CHAPTER 12

Dorian

M y neighbours had been suspiciously absent for the past few days. By now, everyone had heard about the woman that had been attacked and ended up in the med bay. They were calling it an ‘incident’, though the rumours of what that incident was varied vastly. Some said she chopped off her hand while doing food prep. Others said she was attacked by a rogue cadet. There was even a cadet team telling everyone that they saw it all go down, and that another cadet and his team were the ones responsible. Unfortunately, the team in question were my neighbours, and I was trying to make the pieces fit from what I’d already seen of them.

They didn’t.

Another of the cadets was the loudest with his accusations, calling for their immediate removal from the academy and prison time. He turned out to be the younger brother of the victim. Unfortunately, he was the most biased individual on The Carina, his actions coming from his emotions rather than logic. He hadn’t witnessed the crime himself, so I didn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth. In the little over a week we had been on this ship there had been zero indication that Reece and his team were anything but respectable, rule-abiding men. I didn’t think any one of them had received a single demerit since that first day. Good cadets, through and through.

The brother’s ire I could understand, though I believed it was misplaced. But with the way he and the team that claimed to witness the assault were going on and on about it and throwing around their threats and aimless barbs, they were quickly diminishing my opinion of them all. Their blatant disregard for not only the privacy of the victim but their unfounded accusations were starting to get on my last nerve. It wouldn’t surprise me if it were their fault the poor woman was in a coma. They were spending far too much time yapping on about it and pointing fingers for them to be completely innocent in the matter. Guilt often spoke louder in actions than words, and theirs were waving giant red flags.

I was beginning to worry about Mercer’s team, though. Something more was going on, and they hadn’t been seen at any meals or checking in for any shifts for long enough that it was obvious they were somehow involved in the drama. My gut told me they were innocent of the crime, so I steadfastly refused to believe anything else until there was physical, tangible evidence to prove otherwise.

I didn’t envy them. I wouldn’t want to be in a position where I was forced to hide away while others bashed my name and my honour. But all of that just added to my concern. Why weren’t the officers silencing the rumours, and why was the captain allowing such unrest to spread on his ship?

When my team and I returned to our room that night, I decided to check up on our neighbours and hopefully get some answers. When I was sure Urman, Markus and Henrik were asleep, I slipped out of bed and snuck out of the room. I was aware of my dishevelled state from tossing and turning in bed, but it couldn’t be helped. The hour was too late for any real grooming, so I simply ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to smooth it down and hoped they wouldn’t think me too strange for showing up in my ratty old pyjamas.

But when I knocked I hadn’t expected a short, pink Griknot lady to open the door. I blinked at the sight of her in the doorway while my brain tried to catch up. It was far past lights out and everyone was expected to be asleep, so why did they have a visitor? Was there more than one? Or… were Tarren and Co. telling the truth and they’d been booted off the ship? Was this room now being occupied by female officers?

Or was it something a little more kinky?

When she opened the door wider to allow my entry, the four of them were sitting on their beds, chatting like they didn’t have a care in the universe. And they were fully clothed.

The room’s relaxed demeanour was fitting if the amount of food fit for royalty spread out on any available surface was any indication. Where and why they were eating so well I wanted to know. And when my stomach let out an obnoxiously loud gurgle, I knew it wanted in on it.

‘Can we help you?’ Arty asked, standing up and stepping forward to draw the attention to himself rather than his team. While we’d interacted on a few occasions, we’d never been properly introduced. It struck me then that my sudden appearance in the middle of the night might not be so well-perceived, especially after the way our previous interactions went. Oh well, too late now.

‘Hi, I’m Dorian Ituk,’ I introduced myself, holding my hand out for Arty to shake. He took it, and everyone else followed. Even the woman, who turned out to be Adara Brin, the ship’s technical chief warrant officer. Her presence increased my curiosity tenfold.

‘I just wanted to check on you all. There have been some nasty rumours running around, and your absence has been noted.’

‘And you wanted to know if the rumours are true,’ stated the Tornu, his tone low, rough, and disapproving. Arty stiffened at his words.

‘Not exactly. I don’t believe any of it myself, but there are some people attempting to sully Reece’s name, and your team by association. I really just wanted to make sure everyone was okay. A woman is in a coma, after all, and people can be cruel when they jump to conclusions.’

‘Thank you for your concern, but as you can see we’re okay. And no, the rumours aren’t true. About our involvement, at least. A woman was, unfortunately, assaulted, but Reece nor anyone else in this room had anything to do with it,’ Arty informed me. He was very polite and professional, and it rubbed me the wrong way. I got it though. He clearly wasn’t one to trust easily, and rightfully so. Particularly with all this nonsense surrounding his team.

‘Didn’t doubt it. I’m glad you’re all okay, I just wanted to check in with you all to see how you were faring.’ I pointed my thumb over my shoulder towards the exit. ‘Well, I should be getting back to bed. Hopefully, I’ll see you around soon,’ I said, then waved goodbye as I left.

Urman stirred when I got back, waking from the rustling of my bedsheets.

‘You okay, boss?’ he asked groggily.

‘Yup. Just went next door.’

‘Yeah? What they say?’

‘Just that they had nothing to do with the assault. They’ve got a pink female and a feast in there, too.’

‘Lucky bastards,’ was his reply, and then he fell back asleep.

‘Yeah,’ I whispered into the darkness. ‘Lucky.’

???

The next couple of days were much the same. My team and I worked as runners for the officers, ate, slept, and did it all again the next day. Tarren continued his smear campaign against Arty, but most people ignored him after the ‘witnesses’ suddenly zipped their lips on the matter.

The other notable change was the small group of sheep Tarren had acquired, following him around like lost little children and hanging off his every word. It was enough cause for mild concern, but otherwise I just brushed it off. Captain Hironimus would deal with them eventually. He must have had his reasons for allowing them to continue spreading the rumours, despite his clear opposition and zero-tolerance policy for bullying. But this went far beyond simple teasing and belittling. I was trying to be sympathetic towards Tarren because this was personal for him, but he was making it harder every time he opened his mouth.

I wondered if the captain was watching and waiting for one of them to slip up and start bragging about their involvement in hurting the woman. He was busy with too many other things that were more important than cadets running their mouths, though, like investigating the crime committed and apprehending the correct guilty party.

The good news was that the woman who was attacked woke up. I overheard a couple of the officers I was running for mention that she was healing well enough, but she was jumping at shadows. She didn’t want many people visiting, and one even commented on how paranoid she was, afraid to even go back to her own room for fear of being followed. Apparently, she believed herself safe from an attack with the on-board medical practitioners constantly hovering around as well as her brother, and felt their presence warded off anyone who wished her harm.

They also talked about how the rumours regarding Reece and his team were false, and the woman even confirmed that he had no part in what occurred. Yet, their absence was still noted by everyone, their team suddenly the most infamous on the ship. Cadets and officers alike gossiped about what was keeping them away, or if they were even still on board.

On the third day after I’d checked in with them, Mercer’s team finally showed up for breakfast in the mess hall. You could’ve heard a pin drop with the way everyone went silent and stared. They grabbed their food and sat at an empty table away from the majority of the population. It didn’t go unnoticed how Mercer, who had previously distanced himself from the others, sat in the centre and actually held a conversation.

It was smart of them to keep their social circle small and contained. Those nearest to them leaned away as if they would catch some sort of disease if they got too close, their blatant distrust and disdain bouncing off an invisible shield they had erected around themselves. It was as if they were the only ones in the room, and everyone else was insignificant. I admired their courage and tenacity.

I wanted to get up and sit with them, if only to show everyone that their behaviour was ridiculous and uncalled for. And I didn’t want Arty, Bromm, Foryk or Reece to think they were unwelcome with the rest of us cadets, even if they were acting as if they didn’t care. There was no way the negative reactions hadn’t penetrated through their facade, even if only to a small degree.

Unfortunately, my team and I had just finished eating when they came in, so we were heading out for our first shift by the time they sat down. All I managed was a wave that they responded to as we passed.

Tomorrow, I resolved.

When we reported for duty on the control deck, we were directed away from our usual officers by the first lieutenant. Instead, we were led to the bridge for an audience with Captain Hironimus. He stood in the centre of the control room, hands clasped behind his rigid back as he turned to survey his officers and their work. When he eventually noticed us standing to the side waiting to be acknowledged, he stepped down off his platform and made his way towards us, his steps slow and measured. The first lieutenant took his place on the pedestal, her observations astute and laser focused.

The captain was a tall man for a Terran mutt, and his ancestry wasn’t clear. Some believed that ambiguous mutts with undefinable physical traits to be lesser beings, but they were just afraid of the unknown. When an individual’s racial attributes were unclear, they were also unaware of their abilities. With the sheer size of his musculature and the brilliant yellow of his eyes, I was certain that there was at the very least some Tornu in his bloodline, and that was enough to let me know that this man was not to be messed with. I was sure he also hid some other abilities he wasn’t forthcoming with either, if his rank was any indication.

He stopped in front of us, self-confident and intimidating as he peered down his nose. ‘Cadets Ituk, Brosni, Alaida and Parisia, I presume?’ he asked in that deep, imperious voice that caused people to quiver with unease on our first day. Though, to be fair, cadets still cowered whenever he entered the room. His officers didn’t, though, which was a decent sign he wasn’t as terrifying as he seemed.

I was betting on a soft core beneath all that brooding.

‘Yes, sir,’ I answered for all of us.

‘And you must be Cadet Corporal Ituk,’ he assumed, his attention now solely on me. It was slightly unnerving, but I held my ground and responded with another respectful yes, sir.

‘I was told you were interested in the wellbeing of Cadet Lance Corporal Hastings and his team. Is this correct?’ he asked.

My brows wanted to rise into my hairline but I forced them to remain still. Who the hell had been watching me so closely to know that? I was suddenly slightly concerned about the nature of this discussion despite the fact that I didn’t have anything to hide or be ashamed of, but I refused to let him see me break under his scrutiny. He seemed pleased by my ability to stand my ground, however. A proud gleam glinted behind his eyes.

I nodded my confirmation.

‘Good. I am giving your team a new assignment,’ he began, and I waited for him to continue. ‘As you well know, Reece Hastings has been accused of a crime. A crime with a punishment that involves immediate dismissal, a trial, and a prison sentence. On some planets he could have faced an even harsher consequence. He has been found innocent through surveillance evidence, but the fact remains that someone is specifically targeting him, and his team by proxy. Their safety is currently one of my top priorities.’ He paused to let us process the information. ‘I am assigning you and your team as their protection detail for the duration of the investigation.’

Shock coursed through me, at not only the new knowledge but the gravity of the assignment. He was trusting us to keep those under his care safe while he personally dealt with the problem, and that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I was totally right. Captain Hironimus was a closet softie.

‘Of course, sir. Anything to help.’

‘It is my understanding that your room is close to theirs?’ he asked.

‘Yes, sir. Right next door.’

‘Good. Your teams will be working closely with one another from this point forward. You will be their first line of defence, and their assignments are now also yours. You will find your new schedules on your holo-tab.’

He turned his back on us, a clear dismissal, but there was something I still wanted to know. ‘Sir, how long do you think the investigation will take? Do you have any real suspects yet?’

I almost didn’t catch it, but that was definitely a flinch. Yet, when he turned back around his emotions were completely locked away.

‘This is not public knowledge yet, but due to your new assignment I see no reason to hide it from you. You might have discovered by now that there were multiple witnesses, all of which came forward with accurate information except for the identity of the unsub. Lying about and obstructing the investigation is cause for probation and they will face their actions in a disciplinary hearing.’ He paused to take a breath and choose his next words.

‘When we dock at Nova Academy the known offenders will be apprehended and escorted off my ship, but the ship will be on lock down until the investigation is complete. The IU Police will be assisting in finding the unsub’s identity and apprehending them. There is a possibility that this will paint an even larger target on the accused team’s backs. The unsub or those covering for him may decide to escalate or act out of desperation, which is where you lot come in.’

My brows dipped at the lack of any real information there. ‘Sir, you may have confirmed a few suspicions, but that wasn’t anything we didn’t already know. If we are to properly guard them we need to know all the information.’ It was a risk to push for so much with our rank the lowest of the low, but my point was valid all the same.

He paused, as if unwilling to tell me what he intended to say next, but eventually gave in. ‘Prince Brommyt Min’Tuk from the Griknot Royal Family is a member of the targeted team. It is imperative that no harm comes to any of them . Am I understood?’

I blinked, the only outward expression of my astonishment. The Griknot Royal Family was large, with at least forty princes and princesses, but the idea that one of them was not only a cadet on this ship but that he was sleeping on the other side of the wall from me was almost too difficult to wrap my head around.

‘I assume that is the not-so public knowledge, sir?’ I asked.

‘Your assumption would be correct. It was a stipulation upon his enrolment that his true identity remain secret. I trust you’ll adhere to those wishes?’ Even though it was phrased as a question, it wasn’t.

‘Of course, sir,’ I agreed immediately. When he looked to my team for their agreement and they remained steadfastly quiet, I jabbed my elbow into Urman’s side. He got the memo and verbalised his affirmation, and the other two followed without any more prompting.

Captain Hironimus fully dismissed us then, going back to his station in the middle of the room and leaving us to… well, leave.

So we did.

The elevator was the space we used to process and regroup. Honestly, the little moving box was becoming a theme within our lives here on the ship. I might miss it when we land.

‘Do any of you boys have a problem with our assignment?’ I asked first. I didn’t think Urman would be an issue, but Cadmus was a bastard on the best of days and Henrik was his right-hand man, which wasn’t ideal if they wanted to stir shit up. I was kicking myself for neglecting to check in with them on the matter before I’d accepted on their behalf, but it was too late now. If they were falling for Tarren’s bullshit I was going to have to do some serious damage control.

‘I’m with you, boss,’ Urman assured me.

‘If the captain said Reece didn’t do it, then I’m inclined to believe him,’ said Henrik, surprising both me and Urman that he’d spoken up before Cadmus. The quieter man looked towards his friend to take the lead more often than not, but Cadmus didn’t seem bothered and agreed with the rest of us.

We all seemed to be on the same page which alleviated most of the weight I’d been shouldering since we’d been diverted from our usual routine for an audience with the captain. Cadmus’ decision was the biggest relief of all.

‘Good,’ I breathed out the word. ‘If the unsub could cause that much harm, I would hate to see what he’d do if he felt threatened by Reece, of all men.’

‘He’s a capable guy, boss, and his team have his back. I wouldn’t worry too much about him,’ Urman reassured. It was nice to hear it from him. He was fast becoming someone I could trust and depend upon, and a friendship was forming nicely between us. I still wasn’t too keen on Cadmus or Henrik, but this conversation was a large stride towards building a foundation of trust between us.

I would have wait and see if their actions aligned with their words.