Armstrong Division Chapter 1

 “C’mon! Don’t you have any sense of adventure?” Jake said as he flashed the most charming smile he could muster.

            “Is that what you had to ask me about in person? Jake, I like adventure as much as the next guy, but you know the penalty if we get caught!”  Damien said in hushed outrage. He dared not let the other people at the cafe or those walking by on the sidewalk know that his friend Jake was trying to recruit him into joining the Neil Armstrong Division. The penalty he spoke of was a public lashing every day for a year and after the last day of lashings there was a public execution to send a message that humanity was staying out of alien wars.

        “That just makes it even more exciting! And you know it’s the right thing to do!” he retorted and calmly added; “Besides they’ve only caught just a small handful.”

            “By ‘small handful’ you mean over 5,000 since they passed the law against it last year? You go if you want to but I’ll have nothing to do with it.” Damien said in another hushed voice of outrage.

            “Fine! I’m about to go on the adventure of a lifetime and if my best friend is too afraid to join me then so be it.”

            Jake shot of his seat almost knocking over his chair. He reached in his pocket and threw down a few coins to pay for his coffee that he didn’t even drink. Despite taking offense at Damien’s rejection, he did his best after getting out of his chair to not show his emotions and draw undue attention. These days everyone seemed to be an informer or worse.

          He hurried off down the sidewalk never once looking back at Damien. He was sure Damien would join him. Jake had always been reckless, impulsive, thrill-seeking and Damien had always enjoyed going along on his adventures, until now. He felt as though he had left half of himself sitting there at that table.

           Why didn’t Damien come along? He knew the outrage Damien felt at the Klosx for their constant raids on Earth for supplies and slaves. Why won’t he take up arms with the Triusdz in the Armstrong Division? Why wouldn’t he strike back? What good is all that outrage if you won’t do anything about it? How is anything going to change with so many people unwilling to take action?

           He was sure about one thing though, no matter how Damien felt about joining, he’d rather die than give Jake up to the security forces. Earth had become a security state and Big Brother was omnipresent. The Klosx raids had made everyone afraid and like so many times before in history, fear caused many to demand a more powerful state and many in power were quite willing to accept that power. Everyone seemed to have become a part of the state’s security network in some way. Many sought out their role as spy or security officer to power and gain. Others were coerced and subsumed. Trustworthy friends like Damien were worth their weight in platinum.

         “What has become of people these days that they rather remained as sheep with an impotent shepherd waiting for the wolf to pick them off?” Jake thought as he stormed off.