Chapter 57 - Part 1

Space Station Vertyn

Stariek Orbit

19 March 3303

Skylar Reid hesitated outside the door leading to General Zorn’s office. A priority message came to his CAM halfway during their history lesson telling him to immediately report there. Thinking of all the other times he spoke with Zorn, his stomach had immediately dropped. Worry about what it could mean filled him. If he could delay the inevitability of whatever awaited him beyond those doors for even a little longer, he would do so.

Before he was able to stand there long, however, the door hissed open. It revealed the plain reception room interior. On either side of the door was a potted plant with large green leaves. Chairs lined the walls next to these, running to the corners. Across the room stood a U-shaped desk with a variety of datapads and instruments laying on top of it, behind which sat a middle-aged woman with her brown hair tied into a small bun on the back of her head. To the right was a closed door leading to Zorn’s office.

“Ah, Skylar Reid.” Her voice was the pinnacle of formality. She pressed a button on the underside of the desk and gestured to the door. It opened less than a second later. “The general is waiting for you.”

Skylar stepped forward and through the doorway, which shut directly behind him. The office was spartan. A few medals hung from one wall but it was otherwise unadorned. To his right was a couch, the synthetic fiber cloth a deep red color, almost like blood. To his left sat the large desk behind which was General Zorn. Two chairs sat at an angle to one another in front of it.

The general typed away on his holocomputer, which displayed above the center of the desk, as Skylar entered. He glanced up, tapped a few more keys on the projected keyboard, and the image changed to a mostly empty screen. A smile crossed his lips, though Skylar received the distinct impression it was forced to the point it hurt the general more than it hurt Skylar to look at it.

“Please, have a seat, Reid.” Zorn gestured to the seats in front of him, which Skylar cautiously took. He was pleasantly surprised when nothing untoward happened as he sat. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you to my office.”

“Just a little bit, sir.” Skylar folded his hands in his lap and tried to refrain from tapping his foot, though the latter was a battle quickly lost.

“Have you put any thought into your future beyond this space station?” Zorn pressed another button and brought up what looked like a personnel file. The image in the corner, though reversed, looked distinctly like Skylar. “You have top marks in some of your classes—history, mathematics, command, even your piloting courses. Some of them could use some work, of course, particularly your close quarters combat, but you’re overall a… decent cadet.”

“Thank you, sir.” Skylar couldn’t help but let the shadow of a smile touch his lips, especially after seeing how it pained the general to admit that he wasn’t as bad as Zorn typically made him out to be. The general, though, seemed to notice and scowled at him. “But may I ask where you’re going with this?”

“I have been commissioned to offer you a choice.” He folded his hands and swiped the holographic screen to the side so that he could look Skylar in the eye. “We are always on the lookout for noteworthy cadets who would be worthwhile additions to the Imperial Academy back on Hyperia. It is where nearly all of the generals and legates currently serving the Empire made their start. You would be placed on the fast paced command track, which is not easy to say the least. Less than five percent make it through without dropping out or going to a different concentration. However, we believe you have the skills to get a decent shot at success. We would be remiss to lose out on a cadet such as yourself.”

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Skylar cocked an eyebrow at Zorn, who seemed to struggle to maintain a straight face. Never had the general made such a comment to Skylar. Not to mention the fact his tone was scarcely more than monotone.

“What would the command track entail, sir?”

“Typical classes that detail actions and conduct expected of any officer in the Hyperion Navy.” Zorn leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest. “Stellar Dominance Strategy, Multi-theater War Orchestration, Orbital Siege Doctrine, Galactic Logistics. There are some concentrations and electives you can take depending on what you would like to study, but, in general, they prepare you for a ship-based command.”

“Like piloting one of the cruisers or frigates?”

“If that’s what you wish to do.” Zorn shrugged as if he couldn’t care less, which Skylar thought was likely. “There’s several stations aboard the ships, each with their own pathway to command the Academy is designed to prepare you for. Navigation, tactical, engineering, medical if you’re so inclined. The choice would be yours.”

He considered the general’s words. Not once had he given thought to what his life would look like beyond Vertyn. After having been his home—for whatever the term was worth—for the last six years, it was difficult to imagine his life before or after the space station. Part of him realized it was stupid to not realize he would be forced into their military. It was hardly realistic to think they would let him do whatever he wanted after graduating from Vertyn.

“What about Lina, sir?” Skylar asked. The thought of losing his best friend caused his stomach to revolt. “Is she getting the same choice?”

“Ah, yes. Lina Guezal.” He passed through several screens on the holographic projection, each one now blurred for privacy, before stopping on one. “Once we see how she does as squadron leader, perhaps. She has been quite adept at handling you thus far, so I see no reason why she wouldn’t. Not to mention she is actually capable of listening to orders the first time they are given.”

Skylar’s face heated at the not so subtle jab towards him. Taking a deep breath, he moved past it. The realization of the real reason why Lina replaced him as squadron leader suddenly reached him. Perhaps it wasn’t just an insult to Skylar, though he was sure it was part of it that Zorn took great pleasure in.

There was no telling what would await him in the Imperial Academy. After all, he never really heard much about it other than it was a prestigious military school in the Empire. But part of him knew that as long as he had Lina by his side, they would be able to accomplish anything.

“If she comes too, I would be happy to accept, sir.” Skylar hesitated with his mouth open. A question occurred to him, which he didn’t have time to stop as it fully formed in his head. “Why are you offering me this? It’s no secret that you don’t like me.”

“One thing the Imperial Academy will teach you even if I can’t, Reid, is that you follow all legal orders, even when you don’t particularly agree with them.” Zorn stood and deactivated the holocomputer. Skylar quickly stood as well. “Legate Rausch thought you would be an opportune candidate for the Academy, so I extended the offer per his instructions. If it were up to me, you’d be relegated to some distant asteroid where I didn’t have to look at you ever again. Now, I’ll walk you out so you can return to class.”

Skylar found a smile creeping up to his face as the general threatened him this time. He made him feel surprisingly good that Zorn wasn’t suddenly treating him any differently than he ever had. At least that part of his life hadn’t changed, even if the rest of it might soon.

As he stepped out of the reception area, leaving Zorn behind, he couldn’t wait to tell Lina what happened.