Son of the Lalan hero

Exhaustion

Exhaustion weighed on me as I finished the arduous task of cleaning every room in one of the first level cadet blocks. My body ached, and my health suffered from the exertion. I was completely covered in dust, my gray clothes had turned a dingy shade of brown. I urgently needed to take a shower and leave the other rooms for tomorrow, as the second level cadets would be arriving in a few hours and I did not want them to see me in that state.

However, as I made my way to my quarters, I spotted two lieutenants engaged in a heated conversation. Noticing the absence of cameras in the place, I sensed that they were secretly conspiring. Despite my exhaustion and desire to bathe and rest, I decided to poke around a bit, but to my surprise, they were gone. It was strange, the place where they were located had no visible doors. Perhaps there was a secret entrance in that corridor, but investigating it was risky. I opted to continue towards my destination, but I memorized the location of that block of rooms of the first level cadets.

I continued on my way as if nothing had happened, but as I passed the airstrip I ran into my classmates, who seemed excited about something they had done. They were all perplexed to see me in such a deplorable state. John, one of them, did not hesitate to address me.

"Have you rolled in the sand? Take a bath, you smell awful!"

I didn't care what he said to me, I tried to ignore him, but he tugged at my shirt.

"I'm talking to you, stupid."

I replied just as rudely.

"I don't talk to assholes."

"You're a bold, fucking commoner."

At that moment, a second-level cadet stepped in, with his black hair and piercing green eyes. He was tall and muscular.

"Calm down, both of you. Don't make me angry."

"Stop it! Scott, I was just showing this cheater his place. I hope you stay on as an employee of this place."

Although I was still furious about what had happened to me, I didn't care. John wasn't important in my life and his words didn't affect me. I had other things to think about. Surprisingly, Lucia stayed and made her way over to me regardless of what anyone else thought.

"Cadet, you missed a presentation about the upcoming trips that are coming up. When you've showered, look for me in the cafeteria."

It was unbelievable. She spoke earnestly, never batting an eyelash. John was furious when he heard that and followed her to complain. I just went to take a shower and meet Lucia.

When I went there I noticed that the place was lonely as if everyone had already bathed. It was for the best, it was stressing me out to be among so many people and hear those sounds of discussion and bad comments like the ones from a while ago.

I just went to take a shower and noticed that the dust and sand had invaded my body, although I tried to avoid getting full of it. The water was a bit cold, I wanted to get out of there right away. I started to freeze.

I turned off the faucet and put a towel over me. However, when I got out I was confronted by some quasi-professional pilots from the academy, it was rather awkward. I was insignificant in front of them. 

I pretended that everything was fine and that I didn't care what they did. However, I noticed that one of them was injured, maybe they had an accident. I didn't lose my concentration looking at them and continued my activities.

[...]

An hour later, I was ready with a new uniform and all traces of sand had been removed from my body. Arriving at the cafeteria, I noticed that there were few people, as it was almost dark and the excitement of the day had dissipated. I moved forward among the tables, looking for Lucia, but I couldn't find her. Perhaps she had not arrived or had regretted helping me. I considered turning back, but at that moment she called out to me.

"Cadet Nick, over here."

I turned and saw her with other second-level cadets. Noticing my presence, they quickly got up and left the table. I felt a strange awkwardness, as if they were all avoiding me.

I approached Lucia and sat down across from her, in one of the unoccupied chairs.

"Cadet Nick, here is a report with all the topics that were covered in your absence and what will be addressed this week. You need to catch up, in two weeks there will be flight tests and the best pilots will be selected to represent the academy."

I received the report, a manual and a law book, and noticed that they totaled almost a hundred pages. They were lengthy and concise.

"This is too much. I'm grounded, I can't go through all this."

"Cadet Nick, you must read it all and prepare. If you can't, you'll be expelled. Second level cadets are supposed to be the best students and have passed numerous tests. Prove that they were not wrong to promote your rank."

It was shocking to see her speak with such seriousness and authority, but that was the way protocol worked in that place. I didn't know how to ask her to help me find out who were the people responsible for the death of my father and brother.

I noticed that Lucia was holding a pen in her hand, and I signaled for her to lend it to me. She understood my message and handed it to me.

I wrote on a piece of paper that I needed to ask her for a favor.

Lucia read it silently. She wrote that next week we could talk about it. I had many pending tasks, it was a punishment for having spoken loudly to the general.

When I read it, I tore the sheet to prevent anyone else from accidentally reading what I had written. 

"Well, Cadet, Nick, see you later."

"See you later."

I stood alone at that table and tried to read every single page of those books. I wanted to know what subjects I should study, but I soon got bored. Everything was very basic and there were concepts I already knew, so I would have no problem with that. However, the rules of the academy and the laws of the country required more attention. I started reading the rule book and the only thing that interested me were the grounds for expulsion. I wanted to avoid being expelled without having done justice. There were so many articles that could lead to my expulsion that I began to feel some fear. I had committed several offenses, such as going to the infirmary at unpermitted times and going out without permission. Lucia was also long overdue for expulsion, as she hacked into the communication system and performed indecent acts there, in addition to breaking other rules. However, it seemed that her faults and mine had been overlooked until now.

As I continued reading, I felt a presence beside me. It was Scott, the second level cadet, who had defended me earlier. He sat down next to me and sighed.

"Nick, I know things have been difficult for you since you got here. But you must understand that rules are important at this academy. We all have to abide by them. I heard what you did, I think it would be wrong for you to be expelled from the academy."

I nodded, understanding his words. Although I had committed some faults, I did not want to be expelled. I had a mission to accomplish, a search for the truth that I could not abandon.

I looked at Scott with gratitude for his support and words of encouragement. Although I was aware of my mistakes, his support gave me hope that I could make amends for my actions and prove my worth at the academy. 

"Scott, I appreciate your concern and advice," I replied sincerely. "I know the rules are important and I am willing to learn from my mistakes. I don't want my past to define me, nor do I want my past actions to keep me from moving forward. I have a mission to accomplish here, and I will do my best to abide by the rules and prove that I can be a valuable member of this academy."

Scott nodded with a comforting smile. "That's what I was hoping to hear, Nick. We all make mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from them and move on. I'm here to help you with whatever you need. If you have any questions or need guidance, don't hesitate to ask me for help."

I appreciated her offer and we continued to talk about the rules and regulations of the academy. I was a little surprised that no, he was not a leader like Lucia, they were certainly similar and helped the other cadets. I wished they would take that position away from Jhon and give it to him. It was the most together thing for everyone.