I laughed as I darted around his mostly disabled ship, firing with my turret. It took a while, but I was eventually able to bring the battle to an end with only minimal damage to my own ship after ten minutes of taking potshots at him.
Squealing with glee, I quickly exited the simulation, as I knew it would further annoy my uncle. I knew I wouldn't be able to pull off that tactic against him again, but I had the entire thing on my records. I couldn't wait to send it to my grandfather and Captain Harris. Devon had promised me as much chocolate as I could eat if I ever managed to beat my uncle in the simulator, and now it was time for him to pay up.
Opening my eyes and sitting up in the chair, I looked around to find Lt Moore staring at me with a shocked expression. The large screen behind him was lit with a soft glow, showing the main screen of the simulator.
"Were you watching?" I asked, a flush of red filling my cheeks.
"Cadet, how did you come up with a tactic like that?" he asked, eyes alight with interest.
"From a story in the Earth history module, about David and Goliath. In the story, David used a stone to hit Goliath and then cut off his head. Though in my version, I used an asteroid to disable the ship and shot it to bits," I said, as I bounced excitedly on my feet.
Lt Moore shook his head slightly in bemusement before he turned off the screen, and we walked out of the classroom. While we walked to the barracks, I sent the battle footage of my second battle with my uncle to grandfather and Captain Harris. Thinking for a moment, I pondered the idea of sending the footage to my mother before deciding against it.
"Thank you, Lieutenant. I really needed that," I said, as I stretched my arms out above me.
I had been in the simulator for almost two hours. The first battle had lasted just over an hour. It would have probably taken much longer if we had been battling in reality. The simulator cut down the time needed to travel across the system. Real battles could last for days and even weeks.
"You did well in there, Cadet. Your speed of recalculating your courses was impressive and your flight control was very well done. With a good tactical officer controlling your guns, you will be a fearsome opponent," he said.
"Thank you sir, but I would also need a good captain," I said, and he looked at me in curiosity. I told him about the simulation on the Beltran module, and how the captain had gotten us killed.
"Cadet, most captains work with their pilots for battle tactics. You will find that a real battle with a real captain is very different. You work as a pair. There is a reason the lead pilot is almost always the first officer of the smaller fleet ships. You must work in sync with your captain and more often than not your tactics will be the same," he said. I nodded as I thought about what he had said.
"Thank you again, sir. After failing last night’s training and then hearing about Cadet Higgs, I wasn't—" I broke off with a sigh, staring down at the ground for a moment before I turned my gaze upwards. "Being able to use the simulator helped me get my thoughts in order and remind me what I am here for," I said softly, staring up at the stars shining brightly above us.
"Failed? What are you talking about, Cadet? What training did you fail?"
"The endurance training, sir. I fell."
"You didn't fail, Cadet. If anything, you won. You were the second longest standing Cadet, yourself and Cadet Cormac stood longer then any other cadets.”
"But sir, Cadet Marcelo finished twelve months of enlistment training. He told me during their final test they stood until dawn," I said, as I remembered my conversation with the older cadet during the previous day’s lunch.
"Cadet Marcelo returned to the barracks after the last of his squad fell, he did not stand any longer then he felt he had to," he said, shaking his head slightly. "He is smart and capable, but he lacks the ambition to push himself to go further."
We arrived back at the green squad barracks, and after saluting the lieutenant farewell, I went inside. The lights were dimmed and most of the cadets appeared to already be sleeping. As I walked through the barracks, I found myself unconsciously stopping before the empty bunk that had for a very short time belonged to Cadet Higgs.
Tears burned in my eyes as the memory of that night played through my mind, the knowledge that I had acted in such a cruel way to the ill boy made my stomach churn. Spinning away from the bed, I rushed towards the ablution unit, only just reaching for the toilet as I heaved up the contents of my stomach. It took me almost an hour before I was able to make my way into the shower and to my own bed. Just before I drifted to sleep, I saw a message appear on my wrist display from my mother.
‘@Aristeia Kelras—I received a copy of your recent simulator battle from your instructor. It is an interesting tactic which you have managed to pull off twice now. I look forward to seeing what you come up with in the future. I have also received the report regarding Cadet Higgs. You will be required to give a statement during the investigation, which will take place in seven days’ time. I shall send you the required information regarding the expected conduct during such an investigation.’
Ignoring the attached document for now. I removed my wrist display device and tossed it towards the charging dock that Mo floated on. The device jolted slightly in the air as it was caught by the dock’s magnetic field and it settled in place just below my drone. The dock, as I had learned, could be used not only to charge Mo but also my other devices such as the wrist display, my datapad, and even my simulator helmet.
Rolling over on my bed, I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep, only to be woken mere hours later when Lt Moore roused our squad at zero two hundred for a nighttime run through the obstacle course.
The next week passed in a blur, and by the end I was both physically and mentally exhausted. Every morning the green squad would gather at zero six hundred and we would jog together until we met with Lt Moore. Over the course of the week, we had become a squad of only fifteen, including myself. I was surprised to find that Cadet Orson was still with us, and he seemed determined to make it past basic. He was even slowly starting to gain some muscle tone.
Over the week, I had also become friends with two of the girls in the squad. Cadet Cain, who was in the ship ops program, and Cadet Ares, who was in the medical program. The two of them, along with Cadets Orson and Cormac, were the cadets who I got along with the best within my squad.
I had been a little cautious about Cadet Cain at the start, worried she would be like the other girls from ship ops. She had been friendly with Cadet Tarle on that first day, though she later told me they had been in the same testing group, which was how she had known her.
Jetta Cain was a tall, slender brunette with a pair of hazel eyes that had a strange tendency to change color depending on the way the light hit them. Her parents were both in the fleet, with her mother also in ship operations specializing in communications, while her father was a science officer who worked with the ship’s environmental functions. They served together on the FLC Bridget, so Cadet Cain had grown up with her mother’s sister and her cousin Lars had also entered the academy this year. He was in the blue squad and planned to follow his uncle’s footsteps to specialize in environmental systems.
Cadet Ares also had family in the fleet and to my horror she was related to the Medical Chief Wilson. She had fallen off her bunk laughing when I told her about my experience with him. He was her uncle, which had surprised me a little. Fiona Ares had red hair that looked almost orange and was a frizzy mass of curls. Her clear green eyes reminded me of my leaf still hidden away in my grandfather’s book.
Today marked the end of our first week of basic training, and it was also the day of the first squad challenge. Each squad would pick a team of four to compete, and the challenge was a relay on the obstacle course. The squad that finished with the fastest time would be eating in the officer’s dining hall and get a meal of real food. The green squad team would be Cadets Cormac, Cain, Ares, and myself, since the four of us had the fastest individual times on the course. No o
ne argued with my choices, the entire squad knew we were the fastest. I was looking forward to next week when they would add extra obstacles; it was getting boring running the same course every day.
I stood at the end of the course with Jetta Cain as we prepared to race. I would be running last for my squad as I had the fastest best time on the course. A loud siren blared, and I could hear yells and cheers coming from the starting point of the course.
"Get ready, Jetta," I said to the girl beside me, who looked a little nervous as we waited for Fiona to appear.
I stood slightly to the side so I could see down the course. I watched as Fiona popped out of the tunnel and lunged off top the platform onto the first pole, the momentum of her leap swinging her towards the second.
"At the poles, now," I said, as Fiona reached the fourth pole.
I watched as Fiona scaled the net and soon, she was shimming down the wall. She raced to Jetta, and they smacked hands, then Jetta took off for the wall, leaping up to grab the first handhold.
"How'd I do?" Fiona asked from beside me, sipping water as we watched Jetta.
"Six minutes eighty-nine seconds, your best time yet," I told her with a grin. My personal best was five minutes ninety-eight seconds but my average was six minutes and eighty seconds.
Luke, who would be running next, had the fastest average of our squad at six minutes and thirty seconds on this course. Jetta was out of sight now, and I waited impatiently for Luke to appear. I soon saw him running full speed towards the tunnel, and I moved into position. Luke descended the wall rapidly, and I felt my heart start to pound with adrenaline as he ran towards me, hand outstretched. We smacked palms, and I bolted for the wall, climbing fast.
I kept my mind clear and focused as I worked my way through the obstacles. I swinged across the six poles, then I shimmied down the tunnel, twisting around as I reached the bottom to crawl out the rest of the way. I pushed myself hard as I worked my way through the course in reverse, hearing the cheers of my squad as I jumped over the last hurdle. Seeing Jetta, I used the last of my energy for a final burst of speed towards her and the finish line. Smacking my hand to Jetta’s as I crossed the line, I spun to look at the screen that showed our final time.
Glee filled me as I saw we had finished the course with a combined time of twenty-four minutes and nine seconds. I grinned as our name shot to the top and past our biggest competitor, the red squad which had a combined time of twenty minutes seventy six seconds. Jetta squealed as she hugged me tightly and I laughed, patting her back before pulling away. We all knew we had won. I'd had Mo spy on the other squad’s training over the last two days once we knew what the others’ times would be like. We had to stay and watch the other squads compete, but we didn't pay them much notice. Not a single one of them managed to score under thirty minutes. The squad was in high spirits as we marched back to our barracks to wash up for our meal.
At Jetta’s insistence, I pulled on the dress uniform. Jetta and Fiona also wore the dress uniform, and I reluctantly allowed Jetta to style my hair into a braided bun. Jetta had tried convincing me to wear some of the light-colored lipstick she had, but I had adamantly refused. While we could wear makeup, it had to be in natural colors and applied modestly. Though, personally I was not a fan of putting make up on, it always felt wrong and never looked like the pictures I'd use as a reference.
Chapter 28
As we walked into the officers dining hall, I was delighted to see the buffet filled with freshly prepared food. Gleefully, I piled my plate high and walked over to an empty table, followed by my four friends. We spent most of the meal discussing various things. Jetta being the gossip, told us all about the latest scandal in the training grounds.
Apparently, some boys in the yellow squad had managed to hack the door sensor of the girls’ ablution block. The sensor would read the implant ID of the person accessing the door and was only meant to open for girls. The boys, one of whom was entering the engineering program, had tricked the door into thinking they were girls, and they had stuck a datapad high on the wall where it wouldn't be seen. The datapads all had a small camera on the front for vid calls, and the boys had used it in an attempt to spy on the girls inside the ablution block. The adhesive they had used hadn't been overly strong and the datapad had fallen down. The girls had noticed it straight away, and the boys involved had been removed from basic training.
Jetta had whined about how they shouldn't make us share barracks with the boys, but I reminded her that on a spaceship, the amount of room available would often be limited. They couldn't just build individual rooms for everyone. Enlisted crew would all sleep in coed barracks and in evacuation situations, so would officers. Lower-ranked officers would also often share rooms, only the captain and his highest-ranking officers would have their own space.
Jetta could be a little annoying, but she was amazing at gathering information. She was also very smart once you got past most of the girly stuff.
It was as we were finishing our meal that I noticed that the hall had suddenly gone silent. The officers and members of my squad who were facing the door all shot to their feet, and I quickly followed, realizing someone of high rank must have entered. As I spun to salute, I stiffened as I saw my grandfather and Commander O'Hare. They were walking towards me. I felt my stomach twist, and the food I had just eaten felt like it was about to make a return trip.
"Cadet Kelras, come with me," my grandfather said, staring down at me with his expression blank.
"Yes, sir," I responded quickly and turned my head slightly to look at Luke. "Cadet Cormac, you will lead the squad in my absence."
"Yes, Squad Leader."
I followed my grandfather out of the dining hall, and the commander walked out beside me. Silently, my grandfather led me to a small passenger transport and I slid into the back. My grandfather soon joined me, with the commander taking a seat in the front. I didn’t recognize the man who was piloting the transport, and as we left the training area, I turned to look at my grandfather.
"Sir, is this regarding the coroner’s investigation?" I asked, keeping my voice formal.
"Yes Cadet," he said, and gave me a look that I couldn't fully discern the meaning of. "You have been summoned alongside Lt Moore and Commander O’Hare."
I gave a light nod in response and turned my attention towards the window. My mother had mentioned I might have to give a statement, and I had read the document she sent several times. It didn’t appear to be a formal document, and I suspected my mother had written it herself from the style of writing. We rode to the main command base in silence and on arrival I was escorted to a sparsely furnished room. It had a small seating area and some pretty looking plants in pots, but little else. My grandfather and the commander had left shortly after we arrived, and I waited in nervous silence for almost an hour before an officer came to get me.
Following the officer, I entered a large room and was directed to stand before a long table where two women and four men were sitting. My eyes widened in shock as I realized one of the women was my mother. She had not even told me she was on base or even in system. I suddenly felt extremely nervous, I hadn't thought they would all be here. This was only meant to be a coroner’s investigation, why were there so many high-ranked officers here? They all stared down at me, and I swallowed hard, schooling my expression while giving my best formal salute.
"I had heard rumors but seeing it in person is beyond what I could have imagined," an officer who was seated on the right said, and I fought the urge not to furrow my brow in response.
Struggling not to show my confusion, I flicked my eyes quickly in my mother’s direction, hoping to see something in her expression that would explain the man’s words. Her face was as expressionless as it always was, I didn't know why I even bothered to look.
“Indeed, a remarkable resemblance. It’s like we are back in the academy once more,” another officer said, glancing towards my mother, who glared at him in response.
My eyes wide
ned at the sudden realization that they were talking about my resemblance to my mother.
“This is not why we are here, Barlem,” my mother snapped harshly, before turning to look down at me. "Cadet Kelras, inform us of the events that took place on the day you arrived at the basic training facility," she said, face once more devoid of expression.
Taking a deep breath, I began speaking, going over the events of the day briefly before speaking about what had occurred during the inspection. My voice cracked with emotion as I spoke about Cadet Higgs and how I had forced him from his bed. I explained that I had thought him to be lazy and was intending to use him as an example for the squad to see what would happen if they slept in.
“Cadet Kelras, you attached a recording from your drone showing the incident in the barracks. Do you have any footage from earlier in the day where the boy is shown? This may help us establish a timeline as to when the boy first showed symptoms of being ill,” a female officer on the far left asked.
“Yes, ma’am. There were some behavioral issues in my squad, and I was using my AI, Mo, to monitor the group’s dynamic to better understand how to deal with the issues,” I said, unconsciously biting my lip as I tried to recall if Mo had been recording during the incident in the hall or not.
"Where is your AI currently? Is the data only stored in him?" she asked, glancing at the others as she spoke.
"I left Mo with the transport we arrived in. I was advised he would not be permitted inside," I told her before adding, "I can access him from here, if you wish a copy of the data."
"Someone will retrieve your AI, order it to follow them. The data will need to be directly retrieved from his drives."
I nodded at her in response and sent directions for Mo to follow the person sent to collect him.
Striving for the stars (The Kelras Chronicles Book 1) Page 21