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put her hands on her hips and gave Arun an appraising look.
    “Well then, McEwan,” she said. No, not said: announced . The class G-1 cadet — one year older than Arun — was addressing everyone there. Everyone listened. “I hear that you’re an alien-faggot. Is that true?”
    Arun felt his legs wobble. This was the first time that Xin had ever spoken to him in real life, and she had just invented a new term of derision. Just for his benefit. His heart sank. Speech was beyond him.
    “Shame, really,” she said. “After seeing your attempt at an erotic vid, it seems like a waste of good equipment.”
    Xin’s gaze met his and taunted, those lovely dark eyes set into her smooth face, with the snubby little nose that he adored.
    His heart accelerated up his spinal column and crashed into his brain, preventing him from saying anything beyond a plaintive grunt.
    Xin decided his audience was ended, and marched out of the hall, flanked by a pair of girlfriends. Her every step was accompanied by catcalls and wolf whistles. She loved it.
    In a way, she had saved him. By taking so much of the room’s attention on herself, the excitement dissipated the moment she left the hall.
    Arun fled to the nearest table, and hunkered down.
    “Tough luck, pal,” said Zug. “Your reaction to the combat drug was unfortunate, but hardly the most extreme on record. Some cadets die, you know, the first time they take combat-meds under life-threatening conditions. It’s rotten luck, I know, but Xin was always a far from realistic proposition for you.”
    Arun frowned at him. “Eh? Didn’t you just hear what she said?”
    “Yes,” said Zug. “Apparently, you’re an alien-faggot.”
    Osman leaned over. “I think, Zug, that our friend was referring to Xin’s second comment. Something about good equipment.”
    “Your friend is bang on correct,” said Arun, feeling cheerful, “’I’m well in there.”
    Osman snorted.
    Zug scratched his bald pate, trying to make sense. “It’s hardly like she gave you her dorm code and invited you over to make icers with her.”
    “Oh, I think that it was,” said Arun, slapping Zug on the shoulder.
    Osman face-palmed.
    “Combat drugs are still addling his brain,” Zug told Osman. “It’s the only possible explanation.”
    “You’re just jealous,” said Arun, grinning.
    Zug and Osman buried their heads in their hands and groaned.
    Arun shrugged off his friends’ disbelief. Newly entered into class G-1, Xin had nearly two years to go until she either graduated as a Marine, or was cast out of the Corps.
    Today she had spoken to him, and with a dose of optimism, he could stretch those words into a compliment. It wasn’t much to go on, but he had almost two years to win something more from her.
    Arun relished a challenge.
    He wasn’t a natural leader like Majanita, as brave as Osman, nor as dependable as Springer.
    Didn’t need to be. Arun knew his strength: he never gave up.
    One day, he’d win Xin Lee. Of that he was certain.

—— Chapter 04 ——
    With evening inspection due in fifteen minutes, the atmosphere in Arun’s dorm began to chill with fear.
    The cadets in Arun’s battalion had laughed at him mercilessly, but the story of the naked cadet had spread far beyond the 8th battalion… beyond even his regiment. The laughter had dried up in Arun’s hab-disk and the battalion chow halls. Detroit was the home base for two other tactical Marine regiments and one Marine assault regiment, all of whom were now hooting with derision at the 412th.
    Arun had brought shame on his regiment, shame on their regimental instructors.
    And one of those instructors would be conducting the evening inspection very soon.
    “I know what we need,” said Arun, trying to raise the mood, “let’s list our top five fantasy rack buddies.”
    The seven other cadets in the dorm groaned, even Cristina who gave an echo of disapproval from the head.
    Arun was sitting at the dorm table with Springer and