Moon: LILLIAN (satellite of Eqos)

System: NETO

Sector: PROSPECT

Date: 18-JUL-2432

Lillian is two thousand seven hundred and eighteen miles in diameter. The planet it orbits, Eqos, is four thousand one hundred and twelve miles in diameter. The two celestial bodies are the home of human colonists from the Federation of Sol Systems. The colonists for Eqos were mostly reserved for the brightest or most fit of humans, due to the Federation wanting Eqos to be a research planet. However, less intelligent humans were allowed for lower class manual labor, but this was very controlled and adherence to the rules were strict to keep order and to preserve research.

The humans colonized Eqos first, and eventually turned Lillian into a second home using a network of biodomes so the imported miners could have a permanent home while they harvested resources from the moon. This also made it easier for the harvested materials to be transported to wherever it needed to go and allowed for easier colonization of other moons in the Neto System.

Over time, the Lilian biodomes advanced, and Lillian's mining networks became pockets of terrariums and miniature states. One of these terrariums is called the Dumas Biodome, named after Sire Dumas, who not only managed the mining network the dome is built around, but he also had an impressive record of thirty years of no missed workdays and zero vacations. The Eqos Mining Company loved him for that, so they named the biodome after him in his honor.

Fast forward a few decades, and now the Dumas Biodome is ruled by the Thorntons. Specifically, Tobias Thornton, and his wife, Cassandra Thornton, ruled by his side. Together they have eighteen children because the stars aligned when the two exceptionally fertile humans got together. Low fertility is a horrible problem for the humans of the Federation of Sol Systems, but for the anomaly that is Thornton genetics do not have that issue.

However, this story is not about them, this story is about daughter number nine, or child number eleven, Prunella Honey Thornton.

*****

At the Thornton Estate, Honey is at a workbench in a brightly lit shed, wearing a full body, padded jumpsuit with heavy gloves and boots, and wearing dark goggles that analyzed and provided measurements for her to use as she worked on her device. Strapped to her back is a brace with magnetic strips. Her curly blonde hair is tied back, and on her workbench is a set of tools that she is using to make final adjustments to her device.

Above the workbench is a series of blueprints showing a mechanical rectangle, an advanced hammer stage, and a cannon stage. On the blueprints is the label "Thor-Ton", plus a smiley face.

After Honey finishes tightening a few screws, she spins it on its levitation display and uses her goggles to zoom in and out to search for any imperfections on the device. With every successful inspection, she changes its position and inspects it some more. After every side is inspected with the needed adjustments made, she smiles proudly and picks up her device. Then she puts it on her back and heads to a door with a red band on its frame and an orb above it.

The orb scans Honey as she approaches the door. The red bands change to green, and the door slides open, revealing lush, raised gardens, decorative bushes, and thick green grass stretching for hundreds of feet. The property is surrounded by a stone wall made from Lillian's rocks, which are various shades of gray and black.

Large UV beams gradually move on a rail system to mimic the sunlight from the system's star, Neto, and past the dome is Eqos. It is easy to see the continents and various biospheres on the planet from Lillian, and while Honey has never been to Eqos, she is hoping that she will get her chance soon.

Honey makes her way to Thornton Estate with a giddy smile. The large house is pressed against a rock wall, where the dome meets Lillian's surface. It is a Baroque style house with a circular roof flanked by house wings with three levels. Each level has a porch, and the masonry is decorated with various planets and historical events significant to Lillian, the Dumas Biodome, and Eqos.

There are also four flags at the front of the house, which are surrounded by a ring of constantly moving water that is populated with small fish. The largest of the flags is the Federation of Sol Systems, with its golden Sculptor constellation and gold wreath proudly displayed on the white fabric; next is the Neto System flag, which is a gold sun being flanked by angels and a white background; the Eqos flag has a sun with an atom in it and a blue background; and lastly is Lillian's flag, depicting a pair of crossed over pickaxes on a gray background.

As Honey walks to the front door, she passes an automated lawn mower trimming the grass. She enters the house after being scanned by an orb. The interior is large and spacious with all the colors being shades of brown and green. Fine tile covers the floor, decorated pillars hold up the ceiling, a grand staircase leads to the second and third levels, and many chandeliers and lamps give it a warm light.

Honey's excited footsteps echo in the house, and she passes various photos of people in mining uniforms and military uniforms. She passes the stairs and goes to a large door decorated with engravings of miners carving out a mountain. The door frame is also lit with red bands and an orb is above the door.

Honey knocks, and an intercom box nearby turns on.

"Who is it?" asks a man on the other side.

"It's me, dad," says Honey brightly.

The intercom turns off, the red bands turn to green, and the door slides open, revealing the Thornton Estate Library. It is a circular room with bookshelves filled to the limit with books and CDs. A ring of miniature holographic projectors shines down on the floor, creating a scenic battle involving muskets and cannons. As Honey walks through the scene, the hologram disappears, and a man in his forties approaches her. He is dressed in a fluffy green bathrobe; his skin tone is fair, but faded pink scars mark his body from his neck down to his hands, and his blonde hair is mere fuzz on his head. This is Tobias Thornton, and he smiles at Honey as she approaches him.

"Done with your work?" says Tobias.

"I am," says Honey. "I fixed all the little mistakes in Thor-Ton, and now he is at the top of his game!"

"Did you, now?" asks Tobias.

Honey nods and Tobias holds out his hands.

"Let me see," he says.

Honey unclips Thor-Ton from her back and gives it to Tobias. Upon grabbing it, he grunts and almost drops it, and he gives Honey a strained smile.

"It's a bit on the heavy side," says Tobias.

"I wanted to make sure no one could steal it easily."

"You certainly accomplished your mission. Is it DNA locked?"

"I need your help for that."

"We can do that later. Did you test this after you made the adjustments?"

"I didn't think I needed to since I already knew what the problems were and now those problems are fixed."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Tobias frowns, and Honey cringes.

"You're getting ahead of yourself again," says Tobias.

"Can we test out Thor-Ton right now?" asks Honey.

Tobias returns the weapon to her. "Sounds like a good idea."

Honey clips Thor-Ton on her back, and the two leave the library. Upon exiting, a small group of children of various ages run past them, shouting, and hitting each other with foam noodles. Following them is a pregnant woman near Tobias's age; she is tired with frazzled light brown hair, and the eighteen children plus the nineteenth pregnancy have taking their toll on her. This is Cassandra Thornton. With Cassandra are a few teenagers, all definite offspring of the Thorntons.

"Pool time?" asks Tobias.

"Pool time," says Cassandra.

Tobias looks at the teenagers. "You're going to behave for your mother, right?"

"Yes sir," they say over each other.

"Good. Have fun at the pool. I'll be there if I can."

Cassandra looks at Honey, then at the weapon clipped to her back, and she groans. "Are you still caught up in your ridiculous dream?"

"I am," says Honey proudly.

Cassandra looks at Tobias. "This is your fault."

"No, it isn't. She's old enough to make her decisions. I'm just helping her achieve her goals," says Tobias.

Cassandra sighs and looks at Honey with a mix of annoyance and worry. "Just be careful with that thing."

"I will. Have fun at the pool," says Honey. She looks at her siblings and points at them sternly. "And you rascals help her in every way you can."

"Of course we'll help. That's why we're going," says one of the teenagers.

"Uh huh. Sure. I believe you. You're definitely going to help mom and not because you want to go in the pool," says Honey.

"Well, we're helping mother while you're playing with your toy," says another teenager sourly.

"This is not a toy. This is a weapon of great devastation!" claims Honey.

"It probably still sucks, anyway," accuses another teenager.

"Do you want me to test it on your birthday car?" asks Honey darkly.

"Alright, that's enough, all of you. Enjoy your time at the pool," says Tobias. He and Cassandra then exchange kisses and he rubs her hair. "Have fun."

"I will if they behave," says Cassandra.

"They will."

Tobias looks at the teenagers and children sternly, and they all nod quickly. Tobias smiles and motions them away.

"Have fun," says Tobias.

Cassandra and her children leave for the pool after that, and Tobias puts his hand on Honey's back and escorts her to their destination. And they take the long way to avoid the line of cars in their possessions.

That said, even with the detour, it isn't a far walk. The location is in a secluded part of the backyard. Craters of various sizes are scattered about, destroyed targets litter the area, and warning signs mark the perimeter.

Tobias goes to a locked chest and pulls out a pair of earmuffs and a tablet. He puts one on the table near Honey and slips another over his ears. He stands behind Honey while she adjusts her grip on Thor-Ton at a heavy table locked down with cement bricks. She turns a dial on the side of the device, and the rectangle expands, a grip and trigger slide out, and the front opens to reveal a swirling ball of blue and white energy inside the barrel. It crackles and hums, and Tobias types in a command on the tablet that brings out a drone from a small building behind them. The drone carries a man shaped target made of ballistic gel and lowers it to the ground at a decent distance from the pair.

After the target is set, the drone flies away and Tobias taps Honey's shoulder. She looks at him, and he taps his earmuffs, which prompts Honey to put on the earmuffs that are lying on the table. Once she has those on, she readies, aims, and fires on his command. The recoil jerks her body, and there is a burst of blue energy that streaks across the lawn and strikes the target in the chest. The target is blown to bits, and Honey giggles while blue tinted exhaust pours from the barrel and exhaust ports on the side.

"Works like a charm!" says Honey.

"Let's do a few more tests. Turn your weapon's settings up, too. I want to see how it handles," says Tobias.

Honey nods and turns the dial on Thor-Ton. The weapon hums louder and the barrel glows brighter. A drone places another ballistic gel target in the shooting range, but farther than the previous target.

"Get ready. Steady yourself. And remember, aim small, miss small," instructs Tobias.

Honey nods, and she adjusts her position and aims down the sight. The weapon's weight is countered by Honey's modifications, but even she struggles to keep it steady. However, with some concentration, she lines up the cross hair with her target.

"Are you ready?" asks Tobias.

"I'm ready," replies Honey.

"Fire!"

The blast from the cannon shakes the area, and the blue projectile tears through the target and detonates against the mountainside on their property. The ballistic gel is dissolved while the grass around it burns and a trail of torn ground leads to the destruction.

Honey lowers her weapon, giggling and shaking while Tobias stares at the carnage with wide eyes.

"You weren't exaggerating when you said you made adjustments," says Tobias.

"Can I shoot more targets?" asks Honey eagerly.

"Turn down the settings before we get started on the next batch. There are plenty of gel targets, but I don't want the mountainside to collapse."

Honey turns down the setting, and Tobias rubs his chin.

"Let's see how fast you can reload while we're out here, too," he says.

"Of course!" says Honey cheerfully.

*****

The next hour goes by fast as Honey tests her weapon against the targets. During her shooting, she works on her speed of reloading the batteries. Part of her adjustments was a slot for easy ejection and insertion of batteries, and Honey's hands moved quickly in replacing the spent batteries. The empty batteries are placed on chargers that Tobias brought out, and after she has gone through all five of her batteries, Tobias calls it quits.

"That's enough for today," says Tobias.

Honey lowers Thor-Ton and stares at the field. Burnt and melted ballistic gel is scattered on the crater pocketed grass, and there is more damage to the mountainside. Thin trails of smoke rise, and drones fly around, scavenging the ballistic gel bits to collect in containers.

Honey retracts her weapon into its rectangular form, and she clips it on her back and grins at Tobias.

"That was fun!" says Honey.

"Yes, you did very good. The speed of reloading has improved, the strength of the weapon has also improved. I've also noticed it didn't catch on fire this time, so that is a major improvement. But now that we're done with this, I'd like to talk to you about your other choice. Come with me to my library," says Tobias.

His tone was heavy, so Honey's smile disappears, and she quietly follows him back to the manor. When they enter the Thornton Estate library, Tobias motions Honey to have a seat while he goes to his desk to grab an envelope.

Honey removes Thor-Ton from her back and sets it down next to her, and Tobias sits down across from her and holds the envelope in his hands, his eyes hard and his lips tight. He is silent for a few seconds. His thumb rubs the envelope and his eyes stare at the wax sealing it. Before he starts speaking, he lifts his eyes and looks at Honey's worried face.

"Prunella, I need to know, do you really want to do this?" asks Tobias.

Honey stiffens. Her father only uses her first name when she is either in trouble or when he is worried.

"Do you really want to join the Academy of Irregular Defense?" presses Tobias.

"I do," says Honey.

Tobias is silent for a few seconds, his eyes search Honey's face. Then he breathes heavily through his nose, looks at the envelope in his hands, and back at Honey.

"Alright," says Tobias.

He gives her the envelope, and she sees that it is addressed to the Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office- Summit City Branch. Her heart races with excitement, and her lips twitch. The only reason why she is not allowing her smile through is because she can see the worry her father has. She not only sees it, but it feels as though the air around them has gotten heavier.

"You're old enough to make your decisions, so I will not stop you. I will support you for as long as you can go. But I must warn you, it is not enough to have just a heart. You need skill and grit to reinforce that heart. It is not easy to do what you want to do," says Tobias.

"But you did it," says Honey.

"You're right, but I am me and you are you. We're not the same people."

Honey's posture dips, and Tobias grabs her shoulder and looks into her blue eyes.

"But you are still my daughter. You have more of my genetics than your mother's, so I know you can do this if you truly want it. Just remember that you are doing this for you and only you."

Honey nods. Tobias releases her shoulder and sits stiffly in his chair.

"In that envelope is everything you will need to join the Academy of Irregular Defense. There is a letter of recommendation from me, a copy of the bloodwork that you took two months ago, and genetic receipt to prove your lineage to me."

Honey looks at the envelope, and Tobias takes a deep, heavy breath.

"There is a ship leaving for Eqos in two weeks. You're going to take it down there, and you will go to the Summit City Recruitment Office with that envelope. Once they confirm who you are, you will have one more week to decide if you want to do this or walk away. I will not be ashamed of you if you choose to walk away, either. The Irregular Defense Force is not easy. It is one of the most intense militias in the Federation of Sol Systems."

Honey nods. "I know, dad. But I want to do this."

"Alright... Just do your best. That's all I want from you."

Honey smiles. "I won't let you down. I promise."

Tobias nods. "I know you'll try. Go get dinner prepared, and we will discuss this again tomorrow night after we have your weapon DNA locked."

"Okay," says Honey.

Honey hugs Tobias and grabs her weapon. Then she leaves the library with a skip in her steps. After she is gone, Tobias locks the door, sits at his desk, sighs heavily, and closes his eyes.