The Cadet: Shattered Worlds

By DeJesus

In the future, humanity has expanded beyond Earth's solar system into the unknown to establish colonies. This future sees children sent to military academies designed to prepare them to defend the colonized worlds from any threat, both foreign and domestic. When o

• Language: English
• Publisher: Miguel DeJesus Jr.
• Release date: May 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9798330204359

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The Cadet

Shattered Worlds

(Book One of The Cadet Series)

Miguel DeJesus Jr.

Copyright © 2023 Miguel DeJesus Jr. All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, companies, organizations, places, events, locales, and incidents are either used in a fictitious manner or are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual companies or organizations, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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ISBN: 979-8-3302-0435-9

DEDICATION

For my family…

To my father, for exposing me to the world of science-fiction… my mother, for sacrificing so much to ensure my life was full of potential… my wife, for encouraging my wild imagination to grow and thrive… my children, for giving me hope for a better future of unlimited wonders…

… Thank you!

acknowledgements

To John Gallucci, my friend and mentor for over two decades, for his support in helping me complete my edits. Thank you, brother!

pROLOGUE

It was early evening when Lieutenant Michael Chen assumed the watch as the Station Duty Officer for the first time on his own. He spent four months learning all the fundamental functions of every system onboard the Stygia I Orbital Station. He trained under several different qualified and experienced SDO’s, performing walk-thru evaluations with systems engineers and finally demonstrating proficiency coordinating station operations. This last part was most difficult as he underwent challenging review boards incorporating multiple scenarios by the most senior officers on the station, including Commodore Selmon Lee Smith.

Commodore Smith wasn’t just in command of the station though, he commanded all of the fleet’s assets in the Stygia system. That included three starships, eight starcraft squadrons, the orbital station itself, and two mining stations located in the Stygia Belt, affectionately known as the Carotid Belt. It got that name when the fleet, still in its infancy over sixty years ago, discovered a new metallic element called Ditanium. It was realized that Ditanium was nearly indestructible, and could be processed to produce new ships and facilities, becoming a vital source of life to the fleet and the exploration efforts of humanity. So, like the carotid artery of the human body, the belt provides a vital supply of blood flow necessary for human survival.

Lieutenant Chen went on his rounds, receiving reports from each individual duty station in the Operations Center. It usually averaged about five minutes to get a proper update from each station, in addition to the thirty minutes he’d already spent receiving a turnover from the previous SDO. 

Ensign Lopez, the lieutenant addressed the station’s Engineering Watch Officer, or EWO, what wonderful news do you have for me? Over the past four months, the watch officers rotating through the Operations Center developed a liking for the lieutenant, or LT as they referred to him. He came off as confident and professional, but also fostering a relaxed environment allowing his junior officers to be themselves. Still considered a junior officer himself, Lieutenant Chen respected the fleet’s rank structure and positional authority he held while remembering that at one point not too long ago he was also an ensign. 

Good evening LT, replied the EWO. Station engineering reactors are running at eighty percent power as per the Commodore’s orders, all vital systems are operating within norms, starcraft bay number three is having issues with one of its cargo cranes, and my barracks laundry unit devoured two of my utility uniforms this morning! 

Lieutenant Chen fought to restrain his laughter as Ensign Lopez turned to face him, nothing but fury on her face about the seriousness of having her uniforms repossessed by an apparently demented laundry machine. Sorry Ensign, but isn’t this the third time you lose a uniform?  Now you’re losing them two at a time?

The Ensign still wasn’t amused, but did concede the ridiculousness of her predicament. Yes Sir, I already put in a trouble call to get the damned thing fixed and a requisition request to have the uniforms replaced. Unfortunately, I need my department head to sign off this time since the Supply Officer is starting to wonder if I’m just scamming the system for extra uniforms.

Good luck with that Amy, replied Lieutenant Chen, Is that all you have for me tonight?

Yes Sir

Very well, carry on.  As Ensign Lopez returned to minding her duty station, he continued on to his Communications Watch Officer, known as COMWO. Good evening Alek, how is the communications world today?

Outstanding LT, replied Ensign Dmitrovec, a stout little Russian. Although English was the officially recognized global language of Earth, many of the more populous and powerful nations still continued using their original languages. Alek Dmitrovec grew up learning Russian first, and now sported a thick accent when speaking English. Lieutenant Chen is still amazed that the ensign qualified as a COMWO onboard this station with having such a deep accent. I have nothing significant to report at this time Sir, he finished.

Very well Ensign, get back to the net and pass the word that I’ve assumed the watch.

Lieutenant Chen’s next stop was the Operations Watch Officer. Although the SDO’s responsibility included station operations control from the Operations Center, the Operations Watch Officer focused on scheduling and deconfliction. This included the transiting and docking of starships and starcraft, drilling and exercise management, and serves as the focal point for coordination between the different departments. This was the busiest position on the watch floor.

As Lieutenant Chen approached, Lieutenant Junior-Grade Andy Fitz turned around with a printed status report all ready to go. "Sir, I have the status report and tomorrow’s Plan of the Day both ready for your review. Currently, the Roger Hoffman, Guayaquil and Defender are all in port. The commodore is holding the Commander’s Conference with the ship and wing commanding officers as we speak. They started at seventeen-hundred, taking dinner at the meeting, and are expected to be done by nineteen-hundred. All three ships are restricted to only thirty percent crew liberty, and only the Defender is set to get back underway tonight at twenty-three-hundred hours."

Thank you, OPS, replied the lieutenant, utilizing an aficionado for the position he once held as a more junior officer. Let me know if anything changes.

When Lieutenant Chen was just a junior grade himself, he served as the OPS Watch Officer onboard the IFS Zhang Wei, a frigate based in the Sol System’s First Fleet. He served there for two years before his promotion and transfer to the Stygia system. During his tour in the Sol System he was also temporarily assigned to the fleet admiral’s staff as an Operations Liaison Officer to the First Fleet. He was recognized as a rising star, both brilliant and imaginative, and unafraid to speak frankly with flag officers. It was during this time that then-Captain Smith of the IFS Atlanta, a Sol-based destroyer, decided he wanted the lieutenant aboard the Stygia I Orbital Station when he assumed command as the commodore. He sought to personally oversee Lieutenant Chen’s grooming and eventual promotion to run an Operations Department onboard a fleet vessel.

The LT was interrupted from his reverie by the COMWO. LT, I have an incoming distress signal from the Carotid Belt Sir. Station number two is reporting explosions around the facility with breaches resulting in a loss of atmosphere. They report thirteen personnel dead, Sir.

This is it, thought Lieutenant Chen, four months of training and six years making my way up through the ranks so when the crap hit the fan, I’d be ready to act. 

COMWO, open up a channel with both of the mining stations immediately.

Aye Sir, replied the Ensign.

OPS get the Command Duty Officers of the ships on the comm-net and have them stand ready to recall their personnel and make preparations to get underway.

Aye Sir, replied the OPS watch.

Lieutenant Chen was debating if it was time yet to interrupt the Commander’s Conference when his COMWO announced that the communications signal was being interrupted.

What do you mean interrupted? I need a bit more than that Alek. Is it an issue on our end or theirs?

Sir, I’ve reached out to the academy on the surface and have good communications with them, so it must be an issue at the belt. Neither station is responding to my communications attempts nor am I receiving any clear signals. I’ve even tried the secure comm-net with the Marine Garrisons at the stations without any reply. I’m just getting static Sir.

"Alek, replay the original distress call for me. OPS, issue the order for Guayaquil to recall her crew and make ready to get underway."

Lieutenant Chen listened as the distress signal, broken and distorted as it was, replayed over the speaker system. Stygia Orbital, this is Belt Sta-n two, we are suffering cat-phic failures in station integrity.  Several explosions have… thirteen deaths. Unknown cause but suspect something fired… station. Repeat, we believe… under attack, thirteen dead, structural int-ty is failing, request emergency assistance immediately, please send rescue imm-ly, breach in plant, hundreds trapped…

That’s where the transmission cut off, Sir.

As anxiety threatened to consume the lieutenant, he choked it down and continued to bark out orders to his team. COMWO, alert the academy and all orbital craft to seek shelter immediately. OPS get all ships ready and alert the starcraft bays to prepare to launch and receive fighters and rescue shuttles. Notify the infirmary to prepare for massive casualties. EWO, bring the station up to one hundred percent and get the Tactical Action Officer and Security Chief up here immediately. 

As his watch officers sprang to action, he called the commodore. Sir, we’ve received a distress signal from Station Two. We’ve since been cut off and have not been able to get either station up. Attempts to contact the Marine battalion via secure communications have also failed Sir. The message indicated massive casualties, and significant structural damage. Sir, they also indicated they may be under attack.

Very well Lieutenant, replied the commodore, I’m on my way down.

Aye Sir, I’ve alerted all units to make ready to get underway and alerted the defense wing to prepare to deploy. I recommend the CO’s all head directly to take command. Recall orders are being delivered now Sir and station defenses are being brought to maximum readiness.

Just then, a massive explosion emanating from the location of the mining station could be seen from the orbital station’s position. The blue-white orb of expanding gasses was an unmistakable cue that the engineering reactor powering the station just detonated, likely taking every civilian and Marine with it. This is not how I thought my first duty day as SDO was going to wind up, he thought. 

Commodore, I regret to inform you that Station Two was just destroyed.

1

Three months earlier…

As alarms blared throughout the barracks alerting Delta Company that it was now zero-five-hundred - go-time for the cadets - Cody Santana was already dressed and ready to head out for some morning physical training. The cadets in Cody’s company had about ten minutes each morning to be out on the grinder, the paved area immediately in front of their barracks. Unfortunately, trying to squeeze one hundred and thirty-one cadets through eighteen toilet stalls and only eight sinks in less than ten minutes was chaotic at best. So, Cody, along with about two dozen other cadets trained themselves to wake up at least five-to-ten minutes earlier to avoid the overwhelming rush of morning-breath-ridden cadets with bladders ready to blow. 

Cody was intelligent, athletic, outgoing and imaginative. As a child, he was often thinking of original and creative ways of solving problems. As he grew older he developed a confidence around both his intelligence and his physical strength. Unfortunately, Cody had a knack for coming off as a little condescending, and sometimes found himself growing impatient with those he considered not on his level by comparison. Although he was generally approachable, he was often isolated and his friendships hardly ever lasted. This drove him to become more self-reliant, selfish and inward thinking, which proved to be a challenge when it came to him having to function in a teamwork-driven atmosphere.

As each cadet hustled out to the grinder, Cody counted them off as they lined up. When they were still at full strength, Delta Company was divided into three platoons of fifty cadets, simply designated Alpha, Bravo and Charlie platoons. However, after nearly three-and-a-half years at the Spartan – the nickname for the King Leonidas the First of Agiad Infantry Academy – the company lost twenty-four of its cadets, depleting platoon strength to thirty-eight, forty-two and thirty-nine respectively. Once Cody was sure the cadets were all lined up, including Delta Company’s command staff, he turned and faced Delta Company’s commanding officer to report. 

Cadet Commander Chang Lin was a snide and condescending human being. He often spoke down to his cadets in public view of other cadets, even those from other companies. Praise in public and reprimand in private, Cody would always remind himself whenever Lin went off on another cadet. As Delta Company’s XO, it was Cody’s responsibility to back up his CO and fall in line when necessary, but Cody hardly ever agreed with Lin’s tactics on how he treated his fellow cadets. Each platoon had its own drill instructor, or DI, meaning that Delta Company had three adults constantly responsible for the cadets. But somehow Lin always knew when it was safe to fly off the handle on one of the guys, never in view of a DI. 

Lin wasn’t very large or strong compared to most of the other sixteen-year-olds around. He was only one point seven meters tall and weighed about sixty kilograms. However, he abused the weight of his authority as the company commander; a position he didn’t achieve through merit alone. His influential family had a history of its members serving in the Infantry forces dating back to before World War Three. That same family influence secured him some comfort here at the Spartan almost immediately, while the rest of the cadets have had to earn their positions the hard way. 

After Cody made his report, the two exchanged salutes and Cody fell in line with the rest of the command staff while Lin turned and reported to the lead drill instructor. All cadets are present and accounted for Sir! barked out Lin. 

Very well, was the reply of First Sergeant Mendoza. 

The First Sergeant was known to the cadets as Top, and he was the ideal Infantryman. Nearly thirty-eight years old, Top had been on active service for over twenty years, serving on four different worlds and making his way through the ranks in a variety of positions and fields. When Cody and his fellow cadets first arrived at the Spartan almost three-and-a-half years ago, he welcomed them and provided their initial indoctrination. Top was a giant, standing two meters tall and weighing in at around one hundred and four kilo’s – all muscle. Top was also infamous for his stern and dour expressions which some mused he was born with. But Cody never forgot the fact that Top took the time to ensure that every last cadet coming into the academy that day had a true understanding of what to expect – that each cadet knew they weren’t alone in this process, and above all else that the purpose of the academy wasn’t to fail those who couldn’t cut it, but to build up those who could.

Years later, the cadets still felt as though Top would always be a giant compared to them. Although he was the overall DI in charge of the company, he was also the Alpha Platoon DI – subsequently the platoon that lost the most cadets. It wasn’t as though he were unfair to his own platoon, he just made it his personal mission to breed the best soldiers, and those who were not up to par would be held back or sent home. His most effective screening device was undoubtedly his physical training regimen for the company.

Most mornings at exactly zero-five-fifteen, PT started with a two-mile sprint. All of the cadets have been in physical training since they were seven years old – training first at the Sun Tzu Screening and Preparatory Academy in Beijing, China on Earth before transferring here to the Spartan on Stygia I – but sprints still took it out of the cadets each time they did it. They always arrived to their first destination in just under twelve minutes, mostly winded but ready for the next evolution. Top had every cadet drop prone on the muddy Stygian ground, just out of reach of the Agiad River. The yellowish Stygian soil was thick and easily morphed into heavy clay so close to the river. It dried quickly and added unwanted weight to the cadet’s PT uniforms every time. Top knew this and delighted in barking at the cadets to get muddy! 

Forty-five minutes of extreme calisthenics training would typically be followed by a five-mile jog. But on this particular day, Top had a surprise for the cadets. Instead of heading out on the long jog back, Top introduced his ten-minute challenge. He explained that during the next ten minutes, two cadets would wrestle each other in a match supervised by the DI’s. This was clearly a personal addition to the regimen by Top who competed as a wrestler throughout his time at the Spartan many years ago. The catch was that this was the first time he had ever done this, and none of the cadets were prepared. Exhausted and uncertain, not a single cadet stepped forward to take the challenge.

Let’s go ladies and gentlemen, barked Top, I just have to get you back before class, which means that breakfast and showers are a luxury. Cody knew that he was pretty good in a scrap, and although his wrestling technique wasn’t necessarily of a competitive quality, he was confident in his ability. 

Sir, began Cody, I’ll step in. 

Outstanding, get muddy cadet, he replied, I want you covered head to toe and ready to go! 

As Cody complied, Top continued challenging the remaining one hundred and eighteen cadets. What’s wrong cadets? Only one of you with enough brains to step out and allow me to teach you something that could be a vital tool in your survival belt? Do I not intimidate you enough anymore to scare you into volunteering? He paused a moment before asking, Santana, are you muddy yet? 

Yes Sir, he replied as he stepped into view of the First Sergeant. All that was visible of Cody through the mud were his eyes and a spot he missed behind his knee. He immediately began to feel the weight of the mud as it settled and began to dry in place. 

When Cody saw movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned to face another cadet, Jeremy Hillier, who was about ten centimeters taller and eleven kilos heavier than himself. 

Sir, Hillier addressed Top, I’ll challenge Santana to a match. I just need to know the rules. 

Get muddy Hillier, I’d better not see any skin, replied Top, and listen up while you’re rolling around down there. 

As Top moved to position himself between the two cadets while simultaneously facing the rest of Delta Company, he began to explain his rules. "First, when I yell release, you two cadets will instantly let go of each other. This is my safety command and you will not fail to carry it out. 

"Second, this match will be over in the next eight minutes, not later and not sooner, and you will wrestle until the eight minutes are over. I expect each of you will barely be able to stand at that point. 

"Third, you will not grab or gouge the face, you will not punch or kick the joints or groin area, you will stop if your opponent taps out, then we’ll reset and start again. Do not violate these rules because any permanent damage will result in me ending your time here at the Spartan. 

My final rule is this – when your eight minutes are over, the match is over. You will not harass each other about the match, the losing cadet will not seek retribution, and you will only discuss this match with your fellow cadets from Delta Company, and only Delta Company, and only in a manner in which your fellow cadets will learn from your match. Do you understand these rules as I have explained them?

Yes Sir! replied the two cadets. 

As the other platoon DI’s fanned out the rest of the cadets around the pseudo arena, Top spaced Cody and Hillier apart by a mere four steps. They were on somewhat level ground, with small patches of grass and a lot of mud, about three meters from the river bank. Top stared both of the filthy cadets up and down, smiled at his audience, and made one simple declaration: Combat!

***

Commander Trajan Wittyngham sat in his chair casually sipping coffee while reading departmental reports on the bridge aboard the International Fleet Ship Roger Hoffman. As the ships executive officer, or XO, he was responsible for, among other things, consolidating and reviewing all departmental reports before briefing the commanding officer on the status of the ship. The very thought of his daily interactions with his CO gave Trajan migraines. It wasn’t that the CO was intimidating, but his callous nature left much to be desired. I’ve met trees with more heart and personality, thought Trajan as he scrolled down the laundry list of engineering inspection failures. 

His CO, Captain Darian Rogers, was forty-six years old and had been in the Fleet long enough to make plenty of enemies. His constant bitterness was a result of his being consistently passed over for postings and assignments he felt were worthy of his caliber. Unfortunately for him, despite the rank he’d attained during his service, he was a terrible officer, if not outright a terrible human being. He often ignored the advice and inputs from his staff; he constantly failed to materialize for events and meetings; worst of all, he often regarded enlisted crewmen as personal servants. Trajan recalled the CO once demanding that the supply department begin polishing his boots on a daily basis – a ridiculous misuse of resources, and a demand the CO had to be painstakingly talked down from. 

The captain’s all-time low came at a time that should have been the highlight of his career – when he was finally given command of a starship. Instead, he threw a tantrum when he was informed that his first starship command was to be a frigate.  Although frigates lacked the graceful curves and heavy armament of a destroyer, and was not as quick and agile as the smaller corvette, the frigate was still every bit as much a combat vessel as any other which served a vital role as a fleet and star system picket ship. Additionally, the Roger Hoffman was the latest, and very last, frigate built. Regardless, it wasn’t quite the vessel that Captain Rogers always fancied himself commanding. With a bitter and privileged commanding officer at the helm the crew and XO of the Roger Hoffman were constantly in a state of poor morale.

XO, stated the ship’s navigator, interrupting him from his reflection, our final course back to the Stygia Orbital Station is entered into the navigation system and is awaiting your approval. 

Thank you, NAV, replied the XO warmly, I’ll get to that after the department head meeting this morning.

As the XO’s young navigation officer returned to her console, he could sense her admiration for him. In fact, he often felt it from most of the crew onboard. In stark contrast to the CO, Trajan was regarded as the most approachable officer onboard. Of course, the downside was that he constantly had personnel, both officer and enlisted, knocking on his cabin door all hours of the day and night. 

He was an intelligent and resourceful man marred only by his insatiable appetite for a good practical joke – his junior officers often being the victims of these jokes. He once snuck into the stateroom of one of his engineering officers