The main assembly area wasn’t far from the residence hall. We only had to go down the street a few blocks and turn at the lower cantina and it was right past the auditorium. We arrived with a few minutes to spare.
The assembly area wasn’t as open as I had last seen it, because most of the middle of the field was filling up with those in brand new looking Cadet uniforms. I couldn’t help but stare at the numbers. I had assumed there might be a few hundred. This looked like a thousand or more.
I stopped short at the entry way. “Just how many new recruits are there?”
Hotoe stopped beside me. “Don’t know, but I’ve heard that about half those who start out in the Protectorate Program don’t even make it through the first year.”
“They really have a fifty precent dropout rate in the first year?” I said.
That seemed like a lot to me. How hard was this Program going to be? The thought of it made me sweat a little, even more than I already was. I had cooled off in the residence hall, but now that I was back in the heat of the day, it didn’t take long to be slathered in dampness again. That made me realize that maybe the newbies quit just because they couldn’t handle the heat––quite literally.
“From what I understand it’s not so much as drop out as get kicked out. The Program has high standards with a grueling process. Many just can’t handle the training, or the stress.”
Or the heat. I almost added, but instead, I said, “and you decided this was a better life path for you than shipping things from one planet to another?”
“Oh, I’m under no illusions that I will actually make it through the whole ten years.”
I gave the big man a questioning look. “Then why are you here?”
“Because if I can make it to the two year mark, then I’m a College member for life. That also means I can get hired on to do the low level security contracts the Protectorate takes on from time to time, or even become regular staff. Someone has to run the day to day and ship supplies around here. They only give those jobs to College members. It’s another way this place stays so secure.”
“Let me get this straight. Your plan isn’t to actually become a Protector, but to get an ordinary job at the College?”
Hotoe shrugged. “Not all of us have dreams of dying in glory for some overconfident entitled noble. Some just want a simple life, and trust me, to get on at a place like the Protectorate, that’s about as good as it gets for those like us. What? You actually thinking of going all the way?”
I snorted. “I’ll be lucky to last the week.”
The other man threw his head back and gave a deep belly laugh. It was a long moment before he could speak. “Not very confident in yourself are you? Why did you sign up?”
“A friend suggested it and I didn’t have anything else better to do.” I replied, liking the fact that for the time being I could actually speak the truth.
Hotoe shook his head. “Then it will be interesting to see how long you last, my friend. Me, I’m going to make it two years, or die trying.”
There was a sharp whistle that pierced the air and caused many of those in the assembly area to jump, including myself. A fast walking man in a dark brown uniform marched right through a cluster of gathered new recruits. He didn’t stop until he stood dead in the center of the assembly field.
“FORM UP!” He shouted.
I was impressed with how he managed to belt out those words and even I could clearly hear them from the edge of the assembly. Every person just stared at the dark uniformed man like they didn’t know what he was talking about. The man in the center held up something in his hand, and that piercing sound exploded across the field.
“I SAID FORM UP. MAKE NICE NEAT LINES FACING ME RIGHT NOW. ANYONE NOT IN A LINE WITHIN TWO MINUTES GETS PUT ON A SHUTTLE AND SENT BACK TO WHEREVER YOU CAME FROM! MOVE IT NEWBIES!”
That got people moving. Hotoe and I gave each other a startled look, and then we hustled onto the field to find a line. There was a lot of scrambling, some pushing, and quite a few dirty looks as people tried to maneuver their way into a line only to find their place suddenly taken by someone else. A few people had tried that with me, but one menacing growl and look from Hotoe, and they found another place to be. I sent him an appreciative look.
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It was a miraculous thing to behold. Suddenly, well over a thousand loitering people had somehow managed to form ten very long lines, mostly straight, that faced the dark uniformed man. I was glad to see I was in the second to last line. I wasn’t sure who was going to show up to the induction, but it felt good to be lost in a crowd when I knew the whole College was looking for me.
The thing about being at the back was that it was hard to see over all the heads that were in front of us. Thankfully, I was tall so I could catch a glimpse of the center of the field if I looked between the two heads in front of me. The man in the dark uniform looked up and down the lines with a deep frown on his face.
“THOSE ARE SOME SAD LOOKING LINES. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO MAKE PROTECTORS OUT OF YOU, IF YOU CAN’T STAND IN A PROPER LINE!”
That got everyone moving again, as each person looked around and made sure they were lined up straight with the person on either side of them. A little shifting later, and everyone settled back down to see what would happen next. No one appeared in a hurry to cross this guy, even though he had yet to properly introduce himself. They were still probably thinking about his threat to put them on a ship out of here. I certainly was. That would most likely turn out to be a disaster for me, and a problem I didn’t need.
“NOT GREAT. NEXT TIME BE FASTER. WE DON’T HAVE TIME AROUND HERE TO HOLD YOUR HANDS. THIS IS SERIOUS WORK WE ARE DOING AT THE PROTECTORATE AND IF YOU WANT TO BE A CONTINUED PART OF THIS PROGRAM, YOU WILL BE FASTER. YOU WILL OBEY ORDERS. AND YOU WILL BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE AT ALL TIMES. NO EXCEPTIONS. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?”
There was a muttering as people said they understood or just a yes or some nodded their heads. But that didn’t seem to be good enough for the dark uniformed man, because he frowned, threw up a hand into the air again, and that piercing sound blasted across the assembly once more.
“THAT WAS PATHETIC. WHEN I ASK IF YOU UNDERSTAND, YOU WILL SAY YES, SIR, AND YOU WILL MAKE SURE EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
That elicited a much better response as everyone, including myself and Hotoe joined in with a much more harmonious response of “Yes, sir!” that caused the first nod of the dark uniformed man. He then looked down the field to a shaded area on the far right. I could see others standing there, but not who they were. One of the people started walking toward the middle of the field. This man wore a black uniform and as he came closer I recognized him. It was Captain Dexter. I couldn’t help but tense up. If anyone would recognize me, it would be him.
“What’s wrong?” Hotoe whispered from beside me.
I shook my head. “Just nervous is all. I’ll be alright.”
I received glares from a few people like I’d been the only one who had talked and got shhhhed from someone behind. No one wanted to get singled out this early in the game, and I didn’t blame them.
“Thank you, Chief Winters,” Captain Dexter said at a normal voice level. Instead of belting out so everyone could hear, he appeared to have a square device he was holding up to his mouth that projected his words across the crowd.
“I am Lieutenant–Captain Dexter, and I am in charge of all the training that happens here at the College. You will be seeing a lot of me as you progress through the Program, especially once you hit your second year. Until then, Chief Winters as the New Recruit Master will be the main face you will be seeing. Be nice to him. He takes a lot of pleasure in kicking people out of the Program. Fair warning.
“Anyways, I welcome everyone of you to the Protectorate College. It is only twice a year that we open our doors to the entirety of the Empire and allow those across the galaxy a chance to be a part of the family that we have built here. Consider it an honor just to be standing in this field, but an even bigger honor when you actually earn it.
“I know you all have heard the rumors about the failure rate in our Program. Many of you are probably wondering if you will even make it past the first year. And I’m here to tell you that many of you won’t. We have a strict Program here for a reason. The leaders of the Empire rely on us. They depend on us to keep them safe so that they can do their jobs. It is a great honor to be a part of that, and we would be remiss in our duty if we allowed anyone who hadn’t proved themselves access to their protection and well-being.
“If you do fail out, don’t take it personally, not everyone has what it takes to be a Protector. It is a hard job. A hard way of life. But I want to take this moment to honor and show my respect to each of you for coming here to try. That demonstrates loyalty to the Empire and your desire to be a part of something greater than you are. And there isn’t anything more glorious than that.”
“LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!” A mass of voices shouted out all around me as if almost as one booming voice. I hadn’t expected it and I looked around startled. I got a few dirty looks like I was being disrespectful and I quickly turned back to the front, noting that I should probably join in next time, or these people might do me bodily harm.
Dexter waited for the echo of the shout to die down before speaking again. “Indeed! Long live the Empire, and we are here at the Protectorate to ensure it with our dedication to our leaders. Speaking of which, you may have noticed the heavy patrols of our security during your arrival to the College this afternoon. We recently had an incident involving the disappearance of a client. We are still investigating how this could have happened, but are also dedicating as many resources as possible to locating him.
“Part of the special assignments you will be receiving over the next few days from Chief Winters and his staff will be to help in this endeavor, and we expect each of you to take whatever assignment you get attached to in this search with the utmost seriousness. This client must be found, and anyone who helps recover him will be rewarded appropriately. This is a good opportunity for you to get a foothold into your training as a Protector.”
A burst of excited chatter went up and down the lines and Hotoe took a moment to lean in and whisper. “What do you want to bet he’s talking about the Returned Prince? It’s no secret he came here earlier this week for a new Protector. Wouldn’t it be something if we found him and got that reward?”
I looked to Hotoe to see a twinkle in the man’s eye. I did my best to grin and nod. “Yeah, that would be something alright.”