Julian Weiper woke up to an empty footlocker.
His uniform was gone. Again. Third time this week.
He sat up in his bunk and scratched his messy blonde hair. The morning bell had already rung. Other cadets shuffled past his pod, shooting him looks. Some smirked. Others just ignored him.
"Real funny, assholes!" Juli shouted at no one in particular.
He wrapped his blanket around his waist and marched toward the storage area. His bare feet slapped against the cold metal floor. A few cadets snickered as he passed. He stopped and pointed at them.
"Keep laughing! I'll remember your faces!"
They laughed harder.
The storage room was supposed to be locked. Juli didn't care. He jimmied the panel with a bent fork he kept in his pocket. The door hissed open. Inside were rows of fresh uniforms, all neatly pressed and waiting.
"Thanks for the donation, ARMADA!"
He grabbed one that looked about his size and was halfway through pulling the pants on when footsteps echoed down the hall.
"Hey! Who's in there?!"
Juli's eyes went wide. He yanked the pants up, grabbed the jacket, and dove behind a storage crate. The door slid open fully. A staff member poked his head in. Older guy. Balding. Looked annoyed.
"I heard something," the man muttered.
Juli held his breath. His leg was cramping. Don't move. Don't move.
The staff member walked deeper into the room. His boots clacked against the floor. He was three steps away from Juli's hiding spot.
Then his radio buzzed.
"Richards, we need you in the east wing. Cafeteria malfunction."
The man sighed. "On my way."
He turned and left. The door slid shut.
Juli let out a huge breath and grinned. "Still got it."
He finished getting dressed and rolled up the too long pants. Good enough.
By the time he got to class, Instructor Vela was already mid lecture. She was a tall Chelonian with green scaled skin and a prominent shell ridge running down her back. Her yellow eyes didn't blink often. Made her stare even worse.
"Cadet Weiper. Late again."
"Sorry, Instructor! Had some wardrobe issues!"
A few cadets snickered. Juli knew exactly who took his clothes. Rikan and his crew, three rows back. They thought they were hot shit because their families had money and connections.
Juli dropped into his seat and immediately pulled out two small action figures from his pocket. One was a hero with a cape. The other was some kind of space monster.
"Take this, evil scum!" he whispered, making the hero kick the monster in the face.
"Cadet Weiper."
Juli looked up. Instructor Vela was staring right at him.
"Are you paying attention?"
"Uh. Yes?"
"Then tell me. What did I just say?"
Juli blinked. "Something about... Resonance?"
The class snickered. Instructor Vela's eyes narrowed.
"Detention. After class."
"But I was listening!"
"Put the toys away."
Juli stuffed the figures back into his pocket and crossed his arms. Rikan leaned forward and whispered something. His buddies laughed.
Juli smiled. He reached into his other pocket.
Ten minutes later, Rikan stood up to answer a question. His pants fell to his ankles.
The class exploded. Even Instructor Vela had to turn away. Her shell ridge twitched.
"WEIPER!"
Worth it.
He spent the next hour scrubbing the bathroom floors. Also worth it.
Resonance training was after lunch.
The cadets gathered in the main hall. It was a massive space with high ceilings and glowing panels along the walls. Instructor Vela stood at the center, arms crossed.
"Resonance is the foundation of everything in ARMADA," she said. "Every living being is born with a Key. A unique frequency that exists within you. Mastering your Key means controlling your Resonance. Without it, you're just meat in a uniform."
She raised her clawed hand. A green aura flickered to life around her fingers. The air hummed. Juli felt it in his chest. A low vibration. Steady. Strong. Like the purr of an engine.
"This is my Key. My Resonance. Every person's feels different. Sounds different. You'll learn to recognize them in time."
The aura faded. She lowered her hand.
"Today we practice the basics. Channel your energy. Feel your Key. Let your Resonance coat your hands."
Juli closed his eyes. He focused. He thought about energy. About his Key. About kicking someone really hard with a glowing foot.
Nothing.
He squeezed his fists harder. Come on. Do the glowy thing!
Still nothing.
He opened one eye. Around him, other cadets had faint flickers of light on their hands. Some stronger than others. Even the guy next to him who could barely tie his boots had a dim glow going.
Juli clenched his jaw. He focused so hard his whole face scrunched up.
A tiny spark appeared on his pinky finger. Then it fizzled out like a sad firework.
Someone laughed.
Juli's head whipped toward the sound. It was one of Rikan's buddies.
"You think that's funny?!" Juli shouted.
"I mean, yeah! That was pathetic!"
Juli pointed at him. "You're gonna get your head kicked in!"
"Juli!" Instructor Vela barked. "Focus on your training. Not on threats."
"I'm not threatening! I'm promising!"
"Detention. Again."
Juli bit back another response and turned away. His hands were still empty. No glow. No flow. Nothing.
He kicked the floor. "Stupid Resonance."
That evening, the cadets gathered in the mess hall. The room buzzed with energy. Word had spread fast.
The Inter Academy Tournament was coming.
It happened once a year. Branches from across the sector sent their best cadets to compete. The winners got prestige. Recognition. And sometimes, if you were really good, you got scouted by one of the squads.
Juli leaned back in his chair and grinned so wide his face hurt. This was it. His chance to show everyone.
"Don't get excited yet."
He turned. A girl with long black hair and transparent glasses sat down across from him. Her name was Pam. Her silver eyes stared forward but didn't quite focus. She was blind, but somehow she moved better than anyone in their class. Top scores in almost everything.
Juli still didn't understand how that worked.
"What do you mean don't get excited?!" he said, way too loud.
Pam didn't flinch. "There are qualifiers first. Only the top cadets from each branch get to compete in the actual tournament."
Juli's grin faded. "Qualifiers?"
"Yeah. They announce the format tomorrow. If you don't make it through, you don't go."
He slammed his hands on the table. "I'll make it! I'll crush the qualifiers!"
Pam tilted her head slightly. "You can't even use basic Resonance, Juli."
"I'll figure it out! I always do!"
She didn't argue. Juli stared down at his hands. No glow. No power. Not yet.
But he'd get there.
He thought about his mom. The way she used to ruffle his hair and tell him he could do anything if he didn't give up. He thought about the hero he met when he was a kid. The one who saved his entire colony from raiders without breaking a sweat.
The man had knelt down and looked Juli in the eye.
"You've got fire in you, kid. Don't let anyone put it out."
Juli clenched his fists so hard they shook.
He was going to be the greatest hero. No matter what.
Even if he had to fight the whole damn galaxy to do it.