"Stop arguing, you two," Instructor Hoffman interrupted Bill and Yan Hui just before they were about to clash. "We will observe for a bit longer. If there’s a real issue, I’ll speak with Commander Myers-Mark about it."

In the 7th company barracks, during the training break, Li Feng began to show off his knowledge. "The basic training is simple. Formation drills include marching, standing at attention, running, saluting while marching, turning while halting, sitting down, standing up, and holding military posture. Tactics include lying down, getting up, and crawling both low and high. These movements are useless in an age of space battleships. They no longer have any real combat value."

A group of inexperienced rookies gathered around to listen to Li Feng's boast.

"You’re wrong, Instructor Hoffman," a sharp young soldier named Nan Gongyi said. "I’ve heard that Hoffman is a legend in the starship paratroopers. He’s an ace. Why would he teach us something useless?"

"Xiao Yi, don’t you agree?" Li Feng turned to find support. "Our starship paratroopers will wear powered armor for future missions. Why bother with these basic drills?"

"Heh, I don’t know much, but we’re just regular soldiers. We need to follow the instructor’s orders," Xiao Yi responded smoothly.

"Justin, is your training hard?" Trelia asked, concerned. She was video calling Jackson.

Jackson felt a bit awkward. His soul was in Justin’s body, but everyone still called him Justin. He couldn’t think of a way to get his real name back.

"Trelia, I’m fine. Look, I’ve gotten stronger," Jackson flexed his muscles.

"Haha, I just noticed! You’ve really become a man," Trelia smiled happily. Jackson had been more proactive with her recently, and she appreciated it.

Trelia wore a black tank top and tight pants, with her long brown hair falling naturally over her shoulders. She casually leaned against the window while chatting with Jackson. She was full of energy, radiating a youthful charm.

Jackson admitted that, after joining the military, Trelia seemed more attractive than when he first met her. However, his heart still belonged to Kai, the girl he had grown up with on Earth. He couldn’t forget her.

Now that Jackson controlled Justin’s body, he maintained their old friendship with Trelia. But he was more active because he valued her Kabbas heritage.

Recently, Jackson had read a news story about Kabbas people looting Panhua stores on some planets. The police caught the criminals, but the damage to the Panhua businesses was real.

Though technology advanced, it hadn’t brought equality to the races in the Kabbas Empire. Instead, it had only amplified the greed of intelligent beings.

Jackson knew that if he married a Kabbas woman, it would greatly help his career in the military.

Trelia’s laughter attracted the attention of the rookies in the barracks. Even the temporary squad leader, Bo Er, came over.

"Hi, everyone!" Trelia waved at the group.

"Yuck, clown, you’re not worthy of her!" Bo Er shouted rudely.

Jackson ignored him. Bo Er had no dignity, and Jackson didn’t understand why Hoffman made him the squad leader.

"Bro, how did you win over such a beautiful woman?" one rookie asked.

"Yeah, I want to know too!" another added.

"Clown, do you even have a chance?" A mischievous guy made an obscene gesture.

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"Get lost, Lahl! We’re starship paratroopers, not idiots!" another recruit scolded while staring at Jackson’s screen.

A crowd of rookies gathered around Jackson, shouting ridiculous things.

"Hi, beautiful, I’m Gatsby. Are there more beautiful women in your fleet? Introduce one to me! I love warship women!" A bold soldier ignored Jackson and asked Trelia directly.

"Shh, stop making noise!" Jackson complained. What was supposed to be a quiet moment was now a circus with a bunch of rowdy soldiers.

"Stop fighting. The introductions should go through me first," Li Feng joined in to get attention.

Xiao Yi, the quiet one, stood behind Jackson in the crowd. He couldn’t avoid it—too many people were around him. He didn’t want to seem too distant, so he stayed with the group.

The rookies hadn’t seen women for days. When they first arrived at the training camp, there were female soldiers, but they had been assigned to the communications team and weren’t seen much. Now that they saw Trelia, they couldn’t help but crowd around her.

Trelia noticed Xiao Yi and Li Feng and said to Jackson, "They’re here too! With so many people around you, are you the squad leader? If not, I’ll talk to your officer. A popular guy like you should have more responsibility!"

Jackson felt a bit disappointed that he wasn’t the squad leader. Still, he couldn’t help feeling proud. Trelia had brought him a lot of attention in the 7th company. He boasted, "You worms, did you see that? Find a good woman, and you won’t have to worry about anything! Ha ha!"

"Ugh..." The crowd mocked. Public displays of affection were always met with ridicule.

Jackson didn’t realize it, but he had unconsciously adopted Hoffman’s catchphrase.

Trelia’s figure caught Jackson’s attention as she walked to a large window. Outside, a giant tan-colored gas planet slowly rotated. It looked beautiful, like a jewel in the black void of space.

Jackson thought the 13th new recruits’ training camp and 22nd defense fleet base must be a military spaceport. That would explain why Trelia’s barracks had a view of other planets.

A spaceport, as the name suggests, is a base for warships and spacecraft to take off and land. It’s like an airport, but in space.

Trelia pointed to the view outside and asked, "Isn’t it beautiful?"

Jackson, with a hint of longing, replied, "I really love it there!"

Trelia leaned against the window and said, "I wish you were here with me to enjoy the beauty of space."

Jackson shrugged and, half-jokingly, said, "Trelia, I’d love to, but you know, I didn’t have a choice. At the recruitment station, the AI, ‘Fia,’ suddenly assigned me to be a starship paratrooper."

"Heh, I was just thinking out loud! I have to go train on the landing ship. I’ll contact you in a few days." Trelia ended the video call.

"Bro, are you really going to pursue Trelia?" Li Feng slapped Jackson’s shoulder.

"Isn’t it normal? We know each other, and she’s beautiful," Jackson answered.

"But you didn’t say that before. Trelia is Kabbas, and we’re not the same," Li Feng said.

Jackson didn’t care about Justin’s old opinions. He was in control now. Justin was gone.

"Li Feng, it’s the space age. Don’t be so narrow-minded. Whether we’re Kabbas or Panhua, we’re all citizens of the Empire now. There’s no reason to divide us," Jackson said, applying some Earth ideals.

Xiao Yi thought for a moment, realizing Jackson’s point.

Li Feng stubbornly disagreed. "Impossible! We’re Panhua, they’re Kabbas. We’re different."

Gien, innocently, said, "I think Jackson’s right. We grew up together, went to the same schools, ate the same food, played the same games, and watched the same movies. Why divide us into Kabbas and Panhua?"

Jackson had to admit that Gien, though naive, made a valid point.

"Don’t talk nonsense. We Kabbas are the masters of the Empire! Clown, you Panhua are just outsiders!" Bo Er taunted.

Jackson laughed inwardly. If Bo Er was really a master of the Kabbas Empire, why was he stuck as cannon fodder with Jackson in the starship paratroopers? He was an idiot.

"Squad leader, stop messing around. Let’s rest. Who knows what tricks the instructor will pull tomorrow?" Gien said, mocking Bo Er.

In the training room, not far from the barracks, Hoffman, Bill, and Yan Hui overheard the recruits’ conversation. The holographic table displayed an image of the 7th company barracks.

"Ah, youth is great," Yan Hui joked.

"Yan, are you thinking of a romantic adventure?" Bill teased.

"Alright, enough. Let’s give them their scores," Hoffman said seriously.

They began assigning scores to the recruits. The final scores appeared on the holographic table.

1st place: Bo Er - 56 points; 2nd place: Townsend - 50 points; ... 12th place: Justin - 38 points; 15th place: Nan Gongyi - 36 points; 19th place: Xiao Yi - 32 points; 27th place: Gatsby - 20 points; 28th place: Li Feng - 20 points; ... 123rd place: Gien.

When Hoffman saw Gien’s name at the bottom, he frowned.

"Instructor Hoffman, do you think this kid won’t last?" Yan Hui asked.

"It’s going to be tough! He’s big but timid and slow. I’m worried he can’t handle the drops. You all know starship paratroopers are dangerous. One mistake, and you’re gone. I’ve been pushing him, but it’s not working," Hoffman said, frustrated.

"Wow, this Jackson guy is moving up fast. He wasn’t in the top 30 when he first came," Bill said.

"Good potential," Hoffman said simply.