“There are a few supernaturals on this ship,” Jang added. “The captain tolerates them. But most of the crew is human.”
If Jang had never heard of a fox cadet, then Jun must have kept his true nature hidden from everyone. That figured—he’d always been the more obedient of the two of us. While the captain was open to some kinds of supernatural cadets, I bet that he, like most folks, didn’t trust fox spirits.
“It is true that your kind can shape-shift?” Jang asked.
I demonstrated by growing my hair, then returning it to its original length. He grinned appreciatively.
“I really am sorry about what happened to you,” I added, biting my lip. I’d never dreamed that by hitching a ride on the Red Azalea I would cause someone’s death.
“It was over quickly,” he said without emotion. “The mercs are really the ones to blame.” Then: “I accept your proposal. You can be me. And while you’re at it, you can find out more about the mercenaries who killed me.”
“It’s a deal,” I said, wondering if I was being reckless.
“Swear it on the bones of your ancestors,” Jang said.
I gulped. That wasn’t an oath I could wriggle my way out of. Also, I worried that taking on this detective work would distract me from my real quest of finding Jun. But I needed Jang’s help. “I swear on the bones of my ancestors,” I said, and shivered.
“All right,” Jang said, apparently satisfied.
“By the way,” I started, “did you know a cadet named—?”
“Someone is approaching,” Jang said, cutting me off. “You’d better be convincing.” With that, he faded out, leaving a wintry chill in the air.
I heard footsteps. Focusing on my memory of how Jang looked, I shifted into his shape. The face involved some guesswork, because the shadows had obscured some of the angles, but at least I had a pretty good idea of what a regulation haircut looked like from news clips of Space Forces soldiers in parades.
Before I had time to lie back down on the pallet, a curtain drew aside to reveal a tall woman in a slightly more elaborate version of the uniform Jang had worn, carrying a battered slate and stylus. She had short-cropped hair streaked with white and the demeanor of a bemused crane. From her round gold lapel pin with the symbol for longevity, I guessed she was the ship’s physician. I hit her with a dose of Charm to muddle her wits so I could convince her that Jang had survived and “Bora” hadn’t.
“Water?” I croaked, figuring that was safe. My new lower voice sounded odd in my ears, but I would just have to get used to it.
“Not until I’ve checked you over, Cadet,” the woman said. Her brow furrowed as she looked at my face, and I threw more Charm at her. She shook her head and pushed me down onto the cot. Her fingers traced lines in the air above me. I didn’t know much beyond first aid, but my late grandmother used to talk about the meridians, the body’s lines of energy, from which you could diagnose injuries and illnesses. Just as veins and arteries carried blood throughout the body, the meridians carried life force. Any damage to the mind or body would be reflected in its flow.
I stared up at her, trying not to show how intimidated I felt. As a doctor, she knew the human body inside and out, and there I was, a fox impersonating a human of the opposite sex.
“Good thing my shield took the worst of the hit,” I said so the physician had a plausible story for my survival. “By the way, what happened to the pilot of that freighter?” I asked, recalling Byung-Ho’s last scream.
“Him? He’s still in one of the healing pods,” she said, “but he’ll make it.”
I breathed easier and pushed with Charm again. “Too bad the girl didn’t.” I’d never used this much magic on a single person before. I’d expected it to be harder. My body ached, but that was from the grenade blast.
How much pain was Byung-Ho in? I wondered. He’d taken that grenade for me.
“Can I see the pilot?” I asked the physician before I’d thought the matter through. There was no reason Jang would have made such a request.
The doctor clucked. “You won’t do him any good. He’s in a medi-coma.” She traced another meridian. “But you’re in satisfactory condition. As soon as I fill out the forms, you can return to duty.”
While she input some information on the slate, I wondered how I could get a map of the ship. I had no idea where I was supposed to go. Too bad Jang had faded away before giving me tips about how life on a battle cruiser worked. Maybe I’d get a chance to quiz him once I had some privacy. And at some point I wanted to get a real uniform to replace my magical one, especially if I was going to be stuck here for any length of time.
The physician was frowning over something on the slate. “I could have sworn . . .”
I looked innocently at her even as I began to sweat. “Yes, Doctor?”
“There’s an error in the database,” she muttered. “It lists the girl on that freighter as having survived.”
I definitely didn’t want that info getting around. I closed my eyes and directed my Charm at her again.
“Poor thing,” she said. “Still, that’s easy enough to fix.” Without any more hesitation, she edited the database.
Whew! Close call.
“All right, Cadet Jang,” the physician said, “off you go.” She strolled over to her next patient.
“Thanks, Doctor,” I said, getting to my feet.
What I didn’t say was Go where, exactly?
It took me a couple of tries to locate the medical bay’s exit. I emerged into a passageway wide enough for four people side by side. Unlike the Red Azalea, this ship’s deck had a slight concave curve to it, so it felt like I was moving along the inner surface of a cylinder. There were hand-and footholds not only on the sides, but also on the floor and the ceiling—in case the artificial gravity went out and magnetic boots weren’t enough, I guessed. The ship could probably be spun all the way around its long axis to simulate gravity.
I picked a direction—there were only two to choose from—and started walking in as military a fashion as I could manage. The ship was full of strange smells. Some I recognized from my brief time aboard the Red Azalea—metal and rust and smoke. Some scents were human. And some had a distinctly supernatural flavor.
The Space Forces accepted the “more respectable” supernatural creatures, such as dragons and celestial maidens—and even tigers, if they could control their violent tempers—as long as they confined themselves to human form. Dragons, in particular, were enormous in their true manifestations. It was easier to design starships for human shapes and sizes and have everyone else adapt.
I had just enough time to wonder how to trace Jun’s trail, when a nearby door whooshed open. Another cadet barreled out of it and crashed into me. I emitted a strangled yell when the person’s knee accidentally connected with my crotch. I was going to have to be more careful about guarding that part of my body! Assuming the shape of a boy might not be any weirder than turning into a table or a teacup, but I had to remember that it didn’t make me immune to pain.
The other cadet’s eyes went wide. “Jang!” The person’s name tag told me they were called Sujin and that I should address them as gender-neutral. I recognized them immediately as a dokkaebi, one of the goblin folk. While I’d never met one before, the small horn protruding from the middle of their forehead was a dead giveaway. Otherwise they had a smooth tawny human face, with black hair and brown eyes, like those of most citizens. Goblins were known for their strength, magical wands, and invisibility caps. I couldn’t help peeking around Sujin for a glimpse of their hat, but I didn’t spot it. Which made sense.
“Wait, what?” A second cadet emerged from the same doorway. She was taller than the dokkaebi, and she, too, was a supernatural. The name on her badge was haneul, which would be easy to remember. It meant sky. Even if it hadn’t been for her blue-tinted hair, which was pinned up severely, I would have smelled the sea on her. She had to be a dragon. They had an affinity for air and water. “Jang, I didn’t think you’d be up and about so soon!”
When I’d hastily adopted my disguise, I hadn’t taken the other cadets into account. At least some of them would know Jang—they were all training together to be officers, after all. Yikes! What if they asked me questions only he could answer? I’d talked with his ghost for just a few minutes, so impersonating him convincingly would be difficult. But it was too late to back out. For now, I’d have to rely on magic to get me through. Later I could try to find Jang and grill him. In the meantime, maybe these cadets knew something about Jun. . . .