The Myrmidon trainees graduated in July after six months of training. Gabriel was placed in a squad of nine. The Myrmidons were men and women of ages ranging from the early twenties to the late thirties. The youngest was a twenty-one-year-old woman, the minimum age to receive the serum. Gabriel himself was twenty-three.
Gabriel was walking with his squad to a briefing room. His commander was already there in the far end of the room. The room had multiple screens and rows of chairs. The ceiling was full of white lights.
"Looks like everyone's here," said the man in the front. He was Staff Sergeant Richard Kipmi. He had light skin and blue eyes, and he was a bit tall, with broad shoulders. He and the other Myrmidons wore a different uniform, one that was pure black with a matching beret.
The Myrmidons all sat in their seats. Gabriel felt a chill, but he leaned back on his chair. He felt a bit cold, out of excitement. It was now the beginning of spring, so it wasn't that cold outside anymore. He was also curious and couldn't wait to see what the briefing was going to be about.
"We are going to the United Systems Polus Colony C-100, which you might know as Amlin, its common nickname, our extrasolar colony on the moon Polus, in the Alpha Centauri system in a month. We will be working with the Smart Society Corporation, or SSC, our main space agency that deals with space exploration, colonization and extracting resources," said Kipmi. "It functions as our country's civilian colony and space force base. We will be accompanying a brigade of Space Marines commanded by Colonel Hakoda Kuruk. The trip will take six years, where we will all be in cryogenic sleep. We might all spend the rest of our lives there, but I guess we're all willing to leave something behind. Unless you're willing to go back and look and act about twelve years younger than you really are. It might be awkward being younger than your family and friends."
Gabriel was a bit surprised and had mixed feelings. However, he had to continue to listen to the presentation. He could sort out his feelings later. At least he had a month left on Earth. He would be overwhelmed and a bit sad about leaving Earth and never returning. It would be extremely short notice if you were to tell someone that they will take a long journey to space tomorrow.
"We are also accompanying a new group of civilians as we continue to mine metals in the planet. This could save our planet and end the war once and for all. This energy crisis has been going on for too long in most parts of the world, and maybe if we solve this problem, we could have some peace for once. If we control the Alpha Centauri system, that will give us an edge over the Fire Nation.
"We know there are Fire Nation bases in the system, and they have multiple asteroids. We must protect the colonists.
"Now that you know why we're going to space, I will move on to some details about cryogenic sleep and what to expect.
"You will all be in a capsule that looks like those rooms in the capsule hotels, basically a human-sized locker. The capsules are all right next to each other. You'll be sleeping for most of the ride, and it will feel like no time passed at all. You won't age, but you must state your biological age if anyone asks for your age.
"Upon waking, you must take it easy and relax. You might feel strange, like maybe have headaches or your body parts may feel numb from disuse. Don't worry because your body will be fine. I suggest you take things slow and don't immediately read or watch a lot of news all at once.
"I will now show you the ship you'll be sleeping on and some live snapshots from Polus. Don't be surprised if things changed from what you see when you watch this footage from Polus."
Kipmi presented a layout of the ship. Gabriel looked at the details as he spoke. The ship was called the HMS (His Majesty's Ship) Sanctuary and it was 2, 000 meters long. It was long and thin, essentially a metal stick in space. It was designed to carry about 6, 000 people, who included passengers and crew. There were different types of missile launchers all around it. On the bottom of the ship, there were the sleeping pods that were arranged like a capsule hotel, with lots of narrow hallways and the pods were stacked on top of each other. There were 700 crew, which consisted of space force navy sailors and their officers. There were robots on deck as well, eliminating the need for many crewmen.
On the higher levels, the ship had many facilities like a fitness center, gardens, and cafeterias. The ship functioned as a mobile space station, so that the space stations on other planets, moons and asteroids won't be overwhelmed. It also had its own little hospital. Multiple shuttles were in its hangar, used for evacuations or for landing. The ship was built in space and is too massive to land. It can, however, hover in high altitudes. Most of the time it stays in orbit without using power.
The colony ship on the next slide was similar, though it was slightly smaller, didn't have armaments and only transported 2, 000 colonists, with a crew of 500. It was called the ISCS (Interstellar Commercial Ship) Columbus. It was accompanying the Sanctuary.
The next slide showed the colony on Polus, taken by drones. There are some recorded videos. Kipmi then showed the squad some live footage. The colony was made of multiple tall, thin metal structures, all connected by tunnels with glass walls and ceilings.
The colony was on the top of a canyon of purple rocks. Nearby was a river of lava. There were multiple tunnels where people have been mining. There was an orbital space station above that functioned as a shipyard, enabling ships to be built in space where they weren't subject to gravity. Dropships came and went from the space station.
There was also a picture of a map of the place. There was a section for gardens and food storage. There were science laboratories, processing plants and a spaceport for dropships. There was also a residential zone and other important facilities like hospitals. There was a military base that was roughly the size of the base Gabriel trained and was stationed in, Fort Cory McConnell, which was a bit of a drive from Seattle, Washington. It probably housed a few thousand Marines and some Myrmidons as well.
"I will now tell you about what you need when exploring Polus. Polus is a hostile environment to humans, and you must wear an oxygen mask and a suit that will cover your entire body. It also has 82% of Earth's gravity, so you can jump higher, but don't expect to be floating a lot. The artificial gravity inside the ships and space stations will have Earth's gravity. You will all be provided with a suit that has a temperature regulator, enabling you to stay at a good temperature, but you will also know the outside temperature.
"Most of your work will be accompanying miners to protect them. Some of you are miners like me so we will also be joining them sometimes. You will get some time off to explore the colony. There's nothing much interesting there right now. It's unlike the megamalls you see here. There are movie theaters and arcades, as well as some sports facilities.
"You have a month left here on Earth. All military personnel get 20 days of freedom, where you can travel and do the things you liked to do on Earth for the last time. You can fly or take the train anywhere but plan accordingly in case you get jet lag. Just don't hurt yourself. You must be back by August 14th. Once you're back, you will be back to work so that you can get used to being on duty again before you go to space.
"That concludes my presentation for tonight. You can go back to your rooms or roam the base for a little while to collect your thoughts but get to bed at 9."
Everyone stood up and roamed the hallways. It was the evening and most of the soldiers were getting ready for bed. Some of them patrolled. Gabriel chose to walk around by himself so that he could think quietly. If he were in deep thought, sometimes it would take a while to get his attention.
He never expected to go to space. In the 22nd century, going to space wasn't that much of a luxury that the minority of the population went through. There were multiple space elevators all over the Earth Kingdom that led to its multiple space stations. You didn't need to get a lot of education, be high-ranking in the government or be a brilliant person to go to space. Most of the people who went nowadays were Marines and multiple kinds of tradespeople, mainly miners, but also some electricians, plumbers, and construction workers. There were also engineers and a small population of teachers. People were being born on different colonies. Some were on Earth's moon, while others were on Polus.
Going to space wasn't exactly casual either. Most of the time, people go for long commitments, sometimes spending the rest of their lives outside of Earth, especially if they spent years in cryogenic sleep. Even if they wanted to return, they would look years younger than they really are. Most ships are getting close to lightspeed, so a trip to Mars was easily available. You could go there for a weekend getaway. It was just like traveling anywhere on the world. Mars had been populated for over a hundred years and it was now its own country.
He also had a family to leave behind in the Philippines, his homeland. He had parents, grandparents, a few uncles and aunts, and a lot of cousins. It was an even worse feeling than when he enlisted in the army, eventually being assigned to a base in Washington. Other than that, there wasn't much he cared about leaving behind. When he enlisted there were some parts of his youth that he wanted to turn his back on. Now there was going to be millions of kilometers between him and his homeland.
At the same time, he felt a thrill as he was going to space. There were a lot of new things to experience. He felt a little bit of excitement as he could see new places. He was also excited about going inside a spaceship and being in cryogenic sleep. There would be a lot of things to miss out on, from news to movies and other events. He wasn't sure what to feel if the war ended while he was still sleeping. Maybe the journey would've been more pointless. It was unlikely that the war was going to end anytime soon. One nation would need to control the Alpha Centauri system and its resources to be more technologically advanced.
Gabriel checked his watch. It was almost time for bed, so he was going to the room. His mind might still be occupied by the same thoughts, though. Tomorrow morning, he was going to take a bus to Seattle.
"Are you catching the 6 o'clock bus too, Hoodman?" one of Gabriel's comrades asked him in the mess hall.
Gabriel looked up at her. She had light skin and was a bit short and not too thin. Her black hair was tied in a bun.
"Yeah, Siu," Gabriel replied. "I want to go to Seattle and probably visit the Philippines for a bit as well."
"In my case, I want to visit my family in Portland," said Siu.
"I'll explore the Everglades," said Kipmi. "There won't be any greens on Polus."
"I'll be going to a lot of parties," said another soldier. His name was Tanbur. Tanbur had black hair that was long on the top, but shorter on the sides. His skin was a bit tan. "We won't have much free time on the mission."
This was one of the times when Gabriel could have fun and be lay-back with his soldiers. He had just graduated from the Myrmidons and was probably going to spend the rest of his life in space. He could talk to them and get to know them. During training, there wasn't much time for him to talk to his comrades and build friendships. Here he learned about some of the things they were going to miss on Earth. For Gabriel, he would make one last visit to the Philippines and make peace with his rough past.
Gabriel finished his breakfast. He then packed and took the next bus to Seattle. Siu, Tanbur and two other Myrmidons were coming with him. The sun was just rising and all around him were plains. There was nothing in sight except for the military base. The ride was about 3 hours long and he had a bit of time to explore the city before he decided to eat some lunch.
The widening roads and the towering skyscrapers showed Gabriel that they arrived in Seattle. The Myrmidons got off at a stop right outside the city.
Gabriel took a long look. The city had a lot of skyscrapers. Some of them were grey, while others were white. On the terraces and walls, there were a lot of plants and vines growing. The streets were wide and full of electric cars that had shiny paint. The most common was black, with some cars painted orange and blue as well. The sky was mostly clear.
The skyscrapers cast a lot of shadows on the streets. The streets were made of smooth concrete and the sidewalks were made of smooth, white stone. A lot of people walked down the streets. The city was full of noise, mostly the people walking and talking. Car engines hummed constantly.
"Where are you guys planning to go from here?" asked Gabriel. "I'm leaving for the Philippines tomorrow, so I'll explore here for a bit. We should go to a mall together for lunch."
"I'll stay in a hotel here for a few nights," said Siu.
"I'll go to a few clubs here," said Tanbur. "After that, I'll probably explore outside the city."
"In my case, I'll go on a few hikes," said one of the other men. His name was Rodrigo. "We're lucky the war hasn't reached the US. We must appreciate what we have here. We're not worried about what we're going to eat, or if we're going to breathe safely, or if the Fire Nation is knocking at our doorstep."
They continued walking. The city was bustling with people, drones and there were a lot of lights and billboards that played videos and showed pictures. The place was vibrant, while some parts were full of trees. It was like a real jungle mixed with a jungle of steel and concrete. The city was a nice place to walk in and there was a cool breeze. Everything looked so clean. It was a little dark at the same time with all the shadows. Some of the skyscrapers looked like big trees, while others seemed more unsettling. Gabriel had to look directly up to see the top of some of the buildings. Most of them had almost a hundred floors.