Dozens of the young men and women who are part of the United Earth Forces Academy Corps of Cadets are covered in mud.
They run through an obstacle course which has all sorts of things such as wooden walls, rows of tires, setups where the cadets have to use their hands to move horizontally underneath a rope ladder that is laid horizontal. Cadet NCO's scream at the cadets to runMost of the cadets had fallen into the one-foot deep mud pits.
Cadets Private First Class Mirage Sterling and Ann Campbell are among the cadets covered in mud. They and the other cadets keep focusing.
Mirage runs. She jumps over the last three obstacles and reaches the finish line. She turns around, seeing Ann and the other cadets.
Finally, the last cadet arrives. He pants, his arms hanging down.
"And finally the slowpoke arrives," says Cadet Executive Sergeant Bao. "We want our company to win."
"Nothing like getting dirty," Cadet Private Carli Padgett says to Mirage and Ann.
"There's nothing like you doing the laundry," says Ann.
"What are plebes for?"
"Now you're getting it," says Mirage, smiling.
"We're done here," says the cadet company captain, a young woman named Chang. "Let us clean up and get ready for supper."
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," snap all of the cadets.
"Sterling," says Chang.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Cadet Major Harden wishes to speak with you after supper."
"Yes, ma'am."
ooooooo
Once again, the Corps of Cadets assemble and rollcall is taken. They march to the cadet mess to get their supper, getting served at the food serving stations before sitting down at the tables. Mirage, wearing her gray cadet service alphas, eats her supper- basically beef and roasted potatoes. She can hear the conversations between the other cadets in the mess hall blend into a medley.
"Cadet Sterling."
Mirage looks and sees Cadet Major Ayanna Harden, in her gray uniform. The junior cadet stands at attention.
"I got your message, ma'am," says Mirage.
"You can meet me just outside the doors after we're done here," replies the cadet major.
"Yes, ma'am."
Ayanna walks back to her table.
"It might me about your grades," says Ann, sticking a fork into a piece of tender beef.
"Don't remind me," replies Mirage. She can still recall that meeting with Ayanna and the coach three weeks ago.
And so she continues to eat. After she finishes her meal and drink, she walks out of the cadet mess, putting her peaked cap on her head. The sky turns purple as the sun sets, with only a few cumulus clouds in the sky
"Hi, Mirage," says Ayanna. "Come walk with me."
The cadet walks with Ayanna. Several cadets are also walking, some to their dorms, others to the library, still others walking to late night classes.
"How was your run through the mud?" asks Ayanna.
"Very messy, Ayanna," answers Mirage. "I had to take a shower and get dressed. I barely made it to the supper formation."
"It is too bad I;'ll be gone by the time you reach your third year here. A cadet NCO. If you work hard, you could at least make it to cadet executive sergeant next year."
"I'll be the ones making sure the plebes stay in shape."
"At least that mud run exercised your muscles. We have another away game in a little over a week from now. You still need help with your studies?"
"Yeah. I mean, I need help. I've got some essays due by next Friday and I've also got some tests."
Ayanna reaches into her coat pocket, taking out a data stick. "Listen, here's a little something that can help you in your studies," she says.
Mirage takes the data stick. "I'll go to my room and take a look at it."
"See you later."
"You too," says Mirage.
She walks back to the cadet dormitories and goes to her room. Opening up her Apple HyperMac portable, she unlocks the laptop and inserts the data stick. Several files appear in a window on a screen.
Opening one of the, she finds a full essay, full essay on comparative literature, the very essay due next week. Opening several other files, she finds other essays, as well as the answers to test exams.
She feels alarmed.
Ayanna harden was giving her materials to cheat.
"Hey Mirage," says Ann, opening the door. "Anything up?"
"Just some reading material. I've got to see the coach tomorrow."
Ann lies down on her bed. "Still trying to up your game. Just remember, you gotta also up your game in the scholastic department."
"Yeah. I think I'll do some studying now."
Mirage reads through the material. After a few hours, she lies down in bed.
Ayanna has been so helpful to her. She inspired her and the other girls. She was a star basketball player and a star cadet.
And she just gave her materials that can only be used for cheating.
Cheating violates the honor code.
And refusing to report Ayanna, a cadet she considers a friend as well as a teammate, would also violate the honor code.
Oooooooo
Coaches and athletic directors for the United Earth Forces Academy have their offices in a building just across a wide walkway from the gymnasium. Mirage enters the building, climbing a stairwell to the second floor, where Coach Karn's office is. She hopes to catch the coach. She stands in the hallway. Some of the office workers pass by her.
Mirage finally sees the coach, who is dressed in sweats.
"Sterling," she says.
"I need a quick talk with you, Coach," says Mirage.
"In my office, please."
The cadets enters the office. It is a small office, with a desk and some file cabinets. Karn sits at the chair.
"What do you have to tell me?" she asks.
"Ma;am, I want to report an honor code violation by Cadet Major Ayanna Harden."
"an honor code violation, you say?"
"Yes." Mirage removes the data stick from her pocket. "This data stick contains test answers as well as essays. Coach, I respectfully request you take appropriate action."
"Ayanna is our star player."
"The code requires me to report violations to a proper authority."
"Okay, Cadet," says Karn. "What would happen if word of this got out? I'd have to expel her from the team, at the very least. And there's more, Sterling. Ayanna Harden is also a star cadet. She spent three years as an enlisted Space Marine before attending this Academy. She is only one of four cadet majors in the Corps. It would bring great scandal upon our team, and our Academy."
"But the honor code, ma'am."
"I'm not a veteran. But neither am I entirely ignorant of what officers go through. You will become an officer, right Cadet?"
"Of course, ma'am. I'll have an eight-year active duty service obligation."
"And you'll be responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of your subordinates."
"Absolutely, ma'am."
"And yet, you may have to order them to risk all of their health, all of their safety, and all of their welfare. Order them to expose themselves to danger."
Mirage stays silent for about three seconds, looking into the coach's green eyes. "But the honor code."
"It is important, of course. But there are other considerations. Our team's reputation, and the Academy's reputation. We would suffer shame if our star player was exposed as a cheat.
"And you need to consider your own academic career. You're very talented, Mirage. But you need to get better grades to be on the team for your third year, and we'll need you more than ever since Ayanna would have graduated by then. If you can't improve your grades, I can't promise that I'll be able to keep you."
"Think about your future, Mirage. I know you want to be a veritech pilot like your grandparents were. And you are a talented basketball player. You can apply for a release after two years of flying veritechs. You can play professional basketball, and practice veritech flying one weekend a month and two weeks a year. You have to choose; you have to understand what's important. That's the burden of an officer."
"I have to get to class, Coach," says Mirage.
"Of course. You are a scholar before you are an athlete. Just remember, the biggest cause of failure is not doing what it takes to succeed. Dismissed."
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," snaps Mirage, quickly leaving the office.
Ooooooo
Mirage is inside her dorm room, feeling a bit exhausted. It is Thursday evening, and she has to fly with the other girls for an away game in Brazil. She looks at her English literature essay.
It does not look good. She reads it to herself in the mind, but the cadet feels that her essay is mediocre.
She needs better grades to up her GPA and be able to play for the Academy next year.
She opens a file and sees the essay that Ayanna had given her.
Her heart beats.
She enters her name in the essay that had already been written.
She then opens a web site for the online cadet portal, logging in with her credentials. She takes out a device and enters the code given to her.
There, in her English lit class, is a portal to upload homework and essays.
The cadet feels conflicted about this.
She clicks upload document.
She selects the pre-written essay.
She selects open in the dialog box.
She places the pointer on the Submit button.
For ten seconds, she breathes slowly, and her heart beats faster.
Her index finger touches the button right above the trackpad.
And she presses it.
And she sees an alert box telling her, "Submission confirmed".