Space.
It was endless, wonderful, and quiet. Even as the soft, constant thrum of the engines echoed through the little gopher-shuttle's hull, Koji marveled at it through the windows of the small spacecraft. He couldn't see the end of it and he did not expect to, though he did see many other little shuttles streaking to and fro from larger personnel carriers to the YSS Destiny - his new assignment. The new Sub-Lieutenant appeared apprehensive at best as he stared out at the hull of the large ship. At worst he was nervous - almost scared by the sheer size of the thing. If other vessels did not accompany it, he would deem the ship completely unworthy for military purposes, but he knew better than that even though he had not been briefed.
It was a well-known fact that this ship, which was still in construction, would be the home of an entire city as well as some seventy-five-thousand crewmembers. As such, it needed officers, and the newly promoted Koji was signed on as a strategist. Indeed, he was just getting the feel for his new, crisp gray-paneled uniform; having been more used to the blues of an enlisted soldier. Beside him, the waterproof rucksack sat quietly, holding his only change of clothes (Yet another military uniform) and his laptop, the item that he sent and received most of his orders with. It was arranged neatly and correctly and that said a lot about his character - neat, correct, sometimes almost painfully so - but it was all just his job anyway. One screw up and they were all dead. He cut his cherry-colored hair in the ‘traditional' military fashion, keeping it low-maintenance and out of his way for the most part. As to his clothing - the uniform - he was rarely seen out of some sort of military fatigue, which quite suited his strong build and frame. His mother said he was the spitting image of his father, with searching blue eyes and a handsome look about him - but of course she was just his mother. They'd put him through the Academy, encouraged him, and given him some money to live off of afterwards.
Well, he didn't need their help now. He had been granted a substantial bonus for accepting this mission, and he had so much money that he did not know what to do with it all. A high-powered rifle would have been on the agenda had he still been enlisted as an infantryman, but now he was not so sure. GP-12a rifles with mounted Grenade launchers looked pretty tempting, but where would he ever use it if not on the front lines or in boarding missions? A dilemma indeed. He also didn't want to spend the money on Psionic-blocking equipment or some sort of artificial enhancement. Perhaps start a business, settle down. It was a good idea, in retrospect. Once he got his rank and a good retirement fund up, he'd get married and drop the service. He could see himself, standing upon a wooden deck and watching his children play, his wife beside him - though he never quite had a clear picture of her. He closed his eyes and tried to envision her, but he failed and only succeeded in dozing off for the remainder of the short trip.
He was jarred awake by the pilot's voice. "We're here, Sir,â€
It was endless, wonderful, and quiet. Even as the soft, constant thrum of the engines echoed through the little gopher-shuttle's hull, Koji marveled at it through the windows of the small spacecraft. He couldn't see the end of it and he did not expect to, though he did see many other little shuttles streaking to and fro from larger personnel carriers to the YSS Destiny - his new assignment. The new Sub-Lieutenant appeared apprehensive at best as he stared out at the hull of the large ship. At worst he was nervous - almost scared by the sheer size of the thing. If other vessels did not accompany it, he would deem the ship completely unworthy for military purposes, but he knew better than that even though he had not been briefed.
It was a well-known fact that this ship, which was still in construction, would be the home of an entire city as well as some seventy-five-thousand crewmembers. As such, it needed officers, and the newly promoted Koji was signed on as a strategist. Indeed, he was just getting the feel for his new, crisp gray-paneled uniform; having been more used to the blues of an enlisted soldier. Beside him, the waterproof rucksack sat quietly, holding his only change of clothes (Yet another military uniform) and his laptop, the item that he sent and received most of his orders with. It was arranged neatly and correctly and that said a lot about his character - neat, correct, sometimes almost painfully so - but it was all just his job anyway. One screw up and they were all dead. He cut his cherry-colored hair in the ‘traditional' military fashion, keeping it low-maintenance and out of his way for the most part. As to his clothing - the uniform - he was rarely seen out of some sort of military fatigue, which quite suited his strong build and frame. His mother said he was the spitting image of his father, with searching blue eyes and a handsome look about him - but of course she was just his mother. They'd put him through the Academy, encouraged him, and given him some money to live off of afterwards.
Well, he didn't need their help now. He had been granted a substantial bonus for accepting this mission, and he had so much money that he did not know what to do with it all. A high-powered rifle would have been on the agenda had he still been enlisted as an infantryman, but now he was not so sure. GP-12a rifles with mounted Grenade launchers looked pretty tempting, but where would he ever use it if not on the front lines or in boarding missions? A dilemma indeed. He also didn't want to spend the money on Psionic-blocking equipment or some sort of artificial enhancement. Perhaps start a business, settle down. It was a good idea, in retrospect. Once he got his rank and a good retirement fund up, he'd get married and drop the service. He could see himself, standing upon a wooden deck and watching his children play, his wife beside him - though he never quite had a clear picture of her. He closed his eyes and tried to envision her, but he failed and only succeeded in dozing off for the remainder of the short trip.
He was jarred awake by the pilot's voice. "We're here, Sir,â€