Don stuffed the ident card into his pocket. One swipe of the card at any data terminal would give him access to his account, including his shuttle information. Not that he needed it. He knew where he was going.

His flight was straight to Commander’s School; there would be no pit stops and no extra passengers. Don smirked when he saw the waiting area. It was completely deserted. The Council wouldn’t be making any money on this flight. At least he could take some grim satisfaction in that.

When he reached the gate, Don tossed his bag down by a chair and tugged at the too-tight collar of his green uniform. He already missed the loose jumpsuits of his previous life. Despite scheming for months, he still lacked a viable plan for getting out of Commander’s School.

Don sighed and snatched the brown beret from his head as it slid down his forehead. He was being given the chance of a lifetime; he knew that, but he just didn’t care. It would take four years to graduate from Commander’s School, if he had high enough scores. After that, he would spend more than a few years studying under a real commander, and then a promotion. Not to his own command, of course. Not unless he was really lucky.

Only, Don didn’t want his own command. He wanted to become a Space Jumper. He’d wanted to apply since his father first told him about the program, before the first class of Jumpers had even been picked. His father hadn’t understood. He hadn’t even tried.

-----

This series is an illustrated abridged telling of The Young Soldier: Pursuing Dreams, written by MK Clark.

You can buy the full novel on Amazon www.amazon.com/Pursuing-Dreams-Young-Soldier-Book-ebook/dp/B072516QKC or find out not information at https://mkclarkbooks.com.