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.Your basic form of transportation in zero-G will be zoots, but when you master that the next step up is the zero-G board, or zoard, as demonstrated by Ensign Meir.”The Golf flight instructor Ensign Meir, a petit brunette with a bowl-like haircut, displayed a meter long piece of plastic with two straps for boots.She stuck her toes in them and began to zoom around the Tube.The Centurion gave them a running commentary.“As you can see, a zoard is just as maneuverable as zoots but faster.Zoards come in several sizes and configurations ranging from this basic model to the combat scout zoots used by the Legionary cavalry.”“Does your dad have a zoard?” James whispered to Alexander.“My dad wasn’t a Spook,” he retorted.James shrugged, “Why get all hot and bothered; I’d think that was cool—why don’t you?”It was a good question, but Alexander didn’t know the answer.He’d always been disappointed in what his dad did for a living.That wasn’t to say he didn’t look up to his dad—he did, but being a rancher and a freighter Captain wasn’t very impressive stuff.What if he was a Spook? The Rangers were a prestigious group, if they were real, but there was a dark side to them that Alexander didn’t feel comfortable with at all.He’d rather believe his dad was nothing than his being something that was so—he couldn’t find the word to describe what he was feeling.He ignored James’s remark and focused on Centurion Fjallheim, anything to avoid the subject.“Looks like fun eh? Well those of you lucky enough to have skiing or snowboarding experience should pick this up quick.Ensign Meir is the reigning 3D slalom champion of the Service and competed in last year’s Astro-Olympics.” Next he demonstrated the zero-G bikes or zikes.Like the zoards they came in basic models as well as armed Legion models.The zanks were logically zero-G tanks and strictly legionary weapon systems.They carried a crew of one to three legionaries, depending on whether it was a scout sized vehicle with rapid fire blasters or the hulking Tiger class zank with the level eight blaster projector mounted on a rotating turret.“You will be proficient in each one of these weapon systems before you graduate from the Academy, and indeed before you are designated for either the Legions or the Fleet.” Fjallheim waved the Tiger over to the next flight.“Are there any questions?”Alexander was eager to make up for his mounting list of mistakes.He’d talked all summer about the Academy with Dad.One day Alexander remembered him talking about the various zero-G vehicles.“It doesn’t matter how good you get on the zoard or the zike,” he said seriously, trying to give Alexander a head start.“You concentrate on your zoots.When everything else goes to hell and a hand basket that’s what will save your bacon—that is, unless you get a zoot suit.That’s a whole ‘nother ball game.” This was his chance to make up for his screw-ups.“What about zoot suits,” he asked.Centurion Fjallheim turned white.CHAPTER 10: Academy Ups and DownsThe centurion stared at Alexander, but then suddenly he laughed.“Good one, Cadet Wolfe, that’s very funny—Zoot Suits!” He turned to the rest of the flight and laughed again.“For those of you who don’t know what a zoot suit is it’s early twentieth century clothing; a very fancy and flamboyant suit worn for dancing.There’s no such thing now, of course, but thanks for the bit of levity Cadet Wolfe.That’s a perfect way to end things!” He put a whistle to his mouth and blew three blasts on it.“That’s all for today.Class, atten-tion!” A full quarter of the flight did exactly what Lisa did and jetted upwards.There was a general amount of repressed laughter.After everyone was back in line, Fjallheim announced, “Diiiiismissed!”Alexander couldn’t help but notice Fjallheim gave him a long dark glance before he left.“What was that all about?” Alexander said, more to himself than anyone else.“What do you mean,” Lisa asked, astonished at his naivety.“You go and blatantly ask about something that probably doesn’t exist, and if it does it’s so impossibly secret that even the Commandant wouldn’t joke about it! Zoot Suits are supposedly what Spooks use to get around; they don’t even need ships within a system, just the Zoot Suit.They’ve got another nickname, but it’s not so nice—it’s ‘the Angel of Death.’”“Lisa’s right Alexander,” James added with a very serious expression on his lean face.“Leave it alone.We’re cadets.We’re not even supposed to know the rumors of stuff like that—unless your dad really was a Spook.”“He wasn’t, so stop saying he was,” Alexander growled under his breath, throwing James a furious glare.“Alright Alexander, I won’t say it anymore,” the boy shrugged.“For God’s sake I wasn’t trying to dis your dad; I mean, if he was that’d be cool—really cool.I won’t say it again if it bothers you though.”“Really Alexander, you shouldn’t take it so seriously,” Treya told him.“People may be afraid of the Terran Rangers, if they exist that is, but they think they’re around to do good not bad.They keep the peace in the frontier where there’s no other law or justice.Why does this freak you out?”“I just can’t picture my dad blasting people away like the stories say,” he said in a low, hardly to be heard voice.“I can’t see him as that bloodthirsty.He’s my dad, that’s all.”“Don’t worry about it Alexander,” Lisa told him.“We won’t say anything more about it; will we?” She looked scathingly at the other two.“No we won’t,” they promised.Classes were both exciting and sobering.The first day of any class was always exciting for Alexander.This was even more so.Military History was his favorite, nor was he disappointed.The instructor was Commander Gauge, a tall aristocratic looking woman who nonetheless had a flair for the dramatic events of history.“You have already been part of the privileged few to see with your own eyes the USS Iowa, the flagship of Alexander Galaxus, the first and thus far the only Overlord of the known galaxy
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