Chapter Seven - part three

    Once back on the Hill, James’ first order of business was being trained in the gliders. All cadets had the chance to learn that, if they could fit in the cockpit. James was a snug fit in the small cockpit, but he did fit. He quickly proved to be an excellent pilot. He had never received a license, but he had flown many hours in a plane with one of their family friends. He was very capable of flying and landing a single engine plane. That proved to be both a help and a hindrance with the glider training. The lack of power changed the way you had to fly.  It helped reduce any fear since he had flown before, but he also had to unlearn and relearn how to fly. Flying under power and without power were two very different ways to fly. In addition to that there were also other courses that he had to complete that summer as part of his training. One of those was CST, cadet survival training.

    The cadets had to spend a lot of time learning how to survive and evade capture during their second summer. They also were trained in basic methods of knowing their locations and traversing hostile terrain without a map or even a compass. The final test was a four day trek across some of the mountains near the Academy. They would take the cadets out to remote spots. Then it was up to the cadets to travel back to certain set places each day. They had to evade 'hostile forces' while making that trek. They were under surveillance during almost the entire test, but most of the time they were alone. The greatest danger was from the unexpected thunderstorms. Lightening was the greatest natural danger, but falls and even sudden flooding in some spots could be dangerous too. Once more James proved to be more than capable during his exercise. He was one of only four other cadets who managed to reach all checkpoints and yet evade all 'hostile forces' too. The hostile forces were watching the areas around the checkpoints and they were also tipped off by the cadets working those checkpoints. That was to make it even harder for cadets in training to evade capture. One of the other cadets who managed to complete the course undetected was Sabella. That had been a pleasant surprise to James.

    The old gang all got to spend a weekend at the Blake’s before the whole force returned to the Hill. James, Jeremy, Shanna, and Sabella all back together again; they had only managed that a couple of times during the year, other than during major events at the Academy. It was the first time they had all been together since completing the first year. They were now all 3 degrees. There was also an unexpected addition to the group. The new addition wasn't expected, but she was welcome. Cadet Farah had been contacted by Mr. Blake. She had no sponsor family and when he had explained why he had contacted her she had been happy to accept. She and James had a connection that wouldn't soon go away. They had seen a lot of each other at the Academy, especially being in Mach One together, but she was moving this year. That was the way it usually worked, most cadets moved after the first year, but James wouldn't be moving. He still wasn't completely sure if that was chance or if it was something controlled by the Academy staff. He just knew he would probably be spending his entire time at the Academy in Mach One. It would be nice to get to see Aadila away from the Hill a little more often. 

    A lot of things happened at the end of the first year and the beginning of the next. James was surprised when he found out that Sabella had been moved into Deuce. That put them in relatively close proximity and in the same flight for the first time. Sabella had earned more than just admiration for her looks. She was a top student and she had proven herself to be a very capable warrior. In fact she had proven all but unbeatable in the hand-to-hand combat training. It turned out that her aunt was nationally ranked in karate and kickboxing. Sabella had been her sparring partner since she had become a teenager. While Sabella never competed or even tried to earn belts she was very good. James wasn't sure how this would work out, but he saw no major issues. Sabella was a 'friend' and nothing more. He doubted that she had meant anything by that kiss and he certainly hadn't. It was just another one of the possible things he would have to be aware of this year. 

    James had made his choice of degrees and would be working to get an electrical engineering degree. He had always been interested in electronics and during his first year he had checked out several other possibilities before making his final decision. A lot of cadets wanted to focus in that field, but they had to be near the top of the class to make it. Since he was still at the top of his class at the end of the first year he could pick and choose, for the most part. He was also working to get a minor in a foreign language. He had chosen Chinese, since he was already fluent in German. He could speak some Spanish too, but he didn't consider himself great at that. Sabella had chosen Political Science as her major. Shanna had chosen Environmental Engineering. Jeremy had chosen Computer Engineering. Aadila had much to their surprise decided on Systems Engineering with a minor in Religious Studies of all things. That last minor wasn't something a lot of cadets were interested in anymore.  In fact it was normally avoided like all religion related things at the Academy. Mostly it was for those who were interested in the political part of the military, but Sabella had wanted nothing to do with religious studies for any reason in spite of her interest in politics.

     James had finally yielded to the track coach last year and was now on the track team. He did manage to limit his commitment to the distance runs, but even that made his schedule a nightmare. He had refused to join the basketball team. That coach wasn't happy, but he did agree that James was better off with the track team. James was a great outside shooter and with his speed he would have helped the basketball team in one of their weaker areas, but it was doubtful he would have ever played a lot of minutes even if he had joined the team. It looked to be a full and very busy year for James. Much to his surprise he had earned the rank of clerk, which was all that was available to a 3 degree cadet. Sabella had earned the same rank as well. The rest of his closest friends had all remained unranked. It had been a surprise to find that he had earned any ranking at all considering how hard they had made things for him. When he had asked about it, Major Wilson had laughed at him. Then he had explained that no matter how much you were disliked in the military, they still noticed when you did your job above and beyond the call. He made it clear that James might not be popular because of his faith, but he was well respected by many and even admired by some. Refusing to yield wasn't easy or popular, but it had earned a lot of extra notice. That notice, like it or not, had helped prove James to be an outstanding officer. He always looked out for those around him and would take the harder duty to save others. That couldn't be ignored. No matter how much they despised him for his faith in God, they couldn't say anything except good about his actions as a cadet. That had earned him the strip and Major Wilson was certain there would bring more rank as he progressed, if he continued to do as he had done so far.

   That had been another surprise, but a welcome one. Major Wilson wouldn't be leaving after all. He would be staying on for another year. He wasn't thrilled about it, but he wasn't totally bummed about it either. He seemed to enjoy working with the Doolies and the firstees in particular, but he was very involved with all of the cadets in Mach One. Major Wilson hadn't been heavily involved with James last year, but he had been very much aware of the entire ongoing situation. This year, since James had returned to Mach One, Major Wilson had become much more personally involved with him. He had explained that last year he had tried to just let things work out without taking an active role. This year would be different. For one thing, James now had some rank and therefore more responsibility. For another, James had managed to prove himself to the squadron as a whole and that would now allow Major Wilson to take an active interest in him without causing more problems for James.

    The time spent as a 3 degree was very different from the time spent as a Doolie and even different from the shorter time you spent being a full 4 degree instead of just being referred to as a Doolie. James wasn't sure he liked it much better, even though in many ways it was easier. He had been around while the new class was in BCT, (basic cadet training). He wasn't allowed to be directly involved with the new Doolies. In fact he was under orders to avoid all possible contact with them unless it simply couldn't be avoided. He had to admit watching them brought back a lot of memories, not all good. He did have to admit that the good and bad seemed to be far more balanced now that he was out of that situation himself though. He could even remember some of the cadets who he had seen watching him like he now watched the Doolies. As 2 degrees they were now helping train the new class of Doolies. He would likely get his turn at that next year as well. That was all part of the Academy experience. You started out at the very bottom, as nothing in the eyes of everyone around you. Then you slowly earned your way up in the ranks. It was hard and demanding, often brutal, but each step was required in order to produce the best possible officers for the United States Air Force.

   It didn't take long for the summer break to come to an end. James had earned his wings on the glider and was working to gain enough experience to earn a spot as an instructor for next year. That was really stretching his schedule to the limit with the time required for track team as well. He was determined to become an instructor though. He had loved his time in the glider and he wanted to be able to experience it with other cadets for the first time. Track team training wasn't as bad as he had feared it might be. Since he ran distance races he could adjust his training schedule around his class schedule easier than he had expected, but it still took up a lot of his 'free' time. One thing he hadn't expected was the strength training that the coach required. It wasn't meant to bulk them up, but it was still a very intense program that left him sore on the days after he did strength training.  His class schedule, track team training, and glider training left him with almost no free time. The only time he managed to keep free was a couple of hours each Sunday. James made himself find a way to create that time for God in his schedule. James worked hard to make some quiet time to spend with the Lord almost each day too. Sometimes that was only a brief moment, but when he didn't manage to find that brief moment of time he usually didn't find much peace in the rest of his life that day.

   James hadn't realized how much it had helped him to have Aadila in his squadron. They hadn't really been that close, but they had been there for each other. The training and beat downs weren't the same for them this year, but they still had to do their part. Last year he could look to her or she could look to him during the worst of things and see a friend. This year James didn't really have that. Sarah was still there sometimes, but that was totally different. In her new position as squadron commander James had to laugh at the thought of looking at her as his friend during training and beat downs. He made time to go by and see Aadila the first full week after classes resumed. She was now in Squadron 21, Blackjack, and had a new roommate. She was very happy to see James. She openly admitted that it was lonely in the new squadron. Even her roommate wasn't happy about being put with a Muslim. She was the only Muslim in Blackjack. There had been none in Mach One either, but James had been a kind face and friendly smile that she saw almost daily. They had a nice visit and both promised to make time to visit each other at least once a week.

   At least one thing had changed for the better. Peter Kemp had not advanced as much in rank as Sarah had. He was a cadet major now. That was still a significant rank, but he now answered to Sarah rather than her to him. That made him much more reluctant to jump onto James every time they crossed paths. If there was even the slightest reason available he still jumped on it, but it was far better than it would have been. Susan Holt had kept him in check last year, but Sarah taking over that position had made it even better. The only drawback was that Peter blamed James for his failure to make a bigger advance in rank. In fact he felt like James had caused him to be demoted, though that wasn't actually true. Granted he should have moved up further in rank, but he had still advanced, not been demoted. James knew that Peter Kemp would be one of those who would in all probability remain an enemy for life. Still that was Peter's choice to make. James didn't like Peter, but he certainly didn't hate him either. If anything James felt sorry for people like that.