Chapter 3

Gersh Wyllt sat in the classroom, bored to tears. He hated Military History. The instructor was prattling on about some naval battle fought between a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom. The tactics they used were outdated by today's standards. The old wooden sailing ships were no match for the speed and firepower of modern triluminum juggernauts with their cold fusion drive cores. The Pangaean continent no longer had borders for various kingdoms. Everyone was united under a single flag and ruling council. There were many who would argue that the Terran Defense Force was an unnecessary institution, but the prevailing theory about life in the universe was that not all of it would be friendly. And if humans wanted to settle the stars, they needed to be prepared to defend themselves should alien life actually exist and it turned out to be hostile.

Humans that still believed in the Creator couldn't deny the possibility that He had created life other than what was on Terra. In fact, the Creator was as enigmatic as one might expect. There were stories that life might exist on one of the other two habitable worlds in Sol, but no one knew for certain. Probes had been sent to the 4th and 5th planets, and while they showed lush, green worlds with liquid water; they did not show signs of intelligent life. It was an exciting time to be alive as humanity prepared to set out into the stars, and Gersh couldn't wait to be done with his officer's training and start exploring.

The council had announced an initiative to send the first humans to the 4th planet within the next 50 years, and Gersh had every intention of being on that expedition. While he wasn't as smart as his brother, Myrddin, he was in the top 3% of the military university. With a little extra effort, he could rise to the number 1 spot, solidifying his place in the initiative.

*After this class, I will put in more effort*

There was a collective groan as the instructor wrapped up the class and gave them their reading assignment. The instructors gave them so many reading assignments, he and others had started to wonder why the instructors were there at all. Gersh made notes on his tablet for the reading assignment and collected his things to leave.

"Hey! Wyllt!" It was his long time friend and fellow trouble maker, Damon. Damon was smart, but nowhere near as smart as Gersh. However, what Damon lacked in smarts, he made up for with enthusiasm and a knack for getting into and out of trouble. He was about a quarter meter shorter than Gersh, with red hair and bright, green eyes. The ladies loved Damon, and he was fun to be around. His laid back nature often made Gersh wonder why he would join the TDF.

"Cadet Farwell, you know better than to address me by such familiar terms in public."

The two young men stared at one another for a moment before bursting into laughter. Neither had ever been very big on formality. As they made their way out of the lecture hall, Damon's eyes lit up with an impish gleam that Gersh knew all too well.

"I overheard some of the female cadets talking about heading up to the Luna colony for break. Want to hop a shuttle up there and have some fun in less than Terra normal gravity?"

"I don't know, Damon. I have exams I need to study for."

"Creator's hand, save me from this dullard!" Damon mockingly cried out as they walked down the hall. His comment raised a few eyebrows from other cadets, and a few nasty looks from the faculty.

"Damon, could you keep the blasphemous comments to a minimum volume please?" Gersh looked around, seeing how many people were noticing them.

"Oh please, don't tell me you still believe in the one 'all powerful creator' myth."

"My belief or disbelief is neither here nor there. The fact that others around us still believe should be enough for you to keep those kinds of comments to yourself, out of respect for them."

Damon shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. I hear you."

They made their way out of the main building and started walking towards the male cadet barracks. Their long awaited mid-term break was just around the corner. Many of the cadets stood in the common areas talking excitedly about their plans. Damon spotted some other friends and waved to Gersh as he took off, leaving Gersh to head up to their dorm room alone.

As the door slid shut, Gersh welcomed the quiet it brought. *So many voices.* He slumped down into his chair and tossed his data pad onto his desk. He leaned back, staring out the window as the last ribbons of light were fading. He looked up at the stars with a sense of longing. All he had ever done in his life was dream of the day he could be out there, exploring. His father had suggested being an H3 shuttle pilot, making the runs from Luna to Terra and back; but that just wasn't enough. He didn't want to be a cargo pilot. He wanted to be an explorer. He wanted to be with the first boots on the ground when they explored new worlds. He wanted to live amongst the stars.

The console on his desk started beeping, tearing him out of his daydream. With a huff, he reached over and tapped the interface icon. *it's probably just Damon trying to drag me off to some party.*

To his shock, it was his younger brother, Myrddin.

"Gersh! Hey, did I catch you at a bad time?!"

"No. I was just winding down from classes, debating on if I wanted to head over to the mess hall and eat something."

"Oh, do you have a few minutes?"

"Yes. What is going on?"

"Hold on, while I get mother and father on the vid as well."

There was a brief pause in the feed as Myrddin placed the requests for their mother and father to join them. Gersh was un-shocked by the fact that they appeared in two separate windows. *Working late on two separate projects as usual.* Their mother was the first to speak.

"Myrddin? What is going on? Why are you calling on all of us this late?"

"Sed took me to the council today! They listened to my ideas, and if we can prove my theories, they are going to push them forward! These theories could jump the colonization time-line by decades!"

Gersh found it hard to not get swept up in his little brother's enthusiasm. Their father… not so much.

"Son, a theory is a long way from practical application. Don't get your hopes up too much."

"My ideas are just built on the foundation that Sed has already developed. He asked the council to ratify his choice to place me in charge of R&D, effective immediately; while he stays on to consult from time to time."

Their mother gasped. "Sweetie! This is wonderful news!"

Their father just kind of nodded in agreement, keeping his opinions to himself, like usual. They prattled on for a few more minutes before their parents had to get back to whatever they were working on. They said their goodbyes and signed off.

"So. Did you include me in this call so you could just rub it in my face?"

"What? Gersh. No! I know how much you wan…"

"Do not presume to know what I want, little brother! It is always like this with you! You do something, and then can't wait to show off in front of mom and dad! You! Myrddin, the genius! Always sooo good at what you do. The only thing you couldn't do was fight your own battles. Oh no. That was always left for ME! Because if I didn't defend you, I would get it from dad!"

"Gersh… brother… This isn't…"

"I don't want to hear it!"

Gersh ended the vid with as much annoyance as he could, wishing that the act of smashing the disconnect button could somehow transmit his anger through electronic space to his brother.

"Your brother again?" Damon asked from the doorway to their room.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough." Damon walked over and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Gersh slumped in his chair, putting his face in his hands. He tried as hard as he could to get his anger under control. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and started for the door.

"Come on. I need a drink."