Felgar Deprado Journal Entry 3

Entry #3

The graduation ceremony for the academy was brief. We stood at the end of a field and had our names read off from a list. Then, we were given a small brass pin to attach to our uniforms. Afterwards, we were told to pack up our stuff and were given ten minutes to do so. Looking around, I realized that everyone who enlisted had survived the training camp. Even Brenrus - who looked worse for wear after I beat him up a second time - and Jastine - who now had to wear special eyewear to see properly - passed.

We were filed into a series of cable cars, ordered back to back like a train. Since I had exceeded the orientation with flying colors, I was sent into the front cable car with Trunic and this other dude named Obit. Obit was a strange fellow. He was an Romin - a genetically altered human originating from a solar system on the other side of the galaxy. Romins were a weak people - their muscles can’t develop as quickly as humans can - but their mental fortitude made up for it. Obit explained that their species originated from a group of human refugees fleeing into the Rom System. Rom was composed of four icy planets orbiting around a pulsar, and blasts of radiation from the pulsar would often hit the planets and cause widespread death. His family fled to Bipond after the pulsar made a particularly violent explosion. Of course, I don’t really know if I trust him or not, since he could just be trying to make himself sound cooler.

At first, I had no idea how we were getting from here to Fort Lanstein. The cable cars were attached to nothing, and I didn’t see any wheels on the bottom of the carts. However, my questions were soon answered. A laser attached to the front of our cable car blasted two lines made out of pure energy into existence. The laser continued making the energy line, heading towards the general direction of the fort. Soon afterward, our cable cars began sliding onto the lines as if it was a solid object. I looked in the window behind us, and saw the energy line disintegrate after the last cable car slid across it. We continued sliding on our cable cars, listening to Obit as he continued telling stories about his family and Romins. Occasionally, I would look down and see the vast expanse of jungle below. The capital of Bipond - Unasel - was visible on the horizon, partially obstructed by the curvature of Bipond but still recognizable with its iconic arch-like buildings and donut-shaped skyscrapers. Yointer was also visible, the once glorious city torn down and abandoned by rebels. My hometown - Xorton - wasn’t visible but I stared at its general direction anyways.

Briefly, I wondered how my family was doing. My mother was strongly opposed to me enlisting in the military, even though she was proud to be Bipondic. My younger sister was probably devastated from my departure, since she was very attached to me ever since my brother left. My heartstrings were starting to get tugged. I could barely handle losing one sibling, so imagine what it would be like to lose two. Quickly, I shoved those feelings down my throat. Serving for Bipond required many sacrifices, but as the orientation’s training videos said, it would all be worth it in the end. Fortunately, I was able to get rid of my emotions after repeating that mantra over and over again in my head. We landed at a grassy clearing right in front of Fort Lanstein - its adamantite walls and graphene supports standing tall in the jungle. Watchtowers were situated at the four corners of the fort, each with high-tech equipment and barracks trained specifically to spy on the rebels. The ground around the fort was broken-down and cratered from bombing attacks, and yet the walls appeared unscratched. I soon realized why as we neared the fort. Its walls were covered in a force field - glowing faintly with green light.

Once we arrived at the doorway of the fort, the force field disabled itself and the front gate opened. We stepped through into the fort’s courtyard with an orderly fashion. The first thing I noticed was that there were many stations along the walls of the fort where soldiers can shoot at incoming invaders. Squadrons were also marching around the field, performing their daily drills. The inside of the fort contained a massive bedroom and a shabby break room. Our supervisor told us that we were going to be sent to the battlefield tomorrow, and lead us to our leader. Major Pairius was a hardened fellow. His face was ridden with holes - wounds most likely derived from plasma shots. He told us we were now part of Unit 431, which involved us and two other groups. Unit 431, as well as four other units, will be sent to a section on the front lines lead by Lieutenant Boris. After his lecture, he dismissed us and we spent the rest of the day laying in bed and scraping at flavored moss.

As I write this, I feel excitement I’ve never felt before. Tomorrow I will finally be able to slaughter the rebels I’ve hated so much and fight for the glory of Bipond and President Galphael. I doubt I will be able to sleep tonight, but I will have to need all the energy I can get for fighting on the front lines.

Glory to Bipond,

Felgar Deprado

Felgar Deprado Journal Entry 4