You’re more than a little disappointed when you’re told Blacdan will be remaining on Earth, rather than following you to Mars. You really can’t fault the Training Command, though. Someone like Blacdan can’t be wasted on playing nursemaid to a young pilot like you. He’s too invaluable in shaping young humans into the kind of warriors they need to be.
The flight to Mars is a lot different than what your grandfather would have envisioned it to be. For one thing, your trip is going to take twenty-two hours, and only that long because this is a “shakedown cruise” for both you and your fighter. Normally the only reason your JD-13 would be traveling that slow is if you were flying escort for ships equipped “only” with reverse engineered Harvester technology.
Another thing different about that journey to Mars from generations past is Mars itself. Humanity had already begun slowly terraforming and colonizing Mars with Harvester technology. Sphere technology was definitely speeding up the process.
Finally there was communications. Sphere technology had eliminated all the time lag between the sender and the receiver.
In the company of two other graduates from your class, each flying their own JD-13, your trip to Mars is noneventful. Once you get to Mars, your new crew is waiting to service your JD-13. The crew chief is a:
Ghataar- The Ghataar resemble anthropomorphic cheetahs and are roughly the same size as humans.
Zoffah -- The Zoffah resemble anthropomorphic rabbits. The average female Zoffa stands one and a third meters high, while the average male Zoffah is one and a half meters tall.
Enifala -- The Enifala are remarkably human in appearance, save for their shell-like ears, vertical slit pupils, markings on their neck, and a tuftless, leonine tale that emerges from the base of their back.
Ruyand -- The Ruyand are humanoid in appearance, though they also possess feline features, such as flat noses, large, round eyes, pointed ears, and long, prehensile tail. Their neck is long and their body slender. They have dark purple skin, black hair and black eyes. Female Ruyand are, on average, twenty-five centimeters taller than human females, while male Ruyand stand, on average, thirty centimeters taller than their male human counterparts.
Zarnat -- The Zarnat resemble anthropomorphic African lions, and are slightly larger than humans
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