Pilots Of The World
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
The first thing I did when I got to the carrier was head for my quarters and take a shower. It had been about two weeks since we’d left Earth, but it felt like months. My body ached from being in space so long, and I needed some time off before going back into training.
After all, if I didn’t get enough sleep now, there would be no way that I could stay awake during those boring lectures at school.
I heard someone knock on my door as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom; it was probably one of my roommates. They were both pretty cool guys, but they weren’t exactly what you would call good friends.
We had met each other right after graduation, and we’d gotten along well enough to share a room together, which is how we ended up here aboard this ship. But even though we got along okay, neither of us really knew much about the other person’s life outside of our shared experiences with the military.
That made me wonder why anyone would want to live in close proximity to another human being without knowing anything about them. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all, because then you wouldn’t have to worry about getting stabbed or killed by your roommate while sleeping. I shook my head as I walked over to open the door.
“Hey,” said my friend Chris as he came inside. He looked around the small room before turning his attention back to me. “You look like shit.”
Chris was tall and lanky, with dark hair and eyes. His skin was pale, and he always seemed to be wearing a scowl on his face. There was something about him that reminded me of an angry cat, although I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.
Although we never talked about it, it must’ve bothered him that he had red hair instead of blond, because he spent most of the time trying to cover it up with dye.
“Thanks,” I replied. “What are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “Just wanted to say hi, man. How’s it hanging? You know…with the whole ‘being dead’ thing.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. What do you want?”
“Well…” he began, looking uncomfortable for some reason. “…you’re not going to believe this, but I think we might be in trouble.”
That caught my interest immediately. “What kind of trouble?”
“We just received orders from HQ to leave orbit and make preparations to go to war against the aliens. Apparently, they attacked a planet somewhere near here a few days ago, and the Federation is sending reinforcements. So, apparently, we’re going to fight the damn things again.”
My jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
“Apparently so. They sent a shuttle down to pick us up, and we’ll be heading back to Earth for a couple of weeks until the fleet arrives. Then we’ll start flying missions.”
“Shit!” I exclaimed. “Why the hell didn’t anyone tell us?”
Chris shrugged. “They didn’t feel the need to bother us with details, I guess. And besides, who cares? We don’t have to fly anymore, right?”
“Right,” I agreed. “But still, I can’t believe they’re going to send us to war again. This is crazy! I thought we won the last battle.”
“Don’t worry, dude,” he told me. “It’s gonna be different this time. Those bastards aren’t invincible. We’ll win this one too.”
“Let’s hope so,” I muttered. “So, where will we be stationed once we get back to Earth?”
“Probably somewhere in the Pacific Ocean,” he answered. “Or maybe Australia. Either way, it doesn’t matter. As long as we’re not flying fighters, we should be safe.”
“Good point.”
“Anyway, I better get going,” he continued. “I have to pack up everything and grab a quick bite before we leave.”
“Okay,” I said. “See ya later.”
As I watched him walk out of the room, I wondered whether I should try and find a new roommate. If we were going to be fighting a war, I doubted that any of us would be able to concentrate on our studies. I mean, I could understand that the instructors wouldn’t want us to slack off, but we had already graduated and passed all our exams.
Why would they care if we took a little break from studying? Besides, I didn’t see why we couldn’t spend some time relaxing and having fun before we started training again.
A week later, I found myself standing in front of a large building located on the edge of downtown Chicago. It was a beautiful, old-fashioned structure built entirely of stone, with a clock tower at its center. The name of the place was the United States Naval Academy, and it was the school where I had been accepted into the Navy’s officer program.
I was nervous as I approached the entrance, but I tried to hide it by pretending to be calm. After all, I hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, I felt like I was doing the right thing by joining the military. Still, there was no denying that I was scared. I’d never served in the armed forces, and I wasn’t sure how well I would handle being away from home for months or even years at a time.
When I finally reached the front desk, I handed over my paperwork and waited nervously while the woman behind the counter checked through everything. She gave me a smile when she finished, then gestured toward the door.
“Welcome to the USNA, Mr. Harkness,” she said. “Have a good day.”
With those words, I stepped outside and made my way across the campus grounds. My first impression of the place was that it looked pretty much like every other college I had ever visited. There were several buildings scattered around the area, each surrounded by grassy areas and benches.
Students sat on them reading books or talking quietly among themselves. Some of them waved to me as I walked past, and I returned their greetings with a nod. A few minutes later, I arrived at the main administration building.
The woman behind the counter smiled at me as I entered the lobby. “Hello, sir,” she greeted me. “How may I help you today?”
“Hi,” I replied. “I’m here to register for classes.”
She typed something into her computer, then nodded. “Very good. Please follow me.”
I followed her down a hallway and into an office. Once inside, she turned to face me. “Please take a seat, Mr. Harkness. I’ll be right back.”
After taking a chair, I glanced around the room. It was small and decorated in a modern style that reminded me of an Apple store. Several students sat at desks, working on various projects, while others chatted together and laughed occasionally.
I noticed that most of them were male, which surprised me somewhat. I figured that more women would apply for admission to the academy than men, especially since it was a combat position. However, the only female student I saw was sitting alone at a table near the window.
She seemed to be staring intently at a piece of paper in front of her, so I assumed that she must be writing something.
While I waited for the woman to return, I examined the rest of the room. On the walls hung pictures of famous naval battles and ships, along with other historical artifacts. A large map of the world covered one wall, showing the location of major cities and landmarks.
Near the door stood a rack filled with uniforms and medals, while another shelf contained rows upon rows of books about naval history.
Finally, the woman returned to let me know that my registration was complete. “You are now officially enrolled in the USNA,” she informed me. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you,” I replied. “Is there anything else I need to do?”
“No, sir,” she answered. “All your records have been transferred to the appropriate departments. You can go ahead and start attending class whenever you’re ready.”
“Thanks,” I told her. “I appreciate it.”
Once I left the office, I headed down the hall toward the classrooms. When I reached the end of the corridor, I stopped and gazed out the window. It overlooked the lakefront, and I could see people walking along the boardwalk or enjoying the view from the pier.
Beyond that, I spotted a group of sailors playing catch with a football. They were laughing and cheering as they tossed the ball back and forth, and I couldn’t help smiling as I watched them.
For a moment, I considered going outside and joining them. Then I shook my head. No, this was too important. I needed to focus on what lay ahead and not waste any time. Besides, I didn’t want to get involved with anyone until I knew if I was staying in the Navy.
That meant keeping my distance from everyone, including the girls who worked in the cafeteria.
As I continued down the hall, I passed several other offices, each containing a receptionist. Most of them wore navy blue blazers adorned with gold buttons, while some sported white shirts underneath. Their hair was usually pulled back into tight ponytails, and they always smiled when I spoke to them.
The whole scene reminded me of a military base, and I wondered how many of these people were ex-military. If so, perhaps I wouldn’t stand out quite so badly. After all, I’d spent years serving aboard a starship, and that experience should give me an advantage over other recruits.
Eventually, I found myself standing outside a classroom marked ‘Naval Science 101.’ Inside, I took a seat next to a young man wearing a navy blue uniform. He introduced himself as Jack, and we began chatting.
Before long, I learned that he was also new to the school, having just finished his training at the Naval Academy Preparatory School. His father was a retired admiral, and he hoped to follow in his footsteps someday.
After a few minutes, the professor came in and took her place at the podium. “Good morning,” she announced. “My name is Professor D’Arcy, and I will be teaching your course today.”
“Thank you for coming,” someone called out. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Professor D’Arcy smiled. “That’s very kind of you. Now, before we begin, please turn off your cell phones and pagers. We don’t want to distract you during class.”
A chorus of groans rose up from the students.
“Now, where were we?” she asked. “Ah, yes. Today, we’re going to discuss the basics of naval warfare. Let’s start by discussing the three main branches of our service: the surface fleet, the submarine force, and the air wing.”
She went on to explain the differences between each branch, their roles within the overall organization, and the specific missions they performed. As she did so, I listened carefully, taking notes on my tablet. I had already read most of the material, but it helped to hear it explained again.
When she finished speaking, a student raised his hand. “What about space forces?” he asked. “Are they part of the navy, too? Or do they belong to the Air Force?”
The professor chuckled. “Space forces are technically under the control of the Department of Defense,” she said. “However, since the Space Command is located here at the academy, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Naval Academy.
So, yes, you’ll find a section devoted to space operations in your textbook.”
More questions followed, and soon the lecture moved on to a discussion of naval strategy. By the time class ended, I felt much more prepared than I had earlier. At least, I thought I would be able to keep up with the others.
Afterward, I headed back to my dorm room and changed into civilian clothes. Then I grabbed my backpack and walked across campus to the mess hall. Once inside, I ordered a sandwich and a cup of coffee, then sat down at one of the tables.
A few minutes later, a girl approached me. She was dressed in a navy blue skirt and jacket, and her blonde hair hung loosely around her shoulders. She looked like she might have been in her late teens, and her eyes sparkled when she smiled.
“Hello,” she said. “You must be the new guy.”
“Yes,” I replied. “I’m glad to meet you.”
Her smile widened. “Likewise. My name is Jillian, and I work in the cafeteria.”
“Nice to meet you, Jillian,” I answered. “Do you mind if I sit here?”
She glanced around the room. “It looks like there aren’t any open seats,” she said. “But you can take mine if you want.”
“Thanks.”
Jillian took a seat opposite me, and we chatted for a few moments. It turned out that she was studying business administration, although she wasn’t sure which company she wanted to work for after graduation.
Her parents owned a small restaurant near the waterfront, and she planned to help manage the place once she graduated. Eventually, though, she hoped to run her own establishment.
“So, what brings you here?” she asked. “Are you planning on enlisting in the Navy?”
“Not exactly,” I told her. “I’m actually enrolled at the Naval Academy.”
“Really?” she exclaimed. “That’s great! Do you know who your roommate is yet?”
“No,” I admitted. “I haven’t met him or her yet.”
“Well, maybe you should go introduce yourself,” she suggested. “Then you could get some lunch together.”
“Maybe I will,” I agreed.
As I stood up, Jillian gave me another friendly smile. “Have fun!”
I returned to the dining hall and found an empty table. After ordering a hamburger, fries, and a soda, I pulled out my tablet and started reading through my textbook. The information seemed straightforward enough, but I still didn’t understand everything. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask someone for help.
I opened a chat window and typed, “Hey, I need some advice.”
A moment later, a reply appeared. “Sure,” it said. “What do you need?”
“How does this stuff apply to real life?” I wrote. “For example, how do we use all these concepts to fight wars?”
There was a long pause before the response arrived. “Good question,” the person wrote. “Let me think about it for a minute.”
Another short delay passed, and the message finally came. “Okay, here’s my answer,” it said. “In general, the purpose of military forces is to protect national interests. That means we use them to defend ourselves against other countries, as well as prevent attacks on us from outside sources.”
“Gotcha,” I replied. “But how do we decide whether or not to attack another country?”
“That depends on several factors,” the person responded. “First, we look at the strength of our opponent. If they’re stronger than us, then we probably shouldn’t try to conquer them. Instead, we’d just end up losing a lot of soldiers and equipment.
Second, we consider the cost of fighting. We don’t want to spend too much money on weapons and troops, because we have to worry about feeding our people and paying for things like infrastructure and utilities. Finally, we examine the political situation. Are there any treaties in effect? What are the laws governing warfare between nations?”
“Wow,” I muttered. “This stuff is complicated.”
“It can be,” the person agreed. “But that doesn’t mean you have to learn it all right away. Just focus on learning the basics first.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “That makes sense.”
“Anytime,” the person added. “Anything else you need help with?”
“Actually, yes,” I said. “Can you give me more details about the naval academy?”
“Sure,” the person answered. “The school has two main campuses: one in Annapolis, Maryland, and another in Newport News, Virginia. Students live in dorms and attend classes during the day. At night, they train aboard ships in the Atlantic Ocean.
There are also training facilities on land, where students practice using firearms and driving tanks.”
“Sounds cool,” I remarked. “And what kind of jobs do cadets usually pursue?”
“Well, most of them become officers,” the person explained. “They’ll serve in the Navy or Marines, depending on their preferences. Others choose to join the Army instead, while others may even volunteer for special units such as SEAL Team Six.”
“Seals?” I repeated. “Like the guys in the movies?”
“Sort of,” the person replied. “Although they’re trained differently. They don’t wear suits of armor and carry swords, for instance. And they don’t travel in helicopters and boats.”
“Oh,” I said. “So they’re basically regular soldiers?”
“Yes,” the person confirmed. “Except they’re highly specialized. Their job is to infiltrate enemy territory and capture or kill high-value targets.”
“You mean terrorists and criminals?” I asked. “Or spies?”
“Either way,” the person replied. “Their mission is to stop bad guys from doing harm to innocent people.”
“Cool,” I said. “Do you know anyone who belongs to the team?”
“Unfortunately, no,” the person admitted. “I’ve never met a member of SEAL Team Six.”
“Me neither,” I said. “Is it hard to get into?”
“It’s very competitive,” the person warned. “Only the best candidates make it onto the team.”
“That sounds tough,” I commented.
“It is,” the person agreed. “But if you work hard and study smart, then you’ll have a better chance than most.”
I nodded thoughtfully. “Thanks again,” I told him. “I really appreciate your help.”
“No problem,” the person assured me. “If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact me anytime.”
“Will do,” I promised.
“Bye,” he added.
After chatting with the person online, I finished eating my lunch. Then I went back to my room and took a nap until dinner time. When I woke up, I headed down to the cafeteria once again and ordered an omelet and hash browns.
The End