At twelve hundred hours, we stopped for our lunch break, which we ate with the red squad. I was surprised to learn that the red squad leader, Logan Marcelo failed to gain a place in the academy last year and instead joined the enlistment training for a year before retesting into the academy. Cadet Marcelo was twenty, having first applied when he was nineteen, and was also joining the pilot division. Marcelo had grown up on a small private trade ship his parents owned and had some piloting experience. It wasn't required to have piloting experience to get into the program, but it did help. Hearing about his experiences, I knew he would be tough to beat in the basic training competitions and the cadet piloting simulation.
I had also learnt that the cadet I had seen the night before with the active drone had been allowed to activate the AI on medical grounds. Cadet Margo had been born mute and used her drone to communicate verbally. Cadet Marcelo informed me that she was entering in the science division, though he wasn't able to tell me what her specialization was.
The next class was on fleet regulation and conduct. The instructor for this lesson was the commander whose droning voice, much like my grandfather’s, had me dozing in my seat. Everything he was teaching us I had already read in the module my mother had sent me. We then had marching practice until dinner, and after returning to our barracks, we were ordered to change back into our training suits and form up outside.
We stood in formation for hours, Lt Moore stalking through our ranks like a beast on the prowl, pouncing on any cadet who moved in the slightest. Cadet Orson was the first to drop, falling to his hands and knees with a pained whimper. Exhaustion showed clearly on his face as he trembled. Lt Moore stood before him, yelling at him to stand and retake his place, but Orson stayed on the ground, staring tearfully up at the towering lieutenant. Another three fell, and Lt Moore moved to each in turn. When they failed to rise, he dismissed them to the barracks. More cadets fell and similarly left.
Soon only Cadet Cormac and I remained. The lieutenant paced before us where we stood in what was once the first line. My muscles were burning and I was trembling slightly as my knees started to buckle. Gathering the last remnants of strength in my body, I straightened, gritting my teeth.
Lt Moore noticed my movement and stalked towards me, stopping mere inches from me, his face so close to mine that I had the sudden urge to bite him. I restrained myself and began mentally reciting the four core values of the Federation space fleet.
Discipline, loyalty, integrity, and respect.
I didn't just want to stand longer than my own squad, I wanted to stand longer than those in the others as well. I couldn't see the other squads and had no way of knowing how long any of them lasted, so I would just have to do my best and stand for as long as possible.
My legs cramped and a slight breeze caused gooseflesh to break out across my skin. While the days on Velante were hot, the temperature dropped significantly at night.
I didn't know how long I had been standing out here. I had long since disabled the clock on my optical lens, as it only acted as a distraction. Seeing the time crawl along slowly had made it much harder to keep my focus. My teeth began to chatter, and I glared at the lieutenant who stood before me. Lt Moore had gotten himself a jacket and was standing in front of me with a smug expression, looking warm and cozy. He hadn't spoken a single word just stood there watching us silently. No longer able to maintain my mental focus, I began to whisper the values to myself softly, trying to distract from the pain and cold.
"Discipline, loyalty, integrity, and respect."
My left leg buckled, causing me to stumble forwards a step before I was able to regain my balance.
"Discipline, loyalty, integrity, and respect."
My fingers went numb, and my voice shook as I continued to recite the fleet values.
"Discipline, loyalty, integrity, and respect."
I swayed, dark spots dancing in my vision, and I glanced over to where Cadet Cormac still stood firm and unmoving. I was determined not to let him beat me.
"Discipline, loyalty, integrity, and respect."
I couldn't feel the pain anymore, my body had ceased to exist as far as my mind was concerned.
"Discipline, loyalty, integrity, and respect."
I felt the ground rushing to meet me as I fell, my legs no longer able to support the weight of my body. Tears poured from my eyes as a wave of crushing defeat overwhelmed me.
I failed. I had fallen.
Chapter 26
I awoke to the feeling of cold metal against my cheek and opened my eyes to see Mo floating above me, servo outstretched. He crooned softly at me, doing a small flip in the air. My mind was fuzzy as it worked to remember what had happened the night before. I was in my bed inside the barracks and bringing up the time on my optical lens I saw it was five.
Slowly, I sat up, looking around the barracks. Most of the cadets were still sleeping, only Cadet Cormac was awake and slowly trudging his way to the male ablution unit. He gave a nod of greeting in my direction when he saw I was awake, and I returned the gesture. Rising from the bed, I sat on the floor beside it, performing a series of exercises that my uncle had shown me to warm up and stretch out my muscles.
At zero six hundred, I walked stiffly out of the barracks with all the cadets except one. The cadet who stayed behind was seated on her bed, packing her things into a bag. It was clear she intended to leave, and I didn't say anything to her as I walked out. The choice was hers to make. We formed up and jogged lightly around the training grounds. Our pace was slower than the day before, we were all feeling the effects of the previous day’s training. We didn't see the commander this time, but we passed a few of the other instructors. We also jogged past some other squad barracks, where it appeared they were only just starting to get up and make their way outside.
On the way back to the green barracks, Lt Moore jogged up to us and led the way directly to the obstacle course. Once there Lt Moore led the squad through a series of stretches, just like the ones I had performed when I had woken up.
Finishing our warmup, we moved to the start of the obstacle track and started slowly jogging through it. I took my time maneuvering the course, as even with the stretching, I still felt the ache of my muscles with every movement.
The day passed in the same manner as the previous. The classes were a continuation of the ones from the day before, and by the time I slumped down at the dinner table, I felt ready to pass out. My squad was chatting lightly amongst themselves as we ate, but I stayed silent, just focusing on my meal.
After dinner, we were granted a reprieve from training and sent directly to our barracks to rest. I had been on my way to the ablution unit to shower and change when I received a message from Lt Moore.
‘@Aristeia Kelras—Commander’s office, five minutes.’
Reading the message, I turned and tossed the bundle of clothing onto my bed and headed for the door.
"Squad Leader? Are you going to train more?" Cadet Orson asked, standing up from his bunk as though intending to follow me. I shook my head.
"No," I said and exited the barracks without any further comment.
Checking my map, I found that Commander O’Hare’s office in the training facility was in the main building that housed the lecture hall and classrooms. Arriving at his door, I connected to the sensor on the door with my implant so it would send an alert to the commander that I had arrived. The door slid open, and I stepped inside, saluting the commander and Lt Moore.
"Sir, you wished to see me?" I asked.
"Take a seat, Cadet Kelras," the commander waved towards a seat that was in front of his desk. I sat, keeping my shoulders straight and my posture stiff as I looked at the commander.
"Sir?" I asked hesitantly. Had I done something wrong?
"As you are aware, Cadet Higgs was taken to medical his first night here, suffering from a combination of heat stroke and gravity sickness," he said, watching me closely.
“Unknown to us, Cadet Higgs had been tak
ing an experimental drug designed to combat the effects of gravity sickness. Due to the effect of this untested drug in the cadet’s system, his body had begun to shut down. Cadet Higgs passed away this morning, despite attempts to save him,” Commander O’Hare continued, but I was no longer able to hear him.
My mind went blank, bile rising in my throat as tears begin to well in my eyes. If I had only checked on him earlier, instead of just assuming he was being lazy…
“Cadet Kelras,” the commander’s voice yanked me out of my spiraling thoughts and I looked towards him, but was unable to meet his gaze.
“Cadet, there was nothing that could have been done differently that would have saved Higgs. Do not place blame for this upon yourself,” he said, and I nodded silently. “I am sorry Cadet, but as a death has occurred, I will need you to provide a formal report regarding the incident. This will include anything you observed about the Cadet, along with the event where you discovered his illness,” the commander continued, and I nodded again, not able to give a verbal response. “Lt Moore can assist you with the format, as it will be your first time writing such a report.”
“I’ve written a formal report before,” I murmured softly, “for my mother.”
“Very well, Cadet. I will need your report by tomorrow. Please contact Lt Moore should you need assistance,” the commander finished, gesturing to the lieutenant who was standing off to the side.
“Yes sir,” I responded, wanting nothing more in that moment then to leave the room.
"You may return to your barracks, Cadet.”
Standing from my seat, I saluted both men and quickly exited the office. Once outside the building, I hesitated, looking around the dimly lit grounds. I couldn't go back to the barracks, not yet. I didn’t think I could handle being around other people just yet.
"Come with me, Cadet," Lt Moore said, walking past me and heading in the opposite direction of the barracks.
Frowning, I followed him silently as we walked into one of the classrooms.
"Sir, why are we here?" I asked, glancing around the empty room, as the lieutenant stared at his wrist display for several moments.
"Sit and connect to the simulator, Cadet. I have connected it to the main fleet network. It is my understanding that you have access to the pilot division's battle simulator," he said. I stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly.
"Yes, sir, I do,” I said, as I moved quickly to one of the chairs.
Leaning back in the chair, I closed my eyes and connected to the simulator. Accessing the battle simulation, I found myself standing in the midst of a swirling sea of stars. Surrounding me were miniature holographic models of the fleet ships that I could choose from. The battle cruiser was positioned closest to me, the simulator’s AI already knowing it to be my usual choice.
I looked at the large spaceship for a moment before turning away to look at the others. Looking at each ship in turn, I stopped in front of the models of a patrol cruiser and a smaller escort ship. I selected the escort ship and loaded into the battle selection screen. There was a reason for my choice; if Zander and I achieved our goal then it would be an escort ship he would be given to captain. No graduating captain would ever be given anything larger, no matter how good they were.
The simulation had a variety of different battle options to choose from. I could enter a practice battle and fly against the AI or I could enter a match against another fleet pilot. I could also enter into battalion battles where I would be paired up with other pilots to fight another group.
Choosing a one-on-one battle, I was about to choose the random opponent option when I glanced at the list of pilots active on the simulation. Lt Julian showed in green near the top of the list. His status showed as currently in battle, but I could send him a battle invite and wait until his current battle finished. Sending the invite, I waited for a few moments before being notified that he had accepted and given me control over the map selection. Smiling to myself, I chose the Ba'teli system map. It had two large asteroid fields that would be perfect for the smaller escort ship to take cover in.
I loaded onto the map first, appearing on the bridge of the escort ship, the AI auto-generating the bridge crew around me. The best thing about the battle simulator was that I didn't have to listen to the directions of the simulated captains. This was a simulation for pilots to practice their battle tactics. Sitting in the pilot’s chair, I gazed at the sensors and visual display before me.
Bringing up the system maps, I plotted the course for the ship and powered up the thrusters. I worked quickly, making small adjustments to the course heading and reviewing the ship data. The escort class had two turrets and a small aft cannon. As I monitored the ship’s progress on the course I had set, I added a few protocols to the auto-generated tactical officer who would be manning the guns. Seeing the timer tick down, I disengaged the AI pilot controls.
Powering down the thrusters, I aligned my ship in the asteroid field and then powered the thrusters off completely. I had not counteracted the ship’s forward momentum, so the ship slowly continued drifting forwards, floating along within the belt. With the ship powered down, my uncle would need to be basically on top of me to find my vessel, the natural metal composites in the asteroids helping hide my ship’s presence.
I waited, watching as the timer counted down. Soon, my uncle’s ship loaded into the map and I saw him pop up on the sensor. He came in fast, knowing I had loaded in first and was likely expecting an ambush. I giggled to myself as I watched the small red dot dart about for a second before it stopped. A communication request popped up on my screen and I accepted it, allowing only audio, as a visual display might show him my sensor screen.
"Aren't you meant to be training, kid?" my uncle asked, amusement clear in his voice.
"I am training, it’s called ‘kicking old man butt 101,’" I said, as I watched his ship head to the second asteroid belt in the system. My uncle’s laughter sounded from the speaker.
"Seriously though, kid. How'd you get simulation access? You could get in a lot of trouble if you’re caught," he said, sounding a little concerned.
"It's okay, Lt Moore knows. He is the one who gave me access. I needed the down time," I told him, struggling to keep my voice from wavering as I spoke.
"Everything okay Aristeia?"
"Can we not talk about it? Just ask grandpa later, I don't want to think about it right now."
"Sure thing, kiddo. But if you need to talk, call me okay?" he said, his ship creeping closer.
I didn't bother replying, my hands were hovering over the controls as I waited nervously for him to fly into range. He would pick me up any second now. With quick movements, I powered up my thrusters and directed my ship to flip end over end, as my ship’s aft lined up with my uncle’s bow.
The AI tactical officer shot a direct hit into my uncle’s ship and I accelerated fast, zipping along the escape route I preset.
My uncle followed, and I adjusted the flight path quickly. Darting upwards and around an asteroid, I fired on the other ship with my side turrets, before diving back down into the field. I had chosen a section of the asteroid field that had several areas where the asteroids would be too close together for my uncle’s slightly large ship to get into.
Unfortunately, I hadn't calculated his blowing up the asteroids I was using for a shield. My ship spiraled as it was hit by flying debris, and I frantically worked at the controls to redirect my flight, but it was too late. I had lost my cover and was an open target for my uncle’s turrets. Warnings flashed around me and I desperately returned fire. I tried to dive back into the asteroid field but lost power to one of my thrusters, so using the remaining thruster, I spun my ship, firing the aft cannon to try to get another hit in. Less than two minutes later, I was once more standing on the battle selection screen.
Chapter 27
Glaring fiercely at my uncle's name on the opponent list, I selected it once more, and he gave me the map choice again. Choosing the same system
, I immediately got to work on my flight plan. We had loaded in at the same time but on different ends of the system, so it would take a while for us to get close enough for combat.
If I wanted to, I could just fly around the system avoiding him, and he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it unless he had a ship fast enough to intercept me, which he didn't. The speed of the patrol cruiser and escort were pretty much on par. He could try shooting at me from further away and his rounds would eventually reach my location, but by then I would already be gone. My uncle's laughter sounded over the speaker as I dove towards the asteroid field again.
"Really kid? This again? Didn't I already show you hiding won't work? I'll just blow them up again."
"You fly your ship and let me fly mine," I said and cut off the com. I didn't want him distracting me.
I hadn't shown my uncle the video of when I had beaten my mother’s pilot, Lt Kunitz, he had only seen the statistics. I had been in a medium battle cruiser at the time, and I hoped I could repeat the tactic here. I had first gotten the idea from an old Earth story that we had learned about in my basic education modules.
I flew through the asteroid field, trying to find one of the right size and location to work with my plan. Finding one, I grinned, flipping through my ship as I slid in close to the asteroid and waited. I hadn't tried hiding my signature, so he knew exactly where I was. I was in the center of the field and near the top, so he couldn't reach me coming in from the side unless he wanted to waste his rounds destroying asteroids.
My uncle flew slowly over the field and as he got closer, I powered my thrusters up to full burn and shoved the asteroid straight up. The momentum sent it flying towards my uncle’s ship. He tried to dodge, but it clipped the bow of his ship. The patrol cruiser spun in the air, crashing inelegantly into the asteroid field.
Striving for the stars (The Kelras Chronicles Book 1) Page 20