Academy Snippet 3

 Happy Veterans Day!

So, Rea sent me the manuscript back yesterday. I finished the edits and shot it off to Goodlifeguide. Fingers crossed it will come out before T-day.

Speaking of which, I was asked to throw a second T-day (today) for family who surprised us by coming into town. So, I'm about to run around like a chicken with its head cut off some more. (oh, wait, that's the turkey! never mind)

On to the snippet!

This is from the second story:

Straighten Up and Fly Right

 

Katya followed the directions she had been given and walked down the corridor on her assigned floor with her gear. She tried not to look too closely, aware of the line of other students behind her. They had a very short window to get into their dorm rooms, get squared away, and then ready for an inspection. She saw a group of cadets being balled out by another cadet, possibly an upperclassman. She was a bit confused about that distinction; she initially didn’t understand that the upperclassman was acting as an instructor. The guy was in their face, chewing them out while brandishing something she couldn’t quite see yet.

When she got closer, she noted it was a crumpled-up wrapper from a candy bar. There was a balled-up bag for chips too. More debris was on the ground. The deck she reminded herself. The room looked like a bomb hit it, strewn and torn apart.

One of the cadets, a human girl, was damn near in tears. She wanted to intervene but was shocked by the tableau and slowed her stride.

That was a mistake; it drew the attention of the predator in the form of the senior cadet. He turned his glower her way and she stiffened. “Problem, Larva?”

“Just ah … passing through,” she said carefully, swallowing her pride. She should know better than to make waves and draw attention to herself.

He sized her up and down. “You new here?”

“Yes … sir,” she said. She didn’t know what instinct told her to call him sir but she knew better than to ignore it in this instance.

“Keep moving!” a voice said from the back of the line.

“You haven’t learned to report at attention, cadet?” he asked icily.

She frowned but put her gear down and braced to attention. Others following behind her were suddenly blocked. There was some mumbling but then they too dropped their gear to see what the holdup was.

The senior cadet sized her up and then the group. His brown eyes trailed to them like knives. Katya glanced at the duo of girls who had been his original prey. They seemed to be regaining their composure during the momentary distraction.

“Name, cadet?” the voice said, making her snap back to attention.

“Katya Budnova,” she replied.

“That’s Cadet Katya Budnova. Didn’t they teach you anything, plebe?” the senior cadet demanded.

She thought about how to respond and then just decided to be honest. “There is a first time for everything,” she replied with a shrug.

He glowered at her. Some of the other cadets looked surprised at her insolence.

“Put yourself down for two demerits cadet. Then get out of my sight. Get your gear squared away and read the in brief pronto.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied as she gathered up her gear and got into motion once more. Prick, she thought as she paced him. He had already turned his back to her. She gave the girls a roll of her eyes and kept going. The group behind her quietly moved to their assigned quarters as well.

<<<*>>>

She had just enough time to find her quarters and start to put her gear away before the senior cadet arrived in the doorway for a snap inspection.

Her roommate arrived behind him and blushed as she ducked past him and stood by her rack.

He examined the room and then sniffed. “You two better get squared away. You are in the kiddy pool now, but being in the navy is not for kids. Learn the ropes fast or get yanked.” He glowered at Katya. “I have a feeling you won’t last long,” he growled before he about-faced and left.

Katya felt her spine stiffen but she didn’t say anything. She looked at her roommate who was sagging a little.

If she couldn’t hack that, she was in for a rough ride, Katya thought. “I’m Katya. And you are …?”

“Sorry, Norma Jean.”

“Ah.”

“Are you from Syntia’s World?”

“No, ET.”

She wrinkled her nose in confusion. “ET?”

“Epsilon Triangula.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh! The place with the mob and big cities?”

“Yeah,” Katya drawled. She turned and finished putting her stuff away. She compared it to the image on her HUD. So far so good.

“Um …,” the girl was just putting things into her press willy-nilly.

“Follow the inspection list,” Katya warned. She was used to checklists and inspections from her time as a pilot.

“Excuse me?” the girl asked defensively.

“The inspection sheet in the manual. They’ll come back and check our stuff. If the socks aren’t right, they’ll throw them on the deck and make us redo stuff. And we have to pay in demerits later.”

The mousy brown haired girl blinked.

“You may want to get a haircut too. They can ding us for a lot of stuff. Hair, nails, uniform, bed …,” she indicated the racks. They were still clean and neat. “Dust,” she indicated the single desk and chair. “Anything.”

“Oh. Was that what that was about? Those kids getting balled out for having food?”

Katya nodded. “Yeah.”

“Oh. Damn,” the girl bit her lip. “What did I get myself into?” she muttered before she got to work. “Can you ah … help me?”

“You don’t have the implant module?”

“Um, I’m not sure how to access it. What was your name again?”

“Katya. Here,” the older woman pulled up her HUD and sent the girl a text. She had to patiently explain how to access the implants while they exchanged contact information. Along the way, she got a bit of the girl’s backstory. Norma had been a wet merchant officer on a ship on her homeworld before jumping at the chance to join the navy.

They bonded a little as they got squared away. She learned a bit about how it was important to share knowledge and help each other. You could know everything with your implants but if you didn't share that information or know how to access it then it wasn't worth spit.

She also learned that they could be penalized for infractions that were collective. If one failed, they all failed, just like on a ship. It was a bit hard to take in. There were a lot of concepts to absorb, and they definitely liked to leave the plebes to flounder and find their own level.

A female senior cadet came around and did an inspection. They could see outside the door where a pair of males were getting balled out by another senior cadet across the corridor. The girls were nervous but resigned to what was about to happen.

“Been through this before?” the woman asked.

“Pilot, ma’am,” Katya volunteered.

That earned a bit of side eye. “I didn’t ask for your life history. Very well. Which of you got the demerits?”

“I did, ma’am,” Katya sighed internally.

“You’ll have to work them off Friday. Don’t let Brian or Ferris catch you looking bad. No food in the dorm rooms obviously,” the woman sniffed. “Make sure your room and appearance are clean and neat at all times. Regs are regs, stick to them. If you get dinged, don’t offer an excuse, just accept the punishment. If you try to fight it, you will just end up sorry and sore. This is the navy—right way, wrong way, navy way. You have the rules in your implants. Read them and live by them or be sorry.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the two ladies responded in unison.

“Trying to stay under the radar works for some. You get by better if you remember to work as a team, just like on a ship. Get mouthy and uppity and you’ll pay for it,” the woman said as she leveled a look on Katya again. Katya didn’t rise to the bait and kept her own counsel.

“Seriously, familiarize yourself with your implants, regs, and honor code, all of it. You need to be a sponge, quiet but absorbing everything. Eyes, ears, and no mouth unless required. Can I get a read back?”

“Be a sponge, ma’am—eyes, ears, and no mouth unless required,” the two women replied in ragged unison. Norma Jean hesitated a little but fell into place with Katya’s impersonal tone of voice.

The senior cadet nodded curtly.

“Protocol too. I know it is a lot. Sir or ma’am is fine. Right now you are Larva, the lowest of the low. A plebe. Get used to it. The only way out is to quit or upwards. Figure your path out. If you can’t hack the class load, well, there are tutorials, and there are cadets who can help. Don’t drown.”

Katya noted Norma Jean ready to ask something but the woman’s eyes shifted to her. The girl gulped and straightened up, swallowing back her question instantly.

“Don’t get stupid and raise a sexual complaint unless you record it. If you do file one, all hell will come down on you so be careful. No one has time for that crap so don’t be too sensitive. Some of the guys will press you just to push a button. They’ll be recording too. Get a reputation as a tattletale and you’ll make yourself a target. So don’t.”

The two didn’t know what to say so they remained silent.

She gave them a few more looks and then left.

Norma Jean sighed and sat on the bed. Katya noted it instantly ruined the sharp folds but said nothing. She just shook her head.

“What have I gotten myself into?” the other woman said with a sigh.

Katya was wondering the same thing.

<<<*>>>

Academy Snippet 2

   Insanity is about to strike, on top of my usual holiday stuff I've been tasked with throwing two Thanksgivings this month. I was asked a few days ago to throw an early one Saturday for family coming into town. I'm going to be busy. lol 

Not to mention pooped when it is all said and done. lol

 Right into the first story:

A Proper Naval Officer’s Education

 

Annapolis, Bek

 

There were so many prospective naval recruits each year that there were different academies on Bek and off. The Citadel, Annapolis, the Britannia Naval College, and four others were the premier ones. Getting into one of them took some hard work and commitment… not to mention some proper connections.

A few people each year went the community college or university ROTC route and managed to get in. Those people would never get beyond a reservist or REMF position within the fleet. At best they would be shoved off to shuffle papers or man a desk in a recruiting office.

Shooters, also known as the gun club were where the real action and path for promotion was. Get in there and Gregory knew he’d be made.

Annapolis was the one academy that all shooters strove for. Once you got in there and graduated you were introduced to the club. Your career would be covered by others who had graduated from your alma mater. He had set himself on the course for Annapolis early.

His family came from a long line of navy officers reaching back to the inception of the Bekian branch of the Federation navy. He was ninety percent human, only a small percentage of his genes were chimera. He learned to appreciate those modifications as he grew older.

Minor screw ups could be swept under the rug. You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours when you call in the favor later. It was no wonder that half of the naval families sent their kids there. They looked out for each other and helped or hindered each other’s advancement later.

The strategic thinking taught in the academy classrooms and simulators were not only for ships. A large part of what seeped into them over time was the political strategy. An officer needed to think about the bigger picture and the long term.

He thought he was fully prepared for the academy. He had gone to military boarding school growing up. He had been trained to military standards of life and culture since he could walk. He ate, slept, and breathed the navy and had never thought of any other sort of a career.

At least he was doing something with his life. His little sister Britney wanted to be a cosplayer and make costumes, or become a pop singer, or both. She had flunked out of every military school that their parents had sent her into one way or another. They’d finally given up and sent her to an all girl’s boarding school. She’d settled down but for a time there she had started to turn into a serious liability and public embarrassment to the family.

Perhaps intentionally? A rebellious streak to get her own way that won in the end? He hadn’t known she could be so devious. Perhaps she had some strategic skills after all.

He reported for duty with the crush of other cadets. All but 3 had gone to some formal boarding school; they were all squared away from the beginning. The other 3 were close but he knew that the upper classman and instructors would be on them like rabid dogs.

He had been fortunate enough to have taken a tour of the campus during the summer, and of course he had been there for his cousin’s graduation. That meant he’d gotten a lot of his tourist mentality out of him and didn’t look around. He hoped he kept a professional mask as he walked past the statue of the rearing goat, the mascot of the academy.

The building oozed old. It was made out of stone, or at least appeared a such. The entrances were grand, rising up over 5 meters. The ornate walls were alabaster white. The floors had geometric tiles on them. The staircase was grand. He took it one step at a time since he had his bag with him.

At the top was the plaque with the impressive words, ‘Don’t Give Up The Ship’.

Inscribed on the brass plaque were the immortal words dedicating it to the alumni who had given their lives to defending the ideals of the Federation. The wording was rather careful since as far as his knowledge base held there had been no Bekian killed in action. In fact there had been no combat in Bek or in the pocket of space they resided in.

The plaque was bracketed by the flag of the Federation on the left and the flag of Bek on the right. There were lit panels with the list of names of people who had died in accidents and other incidents over the seven centuries since the academy had been founded.

He saw a cadet linger to look but studiously avoided the plaque. He’d seen it before. Instead he turned smartly to the right and headed down a corridor to another. He had the map seared into his memory.

As soon as he found his dorm he quietly got his gear squared away. One bed and press had already been taken. He ignored them and focused on unpacking quickly and professionally. Three other cadets joined him after a moment; the first had been in the head.

They exchanged names softly but each was busy. They smiled tentatively, obviously nervous and excited, but they knew what was coming.

Gregory just finished getting his uniforms and clothes stored to regulation and his duffle stowed as well when the door opened behind him. He turned smartly and came to attention. His sharp move made the others look up and then brace to attention as well.

A cold Elven upperclassman came in and checked them over. He sized them up and then leveled a look on Greg. “Pacifier?” he demanded.

“Sir?” Greg asked, confused.

“Do you have a hearing issue Plebe? I asked if you are a pacifier. You know, a boarding school wanna be,” the high elf said contemptuously. He was tall and gangly, the typical blue skin with long limbs of his subspecies. The long braided hair and long ears and his cat eyes made him intimidating as he towered over the plebes.

“I… Sir, this cadet did attend boarding school yes sir,” he said as he remembered what he’d been rehearsed to say.

The elf glowered at him and then turned to look at each of the others. All three confirmed they too had attended naval boarding school.

“Very well. You are pacifiers. Don’t think we’ll go any easier on you. If your shit is squared away then fall out.”

They immediately fell out to the corridor and came to attention again. Greg heard other upperclassman bawling out some of the other cadets. He studiously kept his eyes front and center and 6 centimeters above the brow line above the doors.

“I am midshipman Trip Shenandoah. You will not screw up. You will abide by the regulations or you will be sorry,” the elf growled. He strode up and down and then back.

“I expect you to frack up. I might even encourage you to lower your guard to frack up. Just so we’re on the same page, I’m issuing you each a demerit as a way of greeting,” he said.

One of the plebes opened his mouth and the elf was on him in an instant. He went nose to nose to him. “Yes? Something to say plebe?” he demanded in a cold voice.

“Nothing sir!” the plebe replied.

As starts went this was not a good one,” Greg thought.

“Oh, so you think you are better than me? Well plebe, that’s now two demerits for each of you. Anyone else want to foul my air with your useless excuses?” he demanded as he surveyed the others.

“No sir!”

“Oh good. You can work the demerits off now. One lap around the campus. Double time it. Move out!” he barked, voice dropping into a bass bellow.

They didn’t have time to change into their PT uniforms. They had to rush out at a trot.

Yup, as far as starts went, this one was peachy, Greg thought in annoyance.

<<<*>>>

Academy Snippet 1

 So I am moving forward with Academy (finally!) It has been sitting on the back burner long enough.

I actually wrote it earlier this year before Horatio 5. I've been sitting on it for some reason.

Anyway, here we go.

Academy is a series of stories with interludes at a military wedding reception...

Tulip-Camper Wedding Reception, Antigua

 

“You have to admire them,” Commander Gregory Yeggi said as he watched the newlywed couple with a trace of envy and pity. Envy that they’d found each other, pity because he suspected he knew what was coming in their future.

The 2 humans were having a grand old time on the dance floor. It was their wedding after all, and it was high time to party. There might be a war on but that didn’t mean life stopped. Technically there were 2 wars going on, the Federation was at war with the pirates in Sigma and other sectors, and the Tauren Confederacy in Tau sector.

At the moment you couldn’t tell that from the atmosphere in the large room. He was grateful from the reprieve of crushing responsibility, no matter how small a time period it was. In a few days it would be back to work once more.

He was a chimera, a human with elven, alien, and neo genes. He sported long elven ears, a long slim frame and face, cat like eyes, and a series of spike horns on either side of his temple ranging back into his braided black hair. His skin was a golden color unblemished by tattoos or defects.

“How so?” the army officer sitting across from him at the table asked curiously. The wreckage of their meal had been swept up by the quiet catering team some time ago. Just the usual drinks and personal effects remained to mark where people had been sitting and may return.

“Sorry, you are…?” the Bekian asked. The army officer was a Neochimp male with a bit of a hulking presence. He had noted the Major at the party out of interest because the officer was in army green not the usual navy blue.

Their table was mostly deserted at the moment; many of the people were out visiting other people, dancing on the dance floor, or getting drinks at the bar.

The wedding had gone as expected. The blushing bride and blushing groom and all. The wedding party had been replenished in formal dress uniforms; there had been only the 1 stand out civilian on the side of the bride. A lot of the audience had been military too. The antics of the toddler flower girl and ring bearer had livened up the formal mood. Seeing the little kitten chasing flowers and then curling up for a nap had been adorable.

The reception had gone well with the usual speeches, antics, and photo ops. He had some good shots of his former boss getting cake crammed up his nose to share with the ship’s company when he got back on board.

He was heartily glad they were down to the fun part, to relax and enjoy without anymore crap. Just party. He glanced to the group going all out on the dance floor. The wedding had a very good DJ and planner.

His gaze shifted to the center of the dance floor to see the bride and groom tearing it up on the dance floor and snorted.  Dirty dancing indeed. They were breaking out moves that would scandalize quite a few people.

“Major Louis Chimpsky.” the Neochimp stated as he played with his drink idly.

“Ah,” the Commander replied with a nod. “I’m Commander Gregory Yeggi. To answer your question, they found love while maintaining a lifelong career,” he said.

The major nodded slightly. Anyone above a lieutenant’s rank knew how difficult it was to maintain a work life balance in the military, especially one at war. It got worse when one person was deployed for years at a time. If both people were in the military they could be sent to the ends of the Federation. Throw in the anxiety of not knowing if your partner was alive or dead and it was tough. The complexity of having kids eventually as well just blew all of that into the stratosphere.

Most careerists did not want the problem of a partner or kids; they wanted to rise through the ranks as rapidly as possible. It took a rare set to find each other in these trying times.

“Yeah, it is tougher for you spacers I suppose,” the major said. He looked around the room. There were a lot of formal jackets on the back of chairs. Everyone was loosening up now that the formalities were over. They would be seeing off the couple soon.

“So, how do you know the newlyweds?” Commander Yeggi asked.

“Ah?” the Major cocked his head. He had a bluff chiseled look to him. No nonsense, someone who had seen a lot.  He flapped his hands after a moment. “Sorry, I’m a plus one.”

“Ah.” the commander nodded sagely.

“What about you?” the major asked.

“Oh, I served with Captain Campers in two tours. I was his XO on the cruiser Hudson during our last deployment,” he said proudly.

“Ah,” the major said idly. “Do I hear a bit of a Bekian accent?” he asked.

“Yes,” the commander replied with a wary nod. Some people did not appreciate his kind.

The army officer studied him and then flapped a hand. “Nuevo,” he said.

The Bekian blinked. “Ah. I should have known, there aren’t that many army personnel here yet,” he said.

“No, we’re almost at a balance now. New Texas, Avalon, and the rest of the worlds in the sectors have been contributing personnel steadily. But the hard green core comes from Nuevo,” he said proudly.

The commander nodded. He thought the same thing about the navy but there were some who thought differently. There were a lot of people who resented Bekian superiority. He kept his counsel about it just in case someone was in ear shot. There were plenty of people around and some had hit the bar a lot.

“I heard that they put in for same duty assignments,” a female voice said. They turned to the human Commander who was sitting 2 chairs down from them. “Sorry to eavesdrop. Commander Katya Budnova,” she said as she indicated herself.

The 2 officers noted the woman as she took her jacket off and put it over the back of her chair. Her left lapel had wings so she was a pilot certified officer.

“Few,” she said as she took a sip of wine. “I’m half blind from the flash photos,” she said.

The other officers smiled in understanding.

“So, they put in to the same duty assignment?” the major asked. “And BuPers let them have it?” he asked dubiously. “Is that even possible?”

“Yeah, I know. BuPers is ruled by low and infernal people. Most have a twisted sense of humor,” she said with twisted lips. That earned soft snorts from the other officers. “Scuttlebutt has it that one or both of them went to BuPers to announce their engagement. They don’t share the same chain of command, so that isn’t a problem.”

“But it potentially could be since both are naval officers,” Commander Yeggi observed.

“No, Sheila is sitting on admiral Snake Charmer’s staff as her staff TO and captain Camper is a ship captain as you know,” she replied with a shrug. “I’m CAG on Decorum,” she said. They blinked and absorbed that news. She took a sip of her wine and then set it down. “That is how I know anyway,” she said by way of explanation.

“Ah.”

“BuPers tried to separate them, or so the story goes. One or both offered up their resignation.” That startled the other officers. “BuPers had a sudden change in heart and assigned them to the same fleet.” The pilot smiled a feral smile.

Commander Yeggi blinked and then his lips pursed in a thoughtful silent whistle. “I didn’t know you could blackmail BuPers like that. Usually if an officer offers to resign they get reassigned or allowed to resign,” he said dubiously. There were ways to get out of an assignment but a direct confrontation usually ended poorly.

“Yeah, but several high ranking officers intervened on their behalf. Scuttlebutt has it that it went up to Admiral Champion, possibly even to Admiral Irons.” Again the 2 other officers stared at her in surprise. The pilot shrugged. “What can I say? Admiral Sprite and Admiral Irons have a romantic soft core somewhere.”

That earned a snort of disdain from the commander.

Rumor also had it that Irons favored anyone not from Bek. He still held a grudge over the Childress insurrection supposedly. It sucked, Bekians should be getting their just due, and the Navy should be conforming to their long standing traditions not forcing them into an unwanted mold.

“So, they are in the same fleet? That doesn’t mean they’ll get to be together,” the Major said.

“Not sharing the same bed nightly maybe, but sharing the same fleet means they can communicate with each other more regularly. They can share leave together, that sort of thing,” the pilot said as she ran a hand through her short hair. Like all pilots she had short hair to fit under her helmet. The sides of her head had been shaved. They could see the faint glitter of implant jacks on either side of her head. That indicated she was a high level pilot.

Given that she was a CAG on a carrier she was no doubt quite highly skilled.

“What’d I miss?” another female officer asked as he sat next to the pilot. She downed her wine glass and then looked around for another. The small Neomutt looked a little… tired. She panted a little.

The men knew better than to point out that the pilot was a bit sweaty. Women do not sweat they ‘glowed’. Anyone who thought differently might get into trouble, especially if they were of the wrong gender who pointed such differences out.

“Have fun on the dance floor?” the pilot asked with a knowing grin.

The newcomer rolled her green eyes. “You know it,” she said with an answering grin.

“Going to take anyone home?” the pilot asked with a broadening smile.

“No, he’s taken damn it,” the newcomer said with a moue of disappointment. The pout had the pilot snorting in amusement. “You’re one to talk,” the woman growled. She turned to the others. “So, are you in Tenth fleet too?”

“Ah, no,” Commander Yeggi said with a shake of his head. He had been retained in Home Fleet. He’d thought he’d take over for the skipper but apparently not. He was to take up command of a tin can next week. It would be his first command.

“Obviously not,” the major said dryly holding up a hand. “Plus one.”

“Ah. I’d wondered,” the Lieutenant Commander said. She checked her jacket. The glitter of a cadeaus on her left lapel indicated she was a doctor.

“Sorry, this is Lieutenant Commander Dorothy Gayle, call her Stitches,” the pilot said by way of introduction to the newcomer. She then introduced the other officers in return.

“Stitches?” the chimera asked as he wrinkled his nose. It was a common nickname among surgeons but he was curious as to why. The short Neomutt didn’t look like a surgeon.

“If she doesn’t crack you up she might crack your sternum to get nosy and make adjustments to your soft bits just for the fun of it,” the pilot said wickedly. The medic opened her mouth to say something in protest, closed it and then lowered a glower on her partner.

“Low blow crop-duster,” she growled, green eyes flickering in challenge.

The pilot snickered. “Seen any ruby slippers or twisters lately Toto?” she teased back.

The medic turned away with a sniff as another officer quietly sat at their table. She turned to the commander and noted his ring. “Ring knocker?” she asked with a cock of her head.

He touched his ring and played with it. “Yes.” He kept the statement neutral. Some people did not like academy graduates. His homeworld was not popular among those who were not born there.

“Bek?” she asked as she cocked her head.

“Yes. A problem?” he asked in challenge.

She smiled. It was a warm smile that helped to put his defensive aura at ease a little. “So, what’s it like? I went to the academy in Antigua…”

“And now she teaches at it. Or did until she was assigned to Tenth fleet with the rest of us,” the pilot interjected.

“Hush,” the medic scolded, turning her head to her partner.

“Or?” the pilot asked.

The medic turned a look on her. She held it for a long moment and then took on a thoughtful evil look. The pilot put her hands up. “Okay, just teasing. No need to trot out the nuclear arsenal Stitches,” she said.

The Neodog just raised an eyebrow at her.

“Seriously, I’ll behave,” the pilot said in a small voice as she seemed to shrink into herself.

The Neodog snorted as did the others around the table. “That’ll be a first,” she teased with a grin and ear flick. She turned her eyes on the commander again. “So, what was the academy like?”

“Well, it was… different I suppose than what it is now…”

“How so?”

“Well, when I went to the academy Caroline hadn’t turned up yet,” the commander said. The others nodded. The light cruiser Caroline had successfully navigated the rapids to get into the pocket of space that Bek and Nuevo existed in, isolated and forgotten by the rest of the galaxy for centuries. Admiral Irons had visited during his time as a junior flag officer during the first stages of the Xeno war. He had been there to set up the star systems as a last ditch redoubt of civilization should the Xenos win.

Bek had built a massive navy to protect itself against the Xenos. Nuevo had gone in the other direction, building a massive army on its 2 inhabited worlds, primarily to fight a never ending war against the worms that infested the planets.

Bek had lost the ability to build hyperdrives until Caroline had shown up. It wasn’t the only thing that they’d lost though...