Chapter 4: Chapter 4

My newly found Avian friend and I approached our flight terminal. Standing in front of the metallic door was a knight-sergeant of the order. He was clad in his gray dress that was pressed to absolute perfection. His ribbons were centered on his left breast, just below his name tag. On top of his head was a slate gray beret with the symbol of the order stitched plainly on its surface. He stood at the ready with his arms down by his hips and glared down the hallway.

I swallowed back some of the anxiety curling around my chest and walked forward. I was ready; I've trained for this every day since I was able. I knew all the protocols by heart. However, my friend Raven looked nervous. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright. Just follow my lead." I placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a soft part.

"Yes, yes. This one just needs to be calm." She chirped out, and I gave her a slight nod. I walked forward, my heart hammering in my chest. I tilted my head and made sure my uniform was wrinkle-free as I strode down the hall. Once I arrived in front of the knight sergeant, I dropped my bag and shifted to the position of attention.

"Senior Neophyte Rhea Kade reporting for duty, sir." I clipped my words and pulled my body into the much familiar stance.

The knight sergeant stepped forward and brought forth his holographic menu. "State your serial code." His voice was deep, and his sea-blue eyes glimmered like a storm, with tiny bolts of lightning dancing through his iris. His body radiated an unbound power, and he felt like a cobra ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"534-367-0928-BXV6." I prattled off without skipping a beat. I knew my code by heart and refused to forget out of fear of the consequences, especially since I was shipping out.

The sergeant's fingers deftly moved across his screen as he matched me, number for number. "Extend your watch." He told me as he finished. I extended my wrist, and he took it and brought a square machine clad in black metal. An orange light emanated from an opening as he turned it on and ran it across my watch. I waited as he scanned my watch. Once he finished, he turned the machine off. "Welcome aboard, Senior Neophyte. Step inside the terminal, and board the ship. We depart once we get everyone registered and in. Make sure your gear gets stowed under the seat." He waved his hand across the scanner, and the door broke into four pieces and pulled back into the wall surrounding it.

I reached down and grabbed my bag and marched forward. I stepped into the terminal and was blinded by darkness for a moment as my eyes attempted to acclimate. The terminal was mostly shrouded in darkness, with the only light source being the strips by my feet and a few dull orange lights on the walls that threatened to confine me. I pushed through towards an open shuttle door that shone like a beacon in the darkness.

With a well-practiced step, I clambered onto the ship, and immediately I was bathed in a vivid shade of orange. In front of me were four columns of seats, each in a row of four that traveled down the length of the transport vessel. With a cursory glance, I saw I was the first to arrive, which was good. I took a seat in the left column in the first row, near the ship's hull, next to a window. I activated the console on the seat and quickly tucked away my bag before buckling myself in. I smoothed out the crinkles in my uniform and sat back. The seat was uncomfortable, but I would manage.

I settled in, opened up my watch, and quickly sent a message to my dad, telling him I had arrived at the terminal and would message him once I got to mars. With a quick swipe, I dismissed my screen, sat back, and looked out the window. The sun was well below the horizon, and the stars were peaking through the darkness. A few transport vessels were beginning their ascension in the distance. Humanity has come a long way since the days of the rocket. Now we have vessels that can exit the atmosphere with ease. Anything out of the system usually required the use of bigger ships.

I was torn from my thoughts a few moments later by shifting seats. I glanced to my right and saw that Raven was settling into the seat next to me. "How did it go?" I asked as I stared out the window. Mesmerized by seeing vessels coming and going like an army of ants.

"This one was very nervous but did well. This one did as instructed." She chirped and bobbed her head to emphasize her words. I felt a grin fight it's way across my face as I listened to her. Though I did my best to hide it. Raven was much like an adorable child.

"I'm glad. Are you ready to ship out?" I tore my gaze from the window and looked at Raven. She looked around the ship, twisting her head as she took in the scenery.

"Yes, yes. This one is excited to get to its new nesting area. This one has already found a friend, so this one is happy." She chirped. I nodded my head and saw movement out of the corner of my eye as people entered the ship one by one. Most of them were wearing civilian clothing, while a scarce handful wore a dress uniform. I wasn't surprised; my delayed class was pretty small. There were only about ten of us in there, with half of that ready to ship out.

With a soft smile, I nodded and was about to say something when I saw a man standing next to our row of seats. "Hi, excuse me, my name is Marcus Camden. I was told by the knight sergeant to sit next to a senior neophyte if seats were available." He had a dark skin tone, much like freshly ground coffee. His hair was shaved close to his head, and he had a slight accent. Though it was one that I wasn't familiar with. His eyes shone in the orange light, and the shadows played on the definition on his face. He looked like he worked out a bit, though he seemed a bit awkward. He wore a light blue Polo and a pair of matching pants.

"Sure, take a seat," I told him and gestured towards the empty one next to my friend. "I'm senior neophyte Rhea Kade. But just call me Kade. The Avian here is named Raven." I reached out and took his hand. His grip was firm, and I flashed him a warm smile.

"Thanks." He sat down and tucked his backpack into the compartment under his seat.

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I nodded my head and glanced at the door. More people were coming in and filling up the seats; it looked like a moderately sized group this year.

I watched the door as I looked over at everyone, mostly just out of habit, to gauge who else was coming through. Already there were at least seven rows filled. Which would total up to twenty-eight people, which didn't include my row.

After a few more moments, another row filled up with people, and no one else came for a while until a small girl who looked to be of Asian descent appeared at the shuttle door. She was close to five feet even and had almost pitched black hair that reached her shoulders. She looked around for a moment and saw that all the seats were filled with people. A look of panic crossed her eyes as she gazed across the ship's interior.

Oh, she was definitely green. I let out a quiet whistle that caught her attention and waved her over. The girl scampered over to me. She wore a black tunic and a pair of dark jeans that went along with the tunic. She had a pair of eyes that were so dark that you could almost mistake them for pen ink. A few seconds later, she reached our seats and gave us a small nod. "Thank you. My name is Ahmya Yamamoto.” With her being up close, I could see that she looked a little rough around the edges.

"Pleasure to meet you. I am senior neophyte Rhea Kade. However, you can just call me Kade. Take a seat." I told her as I gestured towards the last seat in the row. She nodded and quickly typed into the console on the seat and placed her bag in the compartment underneath.

"Thank you." She replied quietly and settled into her seat. She looked uncomfortable as it was, so I wasn't going to push it. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea, well, almost everyone. Raven decided she wanted to talk to the other two. Which I just let happen. I shifted my attention back to the outside and watched the sky, at least until I heard air escape with a hiss from the shuttle door as it closed.

"Everyone quiet, eyes forward." I quickly tore my eyes away from the outside and glued them onto the knight-sergeant. He stood at the front of the ship and gripped a handle that hung from the ceiling. "My name is Knight Sergeant Valentine. I will be your drill master for the duration of your training and your commanding officer. Moving forward, there are three things you need to know."

The ship grew silent as the man spoke. His voice grew in intensity as he spoke. His words pierced the air like a sharp blade, and his eyes glittered with that same lightning I saw earlier. "The first and last things out of your mouth when asked a question will be, Yes sir, or no sir. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" We all yelled back at the drillmaster, and he nodded his head.

"Now, for those of you who heeded my words and sat next to a senior neophyte, you are in luck. From this point forward, each row is broken into squads. You will remain in this squad until the day we discharge you from the order. If your squad has a senior neophyte, they will be the leader. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" I glanced to my right and looked at my friends with a much more critical eye. I would have to whip them into shape.

"You will eat together; you will bunk together. You will study together. You will do everything together. If one of your squadmates fails, you all fail. You will be with your squad at all times in the day without exception. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The ship shuddered, and I could feel my sense of gravity shift. The drillmaster, however, just shifted his weight as he stood, staring at us with those piercing blue eyes, and attached a harness to himself.

"You all from this moment will represent the Etheric Order. You are not to bring shame on my order or on your squad. If you do, I will personally smoke your ass until you can't walk for a week. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" He glared at us for a moment before he nodded his head. He gripped the handle tighter as I felt my body get pulled back from the strength of gravity's pull. I could feel the excitement building in my chest at the prospect of my new life. I couldn't wait.

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