Xaleyp let out a small gasp when the memory faded this time, but, unlike before, the images and voice still lingered in his mind, clear as if he just seen them in front of him. He hung his head, mouth wide, as he took quick breaths to steady himself. Pain radiated through his skull, much worse than the last time, almost too much to bear.

The stylus was still in his hand, pointing at the datapad. It convulsed in place, sending errant marks over the virtual paper he was writing in. His knuckles ached and turned white from gripping the pen. Lina put her hand on his wrist, squeezing gently.

“Are you alright?” she asked, keeping her voice low to not draw attention from the elder. “You’re white as a ghost.”

Xaleyp nodded after several seconds, a few beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks. He loosened his grip on the stylus and tried to return his attention to the man speaking at the front of the room. He didn’t know if he was alright. As far as he knew, no one else was seeing or hearing things like him, no one else seemed to have head splitting pain.

He still clutched the stylus in his hand, staring down at the datapad, but wrote nothing. Even the voice of Elder Vogus seemed to come as if through a tunnel, and he had to strain his ears to make out any of the words.

What did it mean? He must trust her? Who’s her? Could it have been Lina? He glanced over at her. She alternated between writing and stealing quick looks at him when she thought he might not be looking. A worried expression was on her face. Why did she care so much about him when they just met an hour ago?

Shaking his head to clear it, Xaleyp turned his attention back to the elder at the front of the room.

“One of the most decisive wars of Emperor Rezal’s time was that against the once mighty Terran Empire.” The wall behind Elder Vogus changed to show a picture of Terra. It looked not that much different from Stariek, at least to Xaleyp. The once green landmasses were converted “Emperor Rezal saw that the empire was weakened after four hundred years of stagnation, no longer able to rely on colonial planets. He took over their empire, forcing the Sol system to split into three distinct entities: Terra, the Martian Federation, and the Lunar Assembly. But more on that later. For now, it is just important to recognize the names.”

Xaleyp gave up on listening to the man droning on. He sighed and put down the stylus, using his fingertips to rub his temples, trying to ease the pain that radiated from behind his skull. After several seconds of him gently massaging his head, there was silence in the room, causing Xaleyp look around. Elder Vogus was staring at him, as was most of the room.

“Child, are you alright?” Elder Vogus asked. The concern emanating from him was palpable. “Do you need the infirmary?”

“No, I’m fine,” Xaleyp stammered out, putting his hands back on the table. He picked up the stylus and moved the datapad closer to him, his hand still shaking. The elder continued to stare at him, his foot out as he started to take a step closer. “I’m fine.”

“Very well. If you do feel ill, though, I strongly recommend visiting the medical bay for care.” Vogus cleared his throat and continued speaking. “After Emperor Rezal incorporated most of the rest of the galaxy, the Hyperion Empire entered a state of peace, later referred to as Pax Hyperia…”

A pain still resonated in Xaleyp’s head. What did it mean? Why him? Who was he supposed to trust? He set the stylus back down and looked around. A few of the other children, most noticeably Lina, glanced over at him throughout the rest of the lesson, some with eager expressions as if hoping he would cause another disruption. He tried to ignore it, looking anywhere but at them.

An hour and a half later, a buzzer sounded from somewhere in the station. Elder Vogus jumped at the noise, interrupting him mid-sentence

“My goodness,” he said. A robotic soldier walked into the room through the same tunnel. “Has it been that long already? Children, you will follow HY-6059 here. I look forward to seeing you all again tomorrow to continue our lesson. Oh, and those datapads are yours to keep. They’ll be very useful around here.”

Behind him, the screen turned back to its plain white resembling a blank canvas. The man bowed to them and flicked his finger along the datapad in front of him to get back to the beginning of his notes. The machine walked forward to the podium and turned to face the children.

“Thank you, Elder,” it said. “Cadets, please follow me. We will commence a brief tour of Space Station Vertyn to get you better acquainted with its many amenities.”

The robot began walked back out of the room, disappearing through the short tunnel, before most of them even got out of their seats. Xaleyp was one of the first up, wanting nothing more than to get out of that room. He needed some sort of distraction from the lurking memory, some way to clear his head.

Lina followed right behind him, taking two steps at a time to catch up. In the hallway, there was a gentle whir of activity. More people than they had seen on their way in. Some soldiers, some wearing robes like Vogus, still more in fatigues not unlike their own scurried every which way, making it no simple task to follow the machine that was giving them a supposed tour.

“You forgot this,” Lina said, tapping him on the arm with the datapad he left behind on the desk. “Might want to keep a better eye on your things.”

“Thanks,” Xaleyp said, taking the pad. The crowd of cadets following the robot rounded a corner, and the hallway they entered was almost empty. There was a buzz of conversation around them as they walked. He looked at Lina, and there was a brief hesitation as he considered whether to tell her. After all, telling someone you just met a couple hours ago that you were having crazy hallucinations was not a good way to start off. “Let me ask you something. Have you been seeing or hearing weird things since we got here?”

“Like what?” The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a look of mild curiosity. “Is that why you were so weird back there?”

“I don’t know. I just have this weird memory that I try to remember, but it’s not quite in focus—like I’m trying to look at it from far away—and somebody tells me to trust her. ‘When you meet her, you must trust her,’ it said.”

“No idea. Sounds mysterious though.”

“We are coming up to the main lift area,” the robot said, interrupting all the conversations. Its head swiveled to face them but the body continued walking straight. After a few more meters, they came to an open area with four lifts. “Here is where you will have easiest access to all other parts of the space station. There are several sections of Space Station Vertyn. There is the one we are on, for classroom and simulation training, one for eating and sleeping which you came from previously, another that is restricted mainly to officers, and a fourth for the armories and hangars. Each section is designed as a modular cube. If a section gets damaged, or if a new one needs to be added, it is simple to manufacture another cube and add it on. Are there any questions at this moment?”

The soldier waited several moments for someone to answer. Its red eyes were mesmerizing, yet eerie, forcing Xaleyp to avert his gaze to the floor rather than at the machine.

“Very well,” it said when no one asked a question. It turned and began walking to a lift. “You are all individually responsible for your activities within the space station, including getting to mealtimes at the appropriate intervals and arriving at training sessions on time. We will be taking the lift back up to the cafeteria and dormitories, where you will be able to enjoy an evening meal.”

As soon as the soldier finished talking, all four lifts opened to let them in. It turned to them and made a gesture to the open doors.

“I currently have them programmed to take you back there. Please enter.”

The robot stepped in. Silently, the rest of the children followed suit. The doors slid back shut once they were on. The repulsor engines underneath whirred to life, pushing the lift to the upper level of the station. They rode in silence for a dozen seconds before they came to a stop at the next level.

The door of the lift hissed open. Standing in front of them was a human soldier wearing armor similar to that of Colonel Ire. His hair was cut short, and his chin bore just the faintest hint of stubble. He stared directly at Xaleyp.

“The Colonel wishes to speak with you, cadet,” the man said. He got on the lift as the rest of the children got off. “I’ll escort you to his office.”