Page 63 of Souls of Steel
“Yeah!” Brendan said with a small chuckle. “He’s almost back to normal. He even said he had a dream about you kissing him on Mercury.”
All color drained out of Selene’s face. Knox’s breath caught. “Excuse me? He said what?”
He sounded upset, almost angry, and the sharp light in his eyes gave me a bad feeling. “That he had a dream about himself and Selene on Mercury. The two of them were apparently making out. You’d found Charybdis. He was very excited about the whole thing.”
Selene shared a look with Knox. They didn’t answer, but it didn’t take a genius to realize they were hiding something big.
I wanted to ask them about it, but I was far too aware of our location to do so. I’d already been rash earlier, when I’d displayed my additional skills in the med bay. It was time to take a more cautious approach.
“Come here. Sit with us. We can wait for the doctors to come out and we’ll talk about August’s weird dreams later.”
“That sounds great,” Selene replied.
We all sat down on the bench. Selene leaned against my shoulder and threaded our fingers together. Her hand was cold and at that moment, I wondered if Scylla would really be able to keep her promise.
Epilogue
Selene
After all was said and done, returning to Tartarus Base felt strangely anticlimactic. By the time we arrived at the academy, everyone had found out about August’s injury, but had gotten over the shock. The news of Charybdis’s enduring dormant state was received with a mix of concern and secret satisfaction, but ultimately, we returned to our previous lives.
Even if he didn’t have a chimera of his own, August continued to train with us using the Scylla. Nobody seemed to find this odd.
Before long, the end of the semester arrived, and with it, my first exams. I passed them all with flying colors, as nothing the teachers threw at me could compare to what I’d been forced to face in the tournament.
The day the semester ended, General Rhodes came to visit the academy and summoned me for a meeting. It was the first time I’d seen him since I’d left Earth and I was surprised by his presence. “You wanted to talk to me, Sir?”
“Actually, yes. Since you’ve completed the tournament and your first term at the academy, it’s been deemed necessary for you to have an official rank in the Space Force. Congratulations. Starting today, you are Acting Pilot Selene Renard.”
I’d known I’d eventually get something like that and I couldn’t deny it felt nice to know I wouldn’t be called ‘Ms. Renard’ any longer. Still, I doubted he’d arranged this meeting just for that. I didn’t know how to ask him about it, so instead, I chose the proper, military response. “Thank you, Sir. I appreciate your assistance and support.”
“You deserve it, Acting Pilot Renard. Without your efforts, we might not have been able to salvage the Charybdis, which would’ve been a disaster.” He paused and shot me an inscrutable look. “That being said, I’ve received word that, while you were at Hyperion Base 35, you healed Flight Lieutenant Cavallero of a serious injury.”
“I didn’t really do much,” I replied. “It was assistance from Gaia.”
“That’s just it, Acting Pilot Renard. According to your mother, you’re not supposed to be able to use such gifts. I’m afraid you’re going to have to return to Earth and explore these new abilities. We wouldn’t want them to affect the workings of the chimeras.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. The help I’d given August had been insignificant at best. I certainly didn’t have a talent that could be used to influence mechas. How was it that my superiors managed to turn everything around, just so that they could send me away?
“Sir, with all due respect, I’m needed here,” I said. “With Charybdis gone, Sphinx is more important than ever.”
“I didn’t say you wouldn’t be a student at the academy, Acting Pilot Renard, just that you’ll have some extra lessons.” He narrowed his eyes at me, making no attempt to hide his disapproval. “If you want to be of use to your unit, you can’t rely on good fortune and gambles.”
My face flamed at his words. I wondered how much he’d guessed of the strategy I’d used during the tournament.
In any case, I didn’t have a choice. I was an official member of the Space Force now, which meant that I went where I was told to. If this was the decision of The Grand Judiciary, I had to obey.
“Of course, Sir. My apologies. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. It was just a little shocking.”
“That’s fine. Your reaction is understandable. We’re making a big exception in allowing this arrangement, so a degree of surprise is to be expected.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. The way he’d phrased that sentence made it sound like he was doing me a favor, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. He was pushing me away, trying to get rid of me again. If I constantly had to travel between Earth and Tartarus Base, I’d fall even further behind in my studies at Chimera Academy. It would be much tougher to get some private time with my lovers. Before, I’d at least had the comfort of always sharing a room with them. If I had to take additional lessons on Earth, that would change.
Getting frustrated about it wouldn’t help me. I had to think about the bright side. I’d see my family, my friends, and learn a new skill that would undoubtedly help me in the long run. Even if things would be tougher in the near future, it was worth it for the sake of my plans. A healing skill could be invaluable for a soldier when on the front.
I took heart in that knowledge and nodded. “I look forward to every lesson, Sir. Once again, thank you for your guidance.”
General Rhodes didn’t seem completely satisfied with my words. “Acting Pilot Renard. Believe it or not, some of us do respect what you’re doing here. But I want you to keep something in mind. As dreadful as things in Tartarus Base might seem to you, they are this way for a reason.”
