was everything she expected.
Watching through the narrow portcullis of the civilian transport, she saw the tall spires drop away, as they approached the edge of the lake, giving way to luscious green grass. The edges of the green lawns were traced by ground-level sidewalks that led to a massive, four-story brick structure that covered nearly a half-mile of property along the shore. To the building’s periphery sat enormous hangar bays, their retractable roofs glistening in the warm air.
The civilian transport passed over the green fields and angled toward a flat section of poured concrete marked with alternating blue and yellow lights that chased each other around the perimeter of the square landing zone. Firing its maneuvering rockets, the transport changed trajectory one last time before settling smoothly to the ground.
The few other students onboard stood and collected their gear. Keryn nervously tugged on her light gray cadet’s uniform, as she wanted for the crowd to thin before standing and pulling her duffel bag free from the overhead compartment. Many other students struck up friendly conversations with each other and joked about the long journey to Arcendor. Occasionally, they gave Keryn an odd look, obviously surprised to see a Wyndgaart at the Academy. Feeling surprisingly exposed and out of place, she readjusted her confining uniform jacket one last time before falling into line with the exiting cadets.
Squinting against the bright light, she savored the warmth of the Arcendus sun, as she stepped off the cramped transport. The trip was cold, made doubly so by the Oterian sitting nearby, who insisted on keeping cool air on his furry body at all times. Keryn couldn’t remember the last time she felt so cold, having spent her entire life enjoying the constant temperatures of the Wyndgaart home world. Still, she knew she was in for a new series of experiences and adventures, as she began pilot training.
Having no guidance from the transport crew, the cadets gathered outside the ship. Breaking into cliques often separated by race, they talked and gossiped among themselves. More than once, Keryn saw a finger point at her. Frowning, she walked around the side of the ship, leaned against its heated metal exterior, and soaked in the sun’s rays.
After resting for less than a minute, she heard a commotion stop at the back of the plane, as the group fell into harsh silence. Sticking her head around the rear of the ship, she watched a pale-skinned Avalon garbed in a black uniform, step before the gaggle of cadets.
“Cadets!” she shouted. “Fall in!”
Hurrying to join the others, Keryn stood in the rear of four rows, as the cadets jostled for position in the lines.
“Let me be the first to welcome you all to the Alliance Fleet Academy,” the Avalon said. “My name is Magistrate Victoria, but you may call me Ma’am. I’ll be one of your primary instructors for the first year. Some of your faces are familiar to me, your families having long-standing legacies here at the Academy. For some in this crowd, your families have as many as eight generations of previous graduates from this institution.”
A smug Avalon female one row ahead of Keryn smiled confidently. Nudging the Uligart female beside her, she winked.
“Let me explain something right away,” Victoria said sternly. “I don't care who your family is or how well you did in school before your acceptance to the Academy.”
The smile on the Avalon student’s face disappeared.
“As far as I’m concerned, every one of you is inept and inexperienced. My job is to take your shapeless putty
Watching through the narrow portcullis of the civilian transport, she saw the tall spires drop away, as they approached the edge of the lake, giving way to luscious green grass. The edges of the green lawns were traced by ground-level sidewalks that led to a massive, four-story brick structure that covered nearly a half-mile of property along the shore. To the building’s periphery sat enormous hangar bays, their retractable roofs glistening in the warm air.
The civilian transport passed over the green fields and angled toward a flat section of poured concrete marked with alternating blue and yellow lights that chased each other around the perimeter of the square landing zone. Firing its maneuvering rockets, the transport changed trajectory one last time before settling smoothly to the ground.
The few other students onboard stood and collected their gear. Keryn nervously tugged on her light gray cadet’s uniform, as she wanted for the crowd to thin before standing and pulling her duffel bag free from the overhead compartment. Many other students struck up friendly conversations with each other and joked about the long journey to Arcendor. Occasionally, they gave Keryn an odd look, obviously surprised to see a Wyndgaart at the Academy. Feeling surprisingly exposed and out of place, she readjusted her confining uniform jacket one last time before falling into line with the exiting cadets.
Squinting against the bright light, she savored the warmth of the Arcendus sun, as she stepped off the cramped transport. The trip was cold, made doubly so by the Oterian sitting nearby, who insisted on keeping cool air on his furry body at all times. Keryn couldn’t remember the last time she felt so cold, having spent her entire life enjoying the constant temperatures of the Wyndgaart home world. Still, she knew she was in for a new series of experiences and adventures, as she began pilot training.
Having no guidance from the transport crew, the cadets gathered outside the ship. Breaking into cliques often separated by race, they talked and gossiped among themselves. More than once, Keryn saw a finger point at her. Frowning, she walked around the side of the ship, leaned against its heated metal exterior, and soaked in the sun’s rays.
After resting for less than a minute, she heard a commotion stop at the back of the plane, as the group fell into harsh silence. Sticking her head around the rear of the ship, she watched a pale-skinned Avalon garbed in a black uniform, step before the gaggle of cadets.
“Cadets!” she shouted. “Fall in!”
Hurrying to join the others, Keryn stood in the rear of four rows, as the cadets jostled for position in the lines.
“Let me be the first to welcome you all to the Alliance Fleet Academy,” the Avalon said. “My name is Magistrate Victoria, but you may call me Ma’am. I’ll be one of your primary instructors for the first year. Some of your faces are familiar to me, your families having long-standing legacies here at the Academy. For some in this crowd, your families have as many as eight generations of previous graduates from this institution.”
A smug Avalon female one row ahead of Keryn smiled confidently. Nudging the Uligart female beside her, she winked.
“Let me explain something right away,” Victoria said sternly. “I don't care who your family is or how well you did in school before your acceptance to the Academy.”
The smile on the Avalon student’s face disappeared.
“As far as I’m concerned, every one of you is inept and inexperienced. My job is to take your shapeless putty
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