Ch. 2 – Intrepid and Candor
Jim ran as fast as he could. Five minutes – he had just made it to the assembly hall in record time. Pausing to catch his breath, he looked around. A few cadets were still milling about outside, but most of them were already inside the large assembly room. Straightening his uniform, Jim entered the room, glancing around again.
"Hey Jim, over here!" he heard Ale call. He turned and saw her waving, pointing at the empty seat beside her.
Inwardly grateful, Jim made his way through the seats until he reached his friend.
"Had to fight off a few people to keep this seat. You're lucky," Ale grinned.
"Thanks. I didn't mean to sleep in. I was actually planning to get up this morning," Jim replied.
"Hold that thought," Ale rolled her eyes. "You're a mess." She motioned for him to face her and proceeded to straighten his collar for him and brush off the shoulders of his uniform.
"Thanks," he muttered.
Without batting an eye, Ale moved on to the next subject. "So if you didn't mean to sleep in… why did you? Forget to set the alarm?"
"Nah, I think I turned it off, mother. But I'm here now aren't I? So really, it's nothing."
"Uh-huh. I'm sure."
Ale faced forward, crossing one leg over the other. Jim watched her sit in silence, knowing what was going to happen next. Though he had really grown up over the past few years, Jim was still rather aloof, as he had been when he was younger. He would often downplay his thoughts and feelings, keeping them to himself. It was something that just… happened. That is, until Ale could pry his words from him. For some reason, she almost always could. Especially when she did that "sitting in silence" act that usually provoked a response from him – mostly because he had no idea as to what she was thinking, and was curious to know.
"All right, all right. Stop the silence thing, Ale. I had another dream."
"You mean, about your father?" Ale's eyes widened and she faced him again. Jim had told her all he remembered of his father, a sad story from the past. And though he said he had moved on, Ale had a feeling that he still wanted closure. Closure that he was unable to obtain.
"Yeah. It was a short one. Only lasted a few minutes I think. I still have no idea why I keep having these stupid dreams."
"Maybe it's a premonition. Maybe they're trying to tell you something."
"Ale, you know that stuff isn't true. Premonitions? Come on! That's just myths and stories," Jim sighed.
"Well, of all people I thought that you were the one who was open-minded to all things. What about Flint's Trove? Everything thought that was a story too, but you found it. Anything's possible, Jim. Even the impossible."
Jim shrugged. She might've been right, but it was hard for him to believe it. After all of those years, how could he believe it? Especially since he'd had dreams about his father's return… ever since the day he left. Of course the dreams came and went, but he still had them. And they were always one of two things: his father ignoring him or his father returning.
Suddenly a man appeared on the stage at the front of the room, and everyone fell silent. The students rose to their feet, saluted sharply, and then stood at ease. The man before them was Admiral Rancour – the head of the Interstellar Academy. He was a man of the shark species, always to be treated with the utmost respect. He rarely appeared in front of the cadets; only at rare special occasions, such as this. And even now he had a dominating presence – the room was so silent that even the slightest change in breathing could be heard.
Jim silently hoped that his stomach wouldn't growl or something silly like that. He hadn't eaten, as a result of oversleeping, and was beginning to feel the effects of that. It would be quite embarrassing for something – such as his stomach growling – to happen in front of the Admiral.
"Senior Cadets," Rancour began, eyeing the sea of blue uniforms before him. "You have been training for four years now. Soon you will be part of a crew in this, the Interstellar Navy. You will be set with the responsibility of protecting the Etherium, the responsibility of coming to the aid of her royal majesty, the Queen, and her subjects. I know that you are anticipating what ships you will be assigned to, and some of you will be finding that out within the next few hours. This assembly for the Ship Assignments, is a tradition that started only a few years after the Academy opened. Those that are chosen by the Captains shall acknowledge this honor, but remain humble about it. My cadets are not show-offs…"
Jim could almost picture Ale laughing inside. He was. They all knew that the cadets tried to upstage each other at every opportunity possible. And Jim had beaten everyone when it came to solar surfing… but found himself just "average" at everything else. He blinked twice and his attention was back on the Admiral.
"…and so without further adieu, I present to you the Captains of thirty of our finest ships." A curtain behind the Admiral was drawn open, revealing thirty Captains of different species, all on their feet, dressed in crisp white uniforms. The cadets saluted in proper protocol.
Once the Captains saluted back, they were able to be seated and the ceremony could begin. It was interesting at first, to see his classmates receive the honor of being picked by a Captain, but soon Jim grew restless. The ceremony was becoming tedious… boring. He shifted slowly in his seat, trying to keep the feeling in his legs. But then…
"Captain Francis of the RLS Intrepid requests that Cadet Alexandra Harris become part of his crew."
Jim's eyes widened and he glanced beside him. Ale was sitting still, as if she were frozen in time. She barely blinked as the moment seemed to turn into forever. Finally Jim tapped her on the shoulder, breaking her from her daze.
"Ale, you're up."
"Oh God," she whispered and stood slowly. Then, regaining her composure she walked up to the stage, her confidence renewed. Jim watched as his friend saluted the Admiral and her new Captain. He watched as she received the certificate confirming her acceptance to the RLS Intrepid's crew. Ale deserved it, really. Jim had watched her work so hard over the years. She had always put in the extra effort to make sure that she came out on top of things. After all, although the Academy was equal-opportunity, there were still more men than women. Jim knew that Ale felt as if she had to prove herself all along. And now she had.
Ale descended the steps and walked quickly back to her seat, certificate in hand. She sat, still contemplating all that had just occurred. It wasn't until the next cadet was called that she finally turned to Jim, a small smile on her face.
"I thought I was going to faint," she admitted. "I never thought…"
"You know you deserved it," he replied.
The ceremony dragged on. Jim knew that the feeling in his lower body was lost. He began to slouch, and his legs were practically on pins and needles. He glanced at his watch. The ceremony was bound to be over soon… then he would grab something to eat and perhaps take a nice long nap…
"Captain Kettes of the RLS Candor requests that Cadet James Hawkins become part of his crew."
Jim sat straight up. Had the Admiral really just called his name? Yes, he most definitely had. Ale nudged him in the ribs.
"And now you're up," she whispered.
Jim rose, his head spinning with excitement and giddiness… and sheer disbelief. Suddenly he lost his footing, as his legs were asleep. He felt his body pitch forward. No… this couldn't be happening now. His moment of glory – about to be ruined by his clumsiness. But he didn't hit the floor. Ale had stood up and caught him, breaking the fall. After helping him regain his footing, she quickly saluted him and cleared her throat.
"I'm so sorry, Cadet Hawkins. I didn't mean to trip you. It was lazy of me to have my foot in the aisle. Are you all right?" she raised a knowing eyebrow at him.
He saluted her back, feeling life return to his legs. "I accept your apology, Cadet Harris. All is forgiven." She nodded and sat back down, as he walked to the stage to accept his certificate.
Jim was on cloud nine when he shook Captain Kettes' hand. The Captain was of the felinoid species – the same as Captain Amelia. He was shorter than most of his kind, as Jim remembered reading that those of the felinoid species were supposed to be tall. But Captain Kettes looked like a strong, respectable man, who would expect hard work and dedication from the fledgling cadet that he had just invited to join his crew. In the back of his mind, Jim almost wondered why he was always stuck with the feline captains. In all honesty, he didn't mind. This was the honor that he had been waiting for, though he never expected that he would actually be on of the cadets to cross the stage on Ship Assignment Day. The moment flew by like a whirlwind and before Jim knew it, the entire ceremony had ended.
He stood from his seat, still amazed at the honor he held in his hand. Clean and crisp, with the insignia of the Navy embossed on it. Calligraphy… stating that he, Jim Hawkins, was now a part of the crew of the RLS Candor. All of it encased in a leather folder. He could hardly believe it. Once out of the assembly hall, he turned to Ale and grabbed her into a huge hug. Both of their excitement spilled out simultaneously.
"We did it. I can't believe we did it," he exclaimed over and over.
"I always knew that you could," she said.
"Oh yeah, and uh… thanks for saving my ass back there."
"You'd do the same for me, I'm sure," she laughed.
"Hey why don't we catch a ship to Felis and celebrate or something? I'm starving!"
"I'm up for it. Let's get out of here!"
Jim was still grinning from ear to ear, but suddenly his mind went blank for a moment… that, like his near-embarrassing moment – seemed to last forever …
"Daddy, I just became a part of the crew of the RLS Candor!"
"Son, it's just a piece of paper…"
*****
You think it's over? No way - it's only beginning. And it's gonna get good… Stay tuned for Chapter 3! ^_^
