Chapters from the life of John Vero

[Vero]

Five minutes later Vero carried his duffel down the ramp to the deck of West Point Academys Docking Bay Four. Several other Cadets were already on the deck and the remaining Cadets were right behind Vero as he exited Gamma One.
The Cadets stood in a lose group waiting to see what would happen next.

Dock workers moved hurriedly about, prepping Gamma One for its return flight to Planet Manhattan.

As the Cadets watched the activity a LSF Avenger fighter entered the bay and touched down on a raised platform.
As soon as the ship came to rest, an army of technicians swarmed over it. Panels were opened and cables and hoses were plugged into the ship.

A boarding ladder was rolled into place and the canopy opened. The pilot climbed down and strode across the deck directly towards the Cadets.
As he approached the Cadets each one stood straighter as if preparing for review.

The Agent stopped before them and looked each one over before he spoke, I am Special Agent Macross. Ill be your basic flight and gunnery instructor. Im going to say this point blank just so that none of you gets any ideas about climbing aboard one of those beauties. He gestured over his shoulder at the Avenger Fighter.

There are seven of you now. Two more of your classmates will be coming in later and that will bring your class total to nine. This accelerated Cadet program is designed for six Cadets. The word is that the Commandant might push it to eight Cadets at most. That means at least one of you will not be with us after the first week.

The Commandants expectation is that we will get maybe two Agents out of the six to eight Cadets we start with. Thats not very good odds of any of you making the cut.

Now that youve heard that, Ill tell you this. Gamma One leaves in five minutes on its return flight to Manhattan. If any of you is not willing to work your butts off proving that you are good enough to be one of those two that make it, I suggest you be aboard when Gamma One departs West Point.

Vero looked from Special Agent Macross to Gamma One then back again. He glanced at Cadet Victory who stood unmoving at attention on his left, and then at Cadet Raven on his right, who looked a bit nervous softly biting his lower lip.

Vero thought about his family at home on Manhattan, and his career with Liberty Police Inc., halted mid stream. He thought about the uncertainty of success in the Liberty Security Force. Two out of the nine Cadets would graduate, Special Agent Macross had said. Would he be one of those two?
Fear of potential failure welled up in him at that moment. It was a fear that Vero would get to know very well during the coming weeks.

To Vero the desire to return to what he knew and was comfortable with was strong. The fear of being seen as a failure was stronger though. He wasnt going to quit now. He squared his shoulders and stood straighter as he waited for what Special Agent Macross would say next.

Macross had been looking at each Cadet as they absorbed his words. Finally when it was clear that no one would move to re-board Gamma One, he turned and began walking.

Ill take you over to admissions and well get each of you your bunk assignments. Welcome to West Point and welcome to the LSF.