"It's S, virtual assistant designed for emergency purpose, looks like captain transferred control to us before going." One of the co-pilots smiled.
"There is no point sitting around, we already caught the people inside launcher. Let's open the doors." Major said in monotonous tone. "Let's gather the people, and I have some special announcement too, one of your friend is missing too right?"
Everyone nodded.
After a little work, the door opened. Captain had already done all the arrangements.
"Let's start from the toilet" Rick stated. Everyone followed him. While Major started announcement.
"Hello passengers, the Captain had an urgent meeting to attend so he left early, Major Sayak here, the road is clear, we're glad to finally welcome you to Mars. If you're wandering about the little rumble in the spaceship, it's because of engine fully stopping. We'll be leaving in 30 minutes, so please pick up your necessary belongings. As said earlier, your luggage will be handed to you in the station. A bus is coming to pick you up. Thank you."
Rick and others reached the toilet. Rick saw the door locked from outside and unlocked immediately. "Alex you're here?"
Everyone entered the toilet and saw an Alex trying to stand up, he was shaking. A taser gun was lying beside him.
"Hey Alex, you ok? What happened?"
Emma noticed the taser, "Did captain use the taser gun on you?"
Alex seemed shocked when she said 'Taser', "Woah, Ah...yes, where is Captain anyway?"
"That can wait, where are you hurt?" Shaun asked the important question.
"I thought I knew captain, and I was right, he doesn't have any daughter...but he said the toy was for his daughter, when I asked about it he suddenly used the taser gun on my neck, man it hurts like hell..."
"Yes we heard it too, explanation can wait. Well can you walk?"
"I need help" Alex looked miserable.
"Rick help, it's our payback time." Shaun asked for Rick, Rick was more than happy to help.
Rick and Shaun helped Alex come out of the toilet. Luckily the floor was dry. On the way they saw lines of people leaving the ship, the workers and co-pilots helped them out. Captain was checking their names and ticking on a list. Major waved and told them to return to cockpit. They reached the cockpit.
Everyone sat in silence. A few minutes later Captain reached with a pack of ice. "It seemed you're injured, taser gun?"
Alex nodded slowly. Rick took the ice pack and started applying on Alex's neck.
"SHEEEEE" Alex half moaned. However Rick didn't mind it kept doing what he was doing. Then everyone told everything that happened.
"So Captain...he just..." Alex was shocked. Moreover he still had the physical pain. He looked like someone sucked out the soul from his body.
"Yes, nobody could have predicted it..."
"But...but I knew it...my god why...why didn't I open my mouth before... what's wrong with me..."
"What do you mean?" Major couldn't understand what he's saying. Well nobody did.
"Two months ago, he came to our school, apparently only few were present when he was giving speech, it was middle of an exam..."
[ALEX'S FLASHBACK, HE NARRATES WHAT CAPTAIN SAID]
"Hello, I am James Yamato. You might be wondering what's the purpose of me giving speech when the exam isn't even finished, well it's because you need to understand you're not going to get everything from life. Well the real reason is I'm a bad speaker in crowd, but that doesn't matter.
The thing is you're studying in this school means you're the best of the best. No matter which branch. So what will you be in life? Will you be happy? Well that's what everyone wants? What I want to tell you is, you're not going to be what you think you'll be. It's impossible. Truth is you will regret.
You will regret everything you've done in your life, for example I decided I'll be batchelor for life, to experience life at the fullest. To tell the truth, I did. But I regret not starting a family. But I realise is if I did start a family, I would have regretted in my late life. You know there is a saying 'The grass on the other side is always greener'. You're gonna regret everything one day, so what's the way?
I will say answer is live. Live your life, experience every moment, you'll never get these moments back, no matter what. The truth is regret, so don't think about it, just live...."
"I-I didn't realise he's the Captain...if I only spoke before..." Alex almost broke down.
"Then we'd be dead by now." Ravi didn't let him finish.
"Well that's true, if he didn't do that none of us would be alive right now." Lucy tried to comfort Alex.
"Yes, don't feel bad, at least you tried, we didn't do anything at all." Shaun too tried to loosen the pressure.
"Well what did you say his name? Is it James Yamato?"
Alex nodded, he was still down.
Major brought out his pager. "Unit G, start bus and send another one. Drop them at the station."
He turned off the pager and turned to everyone. "Well, I have something to announce to you. Alex Brown, Rick Ray, Shaun Miller, Lucy Smith, Emma Fischer, Ravi Reddy and James Yamato, you guys have special news. Your companies have joined hands to open an academy for educational purposes. So you will be sent to that academy. I don't know what Captain James was going to do, but it's not a matter anyway. So you guys will be coming with me to Arena city."
Everyone's jaw dropped, including Alex's. Everyone was wondering what happened. Ravi didn't have a plan, so his name in the list was extra surprise.
"What?"
"What!"
"Wot?"
"Haa?"
"Wha?"
"Whot!"
Everyone took their turn to say exclaim their surprise.
"Well the government was thinking about safety for Martians. If you are out without any guardian, it'll be hard to approach you. And maybe you don't know this, but the condition in Mars isn't that safe. You'll be much safer under a guardian."
Everyone was staring at Major in awe. It was surprise after surprise. Many questions flooded their minds. Why suddenly? How all types of training will be done at same place, and most importantly why only them? Nobody is else was allocated in this program.
"To be honest, I too don't know all the details. But I was told to drop you at the 'Great Arena Hotel', you can sightsee the area for a day. After that, someone will come to pick you up, I'll leave his/her contact details with you. You can clear your doubt with them, now let's go to the station, we gotta do the necessary checks, and change your money to 'Red'."