Bon Voyage (Second Edition/Preview Book)

Bon Voyage

Ethan is last in line as the group quickly makes their way to the armory with the bangs of their heavy steps bouncing around inside the hallway. When they reach the armory, Marian holds her wrist-pad to the orb next to the door. The orb glows green and two thin green lines slide along her band.

After that, it beeps and the door slides open, revealing locked cages occupied by rifles, pistols, ammo, and knives. Near the cages are lockers with everyone's names above their designated locker, with Ethan, Riva, and Aiden having special footlockers for their gear.

Ethan goes to his locker and holds his pad next to the orb. The pad is scanned, the locker clicks open, and he repeats the same process for his footlocker. The whole time his hand trembles, even though Marian drilled him on it twice already. Everyone else is swift and fluid with putting on their gear, but Ethan fumbles around. He is even the last one done, but nobody really notices since they are grabbing their weapons from the cages.

Ethan's suit is a white jumpsuit with red pads and stripes connecting the pads. His only defense is a pistol (his holster is currently empty), and on his belt are a few pouches containing a quick stitch kit, medical foam, burn gel, gauze laced with disinfectant, pain pills, and adrenaline shots. Ethan's suit also has a unique medical device called the Medical Assessment Device, or MAD. It is a small square that rests on top of his hand with wires going into the suit and three orbs of different colors on its front, with a micro-holographic projector in its center.

As Ethan finishes up, he looks at the next closest person. That person is Aiden.

Aiden has a padded blue jumpsuit with small metal plates stitched on them, protecting his limbs, chest, and spine. On his back is an air tank, and his helmet is full-face covering, with a tinted slot for his visor. He is also carrying a large amount of gear in a backpack and on his tool belt, and he has a holster for his pistol. But his helmet is open, so his face is showing all his determination right now.

Ethan looks around and sees Riva walking away from a cage, holstering a pistol.

Her suit is light gray with thin white padding and a small computer taking up her forearm, which is connected to a battery pack on her back. Her belt has a few cases of small tools for computer repair and diagnosis, as well as a holster for her pistol. Unlike Aiden, Riva is displaying some anxiety, and Ethan briefly pauses his touch-ups to watch her turn away from the group and rest her head and hand against the wall, her free hand balling into a fist and rubbing her heart while panting. When she sees him looking at her out of the corner of her eye, she pauses, straightens out, and then approaches him. When she in front of them, the two are quiet, until Riva flashes an unconvincing, and somewhat pained, smile.

"Don't worry, it is just kriettejs," assures Riva. "I get them every mission."

"What's crate-ish... esh? What is that?" asks Ethan.

"Jitters."

"Okay, no. That... I'm sorry, but that does not look like jitters," says Ethan. He looks at Marian for a second, before looking at Riva. "Does Dartmount or Captain Brown know?"

"Of course! They know it is just kriettejs. I get them every time. It is pre-mission anxiety."

"Riva, that's not jitters. That's something-"

"Ethan!" snaps Riva, slamming her hand in the locker just past Ethan's face and staring hellfire into him, with her chest heaving from heavy breathing and some sweat moving down her forehead. "I know you're trying to be a medic, but you're not there yet. I am fine, and don't... Don't get Marian, the captain, or Taksheel worried over nothing. Please."

Ethan sighs. "Riva, I-"

"What is going on here?" says Taksheel lightly.

He walks next to Riva and Ethan, wearing an armored suit comprising a helmet and thick red jumpsuit with metal plates stitched on the arms, shoulders, shins, and thighs, and a metal vest with armored gloves and boots. There is also a slender tube with cables that connect to a headset that is clipped to his ear, with the tube latched on his shoulder. He also has an ammo belt with his pistol holstered and knife sheathed, and he has his rifle pointed up, without the magazine in the magazine well.