Yen’s jaw dropped. “Wasting your time? Is that what you think we’ve been doing for the past few months? You think this has all been some big waste of time?”
Keryn kept her voice calm, despite the trembling she felt in her legs. “I’m sorry, but I made my decision.”
“You’re not sorry!” Yen yelled. “I’m looking you in the eyes and I don’t see one bit of remorse!”
Other people looked at the arguing pair. Yen’s temper had drawn the attention of the pilots and Crewmen who had remained behind, mingling in the hallway or waiting to congratulate the new Squadron Commander.
“Keep your voice down, Yen,” Keryn replied sternly.
The red drained from Yen’s cheeks and he took on a cold demeanor. “Is that a direct order, ma’am?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Yen shrugged. “You only put on that rank a couple minutes ago, but you already seem to be wearing your superior rank so well.” His choice of words seemed to ooze a sarcastic venom.
Keryn stepped closer to him until they were face to face. “Is that what this is about? Are you jealous? Well let me tell you something, Magistrate Xiao. Grow up and get over yourself. Because I know I’ve already gotten over you.”
She turned and stormed off before the startled Yen could manage a stinging retort. She didn’t care who watched as she shoved her way past the gathering crowd and onto the nearby lift. When the doors closed and she was alone, Keryn let the tears spill down her cheeks. She hadn’t meant to be so harsh, but she knew it was for the best. For the next month of travel, she wanted the chance to figure out her life and the best way to do that was to not have Yen around. And after that argument, she was pretty sure that Yen wouldn’t speak to her before they arrived at the Farimas Space Station.
Keryn took a deep breath and wiped away the tears from her eyes. She was a Squadron Commander now and needed to start acting like it. By the time the elevator doors opened on her floor, Keryn emerged with a glowing confidence that betrayed no hint of the emotional woman who had entered the lift.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The view from the lift was both amazing and disheartening as Yen, Adam, and Penchant rode the elevator from the outer ring to the core of the Farimas Space Station. The Revolution dominated their view, but numerous other Alliance Cruisers were docked in their berths around the ring. No sooner had they disembarked, then repair teams had begun work both on the exterior and interior of the ships. Already, they could see sparks flashing from welding torches as new armored plates were welded over the gaping holes and scars on the hull of the Revolution.
“We took a real beating,” Adam muttered as they stared through the glass window of the elevator. The trio was crammed into the normally spacious lift along with members of the Revolution’s crew, all of whom had been granted shore leave during repairs.
“Yes, but we won,” Yen added. His mood remained dark, as it had for the past four weeks of transit.
Adam frowned at his friend’s tone. Leaning in close to Yen’s ear, Adam whispered so that only the psychic could hear him. “It’s been four weeks. Let it go.”
“Screw you,” Yen growled, his gaze never leaving the damaged Cruisers.
Adam shrugged, accepting that his friend’s mood was not going to soon improve. Instead, he turned toward the stoic and unemotional Lithid. “What plans do you have during leave, Penchant?”
The featureless black, oval face turned toward Adam. Without eyes, Adam wasn’t entirely sure if Penchant was looking at him directly or just in his general direction. Eventually, Penchant’s shoulders shrugged in an unassuming gesture. “I thought I would spend a large portion of my shore leave studying Terran and Pilgrim anatomy. I know so little about your race’s physiology. I need to know what you’re made of if I’m ever required to shift into that form.”
Adam rolled his eyes before placing a firm hand on both Yen and Penchant’s shoulders. “No,” Adam said to Penchant before turning to face Yen. “And especially ‘no’ to you. We’re on shore leave. I’m not spending my first vacation in months with a Lithid studying textbooks and a self-absorbed psychic.”
“Then what do you propose?” Yen asked in irritation.
“We drink, for starters,” Adam replied.
“You know I can’t get drunk,” Penchant corrected.
Adam sighed. “Then immediately afterward we’ll go dancing, or we’ll take in a show, or we’ll just find someone smaller than us and pick on them. I don’t give a damn what we do, but I won’t be cooped up with a pair of whining bitches for my entire vacation. So both of you, snap out of it!”
The trio lost themselves in other people’s conversations as they finished the long ride toward the space station proper. Below them, the armored exterior of the station rose up to meet them, growing closer until the lift disappeared into the interior of the station. Immediately, the elevator was cast into darkness before the interior lights activated. They could feel the centrifugal forces growing steadily heavier from the rotation of the station as they neared the end of their trip. Passing beyond the dark walls of the station’s interior, light flooded through the glass windows as the lift came to a stop in a vaulted hall and the doors slid open.
Immediately, the trio was assaulted by a myriad of sounds. Large liquid crystal billboards displayed the stern visage of the space station’s commanding officer as he read through a series of enforced rules for personnel taking leave on the station.
“… fighting will be placed in the brig for a mandatory twenty-four hour recuperation period,” the voice blared through a series of hidden speakers. “Those who will be consuming alcohol are reminded to drink in moderation. Public displays of indecency will not be tolerated. Any personnel entering off-limits establishments will…”
Adam gestured to the closest screen. “And here is another prime example of someone with a stick up their ass.” He furrowed his brow until he had reached a similar impersonation of the commanding officer. “Fun will not be tolerated during your leave. Should you be found violating our policy, the Fun Police will quickly apprehend you and you will be beaten until the fun is excised.”
Yen caught himself laughing in spite of his dour mood. Grabbing Adam by the arm, he pulled him away from the monitor. He glanced quickly to each side, ensuring that the Fun Police were not pursuing them for public displays of laughter. The trio scanned their identification cards as they passed through the kiosks, officially signing out on shore leave. Yen let the others get ahead of him before turning back and accessing one of the monitors on the kiosk. Typing quickly, he entered her name onto the screen. The search quickly came back with no one matching that name. It didn’t surprise Yen that Keryn hadn’t taken her leave. Since their argument, she had handily avoided him at all costs. Consumed fully in her work, she had put her pilots through a series of flight simulations, much to the dismay of her already weary Squadron.
Feeling a strong hand on his shoulder, Yen stepped away from the kiosk and let Adam lead him toward the two-story archway that led into the actual city of Farimas. As they cleared the kiosk area and moved across the open courtyard between the disembarkation area and the city entrance, civilians began standing and applauding the Crewmen, soldiers, and pilots of the Revolution. At first, the cheering civilians were small, isolated groups. But the clapping spread virally until, before long, the entire crowd was applauding and clapping wildly.
Penchant slid between Adam and Yen, hiding himself from public eye. “This is a little awkward.”
Adam raised an eyebrow at the concealed Lithid. “We’re the first crew to fight and defeat the Terran Empire in a long time. We are heroes to these people. So quit cowering, give them a smile, and thank them for their support.” Confidently, Adam flashed a broad smile and waved to some of the gathered crowd.