Lucas was already sitting when Emay caught up with him in the briefing room. The rest of the new arriving officers were mingling, finding seats. Each had a small paper folder on it and faced an older officer who was waiting patiently. He stood before a large video screen, the first slide of a presentation visible on it. It simply read ‘ORIENTATION,’ underneath a beaming Space Corps logo.

The presentation mostly covered what all officers undertook at the Academy but with updated examples in line with alterations to guidelines developed through growing pains as the Precinct began operations. It clocked in at a little over forty five minutes. The instructor’s monotonous delivery and frequent mundane anecdotes slowed the ticking of the clock on the wall. When all of the updates had been covered and everything else had been regurgitated, the officer signed off. “You will now attend further induction with your commanding officers. You will also meet the other officers within your assigned units. Consult your welcome packs for locations. Thank you for your time. You are dismissed.”

Once the briefing had concluded, the officers went off to their assigned posts for more specific orientation, in various paper-pushing roles across the station. As each rose, nattering and collecting their bags and helmets, Emay felt the pressure of growing attention. Were they looking at Lucas? She had never met a Scheme Officer before, surely neither had they.  “Is this normal for you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been getting looks ever since I sat down.”

“I don’t think it’s just me they’re looking at, Rook.” Emay was confused. Lucas elaborated. “Do you see anyone else who’s been assigned a partner?” He stood. “We should get going.” And he was off again.

Emay once again struggled to keep up as Lucas strode down the hall and took a sharp right. All of the lines on the hallway floor made her eyes ache and her brain swell. He guided her to their unit meeting. She would have been none-the-wiser had Lucas taken her on a loop back into the same room.

Staff Sergeant Panabaker was well known for not being much of a time waster. As such, his arrival prompted the skipping of pleasantries. He introduced himself for Emay’s benefit as the unit was still settling into seats. She didn’t get much of an official orientation, being the only new face. He gave her a few seconds. “Karaner will provide you with all the information you need. Memorise everything. Know your unit. The individuals in this room. When you’re out there, they’ll have your back. They’ll be expecting you to have theirs.”

Panabaker went on with the briefing. Manoeuvres had gone well that morning and fighters were being prepped for the afternoon. A few reports were overdue and to be submitted no later than 1400 hours. And they were dismissed. All routine and Panabaker was gone again. 

Officer Roast was the first officer out of his chair. He grinned as he shook Emay’s hand. “Try not to let Scheme Officer Karaner lead you astray.” He said as he watched Lucas harden, gritting his teeth. He motioned to Chatterley and they slunk out of the door after Panabaker.

“Take no notice of Roast,” said Officer Kay Alright. “Him and his buddy Chatterley are stooged right up to Panabaker. They’re enrolled in the Officer Development Program, seem to think it entitles them to treat the rest of us grunts like recyc.” She shook Emay’s hand as well, and the rest of the officers leaned in or stepped over to follow suit, each with a little introduction. 

Alright was a pilot, paired with Sarah Olu as gunner. Danny Banguera and Renna Själsfrände were also pilot and gunner respectively. Officers Joe Fa’atamu and Bharana Vālā manned another fighter with officers Dewi Pengisi and Ligaya Tagapuno rounding out the unit. 

Renna Själsfrände dropped into the empty seat beside Emay. “So you’re a gunner, right?” 

Emay smiled, fidgeting, eyes lowering as her new unit closed in. “Yes. Well I didn’t think I was yet, but that’s what I pursued at the Academy.”

“Right, you probably thought you were on desk duty for six months yet.”

Emay made a noise with her throat. Indeed. 

“Your father must be so proud of you, following in his footsteps. To say mine was disappointed in my life choices, it might be an understatement.” 

“Oh? He didn’t want you to join the Space Corps? That must have been nice.” Emay smiled at the thought.

“No, he was, let’s say, very strongly opposed,” said Renna. She looked up cheerfully at Danny Banguera who stood in front of her. “But life takes you on all sorts of adventures doesn’t it, Danny?”

“That it does,” he replied, returning her gaze. She toyed with her necklace, a thumb pulling it taut. A small charm jangled as she ran her hand back and forth on the chain. Then she had a thought and flicked her eyes over to Lucas, leaning forward to see him on the other side of Emay.

“Lucas, show her where the ComSims are, will you?” And to Emay: “you’ll have to show me what you’ve got on the range. I’m the highest scoring gunner this side of the Precinct.”

Danny laughed. “Of the twelve that are stationed here.”

“Yes, but I’m the best,” she giggled, kicking at Danny’s ankle.

A shrill, vibrating buzzer startled Emay. Lucas quickly silenced it, tapping at a gauntlet on his wrist. “I’ve got to go. Directions to your quarters are in the pack I gave you.” And he was away at his usual breakneck pace.

“What was that?” asked Emay.

“The blaring siren? They really want everyone to be aware of him, don’t they? I take it you’ve noticed he’s a—?”

“Scheme Officer? Yes, I noticed.”

“Well if he’s not supposed to be anywhere he has to be in his quarters. They’re pretty strict about that.” She had another thought. “Speaking of which, you’ll be wandering endlessly if you’re left to the mercy of those directions.”

Emay reached for the folder she’d stowed under her chair, her fingers stumbling through the pages. “Really? They can’t be that bad, can they?”

“Danny and I can take you if you like. Maybe give you a little tour on the way.”

“You’re sure? That would be great. Thank you.”

The unit stayed for another ten minutes or so, introducing themselves and welcoming Emay, and then they all parted in different directions.

Renna and Danny escorted Emay on the scenic route to her quarters. Down she-didn’t-know-how-many floors to the recreation level, where the couple showed off the various activities and amenities available to the off-duty officers.

Gyms, swimming pools, saunas, jacuzzis. All manner of sporting equipment. Astro-pitches, basketball, badminton, volleyball, tennis courts, ice rinks. Most of it still looked unused. There were sign-up sheets for tournaments and leagues in every sport imaginable.

Another elevator ride took them to a bright white, clinical shopping centre with cinema screens, restaurants, bars. Even a variety of shops offering clothing and home entertainment. Danny was nudged into treating them to drinks and they sat outside a coffee shop. It was almost deserted but Emay enjoyed the quiet. The peace.

Emay’s head had been whirling from the travel and the info dumps. Spending time with the pair had helped her breathe. The tour had helped tremendously to calm her thoughts. She had envisioned a plain existence, barren of any kind of personal life, like at the Academy. Being in the Space Corps was still a significant step to the side of where she wanted to be, but at least there would be respite. 

She could try to build her life away from the Corps as much as possible, if only she could figure out what she wanted. Her only thought now was how her rotation would go. Going through the motions, she could handle, but she’d trained to be a gunner. The idea of actual combat made her stomach turn. Running drills was tedious and patrolling actively filled her with dread, even with nothing to shoot at.

Renna had laughed when Emay had said as much. “Why would you train to be a gunner if you don’t want to shoot things?”

“I took to it naturally, I guess. It didn’t hurt that my Dad frowned on it a little. He wanted me to go directly into the ODP.”

“The fast track. Good if you can get it,” said Danny. 

“I could get it. I was offered it and I turned it down.”

“Wow, you don’t hear that happening very often.”

“They made it very clear to me that it doesn’t happen,” Emay said. “I actually had to fight not to do it.” 

“So…what, then? You don’t want the promotions. You don’t want to be a gunner.”

“I don’t want to be here at all. Not such a glowing admission is it?”

“Well, no but I don’t want to be here either. Neither does Danny.”

“Nope.”

“Then why did you enlist?”

“We didn’t have many choices. We want more than Earth can give us. The Space Corps gave us the opportunity to get up here to the Precinct. Look around you, we get everything here and so far it’s just us! No queues, no fighting. You’ve been to Earth right? Do you remember a time you didn’t have to fight for a single item in the grocery store, Danny?”

He paused sipping his Americano, the cup hovering by his lip. “You know, I don’t think I can.” Sip.

“The Corps is expanding, Emay. Now the Precinct is operational we can reach out, deeper and deeper into space. Settle wherever we can. Establish colonies. We want to be on one of them and have a family. A big one! Where we don’t have to worry about feeding their cute little faces. Where they can play and be safe.”

“I’m not so sure about the big part.”

Renna paused briefly to give Danny the side eye. “Flying defence, shooting at a few alien races is a small price to pay for our future.”

Emay nearly missed what Renna had said, but her heart tugged and made her brain circle back. “Shooting what? There’s been contact?”

“Oh Emay, what have they been teaching you at the Academy? It’s been all-go up here. Well, further out anyway. We haven’t seen anything ourselves yet— oh, Lucas did, didn’t he?”

“Just a glimpse, he said. They hadn’t come that close before— not since construction anyway. Radar didn’t pick anything up so they didn’t even make a record of it. Probably a rock or debris catching the light in his peripheral.”

“I don’t know, he seemed pretty sure of it. He’s done more hours out there than anyone.”

Emay was in deep thought. Other races? Other life? And she was responsible for defending Earth from them? Why had they not been told any of this? This was huge. Alien life and it had been kept under wraps  Why? Her father must have known. “Why does no one know about this?”

Renna lifted an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“There’s alien life! Why has no one been told?”

Danny’s cup jangled onto the saucer. “Complications are the last thing anyone needs. This precinct is a glimmer of hope for a lot of people. A glimmer that we’ve been waiting a lifetime for.” 

Renna continued. “Waiting generations for. You know how exciting it was when the precinct was announced! What would happen if they turned round and said, well actually, now we might be under threat from unknown alien races?”

Danny chimed in. “We’re assuming that the Corps didn’t already know. We’re just the grunts on the front. I highly doubt this is first contact. For us, sure. But the Corps? Earth? They’ve probably been visiting us since the dawn of time. Now we’re advanced enough for them to take more of an interest. Now we can look back.”

Renna laughed. “Danny Banguera, the Conspiracy Theorist, everyone.”

“I’m serious, Renna. They tell us what we need to know. I don’t think we’d be any the wiser if Alright wasn’t tight with that guy from Exploration.”

They chatted for a little while longer, Emay in a haze through most of it, her mind racing. When coffees were finished, they concluded the tour at Emay’s quarters, leaving her to get settled.

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