Emidio and his father

Right before class Lupus was supposed to take off, Emidio sneaked away and met with his father in an empty hallway on the premises of the Nova Occasio space station. The two got into an argument.

"You ungrateful brat, you imbecile!" Gargan shouted at his white-haired son. "You almost caused me a PR nightmare with that little stunt of yours! The tabloids would have created hell for the company and me. Don't you understand that it's your livelihood on the line too if that happens?"

"Father please," Emidio pleaded barely holding back tears in his eyes, "Take me out of Celio's military academy. Please I can't take it anymore."

"This again. We've been through this so many times. No chance. I told you the academy would put some discipline in you and I am not letting you out of the military until you become an upstanding man."

"Please, I promise I will behave, I will be good. Just don't send me on this initiation exam. I don't want to go into space."

Gargan increasingly lost patience. "Absolutely not! You want me to pull you out now?! On the day of the ceremony in front of all of the media and in front of the president. There isn't a molecule of likelihood for that to happen. Man up and fulfill your duties."

His response only made Emidio even more agitated and he couldn't hold back his tears anymore which began uncontrollably falling down his cheeks. "I don't want to go! I am not going! Why can't you see? You are torturing me! I hate you! I hate this school! I hate the military..." Emidio continued raging and he started screaming.

"Son. Stop." Gargan unsuccessfully tried to stop his child's barrage of words.

After a few more attempts Gargan slapped Emidio, leaving a red handprint on his son's face. The shock of violence made Emidio quiet.

Gargan turned his head and with a shuddering sigh started walking away. Leaving Emilio to weep alone. "Once you're done crying and the red mark subsides join your classmates. Don't keep them waiting for too long." Gargan gave his child his final words before departure. He didn't look back and walked away.

Emidio dropped and sat on the ground. He felt like the world had abandoned him. Hopeless and defeated. He cried there for a few more minutes until he remembered that the class was waiting just for him. Emidio went to the bathroom to wash away the tears. He took one look at himself, the slap mark had almost vanished.

Emidio hated the reflection staring back at him. For a moment he contemplated running away but like many times before he went on this train of thought it always ended with a simple question. Go where? Nova Occasio wasn't a very big colony. The nature of living in several interconnected domes means that there aren't many places to hide or start a new life. His father would find Emidio in less than a day considering the power he holds and the security cameras plastered on nearly every corner of the colony.

Traveling to space was also not an option, you need to be an adult to travel unaccompanied off-world. Children can only leave with the proper adult, like today's mission. If only he had turned 16 before initiation day.

Out of options and out of time, Emidio concluded that he would just have to bear this mission.

He left the bathroom and joined class Lupus for liftoff.

***

Inside the ship class Lupus gathered on the bridge with Instructor Mok excitedly watching him direct the liftoff. Emidio recluded himself in the corner of the bridge still distraught over the encounter with his father.

"This is Mok on the line, instructor of class Lupus and Captain of their ship, we are ready for take off. Over." Mok spoke on the microphone from the captain's chair.

"I read you Captain Mok," the other man on the line said. "This is home base, opening the blast doors. Class Serpens and Class Ovis gave their greenlights too. You can expect clear green sky, no weather complications detected, and you are in for a comfortable lift-off. I would like to wish you all a safe journey."

"Roger that. Activating the AI pilot assist mode. Propulsion ready." Mok placed his hand on the engine throttle. "Lift off in T minus 10

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Lift-off!"

The entire ship shook like there was an earthquake as Mok pushed the engines to full speed. The students grabbed hold of the nearest object in fear, but the ship's internal gravity was there to keep them from falling. Piercing through the air and fighting Planet Spark's gravity, the three ships left the planet's atmosphere. The kids were now in space for the very first time.