Hey so this is from Taz's POV. And, while I have your attention... Don't forget to review. :D
A week later, I woke up long before my alarm was to go off, eimply because I didn't want to sleep anymore. Things don't happen when people are asleep, they happen when people are awake! So, I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to get in one last workout in the Academy Gym. I almost expected to see Up there, but he must have been able to sleep better than me, because, when I saw him later that morning, he looked refreshed and full of energy.
He was waiting by the car, loading his belongings into the back. Commander Marx and the other private who was joining, a cadet in his third year at the academy, Lars Terrison, were further up the road loading up their car. My things were already packed, as I'd been the first one to get to the cars that morning. I'd gone back inside to check if I left anything behind and to say goodbye to my friends, and when I'd gone back out, we were almost ready to depart. I was surprised at how fast my heart was racing.
"Taz!" I looked to see Lars coming up to me from his car. "I heard you're coming with us."
I nodded. Lars had this curly blond hair that he always had to cut short for the Academy, so it was like a ridiculous garden of curls on his head when it'd grown out. He also had these ridiculous burns up and down his arms, from when he and his brother were caught in a robot attack when they were in high school. They had to raise a burning roof off of their basement in order for the ones taking refuge down there to get out safely, and both boys suffered from it. They both also were instilled with a need to continue the fight against robots, like so many others at the Academy. Lars's brother was a friend of mine, in my year in school, but Lars had known me too. I was glad he'd been granted early graduation as well.
We chatted for a couple of minutes, until Commander Marx ordered for us to load up and move out. Not wanting to anger our Commander before we even worked for him, we quickly made our ways to our cars. I slid in next to Up, and the door slammed shut, closing out the cheers from those who'd gathered to watch us depart. I looked at him, not sure of what to say. So I just grinned giddily at him.
"Congratulations, Private Taz Lopez," he said, too diplomatically.
"And to you," I replied. "How do you feel to be going back?"
He stared straight ahead, a smile creeping onto his face in spite of himself. "I feel… Excited. But nervous. I doubt anyone will have forgotten the past experience I'd had here. But it's a whole new game now."
"What's our mission going to be?" I asked.
"I'm not sure of the specifics, but it'll probably be something in District Alpha-7."
"That'll be… Either Mine Planet, Fishing Planet, or Farm Planet, then?" Alpha-7 was the district of colonized planets that was used for gaining materials. Small planets, but very useful. And, since each had come with only minimal native species, they were easy for humans to colonize.
"It'll be good to see what trouble they've come up with."
I agreed, and the driver interrupted us to let us know that it would be a long drive to the base. There was a dvd player in the back, so Up popped in a movie, some action thriller about mutant octopuses, and soon we were both engrossed in the film.
About halfway through, however, I noticed something in Up's lap. A folder, with some papers inside it. One paper stuck out slightly, and showed a few words. By the looks of it, it looked like registration forms. A thought came to mind, then an idea, then a plan. Eying the folder, I slowly reached a hand to grab it. He noticed it a second too late, because the folder was sitting on the other side of me an instant later.
"What the hell are you doing, Taz?" he cried, clearly confused.
I didn't answer, but began to rifle through the papers. Sure enough, they were filled with registration data. The papers on top, however, were all filled out with my name. I checked the spaces, and, sure enough, it had a full version, Tasia Lopez. I pulled out my papers, and looked for Up's. That was when he realized my plan.
"Taz—no!" He reached for the papers, but I turned my back to him, and continued to search. A second later, my eyes were scanning the words on his registration papers. I could feel a smile blooming across my face.
"Brocious?" I said, beaming at the uncovered truth. "Your name is Brocious?"
He shoved me aside, and grabbed the folder back from me. I pursed my lips to keep from laughing. "Hey—It's not funny! I'm named after the General Stagiford Brocious, the war hero from the first robot war. He was a hero, Taz—."
"Yes," I said, "But his name was ridiculous!" I laughed, and turned his full name over in my mouth. "Brocious Ryker Up. A proper Mobile Gentleman's name, I guess."
"Hey," he defended, "It's better than my sister's name."
"What's she called?"
He smirked a bit, as he replied. "She was called 'Fancy Ray.'"
We rode the rest of the trip in contemplative laughter, talking of nothing at all and everything in the world at the same time. A couple of times we remembered there was a movie playing, but it just wasn't that important to us.
Like a monument, or a shrine, or a temple, or a treasure of some sort, there it stood. The Starship 11-Z-1, brand new and ready for departure. It was a sight to see, like a great big skyscraper of a box, standing on four legs. The legs housed rocket fuel that would propel the giant cube into space. I couldn't wait to get on to see what it looked like, and, by the look on Brocious Up's face, he was eager too.
I was introduced to the rest of our squad, including Commander Marx's second officer, Lieutenant Rosemary Piper, who was much tougher-looking than her name suggested. We were signed in and registered, and then ushered to load onto the starship. But I couldn't see the main interior yet. We had to get into the launch hall. The launch hall was at the very bottom of the starship, and it was a collection of, simple corridors, lines with chairs, designed for everyone aboard to lift off in, before settling into the actual starship, in order to have a safer and more successful takeoff.
Once I was seated, in between Up and a Starship Ambassador, Up said, "This is the greatest thing, Taz. Liftoff is so much fun."
We were strapped in by a million different straps, to ensure we didn't fly out during the thunderous takeoff sequence. "Fun? How so?"
But he didn't need to answer. A minute later, the engines started, and I understood. After the countdown, the spaceship shot up off the ground in a rush of exhilaration. It was like a rollercoaster that went up, but felt like going down. Plus, the entire thing was spinning. The starship was spinning in fast circles, so that, from the outside, it would look more like a cylinder than a box. I craned my head around to look at Up, and he was laughing a booming sort of thrilled laugh. So I laughed too.
After a few moments of this rush, a voice came out on the intercom, saying, "Attention all passengers, we will be leaving the atmosphere shortly. The ride's all smooth from here on out." Which was greeted by the applause from the Starship's passengers.
The instant the intercom fizzled out, however, something changed. In addition to the spinning, the ship began to twist. Up and back, it wobbled in mid air. It was more terrifying than fun, but most passengers were still amused with the fun of it. But just as the wobbling began, so did the bumps and halts. It seemed almost as though the entire spaceship would stall a moment, before shooting up again, and then stopping for a moment, then continuing. The motion was jolting and rough, but still, there was no indication, not by staff, nor ranger, nor colonist, that anything was wrong. They were still laughing and smiling, and I would have been laughing along with them, if I hadn't seen the look on Up's face.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"Something's wrong," he replied, gravely.
A moment later, the engines stopped rumbling, the lights all shut out, plunging the spaceship into icy darkness, and a horrible sensation filled my stomach as the realization set in. The liftoff had been sabotaged somehow, and we were falling right out of the sky.
Starship 11-Z-1 was crashing.