Chapter 3 #2
“It sounds bad when you put it like that, but really think about it.” Vann frowned, and I was too beside myself to scream that all I fucking did was think about it.
“We don’t know how long peace will last. I had to put my name into the draft pool, and if a war broke out this afternoon, my entire life would be uprooted, while you would be allowed to continue your education.
The only duty the country expects you to perform is to create life instead of take it.
You’ll be kept out of harm’s way as much as possible, you’ll be protected first in any dangerous situation, and your life actually matters to the Territories.
You get to build a family and live peacefully with people who love you instead of standing in the line of fire, and having to murder soldiers from the other side who are no more evil than you are, who have just as many people to go home to, and think their mission is just as noble.
You won’t have to be traumatized by guilt and bloodshed and questioning your entire moral compass.
” His gaze had dropped to his food as he muttered, “I think you’re always so focused on your weird phobia over pregnancy that you forget how amazing it is to have the guarantee of a fulfilling, normal existence. ”
Flabbergasted. I had no words. It wasn’t a weird phobia. It was so far beyond that.
“How can you even say that?” I managed, dumbfounded and truly offended. Get to? Kept? Protected? At least I won’t be traumatized? I might have laughed, but it was currently too real to be funny.
“The same way you can talk about going to a war academy like it’s some enviable, thrilling adventure.
I love sparring with you, but the fact that I’ve spent the last thirteen years being taught how to murder innocent people who were forced into combat simply because of where they were born isn’t exactly my dream either.
It’s like you romanticize destruction, because you can’t appreciate that you’re lucky enough to have a body capable of creation. ”
I opened my mouth then hesitated to speak.
There was no point in blowing up at him. I told myself that Vann was on my side, even if he didn’t get it.
“It’s all a matter of perspective” was the best I could manage.
In a way, the Territories owned both of our bodies and souls.
They simply tugged our strings differently.
But while we both hated our own lots in life, I wished he’d try to see my side more fairly.
I drew a slow breath into my lungs to calm myself.
“The difference is there’s no guarantee of war, but there’s an absolute guarantee that I’m going to be sold off to the highest bidder. ”
He shook his head. “Let’s be realistic here—so long as power and human greed exist, war is just as guaranteed.
It’s a ‘when,’ not an ‘if.’” He turned his attention toward his rations and shoveled a few more bites into his mouth.
“So I’ll keep hoping we don’t end up at war anytime soon, and in the meantime, let’s find you someone you actually like in the next year.
This doesn’t have to be the life sentence you make it out to be. ”
With no argument worth making against his bias, I nodded.
Because it was then that I realized Vann was just as fearful for the future as I was.
The Shinka Demonstration today was likely stirring up some of the same feelings of doom and dread that I had, only his mindset splintered in the opposite direction.
I didn’t want to let our own opposing anxieties cause a rift between us, no matter how angry I felt in the pit of my stomach.
He was supposed to be my ally in this.
I needed someone to be my ally.
I took an oversized bite of fluffy chocolate cake, and I left the spoon between my lips so I could savor the traces of frosting that lingered on its surface, needing that small bit of joy and distraction. I was mid-swallow when a loud woosh sounded overhead, sending me into a choking fit.
A gust hit me from behind, blowing my long, wavy, colorless hair into my face and right into my food. I dropped the spoon as I tried to get a hold on my split ends that were now glopped with frosting, before I looked up at the offending source.
A beautiful display of technology flew overhead in the form of a pitch black Shinka Unit with fluorescent green and blue highlights.
Propulsion jets burned in its heeled feet, and massive bat-like wings built from fluorescent green energy defied gravity.
It was human in shape, yet fierce in its intricately designed armor, with both smooth, elegant limbs and sharp, angular details that added a sense of viciousness, yet didn’t restrict its nimble movements.
A massive plasma shooter was attached to each thigh, and two sheathed plasma blades were mounted to its back, forming a cross between its wings.
A smaller blade rested on its left hip for quick draws, and small, covert energy cannons were built into each shoulder and forearm.
The mechanical marvel lowered itself gently amongst the flock of military vehicles, regulating its descent with decreasing thrust with a combination of heel, shin, and shoulder thrusters. A crowd of men dressed in military uniforms exited their vehicles and surrounded the machine.
“That must be the demo unit.” Vann frowned as we stared at the mass of weaponry and artistry in the near distance.
A flurry of workers rushed to its side and began cleaning any dirt from its shining black surface.
“I don’t see how fluorescent green could ever be a good choice in a war.
That thing is visible from a light year away. ”
“I think its incredible.” I absolutely could not take my eyes off it.
The glowing blue swirls that snaked down its arms were like a warrior’s tattoos, and its pointed horns paired with glowing green eyes reminded me of the knights of history books mixed with the demons of fairytales.
“That thing must be terrifying when you’re on the other side of the battlefield with little more than some cross winged turrets and tanks.
Plus, the way they customize them, it gives every pilot their own signature style. ”
“And it clearly makes them more appealing to kids, so they’ll be so excited for their chance to grow up and go to battle.
Then they’ll get to look so incredible when they die.
” Vann scoffed, and I felt a little embarrassed to be one of those kids who was completely enamored with Shinkas.
My bitterness now was more to do with being barred from being a pilot, while every time I saw the machines in person, my awe was impossible to deny.
But once again, he didn’t get it. Maybe it was the doctor in him, but all he ever focused on was the negatives of death and destruction that they could bring.
I could see more than that. These machines gave us hope.
They were an equalizer against an enemy that we once couldn’t ever hope to stand against. Gehenna was a nation 500 million strong, while Mictlan barely had 100 million left after the war, down from 250 million prior, if you counted the original population of all of the space stations.
However much I resented my duties, we needed things like this to hold our own in a brutal universe.
I couldn’t even fathom how empowering it would feel to sit in that cockpit.
“Zircon would have been destroyed or under Gehenna rule if Mictlan hadn’t built them, so they’re not all bad.” I attempted to reason with my brother, but Vann wasn’t having it. His mood around Shinkas was like mine around Matchmakers, and maybe I needed to think about that more deeply.
He shook his head. “I’m just glad you’ll never have to go near those things. When we’re both certified as medics, I hope we can save all of the people who are hurt by this senseless fighting.”
“Yeah, I hope so too.” I spoke idly and hid my frown. “Well, let’s head over. The assembly is starting, and we have to go either way.”
Vann walked with me across the field, where the whole student body had started to gather.
Metal disks hovering over the grass with controlled magnetics served as chairs, appearing in neat rows that surrounded the military vehicles and the giant mechanical soldier.
I managed to snatch two seats right up front before the other students could crowd the best spots.
No matter how many times I watched one of these demos, seeing the machines this close always overwhelmed me.
They were impressive in pictures, but from only ten meters away, I could see the intricacy of the armor and the delicate flourishes in the design.
Every rivet and bolt was expertly safety wired by the hand of an artist, and every inch of the hulking metal monster was flawlessly efficient in its design.
A paramount of technology, truly. I didn’t care what Vann said. How could anyone not want to pilot one of these things?
“Greetings to all of you at Medella University!” A man with a thick, curly mustache in a decorated uniform walked across the path of the Shinka. “We, from the prestigious Astaroth Academy, are thrilled to be here today to show you, first hand, the machines that keep our country safe.”
As if on cue, the Shinka’s electronics emitted a soft whirr as it came to life.
The Unit jumped into the air, using the powerful propulsion in its heels to put on a show of acrobatics.
Shinka Units had come a long way since their first iteration as little more than a tank with arms. Now they moved with the same fluidity of human joints and muscles, with none of the weakness that restricted flesh and bone.