Barely two years older than David, Paul had been the youngest person ever to pass qualifications and be accepted to the Time Fleet. The person who’d held that honor before him had been their father. Paul had missed graduating first in his class at the academy by a fraction of a point. Two years later, David had won first-place honors by a full point. To Zee, it sounded like a lifelong game of tag. Whatever one of them did, the other had to beat with something better. When Paul graduated, he applied for a one-year mission, twice the length of a usual first assignment. David applied for two years, the longest mission available. The two-year mission meant he’d moved up the ladder again and would have more choice of assignments. “That two-year stint means I could ask for shorter hops now and spend more time with you,” he’d told Zee. “At least until you’re used to New Earth. Or Paul and I could put in for missions together. We always used to talk about that when we were kids.”
