Investigation (Part Two)

A strange silence fell over the atmosphere.

 Reno didn't speak.

 Nor did Hill.

 They just stared at each other in silence.

 After a while, Reno spoke, "Do you know, Mr. Hill, your statements amount to an accusation."

 "In my view, I'm just stating a fact," Hill replied with a smile. "Before coming here, I looked into the personnel configuration on the Abrode. Captain Reno, there were a total of forty-six personnel onboard with ranks above yours. This includes four Colonels, twelve Lieutenant Colonels, and thirty Majors. They were distributed in various positions on the ship, executing their respective missions. Except for the commander of the mech battalion, most of them were working inside the ship. Yet they all died."

 Reno replied, "In my report, I stated that at the time, we were holding an emergency meeting to discuss how to deal with the pursuit of the Divine race. At that moment, a Divine energy cannon hit the conference room, killing everyone. I survived because my rank wasn't high enough to attend the meeting."

 "Yes. I even went to the Abrode, and the conference room was indeed destroyed."

 "It hasn't been more than 24 hours since the Abrode came to Earth, and you've done so much already. You're quite efficient," Hill remarked.

 "I'll take that as praise and request promotion from my superiors, although they probably won't care," Hill replied. "But let's get back to the point. Even though the conference room has been completely disintegrated, I noticed that its location isn't at the edge of the starship; it's in the belly of the ship, with at least twelve separation chambers between it and the ship's hull. In fact, the starship was designed to protect the conference room from being hit by a single shot and resulting in total destruction. So, how did the Divine manage to hit the energy cannon right into the conference room?"

 "I admire your thoroughness, but what you're saying is based on paper data. In reality, the Abrode still has some flaws in its design," Reno continued.

"Oh?" Russell Hill became interested.

Reno continued, "These flaws mainly exist in the life support system. Since the life support system is crucial for ensuring the survival of the personnel on board, it must be present in every corner of the ship. Although there are many separation chambers between the conference room and the ship's hull, the life support system penetrates all these barriers, resulting in a direct line between the conference room and the ship's hull. If the Divine's energy cannon attacks here, and the energy shield's defense capability is insufficient, the overflow of energy will directly enter the conference room, killing everyone inside."

 Hill squinted, "That means they had to be very precise with their shots."

 "Yes."

 "Do you think the probability of such an event is high?"

 Reno shrugged, "Probably one in a hundred million."

 Hill chuckled, "It seems their luck isn't too good, but yours obviously is."

 "Whether you believe it or not, Investigator Hill, I've never seen this as luck. Captain Jelam was an outstanding captain, and his departure left me grieving."

 "Perhaps, who knows," Hill mused. "Every villain seems like a good person before they're exposed, don't you think?"

 Reno didn't say anything.

 The questioning continued for a while.

 Hill kept asking questions.

 His questions were sharp and incisive, as if he were interrogating a criminal rather than a mech commander, the interim captain of the Abrode.

 Reno remained composed.

 He calmly accepted the interrogation, providing precise answers to all the questions. 

But this obviously didn't satisfy Hill.

 He said, "I noticed that I couldn't find any information about your life before becoming a mech technician in your file. Can you tell me why that is?"

 Reno shrugged, "Perhaps there wasn't anything worth recording."

 "Or perhaps it was deleted by someone, right?" Hill said. "I don't know why someone would delete your past records, but I believe sometimes retrieving history isn't that difficult."

 "That's your business," Reno shrugged again.

 Hill smiled, "Well then, let's stop here for today. I hope I haven't bothered you too much."

 Reno raised his glass, "Can we drink now?"

 "I wouldn't want to report to my superiors with alcohol on my breath; it might reduce the accuracy of my report in their eyes," Hill replied with a smile.

 "Since that's the case, I wouldn't want my goodwill to turn into a conspiracy," Reno put down the glass.

 Hill stood up to bid farewell to Reno, and Reno accompanied him to the door.

 Just as he was about to leave, Hill suddenly turned back, "Oh, Commander Reno, I don't think I've asked you yet, how did you learn to pilot a starship, did I?"

 Reno nodded.

 "Can I ask now?" Hill inquired.

 Reno thought for a moment and replied, "In my dreams."

 "Dreams?"

 "Yes, dreams. Beautiful, full of fantasies and aspirations..."

 ...

 After the orientation session, Reno returned to his dormitory and had a good sleep.

 In his dream, he found himself piloting a starship through the stars, with Claire, the girl, standing by his side.

 In the early morning, Reno reported to the Starship Command Department as required.

 The Alpha Military Academy consists of eight branches: the Ship Division, Mech Division, Communication Division, Planetary Geology Division, Engineering Division, Weaponry Division, Power, and Energy Division. Each branch encompasses various departments.

 Due to its reputation for cultivating excellent captains, the Ship Division is the most popular at the Alpha Academy. The Starship Command Department is the top choice within the Ship Division, but it's also the most challenging to get into.

 Every year, the Starship Command Department admits only six hundred students, and most of them will be eliminated. Usually, only a little over a hundred students will graduate.

 When Reno arrived, there were only a few students in the classroom.

 Upon seeing Reno, most of them greeted him friendly. They appreciated Reno's help during the previous night's hovercar race. However, there were also a few who seemed less appreciative.

 Reno noticed a pair of eyes filled with determination directed at him.

 It was a muscular, bald guy who seemed more suited for the Mech Division. 

As Reno walked past him, the guy said, "You won yesterday, but I'll win back. Remember my name, I'm Paron Sphield, and I'll be your biggest rival in the Command Department!"

 Reno didn't respond and just found a seat in the back row.

 "Hey, hi. You're Reno, right? I'm Pol, Philip Pol, from Big Horn Star. Thanks a lot for yesterday," the freckled guy next to Reno extended his arm.

 "No problem," Reno shook his hand.

 Then, others came over to shake hands with Reno, and he quickly got to know most of the students in the class.

 There was Aidan, a shy boy with light brown hair, a numerical genius from Monida Star.

 Hank, a handsome blond guy from Poshe Star, with deep knowledge of astronomy, could recite most of the stars in the galaxy like a treasure trove.

 There was also Zonghan, with black hair and eyes, from Longhua Star, skilled in intelligence gathering and analysis.

 And the chubby Kelvin, good at hacking neural programs.

 As for Sphield, as Reno guessed, he was good at combat, but what surprised Reno was that he came from the Devil's Triangle Star Region, where space pirates abound, while Philip Pol was skilled in spectrum analysis.

 "What about you?" someone asked Reno, "What are you good at?"

 Reno thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I got in through examination. I haven't received any training in this area before, so I guess I'm not good at anything. If I have to say, maybe driving vintage cars can count as a skill."

 Everyone laughed together.

 "Actually, Reno, that won't do. As captains, both you and I are destined to become captains in the future. As captains, you must have some extraordinary means to control the people below you," someone said.

 "Is that so? I don't think so," a voice suddenly came from outside.

 An elderly man with graying hair stood at the door, wearing a crisp military uniform. He had a kindly expression, and a gentle smile on his face as he looked at the students, saying, "You're here to learn how to become captains. Your future is to manage various departments such as communication, mechs, flying, energy, and so on, not to become experts in them! So mastery of a particular field is not the standard for becoming an excellent captain. Excellent vision, sharp insight, outstanding management skills, solid professional foundation, and a little courage are the most needed qualities to become an excellent captain."

 The students were stunned by his words, and it took a while for someone to react, "May I ask who you are..."

 The old man replied, "I'm Marshall, the dean of the Alpha Military Academy. I personally oversee the classes of the Starship Command Department."