First Admiral 02 The Burning Sun by William J. Benning

time and practice,” Billy modestly deflected the praise as he stared at a poster of four well-dressed young men who appeared to be wearing more make up than his appearance conscious grandmother usually did.
    “My dad would go mental if I ever turned up looking like that,” Billy smiled indicating the poster.
    “I think they’re quite cool,” Emma replied from the table “I suppose you’re a classical music man?” she questioned.
    “No, not really,” Billy countered, “My dad’s into Italian Opera and when he has a drink he thinks he’s Enrico Caruso.”
    “Who’s that then?” Emma asked.
    “A famous Italian tenor, died years ago,” Billy said absent-mindedly looking at another poster.
    “I’m more kind of machine music, Human League, Soft Cell and Gary Newman, that sort of stuff,” Billy continued, being careful not to mention the Thexxian musicians in a band called “Splarge” that he found particularly enjoyable.
    “My mum says that Gary Newman needs a good dinner or two,” Emma smiled mischievously.
    “She might be right,” Billy grinned, and had to agree; the memory of the very pale and very thin lead singer/composer flashing through his mind, “he is a bit on the skinny side.”
    “Hey, you want to listen to some Duran Duran?” Emma enthused rising from her seat behind the table.
    “Yeah, sure,” Billy replied as brightly as he could manage, not all that excited about listening to a singer who seemed to sound like he was constantly in pain.
    “I think they’re brilliant,” Emma chirped happily as she trotted over to her clock/radio/cassette player that doubled as an alarm to get her out of bed in the mornings.
    “I liked their early stuff better,” Billy commented, “a real good old-fashioned gutsy rock and roll band, then they kind of went all Spandau Ballet didn’t they?”
    “You’re in very real danger of becoming a square, Billy Caudwell,” Emma chided as she dug through the collection of cassettes scattered on her bedside table.
    “Well, just shoot me now,” Billy said absent-mindedly as he watched the tall blonde girl, her face set in determined purpose, as she sought out the desired tape.
    God, she is just so lovely, Billy thought to himself watching the object of his affections. Yet, in the back of his mind, the part of his consciousness that was the now-dead Garmaurian First Admiral, Teg Skarral Portan, warned him not to get too close. A Supreme Military Commander really did not need any emotional distraction from an unstable relationship. It was going to be difficult enough to keep the secret of his double life from his family without the added complication of romantic entanglements. But, God, she was just so lovely, he thought.
    “Billy?” Emma broke into his daydreaming, “you were far away there,” she said.
    “Yeah, sorry, it’s just…” Billy began and leaned forward to kiss Emma.
    Seeing the movement, Emma twisted her face away and pushed hurriedly past Billy as the music from the cassette player cut in.
    “What’s the matter?” a confused Billy asked, as Emma stepped over to the study table.
    “It’s just…it’s just,” she flustered, trying to find an excuse that would placate Billy without exposing her true intentions of keeping him on as a free disposable Math tutor to be cast aside when finished with but without giving the impression of leading him on.
    “Don’t you like me…?” Billy asked his heart slowly sinking.
    “Yes, yes I do,” Emma flustered again, holding back the infamous ‘but-not-in-that-kind-of-way’ sting in the tail, “it’s just that you caught me by surprise that’s all,”
    “You do!? Well, surely you guessed that I really liked you?” Billy smiled, his confidence growing, as Emma sat down to her books once again.
    “Well, yes, I suppose I did; I just didn’t think you’d want do anything about it before the dance,” she said coyly, trying to keep it as ambiguous as possible.
    Sitting at the table, Emma