Auberje was tired. They had a test the next morning in geometry. He and Riley were in a study cubby, a sort of small room with a table and four chairs,doorless. Like all the rooms in the 3-4 section, it was windowless. A ten centimeter by ten centimeter, fake bull's-eye window showed images of the outside space. A star, corona’s leaping and twisting, two planets on the nearside of the sun.

Intellectually, Auberje was aware of the illusionary notion the image represented, but something innately human in him wondered at the majesty of the large ball of fire.

“Let’s turn in,” Riley suppressed a yawn. Her soft brown hair curled in wavy masses about her small head. She closed her book, stacking her papers on top of it.

“Okay,” Auberje followed her lead. As they walked through the open wall, they were greeted by the sight of two dozen other 3-4s of various years hanging out in the group room. The room was an oblong shape with a dozen couches and twenty comfy chairs. Soft lights underlit the sectionals and ottomans, providing a dimness the 3-4s sometimes referred to as dusk. No one could remember the last time they were planetside to see actual dusk.

Screens, holovids, a dozen different types of digital projections filled the room. Holo displays, even implants, were common throughout human colonized space, but they still competed against older technologies like augmented reality and screens. AR was once held up as the great promise but it confused the mind in a way scarred. Most humans were now wary of its extended impact.

He and Riley were greeted by a few of the dispersed students but mostly they were ignored. It was a normal night. The rest of the firsties were asleep already. Auberje, and to a lesser extent, Riley felt the pressure to be the best. It was a challenge which at times seemed impossible, but he knew he could do it. Knew he had to, at least in his own mind.

They split up, heading to their separate rooms. Each student was assigned a small cabin, really not much larger than the furniture in it, a desk, single form fitting sleeping pad, a small bean bag like chair with adjustable firmness and back, a pair of closets for uniforms and shoes, books and school supplies. At the end of the sleeping pad sat a small trunk for personal effects.

Auberje made it to his door before the alarm went off. He whirled in confusion. In the 2-months since coming to Star Academy, nothing like this had ever happened. Red lights, whirring sound, god awful loud klaxons. The burst of cacophonic noise was accompanied by software warnings on his glasses HUD. A text message read:

“3-4 is called to the Greathing chamber for an all school competition. All school competition. The competition starts now. Rules uploading.”

He opened his door and threw his books on the sleeping pad. He dropped his personal AI and additional power cell into his trunk. He kicked off his loafers and put on a boot, clicking the autolace feature. He did the same with the other foot. Then ran back out into the hallway.

Before, where dusk, scholarly work had ruled, now chaos reigned.

Students ran about in confusion. The lights were up to max. The klaxons still wailed. Red light and white apertures spread photons to bounce off mirror finished walls.

Marcus Allens voice cut through the confusion like a hot knife through butter. “Attention 3-4. Attention 3-4.”

Movement stopped as they all stood to attention in varying states of dress and positions.

“Squad Leaders to me. Squads will form on them. I don’t care if you have all your gear or not. Speed is of the utmost importance. Move!”

A burst of actually useful movement followed as Auberje and the others ran to find their squadmates. He found Riley again first, then the rest of the squad. They lined up behind Ajax. He smiled at them, flashing his big teeth in a grin that promised excitement ahead.

“Hola, Honor Twins. Let’s see what the headmistress has in store for us today.”

It was a few weeks since their second Greathing, the balloon race. Auberje and the other firsties had arrived two-months prior. He fell into a pleasant routine these last two weeks, finally feeling comfortable with his new home.

Tonight, he felt happy with his new found home. Sure, the Greathing was unknown, but he trusted those people around him implicitly. He was too young to see it, but they trusted him as well. Ajax stood behind Goliath and Griffin who in turn were behind the skinny Sandwich. They were all lined up behind Tiana “Kettle” Johnson.

Riley and Auberje received the rules notification at the same time as the rest of the school. A small icon in his HUD opened up a scrolling text document. He read it as fast as he could. Finishing around when Riley did too.

“Damn,” Ajax drew the word out, extending it to many syllables.

“You can say that again,” Nicols, from his spot in a squad two or three over said loudly.

“Alright, quiet in the ranks,” Marcus Allens cut in, “this is going to be interesting, folks.” Marcus always addressed 3-4 like they were a group of backwater farmers on some sparsely populated planet. Of course, he was a backwater farmer’s son from a sparsely populated planet, in his case, the planet of Ymir.

Miriam, close to the command squad, spoke sharply over comms, “If you did not catch it, this Greathing is an extended situation. We are expected to work as a team against the other companies for 7 days. This is the longest Greathing we’ve ever heard of. The goal is apparently a combination of exploration and destruction. We are seeking out a pair of valuable data chips of an alien design. I know, I know, I mean it as ‘new technology.’ Not literally aliens.”

Everyone knew humans were the only truly sentient race in the universe. Humans found a number of plant and animal life but nothing that could be considered sentient like humans. The lack of self-aware others was a long standing argument amongst physicists, philosophers, and religions.

“It doesn’t matter,” Marcus continued with a sharp look to some of the grumblers near him, “We will work as a team, pooling resources and using chits to get what we need. At last count, Headmistress, owes us 23 chits, not counting Auberje’s 12. We won last Greathing, so we’ve been granted a 15 minute lead over the others. We used 3 of those minutes so far.”

He took a step forward, the company’s eyes following him, “We don’t know what is awaiting us on the other side. It could be a plains, vacuum, it could be a forest. You’ve all seen the different arenas. We might be in an urban landscape. Whatever happens, I want you to remember you are 3-4s. We are Middlers. We are the Lions of Muir. 3-4 alumni are rulers, generals, pirates, smugglers, tycoons, and everyday ordinary people. We are going to go out into the great unknown of the arena and you will maintain discipline and do what needs doing. I believe in you.”

A ragged cheer went up from the 3-4s. It grew louder as Marcus led them through the doorway of their company home. They cheered all the way from those sliding doors to the portal-like entrance to the arena.

Marcus sent 3-4-1 in first with a warning, “If that’s vacuum on the other side, use a chit immediately. Understand?” He looked at Auberje as he said it, making sure the young boy knew what was expected of him. Auberje nodded, swallowing. He had no idea what it was like to be in vacuum without a suit and he really didn’t want to.

They walked through the white and blue shining portal. A gold light hit them hard, blinding them. Auberje felt Riley’s hand snake into his. He squeezed it reassuringly. Shielding his eyes, Auberje peered out into the arena from the shade of his hands. It was cold, but not bitterly so, and the air was still… well air. He could see tall spiralling formations of red rock, a massive planet with dozens of wide rings split the blue sky. The landscape stretched on and on and on. He didn’t know if he was actually on a different planet, after all, the asteroid base could travel and did, always without the knowledge of the students, or if he was seeing some illusionary landscape. It didn’t matter, most likely.

“Right, not vacuum,” Tiana spoke rapidly, eyes adjusting to the bright gold sun, “Calling 3-4 Command, do you read?”

No reply came back. The portal burst outward, Auberje had to move out of the way of a circle of blue… something. He had a feeling getting hit by it was not going to be fun. The 3-4s ran through, breath held.

Tiana waved them forward, taking a position a dozen meters away on a large yellow and red rock. The half dressed, slightly disorganized columns of 3-4 were quickly all disgorged into the arena. Marcus was the last one through.

“Okay, no vacuum,” he said, looking around at their new home for the next 7 days.

“That’s what I said,” Tiana walked up to him, “What’s the plan, bossman?”

The other squad leaders huddled close to him. Auberje was near enough to hear their conversation.

“I want to get the heck away from this portal, as fast as possible. It looks like this is a relatively stable, earth gravity equivalent planet. We might call it a sister-class planet.”

“Agreed,” Gunther Abodeime, one of the senior 3-4s and their best scientist, was busy taking soil samples and testing the air with various apertures attached to a personal computing system and a cold fusion reactor about three times the size of the one Auberje wore.

“Gunther, test everything. These canyons and rock formations make me think there is water somewhere here but the soil is devoid of life as far as we can see. We need to get out of this area. Water, food, shelter. That’s our first priority. We can use technology to solve all three if we call in some chits. Nicols, you have a chit, want to use it?”

“I will if you want, just ask me for something and I’ll ask the headmistress for it.”

“Good, I appreciate that.”

Auberje stepped up closer, “You can use mine too, Marcus.”

Marcus smiled at him, “I appreciate the offer, Auberje, but you’ll want to have those for later. I know you’ve been able to get chits every Greathing so far, but I wouldn’t expect that if I were you. When you are my age you might curse yourself for offering your firstie chits up.”

“Never, I’ll earn more if need be,” Auberje considered the problems they faced. Water, shelter, food. He thought of the places he felt safest. They were starships. And they had all three of those things in abundance.

“Headmistress, how many chits would it cost to have a starship big enough for all of us with all the scanning and combat systems we might need for this week?” He spoke to her directly, not letting the others hear him.

“Too many, dear Auberje. For in that request you asked me to predict your future. I can deliver a Boran Industries Light Cruiser which normally has a crew of 300 to you in twenty minutes. You will still need to get to it. It will be far above in orbit. A light cruiser will cost you 5 chits.”

He was incredulous, “Will it be real? Is this all real or in our heads?”

She chuckled in his ear, “You are hardly the first to ask me that. It is real, Auberje.”

He thought of the power it would require to manufacture a ship from raw materials, which you could make from scratch given enough time, and enough starting material like a star or series of asteroids. He didn’t know exactly but even his child brain understood the enormity of it.

“Why?”

“Why what, Auberje?”

“What is the purpose of these Greathings?”

“Now, that is a question almost no one asks. When you are older ask again. I may have made a mistake placing you in 3-4.” She sounded… sad?

“No! I love it here,”

“I am so glad, and yet, love is not everything.”

“Yes, it is. You must have always been loved, if you think that.”

He could hear the smile in her voice, “Oh my boy, you are clever and kind, what will you think when you are older and know more about me?” She meant it rhetorically but her replied anyway as only the innocent can.

“You have nothing to worry about. I’ll love you then too. You brought me to this school and accepted me and put me with this, my family.”

“I hope so, you are too good. Now, would you like a light cruiser?”

Marcus was back to talking to Nicols and the others. Auberje spoke aloud, “Headmistress, send us one Borann Light Cruiser in orbit.”

A look of shock and outrage on Marcus’ face, then a soft grin and a chuckle. “Here we are arguing and wasting precious minutes, and our youngest general makes a decision. An unobvious and smart choice.”

“You are not mad?” Auberje had flinched at the sudden seriousness in Marcus.

“No! Just surprised,” he turned to Nicols, “I need a way to get all the company up there. Can you use a chit to get a pair of Tycan Dropships?”

“Done, sir,” Nicols cashed in his winner’s chit.

“Headmistress, I would wager the Boran Light Cruiser is similar to the Imperator?”

“You wager correctly, Marcus. Would like to place a bet on the outcome of this week's exploration and battle?” The headmistress sounded serene.

“Yes, I wager all of my chits, 7 I believe, in exchange, if we win, I want the rule of double to take effect.”

“If you lose, you lose 7 chits, if you win, I give you 14 more? Hmm, very well. I take the bet. You are hereby unable to use any more chits for the rest of the day, and neither can anyone else in 3-4.”

Marcus swallowed, that was a costly penalty but it was worth it if they could win. He ruffled Aubereje’s hair, walking toward the pair of dropships now a few hundred meters further into the arena, “Let’s hope a light cruiser is enough firepower for one day.”

Auberje nodded and followed the rest of the company onto the ships. They were sleek vessels. Big engines aft, small cockpit in the front. Weaponless, the vessels were capable of moving thousands of people a day, 500 at a time. They were agile, fast and well shielded. Miriam piloted the one 3-4-1 took.

The travel time out of the atmosphere was less than 10 minutes. Meaning the company, strapped into the passenger holds, sat in a lack of gravity for approximately 9 minutes before the light cruiser came into view. Auberje knew the time because his HUD displayed the three ships' trajectories.

“Boran Light Cruiser located, adjusting dropship course. All hands, prepare for disembarkment.” Miriam sounded thrilled. Auberje, and most of 3-4, were too, but they were too green with zero g sickness to be able to show it.

“We need a name for the vessel, Auberje, she’s yours. What’s her name?” Marcus asked via all company chat.

“The Lion of Muir,” Auberje blurted out without thinking.

“Of course, well named, Honor Twin. Listen up 3-4. You will proceed from dropships to the Lion of Muir. I need a full inventory which means, every upper year will proceed with squadmates to their Imperium stations. Report to Bridge once you’ve arrived and secured your stations. Younger years, you will not be familiar with the Imperium or our positions there. Proceed with your elders and we will sort that out as quickly as possible.”

The squad leaders responded affirmatively. Auberje grinned. They liked his name, or at least Marcus did, and he was about to see a working military starship. He was used to seeing them in the sky but had never been on one. His father owned a dozen cruisers and fifty or so light cruisers but Auberje wasn’t ever allowed on them. His father’s fleet was considered a fine example of a noble’s retinue on DS37. The king alone had battleships, though Auberje remembered his father saying a single battleship could defeat all his ships combined.

The ship looked remarkably like Star Academy. Shining hallways, lights under the outer walls, they were not able to see it from the passenger hold of the dropships, but he could see it through the sensors and cameras feeding the pilots their courses. It was a long ship with four massive antigrav engines. He saw the telltale bumps on the outside hull where laser batteries and railgun emplacements hid.

The ship was built along a thick spine that stretched nearly half a mile in length and a third as much in height. Two big wing like protrusions added to the armement near the rear of the ship. The aft, Auberje realized. Better get used to the terms now, he thought excitedly.

As they landed on the bottom levels of the light cruiser, a series of booms, hisses and suction noises reverberated through the dropships. The ship announced loudly, “Docking completed, please proceed with caution.”

Gravity roared back on, as they were taken into the ships artificial field. The company let out a few cheers and “thank the gods.” Auberje found Riley opposite him. The ship released their restraining vests and he and Riley walked together into the Lion of Muir.

“Welcome Ship Captain Auberje. Please proceed to the bridge,” he and everyone else stared at the awaiting droids. Gold and blue, they resemble nothing more closely than upright Eguption hieroglyphs. Thin pointy heads, fantastic faces, kitten-like in appearance but with eyes of electronics, their voices were soft and pitchy. Like squeaky cat meows. They all bowed as they greeted Auberje. Marcus laughed as he walked out of the other dropship and saw the few hundred crew.

“Well, Star Captain Auberje, let me walk you to the bridge. Perhaps you can dismiss the rest of these crew members?”

“I… of course, Marcus,” Auberje turned to them. Then realized he could likely do better than just dismiss them, “Crew, please locate your counterparts in 3-4. You can show us what to do around here, right?”

“As you command, we are happy to teach a green crew how to maintain a Boran light cruiser. We understand you have named us the Lion of Muir?”

“I have, is that okay?”

“Of course, we are honored to be named after such an illustrious group.”

“Good, show us the bridge.”

The feline droids let them through the hallways toward the center of the aft portion of the ship. It took some time, but they came to a great series of blast doors. Most of the rest of the company, besides command squad and 3-4-1 were ushered in different directions along the way. Auberje could see Marcus growing in confidence as they worked their way to the bridge. It was like he felt a great weight of uncertainty being lifted off him as they made it closer to the command center.

The droids talked the entire way, explaining the various areas of the ship as they passed. Sensors, laser fire control, forward power, crew quarters, flight decks, on and on it went. Auberje was wide eyed and bushy tailed the whole way. He saw the names on his HUD. he knew if he looked it up they would each have a description. In the meantime he simply worked his way toward the rear of the ship. They took an elevator after the first set of blast doors. It had no buttons but could accommodate the whole two squads easily. It whirred slightly, then upward momentum beat gravity.

A ding and the doors opened to the bridge. It was gorgeous, all gold and white and blue metal. Big plush chairs at 200 degree angles. The “ceiling” of the room was dozens of holo screens and actual screens. The position of the bridge was strategically at the center of the ship. It would be exceptionally hard to eliminate the commanders on this ship.

“Auberje, would you be so kind as to make me your XO?” Marcus looked at him intensely.

“Err, sir you should really be captain,” Auberje began.

Marcus shook his head, “it was your chits, you stay captain. I’ll run the ship as XO, with your permission.”

The droids watched the interaction with interest.

“Very well, ship, errr.. Lion, make Marcus XO.” Auberje waited a second then the ship replied in a voice sounding suspiciously like the headmistress’.

“Done, the ship recognizes the man, Marcus Allens as XO. Please offer commands. We are currently orbiting the planet Elides. What are your commands.”

“Recognize my crew and authorize them based on our Imperium service records. I can provide if you do not have access.”

“Unnecessary to provide. Done.” The voice might sound like Headmistress, but this was obviously not her, Auberje thought. The voice pattern was off. Plus when had the headmistress not used a complete sentence?

“Very well, let’s get out of orbit further into space. Have you scanned the planet below? We are looking for specific data chips. My intel officer, Kirsten Hizz can provide what we know about them.”

“No scans have commenced. Before 20 minutes ago, this ship did not exist and has no history.”

Marcus nodded grimly, “Very well. Take a position further back from the planet and commence as deep and detailed a scan as we can. If we can run a scan on the solar system as well, do so.”

“Commencing. Time to complete: 1 hour. Displaying countdown now.”

“Very well, let’s hope the other companies don’t have the same idea as young Auberje or we may find ourselves fighting sooner than I would like.”