Aetheran Child (7 page)

“What is it?” Lexan asked.

“It’s many things at once. For our purposes at the moment it will be a translator.” The man said and handed a black device which looked like a bionic lower jaw. It had a filter in the middle, that covered the whole mouth, and two parts that were retractable; they latched onto the eyes and resembled sunglasses.

 
Lexan put in the ear piece and the rest fitted on his lower jaw and mouth. It clicked and sucked onto his jaw. He then placed the eye pieces in its place and looked at the screen. All the pieces melted suddenly and he could not even feel the device. The entire ship seemed in a different focus again.

“Did I put it on right?”

“Yes, no need for me to speak your language, anymore.” Mr. Raki smiled and sighed.

“What?”

“Whatever you say is translated into any given language you choose; however, the standard is intergalactic and that’s what you will use. And whatever I say is translated into your language.” Mr. Raki stood up and punched something into the console.

“Verification, please,” said the pleasant, warm female voice.

“Master Raki,” Master? “The commander of the ship.” Master Raki responded.

“Thank you Master, how may I help you? Would like a drink perhaps?” The warm voice asked which obviously represented the computer’s Artificial Intelligence.

“That’s alright. Pull up the verification screen please.”

With no other words, a screen zoomed in onto the table. It said verification on top and had a form under. The technology advances were major in this culture since the screen was solid and non-transparent. The screen had a background of a calm ocean and the waves splashed against the rectangle of text. There was a nice fuzzy edge around the screen so that it blurred with the wall behind it.

“New profile please,” Raki said.

“State name,” The computer said.

“Alexander, please fill out your profile. I will ready the Needle and we’ll be on our way,” Master Raki walked through a new door the boy had not noticed before.

“The Needle?”

“That’s the name of this Starship,” Raki smiled, “The computer will turn off the translator for clearer voice recognition, so don’t ask questions during that time.”

“Okay.”

“Name please.” The computer asked.

“Alexander,”

The computer then went on scanning the boy, “Biological age, twelve years old, few months shy of thirteen. Human shun. Origin:---” the computer paused, “Cardinal Regions. Planet: Unknown. Empire: unknown.”

“What do you mean unknown?” Lexan asked.

“Please verify,” the computer answered.

The boy repeated his question.

“Password phrase verified,”

“What?”

“Translator online. Thank you for your cooperation and enjoy your journey.” The computer spoke, “My name is Salastra, and you may address me as Las or Main Computer. If there is anything you require, I am here for your service.”

Alexander politely declined and waited for Raki to return. Within a few minutes, the ship seemed to power up and start moving.

The tall man walked into the main room, “Well Alexander, let me explain to you what is going on. We are going to travel across the galaxy toward the inner clusters of the galaxy on the other side of the core. There we will travel to the Aetheral system and I will enroll you in the prestigious Athiris School where you will attend.”

Lexan eyed the man and nodded slowly but questioningly.

“It is one of the most prestigious Spirit Schools in the empire.”

“Spirit?”

“I will elaborate on that later in your studies aboard this starship. But just think of Spirits as a very important faction within the United Republics.”

The boy eyed the man even more curiously as he continued, “The journey will take one year through Swift Space, a designated point in the fifth dimension bent into the sixth dimension. I’ll explain all of that later. Half of your journey, you will have to spend in a hibernation pod. The other half, I’ll spend teaching you the customs and background knowledge to our world.”

Before Alexander could ask a single question, Raki cut him off again, “First, go to the bathroom, and put this on. By the way, you can address me as Master Raki, or just Master.” He handed the boy a small box and when he opened it, it was full of a shiny liquid.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” He asked Ma Raki but it was Las who answered.

 
“If you turn around, and go through the hallway, the first door on the left leads to the bathroom. Place your hand inside the liquid and the liquid will quickly cover your body with a thin protective film. You will find a thin silvery outfit on the bottom of the box that you have to put on.”

Lexan walked down the hallway and let the left door in front of him slide open. Inside he found two double-story beds, thus able to house four people at a time. The rectangular room bore the same diamond patterned walls as the rest of the ship. Several storage lockers lined the free space that the beds did not occupy and another door at an adjacent wall led to the bathroom. A latch on the ceiling that did not bear any marks, remained a mystery to Lexan.

 
Alexander walked into the bathroom that reminded him too much of Earth bathrooms. It had a full-length oval mirror, a toilet, and a shower. He undressed as he was instructed and took a look into the mirror. He looked different, much different since the last time he looked at himself and that was the night after he fought Leo. The boy suppressed a few tears tagged along with the memory, the memory of an orphanage he just left, the memory of Alary whom he will never see.

The tin box slid open on the top and revealed a thick liquid. Lexan dipped his hand inside and watched the gel climb up over his skin and envelop him within a minute. He had to close his eyes as it spread over his face. Lexan shivered slightly as it seeped deep into his pores like cold icy water. When the boy opened his eyes, the liquid drowned his irises and enter his pupils. When he screamed, the liquid traveled inside his mouth.

The process ended abruptly and the boy realized he did not feel the substance anymore. At the bottom of the box lay a set of clothing, shorts and a short-sleeve shirt. Both were black with a red button from which several red lines spanned and enveloped the pieces. The clothing was not particularly tight but it did somehow fit. Alexander pressed the buttons once they started flashing and the fabric tightened and wrapped closely around his body, but not too tightly as to cut the circulation. It warmed the boy’s body when he shivered and it kept the moisture level on his skin comfortable. He left the bathroom promptly.

“Raki?” Lexan asked.

“Call me Master or Master Raki. What is it?” The man asked as he left the navigation room opposite the hallway.

“What was that stuff in the box?” The boy asked.

“The liquid you put on were nanobiots, they will shield you from diseases, infections, well anything that your body is not used to and cannot defend against. They will also continuously upgrade your immunity system and your body’s ability to shield you from various poisons and radiation.

“The clothing you are wearing is a basic uniform that we use on starships. It regulates temperature for comfort and keeps your body pressurized in case of a leak. It may not do much but it will help you survive. It also adds a psychological effect with the constant pressure against your body. It may sound stupid but it will make you feel less alone.”

“Alone?”

“The isolation of space causes many disorders and a dynamic pressure against the body prevents some of those. The red lines check your vital signs and send out a signal to the nav computer for further monitoring. It is also self-cleaning. That’s about it.”

Lexan stared at his clothing for a second and turned to Ma Raki again, “So what now?”

“Last thing to put on,” The master stepped away to show a robotic suit. It was a body suit with black comfortable upholstery inside and a sleek silver finish outside that revealed subtle muscular structures. Inside, even a corpulent body could fit. A steel mask stared dispassionately ahead. Ma Raki waved his hand over the steel expressionless mask to show a more comforting emotion of peace with a slight smile, “You can change the face plate to any particular emotion but not now.”

Lexan looked over the suit in dismay.

Master Raki saw the look and so he explained, “It’s a robotic enhancement suit. It will provide you with extraordinary strength, speed, and endurance.” He walked over to the suit and exposed his arm, “It will enhance your muscle tissue and boost your abilities. It also serves as a training module. For now though, it will bring you up to speed with the kids your age on the planet and serve as life support during hibernation.”

“I’m no kid,” Lexan mumbled as he walked over to the suit and watched it snap open at several places intended for the boy’s limbs and body. He slid his feet into the bottom part.

“It’s cold.” He said.

“The suit will adjust the temperature when you are completely submerged inside.”

The boy continued by putting his arms in the cushioned holsters and raised his arms to secure the pieces. The suit snapped shut and closed up completely behind Lexan. Excessive air hissed as it was pushed out. Back part of the suit clicked several times and tightened around the boy. Temperature finally stabilized and the boy felt sudden comfort inside. He bent over and placed the final piece, a helmet, over his head and it, too, snapped shut.

“The helmet has a translator built in,” Master Raki informed the boy, “Most of the inner-suit functions can be toggled on and off with a simple, concise thought or a hand movement.” The Master curled his hand into a fix and stuck out his small finger. Lexan repeated the movement and a sweet voice answered, “Smart Vision on.” The boy smiled at this and tried several random hand movements

As the boy moved around in the suit, which felt weightless, he noticed that the helmet improved his vision and whenever he stared at a certain object long enough, a description with several pathways would overlay his vision.

“What else can the suit do?” He asked.

“It has numerous functions. You’ll have to read the manual to know all of them. It’s rather useless because you will have to wear it only during hibernation.”

Lexan proceeded to mess with the suit some more and made a simple hand movement shown in the corner of his smart vision.

“Good day. How shall I service you?” A computer voiced greeted the boy.

The boy smiled at the pleasant surprise. He was happy; he would definitely have to explore all the suit could do.

“Do you know who I am?” He asked cautiously and saw an icon at the edge of the screen indicate

“No, but I can access the data on the ship’s computer if you have a registered profile,” the computer answered.

“Main computer?” The boy called out but noticed no change in the mute icon.

 
“Las cannot hear you at the moment. The conversation is set on private,” The suit answered.

“What is your name then?” Lexan wondered for a second if he will have to remember the name of every single computer he will encounter.

 
“My name is Braynya or Bran.”

“Thank you, now could you contact Las?”

“Yes, she is in.”

“Las,” he called out, “Can you tell Bran who I am?”

“Done,” Both computers answered at once.

“Lexan?” Master Raki watched the boy closely for a few seconds.

“Yes?” he replied a few seconds later, once he figured out how to unmute his suit.

“It looks like you are getting the hang of it but you will need to enter hibernation soon,” Master Raki responded.

He didn’t want to go but his teacher did not seem like a man that would take no for an answer. Lexan was at his mercy for the time being.

Raki took out a syringe and emptied it into a hole that led from his neck to his back where it disappeared.

“Injection sedative, approve?” Bran asked.

“Yes.” Lexan approved and a little while later, something stung him in his left arm. He was sure it was an injection and its sedatives. After a few short moments, Lexan felt sleepy and very drowsy. He walked toward the hibernator chamber and opened it. He turned around, lied down, and quickly, fell asleep.

III

Hibernation entails a process in which the body slows down to its minimum sustainable state. The temperature decreases, and the heart beats once every few minutes. It may take days until the user can reach such stasis but once it happens, he or she will experience total loss of consciousness. Before that takes place, the user will experience dreams and hallucinations that not even the strongest hallucinogens can generate. And so, Alexander dreamt.

IV

Is this a dream? The boy thought. Darkness spread all around with no light to pierce it. Lexan felt a sense of repetition except this dream was unlike the others. It did not include any flashes, no sudden thoughts, or figures as he had seen before. He stood still and called out.

 
“Where am I?” He expected no answer in return.

“We’re going to the dance, remember?” said the person next to him.

The boy looked questioningly upon a girl next to him and then he froze in shock. Alary looked back at him and nudged him with her elbow. She wore a dark blue robe that matched her eyes. The robe fit tightly against her torso where a thin silver ribbon fastened it. It widened, however, at her ankles and also at the sleeves which bore ornamental silver-lined letters. The girl’s hair went down to her shoulders with a few elegant curls and silver, matching, dyed strands. She resembled a character in a fairy-tale because her thorough beauty stunned Alexander.

The boy looked down upon his robes. He too was dressed up, but he wore dark brown robes, so dark they may have been black, with a golden line coming down the middle from the bottom to the neck. It was also a bit tighter at the ankles, about only shoulder wide. Unlike Alary’s robes, his covered his whole body, while hers were low-cut. He felt the tightness of the fabric across his chest. Lexan noticed a single symbol on his shoulder with the same golden motif.