“That’s good Jan, just take a little bit more time over each letter. Your grammar is perfect but your spelling is still a little off. Some look a little rushed and it can be difficult to make a few of them out.” Alesia looked over her roommate’s shoulder as she sat at the communal table practicing her writing.

Alesia was surprised at just how quickly some of the arrivals had taken to learning. Janyle, her mentee and roommate, was a good example of that. The vast majority were overjoyed to be free and were lapping up the opportunities being presented to them. Two Earth months into their stay and most were discovering talents they never knew existed. Classroom time was now being scaled back for around half of the students who showed promise in areas such as farming and construction. They now spent time with new Avalonian mentors, learning how to sow seeds, fertilise crops, build structures and learning how to take basic ingredients and turn them into delicious meals.

Janyle reminded Alesia a lot of her mother. Or a lot of how she had been told her mother was. She was a short, scrawny thing with raven hair and sallow skin. Janyle was silly at first though had matured quickly when the realisation her freedom would not be going away had sunk in. Upon learning to write she had become obsessed with putting down the oral stories she had grown up with as child down on paper. They were still rather rough, but it wouldn’t be long until her mother had some competition.

“Sorry…yes you’re right. I just want to get it out of my head and on to the page.” Janyle smiled up.

“I don’t blame you.” Alesia replied. “It’s very, very good. I’m very impressed at how much you’ve come on. But it won’t mean anything to anybody if only you can read it.”

Janyle nodded. “I’ll copy it. And copy it again. And keep copying it until it’s right.”

“Good! And when it’s ready I can send it to my Mom. She loves hearing new stories.”

“Oh…I don’t know if she’ll like this. It might be a bit…basic for her.” Janyle blushed red.

Alesia smiled. “What have I told you before?”

“That your Mom was raised like me. And was a pet…”

“…until she was taught by good people to read and write.” Alesia finished. “And she would love to see what other Humans who were raised like her have to say for themselves.”

Janyle nodded still unsure.

“Just keep practicing. You’re doing wonderfully.” Alesia reassured.

Alesia felt her stomach wrap itself in knots as the doorbell chirped.

“Is that Moze?” Janyle asked sensing her roommate’s nerves.

Alesia nodded.

“I’ll give you two some privacy.” Janyle got up and gathered her things.

“Thanks…” Alesia replied and let out a deep breath and answered the door.

“Hi…” Moze said.

“Hi…” Alesia said. “Come in?”

“Ok…sure…” Moze said and stepped inside the apartment that was near identical to his. There were a few differences. Alesia had put up her preferred lime green curtains and had decorated the plain black sofa with throws and dotted some lamps around the room for softer lighting than the harsh overhead lighting. It was also a lot cleaner than his apartment as well.

“How’s your mentee doing? What’s her name? Jan?” He asked.

“Janyle. And well. I think she’s going to be a writer, like my mother.” Alesia replied. “What about yours?”

Moze shrugged. “He’s alright. We don’t have a lot in common. I’ll likely get him transferred.”

“You don’t get along?”

“I don’t have a problem with him really. He just doesn’t get art, thinks it’s pointless. He’s got a lot of energy though and likes using his hands. I think he should go across to construction or something.” He said.

“Probably for the best…” Alesia added.

“Yeah…”

The pair stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, Alesia studied the floor and Moze seemed very interested with the back of a chair.

“I miss you…” Alesia said softly.

Moze studied the back of the chair even harder.

“Do you…do you miss me?” Alesia asked hopefully.

Moze nodded.

“I’d like to see you more.” Alesia said.

Moze looked up and walked around the sofa to the other side of the room. “Well you’re busy. I don’t want to bother you.”

“You never bother me Moze.”

“Really? It hasn’t seemed like it to me.” Moze replied with a monotone.

“Please, I didn’t ask you here to fight.” Alesia sighed.

“Then why did you ask me here?”

“I want to fix this. And I know our closeness bugs you but Sorcha has taken your side on this. As has Myrell.” Alesia said.

Moze raised a curious brow. “Really? The pink haired weird one?”

“She’s just excitable is all. A bit quirky. But we’ve been getting close and she wants what’s best for me and she says I work too hard and need to take some time for me…for us.” She sighed

“You can be a little…obsessive. Especially with Sorcha…” Moze said.

“We can be a LOT obsessive.” Alesia said drawing a smile from Moze.

“I do miss you.” He said and took a step closer.

“Myrell suggested when the next group comes in we move in together. We’d still both be busy but…it could work.”

Moze took another step forward and took Alesia’s delicate hand in his. “I would like that Lessy but I don’t want to wait any longer. It’s always just over the horizon. I don’t think I could take another disappointment.”

Alesia bit her bottom lip. “Were you serious about transferring your mentee?”

“I was…”

“Well, how about after he’s left…you move in here?” Alesia suggested.

Moze’s eyes lit up. “You mean it?”

“Well as long as Janyle doesn’t mind…”

“I don’t mind!” A high pitched voice called from a crack in a door.

Moze and Alesia laughed and Moze pulled her in to a tight embrace. “And a baby?”

Alesia smiled softly and kissed him. “One thing at a time my love.”

“That’s not a no.” Moze looked into her eyes and grinned.

“No…it’s not a no.”

Moze beamed and hugged his girlfriend tightly. “That’s all I wanted to hear!”

“It’s nearly a two Earth year pregnancy. If we time it right then I should be able to take a leave of absence to recover. But I couldn’t take too much time off. I’d need help.” Alesia said.

“I will do anything you want! Whatever you need I will provide it. My work can be done in a small room at home with a crib in the corner.” Moze said excitedly.

“With a crying baby stopping you from sleeping for more than two hours at a time?”

Moze kissed her. “I do my best work when I’m happy. And I can’t imagine anything that’d make me any happier.”

****

To say that Ted Martinez was the happiest he had been in his life would be incorrect, though not far off. There were many times in his life where he didn’t think things could get any better; His time as a test pilot all those many years ago when he was still wet behind the ears. His first deep space mission. His time living with Tigoni on Titan Station. The birth of his son. His first mission on the Alcubierre. It was a long list to choose from. Too long a list for one man.

He sat back in his office chair and looked out over the hangar containing ten of the most beautiful space craft he’d ever seen. He couldn’t help but feel, despite the absence of his wife and boy, quite content. Ted lived and breathed flying, as did his wife so he was very sure that if their roles were reversed he would be very happy for Tigoni if she was now the CAG of top secret experimental squadron of starfighters.

Ted’s eyes lingered over his own ship, Acolyte Two. Its lines were soft and curved gently along its main hull with three domes rising softly and then naturally sinking back in. The metallic blue paintwork complemented the ship’s design and shimmered and glowed as light struck it from vehicles moving around the hangar. It bore some resemblance to early Starfighter concepts he’d seen in the past but those were harsh looking with hard edges and grey skin. This was something else. It was almost alive.

The hubbub of activity down in the hangar indicated to Ted that Acolytes One and Eight were on their way back from their latest training exercise. Ted had expected to receive a thorough chewing out from Secretary Xanpotholous for flying an incredibly valuable prototype at several times the speed of sound down a canyon barely wider than his ship. There had been some expletives as Darren watched the footage but nothing that Ted would call out of the ordinary.

Instead he has been named CAAG (Commander Acolyte Air Group) for scoring the first recorded hit on an Acolyte and charged with developing staff skills and Acolyte fighter doctrine. It was new and exciting stuff that involved lots of fun toys. The only thing that could have made Ted any happier if he got to share it with his wife rather than Ryan Carey. Not that Ted disliked Ryan. He just wasn’t Tigoni.

The light in the hangar rose as the overhead door slowly opened and with the familiar roar of thrusters Acolytes One and Eight landed gently one after the other and ground crews set to work securing the ships and releasing the crews.

Ted hopped out of his chair and made his way out of office towards the corridor deciding to get the training mission report from his friend face to face rather than reading about it later.

“Much to report Mr Carey?” Ted asked as Ryan stepped down the ladder of the shining blue spacecraft.

Ryan slipped off the collar used to secure his helmet and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. “Got a hit on Malvasaz in high atmo.” He said beaming from one ear to the next.

“And none on yours I take it?” Ted asked back.

“Not even a scratch.”

“You’ll be after my job at this rate.”

“Nah.” Ryan shook his head. “Too much paper work. I prefer flying to typing reports.”

Ted shook his head and smiled. “I don’t think I’d want to know the man who prefers typing reports to flying.”

“I think I’ve got something you’ll want to get a look at.” Ryan said.

“Is it what we’ve been looking for?” Ted asked with a glimmer in his eye that had a fifty/fifty chance of being his GOOL or his excitement.

“It is. Better than.”

“C’mon upstairs and show me what you got then.” Ted said and led the way out of the hangar up to his office.

Ryan pulled off his pilot’s gloves and threw them down on a leather sofa that sat at the side of the room and pulled the guest chair to the side of Ted’s desk before unceremoniously plonking himself in it. He leaned over the desk and started to tap on the monitor, pulling up the flight data from Acolyte Twelve.

“The orbital reconnaissance doesn’t do it justice. This land mass here…” he said pointing to a large island off a continent that straddled the equator. “The mountains of the continent stop almost all rainfall from reaching it. It’s basically one massive desert.”

“No chance any of the Titans will be skulking round there?” Ted asked.

“There’s nothing alive there from what we can see. No reason why they would go there.” Ryan grinned. “And there’s more.”

Ted’s eyes lit up. Ryan pinched the monitor screen and zoomed in on one area in particular.

“It’s an old dried out lake bed. Salt flats mostly. What’s more is one edge has been eroded by wind and sand currents and has cut a canyon than runs for almost five hundred kilocubits. It’s a bit wider than the one on EeBee but it’ll do for practice.” Ryan explained.

“Nice…very nice.” Ted nodded his approval.

“Think the Secdef will approve?”

“His main objection to the canyon run on EeBee was that it’s ‘too goddamn close to tha Titan Listenin’ Post’” Ted said doing his best Darren. “This will allow us to keep on our low atmo training. It’s one thing flying them in deep space but we need to know how they handle in all situations.”

“Want me to draw up a training plan?” Ryan asked.

“Sure.” Ted said. “I’ll get on the comm to the Secdef and get his sign off.”

Ryan grimaced. “Another reason I don’t want your job, too many calls to the Secdef.”

“He’s not that bad. He just runs a tight ship. Keep him in the loop and make a good case and Darren will listen.” Ted said. “He’s a soldier, like us, not a suit.”

“That’s what makes him scary…”

Ted shrugged “No worse than any Sergeant in any decent military outfit.”

“Do we have a backup plan in case he cans this idea?” Ryan asked.

“He won’t.” Ted’s eyes twinkled again. This time it definitely wasn’t the GOOL. “Besides, there’s that old saying.”

“What old saying?”

“Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

Ryan chuckled and shook his head as he walked out the door. “You try asking for forgiveness if you dent one of his ships!”