I hesitated for a moment before allowing the man to take my things. I thanked him softly, and he gave me a small smile before leaving. I stood looking around at the room, unsure where I should sit, before taking the indicated seat on the captain’s left. Lt Hewitt and Lt Prescott had also joined the table along with another three officers whose names I had already forgotten.
"I must admit, I was somewhat surprised that Admiral Harra had a daughter. It was not something I had been aware of previously," the captain said as he sipped on his freshly poured wine.
I looked up from my meal, which was probably the most delicious thing I had ever eaten, excluding the food my mother had served me the single time we had met. It was freshly cooked stew with soft bread, and I was a little worried I might find it challenging to return to RMPs after this.
"My mother is a very private person, as I'm sure you know," I said in response to his obvious attempt to gather information concerning my mother. I wouldn't air my family's matters before a stranger and certainly not to one in the fleet. My mother and I may not have the best relationship, but I wouldn't sully her reputation by slandering her.
"Indeed, indeed," he nodded slowly, before turning his attention to one of his officers and engaging him in a conversation regarding the current movements of the ship’s accompanying battalion, which had been sent onwards to the Riv'ari planetary system.
A battlecruiser was typically accompanied by an assault cruiser and two escort cruisers, unless deployed into battle, where its battalion would double, giving them two assault cruisers and four escort cruisers. From the conversation, it seemed Captain Mua had sent the assault cruiser, along with one of the escorts ahead to the Riv'ari system, while the battlecruiser brought the damaged passenger ship to Xi'anu. As the men began discussing just what had occurred to the passenger ship, I was shocked to discover that the Solar Wind had fallen prey to an attack by pirates, which was extremely uncommon in the inner planetary systems governed by the Federation. While such attacks were not unheard of, it was for it to happen on the outer edges of the Xi'anu system.
Much to my disappointment, the conversation soon changed to a discussion of the ongoing resupply of the Scorpia and its single escort accompaniment. As some of the officers began to rise from the table, having finished their meals, PO Peterson returned with a young woman who was introduced as Petty Officer Lewis.
"Now then, I will leave you with PO Lewis. If you need anything, then you can call her directly. She will assist you with navigating the ship during your stay and accompany you onto the station, so you don't get lost." The captain smiled at me as he spoke before leaving me with the petty officer. It was clear she was to be my babysitter, but I understood that they couldn't just let me run around the ship as I pleased.
"Miss Kelras, would you like to go to your quarters first or take a small tour of the ship?" the pretty PO asked me, and I smothered a yawn before answering.
"I would prefer going to quarters first. I only arrived at the station a few hours ago and didn't sleep during the trip to get here. I would like to freshen up and maybe get some sleep if that's okay."
"Of course, it's completely understandable. Would you like a wake-up call in the morning? PO Peterson said you wished to visit someone at the station. It is twenty-one hundred hours now, so if you like, I will come by your quarters at zero seven hundred, and we can go to the station then. We will need to return by fourteen hundred hours, so leaving at zero seven thirty should allow you enough time for your visit."
"That would be great, thank you," I replied, stifling another yawn.
PO Lewis led me to a different floor she identified as the officer's deck, and we made our way down three corridors before arriving at a door that led to the quarters assigned to me. She then showed me how to activate the door before handing me a small handheld device.
"As you are not a part of the crew, we can't allow you a connection to the ship's network. This device is connected and will give you access to certain doors and elevators that you are permitted through. It also has a map and call function. Tomorrow after our departure, I will take you on a tour of the ship and show you the sections you will be permitted to access during your time on board," she told me, and I nodded, taking the small device.
"Thank you, PO Lewis. I guess I’ll see you in the morning," I said, a little unsure about what to say.
"Of course, Miss Kelras, if you need anything, you can call me."
"You can just call me Aristeia if you prefer."
"Then I will see you at zero seven hundred, Aristeia. Rest well," she said, and turned to leave.
The quarters I had been assigned were close to the size of my former residence on N2390. Only there was no small enclosed bed. In the center of the room there was a large bed that looked like it could fit at least two people.
I'd seen beds like this in the movies I occasionally downloaded from the interstellar network, but I'd never slept in one. Forgoing the bed for now, I checked for my things and found my bag and case on a desk along the far wall. I grabbed a clean set of undergarments and sleepwear before heading for the ablution unit. Ten minutes later, I slid into the large bed, almost groaning at the luxurious feel of the soft mattress.
Chapter 7
I woke at zero six thirty to the buzzing of my wrist device. Stretching, I rolled from the bed and made my way to the ablution unit. After a quick shower, I pulled on a clean gray jumpsuit. It was my usual choice for clothing, gray didn’t show most stains, and the jumpsuit itself was comfortable.
Looking down at the slightly worn material, I picked at a loose thread contemplatively. Maybe I should get some new outfits and get rid of my old jumpsuits. There would be chances for visits to the city during the academy, and I would likely be invited to join the captain's table again during this trip. My mother was high ranked and Captain Mua appeared to be the ass-kissing type. Too bad for him because my mother wouldn't care in the slightest.
Just as I finished pulling my hair into a ponytail, I heard a low beeping from the door. Grabbing my drone case and the small handheld device, I opened the door and smiled in greeting at the petty officer who was waiting for me.
“Good morning, Ma’am,” I said softly, doing my best attempt at a formal salute. I could tell I’d failed somewhat by the twitch of the officer's lips and my cheeks flushed.
"Good morning, Aristeia. Shall we head down to the dining hall for breakfast before we head onto the station, or would you like to find somewhere to eat once we are on station?" she asked, stepping aside as I exited the room.
"Eating here is fine. Maybe we can have lunch at the station?"
We walked down a few corridors and down a level before reaching the officers’ dining hall. We given more than a few curious looks as we walked, but no one questioned my presence. The meal, to my glee, was freshly cooked as well. The eggs tasted terrific and didn't have the powdery taste of RMP eggs. Finishing my meal, I looked over to see PO Lewis had also finished and was working quietly on a datapad as she waited for me. She looked up and saw I was done, and showed me where to take my empty tray before leading me out into the corridor. PO Lewis gave me a brief rundown of the ship's layout as we walked towards the door that connected to the access tunnel.
There were three access tunnels connected, and we would be using one on deck K3. Once we left the ship, I attempted to connect to the station's network. Furrowing my brow as my implanted failed to connect, I tried a second time and watched as my holographic wrist display spluttered into visibility on my forearm. The network must be congested, though, I found it surprising that such a large and well-populated station would have such a bad network connection. Opening my messages, I waited impatiently for it to load onto my display.
‘@Aristeia Kelras—I am glad you found your way safely to Xi'anu. If you cannot contact your mother, my friend may allow you to stay the night. His name is Xavier, you will find him on deck E in housing unit 1198. He knows you are coming, and I have sent him a message to inf
orm him of your early arrival. Stay safe and try not to break this one. Dad.’
Try not to break this one? What did he mean by that? I brought up the map of the station on my wrist display, locating deck E, set my implant to navigate a route. Glancing up at the woman standing next to me while I waited for the implant to respond I gave her a polite smile. I was a little annoyed I would have her following me around, but it was likely for the best. I had never been on a station like this, and she would probably be helpful.
PO Lewis didn’t look like she had been out of the academy long, so maybe she would be able to tell me some more about it. The information my mother had provided was all technical information, and I wanted to know about it from a cadet's perspective. It took my implant almost five minutes to load the information I had requested, and I was growing increasingly frustrated as each minute passed. Even on N2390, which was considered one of the desolate outer regions of Federation space, my implant’s network connection had never been so delayed.
"The person I'm going to see is on deck E, which looks pretty far away," I said, glancing down at my map once it had finally loaded.
The navigation showed it would take three hours to walk there, but it also showed a transport hub nearby, and if we took a transport, it would only take thirty minutes to arrive at our destination. I mentioned this to PO Lewis, and she agreed that using the station transport was best. We made our way to the nearby hub, and I asked PO Lewis to access the payment terminal on my behalf, hoping her military grade implant would work faster due to its priority network connection. Having the Petty Officer use the terminal turned out to be a smart move, as being a member of the fleet, she was able to use the transport for free.
Standing on the wide platform, we waited for the transport that would take us to deck E. The platform was extremely busy, and as we stood in front of a large set of sliding doors which would later open into the tunnels used by the passenger transport, I gazed around at the bustling crowds with interest. I had never seen so many people in one place before, there were even people using hoverboards to fly above the crowds. Dozens of drones, many larger than my own, also darted about, several carrying packages of various shapes and sizes. Even more AI drones hovered in place near the other people waiting for the next transport to arrive. Soon a sleek-looking passenger transport to come to a halt before us, and as PO Lewis guided me onto the transport vehicle, I saw several other passengers already seated inside.
There were a dozen or so vacant seats remaining and I followed the other woman to a pair of seats towards the rear. Once we were seated, the transport sped away through a series of tunnels. We traveled in silence with the PO focusing on her datapad. I turned my own attention to my wrist display and looked over the information available about the station. I was looking for a clothing store that was near deck E or the FSS Scorpia, as I wanted to buy some clothing before we left. Captain Mua had said nothing about weight limits, but I knew the academy allowed cadets to bring a maximum of two bags with a weight total of fifty kilos for both bags.
Twenty minutes later, we left the transport on a platform at deck E and started following my map's directions. We walked through several large corridors with various stores and offices on each side before entering the residential area. Finding the door that said 1198, I pressed the button on the security panel and it rang for several moments before a voice sounded through the speaker.
"Yes? What do you want?" asked the voice, sounding less than happy to be receiving visitors.
"Hello? My name is Aristeia Kelras. I am here to see Mr. Xavier. My father said you would be expecting me," I replied uncertainly. Had I come to the right place?
"Kelras? Jon's brat? Right, come in then," the voice said, and I scowled as indignation rose within me at being called a brat.
Clenching my teeth, I entered through the now open door, PO Lewis trailing slightly behind me. The room was a mess. There were various mechanical parts strewn around in a chaotic fashion, and I felt like I was standing in the scrap yard of N2390 once more. A tired-looking man entered from a door on the far side of the room and made his way towards me. I gasped in shock as I saw the man, and PO Lewis echoed my gasp. Even with the haggard-looking appearance and beard, I could easily recognize the man before me.
Xavier Altair was the son of Kerman Altair and worked as Altairin corp’s lead designer. Xavier Altair had also been the one who designed my Begleiter IX drone. How did my father know him? And what was he doing on Xi'anu station in a cramped residential unit? Xavier looked me over for a long moment and gave a small nod.
"Didn't expect you for another day," he grumbled, rubbing a hand across his beard.
"My apologies sir, I arrived at the station a little early. Dad said he messaged you to let you know," I told him, still feeling more than a little awestruck.
Before deciding to become a pilot, I had intended to apply for the Altairin corp’s scholarship to train as a drone technician.
"None of that 'sir' crap, kid. Come on, it's in the workshop," he said and turned to walk back through the door he had come in from.
I made my way carefully through the room, followed by PO Lewis. It was hard to find a clear path with all the parts strewn around, but we managed with some effort. Entering the room, I found myself in a large workshop that was a little more organized, but still just as packed with various tech components.
"Alright, kid, your old man told me you’re quite the flier. I've been working on something new lately, and he seemed to think you'd be a good tester for it," he said, waving me to come closer. I moved to his side and saw floating just above the table in front of him was a sleek black and silver hoverboard.
Unlike my own former board, which had a bulky single thrust engine, this one had two maneuvering thrusters, and a smaller fixed propulsion engine positioned at the rear. It was also a lot slimmer with curved smooth edges, as opposed to the rectangular design of the broken board left behind on N2390.
"This is the Cloud Surfer II, the model you see before you is my alpha model. It will be going into production in the next sixteen months. Now tell me, kid, what does your standard hoverboard lack that a vehicle transport doesn't?" he asked, and I stared down at the hovered board in contemplation for several moments.
"There are many things, and I'm not sure what answer you want," I told him, and he nodded before grinning at me.
"A hoverboard does not have self-navigation capabilities, and the rider must control it. Now, that could be solved by adding a few extra components and an AI processor, but that wouldn't be very cost effective, would it?"
Nodding, I thought about what he said. He was right. Larger vehicle transports generally had basic self-navigation functions and even small AI processors, but the cost of those things would make the price of a hoverboard skyrocket. A standard board cost five thousand credits, and the more advanced boards were up to thirty thousand credits. Adding an AI processor would put the cost well past the forty thousand credit mark, with the components that would need to be added to house the AI. Very few people would pay that for a hoverboard when you could spend about the same for a small vehicle transport.
"But, what if you could have the same AI control without the additional components? The boards are already capable of connecting to a neural implant. My son was the one who gave me the idea, as he was using his AI to piggyback off his implant's connection to control the board. But what if your personal AI could simply connect directly?” He shook his head.
“It so simple I can't believe we haven't done it before. The AI can directly connect via an encrypted connection and control the board, and you just tell the AI where you want to go, and it will map out the best path. It will also be able to respond in real-time, and you can easily retake control should you need to via the implant." Xavier's voice grew more and more excited as he spoke.
"That sounds amazing, but would a basic AI drone have the speed to keep up with the hoverboards higher speeds?" I asked, intrigued by the idea he presented.<
br />
Most hoverboards could travel at a hundred and fifty kilometers maximum speed, and a personal drone typically could only move at a maximum of eight kilometers for a higher grade model like my Begleiter IX.
"No, but see this here?" He pointed to a small circular section at the front of the board. "Your drone will hover above this port, and it will engage a magnetic field that will hold the AI drone in place on the board. No more having to carry your drone around in a pack or under your arm while you fly."
"Will the drone need any software updates to work with the board? I don't have an AI chip yet, and I don't think my basic drone has any navigational features," I said, looking up at Xavier, struggling to contain my excitement.
Was I going to be able to use one of these hoverboards? I now understood what my father had meant by not breaking it. My own board was still in pieces after my last crash, which wasn't my fault. The processor chip in the board had malfunctioned mid-flight, and I had crashed. It was just lucky I hadn't been flying far above the ground, or I could have been seriously hurt. Most hoverboards had height restrictions of ten thousand feet for high-end models and five thousand feet for the cheaper basic models.
The highest I had ever flown had been just above two thousand feet. If I wasn't wearing my bodysuit when I crashed, I would not have survived. Like most people who flew at higher altitudes, I had worn my bodysuit that had a small set of thrusters, which could be engaged to slow my fall, though my own body suit only had enough power to do so for a short amount of time.
"Yes, do you have your drone with you? Jon told me he got you a Begleiter IX. A good model that one, one of my best currently being sold," he said, and I nodded, handing him the case my drone was in.
"Mr. Altair, if you don't mind me asking, how is it you and my father know each other? He has never mentioned you before," I asked, trying to work out how this man and my father, who hadn't left N2390 in over twenty years, could have met.
Striving for the stars (The Kelras Chronicles Book 1) Page 5