“I don’t know. I guess I should have asked more questions,” Catie said.
“Cer Catie, the plan is to have you go in as a cadet second-class,” ADI said.
“Second class! A sophomore, no way!”
“Catie, a cadet second class is a junior,” Liz said. “They count back from your graduation year.”
“Why can’t I be a senior?”
“There are several reasons that the Captain and Cer Blake discussed. But it came down to having a believable backstory,” ADI said. “As a cadet second class, it is possible to create an identity for you that will stand up to scrutiny. But as a senior, that is almost impossible, as they are only accepting seniors from the other military colleges.”
“So I have to go for two years?”
“You will be going to complete your degrees. If you complete them within the year, then you might be able to graduate early. You’ll have to discuss it with Cer Blake,” ADI explained.
“Call Uncle Blake,” Catie ordered her Comm.
“Hello, you’ve reached Blake. If you have this number, then you’ll understand that I’m currently unavailable so that I can have some time alone or I’m with someone. Please call back or leave a message!”
“Grrr,” Catie growled, “he must be with Jackie!”
“Hey, you can wait until tomorrow,” Liz said. “Let me tell you about the Academy. It’s going to be tough, but you’ll learn a lot, and your time there will eventually be some of your fondest memories.”
“But this is different than the Naval Academy,” Catie complained.
“They’re modeling our Academy on the U.S. Academies, so it’ll be close.”
“So, why is it going to be tough?”
“Their goal is to break you down so they can build you up. They want to break into that sense of individuality and get you to think as part of the team.”
“I already think like that,” Catie said.
“Well, you play well on a team, but that’s different than thinking like a part of the team.”
Catie pouted but quit arguing. “So, what’s it like?”
“First, during Basic, or whatever they call the first few weeks, do not stand out,” Liz said. “No matter how perfectly you do something, they’re going to find fault. Don’t react, just do your best to correct whatever they tell you to, even if it doesn’t need it.”
“That sounds like fun,” Catie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“It’s horrible, but it’s only a few weeks. And during Basic, time management is key. You’ll never have time to do everything. You have to work with the other Plebes to share the load. When it was especially bad, one of us girls would volunteer to be the one late so she could finish up for everyone. It’s things like that that will get you through it.”
“Anything else?”
“Smiling will get you in more trouble than anything. The instructors are not amused when you’re amused,” Liz said. “Just keep your game face on the whole time.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Uncle Blake, tell me what’s going to happen,” Catie demanded over her Comm after she finally found him. He was down in Delphi City at a bar.
“You know what’s going to happen. You’re going to the Academy, I’m getting stuck playing host for a bunch of stuck-up people, and your father and Sam are running away.”
“But why a junior?!”
“It’s the best we can do. All the seniors are from other military schools. So whatever cover identity we come up with, they would know it was fake. But if things work out okay, we’ll let you graduate with them.”
“But what am I supposed to do? How are things going to be set up? And what is this Plebe training thing?”
“Okay, well, at least I can do this right,” Blake said. “The first thing you need to understand is this is going to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life. You have to report on Tuesday, and after that, you’re beyond our help. If we have to intervene, it will spell the end of your time at the Academy.”
“Oh great!”
“You’ll do fine. But this summer is about forming bonds, learning to form bonds. That is what will make everything else in your career easier.”
“So they’re going to break me down to build me up, like Liz said.”
“Pretty much. Now some advice. You do not want to stand out during Basic. You want to blend in, stay in the middle, keep your head down. They will be looking for cadets who are trying to act like they’re special, and the instructors and upper-class cadets are going to make it abundantly clear that they are not special,” Blake said.
“That’s what Liz said. But she didn’t know how you guys have set things up.”
“You’ll have three weeks of Basic here in Delphi City. That will all be about getting you in shape, breaking you down into moldable clay, and building you back up. Then there are three weeks in Guatemala. That will be about teaching you how to push through the pain. How to survive anything. You’ll be crawling around in the jungle. They’ll take you right to the edge and keep pushing you, you’ll have to push back or fall over.”
“That definitely sounds like fun,” Catie scoffed.
“But there is nothing like the feeling you’ll get when you survive it. And you will survive, and that is an order!”
“Is everyone going to be going through the same thing?”
“No, the cadets from another military school will only have a week of general orientation here in Delphi City. Then they will become the leadership team that runs the program for the next two weeks. When you go to Guatemala, they’ll still be the leaders, but they’ll be having a completely new experience. Kal’s team will run the program, and they’ll make real Marines out of you.”
Chapter 2Getting Ready
“Blake, please order the Victory to Earth orbit,” Marc requested. They were in his office; Marc had flown down to Delphi City the day before so they could meet in person.
“You’re going to use it as
