For much of the trip, it was quiet, solemn, and inconspicuous. A bus had arrived to pick up the various children from their homes, stowing away the luggage into compartments underneath before chugging off into the heart of the nearest city, headed for a stellar station. Some of the students happened to be in the same vicinity, and met up at the station or in the very bus that had picked them up. The drivers were silent, as were the academy staff members who accompanied them -or rather, sat in the shotgun, obscured by the wall that separated them from the passengers seats in the back.
As the bus pulled into the station amidst a swarm of other decal-coated commercial vehicles, the students were beckoned off and handed individual tickets for a shuttle set to leave within the hour. Long ago, security required the monitoring and examination of each individual passenger one at a time, and thankfully through the development of more powerful scanning technology, getting through the line was as simple as walking under a small archway and proceeding on one's way without any slow in speed.
The ship was on the smaller end, clearly owned by a private organization and painted with fanciful decals reading, "Second Academy Stellar Shuttling" on several sides. More and more students funneled in, brought to the station by multiple buses arriving from various towns and cities of the state or country. The once silent mouths began to pick up in chatter, voices of excitement and friendship filling the air with an aura of good feeling.
Of what was revealed to the students by staff, the most interesting point was that the academy was located in space, owned by a corporation facilitating its operations. Floating amid the inner ring of the solar system's asteroid belt, it was far and away from the traffic of other stations in the system; promises of solace and peace were frequently thrown out by staff. The shuttle lifted off, and even as the body of students shifted into the void of space, their hearts were energetic and warm. The captain announced the flight time and the menu for their several-hour flight, and a congratulations to each one of them for enrolling.
Some slept, some stared out their window, but most conversed among each other, making friends as quickly as possible so as not to be the few that were alone day one. As the hours passed, the density of asteroids began to pick up until the outside world had become a mine field of misshapen space rocks filled in with a web of darkness. An announcement came over the speakers, and the students hushed themselves to listen.
"This is your captain speaking. Shuttle will dock at the Second Academy port within a few more minutes. Due to the dangers of asteroid collision, we will apply physical shielding to the shuttle windows to avoid breakage. Please return to your seats if you haven't already done so and sit tight. Glad to have you on this flight today," the captain stated.
The cabins darkened as metallic plates shifted over the windows to space, and lights on the floors and ceiling lit up to provide adequate sight for the students. After fifteen more minutes, the ship could be felt as it slowed and finally impacted the port delicately. As soon as the vehicle halted its movement, the students unbuckled themselves and stood up to retrieve their suitcases, backpacks, and duffel bags. Hissing air announced the opening of the shuttle's doors, flooding light into the dim cabin. Students filed into the white tunnels, following the "Elevator Entrance" signs posted along its length.
Eventually the entourage found themselves in a large room not unlike a move theatre. Rosy cushioned seats ran along curved floor levels between a pair of stairs, overlooking a small stage at the base. Behind the seats, at the top, a large glass panel looking into the elevator's angled shaft displayed a holographic message in bright red letters.
"PLEASE BE SEATED"
The students followed its demand and sat themselves beside friends or far-flung empty areas depending on their sociability. It took a few minutes, but once the last passenger followed suit, the room's doors closed and the elevator lurched into movement upwards, ascending into a mechanical darkness behind their line of sight. A whine of some engine outside the room picked up in speed and loudness as the elevator rushed onward.
For a few more minutes, the students were once more left to their own devices.
As the bus pulled into the station amidst a swarm of other decal-coated commercial vehicles, the students were beckoned off and handed individual tickets for a shuttle set to leave within the hour. Long ago, security required the monitoring and examination of each individual passenger one at a time, and thankfully through the development of more powerful scanning technology, getting through the line was as simple as walking under a small archway and proceeding on one's way without any slow in speed.
The ship was on the smaller end, clearly owned by a private organization and painted with fanciful decals reading, "Second Academy Stellar Shuttling" on several sides. More and more students funneled in, brought to the station by multiple buses arriving from various towns and cities of the state or country. The once silent mouths began to pick up in chatter, voices of excitement and friendship filling the air with an aura of good feeling.
Of what was revealed to the students by staff, the most interesting point was that the academy was located in space, owned by a corporation facilitating its operations. Floating amid the inner ring of the solar system's asteroid belt, it was far and away from the traffic of other stations in the system; promises of solace and peace were frequently thrown out by staff. The shuttle lifted off, and even as the body of students shifted into the void of space, their hearts were energetic and warm. The captain announced the flight time and the menu for their several-hour flight, and a congratulations to each one of them for enrolling.
Some slept, some stared out their window, but most conversed among each other, making friends as quickly as possible so as not to be the few that were alone day one. As the hours passed, the density of asteroids began to pick up until the outside world had become a mine field of misshapen space rocks filled in with a web of darkness. An announcement came over the speakers, and the students hushed themselves to listen.
"This is your captain speaking. Shuttle will dock at the Second Academy port within a few more minutes. Due to the dangers of asteroid collision, we will apply physical shielding to the shuttle windows to avoid breakage. Please return to your seats if you haven't already done so and sit tight. Glad to have you on this flight today," the captain stated.
The cabins darkened as metallic plates shifted over the windows to space, and lights on the floors and ceiling lit up to provide adequate sight for the students. After fifteen more minutes, the ship could be felt as it slowed and finally impacted the port delicately. As soon as the vehicle halted its movement, the students unbuckled themselves and stood up to retrieve their suitcases, backpacks, and duffel bags. Hissing air announced the opening of the shuttle's doors, flooding light into the dim cabin. Students filed into the white tunnels, following the "Elevator Entrance" signs posted along its length.
Eventually the entourage found themselves in a large room not unlike a move theatre. Rosy cushioned seats ran along curved floor levels between a pair of stairs, overlooking a small stage at the base. Behind the seats, at the top, a large glass panel looking into the elevator's angled shaft displayed a holographic message in bright red letters.
"PLEASE BE SEATED"
The students followed its demand and sat themselves beside friends or far-flung empty areas depending on their sociability. It took a few minutes, but once the last passenger followed suit, the room's doors closed and the elevator lurched into movement upwards, ascending into a mechanical darkness behind their line of sight. A whine of some engine outside the room picked up in speed and loudness as the elevator rushed onward.
For a few more minutes, the students were once more left to their own devices.
