Free Battleship (Movie Tie-in Edition) by Peter David

Navy.”
Yeah. Opinions like that are why Stone’s up there and you’re down here
.
    “Hopper. What’s wrong?”
    Raikes had come up beside him and was looking at him with genuine concern. “Seriously, Hopps. You look terrible. What’s on your mind?”
    His mouth moved before he could stop it and the words all came out in a rush. “I was going to ask the admiral for permission to marry Sam except he totally hates me and you can’t tell anyone, okay. Please?”
    She was clearly startled by the confession spilling from him. “Wow,” was all she could say.
    “Seriously. Don’t tell anyone. None of the guys, and definitely not Stone.”
    “Absolutely. Not a soul.”
    “I had to hear it from Ord?
Ord?
From
freaking Ord?
” Stone said in disbelief. Then he paused and turned to Ord. “No offense.”
    “Oh, none taken,” said Ord. “I’m right there with you. Who wants to hear something like that from me? Hell, I couldn’t believe it when Beast told me.”
    “Color me shocked,” said Beast.
    His closest friends and his astounded brother were grouped around Hopper at the far end of the deck. Hopper was glaring at Raikes, who was standing there shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other and trying to look at anyone except Hopper. She was eating a slice of cake with great concentration. “ ‘Absolutely not a soul,’ Raikes?” said Hopper. “Really?”
    Her response was a shrug.
    “I have no soul, if that helps, so technically she kept her word,” Beast said helpfully. “I’m actually a robot sent back in time to kill John Connor.”
    “Shut up,” said Hopper.
    “Roger, I copy that.”
    Stone circled the group, but his attention never left his brother. Clearly he didn’t give a damn about Raikes breaking her word; he was more focused on other aspects of the news. “Why did you keep it from me? From your own brother?”
    Hopper was inclined to spend some more time being pissed off with Raikes, but that pretty much seemed to be a dead-end path. So he said in frustration, “Because there’s only so much humiliation I want to handle, okay?”
    “What are you talking about? Why would you think I’d humiliate you?” Stone was clearly astounded at Hopper’s attitude. “I want nothing but the best for you and Sam! You guys are a great couple. Right?” He addressed the question to the others.
    “Yes, absolutely,” said Beast.
    Raikes nodded, her mouth still full of cake, and she gave a thumbs-up.
    “I’d totally do her,” said Ord. Then, when he saw that everyone was glaring at him, he said defensively, “Hey, I’m new here. Gimme a break.”
    Raikes swallowed the piece of cake. “I’ll give you a broken nose is what I’ll give you.”
    Hopper shifted his attention to Sam. She was standing next to her father, the admiral. She was holding a glass of champagne and laughing in that marvelous way she had. That laugh that, no matter what manner of gloom had settled on Hopper at any given moment, always made things right somehow. Officers from Japan, England, and South Korea were grouped around her, hanging on every word she said, every movement, every toss of her head. They adored her. Everyone adored her. Especially her father, who had an arm around her shoulders and was clearly bristling with pride over the splendid young woman he’d raised.
    And he couldn’t stand Hopper.
    “It doesn’t matter what a great couple we are,” Hopper said. “There’s no way the admiral’s gonna approve. And when that happens—or doesn’t, I should say—at least none of you would have had to know about it. There wouldn’t be a whole ‘So how’d it go?’ thing. I could keep my humiliation hidden and my guts would tear themselves apart in private instead of you guys knowing what was going on.”
    The others exchanged looks. “Are you serious?” said Stone. “C’mon, Hopps. You’re selling yourself short.”
    “You absolutely are,” said Beast. Raikes, having shoveled another forkful of