[A/N: soory it's so short, anyone who is reading this, sorry!  And I'll try to add more ASAP!!!]

SPACE ACADEMY

            "Now - how many of them are there?"  I asked for the tenth time, trying to keep my cool.

            "I don't know," he whimpered.  "At least a hundred!"

            He was shaking and quivering in the face of all those passive foes.

            "If you don't so something quick," I hissed, "They'll stop being so passive and come up for us!  Now do something!"

            He wilted.  He melted to the floor.  He reached, trembling, inch by inch, for the button to talk –

            – And the enemy winked out.  The screen was blank.  The door creaked open and the lights came up.  I threw my hands up in exasperation as my control snapped. 

            "Oh Jeord!  You were too slow!  Now you failed, and I can't go on!  How could you?"  I stormed out of the simulator.

            "Rena-ah" The mindvoice was so familiar that I almost snapped at it.  Then I realized.  It was the dean!  "Why did you snap at young Jeord?"  It was like pressure on my mind, forcing me to answer. 

            "I – I don't know.  He's just the third person to fail and now I have to wait again!  Oh sir, when will a truly worthy partner come?"  I was breathing hard, almost sobbing.  "Rena-ah.  Have you ever wondered why no one volunteers and we have to assign someone?"  Oh.  I hadn't thought of that.  "No, obviously not.  What do you think you've been doing wrong?"  What was wrong?  All I had done was prod in the right direction and leave them to their own devices.  All that ever happened was that they failed, and I – oh.  Oh dear.  "Um-hm.  So, what went wrong?"  "  I … I…"  "Tell you what."  The mindvoice sounded amused.  "Come to my office and we'll discuss this little development there."  "Thank you sir.  I'll be right there."  Relieved, I started to make my way to my dorm for my umpteenth meeting with the dean.