章節 10: Opening ceremony
The blue pavilion was the dream of every boy who aspired to succeed in the army, while the old main building was a symbol of the army. This building made of cobalt and liquid glass was the symbol of excellence; only the best crossed these doors like cadets.
Eneas carried all his belongings in a simple backpack. Although he was not poor in solemnity, his mother had to fight a lot and go through many hardships to raise and educate him, which made the boy austere. The only real whim in his life was Amaru, yes, Jewel, his toy since he was old enough to pilot it.
The 85 cadets who had made the cut for officer school that year were anxiously crowding at the doors, waiting for them to open and thus begin that stage of their bright future.
Many from families with military traditions, others who had surpassed themselves by force of will and perseverance, some small geniuses, and like every year, some retested from previous years who, after completing their basic soldier training and the minimum period of service to return to be examined, had managed to overcome the entry barrier.
Lieutenant Aquiles waited patiently for the exact time to open the doors. For him, doing service at the academy was boring, a procedure to go through due to his bad character and having destroyed a mecha on his last mission. At least they hadn't demoted him, which was already a lot.
When the time came to open the bright blue doors, the aspirants stood at attention in front of him as soon as they were in the hall and saw him.
"Well, punctuality is something that you must strictly follow; the army does not wait for lazy people." The doors closed behind him, and although it was not true that they were so strict, it was the first of the tests. He would remind those present the importance, and those who were left out due to lateness, after a harsh reprimand, were taught not to repeat it again.
"Now, cadets, accompany me to the conference room. Director Kronos wants to dedicate a few words to you." The blue uniform highlighted Achilles' sculptural body; all the cadets aspired to wear at least that uniform and those stripes when they finished their training. The lieutenant showed them the way to the conference room.
In his previous life, he remembered how other minor officers had done the same in the main building, but they were not received by the director, but by another officer in charge of the mob and the troops. The room was old, the seats hard and worn, and the packed room had horrible acoustics, and only those in the front rows managed to understand anything of what was said on the stage.
However, this time the 85 cadets entered a large room with a capacity for five times their number, and the soft armchairs enveloped them comfortably while they could directly follow the opening speech through an interconnection with their assistive devices, such as the Ogmios of Eneas.
Admiral Kronos was older, very old; he was actually retired from active service in the navy; he lived his golden retirement at the Academy of Troy. He once aspired to be a great admiral, the supreme commander of the navy, but his age and a new generation, more prepared and more voracious for glory, surpassed him. The children ate the father, so to speak.
"Welcome to glory; today your future begins, but do not boast about your success yet; each year of your training will serve to separate those of you who are only matchstick fodder from the captains, colonels or admirals of the Navy."
Eneas had had the opportunity to really see him in action during the war. When he was reassigned and recalled, that guy really knew what he was doing; they couldn't be in better hands, although putting up with his speeches was something else... Eneas endured stoically. However, others, without his temperate temperament as a soldier, could not endure the soporific speech without yawning. A cadet with a grumpy face seemed to be yawning, not out of boredom or sleep, but to really annoy the director...
"Cadet, tell me your name and answer. Do you find my words boring? Do you think that is the attitude that a future naval officer should have?"
The director not only pointed his finger, but a laser pointer marked the troublemaker so that there was no doubt...
"Mr. Director... I mean, My respected Admiral Kronos, my name is Ajax... I did not want to disrespect you, nor disrespect you, but as a future combatant, I am more interested in his exploits and war stories than in all your talk sir..."
You had to have them very well, not only to disrespect the director of the academy, but to be able to justify it without stuttering.
Director Kronos began to laugh openly...
"I like that spirit, boy, not giving in even in the obvious defeat... it's a shame that this is not a schoolyard for the roosters to show their plumage... go straight to my office as soon as the conference is over. I'll let you know. You are left without going to the gala dinner tonight.
When the inaugural speech ended, the officials at the academy told us to go to our rooms in the blue pavilion.
Unlike the common rooms where more than twenty soldiers lived in bunk beds, here the rooms were individual, larger even than my room, Eneas' room in the city. Decorated in navy style but no amenities were spared. The class difference really began here, without a doubt, accustoming future leaders to the difference with the rabble.
On top of the bed and in the closets several blue cadet uniforms were waiting for the new ones. Eneas dressed, checking his uniform and removing every possible wrinkle with the back of his hand.
For many, the rest of his life began, for Eneas the opportunity to save a world that he knew was on the verge of extinction.
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