★ West ★

  General Howard stood at the front of his classroom, surveying the cadets as they filtered in one by one.

  His hair was almost completely gray, and deep wrinkles crossed their way through his rough complexion. There was a certain ruggedness to him which hinted that he might’ve been handsome at one point, but those days were clearly far behind him.

  He looked every bit what a general should, West thought.

  He’d arrived early and grabbed a seat in the front row, hoping to catch the General’s attention and possibly even speak to him. But Howard didn’t seem interested in talking. He remained distant, standing behind his desk and wearing an expression that said he wasn’t to be bothered.

  As with any respectable general, West thought again.

  Sandi was almost late, as usual. West had feared he wouldn’t make it, but at the last moment he walked in and took one of the only vacant seats remaining near the back of the classroom, and West breathed a sigh of relief on his behalf.

  The instant the clock flashed 13:00, General Howard stepped forward and spoke.

  “Good afternoon, cadets.”

  West listened to his accent and smiled. Of course he’s a Brit. Couldn’t be more perfect, really.

  “Let’s get started,” Howard continued. “I’ll begin with attendance. Please answer when I call your name.”

  He took a piece of paper from the top of his desk and began reading, reciting all twenty-two names in rote order. West answered enthusiastically when called upon, but the General paid him no mind. He paid none of them any mind, until he got to the last one.

  “San… no, Sand…” He let out an exasperated sigh as he tripped over the words. “Sandipan Patel. Have I got that right?”

  “Present, Sir,” Sandi answered. “And yes, that’s correct.”

  Howard looked at him. “Is that a London accent I hear?”

  Sandi appeared to be taken off guard by the question, but quickly composed himself. “Yes Sir, it is. I’ve lived near London for most of my life.”

  Howard nodded. “Well, we’ve got something in common, then.”

  Sandi smiled ever so slightly. “That’s not the only place I’ve lived, either.”

  Howard frowned. “Oh?”

  West drew a deep breath and closed his eyes, because he knew what was coming. Sandi had a tendency to run his mouth, and West could recite from memory exactly what he was going to say.

  “That’s right,” Sandi continued. “My family spent two years in an off-world training program, and another eight months living in one of the Mars colonies.”

  Howard’s expression changed, and his mouth drew into a tight line. “Which one?” he asked sharply.

  “Um…” Sandi stammered at this abrupt shift in tone. “Polaris B, near the South Pole.”

  “I know where it is,” Howard snapped.

  “Oh… well, I just thought I’d mention it.”

  “You ‘just thought?’ Howard stared at him. “I doubt much thought went into it at all. Were you trying to make yourself look better? Thought you could impress me?”

  “That’s not—”

  “Just so you know, that’s where they send underperformers,” Howard continued, cutting him off. “I’m sure you did know that, but I’m stating it for the benefit of the rest of the class. Polaris B is an auxiliary colony for trainees who are at risk of washing out of the program. The liabilities. If you manage to turn things around, they ship you off to one of the permanent settlements, and if you don’t…” A sly grin crossed his face. “I’m guessing you went back to London, didn’t you?”

  West heard his friend inhale sharply as Howard scrutinized him with a self-satisfied smile.

  “You’re here in my classroom today because you didn’t make the cut,” he continued. “I’m guessing you applied to the Corps because you thought we’d have lower standards.”

  The classroom had become very quiet, and all the idle noises of cadets fidgeting came to a stop. West knew what was going to happen next, though, because he knew how his friend would react to such a statement.

  “Sandi, don’t…” he whispered a desperate warning under his breath. But Sandi couldn’t hear him, and even if he could, such efforts would’ve been in vain.

  “I applied to the Corps because I thought this was a respectable program,” Sandi said, “but I see now that maybe I was wrong.”

  It felt as if all the air had been sucked from the room. There was no sound, and they all sat motionless.

  “Come up here right now,” Howard said. ”Now—you can stand in front of everyone.”

  Sandi seemed to be weighing his options, and after a moment of deliberation he slowly rose from his chair, pushing it backward with an excruciating scraping noise against the floor. He approached the front of the room with sluggish, heavy steps, as if weighed down by the heavy gazes of his classmates.

  “If there’s something you feel the need to say, you can say it to the whole class,” Howard said, taking a step back and allowing him more space. “That’s right, stop there and turn to face your fellow cadets. Now, is there anything else you’d like to tell us?”

  Sandi shook his head.

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  “Nothing? If you’re going to embarrass yourself, you should do it properly. You’re going to keep talking.”

  “I’d… rather not. Can I go back to my seat?”

  “No, you’re going to answer a few questions for me first. Polaris B, was it? For eight months?”

  Sandi nodded.

  “Interesting, considering a standard contract lasts for a year. The only reason it would be less than that is if it were terminated with cause.”

  West wanted to sink through the floor as he stared from the front row.

  “I know exactly what you’re doing,” the General continued. “You may not be able to put words to it, but I’ve got a theory. You’re worried you’re going to get kicked out of our program too, so you’re playing up your past to make yourself look better while omitting the important bits. You thought I wouldn’t know, as if colony rejects don’t make up half of our applicants.”

  Sandi scowled. “That’s not what happened—”

  “You’re upset because I’m calling the Mars settlers what they are—tourists.” Howard took a deep breath and began pacing at the front of the classroom. “Those so-called colonies are little more than luxury retreats founded under the guise of scientific research. They know exactly who they’re recruiting, which is why they’re run like resorts with a Martian backdrop. They don’t screen for intelligence or fitness. There’s only one thing they care about, and that’s the size of your bank account. If that experience was worth anything, it would count for something, but it doesn’t even qualify you for basic training here at the Corps. All it means is that you passed a rudimentary test, paid a substantial amount of money up front, and made a private company even richer. You didn’t live in close quarters working grueling shifts for months on end; you slept in private berthing with access to shops, spaceports, and restaurants—all of which, mind you, were founded on top of legacy settlements that were seized by force to make room for paying tourists. That’s all you were, and I find it insulting that you try to pretend otherwise. I’m sure you failed to realize any of that, though, as you dined at your favorite brunch spot while marveling at the dust storms outside without a single care for the people who labored in horrid conditions to build those things for you.”

  “Is that what you think?” Sandi’s voice was shaking now.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “What was I supposed to do?” Sandi asked. “I was eleven years old, and my parents were the ones who signed us up for it. How was I supposed to know any of that, much less do something about it?”

  “You’re quite a bit older than eleven now, aren’t you?” Howard said. “If you were embarrassed by it, I sure couldn’t tell. Not only were you defending that system a few minutes ago, but you came in here bragging about it.” He stopped pacing, and a slight grin made its way across his face. “If there’s any consolation, it’s that you paid all that money, and in the end, they didn’t even want you.”

  “Are you quite done?!” Sandi shouted, and his voice had a tremble to it, although from fear or anger, West couldn’t tell.

  “Indeed I am,” Howard said. “Now, I think it’s time we put this matter to rest. Class is over for you today. I’ve heard enough. Go back to your desk, gather your things, and leave.”

  Sandi stood there for a moment, then nodded and started back toward his seat.

  “Faster, please. And when you’re gone, class will continue for everyone who deserves to be here.”

  Sandi’s hands were shaking as he swept the few remaining items from the top of his desk into his bag. Then he spun around, walked out quickly, and let the door slam behind him with a loud bang.

  Howard stared after him until he was gone, and West could’ve sworn he saw a smirk playing at the corners of his lips, although it was subtle and could only be seen from where he sat in the front row. After Sandi had disappeared from view, Howard turned to face the rest of the class.

  “Does anyone else feel the need to speak out of turn?” he asked.

  None of them responded.

  “Good. Now, with that unpleasantness out of the way, open your textbooks and turn to the introductory chapter.”

  ? ? ? ? ?

  As soon as class was done, West sprinted from his seat and rushed through the door looking for Sandi. He didn’t have to go far, though; Sandi was sitting on the floor right across the hall.

  “Are you alright?” West asked, reaching down and helping his friend to his feet.

  “Fine enough, I guess,” Sandi replied as he stood up.

  “What was that about?” West asked as they walked away from the classroom.

  “Do I really need to explain ‘bias’ to you? He gave a brilliant demonstration, and with an entire classroom supporting it, at that.”

  “Oh come on, you know I don’t support that.”

  “You listened to him say those things, and you didn’t say a word. That’s supporting it.”

  “What was I supposed to say? It’s not like I could do anything.”

  “You know the truth, West, and you chose not to correct him.”

  West was silent.

  “You know we didn’t get kicked out of the program,” Sandi continued quietly. “You remember what really happened. My dad got sick. They couldn’t treat him on Mars—they could barely treat him on Earth. That’s why we went back to London. They gave him five years and he’s made it six, but each time I go home I wonder if it’s the last time I’ll see him. You knew that, and you didn’t say anything.”

  “Neither did you.”

  “What do you think he would’ve done with that information? It’d just be another thing to use against me. All you had to do was say ‘that’s not right,’ but you didn’t.”

  “I can’t do anything that would make a meaningful difference, and you know it. If you’re looking for someone who can, there’s got to be some authority we can report this to. But you talked back to him, so it wasn’t entirely unjustified, don’t you think? He’s just a nutter, and we knew that when we signed up for his class.”

  “This isn’t what I signed up for.”

  “Sandi…”

  “And ‘unjustified?’ He’s implying that you’re more qualified to be here than I am.”

  “Look, we all know that what he’s saying is a fat load of bollocks—or at least, I know it is.”

  “Yes, but you’re a cadet and he’s a general. Do you not see why that’s a problem? And if this is how he acts in the classroom, imagine how he was during the war. I’ve got to wonder—was he stationed near those colonies? If it came out that he’s committed atrocities, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least.”

  “You can’t know that for certain.” West sighed and looked away. “At any rate, you’re not going to drop the class, are you?”

  “We’ll see. That depends on if I’m allowed back.”

  “You’ve got to go back! Or request that they move you to a different course, at the very least. I worked hard to get you in there. Don’t you dare throw it all away.”

  “I don’t think I’ll have much of a choice. And who’s going to approve that request for me? He’s chancellor, remember? All those decisions go through him. He doesn’t want me moved; he wants me gone.”

  “Fight for it, Sandi!” West said, turning around and blocking his path in the middle of the hall. “You made the grades, and you earned it. Stand up for your right to be here!”

  “Sure, and you’ll stand right there with me, talking back to that arse of a general with all the confidence you’re showing right now, correct? Fighting beside me the whole time? Because you sure didn’t today.”

  “You can’t let something like this hold you back. We had less than one-in-one-hundred odds of being accepted to this program—I haven’t even thought about the chances of both of us getting in together—and now you’re willing to throw it all away because of one single ‘arse of a general?’”

  Sandi looked down at the floor and shrugged as he came to a stop and stood there with his hands buried deep in his pockets.

  West followed his lead and stopped beside him, then forced a smile. “Come on, let’s forget about this for now and grab something to eat right quick before our next class, shall we?”

  “Fancy some brunch, do you?” Sandi asked.

  West’s smile disappeared.

  “Do whatever you like, but I’m going back to the dorms,” Sandi continued. “Need to clear my head for a bit.”

  “Sandi, wait…”

  But he’d already turned around and walked off, leaving West alone.