Free Of Hearts And Stars (Classic Editon) (The Cadet Starship Chronicles) by Edward West Page A

getting up, but both apologized before leaving.
    Swift then went to Corrigin and asked “You okay man?”
    “ Yeah dude, thanks to you!” Corrigin said with much gratitude.
    Swift smiled and scratched the back of his head “Don't even worry about it.” he said.
    “ Hey, wait a minute. Didn't you have to... ya know? Use the bathroom?”
    Swift cocked his head “Eh?” he asked.
    “ That's why you fought those bullies. Like twenty seconds ago.” said Corrigin.
    “ Oh! Nah. I just said that messin' around.”
    Corrigin gave him a sideways look “So you just hang out in bathrooms?”
    Swift hands made a slight gesture “No no! I was walking by the hallway when this kid came running up to me. He told me that someone was getting beaten up by bullies in the bathroom, and I said I'd check it out.”
    “ Oh...I'm sorry that you had to fight because of me.”
    Swift shook his head “Nope. Those guys are troublemakers. If it wasn't you, it'd had been someone else getting whupped. It's actually a good thing I was able to put them in their place.”
    Corrigin took a closer look at Swift's uniform, which actually wasn't a uniform at all. This guy wore a white t-shirt with a black leather jacket and some blue jean shorts. On the flap of his breast pocket were three pins. One, a pair of gold wings, Corrigin immediately recognized as being those of an Elite
    Student Captain. The next pin was a number one, and the pin following that was a stylized cross with the letters L and C on either side of it. Corrigin had a hunch who this guy might be due to his conversation with Revy, the girl he'd met in the library the other day.
    “ Do you know Reveille James?” he asked.
    Swift raised his eyebrows “Do I? Revy is a member of my crew.” he said.
    Corrigin pointed a finger at him “You're the Captain of LaCroix, Leoric Swift!” Gin said with excitement.
    Swift hunched and said “Ehh...Swift will do just fine. What's your name?”
    Corrigin was a bit embarrassed that an Elite Student Captain saved him, being so plain and practically invisible “Corrigin O'Hare.” he said “Jack of no trades, master of none.”
    “ Ahhh I see what you did there.” Swift said and put his hands into his pockets as he walked to the door “Just find something that you'd like to do and give it your all. Can't really fault ya for that; as long as you try.”
    Swift nudged the door open with his foot and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Corrigin to collect his thoughts on what to do next.

    - 27 -
    That night Corrigin thought about the past week. He didn't want to just drift through life as a ghost anymore. To be honest, he wanted to be more like Swift and Revy, and so he made up his mind. He was going to join a Student Crew.
    The application process for the Student Crew program consists of a written test followed by a field exam. For the field exam, cadets are placed on a crew with other applicants that have similar scores on their written exams. The applicant crew then faces off against an existing student crew in simulated ship to ship combat, commonly referred to as an exhibition match. Since it is the same type of match as the kind held between Standard and Elite Student Crews, the same rules and scoring system apply.
    With determination to pass the test, Corrigin hit the books like a steel hurricane, and for his efforts he scored above average on his written exam. However when it came time for his field exam; disappointment set in. As a requirement for the field exam, the applicant Student Crew must face a D-Rank Student Crew. Due to a database error, an incorrect number of D-Rank Student Crews was entered into the matchmaking pool. Corrigin's applicant Student Crew was the last one formed for the year, and and as a result there were no D-Rank Student Crews left for them to take their field exam against. However, if another applicant Student Crew dropped out or somehow became disqualified, then his crew would be able to take the exam. Given