Aetheran Child (22 page)

“Oh yeah, I cannot wait. Two weeks of freedom. What are you thinking about doing?”

“I'm going to the fourth planet. I want to see the Apprentice trials.” He said excitedly.

“Well, I'm going to the Empire system.” Some girl said.

“Empire system? What are you going to do there? Watch politicians babble over the same stuff all the time?” A boy laughed.

“No,” She glared at him, “I'm going to see how the United Republics are run.” And she walked off.

“Sounds like fun,” another boy said sarcastically, “I would completely trade my Sun-surfing trip for that.”

“Wow, you're going Sun-Surfing?” his friend asked.

“Yeah, best fun in the world. I can't wait.”

Lexan tuned them out and walked off into the class where he started chatting with Krall, a shun boy he befriended in the last few weeks. They discussed the homework where they had to map out the cryptography in their NCCs.

“I think it's completely useless to use passwords, or passsymbols, we have DNA testing, skin cell testing, voice testing, and everything else for disposal on the NCC,” said Krall.

“Yes, true. But imagine being forced into unlocking your system. They can take your fingerprints, those are too easy to fake. DNA can be extracted, put in stem cells and multiplied, even to create skin cells. Voice could be recorded.” Lexan answered.

“Okay, well how about brainwave analyzer? You cannot fake those.” Krall pointed out.

“True. I guess you cannot,” Lexan nodded.

“I don't believe that. There is one more security feature. The passpicture. It identifies your handwriting, along with your identity because only you will be aware of what the particular picture is.”

Lexan nodded again in agreement and they turned to Tr. Circi as he started out the class. He talked for some time about the mathematics used in cryptography and reviewed the homework. Then he started lecturing on other security devices.

Krall, as usual, got immediately distracted and opened a private channel with Lexan and another boy, Solan.

“So what is everyone doing over the break?” He asked casually, “I'm going to see the gladiator games at the Tournament Hall in Orako.”

Lexan had a few private channels opened at the same time. One with Remu and Romul where they discussed the next meeting place. Another with Bloo, Jacque, and Nivua but they were engaged in their own conversation so Lexan chose not to participate much.

“I think I will stay in with Bloo.” Lexan said absent-mindedly and switched his priorities to concentrate on the teacher but could not. Romul and Remu had already taught him most of what Tr. Circi taught.

“You're always with Bloo. You need to hang out with the guys sometimes.” Solan answered, “Tell you what. You've never been Sun-Surfing, right? Come with me, I'm going with couple others.”

“Hey man, why didn't you invite me?” Krall sounded offended.

“You're going to Orako on a field trip, aren't you?” Solan laughed.

“Yeah, true. But it's the thought that counts!” Krall laughed too, “I wouldn't be able to afford it anyway.”

“Solan, what makes you think I could afford it?” Lexan asked absent-mindedly. He picked up on the conversation.

“Well, you're from the Cardinals, right? You guys get all kinds of discounts and funding from the school.” Solan said and sent Lexan a bookmark in the school information book.

Lexan looked it up and noticed a column about the Cardinals and their special privileges. Anyone from the Cardinal Regions could apply for funding for any purpose. The likelihood of getting funds, Lexan noticed the other bookmark, was very good. He read over it once more, noticed a list of discounts. One of them was for Sun-Surfing.

“Joshua, please keep those bookmarks close by.” Lexan announced and returned to the private channel, “Thanks. I think I'll stick to hanging out with Bloo. I'm sure she already made plans for us.”

“Okay, but you're seriously missing out. Check this out.” Solan sent Krall and Lexan a video of him Sun surfing. He stood on a long wide board, similar to the one Lexan saw Bloo using when she was Sky-surfing.

“What's the difference between Sky-Surfing and Sun-Surfing?” He asked, and switched to the channel with Bloo, Jacque and Nivua. He commended Joshua to record the answer and alarm him if someone mentions him in the conversation.

“Bloo, do we have any plans for the break?” He asked after making sure there was no conversation going on between the three.

“Oh yeah, I wanted to talk about that.” Bloo answered enthusiastically and sent out a notification to Jacque and Nivua. They turned their attention to the conversation.

“I'm thinking we should have a double date. Go to a nice restaurant. Eat some real food, you know? I've wanted to try out some of the specialties this part of galaxy has to offer.”

“Great idea, Bloo! What restaurant do you want to go to?” Nivua asked and simultaneously sent out a list of all available restaurant, thousands. Bloo crossed out hundreds of them already by filtering through only restaurants that served certain specialties. Jacque crossed out the place he's already tried and did not like. Lexan just stared at the list, not knowing what to do. He noticed an “Earth” specialties restaurant and crossed it out. Some other food places looked questionably too. Nivua took the liberty of crossing out the cheapest and most expensive places.

Lexan switched over to the channel with Remu and Romul to catch them discussing the problems of swift-spacial mathematics.

“Excuse me.” Lexan said and they stopped talking.

“Oh yes, let's plan the meeting.” Romul said, “But first.” He sent out a program that encrypted and decrypted messages at lightning-fast speed. It also featured a strange algorithm and security. Lexan planted it in his NCC and linked it to his newly installed firmware. The programs merged and Lexan noticed a new option when creating a private channel, “Romul-secure”. He laughed, selected the option, and looked up.

Tr. Circi was still talking and put up an assignment for everyone to do. The assignment encompassed creating a program that automatically encrypted and decrypted messages according to a passpicture. Lexan selected a program he created for Romul and Remu that they used for text, graphic messages. Even though they saw no reason to use text and graphics, they wanted him to learn how to do this simple program. “Start with the basics” Remu always said. Lexan gave Joshua a command to upload the program as the fifth or sixth person so as not to look suspicious.

Lexan looked at the display overlay and noticed that everyone in the channel has turned on the same setting.

“I have the perfect idea on how to infiltrate the classified files. I will tell you the details when we meet.” Romul started.

“Great, I have an idea of my own too. Lexan, Romul and I will meet separately and forge out a plan. We know how much of a busy social life you have.” Remu said with a minor disgust.

“Oh chill, Remu. Just because you don't have a significant other, you don't have to attack others who actually do enjoy the company of one,” Romul laughed.

“Shut up. I have better things to do.” Remu answered coldly.

“I can blow off anything. We can meet up, just choose a time and place.” Lexan said loyally.

He mentally clicked over to talk to the Bloo trio. The conversation notes showed that the list of restaurants was narrowed down to ten different places. Also the question of date and time has come up with Decday, the last day of the week, as the prime candidate right after school or Primitusday, the first day of the break. It looks like Joshua has been keeping close tabs on the conversation.

“Okay, it is settled then. We will go to the least crowded place at the time. Let's make it at 23.00?” Bloo asked. Lexan recounted it in his head, almost forgetting, again, that a day here was thirty hours long, instead of twenty-four.

“Sure, that works.” Lexan answered and switched over to Krall and Solan. He listened to the recorded message.

“Sky-Surfing and Sun-Surfing is essentially the same. You just surf. The difference is, if you Sky-Surf, you don't need any more equipment than a surf. You strap it to your feet and fly. You gotta have your suit though, for oxygen and pressure changes.” Solan sent over a picture of himself flying on a Sky-Surf, dressed only in his normal suit.

“With Sun-Surfing, things get complicated. You have to have a special suit,” Another picture popped up of Solan wearing a black jumpsuit. The suit glowed faintly blue, “The suit gives off an anti-gravity field and protects the body from the immense temperatures. Look,” A picture of a professional Sky-Surfer came up, the man was swimming in the hot plasma.

Lexan caught up with the rest of the conversation and continued in real time.
“So, you can actually swim in hot plasma?” Krall asked incredulously.

“Yeah, but it gets too hot after a while. After about a ten minute swim, you have to get on the surf.” Solan answered and put up a bulletin for the conversation that included channels with information about Sun-Surfing. Under every channel name was a quick summary.

“What all do you need to Sun-Surf then?” Lexan asked absent-mindedly, knowing all too well, he had others on the line as well. Joshua reported with quick text summaries on the screen. Nivua asked everyone to mark their calender for the last day of school before the break. Lexan sent along the automatic confirmation message.

“You'll need the special black suit.” A picture of it from the DomeStem came up, along with the hefty pricing, one blue and three red credits, “Since you don't have a surf, you'll have to get one, along with the Sun-Surf extension.” The surf rotated into Lexan's view. He zoomed out of it to see all the possible Surf extensions. There was “Torrent” which specialized on hazardous sky conditions, “Phoenix” which specialized on surfing over hot areas such as volcanoes and newly forming planets, “Splash” which enabled its user to surf underwater, and the list went on endlessly.

“I think I will look into it. Not over the break though, okay?” Lexan said and waited for an answer from Solan.

“Yeah, definitely, cool. Get it as soon as possible. I'll teach you the basics after school. I think the next break is in two months?” Solan posted the school calender which showed a one week break two months after the one coming up.

“Alright, we'll do it then.” Lexan gave Joshua an order to fill out the appropriate funding papers for Sun-Surfing. He also looked under nutrition and found he may get a certain allowance credits with which he may try out the Galaxy's food. He applied for that as well.

He noted the job section, highlighted it, and gave Joshua an order to scan all the available places.

The boy switched over to his conversation with Romul and Remu whom have continued their own chatter while he was gone.

“Let's make it on Decday.” Romul announced, “And kind of late when most people leave for the parties. How about 27.00?”

“Make it 28.00,” Lexan started, “People will be already at the parties, therefore empty halls.” Good, he thought. He'd have five hours with Bloo, two or three with Jacque and Nivua, presumably.

Remu and Romul agreed and marked their schedules. They turned off the channel. One down, two to go, he thought.

Lexan switched back over to Nivua, Jacque, and Bloo, “Alright. That's it, 23.00 on Decday? We should go see a showing after.”

“Good idea.” Jacque blurted out, “We should go see some scary movie.”

“Yeah, I like that idea, Jacque,” Nivua said excitedly, “We should go see the Ravagers.”

Bloo agreed and booked a showing. She was always so organized, Lexan thought, “Okay, we'll go see Ravagers right after dinner.”

Everyone said their goodbyes and switched off the channel.

Meanwhile, the class was about to end. Tr. Circi assigned some more meaningless homework, Lexan knew he could finish within the hour.

I

“Dance tickets available. Get them before break. Mid-year Dance, only 15 credits. After the break, the price will go up.” A sign flashed across the walls and across the opening door that was marked with I623CI4. Lexan stepped through and fell down on his bed. Only then did he notice a figure lying on the bed. It wasn't Jacque.

“Hey Lexan, what's up?” She said, Lexan rolled over and saw Nivua lying down comfortably on Jacque's bed.

“Nothing, just mind exhausted. I hate all this socializing, never any peace.” He rolled his eyes, and then put it over his eyes. Remembering the reason why he even wore a suit, he prompted Joshua to up the oxygen dosage and adjust his body's efficiency.

“Oh yeah, sometimes, I like to get away from it all.” Nivua answered and took off her helmet. The long hair of her avatar disappeared and was replaced by a neat bundle. She placed her fingers into the bundle, pressed something together, and the bundle fell apart to show the same length hair, Lexan always admired.

She turned to him, with her large brown eyes and smiled. Her golden skin reflected the light like a diamond. Lexan found himself staring but then tore his eyes off her to look above, at the ceiling. He saw a small spider crawl from the corner, silently, and very carefully. He tried to zoom onto it, but when he did, the spider disappeared. Perplexed, he scanned the rest of the room but found nothing except for Nivua's stare.

“Is anything the matter?” He asked cautiously.

“I'm bored and Jacque has a class.” she rolled over on her bed and sighed, “Let's go do something.” she suddenly said and looked over at Lexan. Bloo had class too, he thought. He also did not have any plans, not on Octdays, he never has plans on Octdayst. Two more days until Decday and then he could enjoy the twenty-day break. He smiled.

“Yeah, what do you have in mind?” He asked and pulled up the information on current festivities in the area.

“I'm not sure,” She rolled over on her back, “Let's go see the waterfalls!” She jumped up with a wide smile on her face.

Lexan plugged the route into his mind, so that he would not have to follow it on the screen. They walked out of the room toward the garden located in one of the open spheres. The structural integrity stayed the same, the only difference was that the top half of the sphere featured large gardens with waterfalls, rivers, and a lake without a top covering while the bottom, below the transportation station, hosted an aquarium filled with many kinds of fish and other oceanic monsters.