Chapter Three: Kedi

The first week at the academy was the longest in Avocato's life. Granted, he was only seventeen, so he didn't have many trials for comparison, but it was a hard week to get through. The setting, the routine, were all so alien to him, but very much wanted to be here, and so he did his best and adapted. He felt it was something of a triumph for him the first time he and Nikos returned to their dorm and the room inspectors hadn't left his blanket and sheets balled up atop his bare mattress for him to remake. Nikos' bed-making skills apparently passed muster from the start, and the two burly cadets across the hall came begging for help once they realized they were neighbors with the master. They were the first of many in the building. Avocato was likewise in demand when his peers realized his boots always survived the daily uniform inspection. Soon the first-year recruits' boots were putting the fifth years' to shame, much to their chagrin.

At this stage, they all had the same classes: military drill, physical training, Galactic Standard, history, math, basic tactics and field maneuvers, and leadership and management. Weapons and piloting would be introduced midway through the year, as well as more specialized courses.

Avocato was already so fluent in Galactic Standard he was able to test out of the required course along with a handful of other first-year cadets. Blissful empty hours were not coming his way, however, as he was voluntold to sign up to be a tutor for his classmates. Since fluency in Galactic Standard was necessary to graduate, Avocato got into the habit of addressing all first-year recruits in that language and ignoring them if they spoke Ventrexian once they were out of class, forcing them to learn. It was particularly effective with Nikos, who could stumble through a simple conversation but wasn't fluent. Yet. Stuck in the same room, the wiry spice farmer had no choice but to learn and quickly. It wasn't very long before Nikos could exchange barbs with Avocato – cursing and colorful insults being a high priority - and his ability to read and write the language improved dramatically, as did his accent.

Their burly neighbors, Felice and Toshi, turned out to have no concept of personal space. They were in Avocato and Nikos' room at least twice before breakfast and a good chunk of every evening without fail. Felice wanted to be a gunner, Toshi a field medic. Both were from very large families, both missed their little brothers, and so they adopted the two closest recruits. Mostly they sat on the floor and did their homework and studied or polished their boots, getting in the way and cursing Avocato when he forced them to speak Galactic Standard. It wasn't long before they could curse him in Galactic Standard, which Avocato counted as a win.

"No, no, Toshi. It's not Avocato are carrions. The way you want to use it, that's one of those words that's the same singular or plural. It's Avocato is carrion, or Avocato and Felice are carrion."

"Admitting it is a very big step, Cato."

"Bite me."

"Ew. No. You're carrion, remember?"

"And Felice, calling people a 'grab bag' is not an insult unless you pile on some adjectives."

"It's a stupid grab bag word for stupid grab bag people."

"That's better."

Pawlette and her roommate, FannFee, were also frequent visitors, mostly when they needed help or just wanted company. FannFee's pronunciation of Galactic Standard was particularly appalling, but she knew history like no one they had met. Nikos, as it turned out, was their go-to math genius and fairly ruthless when it came to accounting, having tended the books for his family's business since he was twelve. So among the three of them, the math, history, and language skills were covered.

For so modern a facility, on a planet so advanced and with so much automation as Ventrexia, the military academy seemed oddly out of step with the times. They used actual books alongside pads and computers, maintained their rooms and uniforms by hand, bussed their own tables, used stairs, could only send and receive letters, and a thousand other mundane tasks that could have been done by machine, but weren't. Avocato, whose parents preferred to employ people over robots for all but the most dangerous jobs, could understand and appreciate the distinction and the reverence for tradition. These things bespoke a personal touch and attention to detail lacking in automation, not to mention time management skills. Not so all his classmates. It was six days before a cadet finally complained (and to Avocato's secret delight, it was Cadet Stergar, the black-and-white lordling who had accosted Nikos in the hall of their dorm). Hearing him, the senior drill instructor, Tomkin, had loudly and roundly set him straight - far straighter than he'd ever been set in his life.

"Will you always have your mother around to button your coat for you? To hold your hand and tuck you in? No? Then maybe you should learn how to do things for yourself! Everything! Do you think every planet you'll visit has Ventrexia's level of technology? If you intend to be an officer, you need to lead by example! If you can't take care of yourself, you can't take care of your men! And from whee I'm standing, you've got far to go, cadet! Do you think there'll be a robot to clean up after you on the battlefield? On the frontier? Congratulations, Cadet Stergar! You just earned your class three more laps! Class 984, move it!"

It was worth the extra running to see the drill instructor in the not-so-smug-anymore lordling's face. What was more, they had to wait for Sterngar and a few less-than-fit cadets to finish before they were dismissed. That made them late for dinner, so no one had enough time to eat as much as they wanted. Now the whole class, all four-hundred-plus recruits and not just Avocato and Nikos, wanted to strangle him for making their lives just a little bit more difficult.

Avocato's color and status as a Blue Imperial caused a considerable buzz throughout the student body, especially once the cadets did a bit of research. Stares, pointing fingers, and whispers followed him everywhere, but he had been ignoring such things since he was a child. He got many nosy questions, but he wasn't forthcoming with personal details, which just added fuel to the rumor fire. Some cadets were curious, others skeptical, still others jealous, but the ones Avocato was friendliest with very pointedly refused to be impressed. He quickly learned to sidestep most attempts to goad him or pry personal information out of him.

For some reason, the third-year cadets were particularly intrigued and persistent. They seemed to feel Avocato was somehow flaunting the academy's uniform rules and saw it as their place to offer correction. Cadet Lin, who was one of five cadets who oversaw their dorm, had witnessed some third-years trying to corner Avocato one morning. He immediately put all three of the cadets on report, forced them to submit written apologies to Avocato, and on the spot signed them up for a host of non-credit classes and extra duties since they had so much spare time they felt they could spend it accosting lower classmen, as opposed to something constructive.

"Walk with me, Cadet Avocato," ordered Lin as the trio of thoroughly cowed cadets was sent packing.

"Sir."

They walked through the manicured campus. The academy was very old, and that was reflected in many of the buildings and gardens which were lovingly preserved. To Avocato, still not used to life here, it was like stepping back in time.

"Has that happened a lot?"

Avocato hesitated, but decided denial would benefit him nothing. "Fairly often, sir. Many people seem to think I owe them answers."

"Yours is not an easy position," Lin said. "I did some reading. It's been almost seventy years since a Blue Imperial attended this academy."

"Yes, sir. Captain Lady MeeMaw. I'm related to her."

Lin gave him a look. "Aren't you related to everyone that color?"

Caught, he could not help but smile. "Yes, sir."

"You're going to face a lot of that, both here and in the service," cautioned Lin, meaning the three third-years. "I came down especially hard so that word gets around quickly. If anyone else tries, they'll get worse than those three. Eventually they'll back off. Know this, Avocato: you are not required to answer to anything but your name. You are as much entitled to your privacy as anyone else here, regardless of who asks. Students, teachers, or staff, you don't need to share any more personal information than what you want. If they need to know, your records are on file, and people with a right and need to access them can do so. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"I was instructed to tell you that from someone with much, much more authority than your or I. You have the right to fair and equal treatment. If you get singled out, it should be for something besides your coloring. If anyone causes you undue trouble or lays a hand on you, you're to tell me. On the same note, you must also learn to deal with prigs like that lot, so please limit the whining to actual problems beyond your ability to handle. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly, sir, and thank you."

"Dismissed, Cadet. Hurry along and get breakfast."

He saluted. "Sir."

He joined Nikos and a few other familiar faces at the table. Avocato was still getting used to having just one of each utensil for a full meal, while Nikos was getting used to getting food into his mouth with a fork and not chopsticks. Their struggles - especially Nikos eating almost everything with a spoon - served as sources of great entertainment for their peers.

"Thank all the gods you have us," said Avocato, addressing their audience. He had just reached for a non-existent fork. "Your lives would be so dull otherwise."

"No," said Felice, "just mealtimes."

They were about to head to the morning drill when a voice called, "Cadet Avocato!"

Pawlette let out a little growl as she recognized Purrina, and it was clear she expected trouble similar to their first day here. "Felice, Toshi, take the trays," she ordered, not trusting that third-year alone with her classmate. "I'll get our packs and meet you back here, Avocato. Nikos, don't go anywhere until I get back."

They all had mothers and sisters, and knew better than to argue with that feminine tone of command. The cadets jumped into action as Avocato hurried over to Purrina and saluted.

"Sir!"

Clearly being put on report had done Purrina a world of good, because he acted the professional he wanted to be. Avocato suspected he'd been singled out just because Purrina wasn't likely to forget his name. Glancing back, Purrina gestured for someone to join them.

Avocato's first impression of the cadet was he was solid – solid gray with a solid build. It was like being introduced to a wall. They could easily get two Nikoses out of this young man. Not as tall as Avocato, he was broad of face and shoulder, husky without being overweight, and seemed an absolute powerhouse. His eyes were a darker gold even than MewMew's, with an open, curious expression. The tips of his ears were folded over, giving him an overall rounded appearance.

"Cadet Avocato, this is Cadet Kedi of House Kotik. He's just arrived from the Far Reaches and he'll be joining your class as of today. He's on the same schedule you are, so bring him along with you and introduce him to the instructors. Most know to expect him. He has his room assignment already, but he was sent directly here. You're to help him get settled in and caught up." Purrina looked at Kedi. "This is Cadet Avocato. You're in the same classes and the same dorm, so stay with him the next few days until you're familiar with the campus. If you have any problems, speak to the instructors or the cadets in charge of your dorm."

"Yes, sir," Avocato and Kedi said in unison, and Avocato felt his eyes grow wide at the sound of Kedi's rich northern accent. He had a house, so he was a noble, but given that Avocato had never heard of House Kotik, it was probably of minor rank and importance. And that meant there was no chance of them being related, too - a rare event in his life.

Resisting the urge to stare or waste time chatting, Avocato put aside several thousand questions and said, "Kedi, we must get to drill. We'll have a chance to talk after. Come on!"

He hurried over to where Nikos and Pawlette, having sensed Purrina's change of attitude, were holding the doors open for a speedy escape. Concern had morphed to impatience once they saw Avocato was not being abused. He scooped his pack out of Pawlette's hands, saying as they sped to the parade grounds,

"This is Kedi! He's ours now. Kedi, this is Pawlette, chief engineer of my future command, and Nikos, beloved of the room inspectors."

"Well met," gasped Kedi, his rolling accent turning well in vell. He smiled to himself as he tried out their names. "Pa-lette. Nikkos. Avo-cato. We will be good friends."

Avocato flashed a happy grin at his companions. "Yes, we will."