The Orion Project (Rewrite) (indefinite hiatus)

Chapter 6

       The flock of children waited patiently by their desks, waiting for their instructor to walk through the door. Hydros leaned against the wall nearest to the door, watching over them. He yawned as the door finally opened. A grizzled, older man, walked through, his military uniform was wrinkled and looked like it had not been worn for years. The black markings were dull and his name tag was slightly scratched up.

       His green eyes scanned over them all, judging them as they flew across the room. His gray-black hair was cut short along with his beard. He nodded to Hydros, silently telling him to leave. Hydros shrugged and left. The man motioned for them all to take their seats.

"Good morning children, I am Hannibal Sloan. I will be your history and tacticians instructor. I shall assume that none of you have learned much about about our world correct?"

       The silence gave him his answer. He sighed, tapping a few buttons on his desk, dimming the lights and activating a hologram at the front of the class. A large map of the planet appeared before the class. Hannibal pointed to all of the continents one by one.

"Here is Zenith, Atrium, Carshire, and the abandoned continent of Irongate. We are located south of Carshire, in the Neptune Sea. Orion Industries is located on the largest island of the Calypso Islands, a cluster of twenty inhabited islands. Seraph chose this spot so he could be out of any government's reach. Now, I'll teach you about how we came to be here." He said, tapping a few more buttons.

"Sir? Why tell us where we are?" Jackson asked.

"One, don't call me sir, just Hannibal. Two, just to make sure you feel comfortable. It must be frightening to be in a strange place where you have no idea where you are on the planet."

"Oh, okay."

"Moving on, humanity came to this planet over ten centuries ago, leaving our old home world behind. The planet was dying and there was no way to save it, so the world's powers pooled their resources together to get off world and find another, suitable, planet. After hundreds of years of travel and through four generations of people, they finally arrived here, Cronos. Specifically, Irongate."

"It was three times larger than that of Earth. More importantly, it was able to support life. They used the parts from their craft and used it to inhabit the new environment. However, once they began expanding and exploring, they learned that they were not alone. Another species inhabited Irongate and had yet to expand outwards."

"First contact was, tense, at first. Once they learned the native language and were able to communicate with them, they begin a trading agreement. Irongate held secrets and special minerals more than any other continent combined. This species came to be nicknamed Elves in our native tongue, due to their resemblance to the mythical beings in our folklore, and they were known as the Anor in theirs."

"A crossroads separated the new arrivals. Zenith jumped years ahead of the other continents, while Atrium stayed five steps behind. Carshire evolved backwards with the discovery of magic. They reverted to medieval times, with little contact with modern technology. Their magic abilities are unmatched by any of the other continents."

"Um, Hannibal? Will we learn magic?" Blake asked.

"I dunno, it's not my area of expertise."

"It was only four hundred years later, or about two hundred years ago from now, that Irongate fell. As to what, we do not know. However, that is when the Chimera began to be more active across the four continents. They became more aggressive, vicious, and deadly than what had been first encountered. It's why the three countries barely have any cities other than their capitals. Any towns or villages henceforth would be forced to have constant security and oversight from the military and any warriors in the area."

"Is that how the academies were made?" Rose asked.

"Nope, it was a tradition picked up during humanity's time on Irongate. The Anor taught us how to defend ourselves from the creatures on this planet. We just modified to meet our technological standards. They've been around longer than that."

The hologram fizzled out and the lights slowly lit up. He leaned against his desk, crossing his arms. He sighed before addressing the children.

"I do not agree with having to teach any of you my tactical experience. I also hate the 'good doctor' downstairs. His methods are, how should I say, too scientific for my tastes. Leaves a bad feeling in my gut. Unfortunately, my opinion doesn't matter in this circumstance."

"Why is that sir?" Hydros asked from the doorway.

"That calamity that befell Irongate is, supposedly, going to rear its ugly head again. And it's aiming for the other three superpowers. Seems to outlandish for me, but Seraph believes that it's going to return. Whatever 'it' is. So, you kids are meant to be a new breed of soldier, one that will even outshine the best that would come out of the academies. So, I'll do my best to teach what I know."

"Yeesh, that's what we're up against? I haven't fought anything other than terrorists and a dragon. I can't believe what you're saying sir." Hydros said, shaking his head.

"It's what Seraph told me when I was hired for the job. Now then, if you have nothing else to say Sargent, escort them out." Hannibal said, pulling out a device from his pocket.

"Yes sir, file on out kids, we gotta get moving. It's time to meet your instructors." He said.

Devon gazed at the device in Hannibal's hands as he fidgeted with it. Hannibal raised an eyebrow, holding it out to him. It was shaped like a oval with dozens of indents and pieces sticking out of it.

"If you can solve it within the next three days, you can keep whatever is inside it. Seraph gave it to me as a kind of test. I hate puzzles. If you do, tell me how you solved it." He said, standing up. "I can't wait to see how you do."