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Authors: Christopher L. Anderson
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minutes!”
That settled it. They dashed to the rotunda via the radial corridor, following everyone else. Passing through the large entrance revealed a curved amphitheater. “Cadets take your seats; we haven’t got all day.” Alexander, Lisa, James and Treya sat together, finding a group of seats as quickly as they possibly could amidst the confusion. Alexander felt patently uncomfortable between the girls. James gave him a grin and a thumbs-up, but Treya told him not to worry.
“It’s because you’re such a nice boy that we wanted to be around you. You’re not like those boys who are all full of themselves. You’re a good guy.”
“Usually that means I’m only good at getting beat up during lacrosse games,” he muttered. As if to make the point, someone took a swipe at the back of his head.
“Ouch!” Alexander turned angrily around. It was a large red headed boy. He leaned over the back of Alexander’ seat and nodded at Lisa. “Hey what’s the big idea?”
The boy knocked his hat off. “Why don’t you come back and sit with us. You can bring your friend here,” he nodded at Treya. “Just leave the little guy. He’s going to be a Fleet scientist locked up in his laboratory—I can tell.”
Alexander bolted to his feet, fists balled up; ready for a fight.
“Lay off,” James said, standing up next to Alexander. He’d had his share of fights because of his brother and was well able to take care of himself. “He’s a friend; leave him alone.”
“He needs your protection, is that it?” The boy smiled.
“Cadets, Atten-tion!”
Alexander automatically spun around and sprang to attention. Everyone else did the same in one mass rush of sound. A nervous silence followed. He looked down to the center of the rotunda where there was a podium. A party of three officers marched to the podium, two men and a woman. The woman stepped up to the podium, and said, “At ease cadets; I am Rear Admiral Hinohosa, and I will be your Academic Director. Everything having to do with academics goes through me. You will not graduate from the Academy, or even from a single class without my concurrence. Do you understand?”
“Yes ma’am!”
“Welcome to Indoc; that is, Indoctrination. You are about to embark on a rigorous six years of academic work,” she continued. “For some of you, the work will progress on this station through college and graduate school before moving you on to your specific mission training. Others will transfer to West Point for their legionary education.”
The large cadet gave Alexander a poke from behind. Alexander refused the desire to turn and glare at him.
“Cadet’s take your seats please,” she ordered, and they did so. As soon as they were seated a visiplate popped out of the seat in front of them and scanned their identity. The Admiral watched her compad, and when everyone had passed the identity scans, she announced, “You will now be asked a series of questions. A lie detector will gauge the veracity of your statements. I must impress on you that the truth is more important at this stage than being politically correct. Even if you were to say you were a Marxist you would not necessarily be kicked out of the Academy today—we’d most likely wait until tomorrow so that our Legionary Interrogators could pump as much information as possible out of you first!”
She laughed.
The cadets tried to laugh, but the thought of a hard-bitten legionary grilling them was not something a twelve year old wanted to consider—even in jest.
The visiplate brightened, but before any question appeared one of the three, a silver haired mustachioed Fleet Admiral, probably the Commandant, spoke in hushed tones to Admiral Hinohosa. She looked surprised and displeased. He nodded sympathetically and shrugged his shoulders.
“Cadets, apparently we are not to use the lie detector anymore. By an Executive Order the
That settled it. They dashed to the rotunda via the radial corridor, following everyone else. Passing through the large entrance revealed a curved amphitheater. “Cadets take your seats; we haven’t got all day.” Alexander, Lisa, James and Treya sat together, finding a group of seats as quickly as they possibly could amidst the confusion. Alexander felt patently uncomfortable between the girls. James gave him a grin and a thumbs-up, but Treya told him not to worry.
“It’s because you’re such a nice boy that we wanted to be around you. You’re not like those boys who are all full of themselves. You’re a good guy.”
“Usually that means I’m only good at getting beat up during lacrosse games,” he muttered. As if to make the point, someone took a swipe at the back of his head.
“Ouch!” Alexander turned angrily around. It was a large red headed boy. He leaned over the back of Alexander’ seat and nodded at Lisa. “Hey what’s the big idea?”
The boy knocked his hat off. “Why don’t you come back and sit with us. You can bring your friend here,” he nodded at Treya. “Just leave the little guy. He’s going to be a Fleet scientist locked up in his laboratory—I can tell.”
Alexander bolted to his feet, fists balled up; ready for a fight.
“Lay off,” James said, standing up next to Alexander. He’d had his share of fights because of his brother and was well able to take care of himself. “He’s a friend; leave him alone.”
“He needs your protection, is that it?” The boy smiled.
“Cadets, Atten-tion!”
Alexander automatically spun around and sprang to attention. Everyone else did the same in one mass rush of sound. A nervous silence followed. He looked down to the center of the rotunda where there was a podium. A party of three officers marched to the podium, two men and a woman. The woman stepped up to the podium, and said, “At ease cadets; I am Rear Admiral Hinohosa, and I will be your Academic Director. Everything having to do with academics goes through me. You will not graduate from the Academy, or even from a single class without my concurrence. Do you understand?”
“Yes ma’am!”
“Welcome to Indoc; that is, Indoctrination. You are about to embark on a rigorous six years of academic work,” she continued. “For some of you, the work will progress on this station through college and graduate school before moving you on to your specific mission training. Others will transfer to West Point for their legionary education.”
The large cadet gave Alexander a poke from behind. Alexander refused the desire to turn and glare at him.
“Cadet’s take your seats please,” she ordered, and they did so. As soon as they were seated a visiplate popped out of the seat in front of them and scanned their identity. The Admiral watched her compad, and when everyone had passed the identity scans, she announced, “You will now be asked a series of questions. A lie detector will gauge the veracity of your statements. I must impress on you that the truth is more important at this stage than being politically correct. Even if you were to say you were a Marxist you would not necessarily be kicked out of the Academy today—we’d most likely wait until tomorrow so that our Legionary Interrogators could pump as much information as possible out of you first!”
She laughed.
The cadets tried to laugh, but the thought of a hard-bitten legionary grilling them was not something a twelve year old wanted to consider—even in jest.
The visiplate brightened, but before any question appeared one of the three, a silver haired mustachioed Fleet Admiral, probably the Commandant, spoke in hushed tones to Admiral Hinohosa. She looked surprised and displeased. He nodded sympathetically and shrugged his shoulders.
“Cadets, apparently we are not to use the lie detector anymore. By an Executive Order the
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