Earth, Greater London, 'The Dumps'

Rain was a fortunate person amongst a group of unfortunate people. As he sat, surrounded by smiles and celebration, he read through the revelers.

Uncle Kaz, a gruff man, an engineer in some industrial foundry, was the first to congratulate him with a clap on the back and a seemingly warm smile.

Rain knew better, however, seeing the bitterness in the corner of the man's eyes that he thought was well hidden. Kaz had hoped his son would be selected and despised that it wasn't to be. The fact that Rain aced The Examination, just opened old wounds.

His father even, all smiles now, would wipe that mask of his off as soon as the last guest's had left. The party, a customary tradition had been expensive, and Rain would no longer be around to help pay it off.

The Examination was a standardized test for all citizens of the Union of Earth when they hit fourteen years of age. The Examination was a necessary component in the welfare and citizenship citizen of the UOG. The grade it gave you would follow you through life. Higher grades entitled their holder’s to higher welfare stipends, increased voting rights, the possibility to join the military and many other benefits.

Rain had achieved Grade Eight, a level even prodigies struggled to reach, yet he had and thus was offered a space at a Military Academy of the UOG, as had all those who had achieved Grade Six or above.

The rest of his family largely achieved Grade Three or below, except for a distant cousin who managed Grade Four. Rain not just an anomaly in his family, as far as he knew, anyone knew, he was the first Grade Ten in his community, The London Extended Metropolis, which had forty-eight million residents.

His local Academy, The UK Military University, was located on the verge of the district, and he would be attending there starting in two weeks.

Kabe stood up from a seat at one of the ramshackle plywood tables and navigated the room, briefly stopping several times when called and making some small talk. He exited the cramped house and stepped out onto what was officially called a street, but was more accurately a dirt path, surrounded by shambling structures built out of whatever material their occupants could get their hands on. He took a breath, for once he appreciated the rather foul air. He would miss it. The LEM. Even though he had hoped his whole life he would get out, as the time drew near, he found himself increasingly apprehensive about the whole thing.

A hand gently tapped him on his shoulder. He turned to face whoever it was, but an unpreventable smile broke out on his face when he saw it wasn’t just some dithering family member, but Alice. Alice was the closest thing Rain had to a friend, and a girlfriend. They had grown up together, being born two weeks apart, and their mothers were like sisters, aiding the close relationship.

After escaping my embrace, she took a step back.

“Happy to see me, Dirtbrain” She smiled back affectionately, but there was a trace of sadness in her eyes. Rain saw this, but pushed it to the side, he knew why. He would be leaving after all.

“Alice! I didn’t expect to see you. You said you’d be getting back next week!” Rain replied. He truly was surprised, and happy.

“I cut the trip short. Ranch life is just not for me. These junk heaps…” She gestured.

“They’re my home. Not some dung filled, empty wasteland."

He nodded, suppressing the urge to ask if there were any other reasons she came back early. They both knew there was.

Rain was struggling. He was hit with a wave of nostalgia at the sight of Alice, remembering their past adventures, their misdeeds, and even their first kiss together. He was fighting back tears, refusing to let them slide out of his ducts and down his dusty cheeks. She would laugh at him, then comfort him, before laughing about the matter again. So he turned away from her and voice quivering spoke.

“I’ll miss you.” It was simple and conveyed all the feelings he had about the matter. Alice would read between his lines as she had for years.

“You too, knucklehead.” She said softly once more wrapping her arms around him. He melted back and turned his body to look at her, her eyes, her piercing grey eyes were level with his nose. In contrast, his eyes met her long, somehow clean and silky blonde hair. He leaned down, and kissed her, gently at first, but the passion grew quickly.

Alice had achieved a Grade Five. It had made no sense to Rain when he heard the news. She was just as smart as him. No, she was even smarter in some ways. But that was what the system assigned her, and there were no retakes. She had tried to take it on the bright side. Grade Five would allow her and her family a somewhat comfortable lifestyle in The Dumps, better than most of the population. It would keep them from hunger, and perhaps a little left over each week, if they were conservative to save for anything they may need, or if they really wished, an escape from the all but in name slums which they called home.

“Come.” Rain said, breaking away from the embrace. “Let’s head inside before they eat all the food.”

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Alice nodded at that and took the proffered hand as Rain lead her back into the ramshackle structure that he called home.

British Academy of MILTECH, Scotland

Commander Meritas sat at her desk, scanning the various holodocs and alerts that had popped up overnight. She swiped away her HUD, blinking with alerts to focus on the intake papers. This year, the UOG had decided to increase cadet intake by fifty percent across the board. Whatever the reason the top brass had for making such a change, Meritas did not know, but she would have to deal with the consequence of their action. Her opinion on the change was less than stellar, she believed that it would dilute the experience and effect that the rigorous curriculum and training had on the cadet’s. Time was precious, and with an additional one-hundred and fifty-five candidates coming through her doors in less than two weeks, she was woefully unprepared.

She questioned why she even accepted the posting, much less applied for the position. Commander Meritas was a career soldier, she’d enlisted when she was eighteen and never looked back on the life she left behind. The commander had seen combat on half a dozen worlds, starting from being a lowly private and all the way until she was an NCO. She’d risen to be a Staff Sergeant at this point before her Regimental CO had recommended her for OS, Officer School or Oh Shit, as the enlisted lovingly called it.

She took the recommendation, got her diploma and promotion and was rather ecstatic about the whole prospect until she learned one terrible truth: The majority of officers in the Army were pencil pusher’s and she was given desk job after desk job whilst she longed to be back in the action.

That was ten years ago, and whilst she had gotten sporadic combat assignment’s, nothing could fix that itch she’d developed as an enlisted trooper.

When the opportunity for a position at the Academy was opened, the previous occupant rising in rank, she took it, hoping for something else that wasn’t just filling requisition forms and signing orders all day. Yet here she was, same shit, different job title.

She sighed as she finished processing another form and began checking the next one on the list.

Rain Cooper. This cadet would have a hard time, she thought. His background was essentially the polar opposite to 95% of the other students, he came from a poor family living a poverty-ridden life. But his test scores showed his aptitude for many areas, and despite not having the best resources or tutor's the world had to offer, his grading would rank him at the top of the new intake. This would make the poor soul a target, but an education at a MILTECH academy wasn’t meant to be easy, and if he couldn’t overcome the stigma and trials because of his background then he simply didn’t deserve to be there.

She sat back, massaging her temples briefly before reaching out for the cup of now cold coffee and taking a sip and then getting back to work. It had to be done sooner or later, and the night was still young for the tired commander.

Darien System, Opus Sector, CWS Brave and Bold

“Sir, sensors are picking up some sort of anomaly in quadrant 32. It doesn’t look like a typical sensor ghost.”

The words of the Navtech broke Lieutenant Commander Stone from his thoughts. Out here on the Rim’s a man had a lot of time to think. Too much time. Lieutenant Stone, like the rest of his crew, was growing bored with their assignment. They had been ordered to the system to help the meager planetary fleet deal with the rise in pirate attacks on ships inbound from the core, and to finish mapping the system as the last naval ship had been recalled to take part in some offensive before they managed to finish the job. Two weeks into their eight-week deployment and the mapping had been done, and apart from one minor skirmish with a pirate raider on their day in the system, there had been no further activity. So the Navtech’s report instantly piqued the LTCMDR’s interest, and he leaped at the opportunity to something other than drift about the sparsely occupied system.

“Set course for the quadrant and set the sensors to read for heat signatures.” LTCMDR Stone ordered.

The pirates in the Rim Sectors liked their hidden bases, and they tended to hide within a heat dispersal field. The strategy was solid generally, but if they tried using the HDF, there would be a discrepancy and they would be able to be detected.

“Yes Sir” The NavTech responded and set about his task.

LTCMDR Stone set about studying his ship’s sensor data, looking for any clue as to the result of the anomaly. He was alone on the bridge with the NavTech, which he wasn’t used to. He’d been in the bustle of Heavy Cruisers and Battleships since he was a Midshipman, but as was customary for his first command he was given a small gunboat, a lightly armed ship meant for garrison and patrol duties. As a result, his contingent of the crew was small, with a total of 22 including himself and his XO, LT Bay.

“LT Bay and SGT Haver to the bridge” The LTCMDR summoned his officers to the bridge. Whilst SGT Haver was just an NCO, he was the leader of the ship’s small marine contingent of five men, and had a decade and a half of experience on patrols like these. The LTCMDR trusted the man and his record. LT Bay was another story, however, whilst a competent officer in reality and on paper, there were weird discrepancies with the man, small things that couldn’t be directly linked to him. A shipment of R6’s going missing, accounts of indecent relations with enlisted troopers, small things like that. Whilst the LTCMDR couldn’t deny the man was good at his job, because he was, he still wasn't sure what to think of him. He kept those thoughts off his face as LT Bay strode into the bridge, with SGT Haver following a few seconds behind.

“Sir.” Bay reported in a crisp and clean tone.

SGT Haver echoed him slightly after “Lieutenant Commander, Sir”.

“At ease, gentleman. We have a sensor anomaly, could be pirates, so prepare to bring the hurt.” The LTCMDR forwarded the relevant data to their HUDS for them to glance over and sat back in his chair and opened the intercom. “Specialist Jared, prepare drones for launch.”

“Aye Sir.” The specialist replied. “Ordinance is ready to go too, sir.”

LTCMDR Stone smiled, his crew was the best he could ask for as a fresh captain. Once he rated for a bigger command, he would see about transferring them over.

“Affirmative Specialist, await further orders. All crew, prepare to hunt. Got a read on some termites that may need exterminating.”

Each station blinked green to indicate confirmation, as the SGT and LT Bay were dismissed.

“Oh and SGT?” The LTCMDR called to the retreating figure who did an immediate and crisp about-face.

“Sir?” The man queried.

“Tell the lads to get ready to show these pirates why you shouldn’t duck with the Commonwealth.”

“Yes, Sir!” The man left, grinning.

The LTCMDR sat back, preparing himself for the awaiting chaos ahead. Maybe this assignment wouldn’t be so bad after all.