But for now, it’s definitely the worse.
The only clue Creston know of was
that one of the lieutenants of the Alpha Squad came back from an expedition a
moment ago, headed straight to the captain’s cabin, and an announcement is made
for an urgent meeting to be commenced. Everyone, including the citizens was to
stop everything they’re doing and gather at the Main Deck immediately. When the
place was crowded and bustling with people, only then Creston recalled that
Gordon and Kevin were practising in the training hall.
Well, what could he do then, other
than to scramble quickly ‒ or rather embarrassingly among the officers eyeing
at him ‒ and call them out? As he reached for the door, it slid open by itself,
triggered by the emergency alarm system; right on time.
He managed to shake them awake from
their dreamy state (it often happened to people being interrupted when they’re
in the middle of their training in the Virtual Training Hall) and shooed them
gently down the corridor. It took no time for them to reach Skylark’s biggest
hall ‒ the Main Deck.
This huge place was meant to function
as a venue for a wide range of purposes, including forums and duelling
competitions, even performances and wild parties. The public can gain access to
it at any time; in fact it was directly connected to all the living quarters.
No wonder it was nicknamed “The Mother Room” by Kevin.
Gordon, too, had given it a nickname
‒ “The Hall of Heroes”. The reason was a grand occasion, officially known as
the Knighting Ceremony will always be conducted at the Main Deck. Once a knight
is ready to join the Alpha Squad, he will be on the platform, where everyone
can look at him. There, he will be knighted as member of the Alpha Squad by the
captain himself. His name and title will be written by hand along with all
other officers. Gordon had seen this ceremony many times, and Creston lost
count of how many times Gordon told him about his dream of being there,
kneeling before the captain and say the sacred oath.
Imagine how much he wanted to stand
on that very platform and be granted the title of an Alpha Squad officer,
before the eyes of every single living soul in Skylark!
Imagine how proud…
“Everyone, please calm down!” The
booming loudspeaker interrupted Creston’s thoughts.
It seemed that the crowd was in a
state of confusion, being called to come to the Main Deck all of a sudden.
Loud, indistinct chatter was heard bouncing across the hall from thousands upon
thousands of people. The highly-ranked officers and soldiers could be seen
under the platform, wearing their usual uniform armour. Even they can’t stop
themselves from mumbling to each other, arguing about what really happened.
Say, the squadron team seems to have a lot less members than usual, Creston
noted. There used to be five hundred men! Or did he imagine it just now? He
tried to scan through the team, roughly working the numbers in his mind.
“Please! I need your attention!” It
turned out that the loudspeaker was from the same lieutenant who reported to
the captain earlier. “Be silent for a while!”
Out of the blue, someone from the
crowd yelled, “Well then, do you know exactly why we’re here?”
“Well…” the lieutenant fell short of
words, hesitating for an answer. Everyone continued their busy discussions, and
the bustling noise of chatter returned.
The panicking tones and irritated
talk seemed to be never-ending, until the loudspeaker boomed with another
voice.
“Silence, everyone!”
Everyone recognized the voice and
halted their conversations. One by one, the crowd became quiet. All eyes were
then turned to the captain standing on the platform.
The captain wore a grim and mournful
look in contrary to his usual warm grin, which reminded Creston of the terrible
incident which took place in their home planet. He will never forget the
expression of that face, and so will the rest of Skylark’s dwellers, he
wagered. He wished he could do something, anything at all, to bring that
brilliant smile back again. Skylark may have to stop her flight if she needed
to carry that infinite weight of her captain’s heavy heart.
The captain stool a little straighter
and began his speech, “First of all, I sincerely apologize for the sudden call
to gather for this meeting, and I’m dreadfully sorry for any inconvenience
caused. But I had hastily formed an extremely important order that involves
everyone here in this hall. So, I do not wish to delay my announcement and
deliver it to all of you as soon as possible.
The captain glanced around to see
that everyone was paying attention. Quite satisfied, he continued, “As all of
us know, after our home planet became uninhabitable, we are in a constant for a
planet that provides a proper place for us to stay peacefully. Unfortunately,
according to the reports from the scouts of the Alpha Squad, none can be
spotted. I had previously thought all the expeditions made are in vain and
almost considered to give up.
“But a few days ago, a quick scan of
a stray planet revealed a population of an unknown life form living in there. I
quickly ordered Lieutenant Giles over here to bring an army with him to travel
to the planet, in an attempt to negotiate with their leader. Of course, we are
not at all certain of the risks we’re taking. We may have to fight if we need
to. But what other choice did we have? This could be our only chance!
“So, meanwhile, I waited for reports
from the expedition team, but to no avail. Finally, after a long wait,
Lieutenant Giles came knocking on my cabin door. I expected some good news from
him, but what he reported extinguished all the hope in me.” The captain seemed
to hold back before he continued his next statement, “The army I sent, of three
hundred men, was almost wiped out completely.”
At this, the captain paused again,
and some of the audience gasped in astonishment. Good Skylark, three hundred!
That’s worth two years of training!
“According to the lieutenant’s
report,” the captain resumed, “no sentries or structures of any sort were seen
during and after the landing. The team started to build a camp there and
decided to continue their journey on the next day. All of a sudden, they were
ambushed and attacked by a hostile army. Our expedition team was greatly
outnumbered. Many men sacrificed themselves in the fight and died, many more
were captured. Nevertheless, Lieutenant Giles and a few men ‒ three of them, to
be exact ‒ managed to escape in time. However, we cannot deny that this
incident had been a great loss.”
The words plunged into Creston’s
heart like a bright, hot dagger freshly shaped from an anvil. In Skylark
history, no one had ever heard of the woeful words of “sacrificed”, or “died”,
or “a great loss”. This would be the first, and it would be a painful memory
permanently etched into the minds of every citizen. Irreplaceable talents and
valiant spirits and unfinished dreams, all gone for ever.
“Now, The Alpha Squad has
comparatively very few members left. It will take a ridiculously long time of
qualifying and training to recover to the previous number. I’m aware that this
will paralyze our future efforts of searching inhabitable planets, protecting
the spaceship… in fact, almost everything.
“Yet, all is not lost. As stated
earlier, I planned a solution in the form of a new order, which will be called
the Spiral Order. Still, the previous military order will not be completely
ignored; the Alpha Squad is here to stay. Instead, this new order will be… how should
I put this? ‒ it applies to all dwellers of Skylark, which includes all my
fellow citizens.
Creston thought he didn’t hear it
right. The citizens? All of them?
The captain continued, “This is the
way it works: all of you will be trained to use weapons diligently and
participate in simple tasks and missions. It will apply to everyone, old or
young, man or woman, of every occupation. Everyone will be fighters, defenders,
the knights and soldiers of the Spiral Order. Please bear in mind that this is not to replace the lost members of the
Alpha Squad. It is far more accurate to be said as a rebuilding of a new army.
If this plan works, we would acquire a much stronger force, capable of
accomplishing great feats the squadron team alone would be unable to do so.”
The captain cleared his throat, “Now, any questions?”
“Captain,” a figure in the crowd, who
seems to be an officer, raised his hand, “would the Alpha Squad still recruit
anymore candidates?”
That seemed to made Gordon and Kevin
jump, Creston observed. He turned his attention back to the captain, waiting
for a reply.
“As usual,” the captain remarked
quickly, “anyone who demonstrates exceptional skills will be welcomed anytime.”
The boys were instantly relieved,
which somehow gave the same effect to Creston too.
“Anyone else?” the captain asked once
more.
Another hand shot out, “Can we
withdraw ourselves from this order? If so, will we be punished?”
“Well, I want to remind you that the
Spiral Order will not force anyone to honour it unwillingly. It is made for the
best of us all. Remember, the entire spaceship depends on your decision. So, I
urge all of you to consider it thoughtfully.”
The audience, aware of how important
the situation was, remained silent. Doubtlessly, the captain made a bold move,
and he played his very last card. If it’s not a winning one, Skylark would be
done for. But as hard as tough luck, the decision to say “yes” is almost like
taking a leap of faith into the unknown. Everyone waited for each other, like
how people sometimes wish upon the lucky stars of the night sky to signal a
sign of approval.
“Would you solemnly agree to be part
of the Spiral Order?” the captain spoke up.
Now, don’t ask me how it happened,
but all of a sudden, one single thought crossed every conscious mind under the
platform, as if they really witnessed those stars winked a speck of light at
them: we can only save ourselves now, and it’s all up to us.
And at that moment, all the lowly citizens
made their choice, the choice that opened a gateway to a new world. A whole new
level of adventure awaited, like the unexplored seas waiting for a good old sailor
to pay a visit. Who knows what surprises were standing right there knocking on the
door?
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