Chapter 5

   Bang! Bang! Mara was sleeping soundly until she heard the loud noise. The bed shook violently. Suddenly, a loud repetitive beep resounded below the pillow. Instinctively, Mara vaulted out of bed, preparing for a physical struggle. Glancing around, she discovered there was no immediate danger. What in thee world is going on?! She was confused and angry at being awake. It was the alarm clock that woke her up. However, she still turned around wondering where the banging was coming from. It was the door.

  "Mara, get up!”

  She opened the door and found that it was William practically pounding the door. Mara gave him one of her 'not-so-happy-with-you' looks. At that, he grinned. Her mind came fully awake as it dawned on her that it was time to leave. 

  Sighing heavily, Mara said," I will be ready in just a moment."

  After several minutes of hair and uniform correction, she emerged presentable. William leaned against the wall beside the door, wearing the typical Army pixel camouflage uniform; he was not wearing that before (some Military uniform could be changed on a molecular level, using nannites). Thankfully, he wasn't grinning.

  "What's next, Captain Koilo?" Mara asked mockingly.

  "You follow me all the way to CSTC ... Airman First Class Koilo," replied William humouredly. He left the wall, heading to the tunnel. Following him, they came out in the massive room with the view of the underwater world below. They went across the silent room to another archway. This lead through an ornate hallway of marbled tan flooring and red walls, complete with mounted lights. Coming out into a foyer, William went to the semi- circular desk facing them. He gave his thin identification card to a man who looked entirely business like. Standing beside William, Mara handed the gentleman her card. He placed them both on a pad that fed the cards information on how much money the stay cost. The Military was paying for it. The process took less than a minute. 

   The business man handed the cards back to them. 

   "Thank you for staying. Have a good day," the gentleman said cheerfully.

   The Koilos nodded their thanks. Through the glass front door they saw that someone in high rank was waiting beside a long, sleek vehicle. Mara exchanged a glance with William. Vacating the building, the officer came to meet them. Upon closer inspection, this man was Army. William saluted.

   The man returned the salute." Good morning. My name is, Army Master Sergeant Attius Lark. I am taking you two to CSTC, with orders from your superior." He gestured for them to enter the vehicle.

  Stars still lingered, while a warm wind began to pick up as they entered the car. The back of the interior was lined with a gray, velvet couch that extended around to the side. Lights under the seats bounced off the white floor, lighting the inside. Sitting down on the side couch, Mr. Lark sat in the back. The door automatically closed. A driver in the front piloted the magnetized car. Vibration from the silent engine was felt when the vehicle started. Mr. Lark lost no time in briefing them.

  "Mr. Koilo, you are reassigned to a mission to retrieve Agent R. H. Lay. He was collecting information in one of the lower terrorist groups, believed to have some ties with an unknown group here on this planet. We lost contact 2 weeks ago," he said, pausing to tap his front pocket. A holographic photo of the agent appeared a few feet away in the air. "You have 3 days to get him out and then back to the rendezvous point." The photo disappeared.

   “Understood, Sir,” said William.

   “You are going to buy a ticket to Sector 4. Military personnel onboard will brief you on the rest.”

   “Yes Sir.”

  Turning to Mara, he said," Airman Koilo, you are reassigned to the fighter pilot group aboard QL12, in Sector 7. An officer on board your transport ship will fill you in on the rest of your orders.”

   Mara responded, “I understand Sir.”

   The driver called to the officer," Sir, the Pentagon is calling."

  "Excuse me," he said to the Koilos. He took out a mind communication device, a holographic lens piece; which he placed on his ear, so that he could see into the lens without holding it up. The speaking came from both minds, transmitted back and forth.

  Mara and William watched the scenery zoom by for the next half hour. Tall glass buildings surrounded the lit road. Trees seemed to overwhelm the glowing city. Presently, the view changed to where there were fewer trees and rich grass took over. Out in the distance, various ships dotted the wide landscape. Just then, an arrow-like ship took off toward the early morning sky. 

  As the vehicle rounded a bend in the road, CSTC came into sight. It was massive. Light from the interior made it look like a white star. Double glass, swivel doors served as the entrance. Surrounding the doors was a tall glass wall. It sloped wide up from the ground, peaking above the entry way, and then sloped wide back down to the ground. The wall had white beams at intervals, while glass was in between each one. From their vantage point, they could just make out the clear corridors that lead to the various ships behind CSTC. 

  "Here we are," said Mr. Lark as the driver stopped the vehicle. He opened the door and stepped out. The Koilos followed suit, looking at the enormous structure before them. 

  Attuis said," I wish you God speed."

  William turned to salute, while Mara stood with her hands respectfully behind her with a smile to thank him. The man returned the salute, and then got back into the vehicle, taking off into the glittering silver, green city. 

  "Alright, let's go," said William. 

  Warmer breezes filled the air as they walked the short distance to the entrance. Mara looked to her right and saw blue begin to appear fogged with pink. The sun appeared just slightly above the horizon, which reminded her that they had not had anything to eat. She whispered, "Breakfast will have to wait."

  William pushed open the glass door allowing a flood of noise to rush upon them. Many different people walked about the large building. Gift shops, food courts, and travel-schedule screens lined the sides. Above the little shops was a second story, which was specifically reserved for those who needed to stay overnight at CSTC. White light illuminated the building, making it feel fresh and clean. Further ahead, massive double sweeping staircase graced the sides of the giant hall. Below that were the terminals. Lines were already backed up as many tried to get to their flight on time. Upon seeing that, Mara was surprised as to how far back the building went.

  Following William, they took a sharp right into a sort of hall in between the exterior and one of the shops. A sign said 'Tickets' in holographic above the entryway. William took out his card then slid into a slot beside a wall screen. He imputed his information, as well as destination upon the touch screen. A thin metal plate slid out below the spot where William put his card in. William looked at her to do the same. 

  "Have you been here before, William?" asked Mara as she swept the screen with her hand.

  "Yes, it was on leave when I came here. I saved up enough to go on a round trip to Albinus."

  "From what I've heard, it sounds like a nice place to relax. Alright, I'm done," Mara said as she grabbed her ticket from the wall. As she turned to go back the way they came, something caught her eye. 

  A Middle Eastern man, wearing a bulging brown, leather jacket had just entered. In his hand there was a blinking green light. Mara stopped, making William wonder. "What's wrong?” he asked. 

 "Do you see that man with a leather jacket, resembling someone from the Middle East?” said Mara without pointing or giving themselves away.

 "Yes... I see what you mean." As William said this he took out his service pistol, careful not to show it. 

 "Mara, you have a gun right?"

 "Yes." 

 "Be ready to use it. I am going to make my way in front. You try and get up behind him."

 "You got it, Will." 

 William walked casually to the front, while Mara tried to get up behind the terrorist without being seen. Just as she got within 13 feet of the man, she heard him yell out something about 'Allah' and saw him raise the hand with the trigger. People turned their heads upon hearing the proclamation. Mara got her own service pistol out, keeping it pointed to the ground. Suddenly, there was gun fire from someone else. The hand with the trigger was shot. Chaos broke loose, the insurgent ran toward the terminals.

  She could hear her brother yell, “Mara!"  She bolted after the insurgent raising her gun as she ran. William ran toward her. She heard her brother yell. "Get down, people!"

  Mara yelled the same warning as she raised her gun. People got down, trying to get out of her way. She shot him in the back right below the bulge in the jacket. He screamed falling down. Mara continued to run up to him, still too far away. A business man, who was crouching, got up. He punched the screaming terrorist, knocking him out. William ran faster to catch up to the unconscious terrorist. His gun pointed at him. William looked up, nodded to Mara. She halted and put her gun away. Using her knees as support, she leaned forward. I shot a man! Adrenaline soared through her. Mara paced her breathing so as not to bring on a panic attack.

   Unexpectedly, Mara felt someone touch her shoulder, which startled her. “Hey! Calm down.” The person was a Marine with his gun out. He was trying to be reassuring. He smiled.

   “I apologize. You just freaked me out,” she said.

   “I know. Are you alright, Ma’am?”

“Yes, Sir, I am. Thank you.”

Mara looked around. People were still to the ground. She saw that a very large vehicle had just arrived outside the entrance. It was the FBI.

 “They’re here guys,” the Marine announced.

  

  

  

  

   

   

Chapter 4

  Mara bit back her tongue the thousandth time, lest she be the voice of emotion raging through the rocking ship. That storm they had seen over the Gulf, had caught up with them. A little over a half hour till reaching the Florida coast, it sent them tipping this way and that. William lay gripping his cot. She also fought to keep from rolling off. Alarms blared all over the ship.

  William grunted as the ship suddenly pitched at an odd angle. Other sounds of grunts could be heard outside their door, as gravity pulled Mara back to the wall, giving her back a hard blow. It took all self-control to not make any noise. She tried to hold on to the cot. A minute passed before the ship regained stability, only for it to be flipped over.

  Mara was flung from her cot to the other side, hitting her hip hard on the other bunk. Then it happened again, this time her hip hit the edge of the cot. She landed wrong and felt her shoulder pop. William slid out. He still held onto the cot as gravity tried yanking him down. He was hit in the front by the cots when the ship righted again. The rocking subsided. Mara breathed heavily. Pain was increasing in her hip, while her shoulder throbbed horribly. William gasped as he steadied himself after the blow. She slowly sat up onto a lower bunk.

  "You....," began Mara. Speaking through pain was never easy.

  "Yeah?" replied William, as he regained some control.

  "You alright?" she managed.

  "Yes …,” he paused taking another breath. “How are you?"

  Through gritted teeth, she said, "Popped my right shoulder." She struggled to sit up, while her hip protested. 

  He looked at her, then walked over and took her uniform coat off. Seeing the dislocation, he gripped her arm, along with the shoulder.

  "Ya ready?"

  She tensed; gave him a nod for him to put it back in. 

  Pop! Intense knife-like pain pierced her. She winced, keeping eyes shut. The hurt subsided and left a bruise seconds later.

  Mara stiffly turned to William, with controlled expression conveying confidence. "Thank you".

  "No problem," he replied, smiling. He patted her back.

  A sailor came in. "You guys okay?"

  William answered, “Aside from having the wind knocked out of me and my sister dislocating her arm, we are doing okay. How are things in the rest of the ship?"

  As the sailor gave an account of current conditions, Mara stood up to put her uniform jacket back on. She felt something at her hip. Looking down, she saw blood. Why is it that girls are the ones to get hurt like this?

  "Sailor, I need a medic ... pronto." This needed to be patched up before heading out. The sailor stared at her with doubt written on his face. Then he caught sight of her pants slowly absorbing blood.

  "Yes, Ma'am, right away." He ran off.

  "What happened?" asked William.

  "I think I hit my hip too hard during the rocking."

  He frowned. "I think you did more than that, Mara," he said. He got up from the cot, grabbed the pillow and ripped the pillow-sheet off.

  "Here, use this. Your pants are going to be soaked at the rate you're bleeding."

  "Thanks," replied Mara.

  Trying to apply pressure to the invisible wound beneath was an awkward thing to do. The pillow sheet was nearly soaked, before a Navy man arrived carrying a medical bag. He walked right over to Mara, while William stepped back.

  "What happened?"

  "While the ship turned over, I hit my hip on the edge of one of the bunks." With the adrenaline wearing off, she could feel the pain increasing. 

  “Try to stay still as I take a look."

  The doctor opened his silver bag, retrieving a pair of scissors. He cut away the fabric hiding the wound. The tip of her hip bone could be seen with purple and black mottled skin surrounding it. Without the pressure being applied, blood flowed from the puncture.

  "Oh, man!" exclaimed William. 

  "I need you to hold the sheet to it," said the doctor to him.

  While William held the wound, the physician quickly got a thin cylindrical object out and jabbed it slightly to the right of the wound. Mara gritted her teeth.

  "That should do it. Continue to hold that for another minute."

  Mara felt nerve pinching, along with a strange sensation of increased mass at her hip. 

  "Okay, now let go."

  William took the red soaked sheet away, revealing skin that looked as it had never been damaged.

  "The nannites will continue to work until there is no more pain or other type of damage. How are you feeling now?" asked the doctor. 

  "I’m feeling much better. Thank you,” Mara replied.

  "You’re welcome," he replied. "Send word if there are any more complications."

  "I’ll do that, Sir." With that he left.

   Seconds later, the self-mending material of her pants had sealed where the medic cut. Unfortunately, the smelling stain of blood still remained. "Captain Koilo and Airman Koilo please report to the upper deck," a male voice said over the intercom.

   Mara grabbed her box that had slid under one of the cots. William wiped his bloody hands on the cot's wool blanket, with nothing else to wipe his hands on. He left the blood-stained items there.

   "Let's go," said William.

   She let out a relieved sigh. What a day!

   They stepped out of the room, heading to the open air deck. Stars lit the night sky. Swelling waves, splashing here and there glistened in the moon's bright light. Distant thunder rumbled. The full moon allowed them to see the structure their transport docked with.

    The structure was an intricately designed, shining metal dock. Long windows a few feet above the water reflected the night sky. Finely woven metal in a braid-like fashion, framed each window. The same design was etched into the entrance's frame they were about to enter. A warm, humid breeze brought scents from land.

    Just then, the navy man who had checked on them earlier greeted the Koilos as he jogged to catch up to them. "The captain sends this to you," he said. He handed Mara a tablet. She tapped the top, glowing light appeared in the form of text. She read it. William moved to read over her shoulder. It carried quite a message. She was officially promoted to Airman First Class and assigned to the Air Force Special Operations group on board the spaceship, Dale, for integration training. William was to continue to Sector 7 for further instruction within a week.

    Mara turned the device off and held it at her side. "Thank you, Sir," she said.

    With that he walked back to the watertight door, from which he had exited. 

    "Well, this is bittersweet," stated Mara, disappointment lacing her voice.

    Knowing what she referred to, William said, “It wasn't expected to last long, Mar. After all, we are in two different branches of the Military."

   “You are right.” Mara stood thinking for a minute. “Well, let’s go.” They walked across a retractable medal plank to the dock’s entrance. Double gray doors opened upon their presence. A lady, dressed in a sleeveless summer dress set with blended sunset hues, greeted them. A name tag flashed with the name 'Lira' near the shoulder strap. A woven, copper circlet graced her forehead, while her brown hair was gathered in a bun. "Welcome to Destin Dock," she said, smiling; giving them each a hand shake. “You are Captain and Airman Koilo?" Lira asked. 

   "Yes, Ma'am" said William.

   Lira nodded. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you below to your rooms for the night." They proceeded to walk down a cozy red hall.

   Destin Dock reminded Mara of being at the Military training base; except this place had ornate designs and marble flooring. Lights adorned the red hall setting a calm atmosphere. They passed through an archway and walked onto a window to the watery world beneath. Through it they could just see more of the lighted winding structure ahead of them. The lady led the way across the domed room to a snaking, underwater tunnel. Along the tunnels exterior, sidelights fought back the pitch black night. 

    At the end, the trio reached a part of the construction that was embedded into the cliff. The Koilo's Military boots made rubber squeaks on the gray marble. High above them, in a vaulted ceiling, low lit lanterns graced the atmosphere. Lira turned to the right and opened one of many doors lining the massive chamber. It opened to a cozy bedroom. 

    "This is your room, Ma'am. Sir, your room is this way." She proceeded to walk past 5 more doors, with William following her. He bid her a good night and then came over to Mara.

     “Well, how you doing?” inquired William.

     “I am tired, how about you? Are you ready to crash yet?”

      William laughed. “Yes, I am ready. Today was a rough ride. It may become more so over the next week.”

      “Indeed. Do you have any idea what you might be doing in Sector 7?”

      “Whatever it is, it will be dangerous. It’s a war zone over there. I really don’t know what they’ll have me do, to be honest. What about you?”

       “I have a feeling that I’ll be in a war zone before long.” Mara looked out at the surrounding architecture. Emotion rose in her chest as she realized the situation she and her brother were going to face. She looked at him, “Just come home in one piece William. Okay?”

        “I’ll try,” he said with a nod. Then she gave him a hug. After saying their good nights, Mara went in and collapsed on the soft, king sized bed. Exasperated with the day she dragged her hands down her face. Come what may, I’ll keep on going. The room was dark. A framed picture of an island sunset hung above the bed. Behind her stood a large window looking out into the ocean's udder darkness of the night. The carpet looked plush. Lights in the ceiling glowed; despite how dark it was, giving a slight, soft appearance to everything.

    Sitting up, she found the bathroom, right next to the door she came in. She went on in. Then 15 min. later came out drying her hair, wearing her uniform, with her boots off. She got her box from her bed which she had been carrying. Opening it up, rummaged around for the Bible. She found it, then had it molded in no time (much the way the IPod was done). Mara opened up the Bible to Proverbs 3:5-6. As she read it, a subtle meaning crept into her thoughts: Trust God. Closing the Word and putting it away, she sat down on the bed. God, it is hard to trust you, but I will anyways. Will you please teach me to remember to each day? An alarm clock illuminated beside the bed when she lay down between the covers.

    'Alarm activated for your convenience. Please, choose time setting.'

    "4 a.m.," Mara replied sleepily.

    'Time set.' Lord, please be with my brother and me as we go on these new assignments. With that, slumber took over.

    William also prayed the same prayer. Honestly, he was scared to death. He had already been on a couple deployments to the same war zone he was going back to. He took off his boots and lay down. Sleeping in his uniform was a necessity nowadays, what with being called up at odd hours of the night sometimes. He got used to it.

    Looking out into the dark abyss from his bed, he thought about his sister and their family. Living to defend freedom came with a price. William knew that one way or another that price was going to be paid. He just wondered if he would be the one to pay it one of these days. How would that affect my family? Will I die on this mission? A memory resurfaced of an elderly man sharing how he got through those moments where he knew he might face death. The man had said, “As long as you know where you’re going, you can focus and have peace doing so. Keep your hope fixed on Christ. You just keep fighting the good fight, young man.”

   William fell asleep with peace settling upon his heart. He knew where he was going if he should face death.

  

  

    

Chapter 3

         Mara Koilo sprang from her seat and wrapped her tall brother in the biggest hug she could give. 

   "Mmm... it's great to see you, Mara,” whispered William. He sighed with contentment, squeezing her in return.

   "I’m glad to see you too, William!" She let go and gave him a pat on the arm, before returning to her seat. He followed and seated himself beside Mara. The nanite chair responded with changes to the chair to provide that excellent support.

   Captain Florstaff addressed them both. "It is rare to have 2 active duty personnel from 2 different branches and being siblings at that!" He smiled.

   He leaned on the silver desk, folding his hands. “On a heavier note, William will accompany you, Mara. He requested that he go this way, when he found out where you were being sent.”

   She smiled at her brother.

   Mara had to ask, “Sir, there seems to be more to this mission than meets the eye, is there something else at play here?”

   “Ma'am, the information you have now is all I was permitted to give you, before your departure from the base,” answered Florstaff.

   She exchanged a glance with her confused brother. He raised his dark brown eyebrows. I'll explain it to him later. She turned back to the Captain.

   “I understand, Sir.”

   Captain Florstaff rose from his chair. “Good. You two are dismissed. We will dock with the Coast Guard in about 3 hours.”

   The Koilos both stood in respect to the Navy Captain as he exited the office. 

   Mara let out a sigh. She strode to the door with her box in hand. William put on his hat and walked with her to the conduit. Before leaving the bridge, Mara looked out to the base. The sun was now closer to the horizon; not quite evening yet. She entered the conduit. They were once again in the corridor where Josh had leaded her to the Captain. 

   “Where to?” asked Mara.

   “We’re going to go below to the quarter’s section,” he said; continuing down the corridor. "I'll show you where you are staying for the trip." He took a right from the conduit, taking another one down the hall. William led her to yet another conduit glowing green. He disappeared. Mara then stepped in.

   This time they appeared in an aisle that was lined with thick windows looking out to the cobalt world. The opposite side had doors at intervals along the hall. Names glowed light blue in the panel of each one. William stopped at door 3. "Here it is,” he said, stepping back.

   The doors automatically swished open. Mara entered a white room with a bed to one side and a chair on the other. The ceiling was low. Lighting glowed from under the edges of the wall.  Soft, red covers of the bed looked quite comfortable. Upon sitting on it she found that it had the same properties as that of the Captains office chair. William sat in the silver chair with a dramatic sigh.

   Smiling at each other, Mara noticed how fatigued her brother looked. 

   "How have you been?" said the two simultaneously. They laughed.

   "You go first, Will."

   He groaned. "I've been doing fine. I just got back from Arkqif yesterday. It is a settlement in Sector 7. It is more or less a war zone now." He paused, staring at the wall. "What about you, Mar? What was that about your orders back there?”

   "I have been recently assigned to Onkorplas.  I am a bit confused, because I sense something else behind this mission. Don't ask me why, I just do. Other than that I've been doing fine. Hey, have you received any letters from the family lately?"

   He sat up. "Yes. Mom and Dad are settling down in Arizona. Brian is on a new assignment to the Pacific. Mathew and Rebecca are still working for the FBI on the office side of things, last I heard. I don't hear much from them."

   "How long have they been there now?"

   "Probably about 2 years. Now, Mom and Dad said that Rebecca was considering joining the Special Ops group."

   "Wow. I can definitely see her doing that job."

   Mara thought about her 21 year old, red haired sister. Rebecca was very intelligent and had a knack for solving things on a dime. She missed her company. Her family had not been together for over three years. She was glad her other 2 brothers weren't here. All there would be during any time of the day would be merciless teasing. Nevertheless, she did miss her obnoxious brothers.

   Just then, they heard "dive, dive" over the intercom. William walked out to the window. Mara followed and stood beside him. They felt the pressure increase as the Wies Hart sunk deeper. She blinked when white lights flashed on in the hall, making it difficult to see anything out there. Once the engines engaged, the floor beneath their shoes thrummed.

   "Well, I'll have to catch you later, Mara. I'm going to go get some rest before we get to CSTC."

   She nodded. "See you then."

   Mara watched him leave through the conduit. Walking back into her room, she figured she could get some rest as well. 

   Upon entering, she commanded, “Computer, show Wies Hart's direction and destination using map display.”

   Sitting down on her bed, she opened her box. A beep sounded from the wall opposite her bed. A holographic display of the route they were taking appeared on the wall.  Mara saw that they were going to go through a tunnel that cut through the continent of South America. It leads to the Gulf, where they were to dock with a smaller vessel. Wies Hart was too big to try and dock on the Florida coastlines.

   Looking down, Mara pressed an emerald button on the side of the box she held. Another holographic display appeared from above the opened container. It listed the objects that were stored there. Everything she had was broken down to their molecular make-up and stashed in tiny bags. A device sat on top of those bags. It looked like a code reader, but when pointed at the molecular stash, it sent out a pulsating signal. That signal was the key for the molecules to combine to form what it once was. 

  The music IPod was what Mara was after. She tapped the glowing air, at the place where it now showed: ‘Object retrieved’. She took out the Bonder device and the bag for the IPod. Placing the stashed bag on her bed, she pointed the Bonder at it. It quickly took shape. The plastic bag it was in molded to the IPod, giving the object a sleek shine. She put everything else away in her box and laid down to listen to Enya's music.

  Later Mara woke up. Oh, great, I had better not have missed anything. She was being called. Jumping up from her bed she put her tiny IPod in the box.

  "Computer, who called me," she asked while straightening her uniform.

  It responded in a male voice, “Captain Florstaff on command deck."

  The map was still up. They had arrived. She gathered her things and headed to the command deck. The Gulf glowed bright blue through the hallway windows. Walking past, dolphins swam by with a chorus of chirps.

  Upon arriving to the command deck, Mara saw that they had already docked with the Coast Guard ship. William stood conversing with Florstaff toward the back of the large room. She walked over to join them.

  The Captain nodded toward Mara."You are dismissed Koilos. Godspeed and safe travels."

  He gave each of them a firm handshake.

  William led the way. Once in the corridor on their way to the docking port, he stopped and turned toward his sister, with a guarded expression. "We received news about a half hour ago that Onkorplas is destroyed."

  Mara didn't know what to say. She waited for an explanation.                        "You are coming with me, until otherwise ordered. I have to warn you though; things are going to get rough."

  With that, they continued on down the corridor. 'Yeah but just how rough?’ thought Mara in frustration.

  So far she had been tossed around with orders. That was one annoying factor of being in the Military. Now, that she was active duty, Mara could understand a bit of her father's way of life when she was a kid. She always sensed the frustration, and impatience from her parents whenever they received orders or were suddenly told that her father was leaving for deployment.

  "We're still going to Sector 7?" inquired Mara.

   They were now outside on the bridge. "We can't discuss that right now," stated her brother. He looked out at the boat they were going to dock with.

   11 min. later, a southerly wind, filled with saltwater moisture, was not much more than a breeze as they boarded the Coast Guard's ship. Looking out into the Gulf, they glanced at a roiling black storm; such a contrast against the clear sunny sky above them. A guard checked their tabs, verifying who they were. Then he led the way to a lower deck. The ship only had 2 levels. Its floor was medal grating that was painted with a durable tan paint. As they passed yet another door, Mara caught sight of a holographic map of their solar system. The men in the room closed the door when they saw her pass by. The guard stopped at the very last door. “This is where you’ll stay till we stop at the Florida panhandle.”

   “Thank you, Sir,” said William. Once the security left he opened the door and revealed a small room with bunks as walls on either side. A small circular window looked out onto the gulf. Through it, they could see that the storm they saw was heading towards them.

   The boat's engine set a vibrating rhythm to the hull. William climbed into a top bunk to the right of the door, while Mara slipped into the bottom bunk to the left. Silence filled between the two as they each lay thinking about what was going to happen. Mara had a fleeting thought on what she saw as they passed the room with the holography. She tended to be a bit paranoid, so she let it go. Better to keep things she didn't understand to herself, than make a fool out of herself. She wondered what her silent brother was thinking about.

  Out of all the Koilo kids, Mara and William understood each other best. At least that was so when they weren't trying to one up each other. They didn't need to verbally express what bothered the other. One look gave enough explanation. Mara could sense emotion from others, while her brother could pick up social cues and hints in conversation. When put together they worked well as a team.

  However, Mara was often at a loss when it came to picking up on social. cues/hints in conversations. It took a lot of patience from William just to help her in those moments. In those times, Mara was impressed. The greatest fear she had was that she would be given up, left to struggle by herself. William possessed a great patience for his sister, besides their parents. She learned so much from them. Without their teaching, Mara would not have been able to get through Military training; something to be thankful for. Now brother and sister were going to be tested. How well would they work together in the trials to come?

  

   

Chapter 2

   Once in her small room, Mara quickly changed into uniform meant for warmer weather. The shirt was made of white webbing that kept her warm or cold depending on her body's temp readings. She slid on a short-sleeved jacket that also held her rank on the sleeves, and her last name on the front with the Air Force insignia. 

  Looking at the time, glowing above the door, Mara realized she was going to be late. I am not going to be late again. She grabbed her security card, her small box, and walked out the door of her quarters. 

  The warm breezes earlier that morning turned to a dry, sultry hot wind. It hit her as soon as she stepped out of her quarters. Headed to the docking port, where a submersible was waiting, she turned left. It was to take her to a civilian space travel center (CSTC). She took the aluminum stairs to the lower deck. The Wies Hart, gleaming in the sunlight, came into view. It was white, with the United States flag beginning a navy blue line running the length of the ship. It looked more like a luxury cruiser if it wasn't for the launchers along its edge and the compact design of the vessel.

  Upon reaching the deck, she walked across the bridge connecting to the Wies Hart. A Military Policeman stood guard at the vessel's entrance. Labeled on his green, pixel uniform read 'Gehspfor'.  

  They saluted. "Are you Airman Koilo?"

  "Yes, Sir." She handed him her identification card, along with her orders.

  It was mandatory to show your orders on any craft before boarding. It became law for the Military when spies had infiltrated the system 45 years ago. People thought that it was a good idea to just keep the law to prevent future mishaps in case terrorists wanted in again.

  "Oh, man, you're headed to Sector 7?", the guard asked in a sympathetic surprise.

  Mara looked at the man with furrowed brows. She detected something else she didn't know in his voice. " I don't understand.", she replied, accepting the card and orders from him.

  Gehspfor looked more surprised. "Did you not get briefed on the current situation?"

  "No, I wasn't. I suspect I will be when I get on board or when I reach Onkorplas."

  "Alright, well Godspeed in your assignment, Ma'am."

  "Thank you, Sir."

  Questions about Onkorplas and Sector 7  filled her thoughts as she entered the vessel. She had some idea of what was going on over there. Putting that aside for later, Mara turned to find some place to be during the 2 hour voyage. A Navy officer stood directly across the hall from the entryway. He looked no older than 20.
    " My name is Josh. I will be escorting you to meet with Captain Florstaff."
    "Nice to meet you, Sir," she said as they shook hands. Then they strode to the left, with a gesture from Josh.
   Down the corridor, Mara observed the interior design. It was all white, with medal grated flooring, that had a tint of color that resembled mother-of-pearl. Set in the outward curved wall were small spherical windows; while on the other side were huge touchscreens showing the ship's status. The screens ran the length of the vessel. They passed other navy-men walking about in a hurried manner. They were most likely getting ready to dive the Wies Hart. 
   Presently, they came to a conduit, set in the wall across from the windows. 
  "This will take us to the command deck," said Josh.
   She stepped in. Instantly, Mara found herself  on the bridge with a massive window that looked out to the water. The base could be seen to the right. The sun was high with no clouds in sight. Mara quickly stepped out of the conduit to make room for her escort. Raised consoles lined the floor facing the viewpoint. Men and woman sat at them with their hands moving swiftly across their screens. She saw that the Captain stood waiting outside his office.
   To her embarrassment, Josh walked into Mara, who did not move enough out of the way.
   "Begging your pardon, Ma'am."
   She smiled her forgiveness, while on the inside she chided herself for not paying more attention. To make matters worse the Captain looked amused. Josh straightened himself out and saluted his superior. The smiling man decked in his Navy uniform, returned the salute. 
   "Is this the Airman you were bringing, Josh?," questioned Florstaff. The guy looked like he was trying to stifle a laugh. 
    Josh turned to look at Mara. He raised his eyebrows. "Yes, Sir," he cheerfully replied. What was so amusing?
   "You are dismissed, Josh. Report to your station."
   "Yes, Sir." He walked back into the conduit.
   "This way Airman Koilo," said the Captain. He stood aside, as she walked into his office.
   "Airman, you had better lose that look before I double over laughing."
   "Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir." Too much emotion played in her features from the previous embarrassment. She realized then that she was blushing.
   "Have a seat, Koilo."
   Mara sat down in the seat provided across from the Captain's desk chair. It immediately molded to her form that resulted in excellent and comfortable support. Light filled the room through a tall window behind the desk. The office felt quite spacious. Florstaff also took his seat. 
   "Now, .... I have been instructed to brief you on the current events in sector 7." He began. She gave her full attention, keeping herself well composed this time. 
   "Terrorists have regrouped and made alliances where we believed those alliances would fail. Their main focus right now has seemed to be gaining more territory. So far we have been able to make it extremely difficult for them to break through defenses. Unfortunately, we have not done a very top notch job." He sighed. "Onkorplas station is facing a likely attack, sometime soon, according to the Pentagon. 
    On your way there, you may encounter some isolated skirmishes. You have to be prepared for any encounter with the enemy. These guys are merciless."
       "How much of Sector 7 was taken?" she asked.

       "Closed to 69% of it. If Onkorplas is attacked they could gain at least 15% more. It is very important that none of our assets there are compromised."  

      "I understand. Am I expecting anyone else on the way?" asked Mara. She had no idea what to expect on this assignment. 

       "Well, someone is headed the same way as you, so you will be accompanied by him. As far as anyone else, I don't know. You'll just have to be prepared. In fact your traveling buddy is here." He held his hand out  to the door where a man in an Army dress suit stood with a huge grin. It was her brother, William Koilo. 

Chapter 1

         Chapter 1

    The sun shone bright on this morning of May 7th, year 3580. Waves splashed in fierce turbulence against the pink hues of the horizon. Warm breezes blew the hair out of Mara Koilo's face, as she soaked in the sunrises' beauty. She stood against the railing of the Oceanic Military training base, situated in the Atlantic. 

   Mara's straight blonde hair refused to stay in the bun she did early that morning. What with the wind blowing it about; she sighed at the thought of having to fix her hair again. Catching herself complaining, she prayed for strength and patience for this new day. She closed her eyes. Mara knew that if she began complaining, she had an unpleasant attitude that would make things difficult. Opening her dark blue eyes, she determined not to let that be the case.

   Migrating birds passed overhead. Loud waves tormenting the exposed parts of the base added to the high sea experience. Mara, in her uniform of a camouflaged cobalt jacket and thick, yet flexible matching pants, began to feel uncomfortably warm in the southerly wind. It was time to head back inside and report to the commanding officer.

   Striding to the door, her black boots made heavy footfall sounds against the aluminum plated flooring. Mara took her translucent card hanging around her neck and placed it in the slot. A thin green light around the slot, signaled clearance. Double gray doors swished open.

   Quickly, going right, to the 'transporter', Mara stepped into the tall blue-lit conduit. She said, "Headquarters". In a split second she reappeared in the submerged part of the base. She was thankful for the thick uniform. Temperatures here dropped to uncanny freezing levels.

   Officers, cadets, and soldiers passed by in a frenzy of blue, green, and gray. She made her way across the traffic to a double-gray door. This time it was adorned with the United States flag, with a bald eagle over it. Using her security card, Mara entered the headquarters.

  Even after being here for over 1 year, going through intense training, it still took her breath away whenever she beheld the reality of where she was. Looking up she saw enormous clear plating revealing oceanic depths and a deep sea assault training mission. Huge gliding vessels shot to and fro with an occasional explosion near each ship. Occasionally, a vibration was felt through the flooring.

   Mara crossed the control center. She could see her fellow Airmen already there waiting for the commanding officer above on the next level. It still gave her the creeps whenever she stood up there on the translucent floor. Not only was there depth sensed below, but above there was the clear window to the ocean above. It practically gave the impression you were in a bubble. Despite the insufficient light coming from the surface, the clear plating was lined with very bright, white lights.  Taking the stairs, she jogged up to meet the group.

   "Boy, you were cutting it close, Koilo", said Airman Samuel Vlassteal. He stood there amongst the others, with folded arms across his chest. Mara knew he was right. She spent way too much time on deck  that morning.

   Just as Mara was about to respond, their commanding officer, Captain Willards, appeared in the conduit at the far end of the wall to her left. Everyone promptly came to attention, and took their proper places.
   Captain Willards wore a focused expression, as he came toward them. He also wore his decorated uniform; which either meant he had a meeting later or they were in for new assignments. Their training was quickly coming to an end. Mara could feel some anticipation rising within the group as they waited. They knew the day was coming soon when the Airmen would receive new orders. 'Just maybe this day is it', thought Mara. 
   " At ease, Airmen." 
  He took off his hat. "Today you are receiving new orders." He paused, smiling. "You have shown exceptional skills in your exhaustive training. Keep it up. I may have to promote one or two of you. Now Major Swielescht is going to give you each an assignment explaining your mission. I am off to a meeting with the Commander. Godspeed!" 
   With that he took the stairs to the lower level, with a salute from the group. Sure enough, the colonel showed up at the conduit. Mara once again followed suit in immediate stance. He wore his green camouflage uniform and carried a small glass board.
  Colonel Swielescht saluted, then turned his attention to his clear slate. He tapped an invisible ear piece and called for a Sergeant Delving.
  "Alright, Airmen, at ease. Here is how this is going to work, I shall call you up, then Sergeant Delving will hand you your orders. You will have 1 hour after that to gather your things and report to your new base. Is that understood?"
  "Yes, Sir!"
  Sergeant Delving appeared, standing beside the colonel, both of them were reading the luminous list on the slate. 
 She called," Airman Carlous Freeman!" 
 He strode up and took a smaller pad that glowed showing some of the text, from her. He was then dismissed. She called up 6 more people, before Mara was called.
  "Airman Mara Koilo!" Koilo strode to the Major and took the tablet handed to her. "You are dismissed to report to the Onkorplas space station in sector 7."
  "Yes, Ma'am!"
  She saluted, then walked to the stairs. Thrill ran through Mara as she read her orders. She was going to space. This was what she hoped to do in her Military career. She also looked forward to piloting a fighter craft in that sector. Her brother was there as well, but in a different branch of the Military. Any chance of meeting her Army brother would be slim. However, her countenance fell as she came upon something disappointing: "your primary duty onboard Onkorplas security patrol."
  'What happened to piloting the Wilopkee ships?', thought Mara. She swallowed a sigh, along with her frustration and continued on to the stairs. She would have to just get through this, whether she liked it or not.