File 159: A Cadet's Story

Lorlea

16. 1. 5023

Diary:

Right now I’m writing this entry in a room I still can’t believe I’m in. I’M IN THE ESA, PEOPLE. Fyonae and Haeleigh, my roommates and new best friends, are playing cards on Haeleigh’s bunk. They invited me to join, but I wanted to write this down first.

Can I just say, Haeleigh and Fyonae are beyond cool? Like, they’re super pretty, super fun and super smart. Like those clique girls mixed with the really nice ones with the nerd added. They tell me I am too, but let’s just face it: they’re way more amazing than me.

Another amazing thing is that we’ve been doing, like, everything together. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, going on tours, meeting people. I love having friends stuck together like glue – like I’m the nerdy one, Fyonae the pretty one and Haeleigh the wacky one? Great combination if you ask me.

But if there’s something almost just as amazing it’s the tour we got of the Craft runway field. I mean, Spiral Galaxies, they made us wait one whole week before getting it? That’s not cool.

They did make up for it by giving us my idol as our TOUR GUIDE. I was so excited to meet Rebexa Aphelion my hands were so sweaty and shaking – I was terrified that Rebexa would notice when SHE SHOOK MY HAND, but she didn’t say anything. 

She’s even cooler than I thought – like, she’s so witty and athletic. She talked about what its like to pilot a Craft, though this part disappointed me a bit, since she seems to be more on the con side than the pros. But hey, no one’s perfect right? Unless you’re one of those creepy robot people, but then again, they were programmed to be perfect.

I’m such a big fan of Rebexa, literally just talking about her makes me want to fangirl. Call me stalker, but I’d ace any trivia question about Rebexa. Where she’s from – Bendis 78 –how  old she is – 27 – and even her favorite food – syrupy waffles from Interstellar Snacks.

According to Rebexa, piloting a Craft is ‘definitely going to make your legs cramp in that position for so long – I highly suggest that you get a massage after that’ and ‘technically you aren’t really doing much except for sitting on your bum and playing with buttons’. 

Personally I think she’s trying to tell us that piloting isn’t as fun as it seems.

But anyway, she showed us the different types of Crafts – we did learn them at the training base, but I’ve never seen one in real life or up close. So we got Probes, the ones for exploring unknown territory or unchartered planets, Watchers for keeping guard and on the lookout for hostile sentient beings, aka Krangrot aliens and lastly Fighters, crafts built specifically for galactic war. 

I’ve always wanted to be a Fighter Craft Pilot, so I think I got a little too annoying in asking questions. Thank the stars Rebexa didn’t seem irritated – she was actually kinda, amused? 

Fyonae says that she wants to be a Watcher. I was afraid that if she knew my opinion on Watchers (like, Ice Giant Planets, all they do is just sit in crafts, look out periscopes with x-rays or whatever and report whatever they find! BORING.) she would be mad, but she just shrugged and said she didn’t mind doing that.

Haeleigh’s really vocal about everything, haha. She basically has a comment about everything – the craft’s engines, Probes, radars, my hair and Fyonae’s earrings. I like that about her. She isn’t afraid of anyone’s opinion. Rebexa actually joked that Haeleigh should explore the option of being a Flight Controller, since they do a lot of talking.

I’m not ashamed to say I memorized everything Rebexa said.

Moving on, can I just admit that Cyrix and Codix seem bored by it all?  They only actually become interested when it came to the subject of arsenal and weapons, mostly bombs. Typical boys.

Now, Ryder, though, he’s really…how can I say it politely? Strange. He just mopes around at the back of the group and doesn’t care about anything. I feel like he just came on the tour just to have something to do? 

But like, speeding meteorites, why do I get this creepy feeling of someone watching me? And why do I feel like it’s coming from him?

Maybe I’m just being paranoid.

When I mentioned it to my friends, they just grinned at each other. I remember blinking stupidly (oh, how embarrassing) and staring at them, like, “Is there something on my face?”

Fyonae reached over and giggled, telling me that he probably has a crush on me.

Haeleigh made a mock-disgust face and comments that he “is waaay too depressed and gangster-y to be your boyfriend. A guy isn’t worth it unless he’s got the Viotto Stamp of Approval.”

Then I groaned and threw my pillows at them. 

This is giving me a lot of awkward thoughts now so-

OOOOH!  I just remembered something! 

Like a few days ago, we went to meet the Flight Controller Department. The tour was given by a flight controller named Caemron Zibia. She shows us around like any old tour, but the best part was when she let us do a little flight controlling ourselves. It was so cool, giving instructions to the little probe robot on CWJ72’s moon. Not to mention the thing was really cute.

I got to know some of the flight controllers too – Caemron’s been working there for ten years and she knows like EVERYTHING there is to be known at the ESA. She’s basically a gossip machine – she knows every little juicy detail, which I was more than happy to listen to.

I never knew that one of the Craft Pilots got sacked for falling asleep while blowing a gum bubble which stuck to the controls[Ma1] .

Another I got to know is Blayne Buraticus, who works part-time as a Watcher Craft Pilot. It’s interesting to know. Maybe I’ll decide to hold two positions too. Well, definitely worth exploring anyway.

Shooting stars, can I just say that the place was full of screens showing off radars, algorithms, coding, live-feed camera recordings? Basically Fynn’s kinda place. He would love it there, I’m sure…oh wait, right, he doesn’t like talking and he’s rubbish at giving instructions. The poor sod Fynn would be directing…

Speaking about Fynn, I’m kinda worried about him. He got separated from us after Wylo found out that he was the only one who had definite plans for the future – not getting involved with the Craft Pilot Dpt. I was kinda disappointed, it would be more fun with him around, but Fynn’s never been interested in it, so I can’t force him.

So when that happened he got shipped off to have his own private tours given by the other departments – actually, I just heard that the IT Dpt is offering to give him an internship before he made up his mind. I bet he’s over the moon about it.

ORION’S BELT, I JUST REALIZED I HAVEN’T SPOKEN TO HIM AT ALL SINCE YESTERDAY.

oh no, he must be feeling so lonely. We’re twins! Supposed to stick together! Dwarf planets, I’m a terrible person. I didn’t hear that internship from him, I heard it from RYDER, of all people.

I guess I got so caught up with all this ESA things and my friends and meeting all those important people and everything I just…forgot about him?

That sounds horrible. No, i just got distracted, with other things in my mind…Oh moon craters, who am I kidding?

I promised we’d stick together even if we went to different departments, meet up at mealtimes, that sorta thing. I broke it. 

I hate myself.

First thing tomorrow I’m checking in with him.

Wait – no, I can check with him earlier. I just remembered that we’re having a call with Father tonight. Oops, it’s almost time. Gotta go now.[Ma2]