They ate their snacks as the transport made its way toward the planetary exit window over the Atlantic Ocean. When the ship broke free of Earth’s gravity, they all felt giddy with excitement.
“Goodbye, cruel world,” Jules said with a giggle.
“Can you believe this?” Ember said, releasing her seatbelt and floating up from her seat.
The Space Exchange—a huge port that circled the sun between Earth and Mars—was the primary stop for the Peregrinantes who came through the system. The tall, hairless aliens were the only species that had the technology to travel between star systems. Man had spread among the planets of the solar system but were forced to rely on the Peregrinantes to deliver goods beyond the relatively tiny section of space occupied by humans. The aliens had built the Exchange, as it was commonly known. At times the aliens took small transports down to Earth or Mars, but for the most part they did their trading on the Exchange. Goods from other planets could be bought from the aliens, who claimed to charge fair prices on all goods—though no one knew for sure how fair the prices really were. The distance between star systems was so vast that even long-range communications were impossible. The Peregrinantes held all the power, and the best humanity could do was play along.
The flight from Earth to the Exchange took fourteen hours. Nick and his friends reclined their seats and slept once the novelty of traveling in zero gravity wore off. Eventually, the transport docked on the human side of the spaceport. The group of new PMC recruits made their way from the transport onto the Space Exchange, which had an artificial gravity system. As they walked toward the large central section of the Exchange, they stopped at a viewing port. They could see the sun far in the distance, not much bigger than the stars that filled the expanse beyond the solar system. Earth was visible as well, like a tiny blue-green marble.
“Man, can you believe this?” Kal said.
“Earth looks so tiny from here,” Jules said.
“It’s kind of scary,” Ty said. “Like a person could get lost out in the darkness.”
“We better not get lost,” Nick said. “If the PMC is expecting us, we better not keep them waiting.”
They continued through humanity’s half of the Exchange. It consisted mostly of berths for spaceships, with a few offices and work stations along the way. When they reached the central hub, the vast station took their breath away. It was like a magical city inside a massive bubble. There were buildings, streets, trees, and even grassy lots filled with flowers. The walls of the station were completely transparent. Sunlight shown in on one side and stars were visible on the other, as if the Exchange were perpetually caught between day and night. The architecture was grand, yet obviously designed to fit the Exchange. The tallest buildings were on the night side of the bubble, so that sunlight could reach all the way across the vast city in space.
“This is worth it,” Kal said. “I take back all my reservations. It was worth joining the PMC just to see this right here.”
“Can you believe how incredible this is?” Ember said, her face shining with excitement. “It’s like a fairy tale.”
“I’ve seen pictures and videos,” Nick said, “and I still can’t believe it.”
“Just think of how many people back on Earth will never see this,” Ty said. “It’s criminal.”
“Look, there’s an information terminal,” Nick said. “We should go there first.”
“I don’t know,” Kal replied. “I kinda want to look around for a while.”
“Okay, I’ll find out where we’re supposed to go and I’ll catch up with you.”
Nick walked to the information kiosk. It was a large booth that looked more like a welcome station at an exotic hotel than a computerized booth. A hologram of a woman with short hair and a cheerful expression appeared inside the booth when Nick stepped in.
“Welcome to the Space Exchange,” the hologram said. “How may I be of assistance?”
“Hi, I’m Nick. My friends and I just joined the PMC. I’m not sure where to go from here.”
“The Peregrinantes Military Corps has a building on the far side of the exchange. Just follow the main thoroughfare and you’ll see signage pointing you to the intake center.”
“Thank you,” Nick said.
“It is my pleasure to serve you,” the hologram said.
Nick left the booth and hurried to catch up with his friends, who were standing in a wide-open expanse watching as a huge alien interstellar ship glided through space above the bubble. It moved silently and looked to be just as big as the Exchange.
“What’d you find out?” Kal asked when he finally looked down from the ship above them.
“There’s an intake center on the far side of the station,” Nick said.
“Great, we’ll get to see it all,” Jules said.
“What are we waiting for?” Ty added. “I want to see it all.”
Chapter 8
Nick was surprised to see a group of people waiting in the PMC intake center. He led the way inside and stopped just inside the sliding glass door. The room was plain, and Nick felt a pang of disappointment. After the wonder of the Exchange just outside the glass door, the intake room felt so ordinary that it seemed drab. There were chairs—just simple, industrial-grade seating that could have been found in any business office on Earth. It had the feel of a waiting room but none of the normal niceties to make a person relax. There were no magazines and no plants or greenery of any kind. There was a desk near a set of closed double doors, but no one manned the desk.
A large sign hung on the wall opposite the main entrance that read “PLEASE WAIT FOR ASSISTANCE.” Nick did a quick count and discovered there were twelve other people waiting.
“What now?” Kal said.
“Looks like we aren’t the only ones joining the PMC today,” Jules said.
“We could explore the Exchange some more,” Ty said. “I’ve got some credits left.”
“I think we should stay,” Ember said. “I don’t want to be late.”
“Late for what?” Ty argued. “There’s no one here.”
“But the sign says wait,” she argued.
“I agree,” Kal said. “I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot.”
The decision was made for them when a man in a PMC uniform stepped through the double doors. The room fell silent, and Nick was relieved. If they been just a few minutes later they might have missed the beginning of their induction into the military.
The man in the uniform didn’t speak. He just looked around at the people in the room, frowning. Nick noticed that most were older than he was. Age was sometimes difficult to gauge with the Proxy technology, which seemed to stretch a person’s twenties and thirties for decades. Nick’s father was over a hundred but looked like a thirty-year-old. The man in the uniform cleared his throat and began speaking.
“Welcome to the Peregrinantes Military Corps,” he said in a voice that was brimming with boredom. It was like he was reading an announcement he had made dozens of times before. “Your enlistment begins today. My name is Sergeant Gomez. I will be leading you through the intact process. Please form two lines. Men on the left, women on the right.”
They took their places. Nick understood the need to separate the genders, but he didn’t like it. The ULU had unisex facilities, and gender was a matter of choice on Earth. Still, he didn’t want to start his time in the PMC questioning the way things were done. And he knew that Jules and Ember could look out for themselves. Once the lines had formed, Sergeant Gomez opened the double doors and led them into a sterile hallway with lines painted on the floor. Once they were all inside, Gomez ordered them to stand against the wall.
“Just inside these doors, the Peregrinantes physicians will run a series of tests,” Gomez said. “You’ve all passed the entrance exams, but the following tests will determine your placement and training. Please do as you are told. The Peregrinantes will not harm you, so try not to act like you’ve never seen another intelligent species.�
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The first people in line went into the rooms. Approximately five minutes passed, and the next two people were ushered in. Nick and the others talked in quiet whispers, wondering what was happening. Finally, Nick was taken inside. The room was dimly lit, and a tall alien sat at a desk operating an information system with its long, tapered fingers.
“Name?” it said.
The alien’s voice was high pitched and strained, obviously not accustomed to speaking English.
“Nicolas Nichols.”
“Place of origin?”
“Seattle, Washington, in the United States of America.”
“Always include the planet and system that you hail from, Nicolas Nichols. Take off your clothes and put them in the bin to your right.”
A small drawer opened from the wall. It had no handle, and Nick hadn’t noticed it before. The walls of the room were smooth and seamless. Soft light radiated from overhead grooves in the ceiling. Nick had used common shower areas before—first in school athletics, and then in the ULU. He wasn’t a bashful person, but he still felt self-conscious stripping off his clothes in front of the alien. It was impossible to tell if the Proxy were male or female. Study of the Peregrinantes was part of his high school curriculum. He had passed the class, but little of the information about the aliens had stuck in his long-term memory. Humans didn’t hate the aliens, but there was plenty of bias against them, especially since the long life spans the aliens had enabled humanity to live had led to an overcrowded world that struggled to support the huge population.
He pulled off his clothes, folded them quickly, and put them in the drawer, which shut and sealed back into the wall as soon as he finished. The alien had yet to look up from a bank of monitors on the desk.
“You are young, Nicolas Nichols,” the alien said. “Please state your age in Earth years.”
“Eighteen,” Nick said.
“Excellent. And you have no physical defects. You are cleared for all divisions. Your personal belongings have been sealed for long-term storage. Please proceed into the next room for decontamination protocol.”
Nick felt cold and more than a little exposed as he walked to a door that appeared on the wall opposite from the one he entered through. He stepped into another small room and the door closed behind him. An automated voice gave him instructions: “Please stand with your legs greater than shoulder-width apart, your arms fully extended out to the side, your head up, and your eyes closed. Once the decontamination protocol is complete, you will be given further instructions.”
Nick spread his legs, held his arms straight out, and closed his eyes. Through his eyelids he could see that the light in the small room had intensified. The brightness looked red as it blazed through his scrunched eyelids. Air moved over his body. He felt moisture, then a dryness that reminded him of hand sanitizer evaporating from his skin. The entire process lasted almost a minute, and then a chime sounded and the voice spoke again: “Through this room you will find clothes. Please get dressed and proceed into the next room.”
Nick opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. The Peregrinantes were asking for a lot of trust. Stripping naked and standing exposed with one’s eyes closed was difficult. In the next room he found a small bench and beside it a drawer with clothes and shoes inside. He got dressed, marveling at the feel of the lightweight fabric. The clothes were plain gray cloth with elastic at the waistband. They fit snug, but not tight. The shoes were simple and lightweight, yet clearly athletic. He slipped them on and stood up, surprised to find himself in the finest clothes he’d ever worn.
The door opened and he went into another room where the others who had gone before him were waiting. Nick saw Jules and Ember inside. He walked over to join them.
“Nice duds, Nick,” Ember teased.
“Not too bad,” he replied.
“What’s next?” Jules asked.
“I don’t know,” Nick said.
A few minutes later Kal joined them, and Ty after that. Everyone was in the same type of clothing. And once everyone had been seen and dressed, Sergeant Gomez appeared again.
“You are now officially recruits of the Peregrinantes Military Corps,” he said. “For the next week, you will begin your training and learn the protocols expected in the PMC. To begin with, good hygiene is expected at all times. You will care for your body and the facilities assigned to you at all times. This is a space station, and once you leave here most of your time will be spent on board interstellar ships. Slovenliness will not be tolerated. Furthermore, during your basic training, sexual relationships are forbidden. Anyone caught breaking this rule will be subject to military discipline for the duration of your enlistment period and beyond. Don’t worry—most of you will be too busy and too tired to fraternize together.
“You will now be given your hygiene supplies and shown to your quarters. Good luck, recruits,” Sergeant Gomez said.
A door opened and the sergeant led them through it. Small bundles were laid out on a shelf. They each took one and followed the sergeant to a room with twenty bunk beds arranged in two rows. It was similar to the ULU dormitory, only much cleaner. The beds looked comfortable and new.
“Male facilities are on this side of the barracks,” Gomez said in a commanding voice. “Female facilities are on this side. You have half an hour to get settled into your assigned bunks. Keep your toiletries in the footlocker under the bed. Dinner will be served, and then you will return here to sleep. Some of you will require an adjustment to your time schedule. If that is the case for you, please request a sleep aid. Trust me, people. You’re going to need as much rest as you can get.”
He turned on his heel and left the room. Nick found a bunk and stowed his new belongings, then tried the bed. It was softer than anything he’d ever slept on before. The blankets and sheets seemed new and were made of the same, elegant material as their clothes.
“Well, so far I can’t complain,” Kal said. “This is definitely a step up from the ULU.”
“A big step up,” Ty said.
“If the meals are as good as promised, I won’t complain,” Nick said.
“Me either. I’m starved,” Ty said.
“You guys ready?” Jules said from across the room.
“Always,” Kal said.
“Let’s go find the cafeteria,” Ember said.
They set out in high spirits, excited to find what other surprises were in store.
Chapter 9
The mess hall was part of the PMC complex. There were large signs pointing to various areas, from administration offices to physical training areas. Nick and his friends followed the signs to the mess hall and discovered a small but well-arranged dining room. They fell into line, watching nervously as the people in front of them received trays of food.
“Looks good,” Kal said nervously.
“What is it?” Ember asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Ty interjected, “as long as it’s better than the slop at the ULU.”
There were people in the dining room that Nick didn’t recognize, but they were all human. He’d seen just one alien in the complex; everyone else was human. It was comforting, seeing all the people employed by the Proxy. It gave Nick a sense of well-being. On Earth, the general consensus was that joining the PMC was suicide. The people who left to be part of the alien army never returned, and that fact alone was enough to steer sentiment away from the aliens. But clearly not everyone agreed; the dining room was full of people who had taken the aliens up on their offer of employment—and to his eye, they looked perfectly happy.
“Oh man,” Kal said as they neared the front of the line. “That smells good.”
Nick stepped to the counter, picked up a tray, and set a knife, fork, and spoon on the edge. He felt almost giddy as the man beside him stepped away. Nick slid to his left, and on the other side of the counter a man in a chef’s outfit looked up.
“Pork or vegetarian?”
“I’m sorry?” Nick asked.
“W
hat do you want? The pork dinner or the vegetarian?” the chef asked.
“Pork,” Nick said, his mouth suddenly dry.
“Oh man,” Kal said right beside him.
The chef slid a plate across the counter. It contained two thick pork chops, a pile of mashed potatoes, and a medley of steamed vegetables. He took the plate, set it on his tray, and slid to his left again.
“Pork,” Kal announced a little too loudly.
“Cute,” the chef said with a smirk.
Nick picked up a small saucer with a golden-colored yeast roll, the top glistening with melted butter. From another group of saucers he added a piece of yellow cake with chocolate icing to his tray. And finally, at the end of the line, he got a tall glass of chilled fruit punch.
He turned away from the line and spotted an empty table. Each of the dining room tables was big enough to seat eight people. Nick carried his food to the rectangular table and sat down, wondering what his parents would think of the food. Maybe he would be dead in a week, but if they fed him such scrumptious meals he didn’t think he would mind.
“Can’t believe this!” Kal said, sitting down across from Nick. “I mean, damn, man—this is real meat.”
Jules slid into the chair next to Nick’s. She leaned forward and breathed in the aroma of the hot food.
“You have to smell it,” she said.
Nick and Kal followed her example, and Nick’s mouth watered. Ty and Ember joined them at the table and they all took their time sampling each item on their plates. None of them noticed the smirks and chuckles of the other people in the dining room. The food was the best Nick had ever tasted. The pork was tender, flavorful, and had a substantial quality to it. The potatoes and vegetables were well-seasoned, and the roll was light with a rich, buttery taste. Even the fruit punch was delicious. On Earth, everything Nick drank had a wateriness to it. He couldn’t be sure, but he felt like the punch was made from actual fruit juices. It was tart and sweet at the same time.
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