Valterion: The Space/Arch? Mage

Maja’s Adventures 1

Location: Magicon Empire; Valterion Duchy; Valterion System; MES Estrella

Soon after Maja said goodbye to Sara, she finds herself aboard the MES Estrella, an Empire-owned ship, that collects new Peacekeeper recruits from the Valterion System and a few adjoining star systems.

Maja opens the door to the cabin she was assigned and takes in the view. There is a small bathroom in the back, a desk and a small wardrobe. The furniture is rather utilitarian but what would one expect? She notices a signal that tries to connect to her holographic interface.

As an AI, she doesn’t have one, but that’s a quickly solved problem. Maja grabs onto the signal and connects directly to the source. A data stream enters her processing core, and she quickly dissects everything.

Ah, so there’s the bed…

She sends a quick signal back through the connection, and the left wall splits open with a slight click. A foldable bunk bed slowly moves out of the wall and starts to fill half of the small cabin. Maja quickly signals for the bed to fold back up and fully enters the room. The door closes behind her and leaves her alone for the first time after the packed shuttle that brought her, Simon, Shay, Thomas, and 353 other people up to the Estrella.

Maja walks up to the wardrobe and stores the special backpack she got from Jasmine Valterion. Besides clothes and cosmetics, it contains her most valuable possession: A magical battery, that can recharge her artificial body for up to two months.

Jasmine told her that while her nature as an AI will be generally hidden, there will be a few people among the instructors who know. They will either recharge the battery as needed or exchange it for a new one. The two-month charge limit is caused by the size of the battery. It would get too big to carry around and hide if it included a bigger charge.

After storing the backpack, Maja sits down on one of the two chairs at the desk.

I wonder if I get a roommate for the trip. I mean the Estrella is a big ship, but we also picked up more than 350 people from a single city…

She fights the urge to connect with the larger computer system of the starship, as this would immediately blow her cover. A cover that was carefully crafted by Sara’s mother. A cover that enables her to join the elite non-Mage command track of the Peacekeeper Academy.

Maja is going to be known as Maja Yarin, born and raised on Nua, where she caught the interest of the Duchess, and is now being sponsored by the Valterions to attend the prestigious command track for people who aren’t Mages.

People like her cover are rare. Most people who aim for command positions within the Peacekeepers are already Mages or plan to get an awakening core as soon as possible. Still, people without access to magic exist in command positions, and Maja is going to be one of them!

Bored, Maja turns on the room’s holo-projector and zaps through the available TV channels. She stops when she finds one that shows the surroundings of the Estrella. It’s busy out there. Shuttles dock and leave in accord, and a small freighter is close as well. Containers float between the two vessels while Maja keeps watching.

Fascinating, everything’s perfectly timed. There is no waste of time at all. Clearly another AI at work…

Maja is so lost in her thoughts, that she doesn’t even notice her cabin’s door opening. Only when it closes again, and a female voice clears her throat, does she look up.

Whoops! I’m turning into Sara with all those distractions.

She sits up straight and turns off the holo-projector with a short signal to it. “Hi, I’m Maja. Maja Yarin, I guess we’ll be roommates until we reach the academy.” She gives a lazy wave and grins at the new girl.

She’s tall. Even taller than Thomas. A quick check measures her at 186 centimeters. A literal giant for a woman. Her hair is just as blond as Maja’s. She does have bangs though and her eyes are silver-gray, almost reflective. She seems to study Maja as well and grins back.

“Hey, I’m Ellie. Nice to meet you!” She looks around in the small cabin and frowns. “Uhh, do you know where our beds are?”

Maja nods. “Yeah, they’re folded into the wall. It’s a bunk bed, but I’d prefer to keep it away till we need it… It’s taking up a lot of space.”

Ellie looks from wall to wall. “Yeah, I can relate. The cabin is tiny. Anyway, have you eaten? I’m starving and I could use a bite. Wanna check out the mess hall?”

“Sure, just let me freshen up a bit, alright?”

Ellie gives a thumbs up. “No problem, I’ll put away my things in the meantime.”

Maja stands up and walks to the wardrobe to take out her cosmetic bag that’s inside her backpack. It includes another special thing she received from the Duchess.

A few steps later, Maja enters the tiny bathroom at the back of their cabin and closes the door behind her. She opens her bag and takes out a skin-colored stripe that looks like chewing gum. She stands before the mirror and carefully puts the stripe on the inside of her cheek.

The stripe is a small piece of Magitech that was originally developed for spies and important people to protect them from poison. Its function is simple. It disintegrates everything that enters the user’s mouth after they close it. Unfortunately, it only lasts a bit longer than an hour, so Maja has to use a new one for every meal she’s taking.

Annoying, but I can’t decline every meal I’m offered. People will get suspicious if I do.

A look in the mirror confirms that the stripe is invisible. Maja nods at her reflection and puts her hair into a ponytail. Then she exits the bathroom and is ready to go. Ellie is already waiting for her. “Let’s go!”

They exit their cabin and walk along the hallway toward the mess hall. Left and right are entrances to other cabins. They meet a few other people along the way, and some even join them. A few hundred meters later, they reach a sliding door that leads to a big mess hall. There are a lot of people already eating and Maja notices Thomas and the others sitting at one of the tables.

She turns to Ellie. “Hey Ellie, there are a few friends of mine, do you mind if we join them?”

“Oh, you’re here with friends? Yeah, we can join them. Let’s just get something to eat first.”

Maja nods, and they proceed to join the line for the food. Then, a few minutes later, Maja leads the way, and they sit down next to Thomas. Simon and Shay sit opposite them. They all startle when someone suddenly sits close to them but are quick to relax when they recognize Maja.

They do a quick round of introductions, then everyone continues to eat and chat. Turns out, Ellie is also joining the special non-Mage command track.

That’s why she’s my roommate instead of Shay, I guess.

Maja’s Magitech stripe works like a charm, and all the food she eats vanishes as soon as she closes her mouth. Her eating food earns her a few raised eyebrows from her friends, so she quickly sends them a message to their interfaces to explain things.

While they’re eating, a slight rumble goes through the ship. It started moving! The ship’s finally on its way toward Peacekeeper Academy. It doesn’t take long until everyone finishes up, and Maja says goodbye to her friends.

She returns to her cabin together with Ellie. There they talk a bit more about themselves before Ellie calls out that she’s tired and they get ready for bed. While they change into their pajamas, Maja notices a massive scar across Ellie’s abdomen.

Holy shit!

“Oh my god, Ellie! What happened to you?” She asks with a surprised voice.

Ellie’s face falls, and she sits down on the now unfolded bed. With a sigh, she looks back up at Maja. “I guess, I can tell you right now… Sooner or later it’ll come up anyway.” She takes another deep breath. “When I was little, pirates attacked the passenger liner I was aboard with my parents. First, they asked for valuables. Then… Then things suddenly changed. I was only twelve back then. I learned later on that someone recognized one of the pirates as Mad Tony… You might have heard of him.”

I haven’t… But Mad Tony doesn’t sound good. Let’s see.

In a split second, Maja connects to the ship’s open network and searches for Mad Tony. The results are shocking.

Oh no… Poor Ellie! Mad Tony was famous for killing all his victims as soon as someone recognized him.

Maja rushes over to Ellie and grabs her in a hug. “I’m so sorry, Ellie!”

Ellie returns the hug after wiping away a single tear. “It’s okay. The Peacekeepers caught him soon after. The bastard’s dead now!” She clears her throat. “That’s how I got my scar. He almost gutted me, I barely survived… A squad of Peacekeepers saved me. I’ve kept the scar as a reminder. I’ll never be caught unprepared again. The next time I cross paths with pirates, I’m commanding a warship and take them all out!”

Looks like her parents didn’t make it… But I also don’t want to ask. It’s just so sad. Why are there people like this Mad Tony out there?

Maja sniffs. “Thanks for letting me know, Ellie. Let’s hunt all those pirates together!”

Ellie leans back from the hug and looks Maja in the eyes. “Really? You would join me? We barely know each other.”

Hell yeah, I would. Sara would kill me if I declined the chance of hunting some filthy pirates.

“Absolutely. Pirates are scum! Also, my best friend was kidnapped by pirates not once but twice. She’d skin me alive if I didn’t help with hunting pirates.”

That elicits a snort from Ellie. “Wow, that’s bad. She’s not here, right?”

“No, she’ll be going to FBC in a few weeks.”

It would be nice if Sara was here though… At least she’s got Lucy and Lydia.

“Ohh, is she a Mage?”

“Yeah, pretty strong too. Maybe she’ll visit us at the academy someday.”

Ellie shakes her head. “I don’t think so. We’ll be pretty isolated at the academy. I’m not sure, but I think the first months will be in complete isolation.”

What?!

Maja repeats her thought out loud. “What?!”

“Yeah, something like boot camp, I think. I’m not sure, but it would make sense. I’ve read a few military fictions, and the MC always has to go through a grueling boot camp in the beginning…”

Another quick search on the net confirms Ellie's thoughts. There is indeed something like a boot camp at Peacekeeper Academy. “I guess you’re right,” Maja replies. “It would make sense.” After that, they both decide to go to bed.

From there on out, they fall into some kind of routine over the next two weeks: Light exercise inside their room in the morning, followed by a shower and breakfast with Simon, Thomas, and Shay. Then the three Mages leave to practice their spells, and Maja and Ellie mostly go for another round of exercises at the ship’s gym. After lunch, Maja studies whatever she finds interesting every day while Ellie watches some shows on her interface. In the evening, they play games with whoever is in the mood to play.

During those two weeks, the Estrella makes a lot of stops, and the amount of people aboard the ship is constantly growing. Maja only ever accessed the deck she’s living on, but apparently, there are more than 20 identical decks that make up the Estrella. That’s thousands of people!

Then it’s finally time. Maja and the others are currently having lunch in the mess hall when a ship-wide announcement interrupts their talks.

“Attention, this is your Captain speaking. We are now doing our final jump, then I’ll release you all to the care of Peacekeeper Academy. I hope you had a pleasant flight and I wish you all the best during your time at the Academy.”

Simon lets out a long breath. “Finally! I thought we’d never arrive.”

Location: Magicon Empire; Armortec Duchy; Cintman System; Peacekeeper Academy

This time it was a rather short wormhole, and just an hour later, they arrive at their destination. Maja and Ellie have returned to their cabin and are currently watching the live stream from the front-facing camera of the Estrella.

The picture clears after the ship exits the wormhole and they get their first view of the star system they’ll call home for the next few years.

Huh, I thought there would be more to it.

“It’s kinda underwhelming,” Ellie pretty much voices Maja’s thoughts.

“Yeah, it’s not busy at all, and I would have expected more space stations and stuff,” Maja replies while frowning.

“Exactly, where even is the Academy? I don’t see a station that’s anywhere big enough to fit all recruits.”

She’s right! There are only three planets and a few space stations. But all the stations are more like mid-sized stations. They may fit the passengers of two Estrellas, but that’s only a fraction of all the Peacekeeper recruits.

“I don’t know. Maybe the bigger ones are currently behind the sun?”

“Yeah, maybe… I guess we’ll see.”

It quickly becomes clear that the Estrella doesn’t fly to a hidden place behind the sun. Instead, she heads for one of the space stations Maja and Ellie noticed earlier. About one and a half hours later, the ship docks at said station, and an announcement tells everyone to grab their things and disembark the ship.

It takes another hour until the two of them leave the ship. They keep an eye out for Thomas, Simon, and Shay, and Ellie is the first to spot them because she’s so freaking tall. Maja follows her lead, and they quickly reunite with the others just as they enter a big open room, that seems to fit most of the people who were aboard the Estrella.

Maja catches a lot of confused whispers. All the other people are just as confused as she is. No one knows where the Academy is. But everyone agrees that this station can’t be it.

This is until Maja catches a faint voice amongst the masses and cranks up the sensitivity of her ears.

“You guys do know that the whole Cintman System belongs to the Peacekeeper Academy, right?”

Maja’s head snaps to the left where she catches a small man with dark hair. He’s the one who’s just said that. Around him, every single head turns in his direction as well. There are exclamations of disbelief from all around. Maja rewinds what she’s seen so far in her head.

I guess that makes the most sense… Wow, I can’t wait to see more!