Lessons in the Stars

Chapter 1 - Pilot

BOOM! Rogue collapsed back in her seat in relief. She'd done it. The rest of the class clapped and cheered. She had been very good in the simulation, destroying all the enemy alien fighter pilots who followed her through the asteroid field and escaping unharmed. No one on her team looked very happy with her, but they couldn't complain. The screen flashed up a score of 87, which was very high. They stepped out of the simulator to join the class and teachers standing outside, staring at the screen.

"Rogue!" Major Fyre spat. Rogue crossed her arms, awaiting the onslaught, "You were irresponsible and could have gotten your crew killed by going into that asteroid field," she took a breath and Rogue took a second to interject.

"But I didn't. I got us a really high score."

"That is beside the point," Major Fyre took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, "It was reckless, stupid and dangerous. This is a training exercise you are meant to take seriously. You need to straighten up if you want to make a good crew after graduation." She reminded Rogue seriously. Despite not liking Rogue, the Major still wanted all her students to graduate and Rogue's actions could cost her in that department,

Rogue kept her expression clear but inside she was frustrated. She hated the teachers. Why couldn't they be happy for her? She had gotten one of the highest pilot scores ever acquired. She stalked over to Benny, he was her only 'friend' at this stupid academy.

She crossed her arms and glanced towards the 'popular' group. One of them was staring at her with a look of disappointment in his eyes. Jonathan Kastner. He had a famous legacy; his father had been the captain of the ship that had sacrificed itself in the First Galactic War. She caught her train of thought before it went there.

Benny grinned, "You did great, ignore the teacher, she was just mad that you didn't work with your team. Why didn't you, by the way?"

Rogue shrugged grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, leaving the room without answering. She didn't know how to explain that she didn't trust them, that she couldn't trust them.

The class headed to Modern History Class, or as all the students called it, 'What Mankind Did Wrong' class. You couldn't say that the students at the Starfleet Academy didn't have a sense of humour. Rogue sighed as she entered, and sat down in her assigned seat. Her desk mate slipped into her seat, letting her long, pale blonde hair cover her face as she stared at the board. Scarlett Lagakos. Genius extraordinaire, she never took notes in class but was still the top of the intellectual scoreboard. She was also the youngest in the class at 15 years old.

Scarlett never talked to Rogue. Rogue thought that maybe Scarlett hated social interaction, but that suited Rogue just fine.

"Hey blondie," Samuel Brayden sneered at Scarlett. "You do my homework?" Sam was the class bully, the eldest in the class at seventeen, he thought he was tough. He had some of the highest physical performance and athletic achievements in a very long time.

Scarlett looked up at him with wide blue eyes, "Yes." She pulled out a small datapad and handed it to him her eyes darting back to the ground.

Sam smiled, "What are you looking at, Rogue?" He spat as if her name was a curse on his lips.

"Nothing much, just wondering how someone so outwardly pleasing has a heart of coal," Rogue replied with her signature smirk.

"You can't talk, sweetheart," he drawled mockingly, "A lot of people would say you're worse than I am."

Rogue stood up, leaning close, "I never denied that, sweetheart." She smirked up at him.

"You need to be taught a lesson, baby." His eyes darted from Rogue to Scarlett.