Shine On, Space Cadet (Pt. 12)

It was a gruesome film, and the violence was raw, unlike many of the films Cal had seen. Growing up, they censored movies’ most gory bits, and you usually had to sign a waiver before watching it. After viewing the film, he could feel his heart pounding and the rest of the crew seemed at the edge of their seats. No wonder these sorts of films were regulated out of production, he thought. Cal felt absolutely electric. 

The days leading up to their arrival in the Blair system were one of heightened awareness. It was common practice to boost the oxygen percentage of the air on the ship in preparation for a battle. The crew was also issued vitamins to improve their cognitive function and alertness in the lead up to exiting subspace. Cal had gone through this protocol once during his training at the academy and recall some of his classmates getting a little carried away, a few fights even broke out. These were quickly broken up, but the officers applauded the young cadets in private for showing such fighting spirit. Cal could see the excitement and edginess of the crew when he did his rounds and even the cool-headed Omar was jittery with excitement while he finished loading ammunition for all the drones.

“This is what makes the job worth it, if you ask me.” said Omar before continuing, “Some people search their whole life for something this exciting, but you’ll never beat coming out of subspace and being in that command module watching those drones drop out of the bay and know you’re about to kick some ass… pardon my language sir.”

“No need, Petty Officer, I understand. I also want to put those bastards in the ground for what they’re doing.”

“Aye, sir.”

This would be the last time Cal checked in with Omar before they exited subspace. Everything had been checked and triple checked. Cal settled into bed, hardly able to sleep in his heightened state, but luckily the ship medic issued some sleeping pills for this very instance and after taking one, he fell into a blissful, dreamless sleep.

Cal awoke to an ominous red glow in his room. The ship’s lighting had been changed to indicate they were about to enter battle. He quickly got dressed and made his way to the bridge to join the Captain for their exit from subspace. When he arrived, the Captain was wearing her finest uniform and had adorned a few service medals. A two-man camera crew was on the bridge which Cal had not seen up until now. He ignored the camera crew to focus on the task at hand. The Captain leaned down towards the intercom control and made her announcement to the crew.

“Crew of the Earth Republic Ship, Turk. Prepare for exiting subspace. All gun batteries prepare to receive fire from the planet upon arrival. We will be coming in hot in the upper atmosphere, so stay alert. Godspeed, crew.”