Incipience

Chapter 18

"Hello, Miss Joesph. Please take a seat on the cot so I can attach sensors to you for today's study. I would like to compare your vital records from your time on the ship to now to see if there have been any changes in your response times."

Despite my reluctance, I do what I'm told and sit on the medical bay cot. "I have other things to do today, so I'd like to reschedule if I can. Do I really have to be here right now?"

"I know that you are well aware that your attendance in today's training session is mandatory, Miss Joesph."

"I already told you all that I'm not enlisting, so I don't see the point in my being here."

"You know why you have to be here, Miss Joesph. If you are to enlist at the end of your probation, you need to stay on top of your regiment."

"Again, I'm not enlisting because I'm going to do so well on this project that they'll have to let me stay. I can only do my job well if I'm actually there, which is why I think this is a colossal waste of my time."

"Zairad Mendir made it very clear that the council will determine your occupation, Miss Joesph, so you must stay active in case they see the need to deploy you."

"I understand that well and fine, but couldn't they've scheduled me to come in literally any other time other than now? Three out of the ten days of the week here are reserved for the weekend. That's a whole seventy-five hours I have free every week to do all of this, so there's no reason that I have to do this smack-dap in the middle of the workweek."

"Miss Joesph, I understand your frustration, but do keep in mind that the instructors also have families they want to see on the weekend."

I roll my eyes, "I spent a few months on an Inovarian military ship, remember? Unless Rombag was more sadistic than the average Inovarian, I know that you all don't take the weekends off."

"While your statement is partially true, Miss Joesph, most—"

"Oh, my g—would you stop with the 'Miss Joesph' thing already? You don't have to say it every in every sentence and it's not like you don't know my first name."

Xiomoazi looks up from the sensor that she's attaching to my arm. "I was under the impression that I should not call you by your first name since we are no longer on familiar terms. I was merely trying to be respectful. I apologize that I have further upset you."

I sigh. Despite her attempt to look professionally indifferent, I can tell that she's still upset or at least hurt from our last conversation a few weeks ago. "Xiomoazi, I know the last time we spoke things were...intense...but I'm not that mad at you that you have to revert back to formalities."

Xiomoazi busies herself by sticking more sensors on me. "Your statement implies, that you are still angered by my presence. Is that not true?"

I pause for a moment. Does seeing her remind me of our last day together? Absolutely. Do those memories irritate me? Of course. Can I reasonably blame her for everything that happened that day? No.

Xiomoazi didn't personally set anything in motion for me to be where I am today (I did, after all, wake up from stasis completely on my own, and, as far as I know, she didn't tell her government to kidnap me), but she must've figured out that Inova essentially assigned me as her sister in law at some point during our trip here and failed to tell me. I'm factually mad at the Inovarian government for putting me in this situation, but I'm hurt that she didn't warn me. I could've at least had some sort of game plan before touching down on Inova if I only knew what was going on. It's not like telling me would've hurt anyone. The other women who were designated xinxis instead of cadets were in stasis, so it's not like I could've rallied them behind me if I wanted to.