CHAPTER 3

Artemis

I was awake long before the buzzer sounded through the room’s speaker. It hadn’t taken long for my bunkmates to arrive last night, their heavy boots stomping around while the fabric of their clothes and bedsheets rustled as they readied themselves for bed. And then I had lain awake listening to the deep, vibrating snores from Foryk and the gentle plop-plopping from Bromm’s beard jostling from his breath. It provided a unique backdrop for my thoughts.

My least favourite bunkmate also stayed awake for the majority of the night, though he eventually nodded off around the early hours of the morning. I had waited for him to fall asleep before trying get some more for myself, but I was just too wound up to nod off again.

It turned into a blessing in disguise that I was up before the others when I was able to wash and get myself dressed for the day without anyone the wiser. By the time the speakers erupted with an obnoxious blast, I was prepared to face whatever the day would throw at me, breasts fully tucked away.

I sat up on my bed while the others roused, and I glanced over at Bromm in the bunk across from mine. He had fallen asleep facing the wall, but twisted around as the lights flicked on, eyes blinking blearily at me as he took a moment to fully wake up. His beard wasn’t wriggling, instead drooping limply from his face like a regular beard which was a relief. I didn’t know why I struggled so much with it, but it was profoundly disturbing watching something writhe around a person’s face. Yet, watching him yawn, stretch, and blink low-lidded, sleepy eyes, I found him oddly adorable .

The Program hadn’t afforded me much contact with other races. My particular facility consisted primarily of pureblood Terrans, though there were a few mutts scattered amongst us. But what we all had in common was that we were from Earth. There were other facilities containing different races scattered around the galaxies that made up the majority of the Intergalactic Union, but I hadn’t been exposed to anything beyond the occasional Tornu guard until recently. One such guard had even snuck me learning materials for a while, but I didn’t want to think about him or his so-called kindness .

Anyway, research from the other side of space was a far reach from experiencing and interacting with diversity in person

Bromm sat up then, my attention drawn to the movement. His bedsheet slipped to pool around his hips, leaving his bare, pale blue chest on full display. He was fit, with lean muscles throughout his torso, but covered in a thin layer of softness that was an unusual combination I had yet to see. Until recently, I had been surrounded by either the lean or bulging muscles of my peers and the guards, or the flabby fat of the scientists who’d spent their time hunched over experiments and lab equipment rather than working out. It made Bromm’s contradictory build all the more intriguing.

He caught me looking and though his cheeks darkened with a blush at my perusal of his body, he shot me a wink. That action alone manage to turn the tables on me and made my own face burn with embarrassment. Yet again, I had been caught staring at him with something akin to admiration. I wasn’t sure what it was I felt towards his physical appearance beyond curiosity, but there was no doubt by now he believed me interested. If I ignored it, perhaps he would too. As a member of the most notoriously promiscuous race in the Intergalactic Union, he must have grown used to such attention.

My eyes dropped and I stared unseeingly at a spot on my blanket, feeling even more tense than yesterday. Luckily, the fuzz of the speaker turning on gave me something else to focus on, the same scratchy voice from last night cutting through the uncomfortable atmosphere.

‘Good morning, Cadets. Could all newly appointed Cadet Corporals report to the great hall on deck fourteen. I repeat, all Cadet Corporals report to the great hall on deck fourteen. Cadet Lance Corporals, remain in your designated rooms until called for duty.’

I stood, removing my armband from my pocket and strapping it onto the correct arm, I exited the room without a word or a single glance backwards. Especially not toward the captivatingly unusual, half naked Griknot.

As I stepped out of the room the red-eyed Cadet Corporal who had followed me down last night stepped out of his room at the same time. I should have expected it, but his sudden presence caused me to freeze. Hurriedly, I mentally shook off the tension being around him created. The distressing emotions from yesterday’s encounters had compounded into one large ball of anxiety and attempted to push to the forefront again. Instead of letting those emotions win, I tilted my chin down in a polite nod of acknowledgement and continued on my way. I was distractingly aware of him following me but did my best to ignore him.

Luckily, the elevator ride was at capacity this morning as the other Cadet Corporals jammed themselves inside the small chamber. It was cramped and difficult to move. I was especially tuned in to the way my body was pressed up against those surrounding me, including the guy from yesterday, but the previous tension was non-existent. Instead, it was replaced by the united manner in which we all fought for personal space.

When the doors slid up, they spilled out in a flurry of limbs, each of them eager for the breathing room. A few of them even dragged in noisy breaths as if they physically were unable to breathe while stuffed in close quarters. My head shook in disapproval of its own accord, my astonishment at the way these men behaved – specifically their lack of self-discipline – broke free from my attempts to remain stoic and detached. Truly, was it so hard to just suck it up and move on?

Drama queens, the lot of them.

It didn’t give me much hope for this shipment of cadets. The rumours surrounding Nova Academy suggested it was the best institution for starting one’s military career, with the finest instructors money could buy and state-of-the-art facilities. But so far there hadn’t been much to prove it was as cultivated as it claimed to be. It was more than likely that ‘elite’ in this instance meant ‘wealthy and well-connected,’ and I worried I would find myself in a different kind of danger. One I would need to extricate myself from before it escalated out of my control.

While most of the cadets seemed to be self-absorbed, there were a few like Bromm, Foryk, and my crimson-eyed neighbour that had noticed me more than I was comfortable with. If they used their wealth and connections to dig deeper into me, because for some reason they found me interesting, then my entire reason for being here would be null and void. I needed to get back to The Program maintaining a control over the situation. I did not plan to be dragged back unconscious and strapped to a medical cot because of an overdose of tranquilisers.

The last to arrive – a pattern was forming here – was the asshole with an attitude from my room. Just as he found a position among the small gathering, Captain Hironimus entered flanked by two other officers that stayed just a step behind him on the stage. We snapped to attention, and when he spoke, his voice boomed throughout the vast space.

‘Cadet Corporals, welcome. You have each been promoted for not only your abilities to follow silent orders, nor for completing the assigned research before provided upon your enrolment, but for your astute skill of thinking for yourselves. While Military Command dictates you follow orders, if you wish to progress through the ranks then you will need to become accustomed to performing with and under a certain level of authority. As befitting your new rank, you shall be the leaders of your teams. Do well, and you may be awarded another promotion. Fail, and you will be demoted. Any questions?’

A few beats passed before a guy towards the front of the stage raised a hand. The captain nodded for him to speak.

‘When do we get assigned to our teams, sir?’

The captain smiled, and though it wasn’t cruel, it wasn’t kind, either. ‘Your teams are your bunkmates.’

I frowned at that, not because of Bromm and Foryk, but because I couldn’t lead the same team as another. I raised my own hand and was quickly called upon.

‘Sir, one of my bunkmates is also a Cadet Corporal. Which one of us it to take charge?’

‘Good question. Only one of you can lead your team. We will be adjusting bunk assignments to accommodate as soon as the others arrive. What is your number, Cadet Corporal?’

‘One,’ I answered.

‘Ah, yes. I remember you. Is there anyone else in this room fighting for the same team?’ Four other hands raised. ‘Very well. Those with the lowest number will remain in their bunks. The other shall switch to a newly vacated room. Now, everyone, line up. Let’s get this sorted so we can move on.’

It only took a few minutes to collect everyone’s assigned numbers and arrange us based on our bunk allocations. There were sixty of us, twenty Corporals per deck. I noticed the guy who was no longer my bunkmate towards the end of the line, now assigned a bunk on deck six and far away from me. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t pleased with what this development, but it did leave a bed open in my room which would have to be filled.

On a less than positive note, I was standing beside the guy from the elevator since we were room neighbours as well as number neighbours. I examined him from my periphery, taking in his shoulder blade-length black hair that was pulled up into a simple bun on the top of his head. He had a five o’ clock shadow with neat, straight lines that brought out the squareness of his jaw.

He must have felt my gaze roaming over him because he twisted to meet my plain brown eyes with his scarlet ones. His expression was neutral, no sign of any emotion on his face except for the way the skin crinkled around his eyes, proving he still found me amusing.

For what felt like the millionth time since I’d stepped foot on this ship, mortification burned through me. I was getting frustrated with the reaction, not used to feeling so out of my depth.My initial reaction was to look away, cover my face with my hair and pretend it hadn’t happened. I couldn’t do that here, though. My hair was too short now to create a barrier between me and the cause of my discomfort, and I was meant to be a military man. Blushing and averting my gaze like a shy little girl – no one had ever considered me shy before, but there was a first for everything – was going to create the wrong kind of assumptions about my character. I was under no illusion that as one of many within a group of solely males, especially when I was likely the most feminine one of the bunch, that I would skirt by without attracting the notice of those missing the touch of a woman. Or a man if they were so persuaded. I had been trained from an early age to utilise my beauty to achieve my goals, so I was aware of my appeal and was why I was actively trying to diminish my appearance. But there was only so much I could do without it becoming a hindrance.

So, instead of giving in to my body’s reactions, I held his gaze and offered him a small uptilt of my lips, ignoring the way my cheeks flamed under his gaze. Then, I faced the stage and our commanding officers, keeping my focus where it was required. I wasn’t sure what it was about him that had caught my attention so viscerally, but I couldn’t afford any distractions and the man beside me was fast becoming just that. I just hoped he didn’t mistake it for flirting.

‘Now that that’s sorted, your teams should be on their way up. Those with an empty spot please step forward so we can reassign your new team member and bunkmate.’

I stepped forward obediently, my hands clasped behind my back and my feet shoulder-width apart. We didn’t have to wait long for the rest of the cadets to arrive, the hall filling quickly and silently. It was a surprise that no one spoke, not even to mutter something quietly to their neighbour. Also, they all looked rather haggard and scruffy, some even with wrinkled clothing and hair that looked uncombed and unkempt.

One man yawned, which set off a domino effect where each man followed suit one after the other. My own throat started to open up in the beginnings of a yawn as well, but I swallowed it down.

My sights snagged on Captain Hironimus and his ever-deepening scowl. He pursed his lips into an even tighter line that turned them so white it was a surprise they hadn’t fallen off his face. Studying the newcomers, his top lip curled up in clear derision.

‘Cadets, at attention!’ he shouted, tension running through his muscles and causing veins to pulse in his neck and forehead.

They obeyed, albeit sluggishly, which seemed to rachet the captain’s blood pressure even higher. His face was turning a variety of distinct colours, from pink, to red, and now purple. This wasn’t going to go well.

‘I said, at attention! ’

His anger and frustration seemed to snap the sleepy cadets out of their stupor, a few staring at him wide-eyed with alarm.

‘Let me make one thing clear,’ the captain began, his voice low and deadly. ‘You work on my timeline, not yours. You do as I say, when I say it, and promptly . Understood? ’

‘Yes, sir!’ they called, each and every one of them now fully awake with rigid postures.

‘Another demerit for the lot of you,’ snapped the captain, and I caught sight of Bromm and Foryk. Bromm’s throat working as he gulped and Foryk’s scowl deepened further.

‘Now, each Cadet Corporal is standing in order of your bunk assignments. There have been some changes. Find your corresponding Cadet Corporal and line up in front of them.’

Bromm noticed me first, so he grabbed Foryk’s wrist and dragged him along towards me. Both saw we were a man short when our line did not match the length of the others, and they shot me a questioning look. I merely held their gaze and awaited further instruction from the captain.

The two officers who had entered with Captain Hironimus, and whom had previously been standing to the side without any obvious task to perform, stepped off the raised stage and went straight to the lines with an additional person. After a quick conversation followed by some tapping on a holo-tab, one member from those teams moved towards those of us with an incomplete team.Still, I kept my gaze forward and focussed on Bromm and Foryk. At least until that open space was filled.

But it seemed I had traded one unwanted roommate for another, because he was none other than the silver-haired man from the gate.