The Metal Military Academy
Chapter 7: Toys
The state of Ranjaya is an island nation with a republican form of government. Although it is still known as a developing country, but its civilization is quite advanced.
Ranjaya is also known as a non-aligned country that is friendly and easy to cooperate with other countries. Therefore, the government of the planet chose Ranjaya as the best location to build an international military education institution such as the Space Military Academy where Ardan and his friends studied.
The Space Military Academy in Ranjaya State is located on one of the remote islands, far from the location of the capital and areas that are heavily populated by civilians, while its administrative offices are located in different locations.
The Administrative Office of the Space Military Academy is located near the port area of Merin City, the capital of the Ranjaya Islands State, a city located on one of the largest islands of the country.
The administrative office is used as a place for registration of new Taruna-Taruni, payment, until the submission of reports related to the activities of the academy, such as the matter of remedial activities carried out by Ardan and his friends.
“Aaaah..!”
Ardan, Damar, and Regan began sitting together on the waiting bench at the edge of the lobby. The three both breathed a sigh of relief while raising one leg above the thigh, but the difference was that Regan sat down while drinking boba.
Luckily Ardan had replaced his torn pants with new pants. It was not in vain that he brought spare clothes just in case the clothes were torn when the practice was common.
They had just finished taking care of the remedial activities of wiping out the goblin nest. Feeling tired, the three decided to sit back and relax first.
“Aaaa..... His tired...” Damar stretched his hand.
Seeing Regan was cool sucking boba, Ardan was fad-fooling, “You are this.... Not nothing ‘dah drink boba.”
“Dih. Cool people drink boba, even you who sewot. Napa, want you?” bargain Regan half flat.
Ardan is crossing while peeing his face. “Ogah. Your former jigong is.”
While they were relaxing, there happened to be a figure of Durna passing by while reading some reports on his tab.
“Eh, you guys haven't come back yet, huh?” ask Durna on all three.
“Eh, Sir..,” saya Damara.
Because he was no longer leading the task, Durna was no longer called Commander by them.
“Again easy, Sir. Tired of the problem,” connect Damar.
“Oooh...” Durna. “But you better get home soon. This ‘kan still time off semester. Enjoy your free time once satisfied for two weeks. If it has started to enter, it must be more focused on learning again. Especially if it is Level 2, it will definitely be given more tasks.”
They were indeed called to follow the remedial in the semester break. Now there was still about two more weeks before they returned to the academy. Therefore, Durna advised them to go home immediately, not to waste their holiday which will be difficult to get if they have entered a new teaching.
“Iya, Sir. Abis this, we will go straight home, kok,” said Ardan accompanied by a smile.
“Then, excuse me, yes. There's still a lot of work on this.”
“Ready, Sir.”
After leaving, Durna walked away from them.
After the colonel walked away, Ardan's fad opened the conversation again.
“During the holidays, why would you say?”
“Ya back home, lah.” Then Damar looked towards Regan. “Eh? That means you go home to your country, Regan?”
Unlike Damar and Ardan, who are Ranjaya nationals, Regan is from another country, precisely from the country in northern Banua which happens to have good relations with the State of Ranjaya.
Because the military academy they occupy is an international academy, it is not surprising that there are Taruna-Taruni from other countries attending school there.
In contrast to the National Military Academy which requires Midshipmen from the original country to be allowed to study there, the Space Military Academy does not care about whether from any country registered, he said, as long as they are from the same planet.
As it is called, the Space Military Academy is used as an educational tool to give birth to reliable soldiers who will later be assigned as protective soldiers of the planet from all threats of space crime.
The more advanced the technology and the speed of transportation to various planets, the more possible the existence of a long trip and interaction with the inhabitants of different planets. That is why, the presence of special Space Force soldiers is needed to maintain peace between planets, even between galaxies.
“Clearly,” Regan replied after drinking boba, “Entar the night I went straight to the airport.”
“Duh. So miss me with my friends this.” Ardan holds both shoulders.
With flat Damar said, “Sok-sok’an said kangen. The exact time to see you is also.”
“Eh, make no mistake.” Ardan took off his armband from their shoulders. “Gini-gini underarm ngangenin, you know.”
“Huek!” Damar is also made to vomit.
“Bye.” Regan tossed the trash of the boba glass into a nearby trash can, then began to stand up. “I went straight back. Want to be ready to make it to the airport later.”
“Aaah.... I want to go home too.” Ardan stood up as he stretched his muscular hand. “Mau bobo handsome, let a lot of girls be limp with me.”
“Is.... Pede you, Dan.... Dan.” Damar also moved from the chair. “Ya, already.... If so, see you at the academy in two weeks, yes.”
“Yo’i.”
After that, the three decided to return home from the administrative office, taking advantage of their free time during the holidays because after that they had to go back to education at the Space Military Academy.
Ardan became impatient to immediately enter the academy again. There are so many crazy and crazy things that he misses so much.
...~*~*~*~...
12 Years ago....
Inside the garage that was still open that afternoon, a young boy in a mature brown skin was carrying some scrap metal. After collecting enough metal from his father's motorcycle wreckage, little Ardan placed it on the table, then watched it with both cute silver eyes.
His little hand was stretched out facing the wreckage. When a glint of gray circuitry appeared in his hand, all the metal wrecks began to fuse together, transforming into a laser gun.
“Yey! New toy!”
Ardan girang ran to his father who was busy repairing the motorcycle in the garage.
“Dad! Daddy's! Look, I ‘dah make your own toys! So, do not bother to buy new toys,” said Ardan cheerfully.
Without turning his head, the father said, “Oh, huh? What toy did you bik— Uh, chicken!”
The father spoke up when surprised by the laser shot from the side until the shot left a black spot on the wall. When he turned his head, apparently Ardan who fired the laser using his homemade gun.
“See! I can make toys!”
The father breathed. This is what he was worried about from his son's ability. Ardan could already make his own weapon using his pent-up power. He was afraid that power would even put Ardan in danger.
His father stood up, led his little son to the chair by the table, and sat there together. Not to forget he also put the gun away from Ardan's reach.
The father shook his head. “Nak, it's not a toy.”
“Ta-but, Dad, I yesterday had seen his son Mpok Ira playing a pistol-pistolan that is like the shape,” said Ardan plainly while pointing the gun earlier.
He stroked the top of Ardan's head fondly. “Gini, Son. Objects that can damage anything and can injure others cannot be called toys.”
“But, the—.”
“Nak...”.
His father looked at Ardan with a sad look through those yellow-silver heterochromia eyes, hoping that Ardan could understand what he was trying to convey.
“You promised you wouldn't make your father sad, right?”
Of course Ardan nodded immediately. He obviously did not want to make his father sad.
“Then I beg you, never use that power, let alone in a public place,” beg his father. “If you want a toy, just ask for it. I'll definitely buy you a toy. But don't try to make your own weapons, son?”
“Why?” asked Ardan plainly.
“Because it's a danger.” The father continued, “Not only that is the reason. If you grow up later, surely you will understand the reason. What matters now is, huh? For your own good too.”
Although a little disappointed, little Ardan nodded in agreement. In fact, making weapons like that was very fun, especially in the free time.
His father smiled, then carried Ardan's small body. “From the make that kayak soan, mending we eat tadpole grilled aja.”
“Eh? Tadpoles can be burned, Dad?” asked Ardan curiously.
“Can, dong. Stay burned by fire, ‘dah completed..”.
“Hehe.... Put the tadpole up again, Yah.”
“It won't burn if the tadpole is mostly faith. Yuk, uh! We're into.”
“Come!”
The father went into the house while carrying little Ardan.
This is how Ardan's childhood was with his father. Because of the message conveyed by the father, until now Ardan still secret his original strength.
Happy childhood with my beloved father.
A child is fed tadpoles.
...~*~*~*~...