The Eqos Spaceport is a monument of human technology. The massive station orbits its namesake planet, and it is composed of a series of disks stacked on top of each other with a cylindrical center. Docking ports of various sizes poke out from the disks, and cannons of many sizes and capabilities guard it. Sunlight reflects off its polished hull, and numerous ships of all sizes and purposes are docked in their respective areas.

  Short bursts are released from the exhaust tubes on the side of the Blue Destiny as it approaches the Eqos Spaceport. Each burst painstakingly inches the ship closer to its port. Upon reaching its destination, there is a loud clanging, followed by clicks and hisses. A couple of minutes later, the intercom dings.

  "Attention everyone, this is your captain speaking. We are now docked at Eqos Spaceport. Please exit the Blue Destiny in an orderly fashion and thank you for flying with us."

  The intercom clicks off, and the passengers exit in a swift and orderly departure. Once everyone has exited, the tube is sealed and operators in space suits begin refueling the Blue Destiny while luggage is returned to the passengers. After Honey gets her luggage and Thor-Ton, she travels through the Eqos Spaceport.

  Honey goes to a map on a pillar and studies it until she finds where her next shuttle is located. Her stomach growls, but she pushes her hunger to the back of her mind and hurries to her location. She only has four hours left to get to her shuttle and she does not want to be late!

  Ten minutes later, she reaches her destination and finds that access to the shuttle is locked, so Honey goes to the seat nearest to the shuttle, unclips Thor-Ton, and sets it on the floor to use as an impromptu ottoman.

  As Honey waits to board, she ignores her knotted and growling stomach, and watches as the lobby seats are gradually filled. A few more minutes pass, and a couple holding Klumsy K's carry-boxes sit across from her.

  They talk lightly and enjoy their meal, but then the male notices Honey, and he stops everything and stares at Honey intently. A few seconds later, the female looks at Honey and her expression also shifts. Honey has no idea who they are or why they are acting like this, but she doesn't look away from them. Instead, she studies them. They are in Honey's age range, and both have weapons cases that are locked and marked.

  The male has thick brown hair, brown eyes and skin reddened by a lot of time in the heat. He is wearing a simple dark gray suit with a brown dress shirt. He also has heavy shoes, and his eyes really bore into Honey, like a drill powered by hate.

  The female has a ballerina type figure. Her dark hair is braided, and her amber eyes have a mischievous glint to them as she slowly eats her burger. Her outfit is a light gray coat over a black shirt, and a black skirt with white bands on the bottom. Plus, dark calf boots with white laces.

  Honey doesn't like either of them.

  "You're blonde," says the possible ballerina.

  "Yep," says Honey.

  "Blondes are hard to come by."

  "Yep," repeats Honey.

  "Are you a dancer, by any chance?"

  The male rolls his eyes and sips his drink. Loudly. This makes Honey's eye and hand twitch.

  "Nope," says Honey.

  The odd girl grins wolfishly. "How about bodybuilding? Do you do weightlift competitions?”

  "No," replies Honey. "I'm just here to go to the Academy recruitment center."

  "So, you want to join the Academy of Irregular Defense? I can see that. You certainly are more muscular than the average female. You'd be a bad dancer, but good for other things."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The ballerina leans forward and continues staring at Honey intently, and when the stranger smirks and licks her lips, Honey scrunches her brow and her muscles tighten, leading to her bands to glow.

  "I'm sorry, is there a reason why you're staring at me like that?" asks Honey.

  "Oh, no, don't worry about it. I am just enjoying your structure," says the odd woman.

  Honey raises her brow, and her companion pulls her back against the seat.

  "That's enough, Emma," he says.

  "For now, it is Rocky," says Emma with a smirk.

  However, Rocky is not smirking. He is still glaring at Honey, and she glances at her watch, hoping for them to move somewhere else.

  "I'm going to the Academy, too. Same with Rocky," says Emma, patting his leg for emphasis.

  "Oh joy," says Honey sarcastically. "I'm sure we'll all get along famously."

  Then the monitor above the tube shows a countdown clock. A stewardess behind the ticket counter turns on the intercom and speaks into a microphone.

  "Attention, Shuttle Three is now boarding," she says, her voice flowing from speakers around their area.

  "Thank God," sighs Honey.

  She quickly stands up with her weapon and travel case and hurries to the stewardess. Once there, she gives her the ticket, and the stewardess stamps it and allows Honey through. When she enters the shuttle, she takes the seat designated to her by her ticket and locks Thor-Ton and her travel case on the floor using straps provided by the shuttle.

  As she does this, Rocky, Emma, and a dozen other people get on the shuttle and strap themselves in. After everyone is situated, the stewardess checks the straps and seatbelts and makes an adjustment here and there. Once her task is done, the stewardess sits by the captain's door and knocks on it a couple of times. As soon as she does that, the intercom turns on.

  "Good evening, everyone. This is your captain speaking. We will now depart for Summit City. Please remain seated during the duration of the flight. Enjoy the view and thank you for picking Eqos as your destination," says a bored voice.

  The intercom clicks off, and the shuttle engine roars to life. It vibrates the walls and shakes Honey's legs. She keeps her head down until she feels the turbulence of atmospheric entrance, and she peeks just enough to see the orange glow on the ship's hull from the friction. She looks away after that. A little while later, she dares to look out again, but this time the anxiety is replaced by wonder, and she looks at the approaching scenery with undivided attention.

  The shuttle passes over a beautiful landscape of large snowcapped mountains covered in blankets of fog moving between the formations. Towns are built into the mountains with rail and elevated road networks connecting them, and beyond the mountains are rolling hills and farmland as far as the eye can see.

  "Wow," gasps Honey. "That's a lot of greenery."

  "First time seeing this much green?" asks Rocky. He and Emma are sitting behind Honey, and she didn't realize it until Rocky spoke.

  "Yeah," says Honey.

  "If you feel like it’s too much, just remember that there's plenty of rocks under the trees you can look at," says Rocky.

  "And there's lots and lots and lots and lots of rocks in the mines of Eqos," adds Emma.

  Honey rolls her eyes and looks away from the pair with her arms folded across her chest and her face scrunched from annoyance.

  A few minutes later, the shuttle begins its descent to a runway at the base of one of the peaks. As the shuttle approaches, the vehicle rattles and Honey grips her seat tight. When the shuttle touches down, the tires screech, and the shuttle bobs for a moment before it slows to a crawl. The pilot guides the shuttle to a stop at a tube connected to a smaller station, and a pleasant ding rings out in the passenger cabin.

  "We have arrived at our destination. Please exit in a polite manner," says the pilot.

  The stewardess gets up to open the door, and the passengers unclip their belts and luggage. Honey is first to exit the shuttle, and the very first thing she notices from the moment she stands up is that there is a weight difference. Her luggage and weapon feel heavier. She feels heavier. Her heart works harder to pump her blood, her lungs are filled with more air, and the added weight from increased gravity has brought a subtle but noticeable discomfort to her limbs and spine.

  Honey takes a deep breath and rubs her strained heart as she makes her way to the passport booth. She hands over her ticket and passport to the clerk behind the counter. The clerk stamps the passport and returns it to Honey while giving her a practiced smile.

  "Welcome to Summit City," says the clerk.

  Honey thanks them and hurries away before Rocky and Emma can reach her. She goes to a nearby vending machine for packaged lunches. Her hands shake and she takes deep breaths and slow exhales as she slides her card into the machine and selects the first lunch she sees. Once she has that, she sits down at a nearby empty table and opens up the colorful box it came in.

  She consumes her lunch quickly, and within a minute she feels better. She's still hungry, but now she is not shaking and can focus on getting a hotel room and finding the Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office. So, with that, she tosses her trash and hurries to the exit.