by Kevin Groh
Now you might think that I am ashamed to bear that name. But in reality, I wear it with pride because it means that my recruits are hard enough at the end of their training to survive what’s out there waiting for them. Unfortunately, not everyone is cut out to be a soldier and for some, the day of recruitment is the death sentence. But many of them return home at the end of their compulsory period and they can only do so because they have learned everything from us. Therefore, I am proud to congratulate today’s graduates on completing their basic education and I hope for them that one day they will be able to live in peace«.
Nobody had expected such a speech from Banes. The applause he received was correspondingly strong. Captain Rickett then came on stage, followed by none other than General Harvey Dukes and Ronson Glades. This caused great astonishment because in the current situation the General certainly had far more important things to do than to attend a recruiting celebration. The crowd quickly fell silent as the handsome man with the walking stick prepared to say something. His powerful voice would not have needed a microphone.
»Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. If I interpret the looks of the people in the audience correctly, you wonder why we are here tonight. Why do the three probably most influential men on the planet Utopia take the time to take part in a celebration despite the seriousness of the current situation? Well, the answer is quite simple: the most powerful women of Utopia had no time, so they sent us.«
Nobody had expected such a joke and the laughter was great. Since the female members of the government had other duties, they did not attend military occasions.
Ronson Glades took the floor. His soft voice was a strong contrast to Dukes and he was very quiet even with a microphone.
»The reason for our visit here is to pay tribute to the recruits whose courageous efforts we owe to sitting here today laughing at the General’s jokes. As we all know only too well, our troops have been decimated due to the tragedy on Zulath. It will take months to replace even a fraction of what we have lost. That is why we had to make the hard decision to upgrade some of the more promising recruits ahead of time and against their will. This decision haunts me every day, but as we have less and less time for thorough training, we must use it to ensure that our troops have a chance to survive the war.«
The General continued: »The situation has led to the homebase, our famous warship under Captain Rickett here, being the only defense we can afford in the orbit of Utopia. It was only thanks to our military reputation that no one attacked us. The Lorgans wanted to put this reputation to the test and by just a hairsbreadth they would have succeeded in conquering Utopia. What they would have done with us in this case, we can only guess.«
A shiver was running through the crowd, but Glades kept talking.
»This attack came out of nowhere and it caught us unprepared. We had no options and fought out of sheer desperation. But a small group of recruits among us today didn’t want to accept that. They were ordered to retreat to the homebase after the attack had interrupted their exercise, but some of them refused. They risked their future, their freedom and not least their lives to help the other soldiers defend Utopia. One of them, unfortunately, paid this price.«
Then Dukes took over again: »You may think that young recruits can do nothing in such a battle. That’s what many of us thought. Even their instructors urged them to turn back. But these were no ordinary recruits. This group had already beaten the probability during their entire training and had overcome almost unsolvable tasks with teamwork, tactical skill, competence, and ingenuity. And it was precisely this group that had a daring plan for this unsolvable situation, which ultimately worked out and saved us all.«
Glades said: »We all know the footage of this day and we all know their faces. We would like to personally congratulate the six courageous recruits who took up arms for all of us in this hour of need. Welcome with us on stage Urma Bolly, James ›Jimbo‹ Fields, and Kelly Richards!«
The three were taken to the top with great applause and they received congratulations and special awards as well as gifts of money.
As soon as the enthusiasm subsided, Dukes continued:
»You are probably wondering where the other three are whose deeds we were allowed to admire on the videos. As their achievements should be highlighted, we want to call them separately and give them the highest award that can be achieved in training. Please come up to us, Leena Whittaker and Roderick Tindall!«
Again there was thunderous applause as the two of them climbed onto the stage and received large gold badges.
Then Dukes said again: »But one person is still missing up here. The recruit, whose willpower convinced his comrades here and even our VI Jenny to support him in this whole action. Son of the esteemed synthium pioneer Magnus Sanders, I now proudly ask ›Commander‹ Carter Sanders to join us!«
Now the cheers and the stomping of the people were deafening. Carter had to try very hard not to turn bright red. At the top, all three dignitaries shook his hand and also presented him with the golden award.
Dukes said: »Carter, even if your actions could have turned out devastating, you decided to dare. You alone stopped almost two squads of Lorgans and saved your comrades and the mission. Unfortunately, I can’t really appoint you commander, for that you need more experience ...«
Again laughter went through the crowd.
»... but I can honor your deeds in other ways. I hereby officially award you the Medal of Bravery of Utopia, the famous Synthium Cross, and give you the title ›Guardian of Utopia‹!«
From then on the applause was no longer to be held. Carter was the first person to be appointed a war hero before the end of his training. He stood there next to his friends, his father in the crowd and the leaders of the planet behind him. Never before had he felt so proud and completely planless about how to behave. He was glad when he could leave the stage after a tribute to the fallen Nambur.
After the official award, the approval lists were issued. It was a document that, based on their individual strengths, contained the activities for which they were eligible in their third year of compulsory military service. Kelly only got opportunities on Utopia, including a technician career. Leena had no options, only one job. She would work as a strategic consultant for a military-owned security firm in Greystone. That wasn’t exactly a bad job. Rod and Carter had several options. From infantry soldiers to ship crews to pilot training, everything was there. Carter could even become a sniper, officer or scout. But they didn’t have to make the decision immediately, they were allowed to relax for a few more weeks. Congratulations, compliments, and conversations with proud parents and relatives followed. After the families had left the premises and the party was in full progress, the four stood a little apart under the big tree on the drill ground and watched the colorful hustle and bustle.
»It was a crazy time here.«, Rod said.
»I didn’t want to come here at all at the beginning. But now ... I think I will even miss it. Everything except Banes.«, Carter laughed.
He wrapped around Kelly’s waist and held her tight while Leena stood thoughtfully beside them. Rod leaned casually against the tree.
»I will miss to have you around me. I don’t know if it will be possible to keep in touch at all times, but let’s make a commitment. When the third year ends, no matter what we do afterward, we meet right here under this tree and remember.«, Kelly suggested.
»I would like that.«, Leena replied.
»Before we get there, we’ll have a lot to talk about.«, Rod suspected.
Carter took in the air with delight and said: »Yes, next year will be an adventure. I’m curious to see what comes next.«
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