Two weeks have passed since Honey adjusted her weapon and got it DNA locked, and now she awakens to the blaring trumpets of reveille from her clock radio. Her eyes snap open, heavy and baggy, and she hits the off button. The ruckus snaps off, and Honey stiffly rolls off her bed, wearing her full body white pajamas marked with smiling suns. She stretches, yawns, and heads for her bathroom. The bright light momentarily blinds her, and she robotically washes her face, brushes her teeth, and takes a cold shower, all within ten minutes. After the shower, she goes to her closet with a towel wrapped around her. She grips the handle and takes a slow, long breath and rests her head against the door.

The last two weeks had been hard for her, but it was necessary for what was coming. During the past two weeks, Tobias had Honey wake up early (and he came in with his own trumpet blaring when she wasn't out of bed by the time he showed up). After waking up and cleaning up, it was morning roll call (despite her being alone), recital of ranks and insignias, then a quick breakfast, followed by exercises, marches, target practice with regular weapons, which Honey found to be boring, and other activities. Every couple of days Tobias tossed in a pop quiz on the lessons and other things she needs to know when she is recruited into the Eqos Irregular Defense Force.

The two weeks of mock training had been grueling, but despite how worn out she is, Honey is grateful for those two weeks, because now she has a new level of confidence in her and is certain that she will have the edge on others. And today is the day she leaves for Eqos, too. Fortunately, she had everything packed in the travel case the night before. Even the clothes she is going to wear for today have already been picked out, so she is able to get ready quickly.

Honey opens her closet and grabs an outfit hanging on a skeleton clothes hanger. It consists of a long pink skirt, a blue underbust corset vest to go over her white button-up long sleeve shirt with pink cuffs and collar, and knee-high white socks for her blue boots, which have white tongues. She also has long fingerless gloves. Honey discards her towel, exposing her fair skin and faint blue lines that trace her limbs, sides, back, shoulders, and thighs. The two weeks of mock training has made her quick to change, and right as she finishes with tightening her belt on her skirt, she hears a familiar knock on her door.

"Come in," says Honey as she reaches for the magnetic brace that holds Thor-Ton.

Tobias enters the room, fully dressed in a casual outfit, and with a trumpet in hand. He sees Honey putting on the magnetic back brace and puts his trumpet behind his back.

"Morning, dad," says Honey tiredly as she retrieves Thor-Ton from her closet.

"Are you ready to go?" asks Tobias.

Honey nods and puts Thor-Ton on her back. "Yes sir."

"Very good. Let's go."

Honey reaches into her closet and pulls out a bulky travel case on wheels and locked with a fingerprint scanner and keypad. She extends the handle and follows Tobias out of the room. The pair head downstairs, with Honey dragging her travel case behind her. They go to the kitchen where Tobias has already brewed coffee and heated blueberry muffins. He pours the coffee in a pair of thermoses and gives one of the thermoses and a muffin to Honey. After that, they go to the garage and approach a blocky car with gray-blue colors and blue tinted windows. Tobias puts Honey's travel case in the trunk while she buckles her weapon in the backseat.

"Go say goodbye to your mother and siblings before we go," says Tobias after getting the luggage loaded.

Honey nods and returns inside the house. She quickly finds that Cassandra is already going into the kitchen. Her eyes are heavy, and she is wearing her blanket like a robe over her pajamas. When the two see each other, Honey smiles and the two exchange long hugs.

"Be careful," says Cassandra softly.

"I'll try," says Honey. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Cassandra rubs Honey's back, and then reluctantly releases her.

"You best get going. I don't want you missing your flight. I'll tell your siblings you said goodbye," says Cassandra.

Honey nods and walks backwards as she waves. When Cassandra waves back, sniffling and blinking tears out of her eyes, Honey runs out of the kitchen and goes into the garage. She gets inside the car, and Tobias opens the garage door, turns on the warm air and the radio. Calm music plays through the speakers, and they gradually drive down their property road. They reach the gate to their property, and the sensor triggers the gate to open, and after passing through, the gate quietly closes and locks behind them.

Tobias keeps his eyes on the road and his hands are tight on the wheel. Meanwhile, Honey looks into the door mirror and watches the estate until they round the corner, and it goes out of sight from the blocky apartment and spiraling food towers. With the manor gone from view, Honey stares ahead and quietly eats her muffin and drinks her coffee. Tobias also drinks his coffee but leaves his muffin untouched.

The calm music mixes with hums of the outside world, and the UV beams slowly move on their rails while the city lights in the Dumas Biodome turn on. Small cars gradually populate the two-lane roads as they make their morning commutes, and drones fly overhead, delivering goods or monitoring the traffic.

Several minutes pass of navigating early traffic, and Tobias and Honey reach the edge of the Dumas Biodome. They are greeted by a security officer wearing a gray uniform and black armored vest, and a black drone with a red eye hover nearby. They are guarding a blast door that leads to the tunnel beyond.

The security officer holds up his hand, and Tobias eases his car to a stop and rolls down the window. The security officer goes to Tobias and wakes up his wrist-top computer while the Thorntons take out their IDs.

"Good morning, Mr. Thornton," says the security guard.

"Good morning," says Tobias. He gives the IDs to the officer. "We're heading to the Lillian Launch Station."

The security officer puts the IDs in his computer. As it scans, he types in the destination.

"Going to Eqos?" inquires the officer.

"I'm going to the Irregular Defense Force recruiting station in Summit City," says Honey; she was still tired and anxious, but some excitement creeped into her tone.

The computer beeps, and the officer returns the IDs.

"Following the steps of your old man?" says the officer with a smile.

"She's following her own path," says Tobias sternly as he takes the IDs.

"Of course, sir," says the officer.

The officer inputs another command on his computer, and the blast door hisses and clicks multiple times, and then it opens, revealing a tunnel illuminated by thin ribs of light. The officer waves Tobias through, and the car goes through the doorway and stops at a line of barriers. After the door seals, the pillars lower, and Tobias drives deeper into the tunnel.

Honey is quiet during the drive. The weight of anxiety and weariness has snuffed out her excitement, so now she tries distracting herself by watching the painted scenery pass by. Unfortunately for her, the scenery the artist painted was just Lillian's landscape. Which means it was rocks painted on rocks with the occasional star or ship or biodome. Those random points are illuminated by small colorful bulbs, so it isn't too bad. But Honey would've liked to see something more than a painting of a rock on a rock wall.

"Nervous?" asks Tobias.

"Just a little bit," says Honey.

Tobias nods. "Believe me, I understand. But take comfort in this. The worst part of the training is the first semester. And the worst part of the first semester is the evaluation course to determine if you are even qualified."

"So, the letter and blood work aren't enough?"

"Those just put you through the door. But the evaluation course determines if your mind, body and heart is into it."

"I see..."

Tobias smiles thinly at Honey and pats her leg.

"It gets easier after the first semester. I promise," says Tobias.

"Any pointers for the evaluation?" asks Honey.

"Don't die?" suggests Tobias.

Honey's eyes bulge. "People die!?"

"Of course they do. It's in the paperwork at the very last paragraph of the sign-up pamphlet. Very fine print. Compensation is given to the immediate family should someone die, but if you read the whole pamphlet rather than skim through it, they'll give your name preference over those who didn't read. Which is a lot, unsurprisingly."

"But the whole dying thing. You never said anything about people dying during the evaluation course!"

"Do you want to turn around?"

"Honestly dad, it's very tempting."

Tobias slows the vehicle down, and Honey shakes her hand. "Wait, no! Don't turn around!"

Tobias speeds up again.

"Why didn't you tell me people die during the evaluation course?" asks Honey.

"My dad didn't tell me, and his did didn't tell him, and his mother didn't tell him, and her mother didn't tell her, and her father didn't tell her. Think of it like a family tradition," says Tobias.

"That's a pretty messed up tradition," says Honey sourly.

"I am obligated to keep up the family tradition."

Honey scrunches her brows, and Tobias takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Besides, death is somewhat easy to avoid during the evaluation course," says Tobias. "All you must do is team up with someone. At least one person. The more the better. But the course is a lot easier to handle with a team, and your evaluation score will be better if they see you working well with a group. Also, your chances of dying drop significantly with a team. But if you don't have a team, then you have a thirty two percent increased chance of dying. Roughly speaking."

Honey looks ahead, pale as a fresh cotton sheet. "Good to know. Thanks."

"No problem."

Silence comes between them again, and they remain quiet for the rest of the drive through the subterranean tunnel. On occasion, another vehicle passes them, and after several minutes, the end of the tunnel appears, marked by a large circular blast door that has been opened and is flanked by a pair of sensors.

The car exits the tunnel onto a large area that is covered by a glass dome. A few stars are visible overhead. There is an elevated road above the ground, which is lined with buildings. In the distance, there are lights shining from various ships in orbit. As they approach the entrance, a tower jutting from the ground and reaching through the dome looms over everyone. The tower has ships docked on it, and smaller crafts fly around the outside of the structure. This is the Lillian Launch Station.

A security gate surrounds the structure, and two guards man kiosk by the only gate. They have short brown hair and square faces, wearing black uniforms with silver trimming along the shoulders and sleeves. Each guard is equipped with a rifle and a pistol, and they're wearing armored vests with communicators strapped to their shoulders. After Tobias stops by their kiosk, he gives them his and Honey's IDs. They scan the IDs, and after everything checks out, they return the IDs and open the gate. As soon as it slides out of the way, they motion Tobias through, and he slowly drives ahead and goes to a near empty parking lot.

The abundance of space allows Tobias parks the car near the spaceport entrance. Once it is parked, he and Honey exit the vehicle and Honey gathers her gear. Once they enter the Lillian Launch Station, they go straight to a booth where the receptionist sits. She greets them with a professional smile, and Tobias and Honey hand over their IDs.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Welcome to the Lillian Launch Station," says the receptionist. "Are you here for a flight?"

"Yes, ma'am," answers Honey.

"And your destination? Please state it."

"Eqos. Summit City. To the Irregular Defense Force recruitment center," says Honey.

"And for you, sir?" asks the receptionist to Tobias.

"I'm just here to see her off," says Tobias.

"Understood." The receptionist prints off a boarding pass and gives it, plus the ID, back to Honey. "Here's your boarding pass. Enjoy your flight."

Honey takes her ID and boarding pass, and Tobias and Honey head to the elevators. The elevator doors close, and they ascend to the top floor of the building. They exit the elevator, and Tobias and Honey go to the security checkpoint.

"Security check. Please present your ID and boarding pass," says the security guard.

Tobias shows his ID, and Honey shows him her boarding pass and ID. The guard scans both and looks at Tobias.

"No boarding pass?" asks the guard.

"I'm just here to see my daughter off," replies Tobias.

The guard nods. "Understandable. I've done that plenty of times, but I can't let you go any further. Say your farewells and then vacate the premises."

"Of course," says Tobias. He sighs and puts his hands on Honey's shoulders. "Do your best but remember there is no shame in walking away."

Honey smiles and blinks the mist out of her eyes. "I know, but I'm going to do this. I'll be an EIDF soldier."

Tobias smiles and hugs Honey. "Good luck and Godspeed."

Tobias backs away from Honey, takes a deep breath, and leaves for the elevator. Honey keeps watching him until the elevator doors separate the two, and then she sighs heavily, and pulls her carry case to the security checkpoint.

There, they scan her luggage and put a lock on her weapon. After that, they let her through the doors, where she enters an area with chairs and tables set up for those waiting for a flight. As Honey walks by, some people look at her curiously while others pretend that she doesn't exist.

The TVs mounted on pillars and walls show various information, ranging from weather on Eqos and Lillian, to elections and political scandals, and sports news. Honey ignores all this and sits on a couch by the window with her thermos. She sips her coffee again and looks outside at the shuttle she'll be taking to Eqos.

The shuttle is cylindrical with its wings folded up, and four exhaust ports are on the back with a line of smaller ones on the side. It is blue with a white band along its side and Blue Destiny is written in blue letters in the band.

A few minutes later, Honey finishes her coffee and puts the thermos in her case. She reclines on the couch and watches the TV while she waits for her flight. The TV she is watching is muted, and subtitles take up a large portion of the screen while a reporter talks to a ranking officer with a row of tanks parked behind them. Honey tries to read the words, but the scrolling is too fast and what she does see is that the words are misplaced or misspelled.

Because the subtitles are terrible, Honey ignores the TV and looks out the window again. She is partially mesmerized by the crew in space suits working on inspecting the Blue Destiny before takeoff. They look like they are swimming in the air, and tiny bursts of colorful exhaust guide them to their next destination.

"Now boarding! Have your boarding pass ready!" announced a female over the intercom.

The passengers grab their luggage and make their way to the boarding area. In Honey's case, her limbs tremble as she quickly approaches the gate while the rest of the would-be passengers appear calm or excited. They are instructed to stand in a line, and while they do this, workers come by with printers and scanners. As each passenger is checked in, their boarding passes are scanned, and bands are printed out and wrapped on their wrists, luggage, and for Honey, she got a tag for her weapons. After that, the luggage and Thor-Ton are taken to the underbelly of the Blue Destiny.

Honey and the other passengers go in an orderly line through a tunnel leading to the ship. The tunnel is chilly and illuminated by small lights on the ceiling and wall. There is a humming from air being pumped in, and when Honey enters the Blue Destiny, she finds it to be brightly lit with multiple rows and columns of blue and yellow seats.

Honey is quick to find her seat, and as she sits down, other passengers file in and quickly find their seats, chatting along the way; some excited, others strictly business. After several minutes pass, everyone is in their seat, and a stewardess goes next to the cockpit door and grabs a microphone hanging on the wall.

The ship's intercom clicks, and her voice flows through the speakers. She gives instructions on how to put on the seatbelt while a steward next to her gives a demonstration, and then the stewardess gives instructions on what to do if trouble strikes the ship. Trouble such as someone getting sick, a pirate attack, power failure, or atmospheric decompression. Out of all the words from the stewardess's mouth, the only thing Honey got out of it was hold tight and pray.

After the instructions are given, the stewards and stewardesses go down the aisles and check everyone's belts and their emergency breathing masks. This is a quick process that only takes a few minutes, and once they're done, they take seats by the cockpit and buckle up. The lead stewardess is the last to secure herself, and she bangs on the cockpit door twice.

The intercom dings, and a stern male voice fills the air.

"Attention passengers and crew of the Blue Destiny, this is your captain speaking. We're about to start our engines. Everybody please remain buckled up, and nobody leave your seats until told otherwise. Thank you."

The intercom clicks off, and a few seconds later, the engines roar to life, a humming reverberates through the ship, and green lights turn on, marking artificial gravity activation as the Blue Destiny decouples from the Lillian Spaceport and begins its travel into space. As it travels, Honey takes a deep breath and tries without much luck to relax in her seat. The ship rumbles for a few more minutes before a pleasant ding echo throughout the ship.

"Attention passengers and crew, this is your captain speaking. You are now free to move about the ship," says the captain.

Honey decides to stay strapped to her seat.

******

The next day, the Blue Destiny reaches the Eqos Spaceport. The massive station is hovering over its namesake planet, and it is composed of a series of disks stacked on top of each other with a cylindrical center. Docking ports of various sizes poke out from the disks, and cannons of many sizes and capabilities guard it. Sunlight reflects off its polished hull, and numerous ships of all sizes and purposes are docked in their respective areas.

The passengers of the Blue Destiny are back to being buckled in their seats (which Honey never left hers for any reason), and their captain is uses steady hands to guide the ship to its port. Short bursts are released from the exhaust tubes on the side. Each burst painstakingly inches the Blue Destiny closer to its point, and when it touches its destination, there is a loud clanging, followed by clicks and hisses. A couple of minutes later, the intercom dings.

"Attention everyone, this is your captain speaking. We are now docked at Eqos Spaceport. Please exit the Blue Destiny in an orderly fashion and thank you for flying with us."

The intercom clicks off, and everyone unbuckles while the lead stewardess gives instructions on the etiquette of exiting the ship. This leads to a swift and orderly departure, and once everyone has exited, the tube is sealed and operators in space suits begin refueling the Blue Destiny while luggage is returned to the passengers. After Honey gets her luggage and Thor-Ton, she clips her weapon to her magnetized back brace and pulls her luggage with her as she travels through the Eqos Spaceport.

Cameras watch everyone walking through the station, and Honey goes to a map on a pillar and studies it until she finds where her shuttle is located. Her stomach growls, but she pushes her hunger to the back of her mind and hurries to her location. She only has four hours left to get to her shuttle and she doesn't want to be late!

Ten Minutes later, she reaches her destination and checks the monitor on the wall beside the door. It reads Shuttle 3.

Access to the shuttle is locked, and a pair of stewardesses are behind a desk chatting lightly to themselves. They see Honey, offer a brief greeting, and then return to their conversation. Honey goes to the seat nearest to the shuttle, unclips Thor-Ton, and sets it on her lap as she sits down. This turns out to be a bad idea since its intense weight digs into her legs, so she puts it on the chair next to her.

Then she waits. And ignores her stomach growling and twisting into a tight knot. She has a good spot and doesn't want to lose it because of something as stupid as hunger.

As Honey waits, a few more people show up and take seats away from each other. A few more minutes pass and more people arrive. Another few minutes pass, and a heterosexual couple holding Klumsy K's carry-boxes sit across from Honey.

They talk lightly and enjoy their meal, but then the male notices Honey, and he stops everything and stares at Honey intently. A few seconds later, the female looks at Honey and her expression shifts, too. Honey has no idea who they are or why they are acting like this, but she doesn't look away from them. Instead, she studies them. They are in Honey's age range, and both have weapons cases that are locked and marked.

The male has brown hair, brown eyes and skin reddened by a lot of time in the heat. His hair is thick, and he has an athletic build, and is wearing a simple dark gray suit with a brown dress shirt. He also has heavy shoes, and his eyes really bore into Honey, like a drill powered by hate.

The female has an elegant figure, almost like a ballerina. Her dark hair is braided, and her amber eyes have a mischievous glint to them as she slowly eats her burger. Her outfit is a light gray coat over a black shirt, and a black skirt with white bands on the bottom. Plus, dark calf boots with white laces.

Honey doesn't like either of them.

"You're blonde," says the possible ballerina.

"Yep," says Honey.

"Blondes are hard to come by."

"Yep," repeats Honey.

"Are you a dancer, by any chance?"

The male rolls his eyes and sips his drink. Loudly. This makes Honey's eye and hand twitch.

"Nope," says Honey.

Her heart is now racing, and the odd girl grins wolfishly.

"How about bodybuilding? Do you do weightlift competitions?" asks the strange girl.

"No," replies Honey. "I'm just here to go to the Academy recruitment center."

"So, you want to join the Academy of Irregular Defense? I can see that. You certainly are more muscular than the average female. You'd be a bad dancer, but good for other things."

The ballerina leans forward and continues staring at Honey intently, and when the stranger smirks and licks her lips, Honey scrunches her brow and her muscles tighter.

"I'm sorry, is there a reason why you're staring at me like that?" asks Honey.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it. I am just enjoying your structure," says the odd woman.

Honey raises her brow, and her companion sighs heavily and pulls her back against the seat.

"That's enough, Emma," he says.

"For now, it is Rocky," says Emma with a smirk.

However, Rocky is not smirking. He is still glaring at Honey. His eyes are cold and hard like steel.

Honey glances at her watch and then looks at the strange pair. If they don't leave soon, she is going to move somewhere else.

"I'm going to the Academy, too. Same with Rocky," says Emma. She pats Rocky's leg for emphasis.

"Oh joy," says Honey sarcastically. "I'm sure we'll all get along famously."

Emma chuckles, and Rocky smiles maliciously. The intimidation tactic makes Honey both uneasy and angry, but she remains firmly planted in her seat. They can't use their weapons, and if they are really trying to get into the Academy then they won't try anything more than banter. However, the fear is seeping through Honey, despite her outward appearance, and it is getting harder to resist calling the guards or asking the stewardesses to remove Rocky and Emma.

Then the monitor above the tube shows a countdown clock. The stewardess behind the counter turns on the intercom and speaks into a microphone.

"Attention, Shuttle Three is now boarding," she says, her voice flowing from speakers around their area.

"Thank God," sighs Honey.

She quickly stands up with her weapon and travel case and hurries to the stewardess. Once there, she gives her the ticket, and the stewardess stamps it and allows Honey through. She makes quick work going through the tube, and when she enters the shuttle, she takes the seat designated to her by her ticket. Then she straps Thor-Ton into the seat next to her and locks her travel case on the floor using straps provided by the shuttle.

As she does this, Rocky, Emma, and a dozen other people get on the shuttle and strap themselves in. After everyone is situated, the stewardess checks the straps and seatbelts, and makes an adjustment here and there. Once her task is done, the stewardess sits by the captain's door and knocks on it a couple of times. As soon as she does that, the intercom turns on.

"Good evening, everyone. This is your captain speaking. We will now depart for Summit City. Please remain seated during the duration of the flight. There are no latrines or snacks provided. Enjoy the view and thank you for picking Eqos as your destination," says a bored voice.

The intercom clicks off, and after a moment of silence, the shuttle engine roars to life. It vibrates the walls and shakes Honey's legs. However, she keeps her head down and doesn't look outside. She keeps her head down until she feels the turbulence of atmospheric entrance, and she peeks just enough to see the orange glow on the ship's hull from the friction. She looks away after that. But a few seconds later, she dares to look out again, but this time the anxiety is replaced by wonder, and she looks at the approaching scenery with undivided attention.

The shuttle passes over a beautiful landscape of large snowcapped mountains covered in blankets of fog moving between the formations. There are towns built into the mountains with rail and elevated road networks connecting the mountains, and beyond the mountains are rolling hills. There are smaller settlements tucked in the hills, and beyond the hills is farmland as far as the eye can see.

"Wow," gasps Honey. "That's a lot of greenery."

"What's wrong with it being green?" asks Rocky. He and Emma are sitting behind Honey, and she didn't realize it until Rocky spoke.

"It's just not what I expected. I thought there would be more rocks," says Honey.

"There's plenty of rocks under the trees you can look at," says Rocky.

"And there's lots and lots and lots and lots of rocks in the mines of Eqos," adds Emma.

Honey rolls her eyes and looks away from the pair with her arms folded across her chest and her face scrunched from annoyance. A few minutes later, the shuttle begins its descent to a runway at the base of one of the peaks. As the shuttle approaches, the vehicle rattles and Honey grips her seat tight and her breathing hitches. When the shuttle touches down, the tires screech, and the shuttle bobs for a moment before the shuttle slows to a crawl. The pilot guides the shuttle to a station with a tube extending out. The shuttle connects to the tube, and a ding echoes in the ship.

"We have arrived at our destination. Please exit in a polite manner," says the pilot.

The stewardess gets up to open the door, and the passengers unclip their belts and luggage. When everyone is ready, the stewardess steps aside and allows everyone to walk off the shuttle. Honey is first, and the very first thing she notices from the moment she stands up is that there is a weight difference. Her luggage and weapon feel heavier. She feels heavier. Her heart works harder to pump her blood, her lungs are filled with more air, and the added weight from increased gravity has brought a subtle but noticeable discomfort to her limbs and spine.

Honey takes a deep breath and rubs her strained heart as she makes her way to the passport booth. She hands over her ticket and passport to the clerk behind the counter, and then the woman checks them against a list. With everything turning out to be in order, she stamps the passport and returns it to Honey while giving her a practiced smile.

"Welcome to Summit City," says the woman.

Honey thanks her and hurries away before Rocky and Emma can reach her, and she goes to a vending machine for packaged lunches. Her hands shake and she takes deep breaths and slow exhales as she slides her card into the machine and selects the first lunch she sees. Once she has her lunch, she sits down at a nearby empty table and opens up the colorful box it came in.

She removes the sandwich and chips and pours the cherry flavor mix in the water bottle. She consumes her lunch quickly, and within a minute she feels better. She's still hungry, but now she is not shaking.

She also notices that people are looking at her strangely as they walk by.

Is it her weapon, Thor-Ton?

Is it the dim blue lines on her limbs marking her cybernetic enhancements?

Is it her larger than average build?

Is it her clothes?

Questions, questions, questions. So many questions. But none of those things matter right now. She needs to stay focused. Focused on the mission. Focused on the task at hand. Focused on getting a hotel room and finding the Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office. So with that, she finishes her lunch, and then hurries to the exit.