Razors Edge: Sci Fi Progression

After washing up, we headed to breakfast; I was starving and every muscle ached. Rob leaned in while we walked. "LTC Chezek is investigating the power grid situation. He's discovered additional traces of meddling after we left.

"Seriously?" I kept a hushed voice. "Any suspects?"

"Not yet," Rob responded. "But don't worry, your name's been kept out of it."

As we approached the mess hall, I pushed any thoughts of sabotage aside. Right now, I required a lot of food and the smell was wonderful.

This mess hall was significantly larger than the previous one I'd seen. There were round tables and modern seats. Cadets formed groups and were chatting animatedly over trays of sizzling hot food. I liked it here, a lot.

Holographic menus float above the food stations, displaying nutritional stats and meal options. I watched the server flit from one station to another, gathering everything I was supposed to eat.

The server entered my details. "I'll sort this out for you now, Cadet Argassa."

A minute later, I had a plate piled high with food, more than I'd ever thought possible and two Macro-Lift bars with 'extra protein', at ₵42 a pop normally, god knows what these cost.

<<₵58>> Doli confirmed.

<<You're not supposed to be talking to me in school.>>

<<Sorry, but I don't understand why you are lying. Could you explain?>>

"Damn," Sylvk said, coming in behind me and noting my tray full. "You're eating more than me? Those Macro-Lift bars cost a fair penny too, they're not skimping on your food tally."

<<How much?>>

The statistics flashed over my HUD.

<<Your monthly booster budget just crossed ₵30k. Academy average is ₵1.9k.>>

<<Holy shit,>> I tried to defend myself. "There's a vast difference in our genetics. I just need more."

"See if you can find us a seat, would you?" Rob asked.

I moved off and glanced around. There weren't many places for us to sit.

I scanned the room again, my tray growing heavy in my arms. Spotting a group of cadets, I recognized, Andri and Alpha271, but didn't want to sit near. I made to pass them and hit up an empty table. As I approached, Andri caught sight of me and subtly shifted his chair outward, blocking the natural opening at the table. The other cadets followed suit, leaving no space for me to join.

"Looks like we're full up," Andri remarked with a feigned look of regret. The group chuckled, not bothering to lower their voices.

I stood frozen for a moment, my tray trembling slightly. A familiar heat rose in my chest—that mixture of anger and humiliation I'd felt too many times before. I wanted to call Andri out, to make him move, to force my way in just to prove I could. But this wasn't the time or place for that battle.

"No problem," I muttered instead, forcing a tight smile that felt more like a grimace. As I turned away, I cataloged the moment in my mind—another debt to be repaid someday, when I had the leverage to do so.

As I walked toward a different table at the edge of the mess, the group's laughter grew louder.

Fuck—cafeteria déjà vu!

"You see how much food he's got, must have been eating nothing but rubbish all his life."

"Going to be hell on his system for quite a while till they get him nutritionally up to date."

"And mentally, he's the whole year to catch up with."

"You see how Kuba's little pet keeps sneaking around the power stations?" he said, loud enough for me to hear. "Makes you wonder what he's really doing here."

One of his teammates laughed. "Maybe she needs someone to fix her personal equipment."

"Or maybe," Andri continued, his tone dropping to something more calculating, "it's convenient having a civilian without security clearance poking around restricted areas. No records, no accountability."

I nearly stopped in my tracks. He was implying something specific, something dangerous. I glanced back to see him watching me, his expression cool and assessing.

"Ignore them," Rob muttered, suddenly beside me. "Andri's family makes him paranoid about everything. Academy security's his pet obsession."

"His family?" I asked quietly.

Rob shook his head slightly. "Another time."

Ahead of me, a young woman moved from her table. "We're leaving now. You can sit here."

I tried to speak my thanks, but all I could muster was a croak.

Sitting in front of Rob, I poked at my food, my appetite replaced by a mix of frustration and sadness. I clenched my fists under the table, the knuckles whitening.

Where the hell was Sylvk?

Eventually, a tray slid next to me. "Sorry, I got talking to one of the others. You okay?"

"Yeah," I said.

<<But you are not?>> came a soft voice. Doli.

While Sylvk talked about my training and food regime, I told Doli the difference between a white lie and a real one.

<<You did it to make Sylvk comfortable?>>

<<Yes. Sometimes others comfort is worth more than our own discomfort.>>

<I understand, thank you, Captain.>>

Another tray slid in next to me. Kerry reached over and pinched a slice of bacon off my plate.

"Hey!" I growled.

"You're never going to eat all of that," she said.

I had tried, I was still trying. Sylvk's plate was already empty. "I was waiting to see what he left," the big man said.

"Better get in quicker next time." I laughed.

"We're in ship simulations next," Rob informed me. "You done any flying at all?"

"Not real flying." I looked at him as he sipped his coffee. "You know I haven't, just games."

"Those classes are going to be as fun as the maze for you then." Sylvk said.

"Shit," I looked away, and mumbled. "I shouldn't be here."

"Don't say that," Kerry said and kicked me under the table. "I've only a few hundred hours in the sim, Sylvk has even less than that."

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"What about you?" I asked Rob.

"I was born flying."

"Just a few thousand." Kerry whistled. "He's hoping for…"

"Captain?" I asked.

"I hope so, one day." He looked at the ceiling. "Something exploratory."

"Or running the highline." Kerry added.

"What's that?"

Sylvk slapped his palm against his forehead with a sound that echoed through the mess hall. "Are you serious right now? It's only the largest trade corridor from Luna Gate to Cali."

"I've heard of Cali," I said.

"Everyone's heard of Cali, our first major system outside of Sols."

Dammit! Always putting my foot in it. "But I'll do some study on the rest. Thanks."

"We're doing course projection today," Rob said. "They'll pit something against your ship, and you'll have to get around it with the least damage."

"Likely a mine field, or asteroid belt." Kerry added.

<<Doesn't sound too hard, Captain.>>

<<You can keep quiet. I need to do this.>>

<<As you wish.>>

This next classroom was a spacious, futuristic amphitheater with holographic screens projecting a simulated space battle across the room.

I took my seat next to Kerry. Everyone else filled the whole first row. And to my surprise Andri sat next to me with a smile.

Our instructor stood before us, Sergeant Major Cotah. "Your task today is simple. On your screens you will need to plot a course for your ship, through each of the eight simulations. Hook your HUD up to the console, and it will seem like you're on that bridge. Pilot her well, you'll be scoring as usual per academy guidelines."

Eight segments, copy. I glanced at Rob, who was shaking his head. They hadn't known that either.

"There is no time limit. Take all you need. Think."

I looked at my screen. Then following the instructions on it hooked it up to my HUD as well.

<<Do they know you have me?>> Doli asked even though I asked her to be quiet.

<<Some will,>> I replied. <<That would give me an advantage in space, but I need to learn here.>>

<<I'll keep quiet,>> she said. <<Promise.>>

A tight breath slipped out. "Problem Cadet?" Cotah's stare snapped me back to work.

"No, sir." I replied and tucked my head into my space.

I watched the first simulation and noted everything I could as it passed me by.

Tip: Think like a captain, not a courier—integrity beats shaving seconds.

TAKE THE TEST

Y/N

I hit the yes, and as the first meteorite moved into our position I moved out of the way, each time I moved something else was there, making me adjust every few seconds. It wasn't hard, but it did take concentration.

My fingers flew across the controls, muscle memory from countless hours at Dennison's arcade kicking in. The first three simulations were straightforward enough—meteorite fields and basic obstacles that required quick reflexes and decent spatial awareness. I navigated around them. I charted efficient paths that minimized fuel consumption while maintaining structural integrity.

<<Very well done, Captain.>> Doli said.

I clicked for next, and then next, and by the time the fourth one was playing, a cold sweat had broken out across my forehead. The simulations were getting exponentially harder. What started as simple meteorite fields had evolved into complex gravitational anomalies that warped predictable paths, forcing split-second recalculations.

The fifth simulation featured a debris field from what appeared to be a destroyed space station, jagged pieces of metal spinning unpredictably, some large enough to tear through the hull, others small enough to be almost invisible until it was too late.

By the sixth, my hands were cramping, and I was leaning forward so close to the screen that my nose nearly touched it. This one featured a minefield with proximity triggers. Get too close, and the explosion would set off a chain reaction.

I passed it, barely, with 65% ship integrity remaining.

Then came the seventh. A neutron star with intense gravitational pull, surrounded by swirling debris caught in its orbit. I had to slingshot around it without getting pulled in, and without colliding with the debris.

When I finally cleared it, I realized I'd been holding my breath for so long that spots danced in my vision.

The eighth simulation appeared on screen, and my stomach dropped. A maze of asteroids, each one moving in different patterns, with narrow gaps that would require perfect timing. Behind them, a massive energy storm brewed, the kind that would fry navigation systems and leave a ship dead in space.

TAKE THE TEST

Y/N

I hesitated, my finger hovering over the console.

<<Is something wrong?>> Doli asked.

<<I'm not ready for this,>> I replied. This wasn't like breaking into a hangar where I only risked myself. Here, my failure would hurt my team - people I was starting to care about.

<<Take a step back,>> she said.

<<What do you mean?>>

<<You're thinking about this from your normal perspective.>>

<<How else am I to see it?>>

<<Like a Captain, Captain.>>

That comment was just frustrating. I glanced around the room. Several of the others were already sitting with their arms folded, others still deep inside the simulations.

And—of course—Andri was watching me.

I focused on the simulation once again and hit re-play.

The way I wanted to take the ship would fail. I could see it.

"Stuck?" Andri whispered, his tone somewhere between mocking and genuinely curious.

I didn't take my eyes off the screen. "Just considering options."

"There is no option," he said, leaning slightly closer. "That's the point of this one."

I glanced at him, trying to determine if this was another mind game. His expression was unreadable, but something in his eyes seemed... different. Almost respectful.

"Every simulation has a solution," I muttered.

"Maybe," Andri replied, "but sometimes the solution isn't what you expect."

Before I could ask what he meant, he turned back to his own console, leaving me to puzzle over both the simulation and his cryptic comment.

Looking back at the asteroid field, I suddenly understood. I'd been thinking like a pilot—trying to navigate through. But if I thought like a Captain...

A Captain wouldn't just think about navigating obstacles. A Captain would think about protecting the ship and crew at all costs—even if that meant not completing the original objective.

If I acted like a Captain, and sacrificed some of the ship's integrity, taking a couple of hits, I could maybe... No, even that wouldn't work. The only way to truly protect the ship was to—

MISSION ABORT — SEEK ALTERNATIVE ROUTE

Input confirmed.

<<That's your final decision?>> Doli asked.

<<It is.>>

<<Simulation concluded.>>

<<Official score: Failure — mission incomplete.>>

<<Internal record flagged: Strategic Override logic detected.>>

A new prompt appeared, smaller, off-center:

Sim Node 9 unlocked — Advanced Command Heuristic

Available for rerun: Sim Node 8

I stared at the screen.

<<That's new.>>

<<You triggered an edge-case pathway,>> Doli said. <<Most cadets never reach it.>>

<<Because they all fly into the trap?>>

<<Exactly.>>

Trait Unlocked: Situational Strategist

Behavioral Pattern Match:

Prioritized mission outcome over success metric

Applied command-level heuristic reasoning

Chose systemic survival > scenario victory

Effect: Strategic Foresight (+5%)

Your command-level predictions will now update HUD overlays during threat assessments.

I felt it, some kind of click in my brain, like a new circuit coming online. Not faster. Just... clearer. My next move wasn't a guess. It was already there.

<<Bingo,>> Doli said proudly. <<Captain protocol alignment complete. You've stopped flying like a passenger.>>