literature

Darkstone: School's Out

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Literature Text

Dark and Ace took a table by a window through which the Earth's curvature could be seen beneath them, away from most of the drunken noise of the party.  Suspended in the darkness over the planet was another orbital station much like this one.  The Officers' Training and Enlisted Men's Training Stations were identical in appearance and separated by only a small distance.  They knew the enlisted men would be having their own graduation party over there, could almost hear the grunts' ecstatic cries of "get busy living or get busy dying" - something of a motto among the navy's enlisted - through the near-perfect vacuum.  The officers tended to have a more enlightened view.  They were soldiers and they had a job to do.  War could break out at any moment with some unknown enemy and they would be sent out to face death, capture or crippling injury with no notice at all.

This was all melodrama, of course.  There hadn't been a major conflict in living memory.  What were the chances that one would stir up now?

"I'm scared, Dark," Ace seemed to read his friend's thoughts.

"Of what?"  Dark tried to be flippant but knew the other would see cleanly through it.

"We're fighter pilots now.  We're soldiers.  Any operation we go out on, we might never come back-" he choked only slightly on the words.

"Hey now, there's nothing to worry about," Dark patted him on the shoulder, "You've got the best pilot in the galaxy on your wing."  He knew that would get a laugh from his wingman.  Dark decided to press his advantage, "Besides, what can possibly-"

Even though the space between the two stations was not a perfect vacuum, the sound of the explosion still couldn't carry across to them.  Watching a station identical to the one they were aboard - and not far from it either - disintegrate in silence was simultaneously the most bizarre and terrifying thing Dark had ever seen.  He hadn't even finished the sentence but he knew he'd still spoken too soon.
A different kind of horror. Not the immediate threat of monsters and not quite the same psychological impact of a stalker or serial killer. I've got to admire the bravery of anyone in the armed forces, facing this threat and uncertainty every day. This may be a work of fiction set in the distant future but I think it parallels very real fears of the present day.

Submitted for the prompt "get busy living or get busy dying" on :iconpennedpaper:
© 2010 - 2024 Zophirus
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Zombie-Matrix's avatar
This is so cool! Is there going to be any more of it? Please tell me there is more of it.