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Authors: D. E. Kinney
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expanding Empire, Star Force, thirty years ago, opened the Academy to selected alien races as well. First and foremost, selected aliens, in order to be considered for appointment, must be an Alpha Class Tarcheinoid. The designs and requirements of equipment and facilities will tolerate nothing else. Furthermore, they must be from races that are endowed with certain minimum standards in leadership, intelligence, aggressiveness, physical abilities, loyalty, and a willingness to fight for the glory of the Empire.
- Excerpt from The History of the Star Force -
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Academy
That first year at the Academy was challenging for many, including Tommy. Not that the classes were overly difficult; certainly Remus had prepared him for the rigors of the school’s academics. And the required participation in athletics was more of a welcomed release from the unyielding regimented routine than a burden. No, it was primarily the separation from everything they had known and the stripping away of self—well, an attempt to do so at any rate. It was a new reliance on all things Star Force, and the imposed discipline of a very structured lifestyle, which included no leave for the first-year cadet, that really took its toll.
For some, the isolation of an orbiting school coupled with the strict, often harsh military standards had been too much. Tommy’s brigade alone had lost twenty-two cadets, including Gary’s roommate—all returning home after being paraded past an Academy formation. Tommy hoped they would at least engage the gravity on the flight back to Tarchein, but he somehow doubted it. One last indignation to endure, he supposed.
Consequently, as a direct result of this ongoing adversity, and no doubt as part of some grand team-building scheme, the young cadets were encouraged to develop personal bonds and a sense of camaraderie through sanctioned study groups and on the numerous playing fields located throughout the school. The Tarchein had always used competitive athletics as a way to hone leadership and combat skills. And as if to reinforce this philosophy, what free time the Toadies did have was spent in the required participation of organized sporting events, the most significant of these being stratagem. A kind of weightless lacrosse, stratagem was a violent, fast-paced sport invented by the Tarchein over a hundred years ago—perfect for the molding and testing of would-be Imperial military leaders.
Tommy, as one might imagine, was a natural in the weightless arena, even managing to win a spot on the brigade’s team, and although he saw very little action, Tommy wished that Remus could have seen a game. He would have liked to show off his strat suit, but of course no first-year was to have any contact with anyone from the outside. And although he knew Remus, as chairman, could have visited whenever he wanted, for Tommy’s sake he had refrained, choosing instead to wait like all the others for the end of the term to visit with his adopted son.
But finally the term did end, bringing with it some significant events. A month-long visit with Remus, Tommy’s three new friends joining him for the break’s final week before their return flight, and the addition of two red stripes on his sleeve—Tommy was no longer a Toadie!
In year two, Gary, Bo, Sloan, and Tommy, already good friends, became inseparable, even spending breaks with Remus relaxing in his opulent home at the capital or exploring the endless meandering trails of Mietree. And things at school were getting easier to manage. For instance, getting to classes or formations on time had become a bit less stressful, as the second-years had finally learned to navigate the giant station. And although the upperclassmen still took every opportunity to harass them, it didn’t seem quite so harsh—or maybe they were becoming immune to the regular, albeit fabricated, tirades.
Whatever the reason, Tommy’s second year of the Academy had settled into a
- Excerpt from The History of the Star Force -
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Academy
That first year at the Academy was challenging for many, including Tommy. Not that the classes were overly difficult; certainly Remus had prepared him for the rigors of the school’s academics. And the required participation in athletics was more of a welcomed release from the unyielding regimented routine than a burden. No, it was primarily the separation from everything they had known and the stripping away of self—well, an attempt to do so at any rate. It was a new reliance on all things Star Force, and the imposed discipline of a very structured lifestyle, which included no leave for the first-year cadet, that really took its toll.
For some, the isolation of an orbiting school coupled with the strict, often harsh military standards had been too much. Tommy’s brigade alone had lost twenty-two cadets, including Gary’s roommate—all returning home after being paraded past an Academy formation. Tommy hoped they would at least engage the gravity on the flight back to Tarchein, but he somehow doubted it. One last indignation to endure, he supposed.
Consequently, as a direct result of this ongoing adversity, and no doubt as part of some grand team-building scheme, the young cadets were encouraged to develop personal bonds and a sense of camaraderie through sanctioned study groups and on the numerous playing fields located throughout the school. The Tarchein had always used competitive athletics as a way to hone leadership and combat skills. And as if to reinforce this philosophy, what free time the Toadies did have was spent in the required participation of organized sporting events, the most significant of these being stratagem. A kind of weightless lacrosse, stratagem was a violent, fast-paced sport invented by the Tarchein over a hundred years ago—perfect for the molding and testing of would-be Imperial military leaders.
Tommy, as one might imagine, was a natural in the weightless arena, even managing to win a spot on the brigade’s team, and although he saw very little action, Tommy wished that Remus could have seen a game. He would have liked to show off his strat suit, but of course no first-year was to have any contact with anyone from the outside. And although he knew Remus, as chairman, could have visited whenever he wanted, for Tommy’s sake he had refrained, choosing instead to wait like all the others for the end of the term to visit with his adopted son.
But finally the term did end, bringing with it some significant events. A month-long visit with Remus, Tommy’s three new friends joining him for the break’s final week before their return flight, and the addition of two red stripes on his sleeve—Tommy was no longer a Toadie!
In year two, Gary, Bo, Sloan, and Tommy, already good friends, became inseparable, even spending breaks with Remus relaxing in his opulent home at the capital or exploring the endless meandering trails of Mietree. And things at school were getting easier to manage. For instance, getting to classes or formations on time had become a bit less stressful, as the second-years had finally learned to navigate the giant station. And although the upperclassmen still took every opportunity to harass them, it didn’t seem quite so harsh—or maybe they were becoming immune to the regular, albeit fabricated, tirades.
Whatever the reason, Tommy’s second year of the Academy had settled into a
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