Free After Earth: A Perfect Beast by Peter David Michael Jan Friedman Robert Greenberger

I heard a commotion in here. But when I walk over to check it out, there’s no commotion at all. Just you two standing here, looking at each other like the best of buddies.
    “Which would be fine, except you’re
not
the best of buddies. So I find myself wondering what kind of comradely impulse made Cadet Kincaid here feel compelled to pay Cadet Raige a visit.”
    “Nothing, sir,” Conner said.
    “Just passing by, sir,” said Lucas.
    Lennon smiled. “Just passing by. Of course. No problem?”
    Kincaid glared at Conner. “None, sir.”
    “No problem at all, sir,” Conner said.
    “I see,” said Lennon. “And yet you two seem to have pounded each other half to death. So there must be a problem.” He turned to Conner. “Cadet Raige?”
    Conner couldn’t fail to answer a question directed right at him. He thrust his chin at Kincaid. “The cadet here was repeating that Vander Meer crap about the colony investing too much in the Rangers.”
    “Really,” Lennon said. He looked at Kincaid. “Is this true?”
    The muscles fluttered in Kincaid’s jaw. “It is, sir.”
    Lennon turned to Conner again. “Well, Cadet Raige, it just so happens
I
agree with Trey Vander Meer, too.”
    What?!
thought Conner, feeling as if the world had been pulled out from under him. Lennon was a commandingofficer in the Rangers. How could he side with that loudmouth on the radio?
    “I don’t see how,” he said.
    He hadn’t meant to say it. It just came out.
    “I beg your pardon?” Lennon said, moving closer to Conner until their noses were almost touching.
    Conner had a choice. He could take back what he had said and pacify his commanding officer. That would be the wise choice; no question about it. Or he could go the other way, which was the path he found himself taking.
    “What I said, sir,” he replied evenly, “was that I don’t see how.”
    Lennon’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You don’t see how I could agree with Trey Vander Meer?”
    Conner steeled himself. “Yes, sir.”
    “And why is that?”
    There was no going back now. “Because he’s the enemy of everything the Rangers stand for, sir.”
    “The Rangers,” Lennon said, “don’t have any enemies in this colony, Cadet Raige. We’re all in this together. The sooner you get that through your head, the better.”
    Conner bit his lip. He knew how dumb it would be to disagree with Lennon, how abysmally stupid. He did it anyway.
    “Sir,” he said, “the Rangers do have enemies, people who would like to see the Corps whittled down to nothing because they believe it doesn’t serve a purpose anymore. And Trey Vander Meer is one of them.”
    Lennon’s eyes widened. “That’s your opinion? Because I’m pretty sure cadets haven’t earned the
right
to have opinions. You’re a cadet, aren’t you?”
    “Yes, sir,” Conner answered.
    “You haven’t been promoted without my knowing it?”
    “No, sir.”
    “But you do want to be promoted someday, don’t you? Before you’re too old to pick up a real pulser?”
    “I do, sir.”
    “Then you’ll keep your
opinions
to yourself. Do youunderstand? Or do I need to be Trey Vander Meer to get your attention?”
    “Yes, sir,” Conner said. “No, sir.”
    Lennon glared at him a moment longer, a reminder of who was in charge. Then he turned and left Conner and Lucas standing there.
    It was clear to Conner that Lucas wanted to go at it again, maybe as much as Conner himself did. But after what Lennon had said, that wasn’t going to happen.
    With a curl of his lip, Lucas walked away. A bunch of cadets went with him. After all, Lucas—unlike Conner—had been a model cadet from the time he had arrived in the barracks; that was why he’d been named leader of Red Squad. People gravitated toward a leader.
    The only cadet who came over to Conner was Blodge. “Nice going,” he said, apparently without irony.
    “Nice?” Conner echoed. He sat down and let his head fall into his bloody-knuckled hands. “I’m such an