Milky Way Brigade

Chapter 2

I could tell Eustachus was taken by surprise with my answer. “Wait... You will?” His eyes blinked a few times soon after muttering those words. I was not as confident with my choice as my answer may have lead him to believe, but I certainly was not pulling his leg.

I looked around my apartment. The paint, a very off-white, had been peeling since the day I moved in three years ago. The furniture was very old and resembled pieces recovered from historical archives dating in the 20th century. The chairs and table were made from a synthetic oak wood, and my refridgerator only worked half of the time. Thinking about the broken metal strings on my bed mattress was enough to make me shiver and snap me back into the conversation.

“There is nothing for me here. Without you or Laleh, all I'm left with is decayed furniture. Besides, If I don't come with you'll probably end up pissing off a commander with your peanut briddle gag.” I smiled. I began to think my statement was much more truthful than It should have been.

“Heh... Well, awesome man! I'm glad you changed your mind! I'll come pick you up in a few hours with Laleh. I'll give you a call.” Immediately after saying that, Eustachus hung up. “Sometimes I wonder if he is even CAPABLE of a full conversation” I thought. But I laughed knowing that he was probably with Laleh already, and he wanted to quickly get back to conversating with her instead.

I got up from my couch. Looking at the clock on my tablet, it reads ten-thirty. “Luckily I'm off today. Since I have some hours to kill, I should probably go to the shopping district and collect more filters for my atmospheric collectors.” It then dawned on me that I wasn't a farmer anymore and collecting those filters would be completely unnessecary. “Well, I guess I can go to a park.”

The moon is divided up into twenty sectors. Sectors 1-5 are used for residential purposes. I live in Sector 1, the poorest residental area. Due to the slightly longer lineage of farming in Eustachus's family, he lives in Sector 2. Sectors 6-10 are the shopping districts. Despite having few natural resources, the Moon still manages to be a very popular tourist attraction and generates most of its' income from travelers. People seem very fascinated with the idea that the Moon is the first place we colonized and spend dozens of food rations on shirts and other collectors gear. Sectors 11-15 are where those travelers stay. Hotels are on every corner, some so high you can't see the top from the ground. Sectors 16-19 are used for parks and recreation. The moon cannot generate life on its own, therefore all the vegetation here is due to our atmospheric generators. They produce oxygen and form a defence sphere around this body of rock to protect us from falling space debris and planetary attacks. Though if someone were to engage the Moon in combat, the shield would not last long and all life here would die instantly. That thought makes me feel very uncomfortable and vulnerable.

The foilage here is not like on Earth. All the grass is brown and the majority of plants are half wilted. There are no trees. Artificial atmospheres are not the United Confederacies speciality, though I'm certain there are cultures in our galaxy that have perfected this technology. Unfortunately due to my decision of joining the Brigade, I know that I will be able to find out firsthand. Though I figure I wont have any time for sight-seeing. I remember the horror stories I've heard about soldiers from a particular solar system to the north of us, lead by the Unahk Collective. They lack sophistication in weaponry but they make up for it in their brutality and overwhealming number of troops. Skilled in hand-to-hand, they are known to rush head-on toward their enemies with their plasma blades. Their despotistic government is ruled only by one man, whose name is Lazar Sigeberht. They didn't teach us much on the subject of the Unahk, but from what I already know I'm not sure if I want to delve into the specifics of their culture.

Sector 20 is where the Moon recruitment center is, there you can sign up for the Milky Way Brigade. The United Confederacy does not have a military base on the Moon. Instead, all soldiers live and train on a space station right above orbit where it also deals as a welcoming center for tourists. “If only they knew what is was like living here” I said aloud as I shook my head. Looking at my tablet again, I realize it is now ten fourty-five. I decide to put on my shoes and leave the apartment.