Spectator

Chapter Fourteen: Then

There was a whole lot of nothing. Petra basically pressed her nose to the glass to get a good look, and Kali glanced at their schematics.

"Everything normal," she said aloud, not really sure why. It wasn't as if she was reporting in. Damn this school. Two months and she was already starting to be brainwashed.

"I don't see anything," Petra said, doing the same thing, which annoyed Kali further. "I can see part of the nebula from here. Do you think they'll approach that way?"

How would she know? "Maybe."

"They might split up - I'd split up. Do you think they have one big carrier or multiple ships? It's probably multiple ships. Or one that separates. It has to be big enough to withstand at least a hit from our main cannon. Or maybe it can't, and this scenario will be over quickly. That would be nice, an easy pass. But I guess there isn't much to be showcased of our abilities if we win without most of us not doing anything...."

Kali droned her out. Her hand hovered over her Hub. Now that the communication was turned on, she could give Ainsley a piece of her mind. Not a very private piece of her mind - everyone could communicate with one another. The fact that she wasn't inundated with 27 other people speaking at once was probably the restricted channels. The leaders were talking to one another, Kali was sure, and she wasn't at all upset about missing out on that conversation, which was probably just Zakariah and Nari vying for control, Ainsley trying to keep the peace, and Photo ignoring all three of them. What wonderful leadership they had. Somehow, Kali didn't think it would improve throughout her career.

How long the attack would take to commence? Would they be slow and careful, or rush them?

She got her answer quickly enough. An alarm blared overhead, the lights taking on a dull hue. Kali had always thought that was a dumb change; how the stars was she supposed to see anything with the lights dimmed?

"I see something. Emerging from the nebula. It's - oh."

Tearing her eyes from the console, Kali went to see what had rendered the girl speechless, and she got her answer immediately.

"They're Titan make," Kali breathed. Or at least what she could remember from the grainy vids they still showed on the anniversary every year. Titan, the second human colony that wasn't built in space, and the furthest out in the solar system. It was the best and newest technology, and it was supposed to have learned from Mars' colonisation. Most of the rich and powerful had already bought a spot on the new moon, once construction was done. Everything had been going well, and on schedule. Then, communication had suddenly been cut off. There was nothing for five years, until the Mars' 'rescue party' reached Titan to find out what had happened themselves.

It was officially a rescue party anyway, but Kali had learned from her brother that in reality, they had gotten one communication since the blackout, stating simply: We secede from the United Planets. No-one else is welcome here. They had that message, but refused to adhere to it, sending a fleet of ships to Titan. To convince them otherwise? Bully them? That was less clear. All anyone knew was the outcome. In blurry footage the closest satellite they had, these large spaceships reminiscent of hammerhead sharks had emerged from the gaseous orbit of Saturn. Their technology had been beyond what they'd used to colonize years prior. Their superior mechanics had wiped out the Mars fleet. Within minutes, nothing was left but pieces of floating debris. The data gathered by the satellite was minimal, nothing but a few images that would be shown every year on the date for the next twenty five years, a reminder of what had been lost and the atrocities committed by the Titaneans.

Kali knew that this Academy was here to teach them how to deal with threats, but this scenario was a blatant preparation for if the Titaneans ever attacked. It was at the back of everyone's minds, especially those in power; it was the reason Terrans had been allowed into this academy too, so the brightest and best wouldn't slip through their fingers. The fear of imminent threat was a powerful one.