Each specialist section had only a set number of places available, so only the top candidates would gain a spot. The pilot training program had forty spots for this year's intake, so that meant only the top forty recruits who applied for the program would enter. The remainder would either be offered a place in a different program or an enlisted placement if they passed the basic requirements. Those who were offered enlisted positions would be sent to the basic training camp an hour away from the academy to train for twelve months before being assigned to either a ship or entered into specialized training. They could also reapply for the academy in the following year and hope to gain a place.
"Alright, kid, I'll leave you here for now. I have to head over to base and check in with my crew mates. Good luck," my uncle said, squeezing my shoulder before walking back through the gate which closed behind him.
Moving away from the gate, I glanced around at the gathered crowd. More than a few were giving me curious glances, and some were even glaring. Finding a spot relatively empty of people, I turned my attention to my wrist display, checking the time. It was zero six thirty-eight by Velante's native time which mirrored the galactic standard. That meant there was just over twenty minutes until the commander, who would be leading this group’s exam would arrive.
More people slowly began to arrive, and a low hum of conversation filled the air as many of the waiting recruits talked among themselves. I stayed silent and kept to myself. They were my competition, and I couldn’t allow myself to become distracted.
The sound of the gate opening caught my attention, and I raised my gaze from my wrist display with interest. A trio of officers strode through and stood waiting for the crowd to be silent. Straightening my posture, I stood tall with my hands crossed at the small of my back, staring straight ahead at the commander who stood with the two lieutenants. His eyes stopped on me for the briefest second before continuing to scan the crowd.
It took a full ten minutes for the crowd to grow quieter, and even then, some still continue to speak in low voices. After another minute, the two lieutenants began walking through the crowd. As one of the lieutenants approached a pair of boys talking animatedly behind me, I heard her address them both in a cold tone that sent a chill down my spine at its resemblance to my mother’s own voice.
"You and you, leave. You have both failed this year’s exams," she snapped and spun on her heel, ignoring their protests as she walked through the crowd towards another section of talking recruits.
The crowd quietened down extremely quickly after that, though some were still trying to protest at being removed from the testing. The protesting recruits were quickly taken away by a few security officers, and everyone turned their attention to the front. I had remained in my position, staring firmly ahead for the duration of the incident. My uncle had warned me about this and told me that I was to pay attention to the commander and lieutenants at all times when not actively taking part in a test.
"Recruits, I am Commander O'Hare, with me are Lieutenant Hartman and Lieutenant Barwick. You are all here to test for a position within the academy and Federation’s fleet as a specialist. You will form three lines and present yourself in an orderly fashion. Then you will approach a lieutenant or myself, where you will state your name and the specialist program you will be testing for. Your implant will be scanned, and you will move through the gate. There you will then form into lines of twenty. Is that clear?" the commander spoke in a loud voice that all could hear.
"Yes, sir," I said, voice firm.
A few others echoed my response, and I moved forward with what I hoped was a confident stride. I was one of the first to do so, and the only one to move to the commander. The others who had begun to move forward were all avoiding him in favor of the lieutenants.
"Aristeia Kelras, sir. Pilot training program," I saluted him as I spoke, and he scanned my implant.
"Move through, Kelras. I expect you to show a good example to your fellow recruits," he said, and I saluted him again.
Striding through the gates with practiced steps, I moved far enough past the entrance to allow for the others to fit when it closed, and I stopped, resuming my former stance, staring straight ahead. Slowly, others began to trickle through the gates and lined up beside and behind me. Those next to me, seeing my stance, mimicked my pose, and it was slowly copied through the lines as more recruits fell into position.
I knew I would need to show myself as officer material right from the start. They would be watching us from the moment I stood at the gates. Passing the exams wouldn't guarantee a position in my chosen program, I had to show myself as a leader, proving to my teachers and superiors that I was worthy of a place in the academy. Just being smart didn't make you capable of being an officer and it didn’t guarantee you a place in the academy.
"Recruits, you have now taken your first steps to becoming a cadet of this academy. Now it is time to take your first run. Fall behind, and you fail," the commander said, standing before the assembled group.
Turning on his heel, he began a light jog down the road. I followed, keeping my pace matched to the commander’s and maintaining a set distance between us. It didn't take long for the lines to fall apart, and some recruits jogged past me, tossing smug smirks in my direction. I ignored them all and kept my pace matched to the commander’s, with my head held high and my breathing even. The commander's drone flew above the crowd, accompanied by several others. I had left my own AI in my grandparents’ quarters as they weren't permitted during the testing.
The pace began to increase as we reached the ten-minute mark, and the few who had jogged ahead to run closer to the commander began to tire, slow their pace. Still keeping my focus ahead, I kept my pace matched to the commander’s and continued to stay in line with my original position. With my focus completely on the commander, I didn't notice the boy who was jogging up behind me. Running past me with a burst of speed, the boy jolted into me hard with his shoulder. Stumbling, I fell to the ground, grazing the skin of my right palm as I broke my fall.
Scrambling quickly to my feet, I turned and started running forwards again, ignoring the stinging on my hand and the slight pain in my shoulder. Ducking past the other recruits who had passed me when I fell, I soon recovered my former position behind the commander. The boy who had shoved me was ahead and running to the left of the commander. Idiot, doesn’t he know that he has to stay behind the commander? The commander leads, the soldiers follow, I thought with an internal sneer.
Glancing down at my palm, I winced at the sight of the broken skin and the small amount of blood on my hand. We ran through another set of large gates and a few buildings before we rounded a corner and arrived before an obstacle course. I stopped when the commander did, resuming the parade rest stance with my hands at the small of my back.
The commander watched as the group slowly caught up. The boy who had pushed me was kneeling on the ground, panting as he fought to catch his breath. The group all scattered about in a similar fashion, some bent over grasping their knees, others completely on the ground. Only a few, seeing my stance, decided to follow my lead and tried to reform our previous lines.
I was breathing heavily, but was slowly regaining my breath. The commander looked at me and then glanced down at the boy near him with a frown. I ignored the look and maintained my calm expression. I knew the commander would be aware of what had occurred, as the actions of all the recruits were monitored by the examiners’ drones. We were being watched by not only those here with us, but by my grandfather and several other academy officials.
Chapter 15
Lieutenant Hartman soon arrived, having brought up the rear of the group and I watched as she moved to stand near the commander, watching us all with a sharp-eyed gaze.
"Recruits, form your lines," Lt Hartman called out and the recruits who had been spread out slowly moved to join the lines.
I watched as the boy from earlier picked himself up off the ground and walked towards the lines. He glanced at
me and looked startled to see me standing in the front line, he hadn't noticed my catching up and had probably assumed the fall had caused me to fail. I fought the urge to smirk as the boy walked past me, taking a place in the third row.
"Recruits, beginning on the left side of the front line, you will enter the obstacle course. Each recruit will wait until the recruit before them has cleared the third obstacle before entering. Recruit Lee, go," the Commander called out, and I watched as a recruit ran to the start of the course.
Lee began running along the track and leapt over a hurdle before climbing a small wall. Next was a series of beams set at various heights. The objects all resembled parts from a spaceship, and I supposed it was to replicate running through a ship that had suffered damage. Four more recruits entered the course, and then it was my turn. I ran forward, leaping over the hurdle, then I scaled the wall, then jumped off and landed with a roll that I used to carry myself under the first beam. Jumping up, I leapt over the next beam. I weaved over and under them all, as had the other recruits before me. Then I jumped up onto a small platform and grabbed the rope that I needed to swing across to reach the next section.
Glancing down from the platform as I landed, I saw the recruit who had gone before me on the ground clutching at her wrist. Ignoring her, I continued onwards. Next was a long skinny beam that I had to walk across slowly as it swayed and bowed under my weight. Jumping off at the next platform and running down an incline, I sped along the track, passing another recruit. Breathing heavily as I ran, I could feel my sides start to burn.
The next obstacle required me to crawl through a tiny tunnel along the ground that looked like an access shaft. Not able to see the end of the tunnel clearly, I smacked my head into it with a hard thump. Groaning in pain, I twisted around in the small space to look upwards, seeing a small square of light above me. It seemed I would have to shimmy up the tunnel and crawl out the top. It took me a bit to get the right movements, but I was finally able to pull myself up out of the tunnel and onto a platform.
I stayed on the platform for several moments, trying to catch my breath and ease the aching in my head. I gazed across at the next obstacle in muted horror as I took in what still lay ahead. Six long poles were spaced out in a row between me and the next platform. Eyeing the obstacle, and the spacing of the poles, I guessed it was intended for recruits to jump from pole to pole.
Glancing around, I couldn't see any other recruits ahead of me. Maybe they were still in the tunnel? I mused to myself as I glanced at the course behind me. I could see dozens of recruits near the start, but none were close to the tunnels. There had been three tunnels that could be used, and I had seen recruit Lee in front of one, but he was not on the platform with me now.
Standing up, I reached for the first pole. It was flexible and bent slightly towards me. Pulling it back, I released and watched it flick in an arch toward the next pole. Grabbing the pole again as it swung back towards me, I pulled it back and ran forwards. Using the poles momentum to swing myself towards the next pole, I barely managed to grip it with one hand, crying out in pain as my sore palm came into contact with the pole. With a deep breath, I swung my body over to the second pole. Looking to the next pole with a frown, I saw it was well out of reach. Slowly rocking my body back and forth, I struggled to sway the pole enough to reach the third pole. It took almost four minutes for me to cross the six poles in turn. Having reached the platform, I laid on my back, completely drained of energy.
Staring up at the sky above me, I saw a shuttle streaking upward into the sky. I watched until I could no longer see the shuttle, knowing it had broken through the planet’s atmosphere and reached the stars above. I could not see them in the bright light of day, but I knew they were there all the same. I had spent the last several nights studying those stars, which would be my companions for the next four years. It would be among these stars of the Sovari planetary system that I would train to be a pilot. It would be these stars that would guide me to bigger and brighter stars.
Determination filling me, I clenched my teeth and forced myself upward to my knees. I had to do this. I couldn't give up on the first challenge. I was going to get into the pilot training program, and I was going to greet those stars from the helm of a ship I flew. But first, I had to climb across this damned net to the next platform above me.
Cursing under my breath as I untangled myself from the cargo net. I was relieved to see no more obstacles along the track which had looped back to the start. Standing at the top of the platform, I looked around, not seeing any way to descend. Walking to the edge, I looked down and groaned. The side of the platform had a series of small handholds. It would seem the intention was for me to climb down the side.
I slid over the edge and lowered my body until I could grab the first handhold. Climbing down the side of the platform was slow. My palms were slick with sweat, making it hard to grip the handholds. I fought through the burning ache of my muscles and decided to jump the last two meters. Landing with a thump, I fell to my knees, my muscles not able to keep me upright from the impact. Staggering to my feet once more, I wiped my sweaty palms on my jumpsuit and grimaced as I realized my right palm was bleeding again. Hopefully, the blood I had just wiped all over my jumpsuit wouldn’t stain.
Stumbling a little as I started jogging along the track at a slow pace, I could see the commander and a group of recruits still lined up, waiting for their turn to enter the track. Glancing at my wrist display, I noticed I had been on the obstacle course for just under twenty minutes. Considering there had still been about two hundred and thirty recruits in the group after our run, it would take at least another few hours for them to all finish the course if they went at the same pace as I did.
I slowed to a walk as I got closer to the group and moved to retake my position before the commander. Breathing heavily, I swayed slightly as I tried to stand straight.
"Kelras, to the side. Lieutenant Barwick has water and a medkit. Rest, rehydrate, and get that hand looked at," he said, looking at the blood covering my hand. I had torn the skin even further during the course, and it was bleeding worse than it had when I first fell.
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," I said and saluted him, grimacing, as I realized I had just saluted him with my bloodied right hand.
Walking quickly over to Lt Barwick, I saw several recruits on the surrounding ground drinking water and looking as exhausted as I felt. The lieutenant looked over my hand with concern and used a small bottle of clear liquid to wash away the blood. It stung horribly, and I closed my eyes from the pain. He dabbed lightly at my hand before placing a piece of gauze over it and wrapping my palm in a bandage. I watched closely, sipping from a foil water pouch as he worked.
"You're going to need a visit to med. You have torn your palm up pretty bad," the lieutenant said, and I nodded reluctantly, thinking of how my grandmother was going to react when I showed up at the medical center.
Walking a few paces away from the lieutenant, I sat on the ground a little way away from the others. I was surprised to see the boy who had pushed me sitting not too far away, looking relaxed and smug as he talked with a few other boys. If he was here, why was he so calm? I knew he hadn't passed me on the course, so if he had failed, why did he appear so happy?
Listening in on the surrounding conversation, I was annoyed to realize that the minimum to achieve a pass on the obstacle was reaching the platform after the balance beam. You could go further, but most recruits seemed to be aware they only had to reach that far and stopped there. The boy was smugly informing his companions that his brother, who was in the fleet, had told him all about the course, and he had been training for it. He had apparently made it to the tunnel but had failed to reach the top. Listening to the boys brag about their accomplishments, I scowled and turned my attention to watching the other recruits run the course.
"Kelras!" Hearing my name being called sometime later, I looked up the see the commander approach. Leaping to my feet, I saluted him as best I could
with my bandaged hand.
"Lt Barwick has informed me your hand is out of commission for the remainder of the day."
"Yes, sir,"
"We will be breaking for lunch and then resuming with the obstacle course and academic testing. Remain behind when Lt Hartman takes the group for lunch."
"Yes, sir," I said reluctantly, feeling like I was just punched in the stomach.
Fighting back tears, I watched as the commander turned away from me and barked out an order for the recruits to form lines. Following his direction, I went to take the same position I had been in previously, only to be roughly shoved aside. Stumbling a little, I glared at the boy who smirked at me as he moved into my former place directly in front of the commander. His newfound friends followed his actions, and I found myself bullied into the second line on the far-left side.
Clenching my jaw, I rolled my neck from side to side, trying to loosen my tension. I knew retaliating against the boy would do me no good. I needed to stay calm, as the watching officers would note his actions. The boy obviously didn't realize that everything we did was being recorded and streamed directly to the room where the academy officials watched.
"Recruits, there are a hundred and eighty-six of you remaining. Of that number, only a quarter completed the obstacle course in its entirety. That so many of you are lacking in ambition is a disappointment. You will follow Lt Hartman to the dining hall. At thirteen hundred hours, you will gather in your lines before the hall. Dismissed," the commander said, a fierce scowl on his face as he addressed the assembled recruits.
I was surprised to find that so few had finished the course but supposed there was still a chance some of those who had yet to run it would do so after lunch. Staying in place, I watched as the other recruits left. Some glanced my way, but otherwise they ignored me. Once the group had moved further away, the commander walked towards me.
Striving for the stars (The Kelras Chronicles Book 1) Page 11