In another, I found myself at the helm of a light cruiser and was ordered to crash my ship into an enemy battlecruiser to disable their main gun and give our fleet’s heavy battle cruiser a chance to retreat. Kill myself and my crew or allow our fleet's battle cruiser to fall, thus killing thousands more. Neither option was one I wished to endure, and I had instead, again acting as captain, ordered my crew to board the ship’s escape pods and taken the helm myself, piloting the ship alone on a direct course with the opposing battlecruiser. The order had been to crash my ship, they never said my crew had to be on board when it did, though in hindsight, I could have boarded the escape pods and left the ship to be piloted by its onboard AI. They didn't even give me a break to come to terms with my actions and subsequent death before throwing me into another scenario.
When I exited the simulation, I felt disoriented and shaky. I sat in the chair for several long moments, breathing deeply. I could hear a few recruits around me. Some were sobbing, and one was vomiting into a foil bag. Looking around, I saw only a few people remained. I stood from my chair and walked to where the commander stood at the front of the room.
"Recruit Kelras, your testing is complete. You may depart, you will receive your results in two days," he said, inclining his head to the door.
"Sir, is the PO not going to remove the override on my implant?" I asked, mind still somewhat foggy.
"No, he will not. See you in class, Cadet. Go get some rest." His expression was impassive, as he spoke.
"Thank you, sir. I look forward to your lessons. My uncle tells me you’re the bane of all first years. I'm excited to see if you live up to the horror stories," I said, cringing when I realized what I had said. The simulations had messed with my head and I wasn't thinking straight. The commander’s head jerked up, and he looked at me coldly for a moment before he smirked.
"Well, Cadet, I shall ensure I don't let you down. It's going to be an interesting few weeks of initial training," he said, his eyes taking on a manic gleam that sent chills down my spine. Saluting the commander, I made my way out of the room with quick steps.
It was only after I had left the room that I realized the commander had been calling me cadet as opposed to his previous address of recruit. I felt a thousand times lighter as I made my way along the road that would lead me to the main campus.
Leaving the basic training facility, I headed towards the academy’s private residential area. I almost didn't see my uncle as I turned down the path that would lead me towards the far side of the academy.
"Aristeia!" I turned at the sound of my name and saw my uncle walking towards me from the direction of the main gates. "Hey kiddo, all done with your exams?" he asked as he reached me, and I gave him a small smile.
"Yeah. Those last simulations, though…" I muttered, shaking my head with a sigh.
"Pretty rough, I know. Trust me, kid, those were tame compared to some simulations you go through in your later academy years," he said with a grin. I nodded but did not respond as I saw a blond-haired man standing behind him watching us both with a smile.
He wore a fleet uniform and had the stripes that marked him as a captain. He looked to be around the same age as my uncle. Seeing me looking at him, the man stepped forward, holding his hand out to shake.
"I'm Captain Devon Harris. It's a pleasure to meet you, Aristeia. Julian has told me a lot about you, heard you’re going to make quite the pilot," he said with a smile. I stiffened and looked at him coldly. So, this was Recruit Harris's brother.
"I would shake your hand but mine is out of commission," I said, coldly, raising my bandaged hand.
"What happened, kid? Have you been to med?" my uncle asked, seeing my hand and giving me a worried look.
"Yes, Grandma put a cream on it. I'm not allowed to use it until after she has checked it again tonight. Recruit Harris pushed me during the run from the gates, I ended up grazing my hand pretty bad and the obstacle course made it worse," I said, scowling at Captain Harris as I spoke.
I knew I shouldn't blame him for his brother’s actions, but I felt he was partly responsible for not teaching him how to behave at the academy. Recruit Harris had bragged his brother had been teaching him, so shouldn't he have taught him proper conduct like my family had been teaching me?
"What? Robbie pushed you? Was it an accident?" the man asked, looking at me a little shocked, frowning at my hand.
"If it was an accident, then he wouldn't have been smirking at me after,” I snapped. “He also wouldn't have spent the entire day performing similar actions. Captain Harris, if you don't believe me then feel free to speak with commander O'Hare or watch the examination recording yourself." Seeing the men’s taken aback expressions, I gave a tired sigh.
"Sir, I apologize if I am being rude, but I have spent the entire day dealing with your brother's arrogant and antagonistic behavior. It has been a long day, and I am tired, so please direct your questions to the officers in charge of the exams," I said, feeling beyond exhausted by the time I finished speaking.
Not waiting for a response, I spun on my heel and started walking towards my original destination. Neither of the men followed me and I reached my grandparents’ home without issue.
Entering my room, I grabbed a clean jumpsuit and went to use the ablution unit, doing my best to keep my bandage dry. Unlike the ablution units on N2390 and the FSS Scorpia, my grandparents had an actual water shower. Most spacecrafts and planets with less water supply had showers that used high pressure streams of mist. The amount of water used was less than a standard water shower and was just as effective at removing dirt. The water would then go through a reclamation unit and be recycled for future use. On Velante, there were more water resources available and while they still recycled the water, it was possible for me to take full water showers. It was a luxury I would be sad to lose. Cadets would only have access to misting showers to get them used to their usage.
Returning to my room, I fell onto my bed in an exhausted heap, falling asleep before my head even hit the pillow. It was almost three hours later when I was woken by my grandmother. I stumbled down the hall, eyes still half closed, guided only by the scent of delicious-smelling food. Smothering a yawn, I dropped into a chair and folded my arms on the table, laying my head down on top of them.
"You did well today, little one,” my grandfather said. “You handled yourself well, all the assessors watching the exams were very impressed with you." I could clearly hear the pride in his voice.
Not willing to move just yet, I mumbled a barely audible “thank you” and tried to bury my head further into the crook of my elbow. Hearing someone clearing their throat loudly, I moaned in annoyance and rolled my head to the side towards the noise. My uncle was sitting further down at the table looking at me, and when he saw he had my attention, he spoke.
"Aristeia, Devon wanted me to apologize to you on his behalf. He would have done so himself, but he left base to visit his parents and speak with his brother. We spoke with Commander O'Hare and watched the recordings. Dev had told Robbie about you being in his testing group, telling him to look after you. I think instead he felt a little threatened where you were concerned, since I may have bragged a bit about your battle stats in the simulator. The kid always kind of idolized me and his brother, and we had been hoping you might become friends."
I gave my uncle a barely visible nod, not bothering with a verbal response. I didn't really care about the Harris boy. He had been little more than an annoyance, and I knew I couldn't let petty things like what had happened with him distract me from my goals. I also had no interest in being friends with someone who would risk something as important as his entry into the academy with such immature behavior.
Taking my attention away from my uncle, I turned my head to look at my grandfather, and smiled at him, remembering something I had wanted to ask earlier. "Grandpa, I noticed parts of the obstacle course looked a bit like spaceship parts. Is the course meant to simulate moving around a damaged ship?" I asked, an
d he nodded.
"Yes, the obstacle plays a part in your physical training and is the first step in evacuation training and teaching cadets to move around damaged locations on a ship. You will train on the obstacle course for the first two months and then move to the gauntlet," he told me, and I sat upright in my chair, feeling suddenly more awake.
"What's the gauntlet?"
"A far more advanced obstacle course. You will run the course which looks much like the basic obstacle course, but the floor will shake and move, the force of gravity will change; at times you will also need to run without navigation assistance from your implant. There will be unexpected falling debris. You will run in with your squad and there will be times when your group will also have to engage in combat during the run. From the second year onward you will compete in crews in the gauntlet, and winning crews win luxuries such as a night dining in the officers’ dining hall or things like that," he explained, smiling when he saw my excited expression.
"That sounds amazing. Is it a simulation?" I questioned, barely keeping my excitement contained.
"No, it's a real course. Simulations can't replace true physical training," he said, and I almost bounced in excitement at the thought of the gauntlet.
While it sounded very exciting, I got the feeling it wouldn't be as fun as I might think. The obstacle course had been difficult, and the gauntlet would no doubt be worse.
"Just you wait. The gauntlet's got nothing on the war games for the second years and up,” my uncle interceded. “In the second year, cadets get split into small crews with cadets from each training sector. You will each be given a trainee ship, which you will train on and maintain until graduation. In the second year, the war games are only simulated, but in third you will fly in system, in a real ship. You won't have real weapons but a simulation of them, and when your ship is down your weapons will go offline and you have to remain in place pretending to be debris," he continued, grinning at my crestfallen expression.
"Second year? But that's so far away," I whined, feeling more than a little disappointed. It all sounded amazing, and I wanted to do everything now.
"Don't worry, little one. Your first year will pass fast. You will be so busy with training, you will be piloting your own ship before you know it," my grandfather said, giving me an indulgent smile.
"Who gets to captain the ships?” I asked, tilting my head with a frown. “In the second year, the command cadets will only just be starting command training." Would they really put a second-year cadet as captain?
"The command school cadets, in their third year, will captain a second-year crew. Students in the command course attend for an additional year and will captain a trainee ship for three years. You will probably have the same captain until you graduate, unless of course you decide to leave the pilot course and join command school as a captain, then you will be given your own crew in your third year," my grandfather explained.
"I know Mother wants me to follow the command route, but I want to be a pilot," I said after a few moments thought.
Our conversation broke off as my grandmother called for my uncle to help her carry dinner out. I rose to help but was firmly told to remain seated and rest. After the main meal, my grandmother brought out a dessert she called a cheesecake, which was strange because it didn't taste very cheesy. It was creamy and sweet and would definitely take a place among my favorite desserts. I would miss my grandmother’s cooking once I joined the academy officially. Hopefully, I would be able to sneak over for meals on occasion.
After dinner, my grandmother removed the bandage from my hand. My palm was a little red and still felt raw but was otherwise healed. Still feeling tired, I hugged my uncle and grandparents goodnight and returned to my room. Lying on my bed, I sent a quick message to my father telling him that my exams had gone well.
I thought about sending a message to my mother but decided to wait until I got my actual results, so I could send the exact scores. I wasn't really sure what to write to her. I wanted to try to build a better relationship with my mother. From her more frequent contact, I hoped that maybe she also wanted the same.
Chapter 18
The following day, I staggered down the hall, muscles screaming in protest. Fortunately, my grandmother had expected my pain and was waiting with some medication. Unfortunately, that pain medication came with a needle. Flinging myself onto the couch, I laid there, staring at the ceiling as I waited for the medicine to work its magic.
"Why does it hurt so much? I wasn't sore like this yesterday," I moaned softly.
"You’re not used to such heavy exercise, and on the obstacle course, you would have been using muscles you don't normally use. This is why cadets go through two months of physical conditioning before they start heavier training. By the end of the first month, you will stop feeling so sore," my grandmother explained as she bustled around the kitchen, getting ready to leave for the day. My grandfather had already left for the academy, as there was another round of recruits undergoing testing today.
"Alright, sweetheart, I'll be at the clinic if you need me. Try to exercise just a little to stretch your muscles out, and it will stop them from hurting so bad. There's also a salad in the fridge for lunch," my grandmother said, leaving with her AI drone floating behind her. Seeing the drone, I shot into a seated position.
My grandmother had cleared me for full use of my implant yesterday for the exams. It also meant I could finally try out my new hoverboard. Entering my room, I grabbed my bodysuit and pulled it on, then I grabbed the helmet and clipped it to the back of the suit. Looking over to my AI that was floating above his small charging station, I sent a mental direction, and he woke from standby mode, flying over to the desk where he disengaged himself from the Fizmo skin.
My AI had been developing extremely well, and my grandfather had been a little shocked at just how much of the Fizmo behavior it had taken on. My little AI had gone beyond the initial Fizmo programming and had found data on the network about the creatures and used the data to build more realistic behavior patterns. He was very skilled at staying in character even when not in the Fizmo skin. My grandparents’ AI would use speech when confirming orders or imparting information but my own AI, who I had creatively named Mo, would only communicate in the small animistic vocalizations of a real Fizmo.
Mo had chosen a set of vocalizations for itself that meant different things, and I had been slowly learning them. I loved how he had developed. My grandfather had found him strange, but Mo was how I wanted him.
As I grabbed the hoverboard out of the case and started out the door, Mo flew along behind me, bouncing in the air slightly as we went. Exiting the building my grandparents’ unit was in, I connected with the board, having it hover in place before me. I directed Mo to also connect to it and watched as he flew down and hovered over the small section at the front, activating the magnetic field to hold himself on the board.
Grinning to myself in glee, I stepped onto the board. Taking direct control, I slowly made my way down the path. I kept low and did a few laps around the building to adjust to the new board. Satisfied with how the board handled, I gave Mo control and directed him to fly to the academy's recreation area and the hoverboard track. When I downloaded the hoverboard software, I had also added a protocol to his systems to ensure he kept it to the height and speed restrictions of the academy.
The academy had a recreation area near the third wing training buildings. The third wing was where the third-year cadets resided and trained. Each year had their own wing where they lived and trained for the year. At the end of each year there would be an eight-week break. Cadets would move to their new dorms and prepare for the new year. They could also leave and visit family if they wished to but had to be back the week before the academy restarted, to give them time to have their annual medical checks and finalize any other preparations for the coming year. All the higher-year cadets should be back by now as the academy year would soon be starting.
The recreation area h
ad a hoverboard track, a simulator room where cadets could access games and watch movies, and various other forms of entertainment. Cadets were allowed to use the recreational area during free time. During the break it was open to full use by the cadets until the year started.
The hoverboard track was actually several tracks, each in a different color. They rose above the ground in twists and turns, in a display of advanced holographic technology that was unseen on N2390. The different tracks would dip and twist around each other in different ways, some of the tracks had obstacles to be flown around or over. Though, considering the obstacles were only holographic, crashing into them would cause no injury. On my home planet, I would add a visual display to my helmet which would mimic a hoverboard track, but it was no where near as detailed as these.
Looking at the tracks, it appeared each one increased in difficulty dependent on its color. The green track stayed lower to the ground with only a few inclines and twists. The blue was similar but with sharper turns and a loop. The next track was a light pink that rose higher with twists and loops and several obstacles. In several places, the track would twist sideways and curl around the blue and orange tracks.
The orange track had more obstacles, and some sections had missing parts to be flown around as it twisted up and down in large arches and I could see a few people flying on it. The red was the most advanced, as it had objects of various sizes moving back and forth along the track. At some points, there were even blocks that would drop down at random intervals. Grinning excitedly, I flew closer to the tracks. A few cadets milled about, some with boards and some just watching those on the tracks. A few glanced my way but didn't pay me much attention.
Striving for the stars (The Kelras Chronicles Book 1) Page 13