“The test today came back with something interesting. Sarath said it could change the world. I have my doubts.” — From the journal of Benjamin Hargrave, February 23, 2231.
Jack was your normal college-age kid. He studied to a point, but he counteracted that effort with avid participation in the parties that were a constant on any college campus. His grades had been slipping further and further, but he always convinced himself that he would raise them “when he needed to.”
What a load of crap that was.
There was no way for him to recover enough to pass the semester, much less be invited back for another one. In 3263, there were only two ways to remain a scholar. One of those was by having impeccable grades, which, of course, he had unapologetically thrown away for cheap thrills and long nights.
The other was an option that would never be open to him. Students who could get in by paying the full tuition were almost always from families of incredible wealth. Much to the discontent of many generations, schools had not only remained for profit but had expanded that profit margin immensely. To the surprise of no one, that commercialization had put the full cost at near a million credits each year. Jack’s family simply did not have the means to pay that price. Even if they had the money, they would have taken it away once they had learned of how quickly he squandered their gift.
As had been his ritual for months, Jack found himself in the quad staring up at the polluted night sky, trying to see stars and wishing that he could break free from the hell that was Earth. Staring into the heavens, he chuckled to himself. It turned out that life was simply not fair. Six months ago, if you would have asked him if he wanted to leave Earth for one of the colonies, he would have laughed in your face.
Now things were different. Every day, the news would beg for more volunteers to join the Advanced Human Forces. They wouldn’t say why or for what reason–they never did–but Jack knew it wasn’t a good sign if they were begging for people to join.
Amused at the absurdity of him joining any military, Jack stood and walked back toward his dorm, barely noticing the man walking toward him. Most nights he was alone under the smoky sky, and tonight had been no different. Lost in thought, he nearly ran into the man, only brought back into the moment by the man’s smooth voice and words that had nothing to do with the potential accident.
“I saw you looking at those stars, kid,” the stranger said. “I know you dream of it, being up there. It gives you a sense of real freedom. God knows that doesn’t exist here anymore.”
“Sorry,” Jack replied, ignoring the words and trying to dodge the man.
“You heard me. Here, take this,” he replied, taking the statement as a question. Grabbing Jack’s hand, the stranger pushed a business card into it. “Don’t go back in there. Go out for a drink, a party, whatever you choose to do with your night. Keep the card. Think about it, and if you decide to join, call me.”
“Join what?” Jack asked as he put the card into his pocket. While he had no intention of ever looking at the thing, he didn’t want to cause a scene.
“The AHF,” the stranger replied simply before turning to continue his walk.
Almost like a spell had come over him, Jack took the stranger’s advice and went out for that drink. He wasn’t exactly sure why he followed the suggestion. Like many people pushed to desperation through a string of their own actions, he drank until he couldn’t remember his name. The last of his finals had been earlier that day, and he had no desire to dwell on just how bad the results would be.
It would be days before he remembered the interaction with the man in the quad, and weeks before he gave any thought to what he said.
Jack stared up at the ceiling while he lay in his bed, unmade decisions churning in his mind. After finding out about how spectacularly poorly he had done in school and, more importantly, why, the look of furious disappointment from his parents was almost as bad as he expected. He had lost all but one of his scholarships, and he only kept that one out of pity. Now, even if he was invited for a return semester, the family would have to pay the full total of a million credits. He had known that money was the primary reason that people dropped out of school. What he had not known was how high that number actually was until they described it in detail as he left campus.
For years, there had been a battle to socialize the school systems and allow anyone with a strong mind to become further educated. The problem was that there was simply too much money wrapped up in the business of knowledge. Several of the students in his first year were considered brilliantly gifted, but upon running out of the monetary capital to continue that education, were not seen on campus the following year. As it turned out, Jack was now among the ranks of students that served as examples for those that followed.
He had become nothing more than a statistic.
Over dinner, he had finally learned the truth: his education had been draining both life and savings from his parents. On top of taking a second mortgage on the house, his father held three jobs to cover the rest of his tuition. That knowledge compounded the guilt he felt about the entire situation. They had hidden their hardship from him for two years. When he asked his father why, he simply responded as he always had before: “We Rise, son, We Rise.”
His father had taught him the family motto as a child when Jack had been attempting to learn an instrument from the old days. One particular afternoon, he struggled with a piece for hours before finally giving up and walking away. That was the day his father had given him the family ring and explained its meaning.
“In Hardship, We Rise.”
Now that school was gone from his future, he found himself lying in bed staring at a blank ceiling. Even without seeing them, the stars called out, reminding him of the stranger from a night that felt like a lifetime ago. The conversation replayed in his mind, teasing him, trying to prove that it was indeed the only choice left. Again and again, there was only one word that returned to the forefront of his mind: freedom.
He had seen the advertisements on the web with the classic ‘Earth Needs YOU!’ signs plastering nearly every page. It was a picture of an old recruitment poster from a war far in the past, a stern man pointing at the camera, demanding that the viewer join his cause. The videos that followed never really showed anything of value. They didn’t even attempt to remove some of the mystery that was the AHF. The only thing anyone could take away from the ad was that if you didn’t join, you were clearly an alien sympathizer.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
He found the card in his coat pocket when he got home. He originally intended to throw it away, but intuition told him to hold on to the item. If he did this, joining the AHF would solve financial issues. The hundred thousand credit bonus would go far in paying his parents back. Inspecting it for what felt like the millionth time, he read the name and comms ID again.
Master Sergeant Dale AHF
AHFR17625399D
He already lost his education, meaning the only career that remained was working in the carbon mines. He had lost the respect of his family by throwing away his only chance at changing his future. And to top it off, he even lost his friends when he told them he would not be returning the next semester. What else was there to lose?
We Rise. The voice of his father said yet again in his mind.
Enough of this.
He had made his choices. It was time to take responsibility for them.
The man answered on the second ring, “AHF Master Sergeant Dale,” came a rough voice. “Are you looking to opt out or sign up?”
Taken by surprise, Jack stammered out an unintelligible answer, “I, uh, well… I don’t know… You gave me this card a while back and, well… I, um…”
“Come on, kid, breathe. I’m not that scary.”
“Yes sir, I’m sorry, sir. I am looking to sign up. How’d you know?”
“There are only two calls that come in this late at night. The first is you. Signing up usually takes a lot of time to reach that decision, time that is best spent alone. I’m guessing that you’ve thought about this for weeks, right?” Master Sergeant Dale said.
“Yes, I have.”
“Thought so. The second is people quitting right before the deadline and, well, since you’re not crying and begging me not to make you go, I assume it’s the former.” Jack could hear tapping as the other man worked his device. “So. Signing up. Are you sure you want to do this?”
With all the confidence he could muster, Jack replied, “Yes, sir, I am.”
“Great to hear, but before I stuff you in a shuttle and ship you off, I need to hear your why. Why join an organization you know next to nothing about?”
The why happened to be one thing he had really thought about before making this call. So, Jack quickly gave the truest answer he could. “There is no life left on Earth. Even if I had the money to return to school, my only real career potential would be off-world as a colonist, anyway. You know as well as I the chances of your name being pulled on that lottery. Frankly, if I had the money to continue school, I would have bought my way off-world and started fresh out there. Staying on Earth is a prison sentence. I spend my nights staring up at the stars, wondering if I will ever break my chains. That the AHF is willing to give me that life and pay me at the same time, well, that’s enough for me. And honestly, I hope I can use this opportunity, and the money, to help my parents get off-world.”
“Stars, kid, I never get an actual answer. I was just trying to make sure you thought this through. Do those loving parents of yours know what you plan to do?”
“Not yet, sir, but I know they won’t like it. I think this is the path I want, and that’s what matters, right?”
“Alright, now I will say this before I get started. If you tell them or not is up to you, ultimately that’s your decision. However, there is no I think when it comes to joining. Once you’re on that transport, you only come home for shore leave. If you value that relationship with your parents, tell them. Don’t just disappear. You want someone to come home to. Your first shore leave is two years from the day you sign up. That is a long time to wait and be disappointed. Tracking?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now, I have one spot left on the bucket leaving at midnight. How fast can you get to Atlanta? Just letting you know, if you don’t leave tonight, then you won’t leave for another month or so.”
“I live in Atlanta already, sir. No time at all.”
“Great. Do you want your parents to do the drop-off, or would it be easier if I came to get you?” MSGT Dale’s voice was softer. After enough time doing this, he could tell who could or could not handle leaving their family.
“If it is ok with you, sir, please come to me.”
“Understood, and kid, just remember, if you want to back out, you can. All the way till we get to the shuttle. Just let me know, ok?”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll keep it in mind.”
The comm flashed and went silent as the recruiter dropped off the line. Jack knew he needed to tell his parents. They deserved to know. The stairs creaked as he descended, his stomach in knots. He made his way into the living room and cleared his throat. “Hey Mom, Dad, I have something I need to say… I found a way to fix the money problems.” He paused and took a breath to calm himself before he continued, “I am going to join the AHF.” In an instant, the look of perpetual disappointment he’d received all day was replaced with a mixture of surprise and outrage.
“What! Why?” his dad shouted, jumping up with his hands in fists.
“I don’t want to put pressure on you guys anymore. You’ve taken care of me my whole life. It’s high time I took care of you.”
“I don’t understand, son. Where is this coming from?” his father said, sinking back into his chair. The short answer replaced anger with sorrow. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Your dad’s right. Sure, it’s hard right now, but we can manage. We always have in the past. This is nothing but one more hurdle.”
“Mom, I failed out of school. I lost my scholarships, or at least the ones that would make going back possible. But that doesn’t matter anyway, the administrators didn’t invite me back. Let’s just face it, the only life left on Earth for someone my age is going into the mines or manufacturing. If I do that, then I won’t ever be able to pay you back. At least the AHF, they will pay me fairly for what I do. I can even send something back to you from time to time.”
“You sound like this has been coming for a while,” His father replied, sounding like he was going to break down any second. “Has it been?”
Laughing, Jack looked at them. “Yeah, it has. Ever since I completed my finals, though, I only came to the decision tonight. The recruiter is coming to get me now. He says there is a shuttle leaving at midnight. He also says that giving it more time than necessary usually makes people opt out. So, I guess this is my last night on Earth.”
Silence fell in the living room of the Monroe home as they each processed just how little time they had.
“Tonight? I get you don’t want to let this fester, but why so soon?” his mother said as she walked over to hug him.
“Because, Mom, you just said it yourself. I would talk myself out of it and I know it. This is the best option for me.”
Over the next half hour, they talked about everything that could and would happen. Jack tried over and over to reassure them both that this was the best of the bad options. They spoke about memories and the future, his parents trying their best to see the positive in the decision. He explained his intent to buy a home for them off-world and was met with nearly the same feelings he had about leaving the planet.
The doorbell rang, the simple sound heralding the end of life as he knew it. “Wow, that was fast… I guess it is time.”
Giving them both one last hug, he said, “My first shore leave is in two years, but I will do everything I can to call or send messages if possible. I love you guys.”
Crying softly, his father whispered, “We love you, son, and we always will. Thank you for being such a great kid.”
“I couldn’t be prouder, Jack,” his mother began, “but you better come back in one piece. If you are missing a foot or something, I am going to beat you with the prosthetic.” She wiped a tear from her eye while smiling.
“You guys do know that I’m not dead, right? We’ll see each other again. I’ll keep a journal for when I can’t send anything.”
“We’d like that. Never forget, In hardship…” his father began.
“We Rise,” Jack finished.
Walking to the front door, Jack opened it to find MSGT Dale standing there. “You ready?” he whispered. “We have some time if you need it.”
Swallowing back his tears, Jack replied, “No sir, let’s do this.”
As he walked down the path to the street, his parents never once took their eyes off him. Not when he climbed in the air-car, nor when it lifted off. And, although he wouldn’t know it, they continued to stand in that doorway for quite a while after he was gone.