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Starship Troopers: Serving the Species

Chapter 1 - The Era of War

Year 2267 (BK 30) of the Federation Calendar.

Not far from the Cosmic Army headquarters on the Moon was the Interstellar Military Academy, located in space—more precisely, in a ring orbiting Earth called Elysium.

At noon, in an artificial ecological chamber on the academy grounds, Ender was lying on the grass with his eyes closed, enjoying his afternoon nap—a habit he had when he needed to think.

Ender was quite famous at the academy. He was known as the monster of the Warship Command Department, but he was also known as the academy's problem student.

The reason he was called the monster of the Warship Command Department was because he defeated all the instructors in fleet simulation battles when he first entered the academy.

Logically speaking, with such talent, Ender should have been the pride of the academy. However, reality was different. All the instructors said just one thing when mentioning Ender: a major headache, an immature, disobedient, and reckless boy...

This was because Ender did whatever he wanted, regardless of what others thought of him or expected from his future. For his instructors, it was as if he was always thinking of different ways to waste time.

He gave people the impression that he had no ambition, yet he was always first in every practice exam.

Because of this, the Superintendent of the military academy took him to the Cosmic Army’s headquarters on the Moon to correct his attitude. He wanted this capable but undisciplined student to broaden his worldview.

That’s why he contacted a former student of the academy, Stone Hopper, a 29-year-old Federation colonel, to conduct a fleet battle simulation with Ender.

Stone had become a colonel in the Federation at the age of 29. He commanded a small fleet and was known as the brightest general of the new military era. The Superintendent’s original plan was to break Ender’s spirit and show him that, despite his talent, he was still young and had much to learn from adults.

However, the result exceeded all expectations. Ender easily defeated Stone, even making him doubt his own experience.

In the simulation, where 100 warships faced 100 warships, Ender destroyed the enemy fleet while sustaining only minor damage to his own. Rumor has it that after Stone returned to his post, he underwent months of psychological counseling before recovering.

This caused the highest-ranking generals in the Cosmic Army to believe the Superintendent was trying to ruin their well-established reputation. The purpose of the competition, they thought, was to embarrass the Cosmic Army and hinder the massive recruitment drive for the conquest of new planets—and that suspicion lingered for a long time.

Since then, the academy had no choice but to ignore Ender.

What else could they do?

After all, when it came to commanding a fleet, no one in the entire academy—including the instructors—was a match for this student. This made all attempts to reason with Ender fall completely flat.

…

Elysium Space Ring, Year 2267 (BK 30) of the Federation Calendar.

Ender, who had been lying on the grass for an hour, slowly opened his eyes. If someone could see his pupils, they would quickly notice tiny robotic rays that made him different.

“[...

Ding!

Congratulations to the user for leveling up your Command skill!

Current Rank: B. Reward: 1% Brain Development.

...]”

In an instant, Ender felt his mind become much clearer. "Show me my stats!"

“[...

User: Ender

[Host]: Ender Wiggin

[Command Skills]: Artillery Command (B), Evasion Command (C), Formation Command (B), Mecha Command (C)...

[Mission 1]: Become a fleet commander and command at least ten warships.

Reward: Fully awarded warp engine technology.

[Mission 2]: Get promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

Reward: Receive a Genetic Enhancement Drug and unlock the Physical Function Attribute Panel.

...]”

In an instant, Ender—now different from the one a second ago—thought: “Now that my Command skill has reached level B in satisfaction grade, if my match with Stone happened again, I’m confident I could defeat him without losing a single warship.”

Looking at the command panel, Artillery Command had reached B. There were many B’s and C’s, which in a way represented measured growth.

Looking closely, Ender seemed satisfied with his progress so far.

Speaking of which, humanity had only recently entered the interstellar era, and their experience in interstellar warfare was still very superficial. Therefore, even though Stone was very famous in the Federation Fleet, he was still quite inexperienced in the eyes of veteran civilizations unknown to humans.

For example, the simulated opponents Ender faced every day in the system were much stronger than Stone—even if they were beginner-level opponents.

Thus, although Ender’s skills were only at B and C levels, they weren’t evaluated by the Federation’s standards. One could even say that reaching level A was already the highest standard in the Federation.

However, in the system’s grading scale, there were still much higher ranks, leaving Ender far from the top.

“If everything goes well, I’ll graduate in a year. It’s already been ten years since this all started for me.” As he gazed at the starry sky through the transparent semicircular dome of the ecological chamber, Ender was deeply moved.

Ten years had passed since he arrived in this new era.

That’s right—Ender wasn’t originally from this world. His consciousness had connected by chance to a different version of himself and entered the body of someone who even shared the same name.

Along the way, he had also acquired a system called Star Command. This system could help Ender master the various skills required to become an outstanding commander of the Star Fleet.

So, while everyone thought Ender was doing nothing every time he had free time, in reality he was studying diligently in the system’s virtual space.

He even fought simulated battles against fleets of various major races in the virtual environment.

In a 100% virtual environment, there was no difference from a real battle—except that he wouldn’t actually die in the end.

"Ender, why are you sleeping here again? The instructor has been looking for you for a long time!" Suddenly, a crisp yet pleasant voice reached his ears. Ender knew it was Chyler, the top girl in his class.

Chyler Silva was born in the colonial system of Cygnus and later moved to Mamore, a world ravaged by violence. Her parents, both military personnel, died in combat when she was very young.

That’s why, like any other orphan, the easiest path was to join the military academy.

She excelled in several combat disciplines, but without a doubt, her sharpest skill was marksmanship.

Ender looked at Chyler, who had a beautiful face and an attractive body. Honestly, staring at her too long made him feel guilty.

After all, he was using advantages no one else had to surpass someone like Chyler, who worked just as hard as he did to stand out in the military academy.

Seeing the apologetic look on Ender’s face, Chyler felt strange. What did it mean?

Chyler had always had an indescribable feeling toward Ender. A little envy, a little curiosity, and even a little...

No, she didn’t have time for love—not when her future depended entirely on herself and what she could achieve in her short years at the academy.

“Is there something the instructor wants from me?” Ender asked as he stood up, letting his messy hair fall partially over his forehead.

“I’m not sure. He just said that if I found you, I should tell you to go to the Superintendent’s office. Did you do something to annoy them again?” Chyler knew this wasn’t anything new from him, so it was the only thing she could assume.

Ender sighed and asked in confusion, “Do you see me getting into fights with other cadets like some others? I’m here most of the day, bothering no one—or so I think.”