Aetheran Child Read online

  Surprised, Lexan stood there for a moment, spitting the blood out. The content did not amount to much but both boys knew an imaginary line had been crossed.

  During other fights, Lexan and Nangern were even, but Lexan always felt he had the upper hand. When he fought Leo, he could dodge any of the attacks. He could feel them coming, predict his moves. It was the same with Nangern but not now.

  The sense had left the boy, for the time being. The fist hit him and he could not see it, feel, nor sense it. He could not fathom of a defense, his reflexes were shot. No one had ever attacked him and bore through his natural instinct to defend this way before.

  What happened? Alexander thought. He could not understand. Then it came to him, his best friend, or at least he used to be, punched him because of Nangern’s own mistake, his own jaded, provincial thoughts on how only he is right. He could not discuss it without thinking only he’s right? He stood frozen and looked around.

  Nobody was there.

  V

  It was past eight when Alexander returned to his dormitory. He spit out the remainder of blood in his mouth and massaged his cheek again, still feeling the force behind Nangern’s knuckles.

  He said his goodbyes. He said goodbye to Taylor who playfully punched him in the arm, “Oy, you’ve been ‘ere only a few months and yer gone already? No fair.” He laughed, “Enjoy yer life, Lexan.”

  “Yeah, you too. Let me know how it goes with you and Tanya, eh?” the boy grinned and held up his pocket wireless device.

  “Yeah, sure. Just send me one of those pocket wi-fis, and I’ll let you know,” Taylor answered.

  Alexander parted with Dominik, the little chubby boy, “We’ll see each other again, won’t we?”

  “Sure thing Dominik,” Lexan answered and smiled, already planning to make trips to the orphanage with his new “father” to visit the others, “See you guys, later. I gotta go meet Alary.”

  Taylor grinned when he heard that and Lexan only answered, “Shut up.”

  The two met minutes later, both packed up. Lexan wanted to cry but it felt too unreal, just like when his parents died. He was in a state of shock and all he could think about was how he would come see her at her new home. He told her to message him and let him know where she lives. She told Lexan that they will be together and she smiled.

  “I’ll come see you, even if it takes me four years until I get my license and I’ll get to drive to see you,” Alexander thought but he knew he would not be able to wait that long. He would want to see her every day. Alary smiled, they kissed and hugged, and then Alexander took his bags and walked to the office. He did not feel as if he was leaving his new found friends behind, on the contrary, he felt he would see them again soon. He knew he would come visit them or that they would get adopted too; maybe go to the same school. It could happen!

  At office, Mr. Raki waited and smiled at Lexan, “So we leave then?”

  “Okay,” Lexan said gloomily looking at the umbrage of the trees around the front of the Orphanage. A green leaf fell down meritoriously onto a small puddle of water left from the condensed fog.

  “Oh come on now, you don’t have to be sad, this was going to happen sometime. You’re lucky you have me now. We’ll have lots of fun.” Mr. Raki said but did not await a response, nor did he expect one. Lexan felt expectantly a little better though it felt artificial, as if he had taken an anti-depressant pill. It was an untruthful feeling of slight happiness. It overshadowed his deep sadness and mind-lassitude from the past few days.

  “Alright, off we go then.” Mr. Raki said and took Alexander’s bags. The boy refused to let go of his backpack, housing his most precious possessions.

  Alexander followed obediently as the pain permeated deeper and deeper inside his head and heart. A taxicab was waiting for them outside the office.

  “Where are you off to?” The driver asked Mr. Raki. He simply raised his hand which seemed to flicker a couple of times like a broken light bulb. He, then, waved his hand and the driver turned back around and drove. Lexan saw something escape the man’s hand and enter the driver’s body.

  “Wha-?” the boy formulated from the shock of the occult experience.

  “Don’t mind that for a moment.” Mr. Raki said.” Let me ask you something. Will you answer truthfully?”

  Alexander watched the man in fear. Was he going to kidnap him? Who was he?

  The man held Lexan’s head in his hands and stared into the boy’s eyes, “Will you answer truthfully?”

  The boy nodded, scared. He wanted to leave the car and go back to the Orphanage but the taxi was already on its way out of, “Where are we going?” Alexander asked, distracted.

  Mr. Raki, if that is who he was, turned to the boy, “I am from another planet.”

  “Yeah, right,” the boy answered. The guy is psycho, he thought, great.

  “Look at me,” the man said, and Alexander turned to him again. The man flicked his fingers and disappeared. Not entirely, but he was barely visible.

  “How did you-?” Lexan stared in surprise.

  “I am from another planet,” before Raki could go on, the boy interrupted him.

  “So you are an alien? But you look so human,” Lexan scanned the man carefully.

  “I am human,” Lexan looked at the man suspiciously, “It’s a long story and I will tell you everything you wish to know. Right now though, we are headed for my ship and off this planet. Do you wish to come?”

  The boy looked at the man, “Do I have a choice?”

  “You do, I can only take you if you wish to come. If you do not wish to come, I will erase this part of your memory and send you to your new family.”

  Lexan’s mind whirled with thought, “New family? What are you talking about? You adopted me.”

  “Yes, but that’s only a formality. If you do not wish to accompany me, I have made arrangements with a family out in the country that will take you.”

  Out in the country? Lexan thought, the closest rural town to the city was at least fifty kilometers away. The city was surrounded by an endless expanse of suburban homes. If he lived that far, he would never be able to come back to the Orphanage. If Alary moved into the city, he would not be able to see her either. Helplessness took the boy over and he did not know what to do. It was a great choice. He could either…travel off planet? Fulfill his dreams of space travel?

  What am I thinking? The boy thought, this is my dream. I have always wanted to meet aliens, go out into galaxy and travel. If he stayed in the rural country, he knew he would never be able to become anything more. It was a dead end, he thought, while the adventures of space provided him with countless possibilities.

  “Will I ever be able to come back?” Lexan asked tentatively.

  “Yes, you will be able to come within five years but you will not be allowed any contact with anyone on the planet,” Mr. Raki answered and waved his hand over the driver again, the driver turned a corner and drove on.

  “But, why me? Where are you taking me?” Lexan asked, but he already knew he had decided.

  “Why you? That’s a long story I will explain later. I am taking you to an academy of sorts on the other side of the galaxy.”

  The boy nodded in agreement, “I guess I’ll go then.”

  Mr. Raki smiled and beckoned the driver once more.

  VI

  Alexander stared outside through the window. He could not fathom how the man could hide a spaceship. He still thought the situation was a joke, a terrifying, stupid joke but he was intrigued.

  “Where is the ship?” the boy asked,” I hope you haven’t lost it.” Something seemed out of place; the taxi stopped on a dirt road, out in the rural country. It had taken them almost two hours to get there.

  A large green field surrounded the road, nothing out of the ordinary at all. Tall grasses swayed left and right; the trees by the road accentuated the atmosphere of plainness.

  The two stepped outside, leaving the driver in his plac
e, “Go, forget, do not come back,” Mr. Raki said and the car left with most of Alexander’s possessions.

  “Wait, what about my bags?!” The boy screamed out and tried to run after the speeding car but Mr. Raki held him in place. Alexander looked up at the man, “What about my clothes? What about my stuff?”

  “You won’t need it. I have clothes for you on the ship,” Mr. Raki said and walked into the field. Alexander, happy to keep his backpack, followed the man into the grasses although he felt largely confused.

  “So your ship is invisible?” The boy changed the subject. He wanted the man to keep talking.

  “Yes,” Mr. Raki answered and stopped short on what seemed like a random spot. The field shimmered slightly, “It is invisible to the naked eye and to any sensor known to Earth and most of the galaxy.” The man smiled slightly with pride.

  “If this technology seems a bit advanced, do not worry; you’ll get used to it.” The shimmering stopped and an opening appeared, the rest of the ship stayed invisible.

  “Is this really a spaceship?” The boy asked.

  “From what I understand of your language, it could also be called a ‘starship’,”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I come from a different planet with different language and culture. Your language is mostly unknown or at least unused by us.”

  Figures, the boy thought. Why would they speak it anywhere else, “Then how do you know it?”

  “I have been studying Earth’s history for a very long time. Consequently, I learned some of the Earthling Languages. I loaded an update on your language before I came here.”

  Confusing, the boy thought, this conversation could take hours. He had a barrage of questions that could take months to answer.

  “If your planet is as far away as you say then why bother coming here for me?”

  “All in time. I’ll answer everything in time, now come.” Mr. Raki stepped into the circular opening denoted by pale blue lighting. Inside, a range of screens and input devices lit up and a loving female voice spoke, “C’tu tjaaa ishta, Rakee.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I

  Alexander stood, shocked to his core, in the beautiful, polished cabin. What a new life, he thought, just a few hours ago, I thought I’d be stuck with some crazy man. Everything changed; nothing would ever be the same. What horrors awaited him? What adventures? Mind over matter, he told himself, adventures were for kids, don’t get too excited.

  He breathed deeply for a few seconds, barely holding himself from screaming out, “Wow.”

  II

  The boy closed and opened his eyes again. The inside of the ship glowed brilliantly but not brightly enough to hurt one’s eyes. Floating panels of information inhabited the apartment-like cabin. Three streamlined rectangular boxes stood in the corner while a main floating console occupied the middle. A thin disk suspended by a string on both sides made up the main console. Several holographic projections, including one graphing the outside of the ship, floated above the disk. It was the only one of its kind; the rest of the cabin was lined with glowing lights and input-like devices. More projections surrounded the input devices.

  The walls accentuated the pale blue lights with a bright white. The whole place seemed heavenly.

  “I see your state of shock; would you like to be in a more familiar setting?” Mr. Raki waved his hand, rather as a gesture than for any practical purpose, and the inside transformed. Diamond-like patterns emerged from the white walls, along with a grayish military hue. A base grew around the console disk to secure it in place, while the top string holding the disk gained in thickness and display screens, much like from his old computer, emerged. Other information panels and inputs grew screen borders as well. Holographic projections were suddenly supported by holographic projectors, rather than appearing out of nowhere. Several simple chairs rose from the ground by every “workstation.”

  The streamlined boxes became grey boxes with see-through screens and alien labels.

  Mr. Raki caught Lexan’s eyes and replied simply, “Those are hybernators.”

  Alexander nodded and scanned the room once more. It did not seem as alien anymore, Mr. Raki was right. It resembled a high-tech submarine the boy has seen on TV.

  A holographic screen opened before them right above the table-like computer, covered with illegible symbols. Raki looked at them and turned to Alexander, “

  “Put this on, please,” Mr. Raki asked, holding a bizarre object.

  “What is it?” Lexan asked.

  “It’s many things at once. For our purposes at the moment it will be a translator.” The man said and handed a black device which looked like a bionic lower jaw. It had a filter in the middle, that covered the whole mouth, and two parts that were retractable; they latched onto the eyes and resembled sunglasses.

  Lexan put in the ear piece and the rest fitted on his lower jaw and mouth. It clicked and sucked onto his jaw. He then placed the eye pieces in its place and looked at the screen. All the pieces melted suddenly and he could not even feel the device. The entire ship seemed in a different focus again.

  “Did I put it on right?”

  “Yes, no need for me to speak your language, anymore.” Mr. Raki smiled and sighed.

  “What?”

  “Whatever you say is translated into any given language you choose; however, the standard is intergalactic and that’s what you will use. And whatever I say is translated into your language.” Mr. Raki stood up and punched something into the console.

  “Verification, please,” said the pleasant, warm female voice.

  “Master Raki,” Master? “The commander of the ship.” Master Raki responded.

  “Thank you Master, how may I help you? Would like a drink perhaps?” The warm voice asked which obviously represented the computer’s Artificial Intelligence.

  “That’s alright. Pull up the verification screen please.”

  With no other words, a screen zoomed in onto the table. It said verification on top and had a form under. The technology advances were major in this culture since the screen was solid and non-transparent. The screen had a background of a calm ocean and the waves splashed against the rectangle of text. There was a nice fuzzy edge around the screen so that it blurred with the wall behind it.

  “New profile please,” Raki said.

  “State name,” The computer said.

  “Alexander, please fill out your profile. I will ready the Needle and we’ll be on our way,” Master Raki walked through a new door the boy had not noticed before.

  “The Needle?”

  “That’s the name of this Starship,” Raki smiled, “The computer will turn off the translator for clearer voice recognition, so don’t ask questions during that time.”

  “Okay.”

  “Name please.” The computer asked.

  “Alexander,”

  The computer then went on scanning the boy, “Biological age, twelve years old, few months shy of thirteen. Human shun. Origin:---” the computer paused, “Cardinal Regions. Planet: Unknown. Empire: unknown.”

  “What do you mean unknown?” Lexan asked.

  “Please verify,” the computer answered.

  The boy repeated his question.

  “Password phrase verified,”

  “What?”

  “Translator online. Thank you for your cooperation and enjoy your journey.” The computer spoke, “My name is Salastra, and you may address me as Las or Main Computer. If there is anything you require, I am here for your service.”

  Alexander politely declined and waited for Raki to return. Within a few minutes, the ship seemed to power up and start moving.

  The tall man walked into the main room, “Well Alexander, let me explain to you what is going on. We are going to travel across the galaxy toward the inner clusters of the galaxy on the other side of the core. There we will travel to the Aetheral system and I will enroll you in the prestigious Athiris School where you will attend.”


  Lexan eyed the man and nodded slowly but questioningly.

  “It is one of the most prestigious Spirit Schools in the empire.”

  “Spirit?”

  “I will elaborate on that later in your studies aboard this starship. But just think of Spirits as a very important faction within the United Republics.”

  The boy eyed the man even more curiously as he continued, “The journey will take one year through Swift Space, a designated point in the fifth dimension bent into the sixth dimension. I’ll explain all of that later. Half of your journey, you will have to spend in a hibernation pod. The other half, I’ll spend teaching you the customs and background knowledge to our world.”

  Before Alexander could ask a single question, Raki cut him off again, “First, go to the bathroom, and put this on. By the way, you can address me as Master Raki, or just Master.” He handed the boy a small box and when he opened it, it was full of a shiny liquid.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?” He asked Ma Raki but it was Las who answered.

  “If you turn around, and go through the hallway, the first door on the left leads to the bathroom. Place your hand inside the liquid and the liquid will quickly cover your body with a thin protective film. You will find a thin silvery outfit on the bottom of the box that you have to put on.”

  Lexan walked down the hallway and let the left door in front of him slide open. Inside he found two double-story beds, thus able to house four people at a time. The rectangular room bore the same diamond patterned walls as the rest of the ship. Several storage lockers lined the free space that the beds did not occupy and another door at an adjacent wall led to the bathroom. A latch on the ceiling that did not bear any marks, remained a mystery to Lexan.

  Alexander walked into the bathroom that reminded him too much of Earth bathrooms. It had a full-length oval mirror, a toilet, and a shower. He undressed as he was instructed and took a look into the mirror. He looked different, much different since the last time he looked at himself and that was the night after he fought Leo. The boy suppressed a few tears tagged along with the memory, the memory of an orphanage he just left, the memory of Alary whom he will never see.