Chapter 9: 2780-Space station (424011) - The Last
A few days passed, and Zatland had found a backpack in which he could store the laptop computer, along with an extra pair of his shoes. He didn't know what he would need an extra pair of shoes for, but with the bulky ass computer, he could just say it was his collection of odd shit.
From a hole in the pack, Zatland attached a pair of headphones as he had discovered some exciting music.
Screamo rock.
Zatland was quite taken with this genre of music, as the songs drove his emotions and could make him reach out his hands to the sky as if trying to grab onto something unreachable.
It was his poetry, his Mozart to an opera-goer, his Shakespeare to a theater teacher.
It was so much different from the music of his generations, which paid less attention to lyrics and more on the melody of sound. The melody of sound could translate to all foreign creatures. While aliens couldn't understand poetry. It was an aspect of our language most alien species found complicated.
The Screamo which had people screaming their emotions out loud could elicit a sense of understanding and relatability that wasn't average to the common people; it was music created by humans for humans. There was some romanticism in that. Some sense of violence's that made his blood boil.
The people of the past were so much more emotional than the people of his generation.
"Claim my heart!" Zatland screamed reaching his hand out in front of him, like a tragic heartbroken lover. It was a lyric of the screamo song he was listening to; he got overwhelmed by it.
Unfortunate he did so around a group of other people, he at some point had arrived in school.
Zatland paused painfully before putting his head down and walking to class.
….
"Zooooo, what was that I saw earlier." The bulky Zion came in slightly cracking up, as he walked into class just behind Zatland.
"Haha, Nothing Zion I got carried away listening to my songs," Zatland responded a little bit loudly hoping it would clear up some of the thought in other people heads, trying to take control of the situation.
he gestured both pleadingly and warningly that it would be in Zion best interest to stop.
Zion who was looking for a way to make fun of the situation looked surprised by the swift reply, Zatland had simultaneously given him a warning not to make fun. He noticed that it might be in his best interest not to plie into this one.
Disappointed Zion shrugged his shoulder with a half-smile. Backing up slightly.
Zatland couldn't have other people making rumors about him.
Often that sort attention would play a part in painting a person in a bad light.
Zatland was also afraid of hearing rumors questioning his sanity.
….
That evening when he fell asleep, Zatland met his father and elders again. He told them he believed them, and he wanted to know there opinion on what they wanted him to do with the Athenaeum. Instead, they told him of the last three pieces of proof he could find when he got back to reality.
they told him he would need to find his way to all three of these locations to unlock the full truth of what happened to Frenor, and know what to do with the athenaeums knowledge.
Zatland would have been happy, But the locations were a little far out there into space. Too far away in fact, for him to even afford to go right now.
Zatland was a multi-millionaire, but to get to the other three locations, he would need to buy a star fleet. He would need crew, and people that would be willing to journey light years away from their loved one.
A crew that was willing to die with him….
ignoring the trust it required to assemble a crew like this; it would cost billions just to pay them.
Zatland began to wonder if he was crazy again because only his brain would assign an impossible to accomplish goal towards himself, that what lunatics did, after all, they pursued impossible to accomplish goals with no proper resources to accomplish them.
Like a man wanting to become 100% clean, or a Fraud stealing someone else's Face.
just based on your perception on things, you couldn't accomplish it unless you changed your mind. for the clean perception-wise, and for the face, it was a half measure.
Then his father corrected him, "you're joining the military, if you do your job right, you should be able to afford to go anywhere ."
"ohhh," Zatland got it immediately, he wondered why his head wondered off for a second. he didn't even understand his train of thoughts, at that moment.
"you'll let me join the military after all this?' Zatland said surprised by his father's change of heart
"Yes, I have no choice."
P.O.V Zatland
My father said because he had no choice, but I was still happy about it. The old man would at least let me do what I wanted. I was glad I didn't have to argue about that with him again.
For now, I felt exhaustion in my brain, I decided to stop thinking about the difficult question, and just relax. If I kept moving forward, I would understand in the end anyway.
(Graduation Day)
I somehow survived the following months leading to my graduation, for some reason towards the end all my studies became more comfortable, and I passed all my test with ease. Despite the hopeless case of senioritis.
It could be that like my grandpa's said. I was gradually learning their knowledge. If that was true, the Athenaeum was one hell of a treasure. I almost felt that it was worth it.
….
Narrator
Zatland went to his final school ceremony alone, he had no especially close family, so there was no one to celebrate the day with. For some reason, he could only meet his father at night, after he fell asleep. So today wasn't a relatively happy day for him.
He was sad, but at least he got a pity party from the ladies, who would jump over each other to sign their phone numbers onto his yearbook.
The flirtatious notes left behind cheered him up a little. Even though it was because of his money.
Zatland was still popular in school, for one he was one of the best fighters in class, and secondly, he was filthy rich compared to ordinary people.
If he didn't have any goals in life, and just opted to live frugally, he had the funds to raise a very happy family. Girls found that appealing, since he always had a safety net to fall back on, if the military wasn't what he was cut out for, better yet if it wasn't what the girls were cut out for. They hope that zatland could share the wealth.
these people had already partially given up on their military careers.
It must be that some of their adaptive training didn't break through enough, that would mean instead of warriors on the battlefield they would be delegated to crew If they still wanted to join the military.
When he saw them gathered around him in hopes that he would share his fortune with them or throw a party, he couldn't help feeling sorry for them. They were trying in vain.
Zatland was cheap as hell. In a few months, he hadn't spent any more than 2000 credits to pay his bills and groceries. He was the definition of frugal. If he continued living like this, he could probably live off the interest of his checking account. And since he was about to join the military in which covered both his boarding and food expenses for his years of training and services, he wouldn't need to use the money for a while.
…
Zion came up to Zatland Wearing his black graduation robes. It was funny with how tall the both of them were; they made the gowns look like cloaks.
They looked like gangsters meeting in the night to exchange information.
Zion: hey Zoo, I'm going home (youth) want to come with me?
(Zion asked)
Zion: My family would be happy to have you.
Zatland: Nah, (youth)… I want to be on my own today.
(Zatland replied absentmindedly)
(Zion stared at him annoyed.)
Zatland: What?
Zion: I'm older so I get to say (youth), you went against the rules.
Zatland: Oh, whatever Man, I just wanted to try saying it too.
Zion: against the rules bro, if you want to say it, find another friend that's slightly younger than you.
Zatland: how come you such a stickler for this shit!
(Zatland shouted, before spreading his arms out and walking away.)
…
"July 24, 2780, Zatland Zuallen leaves Space station 424011(Tari) with his best friend since childhood
Zion Borg. They head towards space City Iron lake 044165(Lake). It believed to be trained in the military arts " a woman in tech support uniform reports.
"Did anyone try to contact him in that time, did he have any weird purchases?" a man asked back.
She replied, "No Sir, I don't think the boy was in the loop of what his father was doing… he might be a dead end."
"don't make assumptions and just do your work, Ms. Davis, we can't let anything slip out of our sight."
The woman nodded her head "Yes sir, I was just following some leads, and I heard one of Professors Lucks old buddies from Qin Shore base was seen in this sector. I was anxious about that." She said. "they were known to be good buddies..."
The man waved his arm at her "don't worry about that, many of Luck and Frenors old associates are too willy. Going after them could be a trap. If we keep control over the boy, one way or another someone will approach him…then we can swoop in and Net all the fish."
"We must get a hold of Frenor last invention, no matter the cost." He said
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