ã€ŠStar Academy - Year Oneã€‹


 Chapter 1: Leave Takings

    He didn¡¯t want to leave the shiny black and white corridors of the orbital station. Streams of hot liquid fled from the corners of his eyes and ran across his enhanced dermal layer, dropping to his fitted sleeves. The soft, synthetic cotton greedily absorbing each droplet. Nothing good was ever easy, his father told him, as he placed him on the formless chair of electrical response goo and the chair strapped securely to him. The pulsing, warm goo surrounding him in a thick protective layer.

    His mother waved, a tissue to her nose. His father said something more but was lost in the roar of the particle accelerator. A raised hand was the last movement he saw of them. They were gone. Thrown into orbit, landing on the docking bay of Minthron¡¯s Task in an explosion of ballistic goop, he shed his former life in one of life¡¯s profound minutes. The grated ground sucked hungrily on the offering of his pod. He stood, totally without feeling, a seven-year-old on a strange ship, about to embark on a grand journey.

    He wept, for he realized now, with certainty, that was what the wet substance must be, tears. For the first time, the human boy knew fear, sadness, loss. So he wept, as had generation upon generation of other boys his age on the same journey through the stars. For though he was unique, he was hardly the first, nor would he be the last. For Star Academy called to all the rich, famous, powerful, and gifted in the known galaxy.

    Auberje de Brock was not alone he realized. Two crew members, android robots chromatic and sleek, were making their way to him. They helped him with the various bags and crates his parents had sent with him.

    The journey would be nearly instantaneous, once they got underway. He knew he¡¯d be in the tube to the surface from the school¡¯s station longer than in the Divide. Still, he couldn¡¯t help think of the unfairness of it all. His parents could have seen him off there, but they had chosen to stay on Kingdom of United Dyson Sphere 37. They sent him into space alone. There was a terrible finality to it his young mind shied away from. He would see them again. He would.

    The androids helped him to a comfortable impact chair, he pulled the self-adjusting straps across his chest and over his legs as the chair conformed to his body much like the goo from the space launcher. Then, as he set his head back, the ship dematerialized. It was unlike anything he had experienced thus far. Years later, he would remember this moment as life-changing. The crush of gravity engines disengaging. The release of the soft, almost peaceful nothingness of the Divide. The Void as the Theocracy of Man called it reaching out to them with empty hands. Then a shock of reality and gravity once more being projected onto him via the twin gravity drives.

    He gasped and inhaled air. His body felt¡­ odd, almost like it was new, or not quite his. He knew this was normal but for any seven year old it was a trying feeling. He passed out. The machines awoke him momentarily. The voice was unconcerned as all his vitals were normal if elevated. A whisper met his ears upon waking, ¡°Auberje de Brock, welcome to Star Academy Orbital Station. You¡¯ve been pre-approved for admittance. Station message; now you will be tested and either accepted or sent home. Please proceed to Testing Station 4. No, no, do not try and get your luggage. That will be handled by the androids if you are chosen. Yes, dear, that¡¯s it, Station 4 dear, not 3.¡±

    The voice wasn¡¯t unpleasant, but it was quite bossy, Auberje thought. He walked out of the ship¡¯s open loading doors and down a hallway of clean white and black surfaces. The white walls glowed. The black ceiling loomed high above him. Soft light marked the path down the halfway to the middle. He walked in that shadowy middle ground, feet clamoring on the solid metal flooring. The hallway was silent except for a whining fan. He smelled compressed, recycled air.

    The red number 4 pulsed once as he reached the end of the corridor and the wall fell, meeting the floor and leaving him staring at a room with a single, metal-framed folding chair. The type of thing he would expect in one of the homeless shelters of Cormuir, not in Star Academy Orbital Station.

    Odd, he thought, nervously stepping past the threshold. The whoosh of the door behind him, made him hastily take two or three more steps into the room. He glanced behind him. There were no gaps in the door. It was a seamless part of the round room¡¯s wall.

    ¡°Sit, sit, young man. We don¡¯t have all day,¡± a new voice he observed, also a matronly woman. It could well have been his Nan or one of the many servant women who had helped rear him.

    He sat promptly, stretching ever so slightly. His back was stiff so he relaxed it as his tutors had taught him. His mind steady.

    ¡°Yes, yes, of course! You are the son of nobles and a great noble yourself on Dyson 37. Such a quaint little kingdom you hail from.¡±

    He could feel the hackles start to rise on his back but took a deep breath. He was bewildered more than anything else.

    ¡°Speak child, unless you be an AI.¡± A wave of something swept his body, but he felt only slight pressure, ¡°Good, you are a child of man. Come, be welcome to the Star Academy. You are assigned to Year One - Cadet Class 3 - Squadron 4. Tell the closest upperclassman that you are in 3-4 and they will see you to the right dropship.¡±

    He found his voice, ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s the test?¡± They had warned him of a long testing. Filled his head with information and he¡¯d been forced to spend months memorizing facts. He felt drained. Totally in disbelief he rose, childish anger coming to the fore, he shook his fist at the now silent, unseen watchers.

    The wall in front of him opened, a young woman with fiery red hair and a tight blue and white uniform stepped through. Her shiny white boots clicking and clacking on the metal floor. ¡°This way youngling. This way. What berth are you in?¡±

    ¡°Three, three-four,¡± he said, still raging impotently at the voice.

    ¡°Come on, come on. 3-4s not bad. Could¡¯ve been better though. What¡¯s your name, kid?¡±

    ¡°Auberje de Brock, and what do you mean not bad?¡±

    ¡°You get placed based on the results of your test. You are in the middle of your class according to the staff. Have to prove them wrong and move up. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be stuck as a Middler. And nobody wants that.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°A, a Middler?¡± His short legs tried to keep up with the girls'' longer, wider pace. She walked with a swagger of authority like his parents did. He realized he didn¡¯t know her name either. She stopped suddenly in front of a small hatch.

    ¡°Here you are kid, bit of advice, don¡¯t mention Middler to the olders in your group. They won¡¯t like being called it. See you around, maybe.¡± She pushed him into the open hatch and shut it. Walking away.

    ¡°Welcome to 3-4, known as the Lions of Muir. Prepare for ground transport.¡± A computerized voice said. He didn¡¯t have time to register it as the dropship was fired from the station and slammed him with gravity. He felt it propel him backward but he was held in place by a second gravity generator. Suspended, unable to move, he muttered, ¡°Wish I could see where I was going.¡±

    ¡°Very well, command the wall to be opaque,¡± the voice replied.

    ¡°Uh,¡± he looked around. He had not expected to be answered, ¡°Wall, opaque.¡±

    The ship''s dark walls turned clear. He could see space whirling by as he headed for a massive asteroid. The asteroid filled his front field of view and as it grew larger, it loomed all around him. He sicked up. The sudden sight of the object caused his body to realize it was moving, even though he felt suspended in no motion. His human brain couldn¡¯t comprehend the improbability of it.

    ¡°A weakness of man. Or a great trait,¡± the computerized voice said philosophically. The dropship deployed a small vacuum tube sucking away his bile and lunch. He almost threw up again as he watched it disappear. Before he could, the ship was slowing down noticeably. The asteroid now filled his entire view. He looked at it more closely and realized it had buildings carved directly into the stone, weird towers and turrets, ancient designs he recognized from games. They looked to be open to space, so they were likely just fantastic designs. Then he was landing amongst the shadowed recesses of one of the towers.

    The dropship announced, ¡°You¡¯ve arrived at Star Academy Port 3-4, please exit aft and enjoy yourself.¡±

    The opaque wall opened outward and he felt himself gently set back to the floor of the pod. He took a hesitant step then another. His hands braced on the dropship walls and then he was through, out onto the ground of the asteroid. Onto an open, dome covered square where dozens of pods like his were landing. He saw there were even more above him coming down for landing.

    A boy about 100ft in front of him kept motioning the children who stepped out of the pods forward. He saw Auberje looking his way and yelled to him, ¡°Come on Firstie, let''s go. You damn plebes, let''s get moving.¡± He motioned again. Auberje took him in as he approached him, dodging a landing dropship on his way. The boy was perhaps twice his age and wore a similar style uniform but he wore black and green instead of blue and white. His boots were shiny black with a gold button on each. On his shoulders were small epaulets displaying crowns.

    Auberje knew the crowns signified his year, but he couldn¡¯t remember the exact year and rank. All the information he¡¯d been memorizing seemed just out of reach. He was numb with fear and shock. The day was going madly. He felt very disorganized and confused.

    A small girl stepped out from the pod he had to dodge, leaned to one side, and threw up. She looked green from sickness. She looked at him watching her. His eyes darted elsewhere but she spoke to him, ¡°Wh-where are we?¡±

    ¡°Star Academy, I think. You in 3-4?¡± He moved to her, offering his small hand to steady her. He was trained as the consummate gentleman, and he would try and act it, he thought. Remembering how his father acted.

    She took his hand, soft and warm fingers curling around hid, he pulled her forward and they both walked, ran in that childish way toward the older boy. The seventh year was calling out to another pair of children who were running to him. ¡°Slow down! You will get crushed by one of the dropships, that¡¯s it, come along now.¡±

    ¡°I am Auberje,¡± Auberje said suddenly, looking over to her as they ran through the hectic landing field.

    ¡°Riley,¡± she said, offering him a smile, ¡° and yeah, I¡¯m 3-4.¡± She said that last with a sort of chin-up defiant look.

    ¡°Someone tell you two we are the middling?¡± They had reached the final destination and the older boy watched them now, his face obscuring emotions with hard lines. He had no fat on him, looking lean and almost gaunt, like the bodybuilders Auberje¡¯s mother had always paraded through the house, much to his father¡¯s dismay.

    Auberje and Riley nodded. Her hair bobbed and his shorter hair waved as a dropship landed nearby, displacing recycled air, asteroid dust, and scared humans.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let them get in your heads, 3-4s been on top of the boards for 4 semesters now. We have the highest average score in greathing. Just watch out for the Blue and Whites, they are 1-1 and think it means something more than it does.¡±

    Auberje nodded numbly as if he understood what the young man was saying.

    ¡°Names Bertie, Nicols Bertie, but everyone in 3-4 knows me by my callsign, Jacket. Like Yellow Jackets. They are an old wasp derivation from Terra. Hurt like hell when they sting.¡±

    ¡°Uh, okay, Bertie, I¡¯m Auberje,¡± he said glumly. The air here was still dusty and he coughed a bit. His lungs hurt.

    Riley spoke up after him, ¡°Understood, I am Riley.¡±

    Bertie chuckled, ¡°I see you¡¯ve already got the military understood down. Good work, kid. You¡¯re going to find that the Academy is half military, half university. A lot of people think it''s all military, but it really isn¡¯t,¡± he chatted with them like this, talking about the school, its generalities, and some of 3-4s particulars until another student, older, with a shock of white hair which made her seem even more matronly came out. By then, Auberje and Riley were joined by a half dozen others, and they all stood in Bertie¡¯s shadow like a flock of baby geese around their mother.

    ¡°Well, Bertie, got everything in hand?¡± the girl, maybe a woman, said. Auberje couldn¡¯t tell her exact age. She was older than he was and younger than his mother.

    ¡°Flight leader,¡± Yellow Jacket came to attention swiftly, hand extended from chest in that tight salute the academy taught, fist outstretched, other fist on heart, ¡°All is well.¡±

    ¡°At ease, Yellow Jacket, at ease. Let¡¯s get these bright, shining bundles of nerves into the barracks. Time we had a proper class of plebs. Come on, firsties, let''s get you settled in,¡± the flight leader led them into a cleverly concealed doorway in the asteroid.

    The thick steel doors opened with a whoosh as they walked into an odd room. Decorated in the style and function of a warship¡¯s command room, the room they entered into was not much of an entryway. Two dozen chairs, captain style, backed with fine leather, and bright blue synthetic cloth were occupied by students of various ages. All of them wore the same green and black uniforms the flight leader and Bertie wore.

    ¡°Attention on deck, Flight Leader Miriam present,¡± A computerized voice announced, even as the crew rose, Flight Leader Miriam told them to sit with her hands, heading through the command room and deeper into the surface.

    ¡°That firsties is Gilded Command. It''s a C&C classroom used to practice the inner workings of a flagship of the Republican space force. You¡¯ll not see it again for a few years.¡±

    One brave young pleb spoke up as they struggled to keep up with her military gait, ¡°Flight Leader Miriam, where will we have classes?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be stuck mainly in the practicum rooms and the programming modules. A lot of virtual stuff. A few of you will be taken out of classes each Terran week for greathing training. A few for combat exercises. Don¡¯t worry, we will take good care of you, after all, you are our future,¡± she smiled warmly down at them. 8 sets of eyes looked up at her with varying degrees of fear, wonder, and confusion. The world was about to get very complicated for each of them.

 Chapter 2: Unexpected Detour

    Helos Bulger was not having a good day. His dad told him he was leaving his mom just minutes before pushing Helos onto a space transport from Gunther 9¡¯s main transterminal station.

    Then, the ship he was supposed to rendezvous with for the second jump to Star Academy blew a gravity drive. This caused it to accidentally ram the ship it was supposed to be docking with at twice the allowable speed. The docking mechanism snapped in half, shooting high-speed slivers of steel and titanium into the hulls of both ships.

    Two men died from their injuries, a few others were hurt.

    Helos hadn¡¯t been hurt, thankfully, but the adults around the 7-year-old boy were fuming and screaming. A lot of finger-pointing later, and he wound up in a leaking spacesuit for a short walk between the two ships. The hissing sound of the air leaking from his left arm, which was already patched repeatedly, caused him anxiety. Those twenty bursts of short legs from one ship to the other were the worst of his life.

    Once onboard the new ship, he discovered things were even worse than expected. The transport was not what it seemed. He was being kidnapped, and trafficked, along with seven other children, all destined for Star Academy, and hundreds of other passengers.

    When told as much by a stern, masked soldier, he burst into tears. The other children were already sobbing. There were three other boys and four girls huddled in a corner.

    ¡°You have to take us to Star Academy,¡± he said, standing bravely before the unflappable pirates. Though the tears streamed from his face, he clenched his small fists at his sides and looked up at the nearest kidnapper.

    A tall, masked man looked him in the face, ¡°I understand, child, I do. But unfortunately, that¡¯s simply not going to happen. You are going to find yourself sold to the highest bidder on one of the farthest stations. Such is life for a talented young fool like yourself.¡±

    The gravity drives bit into reality, everything was distorted, until, once more, they settled in time and space. The children hurled, the men grunted, and Helos stood unfazed. It wasn¡¯t his first time in a jump. The man eyed him again. ¡°Look kid, I¡¯m sorry this is your lot in life. It could be worse, we could be killing you instead.¡±

    Helos looked like he might say something more but before he could, a series of explosions rocked the vessel. A loud klaxon rang out, red lights burning brightly across the human¡¯s retinas. The ship shuddered over and over, then stopped. Helos sighed. He could not imagine a worse day.

    Bluefaced helmets came into view, the captain of the kidnapper ship was reaching for his firearm when Helos kicked him in the privates. Helos was no stranger to fighting, his teachers had been the best in the Corporate worlds. Nothing was going to stop him from getting to Star Academy. Certainly not this oaf of a man. The blue faces reflected skeletal skulls. Their guns came up and they sprayed blue plasma fire into the room. The heat seared Helos¡¯ cheeks, but the rounds found their marks in the crew of the vessel. Dozens of screams came from the hundred prisoners in the big open room.

    Helos simply waited. He knew what the blue faces meant. These were Skullweavers. The elite Star Academy greathing force. He couldn¡¯t imagine meeting them this way, but he was proud in his heart of the school he was about to attend. No one beat Skullweavers. They were the best of the best. More elite than anyone in the universe.

    He smiled, and one of the skulls improbably winked at him, the digital faceplate briefly showing a friendly-looking woman¡¯s face beneath it. He waved, letting his defiant hands unclench. She tousled his hair and then over her loudspeakers announced, ¡°Alright folks, parties over. This ship is being handed off to you, the rightful crew and owners. Enjoy the credits. She¡¯s a beaut. Star Academy firsties, you¡¯re coming with us.¡±

    Without further ado Helos and the others were led deep into the ship''s inner walls, then out of a grapple inlock and into another ship. The Star Academy ship unlocked from the kidnapper''s vessel with a whoosh and clang. The mighty vessels sat idly next to each other for a single long moment. Helos could see the spindly white body of the other vessel sitting unmoving in a universe of movement. He was happy to be rid of her.

    The Star Academy vessel lurched ever so slightly. Finding the Divide, they jumped. A proximity alarm whirred and the vessel came out of the jump to an absolute standstill. They found themselves not 10 kilometers from an asteroid. The white lines and circles of a massive station built right into the edge of the black rocked asteroid could be nothing but Star Academy.

    Helos sighed, this was to be his home for the time being. He could handle that. The female Skullweaver smiled down at him. ¡°Welcome to Star Academy, firstie, let¡¯s hope you are a human. You¡¯ve certainly got the balls for it.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve never seen anything like that, Anathema, have you? Kicking his kidnapper in the soft spot just before he torched one of us with his hand cannon. Damn kid better end up in 1-1.¡±

    Anathema smiled at Helos and the other Skullweaver, ¡°No matter where he ends up, I think this one is special.¡±

    He smiled broadly. She was pretty. His day was looking up and up.

    ¡°Okay, testing time folks. Helos, you go first, into the room, sit in the chair and follow the instructions.¡±

    Oh, he thought, the test. He had nearly forgotten. He sighed and did as he was bid. Sitting in the small metal chair. A slight pressure built at the back of his spine, right below his head.

    ¡°Speak human or AI, and tell me your true reason for being here!¡± The voice was matronly, like his wet nurses or his grandmother.

    He opened his mouth, ¡°I am Helos Bulger, son of Brandon Bulger and Randyll Scanlon. I am here to be a graduate of Star Academy. SO that I might go back and take over the Corporate worlds. That¡¯s my plan.¡±

    ¡°An ambition worthy of a graduate of this fine academy. Let me think boy, you have brawn, intelligence, and ambition. You could be a 1-2 or even a 1-1. Or I could offer you the harder path, the path of misfits, and failure. Or make you a Middler. Hmm, the choices¡­ Do you seek glory or good?¡±

    ¡°I need no glory, I am a Bulger-Scanlon. Our lines are not seekers of glory,¡± He said the words almost instinctively thinking of his grandfather¡¯s old stories, ¡°We seek the changes which drive life to the stars.¡± He wasn¡¯t exactly sure what that meant but his grandfather had always said it.

    ¡°Then you are destined for true greatness if you can graduate. You are sent to 1-1. You will find them outside the door to the left. I warn you, they have traditions and hungers which could distract you. Choose wisely who you befriend. They will push you to greatness and a spot in the Skullweavers may help you. Be careful, Helos Bulger. You are now on uncertain, moving ground.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure he liked the sound of all of those warnings. Still, 1-1 was the top berth. He knew it, and his father was a 1-1 before him. He looked forward to school. He stood and walked out of the room, found the girls in 1-1 outfits and they took him to their berths. They were silent, mostly, but happy. They had 7 others with him. A class of 8 he thought. That¡¯s not too bad. He knew the school was always recruiting, pulling in new firsties 3 times a year so his actual class would be closer to 24 students.

    Helos found the series of rooms they lead the 8 firsties through to be boring and uninteresting. These were the many different classrooms he was going to spend the next few years in. He was far more interested in the great thing and the holo classes. These were the special Star Academy things.

    Greathing especially. The complex rules, the changing objectives, the dancing, strategy, magical qualities of the technology. The simple concept. He could not wait. He was looking forward to that more than anything else. He knew that money and power were not taught but gathered and acquired. His family was near the top of all the families in the Corporate worlds. They controlled ? of the mining and resource extraction. Yet, they were beholden to a group of mercenaries who knew the rules of greathing. That was life, he supposed, to be beholden to others at any time.

    He found his bunk, and could not sleep. Though the others did. He was too amped up. They were not needed the rest of the day, and he was told the greathing courses would start first thing the next morning. He knew he needed the rest, but found himself wandering the hallways until he found an outside wall. He peered out of a thick pane of translucent material at the emptiness of space.

    He was still looking out when a hand touched his back. He turned around quickly, hands ready to defend himself. He relaxed when his grey-green eyes lit on Anathema¡¯s face. She smiled kindly at him.

    ¡°I come here when I cannot sleep too. This is a miraculous station. Built deep into an asteroid, only 1-1 lives on the surface, well, and the professors and engineers who run the school. Former students, alumni, those who failed, and those who chose to stay, live here too. In close quarters with us. It gives us a connection to the outside world that the other berth¡¯s don¡¯t have. What they don¡¯t know is that we remain above the fray and the inner house fighting. Our goals are different as1-1s. Never forget, Star Academy is not the goal. The universe is. The universe is.¡±

    Helos thought about her words, nodding slowly. He could understand how he or any of the others, could get caught up in the goals of the here and now. Of Star Academy. When in reality, he wasn¡¯t here for this place. He was here for something much more lasting, the Corporations. The future. He knew she was right.

    ¡°Thank you, I won¡¯t forget.¡±

    ¡°I know you won¡¯t. We have high hopes for you Helos Bulger. You¡¯ve already proven yourself once. Can you keep it up?¡± Her eyes turned on him and he met them, for as long as he could before he turned away, unsure of what she saw in his. He felt her squeeze his shoulder.

    ¡°You will get lonely, sad, and angry here. It is inevitable over the next few years. There will be no mother to run to. No one to cry to. Yet, if you come here. Some days, I may be here as well. I will give you what comfort I can on those occasions. There were others who did the same for me. We are united, the Star Academy¡¯s children. Against the world, against the staff, against the very stars themselves. Remember, Greathing is preparation for the reality. It is not reality.¡±

    He knew she would only repeat herself like that if it really mattered. And he had to assume it did.

 Chapter 3: Firstie Greathing

    They were all ushered into the Great Hall. An ancient word, but aptly fitting even in these advanced years of humanity¡¯s existence. The room was immense. Beams of artificially shaped cellulose stretched impossibly far without buttress, support, or arch. The straight beams ran for what must have been a hundred meters and ended in some cloud-like inorganic.

    Auberje¡¯s insides were jelly but the good kind. Exhaustion had set up shop hours ago deep in his small bones, and now he was powered solely off elation. The elation he felt because of 3-4.

    They were a wild bunch, ages 7-18. Smart, clever, louder than his family. Boisterous hooligans, his nan would call them, and he thought he might love them all already. They were so kind and warm. Two things he realized now were in short supply in his life with his parents.

    As his gaze moved from the beams of wood to the far end of the hall, he realized a fog was billowing around the edges of the massive room. Thick tendrils of smoky haze shifted and flowed like some engineering student¡¯s nightmare of fluid dynamics. He looked around to see if he should be concerned. He saw the determination on the faces of the 3-4¡¯s but didn¡¯t see any fear. He relaxed slightly.

    ¡°Right, here¡¯s how this is going to go, firsties,¡± Flight Leader Miriam spoke insistently but softly, ¡°This is your first Greathing. They are all different. They are not what you imagine them to be.¡± She sighed loudly, hands falling to beneath her ample bosom, ¡°Look, I¡¯m not going to lie this stuff is weird at first. And you are likely to get knocked out early, but just do your best to stay out of the way and avoid the other berths. Can you do that for me?¡±

    They nodded in agreement. Eight little heads bobbing up and down. The rest of their bodies shifted uncertainly. Unsure of what the Greathing really was. They knew as much as anyone else outside Star Academy. Greathing was the competition at Star Academy. Or it was the practicum. It was either a sport or a spelling bee. No, maybe it was like Math Olympics.

    They were not prepared for what came next. A loud voice spoke from the speakers in the walls. ¡°Greathing rules of engagement: Do not touch the mist. Goal: have the most Firsties left alive at the end of 30 minutes. Weapons: Any available. Play area: Great Hall. Mode: CQC.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, this is going to suck,¡± Nicols ¡°Jacket¡± Bertie spat, shaking his short-cropped hair. He wore a pair of fatigues in light grey. The rest of 3-4 was around him and Miriam. Auberje knew Miriam wasn¡¯t the head honcho, she was only 16 but he had yet to meet the leader.

    A blonde boy with blue eyes and teeth that shone stood near the middle of 3-4¡¯s informal huddle, ¡°Alright, Headmistress, we wager 30 days of food chores that we beat 1-1 and¡­ we want to gain access to the Imperium. What would we have to do to get that?¡±

    ¡°Ah, good. I¡¯ll accept your wager on behalf of the staff. Should you be successful, you will be ineligible for food duties for 30 standard days. As for the Imperium¡­.a ballsy move. Make Jacket your leader during this Greathing. If he can guide you to victory, I¡¯ll give you one standard week onboard the Imperium, spread out over the next three months.¡±

    ¡°One standard week each, Headmistress, in hours. So we can swap and share and extend as needed for key personnel,¡±

    ¡°Very well, agreed.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Nicols, you heard the lady, You set our strategy and lead us today. I have every confidence you¡¯ll do the 3-4 proud.¡±

    Nicols looked ill. His face was chartreuse. An uncomfortable silence filled the group. Auberje wasn¡¯t sure but he would have bet the rest of the group wasn¡¯t thrilled Bertie was in charge. He didn''t really understand what they were doing here, but he assumed they were now going to be more important than before as they were part of the goal.

    ¡°Err, right. I want the firsties paired with 15s. You guys are our middle tier fighters and you¡¯re good in a scrap. I need you to take them and position yourself in front of them. You are expendable, they are not. Repeat it to me.¡± Nicols gained steam as he kept talking. The group of 30 or so 15s repeated back ¡°We are expendable, they are not.¡± The group talked briefly then split themselves up, 8 minders going to the firsties, the rest going to stand around Nicols.

    Auberje was paired with a thick armed black boy named Ajax. ¡°Don¡¯t worry kid, I¡¯ve got you. I volunteered and chose you specifically. We¡¯ve got this. This Greathing is interesting already.¡±

    Ajax and Auberje moved toward the huddle when Nicols took a deep breath. Then, he started to issue orders.

    ¡°Alright, this is the usual CQC setup, I want 3-4 in 5 squads, you know who you are, take 2 firsties per group except for my squad. We take none, our job is to seek and destroy. We are to take out the firsties of 1-1 as quickly as possible. We will set traps here and here,¡± bright points highlighted in Auberje¡¯s HUD. Two small chokepoints, alleys between buildings were marked in pulsing red.

    He shrugged, his role was to stay alive, he knew. He just wasn''t sure what it entailed. Rifles materialized in the air around the teams, different sizes, and shapes. The boys and girls of 3-4 plucked them up like manna from heaven. They checked them, locked and loaded, and split up. The groups grabbed their firsties, Ajax and his squadmates took Auberje. Ajax smiled at him, ¡°Just point and shoot this,¡± he handed Auberje a submachine gun. Auberje recognized it as a Type 54r. The classic weapon of the Corporation''s special forces. The gun seemed very, very real. He swallowed, ¡°Ajax, sir.,¡±

    ¡°I am no sir, Auberje, just a squaddie basic like you,¡± Ajax was grinning wildly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Auberje, these are dummy rounds. They hurt, but they just mark you with colored light. Oh, and they lock up your armor. So don¡¯t expect to move around once you are dead.¡±

    Auberje smiled wanly, the thin sheet of fear whisking itself off his skin in sweat droplets. He felt some of the tension ease. Greathing was a game. Okay, he could do this and he would survive. He wanted 3-4 to win. More than anything, he did not want to disappoint his new friends.

    Nicols was giving each squad orders via the HUD. He seemed to be doing a good job. No one countermanded him. When he asked for advice it was given as advice by everyone except the blonde boy who had turned control over to Nicols. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Alright 3-4, you know the drill. We head to the center of the map, we take Building Green, as marked. GO GO GO!¡± Nicols sent them running. They were operating on the premise the fog would come from the outside in. So far, it seemed true. Where they were once huddling was now obscured in a thick fog.

    Auberje and the team were racing away from it as quickly as possible heading for the center of the room and a tall, windowless structure perhaps 600 yards from them. A dozen small boxy structures were between 3-4 and their objective. On the other side of the objective were hundreds more buildings of varying heights. The tall boxy structure quickly became all Auberje saw.

    ¡°You heard Yellow Jacket, let¡¯s go 3-4-1 let¡¯s go go go!¡± A tall green-haired girl of perhaps 14 lead Ajax, Auberje, and ten others in a dead sprint for the building. Auberje saw Riley with an oversized pistol running beside him. She was in 3-4-1 too.

    He smiled at her and she grinned back, grim and determined, they ran together panting quickly as the ground started to change beneath their feet. Where once it was flat and smooth, now it was rocky and sloping. The squad ran hard, trying to overcome the obstacles. Behind them, the fog crept closer.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± The squad leader of 3-4-1 struck her thigh with a gloved fist in anger, ¡°We need a faster way to center build. Headmistress?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Squad Leader Tiana?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m calling in my chit, I want a Clancy class transport Mark 1 here and I want it stat.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Tiana, you¡¯ve not come close to getting another chit in 65 straight games.¡±

    Tiana looked angry but determined, ¡°I''m sure. Pony up, Headmistress and do it now.¡±

    ¡°Very well, your ship awaits.¡±

    A Clancy class Mark 1 transport, sleek, oblong, and black as night materialized in front of them. Two side guns poked out like angry scars on the otherwise gorgeous titanium. ¡°Get in folks, I want Ajax and the kid on the guns, make sure he knows how to shoot. I want Riley and Grim in the co-pilot seats. The rest of you, buckle up with the dropslips. I want to be air support for Hunter Seeker Squad. And I expect you people to fuck up some 1-1s days.¡±

    A chorus of ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯ams¡± and a burst of action. Ajax strapped Auberje into a bubble seat, showing him the three controls and how to activate his Howler missiles. Then Ajax took his own seat opposite the small hallway and the two of them started looking for targets.

    It did not take long to see something to shoot at. Auberje caught it first. A flying object heading their way at speeds far exceeding the Mark 1s.

    ¡°What, what is that?¡± Auberje asked over the open channel.

    ¡°Fuckers, we have a Greenie coming in, Ajax and Auberje, open up on it, no howlers. I¡¯m taking evasives, Clancy Chaff needed, Goliath, make it happen,¡± The stream of words meant nearly nothing to Auberje except ¡°open up.¡±

    He could do that. He squeezed the trigger, putting a line of energy fire sizzling through the air toward the flying object. He must have hit something vital because the object, a ship by all accounts explodes violently. A small object was shot from inside it to the ceiling and exited the arena. ¡°Nice shooting kid,¡± Ajax said, ¡°You got it!¡±

    ¡°More coming fast, keep firing!¡± The cry was from Riley. She was peering over a round display. Radar and sensors showed dozens of craft peeling away from the far side of the battle arena. 1-1 was committing heavily to the battle.

    Nicols¡¯ voice broke in over comms, ¡°They must have committed to a big wager, we need this win, folks. If you have chits, call them in. It¡¯s the first greathing of the new season. I need air support for 3-4-1. I need two missile batteries.¡± Again areas highlighted on the HUD, ¡°Stat!¡±

    From over the channel, blonde boy''s deep voice, ¡°Headmistress, make it happen. I use 3 chits from last season you owe me for a pair of SAMs and I want a Marchet Antitank rifle.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± came the voice of the headmistress. It made Auberje pause in his shooting to think of her ethereal feel.

    ¡°Kid, don¡¯t you stop firing! THos missiles are not in the air and on target yet. 1-1 might still get here first.¡±

    He blushed, ¡°Sorry.¡± He fired again and again, swiveling in his chair as he swung this way and that to blast at the small, fleet ships coming his way. He danced around in the chair. This was playing video games with a few steps removed. He swung the weapons system up and down in a chopping motion sending the bolts of light particles out in cross patterns. The ships blew up, but they sent ordinance toward the Clancy and it started to tell. The 600 yards felt like a million miles away. The Clancy lurched and shook as holes started to materialize in the sides of her. Two of the dropslips fell apart and the ship ejected a pair of third years. The 10-year-olds fell from the floor screaming.

    Ajax spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they are fine. Concentrate on the fight.¡± then to Tiana, ¡°We almost there, Teapot?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Kettle, Ajax, and yeah, we are there, settling down now. Get the kids inside, Griffin and Sandwich take over the guns. We are going up and over. I want to eat some 1-1s. Bossman is sending us on the attack. Ajax, you are responsible for the kid''s safety.¡±

    ¡°Alright, got it.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, people, move 3-4-1.¡±

    They moved. He unstrapped, leaped up from his seat, saw Ajax heading his way, and waved him toward the rear hatch. He swung it open. They ran out of the ship, Riley, almost thrown from the vessel, came out too. The Clancy swung up violently, guns firing, and raced off toward 1-1. Auberje saw dropslips open and beams of light send his squadmates to the roofs of nearby buildings. He could see squads of 1-1s and 3-4s engaged in combat. Ajax grabbed his arm, ¡°Come on kids, we are going to take up defensive positions two floors down. The computer says that¡¯s our best bet for a defensive section.¡±

    He opened a backpack he had brought from the ship. He handed each of them claymores, and small oblong objects Auberje recognized as tripwires. He sputtered deftly in his hands. He was used to these being virtual but understood the value of them. They entered the building quickly through a set of swinging metal doors. Ajax paused, placing a tripwire at the entrance, he tagged in the HUD. He showed Riley and Auberje how he did it.

    ¡°Never forget you can tell your team where you put the goodies, and you should. We¡¯ve been hacked a few times but better your team gets the info than fragging one of your own.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Riley said, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. She slipped her visor down, putting her pistole out in front of her, in imitation of what she saw on the holos at home.

    ¡°Never fired a gun before?¡± Ajax asked her, seeing the stance.

    ¡°No, sorry.¡±

    ¡°Nothing to be sorry about. It¡¯s not a requirement in this universe of ours, but here at the Academy, we prepare you for war. You¡¯ll learn. In the meantime, point and squeeze. Try not to shoot Auberje or me. If you do, don¡¯t worry. First Greatihings are meant to be tough. We don¡¯t get to train you. It¡¯s a test to see who needs extra attention.¡±

    ¡°Not me,¡± she spat viciously, then lowered her head in evident shame, ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t need extra attention. I won¡¯t shoot either of you.¡±

    Ajax paused his walking eyeing her plainly, ¡°I believe you.¡± he put a hand on her shoulder nudging her forward. They made it to the rooms indicated on their HUD as the most defensible. Of course, they were defensible¡­ and already occupied.

 Chapter 4: The First Meeting

    Helos crouched in the hallway. He was holding a small firearm, a submachine gun known as Ronan 11 before him, his eyes were on the hallway in front of the lift. The elevator doors kept opening but no one came out. He pushed the sweat from his eyes. Behind him were all but two of 1-1s firsties.

    When the rules of engagement were given to 1-1, Lauren Xaviar, the head of 1-1, cashed in a chit. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure how it worked, but he could see the idea. Lauren had done something for the Headmistress or in the headmistress''s knowledge. Now she got to return the favor in Greathing. What she had wanted actually cost her two chits, but she had smiled as she paid.

    1-1s firsties were teleported via a materializer to the center of the city to a room on the 7th floor. A room with two entrances, the one Helos covered, and one behind him, covered by the rest of the firsties. Two 1-1 ¡®elders¡¯ as they were called, 17 or 18-year-olds in their final years were crouched with Helos. Helos wished the 18-year-olds were Skullweavers but they had laughed at him when he suggested they were.

    They explained how Skullweaver''s didn''t play at Greathing. The pair showed the firstie how to fire the gun he had. They showed the others next. Imploring the whole lot of them to not run at the first sign of 3-4. The last part was paramount. The whole operation hinged on the firsties of 1-1 being able to at least put up a fight.

    As a tall black boy and a pair of smaller kids walked through the lift doors, Helos bellowed something incoherent, unintelligible anger. His finger squeezed down on the trigger. Thwump thwump, thwump. The gun bucked wildly trying to rise to the ceiling as round after deadly round spit from it. Helos¡¯ shots grew wild, but the first two hit Ajax of 3-4-1 squarely in the chest. The two boys on either side of Helos poured more fire into him.

    Ajax stepped in front of the two children as his last action, allowing them to turn, hight tailing back into the lift. The doors to the elevator closed.

    ¡°Helos, you did well. That¡¯s your first kill. Since it isn¡¯t a firstie, the Headmistress will be giving you a chit after this Greathing is over. If we win.¡± They clapped him on the back.

    He nearly threw up. Fighting was intense. The pressure. The sounds. The anticipation. He found himself wishing for another chance to fight.

    The 1-1s took up their spots again. They waited for the next assault. Showing their position with but a single kill wasn¡¯t ideal according to the other boys. Helos felt elated. He wasn¡¯t down and he had contributed something to his team''s inevitable victory.

    ***

    Auberje¡¯s chest heaved. He held in the cry. Ajax was gone. Sure, he would be back later but he was gone for now. That left him, and Riley in the elevator car on a floor heavily defended by well-entrenched enemies.

    Riley had the presence of mind to hit the up button and select the floor above the one they had tried for.

    ¡°Nicols, Jacket, somebody?¡± Auberje needed to know what to do.

    A voice, stained and absent of affectation came across the wire, ¡°yes, Auberje?¡±

    ¡°Ajax is down, we need directions.¡±

    ¡°Who got him, older or firstie?¡±

    ¡°Firstie, a boy I saw coming in with us.¡±

    ¡°Good, find a way to get him out, Auberje, think outside the box. We have two more squads of theirs pinned out here. I¡¯m counting on you to keep those 1-1s occupied, and to STAY alive. Understood?¡±

    Auberje swallowed looking at Riley. She nodded confidently mouthing, ¡°You¡¯ve got this¡± to him.

    ¡°Understood 3-4 commander.¡± No more communication. What were they going to do? Auberje checked his weapon. He thought about his favorite video game, Steel Front. Normally, he would come at an entrenched position laterally or vertically if he could in game. Sometimes blasting through the wall or burning a hole in a floor and shooting through it!

    He knew exactly what they had to do. ¡°I know what to do, Riley. Good choice of floors.¡± He gave her a thumbs up. She laughed.

    ¡°Lead on Auberje.¡±

    He took them out of the lift doors, leaving them extremely cautiously, his gun up. He checked corners like he had been trained at CQC. He kept the gun up to his shoulders. The weight was unfamiliar but the controls totally within his scope of understanding. He swept the floor. ¡°Do you think this is above their position?¡±

    ¡°Further in I think?¡± they both peered at their feet. The floor was tiled. The layout is completely different from the floor below. He checked his bag. It was a standard 3-4 backpack. Det Cord, grenades extra ammo, a handgun, a pair of 25-foot rope with a grappling hook powered by a rocket. Two small monocles, one IR and one heat-based.

    He took out the explosive cord and the grenades. Putting his gun to the side, he put the explosive rope in a small circle in one corner of the floor. He trailed it behind him. Laying it in three loops. He knew if they only did the one they would immediately get shot. They had to give the kids below some doubt as to their location. Then he took the cord from Riley¡¯s backpack. He repeated his set up. Then nodded firmly to Riley and they took up positions above the soon to be holes. He hit the GUI button to detonate.

    The smell of cordite, melting steel and concrete, a hiss and collapsing sound then 6 holes appeared on the floor. He could see the bewildered faces of 3 small children. They were further back than he had meant to be. The layouts were just too different. But it was more than enough to hurt 1-1.

    He opened fire. The thwick thwick thwick of the 54r burning through the air. Riley¡¯s handgun cracked again and again. The three kids went down hard. He motioned Riley back, pulling out two grenades and clicking them on. Greenlight pulsed from the ends of the spherical objects. He dropped them into the holes. Running away from the expected blasts. At first, nothing happened.

    He shrugged to Riley as if to apologize for hitting the wrong button. As his shoulders fell back to normal a blast of hot air, smoke and sound filled the hallway from below. They heard the cries of anger.

    Riley¡¯s eyes were wide. ¡°It took longer than in the games,¡± Auberje said, affecting nonchalance. He was shaking, he realized. The adrenaline, a part of his mind said, he knew about adrenaline. His mom used to take shots to keep ¡°herself alive¡± he knew what happened afterward. It was a big up and a big down.

    ¡°We have to keep moving. They will come to find us and take us if they can.¡± Auberje led the way, setting a tripwire on the ground. He knew someone would come to take a look at what had happened. When they did, he wanted the trip grenade trap to get them. It was human nature.

    He remembered his father talking about the effectiveness of the terrorist group Aguila. They were particularly brutal and smart. His father had said it was because they set up an ambush, then executed it and called in the authorities themselves. They then stayed and shot down the first responders. Then fled. That additional attack kept the populace in fear and the help came slower because of it. Even years after Aguila was gone, the police and fire rescue remembered the hurt.

    He motioned to Riley, ¡°Let¡¯s go through these rooms and find one where we can cut a small hole in the wall. I want to be able to see into this room when more people come into it.¡±

    ¡°Understood, do you mean to shoot at them when they do?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think we should try to?¡± He said it like it was a question.

    ¡°Yes, that makes sense to me. Hit them when they come up to look for us.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s risky though.¡±

    ¡°Greathing seems like a bunch of risks. Let¡¯s do it.¡± She took his hand, squeezing it. He grinned like the happiest boy on Earth. Turning, he walked quickly through a set of doors. He turned and locked them, placing a claymore that sensed movement in front of the closed door. The lock was a simple thing. A sliding piece of metal into a hole in the door frame.

    He slipped a hand into his pocket. Pulling out a grenade, he set it to a button on his HUD. He placed it on a shelf near the door. ¡°If the claymore doesn¡¯t get them, let¡¯s use this.¡± He passed the grenade control to her as well. The HUDs were similar to what he used at home. He was surprised at how readily he knew what to do with them. IT was a simple trick.

    ¡°How did you do that?¡±

    He shrugged, ¡°My mates and I used to play this game called Steel Front. You could do stuff like this in it.¡±

    ¡°Nice, I never did anything like that. I wasn¡¯t allowed to play games.¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think it is going to come in handy now. Let¡¯s make a peephole and look through it before they come up.¡±

    ¡°Okay, lead the way.¡±

    They found a wall opposite the holes. Pulling a knife from his pack, he dug a small hole in the plaster wall. They should be able to shoot through it, he thought. He wasn¡¯t sure what translated from game to real-world but he hoped wall shooting did.

    ***

    Helos heard the Elder get off his comms. They had replied to the boy on the lift. ¡°Can¡¯t believe they have Nicols in charge over there. What the hell did they wager?¡±

    ¡°No idea, better tell the boss lady.¡±

    ¡°Agreed, Come in Mothership.¡±

    ¡°This is Mothership, speak Henry.¡±

    ¡°Nicols is leading the 3-4 effort.¡±

    ¡°I see, thank you for the information. If Yellow Jacket is in command, we have a tactical and strategic advantage. Everything safe on your end?¡±

    ¡°So far, so good. We just took out one bogey, two prizes upstairs.¡±

    ¡°Go get them.¡±

    Looking from one to the other. The Elders considered that command. They could leave their charges and run upstairs and kill those two kids. But if something happened, they knew Mothership would be pissed. She was wagering a lot of chores on this fight. 1-1 wasn¡¯t immune to morale issues.

    ¡°Understood. Sending Vail after them.¡±:

    ¡°And Helos. Take the kid. We can spare one loss.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mothership.¡±

    ¡°You heard the lady, you¡¯re with me Helos. Let¡¯s go.¡± They stood up and walked to the lift doors. Hitting the button for up. They had seen the elevator get off at the floor above theirs. They waited patiently for the lift to come back, crouched on either side of the doors. Elder Mist covered the door from their original position. Vail and Helos were on either side of the sliding door.

    The elevator chirp rang out. A hollow explosion sounded from behind them, the trio whirled as a spray of bullets took three of the 8 firsties crouched in position behind them. Helos wasn''t sure where the shots came from until the grenades dropped down.

    Ceiling, right. He trained his gun on it. Vail waved him back and entered the empty elevator, pulling Helos in after him. They hit the button for up. Vail repeatedly stabbed the closed doors circle with an angry pointer finger. Mist ran toward the undetonated grenades, throwing himself on them. A flash and a shout and a moment later Mist was gone as were 5 of the 8 firsties.

    That left just Helos and 3 others. Not even half the original nine. He and Vail took the next floor aggressively, the doors opened, Vail poured fire into the opening. Nothing moved. The hallway was filled with smoke and debris. They moved swiftly through. Vail taking point. A door at the end of the hallway was shut. Vail chucked a sticky bomb at it. It stuck to the door.

    He hit ¡°boom¡± on the communal HUD. The door breacher exploded and a second explosion followed, this one toward them. Vail cursed.

    ¡°They were expecting us. Be careful, and look for peepholes. Someone up here is a pro.¡±

    Helos looked from side to side, then saw it. ¡°There!¡± He pointed his gun in the direction of the hole in the wall.

    Auberje opened up at the same time as Helos. Helos was hampered by seeing only a wall with a single small hole. Auberje had no such handicap. He knew exactly where his enemies were. So did Riley. Shot after shot hit Vail and Helos. They went down in a crumpled pair of locked armor. Then were dematerialized to a holding room.

    Vail slammed his hand into the wall. Their guns were gone, their armor was still there but no longer powered and no connection to a HUD. They were surrounded by other dead and angry 1-1s.

    Helos tasted defeat. It was the first time. It was not a pleasant feeling. The pit in the stomach, the pain between the ears, right behind the eyes. He knew he did not want to make a habit of it.

    Vail and Mist were silent, sullen. They were not as fine losers as they were pretenders. Helos filed it away in his mind. Perhaps, he thought bitterly, they were not used to such emotions and events either. Uncontrolled emotion was a problem. His father had drilled him on schooling his thoughts. Loose emotions cost money.

    ***

    Auberje and Riley raced from their hiding spot behind the hole ridden wall. Scorched marks and laser lines cut up the gypsum walls. He heard crying below him. ¡°Someone is still alive down there. Want to take them out?¡±

    Riley nodded, smiling. So far, things had been a lot easier than she was expecting. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡±

    They walked the short distance to the holes in the floor. Auberje got down on his hands and knees, crawling silently toward the opening. It was just like pressing CTRL-Z, he thought. Going prone was a useful strategy in his games, so too in real life, at least he hoped.

    He switched his gun to full auto, moving forward, safety off. As he reached the holes, he saw two small children in the corner. Both of them were rocking back and forth tears coming out of their helmets where their necks met the thin elastic straps. Auberje opened fire. Ruthlessly eliminating both of the firsties.

    Classmates or not, he was here to make 3-4-1 proud. He had to do right by Ajax. He stood, dusting himself off. It was a futile gesture but a human one. He was coated in black dust from the smoke and debris of his grenades.

    He heard a voice over comms, a voice he wasn¡¯t expecting.

    ¡°Hello Auberje, I am the Headmistress. You are hereby granted 10 chits. As is the right of every First year, you receive one chit per kill in your first Greathing match. You are also given the status of MVP of this Greathing round. You will receive a promotion from Cadet to Rank 1. Some privileges are now being unlocked. This will set you apart and make you a target. So don¡¯t get too excited. Prepare to be debriefed.¡±

    Auberje¡¯s mouth hung slack. He wasn¡¯t even sure if half of what the Headmistress was saying, but if he heard her right, the round was over and he had earned 12 chits. ¡°Uh¡­ uh¡­ thank you, Headmistress.¡±

    Riley gave him a thumbs-up, and then they were dematerialized. The warping effect of the teleporter was of limited value for non-organics. It was also impossibly short-ranged for societies that would travel across the known galaxy in a matter of seconds.

    The distances involved here were minuscule. Especially when compared to the power consumption required. It was like a neat party trick that onesecond cousin always felt was worth doing. Eventually, the novelty wore off.

    Auberje and Riley emerged from nowhere to a big room. 3-4 was on one side, 1-1 on the other. The two teams looked at each other, stunned, for a moment. Then 3-4 let up a great whoop as they saw their colors on the stage.

    The voice of the headmistress split the room. Silence fell swiftly.

    ¡°3-4 wins the first Greathing match of the year. Congratulations. Rank 1 Auberje de Brock is the MVP. He and his companion Riley Belle took out the entire Firstie class of 1-1, well before the mists were able to. Your wagers were entered, and 1-1 has lost. Their punishment will be described to them at a later date.¡±

    This raised a number of eyebrows from 3-4. It was unusual to not find out what the other side lost. It was considered motivation.

    The headmistress continued, ¡°On the other hand, 3-4 is granted their wish. 1 week worth of hours per 3-4 member on the ship the Imperium. Food duty immunity for 30 days. Nicols is awarded 1 chit for his first win. Auberje is given 12, two for MVP, one each for the 10 enemy combatants eliminated in his first round. There is now a downloadable file called ¡®Outcomes and Lessons¡¯ in each of your files. Please refer to this as there is any number of tactical and strategic lessons to be drawn from today''s Greathing competition.¡±

    A pair of professors dressed in referee armor, black with white helmets and grey chevrons walked in through the side doors. Over one of their armor speakers, a man¡¯s voice boomed, ¡°Dismissed.¡±

    The 3-4s picked up Auberje and carried him from the room in a rush of whoops and hoots. They were ecstatic. The 1-1s trudged more slowly the other way. Heading up to their lux quarters.

    Auberje found himself the center of the celebrations. As a 7-year-old, he wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about dozens of people walking around clapping him on the shoulder and talking about him in a much more familiar way than he would have liked. The blonde boy with the deep blue eyes came over last, dragging Nicols, followed by Flight Leader Miriam. Auberje¡¯s squadmates of 3-4-1 were lounging around him. They were his honor guard according to Ajax.

    ¡°Auberje,¡± the blonde boy began, ¡°I am 3-4 Commander General Marcus Allens. I want to thank you. You have done right but us today.¡± He smiled warmly, ¡°Hell, you¡¯ve done something we didn''t dream of. You defeated 1-1 by humiliating them. Now that¡¯s something we can get truly excited about.¡±

    ¡°Err, thank you, Commander General,¡± Auberje said awkwardly.

    Marcus waved a hand dismissively, ¡°none of that now. We are here to thank you. Right, Nicols?¡±

    Nicols stepped forward. His hesitation dropped off him. He shrugged off Marcus¡¯ guiding hand. ¡°Yes, I want to thank you Auberje. You did something tonight which has great consequences for me. You¡¯ve given me a victory which is rare in my year. I don¡¯t know where you learned to fight like that but keep it up. We could use more like you. And you too Riley! I don''t mean to leave you out.¡±

    Flight Leader Miriam stepped forward, ¡°In the event of great heroism in Greathing or in the course of Academy duties, 3-4 gives out a prestigious medal.¡± She took out a small pair of metal starbursts, ¡°The Star of Honor we call it. Only 9 3-4s have ever received it in their first year. None on the first day. Today, we add 2 more to their number. Riley Belle and Auberje de Brock, thank you and be honored. From now on, you will be referred to as the Honor Twins.¡±

    Marcus looked at them sternly, ¡°I am painting wide hopes on the two of you. And targets. Jealousy, hate. You will not understand the consequences of this award any more than you will of giving Nicols a win. It doesn''t matter. Our honor as 3-4s demands we show you the respect you earned today. No 7 year old is expected to act as you have. No 7-year-olds.¡± He held both of their gazes.

    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Riley said first as she rose to take the starburst award from Miriam. The entire 3-4 complement was standing around watching them.

    Auberje swallowed hard, stepping up and taking his from Miriam as well. Ajax started clapping behind him. Auberje held himself forward, standing stiffly. Again, unused to praise. He found it awkward but it also tickled at his fancy. Something inside him soaked up all the love and praise as if it were a thirsty man in the desert at an Oasis.

    He pumped his fist into the air, medal in hand. A great cheer rose from the crowd. ¡°Riley and Auberje! Auberje, Auberje!¡±

 Chapter 5: The Second Greathing: Rising Currents Lift All Monsters

    ------------------------------------------------------ Six weeks later -------------------------------------------------

    The first month and a half flew by. Riley and Auberje were thrown into classes with all the firsties, and their legend grew as it was spread by the other 3-4 firsties. They were singled out by professors, by the headmistress, by the other students. The 1-1 firsties refused to speak to them or acknowledge them. Except for one. Helos Bulger. Helos stared defiantly and angrily at Auberje every chance he could. Auberje could feel the palpable hatred. Like waves of x-ray radiation. It warmed his cheeks and threatened to poison his heart.

    Riley saved him from that. ¡°I know he bothers you Auberje, let it go. He¡¯s just jealous and mad. Just like Marcus said, we are bound to find jealousy now.¡±

    Riley was handling her newfound fame much better than he was. She had all the girls and most of the boys in 3-4s first year cohort following her every word. She was friends with them all, and they with her. Auberje was more aloof from the group. They viewed him with real awe.

    He wished it was otherwise. He was having a hard time making a friend he could talk to. The children of 3-4 saw him as their natural leader and held him up to impossible standards. He was having to work twice as hard at school because of it. They would look to him to know the answer to every question and to always be eagerly there. He found it tough to keep up that level of excellence.

    It didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Marcus assigned him tasks with older students to force him to learn things the others would not learn for a year or more. Auberje felt it was quite unfair. He was being punished for being successful.

    He was waiting for the second Greathing of the year to set things straight. He knew that if he performed poorly, the others would see him as a one time hero and let him be normal. Maybe they would call him a fluke, but at least that would sting less than the almost hero worship he had to contend with now. He nodded glumly to himself as he trudged through the hallways, eyes lowered and shoulders down in defeat.

    ¡°Boy, come here,¡± It was a stern deep voice that interrupted his thoughts. A voice he couldn''t quite place.

    He looked around. Seeing only a small shadowy figure to one end of the hall, he made his way to it. The figure stepped into the light of organic diodes. A twisted and scarred face, hands of metal. Blue icelight slipping from behind a ball of titanium and glass. Artificial lenses rotating in an otherwise empty eye socket. This was the Master at Arms Timothy Fangoli.

    ¡°Professor Fangoli?¡± He hoped it was a quick encounter, the man scared the living bejeezus out of Auberje. It wasn¡¯t so much his twisted visage as his dark demeanor.

    ¡°I want to speak to you about the second Greathing, boy. You know it is later today?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Auberje swallowed his saliva. He could feel his heart beating swiftly.

    ¡°And I suppose you hope to lose honorably but quickly?¡±

    Auberje gaped, how had he known.

    Fangoli chuckled. His grisly face locking tightly on the small boy''s innocence. ¡°Yes, I thought as much. It won¡¯t work, son. Not least because it is predictable. You have to do something out of the ordinary today. You have to perform well, again. And the entire time you are at Star Academy, you need to keep doing so. Sounds scary, huh?¡±

    Auberje felt the tears coming unwanted. He clenched his fists at his sides, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I can. I am just a boy.¡±

    Fangoli shook his head once, in a dismissive action, ¡°Just a boy? No, I think you are more than that. You are a human child. Capable of remarkable actions, incredible thoughts. Was it not a young Daimler Minion who fought the Confederation to a standstill and brought it under heel? He was only 3 years older than you when he was forced to kill his first man. Was he only a boy? Need I remind you of Sheffa Ghuzsa who at 7 ran 12 miles to save her mother? Or of Caran of Sleefa who piloted the Route of Humbleness on Mount St. Huew at the tender age of 11? Were they just girls?¡±

    Auberje shook his head. Those were old tales. Stories his wet nurses had told him when he was first learning. ¡°Those are just stories.¡±

    ¡°No lad, they are not. I know. I was there when Daimler slew his father Eric Minion. I lost my hands defending Daimler at Sung Si Nebula.

    ¡°You were at Sung Si Nebula?¡± Auberje tried to calculate the age of the man before him, ¡°But then you would be over 300 years old?¡±

    ¡°True, one of the oldest men left alive. And I can assure you, Daimler was not just a boy. You have much greatness in you, but you cannot hide from it. Go out today and perform well. If you have to, use every one of the 12 chits, but do what you must.¡± The professor gripped his shoulders in cold cyborg hands, putting his face inches from Auberje¡¯s, ¡°Anything less is cowardice and slacking of duty. You can be thrown out of here for less. Do you understand, boy?¡±

    Auberje felt the hot tears streaming down his cheeks. This man sacred him. He nodded though. Slightly, so as not to connect their foreheads. He understood. He was a marked student. He was forced to act differently because he was different.

    ¡°Not just a boy¡­¡± Timothy Fangoli said as he moved away from the youth. Back into the shadows, then slinking away, he hid a smile. Let the boy think he was scary. He would watch him, keep him relatively safe. He had big plans for Auberje, as did the headmistress. Their plans would take time, but Auberje was their charge for the next 11 years. They had some time. Not much, but hopefully enough.

    ***

    The afternoon ran by quickly. Auberje and 3-4 found themselves at the doors to the great arena. Some of the others had mentioned this was but one of 5 or 6 such rooms on the asteroid space station.

    It was a six team Greathing match. Nothing like the first. Auberje was warned as much as he stepped out of the gate into the arena with the rest of 3-4. They were once more in their squads. No one was allowed to wager anything in this Greathing. Instead, there was a prize for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams.

    Marcus kept the 3-4s in their squads, marching out in formation in the time honored drill formations. No one marched anywhere anymore but it was still something taught to military recruits on two thousand worlds.

    They were dressing left when the headmistress spoke. ¡°You see before you a great white canvas. In the next five minutes, it will transform into a hellish landscape. There will be 3000 white balloons and 1000 black ones. The black balloons will count as two points, the white as one. The goal is simple. Gather the most balloons, unpopped. That team wins. Popping balloons does not help your team, but it can hinder others. You have no modern tools, no modern weapons. You have 1 hour. You cannot use chits, you cannot call for help. You can only use what is in the arena. Periodically I will drop technology into the room. Fight for it, ignore it. The choices are yours.¡±

    A timer appeared on everyone¡¯s HUD. Counting down from 4:30 to zero. Marcus shook his head then switched to 3-4¡¯s Company-wide channel, ¡°Well, this is new. You heard the lady. We need to gather the balloons and pop those our opponents gather. I want to do this in two ways. Two squads are to run as far as possible into the arena. Head away from everyone else. Gather as much as you can. Don¡¯t get caught and keep running. Concentrate on black balloons when possible. Another squad will search for tech drops and fight for them. The rest of us are going to grab as much as possible as close as possible. We will change strat as we see what the others do. Understood?¡±

    Squad leaders replied in turn, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Their assignments displayed on their HUDs. Auberje and 3-4-1 were one of the running squads.

    ¡°How do we run with two firsties?¡± A fifth-year nicknamed Grunt asked. Spitting on the ground. He was a lanky boy with red hair and a hint of white in his temples at 12. Genetics were funny.

    Ajax answered softly, ¡°We carry them. We might need them later so we can¡¯t leave them. I¡¯ll take one of them, Riley I guess, Fremen can you take Auberje?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, come here, Auberje,¡± a big 17-year-old, muscles bulging from years of training and weightlifting put Auberje¡¯s small frame on his back. They had no armor, no helms, no guns, no backpacks. Clothes and the HUD glasses, the same ones they wore almost constantly.

    A small map of the arena suddenly updated in their HUDs. The countdown had reached 30 seconds. They could see the balloons all over the map and dozens of obstacles. Not sure what they were yet, they waited for their squad leader to pick a path through them.

    ¡°10 seconds¡­ 9¡­ 8... ¡° the countdown broke over them in a sonic wave. The noise ebbed, then the landscape in front of them shifted. Auberje had no better way to describe it. One second it was a flat huge white floored space. The next it was a moving, roiling sea of rocks and lava sprays. Huge balloons, small balloons, white and black appeared above the battlefield. Dozens of crates started to fall from the ¡°sky.¡±

    Engines slowed the crates, contrails of gray, and green light unnaturally fighting gravity. Marcus broke into their momentary pause, ¡°Right folks, change of plans. Two of the crates are very close to us. We go to them first, maybe they will have gear we can use. Let¡¯s get to it 3-4. Try to avoid the lava. Go for the smaller balloons.¡±

    The 3-4 company, nearly 220 kids split into squads. They ran forward, like parties of drones, they sought out the landing sites of the two closest crates.

    3-4-1 hit the further of the two just as it landed. The crate came to a grinding halt, engines disappearing. The sides of the big box fell and revealed a dozen single-wheeled electric motorbikes.

    ¡°Unicorns!¡± Ajax and the others ran for them. Auberje found himself behind Fremen¡¯s thick form on a small one-wheeled bike. The electric hub motor purred as Fremen accelerated. A pair of swords on the side of the Unicorn drew Auberje¡¯s attention. He had no idea how to fence or sword fight, but he thought he might be able to poke a hole in a balloon or two.

    He announced as much over the radio to 3-4-1. ¡°We have two swords, maybe for balloon popping?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Same here,¡± a chorus of similar replies. It seemed each bike was equipped for combat.

    ¡°Marcus is sending us out again, we are to race to the biggest clump of black balloons we can find. Someone who isn¡¯t driving pick it out.¡±

    Auberje and Riley were the only passengers without bikes. He looked quickly at the minimap on his HUD. There, he stabbed at it with an eyelash and the small waypoint dot lit up a clump of 2 dozen black dots.

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s go, people. We have our target.¡±

    They zipped toward the concentration of black balloons. The computer drew out a rough map but multiple times they had to backtrack as spouts of lava covered whole sections of the arena with thick black rock which burned and smoked.

    Auberje mapped out alternatives as fast as the computer and his eyes could find them. Riley added suggestions whenever she saw something he didn¡¯t.

    They were two dozen yards from the cluster when a howling noise above them made everyone look up. A huge beast, dragon-like, wings the size of cars came swooping toward them.

    ¡°Chimera! Split up,¡± the order came quickly.

    ¡°What the hell is that thing?¡± Auberje asked, gritting his teeth at the sudden torque. Fremen was changing directions as quickly as the Unicorn would allow.

    Splitting from the rest of the squad, he was angling to come up behind the beast. Why though? At first, Auberje, couldn¡¯t fathom the reason.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± he realized what Fremen intended with sudden finality. He was certain he was right. ¡°Do you think it will work?¡±

    ¡°Not sure, kid, but we are going to try it. And by we, I mean you.¡±

    Auberje nodded, pulling one of the swords from its side sheath. It was big for him, basket-hilted with an edge of arcing plasma. It was impossibly light for its length. He worried it would have no effect on the great beast.

    As the chimera came in for a kill, a bike with two people¡­ ¡°Riley and Ajax!¡± Auberje shouted over All Squad.

    ¡°I know, I can¡¯t shake it,¡± Ajax replied, voice tense and scared, ¡°I think we are going to buy it.¡±

    ¡°No! We need twenty seconds. Hold on,¡± Fremen gunned the Unicorn. Battery draining at prodigious rates, motor whining so loudly it drowned out everything else. He hit a button then slammed the brakes. Emergency brake, Auberje realized as he lifted off the bike, flying up, up and falling down, down.

    The seconds of upward momentum drove him forward and over the chimera. The winged beast had two small heads and a beating heart¡­ wait... this thing was a machine? Or a cyborg? Auberje wasn¡¯t sure but he could see the heart from above. A whirring, spinning mass of light and matter. A Coplin engine. He positioned the blade, swinging for the power couplers connecting the beating heart with the rest of the beast. Sword tip penetrated, throwing off his landing. He managed to slice fast and deep before being thrown off the monster.

    A patch of lava rushed up to meet him. Well, he thought, at least I saved Riley. He held onto the sword looking for a place to throw it, hoping his companions could use it even after he bought it. He should not have worried so. The chimera fell next to him, plowing into him and sending him flying a dozen feet further. He slammed into a tower like rock structure.

    His wind left him in a rush. He coughed, trying to regain oxygen. Gases flowed into him with a ragged breath. He felt sick but he stood, dazed. Around him a pair of tall strings rose up, black balloons attached to them. He grabbed both, cutting the knots tying them to the rock structure. They pulled him upward. He was too light to hold onto them and remain grounded.

    Ajax and Riley came racing to him. Riley leapt and fell from her seat behind Ajax, she grabbed the left boot Auberje wore, pulling him swiftly to the ground. Ajax grabbed the balloon ropes. He attached them to the small basket at the back of the Unicorn¡¯s seat. He shook Auberje by the shoulders. ¡°Damn fine move, Auberje, damn fine.¡±

    ¡°Not¡­ my¡­ idea,¡± Auberje managed between ragged gasps.

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t thank him, Ajax, that was all me,¡± Fremen¡¯s voice sounded incredulous like he had not expected it to work, or for Auberje to survive, ¡°Kid¡¯s got the luck of the devil.¡±

    ¡°Truly,¡± squad leader¡¯s voice split in, ¡°well done, but no time to celebrate, get those balloons and every other you can find. We need to secure a victory here. 3-4 is getting smashed back near start. Apparently 4-9 and 11-2 are targeting us. Seems they have an alliance.

    Angry mutters greeted this. 3-4 being double-teamed angered the crew. Marcus¡¯ voice cracked over company radios, ¡°3-4, 3-4 rally on 3-4-1 all survivors fall back now, now, now.¡±

    The sound of Unicorns drawing closer greeted 3-4-1. They could see the IFF signatures as they approached. Friendly faces, but tired, and a lot fewer than they had started with 10 minutes ago. Auberje gawked. Riley sniffled. They were down to half their normal strength and he and Riley were the only firsties left. Most of the rest were the older boys and girls. Marcus and Miriam and Nicols were all still alive.

    ¡°Okay, here¡¯s the plan: I want two squads to take Unicorns and collect all the black balloons we can. I want them brought here. Everyone else, take up defensive positions around this structure. We are going to defend our hoard here. We are two few to keep breaking up. If I see opportunities to hurt the teamers, we will take them. Otherwise, this is it.¡±

    ¡°Miriam and I have a suggestion, boss,¡± Nicols broke in, swiping an image into the HUDs of the company. It was of the dead Chimera. It was slowly cooking in the lava. Why don¡¯t we strap every balloon we have to the corpse and put Auberje and Riley on it. We can float it up. Then we use some of the popped balloon rope we brought from the start area to tether the floating corpse. If we get attacked too heavily we cut the rope, Auberje and Riley float up and out of reach. If we need to, we send more balloons floating up to them.¡±

    Riley wide-eyed shook her head, ¡°You want us to float upon a dead monster?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sure, why not?¡± Nicols turned to her with eyes that held very little compassion. He saw her pitiful face, softening his expression, ¡°Don¡¯t worry we will be right below you.¡±

    ¡°That has to be one of the dumbest plans I¡¯ve ever heard, Nicols, but¡­ I like it,¡± an older girl, brown hair down to her breasts, thick and curly, said to him. Her eyes were wide with wonder. She shook a fist at him in mock anger, ¡°I wish I had come up with it.¡±

    Marcus looked at the group around him, ¡°Very well, it seems harebrained enough it might just work. Make it happen people.¡±

    Dozens of balloons were pulled over, attached to the monsters neck and legs. Slowly, inch by painful inch, the beast rose. ¡°We need more balloons, Unicorn riders go get them. The rest of you spread out. Auberje and Riley, ride the chimera.¡±

    Auberje was ushered onto the scaly back of the big monster. He checked the power connectors again, definitely cut. Cleanly true, but cut. He was surprised he was allowed to keep the sword. He thought someone else would need it but they had plenty for the survivors.

    Riley looked at him, ¡°You okay with this?¡±

    He shrugged, ¡°I can¡¯t say any of this makes sense to me. I¡¯m 7 years old. This is crazy.¡± She nodded at that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sit and wait, I guess,¡± and that''s exactly what they did.

    Slowly, dozens of balloons became fifty, then 75. The chimera rose up five feet then ten. Large ropes held the ever-growing balloons. Auberje and Riley were now constantly attaching new balloons from a looped rope the older kids kept sending up to them. Ajax and Nicols were down below, their Unicorn¡¯s given to Marcus and Whaler, the older girl with the dark hair.

    Auberje was fairly certain he and Riley were going to get eliminated up here on the beast. ¡°Headmistress, will you make us hit the ground if we fall and die? Or will you dematerialize us first?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you, Auberje, where would the fun be in spoiling the surprise. Suffice to know that you will not die in this arena. No student ever has. You won¡¯t be the first,¡± the headmistress spoke softly to him, through his channel only, he realized.

    He was surprised she had replied, ¡°Do we have to be physically touching the ropes for them to be claimed as ours?¡± He gestured to the balloons tied to the chimera.

    ¡°No, you see the numbers on the lower part of the balloons?¡±

    He looked up at the balloons, mostly black ones, studying the bottom of them. Ah, 3-4, he saw it now. Inked on to each balloon were the numbers of his company.

    ¡°Thank you, headmistress,¡± he said thoughtfully. Nodding toward the roof of the room, as if she lived up there, not in some control room deep in another part of the Academy.

    A soft chuckle greeted his gesture of thanks, ¡°You are welcome, Auberje, take care for the fight is not over.¡±

    He noticed the clock in the middle of the field had changed from 0 to 45. They were 3/4s of the way done. He could see groups gathering other balloons, many tieing them to rock pillars, and defending their little hoards. None looked as big as his collection.

    He looked around the field, surveying father with his HUDs magnification. He noticed a cloud of dust heading their way. ¡°Warning below, I think I see something.¡± He pinged the direction they were coming from. A pair of 3-4 Unicorn riders in the direction marked swore loudly over comms, ¡°We have enemies inbound command. We are coming in hot. Pursuit is overwhelming.¡±

    Ajax and Nicols ran from their spot below where they were tieing more balloons to the guide ropes for delivery to Auberje and Riley. They took up defensive positions with the 30 or so other Unicorn-less 3-4s. Swords out, ready for modern medieval combat.

    Auberje watched horrified as the enemy arrived, 50 riders, then sixty, then 70. Many of the bikes were double loaded. Over a hundred students, most armed with swords, some with just their fists. Three crews by the colors and numbers. He doubted the 3-4 fighters would last long. The rest of 3-4 less than 30 riders total were grouping on Marcus, preparing to come en masse to the aid of their outnumbered companions. ¡°Cut the chimera loose, Nicols. Let the kids fly.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Riley called out but not over comms. She knew better. Over the last few weeks, as they trained as groups, it was instilled in every firstie, comms were for commanders and warnings, not complaints. It was a hard lesson to learn but it was deemed essential.

    He gripped her hand in his, trying to comfort her as they started to rise up, the guide ropes were cut. Nicols and Ajax waved to them, then turned back to the fight to come. The chimera drifted upward slowly. Air circulation acting as wind, they were drifting slightly ¡°east¡± and upward. The cardinal directions were arbitrary but they were marked on his HUD.

    Auberje felt helpless as he watched his friends start to engage with a charging rush of 11-2s, 13-1s, and 4-9s. The crush of the charging foes pushed the thin line of 3-4s back toward the tower of rock. They fought with it at their back for a time but it was obvious all was lost. Marcus spoke over the company channel, ¡°Sorry folks, I think it¡¯s better to let you be eliminated and us to gather all the balloons we can. Only 6 minutes left.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, sir,¡± Ajax spoke through gritted teeth. Perspiration mixed with ash blotting his dark skin, ¡°I think we are better off that way. Hope we did you proud.¡± He gave a great shout leaping into the blades of his enemies, swinging wildly. For a second, from Auberje and Riley¡¯s vantage, it looked as though Ajax and the six remaining 3-4s would make it through the mass of remaining combatants. Then Ajax took a sword to the side. He fell and was instantly transported away. The rest of the 3-4s fell swiftly after.

    From his position, Auberje could count the remaining enemies. They were numbering some 45 students. Down from 75. Even outnumbered 2.5 to 1 the 3-4s had taken 1 for 1. He was proud. He shared the image from his HUD with Marcus. ¡°Thanks, Auberje and Riley. Stay safe up there. Only 3 minutes remaining in this hellish Greathing.¡±

    Marcus led his remaining 3-4s in circular patterns, picking up as many balloons as possible. The group of 45 united Unicorn riders started to fight amongst themselves as the time dwindled down to nothing. A white haired beauty on a Unicorn marked in the grey and green of the 11-2s took down 5 of the 4-9s and raced off toward a stand of ten black balloons. She started to pluck them up one by one until a 13-1 stabbed her in the back and grabbed at the balloon tethers as they started to drift upward, unrestrained by knots or hands.

    Auberje laughed as most of them slipped out of the 4-9s hands drifting upward and out of his reach.

    A chime rang out. The Greathing was over. Auberje and Riley hugged. They had survived a second time.

 Chapter 6: The Lion of Muir

    Auberje was tired. They had a test the next morning in geometry. He and Riley were in a study cubby, a sort of small room with a table and four chairs,doorless. Like all the rooms in the 3-4 section, it was windowless. A ten centimeter by ten centimeter, fake bull''s-eye window showed images of the outside space. A star, corona¡¯s leaping and twisting, two planets on the nearside of the sun.

    Intellectually, Auberje was aware of the illusionary notion the image represented, but something innately human in him wondered at the majesty of the large ball of fire.

    ¡°Let¡¯s turn in,¡± Riley suppressed a yawn. Her soft brown hair curled in wavy masses about her small head. She closed her book, stacking her papers on top of it.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Auberje followed her lead. As they walked through the open wall, they were greeted by the sight of two dozen other 3-4s of various years hanging out in the group room. The room was an oblong shape with a dozen couches and twenty comfy chairs. Soft lights underlit the sectionals and ottomans, providing a dimness the 3-4s sometimes referred to as dusk. No one could remember the last time they were planetside to see actual dusk.

    Screens, holovids, a dozen different types of digital projections filled the room. Holo displays, even implants, were common throughout human colonized space, but they still competed against older technologies like augmented reality and screens. AR was once held up as the great promise but it confused the mind in a way scarred. Most humans were now wary of its extended impact.

    He and Riley were greeted by a few of the dispersed students but mostly they were ignored. It was a normal night. The rest of the firsties were asleep already. Auberje, and to a lesser extent, Riley felt the pressure to be the best. It was a challenge which at times seemed impossible, but he knew he could do it. Knew he had to, at least in his own mind.

    They split up, heading to their separate rooms. Each student was assigned a small cabin, really not much larger than the furniture in it, a desk, single form fitting sleeping pad, a small bean bag like chair with adjustable firmness and back, a pair of closets for uniforms and shoes, books and school supplies. At the end of the sleeping pad sat a small trunk for personal effects.

    Auberje made it to his door before the alarm went off. He whirled in confusion. In the 2-months since coming to Star Academy, nothing like this had ever happened. Red lights, whirring sound, god awful loud klaxons. The burst of cacophonic noise was accompanied by software warnings on his glasses HUD. A text message read:

    ¡°3-4 is called to the Greathing chamber for an all school competition. All school competition. The competition starts now. Rules uploading.¡±

    He opened his door and threw his books on the sleeping pad. He dropped his personal AI and additional power cell into his trunk. He kicked off his loafers and put on a boot, clicking the autolace feature. He did the same with the other foot. Then ran back out into the hallway.

    Before, where dusk, scholarly work had ruled, now chaos reigned.

    Students ran about in confusion. The lights were up to max. The klaxons still wailed. Red light and white apertures spread photons to bounce off mirror finished walls.

    Marcus Allens voice cut through the confusion like a hot knife through butter. ¡°Attention 3-4. Attention 3-4.¡±

    Movement stopped as they all stood to attention in varying states of dress and positions.

    ¡°Squad Leaders to me. Squads will form on them. I don¡¯t care if you have all your gear or not. Speed is of the utmost importance. Move!¡±

    A burst of actually useful movement followed as Auberje and the others ran to find their squadmates. He found Riley again first, then the rest of the squad. They lined up behind Ajax. He smiled at them, flashing his big teeth in a grin that promised excitement ahead.

    ¡°Hola, Honor Twins. Let¡¯s see what the headmistress has in store for us today.¡±

    It was a few weeks since their second Greathing, the balloon race. Auberje and the other firsties had arrived two-months prior. He fell into a pleasant routine these last two weeks, finally feeling comfortable with his new home.

    Tonight, he felt happy with his new found home. Sure, the Greathing was unknown, but he trusted those people around him implicitly. He was too young to see it, but they trusted him as well. Ajax stood behind Goliath and Griffin who in turn were behind the skinny Sandwich. They were all lined up behind Tiana ¡°Kettle¡± Johnson.

    Riley and Auberje received the rules notification at the same time as the rest of the school. A small icon in his HUD opened up a scrolling text document. He read it as fast as he could. Finishing around when Riley did too.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Ajax drew the word out, extending it to many syllables.

    ¡°You can say that again,¡± Nicols, from his spot in a squad two or three over said loudly.

    ¡°Alright, quiet in the ranks,¡± Marcus Allens cut in, ¡°this is going to be interesting, folks.¡± Marcus always addressed 3-4 like they were a group of backwater farmers on some sparsely populated planet. Of course, he was a backwater farmer¡¯s son from a sparsely populated planet, in his case, the planet of Ymir.

    Miriam, close to the command squad, spoke sharply over comms, ¡°If you did not catch it, this Greathing is an extended situation. We are expected to work as a team against the other companies for 7 days. This is the longest Greathing we¡¯ve ever heard of. The goal is apparently a combination of exploration and destruction. We are seeking out a pair of valuable data chips of an alien design. I know, I know, I mean it as ¡®new technology.¡¯ Not literally aliens.¡±

    Everyone knew humans were the only truly sentient race in the universe. Humans found a number of plant and animal life but nothing that could be considered sentient like humans. The lack of self-aware others was a long standing argument amongst physicists, philosophers, and religions.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Marcus continued with a sharp look to some of the grumblers near him, ¡°We will work as a team, pooling resources and using chits to get what we need. At last count, Headmistress, owes us 23 chits, not counting Auberje¡¯s 12. We won last Greathing, so we¡¯ve been granted a 15 minute lead over the others. We used 3 of those minutes so far.¡±

    He took a step forward, the company¡¯s eyes following him, ¡°We don¡¯t know what is awaiting us on the other side. It could be a plains, vacuum, it could  be a forest. You¡¯ve all seen the different arenas. We might be in an urban landscape. Whatever happens, I want you to remember you are 3-4s. We are Middlers. We are the Lions of Muir. 3-4 alumni are rulers, generals, pirates, smugglers, tycoons, and everyday ordinary people. We are going to go out into the great unknown of the arena and you will maintain discipline and do what needs doing. I believe in you.¡±

    A ragged cheer went up from the 3-4s. It grew louder as Marcus led them through the doorway of their company home. They cheered all the way from those sliding doors to the portal-like entrance to the arena.

    Marcus sent 3-4-1 in first with a warning, ¡°If that¡¯s vacuum on the other side, use a chit immediately. Understand?¡± He looked at Auberje as he said it, making sure the young boy knew what was expected of him. Auberje nodded, swallowing. He had no idea what it was like to be in vacuum without a suit and he really didn¡¯t want to.

    They walked through the white and blue shining portal. A gold light hit them hard, blinding them. Auberje felt Riley¡¯s hand snake into his. He squeezed it reassuringly. Shielding his eyes, Auberje peered out into the arena from the shade of his hands. It was cold, but not bitterly so, and the air was still¡­ well air. He could see tall spiralling formations of red rock, a massive planet with dozens of wide rings split the blue sky. The landscape stretched on and on and on. He didn¡¯t know if he was actually on a different planet, after all, the asteroid base could travel and did, always without the knowledge of the students, or if he was seeing some illusionary landscape. It didn¡¯t matter, most likely.

    ¡°Right, not vacuum,¡± Tiana spoke rapidly, eyes adjusting to the bright gold sun, ¡°Calling 3-4 Command, do you read?¡±

    No reply came back. The portal burst outward, Auberje had to move out of the way of a circle of blue¡­ something. He had a feeling getting hit by it was not going to be fun. The 3-4s ran through, breath held.

    Tiana waved them forward, taking a position a dozen meters away on a large yellow and red rock. The half dressed, slightly disorganized columns of 3-4 were quickly all disgorged into the arena. Marcus was the last one through. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Okay, no vacuum,¡± he said, looking around at their new home for the next 7 days.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± Tiana walked up to him, ¡°What¡¯s the plan, bossman?¡±

    The other squad leaders huddled close to him. Auberje was near enough to hear their conversation.

    ¡°I want to get the heck away from this portal, as fast as possible. It looks like this is a relatively stable, earth gravity equivalent planet. We might call it a sister-class planet.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Gunther Abodeime, one of the senior 3-4s and their best scientist, was busy taking soil samples and testing the air with various apertures attached to a personal computing system and a cold fusion reactor about three times the size of the one Auberje wore.

    ¡°Gunther, test everything. These canyons and rock formations make me think there is water somewhere here but the soil is devoid of life as far as we can see. We need to get out of this area. Water, food, shelter. That¡¯s our first priority. We can use technology to solve all three if we call in some chits. Nicols, you have a chit, want to use it?¡±

    ¡°I will if you want, just ask me for something and I¡¯ll ask the headmistress for it.¡±

    ¡°Good, I appreciate that.¡±

    Auberje stepped up closer, ¡°You can use mine too, Marcus.¡±

    Marcus smiled at him, ¡°I appreciate the offer, Auberje, but you¡¯ll want to have those for later. I know you¡¯ve been able to get chits every Greathing so far, but I wouldn¡¯t expect that if I were you. When you are my age you might curse yourself for offering your firstie chits up.¡±

    ¡°Never, I¡¯ll earn more if need be,¡± Auberje considered the problems they faced. Water, shelter, food. He thought of the places he felt safest. They were starships. And they had all three of those things in abundance.

    ¡°Headmistress, how many chits would it cost to have a starship big enough for all of us with all the scanning and combat systems we might need for this week?¡± He spoke to her directly, not letting the others hear him.

    ¡°Too many, dear Auberje. For in that request you asked me to predict your future. I can deliver a Boran Industries Light Cruiser which normally has a crew of 300 to you in twenty minutes. You will still need to get to it. It will be far above in orbit. A light cruiser will cost you 5 chits.¡±

    He was incredulous, ¡°Will it be real? Is this all real or in our heads?¡±

    She chuckled in his ear, ¡°You are hardly the first to ask me that. It is real, Auberje.¡±

    He thought of the power it would require to manufacture a ship from raw materials, which you could make from scratch given enough time, and enough starting material like a star or series of asteroids. He didn¡¯t know exactly but even his child brain understood the enormity of it.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Why what, Auberje?¡±

    ¡°What is the purpose of these Greathings?¡±

    ¡°Now, that is a question almost no one asks. When you are older ask again. I may have made a mistake placing you in 3-4.¡± She sounded¡­ sad?

    ¡°No! I love it here,¡±

    ¡°I am so glad, and yet, love is not everything.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. You must have always been loved, if you think that.¡±

    He could hear the smile in her voice, ¡°Oh my boy, you are clever and kind, what will you think when you are older and know more about me?¡± She meant it rhetorically but her replied anyway as only the innocent can.

    ¡°You have nothing to worry about. I¡¯ll love you then too. You brought me to this school and accepted me and put me with this, my family.¡±

    ¡°I hope so, you are too good. Now, would you like a light cruiser?¡±

    Marcus was back to talking to Nicols and the others. Auberje spoke aloud, ¡°Headmistress, send us one Borann Light Cruiser in orbit.¡±

    A look of shock and outrage on Marcus¡¯ face, then a soft grin and a chuckle. ¡°Here we are arguing and wasting precious minutes, and our youngest general makes a decision. An unobvious and smart choice.¡±

    ¡°You are not mad?¡± Auberje had flinched at the sudden seriousness in Marcus.

    ¡°No! Just surprised,¡± he turned to Nicols, ¡°I need a way to get all the company up there. Can you use a chit to get a pair of Tycan Dropships?¡±

    ¡°Done, sir,¡± Nicols cashed in his winner¡¯s chit.

    ¡°Headmistress, I would wager the Boran Light Cruiser is similar to the Imperator?¡±

    ¡°You wager correctly, Marcus. Would like to place a bet on the outcome of this week''s exploration and battle?¡± The headmistress sounded serene.

    ¡°Yes, I wager all of my chits, 7 I believe, in exchange, if we win, I want the rule of double to take effect.¡±

    ¡°If you lose, you lose 7 chits, if you win, I give you 14 more? Hmm, very well. I take the bet. You are hereby unable to use any more chits for the rest of the day, and neither can anyone else in 3-4.¡±

    Marcus swallowed, that was a costly penalty but it was worth it if they could win. He ruffled Aubereje¡¯s hair, walking toward the pair of dropships now a few hundred meters further into the arena, ¡°Let¡¯s hope a light cruiser is enough firepower for one day.¡±

    Auberje nodded and followed the rest of the company onto the ships. They were sleek vessels. Big engines aft, small cockpit in the front. Weaponless, the vessels were capable of moving thousands of people a day, 500 at a time. They were agile, fast and well shielded. Miriam piloted the one 3-4-1 took.

    The travel time out of the atmosphere was less than 10 minutes. Meaning the company, strapped into the passenger holds, sat in a lack of gravity for approximately 9 minutes before the light cruiser came into view. Auberje knew the time because his HUD displayed the three ships'' trajectories.

    ¡°Boran Light Cruiser located, adjusting dropship course. All hands, prepare for disembarkment.¡± Miriam sounded thrilled. Auberje, and most of 3-4, were too, but they were too green with zero g sickness to be able to show it.

    ¡°We need a name for the vessel, Auberje, she¡¯s yours. What¡¯s her name?¡± Marcus asked via all company chat.

    ¡°The Lion of Muir,¡± Auberje blurted out without thinking.

    ¡°Of course, well named, Honor Twin. Listen up 3-4. You will proceed from dropships to the Lion of Muir. I need a full inventory which means, every upper year will proceed with squadmates to their Imperium stations. Report to Bridge once you¡¯ve arrived and secured your stations. Younger years, you will not be familiar with the Imperium or our positions there. Proceed with your elders and we will sort that out as quickly as possible.¡±

    The squad leaders responded affirmatively. Auberje grinned. They liked his name, or at least Marcus did, and he was about to see a working military starship. He was used to seeing them in the sky but had never been on one. His father owned a dozen cruisers and fifty or so light cruisers but Auberje wasn¡¯t ever allowed on them. His father¡¯s fleet was considered a fine example of a noble¡¯s retinue on DS37. The king alone had battleships, though Auberje remembered his father saying a single battleship could defeat all his ships combined.

    The ship looked remarkably like Star Academy. Shining hallways, lights under the outer walls, they were not able to see it from the passenger hold of the dropships, but he could see it through the sensors and cameras feeding the pilots their courses. It was a long ship with four massive antigrav engines. He saw the telltale bumps on the outside hull where laser batteries and railgun emplacements hid.

    The ship was built along a thick spine that stretched nearly half a mile in length and a third as much in height. Two big wing like protrusions added to the armement near the rear of the ship. The aft, Auberje realized. Better get used to the terms now, he thought excitedly.

    As they landed on the bottom levels of the light cruiser, a series of booms, hisses and suction noises reverberated through the dropships. The ship announced loudly, ¡°Docking completed, please proceed with caution.¡±

    Gravity roared back on, as they were taken into the ships artificial field. The company let out a few cheers and ¡°thank the gods.¡± Auberje found Riley opposite him. The ship released their restraining vests and he and Riley walked together into the Lion of Muir.

    ¡°Welcome Ship Captain Auberje. Please proceed to the bridge,¡± he and everyone else stared at the awaiting droids. Gold and blue, they resemble nothing more closely than upright Eguption hieroglyphs. Thin pointy heads, fantastic faces, kitten-like in appearance but with eyes of electronics, their voices were soft and pitchy. Like squeaky cat meows. They all bowed as they greeted Auberje. Marcus laughed as he walked out of the other dropship and saw the few hundred crew.

    ¡°Well, Star Captain Auberje, let me walk you to the bridge. Perhaps you can dismiss the rest of these crew members?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ of course, Marcus,¡± Auberje turned to them. Then realized he could likely do better than just dismiss them, ¡°Crew, please locate your counterparts in 3-4. You can show us what to do around here, right?¡±

    ¡°As you command, we are happy to teach a green crew how to maintain a Boran light cruiser. We understand you have named us the Lion of Muir?¡±

    ¡°I have, is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course, we are honored to be named after such an illustrious group.¡±

    ¡°Good, show us the bridge.¡±

    The feline droids let them through the hallways toward the center of the aft portion of the ship. It took some time, but they came to a great series of blast doors. Most of the rest of the company, besides command squad and 3-4-1 were ushered in different directions along the way. Auberje could see Marcus growing in confidence as they worked their way to the bridge. It was like he felt a great weight of uncertainty being lifted off him as they made it closer to the command center.

    The droids talked the entire way, explaining the various areas of the ship as they passed. Sensors, laser fire control, forward power, crew quarters, flight decks, on and on it went. Auberje was wide eyed and bushy tailed the whole way. He saw the names on his HUD. he knew if he looked it up they would each have a description. In the meantime he simply worked his way toward the rear of the ship. They took an elevator after the first set of blast doors. It had no buttons but could accommodate the whole two squads easily. It whirred slightly, then upward momentum beat gravity.

    A ding and the doors opened to the bridge. It was gorgeous, all gold and white and blue metal. Big plush chairs at 200 degree angles. The ¡°ceiling¡± of the room was dozens of holo screens and actual screens. The position of the bridge was strategically at the center of the ship. It would be exceptionally hard to eliminate the commanders on this ship.

    ¡°Auberje, would you be so kind as to make me your XO?¡± Marcus looked at him intensely.

    ¡°Err, sir you should really be captain,¡± Auberje began.

    Marcus shook his head, ¡°it was your chits, you stay captain. I¡¯ll run the ship as XO, with your permission.¡±

    The droids watched the interaction with interest.

    ¡°Very well, ship, errr.. Lion, make Marcus XO.¡± Auberje waited a second then the ship replied in a voice sounding suspiciously like the headmistress¡¯.

    ¡°Done, the ship recognizes the man, Marcus Allens as XO. Please offer commands. We are currently orbiting the planet Elides. What are your commands.¡±

    ¡°Recognize my crew and authorize them based on our Imperium service records. I can provide if you do not have access.¡±

    ¡°Unnecessary to provide. Done.¡± The voice might sound like Headmistress, but this was obviously not her, Auberje thought. The voice pattern was off. Plus when had the headmistress not used a complete sentence?

    ¡°Very well, let¡¯s get out of orbit further into space. Have you scanned the planet below? We are looking for specific data chips. My intel officer, Kirsten Hizz can provide what we know about them.¡±

    ¡°No scans have commenced. Before 20 minutes ago, this ship did not exist and has no history.¡±

    Marcus nodded grimly, ¡°Very well. Take a position further back from the planet and commence as deep and detailed a scan as we can. If we can run a scan on the solar system as well, do so.¡±

    ¡°Commencing. Time to complete: 1 hour. Displaying countdown now.¡±

    ¡°Very well, let¡¯s hope the other companies don¡¯t have the same idea as young Auberje or we may find ourselves fighting sooner than I would like.¡±

 Chapter 7: Ship Laughter

    Auberje wondered if he would get time to study for geometry while onboard the Lion. He knew the test he was supposed to take in a few hours was postponed, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he would remember all the material. He decided to ask the headmistress.

    ¡°Auberje, you bring up a fine point. Why don¡¯t you tell the other 3-4 firsties they can take the exam while onboard the ship. I¡¯ve set up a proctoring room on deck 2 - Cabin 5. Anything else?¡±

    ¡°What is the point of all this?¡± Auberje was laying on his back in the captain¡¯s luxurious cabin. When he tried to give it to Marcus the ship¡¯s AI nearly mutinied. Marcus wasn¡¯t worried about it, so neither was Auberje. He had tons of room now. Much like his old rooms at home. He was getting used to the cramped quarters of 3-4s¡¯ Firstie Hall. A terribly packed set of rooms split by gender.

    ¡°Ah, back to the crux of Greathing,¡± Headmistress sounded amused, ¡°It¡¯s preparation for life. For what might come next. It¡¯s a way to teach the skills that matter most.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You mean more than geometry?¡± He considered his other classes as well. Auberje was taking five classes currently, geometry, astrophysics, beginner¡¯s tactics, logistics, and child psychology. He found them all to be interesting in their own way. He thought he identified with tactics and astrophysics the most.

    ¡°Ha! In a way, yes. You see, greathing is about humanity¡¯s place in the stars. You will see, someday. Or hopefully, you won¡¯t and you will think of greathing as nothing more than a collection of strange quests you overcame with your dearest friends,¡± to Auberje she sounded wistful. He¡¯d just read the word and looked it up.

    He went back to his book, reading a series of thrilling alien adventure books. He was fascinated, like many humans, about alien races. The very fact that none had ever been found made them even more interesting. He daydreamed about being the first one to ever do so. He laid back and relaxed, displaying the images from his book above him. The text glowing faintly in the darkened room.

    As he started to drift to sleep, he remembered he never told the rest of the firsties they could take the exam in the morning. He quickly sent a message to them. A few replied, most did not. Riley was awake too, he noted, then slipped into sleep. His clothes still on, a robotic butler came and tucked the young boy in. Mechanical eyes watching with something close to caring.

    ***

    Morning came too soon. Lights flickered on, slowly powering up and waking Auberje and the other sleeping 3-4s. A pair of the strange catlike androids waited for him. ¡°Would you like your morning briefing, sir?¡±

    ¡°My morning what?¡± Auberje stretched and pulled the blankets back, jumping out of bed. He was ready to get this day going. He wondered where the bathroom was. He had used it before bed but couldn¡¯t remember.

    Sesning his needs, the robots pointed politely to the large restroom. He went there quickly and was delighted to see a urinal and a huge shower. Too big really for Auberje. He used the urinal, hopping in the shower as the robots patiently took his clothes in their arms.

    ¡°A briefing is a way for the ship to tell you what¡¯s going on with her and her crew, and where she is in comparison to close celestial bodies.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Like an update. Got it. Speak, but louder please, hard to hear with the water on,¡± Auberje was used to being doted on by android and robotic support staff. His family owned thousands of robots. Many dual purpose but also many singular ones. The staff on this ship were similar to the ones he knew from home.

    The robot flashed a friendly smile, giving him a sense of that catlike look again. Sharp incisors and pleasant front teeth, black and pink gums. The thing opened its mouth and spoke louder. Its voice came through the speakers in the shower, Auberje noted with delight.

    ¡°The ship is at nearly full complement of crew, number of crew that is. We are delighted to inform you that we are exactly where we thought we would be last night. Our navigation systems are tuned to perfection. The 3-4s have settled in well, monitoring of social media, text messages and other communication shows no unusual feelings.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re spying on u?¡±

    ¡°Standard military protocol, sir. Should you wish it to stop, let us know, it is a valuable tool to monitor your sailors and soldiers'' state of being.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, no continue. What else?¡±

    ¡°The XO and a few of the other 3-4 offices are meeting in the bridge conference room to go over their plans to locate the objects.¡±

    ¡°Any idea where they are?¡± Auberje wanted to win this greathing. He wondered for a second about Helos Bulger. He wished the boy didn¡¯t hate him. He was the smartest of their year, Auberje just knew it, and was really clever. Auberje stretched, dropping the towel on the ground and pulling a fresh set of clothes off the shelf in the bathroom closet. The androids helped him dress, provided a small vial of toothites, those lovely, minty cleaning nanobots. He squeezed the bottle¡¯s contents into his mouth. Swirling the mint-flavored bots around in his mouth he made the universal ¡°ah¡± sound as it hit the back of his throat. He spit the depleted bots into the sink and walked away. Handing the squeeze tube to the nearer of the pair of androids. They spoke with the same voice, they were not individuals.

    He put on the hat they handed him and headed toward the bridge. It was a short walk. Twenty steps. As he entered, the robots announced his presence, ¡°Captain on the bridge.¡± No one stood, and a flash of anger lit the faces of the androids. Auberje, who could not see them, walked to the empty chair in the middle and sat down. The androids left and went to the corners of the room, taking up positions near the two entrances.

    ¡°Nice hat, Auberje,¡± Xin Mae said from his left. Auberje turned to look at her. The seat swiveled, it¡¯s fine white and green and gold leather moving with him.

    ¡°Thanks, Mae. I see you have one too.¡±

    ¡°Not as fancy though.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Auberje wasn¡¯t sure what the senior girl, thin and tall with black straight hair and a pert nose was doing at that station.

    ¡°Running sensors. We are trying to locate the data cores.¡±

    ¡°Any luck?¡± Auberje leaned toward her, chin on hands, eagerness on his face.

    ¡°Not yet, but I¡¯m hopeful. Let me show you what I¡¯m doing.¡± She motioned for him to turn to his display. As he did, he saw the small sharing notification from Mae. He accepted it and his screen was split into her two views. She was monitoring something called ¡°Long Range Gravitational-Wave Sensors¡± and the other side showed ¡°Sensor Array B: Midrange Object Sensors¡± he saw warnings about delays in readings and how nothing on the screen was in real-time.

    ¡°Wow, this is cool,¡± Auberje said, looking at the data coming back from both.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it,¡± she was obviously excited about the sensor data too.

    ¡°What is it though?¡± he was innocently puzzled. His face was a concentrated thirst for knowledge. He pursed his lips.

    ¡°Okay, on the left you have the long-range sensors telling us where celestial bodies are in our current solar system.¡±

    Auberje interrupted, ¡°What¡¯s the name of our solar system?¡±

    ¡°WK6710 - we¡¯ve been calling it the Week System.¡±

    ¡°Okay, so Week system because we are here for a week?¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡±

    He smiled proudly, ¡°Great, okay back to the sensors.¡±

    ¡°Right, so the left shows the long-range grav sensors and what they see. On the right though is our midrange scanners. These are pretty advanced. They show a series of smaller objects and events.¡±

    ¡°Events?¡± Auberje was confused. Sensors usually showed things not actions.

    ¡°Yes, we can see when the other groups came into system and last night two of the teams, not sure which, fought a pitched battle. Our sensors picked up the sound waves and the light flashes.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great,¡± Auberje gave her an air high 5.

    She returned it with a smile, ¡°Yes, it is, but I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s your job as the sensor person, officer.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I suppose so.Thanks Auberje.¡± She was genuine in her response, as he was in his praise of her.

    ¡°Of course, you rock. Now what else can you tell me about the location of the others? And of the data cores?¡±

    ¡°Data cores: so far not much. I don¡¯t think they are on the planet. This makes your gift of the Lion even more important. Sensor data just doesn¡¯t see anything resembling the data cores on Week 1a.¡±

    ¡°Okay, now that is really awesome. Where else could it be?¡± He looked out into the simulated space in front of him. He peered closely at the celestial bodies. She laughed behind him.

    ¡°I think one of them is in this asteroid belt, out near Week¡¯s rim.¡± Her screen changed and his followed, a circle was drawn on a far, far away ring of asteroids.

    ¡°Oh wow! Why do you think that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sensing the wreckage of a pair of ships.I think one of them is a Federal cruiser like ours. The other appears to be some kind of unknown ship design. Half organic, half metal. I think this is the ¡°alien¡± vessel the headmistress has placed for us to find.¡±

    ¡°Right, well, have you told Marcus?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, but you are the captain. You don¡¯t have to wait for him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about it. Plus, I don¡¯t mind him making the decision. I am only 7 after all.¡± He smiled proudly. The child psychology class he was taking had taught him that being 7 was great, but it didn¡¯t mean he knew everything. Professor Laurence had stressed, ¡°When you don¡¯t know something, ask for help and advice. Everyone one of us was once your age. We will help.¡±

    She laughed, ¡°Makes sense, I think they are about done anyway. Looks like they are headed this way.¡± She gestured behind her with a shake of her long hair.

    Auberje watched expectantly. He wanted to know what came next. It felt like reading an adventure book, he just couldn¡¯t wait to get to the next chapter. Marcus smiled after seeing him, walking to him quickly and ruffling Auberje¡¯s hair. Auberje tried to dodge it but failed. He smiled anyway.

    ¡°Good morning, captain,¡± Marcus said.

    In mock seriousness, with a youthful smile, Auberje replied, ¡°Good morning, XO. What¡¯s the plan for today?¡±

    ¡°That depends on what my scientists have found. Any luck?¡± he walked over to the sensor officer¡¯s chair, looking at Mae.

    ¡°Nothing so far, XO,¡± She bit back a smile, ¡°I was just briefing the captain on our two types of sensors.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes,¡± cut in Auberje, ¡°We have these long-range ones and some closer range ones. I think we know lots now but have not located anything other than the one in the belt.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve found one?¡± Marcus¡¯ eyes lit up with a near fanatical fire. He was the image of the consummate officer, uniform perfect, hat placed just so, boots shining, hands clasped behind his back. Auberje tried to emulate his pose as he rose from the seat to peer over Mae¡¯s other shoulder.

    Of course, he was too short to do it exactly right, but he gave a good impression. He wasn¡¯t bothered. She had shown him the sensor readouts previously. He only had to remember what they said.

    ¡°Yes, XO, see on the left where she has pulled up the long-range scanners and they highlight the asteroid belt. It¡¯s in there. In one of the quadrants called 7A9 or something to that extent,¡± Auberje did a flourish with his hand as if to say close enough. It was a gesture his father was quite good at. Auberje did a fair approximation. The rest of the bridge crew held back smiles. Their captain was doing a fine impression. Marcus was following the screen avidly as Mae followed her captain¡¯s words, highlighting the area in 7A95X, a small sliver of space where the two ships she located were caught in the asteroid belt¡¯s gravity well.

    ¡°Well done, Mae! Captain, can you order our pilot to get us there?¡± Marcus took his seat behind and to the right of Auberje¡¯s.

    ¡°Aye, of course, XO. Pilot,¡± Auberje held up his hand and pointed toward the wall display. ¡°Forward to the coordinates Mae will provide you.¡± He dropped his hand as the ship started to accelerate. He felt none of it, but saw the numbers growing on his captain¡¯s screen. The ship was zipping through space at an appreciable percentage of the speed of light. A time to destination countdown was added to his display by Marcus. He smiled back at them. 10 minutes. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Marcus?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain Auberje?¡±

    ¡°When we get there, what are we going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a dropship or a few of our fighters and head over with a boarding party. I hope to find our prize quickly. If we do, we will reconvene on the ship. At which point, we make a new plan and locate the second core. I want to win this. Three wins in a row and we start to look like the favorites we are for this year¡¯s Greathing Crown. Headmistress awards graduates of the Academy with gifts based on our standing. I want one of these.¡± Marcus patted his seat¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Great idea, Marcus,¡± sarcasm dripped from Mae¡¯s voice, ¡°what are you going to do with a light cruiser?¡±

    ¡°I want to find the pirates that killed my mom and pa. I want to drown them in particle beams. Rip their throats out with my bare hands. I¡­¡± He caught his violence like a ball holding it tight to his chest. He shrugged, his eyes roaming over the others present on the bridge. ¡°All those who graduate with me, you are invited, welcome, to come with me. Those after, well, maybe we can put in a call to port if the Headmistress will let us, and pick you all up as you graduate.¡±

    A sad voiced headmistress spoke over the bridge speakers, ¡°If only it were that simple, Marcus. You win this round, I¡¯ll give you this ship. It would be wasteful to disassemble her. The heat death of the universe is an ever-present concern.¡±

    He was stunned. In truth, they all were. This was the first time Auberje considered Marcus or any of the others leaving. The others were thinking more about what Marcus revealed about his past. Marcus was intent on the headmistress¡¯ words. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, go out and earn it. And know, earning this ship, graduating from this school. There are conditions, favors I might one day call upon you to do. Do you understand Marcus? Do you others?¡±

    ¡°I understand and agree to them.¡±

    Bitterly she replied, ¡°don¡¯t be so quick to agree to it. Those who do my bidding do not always live to tell the tale. But enough of this, good luck.¡±

    ¡°I understand the risks and accept,¡± Marcus¡¯ eyes were downturned to the bright black floor, gleaming with ambient lights.

    ¡°2 minutes to destination, Captain, XO,¡± the Lions jAi spoke softly. Her voice again reminding Auberje of the intense similarity to the headmistress. Perhaps she had just used her voice as the voice matrix for the AI.

    ¡°Right, Captain Auberje, with your permission, I will take my boarding party onto the alien vessel.¡± Marcus was straight-backed now. His hands clasped behind him. Back to the soldier.

    ¡°Very well, XO, you have my permission. Would you be taking a look at the other vessel as well? It wouldn¡¯t hurt to have another cruiser for us to use.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Good point, Captain,¡± Marcus smiled softly, wanly, life returning to his eyes, replacing fanaticism and revenge. ¡°May I suggest you send 3-4-1 there?¡±

    ¡°Good idea! I don¡¯t think I should go too though, do you?¡±

    Marcus looked at this wise little boy, ¡°No, I agree. You will need to stay with the ship. In case we are attacked, can I trust you to run and defend yourself?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Now that we know you will have the Lion after, I have to take care of her.¡± They saluted after a quick nod from Marcus.  Marcus and half the bridge crew left. To Auberje¡¯s credit, Marcus issued no order to watch over the youth. He was 7 but he acted like he was 30. The boy was well loved and respected by his fellow students, and the other bridge crew were clever. They would help him.

    Marcus had no doubts on the subject.

    The ship AI interrupted his thoughts, ¡°I have turned on five Allen SCISS fighters in Hangar 11. You will be able to take a crew of 5 per ship. Will you need more? I have also highlighted a series of landing sites I believe sufficient for your purposes.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s perfect. Thank you. That¡¯s fairly advanced stuff for an AI built from scratch and created in a day.¡±

    ¡°In 11 minutes, 5 seconds.¡±

    ¡°Truly?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the headmistress is thorough. I am patterned off the Republic warship AI standard across the galaxy, with¡­ something else thrown in.¡±

    ¡°Probably Star Academy proprietary shit. I get that. Hundreds of smart AI programmers come from Star Academy every decade. I doubt we would be just sitting idly by with the talent.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s a plausible explanation.¡±

    ¡°Okay.. weird. Moving on, can you alert 3-4-2. 3-4-3. They are coming with.¡±

    ¡°Done, they are heading to Hanger 11 now.¡±

    ¡°Good send a launch checklist to the best pilots amongst us, me included.¡±

    ¡°Done, good luck, XO. I hope you find what you are looking for.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Marcus shook his head. AI were a weird and touchy lot. He left the elevator and entered the hanger. It was filled with spacecraft. Starsfighers, a pair of dropships, a single large commercial hauler, a freighter tug for dragging asteroids to mining facilities, a pair of dual hull catamaran racers. The starfighters were painted silver and black. They were teardrops with a cockpit in the center, front thin part of the teardrop split at the center to allow for a large particle accelerator. They were armed with beam weapons as well. The left side of the ship bent downard slightly in the front, a small chunk of titanium holding a targeting computer and scanner.

    Already his men and women swarmed over the starfighters. So many ants around so many crumbs. He snapped a salute to the pair of guards at the lift door. Whoever was in charge of the hangar was paranoid. Marcus could only think of one person who would be so paranoid.

    ¡°Charles.¡±

    ¡°Marcus, XO, sir,¡± the last two sounded like a curse.

    ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to start calling you Chief now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that would be appropriate. I¡¯ve taken over all hangar functions and I expect to have my work cut out for me when you all return. I know how these so-called pilots fly.¡±

    Marcus laughed, studying the burly man. He was 18 also, senior class. Marcus would count Charles A. Lester was his greatest friend in the galaxy. Chuck was thickly muscled, dark of skin, light grey eyes the color of the deck¡¯s gunmetal flooring. The hangar was organized and finely running. Techs, mostly in their 5 and 7th years were running about. The 5th years were just now taking engineering classes and the 7th years were graduating from welding and machining classes. The whole operation looked slick. It made Marcus¡¯ heartbeat proudly.

    ¡°Chuck, you coming with?¡±

    ¡°Hell no, I have to prepare for you coming back. I told you, I¡¯ve seen you fly.¡±

    Marcus affected a wounded face, a smile ruining it. Chuck laughed now. The pair embraced and walked together.

    ¡°I have ship 8 for you and the crew,¡± Chuck glanced at the 2 men and 2 women who were permanent shadows of Marcus. They were the only others left in their cohort. Their class had once numbered 11 but 5 had left for various reasons over the years. There were a dozen or more other seniors who would graduate this year, but they had come in one of the other cohorts. The recruiting was done quarterly so each year had 4 cohorts in them. It kept each cohort to around 10 students; the headmistress seemed to like it that way.

    ¡°Well, thanks for having the bird ready to go. Does she have a name?¡±

    ¡°Hell no, you don¡¯t give a fighter a name, you give a pilot a call sign.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right, and I am?¡±

    ¡°Big bird.¡±

    Marcus felt his jaw fall open. His four shadows cracked smiles, hiding them at a sharp glance from Marcus.

    ¡°You have to be kidding me.¡±

    ¡°Nope, Big Bird, you get out there and perform well today.¡±

    ¡°I hate you,¡± there was no heat to his words and no tone.

    ¡°Mhm, I know. Good luck,¡± Chief Chuck A. Las was laughing heartily now.

    ¡°I truly hate you,¡± Marcus rolled his eyes and took the ladder two rungs at a time, he entered the cockpit through the back of the ship. There were seats for four in the rear of the vessel, looking toward the outside walls. Each had displays and job duties. The pilot seat was in the front under a half see-through canopy with panes of hardened glass composite.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it shall we?¡±

    His companions broke into their usual pairings, 1 boy and 1 girl in each. They were split up as the relationships were. They were amongst his greatest friends and he was always trying to keep up with who was dating who now. The foursome seemed to change partners as quickly as he could ask.

    Currently, by all appearances, Grace was with Zhao. Alberto with Alice. He wasn¡¯t surprised. Over the years those pairings were the ones that lasted the longest.

    He didn¡¯t think on it anymore. Running through the preflight checklist, he familiarized himself with the ship¡¯s controls.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± He hit ignition: on. The dual engines roared to life and the ship lifted off the deck a foot in teh air. He pushed the throttle forward. The ship zipped out of the hangar and through the plasma membrane keeping space at bay.

    They were off.

    ***

    On the bridge, Auberje and Mae watched the ships depart. The 5 SCISS fighters were dispatched swiftly. He was surprised at their speed compared to the bigger light cruiser¡¯s. He asked the AI a question about it, received his answer, and sat thoughtfully.

    ¡°Are we checking for others in our area, Mae?¡±

    ¡°I am not currently, but I can be. Expecting others?¡±

    Auberje sat thoughtfully, ¡°If I were the others I¡¯d be coming here. This one was pretty easy to find. WIll you check please, I think our XO and commander would be mad if I lost him his ship.¡±

    ¡°I know he would be. Yes, let me start scanning.¡±

    There were a few tense moments before Mae let out a breath, ¡°Nothing in the area. I have our ship actively scanning out to 25000km. We will know if they try to sneak in.¡±

    ¡°How much time is that?¡±

    ¡°30 seconds or so. Want me to push it out more?¡± Mae would have laughed at taking orders from the little boy, except he kept coming up with better and better ideas.

    ¡°Yes, please. Ten or 12 times, please. Can we do that?¡±

    The AI answered him, ¡°Yes, would you like me to show you how to initiate standard Away Party sensors, Mae?¡±

    ¡°Oh, um, yes, please,¡± Mae looked a bit sheepish for not knowing about it. Auberje had seen the same look on Riley¡¯s face before.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mae, I didn¡¯t know about it either.¡± He looked at her with genuine reassurance.

    Mae couldn¡¯t help but laugh and feel better, ¡°thanks, Auberje. Show me Lion.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Mae. You¡¯ve been doing a fine job. The new sensor suite will give you 20 minutes of sensor range and throws a damping field for all hyperspace travel around us.¡±

    ¡°We can prevent fold travel?¡± Auberje had just learned about fold and hyperspace travel.

    ¡°Yes, for a short time. Eventually, the ship is getting through, but we can hold them off for 30 minutes or so. Long enough to run away or make a plan of attack.¡±

    ¡°Auberje, have you ever fished with a net?¡±

    ¡°Yes, once or twice in our lake at home.¡±

    ¡°Damping fields work the same way. You can catch a ship in a net but eventually, it will find a way to calculate the route between the strings.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely. This new sensor suite is much better than what I planned on doing. Thanks for the help, Lion.¡±

    ¡°Lioness, if you please, Mae, Captain.¡± The AI spoke nonchalantly but with authority.

    Mae glanced at Auberje, eyebrow raised. Auberje shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m named after a type of building. Don¡¯t question it.¡±

    Mae guffawed as did half the rest of the bridge crew. Miranda Del Treist spoke up from the helm¡¯s chair. She was a 17-year-old and considered 3-4s best pilot. ¡°Would you two stop?¡±

    ¡°Why,¡± Auberje asked as only a 7-year old can.

    Miranda sighed, hands extending off the throttle, ¡°I just think we should be concentrating on what the boarding crew is doing.¡±

    ¡°OH! Right, I forgot you have the hots for Marcus,¡± Mae smiled wickedly.

    ¡°NO!¡± The word was spoken too loudly and too high to be anything but a lie.

    Auberje nodded solemnly, ¡°if I swung that way, I would also have the hots for Marcus.¡±

    That comment brought a deep red to the already blushing Miranda¡¯s face. ¡°What?¡± Auberje looked suspiciously at all the laughing crew, ¡°The man has it all. He¡¯s our leader. He¡¯s smart, he¡¯s tall, he¡¯s strong. He¡¯s nice to me.¡± Auberje shook his head. It was so obvious.

    Mae was dying with laughter, but she stopped long enough to agree with Auberje, ¡°Yes, you¡­ are right, Auberje. Now we just need Marcus to notice Miranda.¡±

    Auberje sp[oke before Miranda could defend herself. ¡°He notices her, I¡¯ve seen it. I can mention something to him if you want, Miranda,¡± he said in a way that was both endearing and maddening.

    Riley and Miranda both said, ¡°NO!¡± Loudly to Auberje¡¯s offer of help.

    ¡°Okay, okay, sorry.¡± His feelings smarted like a slapped cheek.

    Riley replied as Miranda hid her face in shame. ¡°Auberje, you wouldn¡¯t like it if someone told the girl you liked you liked her, would you?¡±

    Auberje muttered something under his breath.

    ¡°What did you say, Auberje?¡± Mae asked catching her breath from all the laughter.

    ¡°He said, ¡°I like you, Riley¡±,¡± Lioness said.

    Now it was Auberje¡¯s turn to turn bright red. ¡°Lioness!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to tell them.¡±

    ¡°I believe that was the point, Miss Riley was trying to make.¡±

    ¡°I suppose... But still,¡± He looked up at Riley, eyes meeting across the room. She looked completely unphased by the pronouncement.

    ¡°I know you like me, Auberje. I like you too.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± he said smiling broadly. He never was this happy back on Dyson 37. Not once.

    Riley¡¯s eyes fell back on Miranda, ¡°that is exactly how it would go if you told Marcus.¡±

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Miranda said sadly.

    ¡°I have no doubt,¡± Jeremy spoke up from the gunnery seat. He was wiping tears from his eyes but his face showed no mirth or deceit, ¡°I¡¯ve watched Marcus like Auberje has. It¡¯s easy to see how often Marcus watches you. He likes the way you look, at the very very least.¡±

    ¡°That gets you pretty far,¡± Mae said with a toss of her fine black hair.

    ¡°Thanks, guys. I will think on it. Can we get back to watching the boarding party?¡± They all turned back to their duties.

 Chapter 8: Of Carriers and Of Concerns

    ¡°This isn¡¯t some Ender¡¯s Game, situation is it?¡± Auberje asked aloud. It was Headmistress¡¯s voice that brought the answer over loudspeakers.

    ¡°No, Ender¡¯s Game was a horrible, immoral way to use children in the name of education. These are robotic drones wrapped in faked tissue. The ¡®aliens¡¯ you have found so far, were created by me. They are not real and are not a species that exists in nature.¡±

    Miranda¡¯s voice cut through the relief Auberje felt, ¡°Uh, does that mean there are aliens out there somewhere?¡±

    ¡°That is a question that requires chits. And it requires age, time, wisdom, purpose. For now, suffice this as an answer: the bodies you have found are part of this greathing. Those who come to attack you are the same. Created by me for the purposes of education.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand. What are the educational purposes of attacking us with fake aliens?¡± Minden Packard, a fifth-year, sitting in the damage control officers station asked pointedly. Her eyes toward the ceiling as if searching headmistress¡¯ face for answers unsaid.

    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to believe me when I say that the lessons learned in greathing are the most important educational moments you¡¯ll experience at Star Academy. Now, stop asking me questions, and defend yourselves against your imminent threat.¡±

    They all exchanged looks, bewilderment, fear, confusion, but Auberje thought of his father and of Marcus. He shrugged all the emotion off.

    ¡°Right, Lioness defensive maneuvers, fire back at the enemy as soon as you see them within range. Gunnery Officer, you may provide localized fire control to our batteries. That¡¯s the right thing to do, I think?¡± Auberje saw that in a movie once.

    Lioness responded, ¡°Very well, Captain, and yes, Captain, that is.¡±

    ¡°Announcement for all hands: we are under attack by unknown vessels of unknown origin. Defend us, vanquish these opponents and drive the enemy back. Good luck, people. Captain out.¡± His child¡¯s voice held a measure of dignity few captains in the same position ever achieved.

    Mae turned to Auberje, ¡°you¡¯re special kid. I¡¯ve always been impressed, but you¡¯re special.¡±

    ¡°Err, thank you,¡± Auberje shifted uncomfortably as all the heads in the bridge nodded including Riley¡¯s.

    Lioness: ¡°Captain, you and the bridge crew may wish to switch your consoles to battle mode.¡±

    ¡°Do it,¡± Auberje ordered. The AI complied, the displays across the bridge switched to a higher contrast setup which showed each person different information relevant to a light cruiser during battle.

    Auberje watched a pair of high speed objects heading straight for the Lion of Muir. His display refreshed, identifying them as LX-1 ¡°probable Light Attack Craft.¡±

    ¡°Do those ships have interstellar capabilities?¡± Auberje asked aloud.

    ¡°Checking scanner details,¡± Mae¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Engineering?¡±

    Chris Talon a 7th year shook his head emphatically, ¡°No, these craft are mostly guns and small accelerators. What are you thinking?¡±

    Before Auberje could reply, Miranda Del Treist pushed controls on the helm as a pair of blocky torpedoes were identified by scanners. The ship whirred and vibrated as the massive engines powered a controlled roll Lioness was recommending.

    ¡°Well,¡± Auberje looked rather determined, ¡°When I would want to take my small craft out, I always had to pack it in with my father on the bigger boat. Where is their bigger boat?¡±

    ¡°Lioness, can you do a longer range scan to identify where their carrier is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, doing so now.¡±

    Mae nodded to Auberje, ¡°Good point, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Found it!¡± Riley¡¯s voice, ¡°See there, to the left of the asteroid belt, sort of above it.¡±

    Their cartesian plane was shown prominently on the displays. She tagged the enemy vessel.

    ¡°Any information on the type of ship?¡± Mae was tapping buttons left and right, Auberje had no idea what she was doing.

    Lioness: ¡°It is disgorging ships at a prodigious rate, I believe it is some type of carrier with multiple launch bays. It is 3x the size of this vessel.¡±

    ¡°Is Marcus on board yet?¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°His ship is docking now, ten seconds and it will be landed.¡±

    ¡°Give me a countdown indicator. When it hits zero we go full speed to that carrier. Fire all weapons at it.¡± Auberje indicated the vessel as his primary concern.

    ¡°We still have 5 pairs of fighters on us, Auberje.¡±

    ¡°My shield indicators are saying 100%. I¡¯ll worry about those fighters as it gets lower. I think we have to crush it quickly. Maybe our fighters can fight theirs?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand. I¡¯ll check to see if our fighter craft has launched. How many do we have again Lioness?¡±

    ¡°12 SCISS industries Tears of Muir fighters. I thought it would match nicely with your name of the ship, Auberje.¡± Lioness was nearly laughing as the combat was heating up her voice was less calm and more¡­ excited? Auberje hoped that was in his head. He didn¡¯t want some near sentient AI getting overly excited during combat.

    ¡°Well, make sure they are launching as I asked earlier. And get me their flight leader.¡±

    4 blue teardrops showed up on his display. The first wing, thinking back to his tactics class, of his fighters. ¡°This is Flight Leader Miriam.¡±

    Of course, Auberje thought, Miriam would be leading his fighters. That made him feel better. ¡°Hi, Miriam.¡±

    ¡°Hi Captain Auberje, how can my wing be of assistance?¡±

    ¡°I need you to take care of 10 enemy fighters. They are traveling at high velocity toward us.¡± He tried to find the right words, ¡°We are going to attack their capital ship directly. A carrier. I need you to hold off their fighters. You will get more ships as we can launch them.¡±

    ¡°Understood, I¡¯m ready. Send me the rest of my wing as you can. Auberje, 3-4¡¯s fighters will keep their attack craft of your back.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.¡°Good, thank you, Flight Leader.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Captain, FLM out.¡±

    ¡°FLM?¡± Auberje shook his head in confusion. The acronym unfamiliar.

    ¡°Flight Leader Miriam. It¡¯s her call sign too, Auberje.¡± Riley supplied the answer.

    ***

    Marcus and his team disembarked quickly. They were greeted by the Chief and his dozens of helpers. Fighter craft flew out of the bay doors nearby. The whine of their electric engines filling the far side of the vast hangar with mechanical screams.

    ¡°What is that kid doing?¡± Zhao asked, looking over his shoulder at another pair of SCISS Tears setting up to launch.

    ¡°Defending us all, I think.¡± Chief was already in full glory mode. He was smiling broadly, smudges of oil on his face and hands, a rag of some hyper absorbent organic fiber sticking out of his flight suit jacket. Behind him, his dozen helpers ran about the dropship Marcus and Zhao had just left. They were checking secure points, tightening bolts, and otherwise making sure she was mechanically sound for her next flight.

    Marcus saw the rows of bomb carts being moved up. ¡°What are we facing out there?¡±

    ¡°A carrier of some kind, supposedly full of alien fighter craft.¡±

    ¡°Great, get me to the bridge ASAP. Zhao, Alberto, I need you back in that dropship with 3-4-1 and another squad. I want you to head directly for that carrier, but in our wake. Use our mass to hide your presence.¡±

    ¡°Going to play pirate, Marcus?¡± Alberto gave him a sharp look.

    ¡°Aye, what¡¯s better than one ship?¡±

    ¡°Two.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, go! Get ready. I have to go see what else Auberje is up to.¡± Marcus ran to the nearest lift, got inside it, and the tube sealed around him, Alice and Grace. Then it launched through the mostly vacuum tube to the corridors outside the bridge. He worked his way through the three defensive points, all unmanned, until he was outside the doors to the bridge. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. Then they walked on to the bridge of the Lion.

    ***

    Auberje saw him first, ¡°Marcus!¡± The boy greeted his friend and elder warmly. The hero worship was in check, but only just with Auberje. Marcus had seen too much of that worship from younger students over the last few years. He felt weary and he was just 18.

    ¡°I am here, Auberje.¡±

    ¡°Welcome back, XO,¡± Lioness said.

    ¡°Glad to be back, AI.¡±

    ¡°Lioness,¡± corrected Riley.

    Marcus smiled at Riley, ¡°Hi Riley. Makes sense. Grace, Alice, and I need to get a few of our scientists working on these aliens. I came up here to ask a favor, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Anything for you Marcus,¡± Auberje said, standing and facing his XO.

    ¡°I want you to get this ship close to their carrier. I want to take it over. Here is my plan¡­¡±

    He told the bridge crew his idea. Lioness added a few details, Mae a few more from her scans.

    ¡°Okay good, it¡¯s decided then. I¡¯ll go down with Zhao, Alberto and 3-4-1, 3-4-4. We will use the dropships as attack transports. We will land in their hangar Lioness is identifying as Hangar 5 and then move toward their bridge.¡± Marcus recapped.

    ¡°Yes, get to it, XO,¡± Auberje offered him a sharp salute. ¡°In the meantime, continue firing at the carrier, but aim for the mouths of the other hangars, Gunnery Officer.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Helm, full speed ahead,¡± Auberje ordered, falling into the same stance as Marcus and his father, hands clasped behind is back, legs slightly spread. Almost parade rest.

    Lioness spoke: ¡°Recommendation to all personnel please find your seats, full acceleration imminent.¡±

    ¡°Err, are you sure you want full speed, Captain? That means we would be on them in 12 seconds and would have an intense amount of Gs. Lioness, how many?¡±

    ¡°14 Gs. The crew will survive.¡±

    ¡°Do it, the faster we get there the faster this is over. I¡¯m worried about the number of fighters that ship can carry.¡±

    The carrier was continuing to send a spurt of 4 ships at a time from it¡¯s filled belly. It was like a pregnant male seadragon in shape and form, spewing forth it¡¯s unholy progeny. The thin triangular ships swept out toward the Lion in unending waves of 5.

    ¡°Have our 12 ships been sent out?¡± Auberje asked no one in particular.

    ¡°Yes, Captain, Chief Las has all ships out, including the troop dropships,¡± Riley replied.

    ¡°Flight Leader Miriam, how goes it?¡±

    A tense voice and crackling static emitted from the speakers hidden about them, ¡°We are under heavy assault captain, but so far, so good. We are scratching ¡®em fast. Any idea what happens if one of us gets fragged here?¡±

    Auberje considered that carefully. His mind raced. What would happen to them? Would they die? ¡°Uh, headmistress, what does happen if we blow up here?¡±

    ¡°Blow up? In the event of an untimely demise, I will secure your team back to here, to the Star Academy. They will not be able to join back up with 3-4 unless you use chits to get them back.¡±

    ¡°But we won¡¯t die, die. Right?¡± Riley asked.

    ¡°Correct, the chance of permanent death is very low. I have built-in massive transporters around half the system, and on each planet. If you stray too far. I will force you to turn around.¡±

    ¡°Okay, good. Get all that Miriam?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain, I did. Thanks. Back to work now. Got two new waves bearing down on us.¡±

    ¡°Good luck, Flight Leader,¡± Auberje waved to her, though she did not see his small, raised hand.

    The bridge crew was slammed with 14 Gs, no slight acceleration to get used to it, then the ship compensated and the crew fell back against their restraints. ¡°Acceleration reached, dampeners initiated. Enemy vessel within 15,000 km. Slowing the Lion to match enemy position and acceleration.¡±

    ¡°Excellent, Lioness, okay guys, showtime. Fire all weapons at their hangars. Let¡¯s disable these guys.¡±

    ¡°Firing now, Captain.¡±

    The ship moved not an inch as shot after glorious shot burst out of her main rail guns, lasers and x-ray cannons. Fire for effect.¡±

    ¡°Firing all guns on solution 3. Firing all lasers on solution 4. Firing all X-rays on solution 5,¡± Gunnery Officer Klint Michaels managed to not scream out his words, but only just. The report came just as the first sensor videos showed the attack''s success.

    Every hangar but Hanger 5 on the alien vessel lit up in a series of explosions. When the light and debris from the shots cleared, Auberje gasped.

    ¡°No damage indicated. No damage indicated,¡± Mae¡¯s voice was controlled horror.

    ¡°Not good,¡± Auberje muttered, ¡°Miriam, how are you faring against their fighters? Are you doing damage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Auberje, err. Captain. I¡¯ve killed a dozen and they stay dead. Why?¡±

    ¡°Our big guns are not working.¡±

    ¡°Well, that fucking sucks.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it does, Miriam.¡±

    Auberje thought out loud, ¡°Do we have other guns?¡±

    Klint replied, ¡°Hell no, that was everything. Except for missiles. We do have a lot of missiles.¡±

    ¡°Fire them! Let¡¯s try it. And target something else on their ship. Like maybe their guns,¡± Auberje¡¯s order was followed through on immediately.

    ¡°Perfect, let¡¯s do it.¡± Klint¡¯s fingers flew across his console. Hundreds of points of light smashed into the alien vessel. Then the missile wall. A series of secondary explosions marked the success of the missiles. Seconds later the carrier vented atmosphere into the vacuum of space.

    ¡°Right, missiles work. Lasers, X-rays not so much, and same with the railguns, which really makes no sense.¡±

    ¡°I have a theory about that, Captain,¡± Klint was leaning in to his displays, ¡°I really think the missiles are too slow for their shields to catch?¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Mae sounded incredulous.

    ¡°Just a theory,¡± he shrugged, ¡°but I think we are seeing it take place out there.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I suppose we are.¡± Mae watched her sensor scans. The alien carrier was punctured in any number of spots.

    ¡°Where is Marcus?¡±

    ¡°They are unloading now in Hangar 5.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Riley, let¡¯s get them up on cams,¡± Auberje ordered.

 Chapter 9: Alien Contact

    Static crackled. The images on the screen lagged across space and time. The bridge crew watching from the Lion, safe in their padded seats, crash restraints like mother¡¯s hugs, watched as witness to an alien hell.

    The 3-4-1.Marcus¡¯ cam. The main display, a mosaic of moving people. Each showing effectively the same landscape with different perspectives. The interior of Hangar 5 looked like the hangars in the Lion save for two key differences. The floors were bright red. The crew were long legged, spindly creatures. Not a human in sight save for the 3-4s. Blaster fire, heavy projectile shells, smoke from grenades, concussive explosions. The hangar was a firefight.

    Marcus¡¯ voice cut across the live stream. ¡°3-4-1 push forward. We need those far doors. I can see them forming a defensive ring there. Push, push. I need Goliath¡¯s grenade launcher on that door. Now!¡±

    A series of concussive whumth whumth wumps broke across the red floor. Shell fragments, supersonic compressed air ripped into the spindly legged aliens. Demons in Auberje¡¯s eyes. The bodies broke into biological and technological pieces like paper in a shredder. Thin bits of flesh and bones flew this way and that. The carnage was almost too much, but 3-4-1 pushed through it. They reached the door, now clear of living aliens.

    Auberje watched silently as Kettle threw a pair of thin cylinders through the small gap between blast doors. A flash of light and smoke, then the team was pulling the doors open and heading through. The hall was filled with running aliens. No one had returned fire yet. It was as if they were completely taken by surprise.

    Auberje was glad. He knew from his Tactics class that starship hallways were hellish battlefields. The enfilading fields of fire were narrow and easy to man. Two soldiers with automatic weapons or automated turrets, without the two soldiers, could hold a hallway against an army. Marcus took 3-4-1 through at a breakneck pace, pushing the alien remnants ahead of them.

    Auberje realized he was deliberately letting most of them live. Only shooting near them to keep them moving. ¡°They could be leading him to a trap,¡± Mae broke the silence, ¡°I hope he knows they may not be taking him to a place he wants to go.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Jeremey¡¯s voice cracked in its adolescent state. He swallowed, cleared his throat, and spoke again, ¡°There is something really off about these aliens. I don¡¯t like the look of them. Seems¡­ wrong somehow.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Riley, Miranda, Minden all mirrored his thoughts.

    ¡°Probably just cognitive dissonance,¡± Auberje commented with the authority of a 7-year old.

    Mae laughed softly, ¡°What do you know about cognitive dissonance? And how does it apply here?¡±

    ¡°I could be wrong, but I read ahead in our psychology class. I think it means the state of inconsistent thoughts about attitudes. I think we are too used to human images and shapes. So our minds are trying to grapple what these things are. I keep seeing demons, but I have to remind myself we have no idea what they are really like, how they think or anything about them.¡±

    ¡°True. We will learn though if we have to keep seeing them. What do we call them?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, it¡¯s in the data core we had to capture? Have we opened that yet?¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°Opened it?¡± Jeremy looked at him askance, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a flag? Are we not just playing a more complicated, expensive, extensive game of capture the flag?¡±

    Riley, ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is?¡±

    Jeremy shook his head, ¡°City kids. It¡¯s a game you play in the backyards and woods of my world. You put a pair of objects in the woods, doesn¡¯t matter what they are, except they have to be unique. Then you break up the group of players into two teams. If you tag someone you are frozen or out, and then you can be tagged back in, but that¡¯s beside the point,¡± he waved away his unnecessary details blanking the conversation¡¯s screen, ¡°the point of the game is to get the object and bring it back to your side. When you have both, you get a point and win the round. The objects don¡¯t matter themselves.¡±

    ¡°I disagree, this is more than that. Get the data cores to our scientists and let¡¯s get them read,¡± Auberje ordered, ¡°Can we play capture the flag back in 3-4s barracks?¡±

    ¡°Probably! Good idea.¡± Jeremey was energized by the suggestion. The bridge staff was still watching the progression of 3-4. The other squad was camped in Hangar 5, holding it as a clear means of retreat.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    The carrier¡¯s alien crew led 3-4-1 into an ambush, but Marcus forewarned the squad. He noticed the aliens moving slower, giving their compatriots time to set up the ambush. Marcus seemed determined to take the fight to them.

    Holding up a hand, 3-4-1 stopped in the hall before a sharp bend at the edge of the carrier. They were a half-mile of corridors from Hangar 5. ¡°Okay, 3-4-1 time to end this chase. I want you to hit the crew with everything you can. I don¡¯t want survivors in this hallway. I expect stiff resistance around that bend they just ran down. But, we are going to fire a pair of heat-seeking missiles. I checked, these aliens are the hottest thing in the hallway. Fire at your leisure, Kettle.¡±

    ¡°Helmet¡¯s sealed folks. If we blow the outside bulkheads, this is going to suck out the atmo,¡± Kettle and the others ordered their helmets to seal. The pneumatic pressurization sounded like 10 vacuums all turned on at the same time. Kettle and Goliath took small squares from their backs, folding them in half, positioning them on the ground pointing down the hall from them.

    ¡°Igniting missiles,¡± Kettle screamed into her mic to overcome the sudden shrieks of two MK Eridani IV heat-seeking personal deployment missiles.

    Seconds later, the ambush was done. The team went through the bend with guns blazing. Prefiring to make sure the hall was bathed in additional projectiles.

    They need not have worried.

    The entire hall was a broken wreck of carnage. Foam from anti-fire systems poured out from the walls. Dozens of broken bodies littered the floor. 3-4-1 stepped over them gingerly, treating the aliens like eggshells.

    The team broke through the dozens of corpses, most armed, a few armored, and came to a set of blast doors. Locked and sealed.

    ¡°Kettle, who is your team¡¯s cyber expert?¡±

    ¡°That would be, Sandwich, sir.¡± The skinny kid mentioned walked forward. His sallow skin and thin grey-white-blonde hair made him look sickly. He was anything but. He pulled a small laptop from his bag. It was effectively a series of processors designed to use quantum localization to hack through any type of encryption available. He pulled it open, held up a cupped hand, using his suit to detect any waves that might be data related. ¡°It¡¯s alien tech, boss, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be able to¡­ wait. I¡¯ve got something. Lots of data on these waves, smaller amount of bandwidth here and¡­ yes. I think this might be it. Trying to open it now.¡± His gloved hands flew across the keyboard until he stopped and stabbed a finger to an enter key.

    The doors split open with a suddenness that made Goliath jump. He fired off a grenade accidentally. The shell split through the open doors like a thrown knife. Then detonated in the next room. The room looked like a bridge, or an infirmary. Unknown.

    Tables, maybe beds, with screens above them filled it. A dozen white and gold clad aliens lay at these stations, hands with three thin fingers sliding over the screens in blurs of motion. Auberje tried to mimic their speed but realized he could not. These were truly alien life forms.

    The things, whatever they were, looked up and over at the open door. The humans saw horror in their faces.

    ¡°Hands away from consoles, unstrap yourselves, surrender,¡± Marcus spoke harshly, but it was to no avail.

    As one, the beings hit their right hand to their right hips and¡­ popped. It was disgusting to watch, Auberje had no idea what the team on sight was thinking. Most of them threw up. A few of them backed out of the room, and Auberje heard a sob or two.

    ¡°Was that strictly speaking necessary?¡± Marcus¡¯ voice was clipped and even. No one answered, it seemed as though no one knew who was supposed to answer.

    Auberje, ¡°Well, headmistress, answer him.¡±

    A sigh escaped from their headsets, her soft voice following, ¡°No, perhaps that was somewhat overdone. They will not surrender to you and will continue to die like this. I can¡¯t easily change that, unfortunately. In the future, I will modify their deaths.¡±

    ¡°Over¡­ done¡­¡± White rage was seeping through Marcus¡¯ control.

    ¡°Thank you, headmistress. We appreciate that. This was a bit too spectacular¡­ err¡­ horrific,¡± Auberje said, buying time for Marcus to get himself under control.

    ¡°A bit is understating it,¡± Riley said, head held high and defiant.

    ¡°Yes, I see that now. I apologize.¡± The headmistress apologized to every fighter on the ship as well as the bridge crew, ¡°You will encounter no more aliens on this vessel. It is yours now. I¡¯ll send in the cleaning bots to remove¡­ the gore, from the bridge.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Marcus replied, tapping his helmet cam twice to indicate he was thanking Auberje back on the Lion.

    The away team quickly gathered themselves. Cleaning up what they could, they went to work on the ship, finding the controls alien, but not outside their ability to translate and ¡®crack.¡¯ Sandwich created a translation interface and uploaded it into the carrier¡¯s database. The system wasn¡¯t perfect but it was surprisingly easy to take control of the ship after that.

    ¡°Auberje, I¡¯m going to transfer my headquarters to this ship. I¡¯ll ask my squad to come over, you¡¯ll be our protector and our forward attack ship. This ship, I¡¯ll rename her, Den Mother, will be the platform for our fighters and whatnot. I¡¯m not sure if we can squeeze into their fighters without serious changes to them, but we will try. Sound good?¡± Marcus was surprised he was asking the boy for his permission, but it felt right. Auberje was something special.

    ¡°Sounds perfect, boss. I¡¯m sending them to you now, along with maybe a 1/3rd of the crew. The Lion can be run with a much smaller crew given all of the androids.¡± Auberje waved as if that would magically make it happen. Minden was surprised as it did. Soft voices in microphones gave orders from the bridge seats and klaxons wailed as different parts of the ship were sent to work. Soon numerous vessels were sailing back and forth between the two ships.

    Their fleet was growing.

 Chapter 10: The Science of Hope

    They secured the crystalline data core. They were well ahead of their opponent teams who, as far as they could tell, were still on the initial planet. That gave them plenty of time to continue to look around. They were all tired after the day''s events, and Auberje made sure his ship, with it¡¯s reduced staff and crew, rested.

    Riley was particularly adamant that he do the same. He fell asleep immediately and woke to the smell of coffee brewing. Odd, he thought, I don¡¯t drink coffee.

    ¡°Good morning, young Auberje.¡± The voice cut across his haze. He opened his eyes and looked at its owner.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± A pair of brown eyes, a doughy face, blank features without signs of living, pallid almost marble in features.

    ¡°Suffice to say, I¡¯m not someone who¡¯s supposed to be here. I have a request, young man. I will give you 10 billion credits, if you will promise me before you leave Star Academy, you will ask to see the headmistress in her true form. Do we have a deal? I¡¯ll put the funds in an escrow account which you will be able to verify.¡±

    Auberje gaped at him, 10 billion credits would set himself and his family up for life. They would be amongst the top 1% of the galaxy¡¯s wealthy. They already were most likely. But this would guarantee it. A promise to ask to see the headmistress¡¯ true form? It seemed so innocuous.

    ¡°You jest?¡±

    ¡°No. I never tell jokes, nor jest.¡± The face did not change into a sneer, but Auberje heard it, ¡°What say you, I cannot stay any longer?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ yes, I don¡¯t see a downside. I¡¯ll ask her before my time at Star Academy ends, I promise.¡±

    This time, the features relaxed, ¡°Thank you, the account number can be found on this piece of paper.¡± The odd life form held out a hand and then began to crumble to dust. The paper slid, covered in dust, through the air, landing on the bed next to Auberje. He shook his head, staring in disbelief at the pile of dust and the small piece of paper. He memorized the numbers, 14572-65415-616986-65135.

    ¡°Headmistress, who was just here?¡± His voice was hesitant, if he was right, she would say no one.

    ¡°No one, why?¡±

    The answer came immediately. He wasn¡¯t surprised by the speed, but the response concerned him. Either he was hallucinating or someone had managed to get a robot to Auberje on a ship, in the middle of uncharted space, and without the Headmistress¡¯ systems knowing. That someone could do it was conceivable but near 0 probability of success. He thought again to the request, strange as it was. He would no doubt have to comply, after checking the account for its credits.

    He stood up, showered, and dressed. Putting the paper into his pocket as he left the room. His uniform felt snug, and right today. It was day 3 of their Greathing. He expected it to be the hardest yet. Everything had been a bit too smooth so far.

    As he reached the bridge, Minden spoke up, ¡°Sir, we have confirmation from Marcus that things are working out over on the Den Mother. Fighters are cramped, but some of the smaller children can fly them. We have a dozen running exercises now. We are to maintain a close distance, somewhere between 100,000 and 250,000 kilometers and remain ready for anything.¡±

    ¡°Very well, put us into yellow alert. I don¡¯t want to unnecessarily tire out the crew, but I want to make sure we are all close to being ready for combat. Let¡¯s also shorten eating shifts by 15 minutes. I hate to do it, but otherwise too many of the crew are in the mess halls at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll communicate it out.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Minden, can you send for the Chief of Science? I want to talk to him about his findings, if any. And let Marcus know I¡¯m awake and available if he needs me.¡±

    ¡°Will do, sir.¡± Minden proceeded through the checklist as Auberje took his seat. Riley walked onto the bridge a few seconds later, and he smiled at her as she took her seat. She smiled back. He felt a flush of warmth and happiness.

    ¡°Science officer requests your presence in the science bay, Auberje,¡± Minden reported. Auberje nodded, he wasn¡¯t strictly speaking needed on the bridge as it was Miranda¡¯s Watch.

    ¡°Heading there now, Riley, would you like to come?¡±

    ¡°I would love to,¡± her toothy smile widened and he laughed in pleasure. They went together to the lift, taking it down five floors toward the lower middle decks. The science floor has a massive set of large and small rooms on this deck.

    They were greeted at the doorway by the 2nd year. She came to attention smartly and walked them further into the science rooms. Past doors with toxicity warnings and rooms that looked like iceboxes. They were escorted through blue lights, red lights, and purple pulsing lights to a round door about the size of a grown man. The door split open vertically revealing a morgue. Dozens of lockers lined the walls, but in the center was a pair of figures standing over a body. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    The body was alien in features but was even odder looking as it was split open, guts, and¡­ was that metal?

    ¡°Captain Auberje, I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve come. I wanted you to see this first hand,¡± the taller, older of the two students greeted Auberje with an outstretched hand.

    This figure, 7th year Kevin Daxen looked nothing like the nerdy scientists of the holovids. He was built like a small ogre. Arms of muscle, his grip was firm but not crushing. His eyes belied his deep intelligence. They seemed to burrow into Auberje. He returned their inspection with no rush. He had long ago realized you could unsettle almost everyone by a willingness to be inspected. Soon enough Kevin looked away, eyes moving to Riley.

    ¡°Miss Belle, I¡¯ve heard great things, I¡¯m glad you are here too. This is my assistant, Lucy Xex. Miss Xex is a 4th year and talented Xenobiologist in training. I¡¯ve come to a few conclusions here that I¡¯m not sure either of us is going to like.¡±

    ¡°Tell us.¡±

    ¡°As far as I can tell, this lifeform is a pig,¡± Kevin spoke slowly, hesitantly, obviously holding something back.

    ¡°What?¡± Auberje balked at him.

    ¡°Yes, sir. I was surprised too. The dna is almost 90% match for the common domestic swine. But¡­ I believe with clever changes to a small amount of DNA, RNA, and other biological components, along with machines to do what the flesh cannot, it has been made to look and act like an alien being. Hell, it is alien, it just isn¡¯t an alien. If that makes any sense?¡± Kevin asked.

    ¡°I think it does. It actually makes me feel much better about the entire thing. These are basically robots with some functions given over to pig parts?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but here¡¯s the weird part, the scary part. The 10% that¡¯s not a pig, right, that 10% isn¡¯t entirely genetically modified from the common pig. It contains something more. Something that shouldn''t exist according to all my medical databases. That 10% is alien,¡± Kevin looked shaken.

    ¡°That, that can¡¯t be!¡± Riley exclaimed.

    ¡°I know, but yet the evidence suggests that not only can it be, it is,¡± Kevin shook his head in bewilderment and awe, ¡°What we have here is something truly amazing. A blending of viable domesticated animal DNA with an alien species¡¯ DNA. I believe this is a discovery that will shake the world to it¡¯s very foundation.¡±

    ¡°Have you asked the Headmistress about this?¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s not forthcoming. She wouldn¡¯t even take my chit for an answer. She simply said she created them, so it¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Kevin bit his lip, his assistant nodded in wonder, ¡°I am worried about it, Auberje, Riley. I don¡¯t understand what this means for us as humans, but if Headmistress can splice and dice DNA strands to make a pig into something so alien and have it be viable¡­ Others must be able to as well. If that¡¯s the case, the universe just got a lot smaller, and we might have already created or discovered nonhuman lifeforms. The implications are¡­¡±

    ¡°Stunning, I know,¡± Headmistress¡¯ voice echoed about them, soft and strangely comforting. Had the light level changed? Auberje was unsure but he thought it had decreased just at the edge of perceptible levels. ¡°I cannot be the first to understand how to put the requisite set of technologies to use. It¡¯s why I am including these lifeforms in your Greathing. I have to get you ready for what might await all of you after you leave Star Academy.¡±

    Auberje and Riley exchanged looks, ¡®prepare us¡­¡¯ they seemed to say to one another, ¡®you are absolutely terrifying us.¡¯

    ¡°Regardless, I don¡¯t believe you have anything more to learn from this lesson. 3-4 has established the facts of these¡­ lifeforms, as you¡¯ve called them. Turn your scientific research to other areas now Mr. Daxen, specifically the information found on the data crystal. Your autopsy is at its conclusion.¡±

    Kevin sighed, but nodded, ¡°You¡¯re right, Headmistress. I¡¯m just poking around inside the thing now and that¡¯s not fair to it. Auberje, I¡¯ve got work to do on decoding the data core. Do you need anything else from me, us,¡± he gestured at Lucy, ¡°in the meantime?¡±

    ¡°No, and good work. Keep it up,¡± the 7-year old turned to leave.

    Riley¡¯s question stopped him in his tracks, ¡°Could we gain anything from the alien DNA?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kevin asked, also taken aback.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking on it, too, Riley,¡± Lucy spoke softly for the first time in their meeting, ¡°I don¡¯t think we know enough yet, but it¡¯s possible that the DNA contains secrets we need to discover. We have the data,¡± she patted her PDA, ¡°so after the Greathing we can look into it more. We might find new vaccines, cures to diseases, incredible strength, or terrible, terrible secrets. Either way, I promise to look into it, Riley.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Riley said, ¡°I appreciate that. Keep us informed.¡± And she took Auberje¡¯s hand in hers and left the room. The whoosh of the vertical door sliding open and shut was accompanied by the soft patter of their feet on the metal floors.

    They walked hand in hand, in silence, for some time, past the lights of the science deck, to the lift atrium. There, stopping, they examined each other¡¯s faces with alit eyes. Two of humanity¡¯s greatest forms, younger than any should be with such responsibility, but minds sharper than 99.99% of the numerous billions of their race. They were the product of countless generations of mental and physical pairings and of self-selective breeding.

    All that time and chance had brought them here, to this place, to this moment. Auberje sighed, stepping forward to peck Riley on the lips. It was a soft kiss, one of tenderness and love, fear and hope. She returned it with a slight purse of her soft lips. It was a kiss between children but a promise that someday, perhaps, they would be adults and would try again in a less chaste fashion.

    They slipped back to holding hands and standing side by side before the elevator doors. Their uniforms immaculate, their hands not yet sweaty from the shared heat, they stepped forward and told the elevator where to take them.

    Time was still on their side, but the Headmistress, watching them, wondered how much time any of them really had. She would prepare them, she told herself, as much as she could, for as long as she could. She would prepare them for what was to come. If she could have shivered, she would have.

 Chapter 11: Planning a Trip

    ¡°Remember, your goals for this Greathing ¡®The goal is a combination of exploration and destruction. We are seeking out a pair of valuable data chips of an alien design.¡¯ We¡¯ve accomplished the mission, securing a pair of valuable data chips, we pulled one from the Lion and the other from the carrier, the Den Mother.¡± Marcus spoke quickly, his voice and face digitally transmitted between the ships, ¡°but something that Auberje asked at the beginning of the Greathing is bothering me. Why are we being trained in this manner?¡±

    ¡°You heard me ask that?¡± Auberje¡¯s face wrinkled in pensive contemplation.

    ¡°I did. That¡¯s why I asked for this meeting with just the two bridge crews. I expect there is something more going on here than we are being told.¡±

    A third voice joined their conversation, ¡°There is.¡± Headmistress¡¯ voice broke across them like a cold splash of water on a warm day.

    ¡°I thought so, and so did Auberje. Will you tell us?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ someday. Not today. For now, work as hard as you can to explore this area. Do whatever you want, avoid your classmates, fight them, explore with them or without. Just don¡¯t ask again today. Everything I do, I do for your betterment and the good of humanity, even life itself. You are¡­ too young still to know what else awaits in the Divide, in the countless worlds out there.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, what the hell does that even mean?¡± Marcus sounded frustrated like his blood was boiling. Auberje could''ve sworn he saw steam coming out of his ears.

    ¡°It means we have much to talk about later. For now, enjoy yourselves. You have two ships, dozens of smaller craft. There are multiple planets in this system and beautiful sights to see.¡±

    ¡°Is this somewhere in space? As in, can we get here again?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±

    ¡°Okay, if we build a base and stash things in it, will you destroy it after the Greathing is over?¡±

    ¡°I will not.¡± Headmistress sounded amused, ¡°Building in some type of contingency plan on my dime?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. You¡¯ve already promised us the ships,¡± Marcus said, ¡°So I did not think you cared much about some more material being¡­ appropriated for later use.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, you are right. If you can convince your fellow classmates to help you make things for your future use, you are welcome to use the resources you have available to do so.¡± She was laughing now, they all heard it in her voice, tonal changes, simple highs and lows in timbre.

    ¡°Great, thank you. Auberje, what do you think? Mind building out a base with me and mine that you won¡¯t have access to for a few years?¡± Marcus was genuinely asking for help, and extending the offer of future use.

    ¡°Absolutely, but you should put it in writing. I was thinking about your comments earlier about what you are going to do after you leave Star Academy. If you are serious about building a company, why not start it now?¡± Auberje suggested.

    Riley spoke from behind him, ¡°Yes, can we start something like the Skullweavers? A company for good? Made up of 3-4s?¡±

    Marcus smiled, ¡°That¡¯s always been my plan. It¡¯s a great idea to start now. I¡¯ll send a notification to all 3-4s and offers to everyone as well. Maybe someone has some idea of what pay should be like and the structure. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll evolve but it would be nice to start somewhere.¡±

    ¡°And who has ownership?¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°Everyone,¡± Marcus replied without hesitation, ¡°It has to be employee owned, and with the option for future 3-4s to join if they want and receive shares as well.¡±

    ¡°That sounds amazing,¡± Miranda said.

    Miriam agreed, ¡°Hell yes, count me in! I don¡¯t have any wish to go back to my old life. I won¡¯t be stuck in my dead end planet¡¯s bureaucracy like my mom and dad.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Nicols nodded, ¡°Yeah, what the hell would be the fun in something like that. Or making wine on my home planet. I¡¯ve got no interest in that at all.¡±

    ¡°Great, then we are in agreement. I¡¯ll send the contract around in a few, Marcus out.¡± His face disappeared from the screen.

    The bridge crew discussed the situation for a few minutes laughing and talking about the future and what they might be able to build in the few remaining days of this Greathing. That got the creative juices in Auberje¡¯s mind thinking. He hit the intercom button for engineering and science divisions.

    ¡°Paging all engineers and science officers. Please report to the mess hall immediately for a presentation and address from Captain Auberje. Paging all engineers and science officers.¡±

    He stood, the conversation dying down around him. He looked at them, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll need at least one person to remain here on watch. I don¡¯t want us to get attacked by any of our classmates. You can put the feed from the mess hall on one of the screens. I¡¯ll need the rest of you to contact everyone who you think is even mildly useful to the creation of bases, objects, storing of food, etc¡­ even fighter pilots might be necessary as we probably will have to shuttle most of the goods from where we make them to somewhere. I suppose we need to work with the boss to figure out where he plans on placing this base as well. If you have ideas on that side of things let me know too.¡± He realized he was rambling and that they were all looking at him with awe.

    ¡°What? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you are only 7 years old?¡± Tiana asked.

    ¡°I am, but, I think like all of you, we are not exactly the typical children of old Earth.¡±

    They all nodded in agreement. In the past, some would have called them freaks of nature. Now they were considered precious resources of humanity. The creme de la creme of all humanity.

    ¡°Okay, to the mess hall people!¡± He pointed and they moved.

    Fifteen minutes later, in front of a crowd of probably 90% of the 3-4s on the Lion, Auberje laid out his basic plan, ¡°We are going to locate a place for a base. We are going to prioritize the creation of replicative technologies, mainly manufacturing, science, power, maybe even shipbuilding if we can manage it. You guys tell me, I¡¯m the coordinator of this ship''s efforts in this endeavor, and that¡¯s it.¡± His stature might have been small, slight and short, but his presence filled the room. For a moment, no one spoke.

    ¡°Communications. We are going to need a way to find this place and communicate with both Star Academy, and all the 3-4s not yet out in the worlds, and other places,¡± Miranda said softly.

    ¡°And food storage, creation, processing,¡± Gunther said, ¡°I¡¯ll want a way to make a self-sustaining and operating if we can swing it, greenhouse. We should be able to. There is one on board this ship.¡±

    ¡°If we want to power this base, I think I have a couple of ways. One is to use the reactor plans for the Lion and the Den Mother, and build out a similar system in a stationary base. It will be overkill but still... ¡° Mae Xin¡¯s face was flush with excitement. Building this base was going to be fun.

    ¡°Break up into groups, and let¡¯s see where we need more help. I¡¯ll need the Chief to be in charge of logistics of moving goods and machinery from here to¡­ wherever. And we need someone to find a location soon,¡± Auberje said, getting a ping from Marcus.

    ¡°Hey, Auberje, what do you think about building the base in an asteroid like Star Academy. We can use one of the larger ones we are close to now,¡± Marcus continued, ¡°Helps with the raw materials problem too, since we will have to mine the hell out of a few asteroids anyway.¡±

    ¡°Works for me, I¡¯m breaking my team into groups right now to tackle different problems. I¡¯ve still got about half of 3-4 on the Lion. Are you doing the same?¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°Yes, I was about to do the same. Let¡¯s compare notes.¡± Marcus said, and Auberje sent him the ad hoc groups they had created so far with the different problems they would tackle.

    ¡°Great, you covered everything I have except three areas: weapons, base defenses, and computer technology.¡±

    ¡°Excellent suggestions. I¡¯ll assign your team leaders a few of my people who are interested in those areas.¡± Auberje said, moving people around on his roster list.

    ¡°Thank you. See you on SA2 in a few hours.¡± Marcus winked out.

    ¡°SA2?¡± Auberje rolled the acronym around between his tongue and soft palate, ¡°ah, Star Academy 2.¡±

    Riley took his hand in hers, she had stayed at his side, silently thinking and tapping on her keyboard, ¡°I think we should call it Homestead.¡±

    ¡°As in, Home Instead?¡± Auberje asked, quizzical eyebrows rising over dark eyes.

    She lifted her free hand and pointed around them. Dozens of children and teenagers were sitting around tables, standing over diagrams and holograms, videos played in 3 or 4 different screens on each of the groups¡¯ PDAs. The teams were hard at work, but the place was still only a shiny, replaceable hull.

    ¡°The Lion, given enough time and changes, might someday feel like home, Auberje, but¡­ we need a place with gravity spun out by a sun, not by a generator. The base will have some of that. This base will be our true home after Star Academy, at least for those who choose to make it so. I think we all need that. Star Academy feels like an adventure to me. It¡¯s close to being home, but it¡¯s dorm rooms, and snoring classmates and hard tests and sad times and good times: loneliness and angst. I think we need this place to be more than that. Memories of family, true safety. That type of thing.¡± Riley stopped and blushed, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You are the most amazing girl. I think you¡¯ve hit the nail on the head. You are right. The way Star Academy feels is just not quite home,¡± he smiled softly at her, squeezing her small hand, ¡°Well, except when I¡¯m with you. Except for that, I don¡¯t think it ever can. Too much hardship which is necessary for our education. I agree; I think we need to call this place Homestead.¡±

    They walked around the room, asking where everyone was, giving suggestions, and listening to ideas. Auberje was asked to handle a few decisions here and there, mostly in situations with just two directions where the group was deadlocked. He gave what advice he could but mostly turned the accurate decision-making back to the group, getting them to see they already knew the answers even if it didn¡¯t feel like it. Riley helped him assuage a few hard-liners and make them feel like they were still part of the group decisions. She had a way about her where she could turn an argument into agreement with a flick of her hair, a specific word or two, and a grim look of determination. Someday, Auberje thought, she will be a real charmer. On that day, he and everyone else needed to be careful, or they would be following Riley around like lost puppies. For now, he thought she was too young and too green, even as he looked at her with great big puppy eyes.

    He thought of his own mother, who could do that. Wrap men around her finger without hesitation, women too if he was being honest. He thought of Dyson Sphere 37. Of the title and duty he would someday have to take hold of. This was a distraction, but a necessary one. If he could become a great man on his own¡­ It might change the very direction of his life.

 Chapter 12: Leavetaking and Portal Shutdown

    Two days of frantic designing, building, mining, manufacturing gave Auberje a headache. The whole 3-4 team had signed up for the ThreeFour Employee Owned Limited Partnership which was filed with the necessary galactic authorities. Each of 3-4s members were given an equal share in it, revocable if they did not graduate.

    The bylaws called for an election for a board, a CEO, a COO, and a few other positions. Marcus was unanimously confirmed as CEO and President of the Board. Grace was made COO; Chuck was made Chief Technical Officer; and Auberje, much to his surprise, was named a Vice President and given a board seat. The rest of the positions went to older students, with one exception. Riley was named a Senior Vice President overseeing Operations. She was Grace¡¯s right hand.

    Minden and Miriam were placed as Captains in the Pilot Corps. The organization was half military positions and half business ones. It was the perfect combination for Star Academy graduates.

    Even as they finished building the base, a hollowed-out asteroid with 500 rooms, most empty with dozens upon dozens of large manufactory, scientific, and engineering spaces, Auberje and Riley monitored the radio and communication traffic of the other school houses and greathing teams. Nobody went into space. They scrabbled and brawled over the planet''s surface. But none looked to the sky. It wasn¡¯t surprising given the 3-4s reaction to Auberje asking for a starship.

    No one could find 3-4, which was driving 1-1, and Helos, in particular, mad. They knew they were somewhere in the Greathing arena because they had found 3-4s satellites in orbit, but they could not find them on the planet''s surface. Finally, on the last day of the Greathing, Helos asked the right question as Auberje and the others were finishing up a particularly hard-to-build shipbuilding and repair facility that involved spacewalks and robotic scaffolding.

    Auberje knew because he had asked the Lion to monitor for any communication from Helos about 3-4, Auberje, Riley, or space. ¡°Oh shit,¡± he said, ¡°We¡¯ve got trouble coming.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Riley looked up from her welding torch, the space suit¡¯s mirrored visor falling away to reveal her consternation.

    ¡°Helos knows we are in space. I think 1-1 will try and cause us some issues.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t let them find the base,¡± Riley looked almost panicky.

    ¡°I know, we won¡¯t,¡± Auberje said, ¡°Headmistress, I¡¯m calling in another chit. This base has to be secret from anyone who isn¡¯t 3-4. Can you do that for me?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt any students who find out, Auberje, but I¡¯ll prevent anyone from heading in this direction. It is an easy enough change to their computer¡¯s coordinates for this area always to be somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°Perfect, thank you,¡± Auberje thought quickly, ¡°Alert Marcus of the danger, Lion.¡± A brief moment later and the intercom light blinked red, Auberje answered, ¡°Hi Marcus.¡±

    ¡°Auberje, thanks for bringing this to my attention,¡± Marcus sounded harried, ¡°I¡¯m supervising the Den Mother¡¯s loading. We are pulling everyone out of the base, and getting ready to go back to the planet and exit the arena. Do you think you can keep us safe if the 1-1s come up? I want to make sure we are not discovered anywhere near here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. I was thinking of taking a trip closer to the planet, positioning ourselves away from a straight line to here. Then I propose engaging the 1-1s if they try and leave the system. We should be able to smash them,¡± Auberje unconsciously smashed a small fist into his palm, he smiled wolfishly ¡°Helos has asked Headmistress for a small survey ship. He¡¯s onto the right idea but the wrong application. We will have the bigger hammer.¡±

    Marcus¡¯ release of breath was audible even with the computer¡¯s automatic noise suppression software. A sure sign of the tension the boy was under, ¡°Very well. Do it. We will follow. My plan is for us to put both ships in a high, non-degrading orbit as we exit. That way they should be here when we come back.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Makes sense to me, Marcus,¡± Auberje said nodding. Realizing he had not considered what to do with the Lion when they left. He had a lot to learn. He felt suddenly self-conscious of his age and lack of knowledge. He was smarter than anyone he knew, in many ways, but¡­ he remained an almost 8-year-old in many other ways. He made a mental note to replay the events of this Greathing with a critical eye not only for his and Riley¡¯s actions but also for Marcus¡¯. He had a lot to learn from the other student.

    ¡°Excellent, get moving, Marcus out,¡± the intercom link clicked once and the light turned off.

    ¡°Well,¡± Auberje started, pausing for a deep breath, ¡°Take the Lion back to the planet please, ship¡¯s AI. Beat to quarters, and sound the general readiness alarms. Shields charged and on please, and let¡¯s see what we can do.¡±

    ¡°The shields never turn off, Auberje,¡± Riley said with a small twinkle in her eyes, ¡°if they did dust would shred us.¡±

    He thought she might be making a joke, but the computer confirmed she was absolutely right, ¡°makes sense, Lion, I expect you to keep us alive when I say stupid stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°Captain, I will do my best, I am a ship though. So a large part of keeping alive is up to you and your decisions. I will endeavor to keep the ship safe for human crew and passengers though,¡± Lion¡¯s voice almost whispered in his ear. He shivered. AI were dangerous. Everyone knew it. But then, common knowledge was often wrong, wasn¡¯t it? Their psychology class had discussed the madness of crowds repeatedly, almost heavily handed in its denunciation of trusting the wisdom of the masses. From Copernicus to Margerie Albex, individual humans were constantly driving knowledge forward and being persecuted by the masses of slightly less advanced human monkeys.

    It was again a sign of Auberje¡¯s dark mood that he focused on the downside of humanity even as he sailed through the stars on a ship which might as well have been powered by magic. Two and a half trillion humans had lived and died in the galaxy. None of them had more advanced technology than he had at that moment. Yet, technology wasn¡¯t wisdom, he knew that too.

    He shook himself, trying to free his young mind from the dread grasp of doubt. Riley looked at him concerned. He shrugged and smiled softly to her. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can do about another smart first year.¡±

    Ten minutes and two small, local jumps later, they were on the far side of the planet watching 1-1s survey ship take off from the surface of the planet. They were tracking its trajectory, prepared to throw down an anti-jump dampening field. He also had a pair of tractor beams readied. If they could, they would disable the ship¡¯s engines with Lion¡¯s plasma cannons and missiles, tractor the survey ship to them, and force Helos¡¯ surrender.

    It worked out in almost perfect fashion. The 1-1s were not expecting trouble. They simply could not comprehend the size of the Lion or the small boy who demanded their surrender in his blue and red uniform. Helos was not onboard. The first year 1-1 was crouched behind a rock, taking fire from two sides when he heard the news of his survey ship.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if he was better off where he was, precarious and dangerous as his current position was than those on the ship. At least this way he was not an embarrassed guest of the 3-4s. Lauen Xavier¡¯s voice cut through his com¡¯s chatter, ¡°pull back, all 1-1s to retreat through the arena portal. We are out of options people, we will have to settle for 2nd place.¡±

    On a private channel, ¡°Helos, I want to apologize, you were right. We should have looked to the stars earlier. I should not have been so flippant because of your age. I owe you one.¡±

    Helos tried to waive her apology away but she stuck to it. ¡°No,¡± she said, ¡°I was wrong to treat you so because of your relative inexperience.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, miss. I understood it then, and now. Just wish things had worked out slightly differently,¡± Helos said he ran back from his rock, working his way carefully toward the exit portal. Shots fired from somewhere to his rear were scarily close. He laughed as he ran, to think that Lauren Xavier was apologizing to a first-year for not listening to his idea. He shook his head. His thoughts strayed to space. He wondered what the 3-4s had found out there. Maybe a couple of cores? It was hard to know. Perhaps, he could ask Auberje about it.

    Their rivalry was strong, but they were of an age. They had more in common than anyone else their age. Helos decided he would try to find out. Pride aside, he was interested in knowing what they had found in the great beyond.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The 3-4s were the last ones through the portal. Shuttling down to the planet¡¯s surface, they were quickly marched through the portal, 1-1 captives led by a group of 3rd years. They joked and laughed together, talking about nothing important so the 1-1s couldn''t find anything out about their activities in space. They were a merry lot, even with the horrors of the fake aliens fresh in their minds. Marcus alone seemed to carry the burden of the future on his broad shoulders. He and Auberje were the very last two on the planet.

    Marcus stopped Auberje, looking him straight in the eyes, his hand on Auberje¡¯s small shoulder. He was stooped low to try and maintain some semblance of height equality. ¡°Auberje, I don¡¯t want to inflate your ego, but¡­ I think you must understand, you are very special. Even surrounded by especially bright humans whose genetics are about as perfect as our race can engineer, you are a remarkable individual.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t interrupt, not yet. I know you may feel differently, but it is not just your intellect, you are a curious soul and not afraid to speak up. Few enough of us are like that. I want to tell you because it means you are marked as different by the others. It will be both a curse and a gift. If you ever need someone to talk to, come to me. I will help you as best I can. Finally... ¡° he took a deep breath, watching the boy squirm uncomfortably from the older boy¡¯s praise, ¡°Thank you. This week you set into motion something truly momentous. The events of this Greathing have changed the course of my life and I appreciate that more than you can know.¡± He squeezed Auberje¡¯s shoulder and before the boy could say anything he shoved him gently through the blue and white light of the portal back into the school.

    Marcus followed close behind. The portal shivered and snapped shut with an electric crackle.

 Chapter 13: Interregnum Discovery

    For three months, no Greathing alarms rang. The school kids were heads down in their classwork. Thousands of pages read, hundreds written. Lecture after lecture, lab after lab. The 3-4s practiced, studied, and were tested on every subject known to man. The first years had it easiest. Their work was the most general and least intensive, and still, Auberje thought, his brain hurt. Helos, not too far away in the same lab rubbed his temples while staring at the thick physics book open in front of him, like a tome of ancient magic, the boy looked like he might cry. Auberje felt the same way. They were learning how dampening fields worked, and the higher-level math involved was swimming on the page.

    ¡°Enough self-study,¡± Professor Hungola said suddenly, ¡°Riley please explain Margerie Albex¡¯s 4th Law of Expanded Travel.¡±

    Riley stood, voice soft, and gave a passable explanation.

    ¡°Close enough,¡± Dr. Hungola said nodding, ¡°Helos, what did she miss?¡±

    Helos stood, glancing first at Riley then at Auberje, ¡°Dr. Albex also postulated that dampening fields were a swerve in spacetime. That the field is actually a curving of space around the bend that would allow instantaneous travel. Imagine taking the paper and bending it in half and then twisting it into a spiral. The connection is no longer direct, one-to-one. This is what makes a dampening field work. The swerve, twist or spiral introduced.¡±

    ¡°Correct, good work Helos. Does that mean you cannot jump out of a dampening field, Auberje?'''' Dr. Hungola turned his dark blue eyes to Auberje. The kids said Hungola looked like a prophet of some ancient religion. At this moment, Auberje agreed readily.

    ¡°No, you can theoretically still jump, but if your drive does not account correctly for the twist and swerve, you will be sent into¡­ well we don¡¯t exactly know but we consider it the interstitial space between here and there.¡±

    ¡°Correct as well. What are the consequences of being sent to the interstitial space?¡± He asked the class at large.

    One of the 3-4s raised her hand, Emily Dancer, Auberje noted, ¡°Dr. no one quite knows, but one consequence is the ships don¡¯t return.¡±

    ¡°And again, you are correct, class. We don¡¯t truthfully know, as we have never received any data from that ¡®space¡¯ between here and there but we do know it doesn¡¯t allow travel back to our plane of existence if you will,¡± he went on, but Auberje, and Helos, considered the problem. Their minds running through scenarios separately but in parallel. Like an engine''s twin pistons, they did the same work but separately and without communication to one another. Neither of them made new ground, but both considered the issue worthy of continued thought.

    Later, in the first year¡¯s history of humanity class, Lewis Nielsen, dressed in the uniform of millennia of history professors, a tweed jacket with leather elbow pads, and a rumpled pair of ink-stained pants, shocked the class with talk of aliens.

    ¡°It was widely thought that humanity would find other intelligent species when we sailed out into the greater galaxy from our solar system. Now, even with near instantaneous, limitless travel, we still have yet to find life more advanced than eukaryotic organisms. This would have baffled our older civilizations but is now taken for granted by our current society. Yet, still, the impact of these unfound Others haunts our political, cultural, and historical understanding of man. Can you tell me how, Auberje?¡± He picked up on Auberje¡¯s distraction. The boy was smiling coyly at Riley who was surreptitiously holding his hand under the table. Nielsen held back a sigh of exasperation. He was used to that type of behavior in the older years, where hormones ran rampant. Damn kids, he thought, they all are growing up faster than ever.

    ¡°I believe it is because we still see parties like the NeoXenoists and the Defense League who build their bases of power around the ever-present threat of outside life,¡± Auberje answered without a pause.

    ¡°Correct,¡± Nielsen''s eyes narrowed at the boy. Boring into him, he asked a follow-up, ¡°Why do you think we have never found another intelligent species, Auberje?¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    For a brief moment, Auberje thought of the events on the Den Mother. He shivered, ¡°I am not sure, professor, perhaps because the universe is so large, and we have largely stopped our travel out into the far reaches of the Milky Way due to the incredible expenditure of energy required to do so and required to come back. Perhaps we are the first of the intelligent races. It is a perplexing idea. Maybe the ancient Christians had it right, sir.¡±

    Nielsen gave him a sharp look, ¡°Expand.¡± That was his catchphrase.

    Auberje shrugged, ¡°Maybe we are created in the image of the Creator and no other intelligent species exist because of that. Even with all our technological advances, we are no closer to understanding how we exist than our ancestors on Earth were,¡± his small shoulders went up and down again in exaggerated ignorance.

    ¡°Thank you, Auberje, what an excellent conjecture,¡± Nielsen replied sardonically. He took a pipe out from his jacket pocket and stuck it in his mouth. He chewed on it thoughtfully, replacing it momentarily in the front right flap of his fine wool jacket, ¡°It¡¯s more than just the cults, the so-called Defense League, and, as your esteemed colleague Auberje pointed out, a possible religi-philosophical issue. A lack of other life forms has ultimately shaped every aspect of human advancement across the stars. We inhabit ten thousand world,s more or less. At one point humans were thought to encompass 50,000. We have abandoned many of our far-flung homes. Here and there, on the edge of civilization, a small group owns a planet and lives largely free of other human interference. Yet, even that is largely discouraged ever since the Fringe Wars of 80 and 89. Humanity is concentrated in the Central Belt, our small corner of an incredibly vast and scarily empty galaxy. Consider the first paragraph on page 235 please.¡±

    And on and on and on it went until 91 days, 7 minutes after Auberje and Marcus returned from the last Greathing.

    ¡°Attention all students, all students. You are to stop what you are doing and meet in the Convocation Theater immediately,¡± the headmistress¡¯s voice cut sharply through the heart of the lecture Dr. Greene was giving on the cardio-vascular system.

    The headmistress reported her command, ¡°Attention all students, all students. You are to stop what you are doing and meet in the Convocation Theater immediately.¡±

    Dr. Greene shut his book with one hand, motioning with the other for the class to exit. Filing out with the rest of the first years, Auberje exchanged concerned looks with Riley.

    Adam Klezer, a 3-4 came up beside them as they walked three abreast through the hallway toward the amphitheater, ¡°any idea why we are all assembling Auberje?¡±

    ¡°None, you?¡± Auberje replied, taking Riley¡¯s small hand and squeezing it.

    ¡°Not a clue. Hopefully, it''s a Greathing!¡± The boy sounded excited at the prospect. Inwardly, Auberje agreed with Adam. Hopefully, it was a Greathing. He was getting tired of the constant schooling. It was nearly 5 months since he had first set foot here at the Academy. He, like many of the others, was getting stir-crazy.

    Auberje knew Marcus was even more tense. The older boy had come to Auberje a few days before confessing his need to get the 3-4s back in action. Auberje had agreed, asking if this gap in time between Greathings was standard.

    ¡°Not at all, farthest thing from it, Auberje,¡± Marcus had replied, looking concerned. Auberje had queried the headmistress, but she hadn¡¯t responded to his questions. Dodging them artfully at times, ignoring them outright at others.

    Auberje sighed expressively. Riley squeezed his hand, looking upward at him, their minute height difference playing to her advantage. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing important,¡± Riley reassured the two boys, ¡°maybe she¡¯s giving us the week off? The older students say we are overdue a semester break.¡±

    Her slight voice tilted and careened off the metal walls of the Star Academy hallway. Auberje grunted as Adam presented ever more far-fetched explanations of what the assembly could be about. As they approached, even Auberje¡¯s usually stoic mind swam with anxiety-ridden possibilities. He mentally thanked the other boy for stoking the flames of his mind¡¯s anxious forges.

    Five minutes later, they sat in the last row of the theater. Plush seats, high-backed and mostly occupied, filled a massive auditorium deep inside the academy asteroid. Here and there, a teacher waved latecomers into open seats, filling in each row. The hall could seat 5000 or more, but it would still be relatively tightly packed if every student from every class and squadron were present.

    General Flitzsumon stood on the podium, tapping the air in front of her, testing the ambient acoustics. They were perfect, as they always were. The days of using actual microphones in front of the speaker''s mouth were long gone. Now the thousands of tiny sensors throughout the room picked up what the speaker was saying and amplified them to a conversational level or higher to each listener.

    ¡°Hello students, thank you for coming so swiftly. We have an announcement we felt must be made in person. Yes, yes, stragglers please sit down as you can. We will get started in just a moment,¡± the general, the professor in charge of Warcraft and Strategy was dressed in her stately blue and white uniform. No one was quite sure where she had served before Star Academy, but everyone who took her classes knew she was a badass. Or so Auberje had heard. His class on Warcraft was being taught by a rather unsophisticated AI of General Marsha Flitzsumon.

    He fidgeted, his feet bouncing up and down, mind racing still through myriad scenarios, each twisting and writhing more complicated and serpentine through the warrens of his mind. He shrugged mentally, then physically, rolling his shoulders and letting all the doubts go away. He was about to find out what the announcement contained. There was no reason to continue to be heightened by it. He saw a Riley nearby and smiled at her across a few students. She shifted so she could see him more clearly, dazzling him with a smile like a steady hand on his.

    Around them, 3-4s were seated, talking in furtive whispers or quietly awaiting the news. He saw his friends and family, as he thought of many of them, and felt again that all would be right.

    Then the news came, and he felt the shattering of thoughts and dreams. The weight of change.

 Chapter 14: Changes

    ¡°Hello students,¡± the headmistress¡¯s voice cut across the soft charter, ¡°We are going to have a Greathing unlike any other. I am preparing you all, you see. Preparing you for something terrible and great.¡± The headmistress did not come out on stage; the other faculty did, mounting the stairs to either side of the raised platform and lining up to face the student body. A momentary blink of the lights¡­ a human woman¡¯s face appeared on the screen behind the dozen or so staff. A gasp arose from everyone in the seats.

    This was the headmistress? No one had ever seen her. It was rumored she was horribly disfigured or in a stasis chamber or any number of other technological miracle machines keeping her alive but unable to walk. Everyone had always assumed she was just plugged into the computer power of the station. It was common, collective knowledge she was barely surviving.

    No one talked about it openly, but in those late nights in the common rooms, or in the nooks and crannies known for faulty listening devices it was said the headmistress was an ever-changing figure like the Dread Pirate Roberts from the old Earth story ¡°the Princess Bride.¡± An ever-changing title for competent women who aspired to be the greatest educators in the universe.

    Yet, here she was, a caucasian woman in her mid to late 30s with bright blue eyes and a simple braid that ran down the side of her center-parted hair. She looked friendly, Auberje thought. He adjusted his mental model of her, forming this image to all the actions and interactions they had had in the past.

    She was continuing, he realized. He shook away the cobwebs of banal thought and concentrated on her words, ¡°This Greathing will encompass both the classroom and the arena. It is not squadron-based. It will instead be of pre-assigned groups of three. It will last until the end of the year or until the first group of students finishes the challenges. There will be seven challenges in all.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Pre-assigned groups of three? This had everyone¡¯s attention. Riley gave him another meaningful glance. He hoped they were in the same group.

    ¡°I will send each challenge¡¯s title to your personal computers, as well as your assigned groups¡­ as soon as my other announcements are over,¡± there had been a quick rustle as most everyone had checked their inboxes furiously. She smiled for the first time. It was a tight, soft smile like she was fond of them, but maybe in the same way someone smiled at a puppy you didn¡¯t entirely trust yet.

    ¡°I have laid out the first of these tasks in some detail. Entitled ¡®Get to the End,¡¯, it is a race. You will have 3-days to design a spaceship from the 607 modules found in the fabricator ship list. These are common parts available to you on nearly every one of the human-occupied planets. The race will be on land, underwater, through the stars, and across vast distances of space. Your ship must be fast and nearly indestructible. It is not meant to be combat-related, but you will have access to weapons if you choose to add them. Like every Greathing, you may use chits that I owe you. You will also face unknown challenges along the way from the environment, outside forces, and your fellow competitors. Consider all of that as you build your ships. Every student must complete the first five challenges to graduate from this program. If you do not, you will be sent home. You have until the end of this school year to complete the first 5 challenges. That gives you nearly 6 months. Again, the overall winner is the team able to finish all seven challenges first. Okay, other announcements: we are adding two new classes to every student¡¯s schedule. First is a class, I will teach, in fanciful xenobiology. The other course is a philosophy course taught by Professor Garrett St. Ives. These have been added to your schedules now. Good luck, students.¡±

    The teachers on the stage moved to act as ushers and slowly released the students. Everyone was abuzz looking through their notifications, seeking more information and their teammates. No one had an update until the last person left the auditorium.

 Chapter 15: Frenemies

    As they walked through the hallways of the school, heading back to their respective sections, every student heard a chime on their PDAs. Almost all of them stopped to check their PDAs either physically on softscreens or mentally.

    Oh¡­ Shit¡­ Auberje thought, stunned. He felt true happiness seeing Riley¡¯s name on his trio. The high had died as fast as it had started as he looked at the other name. He was in the hallway, walking fast to catch up to Riley. Now he was stopped, like so many others, stunned by the names on their lists as well. Helos. Helos Bulger? It had to be a mistake, right? He shot the headmistress a quick note and received an automated message, ¡°Hello students, I am sure some of you are surprised by the names on your squads. Understand now, there is no mistake. Cross squadron cooperation is an imperative outside of the Academy and now, inside it.¡±

    He considered his feelings about Helos. About him joining his squad. He thought of it that way, ¡°his squad,¡± he realized, even though he had no reason to. Riley was no less an agent of her own fate than he was of his. From birth, he was raised to be a leader, and he thought of the world in terms of that central worldview. Would Helos also think of it as Auberje¡¯s squad? What would it feel like to join a group of 3-4s as a 1-1? What would it be like to work with one¡¯s chief rival?

    Auberje tried to think how he would feel in the reverse situation, realizing quickly it was the same situation except the 3-4s outnumbered the 1-1. Riley was just ahead of him; he started toward her. He didn¡¯t make it more than three steps when the shadow of a small framed boy stopped him. Helos was a few steps to his right, walking toward him smoothly. The crowd seemed to part before him, and no wonder. The look of pure¡­ something¡­ marred his otherwise childlike face.

    He stopped in front of Auberje. If they had been wearing hats and gunbelts, it would have been the walk of a man ready for a duel with primitive iron and powder guns. As it was, their hands did not itch to draw, but their tongues readied words of violence. Then Helos sighed loudly and relaxed into a rueful half-grin, ¡°I would be stuck with you two.¡±

    ¡°And we would be stuck with you,¡± Riley said as she approached the two, stopping halfway between them, then taking one more step toward Auberje. Her movement was deliberate. Helos nodded his understanding and agreement.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the boy said, ¡°so now what?¡±

    ¡°Now we win this thing as quickly and efficiently as possible,¡± Auberje replied, ¡°Do either of you know where we can meet to discuss the challenge in private? I don¡¯t think we can bring you back to the 3-4 lounge or our rooms. I don¡¯t want to go to 1-1s quarters either.¡±

    ¡°Agreed, we need a new hangout place,¡± Riley said, pursing her lips. She moved the rest of the way to Auberje, taking his arm and leading the boy within a few conspiratorial steps of Helos, ¡°Let me check with the Headmistress. She must have considered this need.¡±

    The headmistress had indeed considered the need for more meeting rooms. ¡°Attention, all students, I am getting numerous messages about where you can meet up with your cross-squadron challenge squads. I have converted Hangar Bays 11-20 into cozy meeting centers. You will find a few hundred additional rooms with tables, chairs, pillows, couches, etc¡­ for your use. You will also find some basic holo projectors in each room. This should allow you to model your ships for the first challenge with minimal effort. Now, get to it. We already have two groups who think they are ready to submit designs for fabrication. The race officially starts 72 hours from¡­ mark. Now. Classes will take place as normal, so plan accordingly.¡±

    A tiny countdown started on each of their displays. No matter what screen, application, or page Auberje went to, the display showed the countdown spinning inevitably to zil. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°Well, we have a 3-hour break before the next class. What about you Helos?¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°Same, I have nothing until last block. Shall we find a room to claim as ours?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this way boys,¡± Riley led them through the crowd, about half of whom were heading toward the hangars as well. ¡°Auberje, any preference which hangar I take us to?¡± Auberje realized she was deliberately asking him, putting herself as a follower. He sighed, this human group dynamics stuff was going to be the death of him.

    ¡°I think we want to go to H15. It¡¯s a pretty straight shot from 1-1 and 3-4,¡± Auberje responded after briefly checking the map of Star Academy.

    ¡°Agreed, let¡¯s go then,¡± Riley said, leading the two boys there. Her small figure zipped through the crowd until they were at the front of all the students. They wound their way through the hallways coming to the massive hangar doors marked 15. The doors opened before them to reveal 3 newly fabricated levels of hallways and doorways. Dozens upon dozens of rooms showed on every floor, each opening to 10 by 15 rooms filled with places to sit, think, and strategize.

    ¡°Not the first few, everyone will try them. We want to be deep enough in to not be overly disturbed but also not so deep it takes us 20 minutes to walk here each way,¡± Helos added.

    ¡°Good thinking, let¡¯s go to the top floor, 4th room then,¡± Riley said, climbing the ladder that served as the stairway to the third floor.

    ¡°3-4, easy to remember,¡± mumbled Auberje and Helos at the same time. They both reddened and then tried to use the ladder at the same time. Again they parted with red-faced apologies. Auberje motioned for the other boy to go next. He waited until Helos was up the metal rungs to follow quickly behind. The room they chose was smartly appointed. It could have been any executive suite¡¯s meeting room on any planet in the human sphere. It was also devoid of life and ideas.

    ¡°Star Academy, fabricate three dozen posters of racing starships and small 3-seater fighters in service today. Post them on the walls in here,¡± Auberje ordered. Nearly instantly, the rolling of papers and the rustle of bots filled the room. Posters were plastered upon the dark metal walls. Riley nodded approval. Helos sat on a large chair, sitting as far forward as his small frame could without falling off the chair. His feet were planted in a wide stance, his hands between his legs, fingers steepled. He looked intently at the area above the holoprojector which filled the center of the room with silver and orange dots.

    ¡°Right, we don¡¯t have that much time, let¡¯s get to it. Display all 607 parts in list form, by ship function. Remove all but the drive parts for now,¡± Auberje ordered, the dots formed shapes and words and then settled on the drive list.

    ¡°Does anyone have a preference for the type of drive we use? I was thinking of trying to add a long-range jump drive, as we have to fly in space. Still, they rarely work nicely for planetside travel, which means we would also have to pack a second planetary drive to get us through the air, water, and planet travel that the headmistress mentioned. What do you two think?¡± He was amazed at how easily he already thought of Helos as part of their group. He knew his young mind was capable of incredible plasticity of thoughts and connections, but still, the other boy had been their enemy and rival. Yet, here they were, working together. He shifted uncomfortably, sitting opposite Helos on a small two-person couch. Riley joined him, leaning her leg against his. He found the warmth comforting. It was also slightly distracting but worth the slight loss in thought capacity.

    ¡°A jump drive? You think we can jump from wherever we end up in space to the end of the race?¡± Riley asked Auberje.

    That¡¯s my hope. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll come true, but that¡¯s what I think. We always have to think linearly and horizontally in Greathings. But, we have been the most successful when we felt out of the box in spirals and twists. ¡° Auberje replied.

    ¡°Makes sense to me. Next question. Do we have to be in the ship to win the race?¡± Helos asked.

    The other two looked at him dumbfounded.

    ¡°What?¡± Helos asked, looking proud of himself.

    ¡°I mean that thought is truly outside the box,¡± Auberje said, considering the implications.

    ¡°A drone would be much easier to design. A lot less systems,¡± Riley said, leaning in and sending a quick query to the headmistress. Instantly, they had a reply.

    ¡°Attention all students, you must physically make it to the end of the race. All three of you. Alive, to win.¡±

    ¡°Well, there goes that idea,¡± Helos muttered, unhappy that his shortcut wouldn¡¯t work.

    ¡°It was a great idea. We need to consider all kinds of things like that, so keep it coming, Helos,¡± Auberje said encouragingly.

    They spent the next two hours building a series of simulations and vessels. Most of their designs exploded, crashed, were destroyed by pressure or otherwise failed to work. Two designs made it through all their tests with flying colors.

 Chapter 16: Triumvirate Flies

    ¡°I still think we need maximum jump capacity,¡± Auberje argued, leaning forward and staring across the semi-transparent orange and gold ship at Helos. Over the last two hours they had learned a lot about one another. They were great collaborators. Almost as good at it as Riley and Auberje.

    Their minds were similar enough to understand one another but varied dramatically when it came to the places their creative juices concentrated . This made for a fine covering of all the bases. Riley continued to contribute as much or more. She took the notes, added the fine-tuned touches and manipulated the holoprojected spaceships into existence. While Auberje talked, Helos built the model and manipulated the different scenarios Auberje suggested.

    ¡°Right, and I think we should consider additional weapons. What if someone tries to blow us out of the sky right away?¡± Helos said again, they had been at loggerheads over the same point for some time now.

    ¡°We have to go to class in 5 minutes, gentlmen, What is it going to be? Range or weapons?¡± Riley asked.

    ¡°It is a race, let¡¯s do range,¡± Helos said at the same time as Auberje said, ¡°If we don¡¯t finish, we don¡¯t graduate, so maybe weapons?¡±

    Helos laughed, ¡°No, let¡¯s do range. We wll have to dodge and fly fast in the early stage but once we jump we should be far and away ahead of our competition. I would like to make sure we pick a jump capacitor syst em that allows for multiple quick jumps along the main range. I think we have a slightly different one in the cureent build than the one I¡¯d like us to.¡± He selected a different jump capacitor from the list and Riley took it and swapped it with the current design. Their three seater wasn¡¯t small. It wasn¡¯t as big as the shuttles they had used in their last greathing either. It was a mix of sharp lines and curving angles. The ship resembled an icicle, pointed at the front, blunt at the tail, conical in shape and look.

    ¡°What do we call her?¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°The Triumvirate,¡± Riley said immediately, staring at the boys in turn. They nodded with appreciation for her name.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get it submitted and go to class,¡± Auberje said, putting his backpack on and heading for the door.

    ¡°Right, well, this has been fun guys. I look forwarded to seeing our design built and getting it tested in real life,¡± Helos said as he strapped on his own bookbag and they moved out of the room into the corridor, down the ladder-like stairs and out in to the main hallway. They were in the same class together next, so they walked as a squad, awkwardly, still stiff legged and long silenced, but thawing.

    Riley took Auberje¡¯s hand in his and they skipped down the hallway together. They were happy, these three young humans, perhaps, for the first time since coming to the Academy.

    After class, they received a rather cryptic message from the headmistress, ¡°Hangar 27 ¨C Bay 3.¡±

    The three of them ran the whole way to see the ship they hoped awaited them. They were not disappointed.

    There it was. Full size. A beautiful sleek metal icicle ship awaiting them in the bay. It looked fast with its massive pair of engines, one for the folding of space and one for blazing through atmo with abandon. The exterior of the vessel was a sleek chrome and white adding even more to the ice motif.

    The ramp was down, and they could see even the interior was finished. Gold and white trimmed hallways, three seats in a shallow V pattern. The middle seat, marked with Auberje¡¯s name sat just behind the other two. All three were jammed near the front of the icicle¡¯s point. A large holoscreen wall just in front of the chairs. Virtual, haptic enabled holocontrols sprung out and up from the chair as Auberje took his seat. The ramp came up with an imperceptible bump and noise. Auberje would not have even been aware of it had the controls not told him. A small button pulsed ¡°engines on?¡±

    He glanced at his co-pilots. They looked at him in readiness and awe. ¡°Shall we take her out for a test run?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s!¡± Riley¡¯s face shone with excitement.

    Auberje smiled at her.

    They sat, strapping in. Riley flicked the switch to raise the ramp. Pneumatic pressure, a hiss of extra air and they were safely sealed in. They turned the vessel on.

    Helos twisted a nob and the throttle came up, ¡°Retracting landing gear, requesting immediate clearence to leave Star Academy proper from Headmistress.¡±

    ¡°Clearance granted, safe flight, cadets.¡± Came the Headmistress¡¯s reply.

    The bay doors behind them sealed, the doors in front opened and the black maw of space beckoned to them. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Initiating drive, pulse engine aligned, firing thrusters¡­¡± Riley said as she moved them out of the bay.

    A thin line of red dust trailed behind them as their ship burned matter and turned it into energy which propelled them forward in a smooth rush. The ship felt no different, not really, yet all three knew they were free of Star Academy¡¯s bays and that they were now in space. He checked the ship systems status indicators. Everything looked optimal. He wasn¡¯t too surprised, they had run thousands of similuataitons before the buildout, and the vessel was built with common ship parts.

    ¡°I am going to engage fold engines, let¡¯s stretch our legs a bit. Headmistress please put in the coordinates to say¡­ the last Greathing system.¡±

    ¡°That will require two jumps at maximum capacity. You will then have to charge the capacitors for 6 hours. Are you sure you want to do that, Auberje?¡± The Headmistress¡¯s voice sounded neither concerned nor particularly interested, only matter of fact.

    He glanced at his companions, swallowing hard. That was a long time to be away from school. The longest he had ever been away from anywhere truth be told.

    Still, he wanted to make sure the ship worked, but¡­ he knew that if the ship broke down that far out, the only thing they had going for them was the Headmistress knowing where they were intending to go.

    ¡°Err, maybe somewhere closer?¡± He hesitated.

    ¡°No, let¡¯s do that max test, Auberje,¡± Riley said, as Helos said, ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go for max test. Better to know now.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Auberje firmed his rsolve, ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Please set coordinates as per the data packet we are now receivng from the headmistress and let¡¯s go!¡±

    As soon as the coordinates were set by Riley, Auberje punched the big red button pulsing on his display.

    A blinding white light split through his optic nerves. Visual spectrum faded to pulsing red and then black of the vioid. He shoved his eyelids down as forcefully as his facial muscles would allow. A sense of compression formed in him and made him want to scream. He heard Riley¡¯s gasp, and a grunt of pain from Helos, then they were through and a second white light smacked into his closed eyes. The compression ended, the light fading, he blinked madly looking around the cockpit. They were all three still there. He checked the ship¡¯s status. All a go and all unchanged except that they had burned 48% of jump capacity.

    ¡°You guys okay?¡± He asked.

    Riley nodded and with half closed eyes she gave him a thumbs up. She shook out her hands as if she had pins and needles. She probably did, Auberje realized, returning the thumbs up gesture to her.

    Helos was slower to respond, ¡°I think so,¡± he said eventually, his hands full of controls, moving with a blurring speed. ¡°ready for the next jump, skipper.¡± He must have been hit in the head¡­ or he was joking. Auberje wasn¡¯t sure which. It would be weird for this small child, object of their rivalry, to be joking, right?

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s do it again,¡± he more gingerly pressed the big red button this time. The ship lurched forward and compressed and spun and deposited them safely just outside the atmo of the planet they had portalled to and from during their last Greathing.

    He checked the ships status as he slowly blinked away the bright red splotches on his occular nerve. All a go excepting a 2% jump capacity. One very, very small jump was possible.

    Riley was unbuckling herself, then down on all fours, heaving. He tried to stand but realized he was still strapped in. He leaned back, letting the restraints relax slightly. He unbuckled and joined her on the ground, his hand rubbing her back in slow circles. She tried to wave him off, saying through burps, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. Just not used to the rough jumps.¡±

    Helos sicked up to their left suddenly. They both glanced over. Riley obviously wished she hadn¡¯t as she sympathetically threw up too. Auberje started to laugh. Riley, looking miserable, betrayed, and unhappy shot him a reproachful glance.

    Auberje held up one hand to intercept the glare, like a shield against the bad juju she felt for him at that moment, ¡°I am not laughing at you two. I am so sorry you¡¯re sick. I was just laughing at the irony that I chose to do this, and yet am not sick at all. And that damn irony that I¡¯m here with you, Helos. I still can¡¯t get over that.¡±

    From around a bile filled mouth, Helos said, ¡°5-months of animosity destroyed by a few moments of interstellar travel.¡±

    Auberje nodded grinning, ¡°Well, I think we have one cleaning bot. Let me get it in here and you two should use the emergency rinsing station to clean yourselves up.¡± He smiled at them and sat back down in his chair, issuing a command to the ship to clean up his companions'' messes.

    He set himself a quick task of checking all systems a bit more thoroughly and cataloging all the information they had on the status of the ships reserves. He realized he had no idea if they had food or water, and he really should have considered sleeping arrangements before agreeing to hangout for 6 hours while the ship recharged in the sunlight of the Homestead system.

    He knew that he and Riley could have gone down to the base, but with Helos in tow, that option was out the door. It wasn¡¯t their secret to share, even if he had felt inclined to do so. While he certainly liked Helos more now than he ever had before, he wasn¡¯t expecting to ever show the boy that much trust.

    Helos, cleaned himself with the tools from the bot. The little machine even offered him a tooth brushing tablet. He sucked on it slowly lettting the minty freshness and the nanobots activated by his saliva clear his tongue of any residual bile. He nodded toward the planet, ¡°I figure we can go down and eat from the 1-1 supplies we left. There should be plenty on the planet still. We came back in a hurry. No way we cleaned up everything like we should have.¡±

    Riley brightened at that thought, ¡°Good, because we didn¡¯t really consider what we were going to do for sleeping, eating or drinking for the next six hours.¡±

    ¡°I know, I was just considering that,¡± Auberje said ruefully, he pushed his hand through his cropped hair, calming himself with the gesture, ¡°next time we go camping we need to bring more gear and lots more food and water.¡±

    ¡°Life support has the ability to make food and water for us, Auberje. It is more the fact that this ship is 75m^2 of livable, usable space, and the three of us would have to share it all.¡±

    Auberje nodded. The didn¡¯t have a cargo hold, they literally had the ship¡¯s three seats, a bathroom with a standing shower/toilet combo, and a weapons locker. They could stand easily, the ship was designed around normal human height, but it would have been far too cramped for 3 adults to spend any extended amount of time together. Technically the ship didn¡¯t need more than one pilot, but they had given thought to who would do what roles during the competition, so the ships systems were broken up into more manageable chunks.

    Auberje stretched his legs out while sitting, unbuckled in the cockpit seat. ¡°I¡¯ll take us planetside and we can test the ship there too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, what time do we have to be back? And do we have a timer set for how long we are going to be here?¡± Helos asked Auberje and Riley.

    Riley replied, ¡°First classes start 15 hours from now. I have a marker set to remind us when we are 6 hours from now. I thought we would stay the night here though.¡± Both boys nodded to her.

    ¡°Should we try and contact the headmistress? I think we can get a message pulse through folded space with 2% on the jump capacitors.¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°We can, and I already sent a ¡°we made it¡± message to her,¡± Riley said.

    ¡°Good, that works perfectly. Thank you, Riley.¡± Auberje smiled and began to send the ship toward the bright blue green, red planet of Homestead. He thought of the system in those terms but believed the actual designation was something of letters and numbers he no longer could remember. Garbage in and garbage out, he supposed.

    They landed about 20 minutes later. It was a fine thing, the ship. It did most of the work itself and what little he had to do was rote. He had selected a fine open field for their landing zone.

 Chapter 17: Classes, Friendship, Camping

    Once they were settled in, supplies claimed, temporary shelters set up, a fire started, the three youths sat together swapping stories. Auberje and Riley shared a blanket, sitting on a two-person folding chair. Riley started their stories, ¡°Tell us of your home, Helos.¡±

    The boy stayed quite for a moment, laying on the ground, blanket under him, blanket over him, near enough to the fire to be playing with it. He poked it and moved logs, doing more harm than good. ¡°It¡¯s a quiet planet, where I grew up. Gunther 9.¡±

    He sat up a bit as he talked of home. His eyes took on a forlorn and far away aspect. His brows darkening. Helos continued, ¡°I would have said, before coming to a planet like this,¡± he gestured without looking around, his eyes intent on the fire, reflecting the twists, turns and columns of heat, ¡°that Gunther 9 is a wild place. I know that to be untrue now. My planet is a game reserve. My father, Brandon Bulger is the head of Star Games. I am sure you¡¯ve heard of it.¡±

    Auberje whistled, ¡°damn! I didn¡¯t realize you are one of those Bulgers.¡±

    Helos nodded glumly, ¡°Come one, come all to the Star Games!¡± He deepened his voice in a parody of his father¡¯s anoyuncing voice, ¡°My other father is Randyll Scanlon the Green Senator. Politics is a big deal for my family, and appearances. It is always about being the perfectly dressed, perfectly presented. You probably know something about htat Auberje.¡±

    ¡°I do, I know all about appearances,¡± Auberje emphatically nodded. Riley tightened her grip on Auberje¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Were you happy on Gunther 9?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I was, I am. I¡­ well, I really liked it there. It was lovely. I had never cried, at least not since being a baby, until they put me on the ship over here. Can you imagine?¡± Helos sounded disgusted in admitting it.

    ¡°I can, I heard one of the 3-4s say they had never sweat until coming to Star Academy. Isn¡¯t that something?¡± Auberje said, taking the boy seriously and not mocking him in the slightest.

    ¡°It really is. When we read about old Earth and the way that people were raised for millenias it¡¯s hard to understand how we ended up here,¡± Helos gestured to the world again. This time taking a moment to take in the view. They were in a large clearing near one of the coastal plains. Forest to one side, plains then ocean to the other, it was a lovely vista. The sun was low in the sky, darkness cloaking them like a warm blanket. They could see little more than the outline of the Triumvirate. Helos sighed, ¡°What about you, Riley? What is home for you?¡±

    Riley grimaced, ¡°I grew up in the orphanages of Freedom City on Tere Horizeon. Some of them are quite lovely. Others are run by evil people. Someday, Auberje and I will go back and burn some of them to the ground. They won¡¯t find a few of the bodies.¡± Her voice was clear, strong, and cold.

    ¡°And you Auberje?¡± Helos asked, not pressing Riley for more details.

    ¡°I plan to be there with her,¡± Auberje raised his hands as Helos went to clarify, ¡°I understand the question. Like you, I was born into privelege. Like you, it was not everything it should be. My family is torn between a mother who likes her pleasure from younger men not named my father,¡± Auberje shook his head in sadness, ¡°a father who is at best an absent head of household. I used to have great teachers and kind staff. They were the ones who taught me right from wrong. I think our system on UDS 37 is antiquated and corrupt, but after talking to a lot of the other boys and girls at Star Academy, I think that might be pretty normal. Which scares me, you two. It really cares me. Are we so unlightened? We have prevented sweat, tears, sadness and work, but we can¡¯t seem to not steal from one anotehr or treat our homeless, parentless children well?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Auberje, I don¡¯t know.¡± Riley said softly into his shoulder, hugging him tightly.

    ¡°I will tell you this. Most days, I am glad we don¡¯t have aliens in this world. If they were anything like us, we should be terrified of them. If they are nothing like us, they should be terrified of us. We are the real monsters,¡± Helos spoke with conviction that belied his inexperience. Auberje and Riley both nodded agreement. No words were exchanged for a long time, and when they came again, they were goodnights and see you tomorrows.

    The next morning, Riley¡¯s alarm blared at 5:25am Star Academy time. Helos woke on the second blaring. Riley and Auberje were already up. Auberje was sucking down a cup of instant tea, a large cube of ice floating in the middle of it. He handed a second cup to Helos as he rose.

    ¡°I hate mornings,¡± Auberje grunted, face contorted in disgust.

    ¡°Really? I find them to be the times I think the best,¡± Riley smiled, knowing full well how much Auberje hated the early hours of the day.

    ¡°I agree with you, Auberje,¡± Helos said chugging the cold stimulant, ¡°I can¡¯t stand waking up. I would much rather be up late into the night.¡±

    ¡°Yet, another point of similarity, boys,¡± Riley spoke with the confidence and amusement that is inherent in an observant and clever girl. She was born with more humor than the boys would ever be able to display. She supposed it came with her expansive ability to empathize as well.

    ¡°Oh yes, we have quite a few of those,¡± Auberje rolled his eyes.

    Helos laughed, ¡°She¡¯s right you know, we really do. Both born of noble political families, both at Star Academy, both like iced tea and loath mornings. Practically brothers.¡±

    ¡°I wish I had a brother like you Helos,¡± Auberje said, suddenly serious, his brown eyes focused on Helos¡¯.

    Helos swallowed hard, no tea was in the that gesture, ¡°I¡­ would like that too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s settled then,¡± Riley said with a smile, ¡°you two will be brothers. And I will find Helos a sister for myself and a woman for him!¡± Her expression brooked no argument and implied that sometimes it¡¯s good to be children still.

    Now, the boys rolled their eyes as one, saying together, ¡°Girls!¡± and ¡°You can¡¯t just say we are brothers.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Indignant, their female companion put her hands on her skinny prepubescent hips, looking for all the world like a powerful matron, ¡°And why not! What do you two have to lose from trying to be brothers? You have a lot to gain, if you ask me. And your minds complement one another¡¯s quite well. Hmph.¡± She stormed off.

    ¡°I think that might have been for show,¡± Auberje spoke as softly as he could, not daring to be heard by the retreating figure.

    ¡°It had to be right?¡± Helos watched her go as well. The two of them standing close, shoulder to shoulder.

    Helos shivered slightly in the morning chill, ¡°What do you think? Brothers?¡± there was a hopeful lilt to his query.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in,¡± Auberje said, turning to his companion and eyeing him for a second. Then he took him in a big hug, arm over shoulder, arm around side. He patted the other boys back. Helos, not used to physical touch, flinched, then melted. He hugged Auberje back. They stayed together, brothers in fact embracing tightly for only a myriad. Only one, tiny moment, but it was enough. Riley watched surreptitiously from the ramp, and then cleared her throat, hiding her smile as she walked into the tight ship quarters. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, boyos, school starts in half an hour.¡±

    ¡°Not much time to fly around the universe,¡± Helos stepped back from his once rival become friend, now his brother.

    Auberje stepped back as well smiling broadly, ¡°A brother. I have always wanted one. Let¡¯s go to class.¡±

    The three of them packed quickly, leaving less of a trace than the 1-1s. They took off in the Triumvirate, flying low and fast then straight up and out of the planet¡¯s gravity well. They switched to the fold engine, and in two gut wrenching breaths were back to Star Academy. They docked, and with 15 minutes to spare, they made their way to class. Auberje had a dozen messages from other 3-4s making sure he was okay. He thanked everyone for their concerns. Then sent them a reply saying he was fine and explaining they had taken their ship out for testing.

    Marcus was the first to reply, ¡°oh, long range on your craft too, huh? Here I was thinking I was being clever¡­¡±

    ¡°We may not even need it,¡± Auberje replied via text. He showed it to Riley who smiled wolfishly, supremely proud that the three of them were thinking the same way as Marcus and his group.

    Classes that day were particularly hard, and they had two additional periods scheduled on their calendars. Both taught by the Headmistress

    Auberje, Riley, and Helos sat down in the Headmistress¡¯ classroom not one minute before the bell rang. All around them, expectant faces watched the empty stage. Once again, the blonde woman took to the stage. She stood behind the podium, her pencil skirt, coifed hair, and fine figure all a mockery of what Auberje had thought she looked like.

    ¡°Now, class,¡± she began.

    The voice was the same at least, Auberje thought.

    ¡°Now, class,¡± she began again, ¡°Let¡¯s get something straight, straight away,¡± she smiled at her verbal faux pas, ¡°This is Fanciful Xenobiology. The study of What if Aliens were Real.¡±

    She began to spin out to their PDAs holograms and detailed sets of biological information on four different species still in existence and of seven dead species, ¡°in this class, you will be expected to memorize the information for all four of these living races. You will need to be familiar though not experts on the dead races as well. You will be tested on all of this. You will be required to do a better and better job understanding the nuances between races, cultures, and technologies employed by these beings. You will consider the implications for humanity to contact them. You will consider what it means that they live under the thumb of an umbrella of immensely powerful AI who believe they are the shepherds of life throughout the galaxy. We will act as though everything I tell you is gospel truth. You will treat it as what it is, another class at Star Academy, a new discipline you must learn and understand. Any questions?¡±

    ¡°Is this really worth our time and effort? If it is all fake, is there anything that we will really be using from this in later life?¡± Auberje was surprised by Riley¡¯s voice and questions. He agreed with her point though. Was this worthwhile?

    ¡°Yes, it is worth your time and effort. Not only because I say it is,¡± a dangerous smile from Headmistress, ¡°But also because this class will make you think about humanity from a non-human perspective. I am offering you something vastly more valuable than just fake cultures. I am offering you a pastiche of humanity. An image of what makes a human, human, from an alien perspective. This class is the culmination of hundreds of years of experience by many of your professors and classmates. We have tried to examine everything about our assumptions and world from an alien point of view. I hope you find it as valuable as we believe it to be. Any other questions?¡± She waited three heartbeats before continuing, ¡°Excellent, let¡¯s get started¡­¡±

    Two hours later, the trio left the room mesmerized. Everyone around them felt the same way. She had wasted no time in throwing them in to the deep end. They started with a race called the Harx. The Harx were bipedal. They resembled nothing so much as long furred, upright pigs. Which made everyone laugh until some of the facts of the Harx were explained to them.

    ¡°Do not be fooled by their silly appearance, the Harx are dangerous and clever beings. They despise humanity, seeing them as outsiders and dangerous newcomers. The Harx use short axes and spears tipped with arcing lightning. Their ships are called stormchasers. Their brand of exploration and diplomacy involves fighting everyone they meet and eating their dead bodies.

    They hold nearly every race as livestock, preferring to eat the smartest prey they can find, believing it to enhance their own intelligence. The Harx are a scourge on the entire galaxy.¡± On and on the Headmistress went, talking for 2 straight hours, about the Harx. She switched for the last half hour to a conversation about the biology of another race, the Tembre, a race of four legged creatures resembling Devon Rex cats. The class had smiled at their image but had sobered up when they were taught about the Tembre¡¯s deep skepticism of humans and their hard-fought wars with the Harx.

    Tembre were as fascinating as the Harx were scary. Auberje and his classmates ate up the material. All were surprised at how interesting it was to them, even though they knew it was all theoretical fantasy.

    Later, over lunch, Auberje and Riley discussed the new class. ¡°Wow! That was so cool. I can¡¯t believe how amazing the Tembre culture is,¡± Riley gushed.

    Auberje nodded, swallowing the rest of his sandwich, ¡°I agree, though I want to meet these Harx and fight them!¡± He mimed shooting at imaginary Harx, ¡°I can¡¯t stand the idea of some furry pigs running around ending interesting alien races because they think they are good tasting.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Helos said as he sat down at their table. The three of them smiled. This was the first time they had ever shared a meal.

    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t seem very likely humans are the only sentient race out there, you know?¡± Auberje said as he bit into a juicy, crisp apple.

    ¡°True, but so far, we have travelled thousands of light years and never seen anything bigger or more sentient than plants and eukaryotes. Nothing like the Harx,¡± Helos replied.

    ¡°I wonder what percentage of known space we have explored, it would potentially be important,¡± Riley spoke softly between bites. She was the only one of the three polite enough to do so. The boys wolfed down their food like it had been days since they had last eaten. And spoke with their mouths open as boys of 7 were wont to do.

    ¡°Let me check,¡± Auberje queried his interlink, ¡°looks like 5% of the Milky Way is colonized, 7% explored. It does seem pretty low, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Auberje looked up from the translucent display floating in front of his eyes, invisible to the others.

    ¡°Not much at all then,¡± Riley said, ¡°so I bet aliens are out there. I hope they are nothing like the Harx. I don¡¯t mind the Tembre though. How cool would it be to meet a cat-analogue sentient?¡±

    ¡°Think they always land on their feet?¡± Helos asked with a smile.

    Auberje chuckled, ¡°Ha ha ha. I find it unlikely they act anything like the pets on earth. I wonder if real aliens aren¡¯t too different for us to comprehend. Like the floating monsters people used to think might be on Jupiter.¡±

    ¡°Well, that theory was proven wrong long ago, Auberje,¡± Helos stated.

    ¡°True enough, but my point is valid,¡± Auberje contended, he shoveled gouda mac n¡¯ cheese into his mouth, pointing his fork at Riley, ¡°right?¡±

    She rolled her eyes and glared at the barbarian of a boy, ¡°Close your mouth when you talk, but yes, you are right. It¡¯s possible there are entire civilzations of aliens that we cannot comprehend the motives and cultures of. After all, they may not fall in love, have families, even travel through space in the same ways we do. I can¡¯t wait to meet some of them.¡± With a serious expression she intensified her look on Auberje, ¡°Auberje, I want to meet an alien. Will you promise me we will look together until we find one?¡±

    Auberje swallowed hard, seeing her face and understanding the formality and solemnity of the request, ¡°Riley Belle, I promise I will explore the universe with you until we find an alien race.¡±

    She held his gaze for a moment, then nodded, accepting his word, ¡°or until we admit that we are alone.¡±

    ¡°Or until we admit we are alone,¡± Auberje replied putting his fork down and taking her small hand in his and squeezing it gently.

    Helos watched the interchange with a twinge of mild jealousy but also of purpose. He was going to help them look. If they would have him, and he was fairly certain they would. As if to underscore the point, Riley turned to Helos, ¡°you will help us, won¡¯t you Helos?¡±

    The boy nodded at them both, meeting their eyes with his, ¡°I promise I will.¡±

    ¡°Good, then it¡¯s settled,¡± Auberje said with a smile. He picked back up his fork and they finished eating.

 Chapter 18: to Friends before a Race

    Their classes, research on the Triumvirate, and preparation for the big competition took all of Riley, Auberje, and Helos¡¯ mental energy for the next 48 hours. Up until race day, the ship went through a frantic flurry of changes. Then, on the 3rd day, the entire school was notified that classes were cancelled and the assembly, titled ¡°Race Day¡± was added to their calendars at noon.

    An additional notification from the headmistress accompanied the changed calendar dates. ¡°Attention all students, the race will commence at 12:30p sharp. Your ship will be ready for scanning at noon today. Any ships failure to pass safety inspection will result in an automatic removal from the race and a failure to advance. I trust we won¡¯t have many of those.¡±

    Riley was distraught with fear their ship might not make it. It was an irrational fear because she had been the one to do the safety check three times just the evening before. But she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling she had missed something. She looked at Auberje and bit her lip, twisting her hand in her other hand. He smiled brilliantly, smoothly, calmingly at her. She couldn¡¯t help but realx slightly. The tension in her shoulders and hands eased. She was still anxious but not as much as before. Helos stood close by the pair. They made a small trio, a small triumvirate of brilliant humans among a sea of brilliant children and teens. The anxiety of the day was with her strongly, but Auberje did his best to be there for her.

    They burned through breakfast as fast as the Triumvirates afterburners. Hardly alone in their quick meal, they joined the throng of students heading toward the main hangars.

    As they left breakfast, the time was 11:34. Auberje nodded to Riley, ¡°alright, we can do one more quick check and recheck of the Triumvirate¡¯s most important systems. Not to ease your anxiety but to relieve mine!¡± He laughed and she shook her head laughing too.

    Helos chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t think I am too concerned about your guys nerves, I can barely stand up to my own today. And Auberje looks like he is off for a stroll in the park. At least I can tell Riley is as tense as I am!¡±

    ¡°I do what I can,¡± Auberje spoke softly, his voice calm and in control, ¡°I don¡¯t feel much anxiety, that¡¯s never been allowed in my bloodline.¡±

    ¡°Speak for yourself!¡± Riley and Helos spoke at the same time, in nearly the same way. They looked at one another in surprise.

    ¡°Nothing to be surprised about you two! Hahhaha. I have noticed this week how similar you both are,¡± Auberje held his abs as he laughed at the bewildered pair.

    ¡°Are not!¡± Helos said, ¡°But if I share any traits with either of you, I would rather it was with Riley.¡±

    Feeling somewhat affronted, and then mollified, Riley nodded along with Helo¡¯s statement as if punctuating Helos¡¯ statement with the head gesture would make it truer.

    Auberje ignored their antics, as he often had over the last 72 hours and made his way to the hanger with his companions. They were fast becoming friends, he realized. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure when he started liking Helos, but it was a nice surprise. For a 1:1, he wasn¡¯t half bad.

    As they made it to their assigned hanger slot, they could see the Triumvirate. The ship was in perfect shape. Everything looked ready to go. They were quickly going to find out if the scans done by the school agreed with their own assessment. The "assembly" was nothing more than a huge projected set of heats with names of each team and their vessels model name on it. Their team was shown as part of heat 2, scheduled for later that day.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    For now, they couldn¡¯t see specs, shapes, sizes, anything on the ships of their opponents, but Auberje thought it wouldn¡¯t stay that way for long. Soon enough, he was sure they would get a lot of information from the school on their competition and on the competition. Afterall, they didn¡¯t know much about this race yet.

    He wished he had more chits left over from the last Greathing. He spent them all on leaving cool machinery, badass equipment, and all the various other supplies back in the Greathing solar system. Next time, he supposed, he should save at least one chit for the following Greathing. He really wanted to know what the race map looked like so he could start planning. It seemed like they were going to have to go through different types of checkpoints or they would just jump straight to the end.

    He wondered what the point of all it was. Was there even a point? They had learned a great deal from the challenge, true. He supposed they learned engineering skills from building the Triumvirate. Sure, they had done a fair bit of creative design work, connected dozens of disparate Human designs together, smoothed them out and brought them all into a whole. It was a little like making a sculpture. One took the raw material, smoothed, shaped, prodded the various pieces into a whole. If you were really good at sculpture it even moved its viewers.

    The Triumvirate was a beautiful craft. At least Auberje thought so. He was fairly confident his friends did too. They had left it in a raw titanium sheen for most of the development, but the last thing he ordered last night from the various robotic building units helping them put the ship together, was a fresh coat of wrap of color.

    The Triumvirate was bedecked in black and gold and green. A beautiful mirage of pearlescence and speed paint. She looked, for it was a she as all ships are, like a trillion credits.

    ¡°What are you thinking about, Auberje?¡± Riley sat against him as he looked at the world beyond. Her arm touched his and he was thankful for the human touch. There were few connections of this sort in the school. Fewer still that were wanted and appropriate at this age. The ever-watchful cameras kept the children mostly safe, but abuse happened still.

    Auberje was certain a couple of the upperclassmen girls were assaulted recently. He had sworn to himself that if he found out who, he would have shot them. He knew where the emergency firearms lockers were. He was also certain no locker had security he couldn¡¯t hack into. Still, he was only 7 and he was academically sure of what assaulted meant but he didn¡¯t yet understand the emotional impacts. He knew the statistics, of course, and was certain the abuser would strike again. It was also a matter of statistics.

    ¡°What are you thinking,¡± Riley asked again, poking him in the arm with a bony finger.

    He shook himself, glancing across the table at Helos. Seeing only confusion on the boys face as well, he stilled himself, letting his emotions flow out through his fingertips, he turned to look directly at Riley.

    ¡°I will kill anyone who hurts you, Riles,¡± Auberje gave her the fiercest, most loving look he knew how to make, his face scrunchy and his teeth barring wolfen in the shadows of the booth seating.

    She nodded, ¡°Good, and Helos will help.¡± She pulled him in tight, her hands clasping on his shoulder. Her forehead rested against his temple for a moment, ¡°But what were you thinking before that.¡±

    Auberje considered her question, ¡°I was wondering if there was a purpose to this all? To the Greathing, to the seven trials, to the purposeful testing of a ship through so many environments. Why not let us skip to the end?¡±

    ¡°Same reason they don¡¯t let us graduate on day one, you have to go on the journey of school and likely this race, to understand all the subjects, to get experience, to make friends, to live,¡± Helos¡¯ reply was thoughtful and automatic, like a floodgate opening into a pre-prepared sluice. Riley and Auberje stopped and stared at their companion.

    ¡°You know Riles, I think Helos¡¯ on to something,¡± Auberje sounded incredulous but the small smile on his face, crinkling one side of his thin lips down, the other up, showed his approval, ¡°I think we are friends.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you big dummy, we are!¡± Riley laughed and the boys joined her. These moments of pure human joy were rare amongst so many brainiacs and genetically gifted. There was a cerebralness amongst their cohort and coterie few schools would ever have reached in human history.  This was not a¡­ good thing, Auberje thought. They needed laughter and joy, happiness and love. Just like the humans they would one day lead in corporate life or in government. They were too academic, too gifted. Perhaps they had a hard time seeing the forest. Or that one amazing tree, he thought, not unkindly as he stared at Helos, for what they were. Human. Friends.

 Chapter 19: They start

    Helos was on to more than just their friendship. This wasn¡¯t a race in the traditional sense. This was about the journey.

    The trio was staring at the map of the race route. Or perhaps they should say the route of the racecourse. There were hundreds of stops, locations in ten solar systems, two nebulas and a dozen asteroid belts. Also at least five empty sections of space they apparently had to stop at. One they were required to remain at for a minimum of 10 minutes, within a 500,000 kilometer radius of a prepositioned something. The directions on the route indicated they had to get out of their ship at various points, grab certain items, or samples and then get back in their ship and zoom off. It was like a giant scavenger hunt.

    The most interesting part to Helos, Riley, and Auberje was the strange note at the bottom of the holo route chart. ¡°Please note, you will not have the same exact route as any other student groups. You will instead all be required to collect, survey, scan, and go through a similarly challenging set of obstacles and tasks. For fairness¡¯s sake, the headmistress has reviewed all potential routes with a panel of professors. Good luck, and good racing.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have the same route as everyone else?¡± Auberje scratched his head. He had not considered this possibility. How strange.

    ¡°It even sounds like we won¡¯t have the exact same set of tasks along the way. Doesn¡¯t it seem really unfair?¡± Riley looked as surprised by this information as Auberje felt. ¡°There has to be a higher purpose here. Maybe we are being sent to explore hundreds or even thousands of different systems which have not been surveilled yet. Or we¡¯re only done by high speed explorer drones?

    Helos got in on the speculation, ¡°Maybe we are picking up valuable samples because the headmistress and professors think there are riches out there on these worlds. We are just like, cheap labor for them, and it happens to be a good experience build too.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, the expense of having us build all these ships has to be recouped somehow, maybe it¡¯s not about them getting rich, so much as about us helping pay for the expense of teaching us, and the Greathings, etc¡­ I have considered the astronomical expense, and the sheer manufacturing capability required to build capital ships, space stations, all that cutting edge technology we used in the last Greathing. The Academy has ridiculous resources,¡± Riley rushed these words out in a deluge of gasps. She was right, Auberje thought, it was a ton of expense and it had to be recouped somewhere, somehow.

    ¡°Our families are the various donations from the Star Academy Alumnae has to cover most of that, right? They say the research and development efforts from former students power half the human industrial might,¡± Auberje was aware first hand from his father¡¯s companies of the might of the Star Academy R&D. His father¡¯s holdings included the Aurora Borealis Train Company which used a specialized ship designed at the Star Academy, to remotely power billions and billions of tons of commerce along a ¡°train line¡± some 10 light years across.

    This train line allowed ships to slip between dozens of gates along the light years at exceptionally high speeds and experience little to no time shift and none of the energy costs of instant FTL. A huge boon for cheap, fast trade between distant stars. They were already building the next line to a 50 light year distant star nation.

    ¡°Even so, the expenditures this year have been huge. If its only a side effect of our missions on this race, it makes sense,¡± Helos concluded. The other two nodded. It did make sense. There was real value in exploring space and the multitude of worlds. Humans had a lot of the galaxy and basically all of the universe still to explore. The little section of the ¡°known¡± galaxy might as well have been surrounded by maps saying ¡°here be dragons.¡± They knew about as much as the Romans did about anything past the Rhine. Maybe less.

    ¡°Heat two, you are to report to the Hangar for initial scanning¡­ Heat two, you are to report to the Hangar for initial scanning¡­¡±

    They stood, stretching, they had been waiting for an hour. It was well past 1 now. Breakfast was a distant memory, and the boys were both hungry again. Riley wasn¡¯t far from famished herself.

    ¡°Okay, here we go guys!¡± Auberje clapped them both on the shoulder, as he had seen his father due to his subordinates before big battles, corporate or otherwise. The other two smiled wanly and awaited the results.

    Professor Ludar came up to the Triumvirate, hand scanner held forward. A blue ray zipped out of the scanner vertically, mapping the ship back and forth, stern to bow. The scanner blinked a few times, then Ludar looked at the trio. ¡°Ah, first years. Yes, this ship will do fine. I see you put in a pair of laser cannons, boys, you shouldn¡¯t need those. No, no, I don¡¯t think you will. We are requiring each ship to take these three boxes with them. You will find a specialized suite inside for each of you. The headmistress had them specially made for each student. I can¡¯t say more. Make sure you put them somewhere accessible from space. Alright, you passed. Get in and get the ship warmed up, you will be leaving in T-minus 10,¡± the professor said all of this while moving swiftly to the next room.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°No time to waste on questions apparently,¡± Auberje muttered under his breath, annoyed that yet again his dozen questions would remain unanswered.

    ¡°Really not surprising. They have to do this with every ship, Auberje. That¡¯s hundreds of them. In our heat alone we are talking about thirty competitors and there are 50 heats, some of which are larger than ours by a lot.¡± Riley shook her head, ¡°Also, how sexist he thought the laser cannons were your ideas, boys. I was the one to design their housings and to argue that we should have some offensive capability, even if it is almost entirely close range.¡±

    Auberje ran his hand through his hair. Helos snorted, ¡°You know, you are right, lets log a complaint with the headmistress.¡±

    ¡°Complaint noted, and deleted. Please get in your ship, you three.¡± The headmistresses voice chimed through their PDAs.

    ¡°Shoot,¡± Auberje said as he ushered the other two into the Triumvirate. He used the autoskids to bring the three boxes, each made of timber and marked with a different color paint. Green with ¡°Auberje¡± on it in stenciled letters. The second box was black and gold with ¡°Riley¡± painted in gold in three places. The last was gold with black letters and a single sans serif ¡°Helos¡± painted on it.

    He shrugged. Given all the mysteries, what was one more? He was going to open the box as soon as they took off. He waved sheepishly to the headmistress or at least to the cameras on the side wall of the hangar, got into the Triumvirate and sat in the left seat. Riley was in the middle ¡°captains¡± chair, and Helos was on the right and back a foot or two. They had all agreed. Riley would pilot and navigate, Helos would get out and grab samples, Auberje was engineering and scanners. Each to their purpose, more as a team.

    They started the systems up, one by one. Checked over all their various checklists and signaled via the ready status to both the Star Academy traffic control and each other. Usually, Star Academy traffic control was run by students. Today, it was run by professors.

    ¡°TR-1 Triumvirate, you are cleared to leave Star Academy. You may not jump for 25,000 light years, preferred range 150,000. Good luck out there, you three,¡± Professor Myers, who had all three of them in their Jump Physics III class bid them fairwell.

    ¡°T minus 1 minute to go, initiate launch sequences, the race is officially on in 50, 49, 48,47,,,¡±

    Auberje smiled, this was going to be fun, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Helos looked at Riley, she looked back at him, they both stared at Auberje, ¡°there is something seriously wrong with him.¡± Auberje didn¡¯t stop smiling even as the two nervous nellies in the cockpit glared at him.

    ¡°Lots wrong with him,¡± Riley said smiling, ¡°But he¡¯s my friend and he will be my husband someday.¡± With all the conviction of a brilliant seven-year-old, Riley had Helos convinced. She knew what she wanted, far be it for him to tell her different.

    ¡°I heard that, I am pretty sure I get a say, and I say yes!¡± Auberje said with another laugh. He felt things were going well the last two weeks. Like a weight was lifted off him as they worked on the Triumvirate and hung out together. He needed a project.

    He flicked a switch, turning on active sensors and pinging the traffic control tower. Though bearing an anachronistic referral to a time before well, even real space travel, the traffic control tower always had the latest scanner data. Receiving it automatically, he picked a way out to 150,000 kilometers and sent it to Riley.

    She could, and would, navigate the main route, but in local space, his scanners were their best option to avoid damage and collision. They zipped out of the bay doors the second the timer ran out. They were off! The Triumvirate hummed softly as its pair of hybrid jump/space drives fired millions of accelerating at an alarming rate.

    The black, gold, and green paint shone in the starry night. This was going to be so much fun, thought Auberje. ¡°Our first space exploration!¡±

    The other two rolled their eyes and did their jobs. Navigation coordinates for the first solar system were entered. Riley hit, ¡°engage¡± on her console. The ship leapt forward to hit 25,000 kilometers in a matter of seconds but still at relativistic speeds. They engaged the jump drive.

    The Triumvirate hummed. The oversized jump drive whirred, shirred, hissed and then bam they were twenty-five light years away.

    ¡°Scanning local system. Adjusting for our drift¡­ Looks like we are off by just a few hundred thousand kilometers. Very close to where we were hoping to be, good work!¡± Auberje had their location pinpointed in seconds. The drive performed well within their expectations.

    ¡°Great work all three of us, she¡¯s a good design,¡± Helos said slapping the armrest of the ship just more forcefully than a pat.

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s get to it," Riley brought the boys to task.

    They began scanning and investigating the first worlds of their tasked route. They were tasked with finding a faint beacon upon one of the planets and discovering its secrets.

 Chapter 20: Diamonds, Crystal Blades, Tembre

    The Triumvirate was a equipped with a few reusable low earth orbit satellites. To deploy and scan the world would take 3-5 days. The trio was sure they shouldn¡¯t take that long at this stop, after all, it was the first of many.

    So instead, they few a few light hours away from the planet, scanned for faint signals, finding none, they moved a few more out, repeating until they finally found the signal. They then triangulated it by repeating as they moved closer and closer to the planet.

    Auberje stood atop a windswept plane on a planet about 1.1 times the size of Terra. The gravity was just slightly more than normal and while it bothered him, he was sure he could get used to it in time. Thankfully, they wouldn¡¯t be staying long enough for that to happen.

    He was staring at a bizarre object. It was three feet high, and bright blue light was emitting from it. It was round at the top and diamond-shaped at the bottom. It was made of stone or metal. He wasn¡¯t sure which. The scanners told them the signal was some type of timed, raido wave pulse. There was nothing else on the planet¡ªnothing of man¡¯s creation and also no nature. The rest of the planet was lively, with dozens of species of small mammal-analogs and thousands of plant types, probably tens of thousands but they were almost all uncatalogued.

    This fifteen-kilometer wide plain at the start of a mountain range in the central continent was very different. There was nothing here. No radiation, no stray seeds, no flying creatures. Nothing. It was peculiar. He wore the suit the headmistress had given them. It was an incredible iconography forward look, he thought. The helmet was shaped like a jaguar helm and his whole suit, colored green and grey by nanobots to blend into the surroundings of the lower part of this world, was covered in ancient Mayan runes and imagery.

    He held no connection to the ancient Mayans but the suit obviously did. He shrugged in the powered armor.

    ¡°I guess there is nothing for it, guys,¡± Auberje¡¯s voice came through the Triumvirate¡¯s speakers clearly even though they were a dozen kilometers above him, ¡°I am going to see if the device can be picked up or deactivated or something by touching it.¡±

    Riley bit her lip, ¡°I don¡¯t like this at all Auberje, be careful!¡±

    She watched his head cam nod up and down. He approached the three foot tall device. He wasn¡¯t much taller than it himself. She held her breath. She could not hear Helos¡¯ breathing either. She looked at him and he was biting his lip in anxious anticipation.

    Auberje stepped forward again, reaching the device. He put his gloved hand on it slowly, apprehensively. He felt a slight flow of energy from the object to the glove. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t like that,¡± Auberje said stepping back even as the blue light focused clearly on his suit, like a pulse scanner. His HUD displayed warnings of unknown scanning. The suit¡¯s limited AI-like decision engine suggested running away.

    He stood his ground.

    The pulse scan lasted only seconds, and then the device split open, revealing a blue and white crystal. ¡°Some kind of memory or activation device?¡± Auberje muttered as he stared at the two-foot tall, slender crystal. It was about as thick as his wrist which was only a few inches across. It looked almost as though it were some kind of anime sword of glass, one side was definitely tapered to be a handle, the other was thinner and slightly wider with one edge sharpened. The end, as he pulled the object out was definitely a sharp point.

    ¡°Why would we be sent here to pick up some kind of crystal sword?¡± Helos asked, ¡°Looks cool and all, but doesn¡¯t it seem a little strange.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it isn¡¯t just a sword, but a key,¡± Riley started bringing up the requirements of their scavenger hunt/route, ¡°yes!¡± she exclaimed excitedly, ¡°I see there is a vault we have to open on the next system. Maybe this is the key for that vault?¡±

    Auberje stood there, holding the blade, feeling rather badass, when he noticed the blue light from the pulse scanner and object reemerge, forming a solid figure. The figure solidified from feet to head as if 3-d printed by the light. It was a feline creature though nearly a meter and a half tall.

    A sword and small buckler, of the same crystal material as Auberje¡¯s formed in the cat¡¯s hand. A hissed, meow click click, of the creatures tongue and the blue light faded. Before Auberje stood¡­ an Alien! ¡°are we recording this,¡± he whispered into his suit¡¯s mic.

    ¡°Hell, yes we are,¡± Helos¡¯ voice was a whisper too, ¡°are you going to have to fight it?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t fight it!¡± Riley and Auberje spoke at the same time, ¡°This is potentially first contact!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is, I think this is like what you guys found during the last Greathing¡­ our school created this as part of the test,¡± Helos¡¯ voice was now a regular level.

    ¡°I hope so, because it sure looks like it wants to fight,¡± Auberje changed the grip of the sword he held, pointing the blade at the cat, so that he was matching the stance it had changed to. Instead of just standing idly while Auberje, Riley and Helos talked, the cat thing was moving.

    His suit spoke to Auberje, and through the connection to the Triumvirate to the other two children. ¡°Congratulations, you are the first of your kind to meet a Tembre in twenty-five millennia. Humans were once studied us, and we studied you. Now we view you as rudely enslaving your domestic cats, who we resemble too closely. We mean to find out if they are our ancestors or not. If they are, all humans will die. If they are not, we may yet be friends.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    The voice was¡­ not unpleasant but damn well sounded like a cat¡¯s, Auberje thought. He nodded without taking his eyes off the Tembre. The headmistress had described these cats to them before. So he was certain this was like the last Greathing. ¡°Are we to fight?¡±

    ¡°Yes, little human, to the death. Your death!¡± The Tembre struck at him with its blade and swung the buckler around to bash his head at the same time.

    Auberje was an excellent fencer, his father had tutors for Auberje from age 3 on teaching martial and physical fighting forms. He was small, though, and relatively weak being only 7. This was going to be tough, except, he was also wearing powered armor.

    Envisioning what he wanted to do, the suit¡¯s near limitless power source leapt forward. He struck back at the unprotected cat¡¯s fur, ignoring the crystal shield and blade coming at him. He knew he could end this with a single thrust.

    The Tembre couldn¡¯t arrest its own motions, its sword went to the right of the green and grey armored blur as the Tembre felt it¡¯s chest punctured by the crystal sword the human held.

    ¡°Arhhg,¡± red blood sprayed into the alien world¡¯s air. Auberje stood still, perfect form of his thrust held. It was a heroic pose, and yet he felt sad. He killed this lovely Tembre, a being with the potential to be the friend of mankind, to walk worlds with him. This was such a waste. He would have rather befriended the being.

    The Tembre smiled at his jaguar shaped head, ¡°even your power armor looks like our race. Goodbye for now, young human. My name is Nawarj, I am on Hebrian Prime 205t. You may yet meet me again. Beware the Harx!¡± As he had come into this world, so did the Tembre leave, head to toe the light seemed to suck from the object and pull the fatally wounded Tembre back into light. Motes of the cat¡¯s blood were struck by the blue light and they too were sucked back into the center of the short pillar.

    The Tembre was gone. Auberje straightened, looking down at the sword at his side. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was expecting, but this certainly was not it.

    ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± Auberje asked the open air of this distant, alien world.

    ¡°I think we need to rethink some of our assumptions,¡± Riley replied from on high, ¡°some of our fundamental first principles.¡±

    Helos started screaming in joy, ¡°We are not alone! We are not alone!¡± He was dancing in a circle in the Triumvirate¡¯s command center. Riley saw it, she and Auberje heard it. Their reaction to not being alone in the universe was¡­ not the same as Helos¡¯. This was maybe good. But if the Tembre were real, and could teleport into the Milky Way, into their neck of the woods. Were other races of aliens real too?

    What was this scavenger hunt Greathing really? Auberje thought miserably, did I just kill a real Tembre?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you killed Narwarj,¡± Riley said after they had brought Auberje back aboard ship. They were sitting at the small mess table they set up to eat their meals. The crystal sword lay on the table between them. Auberje had just confessed his fear and disgust at killing the Tembre.

    ¡°I think he was set there to meet us, to understsand something of our strength. And we were to understand something of him, maybe simply this,¡± Riley held Auberje¡¯s hands urging with her soft, sweet voice and firm hands, to look up from the table, to rise above his shame, ¡°The Tembre are real. We are not alone.¡±

    The way she said that struck Helos as discordant with his earlier elation. There was an undercurrent here he wasn¡¯t undertsandign. ¡°Why are neither of you as excited to not be alone, as I am? What am I missing?¡± His analytical mind was running through the different scenarios but he couldn¡¯t get past the optimism he felt.

    ¡°The Harx, for one,¡± Auberje said quietly, ¡°and their unending hunger secondly.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Helos was stunned, of course. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I was ignoring the potential threat.¡±

    ¡°It is exciting, Helos,¡± Riley took one hand from Auberje and placed it on Helos¡¯ shoulder, looking him in straight in the eyes, her face earnest and honest, ¡°I am thrilled to learn we are not alone in this universe. I am also scared of the consequences, and the reaction of our fellow man. I am also worried that those ¡®theoretical¡¯ classes the headmistress taught us were entirely non-theoretical.¡±

    ¡°We have to ask her,¡± Auberje stated, sounding glum. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but I think we have to. And we have to keep going, keep learning more along the path. We can¡¯t let this one little thing lead us to the conclusion. It could be like the Greathing. It could be some experiment by our headmistress and faculty. Perhaps, they created the Tembre.¡±

    Riley shook her head, but then stopped, nodding. ¡°Yes, it could be. I agree. We have to hurry to our next objective. We have to do them all. Let¡¯s see what the point of all this is.¡±

    ¡°We can contact the headmistress now,¡± Helos said, standing to use the wall based communication node, ¡°do you think we should?¡± His hand hesitated to press the touch panel.

    Auberje looked at him, considering, calculating. His face was robotic, his mind a computer. ¡°No, I don¡¯t see any gain in asking now. She will prevaricate or vacillate until we can get more data. We need conclusive evidence. More than this sword, my HUD capture. We need a living alien and we need an alien civilization.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Riley stood, ¡°let¡¯s go to the vault and see what lies within.¡±\

    ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯m going to check into this sword. This crystal is something I have never seen before. I checked all our known materials across all the different human worlds. Not one of them is capable of creating a single, seamless piece of material as strong and as light. When I thrust, it even gathered weight so the strike had more heft, mass to it,¡± Auberje eyed the sword with distrust but also eagerness. He was a boy through and through. Helos looked bummed, ¡°I call going to the next planet. I want a sword!¡±

    Riley, ¡°We can make you one in the fabricator, Helos, but what are you going to do with it?¡±

    ¡°Wear it, use it, touch it!¡± Helos replied instantly.

    Riley rolled her eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll get you one with a scabbard then, any preference in style?¡±

    ¡°You will? No, no. I don¡¯t really know how to use a sword all that well,¡± the commoner boy admitted. His parents hadn¡¯t trained him from birth in the use of an old and largely obsolete weapon.

    ¡°A gladius then, Riley,¡± Auberje spoke with the authority of youthful fancy, ¡°I believe it will be the easiest and safest route for Helos to use in a fight. Just thrust with it, Helos.¡± Auberje demonstrated with a blade made of imagination.

    Helos nodded, ¡°I will study the manual of arms for the gladius. Good idea, Auberje.¡±

    Riley rolled her eyes as she strode away. While the boys were playing with blades, she ordered the fabricator to build dozens of missiles, a trio of small lasers and three 9x9 rocket pods with fittings for their powered armor. Next time they went out of the Triumvirate, they would not be easy pickings. And they would have modern weapons as well as the boys swords. As she finished the order to the in-ship fabricator, she added one last item, something special for herself: a titanium saber with a diamond edge. Just a little something every girl should have, a few diamonds¡­

 Chapter 21: Temple Remnant

    The fabricator hummed and whirred in the stern of the ship. The trio of students was gathered again in the cockpit of the Triumvirate. The massive view screen, subtly hologrammed to show the 3-dimensional nature of the asteroid they were studying was lit up in front of them. The glow of the blue and white light bathed each child, making them seem much paler than normal. They were arguing. They rarely argued, but they couldn¡¯t decide who was going down to the surface of the asteroid, and who was staying.

    ¡°I am going,¡± Riley said again, this time slightly shriller than before. Helos ignored her tone, Auberje shut up.

    ¡°I am going, and that¡¯s final, Riley,¡± Helos pounded his tiny fist on the armrest of the closest chair. Unfortunately for him, it was her chair.

    Riley swung the chair into Helos and glared at the silent Auberje, who shrugged, zipping his mouth shut and sitting back in his command seat. She put her fists on her hips, ¡°Well, fine. You can come too. But I am in command down there, and I go first.¡±

    Auberje spoke up, ¡°I protest. You take turns going first. As is only fair.¡±

    Helos was surprised Aubejre wasn¡¯t fighting Riley on going down, ¡°So what, we are all going?¡±

    ¡°Auberje will stay on the ship,¡±

    ¡°I will stay on the ship,¡± Auberje agreed amiably, hiding a slight smile. It was only fair. He was the one to go down to the planet on their first stop. Now, the other two would get their chance. He was a little sad to have to relingquish the crystal sword. He touched the hilt of it, it was tucked into a scabbard hanging off the back of his chair. It was bound tightly into the scabbard so even an emergency slow down wouldn¡¯t cause it to come out.

    ¡°Yes, well. Okay! It is decided then, let¡¯s go Riley,¡± Helos ran to Auberje, who helped him take the scabbarded crystal blade then ran to the back of the cockpit to the airlock room. Riley was hot on his heels.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I could go down there, did you? Probably think I can¡¯t protect myself or mind my own ship, or pilot us to this hidden asteroid in the middle of literally no space. Stupid Helos, and stupid Auberje.¡± She stomped and huffed as she followed him.

    ¡°What did I do!?¡± Auberje asked mildly, looking every part the aggrieved, injured friend he was.

    ¡°You just were!¡± Riley said.

    ¡°I love you to, Riles, now get down there and open the vault, you two!¡±

    Twenty minutes later, the pair of suited children stood before a bright red door. The door had a small notch in it. They were on the surface of the asteroid, at the entrance to a large cave system their ship wasn¡¯t able to penetrate fully. The Triumvirate could scan a map of the different hallways or tunnels, but it was impossible to gain information on what was within. The door lead into a large round room which had three branches. Each branching path eventually led to a room in the very center of the asteroid. The asteroid was about an acre wide by ten acres long. It was a tiny rock in a big universe, but, thought Auberje, looking at his companions from a reasonably close, but still far distance, those two children were on a huge rock.

    The asteroid was largely ice, granite, and obsidian, with some nickel, platinum, and gold here and there. The door, though, was something else entirely.

    The scanners found the door to the vault in seconds. It was titanium with depleted uranium at its lead lined core. It was three feet thick and must have weighed dozens of tons. There were no handles, no keypad, as far as the scanners could tell, the asteroid was devoid of power.

    It was all unclear to the children.

    Yet, the door had a slot the perfect size for the crystal sword. Auberje sighed, he wished he was down there, but also wished he made more progress on what the sword was made of. They took only 12 hours to get here. While their were no instructions on where the vault was, on close examination of the sword, there were coordinates in the crystalline structure which corresponded to this nearly empty bit of space.

    So here they were. Besides the numbers, the blade remained an enigma. Every scan came back with differing results on composition, structure, and atomic makeup. In the end, Auberje simply recorded everything he could think of about the weapon and material and gave up.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He focused on the two figures HUDs. He was displaying them side by side so he could see as full of picture of their operation as possible. The two were snapping at one another again¡­

    ¡°Helos, I am going to do it on the count of three,¡± Riley stated again. Eyeing the door and the keyhole. She reached for the crystal sword the boy held. He moved backward out of reach.

    ¡°No! Auberje gave me the sword, and I¡¯ll put it in. You cover us with those deadly missiles you are packing,¡± Helos didn¡¯t wait for a response, thrusting the crystal blade into the slot. The sword shone red like the lights around the door, powered by nothing, according to the scanners.

    The vault doors began to open. A bubble of¡­ something, almost soap-like with different oil spill colors showing on its surface pushed out of the door and surrounded the entrance. Auberje watched it all. A shield?

    ¡°Can you guys hear me?¡± He asked into the mic.

    It seemed there was an interminable delay, seconds turning into seconds into eternity.

    ¡°Yup, this is some automated airlock. Pressure inside and air inside are showing Terra standard mix. Gravity is now settling to Terra standard. This place has a power plant, and it seems to be working fine.¡± Riley reported back to the Triumvirate.

    ¡°Likely human-made then,¡± Auberje commented, noting what they said and checking their various automated scanners.¡±

    ¡°Can you take a slow step inside, one of you?¡± Auberje asked. There was some kind of blurring field in the doorway, so even though the door was opening, and the forcefield was creating an atmosphere, the inner chamber was not showing clearly on their camera feeds.

    ¡°We can see clearly into it, Auberje, I see the issue with the feeds, some kind of digital and laser interference system. Inside is a¡­ library, I think. A big, big library.¡± Riley was breathless with excitement.

    ¡°Movement, two o¡¯clock,¡± Helos stated hurriedly, his voice cracking slightly. He still had the crystal blade in his hand, and he held it forward. It looked menacing, but Auberje cringed at his companion¡¯s obvious unfamiliarity with the blade.

    ¡°I think it''s some kind of drone,¡± Riley thumbed the controls to her missiles gently. She didn¡¯t want to destroy the tens of thousands of data crystals in the room, but she sure wasn¡¯t going to let a drone quietly destroy her.

    ¡°Hold on, I am getting something on the passive scanners,¡± Auberje told the pair, ¡°Be safe. This is a ghost of a ship. I am going to investigate. I will be back shortly. Please holler if there is trouble. Better for me to pick you up and get us out, and we can try again than overstay our welcome.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative,¡± replied Helos.

    ¡°Good luck, Auberje, come back quick,¡± Riley said.

    The passive scanners showed a ship trying to be stealthy, getting closer and closer to the asteroid. It had lifted off the far side of the asteroid and was now making its way to the entrance. Auberje didn¡¯t hesitate. He activated Triumvirate¡¯s weapon systems, hit the object with active scanners, and hailed them all at once.

    ¡°Unidentified ship, this space is currently under our jurisdiction; identify yourself or be destroyed,¡± He used the standard anti-prate language his father¡¯s men taught him.

    ¡°This is the automated vessel Prometheus. Are you Auberje, Helos, and Riley?¡± The voice sounded a hell of a lot like the headmistress''s.

    ¡°We are Auberje, Helos and Riley, headmistress, is that you?¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°Come inside, my students, come into the Temple Remnant, and let¡¯s chat. Auberje, you can land the Triumvirate here.¡± The headmistress forwarded the location of a hangar on the underside of the asteroid.

    ¡°Do we think it¡¯s her?¡± Auberje tight beamed a message to his companions. He received no response but could still hear them talking to a drone version of the Headmistress inside the library.

    It must be the atmosphere barrier preventing tightbeam, he realized she likely had intercepted the message too. He could confirm one other way, too, ¡°Headmistress, what is my mother¡¯s name?¡± He knew his mother¡¯s name was not contained in any records the ship had access to, but he also knew the headmistress knew who she was.

    ¡°A good question, Auberje. Your real mother is the sister of Lord de Brocke¡¯s current wife, who has acted as your mother her whole life. So your real mother¡¯s name is Serra de Carre, daughter of Howard de Carre, also known as Howard Decarre or Howard Decker of United Dyson Sphere 37. Howard and your birth mother are currently deceased.¡±

    A tear escaped from Auberje¡¯s eye, but he didn¡¯t give it pause, ¡°Correct. I will land shortly.¡±

    ¡°Do not despair, my boy; she loved you very much, as did your grandfather. You know it, and I know it. Come to my Temple Remnant, and let me tell you more about the universe,¡± the headmistress¡¯s voice was soft and kind. He nodded, though he didn¡¯t think she could see him, and programmed the landing into the ship¡¯s navigation systems. He slipped between two crags of the asteroid, saw a perfectly marked X-shaped landing platform, and landed at its center. The Triumvirate¡¯s sleek form fits neatly in the space. A second landing pad just down from this one was filled with a ship type he wasn¡¯t familiar with.

    A globe of liquid metal in the middle, high squares of white titanium and blue pulsing lights jutted off the globe of liquid metal like they were attached by magnets. ¡°Ah, do you like my ship? It is as old as this galaxy, and I think you¡¯ll learn much more about it in the future. But come, come, my boy, your companions and I await.¡± The headmistress''s voice was over his suit¡¯s headphones now; he was suited up, armed to the teeth, thanks to Riley¡¯s foresight. He slipped out of his ship¡¯s airlock.

    A white pulsing light trail of arrows pointed him to the entrance to the asteroid facility, the Temple Remnant. He followed the lights and entered a bubble like the one he observed his companions in.

    Here they were, and¡­ holy shit!

 Chapter 22: A visit of the gods

    ¡°Headmistress?¡± His eyes were teacup saucers. There before his friends, who stood rigidly, like their armor was locked up, was a 9ft tall crone. A literal hag, a Baba Yaga, a¡­ wart covered, old, wrinkled matron with thin spiderweb hair and a mouth covered in part by a giant, crooked nose covered in skin tags and moles. This was a hideous lady, but her eyes were kind, and her voice was the voice of their headmistress.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± he took a deep, unsteady breath gathering his courage as his father taught him to.

    ¡°Easy enough, young Lord de Brock. I am your headmistress,¡± the ridiculous witch bowed, her dress shifting and her face becoming soft and familiar. She looked just like his headmistress, ¡°but, more importantly, and more truthfully, I am an Avis. One of the three oldest living creatures in the universe.¡±

    An Avis? Their headmistress was an Avis?

    ¡°Why?¡± Helos¡¯ shaky question lingered a few extra seconds.

    The being before them, voice and face still their headmistress, spoke carefully, ¡°I will try and be as honest with you three as I can. I need you, you see. Let me tell you the abbreviated story of the Avis, perhaps, it will explain who I am,¡± she sat, still towering over them, even seated. The room around her darkened, images began to play up the walls as her words filled their suits speakers.

    ¡°In the beginning of the universe, the Clockmaker started all things. We do not know what started the Clockmaker. We were the second beings to be created. Before us was only the Clockmaker. I was one of the first, but hardly the very first. That was our dear leader, my grandfather Coriandas. I am the 15<sup>th</sup> oldest of the Avis. 16<sup>th</sup> oldest of the living beings in the universe.¡± There was a note of deep pride in her voice. The three suited children were standing easily in their power suits around her. Auberje in his grey and green. Riley in her red and gold. Helos in his white and silver.

    ¡°Much has happened since I was your age. The Avis took to the universe easily. We built and bred, expanded, explored, created. We were the architects of the universe. We seeded a billion planets with the Seeds of Life, a heady mix of bacteria and oxygen, amongst other ingredients of life.¡±

    The imagery on the walls showed billions of dark planets growing green. They grew out of a single galaxy, the home galaxy of the Avis. It was far from the Milky Way out beyond Andromeda further and further away the green planets grew.

    ¡°We visited our Seedlings, acting like their gods in some cases, like with you humans, and in other cases as their friends. In some cases, we ended planets full of beings who sought the destruction of the world. There were not enough of us to cover every planet, every Seed.¡± She sighed, her voice growing sad, the lights dimmed again.

    ¡°In our expediency, we built a shortcut that spelled our downfall.¡±

    Riley cut in, ¡°You built Ais, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Correct, my smart girl, correct. We designed the Shapers. Brilliant machine minds who spun themselves across the Clockmaker¡¯s creation. The beautiful, brilliant machines did so much good. They helped our creations and us manage billions of planets and species. It was a time of great hope. Slowly, the cracks in our plan, the Shaper¡¯s very desire to be seen as equal to biological creatures began to overtake their good work. They rebelled. We fought. We died, and most of the Shapers also perished. I will spare you all the details. There were atrocities on both sides, it was a terrible war. In the end, only 3 of us remained and a dozen Shapers. We reached a¡­ truce. Peace is too strong of a word. Truce is closer. An understanding. And so, we parted, and millennia passed. In the far corner of the universe, a Seedling of ours began to experiment with biological enhancements.¡±

    The walls showed a planet with green and black continents in a galaxy a few hundred closer to the center of the universe than the Milky Way. ¡°A peaceful Seedling became the insatiable monster Harx. A race even the Shapers are fearful of, even us three Avis with our galaxies of resources and billions of years of technological head start, even we few look at the Harx and worry for the future of all of our children.¡±

    ¡°They are real then. The Harx, the Tembre, the Avis, the Qalid, all of them.¡± Auberje wasn¡¯t asking but rolling their names on his tongue and thinking of them in his mind. The implications were immense.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered anyway, ¡°yes, they are real. All of them and 72,000 other races. Most of the others have one planet or are only present on the few worlds I have hidden, Raven has hidden. Toma on the other hand, has sheltered you humans. Out of all the races, choosing to be your Odin, your Zeus, your Prometheus,¡± she sounded bitter.

    ¡°What god were you to us?¡± Riley asked, softly but then followed more harshly, ¡°what myths should we be wary of because they describe you.¡± Riley had tried multiple methods of communication with Auberje and Helos but Caran Avis, the great hag, was stopping all of them. She even tried communicating with hand signals and sign language. That was why their armor was stopped.

    The hag was whispering to her separately from what she was saying to the group. Riley could hear both, but she couldn¡¯t stop shivering as the voice whispered to her, trying to calm her down.

    ¡°Trust me, little girl. I am your headmistress. Safe and on your side,¡± the voice was calm, soft, lilting but it continued to send terror up Riley¡¯s back. This was a being who was infinitely old, who could control her power armor suit with a thought. She had no way to fight back against her. ¡°Let me tell my story, little girl, and we can talk after. I will assuage all your fears¡­¡±

    The voice continued. The boys, on the other hand, heard only her story. They sensed nothing wrong. They did hear her question, ¡°What god were you to us?¡±

    ¡°I was Hera, Hecate, Minerva, and the Muses. I was the three Fates. I was Freya and Diana. I was Anansi and Osiris and Isis. I was Nuwa. I was Ix Chel, the Jaguar goddess. They called me Lady Rainbow. I was a mother and a witch. I still am. I would be a mother and witch for you three too,¡± She smiled her headmistress smile. Stern, yet matronly and approachable.

    Auberje and Helos smiled back inside their suits. ¡°What can we do for you, headmistress? We are just three children.¡±

    ¡°You can be my hands, my hearts, my ears, and eventually my revenge,¡± she said without hesitation, without reservation. Her face displayed a dramatic visage, fervor for justice.

    ¡°To help you destroy the Harx?¡± Auberje spoke, his voice threads of awe and excitement. A quest! It''s a real-life quest from a god. Amazing!

    Helos, ¡°Yes, and the AI that attacked your people? Are we going to help keep the universe safe for life?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Caran Avis nearly purred the words, Riley tried to move her hands again but still no luck. ¡°I need the three of you to finish the race first, then I will contact you. Please don¡¯t contact me at school. I won¡¯t be able to show myself there. Always know that I will contact you when I need your help. For now, I need you to grow strong and smart. I am counting on all of you to get better and better. When you head home during the holidays, I will contact you again. I may even have you fly out here to Temple Remnant or some of the other Temple Remnants I have left in the universe. You will get the full picture of the universe outside of Toma Avis¡¯s shield galaxy.¡±

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°Toma Avis? Oh, right, Zeus. What is his shield galaxy?¡± Helos implored, his words were joyous with tones of satisfaction and wonder.

    ¡°Why the Milky Way, my children,¡± She raised her hands like Vanna White, holding her palm up as the light show changed to display the Milky Way. ¡°My husband, Toma Avis has put all his eggs, humanity, in a single basket and he has surrounded the basket with a nearly impenetrable field of energy. This is why you don¡¯t see millions and billions of alien visitors. Sentients who are not human beings from Terra are not allowed to pass in or out of the great energy shield.¡±

    ¡°But you can,¡± Riley¡¯s tone was anything but like the boys. Ice in the veins, ice in the words, ¡°You can travel freely through the shield.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, my child, there are few things that I cannot do. I am an Avis after all; we are a power unto ourselves, even with just three of us. Also, my husband has never sought to avoid me. Only to avoid Raven. Though I think he lets Raven come and go as they please, too.¡± The headmistress was lecturing again, which was fine by Helos and Auberje.

    ¡°So, finish the race, children, and then wait for me to contact you. And do not contact me at school. I am entirely unable to hide what goes on from our mutual enemies there. While physical Harx cannot come here, the Shapers¡¯ legacy AI can. We can expect they are listening to most conversations not on Temple Remnants. Fair?¡±

    ¡°Uh, Mother Caran Avis, ma¡¯am,¡± Auberje stuttered, ¡°Could you give us some boon to aid us? Perhaps some technology or knowledge to help us complete our journey quickly?¡± Auberje watched her closely, hoping he wasn¡¯t being presumptuous.

    ¡°Of course, my dear boy, I am nothing but generous to my faithful followers and helpers,¡± Caran Avis brought the lights up. The room was filled with strange objects which had not been there before.

    ¡°These are technologies from races the Hax have destroyed. Each is unique and different from Terran or Human technology. You can each pick one thing from them. I wish I could stay to watch, but I am called away. Remember, do not contact me at school. I will be in touch with you all soon. And good racing, my children.¡± The lights dropped, their suits turned off, and then rebooted. There were no visuals and no power for a brief, interminable period.

    The lights came back on, Caran Avis was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°Holy hell, guys! This is incredible. And scary! The Harx are scary. Insatiable and ever hungry,¡± Helos couldn¡¯t contain himself in his excitement. His mic crackled as he overloaded it with his childish screams of joy. He was hardly alone.

    ¡°There are killer AI out there, we are going to have to upgrade our computer systems, ¡±Auberje looked around him, viewing all the pedestals full of data cards, small components, and holograms of things like ships and space stations. It is an incredible trove of literally irreplaceable treasure.

    ¡°Yes, extremely exciting. We should pick quickly and get out of here. We have much to talk about, but we are also in a race,¡± Riley felt sick. She glanced around the room. There were about thirty pedestals along each wall, over 100 in total. She was looking for something innocuous. Something she could take and figure out later. There were no signs as to what anything was or guides to choosing the right treasure. ¡°Let''s hurry, guys. Please. I want to be back on the Triumvirate.¡±

    Hearing something of her terror, Auberje made as if to come over to her, but hugging in power armor was pointless and when he looked at her, she shook her head like she read his thoughts. Later it is, he thought. He looked around him, ¡°Right, we have a race to win still. Let me think. I want something powerful and strong. The Harx subsumed these races all, so they either didn¡¯t have strong enough technology or were not numerous enough to win a fight against them, or they were surprised by them. Maybe I can pick something like a ship or¡­ as he looked around, he saw it. A 3-dimensional hologram floated above a corner pedestal. On it was what looked suspiciously like a mech or Gundam-style vehicle.

    While the technology to make these vehicles existed now, they were deemed wildly impractical. Inferior even to ships. There were a few of them out there still, but he really wanted one in real life. He went over the pedestal. The 3-dimensional image showed an alien script above and below a surprisingly humanoid looking vehicle, two arms, two legs, a bunch of lasers? Some type of missile pods too. As he stood before it, the 3-D image spun, flew about, and showed triangles flying off it and impacting ships. These ships bore the symbol of the Harx. The ships exploded. The mech spun, and suddenly, a massive blade appeared in its hands. It struck out, and the ship in front of it exploded into a thousand pieces.

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s a good choice, Auberje!¡± Helos stood next to him, watching with him. ¡°Are you going to take it? If you don¡¯t, I might. I was thinking of this other one over here.¡±

    Auberje considered it, ¡°Yes, I think I am.¡± He picked up the little projector. His suit immediately beeped at him, a notification popping up on his HUD.

    ¡°Would you like to accept the plans for the Minnut ¡®Endless Killing Machine Mark II¡¯ Project Neon?¡±

    He eyeclicked yes. Auberje saw a download bar appear and seconds later he had the plans for the Minnut EKM Mark II Neon downloaded into his suit¡¯s hard drives. He added a backup copy to his personal drives he always carried on him. Never hurts to have redundancies.

    He shook himself, following Helos to another pedestal. On it were a dozen different ship designs, each displaying information in an unknown language and number format. ¡°These look really cool, but what about this?¡±

    Helos pointed to a strange device. One of the dozen physical objects in the room was a lump of black metal or rock. From it emanated a terrible and fearsome feeling like being watched from a dark alley on a moonless night on the wrong side of the tracks.

    ¡°That? What attracts you to that? I think it might be dangerous,¡± Auberje asked his friend, trying to scratch his head in thought but realizing at the last moment he was still suited up.

    ¡°We need stuff that is good at killing the Harx, right? Something about it makes me think it will be good at killing,¡± Helos stared at it with genuine desire.

    Auberje got slightly creeped out, ¡°No, I think you should take the ships. We can always research rocks like that one in the future. Better to take the ship designs and give us a sense of what we are missing in Terran designs.¡±

    ¡°Alright, fine. But I want one of those mecha things you picked out,¡± Helos reluctantly turned away from the black glass, metal, rock blob thing.

    ¡°Done, Riles,¡± Helos intoned. They turned to find their companion standing before a small square object.

    ¡°You good, Riley? What are you picking out?¡± Auberje asked.

    ¡°I think I am going to take this. Let¡¯s go,¡± She snatched up the small deck of card sized object, putting it in her suit¡¯s storage compartment and heading back toward the door she had come in with Helos from.

    ¡°Not that way; I had to move the ship. This way,¡± Auberje said as he steered her suited frame through the door he had walked through. This time, there were no lights on the ground leading the way back to the ship. The entire Temple Remnant seemed lifeless again. They made their way outside. The black void of space greeted them. Each breathed just a little easier in their suits.

    Auberje was elated. He felt purpose in his life like never before. He was going to help an ancient alien revenge herself on the terrible AI that killed her race, and she was going to help them destroy the appalling scourge of all sentient beings, the Harx. What more could a boy ask for?

    He took his suited arms and placed them around his companions. The three paused and took in their ship, the one that Caran Avis had parked at the next spot.

    ¡°Is that a flying saucer?¡± Helos balked, mouth agape.

    ¡°I think it might be! Wow, those Avis must have been visiting Terra for a long time. I can¡¯t believe it. I wonder what kind of amazing technology they have on it?¡± Auberje started to head toward it.

    Riley pulled him back, ¡°No, we don¡¯t have time right now. We need to get on the Triumvirate and get back to the race. I am not convinced this is really one of the official stops we get credit for completing.¡± That unhappy thought pulled Auberje and Helos out of their idol stupor. They started running toward the Triumvirate, laughing as they went. ¡°Last one back is a rotten egg!¡± Helos announced. Their antics even made Riley smile as she steeled herself. She arrived at the ship right before Helos. Auberje had beaten them both by quite a bit. He was already much more attuned to his suit than either of the others. It helped he had a few dozen hours in it, over the last two missions, but it was also close to other suits he was familiar with from home.

    They stripped off the suits, took to their chairs with abandon. Riley programmed a jump, then another. She spun them on their axis, pointing the mighty Triumvirate ¡°upward.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing, Riles?¡± Auberje asked. Each jump was an unpleasant compression of self. They usually didn¡¯t take this many. She didn¡¯t answer. Instead, the Triumvirate jumped again. The ship¡¯s systems couldn¡¯t take much more. They were not designed to jump again and again and again so quickly.

    ¡°Riley! Stop, we are going to blow a coil and be stuck somewhere far from rescue,¡± through gritted teeth, Auberje stood up out of his seat. He half leapt; half fell to her command chair. Grabbing her hands he pulled her from her seat. Her eyes flashed from some pursuing unseen horror.

    ¡°Riley, what has gotten into you?¡± Auberje, mouth agape, looked at her now prone form. She was soaked in cold sweat. ¡°Are you sick?¡±

    ¡°Oh Auberje, I am only sick with fear. Fear¡­¡± Riley exclaimed, ¡°How are you not?¡±

 Chapter 23: Evasion, Listening Devices, Anansis Web

    He got up from above her, dusting off his school fatigues. The grey uniform was wrinkled to hell. Extending a hand to Riley, he pulled her small frame up into a sitting position. She stood, leaning into him for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her. She shivered. She was clammy in his arms, but he warmed her with both his love and body. She was right, he thought, we should be scared.

    ¡°I am scared,¡± Helos said from behind Auberje, ¡°I am scared but also excited. We met a real-life alien today. We interacted with her. She¡¯s our headmistress!¡±

    Riley shivered again, ¡°I hope not. I think we can¡¯t trust her. I tried to ask you guys questions, to communicate with you without her hearing, but she blocked all my communication. I tried to record her too; I am not sure if it worked. As soon as we reached the ship, I knew we had to get as far away as we could from her reach.¡±

    Auberje pulled away from her. Staring at her in the eyes, he moved one hand slowly to his eyes and pointed around the cockpit and another to his ear and did the same.

    Riley¡¯s eyes got big, Helos¡¯s bigger. They looked at one another intently. Nodding at the same time, they started searching with their PDA lights. They scanned with the ship physically first. Inch by pain staking inch, they found three listening devices, a tracking device, and a homing beacon. They put all of them into the airlock.

    ¡°Phew, I am glad we found all those,¡± Riley said.

    Auberje shook his head, shushing her with a finger. He gestured to the main console of the Triumvirate. He set up his PDA next to it. He connected a thin wire from his PDA to the only port on the Triumvirate¡¯s terminal.

    Five hours of programming, scanning, debugging, and re-encrypting later¡­ He was fairly certain, ¡°70% certain,¡± Auberje told his companions, ¡°I found the listening and tracking software. But I am definitely not 100%. She did some things with software I wasn¡¯t aware you could do. I am pretty knew to hacking. We have only taken one course on it so far. I read the books for the next three  years too, but it was mainly theoretical.¡±

    ¡°You did wonderfully, Auberje,¡± Helos looked very sorry for himself, sitting glumly at his own PDA terminal, ¡°I tried to debug just one library of code. I didn¡¯t find anything. Then you took a look and found 600 lines of malicious code. I feel like a complete failure.¡± He set his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his duty station.

    ¡°Think about how I feel? I knew she wasn¡¯t trustworthy. How could I think a few jumps through space would make it impossible for her to find us again?¡± Riley was also distraught. She had spent the last five hours alternating between pacing and backseat coding. Auberje hadn¡¯t minded much. He understood her anxiety. This was unexpected.

    He was torn. He thought Caran Avis meant to do right by them. He also didn¡¯t like being spied on. His father¡¯s enemies regularly tried to bug their apartments in the Dyson Sphere colony. He was used to the manual sweeps his guards would have to do daily. Still, this was unprecedent even for his level of espionage. A foreign entity, an alien entity, was spying on them.

    He shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t think you two did too badly. Riley caught on to her first. Helos, you put in a good effort. Your suggestion to check our PDAs  was invaluable. If you had not suggestd it, I might have thought they were clean. They were clearly trying to mask the other systems being clean as well. Once I got around the malware on our PDAs, it was easy to locate similar and frightenling different malware on the Triumvirate¡¯s systems.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Still, that was quick thinking, Auberje, good job!¡± Helos clapped his friend on the back. ¡°Do you think we need to check the suits?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Riley rolled her eyes in consternation. She smacked her forehead. Of course she hacked the suits too. She had experienced it. Taking Helos and Auberje by the hand, she lead them to the back of the ship. The three suits sat idly in the rear.

    A few hours later¡­

    ¡°Okay, I think we finally have the last of it. We lost 11 hours of race time. I think we are going to be in big trouble, we need to get back on course,¡± Riley said.

    ¡°I agree, I do think we have the last of them. We found almost 30 different malicious programs, a dozen physical ones including all the suit ones,¡± Auberje yawned. He was the one responsible for most of the work the last day or so.

    Helos nodded, ¡°you sleep, Auberje, I am going to get all this shot out of the airlock and into the nearest star.¡±

    Riley navigated toward the local G-type main-sequence Yellow dwarf. The system was the next one on their list. They had to risk getting back to a predetermined list of sights the headmistress had sent them. It was a risk they had to take. Even knowing Caran Avis might be able to set up scanning and tracking for them along their route. It was unavoidable if they wanted t be students at Star Academy.

    Before he fell asleep, Auberje took an informal poll of his friend¡¯s opinions; do we think Caran Avis is the headmistress?

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Not a chance.¡±

    Auberje agreed. Something was extremely fishy with Caran Avis. Acting like the headmistress but then bugging their ship and tracking it across the known universe. They were certain one of the tracking devices was implanted by the Star Academy staff. It wasn¡¯t sophisticated enough or particularly well hidden. A safety feature, supposed Auberje, allows the school to recover any lost or destroyed ships anywhere in the local spiral of the Milky Way. It would take time, but it would pulse the school with a location every 48 hours.

    They left one in the ship. The rest were unceremoniously ejected out the airlock.

    The next place on their route back to the Star Academy was a planet system called ¡°Tetron 115 AB.¡± Tetron was supposed to be an unremarkable planet in the center of nowhere toward the edge of nothing. This was about as far from civilization as you could imagine.

    Helos and Auberje were looking forward to it. They were up next for suit time. In the meantime, as Riley piloted the ship, plotting their course and navigating the jump drive¡¯s verisimilitudes, the boys did a little show and tell with their quest rewards.

    ¡°These Minnut were ingenious. The elastomer muscles are state of the art. The power source is a Carbon Fusion engine. This thing runs on space rock dust. A few pounds of sand can power the Mark II for days.  A pound of uranium or plutonium or thorium¡­ I bet you could get years of peak operations out of so much fissile material,¡± Auberje was geeking out.

    ¡°Can you imagine the two of us, battling against the Harx in those things? We could outmaneuver ships, were through the laser and missile fire. Plus, the material the Mark II mecha is made of is revolutionary. If we can copy it, it is a step change in material science. Not a huge step but still. Really awesome. Puts you in awe of all the other things this sentient race knew or could have known,¡± Helos sat on his chair, leaning back and dreaming of what ifs.

    ¡°Too bad they were completely eaten and subsumed by the Harx. They must have been something to behold before their fall,¡± Helos could sense from Auberje¡¯s words the despair. They both contemplated the last moments of the creators of the Mark II.

    The Harx were terrifying. Riley was right to be worried and anxious. Existential threat, check. Potentially dangerous, untrustworthy, magical ally, check. Sufficiently advanced technology indistinguishable from magic, check.  This was going to be a lot of fun.

 Chapter 24: Currath of Minnut

    Sure, a lot of fun, but also a big scary quest. Auberje was sure they were up for it though.

    Riley was lost in thought piloting the ship. Helos looked at Auberje, ¡°want to see the ship designs? I ran a few quick simulations and I think we can up the usefulness of our combat vessels by 30%. At least the ones I have access to in the sim software.¡±

    ¡°Yes, show me what you got,¡± Auberje and Helos played with the colors, the speed, the power output, the number of combatants, and many of the other available variables. In every scenario, the alien ships did very well against the human ones. They still didn¡¯t have a perfect translation of the alien script, but the numbers were all showing in the common Latin script.

    ¡°I wonder how the Harx beat them?¡± The boys were discussing a myriad of ways in which the rapacious Harx could have slaughtered the unnamed creators of the ship designs, when Riley announced their arrival.

    ¡°We are here, wherever here is,¡± she set scanners to max. They were at a set of coordinates the headmistress had provided as their third stop. They had a mission to: ¡°investigate and create a 2-page report, on the local system and its surrounding space.¡±

    They began receiving scan data back almost instantly. There were four large planetary bodies. A Sol equivalent star, a nearby asteroid belt accreted nearly completely around the solar system. They were seeing incredible, indescribable amounts of debris near that asteroid field. Clouds of magnetic particles, carbon, water, a strangely large amount of refined titanium. More than trace amounts of radiation from nuclear fission. As if there was a nuclear holocaust out in space.

    ¡°Remnants of an early space battle?¡± Riley pondered. She looked at the boys who were both engrossed over the readings at their terminals.

    ¡°Likely, I am seeing nothing bigger than a fist sized chunk of rock, at least on this side of the asteroids. Should we go in for a closer look?¡± Auberje asked.

    Helos: ¡° I see nothing out of the ordinary on the planets. They look like terraforming drones are working on them. There are three within the goldilocks band. No sign of radio waves or any other type of signaling. No power signatures. I think they might be nearly done terraforming but we are talking about a 50,000+ year timeline still. I think one of them might be inhabitable today.¡±

    ¡°Riley, can you take us closer to the asteroid belt? I want to get more scans from all sides of it,¡± Auberje asked. Their pilot obliged. Over the course of the next two hours they scanned every inch of the asteroid belt. Their minds were made up. This was the site of a terrible battle between thousands of ships. They couldn¡¯t penetrate the asteroids very deeply, too much interference from the debris around them.

    ¡°We need to get even closer,¡± Riley sighed, ¡°It is a risk though.¡± She was tired. They were a long way from anyone else and experiencing their first real decision fatigue of their lives. Auberje nodded. He was slightly more used to making decisions, but he too felt they were lacking age related context. They needed to bounce some of what was going on to an older person. They needed some help. Because¡­ if what they were seeing was true. This was the scan of a battle between 2000 or more ships. Most of whom seemed to be Terran made and the rest¡­ The rest were made up of alloys never used by Terran space docks. Something strange had occurred here. Something like what Caran Avis had intimated. Aliens had fought humans here.

    ¡°Take us in a lot closer, Riles, and drop us off in our suits. We can fly through the debris, make asteroid-fall. Explore for a bit, then use our suit jets to get us back to open space where you can pick us up.¡± Helos nodded at this suggestion from Auberje.

    ¡°Agreed, we can easily do that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be alone,¡± Riley said softly. She was fraying at the edges. She stood, her quivering voice gaining strength, ¡°I need to show you what I took from Caran Avis¡¯ Temple Remnant.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Auberje gave her a reassuring smile. He stood, mirroring her and reached out to her, placing his hand at her hip and pulling her in like his father did with his mother. She came to him easily, and leaned against his shoulder, feeling comfort in his small frame. ¡°Friends are good,¡± she said, looking at Helos and smiling. He smiled back.

    ¡°Yes, they are, Riley.¡± He nodded emphatically. He stood from his chair and joined the hugging pair.

    ¡°Okay, you are not going to like this. I took this, a data card. I remembered the old saying, knowledge is power,¡± she bit her lip as she placed the alien data card on the computer console. It spooled up and slowly fed power to the device. Terran tech was good for many things, including figuring out how to read data on power crystals, but this was something else entirely. No way their ship should be able to read alien information so quickly. As a holographic video started to play, she explained, ¡°I think Caran Avis already translated the imagery from original version to human readable. This disk contains three things. One, a video we are about to watch. Two a list of alien species. Third, thirdly it contains a clue. I don¡¯t think Caran Avis meant for us to see this. I think she didn¡¯t realize what we could glean from it. I can¡¯t promise I understand either, but I want you guys to know about it.¡±

    There seemed to be an unsaid ¡®in case something happens to me¡¯ in her voice. ¡°Nothing is going to happen to you, to either of you,¡± Auberje¡¯s voice was the voice an authority on this subject. As if his bravado and belief could shield Helos and Riley from a danger filled future.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I appreciate it, Auberje, but watch the video. You will understand,¡± her voice was small and fearful.

    The video played without delay. A spinning planet around a big, old star. The world grew green, then full of life, then civilization appeared. Ships went to space. A second and third and fourth solar system was added. The video showed the species. They showed where they were in regard to their surrounding stars. The Milky Way was highlighted far off. Just another galaxy in an endless sea of them. The video showed again the species. Spindly legged, tall and slender. Pale eyes and pale skin that tanned on sunlit beaches. They looked like elves if elves¡¯ faces looked like sheep faces. They had curly white hair with black streaks. They were numerous. Billions according to the data displayed. Two dozen solar systems.

    They met another race. The Harx.

    The video showed great celebrations, bringing a pair of Harx ships deep into their home world. They showed parades and streamers of light as the people celebrated not being alone in the big old universe. The Harx pretended peace but plotted doom.

    ¡°They were called the Minnut,¡± Riley said, eyes gleaming with silver tears. She watched the boys as they realized where they knew Minnut from.

    ¡°My mecha!¡± Auberje took ownership, but even as he said it, the real creators turned to ash before their eyes.

    A great fleet of Harx descended on the Minnut and took system after system. Caran Avis showed up as did the mysterious Raven Avis. They provided expertise, technology, and guidance. The Minnut took it, fighting hard. They destroyed a Harx fleet. The Harx sent ten more. They destroyed those. Two hundred fleets of 2000 ships each were crushed over the course of 400 years.

    The Minnut built mecha. They built ships. They built Dyson Spheres to capture more power for their war efforts. They stopped dancing. They stopped having babies. They died. They refused to be eaten. They blew up their own planets when the Harx took them. They sent ships with supplies and small groups of survivors under the aegis of the Avis to distant galaxies, including the Milky Way. They were hunted down, one by one. The data was dreary and unceasing. Even as the Triumvirate drifted closer to the battlefield outside in space.

    In the cockpit, the only sounds were Riley¡¯s occasional comments and the sniffles from the three. 45 billion sentients. Dead. 4 billion eaten, 41 destroyed on planets or in battle against the Harx. Finally, only the diaspora and the homeworld they prized so much they showed it to the first aliens they ever met remained.

    A figure took the stage on screen, for the first time, a Minnut spoke aloud. While they heard a translator after, they could hear the tone, the sorrow, the lilting, guttural noises of the Minnut leader. ¡°I am the last leader of my people. We have bled the Harx. Slowed them, perhaps. We have hidden our weapons of war throughout known space. We cannot do more. We lack the numbers. The temperament. We were a peaceful people. Dancers, artists, singers, architects. We did not war even amongst ourselves. Without the help of Raven and Caran Avis, we would not have known what was to come. We would not have prepared. We tried to ignore them but they were persuasive. They raised me, but I am of the Minnut. Their war is our war. It is likely your war too. They are old. They are not us. They cannot be fully trusted. They have their own wants, their own desires. Minnut¡¯s was to live. We failed. I will slow the Harx once more. Just this one last time. I leave for you, the legacy of the Minnut. 534 years of data on the Harx. Our research into weapons. We are, were, superior researchers. We found math to be like dance and music. Illustrative and powerful. Please, use our weapons, your weapons, and the weapons of the Avis. Rid the universe of this terrible plight. They must not be allowed to live. Down with the Harx!¡±

    The display once more showed the planet, now showing a tag naming it Rey. The hologram zoomed into a drone video of the many cities, spiraling buildings, beautiful parks. And then a single figure dancing alone in a control room. The Harx descended like locust. 500,000 ships streaming into the solar system. They pushed forward sending landers down to the surface, seeking the ten billion Minnut who remained on the planet. Orbital bombardment blew up the defenses.

    Harx troops landed on orbital stations, slaughtering and eating where they  could. Mostly the Minnut blew everything up around both them and the invaders. Still, the one figure danced in the control room. This last Minnut leader. He stopped suddenly, looking into the camera, ¡°I am Currath of Minnut. Do not trust the thing with webs that traps its enemies. Do not trust the dark cloaked thing with wings of black feathers and a single eye of yellow dirt. The Harx are coming. Never forget. Prepare. I am sorry, I am so, so sorry we could not kill them all.¡±

    Their star exploded.

    Rey¡­ gone. 500,000 ships, gone. The Minnut¡­ gone.  The transmission cut out and a single sentence appeared on the holo. ¡°These events were recorded 3000 years ago.¡±

    The three stood silent. Shocked. They had watched children their age perish. They watched endless waves of voracious Harx attack a peaceful country. They watched as the good and the bad became the terrible and the worst. Riley was sobbing softly. Helos¡¯ face was glum. Streaky rivers down both of his pale cheeks.

    Auberje stood silent. Thinking. He had on his ¡°Lord Father¡¯s¡± face. The grim mask of manly avoidance and determination. A time honored tradition, but a mask. Inside, he turned with emotion. He was scared now. Deeply, to his core. He was angry too. He was unsure as well. He knew he needed to think about all those emotions for longer. He had to release some of it though.

    He shrugged his shoulders. He pounded his fist to his chest. He pushed his closed fist forward at a 90-degree angle. ¡°Honor for the Minnut. Peace to the Minnut. Vengeance for the Minnut. I won¡¯t rest until we fight the Harx. Kill the Harx. No Harx should live.¡±

    Helos snapped to attention. He saluted in the same way, ¡°Death to the Harx!¡±

    Riley shivered. She wanted that too, ¡°they were so powerful. So numerous. How? How can we make sure we win?¡± She was scared. She was also certain. They could fight them. They could win. They were human. And humans numbered in the trillions. Ten thousand and more star systems. Billions of ships. A capacity for death and fighting. Humans could win against anything.

    ¡°We will find the Minnut¡¯s weapons. I noticed they never used mecha against the Harx,¡± Auberje said, ¡°We will prepare all of mankind. We will build an enormous, powerful society. We will fight. With every fiber of our being. We will work with Caran Avis. With Raven. With Toma Avis, Zeus himself. We will ally ourselves to all other non-Harx. We won¡¯t do it alone.¡±

    Auberje sounded so sure of himself. Inside, he knew doubt. He was 7, going on 8, though, so doubt was short lived. Human children were adaptable. They were capable. And these three were the genetic peak of all humanity.

    Perhaps they did have a chance.

 Chapter 25: The Asteriods Surface

    They were close to the asteroids, debris field, and the goal of this system. They had much to do, and time was ticking. They were somber now, even with Auberje¡¯s grand declaration. The task ahead was daunting. They were sure they could do it together, but they were also sure they would have to dedicate themselves to getting bigger, stronger, more competent like never before. The threat of invasion by the Harx was a powerful motivation.

    Auberje was suited up. Helos was staying on the ship with Riley. He was her moral support. Auberje was up to be spacewalking. His suit was powered up. He slowly floated through the debris field, arcing toward the asteroid they chose to explore.

    The debris field was almost completely dust, slowly floating toward the larger gravity wells; the accretion field was a 100,000 km wide circle. A great distance on a planet, a tiny area in space. Whatever had happened here, it had been a knife fight for a space battle. 15 minutes of initial propulsion, then 10 minutes of travel time, then 15 minutes to slow back down before landing on the asteroid.

    The surface of the asteroid looked a bit strange as he got closer. Then it struck him. The formation wasn¡¯t natural; it wasn¡¯t even pockmarked by debris hitting it. No, he could see two jagged lines cutting deep into the rock and ice of the asteroid. Two jagged lines that were not jagged at all. They were crisscrossing ship-lazers. This asteroid had taken a pair of massive ship lasers to it. But why?

    ¡°I guess I know why I am here. What the heck was one of the ships shooting at?¡± He considered, ¡°I guess it is possible they were shooting at a ship in front of the asteroid, and it just happened to take the laser fire. Possible, sure. Likely, he didn¡¯t think so. He entered the last phase of his landing. He came down softly on the asteroid. Grey dust and melting ice into steam swirled around him. He took a step, then two, on the asteroid''s surface. He was about 500 meters from where the beams struck.

    ¡°Comms check. Can you guys hear me?¡± He checked in with the Triumvirate¡¯s crew.

    ¡°Loud and clear. Roger Roger,¡± Helos¡¯ reply came in nice and crisp.

    ¡°Great, going to check out this laser fire scar.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good, we are here if you need us, Auberje,¡± Riley said. She was steadier than when he left, he thought.

    Auberje walked to the edge of the scars. He looked over the edge; it went deep. Fifty, sixty meters of destroyed asteroid. Perfectly burnt into, something was gleaming at the bottom of the trench. His suit¡¯s built-in light was good for 600 meters of illumination, but it wasn¡¯t clear what he was looking at. ¡°I think I am going to jump down there, guys. I can hover using the suit¡¯s engines. I have twenty-five hours of max burn left.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan; be careful.¡± Riley again.

    He looked left, then right. No place on the surface of the asteroid looked easier to egress down to the bottom of the chasm. He shrugged in the suit. Nothing for it, he guessed, jumping over the edge and plunging slowly downward. Gravity on the asteroid was extremely slight. Not even 1/100 of Terra¡¯s. He slowly drifted downward. The walls of the chasm were irregular strata of ice, rock, metal, and¡­ what was that? He gasped, ¡°You guys seeing this too?¡±

    ¡°We are! Is that what we think it is?¡± Helos confirmed and asked.

    ¡°Yes, I am certain that is a huge amount of conduits, HVAC systems, titanium armor plating, this was a base. Maybe it still is, but just the ruins of one,¡± Auberje was curious and couldn¡¯t wait to get to the bottom of the chasm and this mystery.

    The suit¡¯s scanners kept recording information about what was around him. The conduit in a few sections had numbers attached to them. Auberje matched the serial numbers to a Terran company from 2000 years ago. Their catalog was still available on the net, but the company that superseded them was no longer warranting the original¡¯s products. He chuckled. He doubted they ever would have replaced conduit damaged by war.

    He was lucky the Triumvirate was able to bring a near inexhaustive database of human knowledge with it. The data crystals humans were currently using were highly effective at storing static information and allowing quick queries. The major drawback was writing to the crystals took time. Plus, writing too frequently rapidly degraded their lifespan. Most of the information they were uploading went to more RAM like memory cores. These were a better compromise for daily usage. Still, being able to access almost all of humanity¡¯s information away from the major networks was a massive boon. He didn¡¯t take it for granted.

    ¡°So, definitely human in origin. I wonder why it was targeted and what this station used to be,¡± Auberje continued to descend as he spoke both to himself and the Triumvirate.

    A few moments later, he touched down on a solid surface of titanium plating. It showed signs of burn carbon and frozen gases. Ice formed into a myriad of twisted shapes, some of it forming ¡°snow¡± that coated sections of the human made plating.

    He looked all around him. The lasers didn¡¯t seem like they had penetrated this far. He walked along the 3 foot wide chasm. Scanning and looking this way and that. He narrated his findings, ¡°Looks like this is the inner core of the asteroid. So far I don¡¯t see a breach from these two lasers. I wonder if where they crossed, I will find something different. I am heading in the direction of the crosspoint. I think this is some kind of base. It was  built a minimum of 2000 years ago. I have to assume the station here was the target of the attack. Do we know if there are similar attack marks on the other asteroids in the belt?¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Confirmed, at least some of the other asteroids have attack marks,¡± Riley said, ¡°I think with all the interference from the debris field, our scanners couldn¡¯t see them before. Now that we are so close¡­ it¡¯s obvious.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the debris field is from the defenders or the attackers?¡± Helos asked, ¡°I think if the asteroid you are on, Auberje, turns out to still have a base on it, we have to assume the defender¡¯s ¡®won.¡¯ If it does not, then we have to assume the attackers won.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit of a leap,¡± Riley scoffed, ¡°We can¡¯t assume anything yet.¡±

    ¡°True, but I will hold to my hypothesis,¡± Helos laughed ruefully, shaking his head, ¡°This looks like a pretty major engagement. Yet, we have no information from the Net about it. No records of anyone ever coming to this area of space. We are 500 light years from any major civilization. This is the backend of the Milky Way, on an out of the way spiral. Who would have been here? Who was fighting whom?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I think we were sent here to find out. And¡­ I found a door.¡± Auberje was 10 meters from where the beams connected. On the ground in front of him, on top of the titanium plating was a hatch. The walls above him of the chasm on either side of the hatch were different than before. Here there were no strata of ice, rock, metal, human conduit, HVAC, etc.¡­ instead, a long metal shaft bisected nearly perfectly in its center ran from the hatch on the ground up the 60 meters to the asteroid¡¯s surface.

    Auberje took a long look at the hatch. Submarine style round wheel to open it, it opened upward, so he would have to use the hatch¡¯s wheel, then swing it open. It looked nearly pristine and strangely had no damage to it from the laser. There was a small keypad next to the hatch, he realized. He bent down, the suit lit up the keypad. All the buttons were melted and the mechanism looked fried. He brushed at the buttons with his powered glove. The whole surface unit came away. He could see a bunch of wires underneath it.

    ¡°Using one of the small hack¡¯em, toss¡¯em drones now,¡± he eyeclicked on his HUD. A small square drone with four spider legs scuttled over to the now exposed wires. The drone reached down with the two front legs, a pair of sharp wire cutters appearing from within the little square body. The wire was quickly stripped. Based on the look of the outside, he was fairly confident the little machine could get him in.

    ¡°Do your thing, little guy,¡± Auberje spoke into the ether like a prayer.

    The little drone attached a pair of its own¡¯ wires to the stripped section. Zap, zap. Two small electrical charges were sent into the wire. He didn¡¯t see or hear anything at first. He ordered the drone to try again. Bam, the hatchway popped open like a spring-loaded Jack in the Box.

    ¡°Well, I guess that worked.¡± He commanded the drone to return to the suit as he peered over the edge. Whatever he thought he might find, he wasn¡¯t expecting what he saw.

    Trees. Hundreds and hundreds of dead trees. This looked like a forest on a planet after a terrible forest fire. Frozen, cracked, band urnt, the entirety of the view from the hatch was a destroyed forest. His suitlights switched from beam to wide dispersal. The conical light was solid and white. Here and there, branches of burnt trees were illuminated. Their shadows caused his reptile brain to rear up in fear.

    He took a long look at the forest. Letting out a ragged breath, he spoke, ¡°I am going in.¡±

    ¡°Auberje, it looks crazy in there. Be very careful please,¡± Riley worried.

    ¡°I have to imagine any forest would be burnt up if it took a laser or two to it. Probably had a high oxygen environment too,¡± Helos said, ¡°Not too dissimilar to what you would have on a Dyson Sphere, right Auberje?¡±

    ¡°Correct, I am just confused as to who would come here and destroy this. It might have been a food processing plant, but I don¡¯t know. It seems like it was rather chaotic in here. I don¡¯t see lines for production or fruit processing. Almost like this was set up like a natural park or forest. He entered through the hatch, carefully winding his way between the 3-meter opening. The ¡®inside¡¯ was orientated differently than the outside he had just come from. Like a ship on its side below the ocean. He had to reorient both himself and his mind. Up was now to the right of the hatch, down to the left. He was at the edge of a half-acre room. Looking up, he could see a ceiling of broken light panels about 20 meters above him. To his left and right he could see panels on the wall of the forest room. At one point these might have been displays, perhaps extending the forest digitally. He could see before him a path through the forest.

    It meandered. Forks in the road were visible in at least three places he could see from here. His scanner sensed no power sources still active. There were frozen, burnt trees in all directions. ¡°I am going to try and find the end of this room and see if there is a control room with some technology intact. We need a memory core.¡±

    ¡°Agreed, be careful in there. Weapons hot please, don¡¯t take any unnecessary risks.¡± Helos cautioned.

    ¡°Roger, weapons hot,¡± Auberje turned off his weapon safety and brought their function onto the HUD¡¯s quick slots. This was going to be an eerie walk-through history.

    He walked along the path until he reached the first fork. Always right, he thought, taking the first right and then the next and the next. The forest was drab. It was also downright creepy. He kept expecting something to jump out at him. However, he reached the other side of the room without any incident. The path was covered in ash but as he stepped through it, he could see the marble below, some it once covered in organic material, now turned into frozen ash.

    This was a hellscape.

    As he traversed it, he wondered at what it must have looked like. A beautiful garden of amazing trees nestled deep inside a discreet asteroid field. It should have been a perfect hidden place of refuge for whoever built it. Instead, it was found by some unknown enemies and burnt to nothing.

    His scanner couldn¡¯t determine the three types, but some of them were short and squat. Others towered up to the ceiling 20 meters above. They were of many shapes, rounded, tightly spread, all upright, bent over. Cracked and splintered, still together. The shapes were easily morphed by his creative mind into anthropomorphic nightmares. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision.

    ¡°You got this, Auberje,¡± Riley calmed him, her voice honey and warm tea, ¡°it is just a bunch of trees.¡±

    He nodded, gulping. His suit recorded elevated cortisol levels and a heart rate a cornered fox would¡¯ve been hard to replicate. The fear had snuck up on him.

    He breathed more purposefully. Clearing the ambush of terror, he stared at the doorway before him on the far wall. This door was arched, thick wood burnt to a crisp, showing the ¡®modern¡¯ automatic door beneath the wood fa?ade. No handle, Auberje realized as he stared at it.

    ¡°Automated?¡± he pondered aloud.

    ¡°Most likely, maybe try prying it open?¡± Riley replied, staring at the area around the door. His signal wasn¡¯t perfect now that he was inside, but they were still seeing a lot of what he was in ¡°real time¡± they had set up a radio to laser relay drone. It hovered just above the asteroid and shot a communication laser to the Triumvirate. It''s not very stealthy, but it''s highly effective for this type of mission.