Free Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Lost Stars by Claudia Gray, Phil Noto Page A

these matters more seriously on Jelucan than most people do,” he said, truthfully enough. “Speculating is…improper.”
    “This, from the man who watched that holofive times!” Nash laughed out loud. “Besides, you’re supposed to stop being Jelucani and start being a citizen of the Empire,
remember? And speculating is
fun
.”
    “I need you to listen to me.” Thane put down his tools and looked Nash squarely in the face. “This subject is permanently closed. There’s nothing going on between me and
Ciena. We’re just—”
    “—good friends,” Ciena said as shewalked away from the martial arts room, every muscle aching. “Always have been, always will be. That’s all
there is to it.”
    Jude nodded her approval, then winced; probably her head was still hurting from the last time Kendy had slammed her into the mat. “Very wise of you. Given the prohibition on dating fellow
cadets, neither you nor Thane would want to compromise your careers by violatingsuch an important rule.”
    Kendy—beaming, sweaty, and triumphant—just laughed at them both. “I’d break the rules for a guy who looks that good.”
    For a moment, Ciena felt a twinge of jealousy. That was not at all how she wanted to feel when it came to Thane—and yet it burned within her, an ember that refused to go dark.
    But Kendy was already moving on. “So, what are we going to do withour free day?”
    “Personally, I don’t care,” Ciena said, “as long as it involves eating
real food
.”
    On Imperial ships, officers were encouraged to drink nutritive beverages instead of consuming food; it was more efficient in terms of both ship resources and officer time, and the medics
insisted the nutritives were healthier, too. They didn’t taste bad—but they definitely didn’t taste
good
. The academy mess served the nutritives, and like most students,
Ciena had dutifully started getting used to them. But as long as she could enjoy some real, true, delicious food without guilt, she intended to indulge.
    “I believe we will be able to find acceptable meals at virtually any potential destination,” Jude said, then hesitated before making her suggestion. “Would anyone elsebe
interested in visiting the Museum of Multispecies Sciences?”
    Kendy groaned, but Ciena shot her a look. Their third roommate was soft-spoken, patient, and accommodating; she deserved to get her way once in a while. “Maybe we could go to the museum
first thing in the morning. But in the afternoon, I’d rather do something less”—
completely boring?
—“cerebral. We study so hard here already,you know? I’d
like to try something like, maybe, sea diving.”
    “Diving.
Yes.
” Immediately, Kendy became excited. As a native of the tropical world of Iloh, she’d begun swimming even before she could walk. “I can’t
believe it’s been six months since I’ve been in the water! And no, Jude, swimming laps in the wave pool doesn’t count.”
    Jude didn’t respond to that as they stepped into thelift. Already she was deep in thought. “Diving would be a fascinating challenge. Bespin is a gas giant, which means we have no
oceans or lakes. Swimming pools are rare luxuries. Therefore my experience in the water is limited. The chance to expand my skills and observe marine life would be extremely pleasant.”
    As the lift settled onto their floor, Ciena had to shake her head and smile. “Everything’sa science project to you, Jude.”
    “Science is the study of the entire material universe. Therefore everything
is
science—whether you see it or not.” Only the faintest smile on Jude’s thin lips
revealed that she was teasing them back.
    Ciena didn’t mention what they might do that night. Inside she hoped they’d be celebrating her finishing the term as number one in the class, but even sayingthat out loud sounded
prideful. The only other possible candidate for number one was of course Thane—and if he won, she thought she could be happy for