Frontier: Book One - The Space Cadets (6 page)

“You know,
Star
Trek?
”

“I haven
’
t seen much TV.”

“Oh, well, given that we live
here, now -- it should be required viewing.”

After rounding a few corners and
traveling down similar-looking corridors that offered tantalizing
glances at the rooms within -- some with games, some with
simulators, others showing well-stocked gymnasiums -- they finally
reached the destination flagged on their links as their
quarters.

After Major Carter’s pep talk,
they were expecting a basic, utilitarian apartment. They opened the
door, and gasped simultaneously. Their quarters were
gorgeous
. Built around an enormous bay window that protruded
from the side of the station, giving a 270-degree view of space,
they each had a bedroom, equipped with the latest and greatest in
terminals. A shared kitchen and entertainment area capped off the
common area.

Their bags had been thoughtfully
delivered into the room, and were waiting for them.

“This is better than a
hotel!”

“I
’
ve
never been in a hotel,” said Soo-Kyung, matter-of-factly. “But this
seems excessive.”

“I
’
m not
complaining!”

“Agreed.”

Soo-Kyung stood in the bay window,
leaning out and looking along the rim of the station. “It appears
that all the living quarters are similar. See how the windows
blister out?”

Aisha nodded. “Yeah. I wonder if
they have curtains.” She nodded her head in the direction of an
apartment below them, where two boys were walking around
shirtless.

Soo-Kyung giggled nervously. “Good
thing the bedrooms are on the back wall, away from the
windows!”

Between the bedrooms, directly
behind the kitchen was a small shower stall.

“
Water is a precious commodity in
space,” said Soo-Kyung, pointing at how the arrangement made the
kitchen, shower and toilet plumbing fork off from the same source.
“We probably recycle much of what we use.”

Aisha peered at the stingy-looking
shower head. “I
’
m sure we
’
ll get used to it.”

Soo-Kyung shook her head.
“Spoiled!”

Aisha laughed and raised her hands
in defense. “You got me.”

She walked back to the common area
and took a stool at the main counter. Calling up the school
schedule, she realized something. “It
’
s
late,” said Aisha. “Station time.”

Soo-Kyung nodded. “And we have
orientation first-thing tomorrow. Better get some
sleep.”

“
Which room would you
prefer?”

Soo-Kyung looked
from bedroom to bedroom.
“
They
’
re identical.
”

“
But you still need to pick
one.”

“
So do you.”

“
I’
m
trying to be nice and give you first pick.”

“
Oh,” said Soo-Kyung, finally. “In
that case, this one.”

She pointed at the bedroom behind
the common area, furthest from the kitchen.

“
Suits me,” said Aisha. “Good
night, Roomie.”

“
Good night,” came the reply.
Soo-Kyung was picking her words carefully. “Roomie.”

***

The bed lay in an alcove in the
bedroom, with what looked like a window, covered by a metal panel
beside it. Aisha had finally been able to change, and Soo-Kyung
didn
’
t spend much time in the shower, so,
refreshed and changed, she was ready for bed. The
‘
window
’
had a control button
and handle. Gingerly, she reached out and touched the panel. The
panel slid up, revealing a large video screen. Presently it showed
fields and rolling hills outside. A reminder of home. She felt like
she was sitting in a French cottage, enjoying the
countryside!

Smart
, she thought.
One
of the few places on the station where we can have solace, so they
give us views of home.
Aisha touched a panel, and was looking
out at a big city. Another touch, and she was on a boat in the
middle of the ocean.
They can
’
t
have us going crazy in here.

She liked the ocean, and heard the
soothing sounds of lapping waves. She lay back, and reached that
moment when you are about to drift off to sleep, but not quite
there, when the doorbell rang.

She stumbled sleepily towards the
door, but before she could reach it, Soo-Kyung
’
s hand was on her arm.

“
Wait,” said Soo-Kyung.
“You
’
re not fully dressed.”

Then she noticed that her roommate
was in full uniform. Aisha had seen one hanging in her closet but
hadn
’
t tried it on.

“
Why do I need to be
dressed?”

“
Our first night in the school?
I
’
m sure
there
’
s a special
student
welcome
.
”

“
Oh.”

Aisha turned back towards her
room, while Soo-Kyung stalled whomever was at the door. Quickly,
she slipped into her uniform.

On first glance, it looked like it
would be too tight, and too form-fitting. In reality, it was
extremely comfortable. She tested it by stretching and bending and
it held very well. Despite its tightness, it was padded slightly
with a gel-like material.

It made sense -- in weightless
conditions, it was easy to bump into things and the padding in the
uniform would protect her from minor scrapes and
bruises.

The tightness also meant that the
uniform wouldn
’
t get caught on surfaces,
and potentially cause injury.

The shoes on the other hand were
bulky, leather, masculine monstrosities. She took one off and
looked at it. Bending it in her hand, she felt its strength and
springiness.

They looked like they
’
d be great for jumping. It might be fun to try them
out in weightless conditions.

She heard Soo-Kyung call the
all-clear and stepped back into the apartment.

Two boys were waiting in the foyer
with Soo-Kyung, in full uniform. She recognized one of them as the
Canadian boy, Smith, from disembarkation.

“
Good evening,
”
he said.
“
I guess we are your welcoming
committee.
”

Someday we will go to the stars. I
will not be around to see that day, but, from what I’ve learned, it
will happen in your generation. We are closer than you might
possibly think. If nothing else, I want you to go there. I’m asking
your mother to make sure that whenever an avenue opens up for you,
that she push you through that doorway as much as possible. You
don’t understand why, but maybe someday, you will…

Soo-Kyung
folded
her arms and faced them
down.
“Welcoming committee? You expect me to believe
that?”

Smith smiled, warmly.
“Yes.”

“
I’
ve
been in academies before, and by welcoming, they usually mean
hazing
.”

“
Not here. We
’
ve come to just show you around, help you to get to
know the place before classes begin.”

“
And you expect me to believe
that?”

“
I really don
’
t know what to expect, I can only tell you that
I
’
m speaking the truth.”

The other boy stepped forward. His
nameplate bore the tricolored flag of Ireland and the name Murphy.
“Soo-Kyung,” he said. “I can understand how all of this might seem
unusual, but, to be honest we
requested
to work with you
guys, for the very reason that you might be worried about hazing,
and we
’
re here to prevent anything like
that.”

Aisha raised an eyebrow. “How do
you know her name? It
’
s not on her
nameplate. That only reads as
‘
Kim.
’
”

“
We know a lot more about you than
you might think,” said Murphy. “And we are on your
side.”

He looked over his shoulder out
into the corridor, and then he and Smith exchanged glances. Smith
nodded, and Murphy continued. “It would be great to show you around
this place.”

There was something about his
voice that gave Aisha pause. Soo-Kyung seemed to notice it too. It
was like Smith had something to say, but didn
’
t want to say it
here
. He seemed trustworthy
and sincere enough.

Soo-Kyung met her eye and nodded.
“I
’
m not sleepy yet. Maybe a short walk
around the station will help. I
’
m so
curious about what
’
s out
there.”

“
Agreed.”

She gestured to the boys to lead
the way. They smiled and walked out.

It felt like a double date when
they paired up. Aisha couldn
’
t help but
wonder if Soo-Kyung deliberately took the Irish boy, whose name she
discovered was Seamus, so that Aisha could spend some time with
Smith. Her friend had already noted Aisha
’
s instant attraction to him. Or maybe it was the
other way around. She felt confused. Maybe that meant she really
did
like him.

Smith, for the most part was
quiet, smiling gently and pointing out the essentials. The station
was designed to be extensible, and had been extended many times.
Each
‘
section
’
was a large wheel, and the rotation of that wheel provided
artificial gravity. The habitat was at the very outside rim of the
wheel.

“
You would expect the floor to be
curved, and for it to feel like we
’
re
always walking uphill,” he said. “And, to be honest, it is. But it
has been carefully designed so that there are no long corridors.
Apartments and rooms
‘
stick
out
’
into the corridor, so that our
distance view is blocked.”

He was right -- she had wondered
why their course was a zig-zag one, but it made perfect sense. This
way, even though they were in a gigantic wheel, it felt like they
were walking on a flat surface. With their eyes being fooled, their
brains were too. It was one small thing that made life in space
that little bit easier.

“
Right now there are ten
sections,” said Seamus. “Six of them rotate at a speed that
emulates Earth
’
s gravity. One emulates the
moon, one emulates Mars.”

“
What about the other
two?”

“
Nobody is telling.”

Soo-Kyung stopped, and looked him
in the eye. “Other planets?”

“
We think so.”

“
We?”

“
It
’
s
something I didn
’
t want to talk about in
the apartment,” said Smith. “But yes,
we
are keeping an eye
on what
’
s going on around here.
What
’
s
really
going on.”

“
But we just got here.”

“
I know,” interjected Seamus,
before she could finish. “And many of our group worried that you
might be on their side.”

“
Their?”

“
Those who run this place. The
ones keeping the truth from the rest of us.”

“
I have no idea what
you
’
re talking about.”

“
I know,” said Seamus. “When we
heard about the whole open-enrollment thing, some of our suspicions
were confirmed. So we gained access to their records, and
researched most of the new kids coming aboard. You two are
different.”

Aisha stopped.
“Different?”

“
Because we
’
re celebrities,” said Soo-Kyung,
matter-of-factly.

“
Not
because
you are, but
why
you are,” said Smith.

They walked on in silence for a
while. The girls not knowing what to say, the guys not knowing if
they should discuss it further.

Finally, Seamus broke the silence,
addressing Soo-Kyung directly. “My country and yours are very
similar in many ways,” he said, looking her in the eye. “Divided
north and south, primarily because of foreign powers. Lots of
violence and lots of death, but nothing changes.”

She stopped in her tracks, looking
at him directly with a
‘
you
’
re not serious
’
expression
on her face.

“
So,” he continued. “When I heard
they were doing open enrollment, I started looking into who they
were going to bring in, and why. You jumped to the top of my
list.”