Chapter 60

Space Station Vertyn

Stariek Orbit

25 March 3303

Skylar awoke to the sound of a blaring klaxon unlike any other on the station. It was a sound wholly unfamiliar to him even in the six years he spent on the station. He jumped to his feet, staggering slightly as he threw his covers to the side and saw the rest of the cadets doing the same. Still half asleep, he pulled on his jumpsuit uniform and tugged his boots onto his feet. He made his way, stumbling, to the door as a voice came through over the intercom.

“All cadets are to immediately report to the assembly hall.”

The announcement died away as quickly as it came. A buzz of conversation immediately erupted around Skylar. Thoughts of his own build his head. However, before he had time to fully form them, Lina found her way to him.

“Any idea what’s going on?“ she asked.

“I was going to ask you the same question. Do you think it has something to do with the war?”

“If it did, I’d like to think they would give us more of a heads up.“ She pushed her way towards the front of the crowd of slow moving younger children. “After all they would want us to be at our best.”

“Not if this is supposed to be a surprise.” Skylar sidestepped one of the children that nearly ran into him in their rush. “They might be worried about someone finding out and kept it a secret to prevent it being leaked. Or maybe this is the heads up.”

Lina made a noncommittal noise in response. The two of the emptied out in the corridor, following the milling crowd as it made its way in the direction of the assembly hall. A few moments later, they found a group of children around eleven or twelve staring and pointing out one of the windows in awe. Skylar slowed and took a look for himself. Beyond was the usual starry landscape as well as a view of Stariek’s northern hemisphere where clouds currently covered much of the landmass. Then he saw something that made his heart leap.

Hanging in space, as if suspended by threads, was the largest spaceship Skylar had ever seen. It sat over ten kilometers long from one end to the other and was nearly half as wide. The entirety of it was constructed from a black metal that seemed to suck in all light. Like a void in space. The front of it came to a sharp point like a spear tip. Sensor spires rose up like spikes. Emblazoned on the dorsal plating was the emblem of Hyperion in gold. At the center were two massive, curved wings with hundreds of pinpricks of pale light visible. The rows of windows reminded Skylar of a city skyline at night. Near the front, a short tunnel like an umbilical cord connected the ship to Vertyn.

“Now that’s a ship,” Skylar whispered.

“Yeah, it is,” said Caster Dane from behind him. He placed a hand on Skylar’s shoulder as the latter tried to spin around to look at his old friend. “Think they’ll let us take a tour?”

“For some reason, I doubt that,” Skylar replied with a smirk. Before he had a chance to say more, he saw Mian walking down the corridor. Skylar waved her over, and she hesitantly made her way to them.

“Hi Skylar,” she said, smiling slightly. Then she nodded to Caster, who returned it, and Lina, who gave her a knowing smile that made Skylar’s face heat. A look of unease creased her forehead. “And others.”

“Right, you never got a proper introduction.” Skylar quickly introduced her to the two of them. Caster seemed happy enough to meet her, and Lina gave Skylar a knowing smile as she shook Mian’s hand.

“Well, I suppose we should be making our way to the assembly hall.” Caster gestured to the throngs of people heading down the corridor. “Don’t want to be the only ones that don’t show up. I’d hate to see what the punishment for that would be.”

“How have you been, Caster?” Skylar whispered as they started down the hall. “Really.”

Caster took a deep breath and puffed out his cheeks as he looked about the corridor. Several seconds went by where Skylar didn’t think the other boy was going to answer. Then he shoo his head slightly and looked at Skylar.

“It’s been hard. For the last few years, I’ve been pretty much alone. I lost my best friends all pretty much at the same time. You and Rach went up to that cabin and never returned, then Luca became… odd.”

“Odd how?” Skylar arched an eyebrow. He felt his cheeks burn at the fact Caster had been by himself. Skylar at least found Lina early on. He hadn’t even stopped to consider how his friends—aside from Rachel—were impacted by the Hyperion invasion.

“It’s hard to explain.” Caster pursed his lips as he thought. “He closed himself off from me. I thought that we’d at least have each other since you two were gone, but he didn’t seem to want that. Whenever I tried to talk to him, he brushed me off. Said there were more important things to do.”

“Did he say what they were?” Skylar found curiosity bubbling inside him of what would be more important than maintaining a friendship that had lasted several years by that point.

“Nope.” Caster shook his head. “I asked a few times, but he just looked at me like I was stupid. Eventually, I gave up. Made a few friends here and there. They never lasted though. I think I was always comparing them to you three.”

“We really messed you up then,” Skylar replied with a sad smile.

“Nah, it was really the opposite.” Caster returned Skylar’s expression with a wide grin. “Being with you, Rachel, and Luca were some of the best years of my life. Hard to live up to that. But have you heard what happened to Rachel?”

“No,” Skylar answered quickly. Anticipation bubbled up inside him. He hadn’t heard a single rumor about her in the entire time since their capture. The last thing he remembered was them both being in the safe room under his parents’ mountain estate that day they were captured. “Do you know where she is?”

“The other day, I heard someone mention ‘that Torlin girl’ being sent to the Imperial Academy on Hyperia. It sounded like she may have been somewhere else together. I hadn’t seen them before, so my guess is they just arrived on the station from wherever they were.”

Skylar’s heart hammered in his ears. Years. It had been years since he had seen Rach. Now, he had an idea of where she was. What was more, he was going to be going there himself. He might actually get to see her again.

“That’s…” Skylar couldn’t think of what to say. It was as if his brain was going haywire.

“You alright?” Caster asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah.” Skylar swallowed hard. A lump formed in his throat. “Great. It’s just that I’ve gone six years wondering what happened to her, and now you show up and tell me you know where she is. I can hardly believe it.”

“I know how you feel.” Caster squeezed and gently shook Skylar. “Just promise me you’ll take me with you when you go to find her, alright? I don’t want to be alone again.”

The way Caster spoke prompted Skylar to look his friend in the eyes. A darkness he couldn’t remember ever seeing in the boy’s eyes sat there like a shadow. Skylar considered him for a moment before nodding.

“Of course. You have my word.”

Caster smiled and released Skylar. Lina glanced back at them, though she said nothing.

Together, the four of them made their way through the station until they arrived in the cavernous room that had been reserved as the assembly hall. Over the last few years that Skylar had been at Vertyn, there had been very few occasions the station module was used. Typically, it was reserved for visiting dignitaries such as planetary governors and politicians from Hyperia. They always received advance notice.

This time, there had been no such notice.

After just a few minutes, they found themselves in the assembly hall. It was large and spacious, over a hundred meters to a side. Four metal pillars supporting the ceiling formed an inner square half as long as the room itself. On the outside walls hung dozens of Hyperion flags, one every couple meters. At the far end of the room stood a raised platform with a gravlift on either side. Atop this sat a podium engraved with the symbol of Hyperia, its characteristic ‘Y’ shape. Behind the podium were a pair of closed doors.

Already in the room were thousands of other cadets ranging in age from seven or eight to eighteen. They formed lines, misshapen in some places and neat in others, facing the platform. Hyperion soldiers, their metal armor resembling a nervous system that ran along their arms and bodies down to their legs, patrolled the rows and corrected the cadets where necessary. Red lights pulsated along the dark material, briefly lighting it up like synapses. One of the soldiers ushered the four of them, some of the last to arrive, into position near the back of the room.

A hum of energy sounded from behind, prompting many of the cadets, Skylar included, to glance back. Where the arched doorway once stood, there was now an energy field. A shiver of panic ran down Skylar’s spine. In all the other assemblies they had here, there was no such field. Free access had been granted to allow them to come and go. A sharp intake of breath from Lina told him she was thinking the same thing.

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Before he had time to dwell on the fact, there was a wave of commotion spreading through the assembled cadets. Standing on the platform was General Zorn. He wore his standard formal attire consisting of black robes with red accents. A look of mild irritation sat on his face. He rose his hands to quiet the crowd, which followed the unspoken order at once.

“Cadets, I am honored to be standing here before you.” Zorn placed his hands on either side of the podium, gripping it as he looked over the assembly. His face betrayed nothing of whatever he was going to say next. “For six years, I have watched over Space Station Vertyn. With the aid of the other officers of the mighty Hyperion Empire, we have fed you, housed you, and trained you to the best of our abilities. Many of you have spent a significant portion of your lives here. Some of you may call it home. Others may call it a prison. It is not our intention for it to feel like a prison, so we allow you certain leniencies and freedoms.

“Regardless of your feelings on the station, we have an esteemed guest among us today. He has traveled these last couple weeks from Hyperia itself to grace us all with his presence. For fifteen years, he has ruled over the Hyperion Empire and guided it through times of uncertainty, allowing for a prosperous future to be revealed. It is my honor to introduce the Emperor of Hyperia.”

Skylar felt something inside him churn at the title. In his classes, he had heard much about the Emperor, but it had always felt so far away and mystical. The Emperor was the most powerful person in the Hyperion Empire, maybe even in the galaxy.

A murmur ran through some of the older cadets but was quickly stifled as Zorn swept his arm to the point at closed door behind him. Half a dozen robotic soldiers wearing black and red robes and wielding assault rifles stepped through the door as it opened. They fanned out to either side, their piercing red eyes staring straight ahead. Behind them came a man wearing white robes with purple accents covering his entire body. A mask, portions of metal orange and blue with burn marks, hid his face. Covering the top of his head and trailing behind him was a purple hooded cape. He stepped up to the podium, hardly waiting for General Zorn to step aside. Skylar was pleased to note the annoyance crossing Zorn’s face.

“Thank you, General Zorn, for that introduction.” The Emperor’s voice was strong and filled the chamber with ease. His face, covered by the mask, betrayed no emotion. He looked over the crowd, taking in the range of cadets standing before him. They stared back, some of them hardly daring to breathe. Several seconds passed in silence before he spoke again. Each word was enunciated. “Honor. Bravery. Loyalty. Supremacy. These principles have guided this empire for generations, ever since its inception. They ensure we can maintain our freedom even in the face of adversity. They guide our society and allow all to flourish and rise to challenges placed before them. They give us a baseline to strive for and learn from. As long as we embody for the first three traits, we will find the last naturally. This solidifies our position in the galaxy and enable expansion where necessary. While this is my first visit to Space Station Vertyn, I have kept up to date on the progress it has made over the years. I am pleased to say that it has produced some of the finest soldiers the Hyperion Empire has seen.

“You all are the next generation of Hyperion soldiers.” He rose a hand and pointed at several cadets at random. “You are the ones who will help lead us into a new age of galactic superiority, against the Druthagar, the Thalyssians, or any other threat that may present itself. Today is an inflection point for this great empire. With that being said, there are going to be some changes to the way the station operates. Previously, you have not been called on to actively support the war effort until you have completed your training and reached age eighteen. Today, that changes. While our preference is going to be for those of age, we will be pulling some of you to serve early. Even though the war is going in our favor, we must be ready to meet any and all challenges that emerge. To do so, we have to ensure we have an adequate supply of capable soldiers and officers for our navies and armies. That means many of you, though not younger than thirteen, will be called on to do your duty.”

A few of the cadets cried out. Some of those in front of Skylar shook. Whether it was with quiet sobs or anticipation, he didn’t know. For some reason, he felt at ease, excited even. He knew he was going to be a prime candidate for serving early. His scores ensured that much. But part of him was nervous. Not at the prospect of going into battle—that was the easy part. What made him nervous was the fact he might not be able to keep those he cared about safe. Lina might be sent to an entirely different part of the galaxy if they were both called on. He still had no idea where Rach was. He couldn’t keep either safe without even knowing where they were or were going to be.

Skylar turned his head slightly toward Lina. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides. She took deep breaths, and he could tell she was fighting back tears.

<It’ll be alright,> he said in a message to her. He wanted to reach out and hold her hand, even if it would only provide a small amount of comfort.

<I’m not ready.> Her reply sounded choked, the words barely able to form. <This is too soon.>

<Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. We always do.>

Before she had a chance to respond, the Emperor held up his hands in a rather futile attempt at quelling the rising emotion from the cadets. When quiet once again filled the chamber, he continued speaking.

“Over the next few weeks, we will be issuing different trials to those who we believe are ready to serve based on previous scores during training. If you are deemed ready, you will be sent to your assignment immediately. If not, you will return to your regular training and be reevaluated at a later date. Any questions can be directed to General Zorn or other officers onboard the station. You are all dismissed.”

The Emperor turned and walked out the door without another word. General Zorn, along with the robot soldiers, followed at once. Immediately, there was a whirlwind of frenzied talking. Before it had a chance to grow too much, the soldiers around the room began pushing the cadets towards the door.

“Well,” Lina said, speaking slowly to prevent her unformed tears from freely flowing, “you were wondering when you would be able to get behind the cockpit of a real fighter, Skylar.”

“Yeah.” His initial excitement faded after seeing how Lina was reacting. He wrapped an arm around her as they made their way down the corridor. Caster and Mian followed, both quiet. “If we’re both called, maybe we can be sent to the same place. That way we can at least keep watching each other’s back.”

“This is just… too soon.” She wrapped her arms around herself. Her voice was quiet, barely audible above the thousands of footsteps and talking. “I was hoping we might have another year or two to figure out how to get out of here.”

“What do you mean?” Skylar had never heard her talk about trying to escape.

“I don’t want to go to war. My brother died because he protested fighting to begin with. It would be an insult to his memory if I went off and fought.”

“Hey, we’ll figure it out.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Let’s get back to the dormitory and just put some thought into it. Who knows? Maybe we won’t even be called on.”

As he said the words, he knew it was nothing more than wishful thinking. They were at the top of their age group and older than thirteen. The odds were definitely not in their favor, but he was not about to voice that aloud. Instead, he simply walked with her, Mian, and Caster back to the dormitory. The latter broke off after saying goodbye to head to his own as the three of them walked in and found a seat in their usual corner.

#

“General Zorn, this is quite the facility you’ve put together. I meant it when I said it has produced fine soldiers.”

Augusta Zorn felt himself swell with pride at the praise from the Emperor of Hyperia. Part of him, however, stomped back on it. The Emperor didn’t like him, a mutual feeling shared between them. If he was complimenting Zorn, then it was not out of benevolence.

“Thank you, my lord,” Zorn replied, bowing his head respectfully as they made their way down one of the corridors. Half a dozen robotic royal guards surrounded the pair in a loose circle, constantly keeping a lookout. Not that they had much to fear here. Zorn ensured all the necessary precautions were taken when he heard of the Emperor’s arrival. “It is an honor for you to finally visit Space Station Vertyn. Shall I give you a full tour now that you’ve addressed the cadets?”

“I hardly think that will be necessary, General.” The Emperor folded his hands behind his back as they walked. His robes trailed just on the ground, rustling with each step. “I would, however, like to speak with one cadet more closely. From what my sources have told me, the two of you are quite familiar with one another. A Skylar Reid?”

Zorn stumbled over his own feet, silently scolding himself for being shocked. He glanced at the Emperor, trying to discern the man’s expression. The mask covering his face, however, made that impossible.

“Skylar Reid, sir?” Zorn asked, attempting to feign nonchalance.

“Indeed. I assume that will not be an issue.” The Emperor glanced at Zorn, slightly turning his head toward the older man. “You do know who I am talking about, correct? My sources indicate the two of you have met on quite a number of occasions over the years this station has been in operation.”

“Yes, we have.” Zorn saw no point in attempting to lie or bluff his way out. That would surely only end in something even worse happening. He was not about to risk his career for one brat. “There have been numerous times that I’ve spoken with the boy. I will send for him as soon as you wish to talk with him.”

“Send for him now.”

Zorn’s footsteps faltered once more. The circle continued moving, forcing him to take a few larger steps to catch up.

“Now?” Zorn tried and failed to keep the surprise out of his voice.

“Yes, now.” The Emperor stopped. Around them, the robotic guards followed suit at once. Zorn, on the other hand, was once more thrown off. He staggered a few steps before catching himself. “I assume you know what the word means.”

Zorn clenched his fist at his side and released it several times. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. How he yearned for the day that he would be able to act on his feelings. The day that this child would no longer be on a throne he didn’t deserve.

“I did not question the meaning of the word, my lord. I merely—”

“Wanted to question the sanity of your emperor,” he interrupted. Even though the Emperor stood a good foot shorter than Zorn, even with the mask blocking all facial expression, the ferocity with which he stared at the general pierced into the latter like a laser knife. “I understand your position. And trust me when I say, you know nothing. So when I give an order, I expect it to be followed without question. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” Zorn muttered, failing to maintain eye contact.

“I said, is that clear?” The Emperor grabbed Zorn’s chin and forced him to look at him.

“Crystal, sir,” Zorn replied with more force, though begrudgingly. There was no point in truly following this fool of an emperor. But there was also no point in purposefully antagonizing him. Not yet at least. “Where would you like to meet the boy?”

“Your office should be fine.” The Emperor released Zorn and continued down the corridor, and this time the general fell in step immediately. “I assume it is ready for such an audience?”

“Indeed.” Zorn felt his blood pressure reaching a boiling point. Any moment, he expected it to bubble over. The robotic guards were the only things keeping him from beating the boy to a pulp. “It is at your disposal.”

“Excellent. I will head there at once. Send Skylar Reid there promptly. I don’t like to be delayed.”

The Emperor sped up, as did the guards, though Zorn did not. He stopped moving, knowing that the words carried an unspoken dismissal. If smoke were capable of coming out of his ears, he was sure it would be. Nevertheless, he turned on his heel and began marching in the direction of the dormitory Reid was assigned. After all, the Emperor didn’t like to be delayed.