Finally, here is the second part to my story. Sorry it took so long. Hop you enjoy.
I was locked in quarters, alone, for what seemed like days, and I found that I could do little more than lay across my bunk, starring threw the window at the stars. I was thinking how peaceful it was out there when I heard the door open. I could tell by the footsteps that it was my father.
I was about to get to my feet when he came into the room, but he motioned for me to stay right where I was. I did.
"How are Paul and the others?" I asked.
"The doctor healed their wounds quick enough." He said walking over to the window , where he looked out at the stars himself, then he turned back to me. "But I don't think they'll forget as easily."
"Are they angry?"
"Yes, and they have every right to be after what you put them threw."
"I know." I said softly and sat up. The contact between backside and bunk made me wince, but my father did not seem to notice, he just looked out at the stars again.
"Are you angry?" I asked finally.
"You made a horrible error, and you were punished for it. The matter is closed as far as I'm concerned."
I gave a sigh of relief.
"But there is another matter I want to discuss with you." He said not turning around.
"Another matter....what have I done.....I didn't do.........." I started to tell him, but he cut me off.
"It's noting you have done, or have not done. I've just made a decisions about your education and I wanted to brief you on it." He said.
"Brief me??"
"Yes, I got word from the academy, and they now have an opening for you."
"An opening??"
"Yes, you leave at 0500 hours." He said in his cold military tone.
"Leave!" I said, sounding almost panicked. "You want me to leave?"
"It's not a matter of wanting you to leave, it's a matter of your education. You were informed prior to your arrival on this ship that you would only be here a short time till there was an opening, and now there is such an opening." He said, again in that same tone.
"It's about what I did isn't it? I said I was sorry father. You can thrash me again if you like, please, anything, just don't send me away. Please, I'll be good from now on, I swear." I pleaded.
He just stood there in that _d_a_m_n_ed at ease position.
"It has nothing to do with that. The timing may be off, but it's for your own good, son." He said in a hoarse unsteady voice. "I'll have someone come and help you pack your things." He said and with that he simply turned and left the room
When 0500 hours came I found myself on a transport heading for earth. I couldn't believe it, and could do little more than sit there and tell myself how badly I hated my father. I mean what kind of man sends his own son away like that, the cold son-of-a-bitch. Well it was all fine with me. If he didn't want me, then I didn't want him either.
When the transport touched down on the campus base I grabbed my bags and, as I stood in front of the door, I took a deep breath. "My new life." I said to myself, then the door opened.
I had never been in an academy before, but I had heard stories of what goes on behind it's walls. Cadets were constantly ordered about and made to follow a million rules and regulations, and if they did not then they were placed in the middle of the whole academy and made an example of.
"Come on soldier." I heard suddenly
I snapped my head around and standing there was a tall, muscular man dressed in a uniform similar to the one I would soon be issued.
"I'm not a soldier." I said coldly.
He gave a laugh. "You carry the name of Kreller. I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter. All Kreller's are soldiers. I am a Kreller, and I am a soldier."
I looked at him funny. "You're a Kreller?"
"My name is Gerrod. My father was your fathers brother. Killed in action at the battle of Trillion."
I could see the family resemblance between us, but that didn't make him any less of a stranger.
"Come on, I'll show you where to go." He said and started to walk off.
"Wait." I shouted after him as I tried to manager with all my bags, but he kept on walking. "You know, you could help being that you're my cousin and all."
"In battle you would carry your own gear." He said without turning around.
"In battle? What battle? I just stepped off the _d_a_m_n_....."
"Insubordination is not permitted here." He said coldly, reminding me of my father. I could see right off that he was a true Kreller.
I followed him down the long corridor, dragging and struggling with all me gear, my mouth moving a mile a minute. "I wasn't being Insubordinate, I was talking to you. Can't a person just say what he thinks without being called insubordinate. Jesus, you sound like my father. Where do you think you are anyway.........this is a school, not a battlefield."
"Just shut up Kid!" He said as he walked on ahead.
I did shut up, but only a minute or so, then I was back running my mouth. "Where the hell are we going?" I shouted ahead. "I mean we could have stayed on the transport. I think it would have been faster."
"Just come on." He said.
I stopped suddenly and dropped my bags. "I'm not going any further till you tell me."
He stopped and looked back finally. I was probably twenty feet or so behind. "You have to go see the Colonel."
I sat on my bag. "All I have to do it take a rest."
"What are you going to do it battle huh? Stop and tell the thing about to kill you that you need to take a rest. Come on."
"You will never see me in battle." I told him.
"You're right. You'll be killed the minute you stepped off the ship because you weren't prepared."
I looked at him like he was cracked. "Lets get back to reality OK. I'm just a kid. I won't be stepping off of any ships."
He just starred at me.
"WHAT!!"
He just smiled. "Are you going to come or will I have to drag you."
"I'll come if you'll carry one of these bags."
"Deal." He said and came walking back.
I got to my feet and stood back so he could get the heavy thing, but to my surprise he didn't touch it. He grabbed the smallest one and started walking again.
"Hey!" I yelled after him.
"What? You said one of your bags, and I got one in my hand. Now come on." He said not looking back.
"You're all heart, you know that." I said as I bent to get the strap so I could pull it along.
I got further and further behind, till finally Gerrod turned a corner and I lost sight of him.
When I got to the corner Gerrod turned I was half expecting him to be there waiting for me, but he was not. He was gone and I was left starring at another long corridor. "Where the hell am I supposed to go now?" I asked, but there was no one there to tell me. No one.
So there I was in this strange place, alone, wondering around this hell hole like an idiot, and boy was I pissed. I mean what kind of place was this that my father had sent me to. Did he dislike me so much that he wanted me to suffer like this. I was not use to being treated like this, by anyone, especially someone from my own family. The Soldiers on my fathers ship would never have left me.
I must have wondered for a half hour, asking what few people I did see where the Colonel's office was. Finally I was pointed in the right direction and I was able to find it. Upon opening the door I saw Gerrod standing there grinning wickedly.
"You son-of-a-bitch.....thanks for leaving me." I yelled.
Just then a large uniformed man with gray hair came around the corner. By the way he was decorated I knew he was the Colonel. "Uh, Mr. Kreller. Nice of you to grace us with your presence."
"It wasn't my fault." I yelled pointing at Gerrod. "He disappeared on me."
"That's no excuse. You never leave your unit." He said.
"I didn't leave anyone......I was the one..........." I started, but he cut me off.
"QUIET!" He shouted, making me jump. "You will not speak until told to do so, do you understand?"
I fell quiet instantly.
"And when you address me I expect to her a sir, do you understand."
I stood there starring at him coldly.
"Well Soldier?"
"Am I being told to speak now.........SIR?" I said with as much arrogance as I could muster.
He took a few steps towards me and got so far down into my face that his nose was almost touching mine. "Are you being insubordinate Soldier?"
I laughed. "I'm asking a question!"
He raised his eyebrows, looking as if he were waiting for me to say something else. Like SIR I guessed, but I decided that I was not going to say it.
"I'm waiting Soldier." He said.
I looked away.
"Oh, a tough guy huh?" He said with a mock smile. "Well you may think that now, but I can promise you that I am tougher."
I laughed and said the words "Yeah right" under my breath.
I knew he heard me say something, but I doubted he knew exactly what. In any case he gave me a harsh, angry look. "Mr. Kreller," He said to Gerrod.
"Yes sir." Gerrod standing to attention suddenly.
"Take your cousin to his quarters."
"Yes sir." Gerrod said and grabbed my arm. He was about to lead me out when the Colonel added. "Oh and Mr. Kreller"
Gerrod stopped.
"You may want to fill your cousin in on how we teach our problem cadets to show respect to their superiors."
Gerrod gave a salute. "Yes sir." He said and I was yanked out of there.
"That wasn't real smart." He said once we were out in the corridor.
"What?"
"What you just did in there."
"Ah, screw him." I said.
That was my attitude. SCREW EVERYONE. I wanted noting to do with their academy, or their rules. All I wanted was to be left alone to do what I wanted, but that did not happen. I had to be forced into everything, and told over and over again how to do things which pissed Gerrod off to no end.
He yelled at me about once a week, always telling me that I was a disgrace, an embarrassment, a black mark on the families good name, and maybe he was right, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to get thrown out of there, and if I happened to trash my fathers good name in the process, then so be it. It would have served him right for sticking me there against my will.
It only took a few weeks for the staff to know about me and my attitude towards them, which was no wonder by the way I treated everyone. I don't think they could have found a more insubordinate cadet in the galaxy if they tried. I was truly the worst cadet the academy had ever seen, but still, out of respect for my family, they would not throw me out.
I found myself doing more and more outrageous things to get them to change their mind, but they wouldn't. They wouldn't do anything to me. No punishment, no kp, nothing. They just sat back and let me go till one day I crossed the line.
All the cadets were in the gym this day, running and doing other basic training exercises under the watchful eye of sergeant Blake, who had just joined the academy around the same time I had arrived, and like me he had made quite a name for himself for being a bad ass, and none of the cadets dared to cross him, well, that is ........no one but me.
After working us till we thought we would drop, Sergeant Blake had us all climb this rope that went all the way up to the ceiling, which I thought was stupid. In fact I tired to get out of it by letting everyone else go ahead of me, but it didn't work.
"All right Kreller. Your turn. Get up there." He commanded.
I sighed. "I don't feel like it." I said boldly.
"I didn't ask you weather you felt like it or not......I told you to get your ass up that rope." He yelled.
I stood there for a minute, giving him a dirty look.
He was a clever man though. He knew just how to turn things around on me. "No one is leaving here till you get up that rope." He said.
Of course all of my fellow cadets gave me these looks and if the say "GET UP THERE SO WE CAN GO ALREADY". So, I decided right then and there that I would climb the stupid rope all right, just let them watch me.
It was harder than it looked, but I was determined to reach the top and show Blake that he could not push me around.
I climbed and climbed, reaching one hand over the other and pulling with all my strength.
"Good Job Kreller....Good." Blake shouted up to me. "That's the way to do it Soldier."
By the time I reached to top everyone was clapping, including Blake. "Good," He said and stepped away.
It was a few minutes before he noticed that I was not coming down. "What are you waiting for Soldier, come down."
"I'm a little tired now. I think I'll just stay up here and take a rest." I said to the amusement of the other cadets.
"OK Kreller, you've had your fun, now get down her on the double."
"NO." I said flatly.
He looked up at me with the look of death on his face. "You will get down here now, soldier." He shouted.
God, that Soldier thing! I didn't know how many times I had to say it. "Look you thick headed son-of-a-bitch .........I'll tell you one last time......I AM NOT A _f_u_c_k_ING SOLDIER!"
His face turned stone cold, which was not a big change, but I noticed the difference. "You have to the count of five to get your butt down that rope and here in front of me or you are going to have the print of my boot permanently tattooed across your ass."
I grinned at him. "Go to hell." I said.
A chilling silence hit the room suddenly as everyone - cadet's and sergeant's alike - watched with wide eyes. They apparently had never heard anyone talk to Sergeant Blake like that, ever. But I didn't care. In fact I laughed out loud. Who the hell was he to say such things to me, and in front of all the others yet.
"One....." He started without any other warnings.
I folded my arms over my chest and leaned back against one of the other beams. "I'll be down after I take a little nap Sarg."
"You're in enough trouble as it is SOLDIER. Don't make it worse by making me come up there to get you ............ Two......."
"Go ahead. Come up here. I don't really give a _s_h_i_t_."
"Three....."
Three made me angry. "Just who do you thing you are anyway!" I shouted. "You aren't my father."
"No, but you're gonna with your father was here to save your ass.........Four!" He shouted.
I closed my eyes and acted as if I were trying to fall asleep.
"This is your last chance Kreller." He said looking up at me harshly.
"Go _f_u_c_k_ yourself." I said, my eyes still shut.
There was no five. There was just the sound of his heavy feet hitting the floor.
I looked down in time to see him throw his hat across the room. "Now your ass is mine." He said, then grabbed the rope and started to climb....... quickly.
I got to my feet and started to walk along the beam towards the other side of the gym, looking back every few minutes to see where he was. "Lets see you catch me."
He was pretty quick for as big as he was, and obviously very strong to be able to carry his own body up the rope like that.
He was standing on the beam in no time, and coming for me.
"One thing you will learn about me boy........I do not like to be disobeyed, or cursed at, especially by insubordinate little _s_h_i_t_s like you. "
I kept moving. "Stay away from me!" I shouted.
"Stop where you are." He demanded.
"HA.....I don't think so." I said with a laugh, but it didn't matter anyway because he was gaining on me.
"You are going to regret the day you ever met me boy." He said as he quickly moved in.
I realized quickly that my plan had backfired, and there was no way to get away from him on the beam I was on. I would have to get to the next one over, which was a fine idea, only the next beam over was about six feet away.
As I tried to decide weather I had the nerve to jump for it, the sergeant was getting closer. Time was running out. I had to do something and quick. "You've had it now Boy." He said, and that quickly I decided. When the sergeant got within a few feet of me........................... I jumped.
What a mistake. I don't know what made me think I could make a jump like that. Perhaps fear, but I don't think that was the case. In fact I don't think I was scared at all. I think it was all a big game to me, but what ever made me do it didn't matter. What did matter was the fact that I missed the other beam by about two feet, and I was heading straight down towards the floor.
The whole room went wild, but it was Sergeant Blake and Sergeant Geller who reacted.
"Force field!!" I hears Blake shout, but apparently Sergeant Geller was already on top of it.
One second I was hurling towards the floor, and the next I was hanging, suspended in mid air, surrounded by a blue haze.
There was a sigh of relief as everyone below realized that I was not going to splat against the hard floor below. I looked up and even sergeant Blake looked relieved, but that didn't last. He wasn't pissed any more. No......now he was fuming.
He walked back across the beam in record time and climbed back down the rope, leaving me suspended till he got down on the floor.
"Lower it." He seemed to order Geller, who complied without any word at all, and I started the slow decent.
He walked in a little, looking up the whole time, watching - with burning eyes - as the force field slowly brought me down. About four feet from the floor he motioned for it to be cut off and to my surprise it was cut off, and I came down fast, landing flat on my backside with a THUD.
I think I was in mid bounce when he grabbed me and shouted "Sergeant Geller, take over", and Before Geller could answer back, Sergeant Blake had me laying face down on the floor with his knee in my back.
"Let go of me!" I shouted.
But he did not comply. He didn't even seem to be in there if you know what I mean. He just raised his hard, heavy hand high above my upturned ass and started whaling on me. WHAM....WHAM....WHAM.
"OWLLLLLHOWLLL." I yelled.
WHAM....WHAM.....WHAM.....WHAM....WHAM......
The blows came down hard and fast, and the pain was so intense that I started screaming. "OWL....AHHHHH...UHHHHH. ......oh God!.......OUCH......stop it......AHHHAAA......"
WHAM....WHAM....WHAM.....WHAM...WHAM.....
"Stop it.....OWLLL....You can't do this!" I screamed, but he was doing it.
I started crying like a baby, and begging him. "Please .....OWL...please....Stop....AHHHH... UHHHH........" But the blows kept coming.
WHAM.....WHAM...WHAM....WHAM...WHAM....
"UHHHHH.........Your killing me .........OUCH."
WHAM...WHAM....WHAM.
After what seemed an eternity, the beating ended, and he got up, leaving me lay there to nurse my blazing backside.
"You've got five minutes to cry it out Soldier." He said. " After that I don't want to hear so much as a sniffle out of you, understand."
I couldn't speak at the moment. Had I been able to he would have most definitely heard the words "Yes sir".
Five minutes came and went quickly and it was announced quite loudly - that my time was up.
I was able to stop crying, but I couldn't help but to sniffle every few seconds. Thank goodness he ignored it.
"Get on your feet soldier." He shouted.
I forced my knees up under myself and slowly pushed myself into a standing position. Right away I noticed that everyone was looking at me. Some looking sorry for me, others smiling.
"You can return to your quarters for the rest of the day Soldier.........Is that understood?" Blade asked.
"Yes Sir" I said in a soft, shaky voice.
"Move out."
I turned and limped out of there slowly, hearing a few whispers and laughs as I went.
To be continued..............