Chương 9

A penthouse apartment. A beautiful night. A comfy sofa. Ahhhh. This is the life. I looked out the floor to ceiling window that took up a whole floor. A large city sprawled underneath me. My hometown.

"Hey there," someone walked up behind me, hands gliding across my shoulders, massaging the stress away. My wife, Charlotte. She came around to sit cuddled next to me on the sofa, looking out into the night.

"It's quite beautiful today. A clear night full of stars."

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding, and turned to look into her stunning silver eyes.

"Not as beautiful as you though." I leaned in, watching her face as she closed her eyes, ready for the kiss… but was interrupted as a set of footsteps descended down the stairs.

"Having fun without me? And here I am breaking my back bringing us the drinks." My second wife walked up and sat down on my other side, putting the tray of drinks on the little coffee table in front of us. Her bright green eyes never left my face. Her dress only accentuated them further. Charlotte chuckled as she sat back with her drink, "Of course not, Lysara!" she let her eyes roam over me while biting her lip, "There is plenty for everyone here, isn't there?"

I turned back to the window and put my hands around them as we enjoyed the view. I think I am finally happy. The thought was unbidden, but I agreed. It did feel like bliss… Suddenly, Charlotte grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face her, the glass dropping, forgotten, on the carpet.

"Jax…" I leaned in.

"Jax. Wake up." Eh?

"Jax! Wake up, damnit! You're going to be late!" My eyes shot open. Through the fog of sleep, I could just barely remember coming back to my room last night. My brain felt like it was wrapped in wet wool, and my body... my body felt like it belonged to a much larger, much older man who had recently been beaten with a lead pipe. Wait, hold on. I was in my room and I had no roommate. So who was trying to wake me up? I lifted my face from my pillow and turned around.

Charlotte, my wife, was leaning over me, way too close her silver hair falling forward to frame her face. Morning light filtered through the window behind her. She looked rested and entirely too put-together for whatever ungodly hour this was.

"Hello beautiful" I slurred. I grabbed and pulled her into the bed. She yelped, "Hey!" Wait no. That was a dream. I was still a bit out of it. I blinked my eyes a few more time to clear up the gunk. I quickly pushed her back and sat up myself.

"Sorry! Sorry!" She was blushing and pouting at the same time. Gods she looks cute. And I am probably in trouble.

"C-Class, ahem, class starts **in forty-five minutes." She straightened up, and I noticed she was already in her uniform. The blush was receding, slowly.

"I knocked for five minutes before I used the key. You slept like the dead."

"I feel like the dead." I slowly moved my body and felt every muscle protesting the movement. I noticed a message notification in my interface. I'll check it in a sec. The stim had worn off completely, and the crash Vera had warned about hit me like a physical force.

"What exactly did Vera have you doing?"

"Combat drills and lots of sparring." I swung my legs off the bed and immediately regretted it.

"She gave me a stim shot first. Said it would help me keep up."

"Wait, you took a stim shot?" Charlotte frowned.

"That's dangerous. The crash can be brutal if you're not used to them."

"I noticed."

"Anything else you noticed? Or rather, that you're forgetting?" she asked sweetly. It was now my turn to frown. My brain sluggishly went through yesterday's events in reverse order. I had trained with Vera, went through a hellish day running, breakfast with Charlotte, and… the midnight texting. I quickly pulled up the notification. Shit.

"Crap, sorry. I forgot we were supposed to have our Dominion rematch," I said.

"My fault. I trained with Vera and then…" Charlotte's eyes twinkled as she looked at me fumble through my apology.

"Anyways, sorry. I'll make it up to you. For what happened just now as well." I concluded, then corrected, "Rather, how can I make it up to you?"

"First, can you stand?" Charlotte asked, a calculating gleam in her eye. I nodded as I came up. The room tilted, steadied, and then tilted again. Charlotte's hand caught my arm, keeping me upright.

"You need food," she said.

"And probably another shower. You smell like a sparring mat."

"Charming, I take it?"

"Glad you're awake enough to make a joke." Charlotte smiled back.

"I'll wait outside. Try to finish in ten minutes." The shower helped. Hot water washed away the dried sweat and loosened the muscles that had seized up during the night. By the time I emerged, I almost felt human again. As I was drying off, my interface pinged me about another message. Probably took too long. I opened it, but no, it was Lysara. — Lysara: Hey, you guys coming for breakfast soon? I just now got there. ^^ Jax: Mornin, and yeah, we'll be there soon. Lysara: Awesome!

\o/ — Charlotte was waiting in the hallway, her eyes moving in that telltale way of someone using their interface. She looked up as I stepped out.

"Better. You look like a functioning person now."

"Your compliments are overwhelming."

"I save the good ones for people who earn them." She started walking toward the lift. I piped up, "Lysara messaged me just now by the way. She's meeting us in the cafeteria."

"She is?" Charlotte frowned a little as I caught up with her and walked by her side. Stolen story; please report.

"Apparently." I nodded. Charlotte's gaze fixed on the floor of the lift as it began its smooth descent. She was quiet for a moment and the only sound between us was the faint hum of the station's gravity generators. Then, she shifted her weight. The movement drew my eyes again to the way her training suit hugged her frame. Dangerous thoughts on dangerous mornings. Even having just woken up, she looked formidable.

"You know, you did well yesterday. She wasn't wrong about you being an asset."

"And you're okay with her 'analyzing' the asset over breakfast?" I asked, half-joking.

"What, are you interested?" Charlotte teased back.

"Lysara's definitely someone who… takes pride in their appearance," I said slowly. The slightest frown formed on Charlotte's lips. Before it could develop much further, I continued. In for a penny, in for a pound.

"But I think you're much prettier than her. If there was a person I'm interested in, it would be you." A slight flush crept back up Charlotte's neck. The lift hummed around us, and for a moment I wondered if I'd overstepped.

"You're... direct this morning," she said finally.

"Is that a problem?" I asked. 11 Spirit, you better not fail me now, or I swear to all the gods- Charlotte's reflection in the polished metal doors showed her worrying her lower lip.

"No. It's not a problem," she said, meeting my eyes in the reflection. Then, a mischievous smile played across her face.

"You know, even before this law, harems aren't exactly frowned upon where I come from~" I choked on my own breath, coughing into my hand.

"That's... quite the statement to drop before I've even had breakfast." Charlotte's smile widened at my reaction, clearly enjoying having knocked me off balance for once.

"What? You can flirt, but I can't?"

"That wasn't flirting," I managed.

"That was dropping a tactical nuke into casual conversation."

"Fair point." The lift doors slid open to reveal the large food court beyond. Charlotte skipped out, then glanced back at me with that same dangerous smile.

"Consider it intel for future reference. Now come on. Lysara's waiting, and I'd rather not give her more material to analyze than she already has." The cafeteria was busy with the morning rush. Students from various programs filled the tables. Despite the bustle, I spotted Lysara immediately. Her uniform jacket fitted in a way that emphasized her slender waist and the subtle curves beneath. Against the crowd of students, her skin had an almost luminescent quality.

"You're enjoying this way too much," I muttered as we approached her table.

"Maybe," Charlotte admitted quietly, her shoulder brushing against mine.

"But you started it."

"You look like death warmed over," Lysara greeted as we sat down, her green eyes analyzing me.

"I'm sensing a theme."

"It's an accurate observation." Lysara pushed a tray toward me.

"I took the liberty of getting you food. You'll need the calories if yesterday's physical conditioning is any indication." I looked at the tray. It was loaded with protein, carbohydrates, and what appeared to be actual fruit. More food than I usually ate in a single sitting.

"Thanks."

"No need, just make sure to say yes next time I ask if you for that dinner date," Lysara smiled coquettishly. Charlotte laughed out loud. They were both smirking and staring at each other, challenge clear in their eyes. I looked at the two of them, who both turned to smile brightly back at me.

"Okay, I just wanted to see that look on your face."

"You two are conspiring against me already," I said, reaching for the fruit.

"Should I be concerned?"

"Deeply," Lysara said, completely deadpan. She picked up her fork and resumed her methodical eating.

"Now eat. We have thirty minutes before class, and I want to discuss something." I ate. The food was better than yesterday's offerings. Either the station's cooks had improved overnight, or Lysara had pulled strings. Given what I was learning about noble houses, the latter seemed more likely.

"So," Lysara started after I had cleared half my tray.

"I did some research last night. On you."

"Should I be flattered or concerned?"

"Both, probably." She set down her fork and fixed me with those green eyes.

"I'm going to be blunt here. The only military experience in your family was your mother. She served on the Relentless Dawn during the Kyros Suppression." I stopped eating.

"You found all that in one night?"

"I'm a Thorne. Information is what we do." Lysara tilted her head.

"What I couldn't find is how you ended up in the most competitive program at Magna Protos. Professor Maren recommended you, yes, but I can't figure out why. I did find something classified, but I couldn't dig anything up except a glowing recommendation, and isn't that interesting?" Charlotte had gone quiet, watching the exchange with careful attention.

"What's your point?" I asked, sweating slightly.

"My point is that you're a puzzle with a piece missing." Lysara leaned forward.

"So I'm asking directly. How did you get here, Jax Akana?" The honest answer was that I didn't know. And damn, that uniform is distracting. I sent my thanks again to the designer, may their pillow be cold on both sides.

"Professor Maren said something about my game against Charlotte in the shuttle. Maybe I'm just that good at Dominion," I said, shrugging.

"Nobody is that good at Dominion. Fine. Keep your secrets. For now." If possible, she looked even more pleased with the lack of information.

"Speaking of secrets," I said, turning the tables, "what about House Thorne? You said your family produces analysts. People who win wars from behind desks." I took a bite of protein.

"So why is the heir to that legacy running weighted laps with the rest of us?" Lysara's expression flickered. Just for a moment, I thought I saw something darker behind the analytical facade.

"Who said I was the heir?"

"You carry yourself like one," I said confidently, bluffing out of my ass.

"The way you assumed command of this conversation from the moment we sat down. That's not second-child behavior."

"You're more observant than I expected." Lysara picked up her fork again, but didn't eat.

"You're right. I was the heir. Past tense." Her fingers traced the rim of her cup, and I realized I hadn't seen her fidget until now.

"House Thorne is complicated. My half-brother Davos made a very strategic marriage to the Deteros Governor's daughter. That changed things."

"Wait, Deteros like the sector?"

"Exactly. It's a bit hard to compete against an entire sector's worth of resources."

"So you came here," Charlotte said slowly.

"So I came here." Lysara's green eyes glinted with something dangerous.

"House Thorne is too accustomed to sitting behind the front lines and coming up with grand strategies. Someone who actually has field experience?" She leaned back, and for a moment, she looked every bit the strategic mastermind her family had raised her to be.

"That'll give me an edge. That, and connections. When I return to House Thorne, I'll be someone again."

"That's not so different from why I'm here, I guess."

"Oh?" Lysara's eyes sharpened.

"And why are you here?"

"Because I want to see how good I actually am," I said simply, thinking back to the offer Professor Maren had given me. Compared to them, the reason probably seemed very plain. She had mentioned fleet commissions and leadership positions, but those mattered less than the fact that I could be in the same room with those future fleet commanders and compete to the limit of my abilities.

"Against the best humanity has to offer, I want to see where I stand." She scoffed.

"You're just here because you want to test yourself?"

"Is that so different from you?" I challenged.

"You want to prove you're better than your brother. I want to prove I'm better than whoever comes at me." Charlotte made a small sound of amusement.

"He's not wrong."

"No, he's not. Though I'd argue my motivations are slightly more... practical. You're chasing glory for its own sake."

"Maybe," I admitted.

"But there's something pure about that, isn't there? Just me against the challenge, finding out exactly how far I can push before I break." I could feel my blood start to boil just thinking about it.

"And if you do break?" Lysara asked.

"Then at least I'll know my limit." I met her emerald eyes steadily.

"Better than spending my life wondering what I could have been if I'd actually tried."

"Speaking of trying," Charlotte interjected smoothly, "Lysara, if you find a way to get good food out of the cafeteria tonight, I wouldn't mind you joining us for dinner again."

"Is this a trade? Didn't think you'd be so commercial," Lysara laughed.

"Easier to manage an empire when you understand commerce,""Is that what your family does?" I asked.

"Manage the empire?"

"Maybe," Charlotte said quickly.

"Ask me again in four years." Lysara smirked and went to say something, but a scowl from Charlotte made her reconsider and shrug at me instead. We sat in silence for a moment.

"Well," Lysara said finally, breaking the silence with her usual briskness, "this went off the deep end for a breakfast conversation."

"You started it," I pointed out.

"Okay fine," she was smiling as she said it.

"We should move. Class starts in fifteen minutes, and I refuse to be late on the second day." We gathered our trays and headed for the exit. Charlotte fell into step on my left, Lysara on my right. It felt natural in a way I hadn't expected, tugging back to a dream I could almost remember. – The tactical theory classroom was on the upper level of the academic wing. The instructor was not what I expected.

She was younger than Vera, maybe late twenties, with close-cropped dark hair and a cybernetic eye that emitted a faint blue glow as she watched us. Her uniform bore the insignia of a Lieutenant Commander, and she moved with the casual confidence of someone who'd earned her rank the hard way.

"You may address me as Lieutenant Commander Reyes. Find your seats," she said without preamble.

"We're starting in two minutes." We claimed spots in the middle row. Other students filtered in around us, including Belcher, who looked marginally more alive than yesterday. He caught my eye and nodded. I nodded back. The holographic display at the far wall flickered to life. ============ THE SIEGE OF VERANTIS III OPERATION: DECAPITATION STRIKE - DAY 12 OUTCOME: TACTICAL SUCCESS COMMANDER: COLONEL SERIA THANE ENGAGEMENT CASUALTIES: 89 OF 120 DEPLOYED (74%) ============