It was astonishing that the dean himself came to teach, and the students were immediately excited.
At that moment, someone finally realized they were jostling and crowding together, so they hurried back to their seats. It was as if they had just woken up from a dream, and they all returned to their seats.
The old man walked into the classroom, glanced at the students below, and said, "Hello, everyone. I am pleased to meet this year's most outstanding genius students. This is the main reason why I, an old man, still linger here unwilling to leave. However, before I start teaching you, I would like to ask a few questions and discuss some extracurricular matters."
His gaze swept over the faces of each student, and his initially kind expression gradually became serious.
He said, "Who can tell me why you are here? Is it for money? In the Federation, the salary of a starship captain is only 1.8 million star coins per year. This income might seem decent among ordinary people, but honestly, even the annual earnings of a small owner of a private transport ship are ten times higher. Moreover, someone who can become a starship captain, with their intelligence and ability, is qualified to lead a fleet anywhere."
"So, is it for fame? To become a hero? Unfortunately, this is probably a distant hope. Even in a normal regional war, the number of soldiers killed can reach hundreds of thousands. In a large-scale interstellar war, casualties in the millions are not uncommon. In such a large population, only one or two people can become heroes. People's memory is limited, and no one can remember too many hero names. In a war, the number of heroes that people remember usually doesn't exceed three. Therefore, the chance of becoming a martyr among you is much greater than becoming a hero. In my opinion, it's like being born again. Out of billions of sperm, only one can reach the successful shore."
"So, is it for power? Unfortunately, being a starship captain may indeed seem prestigious, commanding hundreds or thousands of mechs and tens of thousands of soldiers in battle. On this starship, you are the emperor. Everything you say is an imperial decree. But is the situation really like this? No. The starship belongs to the Federation, and so does the captain. You are all war machines nurtured by the state for the sake of victory. If anyone thinks that becoming a starship captain can make them a great person, they are greatly mistaken. In this universe, there are too many constraints on our existence. Those constraints remind you all the time that this position is not as great as you imagine, even though it seems dazzling and not easy to achieve."
"So? Why did you come here? I hope you first ask yourselves this question. Now, who can answer me?" Marshal's question left all the students at a loss.
They looked at each other, not knowing how to answer because the old general's words had blocked most people's reasons, leaving them unable to find a response for a while.
Finally, someone raised their hand and said, "I want to be a captain because I love the feeling of flying freely in space, watching the fascinating stars, and soaring in the ocean of stars."
Marshal smiled, "I didn't expect we have a romantic poet among us. But let me remind you, kid. The starship is a product of war, and the captain is an elite among soldiers. Soldiers and wars are the most realistic products in this universe. They don't accept romance, only the stark reality. Besides, the ocean of stars is not beautiful. Most of the time, the universe is dark and profound. In the universe, beauty always accompanies death. The spectacle of stellar eruptions is magnificent, and the flames of starship explosions are also beautiful."
The student had nothing to say at that moment.
Bald Sphield raised his hand, "I love war, the feeling of passion and killing. I was born in the Devil's Triangle Star System, where chaos is common."
Someone interjected, "Then you should be a mech pilot."
Laughter filled the classroom.
Sphield shrugged, "Starships kill more than mechs, and there are mech courses in the Starship Command Department."
"Interesting reasons, but I accept them," unexpectedly, Marshal nodded in approval.
"Anyone else?" he asked.
Reno thought for a moment, raised his hand, and said, "My initial reason for wanting to be a captain was to wipe out the Starlight Pirate Gang because they killed my parents. But I know if I answer like this, you will surely tell me that one, I cannot freely mobilize a starship to do what I want. On the contrary, according to the system, if one day there is a need to wipe out those pirates, considering my hatred towards them, to avoid being burned by anger and hatred and making irrational decisions, it's usually unlikely to send someone like me to participate. Two, if I wipe out all the star pirates, how can I continue?"
Marshal shrugged, "You've said what I wanted to say."
"So I found myself a new reason."
"Go on."
"Dream! Soaring through the stars, conquering the universe, a dream that humanity has had since we were trapped on Earth. It doesn't need any support. Every man should have such a dream and fight for it. There's no need to pursue meaning; pursuing a dream is meaningful in itself."
Marshal smiled, "I like this answer."
He looked at all the students, "I also have an answer, for the glory of the country, to protect our beliefs, for the dignity and pride of humanity! Yes, it sounds grandiose, but it's the goal I've been fighting for all my life. I suggest you find a truly suitable reason for yourselves, whatever it is, I hope it can make you understand what you are pursuing. The path to becoming a captain is long and difficult. Without the support of dreams and beliefs, it will be difficult to reach the end."
"So, welcome to the Starship Command Department of the Alpha Military Academy, where the elimination rate exceeds seventy percent. You will spend the most unforgettable six years of your life here. It will determine whether you will become the elite of humanity or incompetent failures."
With General Marshall's words, the tense learning journey began.
The Starship Command Department has a total of thirty-six courses, the largest number of courses among all departments. The specific content covers almost everything from ship structure to various parts of the ship, except for three courses on combat, all are about basic knowledge.
This part of the content is the most boring and the largest. Just memorizing this knowledge and mastering the corresponding data and calculation programs is enough to give everyone a headache.
As Marshal said, wisdom, courage, and decisiveness are all built on sufficient professional knowledge. Without enough professional ability, courage is synonymous with stupidity!
Big-picture thinking, insight, management skills, these things are not easy to test, but basic knowledge is quantifiable, so the academy is merciless in this regard, stuffing them with a large amount of basic knowledge like cramming ducks.
They were not worried about cultivating bookworms; the Alpha Military Academy was not just a place for teaching basic knowledge. All students must eventually undergo a series of rigorous practical training to pass in the end.
Because of this, every year, one-third of students fall under the basic knowledge assessment. It's worth noting that these people were all the best students in their respective schools. But here, they can't even pass the most basic tests.
It is precisely for this reason that the students in the Starship Command Department are always the busiest in the academy. Their minds are always filled with various mathematical formulas, knowledge of celestial bodies, starship structures and functions, classifications and differences between ship types, military systems, and so on. The vast and complex curriculum almost blows up the heads of every student.
The Alpha Military Academy has always been famous for its high-intensity learning and training. Every student who can be admitted to the Starship Command Department is a genius, but what the academy needs is the cream of the crop, geniuses who can endure hardship.
After the orientation, Reno became the most eye-catching freshman in the Naval Academy, attracting attention wherever he went.
But Reno had no time to enjoy this glory; he didn't come here to build a reputation but to chase his dream.
To become a captain, to freely soar in the sea of stars, that was his dream!
He worked hard, struggled, and fought for his dream.
In that once fiery and exuberant youth.