by S. G. Basu
“Already know your name.” Nafi waved the piece of paper listing their group. “Some people have to work when you choose to play.”
“You seem too little to be here, even to play,” Ren retorted.
“I’ll be twelve soon, thank you very much.” Nafi’s eyes flashed. “And since you think I’m too young, let’s hear how old and wise you are?”
“I’m already twelve,” Ren replied with a smirk. “And if you’re looking for wisdom, look no more, you’ve found me.”
“We’ll see about that.”
As the two stood measuring each other up, Maia could not help but question the prudence of the Board. She wondered what could have driven them into matching two such abrasive personalities. This did not bode well for her or for the team. In the very next moment she banished the smidgeon of worry from her mind. Why should I care if the team fell apart? It would be the greatest possible way to escape the contest and Xif, and if it happened soon enough, she might even be able to catch the caravan to ThulaSu.
“Hey, you guys,” Kusha’s voice woke Maia from her wishful reverie. He was waving frantically from a distance, pointing at the staircase. Two men, one short and the other tall, walked down the steps as the crowd converged at its base. Maia recognized both men right away—the taller man was none other than Vice Principal Geir-Sei, and the shorter one was Principal Pomewege, who looked very different from the last time she had seen him. Today he was poised and looked thoroughly in control of everything around him. The men stopped a few steps from the bottom, and Geir-Sei clapped his hands to catch everyone’s attention.
“Participants of the Alliance Initiative, I am Principal Pomewege and I welcome you to the first leg of the series,” the principal started when the murmurs died down. “As much as I would love talking to you, I know that you are all tired from the long day of travel. So I will make this short.
“Your dining and living quarters lie behind that door.” He pointed to the second door to the right of the front gates, with an enormous “X” engraved on top. “Please make sure that you find your teammates before you retire. Your adaptation sessions start tomorrow, with a meeting with your team counselor and an audience with your resident master.
“Welcome again to Xif and the XDA. May your journey bring us peace and understanding.”
After the masters left, Maia and her teammates made their way to the dining area. Even with ongoing introductions between Kusha, Dani, and Ren, they quickly reached their destination.
Their dining bay was a small cubicle with the number 21 emblazoned on the outside in big, bold letters. It had semi-transparent walls on two sides, and a tall open cabinet stacked with boxes, plates, and other sundries flanked the third side. At the center of the small enclosure was an oval table surrounded by six shiny chairs. A huge, domed light fixture hung above the table, its soothing white light bathing every corner of the tiny space. Nafi walked directly to the cabinet, peeped inside, and let out a frustrated harrumph.
“Packaged food? Have to live off packaged food for as long as we’re here?” She sounded thoroughly vexed.
“You expected someone to wait around and cook for you every day?” Ren chortled. “You think people here have nothing better to do?”
At this point, Dani rushed past Nafi to pick her meal, loudly announced how wonderful the selection was, added the perfunctory line about how Hans had always spoken highly of the food on Xif, and settled down in one of the chairs. Maia noted how keen Dani was on distracting Nafi, perhaps a little too eager to avoid any disagreements within the team. She thought it was a little odd given the way Dani had stood up against Lex. Maybe she just wanted to make it work, Maia thought. Maybe Dani really did want to know more about the world outside Zagran.
Maia decided to follow Dani’s example and ignore Nafi’s continuing grumblings for a bit. She walked to the cabinet, pulled out a box labeled “FOOD,” and pried the lid open. Inside lay some packages, each labeled to announce their contents. There were slices of bread, a generous portion of meat, and a stack of vegetables. A small well-wrapped item sat in the farthest corner, small letters across the top said “CAKE.” While this was nowhere nearly as enticing as Emmy’s cooking, it was not shabby at all, Maia thought as she tasted the meat.
It was not long before they had all slipped into their seats, food boxes open, impatient fingers fiddling with the wraps. Nafi picked a meal box as well, and when she tentatively took her first bite, a small smile of approval formed on her face. The food was definitely scrumptious, and no one spoke another word until they finished. After that, Maia and her teammates headed toward their living quarters.
The compartments were along the two sides of a long corridor—about fifty rooms arranged in an increasing numerical order. Ren led the way to the far end of the passageway and when he reached the door marked 21, he placed his palm flat on a small pad attached to the wall. The entry panel slid open noiselessly, exposing a nicely furnished, round white room on the other side. A large area with five study desks lay at its center, and five more doors lined the far wall. On each of these doors hung a plate engraved with their names and badge numbers. Maia spied her name on one of them and assumed it to be her private bedroom. They were just about to file in when a bunch of girls walked into the corridor behind them, laughing and talking loudly.
“Oh look, it’s my little cousin with her new friends,” one of them said in a lazy, simpering drawl, making Maia and her teammates turn around to look.
The girl stood leaning on an open doorway, her right hand perched on her hip. Wavy brown hair framed her face beautifully, setting off her graceful yet proud nose, and the slight indent on her chin. A coy smile played on her lips. Her pale eyes shone with a deep, mysterious glint. There was something in the way the light fell on her face; it made her dark complexion seem luminous.
“Hello, Loriine,” Nafi spoke somewhat reluctantly. Her voice was low; something had suddenly subdued the girl.
“Guess you didn’t realize that I could be a student at the XDA,” Loriine said. While her words were simple enough, her tone sounded careless. “I’m also participating in the Alliance Initiative or whatever they named it. It’s such a shame . . . we can’t help seeing each other. ”
“She’s really your cousin?” Ren asked, raising a quizzical brow after Loriine waved and slipped inside the compartment.
“Yes,” Nafi replied before marching toward her bedroom door. She opened the one with her name on it, hesitated briefly at the threshold, and turned back to face her teammates. “She’s a very distant cousin, all right? And as you can see, we’re not exactly fond of each other.”
Nafi turned away and nearly closed the door behind her before she came back out again. “I don’t like discussing my family matters with people, so it would be nice if you could make your curiosity a little less obvious.”
After Nafi left, and after her abrupt words had sunk into Maia’s rather dazed mind, she lingered in the common area with the other three, inspecting it. The room was plain with its bare white walls and sharp-contoured furnishings, but it was well equipped. Each of them had a writing desk complete with their name tags, one small water dispensing machine, and a mini library stacked with reference materials on a variety of subjects. At the center of each table lay what seemed like a scroll, but it turned out to be rolled-up display console instead. Maia assumed they could use it to access data vaults for their exercises. There were a couple of chaises in one corner with a large table between them that Maia thought was the coziest part of the room.
The modest décor was carried forward into their individual chambers. A bed stood against the far wall, and a small table with drawers stood between the bed and the door to the small but efficient washroom. A large closet stretched across another wall. Alone in her room, tired from a long day, Maia plopped on her bed, groaning at the colorlessness of her simply but effectively furnished surroundings and longing for the warmth of her home.
Things had gone well so far, give
n the curious array of personalities around her. There was the feisty Nafi and the rather brash Ren, but then there was also the wise and steady Kusha, and the sweet and gentle, if not a little too overly-devoted-to-her-brother Dani, to balance out the spirited ones. But this was just the beginning; there were many more people to meet, and a lot to do. Maia sighed, wondering how the next few months of her imprisonment would turn out. She drifted off into a slumber with unexpected thoughts of her mother, wondering if Sophie had ever felt as lonely here as she felt right now.
15: Trek to the Snoso
Maia woke up the next morning feeling barely rested. The unfamiliarity of the place and the sheer bleakness of the environment had made her toss and turn through the night. She washed in a hurry, rushed to the closets that lined one side of her room, and opened the door marked “UNIFORMS.” Rows of jackets hung inside, and Maia pulled one out, immediately noticing its similarity to the long, high-collared ones the Xifarian scouts had worn to Appian. Only this was a dark gray instead of their inky black, and the blazing gold buttons were smaller and plainer. Matching gray pants and white shirts, suspended in neat rows, filled up the rest of the cabinet. Dressing quickly, she finished wrapping the jacket on top, buttoning it up to her neck. It fit her flawlessly. Slipping on a pair of thick-soled boots, she stepped out into the study to find the others waiting. They were all dressed the same; the only difference lay in their name tags. Kusha’s red headband stood out in sharp contrast amidst the gray, and Maia wondered if he would be allowed to wear it.
“Are you—”
Nafi interrupted before Maia could finish. “He insists on wearing that stupid headband of his, and you are late. If we are to meet our mentor in time, I suggest that we get going and save the chitchat for later.”
“It’s not stupid,” Kusha said grumpily, scowling at Nafi. “I’ve never taken this headband off, and I’m surely not taking it off now. And certainly not because you think I should.”
“Wait till they make you,” Nafi replied with feigned indifference.
Kusha scowled some more, and Dani nervously chewed her lips.
“Fun start for day one,” Ren chuckled, obviously enjoying the banter. He still wore all his flashy rings and did not seem the least bit troubled by Nafi’s dire warning. Nafi did not seem too eager to show her concern for Ren’s appearance either, nor did she comment on the Jjordic talisman that shone on Dani’s lapel.
They rushed into the dining room, where other groups were already finishing breakfast. An interesting mix of faces was spread around the room—some worried and some happy, some at home with new friends, and some just as wound up as Nafi.
“Let’s see which room we’ve been assigned,” Ren said after emptying his morning “FOOD” box. He pressed an almost-imperceptible button embedded at the center of their table. A silver screen slid out of the base and lit up with instructions.
“It says that our counsel room will be the Snoso.” Ren intently studied a map that flashed on the screen. “I think I got it—below WT4, across the Hall of Spires, up to L4 via the SE4. The Snoso is at the end of the Gallery of the Planets. We’re lucky to have that room or anything in the Planetary Wing for that matter. The rooms up there have great views of the quadrant, so I’ve heard.”
He stopped and looked at the confused faces staring back at him.
“I’ll explain as we walk. We’ve quite a way to go.” He flashed an apologetic smile as he rose.
The path to the Snoso took them up the glass staircase they had seen the night before. Groups of somber-faced students of the XDA walked busily around the place, dressed in similarly styled uniforms as Maia and her friends were wearing, but in different colors. Most students of the academy wore a dark shade of blue and a few wore black.
“Black is for the seniors—that’s the final year or Circle Four students. Blue for all other years,” Ren spoke with an air of seriousness. “We, as visitors, get to wear this uninspiring gray.
“Back to the directions . . . first we go below WT4, that’s short for Wind Tunnel Number 4. The academy has sixteen wind tunnels like this one, which circulate and condition the air within it.” Ren pointed at the enormous, transparent tunnel that stretched in front of them. A multitude of silver balls with spines of various lengths protruding from their bodies, floated within the shaft, turning and swirling in a myriad of complex motions.
“Those are the interceptors—robots that monitor the air quality, regulate the airflow, and perform maintenance of the airway,” Ren explained as they walked past.
A large squadron of academy students filed together near the wind tunnel; a severe-looking lady stood next to them barking orders.
“Morning drill for Circle Two,” Ren whispered. He pointed at the corner away from the assembly. “We go through there.”
For a brief moment, Maia stared incredulously at the solid wall. Then she saw the faintest outline of a door engraved on the white. As Ren pressed a plate next to it, the panel slid open noiselessly, revealing a short corridor. The group walked quickly through the passageway and stepped into a massive hall that lay beyond its other end.
“This is called the Hall of Spires, and you can see why.” Ren pointed at the columns that filled the cold and shadowy hall. There were thousands of them—gray-white behemoths that rose up to the distant roof at least ten stories above. The mammoth columns made Maia feel small, and she instinctively inched closer to the group. To her surprise, even the stalwart Nafi slowed down as they crossed the Hall of Spires in silence.
“And here’s SE4, SE meaning Spiral Elevator,” Ren announced, opening another camouflaged door on the other side of the endless field of columns. “There is nothing ‘spiral’ about it though, just a simple elevator that goes up and down.
“Level 4, please,” Ren spoke into a small speaker as the door closed and the box began to rise immediately, stopping at what Maia assumed was Level 4.
“Behold the spectacular Gallery of Planets,” Ren said when the doors opened, waving in the direction of the corridor in a manner that reminded Maia of the flamboyant vice principal. “Here you’ll find replicas of every planetary system Xif has visited so far.”
What lay ahead was different from all the areas in the academy that Maia had seen until now. Although this corridor was also painted white, it was far from dreary. Recessed display cases lined the two sides, and Maia stood speechless when she peeked into the first niche; it held a small green planet, a model so perfect that it felt eerily real, as if someone had shrunk a real planet and put it behind the glass. Even the waves in its oceans sparkled and the clouds in its atmosphere moved. The gold engraving in front of the alcove said “Knossos, Eti I System.”
“We’re running late, Maia. We can look at the Gallery of Planets later,” Kusha whispered as he tugged her arm.
“Here we are . . . the Snoso,” Ren announced from the head of their small procession.
Maia trudged into the Snoso, still preoccupied, half expecting to find an uninspiring classroom painted a predictable white. What she saw instead made her blink in disbelief. Her teammates stood in rapt attention along the wall of the room that was arranged like a small amphitheater. Five steps led down from the door they had entered to the center where a lone podium stood. But it was the view through the giant glass panes behind the podium that took everyone’s breath away. Beyond the window, a sea of gleaming buildings stretched all the way to the horizon. The collage of towers and spires shimmered in the soft light, colossal structures looming like an endless army of imposing giants. The scene was awe-inspiring, almost magical.
Maia did not remember how long they stood staring, but for the longest while, no one spoke. The sound of the door opening behind them broke the spell.
16: Miir
Maia almost choked when she turned around. The pale, angular face flushed with arrogance was unmistakable, the gray patch that stretched down from his forehead still as repulsive as Maia could remember. His flashing dark eyes met hers and narrowed to
slits. The obnoxious Xifarian intruder who had so audaciously insulted her in her own home was back, except now he had a name and a position of power to boot. Without saying a word to the team, he strode to a panel on the wall and flicked a switch. The glass window turned white, wiping out the glorious scenery beyond.
“If you will let me pass,” their mentor said coldly to Dani and Nafi who stood gawking on the path down to the podium. They jumped back at his remark, Nafi’s face twisting into a grimace while Dani’s cheeks flushed violently.
They hastened to take seats as he walked toward the dais. Kusha settled on the first step to his right, and Nafi and Ren sat right behind Kusha on the second and the third tier. On the other side, to the left of their mentor, Maia and Dani took refuge on the steps farthest away from the podium.
“Just in case you have not figured out my name already, I am Miir. For the next few months, I will be your counselor, or mentor. Let me be clear, I am not here to be your friend, but to facilitate your learning experience. I personally think you have a lot to catch up on, if you want to move on to the next phase,” Miir said, his gaze sweeping over the five anxious faces.
“I am a Circle Four student at this academy. Being here has been the greatest experience of my life, and I hope you too will value your brief stay at the XDA.
“My first responsibility is to assess your levels of proficiency. While Yilosario has never been wrong in putting teams together, we always review the selection to ensure that no one in the team is weak enough to bring the rest of the squad down during the various group challenges. For that evaluation, I have a virtual pod of the Raap Beetle—one of the deadliest pests that we have encountered in three centuries of travel. Thousands have died trying to fight these.”
Miir held out a shiny black egg about four times the size of a sea-fowl. Purple-and-green streaks formed an intricate patchwork over its dark surface. He placed a small wire pedestal at the center of the rink and gently positioned the pod on it.