Xero Chronicle

by Ross Buzzell

  “Door lock override.”

  With a soft hiss the doors before Xero open. A large white room with a single pedestal in the center occupies his field of vision. Slowly Xero enters the room, cautiously looking around as he does.

  “So computer, why have they not returned yet?”

  “The escort mission is to take seven cycles. You have four more until their return.”

  Xero slowly goes to the pedestal; slowly he slides his hand over the smooth glass surface. The screen flickers to life with lockout codes that are Xero specific.

  “Computer can you get me into this consol.”

  Without so much as an affirmative Xero’s electron displacement computer hacks into the computer and overrides the lock out.

  “It appears that there was an attempt at blocking you from accessing anything in this academy.”

  “Why is that?”

  Xero asks already knowing the response. The pedestal brings up a holographic security shot of two men speaking. The taller of the two who is clearly in charge is the only one who is audible.

  “He is a child; it is degrading even if he is the High King’s son. It offends our honor to have such a young one amongst our ranks. Lock him out of the computer system, perhaps he will lose interest and go home, maybe even prevent us from having to waist Energynium.”

  Xero shuts down the hologram. This was worrisome but it was nothing he was not confident he could handle. After a moment of silence Xero begins to access the weapons archive looking through what they had at their disposal.

  “Computer, if I am so unwelcome why are you not programmed to block me out as well?”

  “I was not placed in here by the Cryptea. I was placed in here by your father with a subroutine to disable and siphon the power from the original unit.”

  “So you are telling me you run with the computing power of two electron displacers?”

  “Affirmative.”

  As that single beautiful word rings in Xero’s ears a smile forms on his face. The warrior places his hand onto the console as a blue light begins to flow from the sheath of his weapon and into the pedestal slowly encompassing it like an oak forms around a fence.

  “Good, begin download of all tactical, weapons and personnel files of all active Cryptea members. When they get back I want to be ready.”

  “Affirmative Cryptea Lorian.”

  A blinding flash of light surges from the console. Violently it travels up the tether attaching him to it as data is transferred in the form of light energy. Xero’s sword begins to glow as all of the information is being downloaded into the Energynium’s internal computer, which results in it being absorbed by Xero.

  The young warrior’s eyes glass over with an azure blue light as hundreds of years of strategy, fighting techniques and member information is uploaded directly into his mind. Xero expected the experience to be painful; taking in all that knowledge at once could only be agonizing. To his surprise it was not. A small tingling sensation was soon replaced by that of tiny sparks firing throughout the inside of his skull, similar to what happens when touching a doorknob in the winter. Slowly the lights fade after a few moments of ‘data transfer’ causing the room to change from the sparking blue that the transfer caused back into its white state.

  Xero cannot help but smile as he looks down at his hands. He could feel the knowledge within him, and he could feel his muscles remembering how to execute maneuvers that he had never before practiced. This was an unexpected side effect, down loading information was one thing but uploading it into a being is something that Xero thought was only hypothetical.

  “Computer what is the status on my father’s digital memory upload theory?”

  “Status of D.M.U. is currently proving successful in what is known as Project X. Upload complete, should we give it a try?”

  With a wicked grin Xero nods. The computer terminal sinks into the ground as Xero slowly draws his sword.

  “Computer, activate Cryptea training simulation Omega and take the safeties off.”

  “I am obliged to inform you that without the safeties intact the hard light holograms will be able to harm you.”

  Slowly a number of Cryptea members begin to form into holograms of hard light around Xero, each with their prospective weapons. Xero’s blade ignites.

  “Let them try.”

  Chapter: 4

  Four years pass. The Cryptea members train each other, train their Off World Squads and even set up small practice missions for one another all the while keeping Xero at a distance. Xero pays this no mind, having come to the end of his tenure at the academy. He is still a full year younger than the new Cryptea recruits that come in. Xero spent most of his time in the training simulator utilizing its ability to project hard light versions of just about anything in the database with varying degrees of difficulty. Each day he would push himself further, harder and faster than the day before ensuring that the simulations were set to randomize so that each one of his thousands of different scenarios never repeated themselves. Out of curiosity he even faced himself once or twice, his father as well. Finally the day comes where the Drill Sergeant interrupts one of the prince’s training sessions and challenges him to a duel to get the right to take his final test. Without a moment’s hesitation Xero accepts.

  The Drill Sergeant slams into the side of the Cryptea training center with such force it cracks the onyx exterior leaving a small indent. Trying to catch his breath he falls to his knees then forward catching himself with one hand, the other on his breast plate. Xero stands well over half way across the courtyard having finished his superior with three strikes, one to the side, one to the chest and one into the wall. His training had paid off. The Drill Sergeant slowly pulls himself to his feet as he catches his breath, the other Cryptea members looking on in shock yet trying to hide it. The sergeant nods and cracks a bit of a smile. He had been cold toward Xero over the past four years as well but now he seems impressed. Making his way to the young prince he pats Xero on the shoulder.

  “I owe you an apology; I thought your age would have held you back, held back everyone. I see now that I have never been more wrong. Pick your Off World Squad… As a show of solidarity you get first pick of the available final missions. Report back here at 0500 tomorrow.”

  The Drill Sargent’s words are raspy as he attempts to catch his breath and recover from the blow; a look of pride and surprise on his face as he looks at the warrior prince. Xero’s chest swells with pride as his superior walks off the sparring field, holding his chest and still trying to catch his breath. Xero turns and begins to walk towards the edge of the onyx courtyard; a hologram of a young woman with dark hair and light skin forms before him.

  “E, I have passed my right of passage. I have been approved for an off world mission. Will you be one of my OWS?”

  The woman on the other side of the hologram smiles widely and bounces in a bubbly manner.

  “Congratulations Xero, I would be honored. Where and when do I report for duty?”

  Xero presses a few glowing glyphs on the sleeve of his armor. A three-dimensional holographic map forms next to the girl’s image. With a swipe of his wrist the map dissipates over her face.

  “Sending you coordinates now. We report for duty at 0500; do not be late.”

  “You can count on me!”

  she exclaims before cutting the feed. Xero waves his arm, a series of blue sparks jump into existence as a wormhole opens before Xero. On the far side he sees Ja’Sanfur training in the arena, sparring against three of her fellow soldiers. Xero slowly walks through. As he steps on the far side an immense amount of heat strikes him, catching him off guard. It was not a radiant heat, nor one artificially produced but it was that of the day sun being harnessed inside of the colosseum to create an extreme environment for soldiers to train. The air is thick, far thicker than anywhere else Xero had been, so much so that it feels as if the air were being pulled from his lungs. The prince lets out a few coughs as he adjusts somewhat to th
e heat, beads of sweat already forming on his brow.

  Ja catches a glimpse of Xero. She flashes him a quick smile while she fends off the attacks of three highly skilled soldiers with only a staff that stands a head taller than herself. Xero points to the sun, the Boronian’s way of telling an individual to be mindful of the time. Ja winks at Xero and with footwork so graceful she rivaled most dancers, Ja gets behind her opponents and with one powerful swing strikes all three to the ground. With that the walls to the colosseum open slightly and vent the hot air from within, allowing Boron’s natural cool air to flood in bringing instant relief to all within the walls.

  Ja helps her friends up. Handing one of them her weapon she gives Xero a big smile. He had not seen her in nearly a year, since the last time he snuck out of the compound. Xero’s heart races in excitement and anticipation as he sees the girl he has not been with since that night in the Judicial Building all those years ago charge at him like a rhino with a huge smile. Xero takes a step back and braces himself, digging one foot into the ground while opening his arms to greet her. Ja does not slow down for a moment. Xero is glad of this. He had been dreaming of holding her for almost a full year and now that day has come. Like a battering ram she collides with him. This causes Xero to slide backward several feet as his arms wrap tightly around Ja and hers coil so tightly around him it was like being hugged by a serpent. He does not mind. She leans back just far enough to give him a loving and passionate kiss to which he reciprocates, having been wanting to be here for so long that now that he was he felt as if gravity holds no sway over him. Slowly and reluctantly he breaks their kiss and loosens his grip on Ja. As he does he allows her feet to come in contact with the ground once again. With a big smile on his face, Xero can only think to say one thing.

  “I have missed you!”

  “I have missed you too! How was your last trail?”

  her voice is filled with trepidation; Xero can hear it permeate from her lips like steam from a hot pool.

  “I did it. I used that move you taught me and I only had to touch him twice.”

  A huge smile, brimming with pride for him overtakes Ja’s face. Slowly Xero reaches out and takes her soft hand. For a soldier her hands were never rough, never calloused like others, like himself and he liked that about her. Gently he lets his fingers intertwine with hers as if being welcomed back from a trip by an old friend.

  “I go on my final test tomorrow. I get first pick of location as well. There have been talks that one of the worlds that is available for the missions has yet to be explored by Boron or any of her allies. And I want you there with me, on my OWS when we explore it for the first time.”

  In an instant Ja’Sanfur’s eyes tear up. A massive smile takes over her face as her delicate hands, which could break almost every bone in a body within seconds, covers most of her face. A tear of joy rolls down her cheek. This brings a smile to Xero’s lips as his heart is filled with joy that he could bring this much happiness to the one he loves.

  “It has been my only dream since I was a little girl. Of course I will join you on your mission. When do we leave?”

  Xero pulls up the same map he had sent to the other young woman; with a flick of his wrist the map moves over to Ja and enters her armor before displaying a smaller version of it from her forearm.

  “Those are the coordinates of our lift off. We leave at 0500 tomorrow morning and as much as I would love to stay with you tonight…”

  Ja interrupts and finishes his sentence for him.

  “You need to go and do your research. I understand, good luck and I look forward to meeting the other squad members.”

  With that Ja gives Xero another kiss before gently placing her hands on his chest and with a powerful shove she pushes him back through the portal through which he had come. A wicked smile on her face as she does. Xero staggers back through the portal and back to the outskirts of the courtyard. As the portal closes he sees Ja jump up and down and scream in excitement.

  Xero returns to the compound as if on auto pilot. He instinctively returns to the training room and accesses the computer console in the center of the room before pulling up the list of ten different missions that were up for grabs for the final trials which start the following day. Xero scans through the planets, the first one is retrieving a rare flower used in Boronian medicine on a lush green planet, the red petals and prickly stems were never very enticing to the prince. The second world had ancient technology from wars before even the existence of the Boronian race, but that involved excavation, the team he chose was not large enough to both dig and defend at the same time. There were a few other missions that were standing galactic bounties that were rescue missions, escort missions and one criminal retrieval mission. Xero takes a single look at the wanted photo, a large being with brilliant orange skin, four arms and fiery red hair that hangs down to his shoulders, a mustache that covers the top of his lip before moving down the side of his mouth and to the bottom of his chin. With a laugh Xero shakes his head, the man was wanted dead and the idea of killing when not absolutely necessary does not sit well with him.

  The final slide comes up, it is a dark slide with mostly unknowns on the information tabs as Xero scrolls through them with the only mission parameters being ‘explore and return with data.’ Xero pulls up a scan of the area around the planet which is rich in spacial anomalies and readings that they have not yet come across before. Looking at the scans Xero nods to himself, intrigued. According to the interference this ‘dark zone’ that seemed to be very gradually retreating would not be reachable through electron displacement meaning they would have to fly to the area. This was it. This is where Xero and his OWS would make their journey. Accepting the mission Xero makes his way to the equipment storage room. Looking around he finds advanced scanners, devices to take samples of any kind and even advanced first aid kits. The equivalent of an entire Healing Center but in a pack the size of his fist; before filling three packs, Xero places one on his back. Immediately the black cloth stiffens and pulls itself to his armor, compressing itself to be hardly visible under his cape. With one in each hand Xero begins to leave the storeroom but stops at the door as he notices a line of helmets with built in ‘structural coloration generators’ or SCG for short. He hesitates for a moment before slinging the other two bags over one shoulder each. The straps hitch themselves on his pauldron so they do not fall off.

  Reaching over head Xero grabs a helmet and locks it in place on his head, darkness overtakes his vision for a brief moment before lights flicker to life before his very eyes. The helmet begins to display the world around him, it automatically scans objects that he looks at and pings a brief tactical breakdown of the object. Xero looks down for a moment and sees his suit shifting from visible to nearly invisible and back again.

  “SCG and HUD all functioning normally.”

  The computer echoes inside the helmet as it syncs up with the new addition. Xero grabs two more and heads to the barracks to rest up for the big day tomorrow. The next morning comes all too quickly and it seems like in no time at all Xero is standing in the courtyard with Ja’Sanfur by his side, each with a pack on their back and a helmet in hand. Xero had opted to leave his cape behind as this new world might require maneuverability in which a cape would not be conducive. The Drill Sergeant and the rest of the Cryptea stand at attention as they wait for the final member of the prince’s OWS to arrive. The transport had been prepped and was ready to go and the sergeant was becoming agitated.

  “Where is your other member?”

  his enquiry is questioning and clearly on edge when a loud BOOM catches everyone’s attention. They all look up to see a personalized craft pass over at tremendous speed and an object fall from it as the ship passes overhead. Xero looks closer and smiles. It was not a ‘what’ but rather a who, his cousin E’mellor. Covered head to toe in silvery black armor she falls with her legs together and her arms folded across her chest. All eyes are on her as she lands with a ground shaking ‘thud’
in the courtyard. Slowly she brings herself to stand to her full height. Xero smirks a little to himself as she does; she stands a head and shoulders below just about everyone else there. Her height is matched by her build, petite, long hazelnut hair falls down her back and her smile is bright and cheerful.

  “Does Xero expect her to survive on this mission? A stiff breeze and she will blow away.”

  Xero hears one of the Cryptea sneer to another. E begins to make her way toward the loud mouthed officer, her smile never fading. And her steps are more similar to floating instead of the march of a warrior.

  “Cryptea, allow me to introduce my final OWS member, E’mellor, my cousin.”

  she stops in front of the smart mouthed Cryptea officer; looking up at him she comes barely to the middle of his chest in height and is a third his width. She gently reaches up to the officer and places a hand on his shoulder. Her smile never fades and she does not say a word. With the flick of her wrist the officer hits the ground and screams in agony. He attempts to hold where she had struck him but his body is unwilling to move making him completely paralyzed, all be it temporarily.