A brief graduation ceremony took place a week after the final test.

Joe and the other members of his squad donned their dress uniforms to attend. The dark blue jacket and pants shined at an angle, which made them mildly blinding to Joe’s artificial eye. His uniform included a dashed bar insignia of a corporal on each sleeve, and it was the only decoration on his basic uniform.

The ceremony took place in the large courtyard near the entrance of the academy. The graduating soldiers marched in and formed a block in the center of the area. Many families attended the ceremony, too, and they lined the perimeter of the courtyard. Admiral Pershing, the man in charge of overseeing the academy, soon rose on the stage to lead the reaffirmation of the oath of enlistment.

“I, Joe Steel, do swear my allegiance to the Human Alliance Treaty, and I affirm I will defend it against all who would harm it, and I will obey the orders of the Alliance Minister, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, in accordance with the articles of the treaty.”

Joe knew one day he’d betray those words for his promise to Dr. Cajo Tehinjhm. But for now, Joe meant them to help him toward his goal.

“Congratulations, graduates,” said Admiral Pershing. “Dismissed.”

All of the soldiers let out victory cries and joined their families to celebrate. Joe smiled with everyone, but he didn’t linger in the courtyard for long. He made his way back to his quarters and began to pack up his few belongings.

The next morning, Joe woke early when his personal device buzzed. Looking at it, Joe saw he’d received his next orders.


To Major Montes, Corporal Steel, Ensigns Hoáng, Beck, Darabi, Otieno, Temitope, Mulloy, Abbot, Meinhardt

Transfer of squad command from Admiral J. Pershing of Lear Academy No. 52 to Commodore L. Collin of Scincia Mission No. 7-561

Order of squad to report to Lieutenant F. Dorsey, Captain B. Giles of HAS No. 562517 Newgate, D561-451 0900


Soon after, Joe received a message from Montes to be ready by 0800. Joe got dressed, gathered his things, and headed out to meet up with the squad.

“Here we go,” said Beck when she joined the others.

“I’m ready for this,” said Meinhardt. “I didn’t want to sit around doing drills while waiting for an assignment.”

“Let’s go, everyone,” said Montes. “We’re heading to the H.A.S. Newgate.”

The HAS Newgate was a recently commissioned vessel for the Human Alliance military. It was an RLS Bones-class small cruiser, measuring 600 feet long and several stories tall. It had a complement of approximately 150, which included three squads of soldiers and two squadrons of fighters. The smaller cruisers served for smaller missions or as support vehicles for larger cruisers. The Newgate would be the first ship Joe would serve on, and he couldn’t hide his excitement.

The squad flew to orbit aboard one of the Newgate’s shuttles. That’s when Joe first saw the small, gray painted cruiser Newgate with its number and name boldly present on its bow. The shuttle flew around to the Newgate’s stern to dock in a large hangar. Hangar personnel currently worked to secure a squadron of Hawkins-class fighters to the port side as the shuttle landed to starboard.

“We’re down,” said the pilot over the helmet speakers.

“Dismount,” ordered Montes when the boarding ramp finished descending.

“Major Montes,” said an officer at the base of the ramp.

“Reporting as ordered, sir,” said Montes with a salute. Joe and the rest of the squad snapped to attention behind him.

“I’m Lieutenant Dorsey,” said the officer as she returned the major’s salute. “Welcome aboard the H.A.S. Newgate. I’ll have Ensign Jones here show you to your quarters. We’ll be departing for Scincia soon. I’ll forward the briefings to your personal devices.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Montes.

“Dismissed,” said Dorsey before she nodded to Jones and left the hangar.

“This way, sir,” said Ensign Jones.

Each squad member had a room to themselves, but it was tight. Joe set his bag on the bed, turned around, and the wall opposite stood a few feet away. At least the closet for his uniforms was built into the wall. He’d seen where the mess hall, restroom, and conditioning room were located on his way to the quarters. Joe figured he wouldn’t spend a lot of time in his room.

With his uniforms neatly stowed away, Joe’s personal device buzzed. He looked at the notification to learn Dorsey had forwarded everything regarding Scincia. Joe sat on the edge of his bed and flipped through the files to learn a bit about the reptilian Scincians who were currently seeking membership with the Galactic government while being invaded by the Birnsteins.

The Birnsteins….

A chime went out across the ship, and Joe looked up from his device’s screen to listen.

“This is Captain Giehl speaking. Our mission to Scincia is of the highest urgency, so we’ll soon be released from orbital dock and jump to Scincia. We’ll reach our destination on dee-five-six-one dash four-five-five. That’s four days from now. Be prepared for the mission before then. Captain Giehl out.”

Soon after the second chime finished, a knock came at Joe’s door.

“Come in,” said Joe.

Montes slid the door open and said, “We’re heading to the mess hall to grab some breakfast if you want to join.”

“Yes, sir,” said Joe as he stood up and pocketed his personal device.

The mess hall greeted the soldiers with a long counter in front of the kitchen covered by servings separated onto single dishes. After grabbing a tray, Joe followed Mulloy through the line and selected a dish of each item. The kitchen staff soon scooted more dishes forward to keep the counter full.

Six tables that sat ten soldiers each lined up parallel to the counter and were currently occupied by a handful of soldiers dining. Joe recognized the triangle insignia of squadron fighters at one table who talked quietly as they ate. They gave Joe critical gazes as he walked by, as soldiers in squads and squadrons usually gave each other. It was a rivalry, but all soldiers knew they served the same goal, especially stationed on the same cruiser. Most of the other tables had soldiers with the same bar insignia Joe and his squad wore on their sleeves.

“Here’s fine,” said Montes as he set his plate down on a vacant table. Joe and the others sat down around the table and began to eat.

Since his orders came early, Joe hadn’t had any time to eat before reporting to the Newgate. The others currently in the mess hall may have received their orders within the same time frame. Joe usually disliked the bland food, but his empty stomach appreciated it now.

“Review the mission briefings today,” said Montes after clearing his plates. “Lieutenant Dorsey has ordered all majors and sergeants to meet this afternoon to review them, so I’ll cover the highlights with you all tomorrow.”

“Scincia?” said Meinhardt after looking down at her personal device. “That sounds familiar….”

“The Scincians are isolationists,” said Darabi. “But with the birds hounding them, they’re seeking membership in the Galactic government.”

“But why do we care?”

“I bet because we trade with each other,” said Otieno quietly. “Currency talks, you know.”

“The birds are only after the planet, though,” said Temitope. “They’re always after that.”

“You're right,” said Joe before taking the last sip from his cup.

Over the next couple days, Joe focused on the mission. He read the mission briefings several times and learned all he could about Scincia. The Scincians were burrowers, and the outlined subterranean cities were impressive. No wonder the Birnsteins were having trouble getting a foothold on the planet.

The Human Alliance’s high command had moved troops to the planet as a physical deterrent. Recent reports showed, however, the Birnsteins had started to take shots at the Human presence, so more ships and soldiers were en route. Joe prepared for a fight.

The evening before arriving at Scincia, the ship-wide hail chime went off again.

“This is Captain Giehl. We’ll arrive at Scincia at eleven hundred hours tomorrow. All departments, be prepared for combat when we exit jump. We’ll support Admiral Collin the best we can as soon as we arrive. Captain Giehl out.”

This is it, thought Joe. 


Chapter 12: To the Surface

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