2


-

“The Info Grid: Providing the public With the necessary information, any time, anywhere.” announced the always enthusiastic female voice.
A short jingle played while the blue and silver logo of the info grid appeared on the screen, spinning slowly around itself. Eric Crane, a young man with short, dark hair looked intensely at the thin screen which was built into the wall of the residential building he was standing in front of - just as in all the others.

Eric took a step back and looked up, the tall, grey facade of the building stretching far into the air, as if trying to touch the equally grey and heavy sky.
It would probably start raining again pretty soon.
The little screen was still playing the news broadcast; presently a segment with a medical researcher explaining how to combat further spread of the Red Sickness.
It was a rerun. Ian had seen it the day before. He knew the landlord had also seen it. Not only that, but he had memorized all the symptoms.  He had demanded to inspect Eric's eyes and wrists when he had passed him just a few minutes ago - he was very diligent, Mr Eiken.
"... red eyes, inflamed sores and irritation around the body as well as minor bleeding around the gums. If it is discovered early it can be contained before too many people are infected, so keep an eye out for your neighbours." the man in the white lab coat said.
Finally, Eric thought, It's coming on.
The studio faded away from the screen and was replaced by the logo of the "Lothian Drop Marines", a diving eagle, and bombastic orchestra music streamed from the speakerphones in the wall above it. The camera panned through the bombed out ruins of the decontamination zone on Mars -  the upper half of a man with short cropped hair, wearing the Drop Marines uniform walked in front of the camera, and turned to face it.
"This is what they did to us..." he said slowly, gesticulating towards the destruction behind him. His expression became hard and focused as if making a decision - "Want to get even?" He smiled, and the image changed to a montage of news-report clips, in little squares all over the screen - each one playing simultaneously with the climbing music in the background.
Eric felt his pulse rise with it.
A drop ship unleashing the magnetic clamps of a battle tank, letting it drop to the ground where it proceeded to roll off-screen, Terran infantry charging past a reporter towards a ridge in the background, firing as they run, a battleship unleashing a broadside upon an enemy cruiser, causing it to break in half as the escaping atmosphere makes its internal fires shoot out in long orange columns, stretching into space. The screen faded out to a still frame, depicting the word "Enlist!" and the image of a union soldier defiantly shaking his fist and clutching a rifle in his other hand. Beneath it, a text message appeared in bold letters:

Starfleet Lothia needs you!
Strong
Safe
United
Nearest Recruiting station

The screen froze for a few moments before various user options appeared in small boxes underneath the text, inquiring as to whether the viewer would like the segment to repeat or choose another public service broadcast. When Eric neglected to respond the screen began an info-segment on the baptism of a new battleship and how it would be cooperating with the fresh regiments being raised on Lothia.
Eric had seen the broadcast the day before. He glanced at his watch and started walking.  

Eric Crane had celebrated his eighteenth birthday just a couple of days before and had been planning for this morning for months. This was the day which he had been waiting for. The day he was going to enlist. I'll see the world, Eric thought. In a few months we might be invading Scandia or Uluru... hell, who knows, maybe even Thebes IV...
'Oi! Eric!'  Ian's voice tore Eric from his thoughts. He looked up to see the skinny form of his friend running towards him, waving a piece of paper in his hand. Ian barely managed to stop before he ran straight into him. 'Look... at this.' Ian panted, and poked the sheet in Eric's face. It was a dark blue flyer, embossed with blood red letters that encouraged the reader to find out more about the glorious opportunities within the Starfleet.
'Where did you get these?' Eric asked, flipping through the flyer, pausing at a colourful picture of a launching frigate.
'A bloke was handing them out on the street.' Ian said and swept his scruffy brown hair from his eyes. 'Want to get moving before it starts pouring?' he added, casting a glance upwards. The clouds that were gathering above them had taken on a darker shade of grey.
'Yeah, lets.' Eric said and stuffed the flyer in his pocket as the first heavy raindrop hit the back of his hand.