Chapter 12: A classist conversation, a conversation about class
Eneas approached with humility but without fear the group of officers who surrounded the cadets, named for their excellence in the exam. The congratulations they received were many, and Eneas' record had been a sensation among the staff present there.
"We finally meet the genius who broke the impossible record in his first attempt. How did you do it boy?" Sub-Admiral Menelaus asked him with a smile on his lips:.
"Well, I think a lot of high school books get the focus of that test wrong. They are designed to pass, not to get the most out of it."
"What do you mean? Explain the mystery to us" In Director Kronos's voice, there was a bit of sarcasm. How could a simple cadet think that he could give them lessons?
"Well, most tactics recommend clearing as many enemies as possible from a specific sector, and although that may help at the beginning, the excess at the end of others slows down the simulator when you move on to the next sector that will be more saturated... "
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was the usual and most logical tactic: the more concentrated the objectives are, the easier the transition from one target to another...
"And the trick, then?"
"I began by clearing the incoming objectives in any of the sectors, choosing the next one according to the encounter path... if from point a to b there were three objectives in the intermediate zone, I would shoot them but without deviating... although a little more Slow allows the simulator not to lose speed, and in the end the accumulation in the central area means that you can kill multiple enemies whatever the trajectory you follow..."
The officers were left thinking about Eneas' words.
"Very intelligent, a risky tactic in combat but notable and exceptional, your talent also for piloting and assimilation. Do you by chance come from a family with a military tradition? I don't remember any officers with your last name, but the Navy is big, and I'm not old enough to know them all."
Kronos' question was not without malicious intent, although this did not intimidate Eneas
"Yes, my father was a Sergeant and fighter squadron leader during the gigantomachy revolt; he died in combat."
"Ah... a fighter sergeant... you must have inherited his ability; only a soldier can get the most out of a piece of junk like a Faumer, impressive, very impressive, welcome then Cadet Eneas to the world of officers, you will see, Here an officer has many more things to do and prove than to be just a good pilot, don't neglect the rest of your training..."
Director Kronos began to speak with the other two cadets, almost ignoring Eneas' presence.
"How is your father?"
"Very good, admiral; send your regards."
"And like his cadet grandfather Hercules, is he still as grumpy as when he was active?"
"My admiral already knows; he has not left command, even though he no longer has a crew to command."
Damned bastard with airs of superiority, thought Eneas; however, he was able to dodge most of the blows. While he was the simple son of a sergeant, Hector's family was upper-class; there were even several decent officers in his history. With Hercules, the same thing happened or worse, he was the descendant of one of the great military families of Elysium. …
It's not that they isolated him, or treated him with contempt, but when the conversation began to turn to how this or that relative was doing, Eneas had to stay there as a mere spectator. Luckily, Providence came to save him.
"Excuse me, young man, could you tell me the name of your father?"
Everyone fell silent at that moment; it was Admiral Odysseus who had asked him.
"My father... Anchises... Anchises Dardano although I think his companions jokingly called him Star Rogue..."
"Anchises Dardanus…" Odysseus's gaze showed no emotion.
"Anchises… I mean StarRogue… wasn't that the name of the hero of Tartarus?"
The person who had asked was Admiral Diomedes, former old commander of the Argos and now retired as a teacher at the Academy. Many officers began to murmur. It is possible that a soldier's last name was forgotten or never known, but a hero was a hero.
A colonel with quite a few gray hairs and years of service approached Eneas, grabbing him by the shoulders:
"If it had not been for your father's bravery, all of us on the Caleuche would have died without a doubt. If he did not stop the Titans so that the navy could come to rescue us, everything would have gone to waste."
"If you have only inherited a third of your father's courage and skill, the navy will have already gained a future hero."
Although the one who had asked was Odysseus, after that, he disappeared into the crowd of officers without saying a single word. Had he done it to honor the memory of a hero or to honor an old friend?
Many toasts were raised that night for the Hero of Tartarus; he also learned many anecdotes about the "exploits" of his rebellious father, the rudeness of officers, and how he failed to comply with the last orders received to give the army the necessary time to arrive and save the situation in the Titantomachy.
That first day at the officer academy was everything Eneas had ever thought about, and even a little more, how he would be able to change the course of a war as a simple cadet.
The first incident of the war came to his memory. The attack on Helena Station, humanity's largest interstellar station that was outside the Trinitarian system, in its previous life the closest ship to the station was Odysseus's Argos, and the cadets were forced into combat and then From that moment on, many like Hercules were heroes from that moment until the final battle.
But if he wanted to get to the Argos Eneas couldn't sleep, only the five best cadets at the end of the first semester of each military academy would have a place on the training ship. That was a tangible goal, now he just had to achieve it.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone