Tuesday, August 2nd, 2259. 08:00 Armstrong Building, Lecture Room 22A
“Need I remind everyone that we’re starting school like two or three weeks early.” Andern was whining as he took his seat.
“For fucks sake dude, it could be worse,” Nathan said.
The cadets were still filing into the room. They took their seats and began talking amongst themselves. Everyone already in the room was early, the meeting wasn’t scheduled to start until 08:30. All three of the command cadets were curious who would show up ahead of time and who would cut it closer to the cutoff time.
The last of the cadet officers entered the room fifteen minutes ahead of the official start time. John, Kristin, and Joeng walked in. John stepped upfront and started things.
“Good morning. Thanks for getting here ahead of schedule. We’ll do introductions after lunch.” John clicked on the terminal and displayed the schedule on the screen behind him. “As you can see, we’ve got a full day ahead of us.”
The screen displayed the plan for the day.
08:30-09:30 – Ship Operations and Expectations
09:30-10:30 – Standard Workday
10:30-11:30 – Patrol Deployment
11:30-13:30 – Lunch and Introductions
13:30-15:30 – Department Orientation
15:30-16:30 – Questions and Answers
“During the Department orientation, the three of us will join you during your orientation. We won’t be running those sessions. Officers from the academy will be handling them.” John took a sip of water. “I hope everyone likes this room because we’re going to be here all day.”
Kristin stepped up. “Our goal is to get this wrapped up early today so you can decompress tonight, but we’ll be here for as long as there are questions to be answered.”
08:20 Ship Orientation – Operations and Expectations
John began explaining how the ship would operate. John wanted to condense this hour-long section into about five minutes but couldn’t. Effectively the officers were going to be managers on the ship. They would either be overseeing enlisted crewmembers or be working at a station. Operations would rotate where they’d work. In that sense, they had it worse off than command, medical, or engineering who had very specific and focused tasks onboard the vessel. Though the cadets in those divisions would argue that their work had its own stressors.
John, Kristin, and Joeng switched off to capture all of the data points. They shifted from operations to what they’d be expected to complete during each shift. The cadets cringed at the amount of work they’d be expected to do when they were on shift. The commanders tried to assuage such fears and that the amount of work wasn’t as bad as they were thinking.
“Ok, so that concludes the orientation of Operations and Expectations. Most of tomorrow is going to cover what specifically you’ll be doing at your stations.” John paused. “You have ten minutes. Go to the bathroom or get a drink of water.”
The cadets got up out of their seats and filed out of the room. John followed the group to refill his glass of water. Kristin and Joeng were talking at the front. John joined in the conversation when he got back into the room.
“So how did the start go?” John asked.
“Everyone is still in summer vacation mode,” Joeng said. “Current company included.”
“Can’t say he’s wrong.” Kristin agreed.
“Good thing today’s kind of a useless day, everything we’re going over today will be gone over in much more detail tomorrow.”
“Am I wrong for thinking today’s a meeting for tomorrow’s meeting?” Joeng asked.
“You aren’t wrong.” John smiled. “Well, keep up the good work.”
09:30 Ship Orientation – Standard Workday
“Ok welcome back folks,” John said. “So how many hours are there in a day?”
“Twenty-four,” Nathan said.
“Well, twenty-three hours and fifty-six minutes if we’re being technical.” Caleb Nixon said.
“You're technically right, but wrong. On the ship, the day is eighteen hours.” John smiled. “Your day basically starts with six hours of sleep. Then there are three hours where you’ll clean up, eat, watch lectures and work on homework, and drill. Then you’re on duty for six hours. Following that you have another three hours where you’ll eat, drill, and work on your studies.”
“Is this normal?” Kara Kiffon asked.
“Aside from the classes yes. You can replace that with studying your ship or station and work duties and what you’re going to experience is pretty normal. I should also point out that your rec time is after your shift. So, you won’t always be stuck working on homework.”
“Aren’t some stations or planetside bases use twenty-four hours or the planet’s day and night cycle?” Wei Zhang asked.
“Yes, but we’re on a frigate. The eighteen-hour day is necessary so that all of us can take three classes this semester. And yes, every last one of us is responsible for three classes.” John shrugged. “If it was within my power, I’d say no to classes but sadly I can’t do that.”
The discussion continued but the mood of the room was somewhat dour. No one wanted to hear that they had to run a ship and take three classes. Kristin was able to successfully veer the conversation back on track.
Joeng began discussing the benefits of the eighteen-hour day. People were worried about only having two meals a day, but typically they’d always have three meals in a rolling twenty-four hours. John also added that they would all end up being more efficient at their jobs and a six-hour shift was a hell of a lot easier to get through than an eight-hour one.
10:30 Ship Orientation – Patrol Deployment
“I’m reasonably confident that the Confederacy is not actively at war today and that piracy in the Sol system is nonexistent. That being said, we need to be alert, on guard, and ready.”
“But as he said, there isn’t any officially recognized pirate activity here,” Kristin said.
“Now in the unlikely event something does happen, we will stay on scene until active elements from the Navy arrive, at which point we will disengage.”
“Then are we just drilling and flying from point to point here?” Lewis Nelson asked.
“We will do standard freight patrols. Which involved confirming flight planes, escorts, and the general monitoring of freight lanes. Obviously, we will be scanning for ships that are out of position.”
“We may be required to do surprise inspections of any inbound freighter. Traffic control will let us know what ships we will do that on.” Joeng said.
“Thanks, Joeng, forgot about that. Typically, two officers will go onboard with the enlisted personnel. One will talk with the other ship's commanding officer along with a pair of our security personnel. The other officer and enlisted will complete the inspection.” John said.
John continued to discuss what they would do while on an inspection. Naturally, there would be no shortage of drilling and practice prior to them actually doing a live inspection. Not coincidentally the first drill would occur on the following day. They would also do a mock one on the Marcinko before they push off.
11:30 Ship Orientation – Lunch and Introductions
“Alright folks, food is going to be served here. Let’s take thirty to eat and unwind. After that, we’ll formally introduce ourselves to everyone.” John said as he sat down.
The rest of the friend group brought their food up to the front and had lunch at the front of the classroom. The mood amongst the friends was light as it normally is, but the rest of the room was a bit tense. John shrugged it off as fairly normal. Everyone in that room was about to embark on something entirely foreign to them, and they were being asked to do far more than they ever had in their life.
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The time flew by while they were eating. Attendants came in and collected the trays. John gave everyone another ten minutes to get drinks and use the restrooms. Everyone in the classroom took the opportunity to do just that. Everyone was filtering back into the room before the imposed deadline.
“Ok, I’ll start up first. I’m John Lief. I’m not sure where I was born but my folks immigrated to Mendes 8. After the colony got annihilated, I was rescued and adopted by a medical officer in the Navy. Bounced around from system to system but spent most of my time in Alpha Centauri. Graduated high school when I was twelve. Got into Naval Intelligence because of an oversight and a bit of luck. Was a desk jockey for three years, then an agent for three years before I was transferred to the academy. Got married this summer to Alice. Technically we’re violating Navy statutes by having spouses on the same ship, but we got a temporary exception for that. Kristin your up.”
Kristin stood up. “I’m Kristin Anderon. That’s without the letter ‘e’ and with an ‘i.’ I was born in Tallahassee but grew up outside of Tampa. I’m the oldest of three siblings and the black sheep of the family. And before anyone asks, yes, I know of the Florida man, and in fact, no less than six Florida men lived on my street. Joeng, you’re up.”
“My name is Dae Joeng. I’m from South Korea. My first name is actually Joeng. I joined the military because I didn’t want to join the family business, which is Koi farming. Personally, I think the fish as stupid and so are the people that shell out some of the money, we have sold them for. But I have three older brothers and wanted a way out to do whatever I wanted. John doesn’t know this, but he shot me in the head in one of the Wargames.” The class started to laugh. “Kevin, let’s have the engineers introduce one another.”
Kevin got up from his seat and walked down in front of the class. “Uhm. My name is Kevin Bloom. I’m from a small town in New Mexico near the Texas border. I met my girlfriend Theresa when I accidentally hit her with a football when I overshot the receiver. When I went to apologize after the game, she punched me.”
John grunted behind him. Kristin was grinning and trying to not laugh. Andern, Nathan, Thomas, and Caleb lost it and were laughing hysterically. Theresa simply shook her head.
Kevin continued. “I have an older sister. But I wanted to get a free, or kind of free, college degree and managed to score into the officer’s program. Thomas.”
John interrupted the procession. “Kevin will be the acting chief engineer on the ship and as such is fourth in command. All of engineering will report up to him. For you ops people I’ll explain how it’s going to work for you lot shortly.”
Kevin walked back to his seat while Thomas walked down to the front of the room. “I’m Thomas Jordan. I’m from Denver and an only child. My parents got divorced when I was twelve, then my dad raided my college fund after I came out and said I was gay. That dick move was what pushed me to join the academy. Like Kevin, a kind of free education and degree was looking really nice. Sato your up.”
Thomas walked back to his seat while Haruko Sato sauntered down to the front of the room casually. “I’m Haruki Sato. From Hawaii. Like to Fish. Not a big fan of public speaking. I wanted to work on a ship, so it was either go civilian transportation, merchant marines, or the Navy. The Navy had the coolest tech, so I went with them. Kori.”
Kori just stood up and started speaking. “I’m Kori Elling. I’m from Winnipeg. I hate snow and I wanted to relocate to a planet where snow doesn’t exist when I’m done with my service. Oh, I’m the middle child so I was pretty much invisible to everyone. Lewis.”
“I’m Lewis Nelson and I’m from a small town in rural Minnesota. Like Kori I hate snow but we just kind of take complaining about it to an art form. I have a younger brother. Like to golf. My dad gave me the option of working for him or join the Military. I think I made the right choice but the PE we do sucks something awful. Larry?”
“Hola. I’m Lawrence Dahl, call me Larry though. Born and bred in Dallas, Texas. Dad and mom are ranchers. I’m the second youngest sibling of ten total. Joined the military because cows are stupid. Damn tasty critters though. John, I suppose it’s back to you.”
“Thanks, Larry. So, there are your six engineering officers in total. That means there will be two of you on duty during each six hour-shift. So that leaves the twelve operations officers. Basic math means there will be four of you working during each shift. Each one of you will be trained to handle communications, weapons, navigation, and general operations. And yes, if we can find the one that you are best at, we will get you working that station most of the time. Andern your up.”
“I’m Jacob Andern. I think I’ve heard my first name called five times in the last two-plus years here. If I don’t respond to Jacob, it’s because I have been conditioned thusly. From Valley City, North Dakota. It’s cold as fuck in the winter there and snow isn’t that bad. I have two siblings that are six and eight years younger than me. They are annoying as fuck, I figured I’d sign up for the military. I think there was an accident in my paperwork that got me into the officer program too. Good oops though since it’s been working out well so far. Jessica.”
“I’m Jessica Blatzke. My immediate family was pretty terrible, so the Military was a great option for me. Have a younger sister that I don’t get along with. Besides the workload, I really have enjoyed living in the military so far. Nathan, I choose you.”
“Yo. I’m Nathan Ellison. I’m from rural Michigan. The only college that wanted me was the Naval Academy. So here I am. I have an older brother and a younger sister. I like to fish. My grandparents are really excited I’m in the Navy. Brian, your turn.”
“Brian Berry. From St. Louis. Dad died when I was little. Have two half-brothers that are younger than me. The Naval Academy wasn’t in my top five choices, but none of the other schools wanted me to pay to go there. So here I am. Caleb.”
“Afternoon folks. I’m Caleb Nixon. I’m from Wisconsin. Love racing and karted until I started here. I only won one race so that tells you how bog average I was. My mom is a teacher, and my dad is an administrator for the school back home. I have two younger sisters that are absolutely delighted that I’m no longer home. Zhang, you’re up.”
“I’m one of the few not from Earth. Martian born here. I’m Wei Zhang. I was the youngest of four kids. The family business didn’t have any more space for me to work. Martian Universities are also damn hard to get into. Which is a nice way of saying I got rejected. But the Navy accepted so that was my ticket off that rusty planet. Lacey.”
“Lacey Olson here. Grew up on a farm in rural Indiana. I have five older brothers. I did love farming but there was no space for one more on the family farm. For the last couple of years, I really focused on school. I wasn’t planning on going to the military, but a recruiter stopped by my school. Eventually, I scored well enough to get into the officer program. My mom works at the dentist's office back home. Ari?”
“Name is Ari Johns, and I am a Kiwi. That’s slang for New Zealand if you didn’t know. Love the All Blacks but I sucked something awful playing rugby in school. Only child. My dad wanted me to become more worldly by traveling the stars and getting an education before deciding on taking over the family business. We raise a shitload of sheep. Antonio, you’re up mate.”
“My name is Antonio Martinez and I’m from Mexico City. Honestly, I hated living there after traveling to Europe and the States on vacations and looked for ways to get out of there. I have two younger siblings. My younger brother plays on the under sixteen fútbol national team. Dad owns a retail shop and mom works at a corporate job. James your up.”
“I’m James Cooper. From Sioux Falls. My older two brothers went into the military, both are enlisted though. Dad suggested I take the officer's test to see if I could cut it. I didn’t think I’d pass the test but then I liked the idea of getting a free degree, then getting paid to fly from solar system to solar system for a few years. Dad is a paster and mom is a cardiologist at the local hospital. Not many of us left, Andy you go.”
“Andy Miller here. I’m from Bangor, Maine. I love going to lobster broils. Dad owns a few lobster boats. Both my older brothers work for him. Nothing wrong with that line of work but I wanted to be in the military. My mom was a homemaker. Derek looks like you drew the short straw.”
“Derek Shefter. I kind of fucked up when I was a junior in high school and had a choice of going to jail or enlisting. I originally enlisted, but then I was given the officer's test and passed it. So glad I was given that opportunity to have a course correction in my life. Dad is in jail for life and my mom is trying to pick up the pieces. Have a younger sister that thankfully is on the right track. Oh, I’m from the shittiest part of Los Angeles.”
John stood up. “Thank you for the introductions. Last up are the medical officers. A note about this. We have a doctor and two nurses that will be on board. Theresa and Kara will work as nurses. Alice will be the ship's counselor, but she will be assisted by the psychology team at the academy. Theresa, why don’t you start?”
“I’m Theresa Martinez, no relation to Antonio. Like Kevin said I was a cheerleader and caught a football with my face. I was not happy about that. I have two younger sisters. My mom is a nurse and my dad runs a construction company. I lived in rural New Mexico about twenty minutes from Kevin. Alice.”
“I’m Alice Robertson-Lief. I’m studying to become a psychologist. So after we graduate I will still be in school and on assignment. I have four older brothers. One works for the family business. Two are in the navy and one is in the marines. I didn’t want my life dictated for me so I opted to go into the military. It’s your turn Kara.”
“I’m Kara Kiffon. I don’t know who my dad is. Grew up dirt poor because of some awful decision my mom made. No siblings that I’m aware of. I jumped at the chance to become an officer and escape my circumstances. I grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska.”
The cadets began asking one another more questions about their backgrounds. Some of that tenseness seemed to be easing. John knew that was going to be temporary since they’d be on the ship soon. For now, he was enjoying how the officers were gelling together.
13:30 Ship Orientation – Department Orientation
“Thanks for the intros and conversation folks. We’re going to break into our department orientations now. Please get together with the other members of your focus. Kristin, Joeng, and I will be joining the different groups throughout the next couple of hours.”
The cadets split into their different groups and began their orientation. Each division had different expectations of them. This session was simply the first of many they’d have over the next few days. Nothing interesting happened over the course of two hours.
The tenseness in the room appeared to crop up again. John and his two commanders noticed that and did their best to assuage any fears they had. Obviously, they were going into an unknown and uncomfortable environment then coupling that with a lot of unfamiliar work that they were expected to do.
The main source of this fear was from the operations cadets. That however was to be expected since they had the most abstract of the jobs that they were expected to complete. They also seemed to be on the outside looking in as they weren’t flag officers. John and the commanders let them know that was why they didn’t have all of the other things they and the engineering staff were required to do.
Mercifully the clock ran at a faster than expected pace. John gave everyone a ten-minute break. Everyone got up and left the room. At a bare minimum, they needed to get up, stretch, and get their mind off the overwhelming number of items that were asked of them.
15:30 Ship Orientation – Question and Answer
“Ok, so obviously that’s been a lot of things sent your way,” Kristin said.
“But everyone appears to be taking things in stride. Here’s the updated schedule.” John paused. “Each focus, irrespective of their ship assignment, will meet together between 08:00 and 11:30 tomorrow. There’ll be a break for lunch until 12:15 then more meetings until 14:00. That’s when we’re heading up to Yeager station. Each ship is getting a barracks for two nights. On the first day of on-ship orientation, we will not be staying on the ship. The second night we will. The morning after our third night we ship off.”
“Does anyone have questions for us?” Joeng asked.
The cadets looked exhausted. They looked at one another and shook their heads. John could read the room clear as day.
“Alright. You're dismissed. It’s been a good first day. We will see everyone tomorrow.”