2065 - The Academy

On the morning of October 23, one of David’s classes was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door.

He initially didn’t give it much thought, but when his professor stopped the lecture and glanced at the doorway, David knew immediately that something was wrong.

Two guards stepped inside and stopped near the front of the classroom. They represented an imposing presence, as always, with rigidly straight postures, hands clasped tightly in front of them, and white armbands contrasting sharply against their dark uniforms. They were among the few members of the Space Corps to be issued sidearms, which they wore openly on their belts.

Military police weren’t an unfamiliar sight here, as there were quite a few stationed on the Academy grounds. But they rarely ventured inside these halls, and David had never once seen them interrupt a class.

“How can I help you gentlemen?” his professor asked. David couldn’t help but notice that she seemed a bit unnerved by their presence, too.

“We’re looking for David Harlow,” one of them said, scanning the room full of cadets sitting before them.

David’s stomach dropped as he rose from his seat and stood at attention.

The guard nodded in his direction. “Mr. Harlow, your presence has been requested by the chancellor’s office.”

“He . . . wants to see me?” David stammered.

“Yes. General Howard has called you up there for a private meeting. He says it’s urgent.”

David nodded, although his hands were trembling. “Absolutely, but . . . can it wait until the end of class?”

This was a stupid thing to say, he knew, but he was stalling.

“No,” the man replied with a patronizing smile. “Now.”

David nodded again, then gathered his things and followed them out while the rest of the cadets looked on.

His mind raced as they made their way to the elevator. He tried to assuage his fears with the thought that he couldn’t be in too much trouble, because they hadn’t taken him into custody. They’d simply pulled him out of class, and that could be over something as trivial as his grades, or his arrangement with Howard, or something related to his scholarship.

That must be it, David thought. I’m in danger of losing my scholarship, and he’s taken it upon himself to talk to me.

But the moment he entered the chancellor’s office, he stopped in his tracks, because the depth of his self-delusion was fully apparent.

General Howard was sitting at his desk with his hands folded tightly in front of him—stern and aloof, as always—but the look on his face said he’d rather be anywhere else.

“David, have a seat,” he said, motioning toward the chairs in front of the desk. This greeting lacked the usual formalities, which made David’s heart beat even faster.

He crossed the room and sat down, and General Howard nodded at the guards. They returned a parting salute and left without another word, pulling the door closed behind them. Once they were gone, Howard leaned forward and stared at David intently.

“We know what you’ve done,” he said. “We have evidence.”

David frowned. “Evidence of what, Sir?”

Howard drew a long, slow breath and looked away. “You don’t know why you’re here, do you?”

“No, Sir.”

“What I’m referring to, David, is your relationship with Victor.”

“Oh.” David looked down and began fidgeting.

Howard stared back, and his gaze was unwavering. “You’re aware that such conduct is in violation of the rules, aren’t you?”

David looked away and didn’t respond.

“Since it seems you were, answer me this: why’d you do it?”

“I thought it wasn’t a big deal,” David responded quietly. “I didn’t think we’d get in trouble.”

Howard leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Honestly, neither did I.”

David looked up in surprise.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“You’re not the first cadet to be so cavalier about such behavior, carrying on as you have,” Howard said. “We’ve dealt with this before, and usually it’s only worthy of a light reprimand, if even that. I was prepared to issue such and leave it be, because Lord knows, we’ve got far greater concerns drawing our attention at the moment. However,” he took a deep breath, as if he was uncomfortable with the words he was about to say, “there’s been a concerted effort recently from certain members of senior command to remove such individuals from our ranks. It used to be that those rules were rarely enforced, but that’s no longer the case. They’ve been re-written, and the Space Corps’ new policy—both official and not—is much harsher towards these offenses. We’ve now got an entire committee dedicated to rooting out vice and immorality, and those officers have been given quite a bit of leeway with very little oversight.”

He paused, and David could see that he was collecting his thoughts. “I don’t think you realize how much trouble you’re in,” he finally said. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you deserve to hear it from me. And just so you know, I don’t think that what you’ve done should be a punishable offense, but some among our leadership disagree.”

David frowned. “Why wait until so late in the year, though? Why didn’t they say anything sooner?”

“Because they’ve been building a case against you for quite some time. They wanted evidence, and now they’ve got it.” He paused again, then sighed. “I tried talking them out of it—I really did—but this decision is coming from higher than me.”

David took a deep breath. “But Sir, you’re a member of senior command. If you disagree, why can’t you put a stop to it?”

Howard gave him a cynical look. “David,” he said, “I received my promotion less than a year ago, and I’ve only held the position of chancellor for a matter of months. I know that to you, it may seem as if these stars on my uniform imbue an inherent sense of authority, but as far as generals go, I’m very low on the command ladder. Those making these decisions are far more influential than I am, and they’re just as likely to go after me as they are you, if I come to your defense. Not that I won’t, of course, but as it stands now, the matter’s out of my hands. I promise, though, that I’ll do everything I can to shield you from the consequences of this moral crusade they’ve undertaken, which could be anything from expulsion to prison.”

David’s eyes widened. “Prison?”

“Yes,” Howard sighed again. “The penalty for engaging in licentious conduct, which is probably what you’ll be charged with, is up to two years confinement in a military prison. You’ll also potentially be subject to removal of all awards, medals, and honors, although as a first-year student, you haven’t got many of those. They’ll dispose of that running trophy you’ve won, I imagine. Then, what usually follows is dishonorable discharge—or in your case, expulsion from the Academy.” He leaned back and shrugged. “It’s ridiculous, of course, that they’d even consider subjecting a naive cadet to such, but you should be aware of the possibility. I hope it won’t come to that, and as I said, I’ll request leniency and advocate on your behalf, but you need to be prepared. You’ll be standing before officers you’ve never met, and defending actions they believe to be morally reprehensible.” He leaned forward and met David’s eyes. “Remember what I said about performing under stress?”

David nodded.

“Well, I hope you’ve honed that skill, because you’re going to need it.”

David closed his eyes and gripped the arms of his chair. “So what’s going to happen now? Today, I mean.”

Howard shrugged. “In the immediate future, there’s little to be done. But you have my word—I’m going to counsel you personally on this matter. Do everything I say, and follow my advice to the letter. I don’t know if you’ll be allowed to continue your studies here, but I think I can keep you out of prison, at the very least.”

David nodded. “Thank you, Sir.”

Howard paused, then let out a resigned sigh. “Just my luck, this would happen in my first year as chancellor. I don’t want to expel you, David. You’re an excellent student, and you’re a decent human being, which seems to be a vanishingly rare trait these days. Not that you’re some paragon of innocence and virtue, mind you, but you deserve better than this. Why weren’t you more careful?”

David had nothing to say.

“It’s because you didn’t know better, that’s why,” Howard continued. “That harlot you’ve been shacking up with did—Victor’s a menace, and if anyone needs to go, it’s him—but not you.”

“Speaking of Victor, what’s going to happen to him?” David asked.

Howard’s expression changed. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the details of his case, but what I can tell you is that he’s a rat, and he’ll have no problem lying in order to keep himself out of trouble, even if it’s at your expense.”

David vehemently shook his head. “He’d never do that.”

“Oh really?” Howard replied as that cynical look returned. “Because he’s already tried. As mentioned, I can’t disclose what was said in that meeting, but I can assure you with full certainty that he won’t see a day in prison, because he’s going to try to convince them he had nothing to do with this. He’ll blame it all on you, and unfortunately, he’s a better liar. You’ll find no help or sympathy there—not from him.”

David could hear the disdain that ran thick in these words, and he knew better than to argue. He simply nodded, and General Howard looked away.

“But regardless,” Howard said, composing himself and sitting up straighter, “you’re in quite a bit of trouble, and that needs to be the subject of our focus at the moment. Now, here’s what I want you to do. When you leave, return directly to the dorms. You should minimize contact with other cadets, and you can probably expect another visit from Security very soon. In fact, they may even assign someone to supervise you personally, if they deem you a flight risk. At some point in the near future, charges will be filed and proceedings will begin. I’ll meet with you again alongside your legal counsel, and we’ll address it all as it comes. Now, I think we should conclude this meeting, because there’s nothing further to be done at the moment. You have my word, though—I’ll be looking out for you.”

David nodded, but he was numb. He couldn’t think anymore. He couldn’t feel. He left that office and did all of those things exactly as instructed, but he did them on autopilot, and the next week passed as if in a dream.

All of it happened just as Howard had said. David’s roommate was transferred down the hall, and a member of the Security Forces moved in. This person’s job was solely to watch him, and nothing more. All of David’s movements took place under the watchful eye of a guard who stood in the corner of his room, followed him to his classes, remained a few feet behind him wherever he went, and shadowed his every step.

David kept to himself. He spoke to no one. He did what was required of him, and nothing more. Over the next few weeks he attended a series of preliminary hearings, meetings, and interviews he barely remembered. Then, his court martial began.