Frozen Enemies

by Zac Harrison

  “There’s Earth,” said Lorem quietly, before adding with a chuckle, “I can see England from here.”

  Following the headmaster’s pointing finger, John saw what looked like a small star, blue against the dark background of space. Not twinkling, but shining with the constant light that meant it was a planet and not a distant sun.

  Seeing his own planet gave John another pang of homesickness. It’s a hologram, not the real Earth, he told himself sternly.

  “In a moment, the environment generators will start,” said Ms Vartexia. “When they do, we will make our way across the hall, stopping midway at the Pyramid of Tal-So-Ga.”

  A roaring sound began. Seconds later John was almost knocked off his feet by a gale that howled across the replica Mars. Carried by the wind, red sand hissed against his face mask until he could see only a vague white shape that had been Kaal a few seconds before. The temperature dropped quickly.

  “Let’s go!” shouted Ms Vartexia over the storm. “Keep the person in front of you in sight at all times.”

  “You OK?” Kaal yelled over his shoulder, as they began the trek across the fake Martian landscape.

  “No. Something really weird is happening!” John shouted back.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m actually enjoying a Hyperspace History lesson.”

  It was, John had to admit, a fascinating experience. Every so often the wind dropped, giving just enough time to see rocky hills and pyramids in the distance. Then, all too quickly, it would resume a shrieking, sand-blasting howl that made conversation impossible. Taking one tiring step after another against the gale, John tried to imagine what it must have been like to live on a planet like this. No wonder they developed space travel quickly, he couldn’t help thinking. Probably couldn’t leave fast enough.

  Inside the pyramid, a surprise was waiting for him. The furniture and decoration were almost exactly the same as he had seen in books about ancient Egypt. “Ms Vartexia,” he said excitedly, as the Elvian led the class inside. “Did the Martians ever contact human beings?”

  “The Martians have been visiting your planet for millions of years,” the tall, blue-skinned teacher answered.

  “But I thought they kept it a secret. Everything in this pyramid looks Egyptian.”

  Ms Vartexia sighed. “That would have been the Martian king, Ram-Es-Izz the Bizarre. He had the strange idea that humans could be civilized and started trying to teach them. Of course, we now know that human beings are much too primit—”

  “Many people still think that Ram-Es-Izz was a great king who saw potential in the people of Earth,” Lorem interrupted. “I, for one, agree with him. Humans might be capable of great things.”

  “Ahh, yes. Yes indeed, headmaster,” gabbled Ms Vartexia, looking from Lorem to John. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest that our John Riley is in any way primitive. I meant that—”

  “Perhaps we should move on to the Pool of Ritual on the lower floor,” said Lorem, cutting her off tactfully.

  When the pyramid tour was over, the class headed back out into the dust storm. John took one last look behind him as he trudged across red rocks, watching as the great building disappeared in a cloud of sand. For a moment, he wondered what would happen if he told his fellow humans about what he had learned there.

  They’d lock me up and throw away the key.

  By the time the class reached the exit, he was a little sad to be leaving the dust storm. Although it was fake, when the wind dropped he had been able to look up into the sky and see Earth shining down at him. It had felt almost like being home.

  “Well, Mars is as dull as a weekend on Darum Four, then,” said Emmie Tarz, as the class piled out of the exit. “Whatever’s next, I hope we can actually see where we’re going.”

  “Yep. Seen one desolate, sandy planet, seen them all,” Kaal agreed.

  John grinned. It was difficult to be sad when Kaal and Emmie were around. “Hey, you two, that’s my closest neighbour you’re talking about... what is that?”

  An alarm blared. Instantly, a door at the end of the corridor slammed shut. Students looked at each other, eyes wide, antennae twitching, and claws clicking nervously.

  “What’s going on?” demanded Lishtig.

  “Quiet there,” Ms Vartexia ordered. “Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen... Headmaster, there are only fifteen students here. One is missing.”

  “Check again.” Lorem’s calm voice held a note of steel.

  “Fifteen. I checked twice.”

  John looked around. “It’s Mordant,” he said quickly. “He’s not here.”

  For a brief moment there was silence, then, in the distance, a voice: “Leave the young master alone. You don’t know who you are dealing with. Master Talliver is a very important young man.”

  All eyes snapped to the Mars Dust Storm exit, as two Omega-bots emerged, holding Mordant between them. The warp guns had disappeared, as each of the machines’ hands held a part of the black-haired boy. Mordant’s face twisted in frustration as he tried to break free.

  “Mordant Talliver,” said Lorem icily. “Please tell me what is going on here.”

  Instead, it was G-Vez that answered. “If I may explain,” said the little droid. “The young master took just a moment to observe—”

  “I said Mordant Talliver,” the headmaster roared. Gone was the kindly, cheerful old man. This was the voice of a powerful being whose word was law.

  G-Vez fell silent. Mordant glared at the headmaster, then dropped his eyes. An Omega-bot held out a portable HoloScreen in a metal claw. “Rule thirty-five A,” it droned. “Communication technology is forbidden.”

  Lorem took the HoloScreen. “The Vapourball Championship,” he said, looking down at it with disgust. “I should have known, but I didn’t think that you would be so idiotic—”

  “I was just trying to get the scores,” Mordant interrupted sulkily.

  “Be quiet,” the headmaster commanded. “So foolish as to break the rules here of all places. Have you any idea of the trouble you are in?”

  Still glaring at the ground, Mordant shook his head.

  “You are lucky I don’t expel you on the spot,” Lorem bellowed. “All communication with other planets is banned on Archivus Major. You were told that a dozen times. It might interfere with the exhibits’ delicate technology and cause a disaster.”

  Mordant said nothing.

  “The Omega-bots will escort you back to your Privateer. I will decide what to do with you when we are back on Hyperspace High. In the meantime, you will stay in your ship until we leave this planet,” Lorem finished.

  “Can I at least have my HoloSc—”

  “Dismissed!”

  * * *

  “I guess Mordant won’t be seeing much of Archivus Major after all,” said John, as the class and their two teachers settled on a shady hilltop outside the Mars Dust Storm building. Looking into his bag, John pulled out a sandwich and peered at it. “BLT,” he said, whistling. “With plenty of mayonnaise. My favourite. Thanks, Zepp.”

  “At least he’ll have G-Vez to talk to,” Emmie giggled. “Two days will fly by.”

  “How come they let him bring the robo-servant anyway? I thought non-vital technology was banned,” John said, biting off a huge chunk. “Mmmm, and loads of bacon,” he mumbled, mouth full.

  “Non-invasive intrapersonal service technology, certified safe in any environment,” Kaal answered, looking through his own bag. “Oh wow, Flarzworms. Nice one.” He looked up to see John looking at him questioningly. “G-Vez has a containment field,” he explained. “Nothing escapes it. The Omega-bots, too, I’d guess. It makes them as likely to interfere in other technologies as this Flarzworm,” he finished, holding up the wriggling orange worm for John to see.

  Face screwed up in revulsion, John turned his head away, to find a sight ju
st as unexpected. Over the Mars Dust Storm building, a Xi-Class Privateer was rising into the air.

  The sandwich dropped from his hand. “Hey!” he shouted, getting to his feet and pointing. “Is that who I think it is?”

  Chapter 8

  As John watched the Privateer leave Archivus Major, he heard Lorem shout, “Mordant!”

  Shielding his purple eyes from the sun, the headmaster glared at the rapidly disappearing spaceship with a face like thunder. “I will expel him for this,” he said, through clenched teeth.

  “It can’t be,” said Ms Vartexia, getting to her feet. “Surely, even Mordant Talliver wouldn’t—”

  “It cannot be anyone else,” said Lorem grimly. “We are the only visitors on Archivus Major at present.”

  By now, the Privateer was a small dot in the sky. The class watched in silent shock as it disappeared into the upper atmosphere. “Why aren’t the Omego-bots doing something to stop him?” asked John.

  The headmaster glanced at him. “Their job is to protect the exhibits,” he said. “Archivus Major’s security systems are designed to stop people from getting in, not from leaving.”

  “Did you not see the possibility of this happening, headmaster?” Ms Vartexia asked, sounding confused.

  “My visions of the future are not always clear,” he replied, suddenly looking weary. “I sensed that a dangerous situation might develop on Archivus Major – that’s why I came – but I must have been mistaken about the threat. I did not suspect for a second that Mordant Talliver would be the cause.”

  “What are we going to do now?” The Elvian teacher was still staring up at the sky. She began wringing her hands with worry.

  With a deep sigh, Lorem turned to her. “This is very troublesome,” he said. “But we have no choice. I must go after Mordant. Now he has gone, fragments of at least one possible future have fallen into place. I can see quite clearly that if I do not go after him, he will be in life-threatening danger.”

  “How will you know where to find him? He could be headed anywhere.”

  “I don’t need to look into the future to know he will go straight to planet Plarz, where the Vapourball Championship is being held,” the headmaster replied.

  “But what will we do?” Ms Vartexia twittered.

  The headmaster responded with a stern look. “Why, carry on with the visit of course, Ms Vartexia. The students are in your care. Now, if you will excuse me, the faster I follow, the faster I will find our stray.”

  “Yes, but... oh, I mean to say... but, but...”

  “You will be fine!” Lorem shouted over his shoulder, as he strode away towards the dock. “Just follow the visitor guidelines and stay together. Remember: it is better to be safe than sorry.”

  As the headmaster’s Privateer rose into the sky, the students looked at each other.

  “I can’t believe Mordant just did that,” said John.

  Lishtig shook his head. “He’s been acting weird since yesterday,” he said. “The Vapourball Championship is all he’s talked about. It’s like he’s totally obssessed.”

  “Hijacking a ship during a school trip is crazy, even for him,” Bareon said, his enormous, black eyes blinking. “I mean, he’s always breaking rules but he’s sly about it. He almost never gets caught doing anything wrong.”

  “Look, we all know that Mordant Talliver can be an idiot,” said Emmie. “If he wants to get himself expelled, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. The important thing is that he doesn’t ruin the trip for the rest of us.”

  “That’s true,” said Kaal, peering at his ThinScreen. “Forget Mordant. It says here that we’re not far from the Weapons Desert and there’s a Shuttletube that will take us straight there. Sounds good to me.”

  “How about the Goran–Subo battleground,” Emmie suggested.

  Kaal frowned at her. “Why are you so keen to go to the battleground, Emmie?” he asked. “It’s not like you to be interested in war.”

  Emmie shrugged, looking confused for a moment. “I... um... just want to take the photos. Get some extra marks. Besides, it is supposed to be spectacular.”

  At that moment, Queelin Temerate snatched the ThinScreen from Kaal’s hands and riffled through the pages. “Wow, there are wild Feershcats and Flurbs in the jungle over there,” she said, looking up with shining eyes. “Let’s go on safari.”

  “Isn’t there a spaceship exhibit?” John chipped in. “I’d love to see that.”

  Ms Vartexia clapped. “Attention please, class,” she said, sounding nervous.

  The students turned to face her. “Can we go to the spaceship exhibit, please?” John asked quickly.

  “No, the jungle.”

  “I want to see the Floating Pleasure Gardens of Vox Charm.”

  “The Star Dragon skeleton.”

  “We’ve got to go to the Goran–Subo battlefield,” Emmie said urgently.

  “We could split up,” Kaal suggested. “That way everyone gets to see what they want.”

  “Absolutely not,” said the teacher firmly. “The headmaster instructed us to stay together, and that is exactly what we shall do. That means none of you is leaving my sight.”

  “But, Ms Vartexia, why do we have to suffer because Mordant’s been an idiot?”

  Ms Vartexia chose not to hear Queelin Temerate’s question. Opening her own guidebook, she said, “Ahh, here’s just the thing: the Rock Gallery.”

  “Rock music?” asked John hopefully.

  “Rocks and minerals from every corner of the galaxy,” answered the teacher. “It will be excellent for your understanding of galactic heography. Doctor Graal will be pleased.”

  Her announcement was met by a chorus of groans. “Who cares what Doctor Slobber thinks,” muttered Lishtig.

  Only Gobi-san-Art was happy. “I love rocks,” he grinned. “Rocks are awesome.”

  “That’s settled, then,” said Ms Vartexia, closing the book with a snap. “Follow me to the Shuttletube. Keep together and do not touch anything.”

  * * *

  “Wow: a rock,” said Emmie, standing on a gravel path with her hands on her hips. “It’s just so... so exactly the same as the last rock we looked at.”

  “Not really,” said Gobi, seriously. “The last rock we looked at was an example of sedimentary histracite. This is taurite containing a vein of mallux.”

  Emmie rolled her eyes. “Rock,” she said, pointing at it. Turning, she pointed at the rock next to it. “Rock,” she repeated. “And that, Gobi, is all I know, or ever want to know, about rocks.”

  “You’re missing out on some really interesting—”

  “Please stop,” Emmie grumped. “I am so bored of this. A whole planet stacked with the most amazing stuff in the universe, and we’re staring at some lumps of old rock. What’s wrong with Ms Vartexia?”

  “Maybe we should give her a break,” suggested John. “It can’t be easy, being in charge on her own, and you know what she’s like.”

  Kaal nodded. “You mean like bringing Earthings back to Hyperspace High instead of Martian princes?” he asked. “That sort of thing?”

  “Exactly. Accident prone. She’s probably scared that something awful will happen and she’ll lose her job.”

  “Hey, you guys,” Lishtig interrupted, running across the gravel and whooping. “I’ve just had a word with Ms Vartexia. She’s got a whole heap of fun lined up for later.”

  “Really?” said Emmie, eagerly. “Are we going to the battlefield next?”

  “No, but... wait for it... we’re going to the Rare Moss Garden.”

  Closing her eyes, Emmie groaned again. “I am going to kill Mordant Talliver,” she whispered.

  As the afternoon passed, the class visited one dull exhibit after another. The only interesting bit is the Shuttletube ride in between, John though to himself, as he leaned back in
his seat. Something like an ultra-modern train, the Shuttletube rocketed at high speed through the clear tubes that snaked across the landscape of Archivus Major. It was an exhilarating ride. The only downside was that the Shuttletube gave the students a clear view of everything they were missing. John had been especially disappointed when the Shuttletube swept past a vast hangar that seemed to cover hundreds of square kilometres. Kaal had leaned over and told him it was the spaceship exhibit.

  John was feeling restless and grouchy. He wasn’t alone. In the Rare Moss Garden, the only excitement had been an Omega-bot’s alarm siren going off in Kaal’s ear. The Derrilian had been about to touch a thousand-year-old Pestra Moss while the huge robot guard was right behind him. Its alarm had been so loud that green ooze had leaked from Kaal’s ear, which had meant another uninteresting visit, this time to the medical centre.

  The Rare Moss Garden seemed like a rollercoaster of thrills compared to the Chong Gallery, though. The ancient Vyranian artist Javvid Chong had spent his entire career painting pictures of the same small brown moon. At first, John thought the hundreds of artworks, each only slightly different from the next, must be some kind of joke. Ms Vartexia, however, had patiently explained that Chong’s paintings made important statements about art and reality. By the time he had looked at the thirtieth moon painting, John had become certain he was losing his own grip on reality and wondered if this was what the teacher had meant. Fortunately, even Ms Vartexia was quickly bored by the gallery and hustled the class along to the next dreary exhibit.

  By the time the sun began to set, John had stopped even looking up when someone pointed out yet another wonder the Shuttletube was passing by. The whole class had long since discovered that there was no point in asking Ms Vartexia to stop; she was obstinately refusing to take them anywhere that might be even slightly dangerous.

  “Where next?” John sighed.