Chapter 2: Arriving to Europa
"Woah! I feel like I'm flying!"
"Yeah, right?! This is so cool!"
Dusk stepped out of the spacecraft as he pulled himself down due to the low gravity of Europa.
Few of the other passengers — all of them teenagers — were already messing around with this unique trait of Jupiter's moon.
Some had already fallen down and were having issues with getting up as well, moving their arms around erratically — trying to find their center of gravity — as their friends laughed.
Some suitcases were flying around as well, with their owners trying to get them back.
When Dusk touched the ground with a little bounce, he instantly hugged his body and shivered.
'Fuck, it's cold!'
Despite wearing clothing designed to withstand the moon's temperature, it seemed like the cold would always win.
He looked up — beyond the blue sky of Europa's man-made atmosphere — and looked at the Sun. It was a bit smaller than he expected, and occasionally, asteroids would appear in front of it, creating some dots on the star.
'It's weird to be beyond the asteroid belt. I've never imagined it'd look like that.'
When every passenger was out of the spacecraft, two workers with robotic parts began to escort them out of the ramp. It seemed like they had no issues with the gravity, walking as they'd do on Earth.
Everyone began to point fingers at their legs, which were made of copper, rotors, and other components that moved with each step.
Dusk glanced at them before shaking his head.
'Sorry, Astra. I have no other choice.'
Tightening his backpack, Dusk walked towards the group and got first in line as the others messed around. It was hard to walk forward without jumping tens of meters up, so Dusk found a method to impulse himself horizontally with a light tap.
He still had to grab the floor or anything he could find to stop.
One of the workers, a red-haired man, walked towards them — clearly tired from today's work.
"I'll be quick. Use the railings to your right to impulse yourself forward. Don't try to walk on your own lest you want to jump out of the atmosphere. When we get inside the airport, a Military officer will be waiting."
With no further ado, the group did as the worker ordered, but some still tried their luck and had to be hopelessly brought back to the ground by some workers nearby.
Dusk watched how the robotic Implants worked, but he couldn't get his finger on how they changed the gravity of the wearer.
Was it a magnetic pull towards the floor or a compressed gas mechanism? Or simply the manipulation of one's mass for a higher gravitational pull?
'That can't be. The mass needed would literally pull the planet itself. I'm betting on magnetic appliances.'
He sighed — vapor coming from his mouth.
'Man, I miss my physics lessons.'
It took them a while, but they eventually reached the interior of Europa's only airport from what he could hear. Inside, another group was already being led out — walking normally.
When it dispersed entirely, a black-haired woman waited with crossed arms. To her side, a set of boxes was proportionally led with several measurements.
'Those numbers… shoe size?'
When the group reached her, the worker bowed slightly and walked back towards the outside.
Dusk found this exchange understandable but strange until he noticed the color of the woman's leg Implants. While the workers had copper-like parts, the women had more grayish tones.
Not only that, the Implants looked more… sophisticated? Better crafted?
Dusk didn't have time to ponder about it as she started to speak.
"Welcome to Europa, the hell you'll live in for the next years until you useless sacks of shit stop treating this place as a vacation."
The teens behind Dusk stopped talking while he simply blinked — completely bewildered.
She slapped one of the boxes to her side.
"These insoles will help you adjust to Europa's low gravity until you deserve to get proper gravitational adjustment inside the Academy. Get what fits you best because I don't want to hear some crybabies bawling because their feet hurt. No second chances here."
"You have five minutes."
Dusk instantly moved forward toward his shoe size while others were trying to even comprehend what just happened.
Her voice seemed to carry an authority that not even their mother, in her most enraged state, could even achieve.
And she wasn't even mad! It was a calm tone!
Though most were drooling over the beauty that was going to escort them to the Military facility. A black-haired with nearly perfect proportions and a cute face?!
Where do I sign?
As Dusk put the insoles inside his shoes, he heard some of the boy's thoughts, which were definitely not kept to themselves.
"Fuck, I wouldn't mind being stepped on by her."
"Stepped on?! Shit, I would love to be her dog! Just imagine serving her the entire day and knowing you can't do anything!"
"Uh… don't you guys have girlfriends?"
Dusk closed his eyes and sighed. He already felt the embarrassment of being associated with those guys simply because they boarded the same spacecraft.
People on Earth would kill just to get a pass to Europa, and those monkeys were already a waste of space.
He had to thank his father for being a hero of the Military and getting him a pass, otherwise he'd be back on Earth choking under a cloud of chemicals.
Putting his shoes back on, Dusk was surprised to see that the insole was pulling him to the ground.
If he tried lifting his foot, the force would become exponentially weaker. The closer he brought it to the ground, the stronger it would become.
'Called it. Magnetism. And a powerful one.'
Walking as if he was on Earth, he positioned himself in front of the woman — which was a bit shorter than him. He just adjusted the backpack again and waited.
The officer glanced at Dusk and his luggage, then at the two or even more suitcases the others brought with them.
She looked back with a mix of confusion and curiosity but said nothing.
Five minutes passed, and she started to walk away, being followed by less than half of the original group — which was patiently waiting for their turn.
Seeing this, they hurriedly tried to get their insoles and placed them on mid-walking.
Least to say, it was easier said than done.
After going past multiple controls for extra-security, the group finally boarded a train that would take them to the building where they'll spend most of their days located on the equator of Europa.
Europa's Military Academy was founded by the most notorious human company in the galaxy, Ultratech.
***
Dusk walked amid the group of teenagers — led by another officer — as they talked between each other. So far, he was the only one not directly speaking to anyone, just occasionally nodding to some question sent to him by a nervous kid.
He took a look at the hallway they currently were in. A double line of lights stretched through the entire corridor leading to the entrance of the Military Academy.
Looking through the clean windows, Dusk could see some Military personnel patrolling the interior — while others patrolled on top of the walls.
'This is nothing like that tour Dad did. This is the real deal.'
Taking a deep breath, Dusk continued walking until they stepped outside of the hallway. Immediately, an open area was displayed to them.
The sunlight shined through the glass dome above them, covering a vast expanse of the territory — disappearing in the distance.
'So that's the glass cone I saw while in the spacecraft… Wait!' Dusk looked around. 'Was all of that the Military building? It took like half the planet!'
Seemingly being the only one reaching that realization, Dusk kept staring at the glass facility as he moved with the group.
Then… he realized that most of the buildings resembled Earth greatly. Some shops, cafes, restaurants, parks, and other entertainment buildings were constructed all over.
Multiple people walked around. Some talked with their friends, others seemed to be in a hurry, while others were shopping.
The life awaiting was both splendid and harrowing to Dusk.
Splendid because, as much as he hated robots, he knew that they were the key to surviving the future. Hating it didn't mean he should put himself in the lowest social position by refusing this offer his father worked so hard for.
And harrowing since, well, he hates robots. Watching those people with copper wires surrounding their bodies was not a pleasant sight.
But if he wants to kill every robot as he once promised…
He had to battle fire with fire.
And he had to make sure that his flame would be fueled with the weakest flames. That's how the robotic era worked.
'Cheers to my new life, I guess.'
It didn't take long for them to reach the Military Academy. Well, in a way, everything below the glass cone was the Academy. Just an official building.
A gigantic warehouse capable of housing thousands of people.
Inside, multiple groups waited while staring at a stage on which four officers stood. Dusk managed to catch a glimpse of the woman who led them to the train station with her arms crossed.
'How… did she get here so quickly?' His eyes fell towards her legs. 'Running?'
After Dusk's group had all distanced themselves equally, as everyone else in the warehouse, a… half-robot stood on the podium and tapped its cheek.
A microphone echoed.
"Welcome, first-years, to the newly-founded Europa's Military Academy."
Dusk shivered as he heard the masculine robotic tone of the half-robot. He could feel his hair standing on the ends. Was there a human behind that helmet, or was it… his actual head?
"My name is Arsi, I'm a Rank 4 half-robot and the director of this Academy. You're the first batch to ever put foot inside this glass dome, except for the officers and workers, of course."
"Now, every second without learning is second wasted! So let's start right away with the introductions to the Academy, shall we?"
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