CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle Two: A Captain's Journey

91 ∞ Home Stage

Shortlisted Week 168

The ceremony was, for Gareth, a complete waste of energy and resources, even though he understood it was something society needed. But it was not something he needed personally. Nevertheless, the proper motions must be adhered to, so he did his duty.

The crowd had been huge, and anybody who was somebody across the world was in attendance. Celebrities, dignitaries, government officials, they'd all attended. An event of global proportions, it dragged on in equal proportions, held in a park in the center of the capital city of this hemisphere. It was the only place large enough to accommodate the sheer number of people.

The park looked like a carnival with tents of all colors set up everywhere. Tents for officials marked off with tape, signs, and security, almost small buildings unto themselves. Restaurant tents, cooking tents, diplomatic tents, service tents, and sleep quarters for staff. A city within a city. Temporary composite brick roads ran a network through the entire park with the main road, bigger than the rest, leading to the staging area. Endless seas of seating filled the network, each with its own bigger-than-life holographic broadcast of the on-stage ceremonies.

Speech after speech took hours as every government involved in the Living Ships project took their turn in the spotlight. The ship naming and assignment ceremony commenced soon enough. Gareth's turn came after Mayfine's video address, since his ship assignment was already known, and he was the first of the Seven.

Feeling stiff in his new captain's uniform, Gareth walked onto the stage. He kept his speech short, praising Humanity's efforts to start off, then leading into the dreams to be achieved. He reminded everyone it was time for Mankind to take their place among the stars. All the effort, all the sacrifices so far, were toward this one purpose: to ensure Humanity rose high enough to become an interstellar species. He closed with how he and the other Seven were proud and humbled to serve Humanity, for Humanity was on the cusp of a new era, and there would be a time when future generations would look back on this day with pride.

A representative of both the project and the military command then approached the podium, a general. Gareth turned to him and snapped to attention. Holding position, he waited as the man announced Captain Gareth Levant's official captaincy of the Living Ship Canaisis and gave a synopsis of his career.

Gareth betrayed no emotion as the representative extolled his bravery and sacrifice, not for glory, but for saving another's life. Everyone knew who he was talking about—there was no need to mention it had been in vain. Swallowing, Gareth couldn't help but mentally call out to Caitlin in pain—the pain that tried its best to quake his reinforced walls.

Applause, a sea of white noise filling the air, accompanied the pinning of the captain's emblem to Gareth's collar. A military aide came forward, carrying an antique-looking box covered in ornamental carvings and swirls. He lifted the lid, and the general removed a holstered belt to drape it across Gareth's receiving hands. Then the general held up the box for the audience to see the gun inside.

"Captaincy is the gravest of responsibilities and most sacred of charges. I hereby present this side arm as both the symbol of Captain Gareth Levant's command, and in times of need, a reminder of his duties."

The general closed the lid to the box and set it in Gareth's hands. Gareth stepped back one step, executed an about-face and yielded the podium. He walked off the stage to the sound of cheers and applause ringing in his ears.

Harlin had been waiting. He led Gareth to a secure area where they watched the other six Captains receive their ship assignments one by one on the large holoscreen taking up an entire wall. Then each crew member was called out by name to come forth and be recognized, and given the opportunity to say a few words. Since all had trained with their respective Captains, they already knew their ship assignments—Canaisis' sisters, Alizenn, Danica, Isra, Nethra, Ninlil, and Sunniva.