LOCATION: THE HYADES STAR LOUNGE
AREA: HYADES TRANSIT NEXUS
DISTANCE FROM EARTH: 153 LIGHT-YEARS
The next four days on the station were uneventful, but everywhere Kaela went, she felt attention settle on her.
With her enhanced Perception, she caught whispers of the woman from a newly inducted planet who took down three agents from the Obsidian Empire.
It made her uncomfortable, and she found herself returning often to the gym to work off her nerves with the onsite combat training staff.
Afterward, she would spend some time exploring the truly colossal nexus station. The evenings, such as they were on a station locked into orbit with a star, were spent exploring the intergalactic cocktail menu with Skrixx, Flonk, and the crew from The Pathfinder.
The variety was fascinating, and it turned out Flonk was a sort of mixological historian, proud to display his knowledge of various types of liqueur and spirits and their origins.
“This one is similar to what you call gin on Earth,” he said, swirling a purple liquid in his glass.
It was similar to a martini glass, but with straight sides at the top. The cocktail glowed and pulsed, and every so often, Kaela saw a bright flash of light from deep inside the drink.
“The spirit contains a small bit of life essence in the plants it was distilled from. Mixing it with juice from a particular fruit jumpstarts the life essence for just a short time.”
He held it out for Kaela to see, and a sparkle of light danced in the glass for a split second, before fading out.
“The trick,” Flonk said, “is to drink it when the flash happens.”
He watched a moment, then suddenly took a big gulp from the glass.
Kaela saw light burst forth from Flonk’s eyes for a moment before returning to normal. She giggled at the display.
“Ahh,” Flonk said, exhaling. “It feels almost as good as an orgasm.”
He turned to Kaela.
“You humans from Earth have those, right?”
Kaela blushed, then nodded.
“Yes, Flonk. We do. Now order me one of those drinks. Now.”
Skrixx and the crew laughed at the antics, and the drink Kaela affectionately renamed The Purple Gush became her favorite from among her varied samplings.
On the final night before the shuttle was set to depart, the crew enjoyed a subdued dinner while they chatted about nothing in particular.
Hyades Nexus Security had come to report in person to Skrixx earlier that day, that the final attacker from the Empire had been thoroughly questioned, and they had learned much.
The guard offered to send further commendations ahead to the Institute, but Skrixx suggested he not do so. Kaela would have enough of a challenge fitting into a new culture and school as it was. There was no need to make her stand out.
In a highly competitive environment like the Orion Luminary Institute, they might as well… What was the metaphor that Darian had used?
Right: paint a target on her back. Not something Kaela would be likely happy with.
So Skrixx kept her involvement in the whole thing under wraps, instead choosing to let Kaela be an anonymous student. At least for now.
Morning came, and the crew saw Skrixx and Kaela off. An announcement came over the loudspeakers.
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The Meridian-Class Interstellar Transport Aurex Meridian is now boarding on Docking Ring 12. The Aurex, bound for Alnitak Station in Orion’s Belt will depart in two hours.
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“That’s our cue,” Skrixx said. He began saying his goodbyes to the crew members one at a time, leaving final instructions for each of them.
Flonk walked over to Kaela and pulled her into a hug.
“You’re going to do great at the Institute. I almost wish I could go through it all again just to watch you blossom there.”
Kaela smiled and hugged him back.
“Thanks for everything, Flonk. You’ve been an amazing friend, and I hope you have a safe trip back to Earth. Please tell my parents and Elena I miss them.”
They took a half hour saying their goodbyes, and then Skrixx told Kaela it was time to go.
“Our luggage has already been forwarded from our lodgings,” he said. “Now we just need to get to our cabin.”
They walked up to the attendant, a tall female of a race Kaela hadn’t seen before. She was vaguely humanoid, but had four arms and her skin was a pale blue that reflected the light.
“Tickets, please,” the attendant said. But then she recognized Skrixx. She bowed her head, and Kaela could see a red flush even on the female’s blue features.
“My apologies, Ambassador. Your cabin has been prepared. Please proceed.”
Skrixx smiled and reached out to pat the attendant’s shoulder.
“There’s no need for any of that, Jorwin. It’s nice to see you again.”
Jorwin blushed again.
“Thank you, sir. Please have a safe trip.”
Once again, Kaela was surprised at the deference others paid to Skrixx. She knew he was the Captain of The Pathfinder, but apparently he was also a well-known ambassador who commanded incredible respect everywhere he went.
She looked at him as they stepped onto the large ship.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” he said, waving his arm in dismissal. “I’ll tell you more later. For now, let’s find our private cabin.”
He leaned in, whispering in a conspiratorial tone.
“One of the perks of being an ambassador is traveling in first class. We may as well enjoy it, right?”
Kaela chuckled.
“Agreed, Ambassador! Please lead the way.”
The Meridian-Class Interstellar Transport was a 15,000-c ship designed to travel between and among star systems in the same galaxy.
It would be able to complete the 1,100 light-year journey to the easternmost hub of Orion’s Belt in less than half the time it took The Pathfinder to make the 153 light-year trek from Earth to Hyades Station.
As they entered, an onboard attendant recognized Skrixx immediately. She was of the same race as the ticket attendant they had just seen outside.
“Ambassador Skrixx, it’s nice to have you aboard again. Your cabin is prepared for you and your guest. Your luggage has already been sent forward. Do you require an escort to your quarters?”
Skrixx smiled, always polite.
“That won’t be necessary, Florwin. By the way, this is Kaela Sirova. She is from the newly inducted planet called Earth, and will be attending the Luminary Institute with the next cohort.”
The tall, blue Florwin bowed her head.
“It is nice to meet you, Kaela Sirova. Welcome aboard. I’m sure we will have plenty of time to talk during the trip, and I look forward to hearing stories of your home.”
Kaela smiled, returned the bow, then followed Skrixx.
He led her down a long aisle, past a restaurant, then a bar, then an entertainment center, all of which Skrixx graciously pointed out and explained along the way.
At what Kaela figured had to be the stern of the massive ship, they ascended four flights of stairs. She could hear the FTL engines beginning to spool up and down as the crew went through the final testing protocols.
The entire ship was remarkably clean.
When the doors opened at the top of the stairs, Kaela saw a wide corridor down the center that stretched for what had to be half the length of the ship. She noticed multiple doors on each side with no windows in any of them.
“Is all of this ours?” she asked.
Skrixx shook his head.
“Oh, no. That would be ridiculous. We get the port-side executive suites only.”
He smirked, letting Kaela know it was still ridiculous. Not that she was about to complain about traveling in such luxury.
He put his hand up to one of the doors, which was labeled simply: MAIN ENTRANCE. Skrixx stepped to the side and gestured for Kaela to enter.
The door slid open, and an incredibly spacious living room greeted Kaela. Windows filled the entire port side wall of the room, and the furniture looked extremely comfortable.
Skrixx followed her in, giving her a few minutes to take it in.
“My rooms are to the left here, and yours are on the far end. There are restrooms and showers inside your private quarters. We have a small kitchenette, but most of the meals will either be brought to us, or taken in the restaurants.”
“This is incredible,” Kaela said, smiling. “I believe you will completely spoil me during this trip.”
During the twenty-seven-day transit from Hyades to Alnitak, Kaela enjoyed the amenities. She made several friends, and even met a fellow new student at the academy.
When they arrived at the Alnitak Transit Nexus, Skrixx arranged for a small shuttle similar in size to The Pathfinder, to take them to their final destination: the Orion Luminary Institute, located in the Alnilam star system.
Alnilam is the center star in Orion’s Belt, among the brightest stars in the night sky when viewed from Earth.
It is a blue supergiant, which emanates dangerous stellar winds and radiation constantly.
The sixth planet from this star, named Lapis Divinus, contains a powerful innate magnetic field similar to that on Earth, but hundreds of times stronger.
Millions of years ago, the Orion Celestial Accord anchored a vast orbital shielding array that blocked any harmful radiation that made it through the inherent magnetic field on Lapis Divinus.
That radiation could then be captured and beamed down to the surface to be converted into usable energy.
This elegant solution, along with various terraforming measures, made the planet habitable for most carbon-based life forms, and thus the Orion Celestial Accord built their school there.
It was about to become Kaela’s home for the next two decades of her life.