Kiran Grace and Andrelis Rossen meet as cadets at the Officer Training Academy of the Union of Independent Worlds and, despite the rivalries and suspicion between their home planets, Akna and Parabellum, they can’t deny the attraction they feel. Kiran’s competence and flair impresses Andrelis and challenges his assumptions about Kiran’s people. For his part Kiran is attracted to the martial society Andrelis comes from, but not their stiff-necked attitude and cultural conservatism. After they graduate and go back to serve their home planets, they know they will probably never see each other again. They can only hold on to the happy memories of that intense academy affair.
But several years later, both are serving as officers aboard starships which are the first to reach the scene of a devastating explosion at a remote Akna mining colony. The two crews work together for days to help the victims of the disaster, and the connection between Kiran and Andrelis is rekindled. Both confess they’ve never been able to get the other out of their minds.
But when evidence comes to light implicating Parabellum in sabotage, the two worlds go to war, and Kiran and Andrelis are torn apart again. Only after years of war will there be a chance for them to reunite to end the conflict ... if they can get past a betrayal that’s left a bitter rift between them.
Andrelis stopped at the open door into Kiran’s room. Kiran, in fatigues, was sprawled on his bed, one arm over his eyes. Andrelis considered backing away and leaving him. Today was their first day off in a month, and they’d all had little enough sleep in that time. But if Kiran wanted undisturbed sleep he’d have closed his door. Andrelis tapped on the frame and Kiran moved his arm away from his eyes.
“Rossen,” he said.
“Grace. Are you sleeping?”
“Yeah, this is me sleep-talking.”
“Shut up. If you’re not sleeping, you want to try some sparring?” They still hadn’t had time to do it. Every moment of the day filled. “The dojo is quiet right now.” He’d checked on the view of the internal cameras. Barely a soul in there. Everyone was either sleeping, studying, out in the grounds, or even in the city, if they somehow had the energy.
“Oh yeah, I agreed to that, didn’t I?” Kiran leaned up on his elbows. “You’re pretty keen for me to kick your ass.”
“You can try. Look, I’m going to the dojo anyway. Join me if you want.”
“Okay, I’ll see you down there in ten minutes.”
Andrelis turned away to hide his smile of anticipation and headed for the stairs. Fifteen minutes later he was doing some stretches on the mats in the training dojo when Kiran strolled in, wearing a dark blue gi, with a black belt. Uh-oh. He kicked off his shoes and walked onto the mat.
“That’s not academy issue,” Andrelis said of the gi.
“I brought my own,” Kiran said with a shrug. He went into some stretches, which looked martial arts specific, Andrelis thought. Not the more general warm up ones Andrelis was doing.
“We’re not doing a judo match here,” Andrelis said, starting to feel nervous.
“Sure,” Kiran said. “We’ll stick to the hand to hand fighting they’ve been teaching us. Though maybe I’ll also wrap my legs around your head.”
Andrelis swallowed, and shook his head. “You can try,” he repeated. And kind of regretted it. Kiran was being provocative, to unbalance him.
“You’ve been doing okay in the hand to hand,” Kiran said. “How long have you been in the service back home?”
“A year,” Andrelis said.
“Two years for me,” Kiran said. “One year of compulsory service, then I stayed on.”
Andrelis frowned. “You have compulsory military service on Akna?”
“Yes. What, you don’t? I thought you guys were all about the military.”
“Our forces are elite, not conscripts. It’s a privilege to serve.”
“Huh, well, that’s nice for you. I hope if Earth comes looking for trouble again you can get the folks with no training up to speed quickly.”
That made Andrelis thoughtful. “Is that why you have it? You think Earth would try to take over again?”
“Earth. Someone else. Whoever tried it wouldn’t have it easy.”
They finished the warm up and Kiran bowed formally to Andrelis, who copied the movement.
“Just making sure anyone watching knows this is a bit of friendly sparring. You and me, best of pals.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” But he’d been taking the colonel’s words to heart for the last month. Kiran was part of his unit. They had to get along.
They closed, both trying to get in a position to throw the other. Andrelis was the bigger man, heavier, and shorter, lower center of gravity, making him hard to throw. But Kiran was slippery, and somehow always just leaving the place where Andrelis’s hand closed, trying to grab him.
“Too slow,” Kiran said. “Always too slow.” He slipped away again and danced back out of reach.
“It’s like trying to catch a stream,” Andrelis muttered. Kiran grinned.
“Spot on. You’ve got to flow.”
“You mean, go with the flow?”
“No, you have to flow. Not going with it, like it’s an external part of you.”
“What the hell does that even mean?”
“It’s a Daoist thing. You probably wouldn’t get it.”
“Daoist?” Andrelis frowned. “That’s a religion isn’t it? You’re religious?”
“You say that like you’re surprised.”
Andrelis shrugged. “All that stuff sounds like woo-woo bullshit to me.” Kiran frowned, and Andrelis added. “No offence.”
Kiran, still scowling, made a move that lacked some of his usual fluidity. “And what do you believe in?” he asked, voice harsher than usual. Andrelis let him come, fell back, leaving Kiran off balance enough for Andrelis to hook his leg out and drop him to the mat, going down after him to pin him. He grinned down at the suddenly furious Kiran.
“Gravity,” Andrelis said.
