Last time, we met several characters in our adventure, as they took their first steps into this new world.
First Steps in This New World
The Grim Reaper knew he had his job cut out for him. He sat on a bench in what appeared to be a combination locker room and exercise area. It was empty and quiet, all except for him. His was a hard life, as was his first life on Earth. The Caretakers had seen he had a talent for combat. When he crossed-over, he had been inducted to the ranks of the Hoplites – those who fought in this world’s version of gladiatorial games. Where some had perished on the blood-soaked surface of the game grid, he had thrived and succeeded. His record of kills was unmatched, and he had earned the masters many credits.
When you looked closely at his blue, muscular form, one could see a vast road map of scars. Some large and long, while others were slight. These were the reminders he had of a life of battle. Now it seemed, the Caretakers had other plans. New groups of Hoplites were being formed and trainers were needed, so they wouldn’t get killed in their first taste of the games.
Each noble house had ten cohorts of hoplites. Several days ago, he had been informed that he was being promoted to leadership and was being placed in charge of House Athurius’ First Cohort. A great honor indeed and one he meant to take to heart.
Athurius had met him on the way to the barracks this morning. It was not surprising the see the imposing Caretaker walking among his servants. He was very gregarious for an alien, but he could also be very stern. Obviously, his lover had gotten some news as well during the night. Thralls had delivered an unconscious Prize to the room next to theirs. When she had awakened this morning, she had interrupted a passionate moment. He wanted to continue until he climaxed but being Russian, he knew Svetlana could be forceful at times and told him to stop, so she could tend to the new arrival. That new arrival had been quite fetching! He caught a glimpse of her statuesque form as he headed to the shower.
He tore his thoughts from the lovely new arrival and returned to the matter currently in his hands. It was a data pad that Arthurius had given him. On the screen were a list of six men and four women. He chuckled to himself when he thought, ‘There will enough boys to go around for Hoplite massages. It ought to keep the girls happy and the boys suitably entertained’. Remembering the many dainties, he had sampled in the showers, locker rooms and bunk areas during his long career.
He scrolled through the names and glanced at their records:
• Jorge Hernandez, 24, Law Enforcement – Special Weapons and Tactics
• Dennis Foster, 25, US Army Captain
• Thomas Mitchell, 27, Construction Worker
• Patricia Adams, 28, Law Enforcement – Patrol Officer
• Cynthia Matthews, 30, Mechanical Engineer
• Bruce White, 32, Heavy Equipment Operator
• Vincent Lange, 32, Law Enforcement – Detective
• Michael Peterson, 34, US Navy – Petty Officer
• Bethany Richards, 36, Flight Attendant
• Dana Erickson, 42, Flight Attendant
‘Quite a spread of ages’, he thought. Flipping through their profiles, he checked-out their before crossing and after crossing photographs and memorized their features, so he could recognize them. He then briefly examined their experiences and saw that they all had combat training in one form or another – from weapons to hand-to-hand. ‘Good’, he thought, ‘it’ll make it easier for them to get up and fighting in no time’.
Previously, he had been a fighter and it was obvious he thought, ‘Arthurius wants to now cultivate my leadership’. Grinning, he muttered, “Well, it looked like several of these shit bags had seen the elephant before and experienced some hard training. Let’s see if they’ll survive Hoplite training,” in a deep Irish brough.
He’d trained troops before. As he set the pad down and got down to the business of training himself, he concluded, “I’m going to do the old mates in the Irish Brigade AND Colonel Meagher proud. Yes indeed!”
– – – –
As they walked through ‘Central Park’ as Erin thought of it, she peppered Svetlana with questions. With each one Svetlana, would say, “All will be revealed in due time, Erin. Be patient.” After the 15th time Erin called out her name and pointed at something of interest to her, she said, “Erin, you may call me Lana. All my friends do. Svetlana is too formal.”
Erin nodded and said, “Okay,” and launched into, “Lana, Lana what’s that?”
All Lana could do was shake her head and say under her breath, “Boishi Moi.”
Soon it was apparent to Erin, Lana wouldn’t answer anything, so she just walked looking at everything. She also noticed that people were looking at them – her in particular – as they walked. Erin said to Lana conspiratorially, “Why is everyone looking at me?”
“It is because you are obviously beautiful or…” Lana trailed off in her sultry Slavic-accented English.
“Or what?” Erin replied. She continued by saying, “I think it’s obvious to you that EVERYONE here is beautiful. Hell, anyone one of us could be Miss or Mr. Universe. It’s gotta to be something else.”
“It is,” Lana replied, “You are something incredibly special AND you will find out very soon what that is.” Holding up a hand and pointing to the right.
Across an open glade in the park, a large glass fronted building stood. It reminded Erin of an auditorium. Many blue-skinned people were entering through several doors that stood open. They began walking in that direction to join the crowd. She turned to Lana and said, “Will we see Brad and my mom?”
Lana replied, “We shall see.”
When they arrived in front of the building, Erin noticed many belt-wearing Smurfs (as she thought of them) directing people to various locations within the structure. Lana said, “Join the others inside. I will be waiting here when you’re finished.”
As Erin walked away, a man stepped-up to Lana and said, “My, my! She is quite lovely indeed.”
Lana turned and smiled pleasantly. The man came to the height of Lana chin. She hugged him and he reciprocated and rubbed her back. “Marcus, it is so good to see you, again,” she said as she kissed each of his cheeks and then the lips.
He was of medium build and had a receding blue-silver hair line and his sharp eyes continued to follow Erin’s sweetly swaying hips and graceful steps, as she entered the auditorium. He put his hand on Lana’s hip and said, “I spoke with Arthurius, and the Caretaker is allowing me to assist you. I will take our little apprentice there and you can help with the others. Much work is waiting for us.”
“Da! Very good,” Lana replied and playfully smiled, “Just don’t take advantage of her, you old lecher.”
Marcus appeared visibly offended but understood her joke. “How dare you say such a thing,” and added with a chuckle, “I am not old; I will have you know.”
– – – –
Erin stepped through the doors and a mixture of excitement and nervousness began coursing through her body. She asked a tall, male Smurf where she needed to go. He smiled and directed her to enter a set of inner doors to the auditorium. When she stepped through these doors, she observed many people milling about. It appeared several reunions were taking place, as people recognized each other. They hugged and posed to show the changes that had taken place in them. Some walked around asking people if they had seen someone, while still others just stood motionless, taking everything in.
Toward the front of the room was a large, raised platform that currently stood empty and was lit from above. Dark blue curtains ran along the walls on each side of the space and a thick carpet cushioned the floor.
She wanted to walk around to find Brad and mom, but she was interrupted when she was approached by petite young lady with short, frizzy blue-silver hair and a young man of moderate build with short hair of the same color. The girl’s lovely facial features showed she was of African American descent. She had small, but quite lovely and perky breasts and a slim, athletic frame. She was also bubbly and energetic. While the young man had classic oriental features and was a little more reserved.
“Excuse me,” said the girl while she was waving a hand in greeting, “I think we’re alike.”
Erin was quite a bit taller than the pair and didn’t catch on, until she saw the hair and bracelets like hers on their right forearms. Then it clicked. “You’re right,” she said.
While offering her hand to Erin, the younger girl said, “I’m Clarice Lebron Jackson, but my friends call me Claire. Pleased to meet you.”
The young man offered his hand as well, slightly bowed and said, “I’m Michael Yoon,” with a slight Korean accent.
Erin shook both of their hands and introduced herself. She then asked, “Do either of you know what’s going on?”
“Not a damn thing,” said Claire deadpan. “Last thing I knew I was on that plane, something happened and WHAM,” she exclaimed, “Here I am, in a Smurf nudist colony.”
Erin had to stifle a laugh at this, because in many ways, she had thought almost the exact same thing!
They were standing about 50-feet from the stage when just then a loud voice announced, “Please come forward, toward the stage” As people turned to look in that direction, the curtain parted, and two very tall aliens stepped onto the stage. Both wore flowing robes. An audible gasp ran through the crowd that was forming around the stage and some people even took a step or two back. Both had two, large black almond-shaped eyes and small mouths. One had bluish-grey skin. The other had reddish skin and it seemed slight softer features and lines. Their hands had long delicate fingers and they walked together, to the center of the stage.
The bluish-gray alien lifted his free hand to the audience and said in a loud and strong voice, “Greetings people of Earth. I am Athurius and I welcome you to your new home, Eden and this is my Courtesan, Belthain,” motioning to the alien beside him. He continued, “I welcome you here in the name of the Caretakers. We have brought you here to enjoy a near perfect existence. We will show you kindness and generosity beyond measure. In return we ask you to serve us.”
“Since time in antiquity, we have brought members of other races here, to share our near perfect world. When we discovered Earth over 2,000 years-ago, we have enjoyed a very fruitful relationship with your kind. At certain times, when the stars have aligned properly, we have saved many from the natural and unnatural disasters that have afflicted your world. We used our technology to heal your wounds and diseases, given you bodies that have been fully adapted for this world and are able to function at optimal levels.”
“Although there are some similarities to your previous home, many things about Eden are different and give you superhuman abilities. There is a clear dome that contains our atmosphere and prevents harm coming to us from the ultra-violet rays of the star at the center of this system. This shield also helps colors to be seen in greater clarity. It took a little while for your bodies to acclimate to the two atmospheres of pressure, but the 20-percent oxygen in the air we breathe coupled with a slightly lower gravity, gives you more energy. You are now stronger than you could EVER be on your previous home world.”
When Athurius said, “You have probably noticed that you are all naked.” This caused chuckles to ripple through the assembled crowd. Erin who was transfixed in wonder missed the joke. Michael chuckled as did others, but Clare guffawed loudly at the remark.
He continued saying, “We have made you beautiful, because we love beauty.” With that he reached up with his hands and removed his robes. Everyone gasped when that saw his tall form was well-muscled and at his crotch angled two large penises. Clare audibly said what Erin thought, “Holy shit!”
With that Belthain disrobed as well revealing that she had three ample breasts. There were no discernable areolas, but nipples clearly stood out rock hard. She had a supple flat abdomen that angle down to two vaginas between her hips. In addition to this she had three sets of two tentacles that extended from her sides. They waved about silently and at the end of each one was an opening like a mouth.
Athurius continued by saying, “Some of you may have noticed that you are missing one piece of your old anatomy. Your anus has been removed and, in its place, a small fusion reactor has replaced it, to better help your body’s function. No longer will you need to urinate or defecate. Additionally, your sexual organs have been enhanced to provide you with maximum pleasure.”
At this Erin and many others in the crowd slid a hand behind them between the lobes of their posteriors. An amazed look came over their (and Erin’s) face when it was discovered their small, puckered opening had been replaced. The metal surface was seamless to the skin, much like the bracelet she wore.
“On a more somber note,” Athurius said, “I am sad to say only 250 of you crossed over to Eden. The old and the young were not able to make this journey.” Audible cries rippled through the audience and Erin felt her heart sink. As tear welled-up in her eyes, she moaned, “Oh no! Mother!”
The alien continued by saying, “Be comforted in the fact your loved ones did not suffer. As you grieve your losses, we grieve with you.” He paused for a moment of silence in respect of those who lost loved ones.
The alien couple reached down and picked-up their robes. They then draped them across their arms. Athurius then said, “In a moment you will learn how you will serve us. Some of you will assist in the daily operation of this society as Thralls. The Caretakers provide entertainment to the entire quadrant. Some of your will serve as Hoplites, gaining recognition and rewards. Lastly, a few of you will occupy the high status of Prize. You are the counselors and spiritual healers and are held in high regard.”
“Before the inceptions begin; however, justice must be passed. When you were brought here the record of all your memories were examined and catalogued. When we discover serious crimes have been committed, we feel it is our duty to defend the victims of those crimes. Any form of unrepentant grievous offense MUST be dealt with. The Caretakers are benevolent, but we cannot allow wolves among the lambs we have brought here, to enjoy our green pastures.”
Athurius paused and then said, “Would Bradley Goldsmith come forward. If you do not come forward now, you will be enticed to come before this court.”
When Erin heard that name, she couldn’t breathe. ‘What could my dear Brad have done? He’s no criminal,’ she thought.
Faces in the audience turned left and right. Finally, a figure began to come forward. Although he was now blue-skinned and hairless, Erin clearly recognized his features. Erin gasped, “Oh my God, Brad. No!”
Brad walked up a set of stairs to the stage. He had the body of a weightlifter. Erin yearned for him when she saw his tightly muscled body. Brad walked toward the center of the stage, in front of the Caretakers. He had a gold belt around his waist.
Erin was sobbing and Claire whispered to her, “Do you know him?”
Erin looked at her and said, “Yes! He’s my fiancé’. We were supposed to be getting married in Hawaii. What in the world could he have done?”
Claire and Michael were both mortified, and they put their arms around her in support, as Erin embraced them in return. Those around them wondered what had upset this trio so much.
On the stage Athurius said, “Bradley Goldsmith, your memories have convicted you of the crime of first-degree murder. You married a wife and killed her for her wealth and belongings. Additionally, your thoughts prove you intended to kill a woman you were betrothed to and her mother.”
With that Erin’s knees nearly buckled. Claire and Michael were hugging her tightly, as she continued to cry.
On the stage, Brad was practically livid. “How dare you accuse me of this bullshit,” he said, “where’s your proof?”
With that the curtains at the rear of the stage parted to reveal a huge, high resolution projector screen. The first-person images of Brad’s life were revealed. He had married a moderately attractive, late middle-aged woman. They lived a very enjoyable life together, until they began arguing about the amount of money being spent to support Brad’s extravagant lifestyle. The images of Brad’s memories showed him carrying out his wife’s murder and making it look like suicide. Everyone in the audience heard the words of his thoughts and his hatred for the woman he had married.
Erin couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The images then showed that Brad as he collected a large sum of insurance money and began to live an extravagant new life, in another state. She almost fainted when she saw on the screen how they met, their dating – everything that had occurred in their relationship, accompanied by the words of Brad’s thoughts stating how he longed to take advantage of this witless bitch. He intended to kill the mother and make it look like a heart attack, soon after they got back from the wedding in Hawaii. Additionally, Brad intended to dup Erin and string her along, until she collected her mother’s estate and then do her in, sometime later.
Erin’s legs felt like rubber, and she could barely stand. She was horrified, seeing the images of her former self and the thoughts that had run through Brad’s head. Contrary to the wonderful relationship she thought they had.
Brad stood aghast at everything he saw on the screen. He then began saying, “This is bullshit! This is all doctored. I never knew Helen or this Erin bitch and her hag of a mother.” He continued to protest and finished by demanding a lawyer.
Athurius held up a long-fingered hand and said, “We have no need for a lawyer in this situation. These are your memories and they do not lie.” He paused for a moment and said, “You thought you could escape punishment for your crimes and live a life of relative ease on Eden, as a Thrall, managing the affairs of the Caretakers. This will not occur.”
“Human cultures speak of a place of suffering and it goes by many names. Hell, being one of them. Bradley Goldsmith, this is your hell. You have been brought to near-paradise, given a near-perfect form and you will never be allowed to use either!”
At that moment, a barrier of energy rose from the stage, entrapping Brad inside it. A look of horror crossed his handsome face, and he began to beat on the force field. He began screaming obscenities and demanding to be released.
Athurius turned to the assembled audience and said, “The Caretakers are kind and benevolent, but we are also just. Bradley Goldsmith murdered a fellow human and plotted to do the same to others. For these acts, he will be immediately executed.”
At that moment, Brad stopped protesting and his hands went to his abdomen. The skin began to glow. Going from dull red to bright white. His body began to smoke, then suddenly, there was a bright flash, and a dull thud could be heard.
A murmur ran through the audience. Erin who hadn’t looked was continuing to sob, hugging Claire and Michael.
Athurius said, “it is sad that our gathering has to end on this dower note. You now have access to information panels that will tell you how you will live your new lives among us.”
As if on cue, the curtains along the side walls receded to reveal many information panels. The Caretaker instructed, “Simply place your hand on the pane and it will give you information concerning who you are and how you will serve us. Thralls will be outside of the auditorium to assist you in finding where you need to go. Please forgive us for these unfortunate proceedings. Despite Mr. Goldsmith, the Caretakers welcome you to Eden.”
With that Athurius and Belthain turned and walked together of stage. At the same time the curtains were drawn back to revealed numerous illuminated information panels along the walls. The audience spread out and formed lines, as people were anxious to learn where they were going and what they would be doing. All except Michael and Claire. They remained where they were embracing Erin, as she continued to cry.
– – – –
Dana had been flabbergasted at what she just witnessed. It was going to take her some time to process everything she had seen and heard. She realized she did feel a little lighter on her feet here. Blue wasn’t necessarily here favorite color, but she had to admit she had a killer body, and she hadn’t felt this good in practically forever. She passed a group of three people embracing, one of which sounded like she was crying. The thought struck her that she would never see her son, Jase ever again. She gritted her teeth and choked back some tears of her own. She got into one of the many lines that were forming. For those who were talking, the main topic was whet just occurred. No one seemed to be talking in her line. That was A-Okay with her.
As she approached the front of the line, Dana watched to learn how the process occurred for finding out about their new lives. People would touch the palm of their hand to the panel. The panel would them illuminate and there would be a before and after picture and text below, which many people read out loud. After this they would walk away in small groups or individually, to find someone to help point them in the right place to go.
When it was her turn, she put her hand on the panel and when her information sprang to life on the screen, she heard a voice she recognized behind her say out loud, “Oh my God! Dana, I didn’t recognize you.”
Dana recognized the voice as Bethany Richards, one of her flight attendants she had worked with at Allied for about 10-years. Bethany had been kind of chunky and had skipped from one diet to another to shed pounds. They had struck-up a friendship, as they were both divorcees and Dana got her involved at the martial arts academy she attended. They took classes together and on occasion tested together as well, as they had reached black belt. Being more ‘experienced’ than the younger students, they both had a harder time with the various punches and kicks; however, they didn’t mind. It was a way they could hang out with each other outside of work.
‘Obviously, Eden had cured Beth’s weight problem’, thought Dana. Like her and everyone else, she was slim, fit and quite sexy.
Dana and Beth looked at the screen. Under the before and after pictures (Dana couldn’t believe the makeover that had occurred), it said, “Dana Erickson; House Athurius Hoplites – First Cohort. Dana said, “What’s a Hoplite?”
Beth replied, “I don’t know? I’m excited to find out what fun stuff I get to do!”
Beth touched the panel’s reset button and the palm of her right hand on the panel. Instantly, her information appeared. Beth joked, “Wow! Don’t I look good.” Under her photos it said, “Bethany Richards, House Athurius Hoplites – First Cohort.”
Beth gushed, “Oh look, we’re going to work together,” pointing at the screen.
Beth beamed and she reached with both arms and hugged Dana. Behind them other new arrivals chided them saying, “Hey, move along you two,” and “Go find a room.”
They put an arm around each other’s slim waist and walked away smiling. They walked back out into the inviting daylight to see many people that wore gold belts around their waists waiting. They all held data pads of some kind. The new arrivals would approach them to find out where they needed to go.
The ladies walked up to a quite handsome young man and Beth introduced them like she was meeting someone new at a local night club. “Hi, I’m Bethany and this is my friend Dana,” she began, “We’re Hoplites. Can you tell us where we need to go?”
The young man (boy Dana thought) was slightly taller than her and Beth. He was slim, with light blue eyes. The thought passed her mind that if she wanted to rob a cradle, this kid would be a prime candidate! He introduced himself as Christian Bjornson with a crisp Scandinavian accent. Then he said, “You’re Hoplites. Wow! I’ve never met any in person.”
This made Dana think they were celebrities, which might be kind of nice.
Dana asked, “Can you direct us where we need to go,” with a friendly smile.
At this Christian said excitedly, “By all means. I would love to do that!”
Beth told him they were with House Athurius Hoplites – First Cohort and Christian looked the information up on his data tablet. In a few moments, he found the location and they set off walking. One lady on each side of him. As they walked, Dana said, “How long have you been here, Christian and what do you do?”
The young man explained that he was an Inceptions Thrall. Someone who assisted new arrivals get settled in. “Running Eden takes a lot of people,” he said, excited to be talking to someone about his job. He then went on to explain that Thralls handled all day-to-day jobs, throughout the alien world. It was fun and interesting. The new environment and climate made everything a breeze. Everyone walked where they needed to go around the city and transports could take you to other parts of Eden or off world if you wanted.
As they walked across the park, Christian shared with the ladies he had been in Eden for less than a year, because of a traffic accident. He added that a Prize helped him to deal with the tragedy of being separated from his family and friends.
As they walked through a cope of trees, Dana asked, “When you met us, you seemed excited that we were going to be Hoplites. What’s so special about them?”
Christian nodded his head as if he understood what Dana was asking and said, “The Hoplites are the true gods and goddesses of this world. You all do amazing things. You amaze me and scare me to death, all at the same time.” As he said this, they were approaching one of the many buildings along the edge of the huge park. Christian shared with them about how to enter the compound. The panel should be programmed for them to open the gate.
Dana gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek. She really liked him. She asked, “How could we call you if we have anything else you could help us with?”
“Wow, no way,” he said. He let them know about how to contact people through Eden’s network on the data pads that everyone used.
Bethany gave him a big hug as well, squeezing his face into her breasts and then deeply French kissing him. She stepped back saying, “We really appreciate your help and I hope we can see each other again, sometime,” winking seductively.
Christian appeared completely smitten by these two Hoplites. He told them he would stay in touch, and he wished them luck.
As he walked away Dana turned to Beth who was admiring the Thrall’s receding form — especially his ass. She jokingly said, “Oh my God! What the hell was that? You know you could go to jail for statutory rape, for stuff like that.”
“He has a cute ass, doesn’t he,” said replied softly elbowing her friend, “Go ahead and admit it.”
Dana replied, “As a Cougar, I do have to admit. He has a GREAT ass!”
This caused both to laugh almost uncontrollably for several minutes. When they finished, they wiped the tears from their eyes and then turned to the door that opened the way to their new lives and entered the barracks of the Hoplite First Cohort.
They entered the structure and it appeared no one else was there. Inside the gate there were several large buildings surrounding a central grass yard. Entering the nearest building, they found what appeared to be a large central meeting room, with several light table and chair sets. On one table was a data tablet. A flashing message read, “When all are present, activate massage.” One the wall was an illuminated panel with ten pictures with information underneath each one.
As they walked over to it, they saw along with their photos, there were pictures of the eight-other people in their unit. They were Jorge Hernandez, Dennis Foster, Thomas Mitchell, Patricia Adams, Cynthia Matthews, Bruce White, Vincent Lange, and Michael Peterson. Their names and photos were last. Under each was a panel that read, “No current games scheduled. In training.”
Beneath them were three other photos and names below the heading of ‘Prizes’: Erin O’Keefe, Clarice Jackson, and Michael Yoon. Below each prize a panel read no current appointments.
Beth did the math out loud, “Seven guys and six gals. Not a bad looking group. Especially these two,” she said, winking at Dana and pointing at their pictures.
Dana looked a little closer. “I think I remember her from First Class,” pointing at Erin’s photo. Do you see anyone you know?”
Beth said, “I don’t know. Maybe. A lot was going on. Especially at the end.”
As they explored, they found two sleeping areas off the main room. Five light ‘bunks’ were arranged along the walls in each. They both shared a large, communal shower space. Dana said, “I guess there won’t be very much privacy.”
Beth taking the bright side said, “Hey, just look at it as summer camp, for consenting adults.”
She sat down on one of the beds and commented on the level of warmth and comfort that was provided by a simple sheet of light.
Another door led to a large inner courtyard that was arranged much like a practice field. There was a gate at the far end and several doors off it. They were about to continue exploring when they heard voices behind them. It sounded like two men and a woman.
They returned to the common room and saw three other new arrivals at the bulletin board chatting. Beth called out a greeting as they approached, and the new arrivals turned around. A broad-chested, big man with a Latino accent said, “Are you the one in charge?”
The small, compact woman in middle elbowed him in the ribs and said, “No lug nuts. They’re new here just like us.”
The third man laughed at the joke.
The woman elbowed him as well and said, “What the fuck are you laughing at,” causing the big Latino to burst out in laughter, as well. It was clear, three knew each other.
Dana and Beth introduced themselves to Jorge, Patricia (Pat) and Vincent (Vince). It seemed to Dana that they were serving as hosts (ever the flight attendant), as they were leading tours of what they had discovered thus far. As they did this, others joined them as well. Soon the entire Cohort had been assembled. Once the introductions and tours had been completed, they gathered around the table with the data tablet.
Dennis Foster, who Beth recognized from his clear and commanding voice, picked the tablet up from the table and said, “Here goes nothing,” as he tapped the screen.
The message banner faded and was replaced by a profile graphic and the voice of a man with a cheerful, yet thick, Irish accent began his message:
“Greetings everyone. I am your trainer. From your records, some of you may recognize the term ‘Drill Instructor’. Over the coming months, it will be my job to train you. As Hoplites, we compete in the games. Your records indicate you’ve each had a little taste of combat in one form or another. That’s good, as it’s my job to build on that foundation.”
“Get to know each other. You’ll be depending on one another to succeed. Protein cubes are available by tapping the table. You’ll be sharing two bunkrooms and it doesn’t matter who sleeps where. Currently, the shower is set for sonic only.”
“Enjoy the quiet time and get some rest. I can guarantee you; this will be the last day you have like this, in quite a while. Taa-taa for now!”
They all stood there in silence for a moment and then Cindy Matthews chimed in, “Ain’t that interesting,” lightening the moment again and causing everyone to laugh. She was short and petite. Dana figured she was either Japanese or Chinese from her facial features.
They began exploring the rest of the facility and found what appeared to be a large locker room and weight training area. They each tried some of the equipment and was amazed at how their new bodies could easily lift the heavy weights. Through another door they found another central room and off it were individual sleeping areas. They all wondered who got their own room in a place like this.
The rest of that first day was spent sitting or lying on the grass of the training quad in small and large groups. They learned about each other’s previous lives on Earth, and they all speculated what life as a Hoplite on Eden would be like and munched protein cubes. As the light of day faded, it was replaced by a night they discovered that was just a vibrant as the day.
Besides learning about each other a secondary conversation concerned who the Caretakers were. Everyone shared their thoughts concerning them and their strange yet alluring appearance.
Although the sky darkened as Eden’s sun set, the massive rings around the planet prevented things from becoming completely black. They also saw the sky was filled with a sea of stars in all different colors and sizes. They all felt like they could lay in the quad and go to sleep, peering up at that amazing night sky.
Eventually, the Hoplites went to the bunks rooms and settled in for their first night’s sleep in their new home.