Chapter 14 - Large Lyceum
Tymos and Kryslie joined the assembly in the Large lyceum, and with Jonko and Keleb, were introduced to all the students they had not met previously. The lyceum was a round structure, with seating in tiers looking down to where the teacher stood on a podium. Before the lessons started, all the students gathered around the newcomers. Tymos and Kryslie found themselves especially welcomed, as they were the High King’s ‘lost’ heirs. Jonko and Keleb had an advantage that morning as Denlic had introduced his new foster brothers to his family the previous night and five of the older students were his siblings.
Stenn Reslic was delighted that Tymos and Kryslie were in his level. He made no comment about the placement, even though he had started from a lower level and graduated to level Zeta six months previously.
When an elderly gray haired man arrived, the students split into smaller groups and went to sit in neatly sectioned areas of the tiers.
“That’s Enchon,” Stenn whispered to Tymos, though the other newcomers heard him. He led them to the part of the seating where the letter ‘zeta’ was painted on the wall at the back.
Enchon waited for the groups to settle and officially welcomed the new students, and made a few general announcements. Then seven other teachers, mostly men, but a couple were women, went to the other group and partitions began to extend from slots in the wall, partitioning the circle into eight sections.
With in level zeta’s area, twelve students remained. Stenn hovered on the tier above Tymos and Kryslie, while Jonko and Keleb were sitting near Denlic. Lexina moved nearer Kryslie and away from the other three girls of the group who were all, dressed to impress the three new boys. The last two were older boys, distant cousins of both Stenn and Denlic.
Enchon placed eight data pads on the nearest study desk and told the longer-term level zeta students to take one and get to work. Stenn and Denlic were told they didn’t need to hover when the newcomers were beckoned into a close group.
“I don’t know what you might be used to,” Enchon began, in a tone implying he wanted no argument. “But here we run lessons in a cycle. Your fellow students currently know a lot more than any of you, but that won’t be a handicap. When they have graduated up to the next level, you will continue on with the work you missed until you in turn graduate.”
Tymos nodded. The idea made sense.
Enchon didn’t pause; he kept on with what was beginning to sound like a prepared speech. “You are privileged to be here, and I don’t want to hear how you did things anywhere else. Here you have access to information on many subjects and you get to use advanced technology that allows you to learn not just about this world, but about all the worlds that Tymoreans have ever been to or sent missionaries to.”
That statement startled Jonko. He had questions, but Enchon wasn’t giving any of them time to speak.
“Many of the students who pass through here, go on to become missionaries and on those far flung worlds, they need to be able to adapt to the different cultures and customs as well as to various levels of technology.
Kryslie did manage to insert a question. Enchon listened but his face showed a frown of displeasure. “Do Tymorean commoners ever get access to this learning?”
Enchon drew a breath and changed thought streams. “You will learn about the commoners of this world as part of your studies. However, to answer your question, relatively few are interested in learning more than they need for their work. Of course, all children are taught to read and write. Those that want to learn more than the basics can seek out the scholars in the cities. There are a good many with a scholarly aptitude that have gone on to join the Space fleet. Those who wish to join the Peace Corps are expected to study subjects relative to the required duties.”
“Do they have access to technology too?” Keleb asked.
“We do not deny them access, but few really understand it or want to use it.” Enchon brushed the topic aside to continue his spiel. “Here we will have lectures on different topics, and questions to answer to show your understanding. You will also have questions to finish each evening, to reinforce the lesson, and to let your teachers know where you might need to have more teaching. Sometimes this will involve searching for answers on the compedia.”
Enchon stopped speaking and almost dared the new students to object to the method of teaching. “After the noon break, all levels do their physical training. It would be advisable to change into the exercise clothes that are provided for you. However, right now, I have a data pad for each of you. I want you to read the lesson, and do the exercises. They will get you used to using the compedia. If you have any trouble come to me. Go and sit where you like.”
Once they had their work, he left them alone, and went to sit at a desk on the podium. After an hour, Enchon recalled the attention of the students and began a lecture on the geology of the far western hills. After that, the students were set work related to their individual learning plans.
At the end of the morning, Stenn collected five data pads from the front desk, and handed each of the new students one.
“What’s this?” Keleb asked.
“The questions on Enchon’s lecture,” Stenn said loftily. “Put the ones you’ve been working on this morning on the desk. Enchon will go through what you have done and let you know how well you did.”
“The other ones are to be returned tomorrow morning, completed,” a new voice startled the group.
Tymos smelt a whiff of cedar as he turned to the speaker.
“So people, who spend more time messing with who knows what, will get marks against them for handing the work in late.”
Stenn’s grin became stiffer. “D’ic, you wouldn’t know who First Gunner Konn is talking about, would you?”
“Idiot,” Denlic retorted.
Lexina whispered in Kryslie’s ear as Stenn suddenly hugged the newcomer.
“That’s Stenn’s older brother. I hadn’t heard he was on leave from the Space Fleet.”
“Congratulations on your promotion, Brother,” Stenn said sincerely. “So why are you here?”
“Oh, I’ll be teaching you children something about Astronomy for a few days.” Konn said casually, grinning as Stenn groaned in mock disgust.
Konn Reslic accessed the terminal at the front of the class. “Well, you’ve all been working diligently today. Even the newcomers. I guess you can all go off to lunch.”
Tymos and Kryslie were not surprised to see President Reslic standing in the centre of the Lyceum as the levels assembled after lunch. They were used to having him as their trainer. Keleb, however, emitted a startled exclamation, quickly suppressed as Reslic turned in his direction, even whilst continuing to send groups off with their training instructions and one of his assistants.
Stenn showed no signs of embarrassment when it became apparent that his father would be supervising his level. He grinned, maliciously, when he saw his brother follow their group out to the Government Gardens.
Denlic sidled closer to Stenn as they walked. “Don’t push your luck, Stenn.”
“Nah, Konn’s just off space duty. Those little ships he was on don’t have facilities for more than basic fitness. I reckon I’ll be just about a match for him today.”
“With your Father watching?” Denlic pointed out.
“Best time, don’t you think?” Stenn countered and Denlic merely shook his head.
“Slow trot, three times around the clearing,” Jono Reslic, instructed his students as soon as they arrived in the area where they were to train. He sent Konn to warm up as well. After the running, Reslic called out the stretching exercises he wanted them to perform.
The first part of the afternoon passed with each student practicing the exercises Reslic set for them.
Konn was delegated the task of demonstrating to the newest students, Jonko and Keleb, four basic defensive body movements. Once they had them memorised, they had to keep practicing each in turn.
The same movements were fa
miliar to Tymos and Kryslie, from their recent skills sessions with Perrin Reslic, but this time they were to practice them while the two oldest boys in level Zeta, tried to poke them with short poles that were about two arms lengths long.
Lexina, Denlic and Stenn were set exercises that were more complex, which they practiced as a group. The other three girls from level Zeta were doing exercises that looked more like dancing than fighting.
Then Reslic worked with each student in turn, correcting their movements and testing their skill. He seemed to know at all times what each student was doing. At regular intervals, he switched the pairs around. While Lexina was partnered with Kryslie, she explained that the three girls, who had snubbed the newcomers all morning, were too delicate to be fighters and were intending to become travelling performers when they were old enough to leave lessons. She shrugged, and added, “I intend to do something more useful with my life, and I would rather know how to defend myself than expect others to do it for me.”
At the same time, when Stenn was paired with Tymos, he explained that Lothan and Herric, the older boys, preferred slash and bash weapons and were hopeless with anything technical.
When the next change came, Tymos was paired with Kryslie, Jonko with Keleb, Lexina with Denlic and Reslic summoned Stenn to him. His friends heard him chuckle quietly as he went to where Konn was doing breathing exercises after a strenuous bout against his father. They began to challenge each other using some form of martial art.
Kryslie was aware of Denlic watching Stenn, and angled herself so she and Tymos could observe as well. She found it easy to keep Stenn and Konn in her peripheral vision and still appear to be concentrating on her own task. Her awareness of her brother’s presence and actions made their practice moves seem like a single person shadow boxing against a mirror. It was more instinct than anything that told her how to move when her brother attacked with the short pole, and when it was her turn to attack, she knew where her brother was.
Lexina and Denlic gradually moved closer to Tymos and Kryslie. Only Jonko and Keleb, practicing spinning the short poles, seemed oblivious to the subtle tension between Stenn and his brother.
“By the look on Konn’s face, I’d say he thinks it below his new dignity to practice with children,” Lexina muttered quietly to Kryslie.
“Stenn seemed to be looking forward to this,” Tymos whispered back, having heard the comment.
“He is,” Denlic agreed, “And I think that there is more to this little confrontation than meets the eye.”
“President Reslic doesn’t miss anything,” Kryslie said. “I’d say he had his reasons for pairing those two.”
It was as if Reslic had heard her. The president’s voice called out for Kryslie to pair with Lexina, Jonko to practice with Tymos and Denlic with Keleb. When they had settled back into their drill, Konn and Stenn had engaged in a different form of martial art.
“For someone just off a small cruiser, Konn’s not in too bad shape,” Lexina commented critically. “As far as I can tell, there is not much between them in skill.”
“Konn should be better than Stenn, though, shouldn’t he?” Kryslie suggested, as she deflected an attack from Lexina.
“You’d think so, but I have a hunch President Reslic is trying to drive home a subtle lesson to both of them.” Lexina guessed. “Stenn is much better than he lets on and by the looks of things, he isn’t holding back at the moment.”
At the end of three hours, Reslic called a halt to all exercises and sent the students off to do their cool down routines. Stenn joined his friends with a smug look on his face; Konn Reslic stayed talking with his father (and Supreme Commander). The young officer’s face, already red with exertion, went almost scarlet, before he nodded sharply and trotted off through the trees.
Reslic, called Stenn back, before dismissing the class.
Lexina, Kryslie and Tymos arrived early on the terrace where the kitchen attendants were setting up for the evening meal. Stenn joined them soon after but he was not his normal exuberant self.
“So who won?” Lexina asked, since Stenn was not saying anything.
“Dad called it a draw!”
“That’s good isn’t it?” Kryslie asked.
“Yeah, but Dad thinks I should be up a level, and Enchon won’t pass me on the morning lessons.”
“Why not?”
“Probably because he has a habit of handing his questions in late,” Lexina commented.
“Because…” Kryslie asked, curious.
Stenn suddenly laughed. “Because I haven’t figured out what I want to do with my life, so I’m in no rush to get started. I had thought I’d like to join the fleet, but not if I might have Konn as a senior officer. I don’t fancy the Tymorean Peace Corps, even though two of my brothers are serving with them. And I definitely don’t see my self as an Elder. That would be like having lessons for the rest of my life. I can see that as the perfect life for Gann though. He has absolutely no sense of humour, that brother of mine.”
“So why the sour face,” Lexina asked.
“Dad’s figured me out. He said he will arrange extra lessons for me … to keep me out of mischief.”
Lexina smirked. “You didn’t really expect to fool him for ever, did you?”
Stenn shrugged.
Kryslie sensed that Stenn was still smarting from that session with his father.
“You know, Stenn, I asked your Father why we weren’t put in the lowest level when we graduated to the large lyceum. I mean, we weren’t here to spend all those years in the small lyceum and we’ve missed a lot of lessons…”
“So he’s giving you extra lessons too, is he,” Stenn’s grin was genuine. “Well, there’s one good reason for staying in the same level as you provincial students. Someone has to teach you some really fundamental things.”
“Like not making idle remarks to the President?” Kryslie suggested.
“Yeah, that’s one thing,” Stenn smiled crookedly. “The other thing is that the only people that start at the lowest level are the ones that usually just make it to level Delta and stop.”
Kryslie had no idea of the significance of that remark.
“I’ll explain later,” Stenn promised as Denlic, Jonko and Keleb arrived. He went into an immediate huddle with the other boys and gestured to Tymos.
Kryslie frowned as her brother, became engrossed in the discussion.
“Don’t mind them,” Lexina advised. “Stenn is probably trying to make the most of his time, if he is going to get extra lessons.”
“He won’t get into trouble, will he?” Kryslie asked.
“I doubt it. Stenn’s pranks are usually harmless fun and he knows where to draw the line – well mostly. Anyway, I thought you might like to come up to the observatory with me later. Dad is on duty and you really haven’t had a chance to learn your way around, have you?”
Distracted by the idea, Kryslie shook her head and decided to quiz her brother later. “This will be only the second time I have eaten with the Royal Court. Father said that if we preferred, we didn’t have to sit with him and could be with our friends, so this feels like the height of freedom.”
Lexina glanced briefly at the two attendants standing unobtrusively nearby, but said nothing. They were simply watching their charges. When it was time for the servants to serve the evening meal, those same attendants served Tymos and Kryslie. Lexina knew that Tymos and Kryslie were probably so used to their attendants’ presence that they were almost invisible, but she wondered why they still needed extra attention.
As the evening grew darker, more lights came on so that the diners on the terrace could see to eat. The night was clear of clouds and very mild, so eating outside was pleasant.
Tymos sat opposite Kryslie during the meal, but disappeared with the other boys as soon as he had finished eating. He had explained mentally that Stenn had access to a virtual weapons practice program. The picture in his mind was of shooting very lifelike enemies. Kryslie shuddered and said she
was glad she wasn’t invited.
Instead, she stayed talking to Lexina, dallying over the warm chocolate drink that the servants offered them. When the sun finally set, she watched the brown uniformed security squads deploy out into the grounds. A short time later, heard tinkling bells above the buzz of conversation. No one seemed to pay attention to them.
“That’s the bell for curfew,” Lexina explained, catching his expression of concern. “They did tell you that we are not meant to be wandering around the gardens in the dark, didn’t they?”
Kryslie nodded. “How do we get to the observatory?”
“Use our transmitters,” Lexina said. “Of course, we could always walk. It’s on the top floor of Xyron’s palace.”
“Are you sure there won’t be a problem with us going there?”
“Sure. Dad gets me to monitor some of the stations when I have free time. Besides, you and your brother are Uncle Ty’s heirs, they wouldn’t stop you anyway.”
The entire upper floor of the Xyron’s palace was the “Observatory.” Most of the area contained the monitoring room of the Tymorean Space Scanners. It was their duty to observe the skies around their home planet. The Chief Controller was Lexina’s father, Prince Esmous, who was also the youngest brother of the High King.
Lexina entered without knocking and no one challenged her. Three different workers greeted her by name, raised eyebrows at Kryslie before bowing slightly and continuing with their tasks.
Lexina stood on her toes, trying to spot her father. “I can’t see Dad. He must be in the control room.”
Kryslie took the opportunity to look around. “What are those displays?”
“Geographic data from the five satellites in orbit around the world,” Lexina explained, after identifying which screens Kryslie meant. “The far ones are pictures from the satellites showing anything in space.”
“Can we go into the control room?” Kryslie asked.
“No, that’s only for senior controllers and the Governors. The reports from the missionaries come in there and the reports from the deep space probes. I’m only allowed to be out here.”
Lexina finally spotted her father and dragged Kryslie towards him. “Can I show Kryslie what you do here, Da?”
Prince Esmous smiled and suggested, “You could use the old plasma screen. Link it to the satellite over the second continent. We are getting alarms from the automatic system at irregular intervals. See if you notice anything happening there. It might only be flocks of birds.”
Lexina agreed readily enough and led Kryslie to an unoccupied terminal in one corner of the large open area. They passed rows of intent controllers, each monitoring a screen, the data on which varied widely. Some had what Kryslie recognised as weather maps, others circles with dots and letters.
“I’d like to be able to use one of the newer screens,” Lexina admitted. “But I haven’t been trained on them. Still, I’ll practice on whatever I can,”
While she was activating the system, turning it on, bringing lights onto the screen and adjusting settings to concentrate on the second continent, she explained each step to Kryslie. The latter watched her movements, and stored all the new knowledge into her memory.
After a period of watching Lexina scan segments of the distant second continent, Kryslie found her attention straying. She was feeling a prickle of alarm, as if something of ill intent was watching her.
Looking around, she saw all the nearby controllers were still intent on their screens; no one was paying her any attention. Then movement at the far end of the room caught her eye. Two men were moving to look at the screen of a third.
Lexina, still intent on her ask, said, “I’ve sent a signal to one of the position fixing satellites. Instead of using it in passive observation made, I have made it active. I can play with the parameters to increase or decrease its cone of vision and to change the magnification.”
Kryslie glanced back at the screen; the high up aerial view was becoming more detailed as if the sensor was coming closer to the ground.
“These satellites are 20,000 kilometres up and there are eight of them orbiting the world. The Peace corps use them to fix their position and guide them to specific places.”
“What do the other controllers look at?” Kryslie asked, her eyes returning to the huddle where three watchers had become five.
“Some are taking weather observations, others are checking ground conditions. In the Season of Storms, they can quickly spot fires started by lightning and get people to help put them out. Some are monitoring the sensor web, which is a network of buoys about 100 km up. The observers on those look for potential space hazards and warn of the approach of trader ships. In the control room, they monitor the relay buoys and record communications from the missionaries.”
“Would that be what the huddle is about?” Kryslie asked and nodded in the direction she was looking.
Lexina glanced up and said, “Probably. Last night, one of the relay buoys gave notification of traders approaching. They will be sending the landing window coordinates and directions for landing.”
Kryslie queried the terminology, and learnt that a ship couldn’t just dive down into the atmosphere.
Lexina also added, “The trader ships have to power right down to a virtual crawl, and once they pass the outer sensors, they glide down until they have air dense enough to work their atmosphere engines. Then they are directed to Dira. That’s where the main spaceport is. If there are storms there, they land at Kestra, but that is way out near the desert.”
A niggling thought in Kryslie’s mind said, “If that is merely a trader ship arriving, why do I feel that something is amiss?”
Prince Esmous joined the huddle, examined the screen and issued orders. Many heads jerked up as he said, “Put all positioning satellites into active mode, and activate the downward sensors of the outer web. We have a sensor ghost following the trader ship. It may be a glitch, or it may be a ship trying to sneak through.”
Activity in the room increased, and tension became a palpable sensation. Kryslie felt a shiver run down her spine.
“Do ships try to sneak down often?” she asked Lexina. “Sometimes. Not all other-worlders are friendly. Pirates, smugglers try to bring in undesirable things, or steal stuff from here to sell elsewhere. They usually flee when they realise that we are not as backward as we appear from space.”
While Lexina returned her full attention to her task, Kryslie felt the impulse to move towards the screen where the men had earlier huddled. Only Prince Esmous watched over the controllers shoulder now. Kryslie moved quietly, catching the low voices discussing possibilities, and realising in a distant part of her mind that her hearing had become more acute.
The screen that drew her monitored the mountainous region west of the Royal Estate. She heard mention of an ‘ion trail’ and a ‘flare’. The terminology was unfamiliar. Off to her left, the screen monitoring the area around Dira spaceport, showed the trader ship following the landing instructions. A voice, magnified electronically, announced. “Weather balloon alpha-seven-six has just stopped sending. Last position…” The coordinates meant nothing to Kryslie until the man at the mountain viewing screen jerked. “That could have been the flare if something hit alpha-seven-six.”
Prince Esmous issued further orders, directing extra sensors onto that area. The room felt like the stillness before a storm broke, the tension vibrated in the air.
“There!” the voice came from the man using one of the newly tuned sensors. He hit the record function as he said, “That’s a ship - clear as day.”
An electronically generated voice announced, “Omicron, Omicron. Alien activity in sector seven-two, confirmed. Situation code, Red.”
Within the next few moments, Governor Xyron and Governor Reslic materialised, scanned the data, and strode into the control room. Soon after that, Kryslie tensed as she heard her twin’s mental voice.
“What is happening? They have just put the pilots on leave from the flee
t on high alert.”
She thought about what was going on in the observatory and received in turn, “Konn and one of the others have just rushed off. Must be serious. Konn was dead set on proving to Stenn what a hot shot he is with weapons.”
Beyond that thought, was the image of Stenn furiously blasting away at computer-generated targets.
Kryslie moved back near Lexina, still listening to the low voiced conversations around various screens. She heard, “Flight One have launched,” and Reslic confirming that a ground patrol would head out from Tantra within the hour.
A short time later, much too soon for the air patrol to have reached their target, a voice rose above the murmur to report, “It’s taking off!”
“Get a tracer on it!” Prince Esmous directed immediately.
The next report was a deflated, “Lost it, Sir. It turned and blasted straight up. All I have is the ion trail. It must have cloaked.”
“All eyes on the feeds from the sensor web. We might spot that sensor ghost effect.” Prince Esmous was following his own instruction.
Time passed. No one reported seeing, or even thinking they saw, any trace of the ship. Kryslie concentrated on Lexina’s screen and wondered why her back felt like it had ants crawling up it.
Soft murmurs from the nearby controllers, still perfectly audible to Kryslie, revealed that the men believed the craft was long gone, back into space - scared off by the approaching fighter craft.
Somehow, Kryslie did not think that was the case. The crawling feeling had not abated. Now comments that Kryslie had heard, but not consciously noted, came back into her mind - snippets on the limitations of the scanners near the ground or amongst the hills, ways to trick the sensors, older techniques that sometimes worked on high-tech cloaking shields.
“Switch to the ground radar,” Kryslie said abruptly to Lexina, who gave her a rapid glance and obeyed.
“Why?”
Kryslie just said, “If they didn’t go into space, they will have to land elsewhere.”
“We’d see the ion trail,” Lexina objected, and was then thoughtful. “No, you’re right; we wouldn’t if they switched back to atmosphere propulsion. Once they got high enough they could glide down again.”
In the instant that Lexina stiffened, Kryslie hit the record button. The radar showed a sudden eruption, creating a patch of green on her screen like a myriad of dots. The glow wheeled away from the origin and faded out. Lexina hit the intercom button to summon an experienced controller.
Kryslie moved aside, the itch along her spine increased to unpleasant as the controller examined the record.
“Flock of birds,” the man stated definitively. The attention of the nearby controllers returned to their own screens. Lexina flushed with embarrassment.
Kryslie spoke with equal firmness. “Something startled them and sent them ten kilometres from their original roost. What on the second continent would do that?”
Her voice had carried and she had the attention of the senior controllers as the man with her began to say, “With respect, Princess Kryslie, you have no training…”
Her stance didn’t change, and she was about to refute the controller’s belittlement of her question when she noticed Reslic approaching. He asked to view the record and then said clearly, “You make an excellent point, Princess Kryslie. Who suggested using ground radar?”
Lexina murmured respectfully, “Kryslie did, Sir.”
Without moving off, Reslic used his wrist communicator to send a second flight to the coordinates of the radar contact. Then he told Kryslie and Lexina, “Good work” and strode off.
“It still might be nothing,” Lexina said softly.
Kryslie shrugged, and asked, “How fast might a ship like that travel?”
“An air/space fighter?” Lexina thought about it and murmured an estimate, and she caught on to what her friend was suggesting. Doing a rough calculation in her head, based on time, speed and the distance from last sighting to the second continent she came up with an answer and saw Kryslie watching her. “You’d already worked it out.”
With a shake of her head, Kryslie admitted, “Not exactly. I don’t know anything about aircraft speeds. I only had an idea of the distance from place to place.”
A soft voice from behind her asked, “What made you think the ship did not flee back into space?”
Kryslie turned and saw her father, waiting for her answer.
“Just a feeling - like something vile crawling over me.”
“And is it possible?” Tymoros asked his niece. Lexina nodded.
“Then we will check the incident carefully. Flight two will overfly the area,” Tymoros assured the two girls. “Meanwhile, I think you youngsters have evening work to do, and the trained controllers can take over from here. Let those trained to search, do their work.”
Seeing another controller hovering politely, Lexina vacated her seat. His Majesty’s suggestion was more of a command.
Kryslie gave Lexina a grin, and departed with her father.
Long after Kryslie had done her evening after-lesson work and gone to bed, Tymoros sat pondering the evening’s events. The unannounced visit of an alien ship was cause for concern and everything necessary would be done to learn of it. Then there was his daughter, who had pointed out something obvious that the older controllers would have brushed aside.
She had experienced ‘a feeling’ like something vile crawling on her. An apt analogy for what those aliens might be planning for Tymorea. It was too nebulous to be a vision or a prophecy but he could not discount it. Kryslie was still very young, still growing into her power, but age was not a pre-requisite to receive wisdom from the Guardians of Peace. Especially if those entities had created his adopted children for a purpose…
As the Elders were beginning to see…
A purpose vital to Tymorea…