The Military Academy
Once again, excitement managed to burst through her despair. She didn’t want to back out; she wanted to serve in the military. Not following through would only lead to a regret she’d carry with her for the rest of her life. Every time she saw an orange cloak, she’d cringe, reminded of her lack of courage. It came down to being a failure to her parents or a failure to herself. The former would be easier to live with. Selfish, but true.
Her bedroom was at the front of the house. She heard the faint thump of the front door closing, then muffled voices. Mama’s rose and fell, while Papa’s remained calm—when Papa had a chance to speak. The voices stopped. Papa was climbing the stairs, his heavy footsteps growing louder. A sharp knock at the door, then Papa swung it open and stepped into the room without waiting for an invitation.
He closed the door behind him and stood with his arms crossed. “So, you’re determined to enter the military. I’m a little confused. You seem to enjoy our weekly discussions. You can be quite animated when defending your point of view.”
“I do enjoy them.” Lesley said. “They’re one of my favourite times of the week.”
“So what’s wrong with advocacy?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why the military?”
“I want to protect the Way. Defend it.”
“Advocates protect the Way, with the help of the overseers. We ensure that every amendment preserves its spirit,” he said, tapping his fingers against his arms.
“I understand that, and I know it’s important. But it’s not how I want to protect it. I want to protect it from threats. Concrete threats, not theoretical ones.”
“I see. And you’ve thought about this?”
“I have, Papa, a lot.”
“Then why haven’t you mentioned it before? Why did you lie to us?”
He was trying hard to hide his disappointment, but she could hear it in his voice. “I tried to tell you. But every time I mentioned the military, you dismissed it.”
“Perhaps if you’d tried ‘I’d like to join the military,” we wouldn’t have.”
“You still would have tried to talk me out of it.”
Papa was silent for a moment, then said, “Probably.”
“That’s why I had to write the exam without telling you. If I’d told you, you would have been upset and I wouldn’t have written the exam. Same with moving to the evaluation phase. If I’d told you before confirming, I might have ended up backing out. But I don’t want to back out, Papa. It’s what I want.”
“Are you sure it’s what you want and not what Mo wants? Because your mama’s right. If you’re doing this because of Mo, you’re being foolish.”
“It’s what I want. One of the reasons Mo and I like each other is because we tend to be interested in the same things. Why can’t anyone understand that? You and Mama are both advocates.”
“Me and your mama are Chosens,” he said sharply. “And we were both advocates when we met. You and Mo can’t last. You know that. So make sure it’s what you want, Lesley. Because in a few years, you won’t want to be working with Mo. If she’s the only attraction, you’re making a huge mistake.”
“It’s what I want.”
“Why Defence and not Interior?” Papa asked. “At least in Interior you’d be directly applying the Law and Tradition.”
Lesley knew he wanted a logical answer, one that would help him understand the connection between her love of the Law and her choice of Defence. But there wasn’t one. How could she explain the visceral reaction she’d had when she’d sat in a fighter’s pilot seat and knew she wanted to learn how to fly? How could she make him understand her fascination when the guest speaker had provided a brief and simplistic overview of combat tactics, and the excitement she’d felt at the thought of belonging to a group of Rymellans working as a team to protect the Way, dependent on each other for their very lives? Would he understand if she told him that preserving the spirit of the Way was pointless if nobody was there to ensure that a species didn’t take it away through hostile action, or would he think she was saying that advocates weren’t important? Yes, Interior also protected the Way, by ensuring that Rymellans themselves didn’t threaten it, but she wouldn’t learn how to fly a fighter in Interior.
“It’s hard for me to explain why, Papa,” she said. “I wish I could tell you something that obviously connects studying the Law and Tradition with Defence, but I can’t. I do love studying the Way, and maybe someday I’ll end up in Interior. But right now, Defence appeals to me more.”
“And you’re sure that’s not because of Mo?”
“Yes.”
He looked as if he were going to question her response, but said instead, “What about the advocacy exam? Your mama says you don’t want to write it.”
“I have to start preparing for my evaluation at the Military Academy. And I have to keep up with my homework. My Learning Academy record has to be good, no matter what I decide to do. I don’t have time to study for the advocacy exam and to keep up with everything else.” Plus, the study material was putting her to sleep, but it was probably best not to mention that.
“Well, you’re right.” He dropped his arms. “If you’ve decided that serving in the military is what you want to do, then you have to give it your all.”
“Does that mean you approve?” she asked, surprise making her voice sound higher than usual.
“I don’t seem to have much choice. I’m disappointed, but it’s your decision. If you’re making a mistake, you’ll face the consequences. And isn’t that the Way? Responsibility, accountability?”
She nodded. “Mama’s sure I’m making a mistake.” Mama thought she was a failure.
“Your mama wants what’s best for you. Maybe that’ll turn out to be the military. We’ll see. I’m willing to suspend my judgment and see what happens.” Papa frowned. “But I won’t excuse your dishonesty, or Karen’s. No article of the Law dictates that you have to tell your parents the truth, but several dictate that you must always tell the military the truth. I think it would be appropriate for you to study one of them. Tomorrow, I’ll bring home a few cases pertaining to Article 882. After you’ve read them, you can discuss them with me and your mama.” He held up his hand. “And before you tell me you already have a lot to do, since you won’t be leaving the house for a few weeks, except to go to the Learning Academy, you should be able to squeeze it in.”
“A few weeks?” Lesley exclaimed.
“At least until you’ve undergone your evaluation at the Military Academy. You said you need to prepare. Well, now you’ll have lots of time to do so.”
Lesley swallowed. “Can friends visit?”