Chapter Two and Chapter Three

CHAPTER 2

Thirty years have passed since the original meeting of the Federation Leader and the Colonies’ Chancellor. Few know the exact details of the day, but none will ever forget the impact. Only true pilots have heard the details recorded in the Nova Colony library for those who wish to learn the truth.

On earth, there was an important meeting that happened, but only two people were in attendance. The President of the Federal Earth Colonies Alliance sat to the far right of the room, in a large leather backed chair. After a day of running the Earth, his lethargy had begun to seep into his joints and the Chancellor had said nothing new. This President had never been elected. He did not know what a democracy was, only that long ago the earth had tried to have one. His power came from his intelligence, not from his charisma, and he did not need the people’s approval to do anything. In effect, he ruled the world. The other man in the room was the Chancellor from the Nova Asteroidal Colony. For five years Chancellor Campbell had petitioned the military guard in the streets of the Nova Colony, his home and the other four colonies over run with military personnel, who had no respect for the people, and after five years there had been no change. Desperate times were upon him, but the desperate measures he had to take plunged the people he had sworn to protect into a blood bath. His journey from the Nova Asteroidal Space Colony to the Alliance buildings had been a long one, and he was tired, adding to the highly agitated feeling in the room.

“Sir, you must call off the troops on the Asteroidal Colonies! We have done nothing for you to put your soldiers in our streets!” Tristan Campbell, the foreign minister to Earth shouted as he stood in the great meeting hall. He has been stating his case for nearly an hour with no response from the Federation President. The hall is sparsely decorated, and it reminds him greatly of a morgue. Only a dying potted fern shows signs of life in the sparsely lighted meeting hall. Even the tiled floor seems to have passed on, only a ghost of its former color remaining intact.

“Our troops are there for you protection, Viceroy! If we call them back, you will be at risk!” The President of the Federation countered, his voice strained, but calm. There is no emotion to radiate, so none does. At all costs, the President’s job is to keep people out of space. The Asteriodal Colonies are for personal use by Earth citizens. Why should they need their own military and government?

“Protect us from whom?! No one has tried to attack us out there in space! The only protection we need is from the likes of you! Your soldiers destroy our city a little more everyday, and they block trade merchants between the Earth and the Colonies.” The Viceroy yelled as he gathered his papers. The meeting was a preface only. Neither party was prepared to bend to the will of the other. “The Nova colony is now prepared to declare themselves an independent party. Remove your men from our lines, or they will be removed.” Tristan turned and glided out of the room, the rage and agitation following him like a scared puppy.


Chapter 3
“You know the colonies withdrew from the alliance. The alliance was trying to stop the progression of our space zones. They can’t stop it, unless they kill us all. Pacifism? That’s what they want. Complete and total pacifism.” Josh laughed once more. “It doesn’t exist. You can’t have total pacifism without a war. You must fight to eliminate the problem before you get to a conclusion. War isn’t the answer. It’s the question. It’s the question that drives us and pushes us forward to win. If you win the battle, then you must win the war. That’s what the people want, and that’s what we give them. They don’t care who’s fighting, as long as they’re winning.”
The trainee laughed nervously. “Surely that can’t be all there is to it.”

“Ah, but that’s it. Everyone wants there to be more, but there isn’t. Fight the enemies, win the war, and make the people happy.” He grunted. “I don’t see them out there.” Josh shook his head. “Are you sure you still want to be a pilot? I hope you don’t have a girlfriend.” The trainee shook his head. “Good, cuz you won’t see anyone but the other pilots for a long time. I haven’t seen my home colony since it was bombed in 2050.” The trainee took an astonished breath.

“20-50? Wow! I was . . . I was. . .little.” The elder pilot smiled. The young soldier couldn’t be any older than eighteen or nineteen, if even that. “I didn’t realize you guys trained that much.” The recruit fidgeted in his seat. “Will YOU train me?” Josh stood and walked to an access door. He said nothing as he punched the code and the airlock of the doors slid open. The boy followed expectantly.

“Train you?! Let’s see, train you. . . Ha, you want to be taught?! Books! They can teach you, if you read them.” The officer’s voice and arms flailed in his gruff controlled manner as he spun to face the recruit. “There are stacks upon stacks of papers with everything from attack formations to defense programming. There are computers programmed to fight now a days! We don’t shed tears for lost mechs anymore. They’re all dolls. No more people. The people shouted ‘war,’ but then they shouted ‘no more blood!’ Wars aren’t worth fighting anymore.” The older pilot sighed and slumped into a hard wooden chair.

“But there must be a reason they still call for recruits. If you hate so much, why do you stay?”

“NOVA hasn’t called for recruits in a long time. And, I told you, pilots from this crew CAN’T go home. The war’s not over. Without soldiers, there’s no war, and without war, there is no need for soldiers. When . . . no, if the war ends, I go back to being nameless, a nobody. They won’t need me anymore, and yet, I have nowhere else to go. You should go home and live while you can. Soldiers here don’t have anything left to go home to.”

"I don’t have anything out there anymore either.” The trainee countered, his head down as he seemed to study the one line on the empty floor, gesturing vaguely to an open window. There was no curtain, and the binds were pulled up, where they reflected the artificial sun light with a pale gray facility color.

“You could build up something, maybe settle down with a pretty girl, and start a family. You’re practically still a child. There’s no reason for you to throw everything away as we have.”
“But I’m not . . .”

“He’s right.” Lieutenant Kou stepped in, a matronly tone caressing her vocals. The trainee stood and saluted, as did Pilot Yuy. “At ease, men. You have everything left to your life and you should live it, instead of wasting away in a hanger as the Commander and I have.” She sighed. “How old are you, son?”

“Twenty-one, ma’am.” She arched her eyebrow and stared challengingly at him. “Eighteen, ma’am.” She smiled. Her eyes crinkled with age, even though she wasn’t much older than him.

“When are you going to turn sixteen, kid?” she replied smoothly, her British accent masked by the low tone of her voice.

“Next month, Lieutenant.” The boy faltered.

“How about you wait until you’re eighteen, and then come see me, and we’ll see about training you.” The boy smiled sheepishly and opened his mouth to protest, but at the last second decided against it. “You’re dismissed, soldier.” He nodded curtly and left back through the air-locked doors.

“Lieutenant, it’s good to see you back so soon. We weren’t expecting you for another week.” Josh Yuy smiled at his younger friend. They embraced lightly then left the library headed toward her office.

“I missed you guys.” Heather Kou shrugged with a smile. “There aren’t many people to fight with on the Lunar Base. It’s all robots now, and they don’t argue back.” She laughed as she typed in her log code and her office doors whizzed open.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Lieutenant. You’re still looking for your own way.”

"Neither have you, Yuy. You’re still bitching about fighting a losing battle and not getting your deserved respect for it.” Pilot Kirkpatrick turned in Lieutenant Kou’s desk chair and propped her feet up on the metal counter top. “Welcome back, Lilith.”

“Hey Ice. Good to see you’re still here, torturing everyone in my absence. I trust all went well while I was on the Lunar Base?” Cordelia smiled and greeted her friend with a hug.

“Yes, all was peachy, minus Commander Renata’s constant ranting about the new shipment. He’s so picky!” Pilot Kirkpatrick laughed.

“New shipment? What new shipment? Never mind, you can fill me in on the way to the hangars. I haven’t seen my baby in two whole months!” Heather smiled as they waited for the auto-doors to close behind them.

“You and that machine! Do you remember when we fixed Commander Ice King in his? He had no idea what he was doing! It was all like Star Wars up in that mug!” Josh laughed, his gruff persona melting into the old slang he found on an information disk in the library. His mean shields all dropped when he neared Heather.

"Yea, I remember! He couldn’t even activate the Apollo. All he had to do was insert his card and flip that red switch.” Lieutenant Kou smirked as she accessed the hangar doors with the ID card hanging around her neck.

“Fully. It’s not like neurobiology or anything.” Cordelia smiled, her high pitched voice rising slightly as she watched Heather run across the Lucedio floor, launch herself into the cockpit of her P.I.F.S., and turn it on. It’s eyes lit up and Cordelia smiled. Heather was home.

Word Count for this post: 1,704 words
Word Count Total: 3,513 words

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