DISCLAIMER: All recognizable characters are not mine. I took them from the TV show "Space Cases" without permission, but I am not using them for any kind of monetary gain.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Space Cases could not have been the only group of "Space Cases" to go through the Starcademy if the nickname "Space Cases" was so well known. Bearing that in mind, I created a new class of Space Cases. Enjoy!
The Casers
Part 1: The First Day
Killian Collins tried not to concentrate on the dull throb in her back. The pain was a constant part of her life, but it hurt even worse than normal. She shifted slightly in the chair and tried to focus on what the principal was saying.
"Due to your injury, Commander Collins, Stardog Command feels that it would be in your best interest if you did not return to active duty for a while. Until you are fit for duty, you will be assigned a teaching position here." She paused for a moment to peer at Commander Collins over the compupad in her hand. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am, that will be fine." In truth, she would rather do almost anything than teach, but if Admiral Cody said jump...Outloud she simply said, "What class will I be teaching?"
Glancing down at the compupad, she said, "Room 42D." Looking up once more, she added, "I do not wish to throw you into this situation without warning, so I will tell you that this class contains several...unusual students who require a more...ah, personalized learning environment."
Her mouth dropped open. "The Space Cases?!" she said incredulously.
The principal frowned. "Despite the...label that others have given them, these students have to potential to become excellent Stardogs. They simply need a little more..."
"...individual attention," she finished. "Yes, I've heard it all before."
The principal smiled thinly. "Ah, yes, your...father, was it?"
"Yes, my father taught here for many years." She couldn't help but continue. "Also, Commander Goddard told me of his experiences with his own class of Space Cases."
As expected, the principal sniffed slightly at the mention of Commander Goddard. "Yes, well, hopefully you will have more success with your class than he did." She paused for a moment. "Now, why don't you go and meet your students?"
Commander Collins stood up, ignoring the throbbing in her back. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you. I will do my best."
"See to it that you do, Commander. Good day."
Once she had left the office, Commander Collins rubbed the small of her back. It definitely wasn't going to be a good day.
*****
Commander Collins opened the door to her new classroom hesitantly and peered inside. All six students were already inside. She walked in and took a moment to study them.
The tall, slender Earther boy with dark hair and eyes that were as black as space who sat at the back of the room on the right side was sixteen-year-old Gianluca Astrobello. Although his record indicated that he had "special educational needs", his IQ was off the charts, and his tests revealed that he certainly was not stupid; on the contrary, he was alarmingly intelligent, especially in engineering.
The boy next to him was Zac, a seventeen-year-old Saturnian. All that his report had said was that he was "a natural leader" with "unresolved issues relating to the death of his brother seven years ago".
Next to him sat a short, stocky boy with flaming red hair. Commander Collins knew that this must be Rich Cooper, an eighteen-year-old from the Martian colony. His report had been almost as thick as Gianluca's. He was "moderately intelligent" with "an unusually hostile disposition", and he often "manipulated others" and "bullied his peers". She was wary of him, but continued on to the next student.
In front of Gianluca sat a tiny, slender girl with pale, almost transparent skin and large, luminous pale gray eyes. Her name was Arin, and she was a sixteen-year-old from the Lunar Colony. She appeared quite normal, but last month a teacher had found her sobbing hysterically after missing one question on a test. After that breakdown, the school thought it best to put her in this class for "special attention".
Next to her was Zoe, a sullen-looking seventeen-year-old from Earth. While "extremely intelligent", Zoe "refused to work to the best of her potential" and "lacked motivation".
Finally, a tall boy from Uranus completed the group. Barrett was seventeen, and he "worked well with others", "showed evidence of leadership skills", and "showed consideration for others' feelings". Unfortunately, he was also very stubborn and had gained immortality by arguing with Professor Kirpatrick for an entire hour as to whether or not plasma was a fourth state of matter. After that, he had been placed in the class for "showing a severe lack of respect".
"Well," she began, "why don't you start by telling me a little bit about yourselves? Why don't you start, Gianluca?"
There was no answer. Indeed, there was virtually no response. The boy's face remained completely unreadable.
"Commander Collins," Arin called, waving her arm in the air, "Gianluca doesn't talk."
Her eyes widened. "He...doesn't talk? Ever?"
She nodded. "Yes, sir."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Then how does he get through school?"
"He knows how to read and write, but he never talks. If you ask him a question in class, though, he can send you an answer from his computer."
Walking over to her desk, Commander Collins saw that this was indeed true; the boy had sent her a message that contained his name, age, and home (New York City). She couldn't believe that the boy had managed to hack his way through the system--any access to teachers' files was restricted from the students.
"Well," she said, "why don't you start then, Arin?"
"Okay," the perky girl said. "I'm Arin, and I'm from Luna City. I'm sixteen years old, and I have four brothers and two sisters."
There was a pause before the next student started up. "I'm Zoe. I'm seventeen, I'm from Chicago, and I don't want to be here, but my parents made me."
"I'm Barrett, I'm from Uranus, and I don't have any brothers or sisters." He looked at her. "Do you want to know anything else about us?"
She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Just tell me what you want me to know."
"Okay." There was a long pause before he added, "I'm done."
"I'm Rich Cooper, I'm from the Martian colony, and I have two older brothers."
"I'm Zac, and I'm from Titan. Oh yeah, and my little brother was abducted."
"Abducted? How?"
"The government abducted him," Zac replied matter-of-factly. "They did it to silence my family, but the truth will come out!" Having said this, he sat down with a smile on his face.
Commander Collins stared at the students numbly. One was cataconic. One was desperately perky. One was sullen. One was insubordinate. One was manipulative. And one was paranoid.
Not bad, she told herself. It'll be okay.
Outloud she said, "We will begin by discussing the origins of astronomy." She noticed that Zoe had rolled her eyes, Rich and Zac were hitting each other, Barrett looked like he was asleep, and Gianluca looked completely dead. Only Arin was listening attentively.
It'll be a long year, she thought, rubbing the small of her back.
*****
"How are you, Kaci?"
She smiled. "Okay, Seth. How about you?"
"Not too bad," he said, sitting down beside her. "I only have another month of teaching."
"Ironic, huh? A few years ago, I was in space, and you were teaching. And in another month, you'll be in space, and I'll be teaching."
"You'll do fine, Kaci. Trust me. Speaking of which, how'd your first day go?"
"I suppose it could have been worse," she said ruefully. "They're pretty...*unusual*, though."
"Let's see who you've got," he said, taking a look at the class roster. "Hmm...Gianluca Astrobello, Arin Zimmerman, Zac, Rich Cooper, Zoe Pearson, and Barrett." He gave a low whistle. "Wow, those really *are* Space Cases."
"Did you ever teach any of them?"
"I taught Arin and Zac for a while. The others I just heard about from the other teachers."
"Like T.J.?" There was an awkward silence. "Sorry, I guess that was a cheap shot."
"T.J. and I are just friends, Kaci."
"Like you and I were just friends on the Saratoga?" she asked, arching her eyebrows.
"No, not like that." He smiled at her. "So, how's your back?"
Automatically her hand rubbed the small of her back. "Fine, but your 'friend' Reever sure didn't make it any better."
"You know I am sorry about that."
"I know."
"I didn't mean for you to fall like that...I thought that you'd fall before you got so high on that rope..."
"Seth, trust me! It's okay. It was a long time ago."
"Okay."
There was silence for a moment.
"You know I'm really sorry..."
"Seth!"
"...that you have to teach here."
"Well, thanks."
"You'll do fine."
"Thanks. I hope so." She propped her head up on her hands. "It's going to be a long year."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Space Cases could not have been the only group of "Space Cases" to go through the Starcademy if the nickname "Space Cases" was so well known. Bearing that in mind, I created a new class of Space Cases. Enjoy!
The Casers
Part 1: The First Day
Killian Collins tried not to concentrate on the dull throb in her back. The pain was a constant part of her life, but it hurt even worse than normal. She shifted slightly in the chair and tried to focus on what the principal was saying.
"Due to your injury, Commander Collins, Stardog Command feels that it would be in your best interest if you did not return to active duty for a while. Until you are fit for duty, you will be assigned a teaching position here." She paused for a moment to peer at Commander Collins over the compupad in her hand. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am, that will be fine." In truth, she would rather do almost anything than teach, but if Admiral Cody said jump...Outloud she simply said, "What class will I be teaching?"
Glancing down at the compupad, she said, "Room 42D." Looking up once more, she added, "I do not wish to throw you into this situation without warning, so I will tell you that this class contains several...unusual students who require a more...ah, personalized learning environment."
Her mouth dropped open. "The Space Cases?!" she said incredulously.
The principal frowned. "Despite the...label that others have given them, these students have to potential to become excellent Stardogs. They simply need a little more..."
"...individual attention," she finished. "Yes, I've heard it all before."
The principal smiled thinly. "Ah, yes, your...father, was it?"
"Yes, my father taught here for many years." She couldn't help but continue. "Also, Commander Goddard told me of his experiences with his own class of Space Cases."
As expected, the principal sniffed slightly at the mention of Commander Goddard. "Yes, well, hopefully you will have more success with your class than he did." She paused for a moment. "Now, why don't you go and meet your students?"
Commander Collins stood up, ignoring the throbbing in her back. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you. I will do my best."
"See to it that you do, Commander. Good day."
Once she had left the office, Commander Collins rubbed the small of her back. It definitely wasn't going to be a good day.
*****
Commander Collins opened the door to her new classroom hesitantly and peered inside. All six students were already inside. She walked in and took a moment to study them.
The tall, slender Earther boy with dark hair and eyes that were as black as space who sat at the back of the room on the right side was sixteen-year-old Gianluca Astrobello. Although his record indicated that he had "special educational needs", his IQ was off the charts, and his tests revealed that he certainly was not stupid; on the contrary, he was alarmingly intelligent, especially in engineering.
The boy next to him was Zac, a seventeen-year-old Saturnian. All that his report had said was that he was "a natural leader" with "unresolved issues relating to the death of his brother seven years ago".
Next to him sat a short, stocky boy with flaming red hair. Commander Collins knew that this must be Rich Cooper, an eighteen-year-old from the Martian colony. His report had been almost as thick as Gianluca's. He was "moderately intelligent" with "an unusually hostile disposition", and he often "manipulated others" and "bullied his peers". She was wary of him, but continued on to the next student.
In front of Gianluca sat a tiny, slender girl with pale, almost transparent skin and large, luminous pale gray eyes. Her name was Arin, and she was a sixteen-year-old from the Lunar Colony. She appeared quite normal, but last month a teacher had found her sobbing hysterically after missing one question on a test. After that breakdown, the school thought it best to put her in this class for "special attention".
Next to her was Zoe, a sullen-looking seventeen-year-old from Earth. While "extremely intelligent", Zoe "refused to work to the best of her potential" and "lacked motivation".
Finally, a tall boy from Uranus completed the group. Barrett was seventeen, and he "worked well with others", "showed evidence of leadership skills", and "showed consideration for others' feelings". Unfortunately, he was also very stubborn and had gained immortality by arguing with Professor Kirpatrick for an entire hour as to whether or not plasma was a fourth state of matter. After that, he had been placed in the class for "showing a severe lack of respect".
"Well," she began, "why don't you start by telling me a little bit about yourselves? Why don't you start, Gianluca?"
There was no answer. Indeed, there was virtually no response. The boy's face remained completely unreadable.
"Commander Collins," Arin called, waving her arm in the air, "Gianluca doesn't talk."
Her eyes widened. "He...doesn't talk? Ever?"
She nodded. "Yes, sir."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Then how does he get through school?"
"He knows how to read and write, but he never talks. If you ask him a question in class, though, he can send you an answer from his computer."
Walking over to her desk, Commander Collins saw that this was indeed true; the boy had sent her a message that contained his name, age, and home (New York City). She couldn't believe that the boy had managed to hack his way through the system--any access to teachers' files was restricted from the students.
"Well," she said, "why don't you start then, Arin?"
"Okay," the perky girl said. "I'm Arin, and I'm from Luna City. I'm sixteen years old, and I have four brothers and two sisters."
There was a pause before the next student started up. "I'm Zoe. I'm seventeen, I'm from Chicago, and I don't want to be here, but my parents made me."
"I'm Barrett, I'm from Uranus, and I don't have any brothers or sisters." He looked at her. "Do you want to know anything else about us?"
She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Just tell me what you want me to know."
"Okay." There was a long pause before he added, "I'm done."
"I'm Rich Cooper, I'm from the Martian colony, and I have two older brothers."
"I'm Zac, and I'm from Titan. Oh yeah, and my little brother was abducted."
"Abducted? How?"
"The government abducted him," Zac replied matter-of-factly. "They did it to silence my family, but the truth will come out!" Having said this, he sat down with a smile on his face.
Commander Collins stared at the students numbly. One was cataconic. One was desperately perky. One was sullen. One was insubordinate. One was manipulative. And one was paranoid.
Not bad, she told herself. It'll be okay.
Outloud she said, "We will begin by discussing the origins of astronomy." She noticed that Zoe had rolled her eyes, Rich and Zac were hitting each other, Barrett looked like he was asleep, and Gianluca looked completely dead. Only Arin was listening attentively.
It'll be a long year, she thought, rubbing the small of her back.
*****
"How are you, Kaci?"
She smiled. "Okay, Seth. How about you?"
"Not too bad," he said, sitting down beside her. "I only have another month of teaching."
"Ironic, huh? A few years ago, I was in space, and you were teaching. And in another month, you'll be in space, and I'll be teaching."
"You'll do fine, Kaci. Trust me. Speaking of which, how'd your first day go?"
"I suppose it could have been worse," she said ruefully. "They're pretty...*unusual*, though."
"Let's see who you've got," he said, taking a look at the class roster. "Hmm...Gianluca Astrobello, Arin Zimmerman, Zac, Rich Cooper, Zoe Pearson, and Barrett." He gave a low whistle. "Wow, those really *are* Space Cases."
"Did you ever teach any of them?"
"I taught Arin and Zac for a while. The others I just heard about from the other teachers."
"Like T.J.?" There was an awkward silence. "Sorry, I guess that was a cheap shot."
"T.J. and I are just friends, Kaci."
"Like you and I were just friends on the Saratoga?" she asked, arching her eyebrows.
"No, not like that." He smiled at her. "So, how's your back?"
Automatically her hand rubbed the small of her back. "Fine, but your 'friend' Reever sure didn't make it any better."
"You know I am sorry about that."
"I know."
"I didn't mean for you to fall like that...I thought that you'd fall before you got so high on that rope..."
"Seth, trust me! It's okay. It was a long time ago."
"Okay."
There was silence for a moment.
"You know I'm really sorry..."
"Seth!"
"...that you have to teach here."
"Well, thanks."
"You'll do fine."
"Thanks. I hope so." She propped her head up on her hands. "It's going to be a long year."