★ The Cadets ★

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What does a warmonger look like in its infancy?

A smiling teenage cadet, that’s what.

And within the Europa Station’s halls, exactly ten days after the Horizon put out its distress call, two such cadets were running through the Academy’s dormitory level.

Their names were West and Sandi, and they were too old to be boys, but not quite old enough to be men.

They were laughing as they ran, their pounding footsteps echoing from every sterile surface in this place. The hallway was white, just like everything else there—the floors, the walls, the identical doors, the lights, and even the ceiling sparkling with a shiny white brilliance as they sprinted past, flashing like a white universe before their eyes.

The Europa Station’s exterior gleamed like a jewel set against a field of stars, but the interior was shockingly bare for a place that nearly served as a world in its own right, having long since outgrown its reputation as a remote outpost and now effectively functioning as a floating city in space. Its design had large empty areas that had been intended to host some form of decoration or personalization, with blank walls serving as canvasses to give this place a soul, but that had simply never been done. Earth’s warmongers weren’t fond of applying those touches, and they hadn’t bothered with such things when they established themselves here, as they branched out and conquered the cosmos. They’d gone too far, according to some. But for these cadets today, there was no such thing. This wasn’t a command center to them, for what could they know of war?

Their youthful demeanor and the white world around them glowed in harsh contrast against their dark uniforms, with every fiber of the heavy, starched fabric running thick with the expectations of their newfound responsibilities, smelling of newness and creased by the fresh wrinkles of never having been worn, accented by white trim and a silver pin on the front.

Everyone they met, from enlisted personnel on short-term contracts all the way up to generals with decades of experience, was the same to them—an authority figure, just like this place itself. It was comforting, resolute, and to someone their age, might as well have been eternal. It was nurturing, and it held them in its gentle grasp in the cosmos. They liked being here, and why wouldn’t they? They’d been invited, and that invitation echoed loud and clear as they ran down the hall.

They were racing, and one of them was about to win. Their conduct in this single, joyous moment was in violation of the Academy’s many rules, but they didn’t care. Something about the Station’s bright, silent aura and the long, unimpeded hallway encouraged such behavior, superseding all directives, even those from senior command. This was a place for warmongers to practice their craft, and they’d heeded the call. “Come and claim your conqueror’s crown,“ it seemed to say, and they’d taken full advantage as it granted an implied form of permission, pursuing their victories even in the simplest of pursuits.

They ran with flying feet, they laughed with reckless abandon, and their cares were as absent as all color in this place. And as they flew down the hall, nothing mattered more to them in that moment than happiness, and the youthful levity that bore them along.

“Boys!” a harsh voice rang out.

They stopped abruptly. A short distance behind them, one of the white doors opened, and someone stepped out and joined them in the hallway.

“Having fun, are we?” he asked.

“Yes!” West replied. “And you are…?”

“Cadet Captain Bradley. Now, Stand at attention when I’m speaking to you.”

They did.

“You two seem to be lost. What are you doing, training for a marathon?”

West shrugged. “Just having a bit of fun, I guess.”

“Well, the gym’s three floors up. I suggest you go there if you need to burn off some energy. But in the meantime, it’s quiet hours, so keep it down, will you?”

“Of course,” Sandi said. “Sorry for the disturbance.”

“Don’t bother apologizing. You should both be well aware of the rules by now, or did you sleep your way through orientation?”

“No,” West replied.

“No Sir.” As Cadet Captain Bradley looked them up and down, a condescending grin flashed across his face. “Freshmen. Always a problem. You two barely look old enough to be here.”

“I promise, Sir, we are,” Sandi said.

“Then act like it. I’d better not hear another sound from you two, or you’ll be written up for a noise violation. Don’t make me come out here again. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Sir,” they both agreed in unison.

He shot them a parting scowl, then gave a dismissive nod before retreating back to his room and closing the door.

After he was gone Sandi let out a long, slow breath, and West cast a glance down the hallway. Once he was satisfied they were alone, he burst into muffled peals of laughter.

“Stop it! He’ll hear us!” Sandi shushed his friend. “I don’t care to be written up before we’ve attended a single class. Don’t you dare get me kicked out of here!”

“You don’t have to listen to him. That’s just the hall monitor. He can’t write you up; the best he can do is report you to someone else.”

“Well, don’t give him a reason to, and don’t go blaming me either when it’s just as much your fault as mine. He won’t care who started it. Now, let’s get back to our room before he comes out and has another go.”

He walked the short distance to a nearby door, but as he reached for the handle, West ducked around him and grabbed it first.

“I won, by the way,” West said as a smile crossed his face.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“No you didn’t.”

“Yes I did.” West pushed the door open and entered the darkened room.

“Figures that we’d be right down the hall from him.” Sandi glanced behind them. “Brilliant turn of luck, right?”

“We’ll manage.” West stopped just inside the threshold. “Now, hold on. I’ve got to do it.”

“Not again…”

“It never gets old! I want to try it.” He cleared his throat and spoke in a flat, measured tone. “Lights!”

At his command, the room was illuminated by bright white lights, and he laughed and twirled in a circle. “I feel like God!”

“You look more like a small, distracted child to me.”

“Oh, come off it. Aren’t you excited to be here?”

“Of course I am, but I’m trying not to make an arse of myself.”

“Who cares? No one’s watching.” West sat down on one of the beds, but Sandi remained by the door surveying the bare walls and minimal furniture.

“I can’t get over how small this room is,” he said. “It’s the size of a closet, and they’ve got two of us in here.”

“What’d you expect? It’s a dorm room, not a luxury hotel. Besides, it’s better than anywhere I’ve ever lived. Not all of us grew up rich, remember?”

“I know, but this place seemed so glamorous from the topside, until they brought us down here and showed us where we’ll be staying. When I was in the training program—”

“Enough about the program!” West cut him off. “Nobody cares, and half the cadets have probably got similar backgrounds. I keep telling you—that kind of thing might be impressive Earthside, but out here it means practically nothing.”

“It can’t mean nothing!” Sandi said. “I lived in a Mars colony for almost a year. That’s got to count for something.” He flopped backward onto the hard mattress. “At any rate, the colonies were miles better than this. That’s bloody awful. Seems they want us to graduate with permanent back pain.”

“Worth it!” West grinned. “That’s a small price to pay. Can you believe it? We’re really here, on the Europa Station, enrolled in officer training!”

Sandi shot him a look. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“I mean, just look at all this!”

“I’m looking at it. I’m sitting in it. I can’t not look at it. Come on, West; you need to grow up.”

“All right then, if you’d like to be serious, answer me this: did you get your class schedule yet? Because I’d like to compare them.”

“Oh, yes I did.” Sandi leaned over, reached into a duffel bag on the desk, dug out a piece of paper, and settled into a cross-legged position on the bed.

West stood up and crossed the room. “Seems that most of them are the same,” he said as he studied the list. “All of our basic courses should be together, but there’s one I was worried about.” He pointed to an entry on Sandi’s schedule. “That one. Combat Tactics II.”

“That’s the one you signed me up for, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. I had to make sure we both got in. We had the grades to skip the freshman level, and this class is supposed to be the best. Look at who’s teaching it.”

“General Howard,” Sandi said. “You mean the school’s chancellor?”

“Yes, that General Howard. He’s a living legend; even got textbook entries written about him. He teaches one class every year, and it fills up so fast I thought for sure we’d miss it. Most cadets never get the chance to study under him. I’ve heard rumors he’s difficult—half his students fail the course—but if you’ve got that in your file, you’re set for life as far as references go.”

“A fifty percent failure rate is a sign of a bad teacher.”

“No way he’s a bad teacher. Plenty of cadets are just lazy.”

“Not here, they’re not. Only the best make it into this program.”

“Well, we’ll find out Tuesday, I guess. But I don’t plan on spending years of my life as a junior officer. I’m going to pass Howard’s class and graduate right into a senior command role, and with him teaching us, that won’t be a problem.”

Sandi grinned.

“What’s so funny?” West asked.

“Imagining you as an officer.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t even walk into your dorm room without cocking something up. Would Captain West get any work done, or would he spend the whole day fiddling with the lights?”

“Bollocks. I’d be a brilliant captain. I’ll be your commanding officer, and I’ll put you on permanent cleaning duty.”

“You’d know about needing someone on permanent cleaning duty, because you can’t be bothered to pick up after yourself. This room had better be sorted, because I won’t be tidying up after you.”

“Yes you will, starting with this!” West grabbed a pillow from the bed and flung it at Sandi’s head with a mischievous smile.

“What are you doing?” Sandi asked as he ducked out of the way. “This isn’t primary school; we need to be adults here—”

A second pillow flew across the room, hitting him directly in the mouth and cutting him off.

“That’s it!” Sandi replied, grabbing his duffel bag and holding it up to deflect the next one. “Stop it, or I’ll throw something back that really hurts. Watch me—I’ll get meaner than your Gran after a night at the pub.”

“Shut up about Gran! I traveled millions of miles to be rid of that hag; the last thing I need is you reminding me she exists. I wish all she’d ever thrown at me was pillows!” West tossed a third one at Sandi, who easily deflected the blow.

“Why are you being like this? Stop it!”

“Because we might as well enjoy these last few days before classes start. I plan to have some fun before we start studying our arses off. By the way, I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you, but you look really funny when you’re pissed.”

“Then you’ll find this hilarious!” Sandi threw the duffel bag at West, putting his full weight behind it, but West caught it, laughing.

“Oh, that’s how it’ll be?“ he said, throwing it back.

"Sure is!" Sandi grabbed a pencil cup from the desk.

”Don’t you dare!” West shouted. But it was fruitless—Sandi hurled the cup in his direction, and West reflexively leaned away as the edge caught his shoulder and the pencils clattered harmlessly to the floor. He let out a stifled yelp, but it didn’t hurt, and he was smiling. He lunged at Sandi again, and the two chased each other, jumping from the floor to the furniture and back again, throwing objects and shrieking as the sound of raucous laughter filled the tiny room. All of a sudden though, they were interrupted by a sharp knock on the open door, and they both froze and looked up to see another cadet staring at them with raised eyebrows.

“Were you two going to the meet-and-greet?” he asked.

“Y-yes,” West stammered.

“Good, because it starts in ten minutes. I’m going too, and I thought I’d drop a reminder because you seem… distracted.” He smiled. “I’m Cornelius, by the way. Don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Thanks.” West smiled back. “Be there shortly.”

Cornelius nodded and left, and West glanced over at Sandi with a smirk. “So much for not making an arse of yourself.”

Sandi took a deep breath. “Alright, really, it’s time to be serious. This room is already an embarrassment, and I’m—”

“Beat you to the elevator!” West yelled, dropping his pillow and running into the corridor.

“Dammit, West! Am I your roommate, or your babysitter?” Sandi shouted, chasing after him.

He caught up to West at the end of the hallway, and they both stood there laughing, doubled over with their hands on their knees as they caught their breath.

“How old are you?” Sandi asked. “Because if I didn’t know better I’d say you were five, not seventeen.”

“Definitely five,” West said as the elevator arrived.

“Now, what’s this event we’re going to?” Sandi asked as they stepped inside.

“You don’t know!?”

“I take it I was supposed to.”

“Call me immature all you like, but at least I know where I’m going and when to arrive. This meeting’s just the most important thing a freshman can do starting out, that’s all.”

The doors closed in front of them, and West got an impish grin on his face.

“Ready? Want to see it again?”

“Just do it,” Sandi replied in an exasperated tone.

West cleared his throat. “Atrium.”

The elevator began to ascend, and he let out a delighted laugh.

“So what’s this meeting about?” Sandi asked.

“Every year, the Chief Commander himself hosts a small gathering for the top-scoring cadets entering the Academy. It’s invitation-only, and guess what? We were invited. Did you not see the letter?”

“What letter?”

“It’s in your file.”

“You read my file?”

“I had to! I was signing you up for classes.”

“That’s what I get for handing tasks off to someone else.”

“Sandi, don’t be mad at me for not tidying up after myself when you can’t even be bothered to do your own schoolwork. Is this how things are going to be for the next five years?”

“I hope not. I’m not your bloody maid.”

“Well I’m not doing double work!”

Their conversation was cut short when the elevator doors opened, and they stepped out and stopped to take in the view.

“That never gets old,” West said. Sandi said nothing in reply, but for once, he shared West’s sense of wonder.

[continued in part 2]