The announcement came during morning formation: all first-year cadets would report to Docking Bay Seven at 0900 hours for mandatory fleet orientation. No additional details. No explanation of what "fleet orientation" actually meant.
Isabella arrived early, as she always did, and found the bay already filling with cadets. The scholarship group clustered near the rear bulkhead—Kevin bouncing slightly on his heels with nervous energy, Aisha studying the docking schedule on her datapad, Marcus quiet and observant, Haruka examining the bay's structural supports with the focused attention she gave to anything mechanical.
Roman stood with a cluster of elite cadets near the forward observation window, his posture relaxed but his attention sharp. He caught Isabella's eye briefly and nodded once—a
