Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles 1: Wizard Defiant Read Online Free PDF Page B

was certain he was prior military. Richard also thought he was probably a senior officer, but 147 had never acknowledged such. Why a senior officer would want to go through the misery of a worm school like the Intergalactic Wizard Scout Academy was beyond Richard. But, he figured everyone had their own little secrets.
    “Yeah,” said Richard. “Myers is unhappy I didn’t get kicked out of the Academy yesterday. By the way, 147, I’m sorry about 215. I know she was your friend.”
    “So am I,” he said, “but the way attrition is going, we’ll probably all be D.F.R.’d before we can graduate.” Looking at the mess in Richard’s room, 147 said, “Why don’t you get your field gear ready and then go shower. Once some of the others in the platoon are ready, we’ll help you get your room back in shape.”
    “Thanks,” said Richard, “but that’s not necessary. I can handle it.”
    “Nonsense,” said 147. “Cadets stick together. You’d do the same for us.”
    Richard wasn’t sure that was true, but he kept quiet. He’d been raised in an orphanage until he was fifteen. After that, he’d spent three long years living hand-to-mouth on the streets. Those had been rough years. Richard had learned the hard way you had to look out for yourself, because no one else was going to give you anything for free. When he turned eighteen, Richard had joined the military and discovered he had skills and abilities which were valued by his peers. After his initial boot training, he’d been assigned to a coveted position in marine recon. His eighteen months in marine recon had been the most rewarding and happiest time of his life. Of course, the downside was the numerous enemies of the Intergalactic Empire tried to kill him on occasion, but nothing was perfect.
    With the help of several other cadets, Richard’s room was back in shape quickly. His was not the first time the TAC officers had exploded a cadet’s room. Richard made a silent promise to assist in the cleanup the next time a cadet was on the receiving end of a TAC officer’s wrath.
    Liz was right , Richard thought. I haven’t been very friendly or helpful to the other cadets, but I’ll force myself to do better. Too bad she had to get D.F.R.’d for me to figure out friends can come in handy.
    The TAC officers were in rare form during the road march to the top of hill 3025. Every few hundred yards, they had the formation stop at a hastily improvised torture device. In one location, the cadets were divided into teams of ten and forced to hold a five meter long wooden pole at arm’s length. In another location, a huge pit had been dug, and all two hundred and sixteen cadets were put in the pit at the same time. Then they were told the last one out would be excused from the remainder of the road march. It didn’t take long for the smaller cadets to team up against the largest cadets and toss them out of the pit. After five frantic minutes, cadet 303 was the sole remaining cadet in the pit. She was a short native of the planet Cremia, but she was feisty and never gave up. She laughed and waved playfully at the other cadets as one of the TAC officers drove her past them while they were marching up the steepest part of the hill. Richard smiled. It was hard for anyone to get mad at 303. She seemed to be eternally good natured, and most of the cadets in the company protected her as if she were their own sister.
    Eventually, they reached the top of the hill and were fed a well-deserved lunch. No cadets had fallen out during the march, but many of them were hurting more than they would like to admit. Richard was in better shape than most since he had missed the march on the previous day.
    After a short lunch, the TACs marched the cadets to an open area swarming with technicians. They were busy setting up three-meter-high posts to form thirty-meter-squares. Richard counted three rows of seven squares. The TAC officers divided the cadets into teams of ten with the six