Duplicates of Stars

By Katie Odom

In a solar system far from our own, two planets have been at war for centuries.

Fourteen-year-old Aza Raider wants nothing to do with the violence or the politics, but when she gets draf

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mango Publishing
• Release date: Jun 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088152089

Book preview

Duplicates of Stars

Katie Odom

Mango Publishing

Chapter 1

Aza was trapped.

Strapped against the padded wall, she tried to take solace from the small window next to her, scanning over the crowd outside even as tears blurred her vision. The surrounding metal walls may have made her feel claustrophobic, but at least she had the window, and that meant she could search for her dad in the crowd surrounding the spaceship, there to bid them all farewell.

Aza kept searching, finding him a minute later and feeling silent sobs wrack her body when she saw her dad’s tears. He was staring at the shuttle, unable to see through the mirrored windows, and Aza frantically rubbed her eyes to be able to see him better, trying to memorize every aspect of his face.

Salty droplets stained her dad’s dark skin, which was almost the exact shade as Aza’s own, even though she had been adopted by him many years before. But the bond between them had always felt much stronger than even blood.

Aza tore her gaze away from the window to stare straight ahead, ignoring the pressing stare of the girl next to her. She instead focused on the silver wall in front of her, which must have two more people strapped to the other side.

Like her, everyone else in the large spacecraft had been selected during the planetary draft to fight in the war against Tellus. The age of drafting was getting lower and lower as more soldiers were needed, and this year’s selectants had all been fourteen, just like Aza.

She turned her attention back to the window, absently tugging on one of her long braids as she focused on her dad again. Last night, he had done every one of the many braids with care, and both of them had cried the entire time. Because now, Aza was leaving, and she might never return home.

The thought brought on a fresh wave of emotion as she tilted her head up toward the sky, studying the gray wisps of clouds floating high in the crystalline blue of Ultruin’s atmosphere.

Great skies. She might never see this view again.

Excuse me, a voice said, making Aza startle. She turned to find the girl next to her with her arms crossed, green eyes glaring up past black curls. She was extremely short, but Aza wasn’t much taller, so the girl’s stare was almost level with her own.

The other girl’s expression softened once she realized that she had Aza’s attention, and she offered up a small smile before blowing a dark curl out of her face. The strand just swung right back, making the girl frown. She tucked it behind her ear as she studied Aza.

You’ve kind of been blocking the window, the girl commented.

Oh, I’m sorry, Aza replied quickly, wiping her eyes and pressing herself as far as she could against the padded wall. The other girl leaned forward to peer past her, a longing expression washing over her face as she stared out at the sky.

After a minute, the girl leaned back again, leaving Aza to silently stare out the window. She tried to stop new tears from falling, but staring out at her dad’s solemn expression wasn’t helping. Turning away, she squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to pretend that she was still back at home, instead of in this vehicle about to head for Ultruin’s space station, lightyears away.

The girl next to her let out a low hum, and Aza opened her eyes to glance over. She was met with an unflinching stare, and after a few seconds, the girl tilted her head, staring at Aza in what almost looked like confusion. Then she smiled and held out a hand.

Aza reached out and took it—which was a bit of an awkward motion, as she had to reach directly out to the side because of her harness—and they each squeezed the other’s hand quickly before releasing.

I’m Max, the girl offered.

My name’s Aza. It’s nice to meet you.

Max shrugged one shoulder, glancing out the window with a small smile. Aza turned too, trying to ingrain the world’s horizon into her mind. Max’s gaze drifted away from the window and back to Aza after a minute, studying her again.

Homesick already? Max asked, somehow managing to sound both impudent and empathetic at the same time.

Aza nodded, not tearing her eyes away from the sky. I’m sure you understand. We’re leaving all our friends and family behind to fight in an interstellar war.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Max thoughtfully tilt her head. "Well…. if it helps, I guess you could call me a friend. Then you’re not leaving all of them behind, because I’m coming with you. I can’t help you out on the family part though. Obviously."

Aza nodded again absently, continuing to gaze out the window, but the image blurred from both her tears and the homesick thoughts that already invaded her mind. She reluctantly gave into them, reminding herself of all that was going to be happening now; In fifteen minutes the spacecraft would launch, and they’d then be flying across the universe for the next few hours. That was why she had been reluctant to take a spot against a window; she was afraid of being in the emptiness of space. But she had also wanted to be as close as possible to the outside Ultruin world while the spaceship was still on the planet, so here she was. They’d be leaving soon though, which meant then she’d be stuck here for the entire journey.

Aza fidgeted with a strap on her harness, tempted to ask Max to switch spots. But Max was facing away from her now, face obscured by her shoulder-length hair as she stared across the aisle. Two more people were strapped in on that side, both seeming nervous about the journey they were about to make. But neither seemed as distraught or panicked as Aza felt. She wiped the remains of her tears, determined to be brave. After all, she was going to be a soldier.

Aza glanced back at her dad. She would make him proud, and maybe someday she’d be able to see him again. That was—assuming she survived until then. Tellus soldiers were known to be cruel and ruthless, and the population of their enemy planet was much greater than Ultruin’s. However, Ultruin had more advanced technology and more valuable resources. That was the whole reason for the war—Tellus felt entitled to everything that Ultruin had, as the original Ultruin colony had been established by Tellus voyagers. Now, the war had been raging on for centuries. It didn’t help that Ultruin was closer to the dark mass in the center of the solar system, which made time pass quicker. It gave them the time to develop technologies just strong enough to hold off the immense armies of Tellus—technologies that the other planet then wanted for itself. If things continued this way, the war might never end.

Aza tugged on a braid, somehow even more nervous now. Would they see the dark matter in space? No one knew much about it, other than the obvious: time sped up nearby due to some unknown occurrence inside. Aza frowned. It didn’t matter what it was; she didn’t want to go near it.

Lost in her thoughts, Aza was startled when the shuttle’s engines rumbled to life under her. She immediately gripped the straps of her harness as if it were a lifeline, tight enough that her fingers lost all feeling.

Relax, Max laughed softly, nodding at Aza’s hands. Nothing’s going to happen.

Aza frowned. Do you count hurtling off the planet at incredibly high speeds to be nothing?

Max tilted her head with a small smirk, considering this. Nah, she decided. You’re right.

Aza tried to smile, but she could tell the expression was completely ruined by her fear. Max reached up, gently prying Aza’s fingers off the harness and taking that hand in her own, comfortingly tracing a few circles on the back with her thumb before releasing it again.

Aza gave her another smile, more confident this time. Max nodded approvingly, staring straight ahead as Aza turned her attention back to the window. She stared at her dad in the middle of the crowd until his face blurred from fresh tears, but she didn’t move to wipe them away. Her dad was her entire family, and she was leaving him behind.

As the spaceship started slowly moving forward, she placed a palm on the cool glass of the window. Max immediately reached over to knock her hand away, staring solemnly out past her. Aza’s heart was pounding, and she shifted her gaze to stare down at her feet. The spaceship picked up speed, moving so fast now that she was being pressed into the padded wall behind her. Soon, they were lifting off from the ground, and Aza glanced out the window one final time at her home planet before closing her eyes.

All she felt was empty. She hated the draft, and leaving her planet, and having to take part in the war. How was she, of all people, supposed to be a soldier?

She thought back to the month before, when she had come back home from a day out with some of her school friends, to find her dad staring at the small screen imbedded in the kitchen table, silent tears dripping onto the metal around it. That was how she had found out that she’d been chosen to leave.

Aza forced herself to open her eyes again. If she was leaving indefinitely, she wanted to see her planet for as long as possible. Because that’s what it was: Her planet. And now she was going to be a protector of it.

But first, she was being ripped away from it, a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her, yet again. She pushed it down.

The spaceship was shooting through the clear blue atmosphere, though it was all tinged orange by the heat from the shuttle. Aza rotated her head to see behind her, gazing down at the land below. The crowd who had seen them off was no longer visible, and she swallowed hard, knowing that had been the last she would see of her dad.

She set her jaw and watched the sky, letting herself enjoy the feeling of flying for the brief moment before they burst out of the atmosphere into nothing.

It was suddenly a lot quieter, and Aza felt paralyzed. All around the shuttle was a perfect, empty blackness, as if they were flying through pure ink. Max let out a low whistle, leaning forward to peer past Aza. Most people on Ultruin had been to space at least once in their lives, but not Aza, and apparently not Max either.

Max eventually pulled her wide-eyed gaze away from the window to tilt her head at Aza. She then reached up slowly to flick one of Aza’s braids, which were lazily floating out in front of her. Aza smiled despite herself, watching Max’s curls form a halo around her head. Then, she looked back out the window again to marvel at the universe. She couldn’t see any of Ultruin’s orbiting space stations, but she didn’t mind. It gave her a perfect, unobstructed view of the galaxy.

The emptiness of space stretched on forever in Aza’s vision, making her head spin. Bright flecks of light were flung across the darkness; each star like a beacon trying to draw Aza in to tell her the secrets of the universe. She wanted more than anything to go to them. She wanted to discover the story behind each and every brilliant star.

She had expected to feel so enclosed and trapped up here in space, but instead, the universe gave her a feel for what pure infinity felt like. That should have terrified her, but instead, she found it beautiful.

Max nudged Aza’s shoulder, and she snapped out of her trance to find that she had been leaning forward as far as possible, as if to drift out of her harness and into outer space. Which also meant that she had been blocking Max’s view.

Aza leaned back, letting out a soft, contented sigh. She was so glad she hadn’t asked Max to switch spots.

After a minute, Max leaned back again too, studying Aza’s blissful expression. She shook her head to get her loose curls out of her face, staring up with a small smirk.

Feeling better now?

Aza nodded, glancing back at the stars. Much.

There was quiet for a long while, broken only by soft conversations overheard from elsewhere on the shuttle. Aza let herself become fully captivated by the endless darkness outside her window again. They kept soaring forward, wrapped by the sky in an infinite embrace.

Though they flew for hours, Aza never got bored of studying the stars, entertaining herself by imagining what solar systems might be orbiting around each of them. She imagined that, maybe, someone like her was flying in a spaceship somewhere across the universe, looking out at the faraway sun that belonged to Ultruin and finding it quite small and wondrous.

Aza frowned suddenly, leaning forward to look behind her. She couldn’t see her home planet or its sun anymore through the small window, and she felt a sudden pang of homesickness. But she swallowed it down, looking up at the lights sprinkled across the cosmos and finding immediate solace in them.

After a while, a pinging noise came from the walls, and Aza looked over in surprise to find a previously invisible screen powering on under the window, all black with the acronym U.I.M.S. written across it in bold white letters. Underneath were the words Ultruin Interstellar Military Station, which made Aza’s heart skip a beat. Somehow, this was suddenly much more real. They were getting a call from the very space station that was going to be reforming them into soldiers.

The words faded away, and in their place was an image of a sharp looking woman sitting behind a desk, staring into the camera with a stern expression. Her red hair was pulled into a tight bun, and Aza flinched away from unnerving violet eyes that seemed to be boring straight into her, even though the woman couldn’t actually see her… right?

Aza glanced across the aisle to find that the people on that side had their own screen on the wall, showing the same image. If everyone on the ship was watching this, the woman surely couldn’t be seeing through the screen to all of them at once.

Greetings, new soldiers, the woman said, her voice carrying into the ship through hidden speakers. I am Commander Sarrowitz, and it is with great honor that I welcome you brave youth to our planet’s space station, located in the far reaches of our universe. Aza frowned. She wouldn’t quite call herself brave. Upon arrival, you— The Commander paused for the briefest of moments, discreetly shaking her head at someone off screen— will find some of our fourth-year soldiers waiting for you, she went on, as if nothing had happened. They will accompany you to your living quarters, where you will be allowed some time to yourselves before the initiation assembly. After all, the well-being of our soldiers is our top priority.

Aza tilted her head. She sure hoped this last bit was true, and not just part of a script. If she was going to be a soldier, she needed to hear that she would have something akin to safety. She was still a little scared that the space station might just throw them out on the battlefield and expect them to fend for themselves completely.

Aza watched the screen curiously as the Commander looked back over at someone out of the frame. The Commander sent them a cold look that made even Aza freeze, and she felt scared for whoever was on the receiving end. The Commander quickly turned back to face the camera, still seeming a bit irritated by the distraction. But she smiled for the benefit of her audience, though the supposedly genial expression still managed to look intimidating on Commander Sarrowitz.

I look forward to meeting every one of you soon, she said. Thank you all for your service, and your determination to serve both your planet and the greater good.

The image on the screen started fading away, but not before another person walked into the frame. Aza barely got a glimpse of their red hair before the screen faded to black, showing the white-lettered acronym again. Then that disappeared too, and the screen was nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only the silver metal of the walls.

Max was already gazing at the stars again, but she quickly turned to stare at the wall in front of her when she caught Aza watching her. Aza smiled softly to herself, shifting her gaze back to the window and letting her mind wander again. She would never tire of this view. It helped that she could think that she and her dad might be gazing at the same stars when it was night for him on Ultruin. Surrounded by these thoughts, Aza passed the remaining time searching for her sun—and her home—again.

About an hour later, she noticed the speed of the shuttle decreasing, and she peered out the window at the large, dark silver space station in front of her, which seemed to loom over them like a small planet. It was roughly shaped like a sphere, and the smooth metal walls seemed perfectly impenetrable—which they probably were. Even though Tellus had no clue where in the universe the Ultruin space station was located, it was still built strong enough to withstand even the most powerful of attacks.

Aza nudged Max with her foot, and Max’s green eyes snapped open, focusing on Aza as she shook her wild mane of floating hair out of her face. The irritated awareness in her gaze showed that she clearly hadn’t been sleeping for the past hour or so that her eyes had been closed, like Aza had thought she was.

Aza yawned. She was pretty tired though.

Max followed Aza’s gaze out the window, and her eyes quickly landed on the space station. She looked away after a moment, either intimidated or unimpressed—Aza couldn’t tell which.

The space station grew larger and larger until it filled the entire window, and the shuttle eventually stopped moving, most likely docking at a port.

Aza cast another look back at the stars, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She firmly told herself that if she had to be a soldier now, she was going to be a great one.

Chapter 2

It was too early to be awake, but Eydin had bolted upright in his bed, and he was now staring vacantly into the emptiness of the room.

Those dreams had been terrifying.

He couldn’t quite remember the details now, but he knew they had something to do with the testing that all the Tellus soldiers going into their fourth year would be taking that day. No one knew what happened to you if you failed, but Eydin had the fuzzy memory of someone shooting at him in his dream.

The person’s image slammed into him in full-force. That had been Avon who shot him.

Eydin leaned back against the headboard of his bottom bunk, slowly, as to not awaken the others in the room. It had been exactly three years since he had left his boyfriend behind on Tellus, and Eydin missed him more each day. He sighed with the memory, wondering if he and Avon were still technically together. The two of them hadn’t been able to contact each other since Eydin had left their solar system for the space station.

He searched the darkness of the room as if looking for an answer to the question, and it was only then that he realized his hands were trembling.

He needed to pass that test.

The only problem was, Eydin was terrible at tests.

He let himself slide down against the headboard until his head hit the pillow. It was three in the morning, and he really needed to try to get some more sleep. But he was feeling panicky inside, and that gave him adrenaline. He stared at the metal bottom of the bunk above his, where Arin was still sleeping. At least Eydin hadn’t woken them up with all of his tossing and turning.

Eydin closed his eyes, shutting out even the darkness of the room. His racing heart slowed as he took deep breaths to calm himself. He didn’t notice himself falling back asleep, but the next time he opened his eyes, the room was brightly lit by the ceiling lights turning on.

He rolled over, feeling groggy and laying still for another moment before finally sitting up, blinking against the bright lights. Arin gave him a small nod as they climbed down the ladder of their shared bunk, but Eydin was still too tired and nervous to return it.

After throwing off his covers, Eydin slid his feet off the bed. He turned to kneel next to Arin, who ran a hand through their messy bleached-blond hair, then reached underneath the bunk for their uniform. Eydin slid his arm under the bed to retrieve his own uniform before standing back up again.

The other seven people in the bunk room were already getting changed—almost silently—and Eydin did the same, making his bed and setting his nightwear on the smoothed sheets when he finished. He pulled on the boots he had left at the foot of his bed last night, and tucked in the bottoms of his loose brown pants.

Then, when everyone was ready, all eight of the soldiers silently moved for the door, black boots clomping out-of-sync. The door was pushed open, and almost immediately, a person on the other side slid through the group to bump Eydin’s shoulder.

Morning! Ruby greeted cheerfully, and Eydin tried to mirror her bright grin.

Hey! You ready for testing today?

You know it!

Eydin yawned, stretching his arms into the air before responding again. Good. Because I am not. Maybe you can help me out?

Ruby shook her head, which made her reddish-black ponytail fly from side to side. Come on. You’re one of the best soldiers I know.

Eydin made a face, which Ruby laughed at. But they both knew Ruby was wrong. Eydin figured he had about a fifty percent chance of passing the test, if he was being generous.

He and Ruby broke away from the rest of the group as more bunk room doors opened and people poured out, all heading toward one of the station’s cafeterias. Ruby’s nervousness was starting to show through her bright expression, and Eydin gave her a small smile that she returned, quickly masking her fear. It didn’t fool him though. Ruby had been his friend since they were first-year soldiers, and after so much time spent together the two of them—and another soldier they had grown close with—could read each other’s emotions almost perfectly.

Eydin noticed Ruby scanning the crowded hallway, and she glanced over at him after a minute. Any sign of Lex? she asked.

Eydin shook his head, hesitating before saying, "And… they’re stressed. So they’re going to be forgetful. We’re going to give them a chance to remember to switch their bands before we say anything stupid, like last week."

Ruby nodded, going back to scanning the crowds. A minute later, she waved to someone, a new grin growing on her face. Eydin stood on his toes to try to see over the people in front of him, but he couldn’t see who Ruby was waving to. This was the problem with being considerably shorter than both of his friends.

A few seconds later, Lex came into view, waving one arm above their head. Eydin glanced at their left wrist and spotted a purple bracelet as he waved back.

Hey guys! Lex called, walking over to join Ruby and Eydin. Ready for testing? They said this last word with mock-excitement, and Eydin laughed nervously. He knew Lex was just as worried about testing as he was, even though they were much better at this sort of thing.

I think I’m ready, Ruby shrugged, and Lex looked down at their wrists quickly.

They frowned, tugging off the purple wristband and switching it with a pink one from their other wrist. Lex looked back up. The only problem is; we have no clue what sort of tests there’s going to be, she said, and Eydin nodded in agreement, nudging Ruby so she’d notice the switched bracelets.

Lex was genderfluid, and her gender could change pretty frequently, so she wore the bands to indicate it without having to make a verbal announcement. Pink was female, blue was male, purple was neither, and she’d combine them too, sometimes. Her system worked pretty well, except for when she forgot to change her wristbands, or when the long sleeves of her white uniform shirt covered them up.

Anyway, I hear that first-years are going to be taking the pills for a spin, she said, running a hand through her short blond hair as they reached the cafeteria. Ruby looked at her, surprised.

Wait, didn’t they just get here last week? We didn’t get to fly until about a month into our training.

Lex shrugged. At least we didn’t get put on pill probation like the second-years did a few months ago. I don’t know if Eydin would have survived that.

Lex bumped into Eydin with her shoulder, and he smiled. It was true; he did love flying the small spaceships that the soldiers had nicknamed ‘pills’ due to their round, oblong shape. It was just so peaceful out in space, surrounded by only the stars. It was inconvenient whenever they had a training task to complete, since he would rather just fly how he wanted, feeling as limitless as the universe around him.

—can’t believe that we’re fourth-years now, Ruby was saying, snapping Eydin out of his thoughts.

Lex nodded, picking up a tray from a shelf in the cafeteria as the three of them got in line for food. That is, assuming we pass the test. We might be held back if we fail, she responded, and Ruby rolled her eyes.

Let’s be optimistic, shall we?

Lex shrugged. Just trying to be realistic.

None of them said anything for a moment, and Eydin glanced over at Lex, debating if he should ask a question. She was the best out of them when it came to the more studious portions of their training, and Eydin definitely needed help with that aspect. Well, he needed improvement in physical skills too, but there wasn’t much he could do about that right now.

Hey, Lexi? he asked, trying to win her favor with the nickname.

Mmm?

Do you think you could quiz me on some weapons knowledge or something while we eat?

She nodded, and Ruby pretended to be offended. "You’re not asking me?"

Eydin shrugged. If he needed advice on formation planning or physical activity, he would have asked Ruby, but Lex was better with more obscure information.

Once they made it through the line, they grabbed their warm protein rolls from the warmer in the wall. Eydin snatched two bottles of water, handing one to Ruby as Lex grabbed her own. Ruby led the way across the room, and Eydin paused in the third-year section, finding himself automatically moving to the small table the three of them had sat at for the last year. Lex amusedly shook her head at him, urging him on.

In the fourth-year section of the cafeteria, Ruby dropped her tray on one of the empty tables before sitting down in a metal chair. Eydin did the same, then popped off the cap of his water bottle to take a large sip, trying to swallow down his nerves.

Lex bit into her protein roll, leaving forward to study him. She finished chewing before asking, What sort of questions do you want?

Eydin shrugged. Anything, really.

She nodded slowly, thinking about this as Eydin took a bite of his own roll.

Okay… first question: What’s the typical formation for a troop of rayships going for an attack on opposing fleets?

Troop size?

Standard, she clarified.

Eydin snapped his fingers. Easy. Vertical, with two three-by-threes facing back to back.

Lex nodded, taking another bite of her roll before asking a new question. What’s the standard gun model for patrol units?

Eydin froze. He really should know this.

Bit47, Ruby supplied, and Eydin sighed. That was right.

A type of weapon that shoots bullets of solidified air?

An Airce gun, Ruby answered before Eydin could even have a chance to think.

Lex shot Ruby a look. Ruby just shrugged as Lex took a few more bites of her roll, thinking of her next question. She opened her water bottle to take a sip, then asked, Most deadly weapon? while setting the bottle back on the table.

Eydin tilted his head. He was never going to be able to pass the test. Hopefully it wasn’t all cut and dry answers like these. Though a physical exam wasn’t going to be much easier.

Um… I…. Ray Model C?

Lex shook her head. Same as the last question. Airce.

Eydin frowned. He was definitely going to fail.

Lex finished eating, and she swung one of her legs onto the empty chair next to her, glancing over both Eydin and Ruby. Where are you two going first?

Eydin racked his brain for the first thing on his testing schedule, which each of the soldiers had been given the night before. He had left his in the bunk room though, he realized, and he needed to pick it up before his first session.

You’re in the green space with me, right? Ruby asked him, and he nodded slowly. That sounded about right.

Lex sighed. I’m in the upper lecture hall. That probably means I’m doing some boring part of the test first.

But you’re good at that stuff, Eydin reminded her, finishing off his own roll and leaning back in his chair.

Lex shrugged off the compliment, and the three of them waited for an announcement to signify the start of testing. It came after a few minutes in the form of General Aorrd’s steady voice pouring through the cafeteria speakers, and everyone seated in the fourth-year section of the large room stood up.

Eydin walked to the doorway with his two friends, dropping his empty tray into the slot by the door on the way out. He noticed Lex fidgeting with her bracelets—which she did whenever she was nervous. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but he couldn’t find the right words over the loud, panicked thoughts screaming in his own mind.

Well, good luck guys, Lex said, giving a small salute as a goodbye as she walked off down the hallway.

Eydin and Ruby started for the central elevator of the station, but Eydin jerked a thumb in the direction of his bunk room.

I should grab my testing schedule, he told Ruby, who nodded and silently switched directions.

Eydin quickly typed the passcode into the keypad on the door, slipping inside the room to kneel and reach under his bed as Ruby waited for him in the doorway.

Shoot. It’s missing.

He turned back to Ruby, who was bouncing from foot to foot impatiently. As he met her eyes, his panic must have been obvious, because she immediately stopped with a frown and walked forward into the room.

Did you check under all the beds? It might have rolled somewhere, she said, grabbing onto a bed post and bending sideways to peer underneath.

Eydin didn’t respond, lowering himself onto his elbows so he could see the entire floor.

There.

Under the bunk next to his was a rolled up electronic memb screen—named after the thin membrane it resembled. He crawled across the floor to reach under the bed, having to lie completely flat against the ground to be able to get his fingertips anywhere near it. Sliding sideways until he was halfway under the bed, Eydin was eventually able to get a grip on the thin page, pulling it toward him.

He stood up again, pulling open the snap that kept the screen rolled. He examined it as he started walking toward Ruby. She frowned at him as he read over the transparent memb, which had his schedule typed out in black ink.

Ruby had been right. He was supposed to go to the green space with her.

Ruby pulled out her own memb screen from the deep pocket in her pants, unrolling it to check the ever-changing time stamp at the top.

Cripe. We’re going to be late, she said, and Eydin quickly rolled up his screen to stuff it in his pocket.

The two of them started out at a run, and Eydin slammed the door behind him, not caring about the loud bang it made. They could not be late for testing, and if they were, it would be his fault. Though, it would have been nice if the General had given them a bit more time to get there.

In the middle of the station, Ruby pressed the button for the elevator, and the doors slid open immediately. Eydin let out a breath of relief as they ran inside. He pulled out his memb screen to check the time. 0858. They still had two minutes.

There was a loud suctioning noise from the shaft above the elevator, and a moment later, they were rocketing upward. The ride was over just as quick, and the doors slid open to the green space.

General Raynall was standing in front of a group of about ten soldiers in the middle of the large, grassy field. He turned his piecing blue eyes toward the elevator as Ruby and Eydin stepped out, and Eydin immediately snapped his feet together, bringing one hand up in a salute.

Carter. Majar. you should know better than to show up at the last moment, the General said.

Yes sir. Sorry sir. Ruby said, keeping her expression blank—ready to serve. Eydin mirrored the expression on his own face, hiding his nervousness.

Join the group, the General instructed, and Eydin dropped his hand to his side to walk forward, inwardly groaning as he spotted one of the soldiers smirking at him.

Great. Why did Tiren have to be there?

Tiren turned his gaze back to the General, who was surveying the group now standing in two perfect rows of five. Ruby was in the back corner. She turned to shoot Eydin a sympathetic glance as he moved to stand behind her—the only one not part of the rectangular formation.

He shrugged, acting indifferent even though he felt a bit awkward standing by himself. But the General’s sharp gaze was scanning over the group, so he forced himself to straighten, pretending that he was unfeeling and brave.

After a minute, he found himself wondering why they hadn’t started yet, but then the doors to the elevator slid open again and footsteps ran up from behind. Eydin refrained from looking over his shoulder and instead kept his body stiff as someone came to stand by his side. He glanced over as subtly as he could and found another soldier—Aji—out of breath, a pink flush spreading over her light brown skin.

Aji froze, just then seeming to notice the General. She snapped to attention, hardening her gaze as she saluted. General Raynall didn’t say anything for a moment, then glanced down at his thick silver watch to check the time.

Carra, one more minute, and you would have been late.

Aji didn’t show any fear as she responded. Sorry sir. It won’t happen again, sir.

The General nodded. After a moment, he looked at the first soldier to his right and said, Artex?

Yes sir, the soldier responded, saluting again. The General called out the name of the next soldier, who responded the same way.

Eydin kept his expression blank once General Raynall had called Ruby’s last name and she snapped her hand up in a salute.

Majar?

Yes sir, Eydin replied, continuing to stare straight ahead as he saluted. His voice came out sounding stronger than it normally did whenever he was answering to the General, and he inwardly congratulated himself on that.

There was a moment of silence as General Raynall looked over the group, and then he barked, Down. The soldiers all brought their hands down in perfect sync, and Eydin felt his heart start to race as he anticipated the General’s next words. They came after only a moment: This is the beginning of your fourth-year test, which will determine your future. If you want to keep your life, don’t fail.

Chapter 3

The door to the space shuttle slid open with a hiss, and Aza watched as Max leaned sideways to peer down the aisle. She couldn’t see what Max was looking at, but almost immediately, someone started shouting from the front of the ship, addressing the passengers.

Hello, new soldiers! I’m one of the leading fourth-years, and I’m glad that you have all arrived safely. Once you disembark, you will form groups of five or six and stand near the other fourth-years positioned around the room. From there, they will be giving you further instructions. Understood?

A few words of agreement went up from around the spaceship, and Aza fidgeted with the strap of her harness. A clicking noise came from the latch in the middle of the straps, probably meaning that she could take it off.

But she was still a bit nervous, so she just watched as Max freed herself from her own harness, and floated away from the wall with a joyful grin. Max spun back around and reached down to the floor with one foot to kick off and glide, pushing a little too hard and ending up crashing back into Aza.

Aza couldn’t stop a laugh as Max shoved herself away, but not before undoing the latch on Aza’s harness. And just like that, she was free too, floating through the air.

Panicking, she reached back to grab at a loose strap of the harness to stop her momentum, and forced her feet to the floor. She carefully took a step sideways to peer down the aisle, finding that the people near the front of the large shuttle were already exiting through the door.

She and Max were about halfway back, so it took a few minutes for them to be able to start making their way forward. Max kicked away from the wall, grabbing Aza’s arm to pull her along. Aza bit back a scream as she was yanked away from the harness—her tether—but she stayed silent and forced herself to relax as they glided through the air.

Max released her arm once they were at the front of the shuttle, and Aza immediately reached out for her again, not liking the feeling of floating all by herself. But her hand fell short of Max’s arm, so she had to calm her nerves and kick off of the walls to keep moving forward with the crowd. She was being jostled by the others, but not for very long, because she was soon yanked downward, falling, and the air was knocked out of her as she crashed onto her stomach.

Her whole body screamed out in pain, and she realized that artificial gravity on the space station must have pulled her down. She really should have tried to get her feet down first, but it hadn’t occurred to her that things might be different on the other side of the doorway.

Max was standing in front of her, reaching out a hand, but Aza ignored it, clamoring back to her feet by herself. She felt heavy and awkward with the return of gravity, stumbling as she tried to take a step forward.

She was steadied by Max, and stepped back just as quickly, feeling her face flushing from the embarrassment of her crash.

I’m okay, she reassured Max, who laughed, then started attempting to walk in a large circle around Aza once they were no longer blocking the shuttle exit.

Max’s footsteps were clunky and heavy, and Aza smiled, spinning to watch her. Max was still laughing and seeming delighted at how weirdly the new gravity was making her walk. She completed her circle, and Aza started scanning the large, round room they were in, noticing small groups of the newcomers spaced out against the walls, each surrounding a clear older leader. These leaders all seemed to be about nineteen or twenty, though it was hard to tell, as years didn’t really have the same meaning out in deep space. They wore black pants and jackets that glistened under the station lights. This seemed to be their uniform, along with the perfectly matching hardened stares they all wore on their faces.

Those must be the fourth-years. Aza glanced around, trying to find the least intimidating to head over to. Her gaze caught on a red haired boy back by the shuttle door, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed while he studied the newcomers. His expression seemed a bit imperious, but it was better than the stiffness of the others, so Aza reached out to grab Max’s hand and tug her in that direction.

The boy glanced over when he noticed them approaching, and Aza frowned when she saw the way he looked straight at her. Most the fouth-years weren’t making eye contact with anyone. But she ignored this, dropping Max’s hand as they walked up to this soldier. She slowed her pace, hesitant now, and half expecting the boy to invite them into a group.

Don’t look at me, the boy said, shrugging a shoulder, while watching her with amusement in his violet eyes.

Or… maybe not a soldier?

Aza paused, just now realizing that this boy was the only one not wearing the uniform the rest of the fourth-years had on. So he’s definitely not a soldier.

She looked at Max, only to find that the other girl had already started for one of the actual fourth-year soldiers in the room. Aza spun, jogging across the room to catch up to her. Max was the only one Aza knew here at all, and she definitely didn’t want to be alone with complete strangers.

There were already two other people waiting by this fourth-year, but Aza didn’t pay them much mind, glancing back at the red haired boy instead. He was still watching her, but he eventually looked away to study the others in the room. So she ignored him too, turning to Max instead.

Max was already chatting with one of the others in the small group, though this other person didn’t seem too thrilled about having to make conversation. Their face was drawn with worry and nerves, and their gaze kept darting from Max to the large room—the unfamiliar space station. After a moment’s hesitation, Aza reached out to tap Max’s shoulder, drawing her attention away from the other new first-year, who smiled thankfully at her. Aza shrugged off the acknowledgment as Max looked up at her, tilting her head in confusion when Aza didn’t say anything.

Nevermind, Aza said, which only made Max seem more perplexed. But after a moment, she turned to the fourth-year soldier standing with their group.

Hey, what’s your name? Max asked.

He replied too quietly for Aza to hear, still staring straight across the room and not looking at any of them.

Max frowned. Are we going to be leaving soon? she pushed, jerking a thumb at some of the other groups, who were filing out through a door on the side of the room.

The soldier just shrugged, but then turned to start walking as a fifth person came over to join them by the wall. Max eagerly followed the fourth-year, but Aza walked a little slower, hanging near the back of the group by the person Max had been talking to before.

I’m Leon, they offered quietly, glancing shyly at Aza with light blue eyes that offset their dark skin.

Aza, she replied,