Liz’s voice lost its softness. Her green eyes took on a faraway look as if she was seeing a path before her that she had all planned out.
“I’m a starship officer,” said Liz. “And I’m a good one.”
“I know you are, Liz,” Richard said.
“No, Rick,” said Liz. “I’m sure you think you know what I mean, but you don’t. A starship just feels like a part of me. It’s an extension of my being just like my hands and feet. I know I can make a starship do things that could mean a difference in this war.”
“Liz, I…,” Richard said at a loss for words. Liz’s words were a revelation. He’d been concerned that Liz would find some good-looking naval officer when they were apart. But now he was seeing who his real competition was. Liz wasn’t going to give her heart to him. She’d already given it to another. And her true love was not made of flesh and blood.
“If I stay on track,” said Liz, “I’ll command my own starship in another year. And if the war lasts long enough, I’ll make Fleet Admiral before I’m done.”
“But, Liz,” Richard said, “We–”
“No, Rick,” said Liz. “There is no we. If things were different, there could’ve been. But it is what it is. The sooner we accept that and move on the better.”
Richard had no words inside him. He just stood there looking dumfounded at Liz.
Liz’s expression softened once again. She reached out and touched Richard’s cheek affectionately. “We’ll always be friends, Rick. But that’s all it can be. Don’t you see?”
Richard shook his head no. He really didn’t see.
Am I that big of a fool? he wondered. Tam had tried to tell him, but he’d refused to listen.
Richard thought Liz’s eyes looked a little shiny, but he wasn’t sure because she abruptly turned around and took two steps towards the door leading out in the direction of the shuttle berths. She stopped and turned back around to look at Richard.
“I have to go, Rick,” said Liz. “We’ll meet again.”
Richard said nothing. He just gave a nod of his head.
Liz waited for a couple of seconds as if expecting a response. When none came, she nodded her head and walked towards the door. Richard watched her until she was lost from sight.
Emotionally spent, Richard walked towards the door leading out to the civilian side of the security building. His friends would be waiting for him there.
Chapter 17 – The Commandant’s Revelation
_____________________________________
Richard was more tired than ever. The battle the day before, the all-night grilling session, and the breakup with Liz all combined to drain his last bit of energy. All he wanted to do was go to the hotel and sleep.
Well, Richard thought, I doubt it can get any worse at this point.
Walking out the lobby door to the street outside, Richard picked out the figures of Tam and Telsa. They were standing at attention. A short, toad-faced man in an Academy TAC officer uniform was talking to them. It was TAC Officer Gaston Myers. Richard silently cursed whatever gods of fate had sent his despised TAC officer to greet them.
This sucks, Richard thought.
TAC Officer Myers’ red cheeks left little doubt he was reaming his friends a new one. Apparently sensing Richard’s arrival, his TAC officer turned around and stared straight at him.
TAC Officer Myers’ cheeks became even redder. “Cadet 832! Front and center.”
For a moment, Richard contemplated rebelling. He’d had about all he could take in one day. His Power reserve was above sixty percent. Richard was confident he could beat his TAC officer in a fight if the need arose.
But now’s not the time, Richard thought as he began jogging towards his TAC officer
“Sir!” Richard shouted as he snapped to attention in front of TAC Officer Myers. “Cadet 832 reporting as ordered, sir.”
TAC Officer Myers looked Richard up and down. He frowned.
“Your uniform’s a mess, cadet,” said TAC Officer Myers. “Assuming you don’t wind up in prison for your little antics yesterday, you’ll be on extra duty for the next week. It’ll start tonight.”
TAC Officer Myers waited as if expecting a protest. Richard refused to give him the satisfaction. Nothing he could say would make a difference anyway.
When Richard refused to take the obvious bait, TAC Officer Myers moved closer until the brim of his instructor hat touched Richard’s forehead. His TAC officer’s breath smelled of fried drago meat.
Hmm, Richard thought. Guess someone interrupted your breakfast. The thought made Richard smile ever so slightly.
“You think this is funny, cadet?” yelled Myers. “You won’t think so when we get back to the airfield. Your pass has been cancelled as of now. You’re coming with me.”
TAC Officer Myers turned back to Tam and Telsa. They were still standing at attention. However, their eyes had strayed to the side as they watched the exchange between TAC Officer Myers and Richard. Their eyes snapped to the front when TAC Officer Myers turned.
“You two are dismissed,” said Myers. “I’ll deal with you when you’re back from your passes.”
Tam and Telsa shouted in unison, “Sir! Yes, sir.” They both did an about face and took off at a trot. Richard was pretty sure they had no idea where they were going. They just wanted to get away from their TAC officer.
After he’d dismissed Richard’s friends, TAC Officer Myers motioned at a hover-car across the street. The hover-car’s anti-grav fans picked up speed, and it lifted a half meter off the ground. The driver slid the car sideways across the street until it was positioned at the curb next to TAC Officer Myers. The door slid open.
“Get in,” said TAC Officer Myers.
Richard ducked his head and stepped into the hover-car. He slid across the passenger seat until he was next to the opposite door. TAC Officer Myers entered, and the door shut behind him. The automatic shoulder harness slid around Richard’s chest and across his lap.
The anti-grav engines whined again, and the hover-car started climbing. The driver cleared the surrounding buildings. The hover-car accelerated forward. The spaceport was soon left far behind.
The hover-car’s seats were comfortable. An entertainment center in front of Richard contained a small holographic-table complete with the latest videos.
This isn’t a military staff car, Richard thought. It looks more like a bigwig politician’s car.
Richard expected the driver to head west towards the airfield. Instead, the hover-car made straight for the city center. Richard watched the buildings pass by as the driver maintained a two hundred meter altitude.
“We’re headed into the city,” Richard said before he remembered who else was in the car. He added a hasty, “Sir,” to the end of his sentence.
“That will be an additional day of extra duty, cadet 832,” said TAC Officer Myers. “Cadets will precede and end all discussions with a superior with a sir.”
Richard said nothing. Dislike was too kind a word to describe his feelings for his TAC officer.
TAC Officer Myers stared at Richard for a few seconds before speaking, “As it so happens, cadet, the commandant wants to see you. I’m to deliver you personally to his office.”
Richard thought he saw the faintest hint of a smile on his TAC officer’s lips.
“With any luck,” said TAC Officer Myers, “the commandant will have your D.F.R. waiting to be signed when we get there.”
The last time Richard had been taken to the commandant’s office was at the end of his pre-Academy year. The commandant had been investigating attempted murder charges brought against him by TAC Officer Myers. Other than that one time, Richard had only interacted with the legendary commandant as part of groups. The commandant was the most famous living wizard scout. He’d fought and gained fame during the war against the Tetonian Empire. When his Power reserve had been damaged, he’d been reassigned as commandant of the Empire’s Intergalactic Wizard Scout Academy on Velos. Richard didn’t mind ad
mitting he was a little in awe of the commandant. All the cadets were.
As Richard mulled over his TAC officer’s information, the driver flew past the pre-Academy barracks. Richard had spent two years there as one of the eight hundred and thirty-two cadets in his cohort. The Academy’s TAC officers had spent those two years using every legal means of torture available to weed cadets out of the cohort.
Richard looked at four stone barracks forming a square around a large parade field. He’d first stepped foot on the field five years ago. TAC Officer Myers had taken it upon himself to make Richard’s life a living hell ever since.
As the parade field flashed by, Richard drew in his breath. It was jammed packed with cadets. Under normal circumstances, the pre-Academy consisted of two cohorts of about eight hundred cadets each. The parade field below held at least twice that number, maybe more. Richard took a closer look at the pre-Academy buildings. They’d been enlarged since he’d last seen them. The newer construction material contrasted sharply with the older stonewalls of the barracks where Richard had lived.
“It makes my blood boil every time I see that,” said TAC Officer Myers in a strange voice. Richard didn’t stir or say anything. He had a feeling his TAC officer had momentarily forgotten who was riding in the car with him.
“Forty-eight hundred cadets in pre-Academy training,” TAC Officer Myers muttered.
Out the corner of his eyes, Richard saw Myers shake his head from left to right disgustedly.
“The Empire’s grabbed anyone with even a trace of Power and brought them here,” continued Richard’s TAC officer. “What’re we supposed to do with them? Half the new so-called TAC officers training the cadets aren’t even wizard scouts themselves. How’s that supposed to work?”
Saying nothing, Richard watched as the pre-Academy passed beneath them. The cadets were still at physical training. He saw a hundred TAC officers in their telltale black uniforms dispersed among the thousands of white-uniformed cadets. Richard had no doubt the cadets were catching hell right about now. However, something was different. Richard couldn’t quite put his finger on it until he noticed several squads of cadets doing physical training on their own. Then he noticed another squad actually sitting down.
Are they taking a rest break? Richard wondered.
The enormity of the situation hit Richard. Pre-Academy cadets don’t take rest breaks. Richard was confused. The intense physical training at the pre-Academy was designed to weed out those cadets who couldn’t handle the stress required to be wizard scouts.
Forgetting where he was again, Richard said, “Have the standards been lowered?”
“What?” said TAC Officer Myers in a voice so loud it made the driver jump.
The hover-car dropped a couple of meters before the driver got the car stabilized.
“You’ve just earned yourself another week of extra duty, cadet,” said TAC Officer Myers.
Richard noticed his TAC officer’s eyes flashing with fire. He saw flecks of spittle on one corner of his mouth.
“I’ve had enough of your insubordination, cadet,” said TAC Officer Myers as his cheeks turned red. “Hit a brace, cadet.”
Richard stiffened in his seat and faced straight to the front. What was I thinking?
His TAC officer was angrier than Richard had ever seen him. He had a feeling TAC Officer Myers was as angry with himself as he was with him. His TAC officer was undoubtedly kicking himself for talking too freely in front of a cadet.
The rest of the ride to the Academy’s administrative buildings went in silence. As the driver of the hover-car made his final approach, Richard observed the Academy’s large parade field surrounded by six barracks on three sides. The administrative building formed the final side of the rectangle. Richard unconsciously glanced at the barracks which had been his home prior to transferring to the airfield. The parade field was relatively empty this late in the morning. However, a formation of several dozen cadets in white physical training outfits was standing in front of Richard’s old barracks.
They look like pre-Academy cadets, Richard thought. What are they doing here?
He took a second look to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Pre-Academy cadets didn’t mix with actual wizard scout cadets.
Are there so many pre-Academy cadets they had to move the overflow to here? Richard wondered.
While he might wonder, Richard didn’t make the mistake of attempting to comment on the situation. He had enough extra duty racked up as it was. Mild though it was in comparison to the horrors he’d seen during his missions for ‘the One’, extra duty was nothing desirable. He’d much rather spend what free time he had with his friends.
The driver brought the hover-car down to a soft landing in front of the Academy headquarters. After TAC Officer Myers exited, Richard leaned forward.
“Nice landing,” Richard told the driver. It didn’t cost anything to give a compliment, and the landing really had been done well.
“Thank you, sir,” said the driver.
Richard got out of the hover-car. TAC Officer Myers glanced at Richard, but he said nothing. His TAC officer nodded his head towards the stone steps leading up to the admin building’s entrance. Richard followed his TAC officer up the stairs to a large door. A sign over the doorway read, ‘We Support the Finest Scouts in the Galaxy’.
Within moments, Richard found himself on the third floor knocking on the doorframe of the commandant’s office. No cadet ever entered the commandant’s office without being invited. The scuttlebutt was even the TAC officers hesitated to enter the hallowed ground of the commandant’s office without being specifically invited.
“Enter,” said a stern voice.
Richard entered and came to a stiff attention in front of the commandant. He didn’t salute. Wizard scouts rarely saluted.
“Sir! Cadet 832 reporting as ordered, sir.”
The commandant looked up from the computer terminal built into the top of his desk. Physically, he was a young man in his twenties. In reality, he was well into his nineties. Even though the commandant’s Power reserve had been damaged decades ago, it still produced enough Power to keep old age at bay. However, in spite of the commandant’s youthful looks, Richard sensed an air of antiquity about him.
For the first time, Richard wondered whether antiaging was a curse or a blessing. His discussions with Tam and Liz had made him start questioning the benefits of remaining young while those he cared about aged and died.
“Have a seat, cadet 832,” said the commandant.
The furnishings of the commandant’s office were Spartan. The office held only a desk and chair plus a second metal chair directly in front of the desk. Richard sat down. The chair was uncomfortable, but it didn’t matter. Richard doubted he’d have much time to relax.
“That will be all, TAC Officer Myers,” said the commandant.
While he couldn’t see his TAC officer standing behind him, Richard heard a sharp intake of breath. For a moment, Richard thought Myers was going to protest. But he didn’t.
“Yes, sir,” said TAC Officer Myers.
Richard heard the squeak of boots on the floor as his TAC officer did an about face. Then he heard the sound of pneumatics closing the door. At the sound, the commandant’s formal demeanor seemed to change. Richard wasn’t sure exactly what changed. He just knew something had.
“You caused quite a stir yesterday, Wizard Scout Richard Shepard,” said the commandant.
The commandant’s words took Richard by surprise. The Academy’s staff never called cadets by name. As the cadets were often reminded, they were just numbers until they earned their golden dragons and became actual wizard scouts.
Richard said nothing. He was a firm believer in the philosophy that if you didn’t know what to say then don’t say anything. Richard was in unfamiliar territory, and that made him extra cautious. The commandant was not one to be trifled with.
The commandant looked at Richard for several seconds. Richard felt as if the old wizard sc
out was analyzing him inside and out. He sensed a line of Power cautiously making its way from the commandant towards him. The commandant’s active scan tentatively probed the perimeter of Richard’s link to his Power reserve.
The commandant laughed, and his probe withdrew. Again Richard was caught by surprise. In his five years at the Academy, he’d never heard the commandant laugh. Instead of helping him relax, the laughter made Richard more cautious.
“I’d hate to be the one to try and block your link,” said the commandant. “You’ve done well since the last time I scanned you. Did you put all those traps on yourself?”
Richard was taken aback even more. While he did not go around arbitrarily checking other people’s links, it had been his experience few people knew how to protect their links. He’d even begun to think of it as his secret weapon. True, the Crosioian scout he’d fought his sophomore year had been very adept at Power links. And some mages from the magical dimension were as well. But for the most part, creatures in the physical dimension appeared to be blissfully unaware of their danger.
Richard was unsure what to say, so he continued to remain silent. He preferred to be punished for being insolent than to be cornered into revealing information best left hidden.
Instead of becoming angry at Richard’s continuing silence, the commandant chuckled quietly.
“He’s a cautious one. Isn’t he, Margery?” said the commandant.
“Can you blame him?” answered a feminine voice. The sound came from a battle helmet on one end of the commandant’s desk.
“No, not really,” said the commandant. He reached down and pulled open a large drawer in his desk. He pulled out a black backpack and placed it on the top of the desk.
“Do you know what this is, Richard?” said the commandant.
Becoming increasingly confused by the commandant’s informality, Richard carefully phrased his answer, “Sir. It’s my pack, sir.”
Richard wondered what the commandant was doing with his dimensional pack. It was supposed to be locked up in the airfield’s armory with his battle suit and weapons.
Wizard Scout (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 3) Page 19