Sigma/Star

Chapter 7: A Terrible Reception

Porter was feeling mildly nauseous after the shuttle trip. It had been a bumpy entry into Earth's atmosphere, especially after they had had to reroute to avoid an Artisan Confederate patrol through the sky. Coming down at a location so close to the border turned out to be one of the tougher ideas to follow through with.

Nami was sitting across from him and had very rarely taken her eyes off him as she chattered to nobody in particular. Chase spent a great deal of time talking to Raul, a tanned-skin, black-haired older boy who had been held behind a couple of times due to some "disciplinary action," and who usually wouldn't say much in class and tossed a paper ball up and down but his pilot skills were considered legendary.

Riya did very little, usually smiling and saying a short statement or two to Mr. Shotuku as he talked her ear off. Lastly there was Ardwen in the corner, staring out a small window into the sky. Every so often he would adjust his glasses and reset them on his face by pushing on the lenses, and then would eventually have to pull them off and clean them from the smudges, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger as he did so.

Porter spent the most time watching him. He was supposed to be a medical student and studied up intensely on dealing with healing pilots while his Goliath was rumoured to have tools for repairing other battlesuits. He was also receiving the highest marks in the class, right above Nami, so it was no wonder he was being sent out for this mission.

There was still a cloud of confusion in Porter's head as to exactly why they were being sent down. He could hardly even remember what had happened to get him on the trip at all. It was all something of a daze from the start of Mr. Shotuku's class up until he found himself on the ship. In the end he had to shrug his shoulders and say "Oh well" to it all.

With a final shudder the ship landed at Easley, in a little open grassy plot of land beside the town marked as the landing zone for anything that ever came by through the air. Porter stumbled out into the lovely sunlight of the Enian Federation's western border and was hit with blends of smells of green grass, and flowering fields, of animal excrements and fresh-baked bread.

There was nobody nearby though, just a lonely farmer meandering through his fields on a hill. The group of students looked around in bewilderment, from each other to the tiny town to the pastures around. Even Mr. Shotuku was baffled. "I expected some sort of military reception for us here," he said. "Or maybe even just the admiration of the townsfolk. You know, men giving us praise and handshakes, women throwing themselves on us and donating their pastries. This isn't what I expected at all."

Chase lightly gave the old man a knock on the back of his head. "Stupid geezer." He was immediately greeted with the bottom of a slipper smashing across his face. "Foolish student."

The rest of the group released a sigh and moved on towards the town. Green ended at the edge and turned to dirt with cobblestones strewn randomly at first but eventually bunched together to make the pathway to the town square. It was there in the middle of the square, a place surrounded by little wood and brick houses and storefronts that the students found the welcome they were hoping for.

Except it was not for them. Taking up most of the space of the square were their six Goliaths glittering in the sunlight with almost the entire town's population clustered around their feet. The group was aghast.

"Our machines stole my spotlight!" Chase exclaimed. The six were dressed in the grey jumpsuits of a pilot and thus blended in with the rest of the people, still not even being noticed as they made their outbursts of unhappiness.

Mr. Shotuku pushed his way up to the front with his students in tow until they made it out to their Goliaths. With the nimble deftness of a young man, Shotuku leapt up onto the top of one of the feet and the chatter in the crowd died out quickly. "Dearest town of Easley." He spoke artfully and with great grace, unlike his usual blunt lectures, and it captivated the audience. "We have been sent here as a defence force for your faithful little town, to protect you from any potential attacks by our enemies just across the border." There were whispers and murmurs rippling through the crowd. Obviously they had no idea an attack was coming. "I request to speak with the leader of your local militia so that we may work together."