Thirty revolutions passed within the SBA since the warning from Nostradamus, each day rigorous and exhausting. Days like these are beyond rare, but that's thanks to Amelia's System. Countless exercise, intense mind training. Worst anticipated was an exercise similar to those of what history tells us. CBURNE from the Earth military--to this day I think they still do it. It's called ASFIX, Air Suffocation For Interstellar Crossing, where Ursing trained us to put on our helmets during moments its lost in depressurized moments or worse what to do if our helmet gets lost in space.
Which is that we press the blue button on our suits which gives us an inflatable temporary helmet to catch up to our actual helmet or to get to the spaceship to grab a spare. Amelia sighs at the thought. The training in just one month is insane. ASFIX is usually after four months of training. Lucky people from Jupiter and especially all the heavy grav planets, if it wasn't for the gravity of the station being the same as Earth's they wouldn't be able to jump as far as they could to grab their helmets so quickly.
All trainees enter the auditorium from another excerise made to teach them how to escape their battlestations or fighters in the event of an emergency. The room is full of gasping for air, heavy coughing and even some quitters crying to go back home--but there is no way they can. They are stuck there until the eight months are up, because the SBA is put on ESBR--Emergency Status for Battle Readiness--meaning doors are closed, ships are grounded and trainees have to flood through the pipeline.
Technical Sergeant Ursing stands on his podium and we head back into our pods, "Alright! I know we've been ahead of schedule, but your sister and brother flights are getting ahead." He leans in and sighs as he sees the room deflate, "However! You have all short exemplary skill and prowess during these intense moments. This flight is placed high on the readiness chart! Good job!"
He presses a button to open the capsules. Amelia and Trappist hug tightly, tears falling from their faces as their whole pod gathers in for a group hug. They cry, but it shifts into a cheer. Every member giving a hug, and now even a kiss as some of the trainees have started falling in love.
There are systems in place for this, everyone has a chip placed behind the earlobe and if they get distracted there are illusions placed to make their love for said person diminish slightly.
Trappist comes back for another hug, "This is so good! Congrats Amelia!"
Through tears Amelia says, "Congrats to you too!"
Technical Sergeant Ursing pulls the button and encases everyone back in their capsules, "Okay! Back to reality!" The large screen turns on and shows what Nostradamus doomsday predictions were that day, "This is why I put you through the pressure and the pain. I value your success and I will help you get there!"
He continues, "You have completed a month of traning and because all of you excelled. You will have thirty minutes to talk to your loved ones at home using your holo-systems. Starting... Now!"
"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" Everyone screams and immediately starts their calls with family and loved ones.
Amelia gulps however, she's unsure what will be on the other side. Her finger shakes before pressing the call button, on the screen it says 'Mom & Dad'. Will the planet be safe? Should she tell them what happened? About her system? So much to tell them, but warn them. And that she might die in six months.
"Are you okay?" Trappist asks. Her voice soft and gentle, different from her usual self.
Amelia looks to see her brows raised slightly, "Kinda. I just--don't know what to say."
"Just start gently. Talk about your day and let them ask you. You got this."
Amelia takes a deep breath, "Thanks." and presses the slow pulsing 'Call' button.
Calling. Calling. Amelia waits trying to keep her breath steady. Playing with Nostradamus then holding it tightly against her chest--letting go of another breath. Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. She closes her eyes tight.
"Amelia. Amelia? Oh dear, are you alright hun? Did it happen again?" Her moms voice embraces her ears. A sound of beautiful music playing.
Amelia's eyes open and goes for a hug, hitting her head on the glass, "Ow! Hey mom! I miss you!"
On the screen shows a woman with long white hair and blue eyes. A long beautiful purple sparkly dress, herself tall--around eight feet tall. Usually the SBA lets the family know when the trainees will enter a call so they can prepare ahead of time. Her dad comes in with a purple suit and dark blue tie, making Amelia giggle. Silly man, he's probably been working very hard to keep mom worry free this past month. He's ten feet tall.
The Trappist-1 system has 62% lf the gravity that Earth does, so these sizes are normal being descendants of humans. That was the first thing Amelia learned in Planetary Sciences in Cennet. It was also why her great grandma is only five feet tall. Amelia is already seven feet tall and she's twenty. The start of her journey to becoming a Planetary Analyst. Amelia's mom has loss some weight, hopefully she's been eating.
Mom sniffs and holds Dad's hand tightly, "Hey baby! I miss you too!"
"Everything going okay?" Dad asks.
"Yeah. I'm okay. Training is tough though!" Amelia says, a lump forming slowly in her throat.
"Oh no, hun." Mom says to Dad and he steps in, "Hey kiddo, you can tell me."
His eyes aren't blinking, reaching over towards a hand they built in the view of the camera to make it as if her hands were there during these calls. Lots of posters of their daughter behind them with a warm light highlighting each achievement she made ever since middle school. One in the left is of her holding a holographic planet trophy with a bright face and freckles all over the bridge of Amelia's nose saying 'First place in Planet System Studies'.
Another is of her in highschool graduation crying and hugging her mom saying 'Our Talented Sweet Little Girl' to the right. And one right down the middle placed a littler higher above the rest is her in an astronaut suit moments before her launch out of the planet. Her parents and siblings along with fours of the top religious leaders of Cennet around her saying 'Our Hero'.
Amelia notices this as she tries to squeeze her dad's hand and the invention works. She can feel his touch making her eyes go red, with a small ache to her chest she takes a deep breath, "I love you guys."
"We love you too babygirl." He quickly says. "We are going to stay strong for you here in Cennet. I promise."
"No! I found a System." She pulls out Nostradamus and looks at them with blurry eyes. "This is Nostradamus. It told us here at the SBA that there was an extremely deadly threat coming here. I'll try to save you all before this happens, but I might die. We are going to try hard to prepare here. But-" The lump in her chest grows too big to continue.
Their mouths are slack, both of her parents grip her hands tightly, "Its okay baby. Its okay. Its okay." Her father speaks up--raising his voice jusy enough to penetrate the negative thoughts, "We are here. Always in your heart. I'll try to speak with the Supreme Church."
"Are you insane honey? What are you planning?" Her mom says. "They issued a--"
"I would want to give my daughter something, back up, anything! Lets give her hope she'll come home alive! I don't care that an interplanetary missile struck us!"
Amelia's eyes widen, her jaw dropping slowly, "What?"
Amelia and her mom even though far apart, carry those words within them. Her mom's eyes focus and turn to their daughter in need, "Your talent means nothing if we can't help you. Your father is right. We'll talk to the Supreme Church. Now focus on what you need to do! I love you--We love you."
Amelia's mom holds her hand firmly, "Now forget about us, and finish your journey."
She wakes up from her trance, shaking her head. "Nonono! Wait-" Call ended.
Did she hear that right? There's already been an attempt against her planet? This is going so fast. Her breathing starts to go faster again, but a tap on a glass distracts her a bit when she sees Trappist.
Thirty minutes go by fast and Trappist looks at her as the privavte message enters the capsule, "Did you say what you needed to say?"
"There's been an attack on my planet already. One month in."
"What?!"
A new screen appears on their capsule HUDs, a set of holographic fighters aligned in formation with the words 'Stand By' blinking laxly on the screen--bright red. This seems to be the setup of the course that awaits them for the next five months. Jittering and jumping can be seen in other capsules as their bones shake with utter excitement.
Amelia's Core however, give each other a serious nod. Taking each others features, to remember them as they continue on their journey--then she looks to Trappist with a deep breath, "Let's get ready for training."
"Yeah." She says and places her fist to the capsule glass, "Lets kick some Craver-ass."