There were three major milestones for cadets, the first being the evaluation of a basic skill or talent that could benefit the Volunteer program. In celebration, today meant a feast. Crew numbers now culled meant extra rations for everyone. They would be doled out at each meal throughout the day.

It was also the day for receiving the second uniform.

Therefore, Dev waited at her room door feeling stupid with each passing second.

Across from her, head cadet after head cadet, usually two to a room, stepped out looking perfectly groomed, to the sight of their now forty-man crew already lined up and ready to march into the mess hall for breakfast.

Top scorers, eager for some good standing, took to a junior head cadet position and organized their fellow teammates.

Each set that marched on, tried not to look at her. That was the recruits. Head cadets stared at Dev as they past, most smirking and some even laughing at how dumb she looked standing there with no one to command.

As badly as Dev wanted to check her matrix to see if her message had transmitted, she couldn't work up the nerve. No matter where her crewmen were, her instructions must have reached them.

By the time the last line of people marched out, Dev took the situation personally. The boys were set to enter the hall next.

Could she really live it down if she was forced to wait for them to pass her by before going to search for, and beat up, her crew?

The first to head her way was Sen, a miserable looking Oni trailing behind. Oni could barely keep upright.

Behind him, seven jerks walked in step.

The lines of head cadets slowed and waited for Sen who came to a stop before Dev.

He had the grace to blush when he closed the distance between them.

"Hey. Sorry. They've just been so used to following me. I think maybe they got confused. Besides, they can't really read all that well. I'm sure that's why they were by my bunk instead of yours."

Dev stared past him to the traitors and muttered, "I'd sent a voice recorded message. I'd sent it three times."

Sen didn't even respond. When Dev met his gaze, she recognized the pleading. Just let this go. It's best for everyone.

"Well, you leading us or what?" Sen asked.

Dev lowered her gaze. Part of her was tempted to refuse to even get breakfast and to instead catch up on some training but she caught sight of Oni who wore a similar pleading expression as Sen. His begging was something else.

She sighed. "Did you let him sleep at all?"

Letting out a scoff, Sen said, "Of course. Standing up."

Oni opened his mouth, perhaps to complain, but instead he shut up and awaited rescue.

There was no sense in waiting for any, Dev agreed with Sen's method. Why hadn't she thought of it herself?

"Come on," Sen said, wrapping his arm around her neck. "While they stuff their faces, you and me can discuss our eventual nuptials."

Dev sighed as she allowed him to lead her on. It was his way of undercutting anything serious. She needed that right now.

Breakfast went without incident, even Oni was able to ask for seconds and thirds of the food.

Dev, having finished her singular meal, watched him with interest. "Maybe you should slow down."

"I haven't eaten anything in near a week," he grumbled.

She opened her mouth to dispute that at first but shut up. From the time he'd come in till now, she'd never witnessed him eating.

The knowledge of having failed so miserably with Oni was why Dev took the time to study her crew now. Sen had been right about how they behaved. The first person to eat was Mercy, at all times. The other six all waited until she was full before starting on their own meals.

For now, this was fine because of the tone of the day, but if they kept this strange practice up, they would run out of time before they could eat a proper meal. Dev made a mental note of this.

Once Mercy ate her fill, sitting back with her arms folded, five more girls started to eat. They were quick to polish off the plates before them. Finally, Pleasant ate.

Dev puzzled about what she was eating until she realized something...strange. They'd all sat down with a plate, so why were the final six girls' helping so meager.

A glance at Mercy, the only one to eat her fill, made Dev curious. Now, instead of a mental note, she made an actual one.

Sen flopped down beside Dev with his own tray. He pretended to lean close to kiss her cheek, instead whispering by her ear, "Please, don't mention this creepy set up they have going. They'll always give Mercy whatever part of the food she wants and share the rest later. Pleasant gets the least but the other five take her into consideration sometimes."

He finished by pressing their cheeks together before turning back to his food. The sight of Oni shoveling food into his mouth made him sigh.

"Should I inform him now or later that he's essentially eaten his entire day's worth of food?"

Oni slowed, something green hanging from his mouth. "Huh?"

"And should I mention it's a bad idea to eat this much this fast?"

Sen's warning had Dev on her feet in record time. "The stoppers. Crud."

She was sure to catch Oni under the arm and drag him from his seat despite his bitter protests and pleas to finish.

"Move. We don't have much time," Dev insisted. They made it to a trash panel in the hall without incident. Winded from the panic, Dev explained, "The food is refined to provide not only the highest threshold of vitamins but they have tiny bots that slowly recondition your body for the Volunteer suit. It's a slow process and to ensure you don't ingest too much, the bots, the stoppers, will...well...stop you."

"What? How—"

The heave came and she grabbed him by the back of the head and forced his face into the trash panel.

Oni's body shivered with each retch. The nano bots conditioning wasn't the only reason for the limit. Father'd explained that the food in the Outerlimits was so bland and tasteless that new recruits tended to overeat, thus gaining weight which would be a problem for training.

Regardless of the why, Oni had not only literally lost his breakfast, but lunch, and dinner. She thought to blame Sen, but he was busy getting his own food. Dev was the one who had ample opportunity to warn the boy.

At the final heave, Oni kept his head in the panel but didn't move.

Dev, still holding his head, was slow to run her hand down his back. He trembled.

"Come on," she soothed, "you'll be okay."

"My chest hurts."

"That's the stoppers," she explained. "And they won't disengage until tomorrow, so you're done with food for the day. Come on."

Dev took him to the rest room where he cleaned his mouth then his face. When he stood up and saw her reflection behind him, he jumped and turned to her.

His eyes roved the room and he asked, "Is everything co-ed?"

She answered him with a sigh. "How are you feeling?"

Awful if his miserable expression was to be believed.

This debacle was one of many for the day. More than once, Sen stepped back to allow Dev to lead. And she failed each and every time.

The second big fiasco was after lunch when they received access to the hand-to-hand combat training grounds rather than weapons room from the morning. This was a great opportunity but Dev finished her instructions to the sight of eight pairs of eyes staring at her cooly.

Even Oni stood confused.

"Well start with a PSY maneuver, shift into a YYP one after that, and end in a recovery position," she explained again.

The eight people before her only stared her down. Oni coughed.

Sen, at her side, gave her a smile. "All good maneuvers. How about we...ah, demonstrate them?" He leaned in once again but there was no touching of cheeks when he said through gritted teeth, "For the illiterate people who can't read your detailed instructions."

In this, Dev whispered back, "They can get it read to them by the computer if they really cared!"

After drawing in a deep breath, Sen stood to his full height again and said, "Well, if they don't want to, we can always try something else."

His words had Dev frozen, it was only when she didn't respond that he glanced in her direction. Whatever he found, it made him clear his throat.

"If that's all right with you," Sen added.

"It's not all right," Dev answered. "It's not even remotely all right. This is a good formation and we're not getting this chance again."

Hands raised in surrender, Sen said, "Okay. Okay. Let's demonstrate it."

He was doing it again, taking over, usurping her authority. She wanted to defy him but there was no opportunity because he was right about the demo being the fastest teaching method.

With little choice, Dev charged Sen as soon as he took on a readied stance. His eyes bugged in surprise, but Dev didn't understand why until their demonstration ended and nobody had anything to say.

Nobody but Sen who leaned in and whispered, "Maybe we can do it a bit...slower so everyone can follow it?"

This time when he leaned away, Dev stared him down, willing herself not to strangle him. They didn't have the time. Other crews were already practicing their third moves and they hadn't gotten past one.

"It's fine," Dev insisted. She went so far as to prove it by looking the girls over. All eyes looked fearful but Dev decided to persevere. "Now you. You're evenly paired at least."

No one moved.

Oni, eyes wild with fear, looked down the line then stepped forward. "I can try it."

But his actions only highlighted that no one else was willing to try.

With little recourse, Dev decided not to let this opportunity pass. None of the girls volunteered so Dev pointed to Pleasant.

The girl stepped forward but Mercy, some distance away, raised her right fist. And that was that; Pleasant stepped back into line.

That meant only Sen was left and that was dangerous, so Dev resolved to doing it herself.

Oni had the proper stance at least. Dev charged and he blocked rather well. The second and third, though equally shaky, still went off without a hitch.

Triumphant, Dev gave the final strike, intent on Oni catching that one, too, and he did, in the gut. The youth doubled over and vomited on the floor of the most coveted combat training room.

He looked miserable when he saw what he'd done but while other crews paused to watch them, Dev's embarrassment truly came with all seven of her recruits turned and walked out without saying a word.