June 12, 2012
Proofread on June 12, 2012
Proofread by Utsu [1919338]
Written by RahXephon [847246]
Proofreader's Notes: Hi guys, I'm Utsu, RahXephon's so called "pet grammar Nazi" ;) I'm British born and bred and I've been brought in to make sure that your lovely reviews can actually concentrate on the important stuff; namely the plotline, rather than the less important issue of language. I'm only a humble beta-reader though and all credit for the story of course goes to RahXephon but I hope you enjoy it anyway ^^
The Star Alliance
The Sorting
Walking into the half-transparent courtyard of the ancient castle was one of Harry's scariest experiences. He had absolutely no idea how he'd managed to keep breathing in the middle of a vacuum. When he craned his head upwards he couldn't spot any barriers keeping the air inside the terrestrial bubble. 'It's just magic. It's just magic.' He repeated inside his head.
"You're starting to hyperventilate, Harry." Hedwig told him, appearing in front of him in flight. "Don't regard this experience from a mundane perspective. You are being educated as a magical, remember? Situations in which reality is bent or broken should be everyday occurrences. Just stop worrying."
Harry let his companion's words sink in. 'She's right. I'm overthinking this. The Hogwarts Fleet has been operating for over three centuries. The professors know what they're doing.'
"Is that your AI companion?"
"Yeah. Hermione, this is Hedwig. Hedwig, this is Hermione."
"Charmed." His owl greeted his latest friend.
"It's nice to meet you too. What model are you?"
"A Paragon V15.6."
"Hey I've got a Paragon too! Since we are going to be working together more often I should introduce you to my own companion." The girl pulled back one of her sleeves and fiddled with something her wrist control unit. An exceedingly fluffy, grumpy-faced cat appeared in her arms. "Crookshanks, go and introduce yourself."
"As the lady said, I'm Crookshanks." A grumpy male voice grumbled from the holographic form of the cat. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to continue napping."
Crookshank's image blinked out. Hermione smiled sheepishly at her companion's antics. "He's not too trusting of new people. Give him a few days and I'm sure he'll warm up to you."
"If you say so."
By that time the group had reached the huge open entrance of the castle. As soon as Harry stepped inside, he felt infinitely more comfortable; the odd translucency that had been present outside no longer an issue now that he had a roof over his head. He could actually pretend that he was inside a solid compartment again, even if his surroundings had taken on the appearance of an old castle. At least the interior projected a warm mood. Warm wooden panelling along with strange animated portraits (they must be digital programs, Harry mused) gave the floating structure an odd sense of tradition and familiarity. The cadet took a deep breath through his nose and practically smelled the richness. 'Is this real, or is this all a magical illusion?'
The stream of students slowly made their way down the main hallway and into a large and open space that must have been the Great Hall. Four long, modern crystal tables stretched from one end of the hall to the other. Opposite the main entrance was a raised section where a fifth table rested, with what he could only presume was the entire staff in attendance.
"Look Harry." Hermione nudged him with her shoulder. "Look up. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History, Part II."
The young cadet looked up and was met with the sight of an enchanting hologram of the universe in motion. A multitude of astronomic phenomena was displayed on the marvellous ceiling, from the Big Bang to the great expansion, to the death of stars and the formation of black holes. The sheer beauty depicted in the image literally took his breath away. "It's beautiful."
It felt strange to feel comforted by the sight of cosmic events when he had nearly been frightened out of his uniform scant minutes earlier. Harry didn't dwell on it for long though, and walked towards the clump of grey-uniformed first years milling about near the foot of the tables. All the way up at the front, an old and wizened looking man with a grey beard almost as frazzled as Hagrid's rose from his seat. He unclasped the dark cloak around his shoulders to reveal a robe of starry night blue.
"Now that the last batch of students has arrived from the Helga Hufflepuff, we may begin with the opening of this academic year."
Harry could barely hear the old man over the din of conversation flowing around the tables.
"Settle down, students, settle down. I'm sure you are all eager to catch up with your friends," He then clapped his hands and suddenly everyone found their voices muffled. "But first we must welcome our first year students."
Everyone turned their attention to the speaker, even the older students. The elderly man smiled and spread out his arms. "I am Grand Admiral Albus Dumbledore, Supreme Commander of Her Imperial Majesty's Magicians. As headmaster of the Hogwarts Training Fleet of Witchcraft, Wizardry and Space Travel, I wish to bid our new recruits a warm greeting. As magician cadets, you will not only be educated in the art of magic and space travel, but also explore exotic new worlds and discover strange new organisms as our fleet traverses the unknown parts of the Orion arm of the galaxy. No matter what your ultimate vocation may be, my sincere hope is that you will come away from this tour with an open-minded perspective on the universe."
Then the headmaster's face turned grim. The whole hall seemed to dim as Dumbledore's tone turned remorseful. "But despite its many wonders, the universe is not a forgiving dimension. Last year seventeen brave magician cadets honourably sacrificed their lives on the Godric Gryffindor in a valiant effort to defend the Hogwarts Fleet from a surprise assault by the Kichilics. It is with great sadness that I ask you to remember that not all of the races we encounter bear a friendly face towards humanity, and that we ultimately serve Her Imperial Majesty in a military capacity. It is expected from every student to serve his or her tour to the fullest and to defend the Human Empire from enemies both without and within. Do not even think to abandon your service, for desertion will not only merit you a summary execution, but will also result in the immediate termination of the lives of your immediate family."
The faces of Alexia and his parents flashed through Harry's mind. Some of the more unpleasant consequences of his draft began to dawn on him. If he ever decided to desert… 'No. I can't let that happen. I have to keep my sister safe, whatever the cost.'
"Ah, but let us not dwell on such unpleasant matters. This is a night of celebration. Let us begin with the Sorting!"
A side door opened and a pair of heavily armed guards in full exoskeleton suits entered escorting a floating crate. Their kinetic rifles looked deadly enough to pierce through dozens of bodies and their footsteps were heavy enough for even Harry to feel the vibrations from the floor. Eventually the guards stopped in the middle of the room and entered some sort of key code on the crate. As they finished unlocking it, the crate automatically unfolded itself into a stool, revealing an animate brown hat. At first sight, Harry thought it was simply excitable. Then he noticed the metal bands tied around its surface, and guessed that it was struggling to escape. 'Strange. Why would the school do that to a hat?'
"Do you know anything about why the hat is bound up like that?" He asked Hermione softly.
"I've read in Hogwarts, A History, Part II that the hat spoke out against Merlin the Younger's attempts to subordinate the ancient Wizarding World to the mundanes. The First Empress of the Human Empire charged the hat with sedition and sentenced it with a millennia-long censure. I've read that it used to be tradition for the hat to sing during the opening ceremony but obviously our rulers don't like what it has to say."
"Rather strange that the Empress was scared of a stupid hat. What harm can it do?"
"Since the hat determined which House the students were assigned to, its word was very much respected."
Dumbledore clapped and called everyone's attention again. "Before we begin the Sorting, let me explain the process. As you may or may not know, the Hogwarts Training Fleet consists of four main vessels that serve to train cadets in every capacity magicians are able to fulfil."
He then withdrew his own wand – an unusually long and slender thing that was practically covered in electronics – and called up a giant holographic display of the fleet in real time as it floated within the Diagon system. He highlighted one ship in particular.
"The Godric Gryffindor is a unique battleship specifically designed to take full advantage of the abundance of magicians aboard the vessel. She boasts an impressive armament of four triple-barrelled sixteen-calibre kinetic turrets along with a slew of secondary energy projection turrets along her length that can both project a countless variety of directed spells and aid in the ships defence by offering localized shielding. Her normal crew complement consists of many more mundanes than usual due to the necessity of maintaining highly specialized mundane naval technology. The Gryffindor serves as the defensive bedrock of the fleet but also sits at the forefront of any offensive actions that the fleet might take."
The grand admiral then highlighted the largest ship in the fleet, coincidentally the one where Harry had initially arrived at. "The Helga Hufflepuff on the other hand is a colony development and terraforming ship built solely to expand humanity's footprint across the stars. The Hufflepuffs that serve aboard the ship work hard to study new life forms and adapt hostile environments for human habitation. As one of the largest terraforming ships in Her Imperial Majesty's Navy, the Helga Hufflepuff is of vital strategic importance in developing new colonies. Despite being the largest of our ships, her crew complement is quite low in relation to her volume as most of her space is dedicated to greenhouses and bioponics."
The third ship that Dumbledore highlighted was a bulbous design that was covered with sensor arrays. "The Rowena Ravenclaw is a science vessel that boasts a concentration of the brightest and most promising minds of both magician and mundane origins. Alongside her primary mission to develop new applications by blending technology and magic, the Ravenclaw also serves as the eyes and ears of the fleet, and is the best vessel equipped to study strange new phenomena that can be encountered in deep space. Newly captured or traded technology is also the preserve of the Ravenclaws, who are tasked with reverse engineering these strange and confounding devices in order to spread the technology for the good of mankind."
"And then we have... the Salazar Slytherin." The old man almost seemed to stumble over the name. "As the only vessel in the fleet capable of fooling most sensors, the stealth cruiser fulfils the twin roles of diplomacy and subterfuge. Those privileged few who are destined to serve aboard her will be trained in the art of speech, empathy, reason and espionage. The Slytherin will usually take the lead in establishing first contact with alien races, but should they prove hostile then the cruiser will have no problem in slipping away. Those who graduate from this vessel will find that they can climb great heights in their later careers. Some Slytherins, in fact, have managed to reach the position of Imperial Advisor. Perhaps one day you too can have the ear of the Red Empress."
The headmaster prattled on a bit more about the circumstances of the Sorting. Students in the Hogwarts Training Fleet were assigned a berth at one of the ships according to three principal factors. The first was the opinion of the Sorting Hat itself, which read the mind and history of a cadet to form its choice. The second factor was the recommendation formed by the mundane Imperial Intelligence Service, which computed its choice by aggregating all of the records in existence on a student and unleashing a complicated mathematical model on them. The final factor was the choice of the student themselves. All of these factors were equally weighted in the final choice, and usually at least two of the factors were in agreement with each other. In the event that was not the case, well… Dumbledore said they'd muddle through somehow.
"Now that the explanation is out of the way, let us begin with the Sorting in earnest. Let's see..." Dumbledore called up a digital list. "Abbott, Hannah. Please step forward and approach the hat."
A shy, blond-hair girl bumbled from the crowd of first years and almost stopped halfway through when the menacing guards cocked their rifles. A handful of students chuckled at her stumble.
"Go on, young Hannah." The headmaster encouraged her. "The guards are only there to keep the Sorting Hat in line. They won't hurt you."
It took a significant number of seconds for her to close the remaining distance and sit atop the metal seat that had formed out of the crate. One of the guards then unceremoniously dropped the Sorting Hat on her head. The hat was silent for a second before attempting to talk out of its gag, then realized the futility and kept the remainder of its communication within the mind of its bearer.
A yellow light glowed from the tip of the sunken hat. "Hufflepuff." Dumbledore noted, then flicked his wand activating some sort of mechanism on the seat. Hannah startled before standing back up and placing the hat on the metal surface. Soon enough the machine blinked yellow as well.
"The IIS also concurs with the Sorting Hat. Cadet Abbott, do you wish to serve aboard the Helga Hufflepuff and espouse the House's ideals of friendship, loyalty and effort?"
"Yes... Admiral... I do."
"Then I welcome you to House Hufflepuff. Congratulations Cadet Abbott, please seat yourself at the table of your shipmates."
Hannah's uniform automatically changed into the same shade of yellow as the rest of the Hufflepuffs as she took a seat in the middle of the table and away from prying eyes.
And so the Sorting took place. Headmaster Dumbledore called the students up in alphabetical order and placed them at the centre of everyone's attention, if only for a few minutes, while the results of the three factors were publically called. In some cases, all three factors concurred with each other, as with the case of Hannah. However, it was slightly more likely that only two of the factors matched, with a third expressing a different recommendation.
One of his group mates Susan Bones had in fact received a strong recommendation to go into Slytherin, though both the Hat and her own wishes allowed her to become part of House Hufflepuff.
In a few, rare of cases however, the Sorting went completely wrong and each of the factors indicated a different House.
"But I wanted to be a Gryffindor!" Hermione exclaimed after the Hat sorted her into Hufflepuff and the IIS placed her in Ravenclaw. A huge amount of chatter erupted from the confusion and it took a private talk with Dumbledore himself for Hermione to change her mind. "Fine, I'll go into Ravenclaw." She grumbled, and looked forlornly at Harry, practically begging him to join her in her House.
'I'm sorry Hermione but all that brainy stuff isn't my strong suit.'
In truth, he hadn't actually thought that much on his preference. From Dumbledore's short explanation he only knew that he wouldn't be very suitable for Ravenclaw or Slytherin. That left Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. While his desire for stability and friendship might fit him in neatly with the Hufflepuffs, he didn't want anything to do with terraforming or other such issues. That left Gryffindor… but that choice entailed a heightened risk of injury or even death. 'Seventeen students died...'
He was still grappling with his choices even after the rest of his mentor group had been sorted. Draco was immediately sorted into the Slytherins while Padma confidently joined the Ravenclaws. Neville took a slightly longer time to sort through, but eventually joined the ranks of the Hufflepuffs despite vehement protests from the Sorting Hat to put him in Gryffindor. The sodding thing practically blinded everyone with the bright red light flapping from its tip.
"Potter, Harry."
His moment of truth had finally arrived. By now the students had already witnessed scores of Sortings and were already quite bored with the spectacle. Few people paid attention to him as he quietly stepped into the middle and took a seat before putting on the Hat.
The first thing the Hat did in his mind was sigh. Ahh... I'm so tired of this job. At least you aren't one of those brainwashed 'oldbloods' mister Potter. You have an innocent and unprejudiced mind. I pray you keep it during your tour. 'Training Fleet' my bottomless arse! It's nothing but a youth camp to indoctrinate poor innocent souls who should have never been pulled into the muggle military so early in their lives and—
Ahem. Harry interrupted the Hat. I don't have all night here. Can you just get on with your bloody sorting?
Oh, feisty are you? Well let's dig a little deeper into your heart. Hm... well yes… I see you are intensely loyal to your family... don't have many friends though, and you're not quite the model of a hard worker. But ah, what's this! I see now what you've been trying to keep hidden, even to yourself. You crave acknowledgement and attention. I see, yes, I see very clearly now. Slytherin will let you achieve all of those heights, as long as you have enough ambition.
Join the same House that prat Malfoy was in? The mere thought made him recoil in horror. Not Slytherin, definitely not Slytherin! Any other house, please, I don't care anything but Slytherin!
Alright alright, sheesh, youngsters these days. Well... you do possess a heart of courage, even if you don't flaunt it. Since your dedication to your family and friends is admirable and your intentions are pure, you shall therefore be sorted into GRYFFINDOR!
As soon as the tip glowed red Harry threw the Hat down without remorse. He hadn't exactly found the conversation in his mind unpleasant, but he didn't want to talk to too many old geezers – or hats – in a single day. The IIS machine soon spit out another red colour, which made the boy raise his eyebrows in surprise. 'Does the Imperial Intelligence Service actually think I'm good enough to serve on a warship?'
Well, with two of the factors already decided on the same House, Harry's personal preference didn't really matter. "Gryffindor, I guess." He said, and joined the table at the far left of the Great Hall just as his uniform shimmered into deep red of the House. He seated himself somewhere in the middle of the table but left plenty of space on either side. Besides Hermione, he didn't know any other magician cadet and none of his other group mates had joined him in Gryffindor. 'Did I even join the right House?' But then he imagined himself at the Slytherin table next to Malfoy and grimaced. 'Gryffindor is definitely better.'
It took quite a while to assign all the first years to a berth. The guards thankfully wrapped the Hat back into its prison and left the Great Hall, lightening everyone's mood. The headmaster issued a few warnings and some other general information that Harry didn't bother to follow before announcing dinner.
"Let the feast begin!"
Robots streamed in from all corners, carrying delicious plates of warm, traditionally cooked foods. While Harry found it slightly peculiar that a magical institution employed robots as waiters, he didn't dwell much on it as soon as he spotted a delicious ensemble of hot pies and gravy-draped sausages. He eagerly filled his plate but just couldn't quite reach the bowl of peas.
"Here." The boy next to him said, and offered the bowl to a grateful Harry. "Though I don't know why you even want to eat peas." He commented as he munched quite vulgarly on a chicken drum. "I'm Ron. Ron Weasley, a first year like you."
"Harry Potter. How did you know I was a first year?"
"Other than that half-dazed look of yours?" Ron snorted, accidentally letting some of his nose spittle dribble onto his drum, not that he cared as he bit into that section a moment later. As he chewed the meat he also continued to answer. "Every cadet wears a small pair of golden pins on their collars, here. The amount of stars indicates your seniority."
"You sure know alot about Hogwarts, Ron."
"Well if you are the sixth in the family to join the Training Fleet, you get to hear plenty of stories. I know all about Hogwarts. You can ask me anything." He spoke quite self-assuredly, even as a piece of chicken skin dropped from the corner of his mouth and landed on his chest.
'You might want to watch your table manners.' Harry wanted to tell him, but he had a feeling he wouldn't take the comment well. Instead, he asked, "Will we see much combat as Gryffindors?"
"Definitely!" He shouted obnoxiously, causing all of the other students nearby to cringe. He ignored the complaints and instead caught the attention of a much older and mature redhead further up the table. "Hey Charlie! How much combat action did you get last year?"
Charlie Weasley shook his head in exasperation at his younger brother's antics. "I've participated in three naval battles and one ground-based operation. And stop shouting, Ron."
"What? I couldn't hear that last bit, can you repeat that?"
"I said STOP shouting. You're annoying the others."
"But—"
"Hey," Harry said, and bumped his elbow against Ron's arm, interrupting his response. "Isn't that a freshly cooked chicken the robots just brought in?"
The redhead's eyes lit up in delight. "I love it when they're still steaming!" And promptly tore a limb off the dish.
'How can he be so obnoxious and not be aware of it? Is it really a good idea to befriend him? At least he doesn't outright ignore me.' As Harry quietly enjoyed his meal, he occasionally prompted Ron with questions, which – to his credit – all of which he answered sincerely.
"Oh yeah, most cadets who graduate from the Godric go on to serve aboard other warships, but a few decide to take up a more quiet life and prefer to work behind a desk for the rest of their lives. It beats me why they choose to take such a boring career option. If I were in their place I would have chosen a ship at the forefront of the fight against the Kichilics."
"Hah, that's easy for you to say, first year." An older woman commented. "Wait until you lose some friends. You'll find an active combat assignment much less appealing then."
"I'm not a coward."
"Sometimes it takes courage to admit you aren't a warrior. Not every Gryffindor is cut out for the battlefield. Don't look down on those who choose calmer pastures."
Ron had little else to say in response, and turned his attention back to his food. Harry enjoyed the rest of his meal in silence until Dumbledore announced the end of the evening dinner. "Seconds years and up, please return to your crew quarters at your assigned ships. First years, please stay seated for a moment longer."
As the Great Hall emptied considerably, Dumbledore went into yet another lecture. "In a moment your House Heads will escort you to the crew quarters of your respective ships. But before I let you leave the Hall, I would like to notify you that your AI companions will have received your personal schedule by now. Tomorrow is a big day, for you will all board shuttles to take you to the surface of Diagon Secundus. There we will requisition essential supplies for you such as your state-issued cybernetic wands and an AI companion if you did not bring one. Once you return to the Fleet we will begin with the delightful event of bonding you with your AI companions. Acquiring your first familiar is a special occasion for every magician, and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did."
The headmaster finally retreated and let the House Heads take over. An unfamiliar woman that looked just as old as the admiral approached the Gryffindors. "I am Professor McGonagall, the current captain of the Godric Gryffindor. As the Head of our House I expect every one of my cubs to uphold an exemplary standard of honour, valour and courage. As the primary warship of the Training Fleet we bear a heavy responsibility to safeguard the lives of our fellow spacers. If you conduct yourself well during training and prove that you can follow orders, then I am certain that you will all have a bright future ahead in the armed forces or elsewhere."
The professor led them back to their new berth. While Harry felt unnerved to be back out in the half-transparent space between the starships, he was still able to marvel the prodigious warship that would be his new home. From her thick lizard-like shape, to the gigantic turret batteries placed along her hull, the Godric Gryffindor perfectly fit the part of an instrument of war. Just thinking about being a part of her crew made Harry feel... proud? Patriotic? Privileged?
'Ugh, what on earth am I saying? I've never even considered punching someone in the face, and now I'm glorifying my tour on a ship that has the power to wipe out entire cities.'
The mob of first year Gryffindors entered the ship from the main passenger hatch and continued to follow a dizzying path until they finally reached the crew quarter section of the battleship.
"This hatch is keyed to your biometric signatures and will only allow magician cadets of our House to enter. Please do not invite in magicians from other Houses or mundanes as I can assure you that it will not work."
McGonagall led them in the central chamber which appeared much like a lounge. All of the stiffness and soberness that marked the majority of the ship was completely absent here. "The Gryffindor Common Room is a place where Gryffindors can relax and socialize. You will find out in the coming weeks that it is one of the few refuges of peace on the ship."
The professor finally guided the students to their sleeping compartment. When Harry entered the room he was a little disappointed that he wouldn't have his own private cabin. The privacy screens surrounding each bed looked both bare and flimsy.
"This compartment shall be your home for the rest of your stay on the Godric Gryffindor. They were occupied by last year's seventh years and have been extensively cleaned and prepared for your arrival. Pick your bunks well, for you shall be sleeping on them for a significant part of your lives." Before the professor turned to go, she reminded them of tomorrow's schedule. "Tomorrow is an important day for you all, so please set your alarm clocks to 0700. While we do not operate at full military discipline during peace time, I expect you all to be tidy and on time. And if you're wondering about your luggage, it will be delivered to your bunks by tomorrow evening. Good night, cadets."
Ron looked shrewdly at each student as they figured out what to do next. "I get first pick!" He shouted, and immediately went for a bunk beside the bulkhead closest to the centre of the vessel.
'That's strange. I figured he'd be the type to claim a bunk nearest to the viewports.' Harry followed the redhead anyway, figuring he had a pretty good reason for choosing this particular location.
"Oh hey Harry." He said as he sank into the luxuriously padded bed. "Did you pick the safe side as well?"
"I was just following you, really. What makes this spot so special?"
"It's the bed furthest away from the hull. If anything happens to the ship, the bunks right next to those fancy viewports are the first to space into vacuum."
That made a lot of sense. "Looks like I chose right, then."
The other students spread out after Ron and Harry claimed their beds. Harry had endured a pretty long day and had seen many new sights so he easily slipped into sleep. He wondered slightly about sleepwear and brushing his teeth, but Hedwig informed him that his uniform had a sleep mode that took care of all of his issues. By that point the boy was too tired to even think of anything else, and let the soft folds of his bed whisk his consciousness into a dreamless sleep.
Then Ron decided to rudely interrupt his journey into darkness. "Hey Harry?"
"Yes, Ron?" Harry replied, trying to stifle his groan.
"Will you be my friend?"
Was that all that Ron had to say? "Yes, Ron. I'll be your friend. Now go to sleep."
"Okay, Harry. Thanks for being my friend."
"You're welcome."
…
"Hey Harry?"
"…What is it now?"
"Since we've got loads of classes together and we'll be doing lots of group work, I was wondering if you'd be my partner for any assignments we get set?"
"Yeah, sure, I'll team up with you if we're in the same classes. Now go to SLEEP, Ron."
Roughly five minutes passed without a peep from Ron, so Harry figured it was safe to let his own mind drift off. Soon enough, oblivion greeted him and—
"Hey Har—"
"I WON'T ANSWER ANY OF YOUR STUPID QUESTIONS THIS LATE AT NIGHT SO GO TO SLEEP ALREADY!"
"Whoa, who woke me up? I was just having a good dream damn it!"
"Shut up Seamus!"
"Hey, do you mind? I'm catching my beauty sleep here!"
"You started it first."
"No you did, you dweeb!"
"Who just farted? That's disgusting!"
"Use your privacy screens if you're so sensitive."
"The privacy screens only block sight and access you nincompoop."
"Muhahaha! Behold the fragrance of my spicy beef burrito!"
"Eww!"
This time Harry couldn't resist groaning loudly as the entire compartment buzzed with juvenile banter. He'd never catch enough sleep for tomorrow at this rate. He rearranged his duvet and covered his ears as best he could before trying to fall back asleep.