Kaden felt the wind whip across his face as he began to decelerate rapidly and his anti-friction field powered down. All around him were the towering metal structures of the twelfth district's manufactories.
Up ahead, the mag-rails were flanked by dozens of large material grinders and raw material processing equipment. Just past these machines was the mag-rail switching station, which sat at the foot of a large building belonging to the Building Reclamation Department of Valmecha.
Kaden continued forward until the five-railway system met the dozens of other rails at the switching station. After bringing his board to a halt with the soft squeak of mag-breaks, the young Lombax jumped off and landed safely on a familiar maintenance walkway that he'd frequently used to mount and dismount the rails before. From there he took a short walk toward an open area, took a deep breath, and collapsed on the floor.
While lying there sprawled out across the metal ground, Kaden finally let himself relax. The adrenaline rush began to leave his veins and his heart rate slowed back to a normal speed. The feeling of exhaustion and muscle soreness that then washed over him was almost enough to make him fall asleep right there and then, as his body took count of the cost from every physical exertion over the past several hours.
After several minutes of fighting to not lose consciousness though, he managed to work up the strength to sit back up. Still breathing heavily, he rested his back against a metal safety grate and pulled his board over to his lap.
Kaden's face saddened as he looked at the shredded remains of the hoverboard's motor and knew it would likely never fly again. Kaden wasn't really what you'd call a sentimental Lombax, though. He tended to write off unnecessary emotions with logical thought, so he easily shrugged off the loss of his trusty hoverboard. He reminded himself that it had done its job properly and that he should just be happy that he'd got away, before he tossed the device aside and pulled out his digi-pad. He then got right to work. There were a few last minute things that he needed to take care of before he went to visit his escape's benefactor.
Kaden made his way through Factory 38A-27 with somewhat of a skip in his step. Having recovered his stamina, he was now beginning to enjoy his newfound appreciation for simple freedom from pursuit.
He waved cheerfully at the grease stained Lombaxes and worker-bots around the factory as he passed them, many of which waved back. Most of the employees here had already known Kaden from his frequent visits. Some had even worked alongside him on various things over the years.
Eventually he made it to a service elevator and took it up to the top of the building where Sam's office was located. Sam was actually responsible for many more projects than just this one factory, though. In fact, Sam was the CEO of Fur and Steel Fabrications, which, among other things, oversaw the largest share of old building reclamation contracts.
The doors to the lift slid open on the top floor and Kaden made his way down the hall of offices toward the giant double doors at the far end.
On his way over, he was stopped by a brown-furred Lombax, "I wouldn't go in there if I was you," the Lombax warned. "The boss is in a foul mood at the moment."
Kaden turned and recognized the factory's general manager right away, "Hello, Tarvon," he replied cheerfully, "and isn't Sam always in a bad mood?" he then added knowingly.
Tarvon smiled and shook his head at Kaden's comment, "That's only when you're here, Kaden," he explained. "This time though, some 'idiot' apparently forgot to file for mag-rail usage and the boss had to pull a few strings to get it done on the fly, or at least that's the report I got."
Kaden's cheerful demeanor cracked just a bit at being indirectly called an idiot, "I'm sure it was just an honest mistake. Isn't 'idiot' a bit harsh?" he defended reflexively.
"No, 'idiot' was the word the boss used," said Tarvon thoughtfully. "Though there were other descriptive terms like 'moron' and 'incompetent' thrown around a lot," he continued.
Kaden's expression was now being forced into one of false pleasantness, "Well then, I'll just have to go cheer-up the old, grouchy, fur-bag now won't I?" he said through a forced smile before turning back to face the large double doors and marching toward them.
"Maybe try not to use the words 'old', 'grouchy', or 'fur-bag'?" Tarvon shouted after him.
Kaden waved his hand in acknowledgement of the advice and Tarvon returned to what he was doing while thinking about how much he was going to miss teasing the young Lombax after today.
As the two double doors slid apart, Kaden was greeted by the familiar sight of an oversized office chair with its back towards him. It sat with its occupant facing a wall that was seemingly made out of holo-monitors.
Resting on the desk in front of the chair was a Lombax's hand and it was repeatedly squeezing a stress ball. The fur on the appendage was a very light tan color with very dark brown stripes that formed a sharp contrast to one another.
Kaden had seen this scene several times before. The fact that Sam had the stress ball out and was so engrossed in the holo-monitor readings as to not even hear someone come in meant that this was a precarious situation. Just as Tarvon had said, the boss was in a very bad mood and Kaden knew he needed to be very tactful, so as not to enrage the industrial leader… Then he thought, 'Eh, last day.'
"Hi, Sam!" shouted Kaden at the top of his lungs the moment the door had resealed behind him.
Sam's hand reacted immediately to the noise and crushed the heavily used stress ball to point of rupture, blasting powder and foam bits all over the desk beneath it. Slowly the chair spun around and Kaden smiled toothily into the angrily burning eyes of his unwilling accomplice and family friend, Samantha Kinz.
"Kaden," she growled in a voice that dripped with irritation and annoyance. "I see you survived your latest disaster… What a pity."
Kaden lost none of his apparent cheer as he strode happily over to one of the guest chairs in front of Sam's desk and sat down, "Yah, it was a close one," he agreed. "By the way, does 'three minutes' still mean 180 galactic standard seconds, because it definitely 'wasn't' three minutes when that rail came online?"
Sam's eye twitched angrily at the familiar impudence of the young Lombax. She had thought that after so many years of dealing with it that she would have gotten used to the feelings of irritation it brought forth. Alas, here it was again, getting under her fur with the same burning intensity that it always did.
Kaden's father was a well renowned engineer in the City of Valmecha and Sam had known him personally. He was currently working on an extended contract off-world, but had been contracted by Fur and Steel Fabrications several times in the past. During that time he had taught Sam almost everything she knew today about engineering and industry and she had no doubt that her current position in the company was thanks to his tutelage.
It was for that very reason and likely that reason alone, that she reluctantly chose to help the young son of her mentor with various experiments and, on occasion, helped pull his tail out of some of the numerous fires (both figurative and literal) that he'd caused. This time however, he'd gone too far.
"I should call the District Twelve Praetorian Guards right now and have them come and get you for what you did," she threatened menacingly.
Kaden sat up in his chair in surprise at the threat, "And why would you do that?" he questioned. "It's not like this is the first time I used the company's resources to escape the Guard."
"No, it's not," agreed Sam shamefully, "but this time was different. I don't mind you hanging out here to build some kind of contraption and I can get over it when you break company equipment during one of your crazy little experiments, but when you start destroying whole swaths of the city for no reason, that's crossing the line."
Kaden crossed his arms and scowled indignantly, "I did too have a reason," he countered.
Sam shook her head in disbelief, "What was the point of this, then?" she demanded, throwing her hands up in the air for emphasis . "I've been going over the records from the Guard's communications band-"
"Which you couldn't even do had I not installed the system," interjected Kaden.
"Shut up," Sam ordered before continuing her rant. "They say you were spotted speeding down the skyway in District Eight and then I heard about all of the destruction that followed. Usually I can get to sleep at night by telling myself that I was just helping you out of trouble when your experiments went bad, but this… this was nothing but madness!"
Kaden glared back at her, "It was not simple madness," he insisted sternly. "First off, Zakon would have looked like a fool if he'd prepared so many of the Praetorian's resources and I didn't even show up. They'd call him paranoid or mad. I couldn't let my good buddy go through that, so I had to at least say goodbye."
"So starting a mad chase through the city and causing millions of bolts in property damage is your way of saying goodbye?" questioned Sam.
Kaden shrugged with a self-satisfied smile, but then changed his demeanor when Sam's eyes narrowed into angry slits, "Not at all," he assured her. "The trip through the city was just to get all the personnel out of the 4th precinct. I knew that with Lexi getting so riled up, he'd order every available unit under his command after me."
Most of Sam's expression still spoke of disappointment, but she couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow, "So then, oh Great Villain of Valmecha, what did you do to the 4th precinct?"
Kaden smiled.
Two Praetorian Guard maintenance workers were currently sitting in front of the 4th precinct building while enjoying a well-deserved break. One of the maintenance workers, a robot named Buzz was liberally applying lubricants to his squeaking joints while his partner, a brown-furred Lombax named Charlie, drank from his canteen of water as he studied the wall before them.
They had both just finished the task of wiping and reinstalling the control A.I.s of every wild B.R.A.D. maintenance drone in the entire department. Somehow a foreign virus had been downloaded to their systems earlier this morning and with all of the commotion caused by the need to get the experimental Sentinel-class armored unit ready for action, the entire maintenance staff had been much too busy to notice the little spider-like robots scuttling around and doing their own thing.
"Personally, I like it," declared Charlie with a nod of his head.
"You would," replied Buzz metallically without looking up from his task of lubricating himself. "You organics and your hormones, do you even think about anything else?"
Charlie scowled at his friend, "No!" he groaned, "not like that. I mean I like the way he tastefully used the main entrance and the two large windows on the third floor. This here is a work of art and there's nothing 'hormonal' about why."
Buzz stopped oiling his joints and took another look at the image drawn on the building's front wall, "This is beauty to you?" he asked at last, unsure if he had the right definition of 'art' in his vocabulary processor.
Charlie shrugged, "Well, of course I wish he hadn't used Zakon for the head, but the rest of it is definitely beautifully done. In fact, the old man doesn't look half bad with those long flowing locks. Maybe he should think about growing out his scalp fur."
Buzz's ocular sensors continued to scan up and down the vandalized building wall carefully, "Even that part?" he continued to question with a jab from one of his three metallic fingers.
Charlie followed the finger's direction to the large words written across the very top of the building which spelled out the phrase 'KADEN WAS HERE' in bright red lettering.
"Oh, well that," began Charlie with the air of a professional critic, "That's a separate piece, but I'd still consider it art because of its ironic message."
"Ironic message?" intoned Buzz curiously. "And what message is that?"
Charlie smiled...
"Because I was never actually there!" exclaimed Kaden. "I did it all through the maintenance bots and yet I still technically did it, so I was there, but not!"
Sam stared dumbfounded at the young Lombax before her. Just like with the things he did to anger her, she had always thought that she'd get used to Kaden's particular brand of brilliant crazy, but each and every time she couldn't help but be rendered speechless by his actions.
"But why would…" Sam started to say before thinking better of it, shaking her head dismissively, and leaning back in her chair. "I give up," she breathed out in defeat before putting her hand over her face. "It's a good thing you're leaving today, because I honestly don't think I can take getting roped into another one of your crazy stunts."
Kaden smiled, "Oh don't be like that. I know you'll miss me when I'm gone. Do you want a hug?"
"Ha!" laughed Sam harshly while smacking her hand down on her desk. "The only hug I want from you is the one where my hands hug your scrawny neck tightly and never let go."
Kaden winced playfully, but continued to smile, "You know hiding your true feelings behind walls of aggression and anger hurts us both," he lectured with pretend sadness.
Sam rolled her eyes before one of the holo-monitors behind her flashed red. She turned around to read it and groaned as she saw the data, "Blasted reactor three," she muttered to herself darkly. "I'd like to see it go one council-condemned day without blowing a thermal dissipator."
Sam's eyes began to flick around in their sockets without appearing to be look at anything. This was a clear sign of someone using their NID. After a few seconds she began to speak aloud to someone besides Kaden, "Yeah it's me and yes it's that damn reactor again," she said to the unseen figure. "Try and patch it as best you can, but if it gets any worse we'll have to requisition another one." She then blinked hard and turned back to Kaden.
"Something I could help with?" he offered genuinely.
Sam shook her head at the proposal, "No thanks, Kaden, I think you've caused enough trouble today."
"Oh come on," countered Kaden indignantly "Reactor three is just a simple positronic sub-vector generator, I could fix it in my sleep."
"Oh yeah?" replied Sam with a sadistic and knowing grin. "You mean like how you fixed power lift? Or the raw material crane? Wait no, you must mean like how you fixed the brand new plasma generator for the smelters."
Kaden's face soured as Sam listed some of his most famous screw-ups and he looked away in embarrassment, "I was just a kid, I've gotten way better since then," he said in his defense, "I used to help out all the time when my dad worked here," he added bitterly.
Sam looked at the pitiful expression on Kaden's face and smiled lightly at him. It was true that when Cerdas was working at Fur and Steel, Kaden was around almost every day helping his father out with some project or learning about the equipment. Sure the kid had made a few mistakes, ones Sam refused to let him live down, but Kaden's abilities had always amazed her. Even back then he could probably have put half the engineers in the company to shame… at least if he hadn't needed his naptime.
As Sam recalled her long history with Kaden and his father, nostalgia began to wash over her, "How is your dad, by the way?" she asked with a soft smile and a distant look in her eye.
"Still unavailable," answered Kaden bluntly.
All at once, the good, nostalgic feeling Sam had just been experiencing was shattered like brittle glass as her sweet memories were pushed aside by a single bad one.
With her soft smile now bend sarcastically, Sam held out her hand and moved it back and forth between herself and Kaden for emphasis, "This… this right here is what I'm going to miss," she spat sarcastically. "Me pulling your sorry tail out of the flames for the millionth time and you repaying that kindness by bringing up embarrassing history that I'd rather forget."
Kaden opened his mouth in sheer amazement at the hypocrisy, "And what about you. Every time I come here you always find a way to work in a jab at my few legitimate mistakes," retorted Kaden.
"Oh yes, let's compare your wanton destruction of equipment and the ensuing thousands of bolts in company costs to the mistakes in my personal life," spat back Sam. "Besides, I told you that I hadn't known about your father's… eh, 'situation' at that time."
"You mean married to my mother?" Kaden asked with a condescending tone.
Sam fought to control her anger and began rubbing her temples. She stopped and took a deep, calming breath before replying, "Yes Kaden," she began slowly. "I meant, 'married to your mother'. Now don't you have some other poor soul's life to ruin? You've only wrecked half the city, so I'm sure you've got plenty of other names still on your list."
Kaden thought about it for a little bit and shrugged, "I guess I probably should be getting back home soon. The train for the academy leaves in a few hours," he admitted before getting up and walking toward the door. "I'll be taking the teleporters over, by the way," he added as an afterthought.
Sam massaged the bridge of her nose gently, "Whatever, fine, just get going. I still have to find a way to explain why I requested that mag-rail activation before the Guard begin to investigate and figure out that it 'coincidentally' helped you to escape them," she informed him, knowing full well that he didn't really care.
Kaden revealed no signs of guilt at having put Sam in legal danger and simply stood in the doorway, "Bye, Sam," he said simply.
Sam just shook her head and waved him away like one would shoo a fly, before the young Lombax turned and the doors closed over his shrinking figure.
Not having time to care about pleasantries, Sam spun her chair around and immediately went about the task of covering her tracks. She had already been deciding her course of action before Kaden had showed up and now all she needed to do was implement it.
Yesterday, she had given the order to bring in several tram cars full of broken-down building material. They had all been attached together in one massive unit to improve efficiency, but now she'd have to have them disconnected and just say that only half of it came in yesterday and the other half today.
"Tarvon," she said aloud after her NID had connected to her right hand bax, "I need you to have the tram we brought in yesterday broken in two and separated. Then make sure that the half with the most cheddar in it is moved back onto the receiving rail line with its own tram tag. I'd also prefer if it was done quietly." Sam knew that she could trust Tarvon, as he'd done several things like this in the past for her without a question, which was why his question this time was so weird.
"And why would I do that, boss?" he asked with a seemingly amused tone.
Sam creased her brown in confusion, "Because I just ordered a mag-rail activation to bring a tram in from the graveyard and there isn't one on the track now," she explained vaguely.
"Mag-rail activation?" questioned Tarvon with feigned ignorance. "I don't have any kind of record for a mag-rail activation today."
Sam only became more confused by Tarvon's words, "I just sent you a memo about it like five minutes ago. What do you mean there's no record of it?"
"Take a look for yourself," Tarvon answered simply.
Sam turned to face her monitors once again and her fingers quickly danced over a keypad, bringing up a data log for the mag-rail usage schedule. Her eyes scanned the digital document carefully, but there was no listing for a power flow redirect at the time Kaden had escaped on it.
She had just looked at the schedule a few minutes ago and knew for a fact that it had shown her company's request, clear as day. This was the Twelfth District's public record too, so no one should have the authority to change it. "But how-" Sam started to say in bewilderment.
"How indeed," intoned Tarvon knowingly before he disconnected the NID link.
Sam spun around in her chair and stared at the sealed double door to her office. As she let the thoughts in her head digest, she couldn't help but let a small, but somber smile spread across her lips before looking down and shaking her head slowly.
"Goodbye, Kaden," she said, before turning back to her monitors and returning to work.
Valmecha's second district was known as the housing district since its main purpose was to contain the homes for the vast majority of the city's population. It was also where Kaden lived. With a swipe of his hand, the door to apartment number 1408, residential building 66b, sub-district three slid open to reveal the familiar interior of Kaden's home.
"I'm back," he called as he stepped through the doorway and headed for the living room.
A female Lombax was standing in the living room as he entered and she turned around to face him as he approached, "Hello, Kaden," she said brightly. "How was your farewell party?"
This was Kaden's mother, Amara. Both her fur and her stripes were an extremely light shade of tan and brown respectively. Her fur itself was almost more of a cream color while her long brown hair matched that of her stripes.
"It was great," answered Kaden with a mischievous grin. "It did get a little out of hand for a bit, but I got everything settled back down."
Amara nodded proudly, "That's my little bax," she said, completely unaware that the commotion he was talking about was his fault to begin with, or that it had nothing to do with an actual party. "I was just about to bring your bags down from your room, so just give me a second and you'll be all set."
"Mom, you don't have to do that. I can bring them down myself," said Kaden.
Amara smiled at her son's thoughtfulness, "Oh you're so sweet, but I insist. It's your special day, after all. Why don't you go to the kitchen and get yourself a snack? I just finished a batch of sakara cakes."
At the mention of freshly baked sakara cakes, Kaden almost dashed off to the kitchen without another thought, but he was just barely able to hold himself back, "I mean it mom, really. I can take care of it myself," he insisted as a dribble of saliva escaped the corner of his mouth.
However, Kaden knew that it'd be bad if his mother started digging through his room looking for his luggage, or worse, if she decided to take a look at what he'd actually packed inside his traveling cases.
His insistence didn't go above suspicion, however, and his mother eyed him warily, "Why is it such a big deal?" she asked. "Can't I just take care of my son on his last day home?"
Kaden set his jaw firmly and stood his ground, "Mother, I'm not a little kid anymore. I don't need you to take care of me."
This was definitely the wrong thing to say, but Kaden realized it too late. Amara's eyes widened and her lips bent into a sad frown appearing almost on the verge of tears. Kaden tried to make a run for it, but he was no match for his mother's speed. She tackled him to the ground a moment later before wrapping him in a deep bear hug and lifting him clear off his feet.
"My little boy is all grown up and leaving home at age of sixteen!" she exclaimed almost in hysterics. "It's too soon. Most children don't leave for the academy until they're much older. Why did I have to be blessed with such a brilliant child?"
Kaden pushed hard against his mother's embrace for the sheer sake of preventing himself from being crushed, "I think I need to fine tune your avatar's sensory receptors," he gasped painfully as he heard robotic servos whine as Amara squeezed even tighter.
The holo-projections of Kaden's mother rippled around the robotic avatar's body as Kaden struggled against its embrace, "There's nothing wrong with my sensory readings, Kaden," she assured him. "This is just how much I love you."
"Love… hurts," was all Kaden could say before he felt his spine begin to move out of place.
Suddenly the pressure decreased dramatically and the intense bear hug became a gentle embrace, "I'm so sorry that your father and I couldn't be there with you to see you off," his mother suddenly apologized sadly.
Kaden wrapped his own arms around his mother's avatar the moment he'd regained the feeling in them, "That's OK, mom. It's not your fault."
Amara's eyes narrowed at Kaden's words, "No, but your father should at least be here," she countered angrily before the two of them separated. "The only reason he isn't is because he blew up another drilling rig and has to work overtime to fix it. I swear that man breaks more things than he actually builds. I'm just thankful that you took after me and not your walking disaster of a father. What kind of example does he think he's setting for you? It's a wonder you're not gallivanting through the city every other week causing trouble and chaos."
Kaden pursed his lips together tightly and prepared himself to lie through his teeth, "Y-yep," he croaked deceptively.
Amara breathed out a sigh and shook her head sadly before her expression softened and she smiled once more, "I forget what we were doing… Oh yes, sakara cakes," she repeated before turning and walking toward the kitchen.
Kaden quickly stretched out his body to make sure nothing had been crushed before he excitedly followed his mother to the kitchen. Halfway there, the smell of sweet pastries hit Kaden's nostrils and the physical effect that it had on his mind almost made him push past his mother in eagerness.
This made it almost maddening that she was walking slowly because she was still trying to talk to him, "I'm surprised that you got back so late," she commented casually.
Kaden barely heard a word, his mind and nostrils were too full of the sweet sugar scent of sakara as he marched stiffly behind her, "Mm hmm," he responded absentmindedly.
"Yes, I'm even more surprised that you didn't mention it to Sorana before you left her party," she continued.
Amara walked through the kitchen entrance and Kaden used the opening to make a beeline for the oven in the corner where a tray of tiny round cakes sat in a thermal stasis field to keep them warm. He didn't even bother to lower the field before he reached in to grab his prize.
"Mention what?" Kaden asked subconsciously as he fought to hold a piping hot sakara cake in each hand.
"Mention when you'd be back home," answered Amara. "She thought you'd have been back by now and has been waiting here patiently for over half an hour."
Kaden, a whole cake stuffed halfway into his mouth, froze on the spot. It was only then that he finally noticed the chill that was in the atmosphere. His heart began to beat loudly in his ears as he slowly turned, cake still in gob.
Sitting at the kitchen table, with elegant poise and calm demeanor, was a young, female Lombax close to Kaden's age. Her fur was a brilliant, pure white that was accented by soft silver stripes. Her hair was long and flowed evenly down her back. It was also white, but with the subtlest hint of blue that almost made it seem to glow.
Her eyes were a deep blue and they sparkled with an icy cold rage that Kaden was only able to discern after so many years of seeing it. Her smile was refined and subtle to anyone else, but to Kaden it gravely warned of a furious storm that brewed just behind it. He was soooooo busted!
"Hello Kaden," said Sorana softly in a voice that wasn't anything like shout, but still snapped across Kaden's ears like a whip. "I was just telling your mother about how much fun we had during the 'farewell party' at 'my' house last night."
Kaden tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry, "Y-you were?" he stammered. "Uh, w-what part in particular?"
Sorana tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, but not breaking her gaze even slightly, "Let's see, I believe I had just finished explaining to your mother that I had thought you'd be home by now because you didn't mention where you were going when you left 'my house' earlier today," Sorana explained as she rotated her teacup playfully in its saucer. "Where did you say you were going again?"
"I, uh…" Kaden began as his mind desperately searched for an excuse. "I was going to visit Sam down in District Twelve," he declared and was surprised to find how much truth there was to his statement.
"Oh, Samantha!" interrupted Kaden's mother, completely unaware of the tense atmosphere in her kitchen. "That explains why you wanted that lunch box. How has she been doing?"
Kaden tried to respond, but he couldn't bring himself to turn his gaze away from Sorana's, "She's doing alright," he answered distractedly. "Busy with work as usual."
Sorana's expression and piercing gaze weren't dissuaded by Kaden's explanation, "In that case, I'm surprised you made it back here at all," she commented suspiciously as she raised her cup to her lips. "Apparently Skyway 538 was closed down earlier this morning. I even had a hard time with traffic on my way here. How did you manage to get there and back?"
Kaden was ready to respond this time, "I took my hoverboard," he explained quickly. This was also technically not a lie and besides, Kaden never took public transportation anyway.
His mother let out a sigh and shook her head in displeasure, "You know I hate it when you go flying all over Valmecha on that council dismissed thing," she lectured. "In such a big city it's just far too dangerous."
Kaden couldn't help but smirk slightly at his mother's comment, forgetting for the briefest of instants the situation that he was in. Immediately he tried to hide the expression, but it was too late, Sorana had seen it and her eyes widened just enough for Kaden to know that he had just dug himself a deeper grave.
"Well, either way, it's nice to hear that Samantha is doing well," noted Amara sincerely. "Sorana, would you like some more?" she added upon seeing Sorana drain the last of her cup.
Sorana gave Kaden's mother her well-practiced smile of appreciation, "Yes please, I would love another cup of your delicious tea," she said with a small, respectful bow of her head.
"My how proper," noted Kaden's mother gleefully before turning to her own son. "If only this one could have picked up some of your grace and etiquette. Go sit down Kaden before you get crumbs all over the floor. I'll get you something to drink as well."
Kaden had forgotten that he was holding two handfuls of sakara cake. Slowly he began to move toward the table where Sorana sat with her eyes following him the whole way like a security turret tracking a target.
He made it to the table and took his seat directly across from her without breaking eye contact. Kaden's mother then placed a cup and a plate in front of her son before refilling Sorana's cup with a teapot
Sorana immediately took a sip of the lightly steaming liquid and sighed with satisfaction, "You know, I've tasted some of the most expensive and refined teas from all over the galaxy, but as always, none of them compare to your mother's, Kaden."
Amara put her free hand on her cheeks and smiled bashfully at the compliment, "Oh Sorana, it's always such a great pleasure to have you over," she swooned. "You're much too good for my son. You even came all the way here just to pick him up and help him pack his luggage." Suddenly, Amara's expression changed as if she had just remembered something. "That's right, the bags," she muttered to herself before quickly putting down the pitcher and hurrying out of the kitchen.
Kaden instinctively made a move to stop her, but was barely able to get an inch off his seat before Sorana's ice cold glare froze him in place. His mother's presence was the only thing holding Sorana's seething anger in check and she was now quickly walking out of earshot.
Kaden listened intently to the sound of his mother's footsteps as they grew softer down the hall. Sorana said nothing and made no moves while they could still be heard. She wouldn't, of course. Not until she was sure Kaden was the only one that could hear her. The footsteps became like a ticking bomb's countdown to Kaden's mind and then... they were gone.
Sorana gently put her teacup down and then her elegant demeanor melted like ice and her face finally matched the anger beneath it, "What did you do?" she hissed quietly, but fiercely.
Kaden cringed at the harsh tone, "Uh, what do you mean?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
This did not improve Sorana's mood, "Oh, I don't know, maybe it has something to do with you lying to your mother about being over my house last night?!"
Kaden's eyes shifted rapidly from right to left as he tried to avoid eye contact, "I told you, I was visiting Sam over in District Twelve," he insisted.
Sorana's eyes narrowed, "You wouldn't need an excuse to be gone all night if you were just visiting someone this morning. Now, either you tell me what you were really doing last night or I'll tell your mother the truth about what you've been up to."
Kaden crossed his arms and summoned up all of his courage, "You won't do that," he declared defiantly. "You've already told her that I was at your house. If you rat me out now, you'll stain your perfect image."
Sorana leaned across the table to within inches of Kaden's face and her angry stare transformed into a deeply wicked grin, "Oh Kaden, I wasn't talking about today," she whispered cruelly. "No, not when there are so many other wonderful stories I could tell."
And there it was, Sorana's trump card over Kaden. The two Lombaxes had known each other since primary school and since then Sorana had been Kaden's number one outlet for his most guarded secrets. Virtually every act of misconduct he'd ever committed, from the morally grey to the blatantly criminal, he had told Sorana about. She even claimed to have proof of his deeds, too. Not even Sam was in possession of hard evidence proving Kaden's illegal actions, he had been sure to cover his tracks even from her. That left Sorana as the sole weakness in Kaden's otherwise perfect criminal career and she knew it.
Kaden's ears drooped down the sides of his head as he slumped in defeat, "Fine," he moped. "I'll tell you, but not here. Mom might overhear us."
Sorana leaned back and considered the proposal, "Very well," she agreed at last, "but don't think I'll forget about this."
Kaden didn't respond. Instead he simply looked down at his uneaten sakara cakes and sulked. Sorana shook her head and rolled her eyes at her friend's childlike behavior. She of course should have known better by now. This was just how Kaden was. It was true that he was younger than her, but only by a year. Kaden's glum expression was soon broken, however, by a look of sudden wariness.
He turned back to Sorana and eyed her suspiciously, "What did my mother mean when she said you came over to help pack my luggage?" he asked.
Sorana sat back down and reached for her tea again before answering, "Exactly what it sounds like," she explained callously. "I know what a mess you make of simple tasks like that, so I came over and made sure you had everything you needed to live on your own at Nova."
"But I already packed my bags," countered Kaden with concern starting to creep into his expression.
"I know," replied Sorana with a slight, knowing smile, "that's why I 'repacked' them for you. And, like I thought, you had packed a little too much 'extra'."
Kaden's eyes widened in horror, "You mean they're-" he began fearfully.
"Yes Kaden, they're gone," answered Sorana coldly before he'd finished the question.
"All of them?" he croaked despondently at the thought of going off to Nova without them.
Sorana's brow creased in confusion, "How many did you have?" she asked in surprise.
"Just one," answered Kaden much too quickly.
Sorana's face darkened again and she opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say another word, Kaden's mother came walking back into the kitchen. Sorana's face then immediately flipped back into its elegantly neutral expression and she returned to sipping her tea as if nothing had happened. A small grin curled the corners of Kaden's lips as he felt an immense pressure lift, but the small smile died a moment later when he caught Sorana's glaring eyes once again. They told him that this conversation was far from over.
After a long and tearful goodbye (on Amara's part at least), Kaden and Sorana walked out of the apartment's rear door and onto their balcony as it sealed shut behind them. Waiting outside was a long, sleek hover-limo that belonged to Sorana's family. Standing next to it and holding the door open, was Sorana's robotic maid servant C.A.M.
Cam smiled at Sorana with bright, glowing green eyes, "Ready to go Miss Bellit?" asked the robot cheerfully. "I've already packed Mr. Kaden's luggage, we can leave whenever you are ready."
Sorana nodded her head in acknowledgement and appreciation, "Thank you, Cam. We'll be going straight to the train station," she commanded.
Cam bowed obediently as Sorana got in and then raised her head to look at Kaden as he was about to follow.
Her eyes shifted from green to red and her ocular shutters narrowed scornfully, "Demon spawn," she hissed scathingly, but just quiet enough for only Kaden to hear.
"Scrap heap," he replied flatly, before stepping inside the vehicle.
The door was shut behind him and he took his seat across from Sorana while the robotic maid walked back to the driver's seat. As he sat, Sorana eyed him carefully. The vehicle hummed to life as its capacitors charged and a moment later, Kaden and Sorana felt a shift in their momentum. Kaden's home disappeared in the windows behind him and he was off at last.
"Explain," Sorana ordered, breaking the silence immediately.
"Explain what, exactly?" answered Kaden, trying to find out how much she actually knew.
This had been the wrong answer. Sorana's ears flattened back against her head in the Lombax display of aggression. She then reached down to grab a small electronic stick, without taking her eyes off of Kaden, and held it up to show him.
The device was a personal data assistant that acted as an interaction device for a standard Lombax NID. Kaden had his NID's control device wired into his brain, which allowed him to work it with just a thought. Sorana's NID on the other hand was just a basic version, little more than an antenna and a small data storage device.
Two metal prongs popped out to the sides of the electronic device and a holo-screen was projected between them, "Explain 'this'." she repeated hotly.
Displayed on the projected holo-screen was an image of a male, tan-furred Lombax who was wearing a blacked out helmet visor. The Lombax was standing in a mall and grinning widely while giving the thumbs up to the camera. Kaden's eyes widened slightly at the image in surprise. Not only was he confused as to how Sorana had been able to find the photo so quickly, but also because he didn't even remember pausing to pose for more pictures after he'd tossed his board into the food court at the mall.
"That could be anybody," defended Kaden. "I'm sure there's at least… two other Lombaxes in this city who are that good looking."
Sorana inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly to calm herself before she shut off her PDA and leaned back in her chair. She had played this game far too many times with Kaden and wasn't in the mood to do it again today.
"What did I tell you Kaden?" she asked rhetorically. "I called you up less than a minute after I found out we'd both been selected to attend Nova this year and the first thing I said was 'Don't do anything illegal'. If you had been caught or if they had any kind of proof that may have linked you to the act, then they could have at least held you here in the city and you'd have missed the train.
"It was no big deal," Kaden tried to assure her. "All I did was fly around the city for a bit and annoy some of the Guard. Since any idiot can get their hands on a holo-guise, they'd need more than a few photos to prove that's me. Even if they did manage to catch me, they could never prove I did much more than fly through a no-hoverboarding area. They couldn't hold me for more than a week."
"That's not the point!" shouted Sorana angrily, causing Kaden to jump at her uncharacteristically loud outburst. "Nova Academy would notice if a new student didn't show up with the rest. If they see that you're involved in a pending criminal investigation, they might revoke your selection! And then we wouldn't be able to go to school together!"
About a second after she finished talking Sorana's expression suddenly changed from one of anger to one of surprise, seemingly at her own words. She looked away from Kaden and stared at the floor instead.
When she spoke again it was in an almost hushed tone, "The point is that you gave me your word you wouldn't do anything reckless. You never think about the consequences of your actions, Kaden."
Now Kaden averted his eyes to the floor. It was true that he had agreed not to do anything to aggravate the Guard after he'd been selected to attend Nova, but that had been before he'd found out about the extent that Zakon was going to in preparation. At some point along the way he had just forgotten about his promise and got caught up in the excitement.
This was Kaden's real problem with laws and authority. It wasn't that he actively tried to commit crimes (excluding today), it was that he always got so caught up in what he wanted to do and things that interested him that little things like rules and regulations, and even promises, were brushed aside in his mind.
Still, that was no excuse. It was very rare that Kaden felt genuine guilt for anything he ever did, but this was one of those times, "I'm sorry," he mumbled honestly.
Sorana didn't respond to his words. The Limo was quiet after that and it was a long time before the two Lombaxes began to speak again.
The Limousine pulled up to the main entrance of the sky train station and stopped to let Sorana and Kaden get out. Sorana gave Cam a few instructions to have their luggage taken to the underground loading station before she and Kaden continued into the main building.
The inside of the station was huge, just what you'd expect from a place built to board a massively oversized transport vehicle like a sky train. Unlike trams and other public city transportation, skytrains moved fully on their own power and flew free of any guiding rails or anchored stability fields. They were the planet's primary means of intercity travel.
The Tele-transit system was another option for travelers, but most common teleportation techniques become dangerous and power inefficient over longer distances. They were mostly just for close ranged jumps such as Kaden had done to get from District Twelve to District Two. The sky trains however, made up for this lack of long distance capability easily. Their monstrous engines were strong enough to zip them across a planet's surface several times in a day, providing quick and efficient travel to all of Fastoon.
Kaden and Sorana eventually made it to their designated train platform and couldn't help but be impressed by its size. It was the platform all the way in the back of the station that was reserved only for the biggest and/or most prestigious of sky trains. The one that they were waiting for was both.
Once every solar cycle, Nova Academy's private skytrain, the Quasar Express, traveled all over the planet picking up newly selected students. The event acted as a grand metaphor about how Nova Academy scours the planet for the best and brightest young Lombaxes. Nova Academy's admittance policy was strict, though. Students didn't apply to enroll in the school like most. Instead, the academy itself sought out and chose students that it believed would be most suited to attend. It did so regardless of age or social status; all that mattered was a person's potential.
The school's sky train was even famous enough to warrant the massive crowd of people that had packed the platform to get a look at it. Literally hundreds of Lombaxes stood almost shoulder to shoulder just waiting for the transport to show up. However, it was likely that fewer than fifty of them were actually here intent on boarding it when it arrived.
The Lombaxes who did intend to get on were all standing at front most edge of the boarding platform, clearly separated from the rest. It was a small group of Lombaxes who were all about the same age as Kaden and Sorana. It was with them that the two patiently waited for their ride to come while passing the time by chatting casually and wondering about what the train would be like.
They waited for a little while, then, a loud whistle blew from somewhere in the distance. It penetrated the high walls of the station and silenced every conversation at once. Everyone craned their heads eagerly to look out the train gate opening. Seconds later, the Quasar Express crested a building in the distance and cheers rang out from the crowds as they watched it come to gather the finest of Valmecha's students.
It quickly crossed the distance to the station and entered through the train gate before decelerating rapidly with the hiss of kinetic dissipators. The chatter began anew as the massive machine finally came to a complete halt. All around the station spectators were gawking and commenting on the transport's appearance.
Then, once again, every voice was sharply silenced, this time with a dazzling flash of light. Bright beams lanced out across the walls and ceiling of the station. They danced brilliantly around the room for a short time before coming together above the train's roof and forming a holographic image. The hazy cloud of light began to focus itself and the form of a female Lombax from the waist up materialized from it. She looked down at all the would-be students with glowing holographic eyes.
"Congratulations!" she bellowed formally. "By being able to stand here today, you have all proven yourselves to be among the best and brightest of your homes and surrounding areas. I am Vasile Tor'doran, the dean of Nova Academy. Today you each take the next step on your journey to fulfilling your potential as members of Lombax race. And that next step is literally just through these doors."
At the exact moment Tor'doran finished talking, several doors along the side of the train hissed open and clouds of mist spewed dramatically from them. Two robotic porters then stepped out from the foggy veil of each door before flanking the doorway and bowing in welcome to the gathered students.
After the mist had settled, the hologram spoke once again, "Now come forth for your student verification. Only those special few who have been accepted will be permitted to board. Once you are verified, you may take your seats. Final destination: Nova Academy," and with those last words the hologram of Tor'doran disappeared, leaving excited Lombaxes to line up and get scanned.
A few students turned back to the crowds behind them and said final goodbyes to their family and friends. Some even looked saddened, but no one cried, because no matter how sad you were about leaving, no one could regret going.
Kaden could feel the light rumble of machinery moving beneath his feet as everyone's larger luggage was being loaded into the undercarriage of the train, which was below the platform and completely out of sight. Any carry-on luggage could be given to the porters to carry for them if they wanted. Kaden was wearing his special backpack of gadgets and devices that he never went anywhere without and Sorana carried a simple traveling bag while the two of them waited for their turn to be scanned.
Suddenly an alarm went off nearby, causing everyone in the room to turn and look at its source. One of the porters was holding a young Lombax by the wrist as they desperately tried to run away. Kaden had noticed that all the porters take a subtle, but firm grip on the students' wrists while scanning them, this was clearly the reason why.
There was another hiss of hydraulics and two large, armored robot guards stepped out of a previously closed train doorway and slowly walked up to the terrified Lombax. Grabbing a shoulder each they lifted kid clean off the ground and carried him, still squirming furiously, through a quickly parting crowd and out of the platform entrance gateway.
While everyone watched them leave,the Lombax hologram reappeared and a now smug looking version of Vasile Tor'doran beamed down at them again, "Let me be clear," she began firmly. "Only those who are 'chosen' are permitted in my school. Those that try to gain entry without permission, and fail..." she paused and smiled as several bright strobes of white light flashed in the windows of the closed platform gateway, they were soon followed by a high-pitched whine and finally a ringing thump. Then there was silence,"...will be punished accordingly," the dean finished. From the hologram's expression, it almost looked like the woman was trying to repress a fit of laughter before image dissolved away again.
Kaden got a sense of foreboding as he knew disputes with authority figures were almost unavoidable for him and he was unsure of what his future held. Regardless, he and Sorana boarded the train without further interruption and moved down the rows of compartments, looking for an empty one to take. Kaden was also paying close attention to the number plates engraved on the doors for some reason while the porter carrying Kaden's backpack and Sorana's travel bag followed behind them.
"Look Kaden, this one's empty," suggested Sorana, indicating an empty compartment she'd found. Kaden examined the compartment in question as well as its number plate.
"Nah, this one isn't right," he concluded.
"What's wrong with it?" Sorana asked, unsure of what difference there could be between it and any other compartment.
"Just trust me, I'll find a better one," he assured her before continuing off down the aisle again.
Sorana sighed tiredly and then followed him through the train. In her experience it was better to simply let Kaden do as he pleased in these kinds of situations. Eventually he did pick one, though.
The room had a lavish circular couch taking up most of it and a small bar for drinks. Touch panels set in the walls allowed control of the compartment's features such as lights and the door lock. They took their seats as the train's whistle blew again, marking the start of their departure before the platform's columns and people on the other side of the window began to move away from it. The porter placed their bags in the under-seat compartments before bowing and leaving.
The train began to move a second later and the two friends sat there studying the room where they'd be spending the next several hours. Sorana smiled as she looked out the window and watched the city buildings fly by.
She seemed to have forgiven Kaden for the time being since, in the end, nothing truly bad had happened and he was glad to see that her mood was finally back to its usual, cheerful self.
"There it goes," she said with a wide, but somewhat somber smile. "Even though I'm excited to see Nova Academy, it's kind of sad to be leaving Valmecha after such a long time."
Kaden hadn't bothered to get up from his seat to see Valmecha one last time as Sorana had, "I don't see what the big deal, it's not like Valmecha's going anywhere and it's not like you'll never see it again," he countered.
Sorana gave him a rye sideways glance, "Oh yes, I forgot that you don't have a heart," she retorted. "How can you not feel anything? This is the place we were born, where we've lived in up until this very day… the place where we first met. This is our home."
Kaden shrugged indifferently, "Was," he corrected her.
Sorana glared at him for a short while before shaking her head and returning to watch Valmecha disappear into the horizon. As the seconds ticked by, however, Kaden too couldn't help but remember some of the things he'd done in his home city. The things he's built, the things he's destroyed, the things he built for the purpose of destroying. He also clearly recalled people he'd met. Working with his father and Sam, eating his mother's cooking, fighting with Zakon… meeting Sorana.
As these memories forced their way through his head, he began to feel an unfamiliar sensation. After making sure Sorana wouldn't see, Kaden finally looked out the window and saw the very edge of Valmecha receding into the corner of the class.
'Farewell,' he thought.
AN:
Sakara Cakes- Sakara, or at least part of it, means sugary in some other language. I lost the notes about where I had derived it from, so I don't know for sure. I also think Saluber Root and Melliculis Jelly have some greater meaning, but their origins were probably on the same file.
Sorana Bellit - I don't know where the idea for the name 'Sorana' came from, but I came up with it before I ever wrote a word of this book. 'Bellit', on the other hand, comes from the latin word 'Bellitudo', which means beauty and elegance.
Vasile Tor'doran - Both the name Vasile and Tor'doran I used off the top of my head, but I had an old version of Microsoft Word that kept correcting 'Tor'doran' to just 'Tor'. Curious, I looked it up and it turns out that 'Tor' is a geological term for: "a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest". This was an amazing coincidence since Nova Academy is based on/in a mountain and the Dean would essentially be the head of it. Blew my mind really and is the reason why it's one of my favorite names.