Music: Yes
Mood: 🤔
Writing this out to make sense of why one of my classmates tried to tackle me in a Model 6. The instructors already handled the mess but something about it still bothers me.
Near the end of piloting drills, I opened my cockpit up and knelt down to talk to the girls gathered around me. Nothing unusual there, I do that every day.
Then one of the girls gasps and I hear a Model 6 with a lopsided left balance piston stomp across the range.
The week before, someone hopped in an old Ariadne with a busted balance crux and I barely caught her before she took a dive off the edge of the station. I figured this might be the same thing, so I caught the left arm of his machine and spun him around, but he tried to swing at me again and ended up ripping the shoulder joint out of its bearing.
It took me a minute to recognize him after he opened his cockpit, and by then he’d already started shouting at me. Too distracted trying to remember his name to catch most of it, but here’s what I remember:
- He called me a thief, a few times
- Don’t think I’ve ever stolen anything intentionally. Have accidentally taken someone else’s towels or water bottles in the gym a couple times.
- I may have gone on a few dates with thieves but that’s none of my business so why would I ask?
- Something about his Honor
- ????
- Something boorish about his Family Pride
Demetrian. I think that was his name? He was crying when the instructors pulled him away.
I’m not good at dealing with other people on the officers’ track. Most of them come from prestigious families with ties to the Emperor and they’re all eager to rise through the ranks as fast as they can. They’ll probably be good at that.
There’s another group who keep trying to outdo each other all to reach the top of the class, all hoping to get closer to Miss Gable. I considered it myself once, just like I considered running away to the far end of the system with my first girlfriend when I was fourteen. Better to focus on the people you can protect, and the ones who need it.
Anyhow Demetrius has a grudge against me and I’m not sure why. Maybe we can work it out in sparring next week.
