Dreamers

The inside of the infirmary was all white. The only room on the ship with that color. It had a sterile and unnaturally clean smell. The room made anyone who's ever been to the dentist a stomach-turning nausea, it evoked memories of painful procedures best left forgotten.

Right in the center of the room stood Ljubiša, his gun pointed at his classmates who all gathered around Hitomi, who was sitting on the infirmary computer in the corner of the room. As everyone focused their gaze on Ljubiša, Khalid took one step towards his best friend.

"STAY BACK!" Ljubiša yelled out.

"Is it really you bro?" Khalid said trying to hold back a look of despair and betrayal. “Don’t make me use the slap on you…”

"I didn't do it! You have to believe me!"

"Okay, so why did the computer display an error at your social security number?" Brigham said.

"Hear me out. My parents were serial fraudsters in Yugoslavia, they would scam and try to con anyone they would come across. They went through their lives cheating and stealing, it was the only way of life they've ever known. Unlike all of you guys, they didn't emigrate after the 1970. economic crash. They left Earth a lot later and for very different reasons. I was born in 1973. in Yugoslavia on Earth actually.

The police in Yugoslavia caught wind of their crimes and they decided to arrest them. I was six years old at the time and the three of us fled to Nova Occasio. Since there would be no way any space colony would accept wanted criminals, they forged papers and got residency on Nova Occasio to avoid jail time on Earth."

"So you and your family are illegal immigrants?" Roy said.

"Yes. While you can forge and fake many things, as Hitomi said, social security numbers are impossible to fake in our Dominion. So we are without health insurance here. They gave a fake number to our school, but they never checked it and I was accepted. If any of us were caught we would all be deported, me along with them, even though I never was a part of their crimes. I don't want to go back to stinky Earth to be sent to some orphanage or foster home. I feel like Nova Occasio is my home, it is where I've spent most of my life. Sure, I do steal and lie a bit from time to time, but I never committed any large-scale fraud like they did.

"The reason why I joined Celio's military academy was so I could enter the military. With that, I could apply for citizenship legally and my parents wouldn't have to be deported. Now that the jig is up I bet you will all report us."

"Nobody is going to report you," Brigham raised his arms trying to de-escalate.

"Speak for yourself," Roy said, "They broke the rules, they should be punished for it."

"Will you shut up!" Brigham glared at Roy. He has a freaking gun, Brigham whispered to Roy, say you're not going to report him.

Roy folded and did as Brigham asked, despite still internally committed to reporting Ljubiša once they arrived back home. With the situation finally calming down, Hitomi jumped in:

"God this is so annoying. Your sob story doesn't make you any less of a suspect. Where is your alibi Ljubiša?"

To the surprise of everyone, Ljubiša had an alibi. After everyone went to fulfill their orders, the red-head boy was with his best friend Khalid, he then moved to hit on Lei Mei, after which he rejoined Khalid and finally met with Curro. Meaning he was always with someone.

"So it was impossible for Ljubiša to have been the culprit," Brigham said, he thought to himself, the ones that don't have a full alibi are Khalid, Lei Mei, and Hitomi. Emidio doesn't have an alibi too, but I think I can clear him of suspicion. I better keep an eye on them but for now, it's hard to say which one of them it is.

"I am telling you I didn't do it!" Ljubiša holstered his pistol as the suspicion went away. Khalid approached him and the two high-fived. His best friend was relieved that he was in the end, innocent.

"Innocent my ass," Hitomi snapped, "While you certainly have an alibi, it paints a different picture of you. If you had been on your post and not been an eternal screw-up as a person, you could have caught the culprit! With you and Khalid patrolling each half of the ship, the culprit wouldn't have had a chance to get to the engine room."

"Oh right," Ljubiša apologetically smiled, "Oops, my bad. Sorry!"

Brigham wanted to pull his own eyes out of their sockets in frustration, what Hitomi said was correct. While he had remained calm throughout this whole ordeal, this pushed him over the edge. All of this could have been avoided if Ljubiša hadn't gone to flirt with Lei Mei, or really did any part of his job correctly.

Class Lupus continued deliberating on motives, alibis, and clues but it didn't lead them anywhere. They exhausted all points of investigation and it was a dead end. At this point, until new information surfaces, the trail has gone cold.

"Guys, I think for now we have to drop this hunt for the culprit. We will only draw more suspicions on each other if we continue accusations without new clues. For now, let's solve other problems. Like what's the status of our supplies, can we call for help, figure out what's our next step?" Brigham said.

"Again acting like the leader?" Hitomi barked. "I will ask you again, who made you in charge? I am not taking any orders from you!"

Roy came up to Hitomi, "I realized something, I was incorrect before. I said Brigham is fulfilling the duties of the captain. That's not correct, with Mok dead and with his deputy named, Brigham is the captain. According to military protocol and the chain of command, we should all start calling him captain."

Ana crossed her arms, "I hate to say this, but I agree with Roy. It is very important in these situations to have a hierarchy. Brigham is legally the leader, Mok named him deputy for a reason. He has also shown a clarity in thinking, caution in approach, and has acted wisely." Ana stood at attention and saluted Brigham, "Captain!"

Roy followed suit, "Captain!"

The next was Curro and soon everyone was saluting him but Hitomi. The pink-haired girl was now being pressured by the group to submit to Brigham's command.

"Captain…" Hitomi barely managed to utter those words and with great difficulty saluted her new captain not able to look him in the eye.

Brigham looked around the white infirmary room, every single member of class Lupus was looking at him, saluting him like a true captain. He saluted them back with pride in himself and the vote of confidence the others bestowed on him.

Finally,

Brigham was in control of the situation.