Heritage (Under Revision)

Chapter 13 - Stella

“Cadet Lancaster, General Blake would like to see you in his office immediately,” Senior Cadet Daniels says to me, as I tip the remaining contents of my lunch tray into the trashcan.

“Do you know what it’s regarding?” I ask him curiously. My head is spinning with all kinds of reasons as to why the General would ask me to his office.

Surely, this can’t be good.

Don’t be so hard on yourself, Stella!

Oh, shut up conscious!

“No, I wasn’t informed of that. General Blake just asked me to catch you before you left the Mess Hall,” he says, and I feel myself growing irritated as he once again eyes my chest.

Ugh, men.

Well, most men...

I once again catch myself thinking about the incident from the other night, and my face flushes and burns with something more than embarrassment.

“Cadet Lancaster? Stella!”

“W-what? Oh, sorry! I spaced out there for a sec,” I reply, turning my focus back to the task at hand. Thanks for giving me the message, I’ll head to the General s office now.

After a brief salute to Senior Cadet Daniels, I turn, grab my bag, and head out of the Mess Hall at a steady pace.

When I finally reach General Blake’s office, I knock softly on his door and wait for a reply.

“Come in,” the General s voice sounds from the other side of the door, a few seconds later.

I enter his office and stand at attention, giving him a proper and respectful salute, and he returns it.

“At ease, Cadet,” he says to me. Take a seat, Stella.

Oh no, oh no, oh no! I hope I’m not in trouble! I don’t think I did anything wrong...maybe I did...Oh no!

My brain spins circles as I try to figure out what could possibly be wrong. General Blake must have noticed the almost pained and confused expression on my face, because he turns to me with a slight, comforting smile.

“No worries, Cadet, you’re not in trouble. The opposite actually,” he says, his smile growing bigger.

I feel like an elephant has just been lifted from my chest at his words and I relax a little in the plush seat, situated in front of his desk.

“I’d like to invite you to be the new Senior Cadet for the Omega Squad. Cadet Jameson seems to have a problem with following protocol and simple requests, so he has been stripped of his title and given a demerit. I think you’re the best one for the job. You re grades are impeccable, you are a natural leader and you’ve never had a single demerit,” he compliments.

“Well, General, I’d be honored to be a Senior Cadet. I was hoping to be made one this year, but this is unexpected, and great! Thank you so much for this opportunity. I won’t let you down,” I reply, awestruck.

“That settles that, then! Thank you for agreeing, it takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders. You’re doing me a favor here, Cadet. I believe you have Tech Repairs this period, am I correct?” he asks me, checking his watch.

“Yes, on Wednesdays we have Tech Repairs after lunch instead of before,” I reply, as he stands from his desk and I follow suit, saluting him.

“Have a nice day, Stella, and thank you again,”

“You too, General Blake, and thank you again for trusting me with the squad,” I reply, before exiting his office and quickly making my way toward Commander Blake s classroom.

When I enter the room, Leon is already seated at our workstation, and he looks up and smiles when I walk towards him. After taking my seat, we get out the circuit board, and wait patiently for the Commander to arrive, talking about Cadet Marshall and what a pain in the ass he is.

He got yet another demerit at lunch, for hitting on Senior Cadet Stacey Hill. She runs the Zeta squad and apparently doesn’t take any shit from anyone. Joe walked...or limped rather, away from the Mess Hall (gives whole new meaning to the word mess doesn’t it?) and was last seen in the infirmary, icing his testicles.

We share a laugh and are so absorbed in our conversation that we don t notice the Commander s arrival until we hear a soft plunk on her desk, as she sets her bag down upon it.

I don’t know why, but my face blushes as if she’s caught us doing a lot more than just sharing a chuckle at Joe Marshall s expense. Apparently, Leon had been thinking similar thoughts, because as I glance over at him, his face is blushing a deep crimson.

We both stand abruptly, saluting Commander Blake, and after she returns the gesture, we approach her desk.

“Commander, we fixed the circuit board. It was the A.I. threading,” I say to her.

“How did you come to that conclusion?” she asks, looking genuinely interested in our work.

“She’s the one that found the problem, Ma...uh, Commander, sorry. She spotted the tear in the threading and suggested that we removed and replaced it, so we did, and it worked,” Leon says, surprising me. I glance over at him and smile shyly, and he returns a sweet, timid smile back.

“Very good work, both of you. I’m impressed. So, impressed, in fact, that I’m going to offer both of you a project. You have the option to refuse, of course, but I think you both could really be a big success,” Commander Blake says, exuding confidence.

“What is it, Commander?” I ask her curiously.

“Well, I’m sure you both are aware of the storage garage, correct?” Both Leon and I nod our heads in understanding.

“Well, there are ten broken down Krakens residing in the storage garage, and if you two are game, I’d like you to get them up and running. We used to use them for Cadets who didn’t have transportation to the ship-town, but they are in such bad shape that they’re safety hazards now. They’re in serious need of repair and upgrading, and I’m giving you both full, free rein to work together as a team and bring them up to date,”

“Wow, Ma...Commander, thanks! I know I’m definitely game, I’d love to work on them!” Leon exclaims, a huge grin on his face.

Wow, he s got a beautiful smile...

Stella!

Oh, shut up! He’s gorgeous.

...

That’s what I thought.

“Thank you, Commander, I’d be more than glad to help, if Leon wouldn’t mind, that is?” I question, turning my head to glance at him.

“Nah, I think it’ll be a lot of fun. Besides, we seem to make a great team,” he replies, and a blush creeps up his cheeks.

“Well, whenever you have some free time, go ahead and get started on them. I’ve keyed in both of your TAPs in so you can enter the storage garage at your convenience. There’s no time limit or deadline on these, it’s simply as a project. You’ll both be receiving extra credit as well,” Commander Blake adds, and our smiles broaden even more, if that’s possible.

We both thank her again, and make our way over to our workstation, pulling out our A.I. Projectors and settling in. It seems that Leon and I have inadvertently been made partners for class. Leon’s regular partner is back in class again but has chosen to work with a rather promiscuous blonde. I forget her name, but that happens a lot with girls of her nature.

Just last week I would have been spitting nails if I had to partner with Leon, but now it seems that I don’t mind at all. He was right, we do work well together, and I can see a very apparent change in his attitude. Gone is the arrogant demeanor and sly grins, to be replaced with shy smiles and pleasant conversation.

I’m glad I gave him a chance.

After the worktable next to us clears the smoke from their ruined Projector (people can be so careless, I swear), Commander Blake dismisses us.

Leon and I had been conversing about the Kraken repair job before the Commander excused us for the day. Wednesdays are short days for us, with only one class after lunch, instead of three. I don t now why the schedule is that way, but it seems to work out well, even if it is a bit confusing at first. Maybe it’s to keep us on our toes.

“So, uh...when did you want to check out the Krakens? Leon asks me as we make our way out of the classroom.

“Well, I don t have anything planned for the rest of the day, and all of my homework is finished...so if you’re not busy, we could go right now?”

“Yeah, that sounds great. Uh, Stella?” Leon says shyly.

“Yeah”? I reply, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

“Well, uh...my birthday is in a few days, and I’m having this huge party in the Grand Hall on Saturday, and I now it’s last minute, and you probably already have plans, but...” he says in one breathe, before stopping abruptly to dig through his bag. He retrieves a pristine white envelope, with the ship’s red insignia on the front and hands it to me. “I’ve been wanting to invite you, and I know it’s short notice, but I’d love it if you could be there. It’ll be a lot of fun,” he says, his face beet red while he stares at his shoes.

He’s so cute when he’s embarrassed.

I smile up at him and open the envelope, pulling from inside it, an invitation to his party. I scan it quickly and turn to him again.

“I’d love to come, Leon. Thank you for inviting me,” I reply, just as timidly.

I usually pride myself on being strong and never showing fear, but something about him makes me feel like a little girl again, shy, timid and with butterflies always batting around in my stomach.

“Really?” he asks, a tone of surprise in his voice.

“Yeah, it’ll be great,” I reply, as we reach the end of the corridor.

“Yeah, great,” he states, in barely a whisper.

We take the elevator up to the storage garage, and after using my TAPs to unlock the door, we step in to find ten Krakens, all in states of distress.

“Oh, wow...” I mumble, not finishing my sentence.

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Ma wasn’t kidding when she said they were in bad shape,” Leon states, striding towards the first Kraken in the row.

“Well, first I think we need to start each one up, and see where the problems are, before we jump in. That way we’re organized and we know which vehicle needs what work,” I say to him, extracting my tablet from my bag and pulling up the word processor on it.

“Great idea, Stells... I mean, Stella,” Leon says, once again correcting himself. I think for a second as I gaze at him, his body crouched in front of the first Kraken, examining the headlights.

Maybe I’ll cut him some slack.

“You can call me Stells, if you want, it’s ok,”

“I thought you hated that though?” he replies, his brow furrowed as he glances up at me in confusion.

“I did, when you were a jerk. But...I don’t know, you seem like you’ve changed a lot,”

“Not really, people just don’t take the time to get to know me. I mean yeah, I was arrogant and acted like an asshole, which I have changed, but this is who I really am. No one tries to know me, because I’m the General and Commander’s son,”

“I’m glad I gave you a chance then,” I say, smiling at him.

“Me too,”

There’s that smile again, and I feel like my knees are made of jelly.

He gets up and extracts his TAPs device from his pocket. Commander Blake has keyed not only the storage garage door, but also all ten of the Krakens into our TAPs units.

He inserts his keycard and at once the door’s key panel lights up, admitting him entrance.

“Well, at least we know the power core is still good. We might want to check it though, to make sure,” Leon says to me, and I nod, taking down the note on my tablet under the label Kraken #1 .

The power cores of the Krakens consist of a tube of liquid nitrogen that powers the entire vehicle. Since the only fuel source for the Krakens is water, we have to work with the power core carefully as to not freeze up the entire internal structure. If the water comes in contact with the liquid nitrogen in the power core, it will generally turn the vehicle into a large chuck of ice and metal.

He turns the vehicle on, and I move out of the way, making a clear shot for him to advance forward if need be, to assess the damage. But it doesn’t move when he pushes the gearshift forward like it’s supposed to. He turns the Kraken off and gets out, turning to me.

“There’s a problem with the fuel tank or lines, I don’t know until I take the rear quarter panel off. I’m thinking that it’s the tank itself, because I can hear the suction from the fuel lines,” he says to me, and I quickly jot it down in my notes.

“Do you want some help?” I ask him softly, glancing down where he’s kneeling at the rear of the vehicle, removing screws with a miniscule screwdriver.

“Yeah, please?” he asks. I nod and set my tablet down on top of my bag and make my way over to him, kneeling as well.

He has already removed his uniform jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves, and his biceps ripple as he lifts the heavy panel from the side of the Kraken, propping up against the wall of the garage. I can’t help but to stare and when he glances up at me, I see a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Was I that obvious?

“Now you know how I felt,” he remarks with a smirk as he peers inside of the vehicle, where the panel is missing.

“What do you mean?” I say to him, biting my lip.

“The other night. What...happened, because I was watching you. Now you know how I felt,”

“Yeah, I suppose I do,” I reply, blushing furiously and trying not to meet his gaze.

“Hey, Stella?” he says quietly, and I’m forced to look up at him. His green eyes seem almost electrified.

“Yeah?”

“Uh, well...I know I invited you to my party, but uh, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to uh, you know, uh, go as my date?” he says quietly, his face turning a brilliant shade of pink and he looks down at the floor.

Could this day get any better? First the General asks me to be a Senior Cadet for Omega Squad, then Commander Blake puts us in charge of the Krakens, and now Leon is asking me to be his date?!

Leon is asking me to be his date...

What should I do!?

...

Oh sure, NOW you have nothing to say. I hate you conscious.

“Stella?” Leon asks me, pulling me out of my reverie.

“Oh! Um, yeah, of course I’ll be your date! Thank you for asking me, Leon,” I reply, smiling up at him, a blush to rival his own firmly in place on my cheeks.

“Thank you for accepting. It...it really means a lot to me, Stells,

“You don t have to thank me, Leon...I... I really like you,”

When did I start to like Leon? I’m not sure, but I know that I do. A lot...more than I should probably, because the feelings and emotions coursing through me aren’t just a passing phase.

“You d-do?” he stammers, glancing up at me.

“Yeah, a lot actually,” I reply.

“I’ve liked you for a long time, Stells,”

“Well, then I guess we’ll see how things go after the party?” I ask him, placing my hand over his gently. A pleasant chill goes up my spine and I bite my lip to keep from gasping.

“Yeah, definitely,” he replies, tracing my thumb with his own and smiling softly.

After a few silent moments like this, I glance over at the hole in the side of the Kraken, noticing a crack in the water tank.

“Well, I think we’ve found our first problem,” I say to him, reluctantly removing my hand from his.

“Well, let’s get started then,” he replies, smiling up at me rather cockily.