Page 16 of Tears of Tungsten
I couldn’t blame him for it, but if he blew his lid here, he’d be the one to pay the price, not Selene. I was also worried about what would happen if someone started to look a little more closely into our activities.
We never had found out why August had seen Selene kissing that mysterious apsid on Mercury, and the thought haunted me.
We were already hovering on the edge of a precipice, and if we fell, we might not be able to drag ourselves out.
Thankfully, Knox and Selene must have realized what had happened. They burst in before I was forced to do something we’d all regret.
Knox set Selene down, all the while scanning the room with keen, dark eyes. He stepped between August and the group of Harpy tamers. “You really have a tough time learning your lessons, don’t you, Glass?” he asked.
Now that Knox was in the way, August couldn’t attack the other pilots again. But his tension hadn’t vanished so I was very relieved when Selene padded to our side and hugged him. “I was so worried about you,” she said. “Please be careful. I don’t want to lose you.”
August froze. It obviously hadn’t occurred to him that he was in any danger, or if it had, he hadn’t deemed it important. With Selene there, it was no longer so easy to disregard his safety.
“We came so close to being separated forever,” Selene continued. “Please don’t let that happen.”
It was a low blow on Selene’s part, but also a masterful one. August might not remember a lot from the incident during the tournament, but he was aware it had hit us all pretty badly. Flinching, he hugged her back. “Right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“You just lost your temper,” I said. “That’s not a sin. But maybe in the future, keep the tachyon manipulation out of it, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” he replied with a tiny smile. “I promise.”
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but before he could do so, the hangar doors opened. Commander Trevor stalked into the room, followed by Dr. Bell.
“What is the meaning of this?” he fumed.
“We had an argument, Sir. Flight Lieutenant Glass and Flight Lieutenant Argyle approached us and started making injurious comments regarding Acting Pilot Renard and the Charybdis. I admit I lost my temper and I threw the first punch.”
That was the understatement of the century. It had been far more than a punch. If I hadn’t gotten in the way and Selene and Knox hadn’t arrived, disaster might have struck.
When had August become more dangerous and temperamental than Knox?
Commander Trevor turned toward the two Harpy pilots, giving them the chance to tell him their side of the story. “Well?”
“We were only making an observation, Sir,” Scott replied. “It’s not a crime.”
“It is a crime when you’re launching accusations of incompetence and sabotage,” Selene piped up. “It’s slander and we will take this to Dean Chimera.”
Her vicious attack sharply contrasted with the gentle way she’d earlier talked August down. The other students stared at her like they’d never seen her before. I found this a little amusing, since by now, they must have all realized she was no delicate flower. But no matter what happened, we could always count on Selene to be surprising.
She smiled, and the expression reminded me an awful lot of Sphinx. “Additionally, questioning the presence of Flight Lieutenant Cavallero in the school is equivalent with questioning the dictates of The Grand Judiciary. Further disrespect would amount to treason.”
It wasn’t quite that bad and I doubted anyone would convict Vincent and Scott of treason because they’d called August an incompetent human. But even so, disrespecting The Grand Judiciary even slightly was a bad idea, far worse than a tachyon manipulation accident.
Commander Trevor’s breath caught. “Is this true?” he asked the Harpy tamers. “Did you betray The Grand Judiciary?”
“W-We only said Flight Lieutenant Cavallero’s Terran upbringing is the reason why Charybdis is dead,” Vincent stammered.
Commander Trevor looked down at the floor and clenched his fists, as if praying to Tartarus for patience. “Why was I cursed with students who have no sense? You’re a member of a chimera squad, for fuck’s sake. Surely you understand what a dormant chimera is.”
“Yes, but no chimera has ever gone dormant mid-flight,” Vincent argued. “It has to be a piloting error.”
“In other words, you think The Grand Judiciary is lying. I see what Acting Pilot Renard means.” Commander Trevor rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Dr. Bell, take these… children to the med bay and make sure they’re treated for their injuries. After that, notify the dean of what happened here. He’ll want to handle the situation himself.”
Dr. Bell nodded, looking uncharacteristically grave. “Yes, Commander Trevor.” Jerking his head toward Vincent and Scott, he ushered them to the door. “You two, with me. If anyone else needs medical attention, now’s the time to say so.”
Nobody admitted to any injuries, doubtlessly having no desire to be thrust into the center of attention in such an unpleasant situation. Dr. Bell allowed it. I wondered if that meant the rumors about his implanted eyes were true.
In any case, he must have concluded there was no further danger here, because he left. Vincent and Scott trailed in his wake. As the door slid closed behind them, Commander Trevor directed his attention toward us.
