Why hello there. It's lovely to see you. Anyway, here's the first chapter from Skylar's memory/viewpoint. Hope you like it!
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Name: Skylar Kaynes
Call Sign: Wolf
Rank: USIF Grade VI, Camelot Company, Machiavelli Division
Origin: Anchorage, AK
Achievements: State Innovation and Invention Fair-1st Place, Regional Science Fair-1st Place Team, Interscholastic Basketball Championship Greater Anchorage Borough-2nd Place Team
IP: 2053:db7:lj71:317:113:6e8
Security Status: Top Secret LANDLOCK-6
MemFile running
When you make Middle Company, that's where the competition really starts in the Spire. That's when they start testing you in the skills you'd need to make CamCo. What I was looking for, though, was a chance to fly. And when I finally did, it was the best day of my life.
Of course, they don't let you try right away. They make you do so much training that you're practically about to move up before you finally get to run a Flight Sim. I'll be the first to tell you it's a long, painful wait.
The day we start flight simulations, we're led into a room full of cots with connector wires, just like the ones for Applied Sims. I plug in, lost in a blur of anticipation. Suddenly, I find myself in full control of my very own simulated aircraft.
Just as we've been taught, I run the sequence to get the ship ready. If I was in my body, I'd be trembling from excitement. My mission objective appears: Fly around the blue planet, return, land. The orientation satellites show the planet and nothing else. They've decided not to add debris to this simulation, I guess. Finally, the instruction to launch comes. I order the ship's computer to go.
It thunders down the runway like a racehorse ready to be off. I pick up speed, faster, faster. Slowly, carefully I start to lift it into the air. When the back wheels pick up, I feel a flood of happiness that threatens to wash me away. Still, I keep the ship steady, and when I clear the atmosphere the goal planet starts to come into view.
As I rocket toward it, I size it up. It's a small, dense planet with high gravity. I keep the path straight, not ready to try anything fancy yet. Soon I enter the planet's gravity field. I use that force to whip me around the planet. The speed of flight feels amazing, like I'm actually there, actually flying. Once I've cleared the back of the planet, I fire the engines up all the way, break free of the gravity, and aim back toward earth. As I'm flying back, I can't help but start to test out the controls. I rock the ship left, right, left, right. Then I throw it into a fast corkscrew, rolling neatly over itself. I straighten back out and prepare to reenter the atmosphere. Briefly, I wonder what the punishment would be if I stayed out longer, but I force the thought away. I'm not getting kicked out for my first flight.
I run all the processes to get the ship ready to land. As the clouds clear, I take a quick glimpse at the map displaying my position. Right on track for the runway. I start to reduce speed, dropping a few feet per second. I've given myself plenty of room, and the angle is perfect. I set down on the runway, gliding to a complete stop.
The words Simulation Complete pop up and I open my eyes in the real world. It takes me a couple seconds to realize that there's an exhilarated grin stretching across my face.
Well ok people, I guess there are a couple of you reading this, so major internet cake for you. I know the chapters are short but I stop them where it seems natural for memories to end or transition. Anyway, thanks for reading, please, please, super please review!