Friday 22 March 2013

No, not Mary

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

No - not Mary, her name, Maera.  Sounded almost the same.  I sad besides her. She's 19 and, from South Africa.  She wants to become a pilot.

She's a real beauty.  She isn't tall, probably about 5'7".  Her dark, straight hair flow all the way to her mid-back.  She wears elegant, frameless glasses.  What I like most about her, though, is definitely her freckles.  She was very kind, too.  It was easy to make her smile.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Told Mother I wasn't coming back

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

I just sent a message to Mother.  Told her I wasn't coming back.  At least, not for a while.  It wasn't exactly easy.  I know I'll be missed.  But I know her: she'll be overcome with joy.

TSN was a great idea, but I need to find a job.  Cadet allocation isn't nearly enough for life on Earth, and I can't just live off the Colgans.

I think Yoraìn can probably find me a gig in one of the pubs where he's a regular.  It's either that, or something at the college.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

A new life awaits!

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

The last week's been a revelation.  The TSN is very different from what I expected.  I mean.. I knew I had to expect loads of rules and regs, but this is just crazy.  It seems like all we're doing is paperwork.  Fill in this form, apply for that access card, blood test, eyes test, psych test, team & leadership assessment, intellectual assessment, find this document, copy that certificate... I'm going nuts!

They sent us in orbit the first day, so we got a taste of what's coming, but now I'm starting to understand that our first months will all be about bureaucracy and understanding how TSN actually works.

I got my schedule for next week.  Some of the classes seem pretty interesting, but I think most of them I'll find boring.  The kids here are almost all younger than me, and I seem to be the only one with a university degree.  I know it's a very pretentious thing to say, but I'm pretty sure I'll know more about the alien species than the teachers.

There was a girl, too.  Mary, I think, her name.

Monday 18 March 2013

Earth at 16

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

As a kid who'd spent his life on a distant colony, travelling to Earth for a month at 16 was a real recipe for disaster.

That year, it wasn't the Colgans who came to meet me at Terminal 8.  Instead, I was greated by none other than the terrible child Yoraìn Greene himself.

He kept on saying how he couldn't wait to hear about space travel, yet he wouldn't stop talking.  I'd mostly just laugh as his lame stories about girls, drinks and games.

Yoraìn was, as usual, very polite and well-mannered in front of my grand-parents.  For my part, I hardly had the time to drop my stuff at the Colgans' and hug Grand-Mother before he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me outside.

The sun was shining, it smelled good, the girls were beautiful and Yoraìn was pretending to be Oscar Wilde.

Fifteen minutes later, it started pouring rain.  We walked to the nearest pub and then I woke up sick, wondering where time had gone.  It was my first experience with drinking.  The Colgans weren't going to be too impressed, but I knew they'd let it slip as long as it didn't become a habit.  I could hear them in the distance talking with Yoraìn, probably lecturing him.

He sent me a message later, saying he was sorry, and that he should've taken into account that this lifestyle wasn't one I was used to, on New Lhasa, and that to make it up he'd pay me the next round that night.

Thursday 14 March 2013

About an old friend

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

I got a call from Yoraìn this morning. That sure was a nice suprise. He wants us to go down a few pints this weekend. Can't wait to have news!

Yoraìn was an Irish kid I met the very first day I set foot on Earth, at 8 years old.

I'll always remember that day. The landing was as boring as it got. Cpt. Manx and I left the Majanta while in high orbit to rendez-vous with the orbit-to-surface shuttle. The O-S shuttle looked like a wide glider. With a wing span no less than 500 meters, its central cabin could easily hold over 300 people. Earth had dozens like it constantly being assembled in orbit, launched planet-side, quickly disassembled on the surface, and sent back in orbit via surface-to-orbit rocket. From my tiny porthole, I couldn't see Earth itself, but I had a magnificent view of the moon. Contrary to my expectations, Earth orbit felt quiet, as I couldn't see any sort of space traffic.

Landing was impressive, but overall quiet. Of course, it was raining in Dublin. We were still inside the O-S shuttle, but I had a clear view of the action on the ground as the shuttle was towed. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. People walking outside, totally oblivious to the masses of water falling from the sky. Cpt. Manx was smiling.

"Always feels good to be home, right, kid?" He laughed quietly.

The following hours were long and boring - especially to an 8-years-old who didn't care for decontamination, citizenship validation and general paperwork. I didn't realize at the time how much Cpt. Manx went out of his way to make sure I'd make it to my grand-parents, the Colgans.

Then that was it. I was standing outside Dublin's Terminal 8, their famous spaceport. The Colgans were quick to find Cpt. Manx and I. Regardless of their insistence, Cpt. Manx refused their invitation to stay the night. Instead, he hugged me and told me he'd call in a month or so, when they would be ready to head back to New Lhasa. A month. Felt like a lifetime. Suddenly, I was totally alone. I followed the Colgans in the train, but just then realized they were strangers. I was soaked, afraid, tired and already hurting from Earth's gravitation. This trip had been a bad idea to begin with.

We made it to their home, a cozy apartment in the city's south side. I had seen a picture before, but I couldn't guess which one it was. All the buildings in the large street looked the same: three stories high bricked relics from the past, covered in vines and hanging gardens. It was impressive, for sure. It was seconds after jumping out of the train that Yoraìn showed up. He looked the same age as I, and had that totally mischievous look the Irish can sometimes have. He looked fat and bulky, but I now know that it was I, grown to New Lhasa's 0.7g, that was tall and frail. He extended a hand and said something that sounded 100% alien. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there, and turned to look at the Colgans, who laughed. I was terrified. Yoraìn laughed as well, retracted his offer for a hand-shake and instead punched me on the shoulder. I still didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I did nothing. Grand-Ma Colgan told Yoraìn he could come knock in a few days and then I'd be happy to tell him all about my travel through space.

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Of little interest

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

Nothing too exciting, today.  I mostly stayed here at the Colgans' and played games.

Namely, I tried "Ripe Ache", an immersive fantasy where you're put in rooms and you have to figure out how to escape using different skills and magic.  It was intense for sure, but nothing mind-breaking, or memorable.  It was full multi-sensorial, so the illusion was really good.  But I've had better.

There are more and more reports of Kralien attacks on the colonies.  They haven't touched New Lhasa, and aren't even close, but still.  Rumor is that they are using our own jump gates.

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Culture clash

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

You know what's funny?  How Earth citizens still think they're alone in the universe, and that everybody everywhere lives like them.  They're so self-sufficient, so far off from any military presence, and they're so comfortable here in relative peace and quiet, that they forget that there's a whole galaxy bursting with life, and hardship.  

On New Lhasa, we are always struggling, and always waiting for the next shipment from the USFP to arrive.  We're always dependent on outside technology and resources.  Even if New Lhasa's at an advanced stage in its terraforming process, the planet is still extremely harsh and uncomfortable.  We hang on because we all know we have a duty, and we have to work hard to ensure the propagation of the human race and values of peace and equality.

Also noteworthy is the size of the colonies.  We're talking about 170,000 people on the whole planet.  This sure gives you a sense of collectivity.  Knowing who exactly we're working for sure gives the whole process a deeper meaning than just going to work for a pay depo. 

But on Earth? It's always like "just another day": go to work, have a drink, pass time, discuss politics...

Monday 11 March 2013

About learning I'd travel through space

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

So, about how I could make it to Earth as a kid...

Father's parents are wealthy enough to pay for passage to Earth, but they always asked that we pay for the transportation.  Of course, transportation to Earth usually costs a lifetime of average income - double that if you want suspension.  

I was 8 the first time my mother got the invitation from Earth.  I didn't understand why she was so happy.  Of course, I'd heard everything about Earth: endless seas, dense forests, cities within cities within cities... but I'd never considered the possibility of actually going.  Earth citizenship was to me nothing but an abstract concept that could one day get me out of New Lhasa.  A real trip to Earth?  I remember casually telling my friends, waving a disinterested hand at the notion, but quite honestly I was terrorized.

Jania Moreau was also insanely nervous.  She was my mother, and like she kindly reminded me over and over, it was her job to worry about me.  But she'd also insist on how fear could be a great guide.  How fear was the clearest sign of a step we needed to take in order to better ourselves.  She said fear was a biological reaction to a dangerous situation, but that modern technology had pretty much rid us of actually dangerous situations.  That left fear as a response to mental challenges, and those were the most important ones to overcome.

Well, Jania certainly didn't have space travel in mind when she went on her lecturing bouts about fear.  Technology having rid us of dangerous situations?  Tell that to the 4% space farers whose warp drive led them totally out of bounds, leaving them stranded for months, sometimes years in deep space (that is - if they ever did find energy to make their way back).  Tell that to the 1 out of 4 travelers in suspension who'd end up with radiation poisoning and in need of artificial organ transplant upon arrival.  Tell that to the dozen ships in our sector alone who got blown to pieces by Ks.

No, she was right to be nervous.  But she also felt she couldn't deny her only son that wondrous privilege: Earth.

Sunday 10 March 2013

Academy day 1: Sitting in Mess Hall

Academy Station AS3, Earth Orbit, Sol System

I'm aboard the Acadamy AS3 station. I wasn't expecting such a huge station.

We were told to report in mess hall for 2030. I've been here for 20 minutes with another two cadets: Cdt. Ryan and Cdt. Satoshi, and one Ensign Geiken. Nobody's really talking, except for the occasional "know what's going on?", "I saw some cadets heading for hangar bay, maybe we should go see?" and "so.. is this where we're supposed to meet?"

I think everybody's nervous. We'll be running some sims, tonight. I've never operated an actual TSN vessel coms station, so I don't know how that'll turn out.

Lt. Feltes just came in and informed us the simulator's glitchy. It should be another 10 minutes before another one free up.

As usual, everybody's struggling with my name. Mooroo? Mor-ah-oo? I think I'll tack phonetics under my ID badge : MOH-ROH =P

Ah! Lt. Feltes is back. Here's our call! Wish me luck.

Saturday 9 March 2013

Joined the TSN!

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

That's it! My application for the Terran Stellar Navy has been accepted! Maybe I could man a station! Maybe I'll even get to step on an Artemis-class spaceship bridge! Maybe my childhood dreams of Captaining a ship aren't that far beyond! But for now, let's just focus on the present and celebrate this small victory. I'll probably just be washing dishes for a while.

In an case, I never thought I'd be so happy about a career. Things sure have changed...

More importantly, I never thought I'd follow in my father's footsteps. Hopefully I can become as good a soldier as Maman says he was, and remain as good a human being as Grand-Père.

But now, off to celebrations!

Friday 8 March 2013

There's always a first time..!

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

Because of her reputation as a Xeno-anthropologist, my mother, Jania, had been to Earth a few times.  She even made it to Dublin, once, where she was making a presentation at Trinity College about the Kralien Zeal (what she calls the Ks equivalent to religious faith).  Of course, she made is farther south of the Liffey to meet my father's parents.  The Colgans had never met her, and only had the occasional news about me, but were more than welcoming.  They treated her like a daughter, even though my parents had only dated briefly before my father died.  I guess they saw in Jania an extension of their relationship with him.  From her perspective, it was obvious that the relationship was silly, and wouldn't have lasted more than a few weeks after my father was stationed elsewhere.  But, out of respect, she never told the Colgans.

So there I was, 8 years old, sitting at the dinner table, watching my mother contact a bunch of friends to try to arrange a trip to Earth.  It took only a few calls to find a transport that would take me on board: the Majanta.  It was captained by an old romantic interest of my mother's, Captain Kurell Manx.  Cpt. Manx was (and still is) a fun-loving, ex-navy slacker who did cargo jobs for universities and research centers.  He specialized in the transport of ancient and alien relics and had acquired pretty much every forcefield available on the market.  An honest man, with a good heart, and an ever better thirst.

I was given a place, provided I could handled dishes.  Hahaha.  Dishes.  I think, to this day, I still dream of dishes.  I was 8 then, and by the time I was 9, I knew everything there was to know about dishes.  But then, I also knew everything there was to know about flying a spaceship.  I knew the terrible secret of spaceship bridges: Helm, Tactics and Command got all the credit (and the paycheck), but once they were launched, Science and Comms did the only work on board while the rest of the crew drank and gambled in the airlock.  I also learned another secret about flying spaceships: it isn't that hard.  It's mostly about making decisions, and letting the computers execute them.

Thursday 7 March 2013

What on Earth...

Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

I realized I should explain what I'm doing on Earth.  It's not that grand of a reason, frankly.

I am visiting the grand-parents (from Father's side) this month.  I am extemely lucky to have family here on the Mother World.  Probably the only good thing Father left me when he died.  When my mother was pregnant, I was considered too illegitimate to be allowed Death-In-Service compensation.  However, before I reached 5, my father's family applied for DNA testing so I could have Earth citizenship.  It was easily granted, and, starting a few years later, I've been travelling here to Dublin for a month or so every other year.

While this may represent a lot of travel for such a short stay, the flight has always been a wonderful experience.  Every time.  In fact, I've always been fascinated with space travel.  The magic of it all is just... wow - there's just no way to describe the beauty of a star field, the poetry of weightlessness, or the grandeur of a Nebulae.  Now, you may be asking yourself.. if a guy can afford going to Earth, can't he pay the extra for suspension?  Well, obviously, the answer is: no.

Wednesday 6 March 2013

The Call of Duty


Dublin (Ireland), Earth, Sol System

Big news: I'm applying at the TSN Academy.  I know they have highly limited enrolment, and even more limited chances of actually making it to Cadet, but, the Hell with it - I'm applying.  Hey - what better time than now!  TSN has an office here in Dublin, and I have time on my hands to prepare the application.

I've always dreamed of being a Navy Captain, like the heroes we hear so much about.  Maybe it's more possible than I thought?

I think that, after basic training, I'll enroll in the Communications Corps.  I know it isn't the most glamorous position, and certainly not one that birthed TSN a lot of Captains and war heroes, but I consider it one of the most, if not THE most, important role in a bridge's crew.  Besides, I think I'd be pretty good, given my background in Xenopsychology and my experience in space travel aboard the Majanta.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

My name is Horacius Moreau

My name is Horacius Moreau.  Most people just call me Moreau.  Would-be friends call me Ace, but that's always felt awkward.  Not that I have low self-esteem - I'm actually very good at what I do.  I'm just not the pilot jock the name "Ace" feels like.

I was born in La Paz, New Lhasa's capital.  "Capital".  Heh - feels important when put this way.  But it's hardly more than a village among a handful of villages on a remote colony.  Most people wrongly think New Lhasa is now a big and important planet because of its historic importance, but frankly it's as insignificant as it ever was.  Mostly a conservative nest of backward peasants (sorry Mom).

When New Lhasa was settled, in 2162, travel was mostly restricted to the 5% temperate zone close to the world's equatorial line.  The rest was too cold and rocky.  Terraforming, at its debut, was a very long process.  My grand-parents knew they wouldn't breath fresh air for pretty much of their lives.  But there was no hurry.

It wasn't before 2173 that the USFP started showing an authentic interest for New Lhasa.  An artificial satellite had been discovered.  Its origin was unknown, and it was still emitting.  Everybody was excited.  Scientific teams all the way from Earth came to break it apart and analyse it.  That's probably what alerted the Kraliens that someone had made it to New Lhasa.  Their planet.

Their claim for the small world was in a way justified - it had been almost 100 years since they had discovered the beautiful world: decent gravity, thick atmosphere, perfect for terraforming... It was almost ready for colonization.  Then we came and initiated our own terraforming process.  The rest is history.  The 2175 attack, the following war... Books call it a border dispute.  Obviously, they weren't raise on a planet that quickly became the first TSN outpost.

And that is where and when and how I was born.  My father was a wreckless scout pilot who would probably have left my mother weeks after his deployment ended, hadn't he died in a skirmish with the Ks.  My mother was the only local scientist who was assigned to the study of the New Lhasa Kralien satellite.  She's since become something of a notoriety in the field of alien studies, specialized in K technology.