Of Hearts And Stars (Classic Editon) (The Cadet Starship Chronicles) (21 page)

“
Sir!” Swift exclaimed over enthusiastically while saluting with the wrong hand.

“
Don't call me sir, I work for a living.” Instructor Fughorn said, adding “And you're doing it wrong.”

Swift put his left hand down and saluted with his right hand.

“
Just stop. Your three answers were: Batman, The Guy, and hold beauty and awesomeness. First off, Batman is a fictional character. You cannot be Batman. Second, 'The Guy' is so vague and general that I don't get it. Last but not least, your third answer doesn't even make sense when used with the stock phrase.”

“
It doesn't? What's it say?” Swift asked.

“
I want to be hold beauty and awesomeness when I grow up.” Instructor Fughorn answered.

“
Ah! So you too wish to behold beauty and awesomeness! That's always a nice dream I think!” Swift said cheerfully.

Instructor Fughorn buried his face into his palm and growled “Just get out. The three of you sicken me.”

Once they had said their goodbyes to Raati in the hallway, Gin and Swift walked off towards Ready Room One.

“
So what do you really want to do with your life man?” Swift asked.

“
Well I've always been painfully plain, so I guess anything that isn't lame as hell.” Gin said “I'm liking the whole Elite Student Crew thing, so I'll probably join the Imperial Fleet. Maybe become a captain someday.”

Swift put his hands into his pockets and said “Captains are cool.”

“
How about you cap-”

Swift shot him a look.

“
Dude?”

“
Mmm. I dunno.” Swift thought for a few seconds and added “I could be a captain...like my dad. I'd also like to be a researcher and engineer. Also an author, explorer, actor...” he laughed and added “I guess I haven't decided just yet.”

“
Heh, fair enough. You wanna hit up the arcade? I hear they've finally gotten Time Crisis 14!”

“
While I would love to shoot the same guy a thousand times in holographic 3D with you, because that's the jam, I've got a mission for crew thirty nine this afternoon.” Swift said as they walked into Ready Room One.

Gin took a can of coffee from the fridge and asked “So students can post missions too?”

Swift took the bag of Chex Mix from his pocket and began to pick out the pretzels “Yup, but nothing too serious.” he said as he deposited the pretzels into a recycling bin “This one just has me collecting data and research specimens on Mars. Putting dirt and rocks into stasis baggies and junk.”

Gin took a sip of the coffee. It didn't compare to freshly made percolated coffee, but it did the job in a pinch “Hm. Sounds lazy.” he said.

“
This kind of laziness results in profit for me, so I can dig it.” Swift said before pouring himself a handful of pretzel-free Chex Mix and eating it.

“
Think I could come along? I've never been to Mars.” Gin asked and took a swig of his coffee.

Swift finished chewing and said “Sure. Be ready in fifteen minutes.”

They made the trip to Mars in Swift's PFCC, a two-seater named 'The Equalizer'. While Swift took care of checking in at the spaceport, Gin decided to have a look around after showing the security post his academy id card. He had never been on another planet before, and was slightly disappointed to find that spaceports were actually quite similar to airports. Souvenir shops lined bland looking corridors, the monotony of which was broken up by the occasional food court or lounge area.

Swift had finished filling out forms and joined Gin inside of a particularly tacky looking shop “Even on Mars consumerism is king.” he said and added “Guess I'll have to fall in line and buy a twenty credit candy bar.”

“
Twenty credits!?” Gin asked.

“
Everything’s more expensive at the spaceport.” Swift said as he grabbed a Snickers and asked “You want one?”

Gin waved his hands and said “Nah. That chocolate is too rich for me.”

“
Might be a while before we can eat again and you didn't pack a lunch.”

“
No way man, it's too much.”

Swift bought an extra Snickers bar anyway. Soon Gin would realize why candy bars were so crucial on Mars, and Swift would be ready.

-
42
-

“
Twenty minutes? What is it with this place and the number twenty?” Gin asked after he read the information screen on the elevator control panel.

Swift sat in one of the several seats lining the walls of the elevator car. He took the second candy bar from his pocket and tossed it to Gin “Well it
is
an orbital elevator.” he pointed out “So it takes a while to get from space to the surface.”

Gin caught the candy bar and put it in the pocket of his hoodie “Dude, I can make it twenty minutes without eating.” Gin said.

“
Just take the candy.”

Swift put his hands into his pockets and rested his head against the wall with his eyes closed.

“
Why couldn't we just land The Equalizer on the surface?” Gin asked.

“
Planetary Colonization Act. It prohibits ships from entering the atmosphere of certain planets with weapons equipped unless authorized.”

“
Well that's bogus.”

“
While it does help keep the peace, we're boned if a large enough rebel force invades.”

Moments rolled by like aeons for Gin as the elevator made it's descent. It was during this time that he realized he knew very little about Swift, and decided to ask him a few questions.

“
So that guy you fought on the captured ship, Benedict Fisher. Was he really a student at the academy?”

“
Yup.” Swift said with his eyes still closed “Used to be an ESC captain just like me.”

Gin took a seat next to Swift and said “Allie told me you two used to be friends.”

“
Still are in my opinion.”

“
Then why did he try to kill you?”

Swift opened his eyes and stared unhappily at the ceiling.

Gin saw the look on Swift's face and said “Sorry I asked...”

“
It's fine.” Swift said “The truth is that I don't know. I hadn't seen or heard from him since he was 'executed' two years ago, and that turned out to be a total lie.”

“
Why was he supposed to be executed if you don't mind me asking?”

“
It's no secret. The official charge was treason against The Empire, but I'd rather tell you what I know as opposed to the mess given out by the media.” Swift explained “It was two years ago, back when individuals and small groups of ESC members were still being assigned missions by The Empire.”

“
Why did they stop?”

“
The nature of the missions changed after Benny was supposedly executed. Concerned parents had begun to pull their children from the academy, and others even blamed The Empire itself. Treason or not, the execution of a minor was a serious matter. So in response, stricter policies were implemented regarding the nature of the mission, objectives, crew size, and location.”

“
You sure do know a lot about this.” Gin said.

“
I better. I was one of the first cadets enrolled in the ESC program.” Swift said and looked down from the ceiling and at the elevator panel. Five more minutes.

“
Wow! That's amazing!” Gin said and looked at his own student id card. Underneath his picture was LaCroix's emblem, as well as an ESC emblem, but no emblem for his role. He had wondered sometimes if he'd ever be good enough to actually specialize in anything.

“
Thanks. Now back to me and Benny. We had been assigned over the course of our summer break to participate in security operations with an imperial squadron stationed here on mars. The base was mostly established to defend a mine rich in minerals. It was undermanned and the mines themselves huge, so they could always use a hand with patrols. We were thrilled because we saw this as being one step closer to the front lines.” Swift looked down and added “Don't laugh. We were pretty naive at that time and had no idea about the horrors of war. Anyway, during a routine patrol we encountered a rebel soldier-”

“
Did you get'em?” Gin interrupted excitedly.

Swift was annoyed with being cut off and asked “What?”

“
You know...did you kill him?”

“
That's the thing. We'd caught the soldier by surprise, but I just couldn't bring myself to kill her no matter how much she threatened me. Not even with Benny shouting at me to shoot her.”

“
No way! The soldier was a girl?” Gin asked.

“
Yup. A rebel spy not much older than us. It wasn't just that though.” Swift looked at Gin and added “I want to end this war, but not with a thousand corpses in my wake.”

Gin chose his words carefully and said “But we're talking about killing one person, not one thousand.”

“
Killing someone isn't that easy Gin. I decided a long time ago that when it comes to death, one equals one thousand. There is a vast difference between killing someone in the name of peace, and killing to protect the life of others. Both are mutually exclusive.”

“
So...killing people in order to achieve peace is pointless because violence only brings more violence. Yet if you kill someone to save the life of another, the end justifies the means?” Gin asked.

“
Even then it becomes complicated.” Swift said “If a large score of people want one person dead, then there will always be someone after that person. You'd then have to resolve to strike down each and everyone who'd threaten the lives of those you hold dear. Could you commit yourself to this Gin?”

“
I don't know...” Gin said as he fumbled with his id card, and asked “Could you?”

“
If someone were seriously trying to kill you, or any of my loved ones, I'd end them. Complete destruction with no mercy.”

“
That makes sense.” Gin said with a nod.

“
It sort of does, but it doesn't wash my hands clean. In the end people have to die regardless. I like to avoid death if it's possible, and two years ago I thought it was.”

“
So what happened next?”

“
She disarmed me and captured us both. I then managed to convince her to surrender and release us, but things took a turn for the worse. Benny saved me, but ended up being charged with treason by The Empire.”

“
Why in the hell would they do that?” Gin asked, but the elevator chimed to signal their arrival and Swift got to his feet.

“
That” he said “is a story for another time.”

They then stepped out of the orbital elevator and onto the dusty red surface of Mars.

-
43
-

“
Eh.” Gin grunted.

“
What?” Swift asked as he lead the way.

Gin looked around and said “It's nothing.”

Swift stopped walking and said “Seriously dude, what?”

“
Well it's not what I expected. Aren't there any buildings and stuff?”

Swift started walking again and asked “What did ya expect? A McDonald's?”

Gin waved his hands in front of himself and said “No way! Maybe...a plaza or something.”

“
So a Starbucks then?”

“
Never mind.”

Swift laughed and said “There are a few research stations, and an observation platform or two.” he put his hands into his pockets and added “Then there's the mining base I told you about. They've got burgers and coffee, but both taste more like turds and muddy water.”

“
Aw gross. Worse than Meatloaf Mondays at the academy?” Gin asked.

Swift stuck his tongue out and said “A burger on that base was like having last Monday's meatloaf next Friday.”

Gin cringed and said “Oh god...meat so old it can order it's own drink.”

“
So dry that it could use one too.” Swift said and they both laughed.

“
It's pretty trippy that we can walk around on Mars without space suits.” Gin observed.

“
Yeah. Thanks to o-fields and gravity distortion devices we can walk around like it's Earth. The first time I came here though, I drank a lot of water before I got on the orbital elevator.”