by Nancie Neal
"I think Zakkon already planned my life out already. I would love to be Commander of a research fleet."
Rodgistan sighed. "Sometimes Zakkon gets a bit overly ambitious when he's excited. That said, he knows that you won't be Leader right away. It's likely you will be Commander first."
"Commander of my own fleet." Amnika smiled. "If I weren't so tired, I would be jumping up and down right now."
"Then get some sleep," Rodgistan said. "It's likely you'll sleep a full day or more. When you are awake, contact me with your tablet, and I will come and get you for your next lesson." Then he left.
Amnika put her box in the larger cubby. She was too tired to go through it. Then she grabbed her bedclothes out of the bin. She got dressed and crawled into bed.
Chapter Seventeen
Upon waking up, Amnika noticed Trinka on the second bed.
"I'm sharing a dorm with you!" Trinka said excitedly.
"That's a relief." Amnika sat up smiling. "After they took you to your class, I was wondering what would become of you."
"Well, I wondered about you. Then my new instructor, took me to my room and there you were!" Trinka exclaimed. She laid back on her bed. "I'm not worried anymore."
"You know that they will change it the next cycle," Amnika said. "They want us to connect and share with others."
"Yes, but by then," Trinka said, "I will be used to the routine."
Amnika got out of her bed and grabbed her tablet to check the time. "Wow." She grabbed her clothes out of the bin. Unlike home, she got only one set of clothes a day. "A day and a half."
She opened the sealed package. Amnika looked at Trinka who was wearing her student's uniform. She held up her clothes. "My formals already."
"You are already at a level fifteen," Trinka said. "And your project is nearly finished." Trinka turned around and grabbed her box and pulled out her writing board and a few charcoal sticks. "Not to mention..." Trinka stopped for a moment to check the point of her charcoal stick. "You have more experience than anyone here because of your Father."
"That's true, I guess." Amnika laid everything out on her bed to check to see if everything was there.
"My instructor did say that I would probably wear formals soon, too. She wants to see if I can learn anymore first." Trinka tapped the end of her stick on the edge of her whiteboard. "You get leadership training because of your high level. I get leadership training because I am an artist."
"Well, at least I won't be the only one wearing uncomfortable clothing as a student." Amnika smiled.
Trinka laughed.
Amnika went into the wash closet to clean up. She noticed that it was much smaller than her old wash closet. It had no bin chute, but it did have a sealed cubby to put her clothes in to keep them from getting wet.
After the air dryer stopped, Amnika put her formals on. She got out of the wash closet to see Trinka focused on her drawing. Amnika grabbed her tablet and used it to contact Rodgistan. She then grabbed her cape and put it on. The girls talked about their what they planned on studying when the door buzzed.
Amnika opened it, and there stood Rodgistan.
"Feeling rested?" Rodgistan said.
"Yes."
"Good." Rodgistan motioned Amnika to follow him.
"The reason why you have your formals on instead of your uniform," Rodgistan explained. "Is because we are about to meet with a Nahborian. He is here to discuss the polymer for Roniathan."
"Really?" Amnika paused and then she quickened her pace to catch up. "Already? We contacted them that fast?"
"The moment that you submitted the final design, Zakkon contacted Nahbor. It's been almost a moon-cycle, you know."
"Oh, yeah. I guess."
"Remember," Rodgistan said as they entered the mountain hangar. "The Nahborians have been more than gracious to us. If it weren't for them, we would not have the defense technology we have now."
"I understand," Amnika responded.
They stopped by Zakkon and her father at the entrance to the outside. Rodgistan guided her next to her father, and he stood on her other side.
A few moments later, the Nahborian ship landed on the landing pad.
It glowed a turquoise green that changed to blue depending on the angle of the light. Its color reminded Amnika of the gems she's seen in the Natisiens' caves. She resisted the temptation to walk up to the ship and touch it.
Zherosha ships have a distinct "rikta-a-a" sound when they power up. They have a quiet buzz when already running. The hover plates will thump when landing.
Nahborian ships were quiet when hovering, when flying, and when they powered up. Their energy signature was weak and blended in with all of the other types of energy in the surrounding area. If Amnika didn't see it, she wouldn't know it was there.
The ship's braces touched the ground and lowered itself. Amnika watched in wonder as the hull flattened to the landing pad. An opening appeared on the side. Amnika looked at Rodgistan. Rodgistan looked at her and gave her a reassuring wink.
Amnika looked back at the ship right when the Nahborian stepped out. His skin was a greyish white. His eyes were completely black. His clothes seemed to be made of a course plant fiber. He also wore a cape with a hood. When he stepped into the shade of the hangar, he uncovered his head. Amnika realized that it was a robe, not a cape.
"Nahbor has less solar radiation than Zherosha?" Amnika cast a thought to Rodgistan.
"Yes, It does," The Nahborian cast back.
"Oh," Amnika said out loud. She felt her face grow hot.
"I should have told you," Rodgistan apologized.
Zakkon also gave her an amused look. Then he looked at the Nahborian.
"Greetings Sh'iraskirish," Zakkon said. “This is Amnika, one of our students.”
"It's unusual for you to have an Inersien child for our talks," Sh'iraskirish spoke in Zherosha Standard.
"She is the one who developed the artificial intelligence computer."
The Nahborian looked at her. Rodgistan nudged her.
"Yes," She said almost stammering. She was unsure of herself. "The code I developed is a learning A.I. We feed it data, and he learns from it."
"Is that all it learns?" He sounded stern.
"No," Amnika said, "I have him learn from interactions of Inersiens. This should help him become more personable. He has a base program and then editable code."
"Base program?" Sh'iraskirish asked.
"Yes," Amnika, "It's the program that has the rules that he follows. He can't harm anyone. His main purpose is to research and to analyze data."
"I understand." The Nahborian seemed to relax a little. Amnika wondered about his concern. So she thought she would tell him more to see if she put him more at ease.
"Oh, and he doesn't like being called an 'it,'" Amnika said. "I added that because I thought it would make him a little more relatable."
The Nahborian looked amused.
"Is there a possibility for the A.I. to make decisions in regards to your city?"
Amnika looked at the others who looked as confused as she did.
"No, he only makes assessments based on the information he has," she said. "He's only linked to our data, not to the city's system. He will give us the results and leadership will make decisions based on his assessment."
Realizing that she was speaking too quickly, she took a deep breath. "We plan on using him in a research ship. We want to use him to assess anomalies and risks of space travel."
Sh'iraskirish seemed satisfied. "I would like to meet this computer of yours, child."
They headed towards the research building. Sh'iraskirish put his hood on before he stepped out.
"Hello, Roniathan," Amnika said as soon as they walked into the room.
There was a long pause.
"Roniathan?"
"Based on the data I received, the new lifeform is from Nahbor?"
Amnika smiled. They did give him the data in time.
"Yes," She said. "His name is S
h'iraskirish. He's here to meet you."
"I see."
"I'm not sure if I should ask any questions. I do know that some questions can be considered rude or offensive," Roniathan said.
Amnika glanced at Sh'iraskirish before looking at one of the researchers for answers.
"I told him that he has to be careful of what he asked of those from other planets. We didn't want to accidentally offend anyone." She said.
"So he's doing what he's told?" Sh'iraskirish asked.
"Apparently," The researcher said.
"Yes," Amnika said finally. "That's what he is programmed to do. We gave him data on known materials on Zherosha and the materials we receive from Nahbor and Hemeria. He also knows about the anomaly that appears near the asteroid belt every two cycles. If we use the new ship for research and exploration, we will need to have shielding. Roniathan might be susceptible to data corruption if one were to appear next to him."
Sh'iraskirish was silent for what seemed like a long time. Then he took a deep breath.
"You know it is difficult for us to make this shielding. We do need it for our ships."
He seemed sad. Amnika looked at her father and Zakkon who seemed uneasy. She knew that they didn't have the benefit of a private conversation with the Nahborian there. She didn't want to give any information away that could jeopardize the trade.
"Can I speak with the leadership alone?"
Sh'iraskirish gave a half-bow, and he left the room. The researcher followed him out.
"He seems to want to give us the shielding," Amnika said.
"You don't think he's holding back?" Rodgistan asked. Amnika thought that he might already know the answer. He was the instructor after all.
"No," Amnika said. "He wants whatever we are trading for the shielding. He looked upset when he said they had a hard time making it. It was as if he might lose this deal."
Father looked at Zakkon. He seemed uneasy.
"What if we ask only for Roniathan's box with the promise of the cabin later?" Amnika asked.
They all looked at Amnika a little surprised.
"I mean, I really just want the shielding for Roniathan. I can ask him to design a backup plan if the energy storage bank fails."
Still surprised, Zakkon said, "I can go with that."
Father agreed.
Rodgistan opened the door to let Sh'iraskirish know they were finished. He walked in, and Zakkon told him what they discussed.
"It was Amnika's idea," Zakkon said.
Sh'iraskirish looked at Amnika, pleased.
"You, child, will make a wise leader someday."
"Well, then," Zakkon said. He nodded towards Father. "I think it's time to work out the details of our trade."
Father left the room first. The Nahborian gave a slight bow to Amnika and left the room with Zakkon.
"Well," Rodgistan said, "What do you think of that?"
"I'm not sure what to think," Amnika confessed. "I didn't think I would be involved in trade talks so soon."
"You weren't really. The real talks are going on right now." Rodgistan paused for a moment then added, "But Zakkon does respect your input."
Amnika looked down.
"Is there a problem?" Rodgistan asked. He put his hand on her shoulder. She looked back up at him.
"I guess I wasn't expecting to be an influence this soon," Amnika confessed. "I do not have nearly enough experience to make sound decisions."
"You do have a lot more second-hand experiences," Rodgistan said. "And then you have the experiences with the Natisiens. That allowed you to read people out of our brain wavelength. You are very perceptive. It's why Zakkon trusts you so much."
"And if I make an error in judgment?" Amnika asked.
"As long as you learn from that mistake, then it will be okay. We all make mistakes. Learning from them is important to gain experience and wisdom."
Amnika looked down again.
Rodgistan cleared his throat. "Amnika?"
"What if the consequences are catastrophic?"
Rodgistan lifted her head so she would look him in the eye.
"I never have seen such worry in a child," he said. He seemed stern. "I know it seems overwhelming, Amnika. Only do what's right. If you are well connected, you shouldn't have a problem. The connections will give you the second-hand experiences. The second-hand experiences will help you to make educated guesses. If you worry too much, you won't make those connections."
Amnika took a deep breath.
"I apologize," She said, "I guess I let my emotions dictate my thoughts."
"Indeed," Rodgistan said with a chuckle. "Come now, we have other things to attend to."
The two walked out to the landing pad. There Amnika's father stood with her mother, holding Zonstan. He faced the Nahborian who was standing next to Tanishia.
Tanishia wore her formals. She spotted Amnika and gave her a nod. Amnika looked at Rodgistan. Who nodded approvingly.
Amnika walked over to her father.
"Amnika!" Zonstan called out. When she was near enough, he reached out for her and Amnika took him.
"We are going to be keeping an eye on him while Tanishia goes to finalize the deal," Father said.
Amnika looked at Tanishia turned away to look at the ship. Amnika could sense her aunt's apprehension.
"A Natisien isn't going with her?" Amnika asked.
"No," Zeth assured her. "The Nahborians have never done us wrong. She's safe and will return in half a moon-cycle."
Amnika stayed with her father as her aunt and Sh'iraskirish boarded the ship. The ship then raised up and lifted to the sky.
"Bye!" Zonstan said while waving his hand. When he did, he shifted positions which made Amnika almost drop him.
Zeth chuckled.
"He's a bit too big for you to carry," he said. "We should allow him to walk more."
Amnika put him down. Mother took his hand. Rodgistan motioned for her to follow him.
"So why is Tanishia going? I thought someone from leadership would go," Amnika inquired.
Rodgistan didn't answer right away. They continued to walk towards the training rooms.
"Technically, Head of Information systems is part of leadership. It's a lower level, but Zakkon thought she was the best fit this time."
Amnika can sense that Rodgistan wanted to tell her everything. She can sense his struggle, but she knew better than to pursue the matter.
Chapter Eighteen
After putting on her cape, Amnika looked at her feet. She could see her ankles.
"Looks like this is my last few moments with my child cape," She said to Trinka. "That's too bad. I like blue."
Trinka chuckled. "Well, you'll be like the rest of us then. Most are already out of their capes."
"Yeah, but I think the Natisiens liked me in blue. My surcoat has a lot of blue in it."
"Blue like rikta fluid." Trinka smiled at the thought. She took out her tablet.
"What are you doing?" Amnika tried to look over her friend's shoulder.
"I'm writing down an idea." Trinka took her stylus and wrote on her tablet. "My instructor suggested that I write my ideas down so that I can get to them when I have time."
When Rodgistan showed up at the door, Amnika shows him the cape.
"Then it's time to get you a new one," Rodgistan said. "We need to gather the other potential leaders to meet in the decision building. Of course, this means Trinka will be joining us."
"Yay!" Trinka said.
Amnika and Trinka followed Rodgistan to the other dorms. Soon three more followed. When they stopped at Astran's dorm, Amnika could sense his annoyance.
"Come along now," Rodgistan said, and they reached the decision building.
When they were all accounted for inside the building, Rodgistan motioned to Amnika.
"Amnika needs a new cape," he said, "The leader and advisor will be here shortly. You will be okay for a few moments."
Then Amnika and Rodgistan walked out of the buildi
ng. They walked over to the textile building. Then they entered a room filled with packaged capes and community clothing.
"Amnika needs a new cape," Rodgistan said to the Natisien working there.
"I need the old one," The Natisien said.
Amnika took her cape off and handed it to the Natisien. The Natisien sized her up, then rummaged through the packages. She pulled out a transparent zippered bag and scanned the chip built into the bag. Then she handed it to Rodgistan.
"I'll put in for formals, too," The Natisien said. "By the time we are finished, she will outgrow the one she has now."
Rodgistan agreed then he looked at Amnika. He took out his tablet.
"I'm going to set the building scanner to accept your DNA so you can go in without me. I will finish up here and then meet you there."
The Natisien opened the packet and gave Amnika her new cape. She put it on and pulled her hood up.
Rodgistan checked the length. "All right, then. I'll see you in a moment."
When Amnika reached the decision building, she noticed something was off. She put her hand on the DNA scanner, and the door opened.
Curled up on the floor and crying was Trinka. As Amnika walked closer, she could feel Trinka's frustration and sadness. Amnika took her cape off and put it over her friend. She looked at Astran who looked as if he were proud of himself.
"He said that my parents left because they didn't want to be around me," Trinka sobbed.
"That's not true," Amnika told her. Then she said to Astran, "Why would you say something like that?"
"She's projecting emotions now, isn't she?" He said. "I knew she could, but she kept saying that she couldn't."
"It doesn't have to work that way," Amnika insisted. "I don't understand why anyone would do something like that. You can't treat someone that way to train them."
"Of course I can," Astran said, "and I did."
"You can also train someone to be evil that way," Amnika said.
A few of the other children gasped. Astran only laughed.
"I doubt Trinka will ever be evil," Astran said.
Amnika scoffed.
"I challenge you for it," Astran said.
"I'm not Leader. You can only challenge the leader."