Juli had no idea how to catch a thief.
He sat in the library with Kade, staring at a datapad. They'd been at this for hours. Lists of cadets. Staff members. Schedules. Access logs.
"This is boring," Juli groaned.
"Detective work is supposed to be boring," Kade said, not looking up from his own datapad.
"How do you know?"
"I read it in a book once."
Juli squinted at him. "You read books?"
Kade's ears flattened. "Shut up."
They decided to start with interviews. Question people. Look for suspicious behavior. Just like the detectives in those old holovids.
Their first suspect was a cadet named Lorr. He was a big guy. Muscular. Always looked angry.
Juli leaned forward. "Where were you three nights ago?"
Lorr blinked. "Uh. Sleeping?"
"Can anyone confirm that?" Kade asked, crossing his arms.
"My roommate?"
"Convenient," Juli said, narrowing his eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"It means you're suspicious!"
"I was asleep!"
Kade wrote something down on his datapad. "We'll be watching you."
Lorr stared at them. "You guys are idiots."
Their second suspect was a girl named Tessa. She was short, had bright pink hair, and always seemed nervous.
"Where were you last week between 0200 and 0400 hours?" Kade asked.
Tessa fidgeted. "I... I was in the bathroom."
Juli's eyes widened. "For two hours?!"
"I have a sensitive stomach!"
"That's what a thief would say!" Juli accused.
"That's what someone with a sensitive stomach would say!" Tessa shouted back.
Kade sighed. "Do you have any proof?"
Tessa's face turned red. "Do you want me to show you my medical records?!"
Juli and Kade exchanged a look.
"We're good," they said in unison.
By the third day, they had questioned twelve people. All of them had alibis. Most of them thought Juli and Kade were insane.
Kade leaned back in his chair. "Okay. New theory. What if it's not a cadet?"
"You think it's staff?" Juli asked.
"Maybe. Who has the most access to restricted areas?"
Juli thought for a moment. Then his eyes lit up. "Instructors!"
Kade nodded slowly. "Exactly. And you know who's been acting weird lately?"
"Who?"
"Instructor Carn."
Juli frowned. "Carn? Really?"
"Think about it. He's always in the armory. He has access to everything. And he's been staying late every night."
"That doesn't mean he's a thief."
"It doesn't mean he's not."
Juli crossed his arms. "I think it's Rikan."
Kade stared at him. "Rikan? The guy we beat up?"
"Yeah! He's a rat! I don't trust him!"
"That's not evidence, Juli."
"He has rat energy!"
Kade groaned. "You're letting your bias cloud your judgment."
"I'm being totally unbiased! He's suspicious!"
"You just don't like him."
"Because he's a rat!"
They argued for another ten minutes before giving up.
That night, Juli couldn't sleep.
His stomach growled. He'd missed dinner because of detention. Again. He sat up in his bunk and looked around. The other cadets were asleep.
He slipped out of bed and headed toward the mess hall.
The halls were dark. Quiet. His footsteps echoed softly. He reached the mess hall and checked the kitchen. There were some leftover rolls in a container. Score.
He grabbed two and was about to leave when he heard something.
Footsteps.
Not regular footsteps. Sneaky ones.
Juli peeked around the corner. A cloaked figure was moving down the hall toward the east wing. They stopped in front of a door. A control room. The figure pulled out some kind of device and pressed it against the panel.
The door hissed open.
Juli's eyes widened. That's the thief.
He turned and sprinted back toward the dorms.
Juli burst into Kade's pod and shook him awake.
"Kade! Wake up!"
Kade groaned and swatted at him. "Go away."
"I found the thief!"
Kade's eyes snapped open. "What?!"
"Shh!" Juli hissed. "They're in the east wing! Come on!"
They both scrambled out of the pod. Kade was still half asleep. His hair was a mess. One of his ears was bent weird.
"Where are your shoes?!" Juli whispered.
"I don't know! You woke me up!"
"Just come on!"
They ran down the hall as quietly as possible. Which wasn't very quiet. Juli tripped over his own feet. Kade ran into a wall.
"You're the worst partner ever!" Juli whispered.
"You're worse!" Kade whispered back.
They reached the east wing. The control room door was still open. The cloaked figure was inside, hunched over a terminal.
Juli and Kade exchanged a look. Then they nodded.
They burst in.
"Freeze, criminal scum!" Juli shouted.
The figure spun around. They were holding a data chip.
"You're not getting away!" Kade yelled.
The figure bolted. Juli and Kade gave chase. The thief was fast, but they were faster. Kade leaped and tackled them. They all went crashing to the ground.
The hood fell back.
It was Richards. The balding staff member from the storage room.
"You?!" Juli said.
Richards scrambled to get up, but Juli planted a foot on his chest.
"Don't even think about it."
Kade grabbed the data chip and pulled out a small holographic projector from his pocket. His hands shook as he inserted the chip.
"Kade, what are you doing?" Juli asked.
"We need to see what he stole."
The projector hummed to life. Blue light filled the hallway.
Then the images appeared.
Juli's breath caught in his throat.
Female cadets. In the showers. In the locker rooms. Changing. Sleeping in their pods. Private moments that should never have been seen by anyone.
Some of the faces Juli recognized. Girls from his class. From training. People he saw every day.
The videos cycled through. Dozens of them. Hundreds maybe. All taken without consent. All violations.
Kade's face had gone completely still. His ears were flat against his head. His golden eyes were locked on the hologram.
Juli couldn't look away. He felt sick. His hands were shaking.
"Turn it off," he whispered.
Kade didn't move.
"Turn it off!" Juli shouted.
Kade pressed a button. The hologram vanished. The hallway went dark again.
Silence.
Richards was still on the ground beneath Juli's foot. He was breathing hard. Sweating.
"Please," Richards said. "Please, you have to understand. I have a family. A sick child. The medical bills, they're so expensive. I needed the money. I didn't have a choice—"
Juli looked down at him.
Then he kicked him in the ribs. Hard. Richards gasped and curled up.
"You sick bastard!" Juli shouted.
He raised his foot again. Kade grabbed his arm.
"Juli, stop."
"Let me go!"
"You'll kill him!"
"Good!"
Kade's grip tightened. His voice was low. Dangerous. "We need him alive. For questioning. For the others."
Juli's fists shook. His vision was red. Every fiber of his being wanted to kick Richards until he stopped moving. Until he stopped breathing.
Richards wheezed. "My daughter... she needs medicine... I was desperate—"
"Shut up!" Juli screamed. "Don't talk about your kid! Don't you dare use her as an excuse! You violated people! You sold their privacy! Their dignity! For credits!"
Tears streamed down Juli's face. He didn't know why he was crying. He was just so angry. So disgusted.
"Those girls trusted this place to be safe," Juli said, his voice breaking. "And you... you..."
He couldn't finish. He stepped back. His breathing was ragged.
Kade stood between Juli and Richards. His tail was rigid. His claws were out.
"If I ever see you again," Kade said quietly, "I won't stop him."
Instructor Vela arrived twenty minutes later with two security officers. They dragged Richards away. He was crying. Begging. Juli didn't care.
Vela stood in the hallway with Juli and Kade. Her expression was grim.
"You did well," she said quietly.
Juli didn't respond. He stared at the floor.
Vela knelt down so she was eye level with them. "The world is full of evil, boys. People who prey on the innocent. Who exploit the vulnerable for profit or pleasure. This is what ARMADA fights against. Not just external threats. But the rot within. The cruelty that hides in plain sight."
She placed a hand on Juli's shoulder. "You did the right thing. You protected your fellow cadets. That's what heroes do."
Juli looked up. His eyes were still angry. But there was something else there too. Resolve.
Vela stood. Her shell ridge softened. A rare smile crossed her face. It was warm. Almost motherly.
"You're both cleared to compete in the qualifiers."
Kade's ears shot up. "Really?!"
"Really."
Kade let out a whoop and punched the air. "Yes! Yes! We did it! We're in!"
He grabbed Juli and shook him. "We're in, Juli! We're gonna compete!"
Juli forced a smile. "Yeah. We did it."
Kade didn't notice. He was too busy celebrating. Dancing in circles. His tail was wagging.
But Pam noticed.
She stood at the end of the hall, arms crossed. Her silver eyes were fixed on Juli. She tilted her head slightly.
Juli looked away.
He was happy they were in. Of course he was.
But right now, he just felt tired.