Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Chao in Space ❯ The HCA Moon Base ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the title of this fic, as it was used in Sonic Adventure DX before. I do own the various Chao presented in the story, including Sparky, Krost, Shade, etc. Any similarities to Chao in the real world are purely coincidental.

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- August 8, 2005 -

 

After a week's worth of travel, Krost's spaceship, with Sparky on board, finally approaches a location near the large crater on the Moon. The ship begins hovering closer and closer to the barren surface, until it comes to a halt.

 

“Well, we're here,” Krost says.

 

Sparky, however, is a bit puzzled, since there appears to be nothing but rock below. “But, where's the base?”

 

“We're right above it, Sparky.”

 

“There's only rock, sir.”

 

Krost chuckles a bit. “I had a feeling you wouldn't figure out the real location of the base immediately. It's inside the Moon, right next to the crater.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Right now, we are above one of the entrances to the docking bays. Just a moment.” Krost presses a button on the control panel in front of him, and he talks into a speaker next to it. “This is Angel-Chao Krost, requesting entry through Gate 196.”

 

A voice from the speaker responds to Krost. “Please submit clearance code.” Krost presses another button, and the voice confirms the code: “Code cleared. Please stand by for entry.”

 

A few seconds later, a portion of the Moon below the ship begins to slide open, revealing a tunnel. Krost turns on manual pilot and flies the craft into the tunnel.

 

“Wow! This is neat!” Sparky exclaims, impressed by the portal's design.

 

Krost turns to Sparky. “If you think this is cool, wait until you see the rest of the base.”

 

After a few minutes of flying, the tunnel finally ends, and a large curved wall with numerous docking bays can be seen. Krost flies his ship to a docking bay and lands there. A door on the side of the ship opens up, and Krost and Sparky step out. The young Chao seems confused by something back on the surface of the Moon, and he asks Krost about it. “But sir, aren't you the leader of this army?”

 

“Yes I am.”

 

“If they knew you were the leader, why didn't they let you in here right away? Why'd you have to send a code?”

 

“It's a standard security procedure, to prevent any entry of Dark Chao.”

 

Krost and Sparky continue walking away from the ship, eventually reaching a terminal inside the docking bay area. The terminal is chock-full of activity, with a multitude of Chao performing various tasks.

 

“Where are we now?” Sparky asks.

 

“We are in the Citrine Sector. As you can see, this is where our spacecraft dock with the station. Here, you can find all sorts of activity, such as Chao ready to leave for battle, Chao about to be trained in flying, and even Chao monitoring the delivery of goods.”

 

Sparky notices a large craft on his left, with muscular-looking Chao unloading large crates from the back of it. “What are those Chao doing, Krost?”

 

“They're taking out boxes of fruit from that ship. On Earth, some Chao grow huge gardens that produce different kinds of fruit, including triangular, square, and round fruit.”

 

“What do they use it for?”

 

“The fruit is sent to the Opal Sector's cafeteria, where it is cooked into food for the Chao here. The cafeteria itself is only part of the Opal Sector, but it is big enough to hold every Chao in the base and then some at any one time.”

 

As the two continue walking, they soon come across another terminal, with groups of trolleys ready to accept passengers. They approach one of them, but a guard Chao stops them.

 

“Is this young Chao going to be registered, Krost?”

 

“Yes, he is.”

 

“I.D., please?”

 

Krost flashes an I.D. card, and the guard allows the two to board a trolley. It starts moving a short while later, slowly picking up speed.

 

Krost speaks to Sparky about where they are headed: “Now Sparky, stay close to me when we're in the next section of the base. It is the Diamond Sector, the location of the administrative offices. If you go wandering around in there, you may get in big trouble. Only certain Chao with proper I.D. are allowed to go in there by themselves. Chao who are not administrators, including new recruits like you, need an escort to bring them in. Once you are registered, you will be taken out for security reasons. But on the way, the administrator who registers you will give you a quick tour of the base, as well as show you to your living quarters.”

 

The trolley that the two are on stops shortly after Krost finishes speaking. They exit and walk down a hallway filled with offices for Chao administrators until they stop by a room with the words “Admissions Room 2” on it. Krost knocks on the door, and a female voice responds: “Come in.” He opens the door, and Sparky steps in. Krost closes the door behind him.

 

“Welcome to the HCA's Moon Base,” says a sky-blue Hero-Power-Flying Chao, sitting behind a desk in the middle of the room. “I will register you into the army, but first I'll need some information about you. What's you name and age?”

 

“My name's Sparky, and I'm seven.”

 

“I guess that's in human years. You don't seem to be an adult yet.”

 

“What do you mean by that?” Sparky asks.

 

“You'll soon learn more about some of the age scales that Chao use,” Krost tells him.

 

“When is your birthday, Sparky?” the administrator questions.

 

“August 22.”

 

The sky-blue Chao directs her next question to Krost. “Where'd you find Sparky?”

 

“I found him in a large meadow outside of Tokyo, Japan.”

 

After some typing, the administrator talks to Sparky. “That's all. Your registration into the HCA is complete. I will now give you a quick tour of the base.”

 

Suddenly, a rushed knock is heard on the door, followed by it being slammed open. A Neutral-Running Chao, with a tint of purple and red, stands in the doorway. “Excuse me Aurora, have you seen Krost around here?”

 

“He's right next to you, Haze.”

 

“Oh.” Haze turns his head to Krost. “Sir, there's word of another faction of Dark Chao capturing more of our soldiers in Africa.”

 

“I'll be right there,” Krost responds. He then speaks to Sparky. “I have to go now. Good luck with your training, Sparky.”

 

“Thanks. Bye.”

 

Haze and Krost exits the room, closing the door behind him. Aurora stands up from her desk and talks to Sparky. “After the tour, I will show you to your living quarters on this base. Follow me please.” She presses a button on her desk and a passageway opens up in the back of the room. The two Chao walk into the hall and follow its winding path through the rock. On the way, Aurora addresses Sparky.

 

“First off, don't feel overwhelmed by the size of this base. You'll quickly become used to the layout. In all, there are twelve different areas, or Sectors, here. You've already been in two of them by now: the Citrine Sector, which holds the docking bays, and the Diamond Sector, where I had registered you for the HCA. Right now, we are coming up on a balcony overlooking the Garnet Sector.”

 

A few seconds after Aurora finishes speaking, a window appears on the left side of the tunnel. Through it, one can see huge mountains and rough terrain carved out of the Moon rock. Chao can be seen climbing over these colossal structures as part of their training.

 

“This is the first stop on our tour: the Garnet Sector. Take a look, and see if you like it. The Garnet Sector is the place to go if one wishes to build his or her muscles or to improve physical endurance. Here, one can experience mountains, glaciers, and even wasteland environments.”

 

“Will I get to do all of this?” Sparky asks curiously.

 

“Well, we save the harsher terrain for older Chao, after they get stronger. Next we will see the Aquamarine Sector. Follow me.”

 

Sparky and Aurora head to another set of windows farther down the tunnel, past the Garnet Sector. Through this second window is a huge body of water, stretching very far into the horizon. Small islands litter the area, and many Chao are seen swimming around them.

 

“Do you like swimming, Sparky? In the Aquamarine Sector, Chao get to practice their swimming skills, as well develop lung capacity through deep-sea training.”

 

“'Deep-sea'?”

 

“Yes, Chao can dive very deep into this body of water.”

 

Sparky spots something down in the water, and he asks Aurora about it. “What's that big boat doing down there?”

 

“Oh, I forgot to mention that each of the training sectors has different modes of transportation to get around. Here, there are ferries for transport across the water. Back in the Garnet Sector, some adult Chao volunteer to pull rickshaws across the rugged terrain. But if you really want to see some interesting modes of transportation, we should go to the Topaz and Peridot Sectors farther down this tunnel. Let's go.”

 

The two Chao continue down the path, and they soon reach another set of windows, but on the right side. From the balcony, one can see a very tall room with many cliffs. Chao are seen flying from peak to peak, and even practicing aerial maneuvers for battle down below.

 

“Welcome to the Topaz Sector, where Chao learn how to fly.”

 

“Fly?”

 

“You got that right. We save some of the taller cliffs for older Chao, which gives them better training. This area also helps Chao conquer a fear of heights, sometimes called `acrophobia'. Also, scattered along this sector are rails for gondolas, which take Chao up to the tops of the cliffs and also to the ground floor. Now, the next sector isn't a long way from here, but it has my personal favorite mode of transportation: floating trains.”

 

“Floating trains? For real?” Sparky queries.

 

“Let me show you. You might not understand how it works until you get older, though. Come on.”

 

They leave the balcony of the Topaz Sector and walk a shorter ways down the tunnel. The two soon reach a fourth set of windows, overlooking a large plain filled with Chao running everywhere.

 

“This is the Peridot Sector. This is where Chao go to practice running.”

 

“I like to run,” Sparky interrupts.

 

“Well, that could be a good thing. If you take up extensive training here, you'll experience the usual leg exercises as well as cross-country, or long distance, running.”

 

“What about the trains?”

 

“Well, these trains are meant to cover the huge span of this sector in a short amount of time. Their `tracks' run along the room's edge so they don't interfere with the training of other Chao.”

 

“How do they float?”

 

“Well, since you're so eager to find out, I'll make it as simple as possible for you. Let's just say that they use a magnetic force to float. Again, you'll learn more about it later in life.”

 

“I like this sector,” Sparky mentions excitedly.

 

“You've now been to about half of the base, but there are still other places to see. We must board a trolley to get to the Ruby Sector.”

 

“What do Chao do there?”

 

“They practice flying spacecraft.” Aurora says, almost matter-of-factly.

 

“Like the one Krost brought me on?”

 

“Yes, and at the Ruby Sector, you'll learn how to fly other kinds too. Let's go.”

 

Just past the Peridot balcony is another trolley path. Sparky follows Aurora on board, and Aurora presses a button on the side. The trolley begins moving down the path, going faster and faster until it reaches its destination. It slows down to a stop at the end of the rather long tunnel.

 

“Well, here we are: the Ruby Sector.” Aurora gestures to Sparky to come along with her. “This pathway we are on right now is actually along the edge of the Moon.”

 

“Wow, that's cool.”

 

“If you look out the window to your right, you'll see what it is like: pretty much all open space, with a good view of Earth for about half a month. You can still see it now since a new moon occurred four days ago.”

 

“Hey, I just noticed something. Couldn't other Chao see this place from far away?”

 

Aurora readily answers Sparky's question. “That's why we chose to build this sector on the dark side of the Moon - so others couldn't see it with the naked eye. The Chao who designed this base took its stealth seriously, since we don't want our enemies to find it. In fact, they boast that not even Earth's numerous governments know about this place.”

 

“What's the next place to see?”

 

“Follow me and I'll show you.”

 

The two walk down the corridor and find themselves at yet another trolley. They get on board, and the trolley starts to move to their next destination. However, during the middle of the ride, the right side of the tunnel opens up to reveal a large generator.”

 

“Hey Sparky,” Aurora says, shouting over the noise of the trolley, “the administrators thought it might be fair to show new recruits this section of the base. What you're seeing from this tunnel is the Pearl Sector, the home of our power generator. This machine collects sunlight from hidden solar panels on the Moon's surface and turns it into energy for the station. It also runs special devices that make the force of gravity here equal to that of Earth's.” The side of the tunnel closes up shortly after Aurora finishes. “By the way, our next stop is the Sapphire Sector, which contains an emergency hospital and facilities for ground combat training.”

 

“That sounds cool.”

 

“Ground combat takes up a majority of any Chao's experiences in the HCA, so its training program is very extensive.” The trolley begins to slow down, signaling the end of the ride. “Here we are.”

 

After the trolley stops, Aurora and Sparky get off and find themselves in another hallway. Aurora speaks again once they reach a set of windows to the left. “This is all one gets to see of the Sapphire Sector from up here: this lone combat room. However, it looks like a lesson has already started. We're in luck.”

 

The combat room below is basically a moderately sized room, about eight meters long and four meters wide and high. The floor is covered in turf, and the lower half of the surrounding wall is padded so the Chao don't hurt themselves. Several Chao are currently standing along the left wall while two others duel in the center. One begins a high kick, but the other dodges, grabs his leg, and does a high kick of his own, knocking the first Chao off his feet.

 

“Awesome moves!” Sparky exclaims. “I wish I could do that.”

 

“It'll take a while, but you'll soon learn many moves like that. Next up is the Opal Sector. It's about time we ate something.”

 

“But Miss Aurora, what about the hospital? I want to see it.”

 

“Sorry, Sparky. Many of our patients demand privacy, so we never installed a window by there.”

 

“Oh. I understand. What do we get to eat?”

 

“Well, you'll need to see our selections first. Follow me.”

 

The two walk farther down the path until they reach another trolley. However, it is not as long of a ride, since they arrive within ten seconds. A reinforced door opens in front of them, revealing a large room filled nearly to capacity with tables and seats. Scattered around the edges of the room are food stations where Chao can pick up their meals. They seem to be placed in such a way so Chao don't have to walk very far. Aurora leads Sparky over to a food station over to the left. “Welcome to the Opal Sector's cafeteria. Let's find something to eat, shall we?”

 

“Hey there, Aurora,” a Chao chef says to her from behind the counter. “I see you have a new recruit with you.” He then directs his attention to Sparky. “And what might you're name be?”

 

“I'm Sparky,” the child answers.

 

“Will you need any help with our menu selection, Sparky?”

 

“No sweat, sir. I'm okay.”

 

“Take a look then, and I'll make whatever you choose.”

 

Sparky takes a few moments to read the menu in the back, and he eventually makes up his mind. “Can I have some round fruit?”

 

“Sure you can,” the chef exclaims. Within seconds, the Chao chef brings out a blue-colored round fruit, puts it on a plate, and hands it to his customer. Sparky is delighted by the service, and he takes a seat at a nearby table. Aurora sits down next to him and lets Sparky eat a little before asking him about the fruit.

 

“What do you think?”

 

“It's delicious. But aren't you having anything, Miss Aurora?”

 

“No thanks. I'll have a meal when everyone else does; that's pretty soon, however, so we can't hang around to long.”

 

“But can't I finish my fruit?”

 

“Of course, of course. I don't mean to rush you.”

 

Sparky continues eating for a couple of minutes before speaking again. “After this, where do we go?”

 

“We go straight to your living quarters. Along the way, however, we'll see something that many Chao become interested in, a place to really test one's skills: a tournament hall called the Emerald Sector.”

 

“A tournament hall? Neat!”

 

“Do you like to compete?”

 

Sparky takes another bite. “Well, I like running. Isn't there a lot of that in races?”

 

“It's not just running you'll be doing, but also climbing, swimming, and flying.”

 

“I'm gonna win it all.” He takes one last bite of his fruit before pushing his plate away.

 

“You ready to go? Don't worry about the plate; it'll be taken care of. Let's go.”

 

Sparky and Aurora get up and head to another reinforced door. Aurora flashes a small card key and swipes it in a slot on the wall, and the door opens. The two get on one last trolley inside, and it begins to move down the tunnel at quick speeds. Once again, the right side of the tunnel opens up, but this time revealing the layout of the Emerald Sector that Aurora mentioned.

 

“This is the Emerald Sector,” Aurora shouts over the trolley's noise. “As you can see, it's closed right now. But when it opens for two weeks each year, Chao compete in swimming, running, intelligence tests, and much more. Also, this sector contains an evolution research center, but I'm afraid I don't have too much time to tell you about it.” The tunnel's side closes up. “We're approaching your new living quarters in the Amethyst Sector. It is one of the larger sectors in the base, and it is also the last stop in the tour. Once I introduce you to your roommates, I'll have to return to my office.” The trolley continues speeding down the hallway and disappears in the distance.

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This chapter's also been changed a bit, but not too much. The next chapter's coming soon, I promise! See ya!