Orbital Rings

The final-year students, numbering 300, lined up neatly before the Sky Train, while their teachers had a brief exchange with the captain.

Standing before the train entrances were humanoid robots powered by the empire's primary AI system.

These robots were primarily used to assist space efforts and the military. Other variants were used in maintaining law and order across the empire.

Alex stood with his classmates, taking everything in when the captain moved towards them after her brief exchange with the teachers. The captain introduced herself and proceeded to instruct them on what to do once inside the train.

Although the trip would be brief, only 30 minutes, they still needed to follow all the protocols. As kids, there would always be those who ignored simple instructions.

Of course, the robots were there to assist them with any problem they would have.

"That would be all." Completing her instructions, the students were guided onto the trains and directed to their seats. Once everyone was seated and well-fastened, the air train prepared for takeoff.

[Next stop: Alpha Orbital Ring], came the system announcement.

...

[Welcome to the Alpha Orbital Ring]

Once the air train docked with the primary orbital ring and reset the atmospheric pressure and composition in the docking interface, the students were allowed to exit calmly.

The students, with their teachers, were guided to the spacecraft docking area by the robots. As they moved, they appreciated the view of the Earth from the station. The Orbital Ring was massive, and this was just one of two.

The Orbital Rings had everything from space monitoring equipment to control centres for space shuttles, and living quarters for hunters and other personnel. 

As they moved to their destination, the robots provided a tour along the way, explaining the sections they encountered and the purposes they served. Not long after, they came across the spaceship docking bay.

The bay size was just as huge. Some of the spacecraft had sizes equivalent to a football stadium, and others were designed small for a small number of passengers.

The ship that Alex and his mates were guided to was one of the huge ones. There were cruise ships as well, but those were found in the other regions of the galaxy and sectors.

Standing before the ship they were to board were a group of other students. Alex could tell at a glance that there were just over two thousand. 

He also recognised the uniforms some students wore. Once they joined the others, their instructors made their way forward to meet the captain.

While they waited, some of the students went ahead to mingle with the other students from the other schools.

'I thought we were told to stay close.' Alex thought to himself.

He didn't really mind since no harm was done, but in that crowd, one could lose sight of their mates if they ventured too far from the group. 

"What do you think?" Ross spoke, looking around.

Alex turned to him and observed his actions for a second before responding, "I thought you said you've been in orbit and on a spaceship before."

"I have. But I never said it was medium class." Ross said with a smile.

Hearing his words, Alex raised his brows in surprise. "That thing is medium class?!"

Of course, he kept his voice low as he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Regardless, the shock was still great.

His knowledge of spacecraft was almost nonexistent. But the size he was currently seeing, being just a medium-class ship, made him realise how small his world was. 'I guess I should keep an open mind.'

Spacecrafts came in different classes: ranging from mini size for a few people, to small-class that was half the size of the medium class.

These classes of spaceships did not utilise hyperdrive technology, as they were only designed for short distances.

With the medium-class spaceships able to reach speeds of 270,000 km/s―more than 70% of the speed of light, they were more than enough to serve as an economic class vessel.

The colossal classes and those above, which were mainly docked on the Beta Orbital Rings for hunters, came equipped with hyperdrives. These hyperdrives were the latest versions from millennia ago, capable of performing millions of light-year jumps in a single leap. 

These drives were built from the cores of the void monsters since they were the most sustainable forms of energy they could ask for.

Additionally, the orbital rigs and the colossal classes were built using materials from the void creatures, as well as the new minerals humans discovered.

"Yeah, you should see the colossal classes and above. That would really blow you away." Ross responded with a smile. They continued their discussion until the teachers returned from their short meeting.

"Okay, everyone, everything has been sorted out, and everyone who needs to be here is already present.

"This time, however, once inside the ships, you would be guided to chambers where you'd be fitted with suits suitable for space travel.

"The suits are designed to maintain your body temperature and can generate their own air. Now don't ask me how they work, they just do."

The teacher went on to explain how long the journey would take, and all they had to do was sit down; before they knew it, they'd be landing on Mars.

The current position of Mars was on the opposite side of the Sun, away from Earth. But this distance meant very little as the ships could cover that distance in about an hour.

Once everyone was guided inside the ship and taken to the changing rooms to be fitted into their sleek-looking suits, which resembled motorcycle suits and helmets, they were then led to the sitting area where the robots secured them into their seats for safety; although they would hardly notice the difference once they began to move.

[Takeoff in five minutes]

Alex looked over to his left, where Ross was seated. He raised his hand into a fist, to which Ross responded in kind, fist-bumping.

As the students prepared for their journey, little did they know of the disaster that would befall them. Some would never return, and this event marked the beginning of a wave of change that overturned long-held conclusions.