File 4.3 - New Beginnings

A rude morning or maybe an inconsiderate morning. It was one of them. Shizuka didn’t care which, both applied well to her mood. The rigid and simple designs of the apartment reminded her she wasn’t safe, but trapped. A terrible thought to wake up to in the morning. However, such thoughts didn’t last for long. She knew why she was awake, something buzzed in her ear.

Sleep hazed, Shizuka looked around the room trying to figure out where the noise came from. It seemed to hit her from all sides. Annoyed and uncoordinated, she stumbled out of bed and knocked around the unfamiliar room in search of the noise. Everywhere she went it remained the same tone and strength, never weakening or gaining.

Just as the noise began to drill through her skull and rip apart the bone, it stopped. She sighed, but only to hear something just as annoying. A familiar voice broke the momentary silence and projected through the entire apartment. “Petty Officer Third Class Shizuka Kitawara, I’ve come to take you to your orientation.”

Shizuka’s eyes narrowed a little as she recognized his voice. “The Ensign…”

“Good, you're awake.” His response caught Shizuka off guard. She darted her head around expecting him to be in the room, but she remained alone. Then she realized he could hear her speaking from outside. “Are you ready to leave?”

She considered several responses for him, but left it simple. “Yes.” Arguing at the point she was in served her no purpose. She had objectives and seeing what they had in store was important.

“So you’re wearing your uniform?”

“Two minutes,” she grumbled. She looked around for a closet or dresser, but found neither immediately. When she arrived, she didn’t spend any time acquainting herself with the room. So she knew where nothing was other than the bed. A search managed to finally turn up a narrow slit in the wall, which turned out to be the closet with a dresser built into the space. Finding the uniform was easy; it hung on hangers, all identical and all prepared.

The simplicity of it made it easy for her to figure out. She hated the thought of being berated by the Ensign for missing something. Shizuka didn’t want to give him anymore ammunition. She pulled out one set and threw it on the bed along with her dress. The sudden movements reminded her of the bandages and soreness, things she nearly forgot about. She stared at her body for a bit thinking about what to do about the bandages. However, she realized time was short. ‘I’ll deal with it later. I don’t want to hear him yelling at me to hurry.’

Spread out into the separate pieces, Shizuka examined the uniform to understand how to wear it. It seemed as straightforward as she initially thought. The uniform consisted of a pair of slacks, an undershirt, a dress blouse in her case, and a single breasted blazer. It used a blue color scheme for the design motif with a light blue base surrounded in trim and detail work by medium and dark blues. ‘Looks similar, but different,’ she noted, to herself recalling the Ensign uniform, which was more white than light blue.

Color or design did not matter to her. Shizuka put on the clothes quickly, tucking the shirt into the slacks. The length of the pants were close enough for her, but she had to use the belt to keep them from falling down on her. When she put on the blazer it was loose around her waist and fit around her chest. She felt grateful she was starting to develop, but not enough to make it uncomfortable.

Finished, Shizuka made for the door. It was just in time as well, since the Ensign was about to call her again. “Looks like you’re ready,” he commented. He turned away from her and started for the elevator. “Let’s go, Petty Officer Kitawara.”

“Hiraoka,” she corrected, emphatically.

Ansgar looked back at Shizuka, stopped in mid-step by her correction. He watched her for a moment reading her expression. It came clearly across that it was something she felt was important. Tempting the mood, he pressed the issue. “Kitawara is the name on record.”

Working up a glare, Shizuka stood firm on the matter. “Your records are wrong. I haven’t gone by that family name in six years. Hiraoka is my family name.”

“Your mother’s family name, if I recall.”

“Is that a problem?” The staring contest continued between them. It was unclear to Shizuka if the Ensign planned to give in or fight her on it further. “I’ve accepted your demands. This concession should be only a minor inconvenience.”

Pursed lips were the only sign he gave her. ‘Stubborn one…’ He closed his eyes to cleanse the air around him. When Ansgar opened his eyes, he refocused on Shizuka. “Very well, I’ll see to the change in your records.” After concluding discussions, he resumed his walk to the elevator. “Follow me.”

The first stop they made was to the mess hall for breakfast. It ran smoothly for them and Ansgar gave her brief details of her day. He remained on a subject only long enough to ensure she understood before moving on.

Their real destination, orientation, brought them to a new wing of the base Shizuka hadn’t seen. The plate on the door was blank with only a room number, 302, next to the doorframe as the only marker. The Ensign opened the door, directing Shizuka inside. “This is where your orientation begins,” he informed, his hand extended out motioning to someone else waiting inside. “Lieutenant Noltz, sir!” Ansgar came to attention and saluted. “I’ve brought Petty Officer Third Class Shizuka Hiraoka as requested for orientation, sir!”

“Thank you, Ensign Toule,” replied the Lieutenant, saluting him allowing him to return to an at ease stance. “Bring her in.”

Shizuka stepped in fully to take in the whole space. It looked unremarkable to her eyes. White walls surrounded her on all four sides. The room itself was small, about the same size as her apartment. A chair and desk sat to her left while a tall thin cabinet fit into the right. They were the only decorations for the room.

Waiting for her was the Lieutenant, already eying her up and down in a subtle manner, while still broadcasting it clearly enough so Shizuka understood. Lieutenant Noltz appeared to be a young woman, likely in her late twenties. The uniform fitted to her as though part of her rather than something she had to wear. She had a close strict haircut, looking like she took her role as a career officer seriously and expected it from others as well.

Not knowing the expectations, Shizuka opted to stand in the middle of the room waiting to hear their plans for her. ‘Hopefully, I get some answers. I need to know what this is all about. What is that man planning?’

“Good morning, Petty Officer,” began the woman. A small thin device turned about in her palm as she approached Shizuka. She stopped half a meter away from her, staring down at the young teenager. “I will be your orientation officer. I will be familiarizing you with HOPE regulations as well as the AESIR Project, to which you’ve been assigned. To begin, you are part of the military arm of HOPE, not the civilian arm, as such you are required to follow all military regulations. First, you acknowledge and address any superior officer you meet with a salute.” She demonstrated for Shizuka the salute. “Now you.”

Shizuka considered various rebellious actions, but only considered them. She knew she had to play along with them. Following the woman’s motions, Shizuka gave her the desired salute. ‘I’ve got to work with them, so they trust me enough that I have the guards lifted. I can’t do anything with them around me.’

“Very good. There’s a lot to cover. Take a seat over there and I’ll begin.” She looked over at Ansgar. “You’re dismissed. I’ll call for you when we’re done for the day.”

“Yes, sir!” He left with almost no sound, leaving Shizuka to the Lieutenant. The lights dimmed a little and the wall facing Shizuka shimmered to life. Text appeared on the wall, a title page for the first of many lessons.

Hours drained away in repetition on the various regulations required for military service and those in service to HOPE. It was all very dry and boring material for Shizuka. She felt herself losing it after an hour, but found a loud noise buzz in her ear the moment she trailed off. It felt like she was being watched at all moments, never allowed rest or chance for weakness.

“That concludes the regulations. Any questions, Petty Officer, before I continue?”

Shizuka had a lot of questions for her, but none of them were valid to the subject material, save one. “Everyone keeps referring to me as Petty Officer, which from the information you’ve shown me is a rank. However, it’s not the lowest rank. Why is that?”

“It’s because of your special status.”

“Special status?” Different ideas came to mind. She considered it possibly something that man did, but she doubted it since Edgar was referred by the same rank. It still worried her, the term, special status.

Lieutenant Noltz nodded to her. She pushed the button on her device changing to a different slide. “This is related to your assignment to the AESIR Project. All pilots in the project are granted a higher rank than the standard soldier. The training you will soon receive is designed to make you an elite pilot with only the rest of your team as your peers. Thus your elite status grants you a higher rank. For now you’re only a Petty Officer Third Class, but when your training is completed you’ll be promoted to Warrant Officer.”

“I see…” The answer was complete and full, but still left her with questions. The expectations placed on her weighed especially uncomfortable on her shoulders. She accepted what she had to do, but hearing a piece of it made her get a sense of what she was getting herself into with them. ‘Elite pilot? Why did they pick me? Certainly, there are far better choices than me. I’m just a teenager!’