The prospect of bringing Kat with him on holiday—of them going together as a couple, to see Tonya—was more than he’d ever hoped for. They both carried a lot of baggage after this last term, but being with her wasn’t part of it. Shewasthe holiday.
The Canteen was noisier than usual when they headed down for dinner that night. Everyone was celebrating the completion of another term. Lee loaded his tray with everything that looked even semi-decent as he and Kat went down the line. He’d pushed himself extra hard these last few weeks to make up for lost ground. With the end of this term, graduation was now the main course on the table, and every raid, ranking, and training exercise had a seat.
“Going a little overboard there?” Kat laughed.
“What?” Lee looked over, realizing a heartbeat late that he’d added a third helping of roasted parsnips to his tray.
“Nah, I ate a light lunch,” he said quickly to cover his mistake. She just shrugged, adding an additional serving to her own tray. They’d have their work cut out for them.
He was starting in on that work at their usual table when he spotted Zane cutting through the Canteen. Zane didn’t speak to anyone as he skimmed down the line, snatching up a couple items to go. And then he was gone.
“Have you seen him around much?” Kat asked thoughtfully, peering around Lee.
“Zane? Not any more than you have.”
“So, no more secret bro-band hangouts?” she pushed.
“That happened one time,” Lee said flatly.
“And it was just as strange then.”
Lee nudged her with his shoulder but left it there when she curled into his side. “But no. If I had a guess, I’d say he’s doing exactly what we are.”
“Eating for four?” she asked around a mouthful of spiced rice.
Lee nudged her again. “Trying to find a way to move forward.” They were all just trying to move on now and finish the year. And if they were lucky, they’d leave with all their rankings and honor intact.
Although, some of them seemed to be moving on just fine.
“I guess she and Nikola broke up,” Kat said, tracing his line of vision over to the table next to theirs, where Hanna sat lip-locked with another X. “Poor Nikola. They lasted much longer than I anticipated, though.”
“You never really warmed to Hanna,” Lee said, tucking his fork up with his tray.
“Maybe not, but I liked her for him. Something different. Something organic. I thought they were cute.” She turned her attention back to Lee, batting her eyelashes up, mischievous grin and all. “What do you think—still want me to come along on holiday next week?” she teased.
“Oh, I think you’ll do.” Lee slung an arm over her shoulders as they pushed to their feet. “Now come along. We may as well get Marco’s shindig over with. We’ve got some rankings to defend this evening.”
Lee and Kat sat huddled along the far edge of the blaster range, elbows slumped up against the platform of the waist-high barrier. Their names gleamed somewhere at the top of the holographic score wall. At least he was pretty sure; with the buzz in his head there were more than a few letters feeling out of place up there.
Whoever was checking transports had conveniently missed the case one of Sean’s buddies had hefted in shortly after their little tourney began. These last few rounds had turned into more of a drinking game than actual competition.
“Who’s up?” Flyn asked, stepping back from the lane up ahead of them. He motioned back to Lee and Kat with the grip of his blaster, the zap-line safeties in full-effect tonight.
Lee glanced down at Kat half slumped into his side, a straw poking up from the bottle she nursed. “I think we’re out,” Lee said, waving their turn off. The competition had long-since fizzled out, anyway, after Marco decided to concede his ranking, deeming his time better spent buried up with one of the Ultra girls who’d slipped in to watch.
Whistler had already dismissed himself, and Lee had only seen Zane play a single round tonight. It was time for a break.
Lee was turning to Kat to see if she wanted to get out of here when he overheard one of Neha’s friends from the next lane over.
“I mean that’s our General’s plans, right?” The cadet made explosion noises as he trailed his hand out over the lane. “Blasters. And ships, and total domination.”
“What’d you say?” Lee asked, sitting up.
“Huh?” The Gamma looked over. “Oh, hey Waters. Just talking about our general plans after this,” he slurred. “It’s all high-speed cruising and super top secrets.”
“I thought you’d said—never mind,” Lee said, instead raising his drink to them. It was late and they were all a bit washed.
Lee had seen those kinds of ships, and seen what the General could do with them. Who knew what other kinds of tech were waiting in his arsenal and the joules of energy behind them.
