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Starship Troopers: Serving the Species

Chapter 2 – The Superintendent’s Words

The one considered the most eccentric in the academy had never broken the rules that cadets usually violated in their daily lives.

Ender was someone intelligent, far superior to his peers.

To avoid hurting their pride… Ender was in a completely different league from the others.

“You talk as if you’re starting to know me. That hurts my feelings.” Of course, Ender didn’t have free time to waste like other cadets. Whenever he could, he was immersed in combat simulations.

Chyler, with a calm expression, pointed to her smartwatch and said, “Ender, if you keep making the Superintendent wait any longer, he’ll come get you himself.”

“Alright…” Ender checked the time and only now realized he had spent four hours in an advanced combat simulation. This was far more than average, which explained why he was so thirsty.

“Wait!” Seeing Ender leave the garden, Chyler called out to him. He turned around and adjusted his uniform, which was disheveled. “You’re about to graduate—if you show lapses like this, you’ll have issues you’ll need to deal with.”

“Oh, I didn’t notice…” Spending so much time in a simulation, which in reality felt much longer than the time lying down, left Ender with intense mental fatigue.

His concerns, so to speak, were not focused on how others viewed him.

That’s why, when he noticed Chyler paying attention to his appearance, it meant she was giving him more attention than someone would give just an acquaintance.

Ender didn’t know how far their friendship had come—more accurately, he cared little—but the truth was he really appreciated things like this.

“You look better now. You should smile a bit more too. The stiffness in your gaze pushes away people who don’t know you.” After helping adjust Ender’s uniform, Chyler looked up at him—but then realized he was watching her with a puzzled expression.

The next moment, Chyler, who noticed her hands on the shoulders of the boy she envied for his skill at the academy, stepped back.

“Thanks for that, but it wasn’t necessary.” Ender, though gifted with superhuman intelligence, struggled to express himself properly with others, even if he deeply felt emotions he rarely shared.

“Your face is still stiff.” Chyler, feeling the atmosphere grow more uncomfortable, left without saying anything else.

“Seems like I still have trouble socializing… I should practice more at that than at commanding a war fleet.” Watching Chyler leave awkwardly, Ender, knowing he couldn’t have done it better, also walked away.

Five minutes later, Ender arrived at the Superintendent’s office on the top floor of the academy and knocked on the door.

“Come in!” A deep voice was heard from the other side of the room, one filled with energy and authority.

Hearing the response, Ender pushed the door open and entered the office.

Upon entering, he saw that besides the Superintendent named Shane, there was a middle-aged man in a military uniform with terrifying scars on his head.

In seconds, Ender had identified his military rank and was a bit surprised by the man’s status.

A Five-Star Sky Marshal…

For a Sky Marshal of this caliber to be in the academy, Ender could already vaguely guess the man’s identity.

“Is this the cadet you told me about?”

“That’s him…” Shane nodded slightly, and looking at the silent Ender, he said, “You’re in the presence of a Five-Star Sky Marshal who commands the advance army in the Alpha Centauri A solar system—Sky Marshal Miles Quaritch.”

“Interstellar Military Academy of the Federation, Class 55—Ender Wiggin reporting to Sky Marshal Miles!” In an instant, Ender’s lazy expression vanished.

He immediately stood at attention and saluted the Sky Marshal with a standard military posture that even surprised Superintendent Shane, who had expected a show.

Ender wasn’t an idiot. He was in the presence of a figure repeatedly mentioned in textbooks. The greatest contributor to the defense of the Centauri A solar system, and the most distinguished Sky Marshal of the Stellar Fleet.

However, information about what Sky Marshal Miles was currently doing was classified as top secret by the Federation. Public records only mentioned his name and past achievements.

As for his age and appearance? Few had the privilege of knowing, as that information was confidential—even colonels couldn’t access it.

Still, Sky Marshal Miles remained one of the people Ender respected most.

Now that he saw that Sky Marshal he dreamed of reaching, even someone like Ender was thrilled.

According to Federation records, when three of the Federation’s four main fleets were defeated in the defense of the Centauri A system, Sky Marshal Miles led the last fleet to turn the tide and defeat the invaders from a different solar system, who outnumbered them ten to one, in the asteroid belt. This allowed human civilization to survive and not be wiped out in the Centauri A system.

You could say Sky Marshal Miles was the hero of the entire Human Federation.

The Superintendent was left speechless as he looked at Ender in disbelief. Did this guy really have such a serious expression and such precise movements for a cadet?

“Heh, you lying bastard. This is not what you told me! I’m looking at a cadet ready to graduate—did you lie to me?” Marshal Miles smiled slightly.

“Yeah… it’s unexpected…” Shane opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. It wouldn’t help to admit this was the first time he saw Ender this serious.

“Heh, I like his gaze.”

Shane, brushing aside his thoughts, asked, “Ender, this time I called you here to ask if you’ve considered applying for early graduation. After all, given your current ability, you won’t learn much more by staying in the academy.”

“Yes, if possible, I hope to graduate soon and join the Federation Fleet in a solar system that’s in conflict with our race.” Ender hadn’t forgotten the two missions in his system. Naturally, he wouldn’t let such a good opportunity pass.

Besides, Superintendent Shane was right. He wouldn’t learn much more by staying in the academy.

At that moment, Marshal Miles spoke seriously as he looked at the young cadet in front of him: “Very well. For your graduation evaluation—the fleet simulation battle—I’ll oversee it personally. Any problem with that?”

“Not at all, Marshal Miles. It would be an honor, and I truly won’t disappoint you.” Ender didn’t flinch—his emotionless gaze remained unmoved.

“Good, you may go now. Tomorrow at 8 a.m., report to the academy’s battle simulation building!” said Shane, who had little else to say.

“Yes, sir!” Ender saluted Marshal Miles once again and turned to leave the Superintendent’s office.

“Are you really going to conduct Ender’s evaluation yourself?” Shane, now alone with his old friend, asked seriously.

“Yes. After all, I think it wasn’t that impressive that he defeated Stone so easily. Not for someone with that young man’s tactical capabilities, so I want to push him to show his true potential and see how far he can go in a simulated battle with me.” Marshal Miles, having watched Ender’s simulated battle against Stone several times, knew what the cadet was capable of.

Also, knowing Ender’s interest in hostile solar systems, and since he had the chance to be here, he wanted to evaluate him personally to see if he was worth taking.

“All right, as long as you’re on board. I’ll tell you, this is the most monstrous kid I’ve seen in my career as Superintendent. As a former Sky Marshal, I warn you—you’ll have to take responsibility for the consequences of what that young man brings to the Federation.” Shane, once a Sky Marshal like Miles, knew enough to recognize Ender’s talent.

And if there was a reason he didn’t evaluate Ender personally, it was because he knew that if he lost to a child, the pride he held from his military career would be shattered—and that wasn’t something he wanted so close to death.

Marshal Miles, on the other hand, was different. If someone had more talent than he did, he’d do anything to teach and pass the torch. “Don’t worry. If he surprises me tomorrow, I’ll grant him a military rank in line with the highest standards of promotion and let him command a mixed fleet in the Centauri system.”

“I didn’t expect you to go so far for a kid who’s barely seventeen…” Shane was surprised at how far his friend was willing to go.

Keep in mind that cadets graduate based on their rank after a precise evaluation of their abilities—and in most cases, not until they’re around twenty.

As for the highest rank they could aspire to, it was to be captains—whether of a battleship, ground unit, air squadron, or artillery group. After all, few had what it took to command a battleship.

Of course, as a Fifth-Rank Sky Marshal, Miles had the privilege of granting special promotions. The highest rank he could bestow was Colonel.

However, this also came with risks. If it was discovered that the promoted individual didn’t have the corresponding skills, the person who granted the special promotion would also face severe consequences.

“You’ll really give him that opportunity?” Shane felt like he was witnessing a historic moment.

“Of course—the condition is that he surprises me tomorrow!” Miles was excited. He needed brilliant minds on the front lines.

“All right, you have the final word—I’ll go get everything organized!”

At that moment, Ender, who had just left the academy’s instructor area, entered the dining hall and soon saw Chyler eating with classmates.

Seeing her eating so seriously, he decided not to approach. He couldn’t help but think that once she learned about his early graduation and eventual rank, she might even resent him.

If Ender weren’t at the academy, Chyler could have stood out much more. That was something everyone talked about—uninterested Ender didn’t deserve to be the top cadet since he didn’t aspire to be anyone in the military.

What they didn’t know was that Ender hoped to be at least the greatest general of the human race. He wanted to make full use of his unique and special gifts, so that it would all be worth it.

Because if he didn’t… when the time came for humans to face more advanced civilizations, they would be wiped from the galaxy.