The Astronites

Chapter Six: Memorium and Prophecium

The journey to the Rosewood System would take approximately twelve hours, during which time it was agreed that everyone would eat dinner and take shifts for sleep. When Natalie entered the kitchen and inspected the contents of the refrigerator, she was as surprised as everyone else to see dozens of pre-packaged meals. A note explained where the food came from:

I WANTED YOU ALL TO HAVE A FIVE "STAR" DINNER

FOR YOUR FIRST NIGHT TOGETHER. ENJOY!

- A.E.

Dinner was enjoyed in Star's messroom. Natalie ate a medium-rare starsalt-sprinkled steak; Barbara enjoyed water noodle soup; and Adam drooled over his semiconductor salmon. Victor and Yona had been prescribed UEF-approved meals slightly adapted by Aleph's creative culinary skills. Victor ate turkey meat with brown rice, and Yona had been given vegetable dumplings with wasabi seaweed. Ador was more than satisfied with his resplendent bowl of deboned chicken, peas, and tapioca starch. Pitchers of non-alcoholic Matarian mango juice and water were brought out for everyone to share.

Like Aleph, Victor and Yona asked the Astronites about their home universe.

"You don't study the Principles at your universities?" Yona asked, appalled.

"I don't think we discovered them yet," Barbara explained. "Or maybe we did and our government doesn't want us to know about them. I honestly wouldn't be surprised."

Yona chewed her dumpling with curiosity. "What happens if you don't go to university?"

"You do whatever you want," Natalie answered. "Work, military, nothing. It's up to you."

Victor nearly spat out his rice. "You don't have to go to the military?"

"No. Not in the United States, at least," Adam answered.

Victor blankly stared at them like he had been slapped across the face. "Really? Here it's mandatory. Ever since Endgon started fighting the UEF, the Elem Congress passed a law ordering all people over the age of eighteen to serve for a minimum of three years."

"Are there exceptions?" Barbara asked.

"It's a flexible system," Yona described. "I was allowed to complete my Imagnium studies in between my missions."

"People usually get excused for health reasons," Victor articulated. "But everyone does something for the UEF. Yona and I joined Shadow Command to honor our parents when they died in the Battle of Constitute. They were also commandos."

Natalie, anxious to hear about what exactly happened at Constitute, yearned to ask Victor for his account of the battle. She could tell Adam and Barbara also wanted to, based on the interested looks on their faces. But Victor kept talking and didn't give them a chance to ask.

"I'm surprised your country doesn't do the same," he said. "I think it's wrong."

"How so?" Natalie asked.

Victor munched on his turkey. "Everyone should have the courage and expertise to defend themselves at a moment's notice. Danger can come from your neighbor's house just as much as it can come from half a world away. If one part of society only knows how to take orders and the other part knows how to give orders, then you have an unequal society, a segregated society. I think that's why the Elem System is so divided. There aren't any shared priorities. Nobody wants to work together because nobody can work together. That's why we have starpower strikes."

Natalie's mind flashbacked to the sea of protesters the UEF soldiers had shielded from her on the streets of Command Castle. Yona let loose a hearty laugh.