Page 81 of Nova Academy

He did as he was told, and I stayed behind him with my hands on his hips, his shoulders, his back, readjusting when needed.

‘You’re really good at this,’ he complimented me.

I gave the back of his head a grim smile. ‘I’m good at lots of things,’ I mumbled too low for him to hear. It wasn’t a brag. Ididknow lots of things. Things I never should have been taught. Things I had been forced to implement in real-world situations that had caused other people’s suffering.

Things I wish I wasn’t good at.

A commotion drew my attention nearby, and I pulled away from Bromm. I was enjoying a little too much how the softness of his flesh gave way under my ministrations, and even more how that softness hid a hardness underneath that was mesmerising to feel beneath my fingertips.

Grunts and whoops of laughter drifted over to us, and Bromm turned with me to watch a group of cadets pulling and yanking on the remains of the punching bag I had accidentally destroyed. They were trying to tear the material with no success, bodies straining and veins bulging in their necks as they tried and tried to no avail.

‘How the fuck did that scrawny little thing tear right throughthis?’ one exclaimed, falling back onto his ass with a breathless exhaustion.

Another attempted to find an explanation. ‘There must have been a weak spot and he probably hit it by accident.’

They continued taking turns trying to rip the bag even more, though a lot less seriously now to avoid injuring themselves when it became clear they wouldn’t be successful.

Bromm’s expression was on lockdown when I faced him, and I decided that was the time to walk away and focus on my own workout to avoid further scrutiny. ‘You’ve got it now. Just keep practicing and you’ll be a pro in no time,’ I told him, and then rushed to the water station, pretending I needed to hydrate after exerting myself helping him.

I hadn’t. Even if I’d been a regular Terran I wouldn’t have broken a sweat while instructing him. My excuse was flimsy at best, but I didn’t have it in me to care. My mission was moving forward, my secret was still safe for now, and I needed to keep my head on straight. I was here for a reason. Fraternising was never going to end well, for me or anyone else.

But when Bromm leant close as he passed me in the locker rooms and whispered in my ear, ‘We should talk. Let’s share a bedagain tonight,’ I could feel myself caving again already.

Was that really all it took to turn my head?

I was woman enough to admit to myself that I would be sharing a bed with Bromm again tonight, good idea or not.

CHAPTER 34

Alexander

‘Two turns until we reach Nova Academy, captain,’ my pilot informed me.

I was standing at my station in the centre of the room, control boards and holo-screens surrounding me in a semi-circle. I had two holograms running, one to determine trajectory and another keeping track of the landing criteria and where The Carina was at regarding supplies and fuel. I already knew I would need a food restock and a refuel at the academy, but I wasn’t eager to disembark from my ship. The only times I ever left were on paid time off to visit my family, or during an in-person meeting with my superiors. Generally, I took care of everything via holo-tab communication and delegating.

I could see Nova Station in the distance. The holo-screen stretching around the circumference of the bridge that behaved as a window into space giving me a view of the metal structure large enough to be considered an artificial planet. It was about the same size as the Entario Waystation, with enough space for a military base. The more troops we acquire, the more was added to the station. An entire system of cities had been erected for the families of the enlisted, with towns closer to the academy for those still on duty while instructing the cadets.

While I had my own residence at Nova and my family visited when they could, they had remained back home where there was sun and plants andlife. My parents and my sisters all detested the metallic architecture and filtered air, especially considering our roots were buried deep in the soil of our home planet. Despite my mixed-race status, each and every branch of my family tree had hailed from the same place on both my maternal and paternalsides.

‘A planet created by hands is not the same as a planet created by the stars,’ my father would tell me each time I brought up the subject of moving them closer. ‘We must respect nature before we strip it of all that makes it worthwhile.’

I didn’t disagree, but I didn’t necessarily agree, either. I enjoyed my time in space. It was where I felt most at home. I belonged to the stars, through and through. My youngest sister understood better than the others, but her version of ‘star’ meant ‘fame’, as evidenced by the song currently taunting me through the speakers of a nearby workstation. My sister’s voice drifted through the bridge in haunting tones that weaved throughout the music. She was talented and had earned her success as one of the Intergalactic Union’s most popular musical artists, but that didn’t mean I wanted to listen to her songs. They might have been beautiful, until you listened to the lyrics and realised just howraunchythey were.

No brother wanted to hear his sister singing about all the many ways to fuck.

I ignored the music, drowning out all the surrounding sounds with it as I focused on where my attention was needed: getting The Carina safely docked on Nova’s hangar bay. Hurtling through space had it’s challenges, but it was largely smooth sailing. Docking, however, required finesse and was where most fatal collisions occurred. It was much simpler docking planet-side than on a space station, particularly one as large as Nova. At least with an orbiting planet it was possible to calculate trajectory and speed for a safe landing. With Nova and it’s free-floating status and ever-changing speed and location, we had to work alongside the station’s pilots in real-time to maintain the calculations for a successful docking.

‘Captain, we have a successful connection with Nova. The lines of communication are now open,’ another officer informed me.

‘Get their current coordinates and trajectory and prepare the adjustments,’ I instructed.

‘On it, captain!’

The holo-tab at my hip chimed with another incoming message. I had been getting them persistently throughout the morning, but everyone knew that landing on Nova was tricky business and not to disturb me. Whatever it was would have to wait.

Still, I checked it surreptitiously in case it was Addy. It wasn’t. Markus was attempting to get a hold of me, claiming he had something important to give me before we docked. I typed out a quick reply telling him to meet me on the bridge with some lunch and he could give it to me over the midday meal.

The doors whizzed open right after I hit send to reveal Markus already wheeling in everyone’s lunch. He waved his holo-tab at me with a cheeky grin. ‘Way ahead of you, captain.’

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