Free The Methuselan Circuit by Christopher L. Anderson Page A

blocking a punch; why him out of a thousand cadets? He tried desperately not to tremble or to pass out.
     
    “Cadet Alexander Wolfe, in the terminal you observed Cadet Treya proceeding in the opposite direction as the rest of the Cadet Corps. There is no right or wrong answer, cadet, but give me your opinion: why did she do so?”
     
    Alexander thought furiously. Originally, he thought Treya realized they were being set up, but that meant she didn’t trust the Academy. He remembered Katrina—that was bad. Still, he couldn’t say he didn’t know without looking like a fool. Why else would she go the way she did? Then he remembered what happened when they all turned around and marched back the other way.
     
    “Well cadet?”
     
    “I can’t say for certain sir,” he replied quickly, trying to sound as calm as possible. “I think she wanted to walk by the Iowa .”
     
    “Do you think that was a worthwhile walk?”
     
    “Yes sir, I do—it was amazing.”
     
    “At ease cadet,” he said with a smile. In a lower voice, he told Alexander. “It’s good to see you here; you’re dad is the best shot in the system. He got me and some of my best friends out of some seriously sticky jams!” He turned to Treya and smiled. “You’ve grown in the last few months. How are your folks?”
     
    She shot to attention next to Alexander. “Fine sir!”
     
    “Excellent, I’ve been waiting a long time for you to be here!” He turned to the rest of the assembled cadets and his gruff voice filled the rotunda. “You have been chosen from among millions of applicants. It doesn’t matter where you came from, whether your parents were Citizens, laborers, Ambassadors or anything else. You are here—you! So it’s up to you as to what you are going to do with this opportunity.”
     
    He walked down the stair and looked up again when he reached the center of the space. “The Officers and faculty will do everything in their power to ensure you have the opportunity to succeed, but only you can make that happen. Keep your eyes open, keep your ears open and take advantage of every moment. I wish you the best of luck, Godspeed to you all!”
     
    General Stewart shouted, “Atten-tion!”
     
    “You have them Centurion, let’s start whipping them into shape!” waved Admiral Augesburcke as he exited.
     
    “Yes sir!” Fjallheim glowered at the cadets, looking like he took the Admiral literally. Alexander got the idea he’d like nothing better than to start the day off with a few lashes from a cat-of-nine-tails followed by a twenty mile hike with full packs—he’d heard that sort of thing about the Legions. “Take my advice. Be five minutes early to everything; do not be late! You may proceed to your next scheduled activities, dismissed!”
     
    A thousand pairs of eyes looked down at their compads. Alexander read the orders aloud, and by the growling buzz that filled the rotunda, so did everyone else. “We’ve got lunch and then Space Physiology.”
     
    A hand touched him from behind; Alexander turned and saw the red headed boy. “Sorry about giving you a hard time,” he said nervously. “It was all in good fun—right?”
     
    “Yeah sure,” Alexander said, and the boy hurried off, leaving him mystified. “What was that all about?”
     
    “Contacts Alexander,” James said, shaking his head. He brushed a lock of his black hair from his eyes. “You can’t have any better contact here than to know the Commandant. Your dad seems pretty tight with the Commandant there; how’d that happen?”
     
    “I don’t know,” Alexander insisted.
     
    “It’s obvious they served together in combat duty, Alexander,” Lisa said. “He said your dad was the best shot in the system; that he saved Augesburcke’s life several times.”
     
    “Dad flies a freighter when he’s not selling hay,” Alexander said, at once ashamed that he was making light of his father’s vocation. “He did serve in the Fleet as an