i command armies

[autokinetic]

Sue graduates from Tactical School a year early, he's barely fifteen. He's toned down the flirting - he treats Aegis completely platonically, in particular - and has cut down on the unhealthy amount of sleeping-with-everything-that-wants. And he's apparently, via his independent study, gotten far enough through the curriculum that they're nudging him along to Command.

They've given Sue a strange old man for a tutor, who appeared in his room and started a physical confrontation, which Sue won; Sue related this story to her with something between amusement and irritation.

And a quicker-than-average flurry of notes has been piling up in the psych data since about that time, according to the timestamps.

Aegis knows before they tell her that they're going to send her to Command early too. She's just barely fifteen herself when she gets another update of the psych files and sees that Sue's had - well, the files aren't terribly clear, some of the communication is happening via in-person conversation and memos that don't get stored in these folders, but Sue's had some kind of breakdown and the only things they can think of to get him out of it, get him back into shape to train and fight, are her friendship and Howlett. They have mixed feelings about both - Howlett's insubordination problem; their bewilderment that Aegis and Sue can be so close when "she's the one person he can't link!" - but they're desperate.

Bird? They don't talk as often over the long distance, just as there was a lull when he went to Tactical ahead of her; their schedules have nothing in common and their contexts less. But he knows her, and he can reach this far if he tries. And she wants to know what's wrong.

Comments

[autokinetic]

Well, at least I'll be company that isn't fucking with you.

[pythbox]

He sends a giggle.

[autokinetic]

I think they're sending Howlett too, though he's not on this shuttle unless he's flying it - I haven't got a look at the pilot so far.

[pythbox]

It would not surprise me even a little bit if Howlett knew how to fly a shuttle, says Sue.

[autokinetic]

Hell, I know how to fly a shuttle. If he keels over from a heart attack I'll be able to get to Command School and dock as long as the destination's in the computer.

[pythbox]

It'd take more than a heart attack to kill Howlett, he points out.

[autokinetic]

Maybe it'd put him out of commission for a minute, fixing the damage, right when we're almost there and I'd get to play collision-stopping hero, suggests Aegis. But it might not even be him, they might be letting him finish up the unit of classes or something first.

[pythbox]

Sue laughs. Guess you'll find out when you dock, unless you go up and look before then.

[autokinetic]

I'm sure I'll encounter him. If nothing else he'll have to come out of the control room to get to the head sometime, there's only one on board.

[pythbox]

He giggles.

[autokinetic]

Aegis calls up the book she's in the middle of from the ship's copy of the standard Battle School-and-its-relatives library, finds her place, and reads.

[pythbox]

Sue doesn't cut the link, but he doesn't say anything more, either.

[autokinetic]

What kind of game do they have you playing, anyway? she asks while she pages through the book. She's pretty good at multitasking.

[pythbox]

They've got these training simulators that're pretty gorgeous, and I'm commanding imaginary fleets on 'em, he says cheerfully.

[autokinetic]

That sounds fun. They've really pissed you off if you're quitting those, huh?

[pythbox]

Yep.

[autokinetic]

I wonder what they care so much about not telling you. Are they denying that there's a secret at all, or just saying they won't tell?

[pythbox]

They're kind of doing the 'well if there was a big secret, we wouldn't tell you jack about it' thing.

[autokinetic]

Assholes.

[pythbox]

Tell me about it.

[autokinetic]

Tell you what? You know more than I do. Have you got guesses?

[pythbox]

Not really. Whatever it is, Old Guy is in it big. I think he's mad at me for kicking his ass that one time.

[autokinetic]

Then why'd he even start the fight?

[pythbox]

Well, that's just it, says Sue. I think it was supposed to be some kind of psychological thing, to keep me off balance or something. I think he was supposed to win. But instead I wiped the floor with him. So now he's pissed off.

[autokinetic]

That's idiotic. If he's supposed to win, they should've made sure he was able to.