse me miss, did you say your first time? On Earth?¡±


    ¡°I live in Lunaria.¡±


    ¡°And you never lived on Earth, never visited your entire life?¡± he asked as if Mia hadn¡¯t specified earlier. She shook her head anyway. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of the Satellite Generation, right?¡±


    Of course she did, she was part of it.


    ¡°Do you know why you¡¯re called that?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re always on our phones¡­?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Because some of you will have spent all your lives on Lunaria or space stations. Still, I never thought I¡¯d actually meet someone like you. It¡¯s amazing how far technology has come!¡±


    She smiled politely, not really sure what to add.


    ¡°Not to sound like the Satellite Reclamation Society,¡± his expression grew grim, ¡°but there are health effects that come with this. We still have a lot to learn when it comes to Satellite Children your age. Your immune system might be accustomed to other people, but when it comes to most plants, animals, and airborne particles on Earth, it may take years for your immune system to adapt, if ever.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Mia¡¯s words lacked emotion, but her heart sank.


    ¡°Your presentation of symptoms lines up with an anaphylactic allergic reaction and allergic asthma, so I went ahead and prescribed you an injector and an inhaler.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Doctor.¡± Her sadness turned to panic. ¡°Uh, how much is the medical bill?¡±


    The doctor laughed. ¡°You¡¯re an active duty star ranger at an IF hospital. All you have to pay for are meals.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have any.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s free!¡± He lifted his hands. She breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°And so are you. You¡¯re free to discharge whenever you¡¯d like.¡±


    Arming herself with paper towels from the bathroom, Mia began the lengthy discharge process. She signed papers as she sniffled, got the prescriptions she needed, and some advice on how to avoid almost dying again. Everything went well until someone asked:


    ¡°And who will be picking you up?¡±


    ¡°...Um, excuse me. Can I, uh, contact someone?¡±


    The staff member nodded.


    Mia checked her phone notifications for the first time since arriving. A text from Roxie greeted her. ¡®Let me know when you¡¯re okay!!! <3¡¯


    She texted back. ¡®I¡¯m okay. I just finished getting discharged.¡¯


    ¡®YAAAAAAAAY!!!! \(>0<)/¡¯ A startlingly fast reply. ¡®We¡¯re in the parking lot.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll meet you at the door.¡¯


    Just as she sent the last message, a voice called out to her.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Mia, right?¡± A familiar receptionist stood behind her, wearing a backpack.


    ¡°Naila?¡±


    Naila gave a heartfelt smile. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay! And I¡¯m glad I was able to figure out where you guys were in time.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Mia stifled a cough. ¡°I know you said you owed me one, but¡­ this wasn¡¯t what I had in mind. But thanks! You¡¯re a real lifesaver.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Naila looked down bashfully. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯re even?¡±


    ¡°This seems a little beyond¨C¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re even.¡± She decided. ¡°So, is your crew here to pick you up? I see Roxie at the door.¡±


    Just as she said, Roxie stood at the door, waving excitedly. Mia and Naila waved back. She entered, walking over to them as quickly as possible without running.


    ¡°Miaaaaaa!!¡± Roxie crushed Mia with a strong-armed hug. ¡°Nailaaaaa!!¡± Naila was her next target. ¡°Thank you thank you thank you for saving herrrr!¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ doing¡­ my job!¡± Naila choked out. Roxie let her go. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I was able to figure out exactly where you¡¯d be, but you should give yourself and your lieutenant a pat on the back! Good first aid really helps.¡± She took a step toward the desk where Mia came from. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let you guys get going. Stay safe!¡±


    ¡°Goodbyeee!¡± Roxie returned her wave along with Mia.


    ¡°Thank you again¡­¡± Mia couldn¡¯t figure out how to express her gratitude beyond those three small words. If only she could.


    Just outside of the door, a truck waited for the two of them. The red one. Leon waved from its passenger window. It embarrassed Mia enough that Roxie and presumably the captain would have a front row seat to her hack and sneeze fest without him being there too. Still, she waved back. Roxie entered first, and just like the last time, helped her into it.


    ¡°Welcome back, Mia!¡± he blurted out.


    The captain began driving. He wore glasses this time. ¡°Welcome back, Ranger Wattson. Your recovery is most fortunate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you both.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright, Mia?¡± Leon sounded so concerned, she felt a little bad for him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Sick but alive.¡± Mia sniffled. ¡°The doctor said I was pretty much allergic to everything. He said I could develop a tolerance over some years but¡­ with how long I lived in Lunaria,¡± she tried to ignore the lump forming in her throat, ¡°maybe never.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mia¡­¡± Roxie brushed a hand against hers.


    ¡°Aww man, I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Leon offered his pity.


    ¡°It is what it is.¡± The sick ranger told herself and the others.


    Mia looked out the window toward trees she may never be able to touch again. More than anything, she felt foolish. This was what she got for letting herself get excited. Happiness always aged like milk; pretending an expiration date didn¡¯t exist wouldn¡¯t change that. What¡¯s the use of buying it if it poisoned her in the end?


    ¡°I let the others know of your revival!¡± Roxie slid her phone into Mia¡¯s view.


    ¡®CONGRATULATIONS MIA!¡¯ Emil wrote. ¡®We¡¯re so happy you¡¯re okay!¡¯ Both messages were surrounded by celebratory emojis.


    ¡®rox, tell mia we¡¯re so stoked for her!¡¯ Jun broke out an exclamation point for this. ¡®aiden says ¡®cool.¡¯¡¯


    ¡°Tell them I said thanks.¡± Mia smiled, but kept her fondness to a minimum. These people wouldn¡¯t be in her life for long. Even her friendship with Roxie would become stale if not spoil. She hoped it didn¡¯t spoil.


    Out of her window, she saw the entrance sign to Fort Stillman. They passed it, turning onto the road back to the city.


    ¡°We¡¯re not staying on base?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± answered the captain. ¡°The other lodging facilities were in a similar state as the one we visited. I figured that someone with your¡­ health concerns would require more sterile accommodations.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re at a hotel now!¡± Leon added. ¡°It¡¯s really nice!¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t worry,¡± Roxie assured her, ¡°while we took turns staking out the hospital, I got your luggage!¡±


    ¡°Oh, th-thank you!¡± Mia tried to hide her mortification at Roxie going through her stuff. Sure, she was most comfortable with her doing it, but that didn¡¯t translate to being comfortable at all. ¡°Wait, sir, how did you know to get a hotel room?¡±


    Captain Galhardo glanced back at her from the rearview mirror. ¡°Ranger Wattson, you have my sincerest apologies. I should¡¯ve anticipated something like this may happen. Only after the lieutenant informed me of your emergency did I realize it was horrifically irresponsible to expose you to so many foreign elements at once.¡± His eyes returned to the road. ¡°I was born on a space station.¡±


    ¡°Really??¡± Leon found a new target to bombard with questions.


    Roxie gasped. ¡°You¡¯re a satellite boy!¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡± continued the captain. ¡°I was told that when we moved to Earth, I became sick very often. It took a few years for my immune system to acclimate. By being born here, the lieutenant escaped the same issues. Ranger Wattson, have you had allergy shots administered to you as a child?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure my mom kept up with that kind of thing.¡± Mia often wondered how her family survived before she was able to pick up the responsibilities.


    ¡°They train your immune system to deal with enemy attacks!¡± Roxie explained. ¡°And they can really improve your chances of standing up to the elements. All with a lower chance of putting you in danger~ You should really look into them!¡±


    ¡®Can¡¯ wasn¡¯t a guarantee, but Mia had to admit the shots caught her interest.


    ¡°Plus! I sent Emil to go get your rocks.¡± she continued. ¡°They¡¯re not as likely to give you an allergic reaction, but I washed them off at the hotel in case they were carrying dirt or pollen. And if you are still allergic, it should only affect your skin. You might be able to use them to build up tolerance.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I¡­ thank you so much.¡± This might¡¯ve been the nicest thing anyone¡¯s ever done for Mia besides saving her life. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°Mia, look! Your home!¡± Leon blurted. ¡°You can see it from our side!¡±


    Above the trees lining the highway, Mia saw it. A big, white, glowing circle hanging in the sky among the stars. It was beautiful, it was her home, and most importantly, enjoying it wouldn¡¯t kill her. Despite everything that happened earlier, a part of her held out hope that nothing could ruin this moment.


    She took a picture. Like the rainbow from earlier, pixels couldn¡¯t capture its majesty, but that¡¯s not what she needed right now. She needed something she could hold onto. People may leave, and nature may harm her, but the Moon would always be there.


    Mia vowed she¡¯d come back to see it again.


    <figure>


    </figure>

 Next Episode: New Kid on the Ship

    ¡°...Hello? I-I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met before--Of course we¡¯ve never met before, we¡¯re total s-strangers.


    I¡¯m s-s¨C I apologize for bothering you like this, but I just wanted you to know that I¡¯ll be in the next episode, I th-think. So¡­ I¡¯m sorry in advance.


    Hopefully, you won¡¯t hate me for t-too long though! Yeah, I''ve never been useful, but I¡¯m really hoping to change that by joining the Celestion-5. A ship full of complete strangers going into the unknown, far away from anyone I know or love would normally be a nightmare for s-someone like me, and I do feel like passing out right now, but I t-truly think it¡¯ll be better this way. For everyone.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Oh, sorry for being rude! I forgot to give my name. It¡¯s--


    Wait¡­ I know this person. No. No! Th-That person can¡¯t know I¡¯m here!¡±

 [New Kid on the Ship] Ch 1. Boarding for Takeoff, Final Call

    Leaving the safety of the August sun for harsh air conditioning, a group of white and orange uniforms scattered among the crowd of civilians. The shortest one stumbled over the dividing line marking his exit from the outside world. It couldn''t bring him down much more than he already felt. But like the rest of his fellow star rangers, soon, he''d be taking the trip of a lifetime. Soon, he''d be leaving Earth.


    A stranger spotted him. ¡°Hey kiddo, need directions?¡±


    The kiddo in question froze like a deer in headlights. He scampered off like one, too. The dark-haired boy continued speeding away, his heart beating faster than nine out of ten doctors recommend. He felt bad; that other star ranger probably just wanted to help out a bug-eyed, twitchy, lost weirdo, but the less people who saw him, the better.


    Straight ahead, a sign pointed to various terminals. He found his destination to the left and nearly ran down the crowded path, muttering stuttered apologies to every poor soul he inconvenienced.


    So this was the spaceport. A crowded, disorienting mess that would¡¯ve sent his anxiety through the roof if it hadn¡¯t already left the stratosphere. He saw himself in the floor¡¯s reflection, fearful, bloodshot eyes pried open by a days-long adrenaline rush. He had to keep running. From his old life, the issues that came from it, and the weakling in the mirror. Maybe the police, too? He didn¡¯t know for sure and didn¡¯t want to stick around long enough to find out.


    The Celestion-5 would be his ticket out. It¡¯d give him time to transform into an independent young man his family could actually be proud of. After all, it¡¯d be pretty tough to bring him back home when he¡¯s gone to Neptune!


    For now, nauseated and on the verge of tears from the onslaught of people and noise, he felt a far cry away from the strong man he wanted to be. He scuttled off to the side near a display case. Inside stood an intricate model of the spaceport, the very same one his brother sent him a picture of last week. Its spectacular craftsmanship went unnoticed by most passers by. A shame, really, but it allowed the new star ranger some time to calm himself until he had to leave. His new life couldn¡¯t wait, and the model was just another reminder of his old, useless hobbies.


    Luckily, not many people needed to go to military boarding areas. The crowd thinned out near his destination, with only a few people lined up at a nearby pizza place. Its smell tempted the new recruit, but one of the benefits of looking like a malnourished stray animal was that people gave him food. One of the star rangers he travelled with split her McBeefy¡¯s McBeeffast Burrito combo meal with him. Past the pizza place, he found himself alone at his terminal. This unfortunately meant the bored receptionist noticed him right away.


    He perked up, shifting into a customer service-approved posture. ¡°Are you with the Celestion-5?¡±


    The new recruit nodded.


    ¡°The boarding area is right this way, ma¡¯am.¡± The receptionist didn¡¯t notice him cringe, but the only thing worse than the mistake itself was the reactions after correcting it.


    With a nod, he left the receptionist behind and stood by the large windows in the seating area. A lone spaceship sat on the tarmac, the star-shaped silver and gold chariot that would take him away from this world. He couldn¡¯t believe he got this far without getting caught. It felt illegal.


    Probably because it was.


    The bright afternoon sun seared his eyes. Sleepless nights finally caught up with him, and if unkempt hair and dark circles weren¡¯t enough of a sign, his pounding headache sure was. Off came his orange backpack. He collapsed into the nearest chair, fishing out a pair of headphones. Only after taking them out did he realize they were useless without the phone he ditched the night he left. He couldn¡¯t risk having anyone track him, whether it be the police or his mother.


    Still, he put on the headphones anyway, leaving the jack in his backpack to appear somewhat normal. His arms hugged the backpack. Clutching it to his chest, he closed his eyes, drifting into the last nap he¡¯d take on Earth. Hopefully the Clipper Man would leave him alone this time.


    ¡°Oh, there you are.¡± spoke a voice that may or may not belong to the Clipper Man. ¡°Hello? Helloooo? Hey, Rookie 2! No, doesn¡¯t sound right. Rookie Jr.? He¡¯s not his son, that¡¯d be weird. ¡­Dang, he must be really knocked out. Should I just¨C?¡±


    A finger tapped the boy¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t cut my hair!¡± He covered his head.


    ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to scare you! Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t have any scissors or anything.¡±


    Between his fingers, a guy with tan skin and a bleached blond afro stood in front of him, wearing a grey and blue version of the Interstellar Forces dress uniform. He raised his hands up peacefully.


    ¡°I¡¯m Emil, lieutenant captain of the Celestion-5.¡± The lieutenant offered his hand to shake.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m s-sorry, sir!¡± The new recruit stood up and shook his hand, trying not to wince at the crushing grip. Emil still had a good six or seven inches on his height like most other guys. Interestingly, he didn¡¯t look that much older than the dark-haired ranger.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Emil looked over a paper. ¡°Nobody named ¡®Sorry¡¯ is listed here. But there is somebody named Angelo. He looks a lot like you, don¡¯tcha think~?¡±


    He winked, turning the paper around to reveal his headshot. Printed next to it were the details he¡¯d expect: Full name, ¨¢ngelo James Summers, a height and weight that barely qualified him for the IF, his rank, date of birth, among other things. A couple of the details were wrong, but this had been printed before he graduated from cadet to ranger.


    ¡°S-Sorry,¡± the new recruit apologized, ¡°I¡¯m Angelo, sir.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh you can drop the ¡®sir¡¯ stuff around me! Anyway, it¡¯s nice to finally meet face-to-face after hearin¡¯ so much about you!¡± Hearing what? His abysmal training records? Was this guy even real? ¡°Everybody else¡¯s waiting for you inside the ship, so as soon as you grab your bag, we can get going.¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Angelo put concerns on the backburner and his backpack on his back. He entered the boarding tunnel with the lieutenant, ready to leave the world behind.


    ¡°I heard you were a little shy, so I hope I didn¡¯t scare you too bad when I woke you up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Wait, how did he know about Angelo¡¯s personality?


    ¡°Glad you knew where to go. I was afraid I¡¯d have to wander around the whole spaceport like I had to for Rookie.¡± The blond laughed to himself. ¡°Did he tell you about that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t th-think so.¡± Though something about the story sounded eerily familiar to Angelo. ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone here yet.¡±


    ¡°Sure you do! You know¨C¡± Suddenly, Emil gasped. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t¨C Ohhhh, this is gonna be so good!¡± He rubbed his hands together, laughing way too ominously for Angelo¡¯s comfort. Was he going to die today? ¡°You probably think I look like a real weirdo right now, but just wait until you see. Wait until they all see!¡± He was definitely going to die today. A little sooner than expected, but it might as well end like this.


    Angelo squinted when the two emerged out of the dim tunnel. August heat flooded the air. In the shimmering distance, the ship waited with its rounded silver body and golden wings.


    ¡°Say hello to the Celestion-5!¡± the lieutenant announced.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Angelo waved.


    ¡°Awh.¡± Emil chuckled. He continued walking forward. ¡°It¡¯ll take us to the end of the Solar System and back, now with a working TV!¡±


    Angelo stopped. ¡°Wait, I th-thought we were just going to Neptune.¡±


    ¡°We are. I know it¡¯s technically not the end of the Solar System, but it is the last planet.¡±


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s what I meant. I thought it was Pluto¡­? Wait.¡± He remembered something. ¡°S-Sorry, I forgot it¡¯s not a planet anymore.¡± Figures that would happen to his favorite one.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Emil shared his sorrow. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I used to forget a lot before this mission, but my brother makes sure to remind me.¡±


    That made Angelo think of his own brother, as well as one of the fears plaguing him for the last few months. ¡°Lieutenant¡­?¡±


    ¡°Galhardo, but you don¡¯t hafta call me that.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you s-scared of going so far away?¡± He rubbed his knuckles against each other. ¡°How do you know for sure we¡¯ll come back?¡±


    ¡°My big bro is one of the best pilots there is!¡± Emil pointed at himself. His orange-brown eyes glistened in the sunlight. ¡°I know he¡¯ll get us back safely.¡±


    Angelo would say something like that about his own brother. ¡°Oh, your brother¡¯s th-the captain? That must be nice...¡±


    Underneath the ship, they entered a metallic green room. Its door shut behind them soon after. Spooky, but not spooky enough to make him forget how much he missed his brother.


    ¡°That must be him now. You can put your backpack wherever you¨C¡± Emil noticed Angelo¡¯s drop in mood. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter? Havin¡¯ second thoughts about the mission?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Though he brought up the concern, it wasn¡¯t for his own sake. ¡°S-Sorry, I was just thinking about my brother. I miss him a lot.¡± He put his backpack near the wall beside cubby holes filled with jet shoes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get to see him again.¡±


    The lieutenant made his way back over to Angelo and shook his shoulder. Panic shot through his body on contact. His eyes darted around, and his breath quickened as he felt himself lose touch with the here and now.


    Emil yanked his hand back. ¡°Shoot! Sorry, I should¡¯ve asked if you were cool with that first. Are you gonna be alright?¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine!¡± Shaky breaths contrasted Angelo¡¯s words. He tried to stabilize his breathing. ¡°Sorry, I-I¡¯m okay, really.¡±


    ¡°My brother¡¯s not a big fan of being touched either.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, it¡¯s just¡­ People grabbing my sh-shoulders¨CIt¡¯s weird.¡± He walked toward the spiral staircase at the back of the room, hoping to leave the conversation behind. His eyes landed on a room near the top. A perfect distraction. ¡°What¡¯s th-that room?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our burner room. We use it to burn waste products, if you catch my drift. Helps save fuel on the ship!¡± Emil caught up to him. ¡°You can go upstairs. There¡¯s a button at the top that¡¯ll let you into the next floor.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Angelo scaled the stairs and did as told. He walked up through the circular door in the ceiling, into a yellow, cylindrical room with another staircase waiting for him. Four normal doors lined the bottom. ¡°And th-thank you for trying to cheer me up.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± The blond followed. ¡°I can¡¯t let a sad face stick around the ship for too long.¡±


    What a sweet sentiment, though Angelo knew his presence would put those words to the test. He liked Emil so far. The lieutenant might¡¯ve been a little strange back in the boarding tunnel, but maybe he was just excited, no reason to be afraid. Easily excited people made the world a better place to live in. Angelo appreciated their existence, even if it wasn¡¯t enough to make him stay.


    He finally joined Angelo on the base of the second floor, then passed him to go up the next staircase. ¡°¡®Scuse me, I need to go up first so I can hype up your entrance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really nice.¡± The words spilled before he realized how it sounded coming out of his mouth. ¡°Please don¡¯t think I¡¯m flirting with you! I-I know you can probably t-tell I¡¯m, y¡¯know, but don¡¯t think I¡¯m hitting on you or anything! I¡¯m s-so s-s-s¨CI apologize if I made you uncomfortable!¡±


    Emil stopped in his tracks. ¡°I¡¯m gay.¡±


    Angelo froze, stunned.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a good time for me to mention that romance is kind of a no-no on the ship, but I know what you meant.¡± Emil leaned on the railing. ¡°You thought I would take any compliment as you being into me and get all grossed out, right?¡±


    Emil read him like a book. Angelo nodded.


    ¡°You don¡¯t gotta worry about all that here.¡±


    Angelo marveled at Emil as he climbed the rest of the stairs. He felt bad for staring, but couldn¡¯t look away. If he could give him a hug without being weird about it, he¡¯d do so in a heartbeat.


    The lieutenant knocked on another circular panel on the ceiling. He spoke down to Angelo. ¡°Just making sure people aren¡¯t standin¡¯ up here. You can come up a little.¡±


    Angelo did so, stopping midway up when Emil gave him the signal to. The door slid open, allowing the latter into the next floor. He still kept the lower half of himself on the second floor to keep the door open. Because of this, Angelo could hear the voices of his fellow crewmates.


    ¡°You¡¯ve brought him with you, yes? Our new comrade?¡± spoke a girl¡¯s voice. ¡°Bring him to us!¡±


    ¡°Hold your horses Roxie, I gotta set the mood.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! I can¡¯t believe this is finally happening!¡±


    That voice. Angelo knew that voice, but he had to be imagining things. There¡¯s no way it could be him, right?


    ¡°Please bring him up? I feel like I¡¯m gonna die of excitement before he gets here.¡±


    No, no, it couldn¡¯t be. Not him. Not here. Not now. Angelo¡¯s heart desperately tried escaping his throat. He remembered thinking he would die today. He¡¯d rather be dead than scale those steps, knowing who waited on the next floor.


    ¡°Shhhh! You¡¯re gonna spoil the surprise!¡± Emil scolded, not knowing the surprise was already spoiled. He cleared his throat. ¡°Now, for the moment we¡¯ve all been waiting for! The final addition of the Celestion-5 has finally arriived!¡±


    He stuck his hand down through the door, motioning for Angelo to come up. The latter could barely find the strength to move his legs.


    ¡°Give a warm welcome to¨C¡± Emil looked down through the door. ¡°Come on up, don¡¯t be shy!¡± He returned to the others. ¡°Give a warm welcome to the new guy in town,¡± Emil stepped into the room as Angelo¡¯s head poked through the door, ¡°Angeloooo Summers!¡±


    Angelo entered the small teal room to applause from Emil and a handful of strangers. It all faded into background noise upon hearing the surprised gasp of the one person who knew he shouldn¡¯t be there.


    ¡°¨¢ngie, is that you??¡±


    He locked eyes with his older brother, Leon Summers.

 [New Kid on the Ship] Ch 2. Surprise Reunion

    ¡°Big Brother?¡± Angelo braced himself for the shock on his brother¡¯s face to fade into anger, but it never did. In fact, he smiled!


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you!¡± Leon welcomed him with open arms.


    ¡°You are¡­?¡± Angelo didn¡¯t budge.


    His brother looked at him with the same friendly eyes he always did. ¡°Of course I am.¡±


    Barely realizing it, Angelo took a step forward. A few more and he found himself sobbing in his brother¡¯s arms. Fear, joy, and confusion blended into each other, filling his swollen heart. He didn¡¯t know what he wanted to say, not that he could say it, crying so hard.


    What he did know was that despite the circumstances, it overjoyed him to see his brother, his best friend, and source of comfort again. Leon couldn¡¯t always take his pain away, but he made it more bearable just by being there. These past two months without him made Angelo feel so lost. He meant so much to him. Maybe too much.


    ¡°Shhh, it¡¯s okay. I missed you too.¡± Leon patted him on the back. ¡°When Mam¨¢ told me she was sending a care package, I never thought she meant you! And you told me you were at Gramps''s house!¡±


    ¡­Ah. So that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t notice. Angelo did remember their parents mentioning something about a care package before he left. This was sure to blow up in his face later. For now, he wanted to enjoy a little comfort after a rough few days.


    ¡°Emil, did you know this whole time?¡±


    ¡°Heheh, it was a hard secret to keep.¡± Right, Emil existed. So did the others. Angelo realized he¡¯d been crying in front of his coworkers. So much for a good first impression. ¡°But it was all worth it for this! I still can¡¯t believe this was all decided in a game of pin the tail on the donkey.¡±


    Leon laughed. ¡°I guess you¡¯re the donkey then, huh ¨¢ngie?¡±


    He sure felt like one.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you guys finish having your moment before I get my brother from upstairs.¡±


    Angelo pried himself off of Leon and dried his face like the functional adult he pretended to be. He laid eyes on a red-eyed redhead who preferred staring at the blank wall beside her than the emotional reunion. She sniffled too, but not from crying.


    ¡°This is Mia!¡± Leon introduced, startling the freckled girl. ¡°She¡¯s from Lunaria, can you believe it? Also we¡¯re jet armor buddies! I¡¯m sure I told you about her before, she¡¯s super smart and stuff.¡± Angelo remembered hearing about her, the girl Leon so desperately tried to befriend. The one who clearly avoided him on purpose, though he never seemed to realize. That just left him more time to text Angelo.


    ¡°Hello, um, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± A mask muffled her words. She sniffled again. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m getting over some allergies.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably happy to finally meet you too!¡± Leon spoke for him.


    Angelo nodded despite not really feeling one way or the other about her. He turned toward the other side of the room, figuring she probably wanted to be left alone.


    ¡°You wanna meet the others, hm?¡± His brother caught on. ¡°Okay! Well, you¡¯ve met Emil already. The coolest guy on the ship, as you could probably tell.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s exaggerating.¡± Emil hid half of his face and laughed. ¡°Sometimes I¡¯m convinced that Rookie¡¯s trying to kill me with compliments.¡± He abruptly faced the ceiling. ¡°And if you¡¯re listening, that was a joke, I do not think L¨¦onardo Summers is putting me in any danger.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true you¡¯re the coolest guy, though!¡± Leon doubled down, unphased by whatever the heck that was. ¡°Well, there is the captain too, but I find it hard to think of anyone else who could match you.¡±


    Angelo stared up at him. He stared back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. Do you really think I could compete with him? He¡¯s so funny and nice and¨CAh, if you think he looks like a celebrity now, you shoulda seen him in casual clothes last week! People were asking him for autographs!¡±


    ¡°One person.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask you for an autograph!¡±


    ¡°Rookie, please, come on¡­!¡± The lieutenant covered his eyes, unable to stop laughing. He mouthed something. Ay¨²dame?


    If so, his help came with the crack of the door behind him. It bumped him on the way open.


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re here early!¡±


    ¡°Have you returned with the new recruit?¡± A deeper voice came from behind it.


    Out stepped the voice¡¯s owner, a brawny, imposing figure despite being roughly the same height as Emil. An orange cap nearly shrouded thick eyebrows, and thick sideburns lay below. Its emblem signified his rank: Captain. As if he couldn¡¯t be intimidating enough, he wore a long, yellow cape. Angelo didn¡¯t even know anyone in the IF was allowed to wear one!


    The room fell silent as he entered. Everyone fell in line.


    ¡°Attention. Hand, salute.¡±


    Angelo¡¯s hand shot up to his head, as told. The captain returned a salute, everything went as it should. One problem. Not knowing where to get in line, he stood out like a curled up wooden plank. The captain¡¯s stare was enough to hammer him between Leon and Mia.


    ¡°Attention.¡± He finally allowed the crew to lower their hands. Still, he continued to stare. ¡°You are the new ranger, correct?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Tell me, is there any excuse for your appearance?¡±


    ¡°He kinda got emotional when he saw me.¡± answered Leon.


    ¡°I did not ask you, Ranger Summers, I was asking Ranger¡­ Summers.¡± The captain couldn¡¯t distinguish them by last name. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t believe that would explain his hair and uniform being so disorderly.¡± Disorder seemed to be the worst crime anyone could commit in his eyes.


    Did Angelo have an excuse? Many, actually. He only had enough money for his Dryvr driver. Even if he thought to bring more, the guy robbed him. This left him with no money to do his laundry when his travel unit went to hotels. Hiding under a concrete fort probably didn¡¯t help matters. Could he bring himself to say all of that?


    Leon raised his hand.


    ¡°He is a star ranger.¡± The captain paid him little attention. ¡°I expect he can speak for himself.¡±


    Leon shook his head. ¡°He can¡¯t, sir. At least, not right now. We don¡¯t really know what it is, but crying makes him not able to speak for a little while.¡±


    ¡°I see. Both of you are assigned to furnace duty. You for speaking out of turn, again, and your brother for his failure to comply with Interstellar Forces appearance standards.¡±


    Once again, he raised his hand.


    ¡°You may speak, Ranger Summers.¡±


    ¡°But I was already assigned to furnace duty today.¡±


    The captain glanced toward him, then away. ¡°...Moving on, the Celestion-5 will officially embark on its journey to Neptune starting today. Let me remind you all how much of an honor it is for the eight of us to be representing America and the whole of humanity in this way. Orderly bodies and minds are required to complete such a task. It¡¯s imperative to take their importance to heart.¡±


    If an orderly body just meant staying neat, Angelo might be able to do that. An orderly mind though, he couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had one of those.


    ¡°Ranger Summers.¡±


    Both brothers perked up.


    ¡°No, the other one.¡±


    That cleared up nothing. Angelo and Leon looked at each other then back at the captain.


    ¡°No, I meant¨C¡± He thought for a moment. ¡°Both of you, switch places. Those will be your positions from now on.¡±


    The Summers did as directed, and Angelo found himself standing between his brother and that person. He¡¯d heard his brother mention her presence on the ship, but he couldn¡¯t really believe it until now.


    Jun Kim, breaker of the IF¡¯s men-only rule, stood beside him. Tall and brave, some argued she was more of a man than Angelo or vice-versa, depending on who they wanted to mock. This gave him conflicted feelings. What she did was cool, but how come guys accepted her as one of their own? On the other hand, the insults about her looks hit a little too close to home. He wondered if they suffered the same way, but a smirk at him sent his eyes directly to the floor.


    ¡°Once again,¡± the captain continued, ¡°we will enter a week of microgravity testing to make sure our newest member adjusts, then the Celestion-5 will change course and continue to the Moon. Any questions?¡±


    No one had questions.


    ¡°Then let us proceed to the observation deck.¡±


    ¡°Question!¡± Emil¡¯s hand shot up this time. His hand lowered, pointing at Angelo. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I give him a tour first before we get going?¡±


    ¡°There are enough crew members who can introduce him to the ship. If you feel the need to do a tour, you can once we¡¯re in orbit.¡±


    ¡°Aye-aye, Captain Bro!¡±


    His brother simply stared at him.


    ¡°Yes, Captain¡­¡±


    The odd duo led their crew from the tiny room to a wide open one. Bright light from the curved windows flooded the place and reflected off of metallic tiles below. To the right of the entrance, another spiral staircase winded up and into a room on the curved ceiling. Impressive, but it seemed strange to Angelo that such a big room had next to nothing in it.


    ¡°Please take your stations around the deck.¡± The captain raised his arms to each side. With a swish of his cape, he turned his back toward them. ¡°I will then initiate takeoff.¡±


    Angelo panickedly looked around the room. Should he know where his station was? Everyone else seemed to; they began walking to the edges of the room.


    A hand slid up his inner arm, Leon¡¯s. ¡°Over here!¡± He whispered. ¡°We can sit together.¡±


    Leon looked down on him with gentle eyes and a bucktoothed smile as he led him over to the window. Angelo¡¯s heart filled up with so much joy, he couldn¡¯t help the smile creeping onto his own face. He fought the urge to cling to his arm like they were kids again.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Angelo looked back to check if anyone was watching only to see a podium with steering handles rise from one of the tiles. As the captain pressed a button on it, a whirring sound close to where Angelo walked made him take a few steps back.


    Just a few tiles away, he caught a girl with curly red hair, not Mia, staring at him and focused on the ground instead. It probably looked like he was cowering behind his brother. That may¡¯ve been a little true, but mostly he assumed Leon knew more about the weird looking slab in front of them than he did.


    ¡°Take this one!¡± Leon placed a hand on it. He made his way over to the one to its left, lowered the armrests, backed into the barely tilted portion on the bottom, and buckled himself in.


    Angelo tried to do the same, but his feet barely touched the ground after getting himself ¡°seated.¡± He looked at his brother to see if he did everything correctly, but wasn¡¯t sure if the thumbs-up he gave was to say he did or just a general one out of excitement.


    ¡°Everyone buckled in?¡± Emil came around to check the seats, eventually coming to Angelo¡¯s. ¡°What about you?¡±


    In response, Angelo pointed down and kicked his feet.


    ¡°Oh!¡± He understood right away. ¡°Huh, looks like they didn¡¯t really build these for your height.¡± The lieutenant turned to his brother. ¡°Hey, is there a way to lower this? I dunno if it¡¯s a good idea to leave him hanging.¡±


    Footsteps clicked against the tiles, and soon the captain and his cape came into view. He stared down at Angelo, making him all too aware of the fact that he must¡¯ve looked like a toddler in a high chair.


    ¡°The specs accommodate those as short as five feet.¡± The captain concluded. ¡°He should be fine as long as he keeps his hands on the armrests.¡±


    His cape slapped Angelo in the face as he turned to go back to his post. Emil and Leon stifled snickers as the captain muttered ¡°My apologies.¡± before hurriedly leaving.


    Smoke flooded outside of the windows. Soon after, a crackled voice came from the captain¡¯s podium. ¡°T-minus 15 seconds.¡±


    Right. They were going to space. The reality of the situation hadn¡¯t really hit Angelo until the countdown started. His heart raced faster as the smoke increased. Was it normal for the windows to be caked in white or a sign of something wrong? Did he grip his armrests tight enough? How could everyone else stay so calm?


    Well, not everyone. Leon kept looking at him with the biggest smile he¡¯d ever seen. That managed to calm Angelo down some. If anything bad happened, at least they¡¯d be together. Then the ship started to shake, and he grew certain he would be breathing his last breaths soon.


    ¡°Admission, liftoff.¡±


    Angelo¡¯s stomach dropped, and so did the ground beneath the ship. He couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from the shrinking spaceport and trees. Clouds as white as Angelo¡¯s knuckles began to speckle the quiltlike fields and cityscapes. It should remind him of flying in planes, but those were in his family¡¯s blood. Rockets were a different, much faster beast.


    Only after a sheet of clouds covered the Earth below did Angelo begin to accept that the ship wouldn¡¯t crash and burn. Probably. What he¡¯d give to lay his head on those clouds, though. Just the thought of it nearly put him to sleep.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    His eyes snapped open. He turned to the sound of his brother¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Wake up, sleepyhead.¡± Leon teased. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you miss this. Look up!¡±


    A sea of black dotted with twinkling white stars greeted Angelo.


    ¡°We¡¯re in space¡­?¡± Angelo covered his mouth, not sure if he should talk yet. Still, he couldn¡¯t believe it. He made it to space. Things didn¡¯t turn out quite as planned, but he managed to do it while keeping his bodily fluids from spilling.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited?¡±


    Angelo nodded vigorously. While his stomach wouldn¡¯t stop doing backflips, he felt so light his shoes could hardly touch the ground. Actually, they couldn¡¯t touch the ground even if he tried.


    He was floating.


    ¡°We¡¯ve reached orbit.¡± announced the captain. ¡°You may now unbuckle your seatbelts and do whatever you wish, provided it fall within your duties and the Interstellar Forces guidelines.¡±


    The chairs sank back into the floor after everyone left them, leaving Angelo with nothing to anchor him to the floor. Like almost always, his brother came to the rescue and pulled him to the ground.


    ¡°Psst. Aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± Emil asked the captain.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t welcomed Angelo to the crew yet!¡±


    ¡°Of course I have. Haven¡¯t I?¡± The captain turned to the Summers. ¡°I initiated Ranger Summers into the crew, right?¡±


    Leon answered. ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think so. I can¡¯t remember if you told him your name, either.¡± He turned to Angelo. ¡°Did he?¡±


    Angelo shook his head. His trashiness among the pristine crew disgusted the captain so much, he forgot to introduce himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m Captain Galhardo. Welcome to the Celestion-5.¡± Delivering the world¡¯s quickest intro, Captain Galhardo floated away from everyone and to the front of the deck. He seemed kind of awkward, but not awkward enough to not intimidate Angelo.


    Emil watched his brother flee. ¡°I guess I can give my tour now, if you¡¯re ready.¡± He winked. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you wanna stick around to enjoy the view, right?¡±


    ¡°You read my mind!¡± Leon¡¯s excitement burst through. ¡°¨¢ngie, ¨¢ngie! Hold onto me. I wanna show you something!¡±


    A socially acceptable opportunity to cling onto someone he knew and loved? Angelo jumped on it in a heartbeat. He slotted Leon between his arms like a forklift, then clamped them shut.


    Leon laughed. ¡°I¡¯m gonna need my arms, y¡¯know.¡± He freed his arms, wrapping one around Angelo¡¯s side. ¡°There we go. Hold on tight!¡±


    Angelo nodded, his cheer turning to fear once he saw the floor fall from beneath them. When he looked up, he found them flying in midair, halfway to the ceiling. ¡°How are you doing this??¡±


    ¡°We got these super cool ankle jet prototypes a month ago. They let us get around the ship much faster in zero gravity without having to rely on walls and stuff!¡± Leon placed his hands on the ceiling to stop them. He gasped. ¡°Look at the Earth from here!¡±


    Breaking up the black expanse, a big, blue ball marbled with white lay below the brothers. Angelo couldn¡¯t see the whole thing, just a wide, curved section, but even still, it was hard to register that he looked at his home from so far away.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Angelo had to agree. He also made the mistake of glancing down at the floor, prompting his instincts to remind him that humans were not meant to fly. Alarm bells rang in his head to warn him that the disorienting distance to the floor meant danger. He felt sick just glancing at it.


    ¡°Let me show you my jets!¡± Leon separated himself from Angelo and left him hanging at the mercy of zero gravity.


    ¡°Aah! Please don¡¯t leave me!!¡± Angelo blurted out, sounding more desperate than he¡¯d like to admit. Hopefully no one heard.


    ¡°It is time for me to make my grand entrance!¡±


    Curly red hair attached to a body came into view.


    ¡°Take my hand if you want salvation.¡± The hair parted to reveal the girl who stared at him earlier. She lowered a brown hand toward him.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I got him.¡± Leon hooked his arm around Angelo before he got the chance to take her hand.


    She pouted. ¡°Rookie, how dare you?¡± She pointed in Leon¡¯s face. ¡°How dare you not tell me about hiiim?¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn I told you I had a brother.¡±


    ¡°You did, but how in the heck did you forget to mention how cute he isss??¡± Her finger moved to Angelo, wagging. ¡°You were already adorable, but look at him! He looks like a cute little muffin with his cute little muffin hair! I can¡¯t stand it!¡± Was she about to cry?


    Now Angelo knew how Emil felt earlier. He covered his face in a failing attempt to hide how much he did not know how to respond.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you¡¯re gonna make him explode!¡± Leon half-warned, half laughed.


    ¡°Well that makes two of us. Hi, I¡¯m Roxie!¡±


    Angelo removed one of his hands to see her extending a hand and a bright smile toward him.


    He shook it. ¡°Hello, I-I¡¯m Angelo.¡±


    ¡°Awww, even your voice is so kawaii!¡± Oh, she must be the other anime fan Leon mentioned who kept blowing his cover. ¡°I am going to pick you up one day.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank y¡ªWhat?¡±


    ¡°Provided you are comfortable with it, of course, of course.¡± She nodded sagely.


    ¡°Roxie¡¯s really strong!¡± Leon told him. ¡°If I can carry you, then she should be able to do it, no sweat.¡±


    She gave Angelo a purposeful smile. ¡°That will make you the first in my quest to lift all of my friends. With your belief in me, I will make my goal!¡±


    What was this girl¡¯s deal? It didn¡¯t matter. Angelo was helpless to do anything but love her. He would lay down his life for Roxie. His mind struggled to find a way to say he would be honored to be the first step to her goal without coming off too sappy or strong. Before he could, a new person rose into the conversation.


    ¡°I believe in you, Rox.¡± Adjusting black bangs over one eye, Jun Kim joined the rest.


    ¡°Thank you, Junzie!¡± Roxie latched onto the older ranger similar to how Angelo latched onto Leon.


    Jun¡¯s remaining eye focused on Angelo. ¡°¡®Sup? You¡¯re Angelo, right?¡±


    Just like that, Angelo¡¯s mind imploded. Every word in the English language disappeared from it. Spanish too, not that it would help much. How did he get to the point in his life where his name came out of Jun Kim¡¯s mouth?


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s Jun Kim!¡± Leon answered the question he couldn¡¯t ask.


    ¡°You are basking in the presence of a legend among us!¡± Roxie added.


    ¡°I-I-I¨C¡± The words finally began to load, ¡°Yeah, I-I¡¯m¡­ S-Sorry, it¡¯s just an honor to meet Th-The First Woman of the IF.¡±


    ¡°¨¢ngie, uhhh¡­ Jun is¡­¡± Leon and Roxie glanced back and forth at Jun worriedly. Did Angelo do something wrong? He must¡¯ve done something wrong. ¡°Should I¡ª?


    ¡°Nah. I got this.¡± Jun¡¯s head turned to Roxie. ¡°Rox, can you let go for a sec?¡±


    Roxie let go of Jun, allowing what Angelo assumed was the opportunity to murder him either physically or emotionally. Angelo braced for his punishment, but instead, Jun took out three pamphlets from her uniform coat. After studying them, two went back in the coat and the last one was offered to Angelo. He took it with shaky hands.


    ¡°I got a feeling something like this would come up, so I made this. I dunno if it, like, makes any sense at all, so if you have any questions, just shoot.¡± Jun fired a finger gun.


    Angelo opened up the pamphlet, still expecting the words on it to lash out at him for a mistake he probably should¡¯ve known to avoid. What he found was something he didn¡¯t expect at all.


    ¡®I¡¯m Nonbinary and What That Means,¡¯ read the title. Helpful, since Angelo had no idea what that meant. He opened the inside, filled with hastily drawn doodles in DigiPaint.


    ¡®Long story short, I¡¯m not a man or a woman.¡¯ That confused him for a few reasons, but the next sentence addressed one of them. ¡®Now you¡¯re probably wondering ¡°Didn¡¯t this weirdo get famous for being a woman? Were they lying about that too?¡±


    So you know how when you¡¯re a newborn, the doctor slaps your butt and tells your parents that you¡¯re a boy or a girl? The doc told mine I was a girl. By their standards, they¡¯re not wrong, technically, but I¡¯ve found over the years a lotta weird assumptions are based on whether people think you¡¯re one or the other. Personality, interests, ability, things like that. It never really vibed with me, but I only ever found out there were words for what I felt after the whole pretending to be a man incident. Now I¡¯m stuck with everyone seeing me as a woman except for me (and these 6 cool people.)


    You may not get why any of this matters to me, but imagine if everyone saw you as the wrong gender and treated you accordingly.¡¯


    The last sentence stopped Angelo in his tracks. He didn¡¯t have to imagine. Genetics played a cruel joke, giving him the soft features of his mother¡¯s family and the soft voices of his father¡¯s. Combined with having long hair for most of his life, people often mistook him for a girl. Even short hair couldn¡¯t save him all the time. Jun¡¯s situation sounded like a nightmare scenario.


    ¡°I-I understand.¡± Angelo looked up from the pamphlet. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not a woman. I¡¯m s-so sorry for calling you one!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cool. You couldn¡¯t have known.¡± Jun waved it off.


    ¡°They¡¯re so cool, aren¡¯t they?¡± Leon smiled at him.


    ¡°Yeah, th-they are.¡± Angelo looked up at them. ¡°Is it okay if I keep reading?¡±


    ¡°Take all the time you need.¡±


    Some concepts and clarifications presented in the rest of the pamphlet took Angelo some time to grasp. Others he didn¡¯t follow at all but desperately wanted to. Jun and Emil weren¡¯t exactly the same as him, but they understood him on levels no one ever had before. He needed to repay that back. His ¡®would die for¡¯ counter increased by two.


    Leon poked a thumb into his chest. ¡°If you can believe it, I¡¯m the only straight and not-trans¨Cwhat was the word for that again?¡±


    ¡°Cis~¡± answered Roxie.


    ¡°Yeah, that! I¡¯m the only straight and cis guy on the ship! I know I can¡¯t exactly relate to you, so I¡¯m super glad you got to meet everyone here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± So that¡¯s what Emil meant when he said Angelo wouldn¡¯t have to worry. Little did he know, worrying was in his DNA. Did he really deserve to be in a place where people understood him that way? He didn''t deserve their tolerance.


    But he hadn¡¯t met everyone yet. One part of the pamphlet reminded him as much. ¡®Don¡¯t freak out if you hear Aiden call me masculine terms from time to time, I¡¯m cool with it. He¡¯s also nonbinary, but is still fine going by he and stuff.¡¯ A doodle of the ranger with tall hair and a goatee had been drawn below. ¡®(He doesn¡¯t care if I mention it here.)¡¯


    Aiden. Angelo could now put a face to Leon¡¯s roommate. Scouring the room, he spotted him on the floor in a conversation with Emil. Angelo¡¯s brother texted him about Aiden¡¯s antics. His rudeness to Leon didn¡¯t go unnoticed, no matter how much the latter tried to sugarcoat it.


    Angelo had a bone to pick with him.


    The bearded ranger stood at least a foot taller than the newest recruit, with a noticeable scar across his face and muscles chiseled with sculpture-like definition. All of this terrified Angelo, but not as much as living in a world where anyone could disrespect Leon.


    Seeing his smug face made Angelo sick to his stomach. Really sick, actually. He forgot how woozy it made him to look down at the floor from so high up.


    He gave the pamphlet back to Jun. ¡°Big Brother,¡± he turned to Leon, ¡°is th¨Cis there a bathroom nearby?¡±


    ¡°Bathrooms are down on the first floor. Why?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t feel¨C¡± Angelo quickly covered his mouth to prevent his McBeefy¡¯s from becoming McBarfy¡¯s.


    Roxie felt around her clothes. ¡°Darn! I thought I brought them with me! Rookie, take him, and follow me.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Leon held onto Angelo¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Muffinhead, keep those big beautiful peepers of yours shut until we get there, okay?¡±


    Getting his own nickname would make Angelo happier if his insides weren¡¯t in the process of a rebellion. He closed his eyes as told. Without visuals, he couldn¡¯t tell if he and his brother moved at all, but upon hearing Emil ask if they were ready for the tour, he could guess they made it to the ground. He heard a door open, then shut behind him.


    ¡°Halt right there!¡± Roxie demanded from¡­ below?


    Leon¡¯s voice came next. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To the infirmary!¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go with you?¡±


    ¡°Later. For now, this will be the easiest room to clean if things go wrong.¡±


    Angelo kept his eyes shut not only because he felt less disoriented, but because he held onto the hope that maybe, just maybe if he couldn¡¯t see anyone, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see him. He held onto that hope as tight as he held onto his breakfast.

 [New Kid on the Ship] Ch 3. Cracks in the Foundation

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone get it this bad before.¡± A hushed voice stirred Angelo awake. ¡°Didja ever hear about that one politician guy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯ve all heard the legends of the man so ill, they named a scale after him. He¡¯s the only one to reach a full unit.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope our guy¡¯s not the next.¡±


    He opened his eyes to a white ceiling. His head swam and he couldn¡¯t remember where he was, so he pushed himself up. Not in the way he hoped, though. Instead of sitting up, his entire body lifted off of the cot he laid on.


    ¡°Uhh, Doc?¡± Emil¡¯s voice came from nearby. ¡°Our patient¡¯s levitating. Is there a protocol for that, orrr¡­?¡±


    ¡°Roxie Nursing Tip, don¡¯t let your patients ascend if you can help it. That is the entire point of our profession. Watch and learn.¡± Through flailing limbs, Angelo saw Roxie approach him from a counter. ¡°Angelo, I¡¯m going to pull you down by your jacket. My assistant will then strap you to the cot. Will that be alright?¡±


    ¡°S-Sure?¡± Anything for Angelo to get back down.


    He soon felt something pinch the back of his uniform coat, followed by drifting away from the ceiling. Like angels, Roxie and Emil stared down on him. Emil buckled a seatbelt over Angelo, pulling the excess strap to fasten it to his waist.


    ¡°Not too tight!¡± Roxie warned. She picked up something from the counter to give to her patient. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    She handed Angelo a plastic bag that reminded him of his surroundings. In the sterile white infirmary of the Celestion-5, he¡¯d spent an uncertain amount of time shoving his face into ones like it before trying to find some comfort in sleep. He should¡¯ve expected something like this would happen. Getting nervous made him sick and getting sick made him nervous. Sibling drama in space did not help.


    ¡°Do you feel any better?¡± asked Emil, concern in his eyes.


    Not really. His body felt like it had been hit by a truck, but the bag was still empty, so that had to count for something. He nodded slightly. Just then, he noticed someone missing from the room.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Big Brother?¡± He covered his mouth, realizing how childish he sounded. ¡°Where did my brother go?¡±


    ¡°He went to retrieve your stuff from downstairs.¡±


    ¡°And hydration!¡± Roxie added on. ¡°Which is why I hope he gets back soon. In the meantime,¡± she grabbed a clipboard, ¡°I have some questions for you. Number one!¡± She pointed dramatically. ¡°Have you had any recent head injuries?¡±


    Angelo thought for a moment. ¡°No, not that I know of¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Roxie bit her lip. ¡°That could be very good or very bad. Do you have a headache?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I think it¡¯s from not s-sleeping for three days.¡±


    Roxie gasped. ¡°That was my next question! We can probably maybe hopefully chalk off head injuries for now. Yaaay!¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I¡¯ll feel better s-soon¡­?¡± Angelo prayed that soon he could stop folding himself into origami.


    ¡°Oh no.¡± Emil corrected. ¡°This is kinda the worst case scenario for space sickness. Not getting enough sleep is a great way to make it extra bad.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not dying!¡± She raised a finger. ¡°And that¡¯s what¡¯s important at the end of the day.¡±


    ¡°Excuse her for celebrating. We had a bit of a near-death experience last week, so we¡¯re pretty happy to deal with somethin¡¯ way less scary.¡±


    ¡°Was it Big Brother??¡± Angelo panicked.


    ¡°No¨C¡±


    He sighed before Emil got the chance to explain. ¡°S-Sorry. I hope whoever it is is okay.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s doing alright.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s good. Hm?" Emil¡¯s clothes caught his attention. Instead of his grey version of the dress uniform, he wore orange pants, a white T-shirt, and an orange nurse cap. Roxie wore the same thing, except a head mirror replaced her hat and she also wore a coat. ¡°...Were you always wearing those outfits?


    ¡°These?¡± The blond pointed at the hat half-eaten by his hair. ¡°No, we changed clothes.¡±


    ¡°We could¡¯ve stayed in our other uniforms, but these are cute and the impulse control between us is abysmal.¡± Roxie spun around, distorting her doctor¡¯s coat.


    ¡°Gotta look good to heal good.¡± Emil winked. He placed his hands on his hips. ¡°So. Three days of no sleep?¡±


    Angelo nodded.


    ¡°Dang, you musta been really excited about seeing Leon again. Wait.¡± The lieutenant nurse squinted. ¡°Didn¡¯t you not know he was here?¡±


    The door opened, but not before Emil picked up on the panic in his eyes. Thankfully, he and everyone else focused their attention on the one who opened it.


    Leon came in, holding Angelo¡¯s backpack and a juice pack of some kind. He looked down at his brother. ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡±


    ¡°You have returned!¡± Roxie announced. ¡°Please hydrate your brother.¡±


    ¡°Here you go.¡± Leon drifted the juice pack over to Angelo, who took it with both hands. Angelo sipped on the straw, only to get air in return.


    ¡°You gotta twist the valve!¡± Emil mimicked with his hands. This guy loved giving tours and tutorials. He even gave one for the barf bags. Angelo appreciated his willingness to help, especially since it kept him from asking too many questions.


    Water gushed out of the straw when he finally opened it. A glob of liquid filled the air by the time he realized he could close the valve again.


    ¡°Aaaah, I¡¯ve made a mess, I-I¡¯m so sorry! Let me¨C¡± Angelo tried to push it down, but droplets slipped between his fingers, floating all over the place. He felt more water build up in his eyes. Instead of running down his face, it clouded up his vision. Every time he tried to help, he made things worse.


    ¡°Just leave it alone.¡± Sweet as he sounded, Leon probably wanted him to stop embarrassing them both. ¡°Look!¡±


    Angelo couldn¡¯t see very well, but after drying his eyes with the paper towel attached to his bag, he opened them up to see a wobbling sphere of water the size of a ping pong ball floating in front of him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the coolest thing you¡¯ve ever seen??¡± Leon pointed at it joyfully, not annoyed at all. ¡°Aside from space, of course.¡±


    Nothing could compete with him in Angelo¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s up there.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°And watch this! You can just¨C¡± Leon leaned forward and ate the sphere. He pointed at his cheek and made a sound that sounded like ¡®See?¡¯


    ¡°Rookie!¡± Roxie scolded. ¡°That was for the patient.¡±


    He shrugged and swallowed. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    While the dark-haired boy would love to try that someday, getting anything down was enough of a struggle without weird gravity. He stuck to tiny sips.


    ¡°Yes¡­ hydrate!¡± Roxie cheered him on like a mad scientist to her unholy abomination. This encouraged him to drink more.


    ¡°How do you feel right now?¡±


    Angelo stopped. ¡°I feel like I drank t-too much.¡±


    ¡°Take it easy.¡± Leon¡¯s hand ran through his brother¡¯s hair. ¡°The captain was right. You do look kinda rough. I¡¯m surprised Mam¨¢ let you go like this. Oh! That reminds me!¡±


    Leon grabbed Angelo¡¯s backpack.


    ¡°Is this all your luggage? I can¡¯t even leave the house in fall without a jacket¨C¡± He¡¯s definitely tried, ¡°¨Cshe wouldn¡¯t let you come without a week¡¯s worth of clothes.¡± To Angelo¡¯s mortification, he started digging around in his backpack. ¡°You only have one other outfit? And¨C¡± Leon gasped, ¡°they gave you a space suit?? Ohhh, now I get it!¡± A smile grew on his face. ¡°This cuts back on laundry!¡±


    ¡°It does?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± answered Emil. ¡°On the Celestion ships, we wear ¡®em all the time ¡®cause they¡¯re easy to clean.¡±


    ¡°Saves water too!¡± Roxie chimed in.


    Good. Angelo didn¡¯t have to open his mouth to lie yet.


    ¡°Still seems pretty light, though...¡± His brother frowned, still a little unsatisfied. He took out Angelo¡¯s earphones. ¡°You¡¯ll probably be stuck in here for a while, and I know you like listening to music, so here¡¯s your earphones. Do you have your phone on you?¡±


    ¡°No, I left it at home.¡± Technically, Angelo didn¡¯t lie, at least if ¡®home¡¯ included ¡®buried somewhere in their hometown.¡¯


    ¡°Aww man, you won¡¯t be able to take pictures! Or call home! That must¡¯ve really worried Mam¨¢ and Dad. I guess they figured you¡¯d see me pretty soon after they dropped you off. Still, they probably weren¡¯t eager to let you go, hm?¡± He turned to Emil. ¡°You probably had to pry him out of their hands!¡±


    ¡°No one was with him when I picked him up.¡± Emil¡¯s eyes glanced over at Angelo. ¡°You took the bus like he did, right?¡±


    Angelo nodded slowly, trying to figure out if telling the truth would bite him in the back later on.


    ¡°You took the bus by yourself without your phone??¡± Leon¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his head. ¡°Even Dad would freak out! We need to call them right away to let them know that you¡¯re¨C¡± He cracked a smile. ¡°Hey, could you sit still for a moment?¡±


    The new recruit had no idea what his brother wanted, but if it got him out of this conversation, he¡¯d welcome it. He did as told as Leon played with his hair for a bit, shaping it upward until he was satisfied.


    ¡°There!¡± Leon held up his phone, showing live footage of both of them. He swept Angelo¡¯s hair upward to match his, but since the latter had longer hair, it looked so ridiculous both couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°We¡¯re twins!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are very much twins.¡± Roxie agreed, somewhat confused. To her, he must¡¯ve been stating the obvious.


    He snapped a picture. ¡°Oh, we should get one with all four of us! That way you¡¯ll have it to keep.¡±


    Emil and Roxie joined the other two for a group picture. Angelo smiled once more, trying to ignore the signs that his house of lies began to buckle.


    Leon tapped on his phone. ¡°I just sent it over to your phone, and now to send the other one over to Mam¨¢¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Wait!!¡± That came out more desperate than Angelo intended. ¡°I-I wanted to be the first to text her¡­¡±


    Leon, Roxie, and Emil gave various ¡®aww¡¯s.


    He placed the yellow disk in Angelo¡¯s hands. ¡°Here you go. You can keep it for now since you don¡¯t have yours.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you,¡± Angelo¡¯s gears turned, ¡°can I keep it while I get better? I-I¡¯ll even t-text for you!¡±


    Leon chuckled. ¡°Sure! I really only use it to text you guys at home. Keep it as long as you want! You remember my unlock code, right?¡±


    Unless he changed it recently, Angelo had his set to the same one. He tested his own code on Leon¡¯s phone, and sure enough, it unlocked.


    ¡°Great! I¡¯m gonna get to work in the burner room and then get ready for bed. I dunno if you¡¯ll still be up by the time I get back, so goodnight, ¨¢ngie!¡± Leon gave his brother a hug.


    ¡°Goodnight, Big Brother.¡±


    Though this web of lies would eventually strangle him, Angelo just had to keep it going for as long as he could for moments like this. After a too-short hug, Leon said his goodnights to Emil and Roxie. Just seeing him leave for the night made his heart sink. How could he ever say goodbye again?


    He unconsciously went through the messages between Leon and his mother. It surprised him that she hadn¡¯t told him about his disappearance yet. Did she know?


    Angelo found a conversation from the night he left. She asked if Leon had been able to get in contact with him or their grandfather. That must¡¯ve been before they both texted him. He remembered telling her the old man took a nap. Hopefully he woke up.


    A buzz nearly startled the phone out of his hand. She sent a new message.


    ¡®Has ¨¢ngelito texted you lately?¡¯


    Seeing his nickname broke a heartstring or two. He never thought he¡¯d hear from her again this soon. She must¡¯ve been worrying herself to death, and he wanted nothing more than to apologize over and over again for the pain he¡¯d caused. But words couldn¡¯t make up for this.


    ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± Emil broke his conversation with Roxie, noticing the grief playing out on Angelo¡¯s face.


    ¡°Oh, I-I-I¡¯m just¨CI feel a little homesick.¡±


    Pity filled his smile. ¡°Yeah, that happens up here. We were just talkin¡¯ about weird stuff we did as kids. Wanna join us?¡±


    ¡°No th-thanks. I¡¯m t-t-talking to¨CI¡¯m texting my mom.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± That got the lieutenant off his back.


    Angelo¡¯s heartbreak became horror upon seeing ¡®Read at 7:34 PM¡¯ by his mother¡¯s message. She knew her text had been seen, and they both knew Leon well enough to know he¡¯d text back right away. He needed to do something. He couldn¡¯t let his house fall apart.


    ¡®I haven¡¯t heard from him since a few days ago.¡¯ Angelo told what would¡¯ve been the truth if everything went as planned. Saying they texted each other afterward would just involve Leon more than necessary. He almost made the mistake of adding ¡®Why?¡¯ before remembering the last two months had been spent trying to worry Leon as little as possible. She probably wouldn¡¯t go into details unless prompted. His brother wasn¡¯t that observant anyway.


    Shaken up from the text, Angelo used his bag as instructed, pushing the paper towel in after finishing and sealing it closed.


    ¡°Do you need me to dispose of that?¡± Roxie floated over from the blue countertop.


    ¡°No!¡± The wide-eyed boy clutched his bag protectively. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I-I can do it myself!¡± He struggled trying to figure out how to unbuckle his seatbelt.


    ¡°Hold on there!¡± Emil warned. ¡°Are you sure you feel up to it? The last time didn¡¯t go so well.¡±


    ¡°Th-there was a last time?¡±


    ¡°You got sick again before you could make it to the trash can.¡± explained Roxie. ¡°With the combined teamwork of myself, my assistant, and your brother, we were able to contain the forces inside you!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Just sitting up made Angelo feel a little woozy. ¡°I guess you can t-take this, then.¡± He reluctantly handed over his bag to Roxie, who threw it away. There¡¯s no way she still thought he was cute after this. His one good trait, squandered. ¡°Th-Thanks both of you for going out of your way to t-take care of me. I¡¯m s-sorry you have to. I really wish I didn¡¯t have to bother you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s our job! Plus, you¡¯re helping me learn, so we¡¯re even.¡± Emil gave a thumbs up and a wink.


    ¡°Are you this polite to every doctor?¡±


    Roxie¡¯s question made Angelo think of all of the doctors he forgot to apologize to. ¡°No. I sh-should be! But isn¡¯t it weird taking care of your coworkers? Especially when dealing with stuff like,¡± he pointed toward the garbage can, not daring to make eye contact with anyone ¡°th-that?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± An adorable laugh interrupted her washing her hands with a blob of water. ¡°Those bodily fluids are contained. I¡¯ve cleaned many a bedpan! This is nothing.¡±


    ¡°You wh-what??¡± Emil shared Angelo¡¯s horror.


    ¡°You will too if you continue in this profession. It¡¯s not all cute outfits and chatting with patients, geh-heh~¡± She stuck her tongue out.


    The blond visibly reconsidered his career choices.


    ¡°Become a nurse¡¯s aid, and you¡¯ll experience the full spectrum of human bodily functions.¡± She spoke with a sense of respect. ¡°It¡¯s hard to gross me out.¡±


    She likely said that so Angelo wouldn¡¯t worry, but he¡¯d do it anyway. He couldn¡¯t help but do so with everything else on his plate. How long until someone figures him out? How far would he have to go, pretending to be his brother on the phone? What if his mother calls? It gave him a headache to think about.


    ¡°I-I think I¡¯m going back to bed.¡± He plugged his headphones into Leon¡¯s phone, hoping the music could drown out his thoughts.


    ¡°Let us know when you¡¯re going down for the night.¡± Emil pointed past him at the door. ¡°I can probably get you a bedsheet or something out of your room.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°You sure? It¡¯s no trouble.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I can s-s¨Crest just about anywhere right now.¡± Staying up for 72 hours straight had at least one perk.


    ¡°Ahhh, gotcha! I¡¯ll let you sleep on it.¡± Emil held back laughter at his own joke, so Angelo did it for his sake.


    Roxie placed another bag in his hand, her warm hands overlapping his. ¡°Sleep tight Muffinhead. Have sweet, muffiny dreams.¡±


    It had been so long since he got to experience the joy of someone else¡¯s hands touching his clammy little paws. He froze on the spot. When he finally came to, he realized he needed to say something soon. ¡°...You too!¡±


    Angelo quickly turned away and threw his head on the cot. He wished he took up Emil¡¯s offer. At least then, he could hide his face.

 [New Kid on the Ship] Ch 4. Lying in Bed

    Spending the last four days puking his brains out wasn¡¯t what Angelo imagined he¡¯d be doing when he got to space, but it was all he could do. He felt too weak to get around, even without the force of gravity. Most of the time though, he just lied in his cot.


    As miserable as he felt, his brother¡¯s company made it all worth it. Leon might as well have been a part of the medical team, getting things for Angelo, helping him get more accustomed to floating, and generally making him feel cozy and cared for. It¡¯s not for Emil and Roxie¡¯s lack of trying. They did their best, and he liked them, but that just made him more self-conscious about being an inconvenience. At least Leon was used to dealing with him like this.


    But even someone as clingy as Angelo needed a little privacy once in a while. Leon and Roxie left to get breakfast, and Emil hadn¡¯t shown up yet. Left all alone, he had the perfect opportunity to rehearse his lies.


    He scrolled through Leon¡¯s phone, flicking through days¡¯ worth of messages between him and his mom. She usually tried to keep conversation light, with him pretending ¡®Leon¡¯ didn¡¯t know anything when she subtly dropped questions about Angelo¡¯s whereabouts. He made up some nonsense about Leon¡¯s speakers not working so he wouldn¡¯t be expected to call, though telling that to the same woman who did tech support for a living might not have been his brightest idea. Things went smoothly otherwise, eerily so.


    Until yesterday. Yesterday, he slipped up for the first time. Angelo never mentioned to his brother the fake ¡®friends¡¯ he made up to go to basic training, but apparently his mother did many times. They just didn¡¯t text about it.


    On top of that, the subtlety dropped. Questions came nonstop to the point where he had to mute the phone before anyone got suspicious. She never outright mentioned that anything bad happened, but it was obvious. Even Leon would catch on. Still, ¡®he¡¯ didn¡¯t ask any further questions.


    He got a new text. It came from his dad this time.


    ¡®I love you.¡¯


    ¡®I love you too, Dad.¡¯ Angelo texted back. The message caught him a little off guard; his father wasn¡¯t much of a texter. Showering the family with random ¡®I love you¡¯s though, that¡¯s normal for him. So why did it feel so wrong?


    ¡°Heya!¡±


    Angelo¡¯s soul nearly left his body hearing the voice behind him.


    ¡°You feelin¡¯ alright?¡± Emil leaned in through the door. ¡°You seem like you¡¯re doing a lot better than a couple days ago.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t feel sick.¡± Saying Angelo was ¡®okay¡¯ would be an overstatement.


    The lieutenant winked. ¡°Good! I just came to check in on ya before grabbing somethin¡¯ to eat. Roxie and Rookie should be back in a few. You want anything?¡±


    Angelo almost said no, but his stomach answered for him. ¡°Are there any tortillas left?¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure thing! I¡¯ll bring some back.¡±


    ¡°Th-Thank you¡­¡±


    With a slap of the doorframe, Emil left just as he came. Angelo was alone again. His attention returned to the phone, where he¡¯d gotten a worrying amount of messages from his mom.


    The number kept climbing. Angelo looked on, frozen in horror. The messages stopped. Against his own will, he tapped to open them up.


    ¡­


    She found out yesterday. His parents cut their vacation short because she got a bad feeling when he didn¡¯t text back or answer calls. His grandfather, who he should¡¯ve been with, stalled whenever she asked about him. It turned out he was trying to find Angelo on his own before they got back.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    His grandfather also spent a few hours in the hospital the morning he ran away. As relieved as it made Angelo to hear his grandfather was still alive¨Che could cross ¡®potential murder suspect¡¯ off of his list of problems¨Cthe old man blamed him for putting him there in the first place. That wasn¡¯t entirely untrue since Angelo called the ambulance, but that¡¯s not how his mom described it.


    More messages relayed stuff Angelo already knew, like what really happened after Leon left and the letter Angelo left behind in his suitcase. When he wrote it, he thought the letter would help his parents feel better about him leaving, but only now did he realize how naive that was, like putting a kiddie bandage over a bullet wound. His mother included pictures of the full letter. He saw fresh tear stains.


    His mother hoped ¡®Leon¡¯ would have a better idea of places he might¡¯ve gone or people he might¡¯ve been talking to at the time, but if he hadn¡¯t shown up here, the real Leon would be just as lost.


    Aside from his brother, Angelo was a social outcast with no known friends and no social media presence. He talked to his accomplice maybe twice. She probably forgot his existence by now. In the past few years, even his parents didn¡¯t know what all was going on in his life. The distance had been intentional on his part, but it still ripped his heart to shreds seeing his mother kick herself over it. Tears clouded his eyes. He wiped them away.


    Angelo James Summers officially became a missing person. All of these traits made him difficult enough to track down, but thanks to his grandfather¡¯s stunt, he could practically be anywhere in the world by now. Except he wasn¡¯t.


    He was in space.


    His mother kept apologizing for not telling Leon what happened last month, for not telling him about this situation earlier, for reasons Angelo couldn¡¯t begin to understand. This was all his fault. Why didn¡¯t she realize that? Now he sat there, left alone to watch his family fall apart because of him.


    Not for long. He heard the hallway door open. Someone could be in the infirmary any second. Angelo knew how Leon would respond to a lot of things. Angelo did not know, however, how his brother would respond to his disappearance. He didn¡¯t know how to respond to his own disappearance!


    ¡®He¡¯s gome??¡¯ Angelo¡¯s hands shook so bad that the typo got left in. ¡®I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t know whatt o say¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m back with your tortill¨Cuhhhh, is everything alright?¡± Emil¡¯s blurry form hovered in from the doorway. ¡°Do you need another barf bag?¡±


    Angelo shook his head and lifted up the empty one next to his legs. He used it to dry his eyes only to start sobbing immediately afterward.


    ¡°Hey, hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Emil leaned down toward Angelo and the phone, which he clutched away. ¡°You can tell me if you want. Wait. You can¡¯t talk right now, can you?¡±


    Angelo shook his head again. He might just get out of this.


    ¡°Rookie told me you guys talk through text when this happens. Do you wanna try that?¡±


    So much for that. He could say he didn¡¯t want to talk about it, but if Emil didn¡¯t pry, Leon would. Someone had to be told something.


    Angelo switched over to the messages between his brother and his abandoned phone. ¡®Grandppa was in hospital. Okk now ,, Plrase don¡¯t tell Bigbro. I wan tto. Later.


    ¡°Ohhh, gotcha.¡± It took a second, but Emil was able to parse his word salad. ¡°You still want this tortilla?¡± He held up some more packages. ¡°Roxie made me take a tube of peanut butter so you could get some protein. And some water.¡±


    The dark-haired boy held up his hand. He didn¡¯t feel like eating. He felt like garbage. Angelo erased his message so that Leon wouldn¡¯t see it later.


    ¡­Later? With everything he¡¯s done, with all the lies and all the heartbreak, Leon should never get his hands back on this phone! It would expose Angelo for the miserable little leech he was, but even worse, it¡¯d make Leon feel bad. He couldn¡¯t let him have it back. Not at any cost. Angelo shoved the phone into the pocket of his Interstellar Forces-issued pajamas.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just put these on the counter in case you want ¡®em  later.¡± Emil did just that. ¡°Sorry, I got a little held up talking to Rookie. He keeps asking me if you¡¯ll have enough time to see the stars before you go home, isn¡¯t that funny?¡±


    Not to Angelo.


    ¡°It¡¯s like he can¡¯t believe that you¡¯re one of us now.¡±

 [New Kid on the Ship] Ch 5. Eyes That See All

    Four and a half days of peace. That¡¯s what Leon ruined the moment he and his brother stepped foot into Aiden¡¯s room.


    ¡°You¡¯re in luck ¨¢ngie, looks like Aiden¡¯s not here right now!¡± Of course, Leon didn¡¯t see him hovering on the wall beside the door.


    ¡°Boo.¡±


    Both screamed, with the pipsqueak launching himself halfway across the room before his brother caught him by the shirt tail. He hung sideways in the air, desperately clutching at his pocket. Must¡¯ve nearly lost his phone or something.


    Leon stood him back upright. ¡°There you go.¡± He patted him on the shoulder, too busy gawking at Aiden to notice him flinching every time. ¡°Aiden, this is my little brother, Angelo.¡±


    While Aiden got a better chance to take in the shivering little weirdo, his hand still gripping his pocket for dear life. Wide eyes darted in every direction, as if he fought for his life by just standing there. The kid looked haunted. ¡°Is he good?¡±


    ¡°Oh, ¨¢ngie gets nervous around new people. I told you about the ghost thing, right?¡±


    Aiden shrugged. Everything Leon said went in one ear and out the other. ¡°Probably.¡±


    Leon clamped both hands on his brother¡¯s shoulders. ¡°He¡¯s really shy.¡± He continued, completely oblivious to the poor kid hyperventilating. ¡°So please don¡¯t be too mean to him.¡±


    Aiden gave a non-committal grunt. He didn¡¯t want this new guy to get too comfortable, but he had no interest in messing with him. Angelo seemed like the type to crumble to dust if Aiden even looked at him wrong. He didn¡¯t want a heart attack on his hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, really¡­!¡± Angelo jerked away. ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t wanna make you guys change because of me.¡± His hands folded over each other as his head lowered. ¡°Just pretend like I-I¡¯m not here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Aiden pushed himself off the wall and over to his bed.


    Leon pointed to the bunk above it. ¡°I guess that¡¯ll be your bed for now.¡±


    ¡°Th-That ladder looks really high¡­¡± It didn¡¯t, but someone as short as Angelo might think so. Aiden wondered if his arms could even handle the strain of climbing up; they looked like they could snap under any pressure.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can climb it! We¡¯re in zero gravity anyway, so you shouldn¡¯t have to worry right now. See?¡± Leon drifted over to the ladder and pulled himself up with one hand. His feet rose above Aiden until they stopped with a faint thud. ¡°Ow! Be careful of your head.¡±


    Aiden snorted, only to have his amusement interrupted by bug eyes staring daggers into him. Funny for someone on the verge of tears two minutes ago. What did Angelo think he was gonna do, cry him to death? Aiden stared right back. That got him to stop looking and focus on his pocket.


    ¡°¨¢ngie, come up here!¡± A hand reached down from the top bunk. Angelo took it, getting lifted up and out of Aiden¡¯s way. Good riddance. ¡°There¡¯s seatbelts to help strap you in while you¡¯re sleeping. You also wanna make sure your covers are tucked in good so they don¡¯t float away.¡±


    ¡°Kind of like a human pizza pocket?¡± With a bed between him and Aiden, Angelo¡¯s voice could barely be heard.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your bed?¡± Process of elimination should¡¯ve told him it was the single bed on the other side of the room.


    ¡°This one!¡± Leon kicked himself off the top bunk and down to the single bed on the other side of the room. He lifted an orange bag at the foot of it. ¡°Your backpack¡¯s over here. I realized there¡¯s no space under your bed to put stuff. Well, technically there¡¯s a lot of space, but Aiden probably wouldn¡¯t be too happy about you using it. The good news is that you¡¯ll be safe from seeing¡­¡± He trailed off after making eye-contact with Aiden.


    ¡°Seeing what?¡± goaded the only one who could grow a beard.


    ¡°You¡¯re not¡­ always the best at covering yourself when you put on clothes in the morning. And since you sleep nude¡­¡±


    Aiden lifted his hands. ¡°Hey, I do what I can. If you¡¯re looking so hard, then that¡¯s on you.¡±


    ¡°I try not to.¡± Leon¡¯s eyes wandered to the desk between their beds. ¡°Anyway, this is the desk. I mostly use it for charging. The super cool thing is just above it.¡± He opened the window covering to a starry sky. ¡°Gosh, I can¡¯t get enough of this view! I don¡¯t know why we even had this closed in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Captain told us to.¡± Aiden remembered Galhardo¡¯s orders back when they were moving from the ship to a hotel. He mentioned something about privacy concerns, as if anyone would scale 40ft up military spacecraft just to break in and steal the laptop sticking out from under Leon¡¯s bed.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Leon lifted his chubby face toward the top bunk. ¡°¨¢ngie, come down and look at the stars!¡±


    Angelo propelled himself off the bed. He got that step right, but instead of going down, he floated across the room, softly splattering into the other wall. Leon had to pry him off by the ankle. Once that spectacle resolved itself, Aiden headed toward the door while the two bunched up by the circular window.


    ¡°We should go back up to the observation deck sometime.¡± Leon told his brother. ¡°I wanna make sure you¡¯re able to get a better look at space before you have to go home. Maybe some pictures too!¡±


    Aiden stopped himself on the doorframe. ¡°He¡¯s going home?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s gotta be back in time before school starts.¡±


    That opened up several questions, but the only one that concerned Aiden at the moment was what he could eat. He left his roommates behind and glided toward the kitchen door.


    Jun, Roxie, and Emil sat inside watching TV on the couch. Sort of. Only Jun sat on the couch like a normal person. Roxie hovered crisscross above the cushions. While parts of Emil¡¯s body touched it¨Chis hip against the armrest and his elbow on the back¨Cno one in their right mind would call it sitting. On one hand, what a waste of a couch. On the other, he kind of had to respect the chaos of it all, mild as it was.


    ¡°Hey Aiden, what¡¯s up?¡± Emil waved.


    ¡°What¡¯s for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Uhhhhh,¡± Jun tried to remember, ¡°There was like, tomato soup? Cheese sticks, a pineapple drink thing, some pretzels, and some dried oranges.¡±


    ¡°Cried oranges.¡± corrected Roxie.


    ¡°Oh yeah, there¡¯s a typo on the menu.¡±


    ¡°They cried all of their juices out, how sad.¡±


    ¡°Relatable.¡±


    ¡°What the¨C?¡± Aiden glanced over his shoulder to see Angelo hovering behind him, clutching a few food packages. Leon followed suit.


    ¡°S-Sorry!¡± Angelo cowered.


    ¡°Are you following me?¡± Aiden distanced himself, making his way over to the boxes on his left.


    ¡°Angelo mentioning pizza pockets reminded me that I was kinda hungry.¡± Leon answered. He looked down at his brother. ¡°What were you saying?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s cheese,¡± Emil lifted a finger toward the boxes, ¡°tomato soup¡¯s kinda like a sauce, and pretzels are like a really crunchy crust if you believe hard enough, so there¡¯s pizza here in theory.¡±


    ¡°Wow, theoretical pizza. Yummy!¡± Leon chuckled. ¡°What¡¯re you guys watching?¡±


    ¡°The beautiful game of b¨¦isbol~!¡± answered Emil. That was baseball in Spanish. Aiden knew this because it sounded almost exactly like baseball in English. Otherwise, he mainly knew curse words.


    ¡°Oh, who¡¯s playing?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea!¡± He checked the screen. ¡°The Corvids and the Lynxes. The great thing about watching baseball is that you really don¡¯t have to pay attention to the game at all. Me an¡¯ Roxie have mostly been chatting about our sports careers. Roxie here was the star pitcher on her softball team.¡±


    ¡°Really? Wait, didn¡¯t you do baton twirling?¡±


    ¡°I contain multitudes, Rookie.¡± Unable to stay in place, Roxie continued floating upward. ¡°The captains are baseball boys!¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± confirmed Emil. ¡°I had to beg Dad to let us play sports, but he caved in and let us play one year.¡± He craned his head backward in order to view Aiden, who at this point moved to the water dispenser by the table. ¡°What about you? I feel like you¡¯d be good at track.¡±


    Aiden smirked. ¡°Probably, but it¡¯s kinda hard to be on a sports team when you don¡¯t go to school.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it doesn¡¯t have to be like, formal or competitive or anything like that.¡± Jun tugged Roxie¡¯s doctor¡¯s coat to keep her from drifting away. She snuggled up to him. ¡°People kept trying to get me into competitive surfing, but it wasn¡¯t my style.¡± Typical Jun response.


    ¡°I got my exercise in other ways. Running from the law is great cardio.¡± The notch on the water dispenser had already been flipped to heat, so all Aiden had to do was fill a syringe so he could hydrate his soup. Working with needles always gave him the creeps.


    ¡°What about you guys?¡± Emil uncontorted himself to face the Summers brothers, not caring that his nurse hat drifted off. ¡°You play any sports?¡±


    ¡°I used to play soccer in middle school!¡± Leon answered. ¡°If my high school had a team, I probably would¡¯ve played then too, but I got a job instead. The good news is I know how to fry a lotta seafood.¡±


    ¡°Important question. Does ¡®a lotta seafood¡¯ include shrimp?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I cooked a lot of shrimp!¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes yes¨C!!¡± Emil could¡¯ve set off a fire with how fast he rubbed his hands together, but soon he coughed and tried to play it smooth. ¡°So how about you Angelo? You play any sports?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Angelo looked away. ¡°I¡¯m not very athletic.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, no need to feel bad about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, everyone has their skills and weaknesses.¡± added Jun.


    Angelo let out a feeble laugh. ¡°S-Skills?¡±


    ¡°You have skills!¡± Leon argued. ¡°You¡¯re really good at putting models together. And you¡¯re better than me at video games!¡±


    ¡°Not really, I just practice more.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short, fellow gamer!¡± Roxie vaulted herself over Jun. ¡°Also you have other high points like being polite and muffin-shaped and you follow directions like a good little lamb.¡± More like a sheep. ¡°I would rate you an A+ in being a patient, very good teaching material for my assistant.¡± She tapped Emil¡¯s arm. ¡°By the way, did you consume your protein yet~?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Leon patted his brother¡¯s back. ¡°You should probably go eat at the table while I get my stuff ready.¡±


    Angelo took a step forward, then stopped himself a little past the couch. ¡°Big Brother? Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to get your food for you?¡±


    Leon blinked, then sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I can cook my own food. Besides, this is your first time here!¡±


    Aiden stopped mid-swig of his soup. ¡°Big Brother? You call him that all the time?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Emil turned his head, ¡°I wanted to ask about that, but I didn¡¯t wanna sound rude.¡± Lucky for him, Aiden didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°I do it out of respect.¡± The shortest boy stared at nothing but the table as he sat down. ¡°Like how it feels rude t-to call your mom and dad by name. Th-That kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have either of those.¡± Even if Aiden did, he doubted he¡¯d care.


    Angelo¡¯s eyes somehow grew wider. ¡°Oh gosh, I¡¯m s-so sorry!¡±


    Aiden shoved a few pretzels into his mouth and resumed soup-drinking. They went good together.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Oh, now that you mention it,¡± Leon grabbed his lunch, ¡°I haven¡¯t called home in a while! ¨¢ngie, can you hand me my phone?¡±


    His brother¡¯s hand went into one pocket, then the other. It came up empty both times. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have it. Did I lose it¡­? I sh¨CI should look!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not in a hurry. We can go look for it after we eat, okay?¡± Leon moved over to where his brother sat. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve only been in this part of the ship. There¡¯s not that many places it can be, right?¡±


    Wrong. Two days later and they were still searching the same three rooms. Aiden couldn¡¯t take a nap or use the bathroom in peace without them showing their faces. Both of them, every time. Leon could be empty-headed for sure, but it took a special kind of brainless to lose a phone in the most cramped area of the ship. Did it run in the family?


    The weirdest thing of all was that sometimes Angelo would look up at his bed as if he sensed something there. One time, he stopped just as Leon left the room.


    He looked at his bed, then at Aiden. ¡°Did you hear anything?¡±


    ¡°No¡­?¡±


    He left. Weird kid.


    The third day was different, though. Not because they found the phone, absolutely not, but because the Celestion-5 completed its week of zero gravity. Things went back to normal, and the whole crew got called up to the observation deck.


    ¡°Our jet armor training protocol is set to undergo some changes.¡± Captain Galhardo paced back and forth. Allegedly, he actually showed his face during the past week. Not that Aiden would know. He was too busy soaking up the sweet silence in his room. ¡°First of all, a change in partnership to account for the full crew. Lieutenant,¡± his cape swished as he turned to his brother, ¡°you will no longer be paired with Ranger Kelly.¡±


    ¡°Fun while it lasted.¡± Emil gave a pitied smile. Aiden would miss showing off to his fanboy.


    ¡°Instead, Ranger Kelly will be paired up with the new recruit.¡±


    This matchup didn¡¯t excite Aiden. To be honest, he felt a little on-edge. Dorky as he could be, Emil knew Aiden¡¯s skill and cut him just the right amount of slack. Aiden could also talk to the other blond without worrying that he¡¯ll cry and go mute. Even on his best behavior, he wondered if his voice was a little too gruff or if he¡¯d say something in just the wrong tone to set Angelo off.


    ¡°You¡¯ll also notice that the helmets and observation panels have been upgraded with a modified version of the Interstellar Forces Coordination Simulator software, and as such, your training regimen will change to reflect this. Lieutenant, you may provide an explanation.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Emil clapped. ¡°So whether you¡¯re flying or observing, you¡¯ll notice green rectangle targets. What you do is you wanna guide whoever¡¯s flying into as many of them as you can before training stops. Simple enough, yeah?¡± It sounded simple enough to Aiden.


    ¡°You may now decide on which task each member of your group will handle today. Jet armor users shall then proceed to the loading deck.¡± The pairs got together on Galhardo¡¯s command. Out of the corner of his eye, Aiden saw his new partner trudging toward him, more of his scalp than his face. Neither of them spoke when they stood by each other.


    ¡°Captain Galhardo?¡± Leon¡¯s voice came from further away.


    ¡°Yes, Ranger Summers?¡±


    ¡°Is Angelo also gonna be deciding?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ranger Summers. Is there an issue with that?¡± Though Galhardo asked Leon, he glanced at Angelo suspiciously. Thankfully, the smaller one¡¯s back was turned, otherwise he probably would¡¯ve combusted.


    ¡°Oh. That seems¡­ kinda dangerous to let him go out into space.¡±


    For once, Aiden agreed with Leon. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Well, that settles that!¡± Emil winked.


    Aiden left Roxie, Leon, and Emil behind to direct Angelo to the observation panels. Jun and Mia joined him on the way to the loading deck.


    ¡°Mia, you¡¯re not on panel duty today?¡± Jun asked on the way down the stairs.


    ¡°No.¡± It was weird of her to do space flight instead of Leon.


    ¡°Guess Leon wanted to show his bro the ropes.¡±


    ¡°Captain Galhardo told us we should switch up once in a while.¡± She didn¡¯t seem happy about it.


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡± Jun waited at the bottom of the stairs with the other two. ¡°Aiden, how do you feel about your new guy?¡±


    Aiden sighed.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Gonna miss Emil cheering you on?¡±


    More than he wanted to admit, but he also had other problems. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m gonna talk to the kid without scarin¡¯ him to death.¡±


    ¡°Ah yeah, he seems pretty nervous.¡± Jun smiled. ¡°Just be nice.¡±


    Aiden gave him a blank stare until he finally got a sense of what he was working with. ¡°How do I do that?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t believe you asked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    ¡°No, yeah, me too. I¡¯m genuinely glad you asked me.¡± Jun checked the oxygen panel to the Loading Deck. Almost green. ¡°Uhhh, hold on. This is kinda short notice for a crash course on kindness.¡±


    The oxygen panel turned green. Mia opened the door and went down first.


    ¡°Okay, here¡¯s a good opportunity. Hey, Mia!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Jun followed Mia down the stairs. ¡°Thanks for opening the door. That¡¯s like, way helpful of you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He tapped Aiden¡¯s arm. ¡°Now you try.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just say the same thing you said.¡± The blond closed the door behind them.


    ¡°You¡¯ve known Mia for like 2-3 months by now, dude. There¡¯s gotta be something you like about her.¡±


    Aiden thought for a moment. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± Mia froze at the bottom of the stairs.


    ¡°You¡¯re not as annoying as Rookie.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s. That¡¯s a start.¡± reassured Jun. ¡°Now do it without putting Leon down.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not annoying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Mia felt just as awkward as Aiden.


    Only Jun enjoyed this. ¡°Cool! We¡¯re getting somewhere. Now try to turn that into a positive.¡±


    ¡°...That was positive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a double negative.¡± he corrected.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re focusing on what she isn¡¯t.¡± Jun strapped on his jet boots. ¡°Focus on what she is.¡±


    Aiden looked at her awkwardly glancing their way, then back at Jun. ¡°She¡¯s uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Ah. My bad.¡± Jun apologized. His eyes returned to Aiden. ¡°I notice you have a hard time giving direct compliments. With you, it¡¯s always ¡®You¡¯re not terrible, I guess,¡¯ or ¡®I don¡¯t want to punch you as much as that other guy.¡¯¡± Aiden rated his impression of him a 3/10. Kindly, of course. ¡°The closest thing you¡¯ve said to a compliment is ¡®You¡¯re weird in a cool way.¡¯ Like, you like Emil, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate¨C¡± Aiden caught himself falling into his trap.


    Jun wore an expression that said ¡®See?¡¯ ¡°See? You should really loosen up a little. Not just to be nice, but like, I dunno, that seems like such a tiring way to live. Enjoy things openly. It¡¯s good for you.¡±


    ¡°Showing your cards like that is a good way to get scammed. Or worse.¡± Aiden put on his chest plate. ¡°Which reminds me. I can be nice!¡±


    ¡°You can?¡± Jun flipped his bangs back, so Aiden could see the confusion in both eyes.


    ¡°When I conned people outside of bars.¡±


    ¡°Weird definition of nice, but cool.¡± He pulled his neck covering over his scalp. ¡°When you¡¯re talking to Angelo, just think of it like a con.¡± Like that¡¯s so easy. It didn¡¯t work like that! Aiden needed a goal in mind. ¡°Speaking of,¡± Jun¡¯s voice lowered, ¡°have you noticed anything¡­ weird about him?¡±


    ¡°A lot. Be specific.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t bother whispering, startling Jun. They both caught Mia staring at them. She looked away.


    ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t gossip.¡± he backpedaled.


    The tallest ranger glanced at Mia again. ¡°She¡¯s not gonna tell. A crime could happen right in front of her and she¡¯d keep her mouth shut just to save her own skin.¡± He turned to her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want you around if I was getting stabbed, but sometimes you gotta mind your business to survive and I respect that.¡±


    Mia blinked, shocked, but then tilted her head in reluctant agreement. She started to put on her helmet. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment?¡±


    Once he recovered from shock, Jun went to pick up the conversation. A click from above cut him short.


    ¡°Everybody ready?¡± Emil¡¯s voice crackled over the intercom.


    ¡°Just a sec.¡± Jun put on his helmet. So much for Aiden finding out what made him suspicious.


    Helmets secured, everyone let the lieutenant know that they were ready for training. Captain Galhardo took over and began a countdown as oxygen drained from the loading deck. At least Aiden guessed so, it¡¯s not like he could see the air disappear. Finally came the moment he¡¯d been waiting for. The door lifted into space and so did he, leaving the other two in the dust.


    A green rectangle appeared down and to his left. Sticking a leg out, he used his ankle jet to turn himself around before blasting toward the target with the jets strapped to his back.


    High-pitched muttering broke his concentration. Aiden missed his target by a few feet. Whatever. He turned himself around to try for it again, but before he could move toward it, the muttering distracted him again. It must¡¯ve been the kid.


    ¡°Hey, can you speak up?¡±


    Angelo audibly jumped. ¡°S-Sorry! Is th¨CIs this better?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Barely.


    ¡°I-I was just going to t-t¨Cto t-t-tell you about the rectangle right there, but it looks like you found it already.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    Aiden stopped spinning in circles, angling himself right at his target. Just then, someone floated by, taking it for themself. Jun.


    He caught a glimpse of one up toward the Moon and headed for it. The mumbling continued every so often. Aiden considered ignoring it, but it just kept going, taking up his precious focus.


    ¡°What¡¯s that? I can¡¯t hear you if you don¡¯t speak up.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Th-There¡¯s one above you.¡± explained Captain Obvious.


    ¡°I see tha¨C¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re about to crash into s-s-s¨CLook on your left!!¡±


    ¡°Oh sh¨C¡± Aiden lowered his legs and used his boots to brush himself just above someone, spinning them instead of hitting them straight on. It looked like Mia judging by the wider shape. Never in all his years of training had he come this close to crashing into someone.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Angelo¡¯s voice quivered and squeaked. ¡°Sorry! I¡¯ s-so¨CI¡¯m so sorry, it was my fault, I should¡¯ve paid more attention! I¡¯m so s-sorry!¡±


    Time to lay down some ground rules. The million-dollar question was how to do it without sending him into more of a panic. Million-dollar question. Having a goal like that would make things so much easier, but maybe he did have one. After all, Angelo¡¯s silence was worth a fortune.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Emil¡¯s voice came through clearer than Angelo¡¯s even without headset.


    ¡°Tell him I¡¯m okay.¡± Aiden waited for the rest of their conversation to play out before continuing. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s make a deal.¡± His voice took on the same tone as when he explained the rules of a rigged card game to his opponents. ¡°You just sit back, don¡¯t say a word. I¡¯ll handle getting all the targets, and we can walk out with a good review. Sound good?¡±


    Angelo hesitated. ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Aiden went to work getting the next target. Straying farther from the ship than the others would dare to, he passed through a couple more, though it took minutes to find each one with how spaced out they were. Angelo did as told like a good little lamb. All in all, things went great.


    ¡°Ranger Summers.¡± Captain Galhardo¡¯s jolted Aiden out of his zone.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± Leon responded.


    ¡°Not you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain¡­?¡± Angelo must¡¯ve not known how to mute his headset.


    ¡°Why are you not communicating with your partner?¡±


    ¡°He s-said he¡¯d do fine on his own, sir.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s doing so fine on his own, then why is his score so low?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what??¡± Aiden reacted on impulse.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, s-sir.¡±


    ¡°Communication is an important aspect of jet armor training. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. My apologies, sir¡­¡± Angelo¡¯s voice faded out in a whisper.


    Silence followed. Galhardo must have left the area.


    ¡°What was he talking about?¡± asked Aiden. ¡°I don¡¯t see a score!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t have said that if he did.


    ¡°S-Sorry. We have 20 points right now.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me. How many are we s¡¯posed to have?¡±


    Angelo took a few seconds to answer. ¡°Jun and Roxie have 105.¡±


    ¡°How?? I¡¯ve been going in circles and haven¡¯t seen jack!¡±


    ¡°You keep missing targets.¡± he explained. ¡°Th-There were three you missed back where you came from. A little to th-the right of the Moon.¡±


    Aiden looked in that direction, but couldn¡¯t see anything at first. Then, a speck of green jumped out at him, nearly microscopic. If Angelo hadn¡¯t said it first, he¡¯d chalk it up to his imagination. ¡°...You can see that far?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Time for a new set of rules. ¡°You can talk now. Let me know if you see more on the way.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    New targets showed up much quicker under Angelo¡¯s guidance, though sticking to ¡®left¡¯ and ¡®right¡¯ led to confusion. They settled on a system of directions related to clock times. He may¡¯ve stuttered on his threes and sevens, but he made up for it with his eagle eyes. It turned out that they were good for more than just crying. As long as Aiden reminded him to speak up, things functioned smoothly. He passed through nearly double the targets he did alone by the time he and the others had to return to the ship.


    Aiden slowed down, letting the loading deck scoop him up with Jun and Mia. ¡°How many points do we have now?¡±


    ¡°55.¡±


    He whistled. ¡°I made it to the loading deck. You can turn off your headset now.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ How do I turn it off?"


    Aiden switched off his connection instead. Two flights of stairs later, he and Angelo found themselves waiting with the others for their evaluations.


    Captain Galhardo started with Mia and Leon first. ¡°Your score totaled 55 points. Average, but I would suggest you pay more attention to the task at hand instead of treating this as a conversation session.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Aiden got the feeling Mia wasn¡¯t doing most of the conversating.


    ¡°Will do, sir!¡± Will Leon really?


    ¡°Great for a first try, though!¡± Emil encouraged.


    The captain moved onto Jun and Roxie, with Emil trailing behind him. ¡°115 points. Excellent teamwork as always, but it¡¯s no excuse to slack off at the end.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir.¡± Jun answered for his laziness. Aiden would¡¯ve probably done the same, though.


    ¡°You guys were fantastic out there!¡± Emil swooped in with a compliment, as usual.


    ¡°Thank youuu~¡± chirped Roxie.


    Finally, Galhardo made his way over to Aiden and Angelo, his giant eyebrows weighing down heavy on the lids with contempt. He turned his mug to Aiden. ¡°I¡¯ve already explained this to Ranger Summers, but communication is a pivotal part of these training sessions.¡± Big talk for the shut-in. ¡°Trying to undermine that is unacceptable. It¡¯s a miracle you two managed to achieve 55 points.¡±


    ¡°Great comeback!¡± Emil whispered.


    His brother closed his eyes. ¡°As punishment, you will both be assigned to furnace duty for today.¡± They opened to look past Angelo. ¡°You will also be required to do it the next time, since you were unable to fulfill your punishment last week. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, s-sir.¡±


    His eyes shifted toward Aiden, but not directly at him.


    ¡°Yes. Sir.¡± Aiden forced out a response.


    Galhardo whipped around, hitting Angelo with his cape. All of his firmness vanished in an instant, revealing him as the awkward nerd Aiden knew him to be. ¡°My apologies.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°That concludes your evaluations. You are all dismissed.¡±


    After the captain scurried to his room, Aiden looked down at his training partner, shaken up from the scolding even though very little of it was directed at him. ¡°Hey.¡±


    Angelo lifted his head slightly.


    ¡°Good eyes.¡±


    Those same eyes widened, shimmering directly at him as if he were made of diamonds. A little dramatic for Aiden¡¯s tastes.


    ¡°I-I did good?¡± Had the kid never heard a compliment before?


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Aiden started to get creeped out by the staring. That kind of admiration felt like too much responsibility for a guy like him. Instead, he looked over at Jun, who gave him a goofy-looking smile. If people acted this weird when he gave out compliments, could they handle more?

 [New Kid on the Ship] Ch 6. Wolf in Sheeps Clothing

    Angelo stood face-to-face with himself in the mirror. Sure, he ruined his parents¡¯ lives and trapped himself in an ongoing lie to them and his brother, all of which ate away at his psyche with each passing moment, but he had one thing going for him.


    Good eyes. Aiden¡¯s words played in head on repeat. It had to mean something for that much of a jerk to say something nice to him. Or maybe he was nice? He laughed at Leon, so he couldn¡¯t be. Plus, the results backed it up. Over the past few days, his eyes led him and Aiden to high scores and high praise¨Ceven from Captain Galhardo! Angelo finally had a useful skill. Two if he counted being able to work the furnace.


    Which meant he had to stay on this ship as long as possible.


    ¡°Hey ¨¢ngie.¡± A dejected Leon greeted him in the hallway. ¡°Roxie told me that a rock from Mia¡¯s collection ended up in the kitchen, so I thought maybe I should try searching farther out for my phone, but,¡± he sighed, ¡°no luck.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Angelo truly was despite everything.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Leon tried to comfort him. ¡°No matter what, it has to be here somewhere! I just hope everyone at home¡¯s not worrying too much.¡± They were, but for reasons he couldn¡¯t even begin to suspect. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s sleep on it.¡±


    Angelo stood back while his brother knocked on their door.


    ¡°Aiden, can we come in?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m not naked if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    Both Summers entered the room to find Aiden laying on his bed, fully clothed. Angelo tried to pretend he wasn¡¯t there as he approached the bunk bed ladder.


    Then he heard it again.


    ¡°Hm? Did you notice something?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°S-Sorry. It was just my imagination.¡± Angelo reminded himself.


    ¡°He¡¯s been doing that every day.¡± Aiden really didn¡¯t have to point that out.


    Leon didn¡¯t seem to think much of it, thankfully. ¡°Huh. Ready for bed?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Angelo placed a hand on the ladder.


    Luckily for Angelo, Interstellar Forces Basic Training didn¡¯t require him to do any climbing. Unluckily, getting to his new bed did. This led to Leon helping Angelo climb to bed every night.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just switch beds?¡± Aiden really didn¡¯t have to ask that either.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Leon considered it. ¡°That does make sense. ¨¢ngie, do you want me to take the top bunk?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Angelo¡¯s instinct took over. ¡°I-I mean, no. I want to climb it myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay! You only really needed me for emotional support, anyway. Do you wanna try tonight?¡±


    He looked up at the ladder. ¡°...Maybe tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± His brother laughed good-naturedly. ¡°Up you go. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stay right here to catch you.¡±


    Angelo could¡¯ve hugged Leon on the spot, but knowing Aiden would see made him think twice. Instead, he climbed up the ladder feeling safe with his brother behind him.


    Leon finally backed away once Angelo crawled into his bed. ¡°Good night, ¨¢ngie!¡±


    ¡°Good night, Big Brother.¡±


    He backed toward the light switch. ¡°Good night, Aiden.¡±


    No response came back. Angelo didn¡¯t know why he bothered. The light turned off, and the newest ranger finally snuggled into bed.


    Right next to the phone he ¡®lost.¡¯


    Angelo pretended several times to check for it in the space between his bed and the wall, but of course he said he never found it. He couldn¡¯t let Leon find it; he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to. Who knew what heart-wrenching texts his parents sent him? It¡¯s for the best that no one ever looks at it again, but there was one problem.


    He still heard it buzzing. The phone had been set to silent, he remembered doing it. But did he really? Either way, he couldn¡¯t check now. His only choice now was to try and stop his thoughts from racing long enough to fall asleep.


    Before he knew it, he shot awake from his regularly-scheduled nightmare. His heart pounded thinking of the many doors he shut, the many locks he locked only for a giant pair of shears to cut through all of it like butter. His hands gripped the sheets as if he was still crawling backwards while the scissor-handed figure cornered him in the bathroom. Buzzing clippers sent chills up his spine, even though the sound disappeared with his dreams.


    Part of Angelo still wished it had happened so dramatically in real life. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t feel like such a loser waking up with tears in his eyes almost every night.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Lunaria. It¡¯ll be great!¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The light shining under the door from the hallway was enough for Angelo¡¯s eyes to make out his brother, talking in his sleep. Leon had no idea how often his sleeping quirk helped him. It brought Angelo a little closer back to reality.


    ¡°Hm? Nooo. Of course I¡¯d never leave you behind.¡±


    It brought a smile to his face, watching his brother get lost in a better dream. He wished he could be there with him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never leave you behind¡­ Becky.¡±


    He still dreamt about Rebecca? How annoying. They broke up months ago. He should¡¯ve known it would never work out when she told him she wanted to work in submarines. That¡¯s the furthest from space anyone could get! Leon¡¯s dreams were so much more fun to listen to before romance entered the picture.


    Angelo laid back down in order to try to get some sleep. The terror from his nightmare wore off some, but something still nagged at his mind. If he couldn¡¯t trust himself to lock doors, could he trust himself to remember to set the phone to silent?


    Pulling it from its hiding place, he turned it on. Only after he blinded himself with its light did he realize this was a mistake.


    ¡°Is that¡­ light?¡±


    Angelo shoved the phone into his lap, waiting with hitched breath for his brother to say something else. He didn¡¯t. A few moments later, Leon turned to face the wall. His brother continued watching him, making sure he fully fell asleep. As soon as he was certain, he jammed the phone as deep as possible where it came from. He¡¯d deal with it later.


    Morning came and went, and so did training. By the afternoon, all Angelo could think about was that phone. That horrible plague of a phone. It might as well have been haunted!


    Unlike most things, Leon didn¡¯t make it any better. ¡°It¡¯s been a week¡­¡± He nibbled on the last of his granola bar. ¡°I don¡¯t know where else we can look for that phone. Do you, ¨¢ngie?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Angelo lied. ¡°Do you want my granola bar?¡± He really wanted it for himself, but the least he could do for Leon is give it up.


    ¡°No, you can have it¡­ I just wish we were able to, I dunno, somehow track where you last had it, you know?¡± In a concerning turn of events, Leon¡¯s face lit up. ¡°That¡¯s it! I think I know how we can find it!¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Angelo tried to hide his nervousness. He tried badly, but he tried.


    ¡°Yeah, I just gotta ask Emil something.¡± Leon handed Angelo his granola wrapper. ¡°Can you throw this away for me?¡±


    ¡°S-S¨COf course!¡±


    He made a beeline for the stairway. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡±


    Angelo didn¡¯t know what his brother had in mind, but he didn¡¯t want to sit around and find out. He threw the trash away and headed in the opposite direction, down the hallway and to their dorm. A fatal flaw hit him in the face as soon as he opened the door.


    The ladder. Without Leon, he couldn¡¯t imagine reaching his bed on his own, but he had to try. He put his hands on the rungs, finding the strength to work his way up through pure panic. The bed stopped him in his tracks. He¡¯d crawled into it many times before, but without his brother¡¯s support, he felt certain that he¡¯d fall back and probably die. He was a sitting duck.


    So of course, Aiden had to show up.


    He looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Rookie?¡±


    ¡°He went to t-ta¨Ct-to tal¨CHe went upstairs.¡± Terrified, Angelo¡¯s tongue tied itself into tangles.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°T-Trying to climb t-to my bed.¡± Even if he made it, would he be able to get the phone without Aiden noticing? The whole plan might have just gone up in smoke. He took a few steps down.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Aiden lazily strolled over and plopped down on the bottom bunk.


    Something scraped down the wall. The sound startled Angelo so bad, he fell off the ladder onto the floor.


    ¡°You okay?¡± The older ranger sounded more curious than concerned.


    Angelo stared up at him, unable to say or do anything.


    Aiden leaned back to retrieve what fell. Pinched between his fingers, he lifted a yellow disk in front of Angelo¡¯s face. ¡°Found Rookie¡¯s phone.¡±


    Too stunned to speak, Angelo didn¡¯t react. He didn¡¯t have to. The other ranger glanced between him and the phone, coming to some kind of realization.


    ¡°Ohhhh, I get it.¡± A stomach-turning smirk crossed his face. ¡°You weren¡¯t trying to find this, were you?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t¨C!¡±


    ¡°Relax. I wasn¡¯t plannin¡¯ on sayin¡¯ nothin¡¯.¡± He gave the phone to Angelo. ¡°As long as it¡¯s between you two, I don¡¯t care. Go hide it again or whatever.¡±


    Angelo clutched the phone in his hands like a squirrel with a prized nut. He couldn¡¯t hide it in his bed right now, unless¡­ ¡°Can you help me climb th-the ladder?¡±


    ¡°Pshhh, naaaah!¡± Aiden giggled. ¡°However this plays out is on you.¡±


    Was this a game to him?


    He looked away. ¡°The ship¡¯s pretty small though. Your brother¡¯s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I don¡¯t see how you can keep the wool over his eyes much longer without getting rid of the thing.¡±


    Those last words sprouted a horrible, terrible idea in Angelo¡¯s mind. The worst one he¡¯s had yet! He turned the phone into a bracelet, stood up, and got the gloves he laid on Leon¡¯s bed. He pulled them on over his wrists.


    Before leaving the room, he gave one last look to Aiden. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    A blur of scenery led him into the burner room. The gloves were on the floor. At some point, he had turned on the furnace. Flames danced inside, hypnotically so. He held the phone in his hands.


    He held his brother¡¯s phone in his hands. He had to get rid of it. But it was Leon¡¯s phone. That¡¯s why he had to burn it; it¡¯s in Leon¡¯s best interests not to have this haunted phone around, vibrating when it shouldn¡¯t be. Was the phone haunted or was Angelo by his actions? Plus, how would he explain the phone ending up in the furnace? If it charred badly enough, he wouldn¡¯t have to. Leon would be really sad if his phone got burned.


    He¡¯d be distraught if he saw the messages on it.


    Angelo held his brother¡¯s phone in his hands, with only one thing left to do. He raised the phone up, then back down, then back up again, trying to convince himself not to think and just commit. Tears welled up.


    Just as he readied himself to throw, a click came over the intercom.


    Since when was there an intercom?

 [New Kid on the Ship] Ch 7. The Math is Not Adding Up

    Emil wiped the sweat off his brow, finally done with cleaning his and his brother¡¯s bathroom. His blond curls fell out of place in the process of cleaning everything twice, sometimes three times, not that he could keep track. Still, he admired his handiwork. Was it up to Lorenzo¡¯s standards? Probably not, but if he wanted it any cleaner, he¡¯d have to do it himself!


    ¡°Hey Lorie, I¡¯m done with the bathroom!¡± Emil announced his exit.


    Lorenzo, still in his hat and cape, sat slouched over at his desk. Whatever he worked on had to be serious for him to sacrifice his posture! He looked over at Emil through reading glasses. ¡°Excellent timing.¡±


    ¡°Really? I took kind of a while.¡± Something on screen caught Emil¡¯s notice. Tabs upon tabs of documents. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s all this?¡± He leaned on his brother¡¯s chair, studying them. ¡°Are these all Angelo¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Is something wrong with them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lorenzo sighed. ¡°But there has to be something wrong with them. That¡¯s why I wanted to ask for your opinion on the matter. I¡¯m not the best at judging age, but doesn¡¯t Ranger Summers look¡­ young to you?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it just be easier to call him by his first name?¡±


    ¡°It would be unprofessional.¡± He answered exactly how Emil knew he would.


    ¡°To answer your other question,¡± Emil stood up and took a closer look at the document with Angelo¡¯s picture on it, ¡°yeah. He does look young. But Rookie said people think he¡¯s younger too, so maybe it runs in the family.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look that young, though.¡±


    He had to agree with that. ¡°He doesn¡¯t. But Angelo is really short, skinnier than me, and his eyes are huge. That kinda guy would prolly look young no matter what. Him being shy and sheltered reeeally doesn¡¯t help.¡± The more he talked, the more he found himself agreeing with Lorenzo. ¡°Okay yeah he does seem weirdly young. But what, are you thinkin¡¯ he might be underaged?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Lorenzo nodded.


    ¡°Why would a kid wanna sneak into the IF?¡±


    The older Galhardo-Alverez rested his head on his hands. ¡°Maybe he wanted to sabotage the mission. His brother may be in on it too.¡±


    ¡°Lorie.¡± Emil leaned beside him. ¡°There¡¯s no way. Number one, we were all randomly picked¨Cmost of us, anyway. Two, I¡¯m the one who picked him, and I was blindfolded when I did it. Three, the only reason he got picked in the first place is because Command forgot to assign our 8th guy. There¡¯s no way he coulda accounted for all that! Sure, I¡¯ll give you that it¡¯s hard to buy that he¡¯s 18, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s some kinda secret plot for underaged star rangers to take us out.¡± Saying it outloud made it sound even more ridiculous!


    Lorenzo thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll concede that he couldn¡¯t have planned for it, but I still don¡¯t trust him.¡±


    Well. Emil did the best he could do. He shrugged. ¡°Besides, if they are planning something, they¡¯re doing a lousy job.¡± He crouched, pretending to prowl around. ¡°Imagine bein¡¯ on a secret mission and havin¡¯ to take a whole week to find your phone.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t they just use Angelo¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°You just called him Angelo~¡±


    ¡°I meant¨C!¡± Lorenzo gave up. ¡°It¡¯s bad form, but we¡¯re in private.¡±


    ¡°Angelo doesn¡¯t have his phone with him.¡± Emil answered.


    ¡°Then whose phone did I see him using on camera this morning?¡± He saw the suspicion rise in Lorenzo¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ weird. Aiden doesn¡¯t have a phone.¡± He caught himself before he joined in. ¡°Maybe he found Leon¡¯s phone, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, if he did, Leon probably would¡¯ve said something about it. Huh.¡± That stumped him.


    The big screen filled with Angelo documents transferred down to Lorenzo¡¯s laptop, swapping out with a view of the ship¡¯s cameras. Emil spotted Leon and Angelo in the kitchen eating granola bars.


    ¡°Hey, I should go ask ¡®em about it!¡±


    Lorenzo stood up. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s maintenance checks that need to be done in the engine room. I need you to stay here and watch the cameras in my absence.¡±


    ¡°Aww maaaan, but I wanted to have lunch with everyone.¡±


    ¡°You can have lunch when I return.¡± With that, he exited the room.


    Emil slumped in the chair his brother left behind, hungry and lonely.


    ¡°Why do pretty boys have to suffer?¡± He asked no one in particular while spinning dejectedly.


    Just then, his meal ticket appeared. Leon had just left the kitchen, making his way upstairs. Since he was already on his way up, it wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble to ask for a little favor, would it?


    Emil turned on the intercom option for the stairway. ¡°Pssst. Roookiiie. Can you heeear meee?¡±


    Leon looked up. ¡°Emil?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d come down and get lunch myself, but my dearest brother has so kindly trapped me in our room. Could you grab me a granola bar so that I don¡¯t starve to death?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing! I was just coming up to talk to you.¡±


    Food and conversation, Emil couldn¡¯t wait! ¡°Ooh, and if there¡¯s any of those red Electrades in the fridge, can you get me one of those too?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    That Leon, what a good sport. Emil watched him leave one screen and enter the next, from the stairway to the kitchen. Though he¡¯d rather be with the others in person, he had to admit it was kind of entertaining watching everyone like TV characters.


    His eyes wandered to some of the other screens. Mia sat on her bed reading. Nothing much to see there. Jun spotted Roxie while she lifted a monster of a barbell. Now that was entertainment! Just before he could tune in, though, something caught his attention.


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    Poor little Angelo fell off of his bunk bed ladder. What a pitiful looking criminal mastermind he¡¯d make. If he robbed Emil at gunpoint, he¡¯d probably just give him the money for moral support. Heck, he¡¯d throw in his credit card for good measure. He couldn¡¯t even picture it without laughing to himself.


    The laugh faded into a sigh. He wished Lorenzo could relax more. Worrying about imaginary threats had to do a number on a guy, and Emil didn¡¯t want to see that happen to his brother. Or their father.


    Aiden sat on his bed, grabbing something from the back wall. He came back into view with Leon¡¯s phone. Emil couldn¡¯t help but smile knowing for sure that someone finally found it. Just in time for Leon¡¯s birthday!


    Emil had big plans for that day. Back on Earth, he convinced Lorenzo to let him buy a cake in advance. Only one though, which unfortunately meant he couldn¡¯t get a separate one for Angelo, whose birthday came three days later.


    ¡­Weren¡¯t they twins? Could twins be born days apart? He¡¯d have to look that up.


    Anyway, Emil cleverly decided to get a cake that would account for both of their tastes. Gathering intel couldn¡¯t be easier; Leon was an open book and none too suspicious. This led him to an orange and lemon cheesecake, with Leon favoring lemons and cheese and Angelo liking oranges. Leon mentioned wishing he¡¯d brought a constellation map with him and that Angelo liked building model kits. The presents were in place.


    As excited as he was for those birthdays, he didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d be able to put everything together so cleanly for the ones afterward. They should make it to Mars by Roxie¡¯s, meaning the cake situation should work itself out, but what about a present? And Mia. She never gave up information about herself so easily. Would Lorenzo want to eat something as unhealthy as a cake in front of the others? Would Jun and AIden be able to have cakes at all? They¡¯re not too picky, but they should have something special!


    Most importantly, how would he be able to afford all of this when he and his brother earned less money than everyone else? So much brainwork on an empty stomach. Life could be so cruel!


    But it had it¡¯s moments. He heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Delivery!¡± Leon¡¯s muffled voice came from the other side.


    Emil opened the door to the rookie¡¯s bucktoothed, smiling face, his hands holding a granola bar and a drink. ¡°Thanks Rookie! This should tide me over for a bit. I am in your debt~¡±


    ¡°Aww, no, you don¡¯t have to do anything special.¡± Leon declined.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Emil winked. ¡°After all, you¡¯re the soon-to-be birthday boy!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! It¡¯s in three days, huh?¡±


    ¡°August 20th¡± He took the snacks. ¡°You¡¯ll be¡­¡± A sudden, horrible realization came over him. ¡°You¡¯ll be 19 soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Leon tilted his head. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I just turned 18 this May.¡±


    He too realized the horror of the situation. ¡°Wait. Then that means¡­ You¡¯re younger than me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess so?¡± Emil saw Leon as something like a little brother. How could it come to this?


    ¡°Gosh, that feels so wrong¡­¡± Leon¡¯s face twisted in disgust.


    ¡°It does! Let¡¯s never speak of it again!¡± The blond opened his granola bar. ¡°Anyway, what didja need me for?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you guys have cameras in your room right?¡±


    ¡°Sure do!¡± Emil looked back in his room at the camera panel. He saw Angelo heading for the burner room. A little early to be doing the next burning, but maybe he wanted to get some practice in.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a rewind function or anything,¡± Leon rocked back and forth on his heels, ¡°but if there is, I was wondering if you could go back to the day Angelo lost my phone to see where it is.¡±


    Weird. He still didn¡¯t have his phone yet? The one Lorenzo saw Angelo with had to be his. So what gives? Did Angelo¡­? No. Emil wouldn¡¯t let his brother¡¯s doubts mess with his head.


    ¡°I dunno if we have rewind either, buuuuuut,¡± Emil smiled, trying not to let his confusion show, ¡°I don¡¯t need to check.¡± He thumbed back to his room. ¡°Aiden found it by his bed. It¡¯s with Angelo now. He should be in the burner room if you wanna go get it.¡±


    Leon¡¯s face lit up. ¡°That¡¯s great! Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, I just watched. You should thank Aiden!¡±


    He thought for a second. ¡°I think I will, but after I go get my phone back.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you go get ¡®em, tiger.¡± Emil waved as his friend turned to leave. Then, he remembered something he¡¯d been meaning to say. ¡°Hey, I hope your grandpa¡¯s doing alright.¡±


    Leon stopped in his tracks. ¡°Hm? Did¡­ something happen?


    ¡°Shoot!¡± He wasn¡¯t supposed to find out this way. ¡°Wait. Angelo didn¡¯t tell you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­?¡±


    ¡°When he was crying the day that we let him out, he told me it was ¡®cause your grandpa was in the hospital, but he made it out fine! Don¡¯t worry!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird. Was it our dad¡¯s side or our mom¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°I dunno that much.¡± admitted Emil. ¡°I think he told me later on that they found out after going to his house, but¨C¡±


    ¡°Okay yeah, then it has to be Gramps. Our mom¡¯s dad is in Spain.¡± Leon squinted. ¡°That¡¯s super weird though. ¨¢ngie was crying over him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± That didn¡¯t sound so weird to Emil. ¡°Is something wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not¡­ really on the best of terms. I guess maybe he was trying to make up with him? But that doesn¡¯t¨CSorry, I shouldn¡¯t get into that here.¡± Leon stopped himself. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go find him. Thanks for the tip!¡±


    ¡°No problem¡­ Thanks again for the snacks.¡±


    Emil smiled, waving Leon away for real this time before returning to his room. He took a bite out of his granola bar to calm the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. A week was a long time not to tell your brother about family trouble. But Leon could be pretty forgetful, so maybe it ran in the family. No, something didn¡¯t feel right about that. Still, if something was wrong with Angelo, wouldn¡¯t Leon be the first to notice. Wouldn¡¯t he have called it out immediately if Angelo was underaged?


    Unless he thought everyone knew already, a theory made a frightening amount of sense once Emil thought back to all the times Leon asked ¡®When does ¨¢ngie go home?¡¯ or ¡®When do we get the real new guy?¡¯ Emil thought he¡¯d been joking, or still in shock. Come to think of it, it was really weird that Angelo didn¡¯t know Leon would be on the ship either.


    Sitting down in his chair, Emil spun with his thoughts. The more he tried to convince himself he was making something out of nothing, more inconsistencies, more somethings came up to prove him otherwise. Like how much Leon babied his twin brother.


    Twin brother. That reminder made him choke on his granola bar. Leon and Angelo¡¯s upcoming birthdays put some of Lorenzo¡¯s words into a new perspective. Sure, it was hard to believe Leon would be turning 19, but Emil could still believe that.


    Angelo turning 19? Impossible. No way on Earth.


    Emil took a swig of his sports drink to wash down the granola, but he couldn¡¯t wash away his concerns. Something felt very, very wrong about this whole thing. Could Lorenzo be right? He didn¡¯t want to believe it, but his excuses grew flimsier than ever.


    Then he turned to face the cameras, seeing something that threw the rest out of the window. Angelo, lit by furnace fire, held Leon¡¯s phone in his hands.


    The burner room filled up the screen once Emil changed the camera panel settings to focus on just that section. He couldn¡¯t stop staring. He couldn¡¯t stop laughing.


    ¡°No way, no way, no way...¡± He repeated to himself in pure shock.


    Stunned, he watched the emotions play out on Angelo¡¯s face. The boy lifted his brother¡¯s phone up and down, visibly unsure of whether he should be doing this or not. He shouldn¡¯t! But what was Emil supposed to do about any of this?


    Just as Angelo looked like he was actually going to throw it, Emil¡¯s fingers pressed the intercom setting.


    ¡°H-Hey! Ah-ah-ah! Friends don¡¯t throw friends¡¯ phones in the fire!¡±


    Emil turned his microphone off, but kept the burner room audio on. Angelo freaked out. Emil freaked out. Everybody freaked out. No phones were harmed though, which was the most Emil could ask for at the moment.


    How long would it last? Knowing that Emil was watching might¡¯ve been enough to scare Angelo off. If he was desperate enough, though, who knew what he might do? Emil didn¡¯t. This was all so messed up.


    Just then, to Emil¡¯s relief and horror, the door to the burner room opened.


    Leon walked in.

 [New Kid on the Ship] Ch 8. Shattered

    Leon left the observation deck a little confused, but mostly overjoyed that his phone finally reappeared! Angelo probably took it really hard having been the one to lose it. That might¡¯ve been why he forgot to tell him about their grandfather. Crying about him though? At least he didn¡¯t celebrate, even if he had more than a few reasons to.


    Phone aside, it made him happy to have Angelo around again. College kept most of his high school friends busy, and while he loved the ones he¡¯d made on the Celestion-5, he missed seeing familiar faces. It¡¯s kind of funny. In many ways, Angelo hadn¡¯t changed much at all. He still looked up to Leon just as much as before he left, still clung to him, and still got nervous around new people.


    But he¡¯d also changed so much. Leon worried he¡¯d break Angelo¡¯s heart by leaving for space. Apparently, he took it well! Angelo asked to spend a week at their grandfather¡¯s house, which scared Leon once he heard about it, but this would make twice that he went there alone and came out fine. After that, he took a bus to the spaceport all by himself.


    According to their mother, Angelo also made friends! Both were dying to know more about them. Angelo hadn¡¯t told her much, but he hung out with them almost every day. Leon kept forgetting to ask. He should do that once he got his phone back. Either way, his brother had bad luck in life up until now, and just as Leon hoped, things finally started working out for him.


    Angelo managed to surprise Leon even more on the ship, being a fantastic observation panelist and learning how to work the furnace by himself. Having that much responsibility would¡¯ve terrified the Angelo he knew. Sometimes Leon wondered if his brother was better off not having him hovering over him. It made him so proud to see how capable Angelo could be.


    Beneath that pride lurked the tiniest hint of jealousy. Angelo was having the coolest summer vacation known to man. Going to space, being an honorary star ranger, possibly going to the Moon? Any of those things would make him the talk of their school!


    Leon never had adventures like that when he was 15.


    Finally, he entered the hatch leading into the loading deck, stepping down until he faced the burner room.


    Heat blasted his face when he opened its door. He considered coming back later until he noticed Angelo standing inside without a helmet on.


    ¡°Hey ¨¢ngie! It¡¯s a good thing I caught you in time. We¡¯re not supposed to use the furnace without our helmets on, remember?¡± He walked up behind his brother. ¡°Or were you just using it to warm up?¡±


    Angelo slowly turned to face Leon, staring as if he¡¯d seen a ghost.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    His mouth quivered and his eyes glistened.


    ¡°Did you burn yourself?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Ah, good.¡± Leon noticed the phone in his hand and reached out to grab it. ¡°You can hand me that.¡± He had to tug a little to get the phone out of Angelo¡¯s hands, but he did so. ¡°Are you still upset about what happened to Gramps?¡±


    Angelo¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Emil said he hoped he was doing well, and I had no idea what he was talking about. Did Mam¨¢ text you about it?¡± Leon turned on his phone. ¡°I figure I could find out what happened while you recover.¡±


    His brother nodded slightly. Whatever happened must¡¯ve really shaken him up. Didn¡¯t Emil say that their grandfather recovered? He scrolled through his phone for answers until he made it back up to August 10th, the day Angelo left the infirmary.


    ¡®L¨¦onardo,¡± she always called him by his full name, ¡®what I¡¯m about to tell you will be very difficult to hear, but you should know.¡¯


    Leon prepared himself for anything.


    ¡®Your brother is missing.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t prepare for that. The words he read didn¡¯t change, not even after going over them a few times.


    ¡°Weird. Mam¨¢ says you¡¯re missing? But you¡¯re right here.¡± Leon looked back up at his brother who was for sure standing right in front of him.


    Angelo started to cry.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Leon read further to see if she just made a typo, but he only found more confusion.


    ¡®When I called his phone, he wouldn¡¯t answer.¡¯ Their mother continued. ¡®That¡¯s why I kept asking if you talked to him.¡¯


    She did? Leon didn¡¯t remember that. He scrolled back up until he found her asking on the 6th, the day Angelo showed up.


    ¡®Has ¨¢ngelito texted you lately?¡¯


    ¡®No, I haven¡¯t heard from him.¡¯ answered¡­ Leon? He didn¡¯t remember texting this at all. He didn¡¯t remember sending the next messages to her either. This continued on for days, and all the while, his pretender never brought up the fact that Angelo was on the ship with him. Who was using his phone?


    Just as he asked himself that question, he found his eyes wandering up to his crying brother in front of him.


    ¡°¨¢ngie, you had my phone, didn¡¯t you?¡± Leon looked between the screen and Angelo. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell her you were here? And who¡¯s pretending to be me?¡± There could only be one answer, but it didn¡¯t make sense. Nothing made sense right now. ¡°Who¡¯s lying to our mom??¡±


    Angelo continued crying, in no position to answer even if he wanted to. Leon scrolled back to his mother¡¯s messages on the 10th.


    ¡®When I called your grandfather to ask about him, he told me everything was fine, but wouldn¡¯t let us speak together. It gave me a bad feeling. We left our vacation early to check on them. Yesterday, we arrived at his house and found that he had been trying to look for ¨¢ngelo on his own. ¨¢ngelo went missing 6 days ago.¡¯


    But he wasn¡¯t missing, he was right there!


    ¡®The same morning he went missing, your grandfather spent a few hours in the hospital. He¡¯s in good health now, but he claimed to the police that your brother attacked him.¡¯


    Attack? The Angelo he knew couldn¡¯t hurt a fly, could he? He did have his reasons, though¡­


    ¡®I know this is confusing and that you¡¯re probably wondering how this could happen if ¨¢ngelo had been doing so well. The truth is, there are some things we haven¡¯t been telling you. The day you left, he became devastated. He cried for hours. We expected that much and decided not to tell you so you wouldn¡¯t worry. A small lie.¡¯


    Leon felt a little bad, but that much made sense. Unfortunately, there were more texts.


    ¡®But then it grew bigger. He stayed in your room for days, barely moving or responding. He wouldn¡¯t eat. I¡¯m not sure if he slept. He just sat by the wall and stared into space. We tried everything we could think of to cheer him up, but nothing worked. None of us wanted you to worry. We¡¯re sorry.¡¯


    In the span of a paragraph, everything Leon¡¯s idea of his family¡¯s life without him unraveled. ¡°Sorry? What does she mean, ¡®sorry?¡¯ I remember talking to you a couple days after I made it to space. We texted each other! You said you were doing fine, and now I¡¯m hearing that you¡­ that you were¡­¡± The words sunk in. ¡°You all lied to me?¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With the slightest nod, Angelo shattered his feelings.


    ¡°But¡­ Why? I know you guys didn¡¯t want me to worry, but I could¡¯ve¡ªI should¡¯ve done something! And I can¡¯t do anything if you don¡¯t tell me what¡¯s going on with you.¡±


    Angelo shook his head furiously.


    ¡°No? ¨¢ngie. Please. You know you can tell me anything, right? You¡¯ve always told me everything.¡±


    He shook his head again, crying even harder.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t? But if you haven¡¯t then¡­¡± This confused Leon even more, for reasons he couldn¡¯t quite string together. Instead of trying, he returned to reading the texts.


    ¡®We were about to seek outside help when he suddenly recovered. He looked even happier than before you left. This was around the time he started bringing up his friends. I was so happy to see him doing well, I missed so many signs. I missed so many things in his life. The police ask me where he could be, and I have no answers for them.¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s police??¡± Nothing ever happened to their family that would require the cops to show up. His mind struggled to picture it. Little of what his mother said felt real. He half-expected to wake up in his bed, blinking away this nightmare. He really wanted to.


    ¡®It made me realize how much I rely on you to know what¡¯s going on with him. I¡¯m truly sorry for that. He¡¯s your younger brother, but before that, he¡¯s my son. I should have taken more responsibility in understanding what he was going through.¡¯


    What was she apologizing for? She knew him and Angelo like the back of her hand. Sure, Leon may¡¯ve known Angelo¡¯s deep, dark secrets. He may have been the only person he could tell his full feelings to because of said secrets. Their mother also might¡¯ve mentioned once that Angelo had been a little distant from her lately and that she needed Leon¡¯s help to understand what was happening in his life. Come to think of it, his brother hadn¡¯t talked much to their dad, either.


    Leon was the only person Angelo talked to. He knew him best. Though part of him understood this for years, having it told to him by their own mother made it disturbingly clear. But she¡¯s still a great mom. It wasn¡¯t her fault she didn¡¯t know everything they were keeping from her.


    ¡®This is the only thing Angelo left behind for us. The police are still looking for more. Since he left so long before a report was made, it¡¯s complicating the search. We¡¯re trying to have hope. If you remember something or just want to talk, I¡¯m here. Your father is here. We love you. We¡¯re so sorry we have to tell you this. ¡¯


    The next text included a picture of a letter.


    ¡®Hello Mama, Dad, (and Big Brother if you show him),


    If you¡¯re reading this, I¡¯m probably gone. I know that it¡¯s hard to take care of me with how needy I am (sorry for that.) That¡¯s why I¡¯m going away for a while. I should be able to come back in a year or two. Please don¡¯t worry! You can use the extra money and free time to spend on yourselves. You¡¯ve been too nice to me, so I want to be the better, stronger son you deserve, like Big Brother. That way, you won¡¯t have to pretend to like me anymore. Enjoy your vacation!


    ¨CAngelo¡¯


    Underneath was a reply from Leon¡¯s fake. ¡®He¡¯s gome?? I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t know whatt o say¡­¡¯¡¯


    Leon¡¯s eyes lifted up from the phone and toward his brother. He¡¯d calmed Angelo down from stress typing too many times not to recognize this amount of typos. Without a doubt, he found his impersonator.


    Something else caught his attention. If Angelo left without their parents knowing, they couldn¡¯t have sent him as a care package. He came here on his own, which only meant one thing. Some way, somehow, Angelo was the eighth member of the Celestion-5.


    A floodgate of new realizations opened up. It suddenly made sense why Emil thought he was joking whenever he asked when Angelo would go home, and why Angelo was allowed to do things like jet training and furnace duty. He understood now why Angelo didn¡¯t let go of his phone so easily.


    But did it explain why his phone went missing? Why it took so long to find? Why he saw a light coming from Angelo¡¯s bed this morning? And maybe why¡­ It may¡¯ve explained why instead of giving the phone back to Leon, he came here instead. To the furnace.


    ¡°Angelo. What have you done?¡± Finally, the words came out. ¡°You lied to me. You lied to everyone. And how long were you planning on keeping this up? Were you about to throw my phone in the fire?¡±


    Angelo cowered, holding his arms.


    ¡°Yes or no. You can answer this one.¡± Leon ran his hand through his hair. He hated the heat in this room almost as much as he hated this situation. Almost as much as he hated to hate.


    His brother turned away.


    ¡°Yes? Or no?¡±


    Ever so slightly, Angelo nodded his head.


    The older Summers sighed. ¡°What the heck possessed you to do this?¡± He nearly broke his 8-year-long no cursing streak. ¡°You¡¯re 15 years old, you should be getting ready for school. How did you get into the IF? You¡¯re too young to be here.¡±


    Angelo began to frantically point up at the ceiling, cupping one of his ears.


    ¡°Hm? You¡¯re afraid someone will hear?¡± Leon hadn¡¯t raised his voice at all. In fact, he tended to get much quieter when angry. Still, Roxie and Jun were in the gym the last time he walked by. ¡°You¡¯re afraid someone will hear.¡±


    His brother nodded once more.


    ¡°Fine. Hablemos.¡± Leon switched over to Spanish. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to begin. I¡¯d ask you to tell me over the phone, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll try to burn it. Where did you get these ideas? This isn¡¯t the ¨¢ngie I know.¡± Hurt started to show in Leon¡¯s voice. Despite everything pointing to Angelo, he had no idea what would lead him to do any of this. ¡°Did your friends tell you to do this?¡±


    Angelo hesitantly shook his head.


    ¡°Do they know where you are?¡±


    He paused for a moment, then crossed his arms to make an X sign.


    ¡°Is that a no, or¡­?¡± Leon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Do they not exist?¡±


    His brother confirmed that.


    ¡°What? Angelo¡­ Why?¡±


    Never did he remember feeling this gutted. He should¡¯ve been the one crying, not Angelo. In fact, he felt like he might join him. The letter came back to mind.


    ¡°Is this your idea of becoming a better son? Lying to our parents, running away, pretending to be me on the phone? They¡¯re worried sick about you.¡± Scrolling though the rest of his phone messages, he came across a few that made him wince. ¡°And because you lost my phone, they¡¯re worried sick about me, too! How could you?¡± He felt himself choking up. ¡°How could you?¡±


    Looking at his shivering, sobbing brother, Leon couldn¡¯t tell for sure if he felt shame for his actions or if he was just sorry he got caught. Despite everything, he wanted to believe in the first.


    He looked at the screenshot of the letter again. ¡°You think they¡¯re only pretending to like you?¡±


    Slowly, Angelo nodded.


    Leon didn¡¯t understand at all. ¡°But you saw the texts, right? You know what¡¯s going on at home. There¡¯s police looking for you and everything. They love you, ¨¢ngie. They¡¯re scared that something bad happened to you. That they¡¯ll never see you again. Don¡¯t you want to see them?¡±


    Angelo¡¯s face contorted into pure misery. He nodded again.


    A tear rolled down Leon¡¯s cheek, but he felt relieved to see him answer that way. Part of him wanted to reach out and comfort his brother. Otherwise, he could barely stand to look at him. Getting angry, especially at Angelo, always made him feel terrible, but how else should he feel?


    Leon remembered something he hadn¡¯t brought up yet.


    ¡°And what¡­ happened to Gramps? Please tell me you didn¡¯t send him to the hospital on purpose.¡±


    Angelo vigorously shook his head. In a normal situation, he would believe his brother over his grandfather in a heartbeat. The problem was that he couldn¡¯t tell if the boy who stood in front of him was the brother he knew. But he couldn¡¯t not believe him. That would break what little fragments of his heart stayed intact.


    Still, Angelo had his reasons.


    ¡°I know he treats you bad, but you were supposed to let Mam¨¢ and Dad handle it. Why didn¡¯t you tell them? You were supposed to tell them. Or at least let me do it. That way you won¡¯t have to deal with him calling you a leech or a needy, terrible¡­ son¡­¡± Looking back at his phone, the letter stared back up at Leon. Suddenly it made a lot more sense.


    Of course it came back to this, the secret plaguing both of them for years. Angelo dealt with bullies here and there at school, but none were as vicious as his own grandfather.


    Leon¡¯s feelings turned into a stew with too many ingredients. A sickening slurry of sadness, anger, regret, and emotions they probably didn¡¯t even have names for yet. Also like a stew, the heat from the furnace started to cook him. He needed to get away.


    Phone in hand, Leon turned his back on Angelo. ¡°I¡¯m gonna figure out what to do about this. Just¡­ try not to get into any more trouble, okay?¡±


    He left the scorching room behind to get some fresh air. Maybe if he took a nap, he¡¯d wake up from this nightmare.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± Jun asked as he passed them, Aiden, and Roxie in the kitchen.


    ¡°I found my phone.¡± With that, Leon kept walking, retreating to his room.

 Next Episode: The Confession

    ¡°Hey guys. Emil here. It¡¯s been a minute. So you guys just saw¡­ that, huh? Me too. Leon¡¯s been sulking about it for the past few days, and who could blame him? That¡¯s gotta be rough. Angelo, he¡¯s made himself scarce. I haven¡¯t seen him at all lately, not on the cameras or anything. To be honest, I¡¯m trying not to. He has to know I heard eeeverything, right? But I don¡¯t want anyone to know that I know. I don¡¯t even want to know that I know!


    Stolen story; please report.


    Their birthdays are coming up soon. And call it sympathy for the devil, but I just want both of them to have a good time. What do I do?¡±

 [The Confession] Ch 1. Watching it Burn

    Emil sat alone in his room, unable to fully process what he¡¯d just seen. Through the cameras of the Celestion-5, he got a front row seat to watch its newest member be exposed as a fraud. By his own brother. A family might¡¯ve just fallen apart in front of him, and all he could do was watch it burn.


    ¡°Why is Ranger Summers standing in front of the incinerator?¡±


    He sprang up from the desk, not even registering that his brother came back from the engine room. ¡°I-I dunno. Angelo¡¯s been there for a while.¡±


    Lorenzo closed the door behind him. ¡°Has he burned anything?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Thanks to Emil, he didn¡¯t get the chance to. It felt like a weird dream by now.


    ¡°Tell him to turn it off.¡±


    Emil¡¯s hand reached for the intercom button, the same one he used to stop Angelo from burning the evidence of his lies. He drew his hand away. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll go tell him in person. Maybe he needs help with it.¡±


    Lorenzo raised an eyebrow at him, but Emil didn¡¯t pay it much attention. He could figure out whether to tell him the truth later. Right now, he wanted to be anywhere else.


    A granola bar wrapper crinkled in Lorenzo¡¯s hand. ¡°Where did you get this? I thought I told you to stay here and monitor the cameras.¡±


    Halfway out the door, Emil rolled his eyes where his brother couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I never left. I just got Rookie to bring me snacks.¡± Right before sending him to probably the worst moment of his life. Emil tried not to think too hard about what Leon must have been doing now. ¡°Call that a creative solution!¡± He winked.


    His brother stared.


    ¡°What? I told you I was hungry.¡±


    Emil practically flew down the stairs as soon as Lorenzo looked away from him. Another flight and a half of stairs later, he found himself standing in front of the incinerator room. He shook the nerves out of his hands before opening the door.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Hot air blasted him in the face. The fire had been going for over 30 minutes in a cramped, dark room, heating it up to an unbearable degree. A lone figure stood inside, watching his life go up in the flames.


    ¡°Geez, it¡¯s burning up in here!¡± Emil coughed. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I caught you before you roasted alive. That¡¯s why we always wear helmets in here.¡±


    A pair of puffy, blank eyes looked up at the lieutenant. They reminded him of the eyes of a dejected child.


    That¡¯s because they were.


    Angelo Summers, 15-year-old brother of Leon Summers, somehow enlisted into the Interstellar Forces and found his way onto this ship. And now he stood in front of Emil.


    ¡°Hey, uhhh¡­¡± Normally, Emil would¡¯ve asked if Angelo was okay, but he knew better. ¡°If you¡¯re not burning anything you should prolly turn that off. You remember how?¡±


    Angelo peeled his gloves from the floor and winced while putting them on. The flames died. Then, he wandered aimlessly outside with Emil.


    ¡°See? Doesn¡¯t that feel better?¡±


    He didn¡¯t speak, only staring up in confusion.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Emil braced himself to hear what he had to say, but the words never came. That¡¯s when he realized that Angelo wasn¡¯t able to talk right now. Not that he needed to. He knew exactly what question he wanted to ask.


    ¡®You heard everything, didn¡¯t you?¡¯


    Too bad. Emil didn¡¯t want to deal with that right now, and Angelo couldn¡¯t call him out on his act. He smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go back up with the others.¡±


    He beckoned forward with his hand only for it to brush up against one of Angelo¡¯s scorching hot gloves.


    ¡°Ahhhsh!¡± The lieutenant held where the back of his hand had touched it. ¡°Don¡¯t those hurt??¡±


    Angelo nodded slightly.


    ¡°Take ¡®em off!¡± It was Emil¡¯s turn to wince as Angelo peeled off his gloves to reveal red splotches on his hands.


    The younger boy waved them around, not knowing where to put them.


    ¡°Our jumpsuits are heat proof, so you can stick them under your arms or something. You won¡¯t feel it. Me and Roxie are gonna hafta get you treated for those burns, though¡­¡±


    He shook his head as if to say ¡®No, it¡¯s okay, really,¡¯ but it really wasn¡¯t okay.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯m not gonna let you go around with burnt hands.¡± Emil took a couple steps up and pressed the panel to open the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°...B..ut¡­¡±


    ¡°We can talk on the way to the infirmary.¡± He tried to hide his heart jumping at the sound of Angelo¡¯s voice coming back. All he could do at this point was bank on Angelo not being too willing to reveal his own secrets with other people around.


    It would do them both good to take their minds off of that situation for a little while. He only hoped that Leon could do the same.

 [The Confession] Ch 2. Stitches

    ¡®Happy Birthday L¨¦onardo.¡¯ Leon¡¯s mother texted. ¡®I know things have been hectic, but if ¨¢ngelito were here, he would want you to make the best of it. We¡¯ll call later. Te quiero. <3 (Have you gotten our care package yet? ¨®_¨°)¡¯


    Leon sat on his bed staring at his phone just as he had been for the past three days. He let his parents know that he ¡®fixed¡¯ it when it was never broken and that he ¡®found¡¯ it when it was never lost. He told them good morning and good night. He let them know he was safe and how he felt¨Cnot great.


    The one thing he couldn¡¯t bring himself to tell them was that he knew where his brother went. Every day since he got his phone back, he convinced himself that it would be the day he told them. Now, his birthday had come around, and he completely forgot. He just couldn¡¯t find it in himself to say the words.


    And how could he? How could he tell his parents that their son snuck into the military? That he¡¯s pretending to be an adult? That he lied to them as Leon? His heart broke hearing them worry so much about Angelo¡¯s safety. He wanted his brother to be safe, too, but telling the truth at this point felt like pulling teeth.


    Leon thought reaching out to friends for advice first might make things easier, not anyone on the ship but people he knew from high school. Most were busy with jobs or starting college. Those were the ones that responded, anyway.


    His last option would be telling his crewmates. He¡¯d have to do that eventually, and he wanted to believe that things would turn out alright, but the more he thought about it, the less sure he became.


    Angelo¡¯s actions were bizarre, hurtful, and dangerous. How on Earth did he manage to sneak into the IF? For one, he needed a birth certificate to get in. Leon once read that Jun managed to get in by changing their gender marker to male, but age couldn¡¯t be changed. That¡¯s why the freshmen at his high school used to ask if he knew how to get a fake ID.


    ¡­Did Angelo get a fake ID? No, that¡¯s silly. Leon breathed a sigh of relief knowing that his brother would need faked documents to actually get in.


    He used fake documents, didn¡¯t he? Horror welled up in the pit of Leon¡¯s stomach. Forged documents sounded like really bad news. He might go to jail for this. Leon¡¯s brain struggled to think of a scenario where his brother avoided that. It also struggled to think of someone as sensitive and frail as Angelo surviving. Picturing his mugshot felt like an absurd joke.


    Things had to turn out okay in the long run, right? Maybe jail wasn¡¯t as bad as he heard. Maybe it got a bad reputation! Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t know for sure without talking to someone with first-hand experience.


    Fortunately, his roommate, who did have first-hand experience, walked into the room.


    ¡°Hey, Aiden!¡±


    Aiden looked surprised at first, then tired.


    Leon continued. ¡°You¡¯ve been locked up before. What¡¯s it like? Was it better than you expected? Were there things about it that you liked more than you thought you would like?¡±


    The taller ranger squinted. ¡°...You know I broke outta there, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ It wasn¡¯t all that bad, was it?¡± A desperate smile crossed Leon¡¯s face.


    ¡°It was.¡±


    His smile fell. ¡°There¡¯s nothing good about it? At all?¡±


    ¡°Why do you want prison to be fun so bad? Are you tryin¡¯ to go? I don¡¯t think much of the IF, but I came here to get out of having to go back there.¡± Aiden leaned toward him. ¡°Get. It. Through. Your. Thick. Head.¡± He poked his own head for emphasis. ¡°I don¡¯t like prison.¡± Finally, he turned toward the door.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t go!¡± Leon stood up. ¡°Can you at least tell me what it¡¯s like?¡±


    Aiden looked over his shoulder.


    ¡°Please. Tell me.¡±


    He looked confused for a moment, then stepped back inside of the room. ¡°Why do you need to know?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh.¡± Leon looked down at the floor, then sat back on his bed. ¡°I have a friend¡­ whooo might be going.¡±


    Aiden eyed him suspiciously. With one smooth motion, he snatched the chair by the desk and sat on it backwards across from Leon. ¡°So you wanna know what it¡¯s like in prison?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please, tell me anything!¡±


    ¡°Okay. But don¡¯t expect to like what you¡¯ll hear.¡± Aiden thought for a moment. ¡°Prisons have a 5-level scale. 1 is minimum security, 5 is max security. I was in a level 3.¡±


    ¡°Right in the middle. I don¡¯t remember exactly what you went in for,--¡±


    ¡°Petty theft.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s not bad at all!¡± Leon felt himself smile despite Aiden¡¯s glaring. ¡°Does that mean level 3 isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°No, it is. Really shouldn¡¯ta been there, but the judge had it out for me, and there¡¯s some weird 3-strike law they got me in on.¡± He talked so casually. ¡°Anyway,¡± he held his hands out, ¡°imagine taking a buncha guys in there for assault, attempted murder, theft, actual murder, fraud¨C¡±


    ¡°Fraud??¡± Leon didn¡¯t know for sure, but that sounded close to what Angelo did.


    ¡°Yeah, if it¡¯s a big enough deal.¡± Aiden rested his goatee on the chairback. ¡°Not all of us went in for violent stuff. Even some of the ones that did were chill. But we all ended up in the same place, and you never know what someone¡¯ll do when they¡¯re pushed over the edge.¡± His eyes widened. ¡°We all knew that. You had to watch your back 24/7 ¡®cause it was every man for himself in there.¡±


    Every man for himself. Leon couldn¡¯t picture his brother surviving in an atmosphere like that. Still, he searched for a silver lining. ¡°But all you¡¯d have to do is not push someone over the edge, right?¡±


    Aiden looked him dead in the eye. ¡°We were always being pushed over the edge. Try going to sleep with a buncha guys down the hall hollering the entire night, tryin¡¯ to ignore your cellmate struggling on the toilet a foot away from your bed ¡®cause the cafeteria spaghetti didn¡¯t agree with him in a room half the size of this one all while the lights are still on and see how you feel when you wake up.¡±


    Leon cringed. ¡°That sounds, uhhh¡­ Was it like that every night?¡±


    ¡°I was lucky enough to get a cellmate with butt problems.¡± Aiden sneered. ¡°You think I got a bad attitude now? You shoulda seen me then.¡±


    ¡°Well, ¨¢n¨C¡± Leon nearly blew Angelo¡¯s cover, ¡°I mean, m-my friend, he sleeps a lot during the day. So¨C¡±


    ¡°He probably won¡¯t. If he goes to school or takes any jobs, he won¡¯t have the time. If he doesn¡¯t, then he¡¯ll have to deal with the COs.¡±


    ¡°What does CO stand for?¡±


    ¡°Correctional officers.¡± Aiden¡¯s lip curled in disgust. ¡°They hate you. They¡¯ll use whatever power they have to make your life miserable.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Leon thought for a second. ¡°What if you get on their good side?¡± Knowing Aiden, he probably never tried that approach.


    ¡°Pffha!¡± The older ranger laughed in his face. ¡°Once you¡¯re behind those walls, you¡¯re not a person to them, you¡¯re the zoo animal they can throw peanuts at. If they have a bad day, they take it out on you. If they have a good day, they celebrate by taking it out on you. If they¡¯re bored? Guess what.¡± His finger pointed between Leon¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the entertainment.¡±


    Something about that felt eerily familiar. Angelo dealt with enough of that kind of thing when they went to their grandfather¡¯s place every month. He didn¡¯t need any more.


    ¡°The ones who treat you half-decent are few and far between, but don¡¯t expect to be buddy-buddy.¡± Aiden leaned toward Leon. ¡°You will never be their friend.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Has anyone ever tried?¡±


    ¡°What do you think??¡± He leaned back. ¡°Of course someone did!¡± Of course they did. Leon told Angelo to do the same. ¡°They saw right through it!¡±


    ¡°And what did they do¡­?¡± The question escaped Leon¡¯s mouth before he decided whether or not he wanted to hear the answer.


    Aiden¡¯s face went blank. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Leon barely got a sigh out before Aiden continued.


    ¡°They did nothing when the other inmates jumped him.¡±


    He grimaced. It didn¡¯t work out with Angelo, either.


    ¡°What?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want me to say. People don¡¯t go to prison to have happy fun times.¡± His fingers wiggled. ¡°It¡¯s prison. And it should¡¯ve been a step up for me. I was living on the street before then!¡±


    ¡°You were homeless??¡± Leon didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I had to do petty theft.¡± Aiden sighed. ¡°Yeah, prison gave me food and a bed, but you¡¯ll never know how it is until you¡¯ve been there.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ll never know. Trapped in a rat cage with guys who have nothing left to live for. Dudes with families they¡¯ll never get to see again on the outside.¡±


    Families¡­


    ¡°I was lucky enough not to have that, and I still wanted out. If I had to spend 25 years in there, I woulda lost my mind!¡±


    ¡°25 years?? For petty theft?¡± Leon couldn¡¯t believe his ears.


    ¡°You might think I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to mess with you, and any other time you¡¯d be right. But I want you to know that if you¡¯re looking for hope, you won¡¯t find much in prison. I don¡¯t care if your friend¡¯s in there for 5 or 50 years, he¡¯s gonna come out changed. And that¡¯s if he survives.¡±


    ¡°Did you change?¡± He looked up at Aiden.


    Aiden¡¯s eyes shifted over to the side. ¡°Not much. I broke out in less than a year. Don¡¯t cry for me. That¡¯s another thing you¡¯ll wanna tell him. Don¡¯t cry. The inmates smell tears like sharks smell blood.¡±


    That¡¯s a strike against Angelo. Leon sighed, frustrated. ¡°Do you know anyone who could survive?¡±


    ¡°That depends on the person and the crime.¡±


    He thought for a moment. ¡°Well, my friend might be going in on fraud, so what about that?¡±


    ¡°How bad? Is it a felony?¡±


    ¡°I dunno? That sounds bad enough, so¡­ Wait!¡± Leon remembered something. ¡°You said Jun was almost gonna go to prison for the whole thing they did, right? How serious was that? My friend might go in for the same amount of time.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Uhhhhh. He, uhhh, did something close to that.¡± His eyes shifted around.


    ¡°...You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t care enough to pry.¡± Aiden tilted his head back. ¡°Yeah, that was a felony. I dunno if they decided on his sentence, but it would¡¯ve been at least 10 years. He probably wouldn¡¯t have gotten sent to a prison as bad as mine, but you can never be sure.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I see. Do you know someone that could¡¯ve survived that?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the person. Jun probably woulda.¡± He lifted a finger when he saw Leon¡¯s reaction. ¡°I¡¯m not sayin¡¯ it wouldn¡¯t have messed him up. Heck, he was already starting to fall apart right before he got caught.¡±


    ¡°Really? Jun is so calm and cool all the time. I can¡¯t imagine someone like them ever falling apart.¡±


    ¡°He started getting jumpy right before his injury. But that situation was way different. He¡¯d have done better if he got locked up. Plus I gave him some pointers on what not to do. The only thing is, he probably would¡¯ve ended up in a women¡¯s prison, and I dunno how they roll. But I still think Jun would¡¯ve made it.¡±


    ¡°How nice of you to believe in them!¡± If Leon could get Angelo to act more like Jun, maybe he¡¯d stand a chance! ¡°What about,¡± a lightbulb went off in Leon¡¯s head, ¡°what about the rest of us? The rest of the crew?¡± He didn¡¯t know entirely where he was going with this, but it should be good for something.


    Aiden¡¯s eyes searched his brain for thoughts. ¡°Mia already lives like her life is a prison. She minds her business, doesn¡¯t look at anyone, and keeps her mouth shut when she sees something weird. She should be okay.¡±


    ¡°Uhhhh, o-okay.¡± Leon didn¡¯t expect that answer, but he committed it to memory. ¡°What about Roxie? She has really strong arms. If she had to fight someone¨C¡±


    ¡°She¡¯d lose.¡± Aiden cut in. ¡°Yeah, she could probably knock somebody flat if she wanted to. But she wouldn¡¯t. Fighting is just as much about where your head is at as it is muscle. Roxie¡¯s a complete weirdo, but not enough to scare off someone who had beef with her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Roxie¡¯s too interested in safety to hurt anyone. But maybe she would make friends with everyone. She¡¯s good at that!¡±


    ¡°Making friends with inmates is how you wind up in a gang. I could see her getting in trouble not knowing that. Stay independent if you can.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I guess I wouldn¡¯t have done too well either if you hadn¡¯t told me.¡± Leon scratched at his neck.


    ¡°Even knowing that, you¡¯d still get smacked around within the first week. And robbed!¡± Aiden laughed, but the laugh faded. ¡°You¡¯re too goofy to not try and talk to people. I like messing with you, but they¡¯d probably take it too far and break you or something.¡±


    ¡°Hm. That¡¯s kinda upsetting.¡± Still, it sounded like Aiden cared about him. In fact, in his own weird way, the way he talked about the others¡¯ chances made it sound like he cared about them too. Maybe Leon imagined it, but a little pride came through his comments about Mia and Jun, and concern for him and Roxie.


    ¡°What are you smiling at?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a terrible liar. Makes you an even bigger target. Plus, you¡¯re short, and squishy, and¨C¡±


    ¡°Geez, you don¡¯t have to rub it in.¡± Leon decided to change the subject. ¡°What about the captain? He hardly talks to anyone!¡±


    ¡°I could see him lecturing somebody on the rules and getting decked.¡± A satisfied smile filled Aiden¡¯s face. It would¡¯ve been nice to see him this happy had it been about anything else. ¡°Or he¡¯d snitch. Never snitch. Nobody likes a snitch. ¡®Snitches get stitches¡¯ is very real.¡±


    ¡°O¡­kay then. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. How do you think Emil would do?¡±


    The smile disappeared. ¡°Too goofy. I could see him joking around with the wrong officers or the wrong inmates and getting jumped.¡± His mouth twitched downward. ¡°He¡¯s kinda scrawny, too.¡±


    ¡°Ah. So much for Emil winning everyone over with his all-natural charm.¡± Leon sighed on his behalf.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Rich kids like him and his brother have a knack for staying outta prison.¡± Aiden rubbed his fingers together as if he held a dollar between them. ¡°But I¡¯d hate to see him end up there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I wonder what it¡¯d be like having a dad with that kind of money. I bet their house must be huge!¡± Leon pictured a cool space house. ¡°Wait, are there houses in space?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all spaceship apartments.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah! Then they probably have a cool one of those.¡± Leon fantasized about living in one and getting to see Earth from his bedroom window. ¡°Gosh, I wonder what it¡¯d be like if my family had a place like that. Me and ¨¢ngie could get to have our own rooms for once in¨C!¡±


    Right. Angelo. He had gotten so lost in the conversation, he forgot what he started it for. By the time he realized, Aiden was in the middle of putting his chair back under the desk.


    ¡°Back to the jail conversation!¡± Leon got his attention again. ¡°How do you think my brother would do?¡± The bucktoothed ranger watched intently for a reaction, any reaction at all, but he didn¡¯t expect the one he got.


    Aiden winced.


    ¡°It¡¯s that bad?¡± Leon swallowed. ¡°But. He¡¯s quiet, he keeps to himself. Back home, ¨¢ngie would rather take the blame than tell on me, so he¡¯s no snitch. And he might be a little sensitive, but¨C¡±


    ¡°He would get torn to shreds.¡± Aiden¡¯s words were flat and slow.


    ¡°But what if he¨C¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing that kid could do that¡¯ll save him. He looks like a walking chew toy. I¡¯d be worried for his life.¡±


    ¡°His life?¡± Leon felt the color drain from his face.


    His roommate nodded, then studied his face. ¡°What are you so bent outta shape about? I thought you were worried about your friend.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± He snapped out of it just a little bit. ¡°My friend, uh, he¡¯s a lot like Angelo.¡±


    Aiden frowned. ¡°Then you better hope he doesn¡¯t get sent to any place above minimum security.¡± He looked around. ¡°Where is that kid, anyway? He shows up for training, but other than that he¡¯s a ghost.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Leon rested his head in his hands. He dreaded seeing his brother so much, he blocked him out. It felt terrible.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± The taller ranger walked to the door. Something about what he said gave Leon a new idea.


    ¡®...that kid¡­¡¯


    ¡®...kid¡­¡¯


    ¡°What about juvie?¡± Leon blurted out. At 15, well, 16 in a few days, Angelo was still a minor. He may not have to go to adult prison. ¡°Do you know what juvie¡¯s like?¡±


    Aiden tilted his head back, annoyed. ¡°I never been to juvie. But I knew some kids who did.¡±


    ¡°Did they say anything about it?¡± Leon sat on the edge of his bed. ¡°What did they say?¡±


    ¡°From what I heard, it¡¯s mostly the same. Slightly less bad. The worst thing they told me about was solitary confinement.¡±


    ¡°Solitary confinement?¡± He repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can handle that, but I guess someone like An¨Csomeone like my friend¡­ c¡­¡± He trailed off as Aiden¡¯s green eyes stabbed through him like daggers.


    ¡°You don¡¯t wanna finish that sentence.¡±


    Leon shut his mouth.


    Aiden strode over to Leon, leaned down, and pointed to the scar on his cheek. ¡°You wanna know how I got this?¡±


    Leon wasn¡¯t sure if he was ready, but Aiden didn¡¯t give him the chance to answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Those might¡¯ve been the sincerest words to ever come from him. He stood back up, pacing. ¡°All I know is that I got it when I was there. And I¡¯m so mad ¡®cause I remember all 473 ? yellow bricks in that room, but I don¡¯t remember how I got this scar! I don¡¯t remember getting stitches.¡± He stopped. ¡°The best part of being stuck inside those walls, and it¡¯s just gone.¡±


    ¡°Getting a scar??¡± Leon finally spat out.


    ¡°Being in there for days just counting bricks, it¡­ does something to people.¡±


    That put things in a new perspective. ¡°And they do that to kids in juvie?¡±


    ¡°Some as young as 10.¡± Aiden grimaced. ¡°But your friend might be able to avoid it for¨CHow old is he?¡±


    ¡°16.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°One year. He might get out of it for one year. But if he looks anything like your brother, once he moves into a prison like mine, they¡¯ll put him in solitary to protect him. He¡¯ll probably wish they left him to the wolves. Between the bunkmates, the guards, and your mind, it¡¯s the deadliest place in prison by a long shot. Wish him luck.¡±


    ¡°...Thanks, Aiden.¡±


    ¡°Just thinking about that place makes me hungry.¡± That was the last thing Leon heard him mutter before he left the room.


    Leon sat there, frozen with fear. Just minutes ago, he considered telling someone about Angelo. He wanted Angelo to go home for his safety, but would he really be safe in a place where getting hurt was the only thing he had to look forward to? Maybe he wouldn¡¯t end up in solitary confinement. After all, he could end up in a better prison. But like Aiden said, he couldn¡¯t know for sure. He ran a hand through his hair, unsure about anything anymore.


    If Leon snitched, Angelo might be the one to get stitches.


    ¡®Te quiero tambi¨¦n.¡¯ Leon texted his mother that he loved her. If he could, he would tell her he was sorry, but the only other thing he told her was that he hadn¡¯t gotten the care package yet.

 [The Confession] Ch 3. A Happy Birthday No Matter What

    Emil picked his hair to fluffy perfection. This always ended his morning routine. After all, his family was nothing if not obsessed with looks, whether it be professionalism, aloofness, or in his case, being cute. And despite the life-shattering revelations lately, there¡¯s one thing he didn¡¯t forget.


    He had a special day to plan.


    The ship seemed a little gloomier in the past few days. Leon couldn¡¯t be the ball of sunshine he normally was, and Emil focused all of his energy on trying not to think about why. Roxie wasn¡¯t affected, but she¡¯s only one person. Everyone could use a little festivity to lighten up the mood. Or maybe a lot. He needed to break out the big guns.


    ¡°Morning, Lorie. What¡¯cha up to?¡± Emil gave his brother a quick greeting after leaving the bathroom.


    ¡°Have you seen Ranger Summers lately?¡± Not even a good morning first? Typical Lorenzo.


    Emil spotted Leon in one of the camera panels, talking to Aiden. ¡°He¡¯s right there.¡±


    ¡°The other one.¡±


    ¡°Angelo shows up to jet training, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but where does he go during the rest of the day?¡± Light from the camera feed reflected off of Lorenzo¡¯s glasses.


    ¡°Oh. I dunno.¡± To be honest, Emil tried not to run into him. ¡°Why not just ask him then?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t allow him to think he¡¯s outwitted me. Now where is he hiding¡­?¡± Ironic for Lorenzo to be so hung up on this. It¡¯s okay for him to hide from everyone for days on end, but not someone else?


    Before the captain could find his answer, an incoming call message filled up his camera feed, startling both him and Emil. The latter stood up straight in case it was one of their higher-ups.


    An older woman¡¯s face filled up the camera. ¡°Oh, is this thing on?¡± She leaned back to reveal a mail carrier uniform. ¡°Hi. I have a special delivery here addressed to the Celestion-5. It¡¯s for a Leonardo Summers?¡±


    Emil craned his head up. ¡°Oh yeah, we have that guy!¡±


    ¡°Someone by that name is stationed on this ship, yes.¡± Lorenzo answered more formally.


    ¡°Permission to dock on your ship?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Permission granted.¡± He pressed one button to drain oxygen out of the loading dock. After that finished, he pressed another to open the door. ¡°You may now enter.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    A tiny mail ship parked itself inside. Emil busied himself by digging under his bed until he finally found what he was looking for. His guitar and portable amp.


    Lorenzo turned back to him, pressing the same two buttons in reverse. ¡°Accompany Ranger Summers to the loading dock while I keep watch for his brother. Have him open the package there. Do not enter the upper area of the ship until he does. And make sure you wear your helmet and gloves while he does it, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Just in case what?¡± Emil stood back up.


    ¡°Remember AEMBA.¡±


    He rolled his eyes. He remembered alright. ¡°Any envelope might be anthrax. I thought Dad phased that one out. So wait, do you think Rookie¡¯s mailing in poison? Rookie??¡±


    ¡°If the other one is up to something, it only makes sense that Ranger Summers would be involved.¡± Lorenzo reasoned, though Emil would hardly call it reasonable. ¡°Or maybe he mailed it in under his name.¡±


    Emil sighed, genuinely sad for him. ¡°Lorie. I know you¡¯re worried, but I¡¯ll be fine. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Please just wear the helmet and gloves.¡±


    ¡°If it makes you feel better...¡±


    If this was his reaction now, Emil couldn¡¯t imagine what he¡¯d do if he found out what was really going on. Maybe it would take suspicion off of Leon. But more than likely, it would lead to more suspicions down the line.


    ¡°I was gonna go downstairs anyway to set up the party. I take it you won¡¯t be coming since you¡¯re busy with the whole finding Angelo thing.¡± He picked up his guitar. ¡°You want me to bring you back a slice of cake?¡±


    ¡°No thank you.¡± Lorenzo¡¯s eyes fell toward the ground. They widened when he saw what Emil was holding. ¡°You brought your guitar?? Where were you hiding that thing?¡±


    Emil hugged his guitar, giving it a little smooch. ¡°You know I can¡¯t be apart from him for too long. He had to come with!¡±


    His brother shook his head, no doubt thinking of interrupted¨Cenhanced¨Cstudy sessions in the past. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t break any rules. Just. Just come back safe.¡±


    ¡°You got it!¡± He winked and started toward the door with his guitar.


    ¡°Remember your gloves!¡± Lorenzo reminded him, ruining his cool exit. After putting on the gloves, he left for real.


    Emil burst into the kitchen, guitar strap slung over his shoulder to an audience of two¨CRoxie and Jun.


    ¡°Yooo, nice guitar.¡± Jun looked up from Roxie¡¯s phone.


    Roxie followed. ¡°You brought your guitar with you!¡±


    ¡°You knew he had one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he played it when¨C¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I told her I had one a while back!¡± Emil aggressively winked to signal that it¡¯d be bad news for either of them if someone happened to overhear that she and Leon were in the captains¡¯ room.


    ¡°Ah, yes!¡± She returned the winking. ¡°He told me once upon a time.¡±


    Jun looked between them, obviously knowing that something was up. ¡°Cool.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, what¡¯re you guys doin¡¯?¡± The blond started to open the fridge, but quickly realized that he forgot to take the cheesecake out from the freezer.


    ¡°Rox was just showing me pictures of her dad.¡±


    ¡°Her dad?¡± Weird. When he checked the freezer, the cheesecake was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Roxie answered. ¡°My dad has a wall of pictures of me in his office because he¡¯s so proud of me!¡±


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be?¡± fawned Jun, somehow deadpan while doing so.


    ¡°Waaaaah~ So sweet! But I¡¯m also really proud of my dad, so I took a bunch of pictures of him to show friends. Everyone on this ship will see him. This, I vow.¡±


    Emil couldn¡¯t see it, but he swore he felt eyes boring into his back. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at him in a sec. I¡¯m just looking for something.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s that blue box, it¡¯s in the fridge.¡± Jun directed.


    He opened the refrigerator, and sure enough, he saw hints of a blue box hidden behind condiments and leftovers.


    ¡°I hid it in the back since it seemed important. Wouldn¡¯t want anyone going through it.¡± They tilted their head toward the dorm hall. Must¡¯ve meant Aiden.


    ¡°Thanks for lookin¡¯ out, Jun!¡± Emil closed the door. ¡°Did¡¯ja take it out of the freezer, too?¡±.


    ¡°Nah. It was already there.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± That would be a mystery for another day. For now, he moseyed on over to Jun and Roxie, making sure not to hit either of them with his guitar.


    Roxie shoved her phone in his face as soon as he got there. ¡°This is my dad!¡±


    On screen was a short, round little man standing with his hands clasped in a car lot.


    ¡°He¡¯s a car salesman?¡± To Emil, he seemed a little meek for the job. He seemed a little meek to be related to Roxie, for that matter. But then again, he and Lorenzo share the same genes. So did Leon and¨C


    ¡°Yeah! Do you notice anything about his head?¡±


    Emil plucked at a few guitar strings. ¡°Well. He¡¯s bald.¡±


    ¡°Exceptionally so!¡± Roxie pointed a finger. ¡°He¡¯s the baldest man in the whole county, and I made sure everyone knew it. I shined his head every single day. Trust is an essential part of the customer-seller relationship, and you can always trust a man with a shiny head!¡±


    ¡°You can always trust a man with a shiny head.¡± Jun repeated, as if it made perfect sense.


    Emil had questions, but it¡¯d be funnier to keep this going. ¡°Yeah, obviously!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re enlightened to the truth.¡± Roxie continued flicking through pictures. ¡°Here¡¯s one of him cooking on one of his days off. He makes a really good chicken pot pie! Although it probably tasted better because I was not the one tasked to cook, huhuhu! But I did help.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than I can do. You used to cook all the time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a skill I have in my tree.¡± Emil pretended to understand what she meant by that. ¡°Since we were only two strong, I had command over the kitchen while he peddled wares at the car shop.¡±


    Roxie was a latchkey kid? ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what it must be like being all alone. Even when Dad wasn¡¯t home as often, Lorenzo was still around. I think I¡¯d lose my mind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what happened to me! Here¡¯s one of him on the phone in his office.¡± She brushed past that comment before Emil could catch his breath. ¡°You can see the wall he¡¯d show his customers. Everyone knew of my achievements!¡±


    Sure enough, behind her dad was a wall covered with pictures of Roxie. He posed with her in some of them. They looked so happy together, it brought a smile to Emil¡¯s face.


    ¡°You two must be so close.¡± He found himself wondering how it would be to have a father who didn¡¯t spend his time drowning in worst case scenarios.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± A weird pause followed. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Roxie stood up from her seat abruptly enough to nearly knock Emil back. He held his guitar close for protection.


    ¡°Nature calls to me!¡± She announced. ¡°I must be going now!¡±


    ¡°Oh, while you¡¯re gone, can you get the others to come to the kitchen?¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡± She called back, power walking through the door.


    Before Emil could take another breath, the intercom clicked on.


    ¡°Lieutenant. The mail.¡± Lorenzo¡¯s message ended as soon as it started.


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Emil slapped his head. ¡°I can¡¯t leave that mail lady waitin¡¯ much longer.¡±


    ¡°Mail lady?¡± Aiden lifted his head from the refrigerator. ¡°And what¡¯s this blue thing?¡±


    ¡°When the h¨C? Where did you¨C? Uhhhh.¡± Emil stepped back and forth, not sure where to go. He finally shoved his guitar into Aiden¡¯s hands. ¡°Hold this for me until I get back. Jun,¡± he turned to them, ¡°You take the box out on my signal.¡± He pointed at himself winking.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Only Jun answered.


    Emil gave them a thumbs up as he barreled through the door. He stopped at the next one, knocking as a courtesy.


    ¡°Come in.¡± A faint voice answered.


    ¡°Hey Leon, how ya doin¡¯, we gotta go downstairs to pick up some mail for you.¡± Words fell out of his mouth before he even registered the room in front of him.


    ¡°...Mail?¡± Leon responded listlessly. He sat alone on his bed, staring at his phone the way he had been for the past three days, only coming out when he needed to. The window panel shut out the stars outside. It hurt to look at. But it also made Emil more determined. He would make him smile on his birthday no matter what it took.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Emil slowed down, leaning against the doorway. ¡°We should probably get going. I got sidetracked for a bit. The mail lady¡¯s probably wondering where we are. Put your gloves on on the way out.¡±


    Without a word, Leon stood up and followed him into the hallway. They passed through the kitchen with nothing more than a lethargic ¡®Good morning¡¯ from Leon to Jun. Finally, they made it to the stairwell.


    Emil opened the panel to the loading dock. ¡°Hey. Happy birthday.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Emil.¡± Leon smiled, or at least pretended to. It was the kind of face Emil felt in his bones. He hoped no one noticed this kind of smile on him.


    The lieutenant went downstairs first, trying not to cringe as he passed the incinerator room. He saw the mail woman and her ship waiting on deck.


    ¡°Sorry to keep ya waiting!¡± He broke the silence. ¡°My fault. We¡¯ll get this signed off quickly so I don¡¯t waste any more of your¡­ time¡­¡±


    As the two approached her, Emil noticed that she wasn¡¯t annoyed. She looked terrified.


    ¡°Are you doin¡¯ alright?¡±


    The mail lady looked down at the package in her trembling hands, then back at him. ¡°I-Is this safe to hold¡­? Your captain forgot to turn off his audio the first time, a-and¨C¡±


    ¡°O-Oh, nonononono.¡± Emil¡¯s eyes went wide in realization. ¡°It¡¯s not¨C¡± He stopped waving his hands and placed his fists on his hips to think. ¡°Tell ya what. We¡¯ll open this after you¡¯re safely outta here.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in the box?¡± asked Leon.


    She eyed Leon warily. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s probably not dangerous.¡± Emil reassured both. He tilted his head toward Leon. ¡°Sign the clipboard, Rookie.¡±


    Leon did as told. The mail carrier thrust the box into his hands and safely got into her ship. He waved goodbye, completely unaware she thought he might be a terrorist.


    Emil tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°We should put on our helmets.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Why don¡¯t we just go upstairs?¡±


    He tried to come up with something on the fly. ¡°Uhhhh. Procedure!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± That didn¡¯t take much convincing.


    With their helmets on, Lorenzo¡¯s voice clicked in over the headsets. ¡°Is everyone¡¯s oxygen secured?¡±


    Everyone gave him the okay, including the mail woman.


    ¡°I will now commence draining oxygen out of the area.¡±


    The other three waited around while that happened. After that, the loading dock opened up into the starry abyss, and the mail ship did its best impression of peeling out of a driveway. The loading dock door closed, leaving the two of them alone with the captain¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You may now open the package.¡±


    Leon looked around. ¡°Oh, I was hoping to get back to my room first.¡±


    ¡°You may not enter the rest of the ship until you open that package. It¡¯s a safety procedure.¡± His excuse wasn¡¯t much better than Emil¡¯s.


    A scanner swept the room when Leon opened the box and concluded with a green flash. Surprise, surprise, everything came up clear. Oxygen presumably filled the room, since Emil started to hear his own footsteps while pacing.


    ¡°The air is clear of any contaminants. You may now take off your helmets.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, bro. Don¡¯t forget to turn off the intercom this time!¡± Emil warned.


    ¡°What do you mean? Lieutenant, did I¨C?¡± The intercom cut off as soon as Lorenzo realized what happened. Emil hoped he¡¯d be okay. Maybe he should bring him that slice of cake.


    ¡°What¡¯cha got?¡± Emil peered over at Leon¡¯s box as they put their helmets away. ¡°Anything good?¡±


    Leon lifted something round. ¡°They sent me these little cheese wheels. They¡¯re my favorite.¡± He smiled genuinely, not as much as he would¡¯ve normally, but it was a start. ¡°And some crackers to go along with them. There¡¯s these packs of lemonade powder, too, wow! Annnd some gummy bears. That¡¯s really sweet. Both the sweets and the gift, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s nice.¡± Emil smiled. For a second, it seemed like Leon returned to his normal self some.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± Leon dug around the package and pulled out a handwritten card. ¡°¡®Missing you from planet Earth. Hope our star is shining out there.¡¯¡± he read.


    ¡°I think I see something on the back.¡±


    Leon flipped the card over to reveal a photo. A man who looked like a blond, green-eyed version of him held the phone camera, and in the background stood a smiling woman who shared his teeth.


    ¡°Hm? Oh wow, it¡¯s,¡± his mouth twitched, ¡°it¡¯s my mom and dad.¡± He moved his thumb down. ¡°And¡­¡±


    Off to the left stood Angelo in a bike helmet, waving. This might¡¯ve been the first time Emil saw him smile. He looked haggard and frankly a little pathetic, but he smiled. Leon¡¯s happiness, on the other hand, died.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    ¡°Those aren¡¯t the only things you got!¡± Emil broke the emergency glass of his birthday plans with a wink and a smile.


    ¡°Wha?¡± Leon sniffled. Emil needed to act fast.


    ¡°Yeah, follow me upstairs!¡±


    Emil hightailed it up the stairs with Leon in tow before coming to a smooth, composed stop in front of the kitchen door.


    ¡°After you, birthday boy.¡± He rolled out his hands.


    Leon entered the kitchen first, then Emil. Around the same time, Mia entered from the other door.


    ¡°Is¡­ something going on?¡± Mia looked around, confused.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re all gathered here for the man on the hour!¡± Emil winked, motioning to Leon.


    Jun stood up to head toward the refrigerator.


    ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t mean for¨C¡± He shrugged. ¡°Ah, you might as well.¡±


    Roxie burst through the door. ¡°Did birthday commence??¡±


    ¡°Whose birthday?¡± Aiden slouched at the table with Emil¡¯s guitar laying there lifelessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s my birthday.¡± answered Leon.


    Emil clapped. ¡°Now that we¡¯re all caught up, let¡¯s wish our boy Rookie a happy birthday!¡±


    Everyone wished Leon a happy birthday. They didn¡¯t do it with any coordination or matching enthusiasm, but they did it! That¡¯s what counted.


    Jun took the cake out of the refrigerator and placed it on the table. Emil swooped in fancily grabbing¨Cand nearly dropping¨Ca plate and knife before popping open the box to a big, beautiful cheesecake. Half was covered in a lemon glaze, the other, in orange.


    ¡°A lemon cheesecake?¡± Leon reacted, mystified like his normal self. ¡°That¡¯s all the things I love in one! H-How did you know??¡±


    ¡°Only the best for my crew~¡± Emil tried to hide his pride. He held up the knife. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in¨C¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Roxie looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s the captain? And Angelo?¡±


    Of course it would come to this. ¡°My bro¡¯s busy with somethin¡¯ right now and unfortunately can¡¯t come down.¡± The last thing Emil wanted Leon to think about was Lorenzo hunting Angelo. ¡°And Angelo¡­¡± Emil looked toward the ceiling. ¡°Hey Captain!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lieutenant.¡± Lorenzo answered.


    ¡°Can you do a ship-wide call for Angelo? He¡¯s gonna miss the partyyy.¡±


    ¡°Ranger Angelo Summers, report to the kitchen.¡±


    Emil waited for about 5 seconds. ¡°Any sign of him coming?¡±


    ¡°Negative.¡±


    ¡°Darn!¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡°I¡¯d hate to continue without him, but if he¡¯s not gonna show up¡­ Oh well. Thanks, Captain Bro!¡±


    The intercom clicked off.


    ¡°Hey, wait!¡±


    It clicked back on. ¡°Yes, Lieutenant?¡±


    Emil hovered a hand over Leon¡¯s shoulder to prevent another incident like with Angelo. Once he got the okay, he slung an arm around his shoulder and pointed to him. ¡°You gotta wish him a happy birthday!¡±


    ¡°...Happy birthday, Ranger Summers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain!¡± Leon waved, smiling as the intercom clicked again.


    The lieutenant turned him around toward the cake and began slicing it into sixteenths. They weren¡¯t even, but they were 16 slices.


    He served Leon the first slice. ¡°Here ya go.¡±


    Leon accepted it with the deepest of gratitude. ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t believe you did this for me.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, it¡¯s only a cake.¡±


    ¡°Maybe to you, but you really don¡¯t know how much this means to me right now. Thank you so much!¡± He looked like he was about to cry.


    ¡°No problem!¡± Starting to get embarrassed at all this heartfelt emotion, Emil busied himself serving cake to the others.


    ¡°Can I have a slice of the orange one?¡± Aiden pointed to it.


    ¡°That side¡¯s off limits until the 23rd!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He didn¡¯t seem too bothered, either way.


    Emil served slices of cheesecake to everyone else, leaving three for Lorenzo, Angelo, and himself. Instead of eating his slice, he took pride in seeing everyone¡¯s enjoyment of the cake.


    ¡°I¡¯m not like the biggest cheesecake fan,¡± Jun started inbetween bites, ¡°but this is nice. Good cake.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± Even Aiden gave his vote of approval. To get his and Jun¡¯s praise must mean it¡¯s a pretty cool cake. But then again, he didn¡¯t seem that picky about food. Emil celebrated anyway.


    He also hovered his forkful of cheesecake dangerously around Emil¡¯s precious guitar. Just as he feared, the cheesecake plummeted toward it.


    ¡°My baby!¡± Emil snatched it up just before the cake hit the table. He paced around, rocking it in his arms, until an idea came to him. ¡°Why don¡¯t I play a little somethin¡¯ while you guys eat?¡±


    ¡°On your guitar??¡± Leon lit up.


    Emil strummed it. ¡°How else?¡±


    The table wouldn¡¯t give him enough room to play, so instead, he decided to use one of the boxes of food in the corner as a seat. Just his luck, he picked a heavy box. A really heavy box! It was kind of embarrassing how much he struggled with it.


    ¡°Whew. I didn¡¯t know I was this outta shape.¡±


    ¡°Do you want my assistance?¡± asked Roxie. ¡­Were her eyes wet?


    ¡°It¡¯s all good. I won¡¯t let this box beat me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± She seemed chipper as usual, but Emil couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was up. If she¡¯s anything like him, he¡¯d catch her slipping up some other day.


    Emil flexed one of his noodle arms, then got back to work. It took using his whole body to get the box to budge. Finally, he got it where he wanted it, and sat down.


    Guitar slung over his shoulder, he checked to make sure it was properly tuned. He plucked it a few times just to be certain, and adjusted the volume on his amp so it wouldn¡¯t blow everyone¡¯s ears out.


    He played a rendition of Happy Birthday to You, with embellishments, of course. Roxie and Jun joined in. Aiden didn¡¯t, too busy eating his cake. Emil was pretty sure Mia only mouthed the words. He didn¡¯t care.


    Looking around, he saw nothing but smiles in the moment. The biggest one on Leon¡¯s face, as it should be. Emil gave him a wink, and somehow it grew even bigger. Eating cake, singing, and laughing, everyone enjoyed themselves. He swore he could hear humming along with the song, but that could just be his imagination. All was well.


    Despite everything that happened in the past few days, this party was almost exactly how he¡¯d imagined it. Now if only the other two were here to enjoy it.

 [The Confession] Ch 4. Mystery Box

    Another day of jet training came to an end, leaving Jun with the same question they¡¯ve had for the past three days: Where did Leon¡¯s brother go?


    They wished they asked that before he left the observation deck.


    Not ideal, but not the end of the world. Everyone else stayed back for now, aside from Mia. Jun could ask one of them.


    ¡°Yo, Kelly. Did you catch where your guy went?¡± His name escaped Jun.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°I dunno where he skitters off to.¡± With that, he walked off.


    ¡°Darn.¡± They snapped their fingers. Luckily, they caught a glimpse of Leon over their shoulder. ¡°Leon, I haven¡¯t seen your little bro in a while. Where¡¯d he go?¡±


    ¡°Yes! His absence is most peculiar!¡± Roxie piped up before he could answer. ¡°Do you know how his handsies are doing?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Leon didn¡¯t seem to know what she was talking about. He also seemed¡­ off. Ever since he found his phone, he had way less energy than usual, even now on his birthday.


    ¡°He burned himself.¡±


    ¡°What??¡± That got him to be more alert.


    ¡°Only first degree.¡± Emil walked backward toward the door. ¡°They should clear up on their own, right Doc?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯d like to keep an eye on it.¡± Roxie whined. ¡°And that still doesn¡¯t explain his whereabouts!¡±


    Jun noticed Captain Galhardo lingering a little ways behind Emil. Normally by now, he¡¯d be up the stairs and in his room, but he seemed interested in the conversation.


    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t seen him in, like, days¡­¡± Jun realized something. ¡°Not since you found your phone, actually.¡±


    Leon winced. Something must¡¯ve happened that day.


    Before he could answer, Roxie nudged him. ¡°I think this calls for another manhunt~! Our last quest for glory came to an unusual end.¡± She looked over at the captain, who looked away.


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know.¡± Leon answered. ¡°¨¢ngie could be anywhere at this point. When he doesn¡¯t want to be found, he won¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°That just makes for extra challenge! Besides, it¡¯s not safe! What if he turned into a ghost?¡± Roxie¡¯s voice trembled. Jun guessed it was for dramatic effect.


    ¡°Rookie,¡± Emil turned toward Leon, ¡°you said Angelo does this kinda thing a lot, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If hide-and-seek was a sport, he¡¯d go pro.¡±


    ¡°This might just be normal for him.¡± He addressed Roxie and Jun. ¡°Prolly nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Ranger Allen.¡± The captain finally spoke, stepping toward his brother with a swish of his cape. ¡°His disappearance has been troubling. Everyone, keep an eye out for Ranger Summers, and report to me or the lieutenant when you find him. Pass this on to the others.¡± His cape flared out as he headed for his room. ¡°I will monitor the cameras for him.¡±


    ¡°But Captain, I¡¯m right¨CAh, right.¡± Leon caught on. ¡°He¡¯s a ranger, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Where could he beeee¡­?¡± Roxie wondered, pitiful.


    Jun looked around the empty room. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not in here.¡± They lightly elbowed her. ¡°And there¡¯s only so many places on the ship. We¡¯ll find him.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Roxie!¡± Emil leaned forward. ¡°I was planning on keepin¡¯ an eye out for Angelo. Maybe Rookie can¡¯t be your rival but¨C¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on!¡± Roxie took off running for the door with her arms behind her.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that.¡± Emil shrugged. ¡°Ciao~!¡± He winked and strolled away.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s just us now.¡± Jun walked alongside Leon. Even though his brother was missing in action, they might be able to get some info out of him.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Leon stayed quiet for a moment. It was weird to see him so somber. Jun almost picked up the conversation again, but he spoke up. ¡°Jun, do you have any siblings? You always seemed like a big sibling type to me.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Rox is the closest I got. And Aiden. I kinda wondered what it¡¯d be like to have one.¡± They thought for a moment. ¡°I dunno, it feels like it¡¯d be strange to go a couple years as an only child and then, like, suddenly have another kid around.¡±


    ¡°I was excited to find out I¡¯d have a little brother.¡± He smiled a little. ¡°At least that¡¯s what my mom told me. I don¡¯t remember it all that well.¡±


    Wow. That went smoother than Jun thought. They didn¡¯t bring up how weird it was for Leon to say that.


    They already knew he and Angelo weren¡¯t twins. For Leon to have been excited by the news, he had to have at least a few years on Angelo, just as expected. Though Leon might not have been trying to hide it. Jun did remember him implying his brother would only stay a little while.


    ¡°How long did you say he was staying again?¡± Jun held open the door for the meeting room.


    Leon visibly panicked. ¡°Uhhhh, it looks like he¡¯ll be with us for the whole trip.¡± A smile covered it up about as well as cheap air freshener on fish. ¡°If nothing comes up, at least. So that¡¯ll be interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, cool.¡± Jun smiled too, even though they felt bad for the poor kid. There¡¯s no way he planned this. Finding out his brother¡¯s stay was permanent had to be a huge bummer. No wonder he was all gloomy.


    Inside the meeting room, Leon opened the panel to go downstairs. There was no one downstairs. This might be a good time.


    ¡°Hey Leon, how¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going.¡± He stepped down first. ¡°I know it¡¯s my birthday and everything, but I¡¯ll admit it¡¯s been a little ehhh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you looked a little down lately.¡±


    ¡°I did?¡± Leon slowed his pace. ¡°I guess I haven¡¯t come out of my room much. But I probably shouldn¡¯t be like this on my birthday, hm?¡±


    ¡°I mean. It¡¯s your birthday, you can cry if you want to.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Thanks. Weirdly enough, that makes me feel a lot better.¡±


    Jun could imagine. Sometimes it¡¯s best to be able to feel bad without anyone trying to stop it or worrying about being seen as weak. They weren¡¯t a crier, though, so they didn¡¯t really need that advice.


    ¡°But Emil really did cheer me up with that party!¡± Leon sounded more like his usual self. ¡°Gosh, I¡¯m still¨CI don¡¯t know how he does it. He¡¯s so¨Cthere¡¯s a word for it¨Cbut he¡¯s so good at paying attention to the little things about people. Like my favorite foods or how much I like his guitar-playing.¡±


    ¡°No yeah, he¡¯s really attentive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the word! Attentive. He¡¯s so attentive¡­¡±


    Leon wasn¡¯t exactly the most subtle about things he liked. He didn¡¯t lie, though. Emil paid a lot of attention to everyone. Doing chores around the ship so his brother wouldn¡¯t have to face people, going above and beyond to make sure Jun¡¯s coming out went smoothly, Leon¡¯s birthday party, it went far beyond just winking and encouraging. Jun would¡¯ve never thought to snap a picture of that rainbow so Mia could have a memento of visiting Earth. Being thoughtful came second-nature to him.


    Showmen like Emil lived to please, but sometimes Jun wondered if he¡¯d die if he didn¡¯t. That day at the lake gave them some insight.


    ¡°I know they¡¯re just worried, but sometimes it makes me feel¨C¡±


    ¡°¨Clike I¡¯m not good enough,¡± was what Jun would¡¯ve guessed based on the rest of the conversation about his dad and brother. Too bad Mia almost died before he finished. They could only hope Emil took as good care of himself as he did others, but he didn¡¯t have to be the only one looking out for someone else.


    Leon stood at the bottom of the stairs, near the panel to the loading dock. He took a deep breath.


    ¡°Are you thinking of checking the loading dock? I don¡¯t remember seeing anywhere he could hide down there.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking he might be in the incinerator room¡­¡± Dread filled his voice.


    ¡°Would he normally be in a place like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore.¡±


    Yikes. Jun couldn¡¯t imagine wearing their heart on their sleeve like that. ¡°Well, I hope you find him.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Leon opened the panel.


    ¡°Hey, before you go¡­¡± Jun stopped him. ¡°If something¡¯s ever, like, on your mind and you wanna talk it out¡­¡± They pointed at themself.


    He smiled back at them, genuinely touched. ¡°Thank you, Jun. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    They parted ways. Jun decided to enter the kitchen and take a seat at the table. Chilling out seemed like the best thing they could do for now. So they sat. They sat there for minutes on end with nothing to do except, well, nothing.


    Aiden dragged himself into the kitchen first.


    ¡°What up?¡±


    Instead of answering Jun, he started toward the refrigerator, but headed in the other direction once he noticed the open boxes of space food. He grabbed a bag of pretzels out of one. Two, actually. One, he held up toward Jun.


    ¡°No, thanks.¡± They did a double take. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t we supposed to save those for when the gravity¡¯s off?¡±


    Aiden did not respond, instead putting the extra bag back and meandered over to the table.


    ¡°By the way, the captain told us to tell everyone else to look for¨C¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He shoved some pretzels into his mouth, looking down at them. ¡°Blondie came poking around in our room.¡±


    Jun blinked. ¡°You¡¯re also blond.¡±


    ¡°You know who I mean.¡± Aiden looked around. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you lookin¡¯ for him?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re just sitting there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± They didn¡¯t deny it. Sure, they could go into more detail and say that from a strategic standpoint, hiding in the kitchen or the bathroom would be Angelo¡¯s best bet, and either way, he¡¯d have to commute between both. Not saying that was funnier.


    Leon returned from the furnace.


    ¡°Any luck?¡± asked Jun.


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t find him in the incinerator room.¡± A slight smile crossed his face. ¡°I dunno where else he could be, though.¡± He reached the door. ¡°There¡¯s something else I gotta take care of first, and then I¡¯ll keep looking.¡±


    Someone almost bumped into him on the way out.


    ¡°Hm?¡± He stepped out of the way. ¡°Oh, sorry Emil. You go first. Good luck winning against Roxie.¡±


    ¡°Thank you~¡± Emil stepped into the kitchen while Leon left.


    ¡°I take it you haven¡¯t found him either?¡± asked Jun.


    ¡°Not yet. I think I¡¯m gonna search the gym next. Maybe hit the weights while I¡¯m there.¡± Emil wound up an arm. ¡°Pushing that box earlier took a lot more outta me than it should¡¯ve.¡± Unknowingly, he thumbed back toward empty space. The box he sat on was no longer in its place.


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    ¡°Did you push it back?¡± Jun had a feeling they already knew the answer.


    Emil shared their confusion upon seeing the missing box. ¡°No. Huh, maybe someone else did.¡±


    ¡°Not me.¡± Aiden chomped on a pretzel.


    Emil almost started to leave, but instead pivoted around, taking an interest in the pretzels. ¡°May I ask where you got those from?¡±


    ¡°That box.¡±


    The lieutenant sighed, crouching down near one of the other boxes. ¡°Aidennn, we¡¯re only supposed to touch the space food when we¡¯re in zero gravity. That¡¯s why I had this box closed.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t open it.¡± denied Aiden.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to recount everything.¡± Emil shook his head, flipping through the stuffed container. He stopped. ¡°Wait, actually¡­¡± His frown turned upside down as he jumped to his feet. ¡°Aiden, can I talk to you for a sec?¡±


    Aiden sluggishly followed the beckoning of his finger and leaned down for Emil to whisper something to him.


    In the meantime, Jun focused on the mystery of who moved the other box, mentally flipping through the possible suspects. They believed Aiden; he wouldn¡¯t lie about something this inconsequential unless a prank was involved. Leon passed right through the kitchen, not stopping for the boxes. The captain hadn¡¯t come downstairs since Jun woke up. That left Mia, Roxie, and Angelo.


    Emil finally backed away from Aiden. ¡°...And let this be a lesson to you that the Interstellar Forces will not tolerate such flippant disregard for the rules!¡± How uncharacteristically commanding of him. This might¡¯ve been the first time Jun saw him frown. ¡°You have a pretty big task ahead of you, so now¡¯d be a perfect time to start.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Aiden agreed without the slightest bit of annoyance. Something¡¯s up.


    ¡°Jun, you¡¯re not busy are you? ¡®Cause I¡¯m gonna need ya to keep an eye on that one.¡± Emil gave them a wink and a smile. He let Aiden off the hook somehow, didn¡¯t he?


    ¡°I¡¯m searching for Angelo right now, but I can multitask.¡±


    ¡°Great! Anyway, see ya.¡± As if that didn¡¯t just happen, he breezily left for the gym.


    Aiden sat down on one of the nearby boxes and grabbed the pencil attached to the inventory sheet, while Jun finally stood up and leaned on the wall beside him.


    ¡°So, like, what¡¯s the punishment?¡± Jun asked.


    ¡°I gotta mark off what¡¯s missing from this box.¡± Aiden raised the sheet and pencil.


    While Jun could care less about solving the mystery of how Emil bent the rules this time, they figured it out almost right away. Packets of food filled the open box to the brim. There couldn¡¯t have been much for Aiden to count.


    ¡°Ohhh, bummer, dude.¡± They offered the flattest of sympathy. Part of them wondered if Emil had it in him to put his foot down, but they weren¡¯t too concerned about that. In fact, this arrangement worked out for them. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you about something.¡±


    Aiden grunted in acknowledgement.


    Through the door to their left, Jun saw Mia in the hallway. It¡¯d be really tacky if someone caught them gossiping about Angelo. Plus, the captain might be listening. They searched for the most graceful way to bring this up.


    ¡°You like a good conspiracy, right?¡± They began. ¡°Remember Matt from the Virgo? The dude who was at the lunch table with us. Kinda looks like Leon?¡± That was a stretch, aside from them both being plain-looking white guys with brown hair.


    Aiden searched in his head. ¡°...Barely.¡±


    ¡°Cool. His little,¡± brother would be too obvious, ¡°cousin joined the IF recently. He sent me a pic.¡±


    Jun took off their right glove to reveal their tablet in wristband form. They expanded it, scrolling through until they found the picture they wanted to show Aiden.


    ¡°That¡¯s him.¡± They pointed at ¡®Matt¡¯s cousin,¡¯ in actuality Angelo from a selfie Leon took in the infirmary, courtesy of Roxie.


    ¡°That¡¯s¨C!¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes went wide, then chilled out. ¡°So that¡¯s him, huh?¡± Good. He caught on. ¡°What¡¯s this conspiracy about?¡±


    Jun collapsed their tablet. ¡°I dunno if, like, my eyes are playing tricks on me, but don¡¯t you think he looks young for the IF?¡±


    Aiden mulled over it for a second. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s definitely a¨C¡±


    As he stopped dead in his tracks, Jun swore they detected a slight change in his expression.


    ¡°I was gonna say that¡¯s definitely a kid, but there¡¯s really no way to tell.¡± He changed his tune. ¡°You could say the same about Rookie. Come back with a better conspiracy next time.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you saw the picture. That kid looks way young!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± Aiden went back to counting pouches of space food. What came up that made him rather be working?


    Whatever it was, pressing on the picture wouldn¡¯t get Jun anywhere. They decided to steer this conversation into the hypothetical. ¡°I dunno, it just got me thinking. Like, I can¡¯t know for sure about Matt¡¯s cuz, but in theory, what if a kid did somehow sneak into the IF? What would you do?¡±


    ¡°Mind my business.¡± He stared at a pack of peas as if it were the most intriguing thing in the world, then counted the rest. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d tell someone.¡± Jun told him matter-of-factly. ¡°It¡¯s not safe for a kid to be here.¡±


    Aiden set a pouch of juice on the floor. ¡°It wasn¡¯t safe for you to sneak into the IF, but you did anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s totally not the same. I was an adult at the time.¡±


    He stared up at them. ¡°Yeah, but you knew good and well what coulda happened if someone ratted you out at the wrong time.¡±


    ¡°Only after I was too far gone.¡± Jun looked away in embarrassment. ¡°But it¡¯s not, like, inherently dangerous for me to be here. The IF was just different at the time.¡± They shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all cool now.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say ¡®all cool.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Mostly cool.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh.¡±


    ¡°Cooler?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Aiden lined up a bunch of packets on the ground. ¡°The IF¡¯s better off for you forcing them to lift that ban. I¡¯m just sayin¡¯ you woulda got hassled a lot more back then for having¨C¡±


    ¡°This situation going on.¡± Jun vaguely gestured to their body.


    ¡°¨Cthan some 17-year-old wandering in now.¡± Aiden erased some of his marks from the inventory sheet and wrote new ones. ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t wanna see a 10-year-old here, but I don¡¯t get the rules around teenagers. You can die in a war at 18 but can¡¯t drink until 21.¡± He nodded toward the gym. ¡°Blondie was 17 two weeks before we boarded. Did a coupla weeks really change him?¡±


    Jun did not know how to respond to that without throwing Emil under the bus.


    It must¡¯ve shown on their face. ¡°Or do you think he¡¯s still not capable?¡±


    ¡°We have child labor laws for a reason, dude.¡± They sidestepped the question. ¡°People would love to hire younger teens for this kinda thing if they could get away with it. Like, think about it. More employees with more energy who are less likely to catch on if they get taken advantage of. That¡¯s a shady boss¡¯s dream!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°If you lowered, say, enlistment to 17, there¡¯d be people arguing that a 16-year-old could do the same work, then 15, 14, 13¨CYou get where I¡¯m going. It¡¯d be like the steam age again.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Aiden set down some freeze-dried chicken.


    ¡°You never learned about that in school? Back in the day, they had kids running around factories getting their fingers sliced off and stuff.¡± Jun explained, to Aiden¡¯s surprise. ¡°All for extra labor.


    ¡°I was homeschooled. And I left at like 14-15.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± They slapped their forehead. ¡°Wait, you ran away that young?¡± That roughly matched what Angelo¡¯s age might be. Gears began to turn in their head. ¡°What was that like for you? If I remember correctly, you grew up way sheltered before that, right?¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think I had it easy as a kid. Was I terrible? Probably. You get called demonic enough times and see if you don¡¯t start acting the part.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, sorry.¡± Jun held their hands up. ¡°I just meant that you were kept away from the rest of the world.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. And even with how much I hated it there,¡± his face grew grim, ¡°I wasn¡¯t ready to be on my own.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± Now it was Jun¡¯s turn to be surprised. They didn¡¯t expect him to admit something like that so easily.


    ¡°Those first coupla years were rough.¡± His mouth formed a thin line. ¡°I had to learn quick. If I were any softer, I¡¯d¡­ A brat like me really shouldn¡¯ta survived.¡± He chuckled the kind of chuckle reserved for narrowly missing a bullet.


    ¡°Welp. You did.¡±


    ¡°And now it¡¯s everyone else¡¯s problem.¡± He closed his eyes, content.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Jun sombered up. ¡°Not everyone can survive in a sink or swim situation like that, though. Even the IF can be deadly without the proper training, mindset, all that kind of stuff. And you know how spotty the training can be. Remember what happened with Leon the first time he went jet training?¡±


    Joy spread across Aiden¡¯s face as he no doubt reminisced about Leon spinning uncontrollably through space. ¡°Good times.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, well that almost turned into a tragedy.¡± Jun reminded him. ¡°I doubt he got the same anti-grav training we did.¡±


    ¡°What are you talkin¡¯ about? None of the Earth bases got good anti-grav training.¡±


    ¡°But you and me were near the spaceport in SoCal, so we at least got some hands-on training with the simulators. Not as much as on a space base, but some. Smaller bases on Earth don¡¯t have that.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Roxie¡¯s didn¡¯t. They just kind of talked her group through it. Leon¡¯s from a town I never heard of, so I imagine he had a similar experience.¡±


    ¡°Yeesh, that¡¯s rough.¡± Aiden cringed.


    Jun prepared to drive their point home. ¡°Now imagine if Leon were any less mature, or paired with someone less capable than Mia. He might¡¯ve died. That¡¯s why I¡¯m worried about¨C


    The hallway door opened. Disappointment washed over Jun as they saw not Angelo, but Mia. She froze up as they and Aiden stared at her.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Jun broke the ice.


    ¡°Did I, uh, interrupt?¡± She looked warily between the two of them, clutching her water bottle.


    Aiden absentmindedly tossed another bag of pretzels. ¡°Nothin¡¯ important.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jun pushed themself off the wall, ¡°I¡¯m trying to prove that child labor is bad. You got any, like, teens in your life?¡±


    Mia inched toward the sink. ¡°A few.¡±


    ¡°How old are they?¡±


    ¡°14¨Cno, 15 now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect.¡± Jun sat at the table while she filled up her water bottle. ¡°How safe do you think they¡¯d be in the IF?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard enough to keep them alive on a normal basis¡­¡± The weariness in her voice made Jun wonder if these teens were related to her, but that wasn¡¯t important right now.


    ¡°Sounds like a handful. Anyway, here¡¯s the dilemma. We¡¯ve got a friend on another ship whose little cuz just joined the IF. He showed me a pic of him, and I¡¯m like 99% sure that kid¡¯s 15 or something. If I were on that ship, I¡¯d prolly alert someone about it. What would you do?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She stopped the sink. ¡°That seems like your friend¡¯s problem.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jun tried to hide their shock as well as ignore Aiden shrugging smugly behind them. ¡°Would you be worried at all, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the friend would know already, wouldn¡¯t he? He might try to pass them off as twins¨CI mean the same age, or something like that.¡± What a weird slip of the tongue. Did she suspect the Summers too? ¡°If I was close enough to the friend, I might try to talk to him about it.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, that makes sense. That¡¯s something I¡¯d try to do.¡± Jun already planned to talk to Leon. It was just a matter of getting him out of his room long enough. ¡°That really helped, thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome?¡± Hesitation hung on her words.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not gonna tell him, ¡®Hey, my friend Mia Wattson from the Celestion-5 told me to do this.¡¯¡±


    That got her to smile a little, but she suppressed it just as quickly. ¡°I should be going.¡±


    And she did.


    Aiden spoke up. ¡°Now that you wasted everyone¡¯s time with that goofy ¡®conspiracy¡¯, why don¡¯t I waste yours with a ¡®mystery¡¯?


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Jun walked back over to Aiden.


    He handed them the inventory sheet, a list of food items with eight squares under each. As expected, only three or four were crossed out.


    ¡°That covers everything in the box.¡± Aiden explained. ¡°So tell me, Officer Kim, what¡¯s all this stuff on the floor?¡±


    Crouching down, Jun compared the list to the array of packets on the ground. They wondered at first if Aiden may¡¯ve miscounted or if Emil somehow tricked him into carrying out an actual punishment. Strangely, the more they inspected, the more discrepancies piled up. Three too many packets of tuna salad, two extra packets of peas, two extra packets of cranberry juice, a curry packet that wasn¡¯t even listed for this box.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jun¡¯s eyes searched for answers, as if they¡¯d be written on the same sheet of paper that had given them so many questions. They only found new ones. ¡°The pretzels are all accounted for? But you just ate one!¡± They snatched the empty pretzel bag poking out from under the box Aiden sat on. ¡°Also dude, so not cool of you to litter.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Aiden held up another empty pretzel bag.


    ¡°Then¡­ what is this?¡± Jun looked at their own.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re the detective!¡±


    Jun inspected the bag like key evidence. ¡°Aww man, I wish I still had that fingerprinting kit I bought in college. This has to be related to the list being messed up. But how?¡± Glancing between the bag and the open box, they remembered something. ¡°Aiden.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°We never finished off the last box. There were, like, a buncha leftovers ¡®cause we didn¡¯t have an eighth person to eat them yet.¡± Their brows furrowed. ¡°But the only way this makes sense is if the culprit emptied that box and put the contents into this one. Why would someone do this, though?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. You seem happy about it, though.¡±


    It¡¯s true, they couldn¡¯t contain it. Aside from staking out the kitchen, they had no real clue on where Angelo hid. Figuring out this box mystery might at least establish something about his behavior. They finally had a lead!


    Jun stood up, surveying the group of cardboard boxes shoved into the corner of the kitchen, each bearing the same logo, an apple with a ring around it like Saturn. One of them had to be empty. Unfortunately, all of them being identical and in roughly the same condition made it hard to tell.


    But not impossible. The answer finally jumped out at them after sitting under their nose the whole time, or technically, under Aiden¡¯s butt.


    ¡°That¡¯s the empty box.¡± Jun pointed. ¡°You¡¯re sitting¡­ on it?¡±


    ¡°Is that really import¡­?¡± Aiden trailed off, the same question in his eyes as the one that hit Jun in the head like a brick.


    ¡°Hey, Kelly?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°If that box is, like, empty, how come you¡¯re able to sit on it?¡±¡±


    Aiden shared their confusion until suddenly his eyes went wide. His eyes fell toward the box, and he started cursing under his breath.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Answering their own question, Jun¡¯s eyes glued to the pretzel bag under their foot. Gusts of air pushed it up and down rhythmically. Like breathing. It came from a hole in the corner of the ¡®empty¡¯ box.


    Boxes didn¡¯t breathe.


    ¡°Get up, I need to check that right now.¡±


    Aiden rose from the box, maintaining eye contact the entire time. Instead of standing all the way, he scooted one of the other boxes under him, propping his feet on the one he originally sat on.


    ¡°Aiden, I¡¯m not joking.¡±


    ¡°Me either.¡±


    Jun stood firm, while Aiden sat, stubborn. As the former gauged whether or not they could tackle Aiden down long enough to lift the box, their eyes fell to the pretzel bag again. It rose and fell. Whatever¨Cor whoever¨Cwas inside could still breathe. From the looks of it, the source of breathing was pressed right against the hole. Good sign.


    They backed away calmly, keeping eyes on Aiden the entire time. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into you,¡± the pretzel bag went into the garbage can, ¡°but I¡¯m not leaving until I search that box.¡± Finally, they took their seat back at the table. ¡°That kid doesn¡¯t belong here.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s worse places for him than the IF.¡± Aiden spoke. ¡°I would know.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it safe.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make prison safe, either.¡± So that¡¯s what bugged him.


    ¡°How do you know that¡¯s where he¡¯ll end up?¡±


    ¡°They were planning to throw you in a cell for less.¡±


    Jun wished they could grab their copy of the Interstellar Forces Handbook, but if they left for a second, they risked Aiden shooing their target off to a new hiding location.


    ¡°Better not fall asleep again.¡± He smirked as if he read their mind. Annoying.


    ¡°Hope you don¡¯t hafta use the bathroom anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°If that time comes, I guess I¡¯ll find out how leak-proof these jumpsuits really are.¡±


    Jun grimaced. They knew better than to doubt him. A glance at the ceiling reminded them of one other option they had: Alerting the captain. The catch was that it¡¯d surely jeopardize Aiden¡¯s continued service. While stubborn¨Cand gross¨Che didn¡¯t act out of malice, nor did he threaten any lives, and Jun didn¡¯t hate him enough to get him kicked out.


    There¡¯s worse places for him than the IF.

 [The Confession] Ch 5. The Ghost of the Celestion-5

    Angelo awoke with a jump. Another nightmare. The one time he could get away with sleeping all day, and he just had to go and develop recurring nightmares before he was able to enjoy it. Hopefully, no one saw him move. Did anyone enter the kitchen while he slept? How long had he been out? Minutes, hours, a day?


    Time ceased to exist inside of the box. Light too. Sound, while muffled, could still be heard, and what Angelo heard was snoring. Really loud snoring. That, or someone decided to use a tiny buzzsaw in the kitchen.


    Nothing else made noise, so he decided to take a risk and prop up the box to look around. He only saw one pair of feet through the crack, presumably belonging to the snorer.


    Like the weirdest-looking hermit crab, he struggled out of his box, looking up at both doors to make sure no one was about to open them. The coast was clear, so he took yet another risk and stood up.


    Light assaulted his eyes as he fought to keep them open. His spine ached more than usual, making him wonder if Emil used him as a seat again. Dizzy and disoriented, dots smattered his vision. He might¡¯ve fainted if he hadn¡¯t propped a hand against the wall.


    After gaining his bearings, he noticed two things. One, the clock read 4:46 PM, much earlier than when he normally ventured out. Two, Jun¡¯s head lay face down on the table, dark bangs splayed all over the place. How surreal it was to see a national icon in such an ungraceful moment. How #relatable.


    Angelo tip-toed through the kitchen so as to not wake Jun. The crinkle of a space food packet under his foot nearly made him shriek. Just his luck, a bunch were piled on the floor. He wondered who would even do something like that until he remembered being the one to dump them all out. But he put them in the other box days ago, right? Was it days ago? Didn¡¯t he eat a bag of pretzels? He should¡¯ve learned by now not to trust his own memory.


    He thought about putting them away, but steps from the stairwell forced him to retreat into the safety of the empty hallway. The snoring stopped abruptly, followed by some frustrated muttering. Heart pounding in his chest, he took one last glance at the kitchen to make sure they couldn¡¯t see him. Instead, he saw something far worse.


    Captain Galhardo entered the kitchen. He and Angelo would¡¯ve made eye contact had Jun not captured his attention first. Angelo dropped to the ground in order not to be seen.


    ¡°Ranger Kim, why are these food packets on the floor?¡±


    Jun yawned. ¡°Sorry, Captain. Me and Aiden found those in the other box where they didn¡¯t belong. I meant to put them back in, but time kinda got away from me.¡±


    ¡°I happened to hear some of your conversation with Ranger Kelly while checking through the camera feeds.¡± It creeped Angelo that he admitted it so casually, at least, as casual as Captain Galhardo could be. ¡°Was there something of importance being kept inside? Something related to a minor being in the Interstellar Forces?¡±


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    Angelo froze up. Did Emil tell him? No, that made no sense. If Emil told him, the captain probably would¡¯ve brought it up during training by now.


    ¡°Uhhhh, we were talking about a friend¡¯s relative.¡± Thank goodness Jun didn¡¯t know. ¡°Though I¡¯ll admit I don¡¯t 100% know if he¡¯s a minor or not. As for what¡¯s in the box¡­?¡±


    At this point, both were close enough to the door that Angelo could see them crouch down.


    ¡°Huh. Nothing.¡±


    Instinct took over, and he crawled away toward the bathroom. He made it past the first bedroom, then the next, but a noise coming from the infirmary stopped him in his tracks.


    Sniffling. ¡­Crying?


    A door opened behind him. All of his vital organs might as well have stopped then and there.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± A gruff voice whispered.


    Aiden, one of the least bad options, stood in the doorway of the first bedroom. He looked down on Angelo like a lowly worm. Haggard and panicked on his hands and knees, Angelo felt he¡¯d truly earned it.


    "Aiden, is something there?¡± came another voice from inside.


    Angelo scrambled into the bathroom before he heard the answer, finally standing on two feet in order to open the furthest stall from the door. He sat on the toilet seat with his head in his hands. His heart filled with dread. His bones shook from the plea not to hear the bathroom door open, not to hear that second voice again.


    Living in a box surviving on chips and juice packets was not the original plan. The original plan was just to avoid Leon. He knew he couldn¡¯t dare return to ¡®his¡¯ room that fateful day, and the ship is only so big. A risk of running into his brother lurked in every corner. Sometime after the incident, he was in the kitchen, alone, reaching for a bag of chips when he heard a door in the hallway open. The rest just kind of happened.


    It wasn¡¯t Leon. The relief that followed soon turned into a new fear: What if the others reminded Leon of his existence? Angelo knew his crime went far beyond forgiveness. The least he could do was disappear for a few days or longer if needed. Maybe they¡¯d all forget. He¡¯d become something of a ghost.


    Angelo listened to the voices come and go, from laughter to idle conversations. Rarely did his brother¡¯s join them. The few times Leon spoke, the brightness in his voice never came through. Just a week ago, his voice would¡¯ve been a fixture around the ship. Now, it¡¯s all but silent, and Angelo had to sit in a dark box knowing he¡¯s the one who dimmed such a bright light. How dare he cry while causing Leon¡¯s tears?


    He washed his hands after using the bathroom. He may have been disgusting but not barbaric. Water ran over the burns on his hands; they started to peel and the pain had mostly disappeared. His mind thought back to Emil. Why did he, knowing what Angelo did, still decide to help him anyway? Why hadn¡¯t he told the captain yet?


    While selfish, Angelo couldn¡¯t deny that his heart broke at the thought of Leon never smiling at him again, but at least he was still capable of doing so, thanks to Emil.


    He brought back Leon¡¯s light, if even just for a while. Maybe if Angelo remained a ghost, he could bring it back for good.

 [The Confession] Ch 6. Asking for a Friend

    Leon¡¯s teeth idly prodded at his second cheese wheel of the day. He meant to go back out and look for his brother, but invisible forces kept him on his bed with his eyes glued to his phone, mainly the force of just not feeling it. Even texting his parents to thank them for the care package took a lot out of him.


    ¡®I¡¯m happy you¡¯re enjoying it.¡¯ His eyes drifted over the text his mother sent back. ¡®How kind for your crew to throw you a party. I¡¯m sure it was a welcome distraction from everything.¡¯


    The party, what a good time. Leon remembered it like it was yesterday. He checked the time to see that It had only been a few hours ago.


    ¡®Let me know when you¡¯re available to talk on the phone. Don¡¯t worry about calling in the middle of the night. Know that I¡¯m here for you anytime, for anything. <3¡¯


    She didn¡¯t have to tell him that. Leon knew from experience that he could talk to his parents about anything. He told them almost everything, it¡¯s just that the ¡®almost¡¯ part grew to be a lot more than he could handle on his own. It helped to talk to a friend during times like this. Unfortunately, all of his available friends were his crewmates, and telling them would risk Angelo¡¯s safety.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± Aiden stood in their doorway, looking out at something. Leon had honestly forgotten him being in the room.


    ¡°Aiden, is something there?¡±


    Aiden looked back at him, paused for a moment, then re-entered the room. ¡°Nothing for you to worry about.¡±


    Leon¡¯s curiosity led him to the doorway. He heard a door shut, but by the time he looked where Aiden did, the hallway was empty. ¡°Aww man, I missed it.¡±


    To his right, he did catch a glimpse of Jun through the kitchen window. He spent all of his tears in the past three days, but thanks to them, he no longer felt guilty about being sad on his birthday. Along with the party and most of the care package¨CLeon buried the picture under the cheese wheels¨Che held their words fondly in his heart.


    ¡®If something¡¯s ever, like, on your mind and you wanna talk it out¡­¡¯


    Oh, how he¡¯d love to take them up on that offer.


    ¡°Did the captain leave yet?¡± Aiden propped his head up from his bed.


    ¡°No, not yet.¡± Leon watched him drop back onto his pillow, but that wasn¡¯t what kept him staring. Looking at Aiden reminded him that he¡¯d been able to talk about Angelo today. As long as he was clever, he should be able to with Jun, too!


    ¡°What¡¯re you staring for?¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He stole Aiden¡¯s line and left the room.


    Leon entered the kitchen to see Captain Galhardo¡¯s cape billowing around, its owner giving him a bone-chilling glance. Jun¡¯s eyes, on the other hand, were much more friendly.


    ¡°Hey Jun, hi Captain.¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Hello, Ranger Summers.¡± the captain spoke. ¡°How has your¡­ search gone?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Captain, I meant to look for ¨¢ngie, but I got distracted talking to my mom.¡±


    ¡°Your honesty is appreciated.¡± He adjusted his hat. ¡°I¡¯d reprimand you for your inaction, but according to Ranger Kim, focusing on a select few areas may be the better plan. Have you seen or heard anything suspicious lately?¡± His eyes bore into Leon.


    Leon wanted to sigh in relief, but found it hard to in front of the captain. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything¡­ Wait! I¡¯m pretty sure Aiden saw something in the hallway. You should ask him!¡±


    Captain Galhardo mulled over his response for a moment. ¡°Thank you, Ranger Summers. I will go question him.¡±


    With a swoosh of his cape, the captain left Leon and Jun alone in the kitchen.


    ¡°I was thinking about what you said earlier, and¨C¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Jun snapped out of wincing.


    ¡°I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.¡±


    ¡°Anything, dude.¡± They smiled down on him.


    Leon took a deep breath. ¡°So, I have this friend, and he¡¯s made quite a big mess for himself right now, and I don¡¯t know what to do for him.¡±


    ¡°What kind of mess are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± He tried to choose his words carefully, ¡°he¨C¡±


    Just then, Captain Galhardo passed back through the kitchen and into the stairwell. It occurred to Leon that this might not be the best room to talk about such a private issue.


    ¡°Hey, uh, Jun, if it¡¯s okay with you, can we move somewhere else to talk about this?¡±


    Jun sucked air through their teeth, looking around, deep in thought. ¡°Okay, where can we¡­?¡± Something in the stairway caught their attention. ¡°What about the entrance to the generator room? No one really goes there, plus I can keep an eye on the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°That works for me.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± They waved him along with a hand.


    Leon trailed behind Jun as they ventured across the stairway. The two finally entered the short hallway leading to the generator room. Leon sometimes visited the generator room to look at the glowing pipes, but he never paid this area much mind. It was almost surreal to stay here for more than a second.


    Jun leaned against one of the walls. ¡°Alright, shoot.¡±


    ¡°My friend ran away from home.¡± Leon started.


    ¡°Aww man, that¡¯s rough. How old is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be 16 soon.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s not even 16 yet.¡± rephrased Jun. ¡°Do you have any idea where he ran off to?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Leon admitted, ¡°I know exactly where he is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice. So, have you told anyone yet, or¡­?¡± They folded their arms. ¡°I¡¯m gonna guess no, otherwise this would be very cut-and-dry.¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t told anyone yet. I really want to!¡± he declared with all of his heart. ¡°It¡¯s been eating away at me for the past few days, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


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    ¡°Like I said, he¡¯s gotten himself into a big mess. He committed a¨Cshoot, probably a couple crimes to get where he is right now, and if I say anything, he might go to prison. So I asked Aiden about what chance someone like my friend might have there, and it wasn¡¯t good.¡± He pushed past the lump in his throat. ¡°I want him to go home, but I don¡¯t want him to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Jun bobbed their head sympathetically. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Something in the kitchen broke their attention, but Leon couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°Sorry. Thought I saw something.¡± They focused back on Leon. ¡°But yeah, I understand how that would be a tough situation. Though Aiden¡¯s probably speaking from experience. He went to a pretty rough jail and really shouldn¡¯t have been there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what he told me.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re, like, cool with telling me, what exactly did your friend do?¡±


    ¡°Actually, he did something kind of similar to how you got in the IF. I think he faked his documents to get he¨CI mean, into a different place, not the IF.¡± A little bit of hope sparked in Leon despite the slip of the tongue. If anyone would know how to handle this, it would be Jun.


    ¡°So not like a fake ID?¡±


    ¡°No, no, much bigger than that.¡±


    Jun sighed. ¡°I wish my personal experience could help you more, but I didn¡¯t actually fake my documents to get into the IF. I just changed my gender marker. Legally. I¡¯m still male as far as the law is concerned. Technically, I should be rooming with you and Aiden, but the IF kinda made an exception for me ever since I was found out.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Leon¡¯s mood deflated. "Wait, but didn''t you still need to change your birth certificate?"


    "Oh yeeeeah." They thought for a moment. ¡°That situation''s a little more complicated. But if that¡¯s all he did, especially if he¡¯s a first-time offender, he should end up in a better prison than Aiden for sure.¡±


    ¡°Aiden told me that people who did bad enough fraud could end up in a prison like his.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fraud. What your friend did would fall under forgery. In fact, let me check something. You guys are from Nevada, right?¡± Jun took off their phone band, expanding it to tablet size. They typed on it for a bit before looking puzzled at something. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡±


    ¡°I was gonna look up forgery penalties in your state, but it blocked me. See?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Leon read the message. ¡°¡®Some results have been blocked in accordance with the United States Domestic Information Privacy Act?¡¯ But we¡¯re on an American ship.¡±


    ¡°I know right? Bogus.¡± Jun strapped their tablet back on their wrist. ¡°But if I remember right, if he goes to prison and how long he goes in for is gonna depend on whether he faked the documents himself or if he bought it off of someone, if he used it to steal from anyone, that kind of stuff.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I have no idea about any of that¡­¡±


    ¡°There also might be, like, a fine for his family. I know the possibility of him going to prison isn¡¯t ideal,¡± they sympathized, ¡°but he shouldn¡¯t be in physical danger.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Relief washed over Leon. ¡°I could chip in money for the fine if it comes to that! There¡¯s not much I¡¯ll be able to do with it in space anyway.¡±


    Jun smiled, but soon, the smile faded. ¡°Take it from me, your friend really doesn¡¯t wanna have the guilt of running away hanging over his head. Like, I still regret ditching my parents to join the IF. It¡¯s the kind of grief you never truly feel like you can make up for.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, really? I guess I can kind of understand. People¡­ miss him a lot. I know.¡± The tearful voices of his parents over the phone, the hurt that spilled from their every word, the hopeless feeling of not being able to tell them, all of it came to mind. He shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re terrified. I feel awful even covering for him.¡±


    ¡°Aww man, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s probably best for everyone if he just goes back home.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think so, too.¡± While saddened about remembering his family¡¯s pain, Leon felt hopeful knowing they might not have to suffer much longer. The idea of telling the captains even pumped him up. ¡°Thanks, Jun, that really¨C¡±


    Uneasiness replaced Leon¡¯s hope. While his main fears were taken care of, a new one popped up in its place: How would Captain Galhardo feel knowing Leon didn¡¯t tell him about Angelo¡¯s age earlier? Surely, he¡¯d understand if Leon told him what led him to believe his brother¡¯s stay was only temporary. Maybe they could laugh about it!


    ¡­Had he ever seen the captain laugh before?


    ¡°Leon?¡± Jun waved a hand in front of his face. ¡°Something up?¡±


    Leon shook himself back into the real world. ¡°Oh. I was just wondering what would happen if the captain got wind of this. I¡¯ve been covering for my friend, even if I didn¡¯t mean to at first. Wouldn¡¯t that be a crime too?¡±


    ¡°If it had nothing to do with the IF, I don¡¯t see why he¡¯d need to know, but,¡± they shared his concern, ¡°if it did¡­ A lot of punishments here are doled out based on what a commanding officer sees fit.¡± Their finger stroked their chin. ¡°He¡¯s weirdly lenient with them despite how seriously he takes the rules. But I don¡¯t know for sure.¡±


    That didn¡¯t sound reassuring. Worst case scenario, Leon might get kicked out of the IF. He¡¯d be torn away from his new friends. His dreams would crumble to stardust, forever out of his reach.


    ¡°Hey, hey.¡± Jun noticed his watery eyes. ¡°This is a big decision. If you¡¯re, like, absolutely certain that your friend is safe right now, you don¡¯t have to make it right away, okay? Give it some thought. You seem like you care a lot about your friend, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make the right choice, even if it¡¯s hard.¡±


    Leon sniffled, wiping his tears. ¡°Thanks, Jun. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t tell you everything right now, but somehow,¡± he smiled, ¡°you still know exactly what to say.¡±


    ¡°Glad I could help. I¡¯ll leave the rest up to you.¡± A warm smile crossed their face. It might¡¯ve just been Leon, but even they looked a little down. ¡°Need anything else?¡±


    ¡°No. I think I¡¯m all talked out for now.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m headed back to the kitchen.¡± They pressed a hand against the transparent door. ¡°You comin¡¯ with?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Leon followed Jun back across the stairway area, chest heavy with conflicting feelings. Some part of him held onto the hope that his family¡¯s suffering would end soon and that Angelo would be safe, but the idea that today might be one of his last on the ship was too much for him to bear. He¡¯d miss floating among the stars. He¡¯d miss the ship. Still, he appreciated getting the chance to be here in the first place.


    All the time in the world didn¡¯t feel like enough to help him sort out his emotions.


    ¡°Hail and well met, travellers!¡± Roxie shocked him out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Hey, Rox.¡± greeted Jun.


    Leon managed a smile. ¡°Hi, Roxie.¡±


    Her eyes laser-focused on his. She tilted her head, concerned. ¡°Your eyes are red. Is it from sadness or conjunctivitis?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that second one is, but it¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°Oh noooo! Would you like a hug?¡± she opened her arms. ¡°A pinch or two to turn your frown upside down? The rousing tale of how I¡¯m pretty sure I saw your brother vanish into thin air?¡±


    ¡°Rox,¡± Jun¡¯s eyes glanced between her and Leon, ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s really feeling it right now.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve spent enough time in my room this week. I wanna stay out here for a little bit. Just¡­ don¡¯t mind me if I start crying for no reason.¡± Leon laughed.


    ¡°Okie-dokie! As your ship¡¯s medical professional, I can guarantee you that distractions are a proven effective treatment for melancholy.¡± She wagged a finger authoritatively.


    That brought a smile to Leon¡¯s face. He had to agree that distractions helped him in the past.


    ¡°Have you shown him pictures of your dad yet?¡± A new voice entered the room.


    It was Emil, and he carried a small box of some kind.


    ¡°O-Oh no, I haven¡¯t yet. I need to find my phone!¡± Roxie nearly sped toward the hallway.


    ¡°It¡¯s on your wrist.¡± Jun pointed out.


    Roxie examined the blue band on her wrist. ¡°...Ha. So it is. Ho-ho-ho! What would I do without you, Junzie?¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Emil handed the box to Leon, ¡°there you are! I was just lookin¡¯ for ya! Forgot to give you this for your birthday. Consider it a gift from me and the captain.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Leon examined the dark blue box.


    ¡°Why don¡¯tcha open it and find out~?¡± He winked.


    Leon lifted the lid to find a folded sheet inside, covered with stars. He unfolded it to reveal exactly what he expected. It was a constellation map, but with the way his mouth dropped, it might as well have been a treasure map. Of course, stars were already treasure enough. It also came with a booklet to identify constellations.


    ¡°Emil¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯ll have one for the ship!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Emil¡¯s words took on a bittersweetness now that Leon knew he might soon be shipped back to Earth, but he tried not to let that get to him. If these truly were his last days on the Celestion-5, he¡¯d rather not waste them all moping in his room. What better way to end things than to enjoy the sights, sounds, and people he¡¯d grown to love here?


    ¡°Does anyone wanna go stargazing with me?¡±


    ¡°What about finding Muffinhead?¡± asked Roxie.


    ¡°Oh. Right. Angelo. ¡° Leon looked at the constellation map in his hand. As much trouble as his brother caused, he promised to take him stargazing. It¡¯d be a shame if he missed out. He put the map back in the box. ¡°Maybe we should look for him together!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that.¡± Emil responded. ¡°It¡¯s not like our ¡®battle¡¯ was going anywhere. What say you, Roxie?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the strategically worse option, but how can I say no to faces like that?¡± Roxie cooed. ¡°Junzie?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d go with you,¡± Jun sat down at the table, ¡°but I¡¯m already busy looking for Angelo.¡±


    Everyone else shared a puzzled glance.


    ¡°Well, onward we go!¡± declared Roxie.


    She offered an arm to Leon, who offered an arm to Emil. Linked together, they marched forward on their search. They had to unhook to fit through the door, but Leon knew that no matter what happened, the people on this ship would be linked to his heart forever. That included Angelo too. If only he could prove it to him.

 [The Confession] Ch 7. Midnight Confession

    ¡°Geez!¡± Emil tapped the top of the kitchen door frame as he entered. ¡°Where the heck is he hiding? We searched this place top-to-bottom at least 3-4 times since yesterday.¡±


    ¡°It was nice seeing everything again.¡± Leon sighed dreamily. ¡°If only I could commit this place to memory¡­¡±


    ¡°Leon, you alright, buddy? You¡¯ve been talking like you¡¯re gonna die soon.¡±


    Roxie practically jumped in front of him. ¡°Are you experiencing any worrying symptoms? A strange mole or perhaps a lump? I can check on them! And unless it¡¯s something really aggressive, we should be able to treat you at the Moon Base within a week!¡± She snagged Emil¡¯s arm. ¡°If you¡¯re uncomfortable with me checking it, my lovely assistant can¨C¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, Roxie, I don¡¯t need anything checked, I don¡¯t think.¡± Leon cut in. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Well, you guys¡¯ll probably hear about it soon enough.¡± He walked ahead of them. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m gonna hit the shower. I¡¯ll let you know if I have any weird moles if I find any!¡± Judging by his smile, he completely missed the point of her asking.


    ¡°Yes! Please do!¡± She shouted after him.


    Leon made his exit, finally leaving the two of them alone so Emil could ask what the heck that was about. He decided to go for a more delicate approach in the hopes that she didn¡¯t run from the conversation.


    ¡°Hey, uh, Roxie?¡± He pivoted toward her. ¡°How¡¯ve you been? I haven¡¯t really seen you around before we all started searching together.¡±


    Roxie gave him a 1000-watt smile, bright and artificial. Something about it seemed almost knowing. ¡°I am well, but, waaaugh,¡± she yawned dramatically, ¡°I¡¯m so, so sweepy~¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s only 8:30.¡± Emil read from the microwave clock. As far as he knew, only Lorenzo was a good enough boy to go to bed before 9.


    ¡°Oh my! So close to my bedtime!¡± She backed away toward the hallway door. ¡°I hear my pillow calling meeee~ It¡¯s important not to disturb your circadian rhythm, you know. So I bid you a goodnighty-bye-bye!¡± With one last wave, Roxie disappeared into the hall.


    ¡°...¡¯Night, Roxie.¡± He might as well have been talking to the door.


    She ran away. Of course she ran away, he would¡¯ve done the same a few months ago. So strange of her to reach out to him when burnout had him feeling down, only to not take a helping hand in return. That¡¯s what he thought until he realized he also would¡¯ve done that a few months ago. Maybe even now, depending on the circumstance.


    Did she think people would leave the second she stopped making them smile? He only had his own experience to go off of. She shouldn¡¯t feel the need to be held to such an exhausting routine. He, on the other hand, liked the results too much to stop.


    That didn¡¯t mean he never felt tired. Between his everyday duties, the party planning, the searching, and the situation he spent so much energy trying to ignore, he felt stretched out in all directions.


    With no one around to see it, he slumped on the kitchen table.


    Someone entered the kitchen.


    ¡°Whoops, did I wake you?¡± It was Jun.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just goofin¡¯ around.¡± He sat back up. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    They looked around. ¡°Still haven¡¯t found him yet?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Why? You have any ideas of where he might be?¡±


    Instead of answering right away, Jun sat down next to him, motioning for him to lean closer. ¡°I have a hunch.¡± They spoke in a hushed tone. ¡°Did you hear about the box you asked Aiden to sort yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Lorie said something about someone dumping packets from one box into the other.¡± Emil remembered him being weirdly suspicious about it, as if it were part of the Summers¡¯ secret sinister schemes. ¡°We couldn¡¯t figure out why anybody would do that. What¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring it up ¡®cause I thought he wouldn¡¯t hide in the same place twice, but¨C¡±


    The door opened again. This time, Aiden stepped into the kitchen.


    Jun¡¯s seriousness evaporated. ¡°¡®Sup, Aiden?¡±


    Aiden eyed the two of them suspiciously.


    ¡°Hey, we were just talking about¨C¡± Emil changed course after feeling a tap from Jun¡¯s foot, ¡°¨Chow Jun gets their hair in that cool style, but I guess it¡¯s a mystery!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what¡¯s so mysterious about curlers and a fade.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you know about the curl¨C??¡± Jun cleared their throat into a cooler persona. ¡°Aw dang. I guess the secret¡¯s out.¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­ need anything?¡± Emil got the impression that this situation was a lot more tense than Jun tried to play it off as.


    ¡°Forgery¡¯s not as bad as fraud?¡± Aiden completely ignored Emil.


    Jun sighed for reasons unknown. ¡°...Yeah.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I needed to know. I just wanted to make sure since you¡¯re the expert.¡±


    ¡°Hello, hey, I can¡¯t help but notice the weird atmosphere right now.¡± Emil spoke up. ¡°Is something going on with you guys?¡±


    Jun stood up, shrugging. ¡°Eh, it probably doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Sorry to leave so soon, but I think I¡¯ll crash early tonight.¡± They held open the door for Aiden. ¡°After you.¡±


    ¡°You go first.¡± offered Aiden. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want you snoring at the table again.¡±


    There was a brief pause.


    ¡°Won¡¯t have to.¡± Jun left the kitchen without another word.


    Aiden leaned against the closed door, shaking his head. Under his breath, he muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t even know why I bother.¡±


    ¡°With what exactly?¡±


    He stared at Emil for what felt like a solid minute, not annoyed, but focused. His mouth nearly opened to say something, but he looked away before he did. ¡°He¡¯s right. It probably doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡±


    Aiden left the kitchen.


    ¡°No one¡¯s having a normal night tonight, huh?¡± Emil asked no one in particular.


    Awake and alone, he stood up to commit to his least favorite part of the day: Night watch. Emil patrolled the ship every night from 8:00 PM until 2:00 AM to watch for ¡®threats¡¯ or issues.


    Only boredom kept him company during these nights. Frustration and confusion decided to tag along tonight. Thanks to Jun and Aiden¡¯s psychic mind games, he was left without a clue of where Angelo might be hiding.


    ¡°Welp, Ange, I guess it¡¯s just you and me again.¡± Recently, Emil had taken to talking as if Angelo were in any room with him. It¡¯s always a possibility. ¡°You¡¯re tuning to Emil¡¯s Late Night Stories. I¡¯ll be your host this evening and every evening. It wouldn¡¯t be the same show without me. I mean, my name¡¯s in the title! But let¡¯s get to the story of the night. Any callers wanna make a suggestion?¡±


    Emil strained his ears, hoping to hear Angelo¡¯s tiny voice, but it never came.


    ¡°No callers? No callers. Okay. Guess I¡¯m gonna hafta pick again.¡±


    While making his rounds, Emil told a meandering recount of something or another¨Che¡¯d forgotten the original story by the third or fourth tangent. He amused himself a little by responding to ¡°Angelo¡¯s¡± silent reactions, but he¡¯d give anything to be talking to the real deal even if neither were ready to deal with the other. Still, the one-sided conversation continued.


    ¡°...And that¡¯s how I showed him what happens when you mess with my big bro!¡± Emil made a triumphant return to the kitchen, flexing his arms.


    Someone clapped, freezing him on the spot.


    ¡°I only caught the tail end of that, but I¡¯m sure the rest was great.¡± Leon closed the hallway door behind him. He wore his pajamas. ¡°Were you talking to someone?¡±


    ¡°Y¨CNo¡­? Sorta.¡± Emil struggled to explain the situation in a way that looked good, so he gave up. ¡°I¡¯m kinda just losin¡¯ my mind over here.¡± He noticed the microwave clock crawling toward midnight. ¡°Anyway, what are you doing up?¡±


    Leon frowned. His eyes wandered the ceiling and the floor as he fiddled with the box in his hands. The constellation map? ¡°I was hoping I could talk to the captain about something.¡±


    The air grew heavier. It weighed down on both of them.


    ¡°Is he still up?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ working on something important right now.¡± Emil answered as Lorenzo would¡¯ve wanted him to. He called it authorized lying, his brother called it a technicality: Sleeping was important.


    ¡°At this time of night? But he¡¯s up so early¡­¡± Leon¡¯s eyebrows scrunched up with the most sincere concern. ¡°I hope he¡¯s getting enough sleep.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be able to talk to him for a moment? It¡¯s something kind of¨Csuper important.¡± He shuffled his feet. ¡°Also, does my hair look neat enough?¡±


    ¡°It looks fine.¡± Emil smiled calmly to reassure him. To reassure both of them, actually. It took every muscle in his body not to shake from nerves. ¡°But you prolly won¡¯t be able to catch him until later in the morning.¡± He stepped forward, though he felt backed into a corner, running out of ways to run away from this situation. ¡°Get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Leon also stepped forward, ¡°since you¡¯re still up, do you mind if I tell you first? I figure at least one of you should know.¡±


    Such a pleading face prevented the word ¡®no¡¯ from forming on Emil¡¯s lips. ¡°Why not?¡± He tried to give him a smile. ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Leon set the constellation map down, but stopped before sitting. ¡°Wait¡­ I don¡¯t think anyone will get up at this time, but¡­¡± He looked back at the hallway door.


    ¡°Afraid someone¡¯s gonna hear us? We can talk in Spanish if you want.¡± Emil took a page out of Leon¡¯s book.


    ¡°Oh, good idea!¡± Leon sat down at the opposite end of the table. ¡°I mean, buena idea!¡±


    Emil let out a chuckle. Leon sounded so much more like himself this time around, nothing like the cold, emotionless tone he took on in the incinerator room. It still sent a chill up his spine.


    ¡°Qu¨¦ pasaaaa?¡± He leaned back calmly.


    Leon continued in Spanish. ¡°It¡¯s about Angelo. He¡­¡± He fumbled for a moment. ¡°Sorry, I thought I had this more prepared in my head.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Take your time.¡± Emil didn¡¯t try to stop his leg from bouncing under the table.


    ¡°Angelo¡­ isn¡¯t my twin brother. He¡¯s only 15 right now. I-I didn¡¯t know he was¨CI thought he was just going to visit for a little while and go back.¡± Hurt and confusion welled up on Leon¡¯s face. ¡°Next thing I know, I find out he ran away from home, he¡¯s been lying to you guys, lying to me, lying to our family, he almost threw my mobile phone into the fire, I don¡¯t even know how he got into the IF, and¡­ and¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot to be going through alone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry, Leon. I wish I could help you out.¡±


    He took a deep breath, smiling a little. ¡°You are. It¡¯s all still too much, but I can¡¯t tell you how much better I feel finally telling someone. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell my mom and dad. It¡¯s killing me inside. Telling you,¡± hope shined through his watery eyes, ¡°makes me feel like I can do it again. And again if I have to. I just really needed to get this out of my head.¡±


    Emil wanted to tell him how much braver Leon was, but that would open up questions he¡¯s too cowardly to answer. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve done much at all. Glad I helped, though.¡±


    ¡°Ah, and the party!¡± Leon¡¯s smile grew bright. ¡°That party really kept me going, you don¡¯t even know! I¡¯m so grateful for everything you¡¯ve done for me. Not just now, but¡­ everything! I¡¯ll always think of you as my friend.¡±


    ¡°Of course, man.¡±


    ¡°Everyone here, you¡¯ll always be my friends.¡±


    Unease crept over Emil. ¡°...Why does it sound like you¡¯re saying goodbye?¡±


    Leon pushed the constellation box back and forth with his hands, seemingly unsure of whether to slide it across the table. ¡°More than anything, I want my brother to be safe. If I get kicked out of the crew, then I¡¯m happy I got the chance to be here.¡± He slid the box over to Emil. ¡°And I won¡¯t be needing this. I hope you¡¯re able to get a refund.¡±


    Emil let the box hit his hand. ¡°Kicked out?? What the heck are you talking about??¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how the captain¡¯s gonna react to me not telling him right away.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t know!¡± Not that Lorenzo was in the mood to believe that.


    ¡°I had the past 5 days to tell him.¡± Leon made the exact point Lorenzo would¡¯ve. ¡°Jun told me punishments are often decided by commanding officers. Oh right, that¡¯s what I meant to ask you! Since you know him best, what do you think he¡¯ll do?¡±


    Emil stayed silent.


    ¡°Emil?¡±


    He avoided Leon¡¯s eyes. His hands tapped against the table.


    ¡°...Is it complicated?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee he¡¯ll let you stay.¡± The words hurt to say. ¡°He¡¯s already in kind of a weird mood right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see. I¡¯ll enjoy my last days here. As long as Angelo is safe and doesn¡¯t go to too bad of a prison¨C¡±


    ¡°Woah, woah, woah! Prison??¡± Emil shot up, alert.


    ¡°Well yeah, he had to have faked his documents to get here. That¡¯s illegal¡­¡±


    He stood up from the table, pacing in panic. ¡°How did I not even think about that?? Prison?? Angelo in prison?? No!¡± Leon nearly asked a question, but Emil stopped him. ¡°No no no no no!¡±


    ¡°Wait, Emil! I was able to sneak and ask Jun about it. His crime¨Cforgery¡± Leon spoke the word in English, ¡°¨Cshouldn¡¯t land him in that bad of a place! He should be safe.¡±


    So that¡¯s what Jun and Aiden were talking about. But Emil had bigger concerns. ¡°What about what happened to your grandpa? You still don¡¯t know if he put him in the hospital or not! That¡¯s way worse than forgery!¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes widened in realization. ¡°...Oh. I forgot.¡± Fear took over. ¡°I forgot. That¡¯s¨CNo, I can¡¯t risk him getting arrested over that! Plus the forgery? That¡¯s bound to put him in a dangerous prison! But what am I gonna tell the captain?¡±


    Emil placed his hands down on the table. ¡°I love my brother to death, but I can guarantee you he¡¯s not gonna be cool about this. The police¡¯ll find out.¡±


    ¡°What about my parents? I have to tell them something!¡±


    He thought back on a life of assumed surveillance. ¡°Phone calls from the ship could probably be intercepted by the IF if they wanted to.¡± His fingers drummed along his arm. ¡°I dunno if I¡¯d chance it¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just leave them the way they are. They¡¯re worried sick!¡± Leon leaned his forehead into his hands. His voice broke. ¡°Everything was supposed to turn out kind of okay. Maybe he¡¯d spend a couple years in a boring prison, I¡¯d have to give up space, take on some jobs to pay his fine, but he¡¯d be safe. Now, suddenly he¡¯s in danger no matter what I do!¡±


    Emil stopped pacing to take a look at his crying friend. Never had he seen Leon so afraid. Why shouldn¡¯t he be? He was faced with losing his dreams and his little brother in one cruel sweep of fate. The only thing worse than imagining the ship without that bundle of sunshine was knowing the heartache he¡¯d be going through at home.


    No. Emil wouldn¡¯t let it happen like that.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Struck by either genius or desperation, he continued pacing. ¡°Okay, okay, okay.¡± He clapped. ¡°What if we don¡¯t say anything?¡±


    Leon lifted his head up. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We can keep this under wraps, let Angelo stay, and that should buy us some time to figure out how to sneak him out of the IF.¡± Emil¡¯s hands gestured out the entire plan. ¡°That way he won¡¯t hafta deal with the forgery charge. But that still doesn¡¯t help with the grandpa stuff. Hmmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Emil? A-Are you sure you wanna get involved with all of this? You really don¡¯t have to. I don¡¯t want you to get in trouble because of us.¡±


    He whirled around toward him. ¡°And I don¡¯t want you to get in trouble because of Angelo! It¡¯s not fair! Listen,¡± he made his way toward Leon, ¡°I¡¯ve pulled some stunts I¡¯m not proud of. But if any of them cost Lorie everything he¡¯d been working his whole life for, I wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive myself! I know how much you love this job. I can¡¯t let you lose it.¡±


    ¡°I could see ¨¢ngie saying the same thing, but,¡± Leon shook his head, ¡°I couldn¡¯t forgive myself if anything happened to him while he¡¯s here!¡±


    Emil leaned on the table. ¡°I hate to say it like this, but it¡¯s either him staying here or risk him going to prison.¡±


    Leon stared down at his hands.


    ¡°The IF is known to be pretty safe, and I trust that my bro can get us to Neptune and back in a year or so.¡± reassured Emil. ¡°No one has to go to prison. No one gets kicked out. Not for now.¡±


    ¡°¨¢ngie did tell our parents he¡¯d be gone for a year or two¡­¡±


    ¡°Convenient. And even if we can¡¯t figure out what to do about your grandfather, he¡¯ll at least be safe until we get back. I don¡¯t know what the full situation is on him and Ange, but the old guy sounds like a piece of work.¡±


    Leon nodded slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t think Gramps deserved to have that happen to him, but I dunno.¡± He rested his head in his hands, then picked it back up just as quickly. ¡°Wait. I never told you how he treats ¨¢ngie, did I? How¡¯d you know?¡±


    It finally came to this.


    Emil sighed, slowly tapping his hands against the table. ¡°I¡­ also have something to confess.¡±


    Leon lifted his head like an alert dog.


    ¡°Remember when you left to go get your phone from Angelo?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He frowned.


    ¡°I went back into my room and saw him on the camera, about to¡­¡± Emil mimed Angelo throwing Leon¡¯s phone. ¡°I stopped him from throwing your cell phone into the fire. Then you showed up.¡±


    ¡°You did¨C?¡± Leon¡¯s eyes widened, then drooped again. ¡°Ah. So he really was about to burn it.¡±


    ¡°He did look unsure.¡± Emil reassured him. ¡°But right after I, y¡¯know, let him know I was watching, you came in. He tried to warn you about me, but¡­ I heard everything.¡±


    ¡°You knew?¡±


    Emil nodded, too guilty to look into Leon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yeah. Sorry. I spent all this time tryin¡¯ to avoid it when I shoulda just said something. But I didn¡¯t know how.¡±


    He shielded his face with his hands as if that prevented Leon from seeing how much of a coward he was.


    Leon¡­ laughed? ¡°I guess that makes two of us!¡±


    Emil lifted his head. ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡±


    ¡°Why would I be mad at you? Of course you didn¡¯t know what to say! This whole thing is so messed up!¡± Tears ran down his face as Leon continued laughing. He calmed down. ¡°Ahhh, I¡¯m sorry you got tangled up in my family drama.¡±


    Emil smirked. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, you kinda wound up in mine.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Part of the reason I haven¡¯t said anything is ¡®cause I know my bro¡¯s gonna freak out real bad.¡± His smile faded. ¡°I¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ to get him to not be so suspicious of everyone. If he finds out about this, it¡¯s back to square one. Or worse. He¡¯s been really on edge since Angelo went missing.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Emil leaned back, ¡°do you know why he¡¯s hiding?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Leon thought for a moment. ¡°I hadn¡¯t really thought about it. My guess is that he¡¯s afraid.¡±


    ¡°Afraid of what?¡±


    ¡°Me.¡± Leon absentmindedly doodled on the table. ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have gotten so mad at him.¡±


    ¡°I dunno. You were the normal level of mad for the circumstances. He did do a lot. I woulda been mad at the cell phone thing by itself, let alone the rest. So don¡¯t feel bad!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Emil.¡± He nodded listlessly. ¡°It¡¯s just that ¨¢ngie¡¯s been through a lot over the years. I think it¡­ changed him. He does a lot of weird things now. Well, he¡¯s always been a little weird, but in a silly and funny way, not worrying.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I know where to start. Hm. Let¡¯s see¡­¡± He thought for a moment. ¡°He always cried easily, but at some point he started being sad a lot more often, even when he¡¯s not crying. Sometimes, I have to convince him that I still like him, or that our parents still like him. Oh! He started calling me Big Brother at some point and won¡¯t use my name anymore.¡±


    Emil blinked, taken by surprise. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a thing you guys always did?¡±


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t know why he started doing that, but he won¡¯t stop.¡± Annoyance crept into Leon¡¯s voice. ¡°And he never lets me get snacks or drinks for myself! He takes it weirdly hard if he brings back the wrong thing. It¡¯s hard to explain. He¡¯s like that with a lotta things.¡±


    Emil almost spoke up.


    ¡°And he started sleeping a lot. That¡¯s not as big of a deal, I guess. Though, I keep telling him not to sleep his life away.¡± Leon wagged his finger. Suddenly, a gloominess took over. ¡°Oh, another thing.¡±


    A silence hung in the air as Leon got his words together.


    ¡°¨¢ngie¡¯s smile isn¡¯t bad or anything like that. But for a while now¨CI dunno, this is gonna sound weird, but¡­ There¡¯s something wrong with his eyes. I don¡¯t know how to explain it. There¡¯s just something not right about them, and it weirds me out. I feel like I¡¯m the only one who notices.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Emil pulled on one of his curls. ¡°I don¡¯t remember if I¡¯ve seen him smile yet.¡±


    ¡°It could be just me. I only started noticing it more recently because he started smiling more before I left. Though even then, he¡¯d randomly break down crying, harder than usual. And he gets touchy about the weirdest things!¡±


    ¡°Like the shoulder thing?¡±


    Leon looked at Emil as if he grew a third eye. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°When he first got here, he started hyperventilating when I touched his shoulder.¡± Emil shuddered thinking of it. ¡°He said something about grabbing his shoulders makes him react really badly. Never wanna do that again.¡±


    ¡°I never knew that.¡± Leon¡¯s words came out slow and shaken. ¡°When did that become a problem? Sometimes it feels like he¡¯s changed, and¨Cand sometimes I feel like he¡¯s someone else. How do things come out of the blue like this when I¡¯m the one who should know him best? Is this how my mom feels? I¡¯m the only one he trusts now. What happens if he doesn¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°Sorry man, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡± Emil had hoped to learn a little more about Angelo through Leon, but mainly succeeded in working him up into an existential crisis.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Leon reassured, clearly not okay. ¡°Oh yeah, that reminds me of what I was gonna say. Between Gramps and him getting bullied at school, I don¡¯t wanna make whatever¡¯s going on with him worse by getting mad.¡±


    Finally, a chance for Emil to say what¡¯s been on his mind. ¡°It sounds like Angelo¡¯s going through a buncha stuff. But you still have the right to be upset for what he did. You can be mad at him and still love him.¡±


    ¡°I know. I just don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll understand. If only he¡¯d stop hiding and apologize, maybe we can talk about it.¡± Leon looked at him with weary eyes. ¡°But more than anything, I just want him to be okay.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Emil¡¯s eyes wandered to the area where the security camera should be. ¡°I know how ya feel. That¡¯s why I wanna help you keep him safe.¡± He stood up, placing one hand on the table. His other thumb pointed at his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure Ange gets back home in one piece. You have my word.¡±


    Leon smiled.


    Emil picked up the constellation map box, slid it over to him, and switched back over to English. ¡°Hold on to this.¡± He winked. "¡¯Cause you¡¯re not goin¡¯ anywhere.¡±


    Leon took the box, his smile growing brighter. He also switched back to the other language. ¡°Gosh, how are you so cool?¡±


    ¡°Aw, come onnn!¡± Emil tried to cover up his involuntary giggling. ¡°I can¡¯t let you stay all miserable and whatnot. You¡¯ve been through a rough one.¡±


    ¡°You can say that again.¡± Leon laughed a weak laugh. It turned into a yawn. ¡°I should probably go back to bed soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But before you go,¡± looking at his tired friend, Emil felt the need to make an offer, ¡°need a hug?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh no, it¡¯s¨C¡± Leon started to brush it off. ¡°Actually? Yeah. That¡¯d be really nice right now.¡±


    With his arms outstretched, Emil walked over to Leon. Leon approached him from the other direction, and soon, both of their arms wrapped around each other in a snug embrace.


    Only then did Emil realize how much this differed from the side-hugs he normally gave. It felt vulnerable. While not a bad thing, it made him self-conscious. He loosened up to give Leon a chance to bail out, but to his surprise, Leon kept holding on, so he followed his lead.


    Finally, Leon let go. His eyes glistened. ¡°Thanks. I really needed that.¡±


    ¡°Hey, no problem. Glad to help.¡± If Emil were being honest, they both needed it. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d be without you.¡±


    ¡°Aw shucks!¡± He tried to play off his own embarrassment as coyness, then took a more authoritative stance. "Now. As your commanding officer, I order you to," he gave way to a casual tone, "relax, get some rest, and wipe those tears away, okay?"


    Leon saluted him before walking back towards his sleeping quarters. "Buenas noches. ...And thanks again."


    ¡°Buenas noches.¡± Emil waved him goodbye. ¡°And a tip for next time. If you wanna have a meeting with Lorie, don¡¯t go in your pajamas.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I knew I forgot something! I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Leon exited the room with one last laugh.


    After he left, Emil collapsed into his chair. The conversation took a lot out of him, plus he admittedly felt nervous about his plan. Should he regret making it? Maybe. Did he? No. Deep in his heart, he knew he¡¯d do almost anything to help a friend out, to bring a smile to one in need. He liked the results too much to stop.


    Whatever happened next was a matter of good luck and good lying.


    The clock on his phone read 1:14 AM. An unread text notification surprised him, so of course, he checked it.


    ¡®check the upside down box¡¯ According to the time stamp, Jun sent it just after they left the kitchen.


    Emil pried himself from his seat and went over to investigate the upside-down box near the hallway door. He groaned upon realizing this was the same one he struggled to push yesterday. Just his luck.


    His hands hovered around it as he wondered how to check something he couldn¡¯t even pick up. Touching the box, however, stopped those thoughts right in their tracks.


    He felt warmth. A slight vibration under his fingertips led him to press his ear against the cardboard. Breathing. A person was in there.


    Angelo was in there.


    With all the commotion tonight, Emil had long forgotten that Jun tried to tell him where they thought Angelo might be hiding. They were right!


    He stood up, looking down at the box with pity and a little amusement. Did Angelo sleep in this thing? Poor guy. Still, it relieved Emil to have found him. Maybe he could get him to sleep in a bed for a change, or at least the couch. Anything¡¯s better than this.


    A new thought obliterated any relief he had. There was a non-zero chance that Angelo heard his entire conversation with Leon. He might¡¯ve heard some things he shouldn¡¯t have.


    Emil checked his phone again to see if he¡¯d have enough time to talk to Angelo about it. He also had questions he¡¯d been dying to ask, ones that couldn¡¯t be answered by Leon. After some careful thought, he decided it¡¯s too close to his bedtime to be opening up Pandora¡¯s Box.


    The lieutenant mouthed a silent good night, leaving the kitchen and Angelo behind to go complete the last of his shift.

 [The Confession] Ch 8. A Caring Accomplice

    Sleep wasn¡¯t enough for Angelo anymore. His eyes never stayed closed for long, whatever long meant. The line between sleep and wake blurred, trapping him in an endless limbo. Did he go to training today? Was the Clipper Man waiting for him around the corner? Anything¡¯s possible at this point.


    Strangely, this situation also brought him closer to dreams. He didn¡¯t know whether the conversations outside were real or fake. They were pleasant, though. Among the voices, he swore he heard his brother¡¯s laughter. Imagining laughing with him, with all of them, kept him somewhat sane through the dull aches, the hunger pangs, and the endless dark.


    It could never be reality.


    Maybe that was for the best. There was one conversation between Leon and Emil that he hoped he dreamt. At this point, it could¡¯ve been hours or days ago.


    Food might help clear things up. He lifted the box enough to take a peek at the kitchen floor. No one was there, but he thought he heard sniffling. Oh well. It¡¯s not like he trusted his grip on reality anymore.


    ¡°Gyaaaaah?!¡±


    The sniffling turned into a shriek when Angelo slithered out of the box. While he still didn¡¯t know if he was awake or dreaming, that sounded like a bad sign. The laughter that followed, however, sounded so sweet that it almost didn¡¯t register as one.


    ¡°M-Muffinhead?¡± The voice spoke between snorts.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± When Angelo turned over on his back, he found Roxie peering down at him from the space between the boxes and the wall. It¡¯s a good hiding spot, he had to admit.


    ¡°I found you!¡± She pointed triumphantly, a pom-pom-like ponytail bouncing on the top of her head. ¡°I¡¯m victorious! My name shall radiate with glory!¡±


    As much as he adored Roxie, Angelo wanted nothing more than to crawl back into the box. Hiding for so long wore away his humanity, and he didn¡¯t feel like enough of a person to interact with anyone.


    Her smile disappeared. ¡°Are you okay? Did I scare you? Was I too loud?¡±


    Not shouting did make his head hurt less, but it didn¡¯t matter much with the bright kitchen lights. Still, he shook his head.


    ¡°Good. Here!¡±


    She extended a bare hand toward him. He took it with his glove, and she pulled him up. Together, they sat on the unopened boxes.


    ¡°May I see your hands?¡± she asked.


    Angelo took off his gloves. A few remnants of blisters still remained, but otherwise, his hands had healed back to normal.


    Roxie took one of his hands into her own to examine more closely. ¡°Yaaay, no infections.¡±


    The tender touch of another hand nearly brought him to tears. She didn¡¯t know what kind of person he was or the terrible things he¡¯d done.


    One look at her stopped him from beating himself up any further.


    Her eyes were red and somewhat puffy. He¡¯d seen himself in the mirror enough to know she¡¯d been crying. What could he do about it? He looked around for something to cheer her up. The open box caught his eye.


    Angelo dug around in it. ¡°Do you want some,¡± he pulled out a packet and checked, ¡°cookies?¡±


    ¡°Muffinhead, we¡¯re not supposed to eat those unless we¡¯re in zero gravity.¡± She still found it in her to chide him playfully.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Even while hiding, he managed to mess something up. He put the packet back and sat back down.


    Roxie spoke up before he could ask her any questions. ¡°Roxie Safety Tip: If you¡¯re going to hide, let at least one person know what room you¡¯ll be in. Any room can be robbed of its oxygen if no one seems to be there. Luckily, you avoided a horrible fate!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the tip.¡± Angelo looked down at his knees. ¡°Th-There¡¯s not many good places to hide here, though.¡±


    ¡°Praytell, what reason did you feel the need to cloak yourself?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why¡¯d I hide?¡± He thought over it for a moment before deciding that she might as well know the truth. ¡°My brother¡¯s mad at me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Her voice sounded so sad. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I ran away from home. And,¡± Angelo struggled to even begin to explain what he did with Leon¡¯s phone, ¡°I-I did some really bad things. A lot of lying. It¡¯s terrible.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± A somberness crept into Roxie¡¯s voice. ¡°That makes two of us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! I didn¡¯t mean¨CDon¡¯t worry about me!¡± She waved her hands, reassuring him. ¡°There¡¯s no heart-wrenching backstory to be had on my end.¡±


    ¡°Th-Then why¡¯d you run away?¡± He finally gained the courage to look at her.


    She whined. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make you sad about it.¡±


    ¡°But I-I thought you said¡ª¡± Angelo dropped it. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can¡¯t bring me down any more th-than I already am.¡± He smiled.


    Roxie twirled a strand of hair around her finger, deep in thought. ¡°This is all top-secret information. Hnnn, but I already told you I ran away, which is top-secret information. Just promise not to tell anyone, okay?¡± Her words pleaded, and so did her eyes. ¡°Not a soul.¡±


    ¡°My lips are sealed.¡± Angelo stared straight at her.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± She flinched. ¡°So intense!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, no. You have my trust.¡± Roxie looked toward the microwave clock. It read 11:44 PM. ¡°Jun¡¯s one of my best friends. When I heard they signed up for this ship, it scared me.¡± She frowned, adjusting the sleeve of her pajama shirt.


    ¡°Me too! Th-That¡¯s what I felt with my brother.¡± He realized that he may have interrupted. ¡°S-Sorry.¡±


    ¡°You understand my plight.¡± She laughed until a tear rolled down her cheek.


    Angelo jumped up, sprinted over to the sink, and grabbed a paper towel to present to her.


    ¡°Waaah, so polite! Thank you.¡± She dabbed her eyes. ¡°Jun¡¯s independence is unmatched. I knew I couldn¡¯t change their mind if I wanted to. When I got offered to be a part of the same mission, I took it as a sign. If I didn¡¯t go, we¡¯d never see each other again. Did that happen to you, too?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t realize th-this was my brother¡¯s ship.¡± answered Angelo. ¡°But my family worried about him, too. My mom really tried to convince him out of it, but¨CS-Sorry. This isn¡¯t about us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine! I wish I had Rookie¡¯s undying optimism, but the truth is, I¡¯m scared. And,¡± she sniffled, ¡°if I¡¯m scared, I know my dad will be terrified. So I never really told him where I¡¯m going¡­¡± Her voice petered out.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know where you are, either?¡±


    ¡°He knows I¡¯m on a ship. Just not this one.¡± Roxie pulled her knees to her chest. ¡°It¡¯s not a lie I want to keep up, but telling the truth might just shatter his heart. I know I¡¯ll have to tell him soon. I¡¯ve been thinking about it all week, plus some other things.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be! The other things cleared up. I just wish this was as easy. To be honest,¡± her voice quieted down, ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to be on this ship. But Jun¡¯s here. And Mia, too. Her presence here surprised me.¡±


    She gave a saddened smile to Angelo.


    ¡°And the rest of you, my heart couldn¡¯t take leaving you all behind. If only I could clone myself.¡±


    ¡°If only¡­¡± Angelo thought more Roxies in the world would be nice.


    ¡°But I think I¡¯d like immortality more. That way no one would ever have to say goodbye!¡± Her eyes sparkled.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know about immortality,¡± he shrunk into his shoulders, ¡°but it¡¯d be nice if there was some way to make it so that our loved ones can never leave.¡±


    As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how creepy his dream sounded compared to hers.


    ¡°Actually, th-that would be bad. Free will is good!¡±


    ¡°No, no, you are onto something, my muffin-haired friend.¡± Roxie stroked her chin. ¡°What if we just scooped everyone up into a ball, and then we¡¯d roll together wherever we wanted to go?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a nicer way of putting it.¡± Angelo marveled at Roxie¡¯s ability to turn his serial killer-esque wording into a silly fantasy. His mind wandered back to the rest of the conversation. ¡°I wish there was a way to roll your t-troubles into a ball and make them disappear.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry for me.¡± Her smile grew sad once more. ¡°There¡¯s no stopping the inevitable.¡±


    Those eerie words did nothing to deter Angelo. For someone as kind as Roxie, he wanted to at least give it a try. How dare the inevitable make her cry? He¡¯d fight it himself if it came down to it.


    ¡°But one thing you can do,¡± she perked up, tapping her chin, ¡°is be my henchman!¡±


    ¡°Of course! I-I mean okay.¡± Angelo tried to sound less obsessed. ¡°...Sorry, henchman for what?¡±


    Roxie chuckled as if she knew something he didn¡¯t. ¡°The Great Roxaelia is always in the mood for having a sidekick or seven. Besides, you¡¯re so cute, I can¡¯t help but recruit you!¡±


    ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± he spat out, flustered and frankly confused.


    While he didn¡¯t look as bad as the first time they met, he had been sleeping in a box for days and couldn¡¯t fully remember the last time he showered. He smelled of cardboard and sweat, his hair was a mess, and he suddenly became aware of the crust on his face.


    He darted off to the sink to wash his face off with a wet paper towel.


    Roxie continued the conversation. ¡°I have a few other sidekicks on this ship, whether they know it or not. Like¨COh, like him!¡±


    The sound of the stairwell door opening prompted Angelo to lift his face from the paper towel. His eyes met with Emil¡¯s. Both stopped in their tracks. Ever since he boarded this ship, Angelo understood more and more how it felt to be Sasquatch.


    Emil hung his head and sighed. ¡°The day I decide we split up again and you find him first.¡±


    ¡°Tee hee~ Glory is mine, fair and square.¡± Roxie celebrated.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it late for you, though?¡±


    ¡°Ah, why y-yes it is!¡± She yawned, and Angelo heard the sound of boxes quickly shuffling. ¡°Since I¡¯ve already achieved victory, I shall bid you both goodnight.¡± The hallway door opened. ¡°Nighty-night~¡±


    ¡°Night, Roxie.¡±


    Roxie left the room, with silence entering in her place. Silence and tension. Angelo wanted to run away, but his muscles forgot how to move.


    Emil¡¯s didn¡¯t. His footsteps made their way into the kitchen. ¡°You don¡¯t hafta stand there like a statue. Why don¡¯t you take a seat?¡±


    Angelo¡¯s legs carried him to the nearest end of the table. He sat down as told, watching Emil move over to the sink area to grab some utensils. Emil grabbed not a knife, but a fork. With it, he grabbed a plate and something from the refrigerator to set down on it.


    Emil placed a plate of cheesecake down in front of Angelo, topped with lemon glaze.


    Angelo looked between him and the slice. ¡°...Is it poisoned?¡±


    ¡°No??¡± Emil laughed. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    Angelo was just as confused. ¡°Why would you give me cake?¡±


    ¡°¡®Cause it¡¯s your birthday.¡± Emil sat backwards on the chair at the far end of the table.


    ¡°It is?¡±


    ¡°It just turned midnight, so technically it¡¯s August 23rd.¡± He studied Angelo. ¡°But judging by your face, that doesn¡¯t clear much up, does it?¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Only how long Angelo had been inside that box. Five and a half days, if his math was right. ¡°Sorry, not really.¡± He took off his gloves to look at his hands. ¡°Why are you being so nice to me? I-I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Emil folded his arms over the seat back. ¡°Is it really so weird for me to think people should get to be happy on their birthdays?¡±


    ¡°It is when you know they¡¯re a monster.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°You got a point.¡± A smile crossed his face. ¡°But I don¡¯t know that, do I?¡±


    ¡°Um.¡± Angelo looked around for signs of a prank. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about you at all. Not first hand, anyway. That¡¯s what I came to find out.¡±


    Angelo eyed him and the cheesecake with suspicion.


    ¡°It¡¯s not poisoned!¡± Emil reassured him. ¡°Go on, have a bite.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry but,¡± he pushed the plate away, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You really think it¡¯s poisoned? I mean, I¡¯m no expert on murder, but doing it on this small ship? Where my bro can see all the cameras? Not a great idea. If I killed you, I¡¯d be next.¡± Emil laughed.


    ¡°No, I believe you. Th-That¡¯s why I can¡¯t.¡± Angelo¡¯s eyes fell toward the table. ¡°Give it to my brother. He deserves it more than anyone else. He deserves so much more¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon, lift your head up. There¡¯s always the other half.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± That did get him to lift his head up.


    ¡°The other half of the cake. For your birthday~ I made sure there¡¯s enough for everyone to get two slices, even you!¡± Emil winked.


    What kind of game was Emil playing? They both knew what he saw. Or was he really that oblivious?


    Angelo finally shook himself out of disbelief. ¡°He can have both of mine, too.¡±


    Emil dropped his head some, pouting. ¡°Well gee, that wouldn¡¯t be fair to everyone else.¡± Genuine concern showed on his face as he straightened up his posture. ¡°Besides, aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±


    ¡°Th-The others can have some too if you want.¡± Angelo ignored the question. He didn¡¯t have the strength to argue with his hunger pangs. Even now, he gazed longingly at the boxes in the corner, wishing he could levitate chips over to himself with his mind.


    ¡°Wait, were you the one that¡¯s been rifling through the boxes?¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry!¡± His head snapped back over to Emil.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯d rather you do that than starve.¡± Surprisingly, Emil didn¡¯t seem mad at all. ¡°Why were you hiding in the first place? Were you in that cramped box the whole time?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you know where¨C?¡±


    ¡°Found out last night. But back to you.¡± Emil pressed his fingertips together. ¡°Why were you hiding?¡±


    ¡°You already know.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be askin¡¯ if I did. Unless you¡¯re confirming what Leon guessed last night.¡±


    ¡°What he guessed¡­?¡± Something stirred in the pit of Angelo¡¯s stomach. It wasn¡¯t hunger pangs this time.


    ¡°Shoot, did you hear any of that?¡±


    A flood of memories came back to Angelo, enough to overflow his brain. Leon¡¯s confession, his sobs, and his complete loss at how to begin cleaning up the mess Angelo made. Dread paralyzed him. All he could do was sit there.


    ¡°Ange?¡±


    ¡°I heard¡­¡± Angelo¡¯s head moved up and down.


    ¡°Cool. That means there¡¯s less catching up to do.¡± Despite saying that, Emil looked more worried than relieved. ¡°Uh? You gonna be alright?¡±


    Silence filled the air. Emil almost spoke up.


    ¡°How can I show my face again?¡± The words fell out of Angelo¡¯s mouth.


    Emil took a moment to answer. ¡°Well you can¡¯t hide in a box forever.¡±


    ¡°I-I won¡¯t eat the food packets anymore, I promise.¡± Angelo felt himself regaining some control over his actions. ¡°But I can¡¯t ever show my face again. To him or anyone. Not after what I did!¡± He shook instead of being unable to move, so that had to count for something.


    ¡°Hey, hey, it doesn¡¯t hafta be like that. I can¡¯t guarantee I can get you off the hook, but I¡¯m not letting you waste away.¡± Emil lowered his voice, switching to Spanish. ¡°Also if we¡¯re gonna talk in detail about this, we should keep the conversation in Spanish. You never know who¡¯ll wake up.¡±


    ¡°...Comprendo.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± Emil made an okay sign with his hand. ¡°I know we¡¯ve been avoiding each other for a while now, but we might as well get this over with. Let¡¯s talk about what happened.¡±


    Angelo nodded. He¡¯d rather not, but what choice did he have?


    ¡°First thing¡¯s first. I don¡¯t think I got a clear answer on why you were hiding. Is it because you¡¯re afraid of Leon?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Sort of.¡±


    ¡°¡®Sort of¡¯ isn¡¯t enough to drive someone to live in a box for 5 days. What¡¯s the real reason?¡±


    ¡°I messed up really bad. There¡¯s no point in me saying sorry, so the next best thing is staying gone. M-Maybe he can be happy again someday.¡±


    Emil started to say something, but seemed to change his mind. ¡°You seem like you care about him a lot.¡±


    Angelo nodded again. If there was anything he thought he was good at, it was caring about Leon. Now he¡¯s not sure if he even got that right.


    ¡°That brings me to my next set of questions.¡± Emil tapped both feet aimlessly. ¡°First, the big one. Why did you run away? I think I caught some of it, but not the full story.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m weak. I wanted to b¨Cto be able to fend for myself. Just in case.¡±


    ¡°Just in case what?¡±


    ¡°Just i-in case I¡¯m alone.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Were you worried about how your family might react?¡±


    Angelo nodded. ¡°But I¡¯m doing this because I know they¡¯re tired of me.¡±


    ¡°Tired?¡± Emil¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Any reason you feel that way?¡±


    ¡°A few, actually, but I don¡¯t want to make you sit through my s-sob story.¡± Angelo smiled to lighten the mood. ¡°I¡¯m already depressing enough. Plus,¡± the smile dropped, ¡°there¡¯s things I¡¯d rather not talk about.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Emil thought for a moment, bounding a leg. ¡°Let me know if this falls under ¡®things you¡¯d rather not talk about,¡¯ but I did catch Leon saying that you guys¡¯ grandfather calls you some really nasty things.¡±


    ¡°Oh, absolutely.¡± Angelo answered without hesitation.


    ¡°Does he have to do with why you came here?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°He¡¯s a horrible person, but he¡¯s willing to tell me things everyone else is too nice to say, like how much I need to toughen up if I wanna s-survive. He doesn¡¯t believe I can do it. Neither do I.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe you can do it, why did you try?¡±


    ¡°I thought¡­¡± Angelo stared at the table. ¡°I thought¡­ I don¡¯t know what I was thinking anymore.¡± His hands held his arms. ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry. Even when I try to help, it just makes things worse. I should¡¯ve never come here!¡±


    ¡°We all make mistakes. Yours is¡­ pretty big, not gonna lie, but I don¡¯t have to tell you that.¡± Emil tilted his head back and forth, then took a deep breath. ¡°I guess I should phrase it this way. Do you think you¡¯re worthless?¡±


    Angelo froze. He stared up at Emil through teary eyes.


    ¡°Or you feel like the few skills you do have don¡¯t really matter? That if you were to be yourself, no one would like you? Maybe you even feel like the family mistake from time to time?¡±


    The tears dropped away. He was too shocked to cry.


    ¡°Judging by the look on your face, I¡¯m gonna guess that hit close to home. Hey, real quick, can you smile?¡±


    ¡°...I-I don¡¯t know if I can.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m asking. Really give it your all, as if you¡¯re feeling fine.¡± Emil pumped his fist.


    ¡°What?¡± Angelo had no idea what Emil wanted to get from this, but it wouldn¡¯t be a convincing smile. He only had the power to muster that for one person.


    Emil leaned forward. ¡°Pretend I¡¯m Leon.¡±


    Just when Angelo thought Emil ran out of ways to freak him out, suddenly he could read minds.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about how I know this. I can¡¯t read minds.¡±


    Angelo squinted in disbelief, then mouthed an apology after realizing how rude that was. Taking a deep breath, he decided to get this over with. He smiled a smile as calm as could be.


    Emil sucked air through his teeth with a wince, muttering something that sounded like ¡®so that¡¯s what he was talking about.¡¯


    He folded his hands together professionally and finally spoke. ¡°Okay, so some people can smile through the pain without anyone noticing. You are not one of those people. At all. Not to be rude, but you look like you¡¯re on your last straw.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Angelo couldn¡¯t even fake a smile right.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good thing.¡± Emil made eye contact, dead serious, yet still smiling. His expression softened. ¡°That way the people who care about you know when something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    It didn¡¯t feel like a good thing.


    ¡°I know it prolly doesn¡¯t feel like a good thing, though.¡± Emil continued with his freaky mind-reading powers. ¡°But around the right people, it really is. Trust me.¡± He folded his hands over the chairback. ¡°I can tell Leon cares about you a lot. It might not hurt to open up to him a little bit.¡±


    That proved Emil couldn¡¯t read minds that well. If he did, he¡¯d know better.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think so?¡± He was still scarily good.


    Angelo shook his head. ¡°He has his limits. Even if he doesn¡¯t think so. E-Everyone in the world has limits.¡±


    Emil glanced down at the table and sighed. ¡°I wish I could argue with you. All I can say is that you¡¯ll never know what people¡¯s limits are until you test them. Only do it when you¡¯re ready, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve done more than test them.¡±


    He gave him a look of sympathy. ¡°Take it from me. People can surprise you with what they¡¯re willing to stick through. Even people you¡¯ve known all your life.¡± He winked. ¡°Even you!¡±


    ¡°I-I guess that¡¯s true.¡± Even though Leon¡¯s fondness had limits, it¡¯s a miracle he stuck with Angelo as long as he did. Still, he wasn¡¯t the one who surprised Angelo the most right now.


    There¡¯s a question he¡¯d been meaning to ask Emil.


    ¡°Emil?¡± Angelo¡¯s knuckles brushed against each other.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°A-About last night. I-If I remember correctly, you promised to help us keep this secret, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes I did.¡± Emil smiled as if he had no regrets.


    ¡°Why? Do you know how much trouble you¡¯re going to get in if we get found out?¡± Angelo¡¯s question turned into more. ¡°And like you said, you didn¡¯t know much about me when you made that promise. What if I¡¯m t-terrible? Why would you agree to something that risky?¡±


    They must¡¯ve caught Emil off guard. His smile wavered, and he didn¡¯t answer right away. Most of his actions so far made little sense to Angelo, but one phrase made a lot of pieces come together.


    ¡°You said you couldn¡¯t let a sad face stay around the ship. Did you¡­¡± Angelo¡¯s concern and horror grew, ¡°Did you agree to that just to cheer my brother up?¡±


    Now Emil looked like Angelo read his mind.


    ¡°No. No, please.¡± Angelo shook his head. ¡°Please say you wouldn¡¯t go that far. That¡¯s¨CI think my brother deserves the world¨CI promised I¡¯d give anything just to make him happy, but you¨C¡±


    ¡°¨CAnge¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good for your health.¡± He pointed at his brain. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this to yourself. You¡¯ve only known him for two months.¡±


    ¡°Almost three.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even known me for a month. And you want to help us do crime??¡±


    Emil didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to get caught up in this. It¡¯s a¨CIt¡¯s all my fault. J-Just rat me out! Maybe we can make up a lie that¡¯ll spare my brother. We could say that we¡¯re long lost brothers, and he wouldn¡¯t kn¨Che wouldn¡¯t know I¡¯m a minor.¡± Angelo¡¯s voice quieted down. ¡°Or something like that¡­ S-Sorry.¡±


    Emil gave him a tired smile. ¡°You done?¡±


    Angelo nodded. ¡°S-Sorry again.¡±


    ¡°One,¡± Emil held up a finger, ¡°that lie won¡¯t work. You guys have the same address, and he¡¯s talked about you quite a bit. Two,¡± he held up another, ¡°I¡¯m not ratting you out.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No changing my mind.¡± Emil waved a finger. ¡°Sure, you¡¯re more correct than I¡¯d like to admit, but making Leon happy wasn¡¯t the only reason I did what I did.¡± He stared at Angelo. ¡°You seem like a well-meaning kid who''s going through some things. I don''t want to risk sending you to prison.¡±


    ¡°But i-if that¡¯s what I deserve¨C¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that. You don¡¯t even know what happened to my grandfather.¡±


    That took Emil off guard for a second. ¡°Okay.¡± He leaned forward, folding his hands together. ¡°Then tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything at all?¡±


    Angelo thought back to that fateful day three weeks ago. ¡°I hid in the bathroom, and when I came out, he was¡­ he was just lying near the door. I-I called the ambulance.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t even do anything for him to get hurt?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I don¡¯t remember. He grabbed my backpack, and I pushed him away to lock myself in the bathroom. M-Maybe that did it.¡± Angelo grabbed his arms. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Emil rubbed his chin. ¡°Not the best alibi, but even if you did hurt him, you didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    Angelo shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna get locked up over him.¡±


    ¡°So you called for help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I lied. They thought I was there with him when I had actually gotten picked up by my Dryver.¡±


    Emil winced. ¡°That¡¯s not great, but you still might¡¯ve saved his life. Still, I don¡¯t think you deserve jail time, and even if you do, we don¡¯t want Leon¡¯s job at risk, right?¡±


    Angelo sighed. If Leon hated him now, he¡¯d only despise him if he shattered his dreams.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re on the same page!¡± Emil breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°One more question. Why were you hiding in the first place?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ He chased me around the house with scissors.¡±


    ¡°What??¡± His eyebrows shot up in horror. ¡°I think you should be the one charging him!¡±


    Angelo waved his hands. ¡°He wasn¡¯t going to hurt me or do anything illegal. J-Just¨C¡± His hands trailed up his arms. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to talk about it. It¡¯s silly.¡±


    ¡°You sure aren¡¯t laughing. But I won¡¯t pry."


    Emil had no idea how grateful he felt for that.


    "Oh yeah, from here on out, mind the cameras.¡± Emil pointed to the ceiling. "If you have to talk about this situation with me or Leon, keep it hushed. Otherwise, don''t. In English or Spanish. Maybe we can make a code or something. We''ll play by ear."


    Angelo didn''t like this plan at all, but he didn''t have any better ideas. So he went along.


    Emil sat up, switching to English. ¡°That''s it. No more questions. You¡¯re free to go.¡±


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s it?¡± Angelo followed his lead. ¡°No punishment?¡±


    ¡°N¨CActually¡­¡± Emil pulled at one of his curls. ¡°Since you want a punishment soooo bad, why don¡¯t¡¯cha take a bite of that cheesecake?¡±


    Angelo had almost forgotten the cheesecake even though it sat in front of him. He saw right through Emil, but he couldn¡¯t stare at the guy who was putting his neck on the line and disobey. One thing held him back, though.


    He¡¯d never eaten cheesecake before. The texture looked weird. What if he didn¡¯t like it? The last thing he wanted was to crush Emil¡¯s hopes and dreams with his picky eating preferences. Still, he picked up the fork, dug it into the slice, and finally brought it to his mouth.


    Tears welled up.


    ¡°Not a fan?¡± Emil tried to hide his disappointment.


    The fork trembled in Angelo¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s delicious.¡±


    The smooth sweetness of the cheesecake tasted like heaven on Earth. It was too good for him, but his hunger wouldn¡¯t let him push it away. He shoveled forkful after forkful in his mouth as tears ran down his face. Soon, he found himself crying too hard to eat. He didn¡¯t know why.


    A hand offered him paper towels.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± Emil stood next to him now instead of sitting all the way across the table. The ceiling lights backlit him like a halo. How could such an angel spend his kindness on someone pathetic enough to cry over cheesecake?


    Angelo took the paper towels and dried his face.


    ¡°Remind me to give that bakery a good review.¡±


    That got Angelo to laugh, which made Emil smile.


    Instead of returning to his seat, Emil strolled around the kitchen. He came to a stop at the boxes. ¡°I should prolly take inventory for these again. Normally, I¡¯d be a little annoyed, but I¡¯d rather do this than night patrol.¡±


    Night patrol. Angelo wondered why Emil walked around at night talking to himself.


    Angelo solved that mystery just in time to watch in horror as Emil began to sit down on the upside down box. Without his body in it, it collapsed underneath him. Angelo¡¯s voice hadn¡¯t come back yet, so he mouthed profuse apologies instead.


    Emil just laughed. ¡°Whoops~ Shoulda been more careful. I¡¯m surprised I didn¡¯t sit on this while you were in it.¡±


    Angelo averted his eyes.


    ¡°Wait, did I?¡±


    He confirmed it with a nod.


    Emil laughed again. He found another box to sit on. ¡°Well, I guess that makes us even.¡±


    No longer crying, Angelo slowly but surely worked his way through the rest of the cheesecake. It made him feel better, which was probably Emil¡¯s plan all along. Whatever. He could win this time. After finishing the slice, he washed off his dishes.


    ¡°Glad you liked the cake. That was a fake punishment, by the way.¡± As if Emil had to tell him. ¡°Your real punishment is to apologize to Leon.¡±


    Angelo¡¯s shoulders tensed up.


    ¡°I know you probably don¡¯t believe this, but he¡¯d appreciate it.¡±


    Angelo vaguely remembered hearing Leon say that. He still didn¡¯t believe him. If that¡¯s what these two wanted, though, he¡¯d do it for them. He nodded.


    Unsure where to go now, he stood awkwardly at the sink, awkwardly watching Emil. He¡¯d gone back and forth between thinking Emil was a complete oddball and a saint. Maybe he was a little bit of both. Either way, it didn¡¯t sit right with Angelo how well he was able to relate to him.


    Emil was talented, fun to be around, and kind¨Ctoo kind for his own good apparently. He had so many good traits that set him and Angelo worlds apart. It should be a crime to make someone like that feel bad about himself. If only Angelo had his voice back, he could tell him that and also thank him for everything he¡¯s done for Leon.


    No. That¡¯s too bold. Saying it in writing might be better. On second thought, the last time he made someone a card didn¡¯t work out well. Maybe¨C


    ¡°Ange?¡± Emil looked up from the list in his hand. ¡°Did¡¯ja wanna help out or somethin¡¯?¡±


    Yes! Why risk tripping over his words when he could just show Emil how he felt? If he practically read minds anyway, he¡¯d understand. Surely he¡¯d understand better than Leon.


    Angelo took a step forward before realizing something that turned his nod into a shake of the head.


    ¡°Huh? You changed your mind?¡±


    He pointed at himself, then pinched his nose.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Emil caught on. ¡°You haven¡¯t had many chances to shower, have ya?¡±


    Embarrassed, Angelo nodded.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to hide anymore, so you can take care of that if you want. Now¡¯s prolly a good time. I was gonna ask if you wanted a hug since I offered one to Leon, but uh..¡±


    He waved his hands to assure Emil it was fine, then headed toward the door, making sure not to get too close.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll finish sorting these out. You go sleep in your room, okay?¡± Emil gave him a wink and a thumbs up. ¡°Goodnight!¡±


    Angelo waved him goodnight, then left into the hallway. He had to think of some way to show Emil the appreciation he deserved. A glimpse at the infirmary door reminded him of Roxie too.


    As much as he hated to admit it, staying on the Celestion-5 would better ensure Leon¡¯s happiness. He might as well make sure Emil and Roxie¡¯s kindness didn¡¯t go unpaid.


    But first he had to make sure he went unsmelled.

 [The Confession] Ch 9. Wake Up Make Up

    Leon woke up earlier than usual, in a good mood. A great mood! The kind of mood to nearly make him forget about his family being in shambles. Then he picked up his phone and looked at the date. August 23rd.


    Angelo¡¯s birthday.


    Normally, their family didn¡¯t celebrate either brother¡¯s birthday separately since they came so close together. Not that it mattered. He knew it would be tough for them without Angelo there. It might be tough for him with Angelo there, wherever he was hiding.


    Tough or not, he knew that he was done moping. It was time to start hoping. His problems, while far from over, were much easier to face now that he had a friend by his side. Things would turn out alright in the long run. All he had to do was focus on the positives and put his best foot forward into a brighter tomorrow.


    That foot collided with something squishier than carpet. It coughed.


    Leon shined his phone at the floor and saw familiar eyes staring up at him. ¡°¨¢ngie?¡±


    He prodded at his brother a few more times to make sure he wasn¡¯t dreaming. Once Angelo clutched his side and sat up, he knew he¡¯d stumbled on the real deal.


    ¡°¨¢ngie, what¨C?¡± Stirring in the other bed reminded him to whisper. ¡°What are you doing here? Where have you been? Why were you hiding?¡±


    Angelo¡¯s eyes darted around. His arms and legs tucked in toward his body like a dying spider. Leon couldn¡¯t help feeling a little sorry for him even though he was still kind of mad.


    He lifted a finger toward Leon¡¯s bed.


    ¡°You wanna come up?¡±


    Angelo nodded ever so slightly.


    ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± Leon patted the area next to him. He watched his brother scramble up the bed and against the wall. ¡°Were you sleeping on the floor? Why?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t reach my bed. And,¡± Angelo managed to make eye-contact with him, ¡°I-I wanted to t-t¨C,¡± he took a breath, ¡°I wanted to talk. If that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, me too. What did you wanna talk about?¡±


    ¡°I-I just wanted to say,¡± he sat up straight, ¡°you¡¯re allowed to pinch me whenever you want, wherever you want, however hard you want.¡±


    Leon blinked. ¡°What? Roxie¡¯s next door.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you want to punch me either, but we¡¯ll have to figure out a way to do it s-so that the cameras won¡¯t s¨C¡±


    ¡°¨¢ngie, what are you talking about? I don¡¯t wanna hurt you.¡±


    Angelo lowered his head. ¡°I thought you might s-say that. Th-That¡¯s why you¡¯re allowed to use my money to buy your next girlfriend whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your money either.¡± Leon felt more tired than when he first woke up. ¡°All I want right now is an apology.¡±


    ¡°Really? Nothing else?¡±


    ¡°Not what you¡¯re offering.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Usually, you apologize for things you didn¡¯t even do wrong. Now when there¡¯s an actual reason, you run and hide. I don¡¯t understand at all.¡±


    Angelo looked just as confused as him. ¡°I thought apologizing so much made it mean less. I-I dunno, just saying s-sorry for this felt wrong.¡±


    ¡°Hm? That¡¯s what you thought?¡±


    His hands flailed daintily. ¡°¡®S-Sowwy I involved you in a web of lies that might cost you your life¡¯s dream.¡¯ ¡®Oopsie, our parents are worried for my life.¡¯ He stared up at Leon with sincere eyes. ¡°Th-There¡¯s no sorry big enough for that. Avoiding you was my apology.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Leon understood that somewhat.


    ¡°I-I thought you¡¯d be better off never hearing from me again.¡±


    ¡°Of course I wanna see you again.¡± He placed a hand on Angelo¡¯s arm. ¡°At some point. I¡¯ll admit I needed space those first few days,¡± as soon as he said that, he felt a pang of regret, ¡°b-but I still love you! You shouldn¡¯t feel like you have to hide from me forever.¡±


    Angelo bobbed his head aimlessly.


    Leon realized he had the perfect opportunity to get some answers he¡¯d been looking for. ¡°¨¢ngie, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask¡­ Why? Why did you do all of this? Why run away from home?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ve been awake trying to figure out how to explain it.¡± Angelo tapped his fingertips together. ¡°You know how Mam¨¢ said I didn¡¯t react well to you leaving?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The thought of that text made Leon cringe. ¡°Wait, did you join the IF just to see me again?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± Angelo frantically shook his head. ¡°Th-That wasn¡¯t the plan at all.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t?¡± Leon breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I guess I¡¯m glad for that.¡±


    ¡°I overheard Mam¨¢ and Dad wondering if th-th¨Cwondering whether or not to get me into therapy. This wasn¡¯t the first time, but this time, they were s-so sad. And ashamed.¡± Angelo held out his hands. ¡°Me being weak hurt them. I-I had to change! I need to learn how to be on my own.¡±


    ¡°So you joined the military?? I feel like there¡¯s other ways.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°It had to be drastic or else I¡¯d back out. Or Mam¨¢ would stop me. S-So I needed to go somewhere where I couldn¡¯t go back or be found.¡±


    This recklessness seemed so out of character for the Angelo Leon knew, he found it hard to wrap his head around. If he understood correctly, though, being out of character was exactly the reason Angelo did it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you felt that way.¡± responded Leon. ¡°You know you can talk to me, right? I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just my imagination, but it feels like you don¡¯t tell me what¡¯s going on with you anymore.¡±


    Angelo looked away. ¡°I¡¯ve dumped my problems on you for t-too long. Please don¡¯t blame yourself. You¡¯ve done more than enough for me.¡±


    ¡°But I want to help! Even though I know I¡¯m not the best at it, I wanna help you.¡± Leon leaned over to look him in the eye. ¡°Because you¡¯re my little brother.¡±


    Angelo¡¯s eyes briefly met his. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that just because we¡¯re related.¡±


    ¡°Family is¨C¡±


    ¡°¨Calways s-supposed to care about each other.¡± He completed their dad¡¯s phrase. ¡°I know. Never stopped Gramps.¡±


    Leon never knew how to respond to that, so he focused on something else instead. ¡°About Gramps. What¡­ happened with him?¡±


    ¡°I-I might¡¯ve bumped him into a wall by accident. I¡¯m not sure. But I-I did call an ambulance.¡±


    ¡°Oh good, it was an accident.¡± It relieved Leon to know Angelo hadn¡¯t completely changed. He wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly, nor was he cold-hearted enough to leave an old man injured.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°You believe me?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I lied to you s-so much over the past few weeks.¡± Even in the dim light, the shame on Angelo¡¯s face showed.


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Leon briefly forgot. ¡°You did do that, didn¡¯t you? I think I have a better understanding of why, though.¡±


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s no excuse.¡± Angelo shook his head firmly. ¡°What I did was wrong. I hurt you, Mam¨¢, Dad, and now other people are caught up in my mistake. I don¡¯t know how I could ever make it up to everyone, but I-I want to. No matter what it takes! Until my last breath!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I wanted to hear.¡± Leon smiled. ¡°A little intense, though.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry.¡± Angelo ducked his head.


    Leon chuckled. ¡°Thanks. I really mean it. I forgive y¨C¡±


    ¡°Big Brother?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really nice of you t-to forgive me, but..¡± Angelo looked up at him. ¡°Please don¡¯t say it unless you really mean it. Okay? Don¡¯t feel obligated.¡±


    ¡°Really, I forgive you.¡± Leon couldn¡¯t find it in himself to be mad at Angelo anymore now that he better understood what was going on. ¡°As long as you¡¯re trying, there¡¯s no hard feelings. And no need for punches or pinches or¨C¡± A devious thought came to mind. ¡°Actually¡­¡±


    Hooking one arm around his brother, he used the other hand to pinch his cheek.


    Leon snickered. ¡°So this is what it feels like. No wonder Roxie has so much fun!¡±


    ¡°C¡¯moon.¡± Angelo half-whined, half-laughed. ¡°Th-This is supposed t-to be a real punishment.¡±


    ¡°Aww, what¡¯s the matter~?¡± Leon squished both sides of his face with one hand. ¡°I thought you said I could pinch you whenever, where¡­ ev¡­¡±


    Both Summers stopped in their tracks to see a shirtless Aiden sitting up in the bottom bunk bed. The lights were dimmed, but his green eyes pierced through them.


    ¡°What are you two doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey Aiden!¡± Leon spoke at a normal volume. ¡°Did we wake you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry.¡±


    Aiden did not respond to that. ¡°I¡¯m going to get dressed now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks for the heads up!¡± Leon turned toward the wall. Strange. Aiden never warned him before.


    Leon almost grabbed Angelo¡¯s shoulders to turn him around until Angelo flinched. He took the hint and faced the wall while Leon remembered what Emil told him. Together, they waited for Aiden to stop being naked.


    Bright light flooded the room, the door opened, and then it closed again. Leon looked around, and sure enough, Aiden had left.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡± He let Angelo know. ¡°¨¢ngie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Angelo turned around.


    ¡°What happened to your shoulders? Emil told me how badly it freaks you out now. I never knew¡­¡±


    Angelo groaned. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like it is!¡± Leon pressed. ¡°You have to start being honest with me if you don¡¯t want things to spiral out of control again. I don¡¯t wanna accidentally hurt you.¡±


    Angelo just stared at Leon.


    ¡°So what happened?¡±


    He snapped out of his daze. ¡°I¡­ I really don¡¯t want t-to¨Cto t-talk about that. It¡¯s more embarrassing th-than anything.¡±


    ¡°¨¢ngie¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m s-s-s¨CI¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll be honest about anything else except th-that.¡±


    Leon watched his brother, who shook like a leaf. His hands held his arms and he tripped over his words more than usual. It might be true that more went over Leon¡¯s head than the average person, but he knew when his brother was upset.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me right now.¡± He dropped it. ¡°But let me know if there¡¯s anything else like that, okay? I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Leon opened his arms. ¡°Come here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± He beckoned with his hands.


    Angelo scooted close enough for Leon to wrap him in a hug.


    ¡°Shhhhhh.¡± If nothing else changed about Angelo, Leon knew this should make him feel better. ¡°It¡¯s been one heck of a month, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Angelo¡¯s tuft of hair brushed against Leon¡¯s face as he nodded. ¡°All because of me.¡±


    ¡°You certainly spiced things up. But it hasn¡¯t all been bad.¡± Leon looked up to the ceiling light. ¡°It¡¯s been nice having you here, ignoring the whole situation. I¡¯m super glad you got to meet everyone!¡±


    ¡°Me t-too. Th-They¡¯re really nice people.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Mia, the captain, Jun, Roxie, they¡¯re great to be around. Aiden¡¯s an interesting roommate, but he¡¯s not so bad.¡± Leon lowered his voice. ¡°Just between you and me, I think he¡¯s got a bigger heart than he lets on.¡±


    Angelo gave him a confused look.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe at first.¡±


    ¡°What about Emil?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t forget Emil. I will never forget Emil. Wait, he told you what he was gonna do for us, ri¨C?¡±


    Angelo covered his mouth with a hand. He leaned in to whisper. ¡°Cameras.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Leon sheepishly glanced at the ceiling.


    ¡°We went over it last night.¡± whispered Angelo.


    ¡°Good, good.¡± Leon let go of him. ¡°But isn¡¯t he just a great guy in general?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very kind. He gave me a s-slice of cheesecake so good, I-I cried.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing! He even got an orange half just for you!¡±


    ¡°What??¡± Angelo¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°How¡¯d he know orange is my favorite flavor?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me? I don¡¯t know how he does it!¡± Leon realized something. ¡°Shoot, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have spoiled that for you. Oh! You should hear him play the guitar! Maybe he¡¯ll do it again today.¡± His heart pounded with excitement. ¡°Gosh, I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    ¡°Th-That would be nice.¡±


    ¡°But aside from all that, aside from how funny, talented, and just plain cool he is in general, he helped me out of a super bad slump.¡± Leon rocked back and forth. ¡°Because of him, I feel like I have a future to look forward to.¡± He turned to his brother. ¡°Do you feel that way too? Like everything¡¯s gonna be alright?¡±


    Angelo took a moment to respond. ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t go that far. But Emil¡¯s been really kind to us. There¡¯s s-some stuff I want to tell him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s such a good friend.¡± Leon felt a surge of determination. ¡°I want to be as good of a friend to him, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! He deserves a good friend like you.¡±


    ¡°Aww, thanks ¨¢ngie, but I don¡¯t really know if I can compare.¡±


    ¡°You do in my heart.¡± Angelo formed a heart with his hands.


    ¡°Oh my gosh.¡± Leon rolled his eyes. What a classic Angelo move. It comforted him. He kicked his legs against the bed. ¡°Anyway, Emil¡¯s great. I haven¡¯t been able to stop thinking about him.¡±


    ¡°Is th-that why you were mumbling his name in your sleep?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Leon hopped off of his bed. ¡°He was in a dream I had last night. Funny story, we were both at a fancy restaurant waiting for our dates, but we both got stood up.¡±


    ¡°How dare they? Dump. Them. Both.¡± Angelo clapped to his favorite piece of relationship advice.


    ¡°They¡¯re not even real this time.¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°But I guess we did kind of end up doing that because we went to dinner together instead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how nice!¡± Angelo pushed himself to the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Yeah, it was a great time!¡± Leon continued. ¡°I remember we gave each other the bouquet we were gonna give to our dates.¡±


    ¡°Heh. S-Serves them right.¡±


    ¡°Emil looked super nice in a tuxedo, but you know, he looks good in pretty much anything he wears. Though now that I think about it, I feel like he¡¯d be more of a casual date kinda guy, like a walk through the park or the beach. That works for me too.¡± Leon¡¯s mind cycled through the settings and wardrobes like scene changes in a visual novel. ¡°I should ask him sometime!¡±


    Leon¡¯s phone vibrated. He picked it up.


    ¡®Buenos dias, L¨¦onardo. I hope you are doing well.¡¯ his mother texted. ¡®It¡¯s ¨¢ngelo¡¯s birthday today. Your father flew off. He wanted to stay behind, but we¡¯ve taken so many days off already. He should call you later. We haven¡¯t heard much back from the police. I still bought a cake. Just in case.¡¯


    Below, she posted a picture of a small chocolate cake with orange icing that read ¡®Happy Birthday Angelo.¡¯


    ¡®Call me when you get the chance.¡¯


    ¡°Th-These are the texts you¡¯ve been getting?¡± Angelo¡¯s voice sounded so tiny, even though he leaned over Leon¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And you have t-to answer their calls too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Leon didn¡¯t know if he had it in him to reply right now.


    ¡°You and Dad were always the optimistic ones.¡± began Angelo. ¡°But now sh¨Cnow she¡¯s home alone.¡±


    ¡°This has to be hard on her.¡± Leon thought back to himself two nights ago, when the last bit of his hope died. His mother and father paid the price for him getting it back and for Angelo¡¯s safety. Still, maybe like Emil was to him, he could be their source of hope until things got better.


    ¡°I-I wish th-there was s¨CI wanna help. You probably don¡¯t want me to answer your phone right now¨C¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°¨Cbut if you need me for anything, if you need t-to talk or cry, I¡¯m here.¡± Angelo placed a cold hand on his arm. He managed to look determined even with the tears forming in his eyes. ¡°Th-This won¡¯t make up for much, but it¡¯s th-the least I can do.¡±


    What he needed most was for Angelo to be back home safely. That was impossible, so his support made for the next best thing. ¡°Thanks, ¨¢ngie.¡± Leon ruffled his hair. ¡°That means a lot right now.¡±


    Leon knew what he had to do.


    ¡®Buenas, Mam¨¢.¡¯ He began typing. ¡®I wish I could be there with you. I¡¯m sorry to hear that Angie hasn¡¯t come home yet. He would¡¯ve loved the cake.¡¯


    He¡¯d keep hope alive for everyone.


    ¡®But he¡¯s always been good about being on time, even when he slept in late for school! If he says he¡¯ll be back in a year or two, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s trying his best to get there. I¡¯ll call you back after I¡¯m done with my shower. Te quiero.¡¯


    Leon set down his phone. He then turned to Angelo. ¡°No touching.¡±


    Angelo raised his hands and put them behind his back.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay¡­?¡± Angelo¡¯s words could just barely be made out. His voice almost completely left him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Leon answered honestly. ¡°But I¡¯ll try to be. In the meantime,¡± he pulled back the covers on his bed, ¡°you take a nap. I don¡¯t know where you¡¯ve been sleeping the past few days, but probably not a bed.¡±


    Angelo sniffled.


    ¡°Hey, come on now.¡± Leon squished his face into a smile. ¡°Mam¨¢ and Dad would want you to have a happy birthday.¡±


    He nodded, unable to hold back a laugh.


    Leon left for the door, turning back one last time before leaving. ¡°I do, too.¡±


    His problems, while far from over, were much easier to face now that he had friends by his side.

 [The Confession] Ch 10. No Egg Unscrambled

    Another day, another party. Emil stepped down the stairwell, a box hidden behind his back, finally making his entrance. The usual suspects were there.


    ¡°¡®Sup?¡± Jun scooped yellow powder into a bowl. ¡°Rox, how many scoops did you want again?¡±


    ¡°Three,¡± Roxie tapped her fingers together like a villain, ¡°and a half!¡±


    Jun stopped to stare at Emil, equally as confused at what that was about, but just as amused. ¡°Okay. You want any eggs, Emil? It¡¯s my specialty. Kinda has to be, since it¡¯s one of the only things I know how to cook.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s your specialty, how can I refuse?¡± Emil bowed slightly with a flourish of his hands. ¡°Just one scoop for me. I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to save some room for the party later.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeeeeah.¡± Jun tilted their head back. ¡°Will it be soon?¡±


    ¡°As soon as I can find the birthday boy.¡±


    ¡°You got my text, ri¨C?¡±


    Emil and Jun stopped in their tracks once Aiden entered the kitchen. Only Roxie was oblivious enough not to notice the tension in the air.


    ¡°...Hey.¡± Jun awkwardly broke the ice.


    ¡°Hey, yourself.¡± Unless Emil¡¯s eyes and ears were playing tricks on him, Aiden seemed to be in a much better mood than the night before last.


    Even Jun was caught off guard. They almost asked him something but quickly changed their tune. ¡°Want an egg?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re offering.¡± Aiden shrugged, then ducked down into the refrigerator.


    Emil decided to take advantage of his good mood. ¡°Hey Aiden, have you seen Angelo?¡±


    Aiden lifted his head. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°...Where was he?¡±


    ¡°He and Rookie woke me up.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s in you guys¡¯ room. Got it, thanks!¡± Emil sped off toward the hallway.


    Evil chuckling slowed him to a stop.


    He looked over his shoulder to see Roxie steepling her hands. ¡°Do¡­ you know where Angelo is?¡±


    ¡°He is somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I sure hope so!¡± Getting answers out of anyone this morning felt like pulling teeth. ¡°You gonna tell me where he is~?¡±


    ¡°When the egg crystals reach their full potential, the muffin shall reveal himself.¡± Roxie tapped her fingers together individually. ¡°Only then will a complete breakfast be assembled!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really making me work for this, huh?¡± Emil sighed, though he was happy to see she was her normal, abnormal self. The next time she felt down, though, he¡¯d be ready to get to the bottom of it. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go check his room anyway.¡±


    He slipped into the hallway and moseyed on down to the first door on the left. Just before knocking, he heard part of an ongoing conversation.


    ¡°If I could warp back home just for today, I¡¯d do it in a heartbeat¡­ I¡¯m sure wherever ¨¢ngie is, he¡¯s thinking about us, too.¡± Even with the door muffling it, Emil heard a heaviness in Leon¡¯s voice. He must¡¯ve been talking to his parents.


    In the meantime, Emil checked on Mia, who was reading in the next room over. She wanted no eggs. By the time he told Jun and came back, Leon¡¯s phone call ended. He decided to knock a little more softly than usual.


    ¡°¨¢ngie? You can come in.¡±


    Despite not being Angelo, Emil opened the door. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me.¡± He leaned into the doorway. ¡°I thought I might find your bro here, but I guess not.¡±


    Leon looked at him in pained disbelief. ¡°Did he disappear again? But I thought we sorted things out¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. At least one person knows where he is. She¡¯s just not talking.¡± Emil stepped into the room. ¡°You doin¡¯ okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying.¡± Leon gave him a quick, weak smile.


    Emil knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy on Leon, but only now did he realize how much of a strain it must be to face his grieving family and not be able to say a word. If only he could offer words of encouragement vague enough not to make Lorenzo suspicious.


    ¡°What¡¯s that behind your back?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± He forgot about the box he¡¯d been holding. ¡°I was planning to keep this a surprise, buuut,¡± but Leon could use something to cheer him up, ¡°you can have a sneak peak.¡±


    Leon gasped almost as soon as Emil set the box in his hand. ¡°A model spaceship kit?¡± His face lit up. ¡°He¡¯ll love this!¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so.¡±


    ¡°No, seriously!¡± Leon examined the box. ¡°This is one of the best gifts you could¡¯ve gotten him! How do you keep knowing these things? I was just talking to ¨¢ngie about it. It¡¯s like you¡¯re magic!¡±


    ¡°M-Magic??¡± Something about the sincerity of Leon¡¯s words and the sheer wonder in his eyes sent Emil into a fit of giggling. He really had to get used to these compliments, or else Leon might get the wrong idea. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I¡¯m not laughing at you, I swear!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I know it sounds silly.¡± Leon took it in stride. ¡°But you might as well be!¡±


    ¡°Rookie, c¡¯moooon!¡± A bit of coughing and ahem-ing, and Emil finally managed to pull himself together. ¡°I wouldn¡¯ta been able to plan out this stuff if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Now it was Leon¡¯s turn to be caught off guard.


    ¡°Yeah, you! You¡¯re the one who told me what I needed to know.¡±


    ¡°I did? I don¡¯t even remember that.¡±


    Emil put his hands behind his head. ¡°I try not to be too obvious when asking.¡± He held out one hand, and Leon gave him back the box. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll let you have some space. The party should start soon, but I¡¯ll swing by to let you know before I pull out the ca¨C¡± A realization dawned on him. ¡°The cake.¡±


    ¡°What about the cake?¡± Leon tilted his head.


    ¡°Good question!¡± Emil gave his best customer service smile as he backed toward the door. ¡°Uhhh, un momento!¡±


    He rushed to the kitchen and yanked open the freezer.


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for the cake, it¡¯s in the fridge.¡± Jun looked over their shoulder while frying their first batch of eggs.


    ¡°Again?¡± He checked to make sure, and sure enough, the box sat dead center in the refrigerator. Upon cracking it open, he saw that it was completely thawed out. ¡°Geez, at least someone¡¯s on top of things.¡±


    ¡°Did Leon want any eggs?¡±


    ¡°Whoops, forgot to ask!¡± Emil slapped his forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll go do that right now.¡±


    He made his way back to the hallway door but changed course when the upside down box nearby caught his eye.


    ¡°On second thought, I should prolly get rid of this box first.¡±


    Setting down Angelo¡¯s birthday gift on one of the other boxes, he lifted the upside down one with ease. Of course he did. It was empty. At least, that¡¯s what he thought until he noticed a pair of panicked eyes staring up at him.


    ¡°Angelo??¡± Emil laughed in shock. ¡°Again? What are you doing here? You can¡¯t keep disappearing on us!¡±


    Angelo slowly uncrumpled himself. ¡°S-Sorry! But I¨CI did tell someone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m someone~!¡± Roxie volunteered. ¡°And do not worry, Junzie, his order has been accounted for.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Jun barely acknowledged the spectacle.


    Emil scratched his head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you told somebody, but you know there¡¯s no need to hide, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but,¡± Angelo stared at the floor, ¡°I-I¡¯m kind of attached¡­ But you can th-throw it away if you want!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You can keep it so long as you¡¯re not camping here for days.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t have a problem with it.¡± Emil looked around. ¡°Do you guys?¡±


    ¡°Let him have his enrichment!¡± Roxie cheered.


    Jun shrugged, dumped their first batch of eggs on a plate. ¡°No harm in letting him hold onto it for a while. Maybe he can take it as a souvenir.¡±


    ¡°Interesting idea.¡± Aiden found something funny about Jun¡¯s suggestion. He then noticed Emil¡¯s eyes at him. ¡°Me? I don¡¯t care if the kid camps in there or¨CWait, camping?¡± His own eyes widened suddenly, somewhat disturbed. ¡°You were living in there? I just thought¨C¡± He cut himself off.


    ¡°I-I promise not to do it ever again!¡± Angelo looked between him and Emil.


    ¡°You better not¡­¡± That came out more concerned than threatening.


    ¡°Well, the people have spoken!¡± Emil announced. ¡°You get to go home with your very own brand new used cardboard box! Consider it a gift from the crew.¡± He winked.


    ¡°I feel like such a winner¡­!¡± Angelo took the box gingerly in his hands.


    Jun clapped for him with a normal level of enthusiasm, while Roxie clapped as if her own child had graduated.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not all!¡± continued Emil. ¡°Look behind you for a bonus prize.¡±


    Angelo¡¯s head snapped toward the box behind him, where Emil had set his present. He used it to help him stand up, taking the gift along the way.


    ¡°What is¡­?¡± Angelo turned the smaller box around in his hands. Emil tried to play it cool while hanging on to every little shift in his facial expression. ¡°A model spaceship kit.¡± Wide, shiny eyes glanced up at Emil. ¡°Th-This is for me?¡±


    ¡°Yep! It¡¯s all yours.¡± Emil held out his arms.


    A weighty thud knocked the wind out of him. Angelo¡¯s head buried into his chest, and his arms wrapped around his back. Before Emil fully registered what was going on, Angelo pulled away.


    ¡°S-S-Sorry! I-I completely misread th-th¨CI thought you¡ªI¡¯m¨C¡± Angelo¡¯s face flushed bright red as he sputtered more half-sentences before a final, tiny, ¡°My mistake.¡± His eyes darted toward the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Emil waved a hand nonchalantly, though he felt anything but. His heart warmed so much, it might¡¯ve melted a little.


    Angelo opted to hug his gift instead. ¡°Th-Thank you. And,¡± he looked up at Emil, ¡°thank you. I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Something about how he said that last part made it clear to Emil that he wasn¡¯t thanking him for the gift nor apologizing for the hug. ¡°Ahhh, no need to apologize.¡± He gave the warmest smile and wink he could. ¡°It¡¯s all good.¡±


    The door opened, and Leon stepped in. ¡°Good morning everyone!¡±


    ¡°Big Brother! Look at what I got!¡± Angelo rushed over to him.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Emil showed it to me. Isn¡¯t it super cool?¡± Leon took out his constellation map. ¡°He got this for me. Actually, I was meaning to ask you if you wanted to go looking for constellations with me.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    He looked around. ¡°You guys are all free to join us!¡±


    ¡°Yaaay!¡± Roxie cheered while she and Aiden got their servings of eggs. ¡°Oh! Oh! Rookie, you should¡¯ve seen his reaction! It was so cuuute!¡± She sounded close to tears.


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    ¡°Really?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°Yeah, it was way sweet.¡± Jun agreed.


    His shoulders slumped. ¡°Aww man, I wish I could¡¯ve been here to see it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Jun waved a scoop of egg powder. ¡°Want an egg?¡±


    The party hadn¡¯t started yet, but Emil took a moment to enjoy his surroundings. The mood shifted drastically from the gloom and doom around Leon¡¯s birthday. Genuine happiness filled the room¨Ceven Aiden seemed content while eating his eggs¨Cand with the pride Emil felt while watching the birthday boy enjoy his gift, Angelo might as well have been his own little brother.


    ¡°Oh, Emil,¡± Jun turned around from frying a second batch, ¡°do you know if the captain¡¯ll want any eggs?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, hold on.¡± Emil waved his arms at the ceiling. ¡°Hey! Hey, Captain Bro!¡±


    No response.


    He opted for a more professional approach. ¡°Captain Galhardo-Alverez, would you like scrambled eggs?¡±


    Still no response.


    He turned back to Jun. ¡°I¡¯ll go check.¡±


    ¡°Cool, thanks¨CShoot!¡± Something in the pan startled them. ¡°Uhhh, I hope you guys don¡¯t mind your batch being a little extra crispy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of a little extra flavor.¡± Emil¡¯s own failed cooking attempts came to mind as he strolled toward the stairwell exit.


    ¡°Um, Emil?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± He pivoted around to see Angelo standing behind him.


    ¡°Can I ask you s-something?¡±


    ¡°Sure! What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Um, can I¡­?¡± Angelo cupped his hands over his mouth. Emil took the hint and leaned down for him to whisper. ¡°Can you play your guitar at th-the party? I-I think my brother could use that right now.¡±


    Emil thought about the phone call as he looked at Leon. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me twice.¡±


    Angelo stepped back. ¡°Th-Thanks again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem. Anything for the birthday boy!¡± With one last wink, Emil left the kitchen.


    On the way up to his room, Emil¡¯s mind wandered to the night before. His conversation with Angelo shed a lot of light on things, and despite their obvious differences, they shared more than Emil cared to admit out loud. Though one difference stood out clearly in his mind: The poor kid would rather repent than relax. Not yet anyway. Emil promised to help him go easier on himself whether he liked it or not.


    First, he needed to understand that mindset, and who better to help him than the knowledgeable guy he knew?


    ¡°Yo, Lorie!¡± Emil burst into the room, startling his brother.


    Lorenzo shushed him, pointing at the cellphone he held up to his ear.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± whispered Emil.


    ¡°...W-With all due respect, I am an American officer on an American vessel. There is no¨CAt least, I don¡¯t believe there is any security threat in my being able to access this information.¡±


    Lorenzo¡¯s voice showed no emotion, which might be mistaken for confidence, but the stumbling of his words let Emil know the conversation went way off course from whatever script he¡¯d planned. He silently cheered him on.


    ¡°...I understand.¡± His ultra-serious expression turned into confusion once he caught a glimpse of Emil. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ he mouthed.


    ¡®You got this! I believe in you!¡¯ Emil gave him a big grin and pumped his fists.


    Lorenzo¡¯s ¡®Thank you¡¯ might as well have been ¡®Okay.¡¯ He continued his phone conversation. ¡°Is there any way I might be able to get this information? It¡¯s of grave importance to me. ¡­I see. Your help is very much appreciated. ¡­Goodbye.¡± After hanging up, he dropped the phone on his desk like a hot potato.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± Emil stepped into the room.


    ¡°Earlier this morning, I realized that if I¡¯m correct about Ranger Summers being a minor, then he¡¯d likely be a missing person.¡±


    ¡°Oh, smart thinking!¡± He smiled through the chill running down his spine.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I am unable to access any search results from his area.¡±


    Instead of the ship¡¯s camera feeds, the big screen in front of Lorenzo¡¯s desk displayed a webpage that said something or another about a ¡°United States Domestic Information Privacy Act.¡±


    Lorenzo folded his arms. ¡°The person I spoke to said there¡¯s a possibility I might be able to access it from Lunaria, but it¡¯s not certain.¡±


    Emil sure hoped it wasn¡¯t.


    The big screen switched over to the camera grid. Lorenzo enlarged the feed for the kitchen, where everyone had gathered except for the two of them and Mia. Emil leaned on the back of his brother¡¯s chair to watch it with him.


    ¡°I see that Ranger Summers is present.¡± Lorenzo didn¡¯t take his eyes off the screen ¡°Did you find him?¡±


    ¡°Roxie found him in the kitchen last night. I just happened to show up a little after.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask her where she found him. Do you know why he was hiding?¡±


    ¡°Uhh,¡± Emil thought for a moment, ¡°he seems really shy to me.¡± Technically not a lie.


    ¡°Hmm. Regardless of his reasoning, it won¡¯t save him from punishment. I¡¯m planning it as we speak.¡±


    ¡°What??¡± Emil leaned over the chair. ¡°C¡¯mooon, on his birthday? All he did was hide. He even showed up for jet training!¡±


    ¡°Wrong.¡± Lorenzo looked up toward him. ¡°He did not respond when I called for him at his brother¡¯s birthday party. That is a major infraction. The law doesn¡¯t stop for birthdays.¡±


    ¡°Can the law at least wait patiently until after the party?¡±


    No response from Lorenzo.


    ¡°So is that a yes, or¡­?¡± Emil leaned further.


    Lorenzo simply stared ahead.


    Letting go of his chair, Emil sighed and made a silent apology to Angelo. He sat there on screen eating eggs with the others, entirely oblivious.


    Oh right, Emil had a question to ask.


    ¡°Jun wanted me to ask if you wanted any eggs.¡±


    ¡°You came all the way up here for that?¡±


    ¡°Well, you obviously weren¡¯t looking at the cameras.¡± He stooped down near his bed to grab his guitar and amp.


    Lorenzo closed his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no sense in having you run all the way downstairs when I can just make my own eggs.¡±


    ¡°So you do want eggs! How many?¡±


    ¡°Just one, but¨C¡±


    Emil hurried over and turned on the intercom. ¡°Our beloved captain would like one scoop of eggs, please?¡±


    Jun finger gunned. ¡°Got it.¡±


    Lorenzo shook his head as the intercom clicked off.


    ¡°See? I didn¡¯t hafta run downstairs.¡± Emil fastened his guitar strap on his shoulders. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll prolly take the cake out after everyone¡¯s done eatin¡¯ eggs. You comin¡¯ down with me?¡±


    ¡°I will after I decide on a punishment. It will most likely include furnace duty, but what else¡­?¡±


    Emil sat on his bed. ¡°All this talk of punishment just reminded me of something Mom told me about you. You take guilt really hard.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Her assumption is based on how I was as a child.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like she completely dropped out of our lives. She knows us,¡± he stood back up to pace, ¡°and you¡¯re still like that. I remember times you¡¯d do push ups before Dad could even assign them to you. Sometimes for things he never thought of punishing you for!¡±


    ¡°Pushups, why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± Lorenzo muttered to himself as he typed something into a document.


    Emil continued regardless of whether or not his brother paid attention. ¡°Or when we had the simulation glasses, you¡¯d always set your damage settings to Shock.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also an interesting punishment¡­¡± Lorenzo kept typing.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you let yourself off the hook after running indoors at the Moon Base.¡±


    Lorenzo sat up from his laptop, staring into space.


    ¡°...Lorie?¡±


    ¡°I got so caught up in the theft,¡± his eyes shifted, ¡°I ran upstairs. And I instructed Summers to do the same¡­¡± He turned on the intercom. ¡°Ranger Kim, on second thought, I do not want any eggs.¡±


    ¡°Now hold on¨C!¡± Emil leaned over Lorenzo and took the intercom microphone. ¡°On third thought, I do believe the Captain wants eggs.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t take back my decision!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t deny yourself breakfast over a little mistake!¡±


    ¡°Yes I can, and it¡¯s not a little mistake. I went astray. Worse, I led my subordinate astray.¡±


    ¡°You ran up a coupla stairs, Lorie¨C¡±


    A cough came over the intercom. ¡°Sorry for the interruption, but we can like, hear you guys. Also I can¡¯t unscramble these eggs.¡±


    ¡°My sincerest apologies to everyone for having heard that.¡± Lorenzo hurriedly turned off the intercom. He looked like he wanted to retreat into his hat.


    ¡°Well, you heard them. There¡¯s no unscrambling an egg, so it¡¯s better not to let it go to waste. The cake either.¡± Emil predicted his next move. He leaned toward Lorenzo, sympathetic. ¡°Why do you do this to yourself?¡±


    ¡°Self-discipline is an important part of being a star ranger, let alone a captain in my position. But also,¡± Lorenzo rested his chin on a finger, ¡°does it not feel bad to do the wrong things?¡±


    ¡°The wrong things as in¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how some people are able to go on after doing something they¡¯re told not to. Facing punishment is the easy part. It¡¯s¡­ freeing.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Emil believed he meant every word. That didn¡¯t mean he understood. Did Angelo feel the same? What could he do to help either of them?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever feel the same way?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He stepped away from the chair. ¡°I was always too talkative, not obedient enough, too emotional, not smart enough. My brain developed wrong, and according to a lotta people, so did my heart! If I let myself feel guilty about everything I do ¡®wrong,¡¯ I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself! Heck, it¡¯s hard enough¨C¡± He stopped himself before he said too much.


    Lorenzo looked up at him expectantly.


    ¡°Nevermind.¡± Emil didn¡¯t feel the need to go into his past sorrows. Not yet. Still, it meant the world that he could even think of telling Lorenzo about them. His fingers plucked at guitar strings as he watched his brother deeply consider the feelings he would¡¯ve dismissed before.


    ¡°I think guilt is necessary. It guards against carelessness and crime. I can also understand that feeling guilt for things you can¡¯t change isn¡¯t ideal.¡± The gears in Lorenzo¡¯s head struggled to turn with each word. ¡°But how do you allow yourself not to feel guilty? That sounds like a recipe for disaster.¡±


    Emil pulled on a curl. ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have a conscience.¡±


    ¡°I assumed that much.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Glad¡¯ja have faith in me!¡± He winked, then walked around for a moment while trying to figure out how to explain what he felt. ¡°I got it! Okay, so running in halls is bad, right? ¡®Cause someone can get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So say I¡¯m in a hurry to get somewhere and I run indoors. I almost run into someone carrying a ton of glass. Yeah, I¡¯d feel bad about doing that, but it¡¯s helping no one if I¡¯m still beating myself up a year later over it when I can just be more careful.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Lorenzo looked deep in thought. ¡°But what if you had run into that person and gotten them severely injured?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯d have a reason to feel guilty for a long time. But I didn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°But you could have.¡± Leave it to Lorenzo to lecture him on a hypothetical situation. ¡°Every rule is in place for a reason, and anytime you break it can risk your life or someone else¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Not every rule is in place for a reason. Don¡¯t tell me you still believe Jun was in the wrong for sneaking into the IF.¡±


    ¡°The gender restriction was there for a reason, though a faulty one.¡± He folded his arms. ¡°Had it not been faulty, Ranger Kim could¡¯ve seriously risked their health.¡±


    Emil opened his mouth to defend them.


    ¡°That being said, their actions led to beneficial changes for the Interstellar Forces.¡±


    ¡°Glad we¡¯re on the same page there.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I woulda felt bad having them cook eggs for you if we weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe you should¡¯ve let me cook my own eggs. Speaking of which,¡± Lorenzo looked at the kitchen feed, ¡°they seem to be done.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, we should prolly head downstairs, huh?¡±


    Ever the dependable one, Lorenzo stood up from his chair, put on his cape, and opened the door for Emil and his guitar.


    ¡°Thanks~¡± Emil started downstairs with a pep in his step. ¡°Excited for the party?¡±


    Lorenzo followed. ¡°With Ranger Summers accounted for, I have no reason not to go.¡±


    ¡°Great! I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± Emil heard his brother breath through his nose. ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯ll be a good time!¡±


    ¡°For you, it will be.¡± It was hard to tell if Lorenzo was being snide or just factual. ¡°But I was just thinking¨C¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°--with how invested you are in these parties, I¡¯m surprised you keep forgetting to defrost the cake.¡±


    ¡°Me too, but you know my mind¡¯s all over the place.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I took it out.¡±


    Emil spun around to face him. ¡°Lorie?¡± His voice squeaked a little more than he intended. ¡°You did that for me?¡±


    Lorenzo awkwardly looked away, but nodded. Though even in this moment, he stood strong and tall. It didn¡¯t matter that they¡¯d be roughly the same height if they were standing on the same step. His presence stood taller, enough to seem distant and uncaring at times. Even still, he found the time to care for a little guy like Emil.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Emil spoke from the bottom of his heart, but just in case that didn¡¯t get across, he hopped off the bottom step and played a guitar riff. ¡°That¡¯s for you.¡±


    Lorenzo stared down at him, mildly confused. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Leaning on the door to the meeting room, Emil waited for his brother to catch up. In the meantime, he decided to bring the guilt conversation back to life. ¡°What if there was a reason where you had to break the rules?¡±


    ¡°Why would you need to break the rules?¡±


    ¡°Going back to the running in the halls situation, what if I was running from a serial killer? Should I be guilty then?¡±


    Lorenzo walked up to his face. ¡°You should be running.¡±


    That got a laugh out of Emil. He held the door open this time. ¡°So even you think there¡¯s things more important than rules.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an extreme situation.¡± Lorenzo¡¯s cape dragged behind him as he passed through.


    ¡°I agree.¡± Emil lifted the cape out of the doorway before closing it. ¡°On the topic of extreme situations,¡± He swallowed his nerves as he tried to craft the perfect hypothetical to mirror Leon and Angelo¡¯s situation, ¡°what if I, in self defense, punched a guy, and the cops were looking to send me off to prison?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lorenzo stopped in front of the panel leading to the stairwell.


    ¡°And what if I went home to hide? If the police showed up, would you turn me over to ¡®em? Even if it meant I went to a big, scary prison with guys who could snap me in half like a twig?¡±


    ¡°Who did you punch?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, the president??¡±


    He squinted at him.


    ¡°In self-defense, though!¡± Emil lifted a finger.


    ¡°If it¡¯s self-defense, it wouldn¡¯t be a crime, would it?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the president.¡±


    Lorenzo shook his head. ¡°Then you¡¯d get arrested no matter what I do. Hiding you would just prolong the inevitable.¡±


    ¡°But is it fair for me to get arrested for it? If I hadn¡¯t punched him, he would¡¯ve killed me.¡±


    ¡°The president??¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Lorenzo sighed. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say who¡¯s in the wrong if I don¡¯t know why the president wanted to kill you, but regardless, I feel like you could get a trial to clear your name.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯d take my side over the president¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re truly innocent.¡± His unwavering belief in the law baffled Emil more than sometimes.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Emil shifted gears, ¡°but what if you didn¡¯t know you were hiding me?¡±


    ¡°How would I not know?¡±


    He circled his brother. ¡°Let¡¯s say I made sure you didn¡¯t know I wasn¡¯t in trouble, and we lived somewhere the police wouldn¡¯t find easily.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they have our address?¡±


    ¡°Dad finally figured out how we can live off the grid in this situation!¡± He lifted his hands in exasperation. ¡°Anyway. It takes a week or two for them to find me, and by that point, they think you¡¯re hiding a fugitive.¡±


    Lorenzo squinted. ¡°Then that¡¯s your fault.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± agreed Emil. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing you can say to prove you didn¡¯t know. You did nothing wrong, and you¡¯ll still get arrested and prolly go to prison cuzza me!¡± It didn¡¯t mirror Leon¡¯s situation exactly, but a life without space would be prison for him. Just like Lorenzo. ¡°Would that be fair?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°And while it¡¯s wrong of me to trick you, I¡¯m just trying to protect myself from getting unfairly locked up.¡± He placed a hand on his chest. ¡°If I was sure I¡¯d get a fair trial, I wouldn¡¯t do any of that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what any of this has to do with guilt.¡± Lorenzo opened the floor panel.


    Emil froze. ¡°...Okay, I may¡¯ve lost the plot. Wait, no, this is still relevant!¡± He rushed downstairs after him. ¡°You said you feel guilty about breaking rules, so I was just tryin¡¯ to explain that sometimes the law¡¯s not always on your side, or a situation is complicated.¡±


    ¡°Of course things are complicated. That¡¯s why we have rules.¡± Lorenzo stopped to look toward him. ¡°If everyone did what they were supposed to, it would be a lot simpler. I¡¯m just doing my part.¡±


    He turned away, gripping the stair rail. Emil nearly said something, but Lorenzo spoke up instead.


    ¡°Things are more complicated than I would like to admit.¡± He looked back up. ¡°Did I ever tell you what Commander Bellamy told me would happen if a complaint were filed against a captain?¡±


    ¡°Not that I can remember. Is it bad?¡±


    He stared into space. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to figure out. I can see the practicality, but¡­¡± His head shook. ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    Emil walked down a few steps. ¡°Hey. You¡¯re smart. You¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your confidence. And strange hypotheticals aside,¡± Lorenzo continued walking downstairs, ¡°I trust that you¡¯re doing your best as a person.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± It warmed Emil¡¯s heart to hear that, but not enough to stop the chill that came after.


    Trust. Not an easy thing to gain from Lorenzo and very delicate. Yet Emil would have to juggle it with his promise to keep Angelo safe. He needed to be clever and probably lie, but who better to have a battle of brains with than the most knowledgeable guy he knew?


    Anyone else.


    On the stairwell floor, he caught Leon waving at him. Angelo lifted a hand. He technically caused all of this, but Emil couldn¡¯t find it in his heart to blame the kid. It¡¯s a miracle his 16-year-old self didn¡¯t do something so catastrophic. What he would¡¯ve given for more helping hands. Right or wrong, that¡¯s what Angelo needed.


    ¡°Are you going in first?¡± Lorenzo waited off to the side.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Emil tried to play off his being distracted. ¡°I thought you were going in first, but if you insist~¡±


    He¡¯d already put all of his eggs in one basket. There¡¯s no unscrambling them now.


    ¡°It¡¯s showtime!¡±

 Next Episode: Adventures in Spacepunk

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Mia again. I mean, it¡¯s me. Mia. Um, a-anyway, we¡¯re making our final stop on the Moon before setting off to Mars. I wasn¡¯t planning to do much other than help stock up on a few things, but our crew was assigned to find a missing ranger at the last minute.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s not ¨¢ngie this time! Apparently this one went MIA? Like you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we were given some details of where she might be, which means we¡¯re going to¨C¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to Lunaria!! And because she¡¯s avoiding the IF, we get to go in disguise~ She¡¯s a spacepunk too, which means we¡¯ll have to dress up super cool and fashionable in order to blend in where she hangs out. I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    ¡°This seems a little outside of our job description.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad to have an excuse to finally visit Lunaria. I¡¯ve been waiting all my life for this! But you¡¯ve been living all your life here. Do you think you¡¯ll run into someone you know? That¡¯d be so cool!¡±


    ¡°It would certainly be¡­ interesting.¡±

 [Adventures in Spacepunk] Ch 1. Blank Canvas

    Too soon did Mia step back into the airlock of her house. She spent her time waiting for oxygen to fill the narrow hallway bracing herself for the fires she¡¯d have to put out once she entered¡ªmaybe literal if luck hated her enough. Tension took her by the shoulders, the first familiar presence to welcome her home. The butterflies in her stomach were new, but expected.


    For the first time ever, she had a guest.


    ¡°We venture into uncharted territory!¡± Roxie¡¯s voice chirped over her helmet speakers.


    ¡°It¡¯s just my house.¡±


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t been here, so it¡¯s uncharted to me.¡± Her head swiveled around as if something worth looking at hid in the barren chamber. ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t know anyone else who lives outside of the dome. This might as well be a new discovery.¡±


    Her excitement got a smile out of Mia, but before she had time to worry about that, artificial gravity pulled her down and a green light came on.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t take off my helmet just yet.¡± warned Mia. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to check first.¡±


    Flicking the combination to the lock box, she tugged her house key from the opening and unlocked it before letting the attached cable yank it back into the box, relocking it.


    ¡°How convenient~¡± Roxie marveled. ¡°You never have to worry about losing your keys.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really handy.¡± Mia opened the door to find the spacesuit rack empty. ¡°Oh. No one¡¯s here.¡± The surprise hit her like a gift on Christmas morning. ¡°It should be safe to take off our helmets.¡±


    Roxie¡¯s helmet came off to reveal light purple curls instead of her usual red dye job. She put it in her shopping bag. ¡°Would it not have been safe if people were here?¡±


    ¡°Uh, there¡¯s been cases of someone mixing chemicals together.¡± Mia held the door open for her.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s concerning! Hoh?¡± Roxie¡¯s pointer finger flew toward the shelf by the doorway. She leaned forward to inspect it more closely. ¡°Triplets?? You never told me you had triplets!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have them.¡± Although Mia might as well have raised them. ¡°But yes, three of my brothers are triplets.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s a babier one!¡± Roxie cooed. ¡°You have a whole army of little brothers! I wish I had an army of little brothers.¡±


    Mia peeled her spacesuit off from her IF dress uniform underneath. ¡°Feel free to borrow mine.¡±


    ¡°Borrow? Now there¡¯s an idea. My dear Wattson, you¡¯re a genius! I shall craft my own sibling army, and soon, I¡¯ll share in your power as an eldest sister. No one will stop me.¡±


    ¡°Good luck.¡± She hung up her spacesuit on the rack, noticing that Roxie made no move to take hers off yet. ¡°You can hang your suit here, if you want.¡±


    Roxie bent toward the shelf, staring at it with an intensity Mia had only seen when she tried to prevent her from suffocating.


    ¡°Um, are you looking for something?¡±


    She cocked her head to the side. ¡°Where are your pictures?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s some around, but I¡¯m not sure if¨C¡±


    ¡°Aha! There!¡± Roxie pointed to a picture frame far in the back.


    Mia picked it up, and sure enough, it framed a family photo from when she was no older than five. Her mother smiled serenely, palming Mia¡¯s face into the side of her triple pregnant stomach. She winced just as she did in the picture upon remembering the sensation of her brothers kicking her. A sticker tastefully covered the face of the man who placed his hands on both of their shoulders. Mia still spotted the furious marker scribblings underneath.


    She also spotted Roxie¡¯s eyes glancing away from it.


    ¡°Waaah~ What cute little side buns!¡± Roxie focused on Mia instead. ¡°They look like cinnamon rolls!¡±


    ¡°They made for good earmuffs. Pressing them to my ears blocked out three crying babies. Somewhat.¡±


    ¡°Cute and practical, just like the wearer.¡± Roxie¡¯s words gripped Mia and squeezed the air out of her lungs like a bagpipe. At this point, she had to be somewhat aware of her effect. Maybe she found it cute? She found alligators, elephant seals, and trilobites cute, so maybe Mia filled that same niche. What a hassle. A sweet, loveable hassle.


    That¡¯s why Mia had to stay away. ¡°I¡¯m going to check my room first, make sure it¡¯s decent.¡± She set the picture back on the shelf. ¡°Then I¡¯ll let you know when you can come in.¡±


    ¡°Wait, who¡¯s that girl?¡± Roxie pointed at the older, dark haired girl her mother¡¯s free hand wrapped around, the other reason this picture stayed buried in the back.


    Mia thought of an explanation that wouldn¡¯t raise many questions. ¡°She¡¯s, um, she¡¯s a relative. One I haven¡¯t seen in a while.¡± She placed the picture back where it belonged. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    She sped off to the one room she truly called home and locked herself in its walls of soothing, pastel¡­ dark grey?


    Right. She agreed to let her brothers have this room during her absence. Only stopping by long enough to sleep on the couch last night, there hadn¡¯t been an opportunity for her to see it. Hopefully, her clothes were nearby, otherwise the whole reason for coming here would vanish. That¡¯d honestly be a blessing for her but an inconvenience to poor Roxie.


    Mia meandered between the two beds in her old room, unrecognizable due to the clothes strewn around. Gone were her nature posters and paper chandelier. Instead, printouts of ViewTuber merch and b-movie posters littered the walls. On top of her bookshelf lay a few psychology books. No two brothers took this room, all four must¡¯ve been cycling through it.


    Using a nearby cardboard katana to sweep away dirty clothes, she parted a way to her drawers, where her clothes had been replaced. Her closet was her last bet. The door wouldn¡¯t budge when she turned the knob at first, but in the blink of an eye, it flung open with the force of an avalanche. With a yelp and a thud, she found herself buried in her own clothes.


    ¡°Mia, are you safe?¡± Soft footsteps bounded to the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± answered Mia. ¡°You can come in now.¡±


    The door opened, and within a few seconds, Roxie crouched down beside her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mia took her hand, wrapped in a long, black fingerless glove. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s not usually like this.¡±


    Roxie pulled her up. ¡°Cool room! Which side is yours?¡±


    ¡°This side.¡± Mia pointed to where her clothes piled on the floor.


    ¡°You live in a closet??¡±


    ¡°Not normally.¡± She tried to ease Roxie¡¯s concern. ¡°But it¡¯s always been a point of contention that I had this room to myself while my brothers had to share one, so I lent them mine.¡± She never said they could paint it. ¡°Um, anyway, here¡¯s my clothes.¡±


    Roxie pressed her hands together. ¡°Let the costuming commence.¡±


    Mia stood watching as Roxie flung clothes left and right. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pick out anything special.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Roxie waved a finger in the air. ¡°The only thing I love more than dressing up in cute clothes is dressing other people up in cute clothes. Besides, it¡¯s for the mission!¡±


    The mission. The mission assigned to the Celestion-5 crew during the two days they had to prepare to leave for Mars. The mission standing in the way of Mia and one last day at the library.


    She sighed. ¡°Is this really in our job description? It seems condescending to send us after someone playing hooky.¡±


    ¡°What ever are you talking about? The nice commander man told us we looked like very hip and fashionable youngsters.¡± Roxie rested her face on her hands in a saccharine sweet way.


    Correction, most of them had the looks for it. Clothes in Lunaria ran notoriously small, and spacepunk fashion in particular covered only the trimmest. Even those as fit as her and Captain Galhardo needed to shop in the larger sections.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Only we have the looks to blend into the spacepunk subculture and track down our target!¡± Despite the theatrics, it was clear Roxie believed in those words as little as Mia.


    She did blend in, though, in her blue spaghetti strap shirt with a planet decal. Her star-patterned black jeans might have been wide enough to fit a second pair of legs, but the top left little extra room for her waist. She bought some other things too, so in her own words, her outfit had only reached a fraction of its potential.


    Mia, on the other hand, was lucky to walk out of the same store with a shopping bag. She checked the contents once more: A pink fuzzy coat, pink sparkly boots, a matching phone case, and green alien sunglasses, all at Roxie¡¯s suggestion. She had no idea how this would turn into a stylish outfit, but standing around while Roxie dug through her clothes felt rude.


    ¡°O fashionable one, do you require any assistance?¡± Mia stooped down beside her.


    ¡°Why, I would love help from such a knowledgeable apprentice as yourself.¡± Roxie¡¯s smile warmed Mia¡¯s heart almost enough to distract her from the realization that she made a grave mistake.


    Mia longed for these playful private moments with Roxie, so much so that she undid her progress toward cutting unnecessary connections.


    ¡°Mia?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She shook herself from her thoughts.


    ¡°I asked if you have anything in¨C?¡±


    ¡°Green?¡± Mia remembered the rest of Roxie¡¯s question as she repeated it, muting her emotions inside and outside. ¡°I have a few things.¡± She busied herself laying green clothing off to the side.


    For the past two weeks, her plan went smoothly. A new arrival on the ship and the bizarre happenings that came with him distracted anyone from noticing her absence. She only really had to worry about Roxie. The others, she¡¯d barely interacted with outside of polite detachment before her visit to Earth put everything back into perspective.


    In the life dealt to her, no comforts stayed permanent, not even her room.


    Her hands lifted a pair of green shorts from the pile.


    ¡°Those!¡± Roxie pointed.


    Mia presented them to her.


    She took them. ¡°Yes, these are fantastic. Now all we need is¨CAha! Perfect.¡±


    A hand plunged into the pile and pulled out an article of clothing that made Mia¡¯s heart stop.


    ¡°Uhh¨CWhoopsie¨CThat¡¯s not what I meant to¨CHere you go.¡± Roxie placed it into the hands of Mia, who threw it far into the closet. ¡°This is what I was looking for.¡±


    She then pulled out a navy blue sleeveless shirt with a white crescent moon from the pile. Mia had no recollection of it being in her closet.


    ¡°What a cute halter top! It goes with this scarf I found.¡± Roxie assembled her chosen clothes into a pile. ¡°This is a den full of the most colorful items I¡¯ve seen. Where do you get them from?¡±


    ¡°My mom.¡± Specifically, these were maternity clothes Mia¡¯s mother used to model, but no one needed to know that information.


    ¡°Ohhhh, I feel like I recognize her from somewhere. Has she done any commercials?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve probably seen her.¡±


    ¡°Wowie! That means we¡¯re both children of local celebrities.¡± Roxie flipped her hair. ¡°But your mom has to have been seen by at least five hundred people! Maybe even a thousand!¡±


    ¡°A few more than that.¡±


    ¡°Two thousand?¡±


    Mia nodded, though the number was probably far higher.


    ¡°Wooow.¡± Roxie¡¯s big, brown eyes sparkled with wonder. ¡°Anyway, don thy garments.¡± She shoved the outfit into Mia¡¯s hands.


    Mia looked between the outfit and Roxie, who didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Um, are you going to¨C?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can turn around if you want.¡± Roxie faced the back wall and covered her eyes.


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Not having the heart to shoo her out of the room, Mia let her stay while she put on the clothes from her closet and from the store.


    ¡°You can look now.¡±


    Roxie uncovered her eyes and turned around to look up at her. ¡°Excellent, excellent.¡± She tapped her fingers together deviously. ¡°I¡¯ll have my revenge yet, but something is missing.¡± From the pile, she flung a transparent pink skirt in Mia¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Revenge?¡± Curiosity got the better of Mia. She put on the plastic skirt.


    ¡°On our fashion-forward lieutenant, of course. It¡¯s no fair!¡± Roxie whined. ¡°He got to dress all the boys, but nooo, that wasn¡¯t enough for him, so he hogged the nonbinaries too! But even he has flaws.¡± With a wink, she started her impression of Emil. ¡°¡®Hey Roxie, can you do me a favor? I don¡¯t know how to dress girls.¡¯¡± She stood up triumphantly. ¡°Well, dress girls, I will!¡±


    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know what to do with this.¡± Mia held up the scarf.


    Roxie took the scarf, marching past Mia to the vanity table. ¡°With this, my pretty, we¡¯ll show him who knows how to dress.¡± She tapped the chair in front of it. ¡°Please sit.¡±


    Mia sat.


    ¡°You may be wondering how this proves anything when he already confessed to not knowing how to dress girls.¡± Roxie tied the scarf around Mia¡¯s face. ¡°Well! We¡¯ll be the spacepunkiest of spacepunks, and that¡¯ll show him that he should¡¯ve let me dress more people!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    She tilted her head from side to side. ¡°Hmmm, this is nice, but the back¡¯s a little lumpy. Could you release your hair from its containment?¡±


    Mia took the band out of her ponytail.


    ¡°Thank you~ Yes, yes. It¡¯s all coming together.¡± Roxie retrieved the sunglasses and phone case from Mia¡¯s shopping bag. ¡°Put these on.¡±


    These instructions too were carried out.


    Roxie examined her work like a specimen through a microscope. With a quick strike, she slipped one of Mia¡¯s bangs out of the scarf, finger briefly grazing against her cheek. Another, and she plucked the fuzzy jacket off of her shoulders.


    ¡°There.¡± Roxie lifted her hands. ¡°My revenge is complete!¡± She leaned on the chairback, smiling in amazement at the results of her experiment. ¡°You look ready to blend in among the stars! Red-carpet ready, if I do say so myself.¡±


    Mia detected no trace of a lie on Roxie¡¯s face, but she saw herself in the clothes of a star with none of the grace. ¡°Thank you for dressing me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± Roxie bowed.


    Mia stood. ¡°We should meet back with the others soon.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Out of her pants pockets, Roxie pulled a vial of blue paint and a brush to go with it. ¡°Can you paint a star over my eye? I worry I may sacrifice precision or my vision if I do it myself.¡± She pretended to poke herself in the eye.


    ¡°I can try.¡± What else was Mia to do than be of use?


    ¡°Water is needed to free the pigments.¡±


    With a nod, she took the tools, left, and returned from the bathroom with wet paint. A few paper towels were brought just in case.


    ¡°You have returned.¡± Roxie turned the vanity seat to face her as she set the paint down. ¡°Let the painting commence.¡±


    Her face tilted up, eyes closed. Mia rose the paint brush toward it but never made a connection. What if she messed something up?


    Roxie opened an eye. ¡°Mia?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I wasn¡¯t sure if my hand was steady enough.¡± The brush wobbled in Mia¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You can hold my face if it helps.¡±


    It did not help the wobbling. Still, Mia had no choice but to reach out if she wanted to avoid turning Roxie¡¯s face into abstract art. ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Roxie¡¯s eye shut again. ¡°My face is your canvas. Do with it what you wish.¡±


    Artists didn¡¯t normally paint on finished works.


    ¡°Hee hee, that tickles!¡± Roxie twitched at the first brush stroke.


    Mia found the strength to press on, fighting against the instinct to draw away, an instinct as natural as not touching a hot stove.


    ¡°Your hand is soft.¡± So was Roxie¡¯s face. Someone like her found beauty in anything, even blank canvases. She spent her affection in amounts far beyond Mia¡¯s imagination. No wonder she had friends anywhere she went. May that kind of love always cradle her and keep her safe.


    ¡°I¡¯m done, I think.¡± Mia drew the brush away. ¡°I tried not to get your eyelashes.¡±


    Roxie¡¯s eyes snapped open. ¡°It¡¯s so clean, thank you!¡± Miraculously, the star over her eye was fully filled, with straight lines. ¡°That was fun. I should buy more colors. Then maybe I can practice on you~¡± She took the brush, waving it in Mia¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Oh, um, maybe, yeah.¡± Mia tried to ignore how nice that sounded. ¡°I should probably clean that off.¡±


    She excused herself the second the brush touched her hand. Upon returning, Roxie fished out an eyeliner pen, a capsule, a belt-buckle necklace, and ring-shaped hair clips out of her many pants pockets.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your brush back.¡±


    ¡°Thankies!¡± Roxie stashed it and the paint container into a pocket. She then took a pair of black, star-shaped earrings out of the capsule. ¡°I must check on how my outfit is coming together.¡±


    Mia decided to busy herself by cramming what she could back into her closet. Her mother¡¯s old clothes weren¡¯t alone in the pile; she found the nature posters, paper chandelier, old dolls, and forgotten notebooks, among other things. She set those things aside, wanting to protect them from further damage under the weight of the clothes.


    ¡°Behold! My outfit approaches its final form.¡± Roxie stood over her, looking like she just stepped out of a rave. Star earrings dangled from her ears, the necklace snugly fit around her neck, and her hair was pinned up into two buns that looked like planets, thanks to the ring clips. A tiny black star was drawn on the opposite cheek from the one Mia painted.


    ¡°It looks really nice.¡± Mia offered the bare minimum politeness.


    ¡°Do you require my assistance, O knowledgeable one?¡±


    Mia stopped to consider her options. ¡°Yeah. We need to be back soon. If you see anything that isn¡¯t clothing, can you put it over to the side?¡±


    ¡°Okie-dokely.¡± One salute, and Roxie dropped down on the floor. She picked up a notebook decorated in cupcakes, with Mia¡¯s full name on the cover. ¡°McKenzie is your middle name?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡±


    ¡°I will remember this.¡± Roxie set the notebook down. ¡°I wish I could¡¯ve seen your room before it was seized by your brothers. So many cute things are here. All I can do now is imagine what it looked like.¡±


    She lifted up a poster of moon-specific rocks. Checkmarks were by ones Mia and¡ªones that Mia found.


    ¡°Where are they, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Who? My brothers?¡±


    ¡°Yes. For a boy-filled house, it is strangely boyless right now.¡±


    Thank goodness for that. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Is that normal?¡± A little concern showed on Roxie¡¯s face. She held a radio now, one that looked familiar, though Mia never listened to radio stations growing up.


    ¡°Um, not really, but if they¡¯re all gone, they¡¯re probably together.¡± Mia reasoned. ¡°I¡¯d be more worried if only a few of them were here.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s good, then.¡±


    Roxie certainly took interest in Mia and her life, no matter how empty she made herself. This conversation gave Mia deja vu of when they first met. Sitting alone in the Moon Base mess hall, she understood how she might¡¯ve stood out back then. It made it easy for someone like Roxie to zero in on her.


    Someone like Roxie found beauty in even the blankest of slates.


    Now, the Celestion-5 had only eight people, but the other six had colorful enough presences to distract anyone. If that distraction held long enough, no one would notice Mia slip into the background. It¡¯s the least painful way for things to end.


    Mia pulled a green purse from the pile.


    ¡°Oooh!¡± Roxie pointed at it. ¡°You should keep that! It goes with your outfit.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I need to check something first.¡± Mia never owned any purses. ¡°My mom might¡¯ve left it by mistake.¡±


    Unzipping the top, she dug around the loose change and old lip balm until she found a label that read ¡®If lost, please return to K. Rose,¡¯ with the house¡¯s number attached.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not hers.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Roxie clapped. ¡°Into the bag it goes.¡±


    Mia placed the purse into her shopping bag like Roxie wanted. That was much easier than telling her the truth: The bag belonged to neither of them.

 [Adventures in Spacepunk] Ch 2. Puzzling Pairs

    Lorenzo stood in the barren living room of Galhardo Residence #15 for what should be the last day anyone in the family would be there. His brother tested that by rediscovering a growing list of things he wanted to take with him, none of which being the thing he dragged Lorenzo here for.


    ¡°Emil, the next shuttle to Lunaria arrives at 12:05.¡± He picked up a cartoon head on a spring left on one of the many hats Emil owned but rarely wore. ¡°We can collect the rest of your belongings later.¡±


    ¡°Ooh~ Yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about!¡± His brother¡¯s voice rang from the room at the back of the hall.


    Lorenzo sighed, trudging toward it. ¡°What exactly are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Found my jacket.¡± Red and blue star-shaped glasses nearly collided with his face when Emil poked his head out of the room. ¡°Whoops.¡± The rest of him stepped out and tugged on an oversized jacket inaccurately styled after older, bulkier Interstellar Forces spacesuits. ¡°How¡¯s it look?¡±


    ¡°It looks like stolen valor.¡± Lorenzo voiced his disdain.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing we¡¯re star rangers.¡± Emil winked, reaching out for the spring toy, then placed it in his jacket pocket. ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are.¡±


    ¡°Good. Do you have your wallet?¡±


    ¡°Almost forgot! Thanks.¡± After snatching it off of his dresser, he tried and failed to fit it into his jumpsuit pocket. He tried again. ¡°You¡¯d think they¡¯d make these bigger. Almost there¡­¡±


    ¡°You can focus on that on our way to the shuttle.¡± Lorenzo headed toward the front door.


    ¡°Hey, wait uuup!¡±


    Public transport was never Lorenzo¡¯s favorite method of travel. It left him too open, yet confined. Strangers sat all around, but not enough to truly blend in. Making his way down the aisle, he felt more eyes on him than usual.


    He scanned for a seat in the back, but all of them had been filled, leaving him and Emil with the next closest row. Stars twinkled from beyond the window seat. Soon, he¡¯d be back in his element and steering among them again.


    ¡°Excuse me, young man?¡±


    Lorenzo jolted out of his stargazing to face the voice behind him.


    ¡°Aha, did I startle you?¡± An old woman chuckled, the teenager beside her only briefly looking up from her phone. ¡°I was just going to tell you that you have a nice cape.¡¯¡±


    In a brief moment of panic, Lorenzo forgot that he didn¡¯t accidentally wear his usual cape outside. A reflective capelet draped over him instead. With it, he wore a matching pair of glasses, an earpiece, and a brown, patterned jumpsuit. Far too flashy and form fitting for him normally, it suited the mission, and that was what mattered. ¡°Th-Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, so polite. You must be popular with girls.¡±


    ¡°I, um¨C¡± How did one normally respond to this?


    ¡°He¡¯s too modest to admit it.¡± Arm over his seat, Emil came to his aid.


    ¡°Aww, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s part of his charm. Cute hair by the way.¡± She pointed at the red streak in his hair that he assured would be gone after the mission.


    ¡°Thanks, I grew it myself.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°I feel like it¡¯s more often that girls are dressed in your style¨Cwhat¡¯s it called?¡±


    ¡°Spacepunk.¡± answered the teenager.


    ¡°Spacepunk, thank you dear. I see more girl spacepunks, I feel. Maybe that¡¯s just us liking to show off more. But you boys don¡¯t seem afraid to come off as flamboyant.¡±


    ¡°Us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you seem like,¡± she snapped her fingers, ¡°what are they called, metropolitan men? No, that¡¯s not it.¡± She elbowed the teenager. ¡°Help your auntie out, Sasha.¡±


    Sasha looked between her and the brothers before shrugging.


    ¡°Oh well. What I meant to say is that you two seem fashion-forward.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but we don¡¯t know the first thing about that stuff.¡± Emil laughed off the compliment. ¡°Our buddy Roxie dressed us up. All the credit goes to her.¡±


    Lorenzo let his brother lie. Emil picked out clothes for him on many occasions, but he was always touchy about other people knowing it. As much as the falsehood irked Lorenzo, calling it out would cause a disproportionate scene. Why? He¡¯d long since given up asking.


    ¡°Well, she really knows how to dress you boys. Oh, if only I were young again. I¡¯d love to dress like that, too.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s never too late!¡± encouraged Emil.


    ¡°What he said.¡± Sasha spoke up.


    ¡°You know what?¡± Her aunt slapped her knees. ¡°You are absolutely right. I might dye a streak in my hair.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go for it!¡± encouraged Emil.


    ¡°Thanks so much. I¡¯ll get out of your hair now.¡±


    With the lady and her niece busy discussing dye colors, Lorenzo finally had the chance to return to stargazing. That was until he saw Emil put something into his jacket pocket.


    ¡°Is that your wallet?¡± Lorenzo raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yeah? Why?¡±


    ¡°That jacket is going to Summers, isn¡¯t it? And you¡¯re leaving your wallet inside?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll remember to take it out before I give it to him.¡±


    Lorenzo could¡¯ve asked him if he wanted to risk his ID winding up the hands of someone else. He could¡¯ve asked the same of his money or whatever other personal belongings were inside. Lorenzo didn¡¯t do any of this. Instead, he just stared.


    ¡°...Alriiight, you made your point.¡± Emil tore open his velcro wallet, took out the money, and put it in his jumpsuit pocket. He handed him the rest. ¡°Here, you hold onto this for now, and I¡¯ll get it later.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re letting me hold it, why take out the money?¡±


    ¡°Just in case I forget.¡± he smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t really need the rest. It¡¯s not like I plan on drivin¡¯ or anything.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Though it made Lorenzo uneasy, a rental car should be unnecessary for what they had to do.


    Something caught Emil¡¯s attention. ¡°Turn your head for a sec?¡± Once Lorenzo did as asked, he took the earpiece from his ear, turned the handle around, and placed it back on the left one. ¡°There you go.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand the point of this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Lorenzo accepted that he may never fully understand his brother¡¯s fashion suggestions. He had bigger things to worry about, anyway.


    Summers. A name that caused him weeks of trouble. It wasn¡¯t enough to have a possible minor weasel himself onto his crew, no, the same child had to go into hiding for six days. Once Lorenzo got the opportunity to prove his suspicions to a higher authority, Angelo Summers should cease to be an issue. His patience would reward him soon.


    With that reward came consequence. L¨¦onardo risked being discharged as well, for at this point, he had to be covering for his brother. One crew member was easily replaceable. Two might delay the ship¡¯s schedule, though that hinged on if Command was willing to replace him.


    Of course they would. Forged documents were a serious matter. Only captains were excluded from removal via misbehavior. Captains, the most important members of each ship, the ones who set the standard for their crews. They got a free pass for misbehavior. A headache came on.


    Thinking about L¨¦onardo did not help. What a shame that someone with so much passion for the Interstellar Forces got swept up in a crime like this. Lorenzo struggled to fully see him as a criminal even though he must have been. He didn¡¯t seem competent enough. Despite that, he always committed to his endeavors and followed orders to the best of his ability. Maybe that was part of the ruse. Still, to lose a subordinate like that¡­


    Sentimental feelings had no place in this matter. And on the subject of L¨¦onardo, there were other feelings that didn¡¯t belong on the ship.


    ¡°Emil, if one of our,¡± Lorenzo chose to remain discreet, ¡°coworkers were to express interest in you, romantically, would you be tempted at all to reciprocate.¡±


    ¡°Lorie, c¡¯monnn! I know I¡¯m not always the most professional guy in the world, but I¡¯m better than that. It¡¯s too sleazy in my position.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you see it that way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t hafta worry about me breakin¡¯ that rule. Or not enforcing it.¡± Emil folded his arms. ¡°If I can¡¯t find love on the job, no one can. Well, actually, it¡¯d be kinda sweet.¡± he continued, to Lorenzo¡¯s exasperation. ¡°Why¡¯d you ask? Somebody have a crush on me?¡±


    It took Lorenzo a moment too long to realize his brother asked jokingly. Emil¡¯s eyebrows raised before he had a chance to open his mouth.


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± He lifted his sunglasses. ¡°Somebody has a crush on me??¡±


    ¡°These things go over my head,¡± warned Lorenzo, ¡°so I may be wrong, but from what I overheard, I can¡¯t help but feel that it¡¯s possible that¨C¡±


    ¡°Woah, hey, hey, a-actually I don¡¯t need to know.¡± Normally, Emil would be all for this kind of discussion, but now, his eyes darted around enough for Lorenzo to wonder if he saw a threat. His voice lowered to a whisper. ¡°Not right now. Later.¡±


    ¡°In any event, if that person does come forward with it, I can trust you to do the right thing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He looked away. ¡°I think I know who you¡¯re talkin¡¯ about.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one person it can be.¡± Emil gave him a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± That took care of one Summers stressor.


    Their shuttle ride came to a close as they drew toward the Moon and the glowing dome that crowned it. Lunaria¡¯s cityscape set the scenery like a snow globe with no snow. Spacecraft crowded around the metal border, piling into its loading docks. Their shuttle soon joined them.


    As usual when visiting Lunaria, Lorenzo and his brother weaved their way through tourists and townspeople alike. A weight lifted from his chest knowing their loud clothes were drowned out by the noise of others dressed like them. Now to focus on their primary task, making it to the hotel.


    13:19. The Galhardos set foot on the lobby¡¯s white tiles 11 minutes before everyone was due to report there. Too close for comfort but not late. Hotels in Lunaria mainly served use to Earth tourists, so their colorful collection of crewmates should stick out like a sore thumb.


    This held true, but strangely, only one stood in the seating area. Even stranger, it was Ranger Kelly.


    ¡°Ranger Kelly, where are the others?¡±


    ¡°And why are you standing?¡± added Emil. ¡°You can have a seat, you know.¡±


    ¡°Staff won¡¯t let me in these pants.¡± Ranger Kelly motioned to his spike-covered pants. He shrugged. ¡°I mean, I could anyway, but they got enough people makin¡¯ their lives hard without me.¡± How surprisingly considerate of him. ¡°Jun¡¯s right here.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Ranger Kim materialized from a seat behind a potted plant. ¡°Yeah, my bad¨CI mean, my mistake, Captain.¡± They pulled a UFO-shaped hat over their sunglasses. ¡°I was just trying to avoid being recognized.¡±


    ¡°Ideally, we shouldn¡¯t be recognizable in these disguises.¡± The person standing in front of Lorenzo, in a balloon-like purple vest and pants, looked a far cry from the person he¡¯d first seen on television. If he hadn¡¯t known what their hair looked like now, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to recognize them. ¡°What about the others?¡±


    ¡°Roxie said she should be here with Mia in like,¡± they checked their phone, ¡°any minute now. Leon and Angelo¡ªOh, there they are.¡±


    Ranger Kim pointed past the Galhardos toward the elevator, where L¨¦onardo stepped out. Clinging to his arm was his brother, who walked with all the grace of a newborn deer.


    ¡°Emil, you¡¯re back!¡± L¨¦onardo cheerily dragged his brother toward the group. ¡°We¡¯re not late, are we?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Catch!¡± Emil took off his jacket and threw it toward him. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping that warm for ya.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you not like warm jackets?¡± whispered the misplaced child.


    ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts.¡± L¨¦onardo took off a jetpack-shaped backpack and donned the jacket. ¡°Wow, it fits perfectly!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re lucky the guy who gifted it to me got it a few sizes off. Looks great on you! It matches the white shorts and everything, just as planned.¡± Emil congratulated himself.


    L¨¦onardo continued marvelling at the jacket. ¡°It¡¯s super cool how these look like the old IF uniforms. Look at all these old patches! I¡¯m not really much of a jacket guy, but I¡¯d love to get one of these for myself.¡±


    ¡°You like it that much?¡± Neither Emil nor Leon seemed to hear the youngest boy volunteering to pay for it.


    ¡°I feel cooler just wearing it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it never went with any of my stuff, and you seem to like it a lot. Keep it. It suits you.¡±


    ¡°Aww geez, it feels like you¡¯re spoiling me.¡±


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I was thinkin¡¯ about sending it off to a new home. Now it just found its new home early.¡±


    He opened the backpack, and took out two blue pauldron-like decorations. They looked to be the same transparent material as the visor he wore, but blue instead of yellow.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your shoulder things.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for holdin¡¯ ¡®em for me.¡± Emil wedged them into place. ¡°Ange, you gettin¡¯ used to those wheelies?¡±


    The bandage on his knee answered for him. ¡°I-I¡¯m trying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will.¡±


    L¨¦onardo looked around. ¡°Emil, where¡¯s¨C?¡± His eyes locked onto Lorenzo. ¡°Oh, hi. My name is Leon, nice to meet you.¡±


    Lorenzo stared down at the hand he held out to shake. ¡°Ranger Summers, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Captain? Woah, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you without your hat before.¡± L¨¦onardo gawked. ¡°You look so cool!¡±


    His brother straightened up and gave a salute, almost knocking off his hat in the process. It looked like an orange peel with an antenna on each side. ¡°Ranger Summers, reporting for duty, s-sir.¡±


    Lorenzo fought against lifelong instincts and refused to salute back. ¡°No saluting while we¡¯re in disguise, Summers.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry, sir! Please excuse my failure, sir! It won¡¯t happen again, sir!¡±


    ¡°I told you 38 pushups was overkill.¡± muttered Emil.


    ¡°It served its purpose.¡± Since giving him his birthday punishment, Lorenzo had no issues with the younger Summers aside from his existence.


    ¡°We would¡¯ve been here earlier, but we thought we were supposed to meet upstairs.¡± explained his brother. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Jun, we¡¯d still be up there.¡± He looked to them. ¡°Thanks again.¡±


    Ranger Kim fired a finger gun before sinking back into the seat behind the plant.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you came to that conclusion. Rangers Kim, Allen, Kelly, and Wattson have their own residences to stay in. Therefore, it makes the most sense to meet in a common area like this.¡± Most importantly, Lorenzo had no desire for anyone to know which room he stayed in. It¡¯s bad enough that he and Emil shared a hotel with the Sketchy Brothers.


    ¡°When you say it like that, it makes a lot more sense.¡± L¨¦onardo scratched at his temple. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I thought we were meeting by your room.¡±


    ¡°We never told you our room number.¡± After they all checked in, Lorenzo made sure to stay back with Emil while the Summers left for their room to prevent this very thing from happening. His muscles tensed. ¡°How did you locate our whereabouts?¡±


    The child cowered behind his brother¡¯s arm. ¡°Emil passed by us on th-the way down t-t¨Cwhen we were going to breakfast, sir.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Emil slapped his forehead. ¡°I was in such a hurry, I forgot I saw you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it turns out we¡¯re next door neighbors.¡± L¨¦onardo swung an arm. ¡°Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    A distraction from the entryway gave Lorenzo a way out of answering. Ranger Allen sped toward them wearing a pair of silvery pigtails he didn¡¯t remember her having when she left. They swayed along with her waving hand while the other tugged a newly disguised Ranger Wattson behind her.


    ¡°Hiii~ We return to you having beaten the clock by the skin of our teeth~¡± The clock struck 13:27 just as Ranger Allen made her entrance.


    ¡°Woah, Mia! You look ready to dodge the paparazzi with a little dog in your purse.¡± Emil mimicked hiding his face. ¡°Nice ¡®fit.¡±


    ¡°Heh! No better praise could come from my rival.¡± Roxie folded her arms.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± L¨¦onardo pointed at himself.


    ¡°Not you this time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°You!¡± She pointed at Emil, then spread out her arms. ¡°Gaze upon my handiwork and understand what could¡¯ve been.¡± Her shoulders slumped. ¡°You could¡¯ve at least let me dress Aiden and Junnn!¡± The two in question caught her attention. ¡°Cool outfits, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, these are, like, sweet duds.¡± Ranger Kim¡¯s arm emerged from the plant to point at Ranger Kelly. ¡°Aiden spent most of the time checking himself out in the floor tiles. Look, he¡¯s doing it now.¡±


    Ranger Kelly looked back at them with a smirk. ¡°If you weren¡¯t over there hiding, you¡¯d do the same.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that. It¡¯s a bummer, but I gotta side with the ¡®enemy¡¯ on this one, Rox. Emil really picked out some sick clothes for us.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but, uh,¡± Emil checked over his shoulders, ¡°actually! Hey, Roxie, just to make things up to you, I¡¯ll let you take the credit for all this. What do you say?¡± He offered a hand.


    ¡°Hmph. What a dishonorable victory.¡± For once, Lorenzo actually understood what Roxie meant.


    ¡°C¡¯monnn, I insist.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your offer, but don¡¯t think this means the end.¡± She accepted the handshake, obliterating any understanding Lorenzo had of her principals.


    ¡°Whatever you say. So everybody,¡± Emil clapped, ¡°if anyone asks who picked out your clothes, tell ¡®em it¡¯s Roxie. Got it?¡±


    Everyone answered with vaguely confused affirmations.


    Ranger Allen¡¯s eyes locked onto Lorenzo. ¡°Captain, is that you?? I thought you were some kind of mysterious technomancer that Emil happened to bring along.¡±


    ¡°I know, I didn¡¯t recognize him either.¡± L¨¦onardo chimed in.


    ¡°Rookie, your outfit is finally complete!¡± She walked over and lifted his hands. ¡°You look like a shonen protagonist~¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± His smile grew wide. ¡°You really think so??¡±


    ¡°A what kind of protagonist?¡± asked Emil.


    ¡°Uh, umm¨C¡±


    Ranger Allen gasped as if she¡¯d drawn her last breath, craning around him to focus on his brother. ¡°Oh. My. Gosh. Muffinhead, you look like such a little guy in your little suspenders and your thick glasses and your stripey shirt under your other shirt. I wanna pick you up, I wanna pick you up, I wanna pick you up¨C¡±


    ¡°My apologies for taking so long, sir.¡± Mia saluted Lorenzo, who forgot her presence. ¡°We should¡¯ve been here sooner.¡±


    Lorenzo nodded in acceptance. ¡°Don¡¯t make it into a habit. And no saluting in disguise.¡±


    ¡°But Lorie, we just got here ourselves.¡± He¡¯d rather Emil not have brought that up.


    ¡°That applies to us, too, Lieutenant. In any event,¡± he cleared his throat, ¡°now that we are all gathered here, let us begin the briefing.¡±


    Ranger Kim¡¯s head popped out from behind the plant. ¡°Do you want us to stand in a certain formation, orrr¡­?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lorenzo answered, though it made him ill to see such a disorganized lineup. ¡°We are to look casual in case our,¡± he glanced around, ¡°¡®friend¡¯ is in the vicinity. Our purpose today is to find her and have her report to the ¡®hangout spot¡¯ for questioning.¡±


    ¡°I think you would¡¯ve sounded more spacepunk just saying base.¡± advised Emil.


    ¡°The lieute¨CEmil has sent everyone the relevant information on her via text. Make sure to pin it in order to refer back to later. As you can see, it details her full name, height, weight, and a picture of her face, among other details.¡±


    Lorenzo pulled up said information on his tablet. Included was the photo of a Ranger Yvette Hook, a woman with dark eyes, dark skin, and dark hair pulled into a bun. Judging by the height and weight listed, she stood a little taller than him with a thinner build.


    She had facial features. It¡¯s plausible that multiple women in the city matched this description.


    ¡°She disappeared last month before a scheduled reassignment to Earth. A direct superior reported that she seemed distressed at the reassignment, so it¡¯s likely she¡¯s still in Lunaria. Peers mentioned her strong interest in spacepunk fashion, but gave no further information on her habits or potential whereabouts.¡±


    Lorenzo scrolled below her information until he reached a map of the city with four points of interest on it.


    ¡°Going off of her interests, we can expect to limit our search to the metropolitan area. I¡¯ve marked four known spacepunk gathering spots on this map. We are to split into pairs in order to search in and around these areas. Any questions?¡±


    A hand emerged from the plant.


    ¡°Yes, Ranger K¨C¡± Using titles would blow their cover if Ranger Hook was in the area. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient to communicate in a group chat?¡±


    ¡°Excellent question.¡± Lorenzo thought for a moment. ¡°That would be more convenient, yes, but it may introduce privacy concerns.¡± He preferred them not having his phone number. Besides, he didn¡¯t know how to set up a group chat if he wanted to.


    ¡°Hey, what if I set one up and report whatever we find to you?¡± offered Emil.


    ¡°If you wish to, you may.¡±


    Aiden raised his hand.


    ¡°Yes, Kelly?¡± Surnames were as casual as Lorenzo could manage with most of them.


    ¡°What happens if we don¡¯t find her?¡±


    ¡°If she isn¡¯t found, we are to meet back here at 19:30.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s not mandatory.¡± Of course he took it that way.


    Lorenzo adjusted his glasses. ¡°Technically this is true, but don¡¯t take this as an excuse to slack off. Commander Parish entrusted us to put forth our best effort in finding her, so I expect updates on what each pair is doing. I myself will also provide updates via the lieu¨CEmil.¡±


    ¡°A question about that.¡± Emil raised his hand. After Lorenzo acknowledged him with a nod, he continued. ¡°You were thinkin¡¯ about splitting us up by our normal pairs, right? Leon and Mia, Roxie and Jun, Aiden and Angelo, and then us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was the plan.¡±


    He pinched his fingers. ¡°Can I make a teeny tiny adjustment to that?¡±


    Lorenzo held back a sigh. ¡°What is your suggestion?¡±


    ¡°I wanna pair up with Leon. You got to see more of Mia¡¯s first time on Earth, and I was already plannin¡¯ on taking him and anyone else who wanted to go around town before we got this assignment.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just change up the order of things based on your whims. That¨C¡± A realization stopped Lorenzo in his tracks. ¡°Excuse me, I need a moment to deliberate.¡±


    At this point, he did not trust either Summers. Having them go unchecked by their respective partners was not ideal. At least Emil knew of his concerns, even if he had yet to believe them. That may also give him the time to dispel the potentially romantic feelings L¨¦onardo had.


    ¡°You may pair up together.¡±


    ¡°Really? You mean it? Thanks, Lorie!¡± Emil promptly turned to give L¨¦onardo a double high-five.


    ¡°As for the rest of us¡­¡±


    Lorenzo surveyed the group. Ideally, he¡¯d want to keep an eye on Angelo, but he had certain plans today that he didn¡¯t want him privy to. So that left the next most responsible option.


    Ranger Kim, of course.


    Unfortunately that created a new concern, namely, who to watch Ranger Kelly? Lorenzo didn¡¯t trust Wattson to do it; back at the Moon Base, she may have been covering for Kelly in his absence, and he doubted Allen had the ability to keep him in check. As much as he¡¯d rather it not come to this, Lorenzo had no choice.


    ¡°You are to come with me.¡± He pointed at Aiden. ¡°Summers, you¡¯re with Kim. Allen with Wattson.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, sir?¡± An urgent question came from an unlikely source.


    ¡°Wattson?¡±


    ¡°Um, if I may? I think it would be a better idea if I accompany you instead.¡±


    Lorenzo turned to face her. ¡°State your reasoning.¡±


    ¡°Well, uh, as you¡¯ve mentioned on multiple occasions, Allen and Kim have demonstrated, um, exceptional teamwork ability.¡± She straightened her posture. ¡°A-And so have Summers and Kelly. So rather than disrupting their chances of finding who we¡¯re looking for, I should join you instead, I think. And since I¡¯m a local, maybe I have valuable insight?¡±


    Wattson¡¯s mission-focused approach was tempting, for certain. Lorenzo always strived to carry out any order given to him; he¡¯d much rather focus on that if circumstances didn¡¯t demand otherwise. Regardless, troublemakers needed to be watched. Unlike him, they had no motivation to do the right thing.


    At least Ranger Kelly didn¡¯t. For whatever internal conscious young Summers may have lacked, he did have his weaknesses. Perhaps those could keep him in line, if not both.


    ¡°A compelling argument. I will allow you to join me if you wish.¡± Lorenzo turned his attention to the others. ¡°In that case, Allen, you are to partner with Kim. Summers, you will be with Kelly.¡±


    Ranger Allen tilted her head. ¡°Awww, Mia, you don¡¯t have to do that for us. The position of being my sidekick is always open to you.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m cool working with Angelo.¡± offered Ranger Kim.


    ¡°Um, thank you everyone, but I think I¡¯m gonna go with the captain.¡± Ranger Wattson finalized her decision.


    ¡°Okie-dokie.¡± Ranger Allen accepted this. ¡°Good luck!¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    She walked over to Ranger Kim and pulled them out of their chair. After young Summers looked to Lorenzo, the captain tilted his head and sent him teetering in the direction of Ranger Kelly. Emil and L¨¦onardo were busy having a conversation, and Ranger Wattson stood silently behind Lorenzo. Finally, everyone knew their places.


    ¡°With everyone settled,¡± Lorenzo began, ¡°I will now assign your search areas. Allen, Kim, you¡¯re to go to the northwest quadrant, near the bars and nightclubs. Kelly, Summers, you¡¯ll be stationed in the shopping district in the southwest.¡±


    He motioned to his brother¡¯s group.


    ¡°You two are to go northeast around Main Street. Myself and Wattson will head to Serenity Park in the southeast. Report to the group chat once you arrive at your respective location. Failure to do so within the given time limit will be met with penalization, understand?¡±


    The youngest boy raised his hand. ¡°Um, s-sir? What do we do if we don¡¯t have phones?¡±


    ¡°Have your partner report instead.¡±


    He looked to Ranger Kelly. ¡°What if my partner doesn¡¯t have one?¡±


    ¡°Unacceptable.¡± Leaving those two uncontactable was the worst case scenario Lorenzo could imagine. ¡°I¡¯ll have to rearrange the pairs accordingly. Wattson, you¡¯ll be once again assigned to¨C¡±


    ¡°Wait! Just a sec.¡± L¨¦onardo texted something on his phone, then walked over to his brother. ¡°I can give ¨¢ngie my phone.¡± He addressed him directly. ¡°I just told Mam¨¢ that I won¡¯t have my phone for a while, so there¡¯s no need to return any texts that aren¡¯t from us, okay? Please, please promise me you¡¯ll take care of my phone this time.¡±


    ¡°I swear on my blood.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay. You don¡¯t need to go that far, but I¡¯ll take it.¡± He went back to Emil. ¡°So I guess you¡¯ll have to keep everyone updated on my end.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Emil gave a thumbs up.


    ¡°With this in mind,¡± Lorenzo surveyed the crew, ¡°I strongly advise that pairs with only one cell phone are together at all times. Refusal to do so will be met with consequence.¡±


    Fear and shame were powerful motivators, ones that he knew well. The younger Summers feared him greatly. So greatly, he suspected, that he¡¯d monitor Ranger Kelly in order to avoid punishment. This should do enough to ensure they stay together. There needed to be extra incentive in order to keep them from causing trouble. Luckily, Lunaria had just the thing.


    ¡°It would also do you well to know that the local police are well-acquainted with the Moon Base. Reports of misconduct from any of you will lead to the punishment of your pair. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    Lorenzo was met with affirmatives, including one notably shaky ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Perfect.


    ¡°Excellent. If there are no more questions, then we will begin the search.¡± After a stretch of silence, he brought up a timer on his tablet and started it. ¡°You now have one hour to reach your destinations. I look forward to hearing from you soon.¡±


    With Ranger Wattson in tow, he left the lobby, making his way eastward toward a task fulfilled.

 [Adventures in Spacepunk] Ch 3. Operation Bar Hop

    Lunaria¡¯s lack of traffic and the absence of any tourist traps on the path westward made for a surprisingly calm stroll. Jun took the opportunity to indulge in the faces around them, the snippets of lives passing by, all while going unnoticed. What a shame that they were on the clock. Such a nice day made it hard to track someone down.


    A scream from behind pierced through the peace. Jun had no time to react to it before a weight bounced off of their jacket to the tune of clattering and stuttered apologies.


    ¡°Fear not, I¡¯ve got you!¡±


    They turned around to see Roxie hauling Angelo up by the waist, spinning him around, and setting him back on the ground.


    She patted him on the head. ¡°You are safe now.¡±


    ¡°Th-Thank you¡­¡± His voice trailed off in a trembling whisper. Reaching out yet not daring to crouch, he tried to pick up his glasses from the ground. He came so close; his arms just needed to be about three feet longer.


    So Jun did it for him. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry for bumping into you.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you get heel skates if you can¡¯t walk in ¡®em?¡± Aiden called from far behind the group.


    ¡°Emil¨CI-I mean Roxie didn¡¯t know until after she¡¯d bought them.¡±


    ¡°Ha! So that¡¯s why he wanted me to take the credit, to take the fall for his folly. I would never buy you platform wheelies. Roxie Safety Tip: When wearing these, don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I knew some dudes who tried those out. You gotta walk on your toes.¡± advised Jun.


    ¡°Th-Thanks,¡± Angelo shuffled fast enough to nearly start a fire on the sidewalk, ¡°but I don¡¯t want to go t-too slow.¡± He checked his brother¡¯s phone just as he had every few minutes, with both hands clutching it as if it were the last memento he had to remember Leon by.


    ¡°My hand is free if you¡¯re in need of stabilization!¡± Roxie extended a hand.


    His eyes took it in with curiosity. He reached out his hand, hesitantly at first, then slowly inching it toward hers. Roxie cut to the chase and grabbed it. A small smile crossed his face. It grew a little wider once she started swinging their hands. Few were immune to Roxie¡¯s cuteness.


    ¡°You know,¡± Jun began, ¡°it¡¯s only been like what, three weeks-ish? And yet, in the past couple of days, you¡¯ve really felt like one of the gang. Dunno why I felt this way, but I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around you being a permanent addition until now.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even been gone for three months.¡± A deep voice cut off the reply that should have come from Angelo. ¡°It¡¯s not like he had that much catchin¡¯ up to do.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. By the way, Leon seems like he¡¯s been in a good mood. Even better than on his birthday. Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°You ask like he isn¡¯t always smiling.¡± Aiden answered again. How interesting.


    ¡°Huh. I dunno, he seemed a little down lately to me.¡± Jun stretched. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just my imagination.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm~ Now that I think about it, he was a little less Leon-y last week.¡± Like the angel she was, Roxie answered Jun¡¯s prayers and saved this conversation. ¡°But maybe finding Muffinhead cheered him up!¡± And just like that, she let it die.


    ¡°Maybe. You know anything, Angelo?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing he¡¯s happy.¡±


    In the mirror of a parked bus, Jun swore they caught Aiden smirking.


    What a bother. Couldn¡¯t they snoop around in peace? Not with him around, apparently. Though he must¡¯ve been real proud of himself for getting in the way, he still managed to all but confirm the fears growing within Jun:


    Fear #1: Leon never told the captain about Angelo¡¯s age, meaning Angelo wasn¡¯t going home.


    Fear #2: Aiden¡¯s sudden good mood had a reason behind it.


    Fear #3: The other two fears were connected.


    The lack of a why really bothered them. They picked over every word and pondered every glance during their talk with Leon only to find nothing but absolute certainty that he wanted to tell the truth that day.


    Did Aiden convince him not to? It sure seemed like it, but the way he stormed into the kitchen mad at them only cemented their belief that Leon made up his mind. He wouldn¡¯t hope Jun was right unless he¡¯d given up convincing Leon otherwise.


    ¡°I owe Mia one. For a second there, I worried Galhardo might take the hit and babysit me himself.¡± Aiden got more talkative during the time Jun spent in thought.


    ¡°Waaah, my plans, ruined!¡± Roxie whined. ¡°I always wanted to have a girls¡¯ day out with her, but she never had the time.¡±


    ¡°Aw. There¡¯s always tonight.¡± reassured Jun. ¡°Wonder what made Mia speak up. She seemed, like, kinda panicked. The good news is that me and you get to hang. Though I¡¯m also kinda bummed that me and Angelo didn¡¯t get to team up.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± Angelo made his confusion known.


    ¡°You seem like a chill guy.¡± Jun gave him a glance over their shoulder. ¡°I feel like we haven¡¯t gotten to talk much.¡± That, and talking to him more meant a chance to get to the bottom of why Leon hadn¡¯t said anything yet.


    ¡°Seein¡¯ how Roxie¡¯s over here planning a ¡®girls¡¯ day out¡¯ and Emil was dead set on takin¡¯ Rookie around town, is anybody other than Galhardo taking this mission seriously, or are we all on the same page?¡± Aiden shifted the conversation yet again.


    ¡°A girls¡¯ day out can include the thrill of the chase.¡± Roxie clarified. ¡°As can a girl and they¡¯s outing.¡±


    Jun tilted their head back. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m in it for the mystery factor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s worse.¡± he scoffed. ¡°You went from being hired stalkers to stalking for fun. What¡¯s the point, anyway? It¡¯s not like she did anything. Let her chill.¡±


    ¡°I dunno what the IF wants, but I¡¯ve got my own reasons, and she has hers.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Count me outta this charade.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re, like, free to do what you want and all, but what about your buddy?¡± Their thumb pointed back in Angelo¡¯s general direction. ¡°If one of you slacks off, both of you get in trouble. You¡¯re not that heartless, are you?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t t-tell the captain what he said!¡± This time, Angelo spoke instead of Aiden.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool. I¡¯m not in the habit of ratting people out unless I have a reason.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t get in trouble.¡± Aiden assured him. ¡°Not if you¡¯re smart about it.¡± Surprisingly, he had no comebacks to what Jun said. Nice to know he still trusted them on that, at least somewhat.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    A sign above the upcoming crosswalk made Jun slow down. ¡°Rockwell Street.¡± One glance at their tablet confirmed what they thought. ¡°This is where we split.¡± While Roxie let go of a reluctant Angelo¡¯s hand, they turned to Aiden. ¡°See ya. Stay out of trouble, ¡®kay?¡±


    Air exhaled out of his nose. ¡°Have fun playin¡¯ detective or whatever. Not sure you¡¯ll find much where you¡¯re goin¡¯, though.¡± He began to part ways, followed by Angelo. ¡°Catch you later.¡±


    Roxie waved after the two. ¡°Bye-bye~ Stay safe! And make sure to walk on your tiptoes!¡±


    Angelo gave a timid wave and a nod. Even Aiden acknowledged her, as he should.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Rox, let¡¯s go.¡± Jun proceeded north.


    ¡°What did he mean that we won¡¯t find much where we¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°Nightclubs and bars historically aren''t busy during the day. If they¡¯re even open.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. True, true.¡± Roxie nodded sagely.


    ¡°I guess that means we gotta ask around at whichever ones are open.¡± Jun opened their tablet to refresh themselves on Ranger Hook¡¯s appearance. ¡°The real question is, how are we gonna do that discreetly? Let¡¯s say we do find someone who knows her. If they¡¯re, like, close, they might pass on that we¡¯re looking for her.¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯ll figure out she¡¯s being followed.¡±


    ¡°That or she¡¯ll be really creeped out.¡±


    Roxie craned over their shoulder. ¡°Yvette¡¯s a cute name. Too bad she¡¯s probably under an alias.¡±


    ¡°Wha?¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s a spacepunk, then she probably has a spacepunk name. Oooh, we should have spacepunk names, too! To be authentic.¡± She pulled out her phone. ¡°I shall consult the group chat about it.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Jun answered, though their head was elsewhere. ¡°So that means she could look totally different than in the picture.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Roxie continued typing. ¡°Her hair, her makeup, her height if she¡¯s wearing platform shoes or not. What do you want your spacepunk name to be?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. You seem like the expert here.¡±


    ¡°It could be anything, really. Sure, spacy names are most popular, but it can be an object, an animal, or even some other normal-sounding name. I¡¯ll tell the group chat, too.¡±


    ¡°I always kinda found it funny that when you abbreviate you abbreviate my last name, it looks like ¡®Junk.¡¯¡±


    ¡°You are not junk, you are friend.¡± Roxie hugged them, shattering their heart and maybe a rib or two. ¡°But that¡¯s a really good name! I¡¯m going as Astronamelia~¡±


    ¡°Nice. That¡¯s like your middle name sorta.¡± Jun sifted through the information about Ranger Hook to find any identifiable features that could be used to find her. ¡°Geez, they gave us her hometown? Sounds like overkill. Wait a sec.¡±


    ¡°I wait.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s from Georgia. I gave a speech there once. Fun accents over there.¡± They turned to Roxie. ¡°This is, like, the biggest shot in the dark, but what if she has one? People would remember an accent like that.¡±


    Roxie tilted her head. ¡°But people come here from all around the world, there¡¯s probably a lot of people that have similar accents.¡±


    ¡°Not as many as you might think. Remember, tickets here are way pricey. That puts people off of taking road trips or planes to get to the spaceport unless they¡¯re loaded or saving up for a major trip. I¡¯d bet most tourists are from Cali or somewhere nearby.¡±


    ¡°Ohoho! Excellent deduction.¡±


    ¡°I say our plan is, we pop into whichever bars are open, pretend like we¡¯re in a conversation about accents, ask where the best nightclub is, and ask if the bartender ever heard anyone with a southern accent here. If they haven¡¯t, we leave, then do the same thing at the next one until we get a lead.¡± Jun raised their hands. ¡°Not my best, but it¡¯s what we got.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s like bar hopping, but getting intoxicated on information instead of alcohol.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do it any other way.¡± The last time led to a series of events as embarrassing as they were life-changing. Not even Roxie knew the reason behind their sobriety, and they planned to keep it that way.


    ¡°Operation Bar Hop, commence!¡±


    The two enacted their plan, hitting up any bar that opened its doors. Staged conversations came awkwardly at first, growing more natural with each visit. If only a lead came as easily. Few bartenders met anyone with a southern accent, and if they did, described someone much different from Ranger Hook. At least Roxie got to hear about some new clubs.


    Jun left the latest bar with Roxie in tow. ¡°Another bust.¡± Suddenly, they remembered something. ¡°Shoot, Rox, did you let the captain know we made it yet?¡±


    ¡°I let the group chat know of our location and plan. Whether it¡¯s been passed onto the captain is beyond my knowledge.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not in the group chat?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Jun understood why someone like him might be protective over his phone number. It still seemed a little inconvenient, though. ¡°Do you see, like, any other bars? I¡¯m starting to think we ran through our options.¡±


    ¡°What about that one?¡± Roxie pointed.


    Jun didn¡¯t see it at first, but on the upcoming block, squished between two nondescript buildings, an open sign flashed in the window. ¡°Good eye. Are you sure that¡¯s even a bar, though?¡±


    ¡°We shall see.¡± Roxie marched forward with confidence, dramatically clearing her throat as she approached the building with the sign. ¡°While technically everyone has an accent,¡± she entered the door Jun opened for her, ¡°I come from a place with the kinds of accent newscasters dream of. So there¡¯s not much character there.¡±


    ¡°Bummer.¡± Jun entered the door and their role. ¡°I thought that was true for Cali too, but like, people have told me they notice my accent even when I¡¯m not playing it up.¡±


    ¡°Not to butt in, but you do have that breezy Californian vibe to the way you talk.¡± A bartender with heavy eyeshadow and ears full of piercings wiped the counter.


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re chill, feel free to butt in.¡± Jun ad-libbed. ¡°What¡¯s your favorite accent? I went to Georgia once, and I really liked how they talked there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good one. We recently hired a girl, dunno where in the South she¡¯s from, but I love how she talks. Me? I always saw myself as the type-a gal who should have a New York or Jersey accent.¡± She tried to imitate both. ¡°But where¡¯s my manners? Welcome to The Crater. How can I help ya?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on the hunt for night clubs.¡± answered Roxie.


    ¡°There¡¯s one about a couple doors down.¡± The bartender pointed. ¡°Heard their drinks are expensive, though. That¡¯s why people come here.¡± She snickered.


    ¡°I will keep note of that. Thank you and have a nice day!¡±


    ¡°Woah, hold up. We got a couple hours to kill. There¡¯s no harm stopping for a drink or two.¡± Jun moved over to the bar stools.


    ¡°I am kinda thirsty.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy to provide.¡± The bartender perked up. ¡°Can I open up a tab for ya?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure thing.¡± Jun took a seat and gave her their credit card. Roxie did the same.


    ¡°Great, can I have your IDs?¡±


    That posed a problem to Jun staying undercover. ¡°Oh, I was just gonna stick to nonalcoholic drinks for now.¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡± Roxie caught on, though she still handed over her driver¡¯s license. Smart. Jun would rather no one know either of them were with the IF. ¡°We don¡¯t want to get too silly before the night¡¯s even started.¡±


    ¡°Do you still need to card for that, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s cool.¡± The bartender handed back Roxie¡¯s ID. ¡°If you do order alcohol, I will have to card you, though. Names?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Junk.¡± Saying it outloud embarrassed Jun more than they thought. ¡°Sorry, new nickname. I haven¡¯t gotten used to it yet.¡±


    ¡°No problem, it took me awhile to get used to Krow.¡±


    ¡°Krow¡¯s such a cool name! It really suits you~¡± Roxie propped her face on her hands.


    ¡°Thanks, I like to think I¡¯ve grown into it.¡± Krow adjusted her tie with pride. ¡°And what¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°Astronamelia!¡± Roxie spoke her spacepunk name with a flourish.


    ¡°Cool name. I¡¯m gonna need a spelling for that.¡±


    While those two handled that, Jun took in the scenery. Neither daylight nor neon signs cut through the dim atmosphere. A shelf behind Krow showed off a colorful array of liquid-filled bottles. Electronic music played over the speakers, providing background noise along with a courtroom show playing on the TV above.


    The place felt cozy now, but even ten more customers would be a crowd. Its well-worn fixtures struggled to keep up with the sleek appearance the other bars strived for. It didn¡¯t even have those little green lights that flashed in so many Lunarian business¡¯ doorways. People passed by the window. None came in.


    Yeah, this easily made Jun¡¯s top three spots for a stakeout. ¡°Nice place. I could see myself hanging around for a while.¡±


    ¡°Be my guest.¡± Krow offered. ¡°I¡¯m usually dying of boredom around this time. Now what¡¯ll it be for you two?¡±


    ¡°Do you guys have a Starlet Special? Virgin, of course.¡± Roxie tacked on.


    ¡°What kinda bar would we be if we didn¡¯t serve that?¡±


    Jun studied the faded overhead menu. ¡°Uhh, can I get a club soda and lime?¡±


    ¡°Heh, no sweat.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope there isn¡¯t sweat in it.¡±


    Krow snickered. ¡°Okay, wise guy. Comin¡¯ right up.¡±


    As soon as she turned her back, Jun opened up their tablet, scrolling down the group chat¡¯s messages until they reached where Roxie explained the plan.


    ¡®might have a lead.¡¯ they texted.


    ¡®We do?? 0.o¡¯ texted Roxie.


    ¡®sorry for stringing you along but yeah. i plan on staying until the other girl shows up. she might be the one. we¡¯ll keep you updated.¡¯ They then closed out of the group chat in order to look at Ranger Hook¡¯s photo again. The new hire Krow mentioned came closest to matching her.


    Mostly, that just meant she was a woman with a Southern accent. The fact that she just started working here also caught Jun¡¯s interest. She¡¯d need some income after defecting from the IF, and fast. Lunarian rent was no joke. Just yesterday, Jun and Roxie ended their lease to avoid shelling out their yearly salaries for an apartment they wouldn¡¯t use until they came back.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your club soda and lime.¡± Krow startled Jun from their thoughts.


    ¡°Woah, that was quick.¡± They closed the image in a hurry.


    ¡°And here¡¯s your starlet.¡± She handed a fruity red drink to Roxie, then stepped back. ¡°Enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Thankies~¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Jun took a sip out of their own drink. Not bad for fizzed up salt water with a little squeeze of lime. ¡°This is great.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure¡¯s all mine.¡± Krow crossed her sleeveless arms.


    With a stool to sit on and a refreshing drink in hand, all that¡¯s left to do was to play the waiting game.

 [Adventures in Spacepunk] Ch 4. Whos Watching?

    Leon walked with his head held high. Each pastel building he passed was a treat for the eyes, and he took in the sights with all the gusto of a kid set loose in a candy store.


    ¡°Look!¡± He pointed out a patch of dark blue in the sky. ¡°I think I see an error message!¡±


    ¡°Heh. Wouldn¡¯t be Lunaria without one.¡± The crowd almost drowned Emil out. ¡°Hey, watch out!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± was the last thing Leon asked before smacking into a stop sign¡¯s pole. ¡°Ow!¡± Despite the pain, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh at himself as he rubbed his face.


    Emil joined in. ¡°You might wanna keep your eyes on the ground.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s so much to see.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you miss out on much.¡± With a wave of the hand, he batted away Leon¡¯s concerns.


    ¡°I at least want to take a picture of the error message.¡± The two stopped at the crosswalk signal, so Leon took the opportunity to dig through his jacket¡¯s many pockets. Nothing came up.


    Before he could check again, Emil took out his phone and snapped a picture.


    ¡°Aw, Emil, you didn¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°I did. You don¡¯t have your phone on you, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Leon slapped his face. Unfortunately, it was the same side that hit the pole. ¡°Thanks. Part of me is a little nervous leaving it with ¨¢ngie after¨Cyou know. But I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. You just gotta believe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I told him a few days ago that after talking to you, it feels like everything¡¯s gonna turn out okay.¡± Just looking at Emil made him feel more confident. ¡°That reminds me! I was meaning to ask you¨CWoah.¡±


    The closer they got to the next corner, the harder it was to tell where the street ended and the sidewalk began, but the size of the crowd didn¡¯t catch Leon¡¯s attention. Their style did.


    Even though they¡¯d passed a few spacepunks on the way over, he¡¯d never seen so many in one place. It was like a fan convention for a sci-fi show that didn¡¯t exist, except all the cosplayers were models. He found himself dazzled from every direction.


    ¡°Everyone here is dressed to the nines¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t catch that! What did¡¯ja wanna ask?¡± Emil had to yell even though he walked right next to him.


    ¡°I just said everyone¡¯s dressed so nice. Anyway, I meant to ask you,¡± something zipped through the air, ¡°what was that? I thought Lunaria didn¡¯t have birds.¡±


    ¡°Looked like a delivery drone.¡±


    ¡°They have delivery drones here?? That¡¯s so cool!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kinda surprised too. I mean, I knew they had ¡®em, but last I heard, they were being phased out ¡®until further notice.¡¯¡± Emil made air quotes. ¡°There were a few accidents with them dropping stuff on busy streets like this. They ended up makin¡¯ them fly lower so it wouldn¡¯t be so dangerous, but that just made ¡®em easier to steal from.¡±


    ¡°Aww man. I¡¯m glad I got to see one before they¡¯re gone. So, I¡¯m guessing this is where we¡¯re headed?¡± The sign above the street answered before Emil had to. ¡°Ah, there it is! Main Street.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let the group chat know we made it.¡± Emil waved Leon over to a nearby storefront, whipped out his phone, and began tapping and swiping until something made his eyebrows jump. ¡°Shoot, why didn¡¯t I think of that? Roxie says we should come up with nicknames to blend in a little better. Something spacepunk-y.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy! Can I take a crack at it?¡±


    ¡°Knock yourself out!¡±


    Gears turned in Leon¡¯s mind. ¡°Okay, so I feel like we should go with something kind of close to our real names so we don¡¯t forget.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Mine would probably have to do with the moon, Luna, Lunar, something like that. You, I feel like you could get a lot of mileage out of a pun starting with E. Like E-mail? Hm, I feel like we can do better than that. E-Ther, like ¡®into the ether¡¯?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t help feeling like I¡¯m missing something obvious.¡±


    ¡°E-Clipse?¡±


    ¡°E-Clipse! You¡¯re a genius!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be the first to say that. E-Clipse, E-Clipse,¡± Emil mulled over the name, ¡°yeah, I like the ring of it.¡±


    A realization struck Leon so hard, he gasped. ¡°And I can be Lunar. Lunar E-Clipse! It¡¯s perfect!¡±


    ¡°Ooooh, that¡¯s a good name for a duo who does¨CThat!¡± Emil¡¯s eyes glued onto something across the street.


    Leon searched all over, but so many interesting things stood out to him that he had no way of knowing what Emil saw. ¡°What, wearing reflective face paint? Handing out tissues in alien costumes? Posing with the moving statues in the gym? Wait, are those people?¡±


    ¡°No, not the gym models, a little more to the left. The girl in pigtails.¡±


    True to his word, there she strolled, a pink haired girl in a skirt flared out like a UFO. The guy filming stepped back, awkwardly trying to keep up pace as she walked toward his camera.


    ¡°Who is she¡­?¡± Leon found himself mesmerized by her graceful stride.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s a space vlogger. They¡¯re really blowing up right now, and there¡¯s gotta be tons of ¡®em around Lunaria. That could be our cover. We¡¯d blend right in!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He shook himself back into focus after she disappeared around the corner. ¡°Wait, but don¡¯t we already blend in?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to have a little extra oomph.¡± Emil leaned against the store window with a wink. ¡°¡®Sides, it¡¯ll give us all the more reason to hang around the hotspots. Makes for great content.¡±


    ¡°And we can interview people to maybe find out more about the girl we¡¯re looking for!¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± The compliment caused a flutter of pride in his chest, ¡°but Rookie, I gotta be real with you, we¡¯d do better finding a needle in a haystack. Look at this crowd.¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t have to to see that he had a point. But what¡¯s a point when he had resolve? ¡°C¡¯mon, we can¡¯t give up that easily. The captain¡¯s counting on us. What if he asks what we did all day?¡±


    ¡°We just say where we were and that we didn¡¯t find her. Simple as that.¡± Emil shrugged.


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Leon stepped away, looking out into the crowd, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel right about it. I¡¯ve got enough things to lie about as it is.¡±


    ¡°...Hey.¡± A tap on the shoulder brought him face to face with a much closer Emil, his voice soft. ¡°Tell you what? We can look for her and see the sights along the way, give it a real honest try. We just gotta find a way to ask about her subtly, otherwise we¡¯ll look real suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Sounds like a plan!¡±


    Emil¡¯s head lowered with a chuckle. ¡°Of course. I can¡¯t have fun by myself. And I guess there¡¯s gotta be someone around to keep me on the straight and narrow.¡±


    ¡°Well, gee, I dunno about narrow and¨C¡±


    A clearing of his throat cut Leon off.


    Right, they¡¯re in public now. ¡°You¡¯re doing a great job at both of those things!¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He exhaled, leaning back on the window. ¡°Speaking of, sightseeing¡¯s not the only reason I dragged you along.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°No, I needed your opinion on something as a,¡± Emil smirked, ¡°a ladies¡¯ man.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Leon had to laugh. ¡°I¡¯ve only dated five girls!¡±


    ¡°Only?¡± Emil lifted his sunglasses in shock. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you had it like that, loverboy.¡± As if Leon could ever match the slickness that ¡®loverboy¡¯ rolled off of his tongue. It bounced around his mind. ¡°Anyway, I wanted to get your opinion on these outfits. Be honest, do they look over the top? Too flashy? Flamboyant?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. Everyone¡¯s dressed pretty flashily.¡±


    Emil sunk into the shade cast by the building. ¡°Think about the other guys walkin¡¯ by. How do we stack up?¡±


    Leon turned his head to study the other guys only to be distracted by more and more girls. Every time the most beautiful woman he¡¯d ever seen walked past, another entered his eyeline. Kind of hard to focus on men with that going on.


    When he finally managed, he figured out why. Most guys dressed blander in comparison, aside from a few going for a more avant garde look, really putting the ¡®punk¡¯ in spacepunk. Only a few guys passed that he would call stylish.


    ¡°Rookie? I mean, Lunar?¡±


    Leon spun to face his own frosted tips in the window and the person who dyed them. ¡°I think I kind of blend in with the others. You¡¯re easily the best-looking guy here. Hands down.¡±


    That did not bring a smile to Emil¡¯s face. Instead, he leaned his head back with a sigh. Leon barely heard him mutter, ¡°So much for staying low-key.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you always stand out; it¡¯s not really how you¡¯re dressed.¡±


    ¡°R-Reallyyy?¡± He looked around, then beckoned Leon with a wave of the hand and a hushed voice. ¡°What makes you say that? Anything specific?¡±


    ¡°Nothing jumps out that I can put my finger on. You just have a way about you that says ¡®Hey, this is a super cool guy.¡¯ At least that¡¯s how I felt when I first saw you.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± That surprised Emil, but in a way that got him to smile this time. He sighed in relief. ¡°Thanks. I was startin¡¯ to worry I stood out a different way.¡±


    ¡°What way?¡± Leon felt like he lost the plot of this conversation at some point.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about it! What we need to worry about is our vlog.¡± Emil pushed himself off of the window, fiddling with his phone the whole time. ¡°I figure if either one of us is gonna be the face of the channel, it should be you. Your name¡¯s first, after all.¡±


    ¡°Me? But you seem like you¡¯d make the better host.¡± Leon found himself with Emil¡¯s phone pointed at his face before he even finished.


    ¡°C¡¯mooon, don¡¯t sell yourself short. You got that small town charm that makes you easy to connect with. Relatability¡¯s real big right now! Also, you¡¯re on camera. Smile!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Hello, internet.¡± He stood there, mind blank, while Emil urged him to continue with a roll of the hand. Thankfully, the words came to him soon after. ¡°So, I¡¯m here in Lunaria. Can you believe it? I sure can¡¯t. This is my life¡¯s dream! Or, well, going to space in general is my life¡¯s dream, but this is a close second. They¡¯re basically the same tier.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± whispered Emil.


    ¡°My na¨C? Whoops, I forgot to introduce myself! Hi, I¡¯m Leon¨CI mean Lunar.¡±


    Emil lowered his phone. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a test run. Nice job for bein¡¯ put on the spot like that. We can run it back and workshop a smoother intro, ¡®kay?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Leon joined him to watch the replay, leaning in as close as Emil¡¯s shoulder pads would allow.


    Behind the sunglasses, Emil¡¯s brows scrunched up. ¡°Was my hand really that shaky?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really hear myself over the crowd. Do you think we need a real camera for this?¡±


    Air sucked through his teeth. ¡°I ran a liiiittle low on funds yesterday¨C¡±


    ¡°Buying decorations for the ship?¡±


    ¡°It was Mia¡¯s choice.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know she had such expensive tastes.¡± Leon wanted to tag along, but Emil insisted on taking her.


    ¡°Hey, she had good reasons for her picks.¡± Emil looked back and forth as if he expected something. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I have to spare for a camera, but I can check.¡± His hands pressed against his pocketless clothes. ¡°Did I give you my wallet?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember you giving me anything. Was it already in the jacket?¡± Leon began to check.


    ¡°No, no, I made sure to hand it to,¡± Emil grimaced, ¡°Lorie. Uh oh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Leon lifted his own wallet. ¡°I can pay for it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been using my paycheck for much of anything.¡±


    ¡°Whew, you¡¯re a lifesaver.¡± As nice as it was having Emil take care of things, Leon appreciated the chance to be his hero for a change. Emil checked something on his phone. ¡°Good, there¡¯s a tech store a few blocks from here. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    A burst of cool air soon welcomed the duo into Techno Elysium. Leon had been to one of the chain¡¯s stores before, but its sheer size, state-of-the art offerings, and sleek white walls broken up by glossy colored blobs made all earthbound locations look like antique stores.


    ¡°Hello, shoppers.¡±


    ¡°Hi¨CWoah!¡± He stumbled into Emil upon realizing that the woman greeting them didn¡¯t exist. ¡°A hologram? I knew they existed, but¨CWow, incredible¡­¡±


    Emil readjusted his shoulder pad. ¡°Guess they didn¡¯t have any at your base.¡±


    ¡°No? There¡¯s more in the IF?¡±


    The hologram spoke again before he could respond. ¡°My name is Sofi. Is there anything I can help you find today?¡±


    ¡°Huh??¡± Now it was his turn to be shocked. ¡°She can hear us?¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t need an answer. ¡°Hi Sofi! We¡¯re looking for cameras, do you know where they are?¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°The camera section is located on the east side of this store, at the rear.¡± She turned to direct them. ¡°For more specific directions, feel free to ask any of our staff members. Be sure to check out our sale on microphones while you¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± He barely registered Emil. Awe glued Leon in place, slack jawed. ¡°Well, you heard her.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay, Sofi. Thank you, Sofi! Bye, Sofi!¡± Leon managed to pry himself away, but not without a wave goodbye. He caught up to Emil. ¡°Did you see that? I can¡¯t believe that kind of technology even exists. I gotta tell ¨¢ngie. Maybe we can send a picture!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s somethin¡¯ else for sure.¡± Emil slapped his forehead. ¡°Shoot, I shoulda taken a video of you and her! The others would¡¯ve loved seein¡¯ your reaction.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll make sure to reenact it later.¡±


    That made him break into a surprisingly cute laugh. ¡°I think they¡¯re that way.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh right, the cameras.¡± Leon hadn¡¯t realized how long he¡¯d been staring. ¡°I see a few tables with them, next to the TVs.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take them long to reach their destination. People of all ages, spacepunk or otherwise, filled the store, but this section attracted a younger crowd. Leon and Emil fit like a glove among the well-dressed teens to twenty-somethings. The area was less busy than the rest of the place, and soon Leon saw why.


    ¡°Half a grand for a camera?¡± His eyebrows shot up. ¡°I guess I could probably afford it, but¨C¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no use in dropping a buncha money for what we¡¯re doing.¡± Emil¡¯s foot tapped. ¡°We¡¯re just beginners, after all.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± A boy nearby called out to them. He had to have been around Angelo¡¯s age. ¡°You guys are ViewTubers?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to be.¡± answered Leon. ¡°I¡¯m Lunar, and he¡¯s E-Clipse.¡±


    ¡°Together, we¡¯re Lunar E-Clipse!¡± Emil added.


    ¡°I¡¯m _aaronawesomesauce, future member of Super Sandwich Squad, proud channel of 15 subscribers. Check ¡®em out.¡±


    Aaron shoved his phone in their faces. It displayed his account name along with a list full of default avatars and model profiles, all with keysmash names full of random numbers. Leon only spotted two or three accounts that weren¡¯t clearly bots.


    ¡°If we trade subs, I can help get your channel off the ground. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t made our profile yet.¡± Emil told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s cool. You can just like one of my videos from your other accounts as a reminder.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a ViewTube account.¡±


    Aaron looked at Leon.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have my phone with me.¡± Leon raised his hands.


    ¡°Oh, I see how it is.¡± Aaron stared them up and down, then smirked. ¡°Playing hard to get, huh? ¡®Oooo, look at us! We have integrity!¡¯ Listen, I get that some people are into that. Easy rookie mistake to make, but you¡¯re not gonna get your numbers up with that attitude. Here, let me show you how it¡¯s done. You guys are looking for cheap cameras, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    He motioned for them to follow him to the middle of the display table and grabbed a camera. ¡°Bam! Under $100. They put the expensive stuff on each end of the tables so people¡¯ll see ¡®em first. Insider knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Do you work here?¡± asked Leon.


    ¡°Not anymore! With this baby, I¡¯m moving on to greener pastures, full of money.¡± Aaron caressed the camera in his hands, then started cooing at it. ¡°We¡¯re gonna make such good content together.¡±


    ¡°Hey, thanks for the intel; it really helps us out.¡± Emil moved toward the other cameras. ¡°We¡¯ll leave you two alone. Good luck on the channel.¡±


    ¡°Not so fast!¡± Aaron¡¯s finger wagged at them. ¡°Sub for sub?¡±


    ¡°Seriously, I don¡¯t have a channel to subscribe with.¡±


    ¡°I crosspost!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any social media accounts.¡±


    ¡°What??¡± Leon and Aaron reacted at the same time.


    Aaron¡¯s face twisted in disbelief. ¡°How do you even know what ViewTube is if you don¡¯t have an account?¡± With each question, he leaned closer. ¡°Do you even use the internet? Are you one of those people who don¡¯t use technology at all? Is it a religion thing? Do you know you¡¯re on the Moon right now? Do you know what the Moon is?¡±


    ¡°Geez, slow down!¡± Emil held his hands out. ¡°My mom¡¯s a reporter and doesn¡¯t ask this many questions!¡±


    ¡°So you do know about reporters and moms.¡± Aaron took a deep breath. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d have to do this but¡­¡±


    Out of one of his many pants pockets, he took out a card and handed it to Leon. All Leon could make out of its original text was a name starting with ¡®D¡¯ and ending with ¡®E.¡¯ The rest of the contact information had been scribbled out and replaced with ¡®@_aaronawesomesauce on ViewTube¡¯, a doodle of himself, some explosions, and the Super Sandwich Squad logo.


    ¡°Look after your friend, okay?¡± He tilted his head toward an extremely confused Emil. Just as he was about to walk away, he turned around. ¡°Have you guys seen any red headed boys with freckles?¡±


    ¡°Not any boys, no. Other than you.¡± answered Leon.


    Aaron thought for a moment. ¡°If you see a short one, you know who to DM. If they¡¯re my height, you didn¡¯t see me here. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Sure?¡±


    ¡°Good. Remember to smash that subscribe button.¡± On that note, he made his exit.


    ¡°I can still lurk. And I know what the Moon is!¡± Emil muttered to no one in particular. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s look for some cameras.¡± Something lifted his spirits. ¡°Oooh, this one¡¯s under $100, and it¡¯s supposed to be for vlogging.¡±


    Leon joined him. ¡°That¡¯s perfect! But you seriously don¡¯t have any social media? At all?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably wondering how an attention hog like me survives.¡± Grabbing a camera box from under the table, Emil flashed him a chip-toothed smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell you all about it once we get outta here.¡± He studied the box. ¡°We¡¯re probably gonna need some mics for these.¡±


    ¡°Sofi said they¡¯re on sale.¡±


    ¡°Should we ask where they are?¡± Emil thumbed back to a nearby staff member.


    ¡°She mentioned them being somewhere nearby. I¡¯m sure we can find them!"


    Leon¡¯s confidence led them to many places. It led them to the TV section, the computer section, and the section with kitchen appliances. It led them back to Sofi, though she was unable to give more specific directions.


    None of this deterred him at all. Sometimes a journey had more to offer than the destination, and between seeing all the cool gadgets and having Emil by his side, spending hours in this store didn¡¯t sound so bad. Not to mention that, otherwise, he may have never laid his eyes on him.


    ¡°What happened, did you find the mics?¡± Emil stepped back to where Leon stopped.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡­¡± Leon grew up seeing many toy dogs, stuffed dogs, and other dog-shaped knick-knacks. None sparked such longing as the robot dancing on the shelf beside him. Made almost entirely of circles and small enough to fit in one hand, its beady eyes and wiggling body captured his heart. ¡°Look at it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lookin¡¯.¡± Emil leaned towards it. ¡°Cute.¡±


    ¡°I always wanted a dog.¡± The words tumbled out of Leon¡¯s mouth. ¡°¨¢ngie¡¯s afraid of them, so we never got one, plus it¡¯d be too sad to get one and have to leave it behind when I¡¯m gone to space.¡± he picked the toy up, ¡°But this couldn¡¯t hurt a fly. It doesn¡¯t have sharp teeth or sharp anything. He¡¯s portable, and¡± something on the box jumped out at him, ¡°he can do a flip!¡±


    ¡°You sound like Roxie. She¡¯d adore something like this, and I gotta admit I¡¯m fond of the little guy. It¡¯s about $50, though. What do you think~?¡±


    Leon struggled to think of anything but the dog dancing in his hand. After a mental struggle, he put it back on the shelf with a heavy sigh. ¡°I can hear my mom telling me to practice responsible spending. We should see how much the microphones cost first, and if it¡¯s not too much, we¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Wow, such restraint! I get it though. This isn¡¯t quite the same, but it¡¯s like that voice that tells you to ask for the code word when your parents pick you up from school.¡±


    ¡°One, me and ¨¢ngie walked home from school. Two, what?¡±


    ¡°The code word they¡¯re supposed to say back before you get in the car, or else, they drive away, but not really.¡± continued Emil, as if it made perfect sense. ¡°He always comes back right away. It¡¯s just a scare tactic so you guys don¡¯t get into a car with a kidnapper.¡±


    Leon failed to understand. ¡°But you would know what your parents look like, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Emil¡¯s voice broke. ¡°You have a point. A-Anyway, Lorie would be so proud of your restraint.¡± His hand clamped down on Leon¡¯s shoulder, then drew back just as quickly. ¡°But he¡¯d probably not love us spending all day in a tech store. I¡¯m gonna go ask a staff member for directions.¡±


    When all was said and done, Leon and Emil came out of the shop with everything they needed to start a vlog: A reasonably priced camera, two cheap microphones, and batteries. They didn¡¯t anticipate how difficult it would be to find the robot dog again after leaving him back on the shelf.


    That didn¡¯t stop them from buying him.


    Leon held his new dog to the artificial sky while waiting for a crosswalk signal. ¡°I think I¡¯ll name him Cosmo, because he amazes me just like the cosmos.¡±


    ¡°Great choice! It¡¯s catchy. Can I take a picture of him?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± He presented Cosmo to Emil¡¯s phone.


    ¡°The group chat¡¯s gonna go wild for this. Actually, maybe we should wait and send a video of him dancing. What do you think?¡± Emil showed his phone to Leon.


    ¡°I like the video idea. Maybe Cosmo can be in the vlog!¡±


    ¡°Ooooh, I like that, I like that.¡±


    The phone screen took Leon by surprise. ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    While Cosmo¡¯s picture was highlighted, he still saw the rest of Emil¡¯s gallery photos in the background. There weren¡¯t many. The most visible ones didn¡¯t contain him at all. ¡°Did you just get this phone? There¡¯s almost no pictures.¡±


    The crossing light changed before Emil could answer right away, but he did so during the walk. ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m not really much of a selfie taker. Most of the ones I do take, I delete.¡±


    ¡°What?? No way!¡± Leon¡¯s eyes nearly leaped from his head. ¡°I¡¯d be taking selfies every day if I were you!¡±


    That got a laugh. ¡°Believe me, I¡¯d love to, but this kinda goes with why I don¡¯t have any social media accounts. I dunno if you picked this up from the code word conversation, but me and Lorie¡¯s dad raised us in a very specific way. We moved around a lot.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you guys probably had to do that because of your dad¡¯s job, hm?¡± Leon heard that military kids had to move a lot. That had to have been hard. ¡°Did you have to change schools a lot?¡±


    ¡°Funny thing! We lucked outta that, but Dad felt like it was, uh, not good for us to stay in one living place for too long, or leave many traces of our existence. You never know who¡¯s watching.¡±


    Leon cocked his head. ¡°Why would anyone be watching?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying!¡± Emil spread out his hands. ¡°Most of the time. But yeah, this extended to a lot of things. He worried people could track us through social media. We were told to stay out of pictures¨CMom¡¯s the only one who¡¯s allowed to take pictures of us¨C¡¯cause Dad doesn¡¯t want the wrong people getting them.¡±


    ¡°What wrong people?¡±


    ¡°Kidnappers, assassins, that kind of thing.¡±


    It took Leon a moment to realize Emil wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°That sounds,¡± his response didn¡¯t come easily, ¡°intense. Is that why you don¡¯t take many selfies?¡±


    ¡°Sorta.¡± Emil waved a hand nonchalantly. ¡°I never really believed in any of that stuff, but Dad made sure we fell in line. He kept a watchful eye on us when he could. I¡¯m preeetty sure he wouldn¡¯t go so far as to track our phone and computer history. I don¡¯t know if he even knows how. But that¡¯s the thing; I don¡¯t know. And I never wanted to find out the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°Gosh, Emil, I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to~¡± He lifted his sunglasses to wink. ¡°But I¡¯m not perfect with it. I know I¡¯ve been in a few group photos. He hasn¡¯t found out yet, so maybe I¡¯m probably fine?¡±


    Leon thought back to the group selfie he took with Emil in it. ¡°So, uh, how mad do you think he would be if he found out you were in one?¡±


    Emil shrugged. ¡°Eh, he¡¯s chilled out a lot over the past coupla years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good! Does that mean he won¡¯t be mad, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Dooon¡¯t worry about it! I¡¯m 18. It¡¯s high time I start taking more control over my life! Dad and Lorie can¡¯t hold my hand forever.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡±


    ¡°Of course if it were up to Lorie, he¡¯d be holding my hand now. He tried to during middle school and I had to tell him to knock it off. Good thing Dad took my side on that one. People were staring.¡± Emil shrunk into his collar.


    ¡°Oh wow, really? I got to stop holding Angelo¡¯s hand when he was eight or nine, and our parents used to be super worried about him getting scooped up by someone.¡± Leon reminisced. ¡°Or maybe the normal amount of worried. He¡¯s always been pretty easy to lift. I didn¡¯t know you got embarrassed that easily, though.¡±


    ¡°Easily emb¨C??¡± Emil lifted up his glasses to stare at Leon. ¡°Two guys holding hands in middle school? C¡¯mon, you know what people were gonna think!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh!¡± Leon had an idea. ¡°I get it. But you¡¯re brothers. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve grabbed ¨¢ngie¡¯s hand a few times around that age and there weren¡¯t any problems. Other than people mistaking him for a girl. I never understood that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not taking chances.¡± Emil shook his head. Suddenly, he smiled. ¡°That is something I¡¯ve noticed about you, though. You don¡¯t seem like you feel a need to keep up appearances for anybody.¡±


    Leon laughed. ¡°People have told me I¡¯m not very good at it. I guess I can¡¯t help being me!¡±


    Emil joined him. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you can¡¯t.¡±


    The concrete and glass high rises that lined the sidewalk soon gave way to an open plaza, one that grew more familiar to Leon the closer he got.


    ¡°Wait! I¡¯ve seen this place on TV! This is Legard Plaza, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It sure is.¡± Emil cheesed. ¡°I figured it¡¯d be a good place to start our vlog. Real picturesque with the greenery all around, the statues, and of course, the fountain.¡±


    ¡°Eight Phases Fountain!¡± Leon hurried ahead to get a closer look.


    Gentle waves rippled over a wide, shallow surface. On top of the stone perimeter laid a ring of metal engraved with intricate wave patterns. Leon longed to stick his hand inside the massive water ball at its center, even though he knew it was an illusion made by the fountain running over glass.


    ¡°Can you hand me the camera and stuff?¡± asked Emil.


    ¡°Oh, sure.¡±


    Leon handed over Cosmo so he could open his backpack on a nearby bench. Once he placed down the vlogging equipment, Emil busied himself unboxing everything. That left him more time to marvel at the fountain from every angle.


    ¡°You probably know this already, but that¡¯s the Earth!¡± His hand pointed at the water ball, then moved toward the smaller spheres suspended around the ring. ¡°And those are the Moon¡¯s phases.¡±


    ¡°They sure are! Here¡¯s your mic, by the way.¡± Emil held up an earpiece.


    Leon took it. ¡° I wouldn¡¯t even say I¡¯m a guy who knows about art, but there¡¯s so much I can say about this¨Cthis masterpiece!¡±


    ¡°And you know who else would love to hear it?¡± The newly unboxed camera pointed toward him.


    ¡°Great idea!¡±


    ¡°There should be a button on your earpiece to hook it up to the camera.¡± Emil advised. ¡°Also here¡¯s your backpack. Cosmo¡¯s in there, safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Leon put it on, then pressed a button on his earpiece. ¡°Is it on?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it. You ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready as ever!¡± He gave a thumbs up.


    ¡°Three, two, one, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello, internet, or whoever is watching. I dunno.¡± Leon waved. ¡°I¡¯m Lunar, and I¡¯m here at Legard Plaza for the first time in my entire life! Behind me is the Eight Phases Fountain.¡± He couldn¡¯t help taking a look at it. ¡°It¡¯s super pretty. I really can¡¯t believe how much more beautiful it is in person.¡±


    Emil gave him a thumbs up from behind the camera.


    ¡°As you probably know, the Eight Phases Fountain is named after the phases of the moon around the outer rim,¡± he backed up toward the front of the fountain, ¡°like this new moon here.¡± His hand motioned to a sphere of metal just above his head. ¡°It¡¯s made completely out of¨Cis that gold, or bronze, or what?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, I¡¯m just the camera guy.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m a space guy, not a metal guy. We have a friend who¡¯s into metal¨Cthe music, not the material. Anyway! In the back,¡± he pointed up high, ¡°all the way up there is a big lamp representing the full moon. And the rest of the crescents and half moons are made up of a combination of that metal stuff and lamps, which is super cool!¡±


    Emil lifted the camera toward all of the phases.


    ¡°What people might not realize is that the way they¡¯re all arranged in that oval shape¨Cit¡¯s a little easier to see from the side¨C¡±


    Both walked over to a different position.


    ¡°That oval shape matches the orbit of the Moon around Earth, which is represented by that big beautiful water marble in the middle. I didn¡¯t understand at first why there¡¯s waves on this part here,¡± Leon pointed toward the metal ring, and Emil¡¯s camera followed, ¡°but I just remembered that the Moon affects the tides.¡±


    ¡°Wow, this artist really thought of everything, huh?¡±


    ¡°I know, right? If only I could remember who made it.¡± He turned around to gaze into the fountain. ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°What, is there somethin¡¯ in the water?¡±


    ¡°Just coins but,¡± Leon beckoned the camera closer, ¡°do you see that? The bottom is dark blue. When the light hits them, it kinda looks like stars.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re right. Was that done on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± He and the camera faced each other. ¡°This artist really did think of everything! Aww man, now I really wish I could remember them. Artist person, whoever you are, if you¡¯re watching¡­ I love you? You have such a big brain! Thank you for using it to make this wonderful fountain!¡±


    An idea popped into his head and soon, a coin popped out of his wallet.


    ¡°I should make a wish! I wish¡­¡± Leon mulled over it for a moment. The rockiness of the past few weeks came to mind, but he couldn¡¯t exactly give the specifics on camera. ¡°I wish that everything will turn out okay.¡± His penny splashed into the water. He offered another to Emil. ¡°Here, you can make a wish if you want.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking to the viewers?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean you.¡± Leon then addressed the camera. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s not like you guys can actually throw it in the fountain.¡± Another idea struck him. ¡°In fact, why don¡¯t you be on camera for it? You can have my mic!¡±


    Emil hesitantly took the coin and earpiece. He visibly went back and forth over something before putting the latter on his left ear. Finally, he handed Leon the camera and flashed his brightest smile. ¡°Hey there, space cadets! I¡¯m the E-Clipse of Lunar E-Clipse, and today, I¡¯m gonna make a wish live on camera.¡±


    ¡°See? You¡¯re a natural!¡± Leon couldn¡¯t believe how quickly that came to him. ¡°The camera loves you.¡±


    As if on cue, Emil struck few poses. He did so as a joke, but his charm was anything but fake.


    ¡°If anyone¡¯s wondering, he¡¯s single, somehow.¡±


    He broke into laughter. ¡°Remind me to call you if I ever need a wingman. Let¡¯s seeee.¡± he considered the coin in his hand, ¡°What am I gonna wish for after you wished the mother of all wishes?¡± After a few moments, his hand closed. ¡°I got it. Do I gotta say it on camera?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Cool. Sorry, this one¡¯s my secret.¡± Emil skipped his penny far into the fountain.


    ¡°Woah, great arm!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lun. And that¡¯s it for my wish.¡± He clapped his hands and swung them aimlessly. ¡°Uhhh, so you got anything else you wanna say?¡±


    Leon¡¯s mind drew a blank. ¡°I was just going to look at the fountain some more, but I didn¡¯t have anything in particular I wanted to say. What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Sign off, I guess.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Let me think.¡± Emil turned around to think, then turned back. ¡°Maybe you can be like ¡®I¡¯m Lunar,¡¯ and I go ¡®I¡¯m E-Clipse,¡¯ and we can both chime in with ¡®and we¡¯re signing off. See you next time!¡¯ Somethin¡¯ simple. And we¡¯ll just cut me explaining all this in post.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, that sounds great.¡±


    The two signed off exactly as Emil described, then sat back down on the bench to watch the replay.


    Emil whistled. ¡°Look at you! You improved so much from that first video. This looks like a real vlog.¡±


    ¡°It helped having something specific to talk about.¡± Leon laughed it off. ¡°What was your wish by the way, if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine telling you. My wish was¡­¡± He took a moment to watch people nearby. His voice lowered. ¡°I wanna not hafta hide as much anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He never struck Leon as the type to hide much. The stuff he told him earlier came as a surprise, though, so maybe he meant that. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to hide around me.¡± Leon tried to rest a hand on his back, but Emil just happened to walk a few steps away before it connected. ¡°Whoops.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I had to check somethin¡¯ on my phone.¡± Emil paced around while typing.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    He gave the phone to Leon. ¡°Hey, check this.¡±


    His phone showed a text sent from his phone to Leon¡¯s that read ¡®Sorry if I¡¯m a little cagey about touch between me and other guys in public. I know you were just trying to be a friend. Prying eyes might get a different impression. Also I gotta thank Ange for this trick.¡¯


    ¡°Oh wow, I didn¡¯t realize. Sorry about that.¡± Leon awkwardly folded his hands in his lap.


    ¡°It¡¯s cool. You were prolly fine, I¡¯m just, ehhh,¡± Emil wiggled his hands. He gave Leon a reassuring smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad you get to be you.¡±


    ¡°I hope you get to be you, too.¡±

 [Adventures in Spacepunk] Ch 5. Red Light, Green Light

    An ornate archway displaying Serenity Park¡¯s name welcomed Mia and Lorenzo to their destination. It had been years since she last stepped through. Her favorite swingset stood in the distance¨Cfor now. Maybe her being taller had something to do with this, or maybe experiencing Earth spoiled her, but the mild hills of manicured greenery looked so small, so empty now.


    Captain Galhardo came to a stop and broke the silence. ¡°Have the others made it to their positions?¡±


    Mia skimmed through the group chat. ¡°Everyone¡¯s in place. Roxie says we should adopt nicknames to blend in more with other spacepunks.¡±


    ¡°Nicknames?¡±


    ¡°Like, um¨CActually, here.¡± It was easier just to show him that part of the conversation. She had to hand it to the others, names like Junk and E-Clipse sounded as spacepunk as any other. That didn¡¯t mean she could pull it off, nor did she want to.


    ¡°...I see.¡± The captain sounded just as enthusiastic.


    ¡°Not everyone goes by names that are so, uh, out there.¡± There had to be a dozen Serena¡¯s walking around. ¡°We could probably get away with our real names.¡±


    He rested a hand on his chin. ¡°Actually, it may still be beneficial to go by different names. A lot of former Interstellar Forces Preparatory Academy students live here. I¡¯m sure the same applies to your former classmates.¡±


    Not like they¡¯d remember her. ¡°I should be fine so long as I don¡¯t run into family. But I can go by my middle name if you prefer.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. From hereon, you may call me Rafael.¡±


    ¡°McKenzie.¡± Wordlessly, she updated the group chat on their new nicknames, then gazed beyond the archway. ¡°Do we start looking here?¡± A few joggers, some senior citizens, and a couple of parents with children lingered in the park. None looked like their missing person. In fact, it looked like they arrived too early for the spacepunk crowd.


    ¡°Let¡¯s.¡±


    What followed was a silent stroll. Nowhere did she find any sign of Ranger Hook, but she enjoyed reacquainting herself with the only patch of nature that wouldn¡¯t kill her.


    They finally finished the artificial pond since she last visited. Other new installments included flowers, more portable bathrooms, and the occasional speaker playing sounds of animals that didn¡¯t exist. Mia missed seeing birds. She also missed the wonky looking caterpillar statue in the playground that had been replaced by a more traditionally cute robot character.


    Miraculously, everything else stayed the same, from the water fountain she and her mom drank from to the picnic benches her family sat at. They shined just like she remembered. Lunaria wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.


    It took until the second lap for the captain to speak again. ¡°Has anyone else reported seeing her?¡±


    Mia checked her phone. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. If we don¡¯t find her on this lap, we¡¯ll search somewhere else.¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Also, is it,¡± the captain¡¯s glasses rendered his expression less readable than usual, ¡°suspicious that we haven¡¯t been talking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Mia never paid attention to whether other park goers talked or not. ¡°Should we?¡±


    ¡°If you want.¡±


    A pause took place as both tried to figure out something to talk about.


    ¡°So, how was it shopping with the L¨Cmy br¨CE-Clipse yesterday?¡± he choked out the nickname.


    ¡°It was fine.¡±


    More silence.


    ¡°Did you see anything we bought?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am certain it will make the common areas look furnished.¡± It became painfully clear neither of them knew how to hold a conversation. ¡°Did you pick out any of it?¡±


    ¡°No. Wait, actually, I did convince him to buy some cheaper options.¡± Thankfully, Emil wasn¡¯t as difficult to steer on the right path as some people she knew. ¡°But mostly I was just there to be a decoy.¡±


    ¡°A decoy?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t want to seem too interested in what we were buying.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡±


    ¡°Because it would look weird for him to be into decorating, I guess?¡± Emil never told her the reason outright, but she read between the lines even if she struggled to summarize.


    Mia served as the conduit for his interior design opinions. An actress, performing words he¡¯d text her for an audience of potentially judgy passersby while he played the role of her politely interested guy friend. None of his decor choices screamed ¡®feminine,¡¯ but maybe having decor choices at all was too risky for him.


    A lot of IFPA students lived here, after all. Emil had all the makings of a popular guy, the kind of guy instantly noticed by former classmates. Sometimes it¡¯s better to be unknown.


    The captain shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if he were concerned about looking strange. Besides, if he were, why buy decorations at all? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re necessary.¡±


    ¡°He said something about how important it is for things to feel like home since we¡¯ll be living there for a while.¡±


    ¡°That, I can believe he feels.¡±


    The conversation died there. Their second lap ended the same as the first, with no Ranger Hook sightings. Once again, they stopped under the archway.


    ¡°This was the most populous place I could think of in the area.¡± The captain surveyed the north side of the street. ¡°Are you aware of any other gathering spots?¡±


    ¡°Maybe Carter¡¯s Mart?¡± Mia tried to avoid crowds whenever possible, but no matter when she bought groceries, everyone wanted to shop smart at Carter¡¯s Mart.


    ¡°That¡¯s in E-Clipse and Lunar¡¯s area.¡±


    Mia wracked her brain for other options, looking around the area in the hopes that something would jog her memory. Nothing did.


    That didn¡¯t matter, because she spotted a busy storefront at the end of the block.


    ¡°There¡¯s people over there.¡± She pointed.


    ¡°So there are. Let¡¯s take a closer look.¡±


    Mia followed the captain down the sidewalk and across the street only to realize in dawning horror¨Cand hunger¨Cwhat the storefront offered and why it attracted so many people.


    Everyone who entered left with at least one donut. Not just any donut, but a free donut with any purchase, judging by the sign. With how expensive the city was, even the most health-conscious Lunarian would hesitate refusing that offer. Mia¡¯s sweet tooth made it that much harder, but she wasn¡¯t in danger of giving into temptation.


    ¡°It looks like most people are inside.¡± The captain approached the back of the line.


    ¡°Is it okay if I wait on the other side of the door?¡±


    ¡°I would prefer if we remained in each other¡¯s sight.¡± That time Aiden ran off on the Moon Base must¡¯ve really put him on high alert. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    They now stood close enough to other people that Mia worried someone might overhear their true purpose. ¡°It¡¯s a good spot for people watching. And I won¡¯t be able to stay inside.¡±


    The captain¡¯s eyebrow raised in suspicion. ¡°Why not? Do you have some sort of donut¡­ allergy?¡±


    ¡°You know about the door lights, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°The yellow ones? What about them?¡±


    ¡°Well, they can be green or red too.¡± Mia explained. ¡°A lot of businesses here have height and weight calculators built into the entrance. Green means you¡¯re at the ideal weight or lower for your height. Yellow means you¡¯re at the higher end of the ideal range or a little over, I think.¡±


    ¡°I-I see.¡± The captain¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°I assume red is for those who are overweight.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mia nodded. ¡°Red customers, uh, we aren¡¯t allowed to buy from most eateries. Unless they have alternate menus.¡± She¡¯d rather get kicked out than receive a red menu.


    ¡°Would you be allowed in if you didn¡¯t buy anything?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°The second we reach the front of the line, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re going to ask for my ID and make us both leave.¡±


    He raised his head toward the doorway. It flashed red as a customer left. ¡°Wait, but that person was able to get a donut.¡±


    ¡°Tourist. The door light system only applies to Lunarian citizens.¡±


    ¡°That is,¡± the captain¡¯s eyebrows scrunched up, ¡°very ill thought out. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to do away with places like this donut shop? Everyone would benefit. After all,¡± his finger wagged at no one in particular, ¡°junk food is no healthier for those who somehow fail to show the effects.¡±


    Something told Mia that this related to why Emil told her not to tell his brother what he ate yesterday.


    ¡°Some people have argued for removing all fast food,¡± not her, ¡°but I guess they need to make sure tourists have some place to spend their money.¡±


    He crossed his arms in displeasure. ¡°Unbelievable. What a terrible example to set.¡±


    ¡°Um, If you still want us to go in together, we can pretend to be strangers.¡± She figured she¡¯d suck up the embarrassment of getting kicked out for her boss¡¯s sake. Or rather, for the sake of any future job references.


    ¡°That seems dishonest, but¨C¡±


    ¡°Hi, excuse me.¡±


    Both turned to face a tall, nervous-looking woman, dressed in angular clothes of blue, purple, and white. White freckles dotted her face, and her white hair had a pearlescent tone. She might as well have stepped off the cover of a spacepunk style magazine.


    ¡°Sorry. Sorry to bother y¡¯all. Do y¡¯know how to get to Apennine Boulevard? I¡¯d use my phone, but the battery drains so fast on it.¡±


    Captain Galhardo pointed to the street he and Mia used to walk to this part of town. ¡°Go down that street until you hit Rockwell, make a left, and you should arrive there in three blocks.¡±


    ¡°Bless your soul.¡± Her eyes fell on Mia. ¡°Cute outfit, by the way. Sorry again, but could¡¯ja help me pick out a lipstick color? I¡¯m so nervous for this job interview, I can¡¯t choose.¡±


    ¡°Oh gosh, uh, thank you?¡± The shock of being complimented by such a fashionable woman nearly made Mia forget about the question.


    She held two lipstick colors before her: purple and white. Unfortunately, this woman asked a fraud: Roxie was the brains behind her wardrobe.


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    Mia tried her best anyway. ¡°Purple? White might be too dramatic for an interview. Both would look really good on you though, I think.¡±


    ¡°Thank y¡¯all so kindly!¡± Her smile made Mia want to sink into the sidewalk.


    ¡°G-Good luck on the job.¡± Did she just doom this woman? If only she could ask Roxie.


    Roxie. Just the thought of her caused more pain in Mia¡¯s heart than she wanted to admit. Did she notice Mia trying to distance herself?


    She was probably happier with Jun anyway. Instead of making the mistake of checking the group chat, she navigated to Ranger Hook¡¯s information.


    Doing so struck her with the realization that without the white hair and freckles, the woman that just left looked a lot like Hook. Mia looked to the captain for any sign of him noticing, but he was too busy staring at the line ahead. Maybe she just imagined the resemblance. Hook or not, Mia didn¡¯t feel like getting in the way of someone¡¯s job interview.


    After Captain Galhardo took his order, Mia showed her ID only to be shown the door. She tried to ignore the girl whispering ¡°Why did she bother coming in?¡±


    Yellow flashing signalled the captain¡¯s exit. Each of his hands carried a drink. ¡°She wasn¡¯t inside. The closest match so far is the woman who asked for directions.¡± He froze. ¡°Do you think that could¡¯ve been her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure. It was hard to tell with her hair and makeup.¡±


    ¡°Let the others know.¡±


    Regretfully, Mia alerted the group chat to keep an eye out for her. She didn¡¯t give the name Apennine Boulevard, but if she recalled correctly, it fell within the shopping district, where the least proactive pair was stationed. Aiden did not seem to care about the mission, and she doubted Leon¡¯s little brother could do anything if he wanted to.


    ¡°This is for you.¡± Captain Galhardo offered her one of the drinks. ¡°I was going to order water for myself anyway, but I bought one for you as an apology for making you violate city ordinance.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only breaking the law if I don¡¯t leave. Thank you, though.¡± Her eyes widened at it in surprise that he cared. They then wandered to a small paper bag dangling off of his pinkie and the glazed pastry sticking out of it. ¡°Enjoy your donut.¡±


    He stared at it for a moment. ¡°I did not order this.¡± A sigh left his nose. ¡°The cashier would not let me leave without taking it.¡±


    Mia looked at the line on the other side of the door. ¡°Maybe you can give it to someone over there.¡±


    ¡°It was specifically requested that I not do that.¡± Captain Galhardo shook his head. ¡°We can figure out what to do with it on the way to our next location. The cashier told me there is an indoor beach within walking distance.¡±


    Revolving Shores Indoor Beach and Water Park. Mia¡¯s family went there once after the triplets¡¯ birth. There¡¯s no telling how things changed after the door light system, but she kept her concerns to herself. Complaining never helped anyone¡¯s job security.


    Instead, she offered advice on the walk over. ¡°Do you, uh, think we could give your donut away to someone?¡±


    The captain gave a slight nod and called out to a woman headed in the other direction. ¡°Excuse me. We do not want to eat. This. Would you accept a donut? For eating?¡±


    She shook her head and quickened her pace, looking a little frightened. Without a word or a look, he handed the bag to Mia. It weighed heavy with the looming threat of impromptu social interaction.


    She made her move on an oncoming businessman. ¡°Um, it¡¯s a donut.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Free donut? Y-Yeah.¡± The coherent sentences she thought of jammed on the way to her mouth.


    The businessman dismissed her offer with a wave of the hand. Terrible. Terrible. She never wanted to speak to another person again.


    Even at the crosswalk, when she spotted a nearby cop, her mouth held shut. One look at the captain and another toward the officer conveyed everything she wanted without puking up a word salad. He gripped the bag, mouthing a silent argument against himself. A sigh and a nod let her know his decision.


    They approached the officer.


    ¡°Can I help you guys?¡± He eyed them warily. A hand hovered over his belt.


    Captain Galhardo presented the bag, bowing his head. ¡°We would like to give you this. For your service.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a donut!¡± Mia added hastily. ¡°It¡¯s just a donut.¡±


    The cop¡¯s suspicion turned to laughter. ¡°Oh, I get it. Just because I¡¯m a cop, you think I eat donuts. Real original.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry if we caused any offense, sir.¡± The captain lowered his head even more.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, I¡¯m on a strict regimen!¡± The officer thumbed into his chest. ¡°Friendly word of advice for you kids: A hot dog a day keeps the doctor away.¡±


    Some would say Lunaria¡¯s #1 export was dubious health advice.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good, affordable source of vital riboflavin. Don¡¯t get any of that cheap stuff.¡± He continued gesturing. ¡°Pick out franks made of nice, Earth-grown pork¨Cor beef if you prefer. Any red meat. No chicken dogs or those unbreaded fish sticks they try to pass off as hot dogs. And no buns. The chemicals, geez-louise!¡±


    This tirade continued with no foreseeable end, only brief punctuation by the captain¡¯s quiet ¡®Yes, sir,¡¯ ¡®Thank you, officer,¡¯ and ¡®I understand, sir.¡¯ Something needed to be done, and it fell on Mia to do it. Because of course it did.


    ¡°¨Cput ¡®em in your soups, put ¡®em in your salads, put ¡®em¨C¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your advice, officer, but, uh, if you¡¯ll excuse us, we need to be on our way.¡± She began to back away, and the captain followed.


    ¡°Not so fast, little lady.¡± The cop¡¯s words froze them in place. ¡°I get a suspicious vibe from you two. What¡¯s up with the donut?¡±


    Captain Galhardo took the time to choose how to explain. ¡°We were given a free one with our purchase, but neither of us planned to eat it. It has not been tampered with in any way.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to find someone who¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°Is that sooo?¡± The officer cocked his head to the side. ¡°By the looks of your conspiring over there, I get the feeling you¡¯re not telling the whole truth. Tell ya what. Either dispose of that donut where I can see you, or eat it right now, and we won¡¯t have any problems, okay?¡±


    Mia and the captain stared at each other. She¡¯d rather not throw a perfectly good donut away but didn¡¯t want to be the one to say that. The captain considered the bag in his hand, the choice his to make.


    Captain Galhardo plucked the donut out of the bag with a napkin, then ripped both in half. He kept one half, giving the other to Mia. She waited for him to lift it to his mouth before she did the same. Aside from their jaws and hands, neither moved a muscle until the donut was gone. Mia took the bag now full of napkin scraps, and threw it into the recycling bin to her right.


    ¡°There, that wasn¡¯t so hard, was it? Hope you enjoyed your treat.¡± Maybe they would¡¯ve enjoyed it more if they hadn¡¯t been threatened. ¡°Have a nice one, stay outta trouble, and don¡¯t forget your daily hot dog!¡±


    They bid the officer polite goodbyes and crossed the street as soon as they were able. Mia learned a very important lesson from this: Free donuts from an established restaurant were hard to pass up. Free donuts from awkward strangers? Very suspicious.


    ¡°There are much better sources of riboflavin than hot dogs.¡± Good to know the captain wasn¡¯t completely taken in by the cop¡¯s authority.


    Both took a break from talking, which lasted even after they reached Revolving Shores. Yellow and red lights ushered them into a big, blue lobby where beach balls dangled from the ceiling. People of all ages and sizes filled the queues, which they soon joined. Those who didn¡¯t walked around, some in swimsuits, some not. This place looked busy enough for a deserter to hide in.


    ¡°Hi, welcome to Revolving Shores.¡± greeted the guy at the counter. ¡°First thing¡¯s first, do you have a change of clothes ready?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± answered the captain. ¡°Are they required?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid they are now. We try to cut down on visitors tracking sand into the city. Keeping the beach inside, so to speak. But not to worry!¡± He motioned to some kind of a gift shop a few feet away. ¡°Here, we have Lunaria¡¯s one and only beach shop for your convenience. You can just go in there, buy a swimsuit, change, and head over to the appraisal line.¡±


    To her left, Mia saw the appraisal line he spoke of. A staff member in front thoroughly examined people in swimsuits. Some were given keys. Others argued with her after being turned away. The whole idea made Mia¡¯s stomach turn.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Unfortunately, the captain made his way to the beach shop, so she joined him.


    ¡°Do we still have to stick together?¡± Swimsuit shopping with her boss did not strike Mia as fun.


    ¡°If it goes for the others, it applies to us as well.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    They made a beeline for the men¡¯s section once inside the beach shop. The captain picked through trunks, occasionally stretching them against his waist. Mia focused her attention elsewhere, but whenever they made eye contact, a palpable discomfort blossomed between them. He didn¡¯t enjoy this either.


    Finally, he found a suitably plain and long enough pair. But a new search began. He spent the next few moments looking around in increasing confusion. ¡°Are there no shirts?¡±


    A staff member answered before Mia did. ¡°Sorry. I keep trying to tell the higher ups that it would be a good souvenir opportunity, but no dice. Is there anything else I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°In that case, are there wetsuits?¡±


    ¡°Only in the junior section.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your assistance.¡± The captain let out a deep breath after the other guy left. ¡°I suppose we should look for your swimsuit.¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± repeated Mia.


    They supposed their way to the women¡¯s section and the bikinis that lined its walls. Mia didn¡¯t have to look to know they weren¡¯t her size, not that she¡¯d be comfortable wearing them otherwise. She saw no leggings, no skirts, not even a swim dress, but finally, she led the captain over to the one pieces displayed in the intersection of women¡¯s and girls¡¯ clothes.


    All the options looked great¡­ on other women. Rifling through the rack, the only items that matched her comfort were far too small. The rest consisted of too-low necklines, bottoms hiked far up, giant holes in the midsection, no fabric in the back, and bikinis connected by string.


    Her face went red just thinking about wearing these in general, let alone in front of her boss. She did find one saving grace.


    Another staff member got her attention before she could tell the captain. ¡°Are you looking for anything?¡±


    ¡°Um, what¡¯s the largest size these go up to?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t carry anything larger than a medium, sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± It was more than okay. Mia turned to the captain to deliver the ¡®bad news.¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s, uh, nothing in my size.¡±


    He faced an entirely different direction, typing on his tablet. ¡°I heard.¡±


    Once he returned his swim trunks, they left Revolving Shores. The captain veered off to the wall next to the entrance. Mia stood by his side, watching the people who funneled in. Much fewer came out.


    ¡°This beach seems like it would¡¯ve been a good vantage point.¡± mused the captain. ¡°It is unfortunate that we weren¡¯t able to go inside.¡±


    Mia nodded. Her relief soured into guilt.


    ¡°Though I appreciate not having to spend more money on clothes. The options in store were very,¡± he crossed his arms, ¡°revealing. Even for the men¡¯s section.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that¡¯s the point.¡± Mia spotted a sign above her that read ¡®Enjoy the view!¡¯ It meant the beach to some extent, but it also made sure to feature smiling, attractive 20-somethings. ¡°You probably could¡¯ve gotten in with just trunks, though.¡±


    ¡°I would prefer not to. It¡¯s attracted,¡± he looked away, ¡°unwanted attention. But if there was no other choice for the mission¡­¡±


    His hesitance made Mia realize how much Lunaria treated its fit people like zoo animals. She didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d be able to go through with that even for her job. But that¡¯s a distant hurdle. The one she faced now was being a hurdle to the mission. She had to think of a place where she wouldn¡¯t hold him back.


    Then it struck her. ¡°There¡¯s a salad shop that¡¯s popular,¡± and expensive, ¡°and we can both go in.¡±


    ¡°A salad shop.¡± The captain¡¯s voice took an oddly reverent tone. ¡°Finally, a place where salads aren¡¯t sidelined. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± The location pin on her phone burst her bubble. ¡°It¡¯s in the shopping district. I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t really know a lot of hang out spots, unless you count the library.¡±


    ¡°The Lunarian Public Library?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t call it popular.¡±


    ¡°It may not be, but it should have records that can help us in locating our ¡®friend.¡¯¡±


    Mia lifted her head. ¡°What kind of records? Public or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ones that we can access.¡± His emphasis made her think military records. ¡°You¡¯re familiar with how to get there, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it shouldn¡¯t be too far.¡±


    She led the way, glad to have been doing something other than getting in the way. Plus, she had an excuse to go to her favorite place in the city. Sure, she wouldn¡¯t get to peruse its selection like she originally wanted to, but otherwise, it¡¯s a win-win situation.


    ¡°The door light system does make me curious about something.¡± The captain spoke up partway into their journey. ¡°I would assume most star rangers, especially newer ones, to fit into the green and yellow lights by regulation. Considering that you don¡¯t¨C¡±


    Mia dreaded where this headed but lacked the backbone to stop it.


    ¡°¨Chow exactly did you get in?¡±


    ¡°I passed all other fitness tests.¡± Barely, but he didn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°It was determined I would meet regulation weight by the next time I was tested.¡±


    A silent ¡®Why haven¡¯t you yet?¡¯ lingered in the air.


    ¡°Though I¡¯m not on the same regimen my recruiter gave me. I got orders to, um, not do that anymore.¡±


    ¡°By a commanding officer?¡±


    ¡°...You could say that. I¡¯ve still been working towards meeting that goal, though. It just hasn¡¯t been as straightforward as I hoped.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± his voice started out more quiet than usual, ¡°I am aware that happens.¡± She didn¡¯t expect him to be so understanding. It was appreciated, as was the end of this conversation.


    The white stairs and columns of the Lunarian Public Library came into view. No colorful flashing lights marked their entrance, just the smell of old paper. Dim lighting, warm colors, and faux wooden shelves gave this library the cozy atmosphere she knew and loved. It felt more like home than home.


    A familiar old woman sat behind the counter, typing away on her computer until the two approached. ¡°Hello. Do you need help finding something?¡±


    The captain glanced at his tablet. ¡°Could you direct us to where the Interstellar Forces¡¯ records are kept?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to provide ID first.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He took a velcro wallet from his cape. Something about it made his eyebrows furrow. After putting it back, he produced a leather one, along with his ID.


    The library assistant gave his card a thorough look from front to back.


    ¡°Everything checks out.¡± Once she handed it back to him, her hand reached out to Mia. ¡°Yours, miss?¡±


    Mia handed over her card, and the process repeated again. This time, though, the assistant¡¯s eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± A warm smile crossed her face. ¡°I wondered where you¡¯d been lately.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural to remember such a frequent visitor,¡± that came as news to Mia, ¡°and the flock of boys that tagged along.¡± That, not so much. ¡°How are they?¡±


    ¡°Alive, I think.¡±


    The woman chuckled. ¡°So you¡¯re part of the IF now.¡± She rested a hand on her cheek. ¡°My, how time flies. I remember when your mother used to bring you. As a matter of fact, I think I saw her earlier today.¡±


    ¡°Really? Is she still here?¡± Mia did her best to hide behind a pleasant tone.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see her leave, but maybe she did during my break.¡± The assistant gave her ID back. ¡°Here you go. To reach the IF¡¯s archives, just head to the very back. I¡¯ll send someone over there to let you in. You may have to show your IDs again.¡±


    ¡°Understandable.¡± The captain nodded.


    ¡°I hope you find what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    Mia smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Once out of earshot, the captain spoke up again. ¡°That was unavoidable, but we should stick to our aliases as long as she¡¯s not around.¡± He looked around as he walked. ¡°Just in case.¡±


    While he searched for Hook, Mia kept an eye out for someone else. The two made it to the back shelves without finding who they were looking for. Instead, they found what they were looking for: a door situated between two shelves.


    Whoever the front desk lady sent hadn¡¯t arrived yet, so Mia took a moment to settle. Her eyes wandered across book spines. History books and memoirs of people long gone stared back at her. She rarely read books like these but figured she¡¯d pick one up, if only to pass a few minutes of time.


    Her favorite reading table sat beyond the captain, around the corner. She¡¯d take a seat for old time¡¯s sake, if not for the concern of causing trouble for some poor page by putting the book back in the wrong place. So she stood and read. The quiet calmed her and the atmosphere soothed her all the same.


    She wasn¡¯t naive enough to think these walls had a heartbeat. The library didn¡¯t care whether she lived or died. So why did it feel like the only place that ever loved her? The answer didn¡¯t matter, not now, maybe not ever.

 [Adventures in Spacepunk] Ch 6. Angels on Apennine Boulevard

    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to go a few streets down.¡± Angelo spoke up way after Aiden decided to stop in a random alleyway.


    ¡°Galhardo said to search around the area. Ain¡¯t this around the area?¡± True, but Angelo got the feeling that a street made up of nondescript buildings and modest storefronts did not qualify as the shopping district. If it weren¡¯t for the crescent moon theming of the laundromat next door, he might¡¯ve forgotten he was in Lunaria.


    ¡°Yeah, but I th-think he wanted us to reach Apennine Boulevard first.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Should¡¯ve said so.¡± Aiden leaned against the wall without a care. Worry must¡¯ve shown on Angelo¡¯s face, because he followed up with, ¡°If you wanna uphold scouts¡¯ honor or whatever, you can go by yourself.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re supposed to stay together.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess you¡¯re stuck here.¡±


    Since then, Angelo stayed put next to the alleyway¡¯s entrance. Aiden mentioned something about it looking too suspicious if both of them stood inside. He also wanted a lookout in case a cop showed up. None did. What would they even arrest him for, pacing around? Softly drumming on the recycling bins?


    Whatever he did back there, at least he had something to do. No new messages entered the group chat since Angelo thanked Roxie for picking out spacepunk names for him and Aiden, Jello and Killa, respectively. All he had to keep busy was fighting with himself over whether he should talk with her more. He lost. Somehow.


    If only Roxie were here to hold his hand again. Or Leon. Both? What if they smiled at him, hugged him, and called him their friend who they¡¯d cherish forever? What if they meant it? He knew he shouldn¡¯t get so carried away, but he kept scrolling through pictures of them, dreaming the impossible. If he had even a fraction of this, he¡¯d¡­!


    ¡°How long¡¯s it been?¡± Aiden poked his head out of the alley, making Angelo¡¯s heart jump. His body did too, which was dangerous in platform wheelies. He almost dropped Leon¡¯s phone!


    ¡°S-Since we left? 40 minutes-ish.¡±


    ¡°You tell everyone we made it?¡±


    "Not yet, sorry. I-I didn¡¯t want to look suspicious by saying it too early, but I probably should now.¡± Angelo began typing a message about how they went to Apennine Boulevard but decided to search elsewhere. He¡¯d have to break the habit of lying over text some other time.


    ¡°Good. I don¡¯t want Galhardo on our backs.¡± Aiden almost left, then doubled back upon seeing his screen. ¡°That¡¯s too many details.¡± He held out a hand. ¡°Here, let me¨C¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Angelo clutched his brother¡¯s phone for dear life. ¡°S-Sorry. No, thank you. I need to keep this phone safe.¡±


    ¡°Chill,¡± Aiden held his hands up, ¡°it¡¯s not like I was gonna throw it away.¡± That stung coming from the person who gave Angelo the idea to do the same. ¡°Just write somethin¡¯ like ¡®we made it.¡¯ That¡¯s it. Don¡¯t mention a street or anything.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± Angelo did as told. He didn¡¯t have the guts to ask follow up questions. Lucky for him, this got Aiden to go back to whatever he was doing.


    ¡®Emil already beat you to the punch, hehe >w<¡¯ Roxie¡¯s text confused him at first. ¡®Unless you are¡­ the Leon imposter??? ¡®,: /c¡¯


    That hit a little too close to home. ¡®Sorry I¡¯m Angelo! I¡¯ll make it clear from now on! (>_<;)7¡¯


    ¡®Nooo, your lack of comma makes it sound like you¡¯re apologizing for being you TT^TT¡¯ No comment. More importantly, she typed a crying face, and he needed to atone for causing that.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry (I am also Angelo)¡¯


    ¡®you don¡¯t gotta remind us every time you text lol.¡¯ Jun entered the conversation.


    ¡®okay (Angelo posting)¡¯ At the time, he thought it was funny, but two seconds of hindsight made him wonder if he was being annoying.


    A new message snapped him out of it, one that didn¡¯t come from the group chat or either of his parents¡¯ phones. He opened the message before realizing he probably shouldn¡¯t. It was probably for Leon. At least, that¡¯s what he thought before reading.


    ¡®sup? jun checking in. where are you guys exactly? i won¡¯t rat you out.¡¯


    He thought about asking Aiden how to respond. That thought scared him, so he texted back anyway. ¡®we¡¯re on prosperity street next to the laundromat.¡¯


    ¡®cool thanks. just thought i¡¯d ask to be on the safe side. this is angelo right?¡¯


    ¡®yes (Angelo here)¡¯ His fingers sent it before his mind could stop him.


    ¡®lol i was hoping you¡¯d do that. later.¡¯ Their text ended with a peace sign emoji.


    The iconic Jun Kim liked his joke? He wondered if he¡¯d ever get used to being on speaking terms with them. After spending nearly a week in a cardboard box, speaking to anyone made him a little dizzy, let alone a household name. The buzz from that carried him straight into an awkward smile-off with two ladies passing by. He ducked his head into Leon¡¯s phone.


    What to do now? Listening to music was out of the question, no matter how much he wanted to. His earphones were back on the ship, and his soul would sooner leave his body than risk Aiden¨Cor anyone¨Coverhearing hyperactive, sugar sweet music playing from his speakers. So, he just stared at the ground.


    Bulky, shiny, sometimes sharp, and often platformed, a rainbow of shoes passed him by. Time passed with them. One perk of losing his mind in a box was that it made it a lot harder to get bored. It helped that a few developments happened in the group chat. Seeing the others come up with cover stories and finding leads made him wonder if he should do more.


    Just then, two flat, black shoes stopped right in front of him, stopping his train of thought. He looked up to see a police officer staring down at him. On instinct, he turned to warn Aiden before realizing that would do more harm than good now.


    ¡°Hi.¡± Her smile shouldn¡¯t have set off alarms, but Angelo knew police officers didn¡¯t just talk to people for no reason. It also felt cold, like a routine attempt at friendliness.


    ¡°Hi.¡± His voice shook. ¡°Is s-something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I just noticed that you¡¯ve been standing here all alone for a while now.¡±


    ¡°You have??¡± He covered his mouth. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Her hand rested on one hip. The other thumbed behind her at the crosswalk separating this street from the one he and Aiden came from. ¡°I¡¯ve been up and down the past coupla blocks 4-5 times, and every time I passed this street, there you were with your head down.¡±


    Angelo¡¯s stomach turned. In avoiding eye contact, he failed his one job of watching out for cops. He wanted to crawl into the nearest dumpster to save Aiden the trouble.


    The cop¡¯s eyebrows scrunched together, looking between him and the building he stood in front of. ¡°You look a little young to be working at a law firm.¡± She pointed to the laundromat. ¡°Are you waiting for your family? Friends?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aiden walking away like any other pedestrian, ¡°no?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a place to stay?¡±


    That question felt weird. Weird enough to set off his alarm bells. Unfortunately, a police officer was exactly who people told him to go to in this kind of situation, and the closest thing to a trusted adult just disappeared into the landromat.


    Hard eyes studied him. ¡°If you don¡¯t have anywhere to go, I¡¯m going to need you to come with me. We have shelter for people like you.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m¨CI¡¯m staying in a hotel room!¡± Angelo finally found the strength to squeeze words out of his throat.


    ¡°Mm-hmmm.¡± She did not buy it. ¡°Do you have any proof of that?¡±


    ¡°My brother has our room key.¡± He shrank into his shoulders.


    ¡°I see.¡± She folded her arms with a sigh. ¡°Until we¡¯re able to verify proof of that, we¡¯re going to have to take you to the station for safe keeping.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± His question came out quiet and cracked.


    Sure, he wasn¡¯t getting arrested for causing trouble, but he couldn¡¯t imagine Captain Galhardo giving him a gold star for this. The guy clearly hated his guts already. More than that, he took this mission seriously. Only to him would getting arrested sound like an excuse to slack off, but that¡¯s all that mattered when he¡¯s the boss.


    The cop reached for her walkie-talkie.


    Run. Hide. That¡¯s all Angelo came up with, though things ended horrifically last time he followed those instincts. It shouldn¡¯t go as bad this time, though maybe quicker if this cop carried a taser. He¡¯d rather not get tased and forced to do pushups.


    She kept a steely eye on him. He must¡¯ve looked like a weirdo, shaking so much. Even his eyes couldn¡¯t stay still. Through foggy glasses, he saw Aiden strolling leisurely down the other side of the street. They briefly made eye contact before he broke it.


    Faint. This option wouldn¡¯t help at all, but it became likelier with every hitched breath. Call for help? Fainting sounded more useful. Besides, he¡¯d rather not cause a scene.


    The walkie-talkie rose to her ear.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m¨C¡± it took a few attempts to spit out the full sentence ¡°¨CI¡¯m an undercover s-star ranger on a mission! Please don¡¯t take me away!¡±


    She nodded fake politely, not even pausing her radio conversation. ¡°We got a 10-66 at Prosperity Street.¡± Angelo wondered if that was code for ¡®little freak boy.¡¯ ¡°Send a car, over.¡±


    Knowing no words could convince her otherwise, Angelo showed his ID. That got her attention. She motioned for him to hand over his card, which he did.


    The radio call continued as she examined it. ¡°66 can disregard¡­ Yeah, no car needed, over and out.¡± Finally, she hung up, smiling warmer than ever. ¡°Star ranger, huh?¡± She even laughed a little. ¡°Sorry about that. I thought you were some homeless kid. We take that pretty seriously around here. Anyway, here¡¯s your ID back, Ranger Summers.¡±


    Angelo took his ID, feeling a little disoriented by a woman old enough to be his mother addressing him by a title.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you guys did undercover missions.¡± Neither did he, until yesterday. ¡°Maybe I could help you out? As a way to make things up and,¡± her hand covered one side of her mouth jokingly, ¡°to be honest, it can get boring on patrol.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    If he felt disoriented before, he had full-on whiplash now. Were they friends, because she sure acted like it despite nearly carting him away a few moments ago.


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s t-top¨Cit¡¯s top secret.¡± He did not want to deal with her more than necessary.


    ¡°Darn.¡± She snapped her fingers. ¡°Well, good luck, ranger. Have a good one.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡± He gave her a halfhearted wave goodbye. She couldn¡¯t disappear around the corner fast enough.


    Not long after she did, someone else came waltzing back.


    ¡°Thought she was never gonna leave.¡± He glanced over his shoulder. ¡°What happened?¡±


    All that came out of Angelo¡¯s mouth was ¡°S-Sorry. I didn¡¯t see her.¡±


    Aiden had every right to be as annoyed as he looked. Yet Angelo couldn¡¯t help but notice his own blood boiling. He didn¡¯t know why. It¡¯s not like he trusted Aiden. He had better chances predicting a dice roll than whether Aiden would help or not.


    That didn¡¯t change the fact that having the one person he could turn to not just leave him but ignore him during his time of need was a scene out of his worst nightmares. It also didn¡¯t change that if they just went to Apennine Boulevard, none of this would¡¯ve happened.


    ¡°Are you good?¡±


    Angelo choked down his anger, nodding through a clenched jaw and tightened chest.


    ¡°Cool.¡± Aiden passed by Angelo to lean against the alley wall. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you that if you¡¯ve got secrets, keep your mouth shut around Jun. Take it from me, that guy¡¯s nosy as all get out. Lives for gossip. Your brother¡¯s kind of a blabbermouth, so you might wanna pass that to him too.¡±


    ¡°Th-Thanks?¡± Angelo wanted to ignore him so badly, but that was important to know. Unfortunately.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, he¡¯s a chill guy otherwise.¡±


    ¡°My brother?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe his ears.


    ¡°Jun. It might be tempting to rely on people like him or blondie, but at the end of the day, you gotta look out for you.¡±


    ¡°Because no one else will?¡±


    Aiden took a moment to answer. ¡°It¡¯s not always guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Angelo wondered how many times he¡¯d get a hands-on lesson. He needed to toughen up or risk life crushing him under its weight. As much as he loved being around his brother, that comfort put a wrench in his growth. He needed to carve his own path, and he needed to start now. ¡°I-I¡¯m going to Apennine Boulevard.¡±


    Aiden craned his head over the corner. ¡°Huh? Okay.¡± He seemed unbothered by not having a lookout, though Angelo did screw up spectacularly. ¡°Be back by 6:30.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Angelo took a few wobbly steps away, then stumbled back. Though Aiden annoyed him, he wouldn¡¯t risk letting him get arrested, especially when they¡¯d both get punished for it. ¡°If th¨CIf the cop sees you, just show her your ID.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t.¡±


    Angelo walked to the street corner further away, not wanting to pass that officer again. Only when he reached the crosswalk did he realize how his hand hovered near buildings for support. Managing to pull it away, he made his best attempt to mask the terror he felt with each wobble of his ankles. He only yelped a little bit!


    His heart continued racing from his near arrest, and despite walking taller, his confidence fell short. But he still refused to lean on any buildings after crossing the street. Even the most reliable walls wouldn¡¯t always catch him when he fell. They had better things to do. Keeping him steady wasn¡¯t their job; he only had himself to blame for straining them for so long.


    He just wanted to know when he¡¯d stop wanting to cling onto something. How much more did he have to pay in bravery points to afford anyone¡¯s time? More people filled each block he walked, but he felt alone with his problems.


    Another problem reared its head. Further into the crowd, a boy around his age stopped strangers for something, probably to hand out fliers. Angelo had to disappear behind some other people if he wanted to avoid him. Unluckily, he was too far from the buildings to do it in time.


    ¡°Excuse me, have you seen¨C?¡±


    Someone bumped into Angelo¡¯s shoulder before the other boy finished speaking, knocking off his glasses. While Angelo focused on steadying himself, the boy picked them up.


    ¡°Here you¡­¡± A pained, concerned look filled his freckled face. Instead of giving the glasses back right away, he wiped them on his vest. He then plucked the ruffled cloth from the collar of his vest, which turned out to be a tissue, and handed it to Angelo with the glasses before replacing it with another. ¡°Here. For you.¡±


    Angelo hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been tearing up until now. He wiped his face and put his glasses on. ¡°Thanks. I-I¡¯m also a boy, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, I thought so.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry. Reflex.¡± Sometimes, he forgot how much of a game-changer short hair had been. Still, a boy his age who treated him like a human being? Without mistaking him for a girl? An alien could walk up to him, and he wouldn¡¯t be as shocked.


    ¡°Anyway, have you seen this boy?¡± The other guy held up his phone. On it was a picture of a younger, frowning boy who shared his red hair and freckles. ¡°He ran off somewhere around here.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Angelo felt bad for wanting to avoid him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Somehow, he managed a smile. He then stared directly into his eyes with a more serious look. ¡°You are important. You matter. Take care.¡±


    ¡°Wh¨C?¡± Angelo¡¯s brain short-circuited. This guy stabbed him with kindness in broad daylight. Where were the cops now? ¡°Th-thank you? You t-too. I hope you find him.¡±


    Just like that, the boy disappeared into the crowd. Angelo might¡¯ve met an angel. He struggled to keep it together and lost before long. 0-2 against himself.


    Not wanting to get in the way, he wept while walking with everyone else. The bland buildings he came from had since given way to more abstract architecture. He saw curved, concrete pyramids, elongated domes made of glass windows, and a cylindrical building decorated with colorful orb-like rooms. He found himself smiling.


    His sidewalk came to an end; the next crosswalk led to a row of bright storefronts. Above it read ¡®Apennine Boulevard,¡¯ not that he could miss it. Both the sidewalks and crosswalks looked like overstuffed runways. Bright lights and screens hung over every other doorway, and music blared out of them.


    More cars drove through here than anywhere else in Lunaria, which meant like ten, but there were also some police cars parked along the sides to pad things out. The trees lining the middle of the street were a nice touch. He¡¯d love a miniature of this place.


    Being here was a little different. Had his hat not covered his ears, the noise might have been too much. The crowd left almost no wiggle room. Most importantly though, with all of this going on, what chance did he have of seeing Ranger Hook? He needed a place to think.


    A statue of Angus McBeefy in an old-timey spacesuit stood outside of the biggest McBeefy¡¯s Angelo ever saw. People left enough space around it for picture taking. Stumbling against the crowd and apologizing all the way, he finally made it to the crosswalk that took him to the big man-bull-farmer-astronaut.


    Mia sent a few messages to the group chat since he last checked. The latest one mentioned a woman who looked like Hook heading over to the shopping district. That could mean a few streets, but Angelo kept his hopes up. He caused so much trouble this month. If he found her, it¡¯d be a huge step towards becoming stronger and making things up for everyone.


    No way was he letting this chance slip by. He pretended to get in line and kept his eyes peeled for the white haired woman, fully prepared to stay for as long as it took.


    It didn¡¯t take long at all. Angelo spotted her coming down the sidewalk¨Cthe one on the other side of the street.


    The most powerful of power walks took him back across while he tried not to look like someone hunting her down. Had he thought of what to do when he caught up? No. Right then, he needed to keep her in his sights.


    Good news: He caught up to her. Bad news: He almost crashed into her. Worse news: His wheelies activated, sending him into a window pane.


    As his cheek slid down the glass, it actually felt great compared to the failure and humiliation.


    ¡°A-Are you alright?¡± a voice called out behind him. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault.¡± Once he crumpled to the concrete, he looked up to see a white-haired woman with purple lipstick reaching out to him. Her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can s-stand¨C¡± he cut himself off with a groan, ¡°I can get up.¡±


    She stared at him pitifully, not buying it even though he managed to stand perfectly kind of straight. ¡°Is there somewhere close by you need to go? You seemed like you were in a mighty hurry.¡±


    ¡°He seems pretty lost to me.¡± Both turned to see a red-headed, freckled boy. Wait. Wasn¡¯t that¡­? ¡°He came across the street just a moment ago.¡±


    ¡°Are you lost?¡± asked the woman, gently, but deep enough to make Angelo jealous.


    ¡°Yes? I-I mean no?¡± He tried to pick an answer that made sense. ¡°I don¡¯t really know where I-I¡¯m¨Cwhere I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Only after she asked did he realize how weird he sounded after clearly being in a hurry.


    ¡°Uhhh,¡± he adjusted his hat and glasses, hoping to buy time to think. Still not enough time. He just started talking. ¡°Th-the last time I stood around, a cop almost took me to a homeless shelter. Or s-something like that.¡±


    ¡°Goodness gracious!¡± Her eyebrows shot up. She looked around nervously. ¡°Um, well, don¡¯t your momma and daddy know where you are?¡±


    Might as well tell the truth. ¡°No. Th-They¡¯re not here.¡±


    ¡°Here as in¡­?¡±


    ¡°The Moon. Or s-space at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, bless your little heart.¡± she muttered under her breath. ¡°I-I¡¯m in kind of a hurry myself, so, I can¡¯t talk, but if you can, walk up that street right there,¡± she motioned to the intersecting street just ahead, ¡°keep headin¡¯ north, and, sorry, it¡¯s a little hard to see, but keep your eyes out for a red and blue open sign on your right.¡±


    ¡°I can help!¡± the kid offered.


    She stared between him and Angelo, not sure what to say. ¡°Suuure. Maybe don¡¯t go in with him? It is a bar. I mean, I guess it¡¯s fine so long as neither of you order anything¨CAnywho. There¡¯s a lady at the counter who has, uh, experience with your situation. She might be able to help you find a place you can stay.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡± A pit formed in Angelo¡¯s stomach the more he realized how much she genuinely worried for him.


    ¡°Of course. I gotta go now. Bye, y¡¯all!¡±


    She hurried into the crowd. His motivation to complete the mission left with her. He wasn¡¯t heartless enough to turn in such a kind soul, but he felt the need to report something back to the captain. With the way his ankle felt, he couldn¡¯t take more punishment.


    He unhooked Leon¡¯s phone from his wrist.


    ¡°You have a phone?¡±


    Angelo jumped. He forgot that kid was there. ¡°Th-Th¨CIt¡¯s not mine.¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes bugged out. ¡°So you stole it?¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m borrowing it.¡± Only after the fact did he realize that sounded like the worst lie.


    ¡°What? Someone let you take their phone like that? What if you never gave it back? Geez, it¡¯s like they¡¯re asking to get robbed.¡±


    ¡°Um, I th¨CI think someone¡¯s looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, of course they care now.¡± Crossing his arms, the boy puffed out a freckled cheek. His face brightened instantly. ¡°Anyway, you look really cool for a homeless person.¡±


    ¡°Wh¨C? I-I¡¯m not¨C! ¡­You think I look cool?¡± No offense to Emil, but Angelo thought his outfit looked like the result of Santa¡¯s elves rebranding to appeal to modern kids. Fun? He thought so. Cool? No. But this must¡¯ve been the modern kid.


    ¡°Not when you beefed it, but yeah, you look cool. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been following you.¡±


    ¡°Wow, tha¨CWhat??¡± Angelo¡¯s question turned into more of a squeal. ¡°How long have you been following me?¡±


    ¡°Since you walked by that store over there.¡± The boy pointed to a few doors behind them.


    ¡°So you followed me across th-the street, to McBeefy¡¯s, waited, and then followed me back here?¡±


    ¡°Good thing I did.¡± The kid had no shame at all. ¡°Now I can help you go to that bar!¡±


    ¡°Thanks? But I-I don¡¯t need to go to that bar. I¡¯m not homeless.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He stared at the ground for a moment. ¡°Are you a spacepunk, then? You look like a spacepunk.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± At least for today.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Jello?¡± Angelo hoped he remembered right.


    ¡°Cool.¡± The boy smiled. ¡°I¡¯m thinking my spacepunk name should be Lil¡¯ Milliwatt. Or just Milliwatt. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Me? I think Milliwatt covers th-the Lil¡¯ part, plus it¡¯s easier to say. But I don¡¯t know if you should listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s cooler people you can ask.¡± In fact, many passed by them.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. You¡¯re cool enough for me.¡± He smirked, cooly, as Angelo wondered what he saw in him. ¡°So that settles it! I¡¯m Milliwatt. Do you need to go anywhere?¡±


    ¡°S-Sorta? Not right now. You don¡¯t have to help me, though. You sh¨CYou should probably go back to whoever was looking for you.¡±


    ¡°If I wanted to, I¡¯d just answer my phone.¡± Milliwatt held up the phone on his wrist. He glared at it when it buzzed, then his eyes fell to the ground. ¡°But if you don¡¯t want me around, I get it.¡± When Angelo didn¡¯t answer right away, he turned to leave. ¡°Bye, Jello.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Angelo couldn¡¯t believe what he was about to ask. ¡°Do you want to hang out?¡±


    Milliwatt turned back with wide eyes. ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡±


    ¡°I-I guess. I have time.¡±


    ¡°Nice!!¡± He pumped his fists. His happiness confused Angelo but made him smile a little.


    ¡°S-Sorry, I gotta check something first.¡± Angelo finally unlocked the phone in his hand.


    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s not your phone, though, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my brother¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡± Milliwatt opened his mouth to ask another question but never followed through. Angelo needed to concentrate on the group chat right now, so he appreciated it.


    At some point, Jun asked if Mia knew if the woman had a Southern accent. Mia had yet to answer back, and Angelo wasn¡¯t going to. He also saw a direct message from Emil.


    ¡®Sorry if I¡¯m a little cagey about touch between me and other guys in public. I know you were just trying to be a friend. Prying eyes might get a different impression. Also I gotta thank Ange for this trick.¡¯


    Angelo went back and forth on whether he should respond. Eventually, he did. ¡®(Angelo speaking) I know this wasn¡¯t meant for me but imagine me¨C¡¯ he initially wrote ¡®patting you on the back,¡¯ but that wouldn¡¯t do. Delete. ¡®¨Cpunching you in the arm in a manly but caring way. Enough to leave a heart-shaped bruise but not like /that./ Also you¡¯re welcome.¡¯


    He hurried back to the group chat before embarrassment set in. The first draft of his message talked about seeing the woman on Apennine Boulevard, but then he remembered Aiden¡¯s advice and decided to backspace on any mention of a place. A touch of uncertainty was added for flavor, and then he hit send.


    ¡°(Angelo reporting for duty) I think I saw the same lady but she went into a crowd. Sorry.¡±


    Perfect. He mentally gave it a chef¡¯s kiss. This text would save him from more pushups. He didn¡¯t even have to worry about not seeing her again. The crowd gave both of them the perfect cover. Best of all, it¡¯s technically true! No one could call him out on it if they wanted to.


    Now, he was free to focus on a mission he actually cared about: getting Milliwatt back to the angel looking for him.

 [Adventures in Spacepunk] Ch 7. The Less Said, the Better

    The archive keeper had yet to arrive. In the meantime, Lorenzo studied the documents on Ranger Hook for answers. Could she have been the same woman who asked him for directions? He tried to compare her to the photo on his tablet, but all he remembered were the differences between them.


    In his heart, he hoped it wasn''t her. To let a target slip by after walking up to him? What an inexcusable display, and right in front of his subordinate, too. It''s even worse than partaking in a donut in front of her. That was out of his control, and at least he trusted Wattson had enough sense and discipline to avoid succumbing to their diabolical deliciousness.


    He couldn''t say the same of Kelly and the child''s ability to apprehend Hook. Nonetheless, the fate of the mission might have fallen into their hands.


    "...And it''s so hard to find good help these days." Across the open area where Lorenzo stood, at the far end of a table, two women stood, having a conversation. One spoke up louder than appropriate for a library setting.


    "Oh, I completely understand. I''ve been absolutely devastated since my nanny left. The boys are old enough to take care of themselves, but it''s not just about that. She was my girl, my BFF. That''s not something I can just replace, you know?" The longer-haired woman sighed dramatically. "We''re supposed to start on Seamstress on the Run next week?"


    "Yep, I hear it''s a real rollercoaster. I can''t wait! See you then?"


    "You know it~" She shimmied.


    Both left. Neither of them looked anything like Hook, so Lorenzo didn''t know why he bothered paying attention. He directed his focus to Ranger Wattson, who stood on the other side of the archive door, hidden from view of the seating area by shelves lining its perimeter. She read a book to pass time. He wondered if he should do the same.


    The shelf to his back held a selection of history books. His eyes tried their best to search for one related to the Interstellar Forces without his reading glasses. Technically, he could switch over to him, that was, if he wanted to blow his disguise. No, he''d wait until getting into the archives to do that.


    Pale fingertips fell onto a book spine in his eyeline. They weren''t Wattson''s. Wattson still read her book on the other side.


    "Oh, excuse me." A middle-aged woman stared up at him, the long-haired one from earlier. "I''m just looking for something." She blinked a few times. "You wouldn''t have happened to see a book called Seamstress on the Run, have you?"


    "No, ma''am. I haven''t seen that title."


    "Phooey." she pouted, continuing to trail her fingers along books. "I don''t think I''ve seen you around before. You look memorable."


    Lorenzo pondered over how or if he should respond. "These clothes are memorable, I suppose."


    She giggled. Was what he said funny? He glanced over at Wattson for some kind of confirmation, but she must''ve been completely engrossed in her book. Her face was fully buried in it.


    "The clothes are definitely part of it," the woman brushed at her bangs, "but you have a striking look about you in general. Oh, you know what you remind me of? Those living statues at the gym up that way." She pointed north. "I''ve taken a job there a few times. All I had to do was stand around and pose. You should go for it if you haven''t."


    Stand around and pose while nearly naked, if Lorenzo remembered correctly. He''d rather not. However, he did know for a fact that the gym models were chosen for their admirable physiques, so he took that as a compliment. He took it cautiously though, even if something about it make his muscles tense. "No, thank you."


    "You do seem the shy type." She giggled again. Wasn''t she supposed to be looking for a book? Suddenly, she jerked her head to the side, squinting at something over Lorenzo''s shoulder.


    Behind him, Wattson inched toward one of the other bookshelves. She almost disappeared out of view when the woman walked over to her.


    "Excuse me?" her voice was almost too quiet for Lorenzo to hear.


    Wattson jolted, instinctively turning her head towards her.


    "Mia??"


    "H-Hi Mom."


    "Mia!" whisper-screamed the woman. "You look gorgeous! Come here~" She then locked Wattson in a tight embrace, planting kisses on her cheek with the speed and intensity of a woodpecker. "I miss you sooo much." Suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, I thought you were supposed to be at work today."


    "I, um, I¨C"


    Lorenzo''s relief ended when her eyes fell back on him. "Whoops!" With one hand, she covered her own face. "Sorry, this is my daughter Mia," she squished both of their faces together, "although some people think we''re sisters."


    Both had wavy, red hair and similarly pale skin, though even to Lorenzo, Wattson''s mother looked old enough to be her legal guardian.


    "I know her." he responded. "We came here together." Though Mia''s cover was partially blown, he could at least keep the nature of their presence a secret.


    "You did?" She turned to her daughter. "When were you going to introduce me to your friend?"


    "I-I guess now is a good time. Mom, this is, um..." Wattson trailed off.


    Lorenzo offered his hand. "Rafael."


    "Oh my~ Rafael, what a handsome name." She took her time clasping her hand around his. "Well, it''s nice to meet you." Her hand slid off of his instead of letting go, as if she was trying to prolong physical contact as much as possible.


    Out of politeness, he suppressed a flinch. "Likewise, Ms. Wattson."


    Something in her expression soured, but she quickly recovered. "Please, Ms. Wattson is my daughter. Rose. Delilah Rose."


    "My apologies, Ms. Rose." In hindsight, he wondered if her rose earrings and belt were supposed to be a clue.


    "Aww, how polite. I know it''s a little jarring meeting someone from TV, but don''t feel the need to be so formal. Unless you want to~" Rose winked.


    Lorenzo had no idea what TV had to do with anything.


    "My mom''s been in some local commercials." Wattson chimed in.


    "Movies too, but those are a little before your time."


    "Her commercials play fairly often," she elaborated, "so, uh, you''ve probably seen her." Lorenzo had seen a lot of people in commercials. He didn''t remember them all.


    "Maybe this will ring a bell." Rose cleared her throat, then pressed her hands to her face. "Wow, these savings are truly out of this world! If you wanna shop smart, choose Carter''s Mart."


    Surprisingly, that worked. "I remember now. I often hear that commercial when I''m cooking."


    "You cook? How fascinating. Wh¨C"


    "Mom, do you need help finding that book?" Wattson steered this conversation back on track, thankfully.


    "Oh Mia," her mother grabbed her hands, "you know I adore your help¨Creally, I can''t bear living without it¨Cbut if there''s anything I can handle on my own, it''s finding a book. Right now, I want to know more about your friend. It''s strange you never told me about him. We''re BFFs! I don''t understand why you''d sneak out behind my back just to hang out with a bo¨C"


    She gasped before finishing that sentence, then went silent. Her eyes darted between Wattson and Lorenzo. Soon, her hands cupped over Wattson''s ears, and she whispered something that her daughter furiously shook her head at.


    "Excuse us," she finally addressed him with a smile, "we need to have a girls'' talk."


    Those were her last words before dragging her daughter into an aisle. Lorenzo took a breath for what felt like the first time in hours. He needed to conserve his mental energy for searching through the archives, so the break was much appreciated. It gave him time to just stare into space.


    Before long, a short, old man wandered over to where he stood. He looked around for a moment before his eyes settled on him. "Excuse me, you wouldn''t happen to be the one requesting access to the Interstellar Forces'' archives, would you?"


    "Yes, I am."


    "Sorry if I took long, I was finishing up my lunch break." This was evident by his tuna breath. "Can I see your ID?"


    Lorenzo handed it over, and the man scrutinized it.


    "May I see your eyes?"


    With no one else around, Lorenzo saw no reason not to. This guy wasn''t Hook.


    The archivist handed back his ID. "Yep, you''re the guy in the photo. Though I wasn''t expecting someone dressed so flashily."


    "This is a special case."


    "Huh." He looked around expectantly. "I was under the impression that there would be more than one person here."


    Lorenzo searched for any sign of Wattson coming back. "My associate should be here soon. Please excuse me for a moment."


    He walked part way there until realizing that he might intrude on their privacy. So instead, he took out his tablet and hoped that Emil would respond to his message right away.


    ''Please call Ranger Wattson and tell her that the archivist is here.'' he texted.


    ''HUH? What does THAT mean?!?!'' Emil included confused and question mark emojis as if the capitalization and punctuation didn''t get his confusion across. ''Aren''t you supposed to be with her anyway?''


    ''She''s in the middle of something. She''ll know what you mean.''


    A few moments later, he responded back. ''Done.'' The next message included a sighing emoji and a wink emoji. ''The things I do for you. Btw the crush thing is all settled.''


    ''Good to hear.''


    ''C''moooon join the group chat already.'' Emil whined via text and emoji. ''Or at least get Mia''s number.''


    ''Thank you for calling.'' Lorenzo returned to the archivist.


    Wattson poked her head out of the aisle, then stepped out while making reassuring hand gestures to the woman inside. They also seemed to double as an attempt to get her mother to stay in place. It was to no avail. Her mother clung to her arm on her way over to the other two.


    "Hello there, Delilah." The archivist adjusted his collar and glasses. "I wasn''t expecting you here."


    "Always a pleasure to see you, Georgie." Something about Rose''s words brought out a chuckle from him.


    "Here''s my ID." Wattson cut through the small talk.


    "Oh, yes, let me take a look at that." The archivist examined her ID. His eyebrows raised. "Can you lift your glasses, please?"


    Wattson did so.


    "Wow, you bear a striking resemblance to Ms. Rose. Are you related, by any chance? Let me guess, are you," he raised an eyebrow, "sisters?"


    Rose continued the chuckle-fest. "She does have my long lashes, my hazels, and my figure," she bumped Wattson''s hip with her own, "but that''s because she''s my daughter."


    "Well, didn''t you win the genetic lottery?" The archivist handed Wattson''s ID back to her.


    She took it. "Thank you."


    "By the way, Rafael, Mia does most of our house cooking, too. At least... she did before she left us behind." Rose leaned her head against her daughter''s shoulder while pouting, then sprang back up happily. "Maybe you can share cooking tips."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    In the times that Mia took over cooking duty, she established herself as one of the more competent cooks, from what Lorenzo remembered. "I''ll consider it."


    "She wears a lot of different hats actually. Chef, maid, financial adviser¨Cshe''s especially good with keeping children alive! She''s a bit modest, but she doesn''t ask for much and is a wonderful listener¨C"


    "Delilah, I''m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but only authorized individuals are allowed into the IF archives."


    "Oh, so this is a work thing?" she asked Wattson. "Why didn''t you tell me earlier?"


    "It was kind of supposed to be a secret." Wattson answered.


    Her mother looked her over. "That still doesn''t explain why¨CAh, nevermind. You two have fun in there." She winked at her. "Don''t do anything I wouldn''t do~"


    "I wouldn''t dream of it."


    "Bye-bye Georgie, bye Rafie~" Not a moment too soon, she left. Lorenzo gave her a polite nod.


    "Goodbye, Delilah." The archivist''s eyes trailed her as she walked past the group. Finally, they snapped back to the other two. "Follow me."


    He led them into a grey room packed with rows of shelves, each brimming with binders. A doorway off to the side revealed a seating area lit by a half-dead fluorescent light. Wattson pulled her jacket over her shoulders, no doubt because of the temperature drop. With the dim lighting and lack of witnesses, neither needed their sunglasses.


    "So, what are you two looking for in particular?"


    Finally, a conversation Lorenzo knew how to approach. "We''re looking into behavioral patterns of star rangers who have deserted or have been absent without official leave."


    "AWOL or deserters. Hmmmm," the archivist adjusted his glasses, "the court martial records should have what you''re looking for. From the ones who''ve been caught, anyway. Is there a particular time period you''re looking at?"


    "What time periods are available?"


    "Everything from a little before the Moon landing up until ten years ago."


    "So about fifty years." Lorenzo reiterated. "Records from the past ten to twenty years should be most useful for our purposes." The Interstellar Forces and Lunaria hadn''t changed too much during that time. Any tricks to hide should be unchanged as well.


    "Ten to twenty years ago, got it. Why don''t you go wait in the research room while I get those for you?" The archivist motioned to the side doorway. "This room gets cramped with just one person, let alone three."


    Lorenzo and Wattson heeded his advice and navigated through narrow passages on their way to the research room. Once they reached the table, Wattson sat down a few chairs away from him.


    "I''m sorry about my mom." she spoke up after a moment of silence. "I was trying to get her to leave before the archivist got here."


    "You controlled the situation to the best of your ability." Though her efforts were in vain, Lorenzo appreciated them.


    "Thanks. Um, if it makes you feel any better, she''s not actually interested in you. I think."


    That answered a question that had been bubbling at the root of his discomfort with Rose. "So she was flirting with me."


    Wattson nodded. "She won''t anymore. Probably. Though now she thinks that we''re," she pointed between them, "something."


    Lorenzo''s shoulders tightened. Even a rumor of him dating a subordinate could make for a particularly bothersome scandal. "Is there some way you can convince her otherwise?"


    "I tried. Nothing I say short of coming out will work." She glanced at him. "I would prefer not to do that."


    "Of course. That''s a sensitive subject, I understand." He never cared to keep track of his crew members'' orientations aside from his brother and the ones who shared the same one as himself. In this sense, Wattson''s offhand remark came as a pleasant surprise. One less subordinate to worry about having romantic feelings toward him.


    His list of potential problems narrowed down to three: The eternally unpredictable Ranger Allen, L¨¦onardo, who Emil already dealt with, and the unauthorized child. He would be dealt with soon.


    "We''re leaving tomorrow, right?" she asked him as he opened his tablet.


    "Yes." And that was the reason he needed to get this Summers situation settled. Stocking up the ship and getting briefed on this mission robbed him of the chance to handle the issue yesterday, but now, he had the perfect opportunity to search for missing persons in the Summers'' hometown.


    A familiar message greeted him: ''Some results have been blocked in accordance with the United States Domestic Information Privacy Act.''


    In this case, ''some results'' included all the relevant ones. As deeply unfortunate of a setback as it was, Lorenzo would not let it get in the way of him sending that imposter back where he belonged, even if it meant having to make another phone call. He needed to do so in privacy. For now, he must wait.


    "Here are the court martial files." The archivist came back heaving two thick binders. "This one," he placed one down closest to Lorenzo, "covers twenty to fifteen years ago. The other," he slid the remainder toward Wattson, "goes up to ten years ago."


    He then wandered over to a row of boxes against the back wall and picked up two pencils, a few sheets of paper, and some sheets of a material Lorenzo couldn''t identify.


    "Some pencils and paper for note-taking if you need it." He placed them on the table. "You are allowed to use your electronic devices, but due to how recent these files are, I''m going to have to place these stickers over your cameras. Can you please turn yours on?"


    Lorenzo rarely used his, so it took a slightly embarrassing amount of time to find it, but he activated his camera and handed it over to the archivist as Wattson did before him. The archivist, in turn, peeled stickers off of the remaining sheets and stuck them tightly onto the cameras of her phone and his tablet.


    "There you go." He returned their devices. "I''ll be in and out of the area, but if you need me, there''s a button you can press over there." His finger pointed to a button on the wall behind Lorenzo''s back. "Any questions?"


    Neither had any questions.


    "Well," his hands clapped, "I''ll leave you to it. Good luck with your research." After both star rangers gave their thanks, he left them alone, and from the sounds of it, he left the entire archive.


    Lorenzo donned his reading glasses and opened the file in front of him. "Let me know if you find anything noteworthy among the AWOL and desertion cases."


    "Yes, sir." Wattson cracked open her own file. "Do you want me to update the group on our findings? We won''t find Hook in here, but what we find might help the others."


    "Good idea. Speaking of the group, have there been any updates?"


    She scrolled through her phone. "Angelo¨CSorry, Ranger Summers reported seeing the same woman we saw earlier but lost her in a crowd."


    "Hmm." He knew he couldn''t count on that group.


    "Ranger Kim wants to know if she had a Southern accent. I''m pretty sure she did, are you?"


    "Now that I think about it, she did." Their question confused Lorenzo until a realization struck him. "Hook is from Georgia." That was a much easier way of scoping her out than remembering facial features. He wanted to kick himself for not thinking of it sooner.


    "I informed Ranger Kim."


    "Thank you. If we only knew where she''d show up next." Another realization struck. "Her interview. She should still be on Apennine Boulevard. Tell Ranger Kelly''s group to stay in place."


    Wattson texted something. "They''ve been informed."


    "Thank you again, Ranger Wattson." For all the misgivings he had about Kelly''s group, having the aid of Wattson and Kim made completing this mission feel somewhat possible. Wattson''s straightforward communication was especially appreciated.


    Idle appreciation would mean nothing if he didn''t put in the work to honor their efforts. He did so, eyes first, hands later, scanning over dense blocks of text in order to find charges related to their mission. Dereliction of duty, insubordination, dereliction of duty, larceny, it took a few pages until he got to the first AWOL charge.


    The documentation revealed that the accused, a corporal from a New York base, shirked his duties in order to see a movie premiere. Sickening. Lorenzo shook his head wondering how anyone could be so frivolous. He only received 14 days of confinement and a month of reduced pay. It''s situations like these that made him unsure what counted as an acceptable punishment.


    A staff major left without even requesting emergency leave to attend the birth of his child. He obtained authorized leave for a later date, but the baby was due earlier than expected. Understandably, he received a lighter punishment, only one day of confinement and no reduced pay.


    Most cases played out similarly to the first, with no good reasoning for absences. None were relieved from duty. Lorenzo jotted down these and other patterns he saw. One emerged that struck him as being very different from Hook''s case.


    "I''ve only seen absences of one day or less."


    "That''s what I''ve noticed, too." Wattson confirmed. "The sentences are less than thirty days of confinement."


    "Thirty days is the maximum sentence for minor instances of absence without official leave."


    "When does it stop being minor?"


    "After three or more days of absence, sentences can extend up to six months." answered Lorenzo. "More than thirty days is classified as desertion and can be penalized with twelve months of confinement and dishonorable discharge."


    "I wonder if it would be more helpful to focus on longer AWOL cases and desertions instead, since Ranger Hook disappeared last month."


    "That would be in our best interest." he acknowledged. "We only have so much time to find her."


    Without a word, both resumed the cycle of skimming and turning pages. That was until Lorenzo noticed something odd about Wattson''s way of doing so.


    "Is there a particular reason you''re going backwards?"


    She lifted her head. "Oh. I figured the most recent records would be most helpful. Isn''t that why we chose them?"


    "Of course. Carry on." How embarrassing that he didn''t consider his own logic to the fullest extent. He hoped she didn''t notice him flipping over his binder and starting from the end.


    This new method helped him sift through pages much faster, so fast that he felt the need to double check in case he missed anything. He continued doing so until he finally found it: a desertion case.


    The accused took a loan from an organized crime group near his base in Florida to support his gambling addiction. Unable to uphold his end of the bargain, he fled all the way to Arizona for 18 years until he won the lottery. He purchased a ticket to Lunaria to celebrate. Had he vacationed somewhere with looser background checks, he may''ve never been caught.


    It made for a cautionary tale, but a pointless one for understanding where Hook might have gone. Assuming that she''s the same woman who needed to go to a job interview, it was unlikely that she planned to leave Lunaria any time soon.


    "I suggest we focus on cases related to Lunaria and the Moon Base." he decided.


    "Understood, sir." Wattson''s phone vibrated before she was able to resume her search. Her eyebrows raised when she checked it, then fell, giving her a tired-looking expression as she texted back.


    "Any developments from the others?"


    "Oh no. There haven''t been any updates." She slid her phone away, then began to turn the next page in her file. Her hand stopped midway. "Um, Captain?"


    "Yes?"


    "I don''t mind relaying the group chat at all, but with all due respect, it does seem," her eyes darted away, "inefficient. Is there any particular reason you won''t join?"


    "Yes."


    She did not ask for an elaboration nor did she wait for one. She simply returned to the task at hand. This made him feel something. Joy? Not quite. Relief? To some degree. Something pleasant.


    He also noticed he lacked the distinct discomfort that invaded one-on-one interactions with the rest of his crew, minus his brother and Kim. Even then, he struggled to interact with Kim in a way where he didn''t feel like their junior, and if Emil were here, he''d need to ensure he didn''t get too sidetracked. Wattson had neither of those problems.


    For as passionate as L¨¦onardo was about the Interstellar Forces, he wasn''t the kind of subordinate Lorenzo had in mind. When he first imagined having a crew, he imagined having a crew full of Wattsons.


    "Sir? I have another question, this time more related to the mission." After receiving a nod from Lorenzo, Wattson continued. "A dishonorable discharge from the IF basically means getting banned from all space residences, right?"


    "Correct."


    "What happens when someone lives here?"


    "They''re sent to their last place of residence on Earth." answered Lorenzo. "Though things have become more complicated since space residency has expanded beyond active duty star rangers. If someone like you, for example, were expelled to Earth, you''d have nowhere to go."


    "That would be pretty bad, especially with me not knowing the full extent of my allergies."


    "Exactly." He nodded. "There''s also the concern of you losing contact with friends, family, and other loved ones."


    "In my case, family."


    This surprised him. "I assumed you were close with Ranger Allen."


    That comment startled Wattson, which internally startled Lorenzo.


    "My apologies, I overstepped."


    "No, it''s fine. We''re on good terms for now, it''s just," she took a moment to choose her words, "things are easier with less people. Does that make any sense? Sorry, we should be focusing on¨C"


    "I agree." Never had Lorenzo felt more understood. "It''s why I haven''t joined the group chat. Less contacts having access to me, less chances for sabotage."


    "Less people, less problems."


    "How succinct." He felt the slightest smile on his face.


    The sound of a door opening startled him so much, his earpiece came off. Soon, the archivist leaned into the research area''s doorway.


    "Don''t mind me," he quietly interrupted, "I''m just here to look through some materials. How''s your research coming along?"


    Lorenzo assessed what they''ve done so far. "We''ve narrowed down what we''re looking for."


    "That''s always good. Figuring out what you''re looking for is half the battle. I''ll be in the other room if you need me." With a wave, the archivist leaned out of the doorway.


    While Wattson resumed looking through files, Lorenzo retrieved his earpiece. The impact reversed its handle, so he corrected it despite not knowing why one side was more correct than the other. After pondering for a moment, he decided it couldn''t hurt to ask Wattson.


    "Is there any reason I''m supposed to wear this on my left ear?" he whispered.


    Wattson looked over warily. "Not if it''s reversible. Why?"


    "The Lieutenant wanted me to wear it that way for some reason."


    Confusion showed on her face but cleared up just as quickly. "Oh, um," her whisper grew quieter, "how do I explain this? Uh, if I had to guess, it''s to make it so people won''t think you''re gay."


    "Why would they think that based on my earpiece?"


    "Well, at one point, gay guys used to wear their earrings on the right ear to signal to each other that they were gay, but at some point the general public caught on, and it''s kind of a whole thing. I don''t think it ever applied to earpieces, but some people read into them that way."


    "Huh." How bizarre.


    "I think he''s just trying to protect you. Or himself. Or both?"


    "Your explanation is greatly appreciated." He felt his understanding of his brother grow, something he never thought possible outside of having Emil directly explain himself.


    "Um, glad to help." If only Wattson was around to interpret all of his brother''s quirks. No, that would push the boundaries between an appropriate superior-subordinate relationship and his family''s privacy. If they had met under different circumstances, as peers instead, he wondered if she''d be someone he considered reaching out to. For work. They worked well together.


    They continued to work well together, scanning through files of their respective binders. Unfortunately, the parameters they set narrowed down their already slim number of relevant cases. Lorenzo had yet to find any that satisfied everything they were looking for. Nothing but the sound of turning pages filled the room.


    Two sets of turning pages turned to one at some point. Wattson stopped on one page. Her eyebrows raised and furrowed at its contents.


    "A deserter managed to go undetected here for over ten years." she recounted in disbelief. "A corporal by the name of Thomas Voltaire. All he had to do was change his name and his hair color."


    "That''s it?" Lorenzo couldn''t believe it either. If that''s all that needed to be done, Hook was already at least halfway there. "Did he change his name legally?"


    "No, not at all." Wattson blinked. "Wow, whoever wrote the file really wanted people to know his accolades. ''Corporal Voltaire went on to become a talent agent, discovering successful clients such as...''" she swallowed. "Um, he worked with some actors. Anyway, ''he was caught after jaywalking under the pseudonym¨C'' Sorry, ''under his pseudonym.''"


    "What was his sentence?"


    "Seven months confinement, revoked pay, and dishonorable discharge."


    "How bold of him to continue living in Lunaria as if he wasn''t a fugitive." Gaining a full understanding of a deserter''s thought process was beyond Lorenzo, but an understanding of their movements would have to do. "Assuming our suspect is Hook, she seems to be making the same moves. Changing hair color, taking on a different job."


    "Yeah. I-If you don''t mind, I''d like to keep note of this case."


    "I was about to ask you to do just that. Would you also mind sending the relevant details to the others?"


    "Not at all, Captain." Intently, she typed on her phone while reviewing the file in front of her.


    "Thank you." He logged the things he wanted to keep in mind onto his tablet as well.


    Silence returned and so did Lorenzo to his work. Little progress had been made, he felt, but he and Wattson likely narrowed down who they were looking for. In the words of the archivist, half the battle had been won.


    To think he almost brought Kelly with him. So much focus would have gone towards making sure he cooperated. Lorenzo found it difficult to imagine making as much progress toward finding Hook as he did with Wattson, nor could he imagine it being pleasant. Working with Mia was pleasant. With her help, they might win the other half of this battle.

 [Adventures in Spacepunk] Ch 8. Betrayal in Wait

    Stakeouts were easy! Roxie only had to sip on drinks while chatting with her best friend and a handsome girl. She even got to roam around the bar, taking in neon signs, posters, and pictures up close. Her attention was stolen by a picture of a group of people with their arms around each others¡¯ shoulders.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Roxie stood on her tiptoes to get a better look, something she wouldn¡¯t normally do in platform shoes. She stood by a table, so her sense of safety was fortified.


    Krow squinted. ¡°That¡¯s Big Leda, her husband, and some friends, I think. Big Leda owns this place. For now.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are you staging a takeover? A coup, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She looked up from making Jun¡¯s next drink. ¡°Nah, not after everything she¡¯s done for me. But I will be inheriting it someday.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re more like an heir.¡± Roxie walked back to her seat. Her hands hovered over anything that might steady her, lest she suffer an ankle disaster or worse. Too many sharp corners in this room.


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Krow slid Jun a cloudy elixir topped with a pepper. ¡°Try this one. It¡¯s kinda like a Moscow Mule, but this time with mint and a little jalapeno syrup. For an extra kick.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Their eyes shot up after taking a sip. ¡°Good stuff. I never knew drinks could taste like this. I¡¯m into it.¡±


    ¡°Nice! Glad you don¡¯t mind being my guinea pig. Usually, when I do mocktails it¡¯s a Starlet Special here, a Sweet Sunrise there, same old, same old.¡± Krow glanced at Roxie and her Sweet Sunrise. ¡°No offense.¡±


    ¡°None taken~¡± Roxie kicked her feet, watching Jun get lost in the delights of mocktails. ¡°You¡¯re going to be soooo hydrated. Your organs will thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is your fifth drink.¡± Krow checked the register. ¡°This one¡¯s on the house though, as a thanks for letting me flex my mixology muscles.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, you don¡¯t gotta do that.¡± Jun already finished nearly half of it. ¡°It tasting this good is thanks enough.¡±


    ¡°You sure? I mean, I¡¯m not gonna stop you from paying more if you want.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s¨C¡± Something stole Jun¡¯s attention.


    A shadow passed over the entrance, dimming the bar the way shadows sometimes did. This one lingered, though, and darkness grew. Roxie turned to where the other two stared just in time to see an outsider enter.


    A spacepunk appeared! She stood tall, around Jun¡¯s height. Her hair shined like pearls, white freckles sparkled on her rich skin tone, and her outfit had to be among the top ten cutest ones she¡¯d seen all day.


    The newcomer shrank back upon seeing Jun and Roxie. ¡°Oh, customers.¡±


    ¡°Nova!¡± Krow welcomed smilingly. ¡°What are you doing here? It¡¯s too early for your shift.¡±


    ¡°I know. I just figured since I was already on my way back from my interview, I might as well stop by.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, come in. Tell me how it went!¡±


    ¡°Wellll¡­¡± Nova¡¯s head tilted back and forth. Roxie watched her glee overpower any apprehension she had. ¡°Alrighty. Since you insist.¡±


    ¡°This is the new girl I told you about.¡± Krow introduced her friend, then vice versa. ¡°We were talkin¡¯ about Southern accents earlier.¡± She motioned to Jun. ¡°You said something about Georgia accents being your favorite?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s where I¡¯m from.¡±


    Jun tipped their head up. ¡°Sweet.¡±


    ¡°Your outfit is sooo cute.¡± Roxie couldn¡¯t hold it back any longer.


    Nova¡¯s purple lips broke into a smile. ¡°Goodness me, thank you. Yours too! I love the space goth look ya got going on.¡±


    ¡°Eheheh, reeallyyy?¡± A buzz from Roxie¡¯s phone interrupted the sway of her hair extensions. Checking to see what the group chat was up to, she found a surprise instead. This text came not from the group chat.


    It came from inside the bar. ¡®i¡¯m like 99% sure we found our friend. be cool. don¡¯t tell the group yet.¡¯


    Jun sipped on their drink, cool as could be. White hair, blue and purple clothes, Southern accent. Their combined charms distracted Roxie from noticing how perfectly Nova matched Mia¡¯s description of the woman she saw. And she did look a lot like Yvette.


    ¡°So, about your interview~¡± Krow cut in with a different conversation before Roxie could go back to gushing about Nova¡¯s outfit. Her mended heart tattoo stretched with the flexing of her bicep. ¡°Anyone I need to beat up?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Nova laughed. ¡°It went real nice, actually. Me and the interviewer had a nice talk. I¡¯m startin¡¯ to think I might have a chance at this stylist internship. And it¡¯s paid~¡±


    ¡°See? What did I tell you? Aaah, I¡¯m so excited!¡±


    The two jumped up and down, grabbing hands. Roxie wished to join in their celebration, but all she could offer was ¡°Congratulations! May your job hunt be over.¡±


    ¡°Congrats.¡± added Jun.


    ¡°Thank ya both.¡± Nova turned back to her coworker. ¡°The interviewer loved the outfits I posted on my blog.¡±


    ¡°¡®Cause they¡¯re good. You should show it off to more people.¡± Neither Krow nor Nova seemed to notice Roxie staring at them with the biggest, wettest eyes she could muster. ¡°¡®Cept that weirdo you¡¯ve been talking to. You haven¡¯t shown him, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh my gooosh. You¡¯ve been so down on him ever since I mentioned the cupcake thing. I think he¡¯s just bein¡¯ nice.¡±


    ¡°A little too nice if you ask me.¡± Krow busied herself with cleaning a glass. ¡°Everything you¡¯ve told me so far screams smooth-talker. Reminds me of a guy my mom used to date. Make sure he doesn¡¯t leave you high and dry.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t plan on bein¡¯ with him. But I¡¯ll keep an eye out for anything sketchy. Goodness knows you have enough on your plate as it is. Speakin¡¯ of, sorry for dumping those boys on you.¡±


    ¡°What boys?¡±


    ¡°Did they not come by?¡± Nova bit her lip. ¡°I knew those directions wouldn¡¯t do ¡®em a lick of good. Who knows where they ended up?¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Jun leaned over to look at her. ¡°What did they look like? Maybe they passed by.¡±


    ¡°Um, the main one had a green bullseye t-shirt, a candy striped long sleeved shirt underneath, orange overall shorts, a matching hat, and glasses.¡± She rattled off the outfit of a certain muffin-headed boy. ¡°Oh! And he nearly crashed into me with his platform wheelies. Poor thing couldn¡¯t stand up straight. He¡¯s probably walking with a limp.¡±


    ¡°Have you guys seen anyone like that?¡± asked Krow.


    Jun pretended to think for a moment. ¡°Nah, sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anyone with that outfit, but I hope he¡¯s okay.¡± None of this would¡¯ve happened if Roxie picked out Angelo¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Nova¡¯s eyes fell. ¡°Last I saw him, some little redheaded boy was helpin¡¯ him walk.¡± That sounded nothing like Aiden.


    ¡°And you sent them here, to a bar, because¡­?¡± Krow raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°N-Not to drink! It¡¯s just that, the older one, he was on his own and needed some help, and I thought you might¡¯ve been the best person to ask for advice, because, you know.¡± Nova¡¯s eyes darted from Roxie and Jun back to Krow. ¡°You know.¡±


    Krow laughed. ¡°I know.¡±


    Roxie¡¯s phone buzzed. A message from Jun appeared! ¡®brb in a few. gotta clear up some things.¡¯


    ¡®Do I let our party know the mission is complete? ¡®,8Tc¡¯


    ¡®nah. i¡¯ll do it later.¡¯ Ever the mysterious one, that Jun Kim.


    ¡®Ah, yes yes, when the time is right! ^^¡¯


    ¡®right.¡¯


    Like a carnivore, Roxie resumed her job of sitting and waiting. Though not impatient with Jun¡¯s plans, she found something to pounce on just to amuse herself. A lull in Krow and Nova¡¯s conversation gave her a chance to strike.


    ¡°How¡¯d you get your hair so shiny like that?¡± Roxie leaned toward Nova.


    ¡°Oh this?¡± Nova pointed at her own hair. ¡°This is a wig.¡±


    ¡°Such pretty colors! So shimmery~¡±


    ¡°Awww, aren¡¯t you sweet? I got it from that beauty store a couple streets down. Gina¡¯s? You ever been?¡±


    ¡°I stopped inside on my journey for these,¡± Roxie pointed at her ponytails, ¡°but sadly, they had not what I sought after. Very cute selection though!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, cyberpunk is about as alternative as they get, though, if ya don¡¯t mind me askin¡¯, where do you alt-types get your stuff from?¡± Finally, someone saw her for the alternative girl she¡¯d always been at heart! ¡°I¡¯ve always been curious. Krow won¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°I did tell you!¡± Krow cut in before Roxie.¡°I don¡¯t go anywhere special, my clothes are just thrown together.¡±


    ¡°Such is the way of punk fashion.¡± At least Roxie assumed that¡¯s what Krow went for. She leaned toward Krow. ¡°It¡¯s thrown together very nicely.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Thanks.¡± Krow noticed Jun¡¯s empty cup. ¡°You finished?¡±


    Even the joys of a good drink did nothing to soothe Jun¡¯s sudden irritation at their tablet. They startled at Krow¡¯s question, then their face returned to its usual breezy state. ¡°Yeah, you can take this.¡±


    ¡°As for you,¡± Roxie¡¯s hands leaned her face back over to Nova, ¡°I have no style secrets to keep. Ask me anything you want!¡± She kicked her feet, preparing for the kill. ¡°And if you don¡¯t mind, can I take a peek at your blooog~?¡±


    ¡°Really? You wanna?¡± Nova¡¯s shock softened into a smile. ¡°Of course, sugar.¡±


    Giggling gleefully, the two talked fashion. Roxie got the honor of seeing pages of cute outfits Nova modeled, while Nova listened intently while Roxie told her where she shopped. Occasionally, Krow would chime in. Jun, however, stayed silent, not even ordering another drink. Roxie hadn¡¯t forgotten their sour mood and picked up her phone to check on them.


    Jun sighed before she got the chance. ¡°Killa wants me to meet up with him. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Krow eyed them as they stood up. ¡°You don¡¯t plan on drinkin¡¯ and ditchin¡¯, right?¡±


    ¡°Whoops.¡± A sheepish smile crossed Jun¡¯s face. ¡°I plan on coming back, but yeah, I should pay now.¡±


    ¡°You should.¡±


    ¡°How much is my tab?¡±


    Roxie saw their eyebrows shoot up once Krow handed them the receipt.


    They handed over bills from their wallet all the same. ¡°Here ya go. See you later.¡±


    Farewells followed Jun out the door. Nova¡¯s eyes lingered. ¡°I should probably get ready for my shift.¡± She turned to Roxie. ¡°It¡¯s been nice chatting with you. Hope ya swing by again sometime.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to meeting again.¡± Roxie returned her modest wave with a sweeping one of her own. ¡°Bye-byeee!¡±


    Krow lifted a hand. ¡°See ya, Nova.¡±


    A rainbow shimmered through Nova¡¯s hair once the sunlight hit it. Dread settled into Roxie¡¯s heart around the same time. The mission wasn¡¯t real to her when she stepped into the bar and only became slightly more so when Jun recognized Nova as Yvette Hook. Only after Nova left did it set in that Roxie¡¯s mission was to betray her. She tried not to think about how those soft eyes would look at her when the truth came to light.


    Visiting the group chat provided just the medicine she needed. Emil posted a video of a tiny robot dog dancing on the edge of Eight Phases Fountain. The following message from him read ¡®Introducing Cosmo!¡¯ surrounded by sparkles and dog emojis. As if possessed, Roxie churned out a series of barely comprehensible messages talking about the cute puppy.


    She scrolled up to see Mia detailing a missing star ranger case from decades ago. Oopsie. It didn¡¯t really matter much now that Nova had been¨CTime to look at more messages. The last one from Angelo read that he had last seen Nova¨CActually, Roxie didn¡¯t need to know.


    His safety still concerned her. Hopefully, no more injuries befell him. Hopefully, nothing happened to Jun while finding him. That¡¯s what she assumed what they were doing, though their message was kind of cryptic. She wondered why they were so tense earlier.


    ¡®Did something happen back at the bar?¡¯ she asked directly. ¡®You looked unhappy.¡¯


    ¡®it¡¯s nothing.¡¯ Jun texted back, which sounded good. Or maybe bad. They knew who they were and how they were doing, even when they made their decision to leave for the ends of the galaxy. She just hoped not to get blindsided again.


    Once, twice, and three times again, she rewatched the Cosmo video. It made her happy, but she felt the medicine wearing off. She set down her phone.


    Krow changed the TV channel from a Carter¡¯s Mart commercial to one for the IF. People of different races, genders, cultural backgrounds, and flavors of queerness stood against a soft, white background. One by one, they said ¡®I am a star ranger.¡¯ The commercial ended with an adorable little girl, one who looked like she could¡¯ve been Roxie¡¯s cousin, saying ¡®I can be a star ranger,¡¯ and the slogan ¡®Where anyone can shoot for the stars.¡¯


    ¡°A far cry from the old commercials, huh?¡± Krow¡¯s words made Roxie remember commercials featuring only the hunkiest of men. They did hunky man things like exercise, yell over headsets, fix machinery¨Cin space¨Cand pilot, all set to action movie music. These commercials featured the old slogan, ¡®Where men can shoot for the stars.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°No offense to the IF, but I don¡¯t think anyone took those seriously. Though somethin¡¯ about the new ones, to me, it feels like a way to get bodies in the door. I doubt they¡¯re all that accepting, not even after¨C¡± Krow stopped cleaning the cup Jun left behind, ¡°You know, it¡¯s funny. Your friend really reminded me of Jun Kim.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Roxie hoped she kept a straight face.


    ¡°The way he carried himself, mostly.¡± Their unperceivable gender saved the day! ¡°I was wonderin¡¯ who he made me think of, but now I¡¯m thinking back to her interviews. I hope she¡¯s as down-to-earth in real life. Some star rangers get a real ego trip. Most of the people I¡¯ve thrown out of here were in the IF.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve thrown people out? With your arms?¡±


    ¡°Sure have.¡± Krow mimicked picking someone up and tossing them. ¡°If you want my two cents, I think the reason we get star rangers actin¡¯ up is ¡®cause Lunaria¡¯s the only place they can really throw their weight around. The weapons ban tanked their reputation back on Earth, but the IF might as well own this city.¡±


    ¡°I did hear something about them having an alliance with the police force.¡± The captain¡¯s words from earlier felt a lot more sinister now.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty obvious.¡± Krow chuckled. ¡°I guess I should say I¡¯m grateful for them building a city for me to live in.¡± She held up her hands. ¡°In all seriousness, I¡¯ve met some okay people in the IF. I just don¡¯t have the best history with them.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡± Roxie doubted today would change that. New conversation time! ¡°So, how did you become the heiress of this bar?¡±


    Krow chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re silly, you know that?¡± Being told such only increased Roxie¡¯s power. ¡°Me and the owner go back. After I had a falling out at home she took me in right before they were about to send me to a shelter.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t shelter a good thing?¡± Roxie tried to ignore how many other runaways she met this week. It started to feel like a sign, maybe an omen.


    ¡°Oh right, not everyone knows about this. It¡¯s not good for Lunaria¡¯s image to have homeless people around, so what the cops do is they put them in a shelter for about a month or so, and then dump them off at the spaceport back on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Where do they go after that?¡± She had a feeling the answer wouldn¡¯t be so great.


    No answer came. Krow just shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m guessing a shelter? Hopefully? I wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve minded being sent back to Earth if I had money on me at the time. I doubt I could just go up to someone and be like ¡®Hey, can you take me up to my grandparents¡¯ house?¡¯ But anyway, Big Leda really looked out for me.¡± She smiled. ¡°Taught me everything I know.¡±


    ¡°Awww. I¡¯m glad you got a good end!¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± she smiled. ¡°This place is kind of a magnet for folks down on their luck. Can¡¯t save ¡®em all, but I try to do what I can.¡±


    Roxie nearly forgot her Starlet Special. She lifted it high. ¡°A toast to you, bar heiress and hero of the downtrodden! And another, in the hopes that we can all find our good end.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± Krow clinked an imaginary glass with hers. ¡°Yeah, for a happy end.¡±


    Sipping on her drink once more, Roxie hoped a good end laid in wait for Nova.

 [Adventures in Spacepunk] Ch 9. Cardboard Kid

    Leave it to Lunaria to make an alleyway feel sterile. Wasting time here felt like a defanged replica of Aiden¡¯s old life, free from the stresses of fighting over half-rotten scraps or fending off his sleeping spot from being used as a bathroom. Even the recycling bin he dug through felt too clean to be real.


    He got some reading material out of it, a torn box with instructions on how to assemble a bench. It boasted three easy-to-clean seats. So exciting, it nearly put him to sleep, but sleeping wasn¡¯t an option now that his lookout left. Only the business-sized recycling bin stood between him and whatever nosy pig passed by. There were worse ways to spend his time.


    Sometimes his mind wandered to that kid and the way he stumbled off in a huff. Aiden did ditch him when the cops showed up, but Little Summers screwed up his one job. Two could be mad.


    Though it wasn¡¯t like Aiden totally left him to fry; he kept an eye on things from afar just in case he had to step in. That kid needed an arrest no more than a blow to the head. Summers could stay mad if he wanted to. Aiden only hoped he took that bluff about Jun to heart.


    Footsteps came down the alley, followed by a sigh. Either someone from the laundromat had something to throw away or someone ratted him out for digging in the recycling bin. With no time to run, he had to get crafty. He pretended to look for his wallet, mentally practicing his most respectable ¡®Hello, Officer.¡¯


    But it was just some random kid digging in the bin. The sight of Aiden clearly freaked him out. Once he calmed down, he muttered something under his breath, then opened with ¡°Look. There¡¯s an eleven-year-old boy running around, about five-foot-three, with red hair and freckles. Have you seen him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Aiden matched his attitude, hoping it would get this freckled boy to go away.


    It didn¡¯t. Instead, he stomped around, sighing way too loud. His giant backpack rustled with every stomp. He dressed like some sort of robot, complete with a circuit patterned jumpsuit and some kind of hi-tech monocle covering half of his glasses. With less spacepunks on this street, it made it feel like he was trying to get as many people to notice him as possible.


    ¡°He¡¯s not here. Move. Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to get away from people?¡±


    ¡°I wish I could do that. Seems to be the hot new trend!¡±


    Aiden weighed his options. Letting Monocle Boy stay around could cause unwanted attention, but if the wrong person saw him scare him off, Aiden knew he¡¯d end up in a lot more trouble.


    ¡°Half my family¡¯s in on it. Even my little brother. He can barely throw his clothes in the dirty clothes hamper, and now he thinks he can run off on his own. Can you believe that?¡± At least Summers stayed quiet.


    Aiden sighed. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna keep whining, do me a favor and keep a lookout for cops.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you¡­?¡± Monocle Boy trailed off, realizing whatever question he meant to ask was not smart. ¡°Sorry to disturb you, sir. Whatever your story is, I don¡¯t need to know.¡±


    That was more like it.


    ¡°But if you¡¯re willing to hear me out,¡± he stopped just when Aiden thought he might actually leave this time, ¡°it all started over money. Thanks to my expert handling of our finances, we were under budget this month. So naturally, I should be the one who gets to spend it, right?¡±


    Aiden shrugged with an ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ sound.


    ¡°But nooo, I just had to open my big mouth. So my little brother Kyle gets the idea to have all of us decide what we want to spend it on as if I don¡¯t pull most of the weight. Hasn¡¯t anyone ever heard of a meritocracy?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t. Whatever it meant, it wasn¡¯t worth making this conversation longer.


    ¡°I do the cooking. I do the finances. I¡¯m the one who has to go behind everyone and remind them to get their chores done. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s responsible when one of them decides to get hurt or go missing. Why should I have to share?¡± Monocle Boy left barely any room for an answer. ¡°Exactly, there¡¯s no reason! See? You get it.¡±


    Aiden stuck his neck out to see Monocle Boy¡¯s black and red ponytail facing him. If he played it smoothly enough, he might be able to sneak by him and find another spot to pass time. It¡¯s not like the kid needed his input. Then again, so long as he didn¡¯t, was it really so bad to stick around? It wouldn¡¯t have been the first time he sat through someone talking to themself.


    ¡°Kyle wants us to buy swimsuits so we can go to the beach. He says it¡¯s so we can bond more. But I gotta ask, who has the time? Not me. Aaron said we should get a camera in order to make money. Not a bad idea from the guy who did the Crowd Surf Challenge off of our house.¡±


    Either a crowd caught him, they lived outside of the dome, or Aaron was a pancake. Aiden placed his bets on option #2.


    ¡°The problem is, we have different creative visions.¡± The real problem was the sound of Monocle Boy¡¯s footsteps coming closer. ¡°He wants to create overly-edited vlogs.¡± Just before Aiden could shoo him back to his post, the boy thumbed to the side, mouthing ¡®Cop incoming.¡¯


    Aiden gladly took the hint and pretended to be someone who just happened to be walking out of the alley. Monocle Boy dug through the recycling bin again, continuing to whine about vlogs. He also held his earpiece as if on a call. Good to know the kid had enough sense to make a cover story for talking to himself.


    ¡°Hey, you! Stop what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    Two steps out of the alley and Aiden heard the voice of the pig from earlier. If she wanted his attention, she¡¯d have to call again. He was too busy unclenching his muscles.


    ¡°Yeah, you. What do you think you¡¯re doing? That¡¯s private property.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± came Monocle Boy¡¯s voice. ¡°But it¡¯s garbage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s recycled. All recyclables are property of Turner Recycling Company.¡± She sounded calm enough to let him off the hook.


    But he continued to open his big mouth. ¡°Since when was that a thing? Who cares if a piece of cardboard goes missing here and there? There¡¯s so many different ways to reuse it. Technically, if I were to take it, I¡¯d be doing their job for them.¡±


    ¡°...Have you done this before?¡± Her footsteps approached the alley. Aiden¡¯s stopped. If this kid spoke any more, he might just get himself in big trouble. And Aiden knew he would, because at that age, he did the same thing.


    ¡°Please excuse him, Officer. He¡¯s looking for his little brother.¡± Aiden could not believe the words coming out of his own mouth. He turned to the boy. ¡°Hey kid, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in there.¡±


    ¡°And you are¡­?¡± She raised an eyebrow at him.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Remembering Summers¡¯ advice, he whipped out his ID.


    ¡°Oh, I take it you¡¯re with¨C¡± She covered her mouth. ¡°Sorry. Top secret business.¡±


    Sure, he¡¯d roll with that. Anything to prevent him from saying anything that could and would be used against him.


    She turned to the kid. ¡°You¡¯re looking for your brother? Can you give me a name and description?¡±


    Monocle Boy was smart enough not to bring up the recycling bin again. While he described his brother, Aiden took the time to zone out. His insides twitched. Blood pumped through his veins as if he¡¯d ran a marathon. Years of instinct told him to get away from this lady. He fought against it just to stay still.


    ¡°There. Just sent word out to the guys on Appenine.¡± She put away her walkie-talkie. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out in the surrounding area, and the precinct¡¯ll send you a message if we find him, okay? We¡¯ll also send one over to your house. Your parents must be so worried.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Officer. I really appreciate it.¡± Monocle Boy spoke like a model citizen. ¡°And sorry for my tone earlier. I was just a little frustrated about my brother.¡±


    ¡°I get it. Just keep outta those recycling bins, and we¡¯ll be fine.¡± She smiled and waved to them both. ¡°You boys have a good one.¡±


    Aiden leaned against the laundromat after she finally left, keeping an eye on her to make sure she kept walking. Things could¡¯ve gone worse. They didn¡¯t, but stressing out about it was not how he wanted to spend his day.


    ¡°If Mom catches wind of this, he¡¯s gonna be so grounded.¡± Monocle Boy dropped the goody two-shoes act. ¡°Anyway, thanks for stepping in.¡±


    Aiden grunted. He checked to make sure no pigs were in earshot. ¡°What were you doing anyway? There¡¯s nothing good in there, just cardboard.¡±


    ¡°That is the good stuff. How else am I gonna revive the use of practical effects?¡±


    ¡°Huh??¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an aspiring filmmaker.¡± the boy told him. ¡°But movies these days, they all rely on green screens and digital effects that¡¯ll look cheap in ten years. Props never die. And I can¡¯t make props without materials. Cardboard¡¯s like gold to me. This isn¡¯t even the first time I stole¨C¡±


    ¡°Shhh! Don¡¯t say it out loud.¡± Aiden hissed through his teeth. Then he spoke at a normal volume. ¡°And don¡¯t do crime when you know cops are coming.¡±


    ¡°But¨COhhhh. I get it.¡± A silent realization would¡¯ve been nicer. ¡°Wait, why were you hiding anyway? She didn¡¯t seem to care.¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    With his job done and no reason to hide, Aiden took a walk around the block. His own handsomeness startled him as he walked past storefront windows.


    So did the kid following him. ¡°So, uh, what kind of movies do you like?¡±


    Aiden stared back at him, confused. He showed no signs of leaving. Might as well answer. ¡°Haven¡¯t watched many. I think the last one I sat through all the way was some documentary about people who died and came back to life.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like it could be interesting.¡± The boy adjusted his glasses-monocle. ¡°Were there reenactments?¡±


    ¡°No. All I remember is a buncha people talkin¡¯.¡± That and the way the other group home kids looked at Aiden during the interviews with people who saw flames instead of the pearly gates.


    ¡°Nevermind, that¡¯s boring.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You should check out old sci-fi and horror movies. Some drag a little, but when they get good, they get really good. Recently, I¡¯ve been getting into kaiju. You know, like Gorisaur.¡±


    ¡°The big lizard that blows up cities?¡± He¡¯d vaguely heard of it.


    ¡°Yeah. Though if you check out any of the movies, I highly recommend you find one with King Beros.¡± Monocle Boy motioned to the three-headed wolf thing on his shirt. ¡°He¡¯s Gorisaur¡¯s biggest enemy, and they have superpowered wrestling matches!¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± That sounded better than the documentary.


    ¡°And the best part,¡± he continued hyping it up, ¡°is that you see real sets getting destroyed! Real smoke! Real explosions!¡±


    Aiden didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d sit around for an hour to watch all that, but he saw the appeal. ¡°What are they fighting over?¡±


    ¡°Usually the fate of the Earth. King Beros wants to destroy it.¡±


    ¡°I thought that was Gorisaur¡¯s thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. Gorisaur was created through humanity¡¯s hubris, greed, and misuse of power.¡± Monocle Boy counted on his fingers. ¡°He has a lot of reasons to hate Earth. But if some other monster tries to destroy it and crown himself king, he¡¯s not gonna spare Gorisaur.¡±


    Aiden¡¯s pace slowed down. ¡°So it¡¯s the same problem as humanity but a different guy. He can¡¯t let himself be a victim of the same injustice twice. I respect it.¡±


    ¡°Woah. You should join the forums.¡± Monocle Boy stared up at him, blissfully unaware of the chaos that might cause. ¡°People love talking about that kinda stuff there. I just like watching big monsters fight, but trust me, do not hang around the power-scaling forum. All they know how to do is get mad and be wrong.¡±


    Aiden knew that tone on- and offline. ¡°Got banned?¡±


    ¡°Temporarily! And for the record, I was right. If Chrysala hadn¡¯t butted in, Gorisaur would¡¯ve been toast against King Beros; a 1v1 would kill him. There is nothing to debate!¡± He took a moment to calm himself down. ¡°Now I stick to the prop-building forum. People there appreciate what I have to offer.¡±


    As Aiden rounded the street corner, Monocle Boy sped up to match his pace.


    He shoved his phone in Aiden¡¯s face. ¡°These are some of my projects.¡±


    Pictures of cardboard buildings, swords, and other creations scrolled past Aiden¡¯s eyes. Obviously, they weren¡¯t real, but they were pretty detailed. ¡°Cool.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± The kid smiled.


    Further up, a video played. A freckled hand poured powder into a bottle of soda and screwed the cap back on. Soda bubbled from brown to white in an instant. Snickering turned to panic as the bottle swelled to almost double the size, and¨C


    He scrolled back down in a hurry. ¡°And that¡¯s all my projects.¡± Of the skills he had, playing it cool wasn¡¯t one of them. He clamped his phone to his wrist with a sigh. ¡°There¡¯s so much more I want to make, but I just don¡¯t have the time anymore. This wouldn¡¯t be a problem if my sister didn¡¯t run off.¡±


    Aiden wondered if running away really meant anything in a city this enclosed. Someone would probably find his brother within a day. Though if his sister¡¯s old enough, she could¡¯ve just moved out of the house.


    ¡°She has years of experience with all these responsibilities, and then, she decides to dump them on me after some measly crash course. Now she gets to frolic around town with her boyfriend. It¡¯s not fair.¡± Monocle Boy threw his hands into the air. ¡°I¡¯m fifteen! How does she expect me to have a life when I¡¯m stuck doing the family taxes?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. Ask her how she did it.¡±


    For an answer with no thought behind it, it shut him up for a moment. It also slowed him down. Aiden kept walking ahead, but looking back, he saw some sort of realization play out over Monocle Boy¡¯s face. It didn¡¯t seem like a pleasant one.


    By this point, Aiden stood at the crossing to the next block. Footsteps hurried up behind him. He wondered how long this kid would follow along. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a brother to look for?¡±


    ¡°I-I was planning on getting back to it. Besides, the police are on it.¡±


    Sure, they couldn¡¯t make it worse. Probably. ¡°Still, you¡¯re better off looking for him too. Didn¡¯t you say you need him back before your mom finds out?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    This did not get the kid to stop following him. Instead, he straggled along, asking random people about his brother every few steps. Each time, he caught back up to Aiden. No one had a clue where the child was.


    Until Aiden passed a lady on the next corner. ¡°With a yella shirt?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen him??¡±


    ¡°Yeah, down on Apennine hangin¡¯ around a boy in a bullseye shirt and glasses. I think they were headin¡¯ somewhere around here, but I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    That sounded too familiar. He looked over his shoulder to see a tall, thin, dark-skinned woman with white hair. Something about her felt familiar, too, but he didn¡¯t remember her from any of the ships he¡¯d been stationed on.


    And then the realization hit hard enough to turn him around. ¡°Bullseye shirt? I know that kid.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Monocle Boy¡¯s head snapped toward him.


    ¡°Ya do?¡± The woman eyed him more warily.


    Aiden pretended to not pay attention during the briefing, but he memorized Hook¡¯s face just in case a moment like this came along. From the looks of it, she was headed east. Away from Jun, luckily. Toward the captains¡¯ groups, not so much. ¡°Does bullseye kid know where you¡¯re goin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No¡­?¡±


    ¡°Good. He¡¯s a plant. There¡¯s some other ones you¡¯re gonna wanna avoid. If you see a dude in mirror shades and a cape with a girl in a moon shirt, do not let them see you.¡±


    Her eyes widened. She took a step back, nodding and smiling like a hostage at gunpoint.


    ¡°The other two you gotta watch out for is a guy in star-shaped 3D glasses and¨C¡±


    She sped off as he tried to find the words to describe what Leon wore.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Aiden cursed under his breath. As tall and gruff as he was, no good would come out of chasing her. He did his best. The rest was up to her. Instead, he booked it in the opposite direction. If Summers was on his way back to the alley, it¡¯d be really annoying if he and the other kid brother got lost looking for Aiden and Monocle Boy.


    ¡°Do you know her?¡± Monocle Boy scrambled to keep up.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°The alley. Your brother might be there.¡±


    They wasted no more words, looping around the two blocks back to where they started from. Relief hit Aiden when he saw the red-headed boy waiting for them.


    But not the one he expected.


    This boy wore blue and looked as old as Monocle Boy. He stared at his brother, wide-eyed. ¡°Russell?¡±


    ¡°Kyle? What are you doing here so early?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll never believe who I ran into!¡±


    Aiden walked past that family reunion to take his place in the alley. Or at least he would¡¯ve had someone not scared him witless.


    ¡°Yo. ¡®Sup, dude?¡± One of his crewmates, but not the one he expected.