"We share a room, just the two of us," said Ann Campbell.
"Our coach said she'd look out for us," replied Mirage Sterling.
The two girls looked around the room. It only had one bunk bed as well as a two desks. It was quite different from the larger room, which they shared with four other girls.
"And I want to congratulate you on your promotion, Cadet Corporal," said Ann. "I'm only a Cadet PFC."
"Thank you, Cadet Private First Class," replied Mirage. She smiled. The second year cadet knew that only one-fourth of second year cadets have the rank of cadet corporal. "But rank won't exist among us, at least when we're in this room."
"Attention!" snapped a female voice.
Mirage and Ann look ant a dark-skinned young woman in her early twenties, her tightly-curled black hair tied in a bun. She already wore her cadet service charlies- a light gray short0-sleeved blouse and a gray skirt. On her collar are two solid diamond0-shaped pins and one diamond-shaped pin with a black interior.
"Congratulations, ma'am," said Sterling.
"Sterling, Campbell, welcome back," said Cadet Major Ayanna Harden.
"This is great, ma'am," said Campbell. "There're only four cadet majors in the whole Academy at any one time."
"There are perks to be sure, Campbell," said Harden. "Make sure to get a good night's sleep. Your first full day of your second year here will be a busy one. I take my leave."
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" snapped Cadet Sterling and Cadet Campbell.
Ooooo
Cadet Corporal Mirage Sterling wakes up. She looks and sees the sleeping form of Cadet Private First Class Ann Campbell. She gently nudges her on the shoulder.
"Ann, wake up," she says.
"What is it?" asks Ann.
"We don;t want to miss our breakfast formation," says Mirage. "We'd better get dressed."
Ann looks out the window, seeing the gray outside. "Looks like we'd better wear the overcoats," says the cadet.
The cadets quickly get dressed in their great skirts, gray mandarin-collared blouses, and gray coats with all the rank insignia. They then wear the heavy down-lined overcoats. The two girls made sure to look themselves in the mirror.
And then they head out. The cadets are all assembling at the quad, making rectangular formations. Thired year cadets who serve as NCO's walk along, making sure each cadet was in line.
The cadre officers and the senior cadet leadership are standing in a line, facing all the other cadets. Mirage and Ann notice Cadet Major Ayanna Harden standing in line.
Commodore Kamini Nijjar makes a short speech welcoming everyone, before introducing the cadet colonel, who then makes a longer speech to the Corps of Cadets, basically telling them to meet the challenges of the new semester.
"Let us have breakfast," says the cadet colonel.
The cadets all march to meals. Soon, they line up at the food serving stations. Both Mirage and Ann take stainless steel trays. They soon reach one of the stations and see a girl whose auburn hair is covered in a net.
"Good morning, Cadet Padgett," says Mirage.
"Nice to see you, ma'ams," replies Cadet Private Carli Padgett, who wears an apron over her uniform. She scoops up some scrambled eggs for the cadet corporal.
"We'll see you at basketball practice tomorrow," says Ann. "Can't stay and chat."
The two cadets find a seat at a nearby table and they sit down to eat their first breakfast of the second semester of their second year. They are so excited.
It is not long before the two cadets finish their morning meals. After putting their trays away, they head back to their dorm room to pick up books, and then they walk along the concrete pathways of the Academy campus. Soon, they arrive at one of the classrooms, inside a large auditorium-like building.
"Welcome to Applied Aerodynamics,," says the professor, a bespectacled man in a tweed jacket.
Ooooooo
Mirage, still wearing the overcoat over her cadet alphas, walks inside a building. Riding the elevator tyo the third floor, she walks along the hallway. It is mostly empty as most of the staff had went home.
She walks to a door. On the right is a nameplate reading M. KARN. She feels excited, hoping she will be able to assist in planning the strategy for the rest of the season. The door is slightly open, and the cadet knocks.
"Cadet Sterling here," she says. "You wanted to see me, ma'am?"
"Come right in," says Coach Melissa Karn.
She walks in, seeing Karn sitting behind a desk. The coach wears a nice blouse, in lieu of sweats or a T-shirt that she usually wears. Also in the room, sitting on a chair, is Cadet Major Harden.
"Cadet Harden will break this news to you, Sterling," says the women's basketball coach. "the Corps believed she
"I am sure you are aware of your grades," says Harden. "Your grades show that your academic performance does not meet the standards required by the basketball team, or the United Earth Forces Academy."
"Ma'am, it;'s just so hard. I mean, I was the valedictorian at my high school graduation. I had offers for scholarships in civilian colleges. And now, in addition to the coursework, I have basketball, I have responsibilities to the Corps."
"Listen, I understand," says Cadet Major Harden. "I mean, I served three years as an enlisted Space Marine before I came here, and my first semester grades were lackluster. I had to do some extra studying."
"I don;t know if I can handle all of that, ma'ams," says Sterling.
Karn looks directly at the cadet's eyes. "We believe you can, Mirage," she says. "I have seen your performance on the court. You can become our star basketball player once Cadet Harden graduates. I mean, you did well enough last year that you became a cadet corporal. And of course, your pedigree gives you the potential to be a star player, a start scholar, and a star officer. Your father was stranded on Earth after an alien invasion, spent thirteen years resisting, even becoming a Bullfrog leader in the Ocean Patrol. Your grandfather, one of the tens of thousands of civilians forced to take refuge on a space battle fortress exiled from Earth. He got in a veritech war machine and helped defend his people."
"I had another grandfather who joined an uprising against the aliens; he was even at Reflex Point, ma'am."
"How far are you willing to go, Mirage?"
"I'll do what I can."
"That's not enough. Defeat is a harsh teacher. Defeat is an unforgiving teacher. Defeat is an expensive teacher. And yet, defeat is the most effective teacher." Melissa Karn stands up. "We learned from our defeats. It's what enabled us to win the championship two years ago. What you need to learn is to stop at nothing, Do not let anything get in the way of success. That is true in athletics, academics, and the military."
"I won;t let anything get in the way of my success, ma'am!" snaps Cadet Sterling.
"Very good, Cadet Sterling," replies the coach. "We want you to succeed. The image of the team, the Academy, relies on success, not just on the basketball court, but the classroom and the drilling field. Cadet Harden needed special help, even with her experiences as a Space Marine, and now she is the Academy's shining star."
"Thank you, ma'ams, for believing in me."
"There is one more thing, Cadet Corporal Sterling," says Cadet Major Harden. "Due to your academic performance, the Corps of Cadets has decided to demote you to Cadet Private First Class, effective at 0600 tomorrow morning, local time. We will help you, we have your back, but we need results."
"I..understand, ma'am," says Sterling, a subdued tone in her voice.
"Cadet Sterling, you are dismissed," says the coach. "Hit the books; we'll see you for practice tomorrow."
"Ma'ams, yes, ma'ams," snaps Cadet Corporal Sterling. She leaves the office.
"I am wondering how much help she is willing to accept," says Harden."Will she go all the way?"
"We'll schedule a meeting with Kam about this," says Coach Karn.
Oooooo
Mirage and the other women on the team continue doing humpropes as Coach Karn watches them. The sound of the ropes whipping through the air fills the gymnasium.
"You feeling exhausted?' asks the coach.
"Yes...ma'am," replies Ayanna.
"Now we start basketball practice. Padgett, get the ball."
"Aye aye, ma'am!" snaps Carli Padgett.
And so the cadets practice with the ball, practicing the various manuevers. Many times, the orange basketball goes through the hoop.
After about twenty or so minutes, Karn blows through a whistle.
"We're through here," she says. She walks over to Mirage. "Your performance clearly worsened," she says.
"I've been out of practice, ma'am," replies the basketball player. "And after what you told me yesterday."
"We are going to have a game in eleven days. Sterling. "That means to need to up our game, both on the court and in the classroom. Just remember, we have your back.
"And I have your back and the team's back, ma'am," she replies.
She and the others go in the locker room to change out of their clothes.
"Uh, Mirage, I understand what you're going through," says Carli. "I mean, my grades weren't what I wanted them to be."
"I'd better to my room and study," says Mirage, even as she puts on her uniform blouse.
Oooooooo
Hundreds of cadets filled the auditorium. Cadet Privates Mirage Sterling and Ann Campbell were there among them, wearing their cadet alphas like the other cadets in attendance, their peaked caps on their laps.
Commodore Kamini Nijjar, dressed in her Ocean Patrol service khakis, walked to the stage.
"Welcome, cadets," said the Commandant of the Corps of Cadets. "I thank you all. While it is important for us to train and study, sometimes we can hear inspiring words. Now let me introduce you to an officer who had graduated from this Academy, this campus, ten years ago. Here is First Lieutenant Roy Hunter of the United Nations Spacy."
A man walked to the stage. The first thing Mirage and the other cadets noticed was that he used a cane to walk. He had light brown hair on his head, and he wore United Nations Spacy white dress alphas- a white tunic with brass buttons along the center, and white trousers. A few medals telling the story of his service are pinned to his tunic.
He walked to the wooden podium. "Thank you, Commodore, for giving me the opportunity speak," says the lieutenant. "Now, many of you cadets probably noticed I used a cane to walk. I've had to use a caner to walk for nine years.
I wanted to be a veritech space combat aviator like my dad. I had basic space flight training while I was here, and then started V-School a few months after graduation. But then there was a crash, and I was injured,. Because of the injuries, a review board found I was no longer fit for active duty and I was discharged.
"I attended the court-martial of my former CO, who was prosecuted for his role in the collision. He was found not guilty on the more serious charges, avoiding prison time. After some soul searching, I applied for Columbia Law School right on this planet, I applied for the Spacy's Judge Advocate Commissioning program, and I was accepted. So I spent three years studying. And at that same time, I was doing physical therapy to relearn how to walk again. It's easy to take the ability to walk for granted until you lost it, something too many people in the Spacy and the other services know all too well. Sometimes, there are nights when I was just too tired to even eat dinner.
"i kept my focus, emboldened by the stories of those who came before me, who risked all to save humanity and our allies. And so I graduated. I had my ceremony at Columbia, and then I went to my commissioning ceremony, taking my oath to serve as a judge advocate in the United Nations Spacy. After thirty days' leave so I can spend time being a husband to my new bride, I returned to active duty. I have represented the United Earth Forces and their servicemen; I've prosecuted and defended courts-martial in the past four years. So if you are in trouble, I may be able to help.
"For many of you, the road ahead seems daunting, especially to you fourth years who both have to attend classes, study for exams, play sports, and manage the Corps of Cadets. I was there. Being a fourth year cadet was a different kind of tough than being a plebe.
"So, just keep sight of the goal. When I was both attending law school and doing physical therapy, I kept telling myself to not let anything stand in the way, that the biggest cause of failure was when we decline to do things necessary to succeed. Now, I shall take my leave, I thank you for coming here. Now go back to your studies, your sports practice, and your military drills."
All of the cadets stood stiff.
"Sir, yes, sir!" Mirage and the others all snapped.
Lieutenant Hunter used his cane to help himself walk off the stage. The cadets rose up and walked outside the auditorium, placing their covers on as they walked out to the open air.
"the lieutenant had an inspiring story," Cadet Master Sergeant Ayanna Harden said to Mirage and Ann. "He's right. We can't let anything stand in the way of what we want. Letting something stand in the way is the biggest cause of losing.
"Absolutely, ma'am," said Ann.
"See you at practice, Cadet Master Sergeant," said Mirage.
"I have it on good authority that you two will police the cadet mess for supper."
The three cadets all parted ways.
Oooooo
At the Academy's stadium, the basketball is bounced around between the home team and the visiting team. The young women on both sides all do their best to get the ball in the basket while blocking. They stay focused.
However, as the game goes on, the visiting team's lead over the Academy gets larger. Mirage notices everty steal, every missed shot.
At 4th quarter, Mirage is sitting on a side bench with some other players. She watches as Tawny Wilson runs to the basket and then makes the throw.
The ball bounces off the side of the rim and then goes out of bounds.
Mirage looks at the clock and the score.
There is no time to close the deficit.
The clock counts down to zero and the horn rings, ending the game.
"You okay?" Mirage asks Ann.
"Yeah," she replies, placing an icepack against her forehead, feeling the cold where the throbbing pain is being suppressed.
"To the locker room," says Coach Karn.
The team follows their coach into the locker room.
"All right," says Karn. "We didn't get what we want. We were outplayed. What this means is that we have to practice harder. And we need to study our game, find out what went wrong. Still; there were highlights. Padgett, I like how you managed to jkust squeeze between those two players and score a baker.."
"Thanks, Coach," replies Carli.
"You still feeling okay, Campbell?"
"I still feel some pain here," replies Ann, rubbing her forehead.
"Okay, go to sick bay tomorrow so they can check your head."
"Yes, ma'am."
Mirage feels exhausted. All she wants is a shower, and then to sleep.