Twelve days following Erin's eighth birthday, she and her launchmates
graduated from the rank of launchy to the next lowest position in the
hierarchy of Battle School ----- soldier.
After dinner, Erin returned to the barrack to discover a white slip of paper on her bunk. She picked it up and stared at it for a moment.
1
2 Transfer Orders
Erin Dunn
Reassigned:
Phoenix Army
2.1 Code white/gold/white
Possessions transferred
Briefly, Erin wondered what possessions they had transferred. She brought nothing with her from home, and she obviously would not be keeping her cyan launchy uniform. A shrug, and she folded the paper deftly in half, dangling her legs off the side of her top bunk and dropping to the barrack floor. She did not offer a backward glance as she ducked out into the hallway, and started to follow the white/gold-white lights along the floor. Padding softly down the corridor that led deeper and deeper into the soldiers' territory, Erin ignored the calls and jeers of the bored older kids who looked to taunting her for amusement. She slipped past one boy who tried to block her path, jaw set stubbornly.
Erin knew the Phoenix Army Barrack for what it was as soon as she laid eyes upon it. The entrance was painted in the army colors; a magnificent Phoenix depicted above the doorway. Its beak was sharp and cruel, and its talons glittered dull silver ---- Erin did not know if this was due to a special kind of paint, or to tricks of the hallway's dim light. She inhaled deeply, and palmed the door open.
The barrack seemed like a living thing; it hummed noisily with the chatter of its occupants. Only a short blond boy --- presumably the door- guard --- paid Erin any notice.
"Whaddya want, pinprick?" came his amiable greeting.
Erin lifted her chin and waved her slip in his direction. "Transferred," she replied, looking wary, as if she expected him to bite. I'll bite back.
The boy only grinned. "Ah, a new victim for Alcar. I'm Heinn. Welcome to Phoenix Army, the best damn army on the station."
To her surprise, Erin found that she liked Heinn. Perhaps this place all right, once you make it to an army... "Erin." she introduced herself, and followed the door-guard to her new bunk.
Phoenix Army was commanded by Alcarinque, a tall Scandinavian lad with flaxen-blond hair and blue eyes. He had a cool, distant personality that discouraged familiarity from his soldiers, but he had their respect and their trust. Phoenix did not fare poorly in the standings under his ministrations, Erin too grew to respect Alcarinque, and fell hopelessly in love with the army. In all her years at Battle School, she never outgrew that love.
Erin was put in Toon C, under the care of Cedion. She looked up to him from the very beginning, and C Toon had her devotion even after was no longer in it. He was a calm, oddly mature boy with a long braid that was redder than her own, and a twanging Irish accent. He called her lass, and strangely, she did not mind.
But the best by far that happened to Erin in Phoenix Army was the discovery of Astra. Astra was transferred into the army shortly after Erin. She was slightly younger, and much more patient than Erin, who could be quite temperamental at times. They quickly became inseparable; Erin's red head was rarely seen without Astra's brown one, and Erin learned something she had never learned before: how to trust someone.
Battles were a huge part of army life. They practiced constantly, spending hours working on formations, aim, and effective use of the stars. Savannah, the Toon B Leader, drilled them incessantly, counseling the soldiers to always be a moving target for the enemy, never staying in one place long enough to be frozen. Her first formal battle was against Condor Army, and they won an overwhelming victory within a matter of minutes. Erin was elated. She herself got two kills, and was not frozen, most likely due to the fact that the veteran soldiers were always targeted first. She accompanied four other Phoenix soldiers for the symbolic opening of Condor's gate.
When not occupied with battles or practice, Erin was busy making both friends and enemies. After finding Astra, she became more open to the concept of friends, and she accumulated a small pool of soldiers to whom she was fiercely loyal. There were the Phoenixes: Astra, Cedion, Matrix, and a boy who called himself NoisySplatter, Edain and Elanius from Griffin Army and Dive from Condor. Cheyan, an embittered, morbid, and rather violent Griffin Toon Leader became something akin to an idol to Erin. They were never exactly friends, but Erin was deeply respectful of her. Cheyan tolerated the younger girl more than she did many, and Erin was satisfied.
And then there were Erin's enemies. There was a Hound by the name of Aegean, a Ferret called Hef, and a Dragon named Sierra, who hated Astra. Anyone who hated Astra hated Erin, if simply by association, and Erin tended to make enemies just as easily without it. She developed an odd hatred of a Griffin named Spider when, working on aim in the Target Practice Room, he told her Matrix "wanted her." This in and of itself was a sin great enough for her to desire his blood, but when he hugged her, she was livid. Things might have gotten ugly --- icing out ugly --- had Cheyan, his Toon Leader, expressed an interest in Spider being functional for battles. Reluctantly, Erin kept her abuse of the verbal. Her hatred of Spider birthed the hatred of a Condor called Aumerle, when she sang a stupid rhyme involving the words 'Erin', 'Spider', and 'kissing'. But the biggest of Erin's enemies was another Griffin named Fiona. She had been a close friend of Astra's, until she decided she was above friendship and scarred the girl emotionally. Erin and Astra christened her 'Queen Bitch', and there were conflicts whenever the three met.
Cedion, Cheyan, and a Griffin named Davan were all very close; they considered themselves siblings, although they were of no blood relation. From them, Erin learned the basics of Battle School: The climbing rope in the gym is evil, the citrus pudding is alive, and launchies are delicious with plum sauce. At times, Erin wondered if Cheyan really did eat launchies.
Erin had been a Phoenix for only three months when an interesting battle altered army life for her greatly. They went up against Hound Army, a veteran of the scoreboards, and pulled a victory. They had been losing rather badly, and all of the army had been frozen but five --- the number needed to open the enemies gate and win. Erin and Astra were among the five, and there were no unfrozen experienced soldiers with much experience. Crouched behind the protection of a star, they began to carve up the ranks of the Hounds. Erin herself managed to freeze Myth, the commander, from an absurd distance, as well as a good deal of others, and Astra, too, took out more than her fair share. In the end, it was close, but Phoenix finished off the remainder of the Hounds and glided off victorious to the gates. Afterwards, Alcarinque engraved their names on the plaque in the barrack reserved for extraordinary soldiers, and Erin's heart glowed with pride. And when Astra received the position of Toon D Leader, all that Erin felt for her was happiness. Life was good.
After dinner, Erin returned to the barrack to discover a white slip of paper on her bunk. She picked it up and stared at it for a moment.
1
2 Transfer Orders
Erin Dunn
Reassigned:
Phoenix Army
2.1 Code white/gold/white
Possessions transferred
Briefly, Erin wondered what possessions they had transferred. She brought nothing with her from home, and she obviously would not be keeping her cyan launchy uniform. A shrug, and she folded the paper deftly in half, dangling her legs off the side of her top bunk and dropping to the barrack floor. She did not offer a backward glance as she ducked out into the hallway, and started to follow the white/gold-white lights along the floor. Padding softly down the corridor that led deeper and deeper into the soldiers' territory, Erin ignored the calls and jeers of the bored older kids who looked to taunting her for amusement. She slipped past one boy who tried to block her path, jaw set stubbornly.
Erin knew the Phoenix Army Barrack for what it was as soon as she laid eyes upon it. The entrance was painted in the army colors; a magnificent Phoenix depicted above the doorway. Its beak was sharp and cruel, and its talons glittered dull silver ---- Erin did not know if this was due to a special kind of paint, or to tricks of the hallway's dim light. She inhaled deeply, and palmed the door open.
The barrack seemed like a living thing; it hummed noisily with the chatter of its occupants. Only a short blond boy --- presumably the door- guard --- paid Erin any notice.
"Whaddya want, pinprick?" came his amiable greeting.
Erin lifted her chin and waved her slip in his direction. "Transferred," she replied, looking wary, as if she expected him to bite. I'll bite back.
The boy only grinned. "Ah, a new victim for Alcar. I'm Heinn. Welcome to Phoenix Army, the best damn army on the station."
To her surprise, Erin found that she liked Heinn. Perhaps this place all right, once you make it to an army... "Erin." she introduced herself, and followed the door-guard to her new bunk.
Phoenix Army was commanded by Alcarinque, a tall Scandinavian lad with flaxen-blond hair and blue eyes. He had a cool, distant personality that discouraged familiarity from his soldiers, but he had their respect and their trust. Phoenix did not fare poorly in the standings under his ministrations, Erin too grew to respect Alcarinque, and fell hopelessly in love with the army. In all her years at Battle School, she never outgrew that love.
Erin was put in Toon C, under the care of Cedion. She looked up to him from the very beginning, and C Toon had her devotion even after was no longer in it. He was a calm, oddly mature boy with a long braid that was redder than her own, and a twanging Irish accent. He called her lass, and strangely, she did not mind.
But the best by far that happened to Erin in Phoenix Army was the discovery of Astra. Astra was transferred into the army shortly after Erin. She was slightly younger, and much more patient than Erin, who could be quite temperamental at times. They quickly became inseparable; Erin's red head was rarely seen without Astra's brown one, and Erin learned something she had never learned before: how to trust someone.
Battles were a huge part of army life. They practiced constantly, spending hours working on formations, aim, and effective use of the stars. Savannah, the Toon B Leader, drilled them incessantly, counseling the soldiers to always be a moving target for the enemy, never staying in one place long enough to be frozen. Her first formal battle was against Condor Army, and they won an overwhelming victory within a matter of minutes. Erin was elated. She herself got two kills, and was not frozen, most likely due to the fact that the veteran soldiers were always targeted first. She accompanied four other Phoenix soldiers for the symbolic opening of Condor's gate.
When not occupied with battles or practice, Erin was busy making both friends and enemies. After finding Astra, she became more open to the concept of friends, and she accumulated a small pool of soldiers to whom she was fiercely loyal. There were the Phoenixes: Astra, Cedion, Matrix, and a boy who called himself NoisySplatter, Edain and Elanius from Griffin Army and Dive from Condor. Cheyan, an embittered, morbid, and rather violent Griffin Toon Leader became something akin to an idol to Erin. They were never exactly friends, but Erin was deeply respectful of her. Cheyan tolerated the younger girl more than she did many, and Erin was satisfied.
And then there were Erin's enemies. There was a Hound by the name of Aegean, a Ferret called Hef, and a Dragon named Sierra, who hated Astra. Anyone who hated Astra hated Erin, if simply by association, and Erin tended to make enemies just as easily without it. She developed an odd hatred of a Griffin named Spider when, working on aim in the Target Practice Room, he told her Matrix "wanted her." This in and of itself was a sin great enough for her to desire his blood, but when he hugged her, she was livid. Things might have gotten ugly --- icing out ugly --- had Cheyan, his Toon Leader, expressed an interest in Spider being functional for battles. Reluctantly, Erin kept her abuse of the verbal. Her hatred of Spider birthed the hatred of a Condor called Aumerle, when she sang a stupid rhyme involving the words 'Erin', 'Spider', and 'kissing'. But the biggest of Erin's enemies was another Griffin named Fiona. She had been a close friend of Astra's, until she decided she was above friendship and scarred the girl emotionally. Erin and Astra christened her 'Queen Bitch', and there were conflicts whenever the three met.
Cedion, Cheyan, and a Griffin named Davan were all very close; they considered themselves siblings, although they were of no blood relation. From them, Erin learned the basics of Battle School: The climbing rope in the gym is evil, the citrus pudding is alive, and launchies are delicious with plum sauce. At times, Erin wondered if Cheyan really did eat launchies.
Erin had been a Phoenix for only three months when an interesting battle altered army life for her greatly. They went up against Hound Army, a veteran of the scoreboards, and pulled a victory. They had been losing rather badly, and all of the army had been frozen but five --- the number needed to open the enemies gate and win. Erin and Astra were among the five, and there were no unfrozen experienced soldiers with much experience. Crouched behind the protection of a star, they began to carve up the ranks of the Hounds. Erin herself managed to freeze Myth, the commander, from an absurd distance, as well as a good deal of others, and Astra, too, took out more than her fair share. In the end, it was close, but Phoenix finished off the remainder of the Hounds and glided off victorious to the gates. Afterwards, Alcarinque engraved their names on the plaque in the barrack reserved for extraordinary soldiers, and Erin's heart glowed with pride. And when Astra received the position of Toon D Leader, all that Erin felt for her was happiness. Life was good.