Equitum Sidereus chapter 2

{Author note, second chapter, houses paint scheme is mek tek mech packs ops-taiga winter, I've been electrocuted quite a lot, and did I mention I hate the cold? And the hot, I hate that worse than the cold, cold you can fix with enough blankets, but when it's really hot, not much you can do about it.}

Chapter prologue (just to kick it off to where I can go into it the way I want to)

It was early December, snowing in Atreus city. When the recruitment officer came to my door and told my parents that my brother had been made a lieutenant, a Knight of the free world's league and was shipped off to help control the star system after operation bulldog.

The recruitment officer was also there to pick me up. I was only 9 at the time and it was an odd thing, being a 9 year old trainee. I remember it all like it was yesterday. Back when we could all have fun as trainees, not killing or fighting our way through life yet.

TRAINING DAYS

"Instructor McGrath; when are we gonna get to the academy?" I ask, my light voice sounding whinier than I meant for it to. I was riding in the back of a hover tank refit to use as a transport vehicle.

The instructor looks back with a small smile and annoyingly ruffles my hair, giving my simple flat-laying hair a messy look.

"Soon my little friend soon, it takes a while to get out of the city. Especially long to get to the training academy, you wouldn't want a trainee in a BattleMech stomping through your neighborhood do you?" he replies, allowing the hover tanks auto pilot to basically drive itself through the snowy dessert.

"But we have been driving forever!" I whine, but I get no reaction either way out of it. I just can't wait till I get to the academy; I'm so excited to learn how to pilot a 'Mech like my big brother.

"Just a few more minutes, you can see the fence around the main complex right now, About 5 kilometers away. So we will be there very soon." He says while continuing to stare out at the almost endless expanse of snow, the large furrocrete block walls of the training camp quickly getting closer and closer. I almost wish I was there earlier; during the summer cycle months when it was sunny and warm outside, all I know is that it's probably going to be very, very cold outside. I hate the cold, never really did like it at all.

I look up from my spot on the seat and pull my winter bomber hat onto my head farther, its synthetic fur ear flaps cutting off the biting cold coming through the windows from hitting my face.

"Alright Fawkes, here we are; welcome to Athene" McGrath announces as the hover craft swiftly shoots underneath Athene's giant iron gate, built to stop even an Atlas ramming it.

I unclip the harness holding me to the seat and stand on it to look out of the open window, Snow covered warehouses and BattleMech storage bays line the edges of the wall, along with several groups of huge diesel fuel storage tanks for the mech transports and generator powering the academic base, In the center of the enclosed space was the combat and logistics academy building, a huge starfish shaped building with circular shaped buildings connected to the 'arms' of the building, a 200 foot tall spire that houses the many different faculty rooms. Administrative offices and non academic offices of the base sits atop the center of the structure.

We continue to drive past the academy building and through a second blast door Into an even larger space, this one comprised of the same factory like warehouses and hangers, as well as a large amount of 'Mech Hangers, all numbered in rows with huge red block letters. I notice that the two separated areas both had BattleMechs in storage bays spread around the area, but this one had many, many more.

"Why do both areas have 'Mechs?" I ask the instructor while I look around some more, seeing the different trainee housing buildings, ten of them, all looking to be the size of an average middle class house, maybe a bit smaller.

"The front gates 'Mechs are the bases security force, they are there just in case someone attacks the base. We have to protect the trainees, the other 'Mechs are all the trainee machines, we keep a lot around so people have a choice of what 'Mech they want to learn on. This sector is all for the Mechwarrior trainees and the trainees for the knights like yourself, the academy sector out at the front area is for the foot soldiers and all of the logistics officers." He answers as the hovercraft slows to a stop in the parking lot in front of one of the trainee buildings. Its floatation skirt deflates and empties out, gently laying the hovercraft down on its frame.

The large cockpit like canopy of the hover craft opens with a thin hydraulic hiss and I step out of the vehicle onto the snow flecked Ferrocrete parking lot, the cold immediately biting my face, I shiver a bit and gaze longingly at the housing unit nearest me, I just know it will be warm in there, then look up as The instructor walks into my field of view, thankfully walking towards the same cozy looking building I was looking at. I follow him in a slow jog, my smaller height making it hard for me to keep up with him without jogging.

We quickly reach the building and the instructor opens the door, up close I can finaly see the whole structure, simple, one story house, around 1500 square feet in size, painted a strange snowy camouflage color, and blocks of split oak wood logs stacked 10 wide and 3 to wide, probably just firewood, I continue my observations to the inside, the first room resembled a living room, a large hologrid emmiter for a television was station against one of the off cream white walls of the inside of the room, a large L shaped sofa laying up against the wall next to the door, as well as a fire place and a comfortable looking leather armchair up against the wall leading into a hallway with four identical rooms, each containing a simple dresser and closet, as well as a thick memory foam bed, and each room had a door leading to separate bathrooms. Those just as simple and utilitarian as the rest of the house, at the very end of the hallway a medium sized kitchen was located, with gas appliances and a microwave, the refrigerator\freezer filled with various essential food items, frozen meat, vegetables, fresh fruit from the native plants, a container of something called hummus, and a lot of cans of an unbranded energy drink as well as some cola and the almighty nectar from the gods known as root beer.

I grab a can of the root beer and silently sip at it as me and the instructor finish the little look around at the very nice house, and then retreat back to the front living room. Instructor McGrath hands me a piece of paper with three photographs and then tells me that they are the people assigned to be on a team along with me, then he left in a hurry, eager to send in the report of my successful arrival.

Soon after he leaves I gather my stuff and pick the room closest to the living room, It's all a big change, living under the instruction of mechwarriors, and the long drive to get to Athena… I decide im tired and lay back on the bed and drift to sleep.

Bad ending of this chapter I know, I'm setting up a poll on this story for the formation of how I'm going to structure this story chapter wise, I do not write up what you would call a… timeline? I can't even think of the right word right now because it matters so little to me, every time I've ended up writing up one I end up saying fuck it and never finishing whatever it is I've tried to write because it feels to strict to write according to a personal guide on where I want the story to go, so I need at least 5 or six votes in the positive either way in the next few days (preferably before Saturday) for me to continue this so I can start shelling out chapters. So could you please go to my profile and vote, its not obligatory but would really help me in my pursuit… this is a long ass authors note