I woke with a start as lights were turned on and an unknown voice began yelling from the doorway. Amidst the chaos I heard the stranger saying we had twenty minutes to be at mess. Grateful that I didn't have to stand in line for a shower, I quickly got dressed and started looking for the mess hall on the maps. I felt foolish once I found it. I remembered passing it on the way to the amphitheater. I figured we could get there in about five minutes with the route that I had planned. I decided to wait at the door for everyone else to get ready. Jen and Thad showed up a few minutes later.
"Why are we just standing around? Let's go" Thad said, motioning to the door.
"I figured we could wait and travel as a group. You know, make sure everyone gets there," I suggested.
"Alright," said Jen, "but if we're late I'm going to hurt you," she said making punching motions in the air. Thad and I both laughed at her failed attempt to intimidate us.
Within ten minutes, we were assembled and ready. Words could only describe the organized chaos in the mess hall. There were hundreds of people crowded around tables. A glance to the right showed the line to get food. The line looked long, but with multiple serving lines it was efficient. My stomach growled at the thought of food. I hadn't eaten anything except a couple of protein bars that I found in my locker. Adjusting the artificial gravity of the station was best done on an empty stomach. We moved as a group and swarmed the line for food. A quick look at the people serving the food indicated that they were cadets.
"I wonder who they pissed off to get stuck with that duty?" Thad asked behind me. I just shook my head, too hungry to think about anything but satisfying my empty stomach. We loaded our trays and stood around looking for an empty table. Luckily, a group right next to us got up and cleared out two large tables. I quickly sat down and started eating. The remainder of the group was right on my heals. We ate in relative silence. We had just finished when I looked up to see our human alarm clock walking to our table.
"I'm Lieutenant Briggs," he said as soon as he reached the tables. "I'm in charge of your daily training. Your tablets should be updated soon with your schedules. Check them every day, as change is constant. Clean up your dishes and report to the simulation deck." With that he walked off.
The simulation deck took up an entire floor of the station. There were hundreds of fully enclosed simulators grouped in sets of five. There were several groups besides our own gathered. Lieutenant Briggs walked over and started assigning people to different units. My unit included Thad, Jen, a girl named Tina whom I had yet to meet, and Drew. I wasn't excited to have Drew in my group. It appeared the humbling he took on the flight up had worn off as he strut over. He walked up behind Jen and said, "Hey there hottie." He made to slap her butt, but she caught his arm and he quickly found himself on the ground.
"You touch me, and I'll break it off," she seethed. She let him go and before he could reply. Lieutenant Briggs showed up to break things up.
"Save it for the simulators," he said as he pointed to a set of simulator units. We quickly complied and strapped ourselves in. The system powered on and we heard our instructor's voice over the internal speakers. "The first simulation is pretty basic. You all are going to be flying fighters. Each unit will participate in a five-person free for all. Last man standing wins."
"He means last woman standing," I heard Tina say over the comms.
The controls lit up and I found myself staring at the blackness of space on my screen. The view was mesmerizing. I was surrounded by a blanket of stars.
The controls were simple. The left hand controlled the throttle. The right was responsible for maneuvering. Each control stick had triggers to fire equipped weapons. The ship had an almost exaggerated futuristic feel about it. As the simulation started, I tested each of the controls. The first thing I tried was the weapons. Extremely focused high-powered lasers seemed to be the weapon of choice for close combat. This was something new that I had never seen before. Then again, Admiral Jones did say that much of what we would be seeing was classified. Also included in the arsenal were missile defense systems. Three small and fast missiles were on board as well. Before I had a chance to explore further the engines came online.
A sense of giddiness filled me as I tested out the handling. I wasn't disappointed. The ship was extremely fast and nimble. The simulation was realistic enough that I had a hard time convincing myself I wasn't really in space. I could feel the different forces pulling me when I accelerated or turned. A warning light went off on my HUD. I could only assume it was warning me of a threat. I turned hard to get away from the unknown adversary when I saw laser fire get close enough to scorch the hull. I continued to bank hard to the right and saw a ship explode in the distance. I heard Drew let off scream of frustration. I'm sure there were other words mixed in, but I couldn't make them out. I did hear a laugh that had to come from Tina. She seemed crazy enough to get that much enjoyment out of this. First blood had been drawn.
I received my first glimpse of the fighters we were piloting. The ship's wings were swept back at a sharp angle. I could see weapons placements on the top and bottom. There was no visible cockpit. The top of the ship was shaped like a rounded wedge. Overall, the ship was very small, making it hard to see and target.
I tried to sneak up behind the ship that fired on me, but they saw me coming and pulled up so they could circle back behind me.
"You're going to have to try harder than that," I heard Jen playfully tease.
I looked around the controls hoping there was something there that would save me. I flipped through different weapons systems on the computer screen while trying not to die. I stopped when I saw a menu labeled rear turret. A quick glance showed that the ship was armed with automated rear cannons. I pulled back on the throttle and enabled the turret. I smiled when I heard Jen curse and attempted to dodge the incoming ordinance.
"Is that better?" I taunted.
I banked hard to try to get the drop on Jen while she was recovering from the incoming fire when I saw an explosion directly ahead.
"Gotcha!" I heard Tina yell.
"Where did you come from?" I heard Thad yell at Tina.
While I was distracted with the spectacle of Thad's demise, I'd forgotten about Jen. She was able to get the drop on me and take me out with a direct hit to the engine. "Great," I muttered. The screen changed so I could view the rest of the fight. Tina flew in and made short work of Jen.
The simulator went to a standby state. The comms activated and Lieutenant Briggs said, "I sure hope the four of you losers didn't have your hearts set on becoming fighter pilots. I've seen five-year-olds with better skills. Let's run it again."
An hour later it was clear that I sucked as a pilot. Each dogfight was in a different environment. Everything from dark empty space to binary star systems. I died every time, as Tina used us all for target practice. We even ganged up on her the last round. It only lasted three minutes.
We waited around while the other groups finished their skirmishes. I tried to stretch my stiff muscles. The strain of the simulator combined with sitting down for a long period of time had taken its toll. Finally, the last of our squadron stumbled out of the simulators. We all were led to a nearby classroom where Lieutenant Briggs displayed a picture of the fighter we had been flying.
"This is the fighter craft most you all have been attempting to fly. There are a few of you that show promise. This is the Unity class fighter. We call them Stingrays. Having flown the real thing, what you experienced in the simulators is as close as you can get to piloting the real thing."
Tina raised her hand and blurted, "But technology like this doesn't exist. There is no way that the Stingray could be that maneuverable." Lieutenant Briggs glared at her and continued his lecture.
"As I was saying, the simulators are as close as you can get. Most of the technology on the craft has been perfected in the last year and is highly classified. The new technology is the result of Galactum based research. In fact, most of the Galactum that has been processed up to this point has gone into building this fleet. Even the gravity generators around the station rely on Galactum."
The next hour was spent going over technical specs of the fighter. The fighter was capable of so much more than I originally thought.
"Alright back to the simulators," Lieutenant Briggs called out after a quick break. A few people weren't smart enough to stifle their groans. Lieutenant Briggs glared at us until I felt ready to crawl out of my skin. Finally, he spoke up and the tension broke. "The skirmishes will be five on five. Let's see if you can work as a team, shall we?"
Secretly I was excited that I didn't have to face Tina again in the simulators. I could probably sit back and let her do all the work. As tempting as it was, I wasn't about to let somebody else have all the glory. We headed back to the simulators and got strapped in. After the rundown on the fighter, I felt more confident with the ship's controls and capabilities and got the ship up and running much quicker. I looked out the windows and could see the other members of my unit settling in beside me in what could be loosely defined as a formation.
My HUD flashed a yellow warning symbol indicating that the enemy had been spotted. I charged ahead and fired as soon as they were within range. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to have that idea. The next few minutes were pure chaos as both units attempted to dodge ships and weapons fire, both friendly and non-friendly. After a few minutes, the simulator shut off and Lieutenant Briggs yelled over the comms, "What was that? I've seen monkeys fighting over bananas that have more organization than you. Take three minutes to cool down and we'll reset the simulation."
I silently berated myself. I should know better. As the simulation started, I called out "Comm check," and heard four replies. I looked around to see what we were up against. I couldn't see the enemy fighters. It was mostly empty space with many rogue asteroids floating about. "How do you all propose we win?"
Tina Spoke up. "Why don't we just fly in there and mop the floor with them like last time?"
"Because that didn't work out so well last time," Jen shot back.
"We won, didn't we?" said Drew.
"I have an idea," I said. I was trying to get their attention before we lost all semblance of teamwork. "Find an asteroid and attach your ship to it. Propel it in the general direction of the enemy and power down your fighter. Once we get close, I'll give the signal and we'll power up and destroy them."
"Sounds simple enough," said Jen.
Everyone scattered to find a hiding place. I waited for everyone to power down before shutting down myself. I kept passive systems on so I could spot the enemy. It made me more noticeable, but we needed to find a way to identify our targets. We had been floating for a minute or two when I saw the enemy fighters. They were cautiously making their way forward in formation. They seemed better organized as well. I waited until we had just floated past them to bring up the radio.
When they had reached the desired location I said, "We just passed enemy fighters. Claim your targets now so we're not stepping all over each other. Go!" We shot away from our hiding places and hit the enemy before they could turn around. Four of the five succumbed to the initial barrage, while the last was hunted down by Tina. She was an amazing pilot.
The simulators shut down and we climbed out. We were the first two groups done so it gave us a chance to relax and stretch for a few minutes. When the last group climbed out Lieutenant Briggs looked us over. "Head to mess. You got 30 minutes to eat, and then report to the classroom indicated on your tablets."
With that said, he left. Everyone was much more energetic at lunch. The story telling and bantering was almost non-stop. This was only my first day, yet home almost seemed like a dream. I thought about my hurried goodbye to my family. I had probably better find time to write them a quick letter soon, letting them know I am still alive. The next several hours were spent learning the other two ships that make the core of the fleet. There was the battleship, and the cruiser.
The cruiser looked like an oversized fighter. The center of the ship was bulkier and more elongated than its fighter counterpart. The wings looked less like wings, but more like weapons platforms. It also packed a bigger punch and had thicker armor. Its specialty was its impressive array of missiles and mines. A single cruiser had enough firepower to vaporize a planet.
The battleship was the main combat component of the fleet. It was long and ovoid in shape. The ship was much wider than it was tall. It was equipped with oversized laser arrays, as well as dozens of rail guns that would sling depleted uranium shells that would tear through armor like tissue paper. It also had a small armament of missiles. The three ships were more powerful and terrifying than any other ship previously created.
Then the Unity was shown. It had the roles of carrier and flagship of the fleet. It was an astounding ten kilometers long and two kilometers in diameter. It was tapered and rounded at the front, so it resembled a torpedo used on ancient naval submarines back in the twentieth century. There were large indents in the hull that allowed the battleships to dock with the Unity. It could accommodate eight battleships, fifty cruisers, and eight hundred fighters. It, like all the other ships, was frighteningly overpowered. It was designed with long range combat in mind. It had many defensive weapon systems if the enemy closed in. Many of the finer details about the Unity were not disclosed. Access to the specifications was restricted to those with a need to know.
After introducing the information on the Unity, we were dismissed for dinner. We had just sat down when Jen asked, "What do you think they're going to cram into our brains after dinner? I swear my head is going to explode."
"Really?" said Thad with a smirk. "I thought that there would have been plenty of room in that head of yours."
We all had a good laugh at Jen's expense. It helped lighten the mood, and soon most everyone was involved in a discussion of some sort.
I pulled out my tablet to check the schedule. "If it helps Jen, we are allowed to study whatever we want for the remainder of the evening. Looks like you're going to get your break after all."
"Thank you," she said as she gave me a hug.
My face went red. This caused a round of laughter, this time at my expense. Luckily, I was done eating so I grabbed my tray and made a hasty retreat. I went back to the barracks and climbed on my bunk. I sent off a quick message to my family. After that was out of the way I sat there and wondered what to do. I looked at my tablet and noticed several apps had been added. One contained information on the different ships in the fleet. I opened it to see if there was any more information than what was presented to us. I pulled up the specs on the fighters. The amount of data available was incredible. It had in-depth information about every system. It even provided wiring diagrams. It looked like everything an engineer would need to repair and maintain a ship. The same was true for the battleship and cruiser. I opened the Unity details and hoped there was more information on it. There were some minor details that Lieutenant Briggs didn't cover, but the lack of in-depth detail was disappointing.
I turned off my tablet just as Jen walked in. "Haven't you had enough sitting down for one day?" she asked. "How about we do a little exploring?"
"Alright," I said, trying to act cool. I turned on the map of the space station. "Where do you want to go?"
She pulled out her own and thought for a minute. "How about the top floor?" she asked.
"The gardens?" I asked, looking at her screen. "Why not."
The gardens claimed the entire top deck of the superstructure. It was a cluster of domes that housed large hydroponics gardens. The dome was transparent enough to let light in to allow the plants to grow but shielded enough to be safe. It also provided protection for workers or cadets to enjoy the scenery.
As we walked in, I immediately noticed the smell. It smelled of home. Gone was the metallic scent of recycled air. I had a sudden feeling of homesickness that I tried desperately to subdue. From the look on Jen's face, she was feeling the same thing. We walked until we found a bench to sit on.
We sat there and watched the Earth and the stars. I felt Jen shift closer to me and rest her head on my shoulder. I froze. I wasn't sure if I should put my arm around her, or if that would be considered inappropriate. I felt Jen grab my arm and drape it over her shoulder. "Coward," she muttered, and my face went red. What was it about her that made me act like an idiot?
Eventually, both our tablets started making noise. I looked at mine. "Oh no!" I exclaimed. Jen looked at me questioningly. "How quickly do you think we can be back?"
"Why?" she asked.
"Curfew is in 10 minutes," I answered. We ran as fast as we could. Luckily, the passageways were empty. We made it back with seconds to spare. The door shut and locked and the lights shut off just as we got to the bunk. I didn't even bother changing. I kicked off my boots and went to sleep.