Nah Lexa looked at the Com panel as it chirped,

“Ma’am, we have a message from Captain Issa, shall we patch it through?”

“Thank you, yes please send it through.”

There was a brief pause of silence as the connection was made, then,

“Hey Lex, I have a reservation for 1700 hours at the O.D.H. I got a big pod so the three of us can chill, I have something important I need to talk to the two of you about. I’ll see you this evening, Fly safe. El out.”

“End of transmission Ma’am,” the Com’s person continued “Will there be anything else?”

“No that will be all and thank you again, Rhondu out.”

She sat wondering what the important news could be. She and Finn had their own news to tell El. They had found out today that they were being shipped off-world, back to the Academy to be instructors to new recruits.

They were told it was because of their teamwork in planning and over-seeing field operations. As a team, they had the highest success rate per incursion of any command unit.

What they seemed to not realize is that the main reason for their success was El. His abilities on the field are legendary.

She made her way aft to tell Finn about El’s message. Finn had been pretty torn up about the reassignment. On one hand, he has finally been acknowledged for his mind and his ability to spot and identify enemies in real-time and improvise. On the other hand, he is being taken away from the only friend he ever really had that didn’t judge him for not being a fighter. He seemed pretty banged up over it. She reached the rear of the shuttle and knocked on his cabin,

“Finn, you up?”

----------------------------------------

I can’t believe I am finally going to be out from under that arrogant wretches shadow. To think that I have had to watch as he returns, week after week, from every mission. I can’t count how many times I have tried to get his cocky butt killed, but no matter what I throw at him he will not die. It makes me want to vomit how much everyone thinks he’s so perfect. So handsome, so strong, so brave, not like Finn who hides behind a Vid-Screen in the command ship.

Finnis sat on his bunk daydreaming about getting away from El. He had never liked El, not really. He had befriended Finn for some reason during early training. After Finn’s fall, which shattered his left femur and broke his back during training had ended his hopes of being a R.E.P., but not El’s efforts to be his friend.

At first, it was great, still being included in everything, once he was out of the infirmary. Then it started to feel as though El was pitying him. Things got progressively more irritating over the past five years, culminating with Nah Lexa, some transfer who comes in, with her perfect looks and her perfect skin.

Girls like her never choose the cripple. Oh, she would never say it but he knew she pitied him.

His personal Com device vibrated to let him know of incoming communications from the fleet. It was an early warning system to keep him in the know on everything on the ship.

He listened in on the message from El. The audacity of this guy. They have literally been on a mission for almost 4 days.

That’s ok, I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I tell him I have been promoted to Captain and am heading back home and away from this God’s forsaken star system.

Maybe with El here and Nah Lexa at the Academy with me, I can make her forget about Mr. Perfect.

His daydreaming was interrupted by a knock at the door,

“Finn, you up?” he heard Nah Lexa call from the other side of the hatch.

“Yeah, just finishing up my report, be there in 20” he yelled back.

He heard her walk across to her cabin and shut her hatch. He heard the familiar groan of the pipes as she started her shower. He smiled as he picked up his Vid-pad and pressed record then shut the screen, thinking to himself,

I’ll edit that later. I wonder what she would think if she knew I recorded her whenever she was in her cabin. I wonder what El would think? After all, he was a star in many of them.

----------------------------------------

Finnis was already in the cabin when she returned from her shower. He looked up and smiled at her. She had known Finn as long as she had El, but the two were nothing alike whatsoever. Where El was strong, brave, and courageous, Finn was nervous, twitchy, and shady. She always felt weird when she would catch him looking at her, like he could see more of her than he should be, with an almost hunger in his eyes.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

It was obvious to her that Finn liked her. It made her skin crawl to even think of him in any kind of romantic light. She would literally rather kiss a fish.

“How was your shower” Finn inquired.

“Nice, the water is hot for a change. Half the time it won’t even get hot enough to steam the mirror,” she replied.

“They say there’s nothing wrong with it, I’ve filled out several maintenance requests, you want me to submit another?” he asked.

“Seems superfluous now, seeing how we’ll be gone in a week or so. I doubt we’ll even make the roster board,” she said as she climbed into the pilot’s seat and buckled in, “besides the cold showers are refreshing in their own way. I wanted to tell you that El sent a Com. He wants us to meet him at the O.D.H. tonight in a few hours for dinner. He says he has some important news for us.”

“Well, I guess we are dining with the Boss tonight,” he reached up and punched in a few numbers and said, “approach vector entered, the stick is your’s Captain Rhondu.”

“Not quite yet Captain Svikari, we don’t get our second bar for another couple of days, prepare for docking.”

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El was sitting at the table when he heard the hostess approaching with his guests. He stood as they entered and pulled Lexa’s seat out for her. Finn looked almost happy for a change. They must have had a good run the past few days. He decided then to wait to reveal his bad news until later.

The hostess poured them all a glass of sparkling wine then left and closed the door behind her. El sat looking at his friends for a moment until he could tell they were getting a little anxious and then said,

“I want you to know that you are my best friends. I never would have had so much success in battle had it not been for the two of you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“About that El,” Finn began, “You said you had some news, well you aren’t the only one buddy, and it kinda sucks.” He did his best to look sad and forlorn, relishing the moment, savoring the sadness in his friend’s eyes.

“Then let’s eat and drink and save our news for later. For now, let’s just have some food and drink,” El said as he hit the server call button, “Bring us a bottle of Chitauri Rum.”

“Yes sir, right away sir, anything else?” the voice on the other end asked.

“You better make it two,” El said as the three burst into laughter.

Over the next few hours, the three of them seemed to not have a care in the world. They drank a lot and ate a little. They sang for the living and cried for the dead. They toasted their friendship and vowed to always be friends.

As the night drew longer El felt compelled to tell his friends why he had asked them here. After the last of the empty glasses were taken El looked at each of them and said,

“I don’t know how to say what I want to say, it’s like the words won’t come out or even form.”

“ Well I guess we can tell you our news,” Lexa said, her head hanging low and sad.

“We, our news?” he looked at each of them back and forth for a panicked second, which Finn loved to see.

“We both received new orders,’ Finn interjected, “we have both received a promotion early and are being shipped back to the Academy to be Top Tier Instructors.”

El sat there mouth hanging open in utter disbelief. He had been informed earlier that day that this was indeed the same as his new assignment. He started laughing uncontrollably, barely able to even catch his breath.

Lexa and Finn didn’t know what to make of it, they just sat there looking at him, uncomfortably laughing half-heartedly.

“Look buddy, I know it is a lot to process, but it’s not a joke. We really were given formal promotions, effective in 3 days.” Finn said, feeling a little upset that the news he thought would crush El is bringing him so much joy.

“Oh, I believe you,” El said a few minutes later as the laughter subsided, “I’m laughing because that’s why I invited you to dinner. I was promoted to Major, two days ago and told I was going back to the home system. Today I received my reassignment, Top Tier R.E.P. Instructor at the Academy! Can you believe it, we’re all going together!”

“Are you serious?” Lexa asked as she wrapped her arms around him, “I’ve spent days worrying over how I was going to break the news to you while you were worrying the same thing. I love you so much El. Isn’t this great Finn?” She asked turning towards Him.

Finn snapped out of his look of jealous disgust as they both looked at him.

“You alright bro, you don’t look too happy,” El asked, looking confused.

“What, are you kidding,” Finn said stretching his mouth into a big smile, “I’m just blown away. I’ve been sick over the prospect of losing my best friend.” How did this happen? Couldn’t they see that El was just another lucky grunt? Why does everyone treat him like he’s so fracking special?

“You feeling ok, Finn? Seriously, you look like you’re gonna be sick.” Lexa asked him, rubbing his back as a good friend would.

The feel of her hand on his back was more than he could handle. He was about to lose it. He should not have drunk so much. Wait, that’s it, blame the Rum.

“I’m fine, too much Rum, not enough food. I’m just gonna head to my quarters. See you two tomorrow.” and with that Finn got straight up and walked out without so much as a goodbye.

“You think we should walk him home?” Lexa asked.

“Nah, I’ve seen him way worse than this, besides, you live the other way and I was thinking…” his voice fell to a mumble as he whispered into her neck between kisses”