And yet…
And yet, as she had stood there beside Valera Dent on the projected platform in front of the other 127 students she would be spending the next 3 years of her life with, Aria had been jealous of the heads she’d seen leaning together to whisper quietly, jealous of the excited looks exchanged and smiles traded. She wouldn’t have given her rank—or the effort she had already put in to attain it—for the world, but there had been a distinct part of herself in that moment that had wished she wasn’t the highest level in the class, that wished she’d been sitting with the rest of them, watching some poor other soul standing alone while everyone else talked and made friends and—
Aria stopped short, her head still upturned, a sudden suspicion electric in her mind.
Her rank. Her… rank?
No. It couldn’t be that simple.
… Could it?
Training her attention back to the deepening shadows of the ground, Aria decided there was no harm in checking. With a flick of her eyes she brought up her NOED, the frame adjusting automatically to the dimming light. Entering a half-dozen quick commands, she accessed the ISCM User database.
The first thing she had done after the Commencement ceremony had come to an end was pull up Reidon Ward’s profile, trying to find anything of interest in his publicly available information that would help sate her curiosity about the boy. Nothing she’d found was unsurprising. Not his birth world—Astra-2—not his previous school—a local preparatory institute in Sector 6—not even his age—18—the lattermost of which Aria had been a little ashamed to question initially, given Ward’s height and size.
Still… Her uncle and Maddison had both implied she already had access to all the information she needed to figure out what was going on.
Literally.
And so with a final order, Aria pulled up Ward’s User registration again, going over with more deliberate care this time.
USER: Ward, Reidon
CAD-NAME: Shido
CAD-TYPE: A-Type
CAD-RANK: E4
BIRTH YEAR: 2450
BIRTH SYSTEM: Astra System
BIRTH PLANET: Astra-2
PRIMARY SCHOOLING: N/A
SECONDARY SCHOOLING: N/A
TERTIARY SCHOOLING: Grandcrest Preparatory Academy
MILITARY EDUCATION: The Galens Institute
It was all there, undoubtedly unchanged from when Aria had checked it only a few hours earlier.
But this time, she didn’t get past the fourth line.
For almost half a minute she stared, not quiet believing her eyes. It was so surprising, in fact, that for a bit she convinced herself she must have misheard Valera Dent at the Commencement, that she hadn’t caught the announcement of her challenger’s specs correctly.
But no… There was definitely no mistaking it. The captain had absolutely said “E3” when Reidon Ward had gotten himself enthusiastically selected as her opponent. The E of the rank is what had been so distinct though, so bizarre, resulting in Aria’s eyes having tracked right over the new number when she’d first pulled up the Cadet’s profile.
“CAD-Rank… E4?” she asked the evening.
It was possible, of course. It was plausible that Ward had been on the cusp of a rank-up before their match, and the fight had just pushed him over the edge, but also too much of a coincidence to stop Aria rereading the line several times just to make sure she wasn’t mistaken. When she was positive her eyes weren’t deceiving her, she had a thought, and scrolled to the bottom of the profile, selecting the “Additional Information” option hovering there, causing a secondary window to pop into view. While the ISCM didn’t provide the public history of a User’s ranking—just like they didn’t provide details on a Device’s individual specs—it was possible for a member of the ISCM to access a person’s baseline, if a pain in the ass. Aria hadn’t had the opportunity earlier, but she did so now, becoming more irritated every time she was required once again to provide her name, CAD-name, school, and school identification number to prove she was a registered cadet. After almost 5 minutes of strained patience she was allowed access to the “Assignment Details” database page, and without a second to lose she typed in Reidon Ward’s name, bringing up his information.
ASSIGNMENT YEAR: 2468
ASSIGNMENT LOCATION: Astra - Astra-3 - Sector 6 - Grandcrest Preparatory Academy
ASSIGNMENT RANK: F8
F8?! Aria considered in silent alarm.
Things were getting closer to impossible. Pushing from the high Fs into the mid-Es might have been feasible in 10 weeks, but only with the correct trainers and complete commitment to conditioning. For starters, there weren’t that many capable A-Type instructors to be had in the Intersystem Collective—even Aria’s parents had had trouble finding a competent few for her brother—but for another, Reidon Ward was… well… a “Ward”. She doubted very much there were any families left who voluntarily kept that surname, so long after the ISC had requisitioned it when the war had started to leave hundreds of thousands of orphans without parents across the systems. What’s more, didn’t Ward’s lack of information regarding his primary and secondary schooling point to his education having been handled even out of the public paths?
So… Assuming the E-Ranker had no family to support him, how would he have managed a training regimen intense enough to leap seven ranks in a summer?
The answer, of course, was that there was no way he had…
And then, slowly, understanding began to dawn on Aria, and a few seconds later several passing second years were treated to the sight of a beautiful, red-headed girl in her full military regulars launching into a tirade of unexplainable expletives so colorful as to have made the average drill sergeant blush.
CHAPTER 17
“You will be pushed at this Institute. More than physically. More than mentally. Those with greater ability will—by that nature—earn themselves greater opportunity, while those with less will be pressed to make themselves better, to make themselves stronger, and gain those advantages as their own.”
- Captain Valera “Iron Bishop” Dent
The Galens Institute
First year Commencement Ceremony, 2468
The morning of the following day started off rather tediously for Rei. Aside from having an awkward—though mercifully silent—encounter with Chancery Cashe as he exited the bathroom, it transpired that their kitchen space was not stocked, and breakfast would have to be had at the campus mess hall. This in and of itself wasn’t awful—the mess turned out to be more arboretum than food court, with what had to have been half a rain forest rising up around the provided tables and chairs the first years had mostly taken over—but Rei had to again suffer the stares and murmurings of the other cadets all throughout his meal. Viv and Catcher made the experience tolerable—and apparently provided enough of a deterrent to keep people from approaching outright—but Rei could still feel the eyes on him as he ate his eggs and toast, and thought some of the second and third years had started looking his way, too, as they made for other parts of the hall.
After breakfast things got only momentarily less awkward. He and Viv had indeed been assigned to the same “1-A” class-block, so after eating they said farewell to Catcher—who was unfortunately in the “1-C” section—and headed for a classroom in one of the Combat Theory buildings. Their week’s schedule had been sent to them the evening before, and all three had shared a groan when they’d noted how the full mornings of the 6 instructional days were taken up. It was less than enthusiastically, therefore, that Rei and Viv climbed the stairs of Building B to the third floor, then followed signs that projected themselves for their NOEDs to the designated room. Through the open door the buzz of conversation could be heard, and Rei steeled himself, letting Viv take the lead as they entered.
The space proved to be a modest amphitheater, with enough rising seating to host some fifty or so students. A massive smart-glass wall faced the rising desks, current
ly clear to show off a sunny view of the school’s east grounds. About fifteen first years had already convened, scattering themselves among the seats, and most were chatting pleasantly, contributing to the drone of conversation. There were, however, a few exceptions, two of which stopped Rei dead in his tracks at the entrance of the class.
The first was a boy so tall he still looked of a height even sitting at the peak of the amphitheater along the very back of the room. His jet hair would have been enough, easily recognizable beneath his military cap, but Rei had the misfortune of catching sight of him just as the figure looked in his direction. Logan Grant’s black-red eyes locked on him for a moment, then shifted to Viv, then back to Rei. If it hadn’t been clear before that the boy wasn’t a fan of him, his contemptuous glare spoke volumes to the fact. A couple of other cadets had gathered around to sit with him, talking amongst themselves, but stopped at a word from Grant. They turned as one, all smirking together in Rei’s direction, and the leering was enough to make him look away with clenched teeth.
Fortunately, the next anomaly was far less unpleasant a surprise.
At the opposite end of the room, seated halfway up the theater, a girl with brilliant green eyes and red hair now plaited over one shoulder was scrolling across a wide tab set at an angle between her lap and the edge of the desk in front of her. Aria Laurent sat alone, and hadn’t looked up when they had entered, nor did she when Viv motioned to one of the lower rows—closer to the front of the room—getting a nod of agreement from Rei. As the rest of the gathered students steadily took note of the presence, the talking died quickly, and whereas newcomers apparently weren’t enough to peek Laurent’s interest, this growing silence appeared to let the C-Ranker know something was amiss. She lifted her gaze just in time to meet Rei’s as he and Viv started along the empty row a couple below hers, aiming for the center seating. He considered waving, maybe even trying a “Hello” in an attempt to assure her there were no hard feelings for the beatdown she’d given him the previous day, but before he could lift a hand or open his mouth Laurent had quickly looked away again, so focused on whatever script was streaming across her tablet that she appeared almost to be deliberately avoiding his eye…
“That was weird,” he muttered as Viv pulled out a chair for herself.
“What was?” she asked distractedly, sitting down and tugging her own pad out of her bag to kill the time.
Rei, though—glancing back towards Laurent after he’d settled and finding her still intently scrolling—decided he must have been imagining it.
“Nothing,” he whispered after a second. “Did you see who’s in the back?”
“Yup,” Viv grunted, a look flashing across her face that might have fit better on someone who’d just gotten a brief whiff of rancid meat. “Looks like we’re in for a fun year.”
“I’m in, you mean. Don’t worry about me. You can’t keep getting tangled in every mess I end up in.”
Opening her pad to the week’s schedule, Viv smirked. “Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever you say, honey.”
Rei snorted, and was about to reach into his bag for his own—significantly smaller—tablet, when the shadow of several people loomed over the two of them from behind.
“Hey man, caught the fight yesterday. It was… something.”
As one Rei and Viv turned in their seats. A trio of cadets—two boys and a girl—had come to stand along the row above them. The one who’d spoken had a mane of greyish hair frosted with orange at the tips, his eyes matching the colors perfectly.
“Thanks…” Rei answered tentatively, taking in the three of them one after the other. “I can assure you it was a lot more interesting from my point of view.”
The other boy, his head shaved to a clean sheen, cracked half a smile at that, but the first was the one to speak again.
“I’m sure it was. Listen….” His tone suddenly cooled. “What’s your deal, man?”
Here we go, Rei sighed internally.
“My deal?” he feigned ignorance.
“Come on. Don’t play dumb. I’m not trying to be nosey. We’re all just wondering how someone like…” The boy hesitated, clearly making an attempt to be tactful for a moment before giving up. “Well… Like you ended up… here.”
“Lottery system,” Viv answered, turning away from the group again, clearly having lost interest. “Started this year. Galens puts all the Fs and Es in the Astra System together in a hat and pulls one out at random for a free ride.” She gave Rei a feigned, fawning look. “Lucky you.”
Rei almost chuckled at the confusion on the others’ faces, but decided to try and save the situation.
“She’s kidding, ignore her. I don’t really have a good answer for you, but if I had to guess I’d say my written portion of the Assignment Exam probably had something to do with it all. I know I’m not at the level of you guys Rank-wise, but maybe the higher officers are hoping I’ve got the chops to catch up…?”
It was the best answer to this exact question he’d been able to come up with the night before, laying in his new bed and staring into the darkness of the room around him, unable to sleep. There was a healthy dose of truth to it. He couldn’t imagine his score had hurt his chances of enrollment after all, and it was obvious the Institute staff were anticipating he’d catch up. It had seemed the sort of explanation at least a few people looking for a reason to accept his presence might grab onto.
“No way,” the girl said, sounding more impressed than doubtful. She had long, blueish hair with a stylish streak of red tucked behind one ear from under the brim of her cap. “What was your score?”
“Just under ninety-nine percent,” Rei admitted awkwardly. He’d never been the type to enjoy boasting about his grades—not to mention Viv had always done enough of that for him at Grandcrest—but he’d decided this was a necessary moment.
“Damn,” the bald boy said under his breath. “I was at ninety-five, and I thought that was good.”
Viv gave a snort behind Rei—undoubtedly recalling her own reaction when he’d told her what the MIND had scored him at—but it only earned her a shared scowl at the back of her head from the trio.
“She didn’t mean it that way,” Rei tried to clarify quickly, taking the chance to attempt and change the subject. “She just said basically the exact same thing at the test. We went to the same school—Grandcrest Prep, in Sector 6 here on Astra-3.” He stuck out a hand even as he pointed over his shoulder at his best friend. “This is Viv, and I’m Rei. We’re looking forward to—”
“Hold on,” the grey-haired boy cut in as each of his companions started to reach for Rei’s offered hand. “I don’t buy it. That can’t be. There has to have been loads of people over the years who got comparable scores, and I’ve never heard of any other E-Ranker getting in.” He put his hands on the desk in front of him, leaning closer to eye Rei suspiciously. “There’s got to be more to it.”
With the ruined opportunity to make nice, Rei’s patience ran its course. He stared coolly at the boy, not flinching away. “I don’t know what you’re looking for me to tell you, man. Believe it or not, I wasn’t sitting in when the board of admissions met to review my file. Maybe I got lucky. Or maybe someone thought my face was pretty.”
“Oh no!” Viv chimed in on cue, feigning a crestfallen look. “We should’ve sent them an updated pic with the new haircut!”
From the other side of the room, someone stifled a laugh. As one they all looked around, but if Aria Laurent was still paying any attention to their interaction, she was doing an excellent job of hiding it now.
“Leron, come on,” the girl told the boy with grey-orange hair. “It’s not worth getting in his face about. Maybe it was the written score. You don’t know.”
“The hell it was his score, Kay!” Leron snapped, glaring at Rei again. “They wouldn’t let someone in who got one hundred percent and topped every other part of the test if their CAD-Rank wasn’t up to snuff, and I have a hard time believing
this guy passed his physical.” He frowned. “How tall are you, man? Five-five? Five-six? They just wouldn’t do that. It’s too likely the weak link will drag everyone else down.”
Behind him Rei heard Viv start to turn around again, and he could almost feel her beginning to get angry.
“What’s so special about you, E?” Leron pressed, obviously starting to lose his cool and shaking off the girl named Kay when she put a hand on his arm to try and pull him away. “The hell makes you good enough to suddenly make an entire school change the way it—?”
“OFFICER PRESENT!”
The bellowed announcement rang so sharp and so near, Leron actually collided with Kay as he leapt sideways, nearly knocking the poor girl over. The second, bald boy caught her by the shoulder, and together the trio stared at the newcomer who’d approached them unnoticed from the classroom door, now closed. Rei, meanwhile, had learned along with Viv from Catcher’s quick reactions at the Commencement Ceremony, and the two of them had leapt from their chairs the moment the words had been spoken, drawing themselves into the best salute they could manage.
All around them it appeared the rest of the class had arrived and found their seats while Rei and Leron had been exchanging words. In front of them now, a squat woman stood rigidly, watching them with dark eyes from beneath bangs of mousey grey hair, the red-on-white armband marking her very likely as the instructor of the course.
“TOO SLOW!” the woman shouted as many of the other students were still scrambling to stand and salute, her carrying voice making all those nearest too her—Rei included—flinch in surprise. “AT EASE!”
They all relaxed, and those who knew to spread their stance and clasped their hands behind their backs.
“If I can see your CAD bands right now, you are wrong!” the instructor snapped, moving along the row and glaring up into the theater seating. “If your cap is not on your head, you are wrong! If you are looking me in the eye miss-with-the-black-braid-and-her-freckled-friend, you are WRONG!” She stopped her pacing. “Sit down, cadets!”
Iron Prince: A Progression Sci-Fi Epic (Warformed: Stormweaver Book 1) Page 24