Felgar Deprado Journal Entry 1

**Entry #1**

When President Galphael announced live on holovision that an independent military organization had bubbled up in the port town of Yointer, my life changed for the better. I still remember that night. My family crowded around the holographic display, their faces pale with disbelief as our President declared a planet-wide state of martial law. I saw my brother’s face collapse with worry as Galphael declared war against the organization. I remember my mother’s appalled expression as we watched a recording of the Mayor of Yointer as he was publicly executed by the rebels. And most importantly, I remember the surge of anger coursing through my veins that night. Why would someone commit treason against Bipond? What kind of person has the audacity to go against Galphael? I asked these questions over and over again as I laid in bed, unable to find an answer.

The anger was still raw on my 15th birthday, as I stood in front of my town’s recruitment office. I remembered how worried I was, how much my hands shook as I enlisted myself in the Bipondic military. But then I remembered back to the night when it all began, and the oath I made the next day when I promised myself that I was going to fight those rebels as soon as I reach minimum recruitment age, and my heartbeat slowed down ever-so-slightly.

I was led to a doctor’s office, where I was examined to see if I was physically able to serve in the military. Of course, I lied my way through most of his questions. I wasn’t going to tell him that I was asthmatic, or that I had ADHD, both of which were things that could disqualify me as a recruit. Afterwards, I was led to a train where I was forced to sit among other men of my age. I looked around, and frowned. It had been five years since the beginning of the war. Five years I’ve spent hoping Galphael would lower the recruitment age. Five years I’ve spent searing our enemy’s name - the Free Bipondic Front - into my brain. Five painful years watching as the insurgency slowly stole land from the glorious Bipondic Republic and absorbed it into their filthy little hands. I watched as my brother fled the draft by smuggling himself into a cruiser ship and sending himself out of the solar system. I remember my disgust as I renounced my brotherhood to him and chose to forget him for the rest of my life. Of course, the latter hasn’t succeeded yet, since I thought of him often as I traveled on the crowded train. The three days I spent on the train was not ideal. We had to sleep on the floor without any blankets, sickness was prevalent among my fellow peers, and the food was low quality. To waste away the time, I began socializing with the people around me. There was this thin ol’ chap. I think his name was Brenrus or something. He was thin and clammy, and he constantly shivered on the train. He would always talk about a show he watched. It might’ve been a kiddie cartoon or something, and I had to bear with his annoying chatter. I don’t think he’s going to survive the war.

There was this other guy, named Trunic, and I really liked him. He was just as patriotic as me, and would often go onto long rants about the greatness of Galphael’s Bipond. I would stand aside, starstruck by his wisdom and speaking ability. He once slapped Brenrus to get him to shut up about his cartoon, which was something I longed to do throughout the entire trip. The only difference between us was that he lied about his age to get through the recruitment process (I know this because he boasted about it on the train.) At first, I wanted to report him to the authorities for his deception, but then I remembered that I had lied my way through the medical exam, so I wasn’t much better than him. So I decided to shut my mouth. Besides, I liked the dude anyways, and his determination to fight for Bipond was admirable.

After the long trip, we were dropped off at a basic training institution near Fort Lanstein. We were ordered to store our items in temporary lockers (in my case, I didn’t bring anything) and sent us to the bedroom to choose our bunks. For the rest of the day we ate at the mess hall and played sports out on the lawn, since basic training didn’t start until tomorrow.

Currently, I am writing on a free notepad I took from the office, since I know that my time fighting for Bipond will be one of the best times of my life, and I want to write it all down. Just so I can reminisce about it later when I’m old.
Glory to Bipond,

Felgar Doprado

Felgar Deprado Journal Entry 2