Ravi did his best not to hover as the inspector from the ziggurat glanced over newly cleaned rooms. She moved at a more rapid clip than he was accustomed to from inspectors. Probably didn't think there was much to review. Even in its best state, Opalina didn't exactly pass for impressive. Part of him wished he could show her images of how bad it used to look, and maybe then she'd believe this was an improvement. She stuck her head into the storage room, sniffed, and withdrew. Her nails ticked against the slate in her hand as she made some note and swung toward the final room on the list.

He almost protested, but what the fuck was he supposed to say? No, really lady, please go into the storeroom and examine the alphabetical organization of canned foods. A major accomplishment for this unit. Instead, he followed as she crossed the tunnel to the mess hall, where Jossen had the crew assembled.

Bright white light and the smell of fresh paint spilled from behind the door as it opened. One of the inspector's carefully drawn-on eyebrows lifted marginally as she examined the space. With the crew's help, Rosareen had delivered. One wall was the pale, morning blue of the desert sky, and another was adorned with rows of tiny, spiky plants fed by a hydroponic system Onfenka and Yorune had rigged up entirely from junk parts. The inspector turned to survey the crew, standing in a line and gazing warily back at her. Jossen puffed his chest at the end of the row.

"Well," the inspector said, "it's rough, but that can't be helped. You've done alright with it." She tapped something on her slate and looked up at him. "Congratulations, Com Endessen. Opalina has finally passed inspection."

"Yes!" shouted Duhar, over several whoops and squeals from the rest of the crew. Ravi made the mistake of looking at Lio's grin. His stomach curdled, and he swept his gaze back to the inspector.

She glanced back at the giggling line, and beckoned him to the door. "Com Endessen, if you'll walk with me, I have one more thing to discuss."

"Of course."

Out of sight of the crew, she angled her head toward him. "Have to say, I don't usually get that much enthusiasm for a routine premise inspection. This place needs a real win."

"We're working on it," he said.

"Glad to hear it. Maybe mention the same to Archcom Huseda when you see her. She asked that I inform you that you're to attend the test launch viewing at the ziggurat." She waved a finger at him as soon as he opened his mouth. "Don't bother trying to get out of it. It's required attendance for all coms in the region, and that includes you. You can wear your dress uniform, although formal wear is better if you have it. I'm forwarding you the details now." Another sharp series of taps on the slate, and she paused just inside the entrance. "Oh. And one last thing, you've got a recruit going as well, I believe. The dispensation should've landed in your slate this morning."

Ravi's gut churned. In the flurry of final preparations, he hadn't yet checked the missives from the morning. Some part of him knew it was a lost cause already, but he spoke through gritted teeth. "I didn't grant any dispensation requests from my crew—"

"This one was granted by the Archcom." The inspector shrugged. "Rich kids," she tacked on, as if that was an explanation. Ravi forced a smile, but he knew it didn't completely hide his seething. He returned her perfunctory salute and dragged the entry door shut behind her with more force than needed.

He stood for a moment in the hallway, listening to the continued celebration in the mess hall. In a minute, he needed to go in and congratulate the crew. Build optimism and momentum. Later, he could figure out how to respond to what was clearly a pattern on Lio's part. No crewmember of his was going to get used to dispensations granted just so they could go to parties. It was time Lio learned he wasn't on a fucking vacation.

"Jossen," Ravi said, adjusting the cuffs on his dress uniform jacket, "Any luck on the commendations search?"

"Nothing viable yet, Com. I found one good possibility, but a unit out of the ziggurat snagged it."

Four days since the inspection, and while the crew was in good spirits and finally adjusting to the new routines, the mood was going to sour if they didn't at least start working toward a commendation. Ravi spent almost all his free time researching their options, but so far every task he'd turned up was claimed by other units in the region. Options were thin on the ground, but at this point he'd take nearly anything. He gave Jossen a smile full of confidence he didn't feel. "Keep looking. There's got to be something out there we can do to start building resumés."

"Yes, Com." Jossen looked hopefully at him. "Maybe you'll hear of one at the party."

He had to fight to keep the smile in place. The fucking party was a colossal waste of his time. Not to mention he was going to be trapped in a hov with Lio all the way to the ziggurat and back.

Footsteps clipped down the tunnel, and Ravi turned to see his unwelcome travel companion. Unwillingly, his gaze traveled from metallic heels of the boots Lio wore, up over the curves of his thighs in egregiously tight pants, to where his dark hair curled past the collar of his shirt. The garment was some expensive-looking, flowy, silk thing that was either blue or purple or somehow changing colors, but at least it covered up him up.

Ravi fixed his gaze back on Jossen as Lio approached. "Alright. For once, you can expect Alior back well within dispensation hours, Subal. And missive me if anything urgent comes up here."

"Yes, Com!" Jossen gave him a salute.

He dragged the entry door open, and jerked a hand at Lio. "After you," he said flatly. Lio didn't so much as glance at him, just swanned over the threshold and into the waning evening sunlight. Ravi followed, and realized he'd been wrong about the shirt. It was split into two panels from the collar, revealing a long, smooth line of amber skin running straight down the dip in Lio's back. He wasn't going to fucking stare at that the whole walk. Ravi lengthened his stride to pass Lio as they trekked down to the hov Archcom Huseda had sent.

For a ziggurat with limited credit, the Archcom hadn't skimped on their ride to the party. Ravi slid into one of the seats, leather scent and air conditioning washing over him as the doors sealed them in and the hov purred down the mag lane. He'd have preferred the open-air death trap that had been his first ride. This one was too damn quiet. Lio stared out the tinted window in silence, and Ravi pulled out his slate. So what if reading in a hov made him sick occasionally. This whole situation was already puke-inducing.

He didn't want to speak to Lio, but it was equally annoying that Lio hadn't said anything to him. Like he was somehow above it all, disinterested and unaffected, leaving Ravi to flail in the muck of anger and shame that had all been unleashed because Lio couldn't be bothered to follow any rules.

It was a relief when they finally passed through the gates that guarded Archcom Huseda's private residence. The color of wealth in the desert was green. The tropical green of plants with broad, curling leaves and the turquoise green of water that formed a decorative moat beneath the bridge leading to the residence. The house, if he could call it that, was a giant white cube that seemed to glow faintly, all of its sharp edges fuzzy with light.

Lio strutted ahead of him like he owned the place and was greeted enthusiastically by name before he even reached the doors. Ravi folded his slate and pocketed it. When he looked up, Lio had vanished into the throngs of guests.

He stood awkwardly near the door for a while, watching the wealthy, overdressed crowd. No one else seemed to have come in uniform, although he saw plenty of high-ripple ranks, the radiating circular bands adorning bejeweled robes and draped Fennec hoods. A bot rolled by with a tray of drinks, and Ravi took a narrow, twisted glass just to have something to do with his hands.

The party-goers stirred around him, everyone moving closer into orbit around a short woman, her hair in coils as white as her suit, the twelve concentric bands of her rank emblazoned on both shoulders. Ravi stood taller just as she finished greeting the group next to him and turned his way.

"Ah. The new com, I take it?" she asked. Her voice was gravelly, but not unkind.

Ravi smiled. "Archcom Huseda. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Com Endessen. I hear you've gotten Opalina into some semblance of order. Finally passed an inspection."

"I think the outpost has potential, Archcom." He hesitated. Outright asking Huseda for available commendations might be a little desperate. But his unit was a lot desperate. "I, uh, I will say that getting on track for a commendation has been tricky. There aren't as many in this region as I'd hoped."

Thank the Little, Huseda gave him a sage nod. "It's not easy out here. Most of the units in the Fennec region bolster their resumes through the big competitions." She sighed and shook her head. "Although I suppose that's not really an option for you with your current crew. Tell you what. There's a commendation that'll be posted tomorrow. It usually goes to Enlightenment crews, but it's open to all, and it's...not the most popular task, so no one will rush to grab it. Search the listings tomorrow for the slot canyon resupply."

Ravi almost reached for his slate right then to make note of it. Instead, he squeezed his fingers around his watered-down drink and smiled. "Thank you, Archcom. I'll take a look."

"Enjoy yourself tonight, Com Endessen. It's a fun party. At least, it will be until we all have to watch the launch go to shit." She shrugged and gave him a finger-twiddling wave, already angling toward the next cluster of guests.