Cavallan Kee, queer, disabled, and a legendary hero, faces an important task. Home on leave just in time to celebrate his twin children's birthday, he has little to offer other than this: "For today," he tells them, "I'm yours to command..." Words: 5,600

Going through the two week ranking assessment is a chore for Cavallan, simple but necessary. Doing it under a pseudonym is a bit more of a tangle, but he's prepared to buckle down and just get on with it. But when he arrives, he meets an old friend and makes a new one. Suddenly it isn't as much of a chore, but it's no longer simple, either. Now he has to dance a knife-edge between truth and deception, and the only thing waiting for him if he slips is pain... Words: 17,570