‘@Aristeia Kelras—I wasn't playing dead, I maneuvered myself under with skilled flying.’
‘@ Lt Julian—Skilled my butt. You used a gravitational slingshot off a small moon to boost your speed and get yourself under them.’
‘@Aristeia Kelras—Think you can do the same, kid?’
I ignored my uncle’s last message because we both knew I was nowhere near capable enough to pull off that particular maneuver, which wasn't even taught to cadets due to the risks involved.
"Alright Cadets, make your way back to your barracks. It will be the last time you return there, so make sure you have all your personal items packed. You have one hour to pack before you're required in the lecture hall. Dismissed," Lt Moore said, and we all saluted him as we left the room.
Leading my squad as we marched in formation back to our barracks, I sent Mo ahead with orders to start my packing. Excitement filled me as we marched. Soon, we would be leaving the basic training area and joining the main campus where we would be officially considered first-year cadets.
An hour later, I was seated in the lecture hall with my squad, feeling extremely nervous as I watched the other squads enter. My grandfather soon entered alongside the commander and I listened intently as he spoke, congratulating the gathered cadets on passing their basic training and for their entry into the academy as first-year cadets.
"Would the following Cadets please join me at the front; Cadet Marcelo, Amar, Kelras, Peterson, Lucas, Bancroft, Margo, McLaren—"
I listened as my grandfather began listing off names, and stood with a pounding heart when I heard my own being called.
"The Cadets who stand before you are the current top twenty cadets of the first year. They will join the gold squad. They are your first-year squad leaders and will be your first officers in your second year, should they maintain their position in the top rankings. For those who aspire to join the second-year trainee crew as a first officer, then these are the cadets you must beat to earn that position," my grandfather said, staring out at the still seated cadets.
"Squad leaders, lead your squads to their new barracks. You will have the remainder of the day to settle into the first wing," Commander O'Hare said and left the room with my grandfather.
Looking down at my wrist display as I received a message containing my new squad files, I was shocked to find that my friends, along with the cadets that I had been observing for the last eight weeks, were in my new squad. I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the list. There was no way I would have gotten them all by chance. I knew my communications were monitored by the instructors, it was obvious that someone, possibly the commander or even my grandfather, had seen my messages with Zander about the other cadets. I was annoyed to find that they had interfered with the squad selection process, even if it would make things easier.
Looking up from my wrist display, I moved away from the other squad leaders slightly. The cadets in my squad would have all gotten a message to inform them which squad leader would be theirs. Watching my new squad form up before me, I observed each member in turn. Some were unfamiliar to me and I made a mental note to review their files later tonight. My squad was one of only two which had twelve cadets including myself, with the other being under the leadership of Cadet Marcelo. I wasn't sure why we were the ones given the squads with fewer cadets and didn't yet know if it would be a boon or a curse. Placing such concerns to the back of my mind for now, I addressed my new squad.
"Cadets, let’s move out," I called, spinning on my heel as I led my squad out of the basic training complex, marching towards what would be our home for the next year.
Announcements
Coming early 2022- Seeking the stars, book two of the Kelras Chronicles.
Also Releasing in 2022 - The Storm Princes Daughter, book one of the Duchess of Ma’vern series. A young adult fantasy series featuring, Amber Donvair in a tale of magic, dragons, and flying otters.
Check out OutbackQuill’s website and sign up to the newsletter for updates on new releases at https://outbackquillpublishing.com
If you would like to take a deeper peak in the world of the Kelras Chronicles, visit Taniko’s author page on Facebook where we will be posting character biographies, art and more. https://www.facebook.com/OutbackQuill
About the Author
My journey into the written word started when I was a child, having been homeschooled for much of my younger years, I suddenly found myself thrust into the frightening world of the public school system. Struggling to adapt to this strange environment, I found myself quickly isolated from my peers. Facing verbal torment and physical bullying, I sought haven within the depths of the library, seeking not the books that filled it shelves, but the audio tapes, whose spoken words swept me away to worlds beyond the schoolyard.
It was the writings of Enid Blyton who pulled me into books, as the library had only the first books in her secret seven series on audio. Desperate to continue my journey alongside the seven, I reluctantly took home what would be the start of my descent into the world of books. From that moment on, not a minute went by that a book was not in my hand, and later as digital publishing took the world by storm, a tablet where I could keep not a single book, but hundreds at my fingertips.
It was not until later in my younger teen years that I delved into writing my own short stories, which soon found their way onto sites such as Reddit and Live-journal, along with others that have long since disappeared into the unknown void of the internet. Then a single extremely critical review on a story brought my younger selfs growing confidence and dreams of being an author to a grinding halt. It would be years before I even considered putting any of the myriad of worlds in my head into written word again.
Then, out of the blue, at age 26, I found myself filling page after page of a small notebook with a story that simply would not leave me be. That story was Striving for the stars, a book which fast became a series and my debut as an author of young adult novels.
It is my dream, that one day, just as Enid’s books ensnared my mind and drew me into her world of imagining, that my own stories shall do the same to others.
Striving for the stars (The Kelras Chronicles Book 1) Page 25