Adult Test by Julie Steimle (books to read for 12 year olds .TXT) 📕

“Like I said, the political demographic of the growing tension within the—”

“Don’t give me that! You and I both know the People’s Military really doesn’t need a fleet of ships.” Zormna set her hand on her hip. “The Surface Patrol has all that are necessary for interplanetary flight. What is really going on?”

“That is none of your concern,” Dural Hendron said. “It is People’s Military business and nothing more.”

Zormna narrowed her eyes at him, tempted to throw the tool in her hand at him. “Then why should I help you, if it is so much not my business?”

“It is your duty,” he replied.

Making a face, she climbed back into the computer with a huff. “Fine.”

Dural Hendron left the two cadets to do their work, but not without some guards to watch them. After all, neither military truly trusted the other.

And they shouldn’t have trusted Zormna. Though she straightened out their computer mess she did delve into their security files reading a number of their codes. She also added a code of her own that allowed her to access their computer mainframe any time she wished and unlock any door she wished—just in case. In her gut she believed the People’s Military was up to no good, and it was only chance that she would have a peek into their scheme. She would need the extra help if that were indeed true.

The two Surface Patrol cadets worked on the computers for what seemed like hours, at least to Salvar who was never really as engrossed in computers as Zormna was. Dural Kordek had sent other P.M.s to watch over them in addition to Hendron’s men, and more to assist in what they needed. Within time, Zormna and Salvar were inside a couple of the ships’ computers, readjusting them to fit the frequency of the main computer. Of course by then it was mostly play for Zormna.

Alea Arden, in nature, was not the late sort. But with meetings and schedules that required the leader of the Alpha District’s time within the Patrol compound itself, he found himself later in coming to ISIC to tend to the People’s Military computer problem than he had planned. Five other officers followed him to help him in the effort, but it had been three hours since Zormna and Salvar were sent. When he at last arrived at the gate of the P.M. compound he found the officers at the gate talking about the two cadets sent in Arden’s place. They stood about, in a very inattentive fashion, talking about nothing else.

“Can you believe the audacity of that flymite? The way she talked to Kordek and now ordering those Durals around. It is as if she thinks she is somebody,” the guard said.

Alea Arden leaned in, producing his identi-card. “She is somebody.”

The men turned, hastily assuming their proper positions.

“I’m Alea Arden. We have come to relieve the two cadets,” he said.

The officer at the gate nodded after running the card through the scanner. The soldier returned the card and watched Arden grasp it, tucking it back into his jacket pocket. The Alea leaned back on his flight scooter and flew ahead toward the hall where the two cadets were presumed to be. The other officers followed, allowed in the moment they saw the Alpha District leader. They knew him very well.

Parking his scooter, Alea Arden stepped off just outside the computer room’s doors so that it rested at a tilt on the floor, letting out a sigh of gas and pressure as the metal resting pads scraped on the hard tile. The other officers landed like-wise, removing their helmets before dismounting. Arden unsnapped his collar, undid the straps to his helmet and lifted it off his head with a shake to loosen his sandy blond hair that stuck up some with static. He walked in, glanced about the room, peering around at unusual fighter ships and ship parts. He saw two People’s Military officers there, but Zormna was not anywhere to be seen.

He walked over to the P.M. standing in front of the main access computer, guarding it by the looks of his stance. “Dural, where are the Surface Patrol cadets that were sent?”

The other Surface Patrol officers that had come with him marched past their commander and inspected the docking bay.

The P.M. on guard blinked his eyes and realized Alea Arden was talking to him.

“Excuse me?” His voice was raspy, as if he had not spoken in a while. He coughed and waited for an answer.

Arden smirked and tried again. “Where are Cadets Zormna and Salvar?”

The Dural thought as he cleared his throat again. He peeked over Arden’s shoulder without stepping from his post. “I’m not exactly sure, sir. The girl, Zormna, is probably working on one of the ships.”

Arden shook his head while trying to hide a smile. “Perhaps you should lead me to her.”

An Anzer poked at a console on the wall, receiving glares from the P.M. on duty who said, “I can’t. I was ordered to guard this computer so that no one would touch it until she was done. I am not to leave this post until commanded.”

Chuckling low with amusement, sure Zormna had manipulated that so the guard would leave her alone, Alea Arden headed towards the bay’s open end. Another Anzer was snooping around that area. Arden carefully reminded him with a whisper that he was not in his own compound and he was to keep his hands to himself.

Going to where the experimental fighter jets were at, observing all the parts on the sides, Arden searched for his two charges. One thing he noticed as he went in and out of the ships was that several of the space-crafts were equipped with artillery that Alea Arden had never seen before on a People’s Military ship. As Salvar had said earlier, most P.M. ships were shuttles fashioned to transport emigrants to Partha discretely. These new ships looked like combat vessels, and Arden had the same sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as Zormna that something was not quite right.

He looked around more, noticing the piles of junk scattered among the ships. They were mechanical parts, pieces of ships, and in one pile he spotted the red-haired boy cadet that had been sent rummaged among them. Salvar’s purple and white uniform was soiled from insulation fluid and lubrication gel. He held broken pieces of machinery in his arms but appeared to be searching for a particular piece.

“Zormna, I don’t think they have a spare darter knob. I can only find some small circum-switches,” Salvar said, while rummaging yet not looking up.

Alea Arden could hear the bright echo of Zormna’s voice coming from behind one of the ships. He chuckled to himself as he snuck over to where he heard her.

Walking carefully around the ship so as not to disturb Zormna in her work, he saw her tiny figure standing tiptoe on top of a rusty exhaust barrel, hanging by her wait in the deep hatch of a ship’s engine. Her oil stained blond head bobbed about as she manipulated the wiring. Sparks from her micro-welder occasionally lit the inside. Salvar had not yet noticed the officers inspecting the docking bay and happily tramped back to Zormna with his handfuls of junk.

Without even looking up from her work, she said, “Salvar, did you get that darter knob?”

Alea Arden leaned against the ship Zormna was working on and folded his arms. Salvar still held his head down, rummaging through his find.

“No, Zormna I could not find that knob, but I found the Keegan junction you wanted earlier.” Salvar held up the piece and looked up from his work, smiling. His smile evaporated as he saw Alea Arden standing there with a very serious glare on his face.

“I don’t need the junction anymore,” Zormna said, still engrossed in the machine network. “I rerouted the environmental controls through the sensor relay. It works fine. I need that darter knob though.” 

She rummaged through the machine more as Salvar just stood there, terrified he was going to be punished for soiling his uniform—a major pet peeve of Alea Arden, or so he always thought. 

Arden shook his head, straightening up.

“Wait, Salvar,” Zormna cried out, “I don’t need the knob. I found something else I want to try.”

Zormna pulled out a frayed wire that was covered with penchee, brittle pieces breaking off, and dropped it at Alea Arden’s feet. She tipped deeper into the machine. Salvar reached out to tug on her pant leg, but Arden beat him to it.

“Attention!”

The call of her much-admired commander could not have come at a worse time. Zormna quickly jerked up at attention, only to hit her head on the top of the engine hatch. Ducking and rubbing the bump, Zormna staggered off the exhaust barrel and clumsily landed on the pile of junk Salvar had collected. With another burst of obedient effort to stand at attention, Zormna kicked the junk aside and lifted her chest with correct posture. Her eyes stared straight ahead with her chin lifted high.

Alea Arden found it hard to contain his amusement. Zormna was a mess. Her cadet-purple uniform was splotchy from the insulator fluid, and her hair stuck in patches against her cheeks. Only her green eyes stared clear. Arden shook his head at the sight.

He paced in front of the two cadets, since Salvar had joined her at attention. Shaking his head, he said, “Zormna! What a disgrace you are to that uniform! I have never seen you so filthy, so disorganized, so unprepared.” 

Zormna stared at him, rubbing her head as soon as his back was turned. Her expression was entirely perplexed. She knew full well he had seen her like that, and worse. Arden, himself, could not contain the smile from the ridiculous sight. He turned again to face her with a serious face though. Zormna straightened up again.

“I have come to take over. You are to go home and clean up this very instant.” He paused and at last smiled at the cute girl he had always seen as a precocious, yet troublemaker of a kid, “and I have to ask. Who set that guard at the computer? He won’t let any of my men near it.”

Zormna relaxed with a bashful smile. This was the Alea she knew.

“I did. I had to make sure the P.M.s didn’t mess up my work,” she said with a wry grin, knowing he knew the real reason why she did it.

With another smile, Alea Arden motioned for her to follow with his head.  “Go and get him off it. I’ll finish up here.”

Zormna nodded. Salvar followed her, hoping Alea Arden would not go back on being forgiving about their soiled uniforms.

As Arden watched them go, he smiled. That girl. That boy. Those two. What a pair. He knew he could not do a better job than those clever cadets had done in the past three hours and wondered for a moment how much was really left for him to do. Going back to the ship Zormna was working on, he peeked inside. Her repairs were ingenious. The ship might even fly better than when it was first made now