Chương 58: Obstacles

Academy Hill, Vidako Imperium Stellarum January 14, 2848 Cassie was surprised to find that Vee walked at her side on the way to her Tuesday morning course in Comparative Torean Politics. Banks of fog rolled across the campus, and a light drizzle fell from the cloudy sky, coating the dark leaves of the live oaks with drops of water that rolled off at the slightest touch. The overall effect was that of an indistinct dream.

"I cannot wait until the rainy season is over," Vee grumbled, and she plucked one Procyoni locust after another out of a commissary paper back and popped them into her mouth. Weather like this makes my feathers all bedraggled." She gave an exaggerated shudder.

"I'm surprised you're taking this course," Cassie admitted, sending her friend a sideways glance. Though their rooftop talk seemed to have helped, she still sometimes felt as if she were walking on eggshells. And wouldn't that have been an awkward thing to say out loud? She couldn't help but give a huff of laughter at the thought. Vee paused, one chocolate-covered bug held just in front of her mouth, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"What?"

"I just –" Cassie took a deep breath and forced herself to speak. Things probably wouldn't have ever gotten so bad if she and Vee had just talked to each other in the first place, so she resolved to do better.

"Do you know the idiom, 'walking on eggshells?"

"Imperial Standard has so many bird idioms," Vee grumbled.

"Walking on eggshells. Birds of a feather. The early bird gets the worm. Human males even call attractive human females 'chicks.' It makes me wonder if there's something subconscious going on there."

"Maybe. You do have such pretty feathers," Cassie teased her.

"You feel like you're walking on eggshells around me?" Vee asked.

"A little."

"Don't," Vee said.

"I went back home and partied all winter break. Reminded myself there's a couple billion other cute boys in the imperium, and none of them are dating my friend. Got laid – there's another one!" Cassie sighed.

"I didn't need quite that much information," she grumbled.

"Too bad," Vee cackled.

"Anyway, you should get me more Procy-Chocky."

"Procy-Chocky?"

"As tribute," Vee explained.

"Very nice apology. Thank you for introducing me to them, now get me more."

"You're ridiculous," Cassie said, as they came into sight of Talleyrand Hall. But her friend's antics did make things feel a bit more relaxed, between the two of them, so there was that.

"Easy A," Vee declared, as they hurried up the steps together.

"What?"

"I'm taking the course because it'll be an easy A," Vee explained, hauling the door to the building open and holding it for Cassie.

"It's a class meant to teach humans how the fleets and the ark-ships are run. I could probably teach it myself. I'll make you a bet, before we walk in the room."

"I don't like to gamble," Cassie protested.

"One bag of Procy-Chocky says the class on Torean politics is taught by a human."

"No bet," Cassie said. When they got to the lecture hall and opened the door, a middle-aged woman with her hair up in a bun was setting up the holoprojector. Her title slide listed her name as 'Professor Calderari.' She was most definitely human.

"See?" Vee whispered.

"Easy A. I bet I get a pile of merits for answering questions." Together, the two girls found a pair of empty seats and settled in. 𝝮 That afternoon, after their time in the simulator pods was done, Cassie hurried over to catch Lieutenant Commander Libby before he could either sneak out of the training hall, or be swarmed by other cadets.

"Cadet Sabran-Solaris," Libby greeted her, shifting his arms behind his back and clasping one hand in the other.

"Good work today. You really picked up a good bit of thruster work over winter break. Most students don't work on that until they're trying to qualify with an Outrider."

"Thank you, sir." While Tyros didn't come with thrusters by default, they were designed to be training mechs, and the more advanced simulations set-ups available during the second semester included, to Cassie's delight, simulated air drops with detachable thruster-packs.

"I'm glad that you think so," she continued. Cassie could already see other students edging toward the conversation through her peripheral vision, looking for an opportunity to get a piece of the instructor's time.

"In fact, I think I'm ready to sign up for a slot to qualify on a Tyro." She actually figured that she was long past ready, but Libby had demurred the last time she'd said something, telling her that most of the tests wouldn't happen until after break. And then, she'd been so focused on helping Arc get ready for his duel, that she hadn't had much space to think about anything else.

But now that they knew what mech he was going to use, and he had a training partner, Cassie thought that she could afford to focus on herself again.

"Of course. Let me check my schedule for an opening," Libby said, pulling his tablet out of the back pocket of his pants and unfolding it. He flicked a finger to scroll down the screen while she waited.

"I think I can fit you in – say, Wednesday, March eighteenth." Cassie opened her mouth, closed it, and then finally found her words.

"March, sir? That's two standard months away. It's halfway through the semester. Isn't there anything sooner?" Libby made a sort of half shrug, half grimace.

"We've got over forty of these qualification runs to do, cadet," he apologized.

"And every one of them requires a Saker in the air, and coordinating with the San Teodoro police to reroute traffic. We don't like to do more than one a day."

"I understand that, sir," Cassie said.

"But I'm certain there are students who could use more time to prepare for the test, while I'm ready right now. I'd like to get out on a patrol before the end of the semester."

"You won't find any special treatment here, cadet," Libby said.

"Now, I can give you a qualification test on March eighteenth. Do you want the slot, or not?" Cassie forced herself to take a deep breath rather than explode. Libby was her superior officer: she couldn't yell at him, no matter how much she wanted to.

"I'll take it, sir." She watched him tap the screen of his tablet a few times, and then nod.

"There we are. Now, if you'll excuse me, cadet, there are other students who need my time, as well," Libby said. Cassie nodded, and watched while he stepped around her to begin speaking with Zora Al-Hamra, who Cassie knew very well was still struggling to run her simulated Tyro over rough terrain without taking a digger. Lyra, Cassie thought. Can you check and see if the qualification schedule is posted publicly? It is, her AI confirmed.

Would you like me to send it to your tablet, or display it using your optic nerves? Neither, Cassie told her, as she turned and headed toward the end of the catwalk, where Arc, Pika, Rain and Vee were waiting. C'rise was standing just far enough from the group of her friends to not be quite with them, but she also wasn't with anyone else. Just tell me – is Zora scheduled to go ahead of me? She is, Lyra said. Cassie. You are scheduled to qualify last. Out of your entire year.

"Hey," Arc said, reaching out for her hand.

"Are you alright? Is something wrong?" Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Cassie became aware that all of her friends had stopped talking as she approached, and were looking at her.

"I'm not sure," she admitted.

"I'm actually – not sure what just happened." She turned to look at Pika, Rain and Vee.

"When did you all sign up for your qualifiers? Was there something that went out over winter break that I missed?" Her friends exchanged glances.

"I didn't sign up," Pika admitted.

"I was given a date. I just got a notification a few days ago." Rain nodded.

"Me too," she said.

"Maybe it was different for people invited on a patrol." They all glanced at Arc.

"Why?" Vee asked.

"When are you going, Cassie? You're more than ready, so probably first, right?"

"I'm last," Cassie said.

"And I'm beginning to feel like it's on purpose." 𝝮 All through dinner, Cassie tried to think of what to do, while her friends carried on a conversation around her. They made an effort to draw her in – especially Arc, and she'd be certain to let him know that she appreciated it later – but she felt like she was lost in a fog like the one which had blanketed campus all morning. She'd asked everyone she could find.

There hadn't been any sort of form or sign up sheet sent out – everyone had simply been assigned a day. Those who'd been requested by upperclassmen for patrols were first, followed by, as far as Lyra could tell, the bulk of the first year cadets arranged in rough order of skill. Except for Cassie, who had been placed dead last.

"I don't get it," she admitted to Arc, after they'd cleared their places and walked out into the corridor which led to the foyer, letting their friends go on ahead. Groups of other cadets lounged in the couches and chairs: many had taken their food out here to eat in small groups. Some were studying.

"I know I'm good. I've been practicing for years. When Libby set us a challenge on the very first day, I was the only one to do it. He's given me plenty of merits, all first semester –" In fact, by our calculations, you have earned more merits over the course of Introductory Pilot Evaluation than any other cadet, Lyra supplied.

"Our?"

"Iceni double checked her," Arc said, guiding her with a hand on the small of her back, over to one of the windows, where they'd have at least a little bit of privacy from the other students. It was odd, she thought, how when Radecki had tried that, she'd felt invaded – but Arc's touch was comforting. Especially when she felt lost.

"What did Libby say when you talked to him?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"That there were over forty cadets to test, and that I wouldn't get any special treatment," Cassie said, trying to think whether she'd missed anything.

"Did you do anything to piss him off?" Arc asked.

"Not that I can remember," Cassie said, shaking her head.

"I thought he was happy with me."

"I had a thought," Arc admitted, with a sigh.

"A theory. You're not going to like it."

"What is it?"

"We know that people get hurt on patrol," Arc said.

"You remember when we flew back from New Toledo the first time, and saw them cut Van Camp out of his cockpit?" Cassie nodded.

"And one of the guys I went on patrol with, Sareth Khan? He lost one of his friends last year in the jungle. The guy bled out before they could get him help. Have you considered that maybe Libby doesn't want you out there at all?" She had – or at least, she'd almost considered it. The thought had been skirting around the edges of her mind for hours, but Cassie had shied away from it, looking for some other explanation.

Because if that was true, if the academy didn't intend to let her actually pilot a mech for real, what did that say about her future in fleet?

"Have you considered talking to Marlowe?" Arc asked.

"Libby said I won't get special treatment," Cassie said, shaking her head.

"If I go over his head to the commandant, I really will come off as an entitled princess."

"I'm supposed to head back to the training hall and meet Abioye," Arc said.

"But I can send him a message and say I can't make it tonight."

"No." Cassie shook her head.

"You need as much training as you can get before your duel. Go and get in some practice. And tomorrow night, we're going to fencing club, anyway, remember?" Still, he hesitated.

"I don't like just walking away while you're clearly upset."

"I know. And that's sweet," Cassie said.

"But I think this is a problem I need to deal with on my own." She leaned in and kissed him, and at least for a moment, that made her feel a little better.

"Message me when you're done. I'll either be up on the roof, or in our room."

"Alright." Arc kissed her back, one last time, and then turned and headed for the foyer. Cassie watched him go, until she heard a couple titters of laughter from a nearby sofa. She turned to look, and saw Charlotte Sixkiller and Milla Cieszyński, sitting crammed together on a love seat. The two women hastily looked down at the tablet they were sharing, but Cassie was one-hundred percent certain they'd been watching her and Arc.

Well, she might not be able to tell Lieutenant Commander Libby what she thought of him, but damned if she couldn't give a couple of other cadets a piece of her mind.

"What?" Cassie demanded, striding over to them. Charlotte, at least, had the sense to look guilty. After all, they'd shared a room at the campus medical center, after their surgeries.

"Sorry, Cassie," she said, with a wince.

"It was just kind of ironic, you know? Seeing this on the gossip sites, and then there you and your boyfriend are, kissing right in front of us. It's like having front row seats to live imperial drama!" She tilted the tablet so that Cassie could see. Someone had caught a picture of Cassie on the balcony of the Palacio de las Orquídeas, but not when she was waving to the crowd alongside Duke Montalban and his family. In this shot, she'd leaned back and turned her head for just a moment, as Arc said something to her.

Both of them were smiling, and everyone around them had been clipped out of the image. None of that, in itself, was a problem – it was the headline.

"Princess escapes to winter love nest!" was plastered in big, bold letters above the picture.

"What is this shit," Cassie grumbled, and reached out to stab her finger at the screen. The video clip began to play, with the image shrinking to hang over the shoulder of an attractive anchor – in fact, a woman that Cassie recognized from the duke's dinner party. She was the blonde who'd pressed Arc about the space elevator."

–sources within the ducal palace confirm that, while Princess Cascada and Cadet Sandhurst were given two separate suites during their holiday with the Montalban family, one of those bedrooms didn't see much use at all," the woman said, positively gleeful.

"Apparently, the two lovebirds spent nearly every night in Her Imperial Highness's room." The camera cut over to a man with dark hair that looked sculpted from stone, or perhaps plastic.

"Which raises the question, Nina, what does the emperor think of this? We all know that the constitution requires his approval for either of his children to be married, of course." For a moment, Cassie seriously considered breaking the tablet over her knee. Instead, and before she could make anything worse, she turned around and stormed for the elevators. Once there, however, she was too impatient to wait, and took the stairs instead, even though she knew that she'd feel Vidako's heavy gravity in her hips and back.

"Fucking vultures!" she screamed, as soon as she was safe behind the door of her dorm room. Rain, Vee and even C'rise exchanged glances. They'd clearly been waiting for her.

"What is it?" Rain asked.

"One of Alvarez Montalban's housekeepers apparently told every media network on the planet that Arc slept in my room all through break," Cassie ranted.

"It's all over the planetary net, which means it's going to get back to Terra in a few weeks, and –" she couldn't help but wince.

"Arc's parents will probably see it not long after that."

"Alright, first of all – good for you!" Vee said, crossing the room to give Cassie a hug.

"I thought you came back nice and relaxed, and now I know why. So –""Not helping," Rain snapped.

"Hush, Vee."

"I just feel like, as soon as we maybe start to get a handle on Arc's duel, all of this other shit just starts to pile up," Cassie exclaimed.

"Libby's screwing me out of a qualification test, and now I can't even walk from the dining hall to our room without Charlotte Sixkiller and fucking Milla Cieszyński giggling about my love life."

"This sounds like a perfect opportunity to practice emptying your mind," C'rise said.

"I can't right now," Cassie said, raising her hands so that she could press her palms into her eyes.

"I'm too keyed up. I can't think straight."

"That is what makes this the perfect time," C'rise pressed.

"When do you think your thoughts are screaming loudest? Right now, while you're upset. Go on, everyone sit on your beds. Vee, try not to fall asleep." Cassie was struck by the incongruous thought of just how much the LeShaii's imperial standard had improved, over the past few months. There was still a noticeable accent, but her sentences were much more smooth.

"Fine," she grumbled, and climbed up onto her bunk.

"Close your eyes, and take a deep breath in," C'rise said. Cassie could hear the other girl's steps as she walked over to the wall by the door and dimmed the lights.

"When you breathe out, let your thoughts out with it. One worry at a time. Start with the girls downstairs, Cassie. Breathe out, and let them go." It was hard. Usually, Cassie's response to anger was to yell about whatever was ticking her off, or punch a pillow or something. Not doing anything felt very odd, and very uncomfortable. But she didn't want any LeShaii who wandered by to be able to read her mind, so she made an effort. It wasn't so hard to stop grumbling over the two girls downstairs.

They hadn't really done anything wrong, except to read about her online. If the housekeeper who'd sold their story had been in the room, though, Cassie would have let them know just how she felt. It was so frustrating. She just wanted to be a pilot, and enjoy her boyfriend, but everyone else seemed determined to make her life miserable. And now Lieutenant Commander Libby wouldn't let her do the one thing she was really good at.

Cassie was certain she was the best pilot in her entire class, but he seemed determined not to let her into a cockpit. Cassie's eyes snapped open.

"I know what I'm going to do," she declared.

"About the story on the net, or about qualifying?" Rain asked, from her own bunk.

"The second," Cassie said.

"If Libby thinks he can keep me out of a cockpit, I'll just have to prove I deserve it. That I'm better than any other pilot he's got. I'll beat all of them, one by one, until everyone knows it. And then he'll have to let me test out."