Crystalline Space

by A. K. DuBoff

  “Welcome. Do you have a saved loadout profile?” the computer voice asked.

  “No,” I replied.

  “Commencing new configuration.”

  A ring dropped down from a hidden recess in the ceiling, waving a light over me as it descended to the floor. It repeated the activity on the way up. When it returned to the ceiling, the holographic image around me changed to have a fine wireframe wrapping my body. I lifted one arm a few centimeters and found the wireframe moved with me.

  “Make item selection,” the computer prompted.

  For lack of any other instruction, I reached out to interact with the holographic menu, first selecting the ‘Armor’ icon, since that seemed like the logical place to start; I figured I’d build up from there.

  The icons for the other elements shifted upward and shrunk into a mini-ring while the primary menu area altered to display various submenus for armor. Ranging from street clothes to powered suits, it looked like I could pretty much have anything imaginable.

  “Powered armor, guys?” I glanced over my shoulder at my two companions.

  Kaiden shrugged. “Might be a little overkill, but may as well be prepared for anything.”

  I swiped my hand over the powered armor submenu.

  The screen flashed red, accompanied by a harsh tone. “Insufficient privileges. Prerequisite training required,” the computer stated.

  I frowned. “Guess that’s a no-go.”

  “Then why give the option in the first place?” Kaiden sighed.

  Toran, who I was quickly discovering was the more pragmatic of the two, stroked his chin pensively. “I wonder what kind of training is required to qualify?”

  “What are the prerequisites?” I asked the computer on his behalf.

  “Melee weapon proficiency, light armor proficiency, medium armor proficiency, fifty recorded combat hours—”

  “Stop.” I held up my hand. “Okay, yeah, no powered armor for us.”

  “Yet,” Kaiden said.

  “Fifty hours of combat? Not happening anytime soon,” I pointed out.

  He nodded. “Maybe we’ll get there eventually.”

  That was kind of crazy to think about, but as shocking as the concept was, part of me was drawn to the idea. Essentially, it was beginning to look like I’d stumbled into being a Ranger without having to go through Tactical School.

  I turned back to the holographic display, which had returned to its normal pale blue color. “Only display items that match my current clearance,” I requested.

  The screen reconfigured to show one-quarter of the previous options. At first glance, it looked like anything super fancy was out.

  I flipped through the items, bringing up a preview image of each. “Street clothes, an awful onesie, hazsuits.” I shook my head. “Once you see powered armor, it all seems kind of lame.”

  “Go back to those street clothes,” Kaiden suggested. “I think I saw a note about ballistic ratings.”

  “Oh, really?” I scrolled back. Sure enough, the fabric was reinforced with ballistic-grade fibers to deflect projectiles, and a secondary treatment was designed to diffuse energy weapons fire or, presumably, magical attacks. “Okay, that’s more intriguing than I initially thought,” I admitted.

  I narrowed the available designs to cuts most suited for a female figure. Though most of the outfits struck me as rather plain and boring, one coat jumped out at me. It was ankle-length, which would offer maximum protection, and a belt would allow it to be sealed in the front when needed. The garment came in a variety of colors, and I was initially drawn to the red. However, when I thought through the potential need to be stealthy while we were on our mission, I decided that plain black was the smarter option.

  “I think I can work with this.” I selected the coat, and the wireframe around me morphed to show the garment.

  “Stylish,” Kaiden commented.

  “It suits you,” Toran agreed.

  I shrugged, and the coat moved with me. “Time to accessorize, I guess.”

  Next, I browsed through pants and selected a pair of black leggings to fit over my white base layer. I paired that with a pair of black knee-high combat boots with a purple accent trim that complemented my hair—no need to compromise on style while saving the universe—and a tactical belt from the same design group.

  “That should cover it.” I looked over my holographic outfit, pleased with how it had come together.

  “Weapon,” Kaiden prompted.

  “Am I qualified to use anything?” I asked.

  In response, the holographic display shifted to the weapons menu, which consisted of various swords and clubs. “No projectiles, then,” I said. “Are the disciplines we picked literal, or…?”

  “I think the icons for our disciplines are more symbolic,” Kaiden said. “I draw power from my pendant, and a wand sounds really impractical. I’m thinking maybe a staff or something like that for myself.”

  The clubs struck me as a little too primitive, which left the bladed options. I looked over the menu. “Maybe a sabre? That’s in the sword family.”

  Kaiden shrugged. “Get whatever you feel comfortable with. I doubt we’ll need anything, anyway. I mean, we’re just sealing the Archive, right?”

  “Yeah, good point.” I selected a sabre model with an electrified edge to enhance the sharpened metal. A representation of the weapon appeared in my hand and a scabbard for it at my waist. I waved the blade around. “This seems like it would be fun to use.”

  “Careful where you swing that when you get the real thing,” Toran said with a smile.

  “Confirm selections?” the computer prompted.

  “Can you think of anything else I might need for now?” I asked my companions.

  “Shirt?” Toran questioned.

  “I don’t know, I kind of like the look of the white suit under the black coat,” I replied.

  “Yeah, it works.” Kaiden waved his hand. “Go for it.”

  “Confirm,” I told the computer.

  “Selection acknowledged. Processing.” The main downlight in the ceiling and the lighted ring on the floor cut out. A moment later, a whirring sound started in the back wall of the room.

  I stepped back toward the two men. “What’s it doing?”

  “Printing out the custom items, I imagine,” Toran said.

  “Step onto the scanner,” the computer prompted.

  “I guess we can get going on someone else while the first set prints,” Kaiden said. “Go ahead, Toran.”

  The large man shook his head. “I don’t believe that system is going to have many options for me. I’ll watch over your shoulder while you go.”

  “All right.” Kaiden stepped onto the platform and began going through the selection process.

  After a few different configurations, Kaiden settled on an outfit consisting of a blue long-sleeve shirt, black pants, boots, and a black hooded cloak.

  “A cloak? Really?” I razzed.

  His sky-blue eyes seemed especially vibrant when contrast against the dark holographic hood framing his face. “You’re envious, I can tell.”

  “It does offer better protection than your coat, Elle, with the hood up,” Toran pointed out.

  “Plus,” Kaiden used one hand to draw the holographic representation of the cloak around his front, “stylish.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I really don’t believe you were an agriculture major. You’re way too dramatic.”

  “Never said I wasn’t in theater.”

  “Now that I would believe.”

  A chime resonated through the chamber as the back wall slid open. My new garments were arranged on a rack, ready to wear.

  I smiled. “That’s service.”

  “Try it on,” Kaiden encouraged.

  I stepped around the scanner in the center of the room to access the rack. The pants fit well over the white suit I’d awoken in, and I slid on the boots and looped the tactical b
elt through the top of the pants. The belted coat fit almost like a cloak with sleeves, which seemed better suited for precise movements.

  Finally, there was the sabre. I lifted it from its rack and slid it in its scabbard at my hip.

  “I apologize in advance if I accidentally slice off one of your arms.” I grinned at the two men while I walked back across the room.

  “I can only hope sword fighting abilities come to you as naturally as magic spells did to Kaiden,” Toran replied while Kaiden locked in his own selections.

  “Well, if nothing else, the ensemble looks good,” Kaiden commented while his gaze passed over me, lingering more than when we first met. “You’ve got a little…” He gently extracted some of my hair that was tucked inside my coat’s collar and released it to fall down my back.

  I tugged on some of the fuchsia hair hanging in front of me. “Thanks. It’s a little longer than I’m used to.”

  “I like it.” He met my gaze.

  “Well,” Toran cleared his throat, “time to get geared up myself.” He lumbered into the center of the room.

  Kaiden took a step back from me. “Yeah, mine should be ready any minute.”

  I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall while I waited for them to finish. While there was no denying Kaiden was my type, if I had to declare one, this was neither the time nor place to consider getting involved—or even to think about considering a possibility of something.

  At least, not yet.

  I caught myself. Things could get awkward and weird way too fast if I didn’t divert from that line of thinking straight away. I wasn’t in school anymore. I had more sense than that.

  Setting aside the uninvited thoughts, I watched Toran try out clothing and armor options. He eventually settled on a new base layer and a set of lightweight, black scale armor that would accommodate his large frame, paired with a matching helmet and boots.

  “If we ever have a chance to visit a city dressed like this, there is zero chance of anyone messing with us,” I joked.

  Toran confirmed his final selections then turned toward me. “I feel like we need a catchy team name.”

  “As cheesy as it sounds, I’m inclined to agree,” Kaiden said.

  “Yeah, I mean, if they want us to save the day, they better know who to thank,” I agreed.

  I evaluated our chosen outfits. “We’re all wearing black. So, maybe something like ‘Black Knights’?”

  Kaiden scrunched up his nose. “The whole ‘knights’ thing might be a bit much.”

  “And ‘black’ feels a little… ominous,” Toran said.

  I ran thought some synonyms in my head. “Something with ‘defenders’, maybe?”

  “That’s not bad. Or ‘protectors’ could work. How about a play on ‘Space’ or ‘Void’?” Kaiden suggested.

  “Or the Darkness,” I added.

  Toran thought for a moment. “How about ‘Dark Protectors’?”

  I shook my head. “That sounds like we’re protecting the Darkness.”

  “Then, maybe ‘Dark Sentinels’?” Toran suggested.

  Kaiden lit up. “Yes.”

  I rolled the term around in my mind and mouthed it. It had a good ring to it, and the double meaning was a perfect bonus. “That will do very nicely.”

  5

  Kaiden hefted the staff he’d selected to go with his new outfit. “I guess we should head down to the surface now?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I can’t say I love the plan of running in there with no training or experience.”

  “What better way to get experience?”

  “There’s a lot wrong with that logic.”

  “I share Colren’s concern about testing our abilities on this ship. Spacecraft are fragile,” Toran jumped in. He was still adjusting the straps on his new black scale armor, which managed to make him look even more intimidating than he did walking around shirtless. Even though his gloved fists were his only weapon, I had no doubt that he’d be able to take out any opponent foolish enough to attack him.

  “Fine,” I agreed. “But I think we should experiment with our skills before we go into the Archive. There’s no knowing what we may find in there.”

  “That works for me,” Kaiden agreed. “Let’s get ourselves a shuttle.”

  The hangar was on the same level as the room where we’d gotten our equipment from the impressive 3D printer. We followed signage in the corridors to a set of double doors, which opened automatically as we approached.

  The cavernous bay beyond contained several dozen fighters as well as four shuttle craft approximately twelve meters long, which appeared to have thick plating suitable for atmospheric entry. Gathered near the shuttles, a group of six workers dressed in blue coveralls were performing an inspection and making notes on tablets.

  “Ah, hello!” a red-headed woman in the group called out. She jogged toward our approaching party.

  “Hi,” Kaiden replied. “Colren sent us. We’re supposed to go down to the planet.”

  She nodded, bobbing her ponytail. “Commander Colren informed me about the mission. We have a shuttle prepped for you.” The woman headed back toward the craft being inspected, then glanced over her shoulder at us. “I’m Chief Taminoret, by the way, but you can call me Tami—everyone does. I’m the lead technical specialist and run the maintenance team around here. If you need anything, just ask.”

  “Thanks,” I replied. “What have you heard about us?”

  Tami stopped and turned around. “We know we’re up against something that has the leadership scared, and you’re somehow connected to the solution. That’s all we need to know.”

  “And it doesn’t worry you that it’s, you know, us?” I gestured at our clothes and primitive weapons.

  She shrugged. “Heroes come from all backgrounds. If the commander trusts you, I do, too.”

  I wished I had as much faith in myself as she seemed to. “Thanks.”

  Tami resumed walking to the shuttle. “These craft have an autopilot, so you won’t need to do anything other than enter your destination.”

  “Good. I’m a little rusty,” Kaiden said.

  “You have piloting experience?” I asked him.

  He smiled. “Can’t grow up in the shipping business and not pick up a few skills.”

  “You’ll be happy to know that the compensators in these are much more sophisticated than what you find in civilian tech,” Tami told him. “You’ll barely even feel the gs.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  I frowned. “I wasn’t thinking about space travel when I picked these clothes.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Tami said. “It looks like you have on a shipsuit underneath, so that will protect you.”

  “Oh, is that what these are?” I placed one hand on the white cloth covering my chest, which was one of the only parts of me where I hadn’t added a second layer of clothing.

  “They look thin, but they’ll compress if the pressure changes and thermoregulate well,” she explained. “It’s a good thing to have on at all times.”

  I nodded. “Noted.”

  “So, your mission.” Tami patted the shuttle’s hull. “The nav computer is loaded with the coordinates for the Archive. No one else has been down there, so we can’t say with any certainty how well the comms will work. Speaking of which…”

  She motioned to one of the nearby workers, and he handed her a case containing three earpieces.

  “Here are some comms for you,” Tami said while distributing the earpieces to us. “Fair warning, there will be a—”

  “Ow!” Kaiden exclaimed, gripped his right ear.

  “—pinch when it implants,” Tami finished. “It embeds next to your ear canal and jawbone so it can pick up barely audible statements. Tap behind your ear for controls: one tap to open a general channel, double-tap to mute, hold to disconnect, slide to cycle to private channels.”

  Taking a deep breath, I placed the device in
my left ear. As soon as it was inside, the entire left side of my face started to burn, radiating from a single point near my jaw that felt like a molten bug was burrowing inside.

  The pain receded after fifteen seconds, and I rubbed the side of my face to massage the rest of the burning away. “Please tell me that was a one-time thing.”

  “Yes, you’re all set now,” Tami said. “The comms will also serve as a combat recorder, of sorts, to passively log your activities.”

  “Is that what connects to the equipment system and the prerequisites?” I asked.

  She nodded. “The system will sync with the comm’s log when you go in for an upgrade.”

  “Sounds straightforward enough,” Kaiden commented.

  Tami smiled. “We try to keep it simple. Any more questions?”

  I looked at my companions. “Aside from what we’re supposed to do when we get down there, and pretty much everything else about what’s going on? Nope, I guess that covers it.”

  The mechanic frowned. “Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t offer any additional insights.”

  “Rhetorical question,” I replied.

  “We’ll figure it out,” Kaiden told her.

  Toran nodded. “Thank you for the comm. Who will the general channel connect to?”

  “Central Command,” Tami said, “but you’ll find a private channel for each of your team members, Commander Colren, and me here with the mechanical team.”

  I tapped behind my ear and then glided my hand downward. A synthesized voice similar to the computer in the equipment room stated names as I scrolled. I pressed the same place behind my ear and a low tone sounded, which I took to mean I’d closed out of the menu.

  “All right, I guess we’ll talk to you on the other side,” Kaiden told her.

  “Good luck.” Tami placed her hand on a panel next to the shuttle’s side hatch, and a door dropped open to form an entry ramp.

  I followed Kaiden inside, with Toran close behind.

  The opening led into a cozy common area with seating around a table and a galley. To the aft, a corridor had doors to either side and terminated in an airlock. Toward the nose of the craft, a corridor extended on the starboard side through the seating area, and next to the galley was a closed off room labeled as a lavatory.