Free Defender of the Empire: Cadet #1 by Catherine Beery Page A

think it had something to do with the warm wood flooring. The lighting was soft making everything seem cozy. Off to the right of the door was a desk with wood paneling with carvings of starflowers. To the left was a sitting area. There was no one there.
                  A soft foot step had me turning back toward the desk. A young man with blond was standing at the desk. His eyes were hazel and held mild curiosity. He wore a uniform much like the one I held in my hands. A student then. “Can I help you?” He asked in a soft voice.
                  I smiled nervously at him. “I hope so. I’m new here and...” I trailed off. I wasn’t sure what to ask him next. Did I need a room key or was it done by password here like on the ship? And how was I supposed to find my room? I knew from what the ensign had said that my room was on the third floor. I found a small sense of comfort in that room numbering was the same here as it was on the colony in the few buildings above two stories. The comfort was very short lived. How do I ask any of my questions without revealing how truly ignorant I am? I hated being ignorant.
                  The student behind the desk smiled kindly. “I figured. I knew I hadn’t seen you before.”  He looked down at something and I figured it was a computer hidden by the high edge of the desk on my side. “You Rylynn?” He asked. I nodded. And he looked back at the computer. “It says here that you are rooming with Lassie Morgan in room 321.” I nodded again as that sounded familiar. He nodded to himself and did something with the hidden computer. There was a sound very much like the printing noise the old printer at the small library back home made, only with a lot less wheezing. For a couple moments as it printed I wondered about the name of my roommate. The name ‘Lassie’ reminded me of a book my aunt had. It was a story about this boy and his heroic dog, Lassie. It had also been a show on the old world, the long lost Earth.
    The blond guy passed a blank white card to me. “That is your temporary ID. You’ll get your real one after going through the various exams they put new recruits through. Don’t let them worry you, though. They are just aptitude tests to see where you should be placed and what classes you need. You can’t fail them.” I knew he was being kind and trying to raise my spirits, but I had this feeling that I might be the first to fail the unfailable tests.  Who knew what they were about? And I knew there were things that were basic knowledge to a Citizen but were unknown to me. Again, that nasty ignorant thing raised its head.
                  “Thanks” I said taking the card from him.
                  “There is a lift over there that will take you to the third floor.” I glanced where he had indicated before looking back at him.  “Your room is in the Diamond Wing. You’ll see signs leading the way.”  I thanked him again and began to move in that direction when he stopped me with a question. In his soft voice he asked “Is it true what the computer says?” I turned to face him with confused frown.  His polite welcoming smile from before was replaced by a serious expression. “Are you really from Colony Lenti? Not Lenti-solum that had been entered incorrectly?”  His voice got softer with each word as if he didn’t want to be over heard.
                  I sighed and answered him honestly. “There is no mistake. I’m from the Colony.”
                  His hazel eyes searched my face as if trying to figure out if I was kidding him or not. When he realized that I wasn’t joking he shook his head slightly. A mix of pity and awe filled his expression. “I, personally, think it is wonderful that the Legion Fleet has accepted you into the ranks. I have no idea how that could have happened, but I am happy that it did.”
                  That was the last thing