II
My First Taste of Battle
1 June 2432
Graduation from ITNA
Having worked hard for the last four years, I earned top honors for my graduating class. I was
the class commander and a proper military man. I had endured all of the hazing during my
freshman year with all the stoicism that would have made a Spartan proud. However, unlike my
classmates, I refused to participate when they themselves hazed the freshmen. Even though I was
opposed to the hazing, I did not speak out against it. No one at the Academy knew why. The
reason I didn’t speak against it is that I understood the necessity for it. I didn’t like it because I
believed it degraded the cadet, both the freshmen and the upperclassmen. But, I understood that
only the best and most prepared cadets were the ones that the ITN needed, the ones most
prepared for the hardships of military life. I was lucky in that I had lived my entire life as the son
of a military man and I had seen the hardships that they endure.
Even though I was opposed to the hazing, I was more into practical jokes and nobody, but
nobody was immune from them. I had such a reputation that, even when I was utterly innocent, I
was still accused of numerous practical jokes. My reputation even reached the ears of Admiral
Yamashita who was, at that time, the commanding officer of the ITN's education and training
branch.
As I stood on the graduation stage at the ITN Academy, I awaited my turn to receive my
diploma. I was a little embarrassed when all of my accomplishments, including my practical
jokes, were described to the audience, even the school's commandant laughed when the jokes
against him were described. I never did figure out how they learned who pulled those jokes.