Phantasy Star: Mechanical Error Chapter 2
Written by Sarah Schoenlaub
Algo was shining upon Aiedo. The bright star, bright as any sun in any solar system, marked the beginning of a new day, full of new things, new experiences, and new opportunities.
And Erick Ashley was still asleep in his bed in the former home of Alys Brangwin.
Feria was a bit peeved by his laziness. Erick didn't care as much for training or working as a hunter as she did. Feria kept him on a tough training schedule. She had been awake for awhile already, busily making breakfast and getting ready to rush to the Guild as soon as it opened. She wanted Erick along, but didn't want him to miss his training time.
Feria shook her snoring brother. "Erick, come on, get up. Erick… ERICK!"
Erick mumbled, pulling his pillow over his head.
"Honestly, you could sleep through a sandworm tunneling next to you." She shook him again. "Get up, you lazy dolt!"
Erick snored even louder, as if to mock her.
"That's it, you had your chance." Feria went to the end of the bed and seized Erick's legs, pulling him out of bed.
He woke up from the motion. "Huh? What the… YIKES!" Erick almost screamed as he fell on the ground. "Ow, geez, what was that for, Fern?"
"For being lazy, that's what. And don't call me Fern!" Feria glared at him. "You better hurry up and get ready. I want you through your training routine before I get back from the Guild, or I'll hire a babysitter until I get back from today's job."
"You know full damn well I don't need a babysitter."
"Watch your mouth! I wonder, with the way you act. Aren't you going to represent your ancestors? Chaz Ashley wasn't as lazy as you!"
"Chaz Ashley was a Protector. Algo doesn't even need those anymore. There's hardly any jobs even for hunters!" Erick stood and went through his dresser, trying to find something to wear.
"But you never know what could happen." Feria went to the door. "Remember, you better be ready when I get back!"
"I will, I will!" Erick pulled out a wrinkled hunter uniform. "You're so demanding!"
Feria looked in disgust at the uniform. "You better iron that thing. Where did you learn how to fold? Why don't you just hang it in the closet?"
"Too much work."
Feria left, muttering about how lazy Erick was.
* * *
"The principal will see Laurie now," Miel informed Alpharen through a data transmission. "He seems rather excited, but somewhat sad."
"Odd," Alpharen 55 sent in reply. "Why would he be excited and sad?"
"I'm not sure, but you should bring her now."
"Affirmative," Alpharen replied, in true Wren-type fashion. The whole data transmission had been silent. Androids often spoke to each other that way. They only spoke aloud for people to hear them. He knocked quietly on the door to Laurie's dorm room.
"Is that you, Alpharen?"
"Yes, Laurie. The principal wishes to see you. He has the results of the test."
Laurie left her room in just a few moments. It was fairly early in the morning, but she was already awake and dressed. "I'm a bit nervous. What if I didn't do well?" she said as she followed Alpharen 55 to the Academy.
"I think that should be the least of your worries. I doubt that you did badly on the test. I have heard that you are very talented."
Laurie blushed a little. "Well… it's nice that you have such confidence in me."
They reached the office after a short walk, and Alpharen walked right inside, knowing the principal was waiting. Miel offered an encouraging smile and a hello to Laurie, then returned to her work.
The principal was pacing, holding the test results and flipping through them. "Please sit," he commanded. Laurie nervously took a seat. Alpharen reassured her with a pat on the shoulder and was relieved when she relaxed a little.
The principal finally sat. "Laurie, I must say I am shocked. Never have I had a student return their entrance exam so soon. Even the electronics exam is more difficult. And these results," he said, flipping through the papers, "are positively astounding! This is an incredible score!"
Laurie smiled with relief. She really had done well.
"However, there is somewhat bad news, depending on how you view the situation. You see, with these test scores it is obvious that our professors won't be able to help you. You already know what they teach. My only option was to send you to work…"
Laurie was shocked. She had aced the exam, and she was being sent away from the Academy to work?
"… on Zelan. Now I told Fuoren the idea and he seemed quite pleased about it. He will be expecting your arrival soon…"
Laurie stopped him. "I beg your pardon, but did you say I would be working on Zelan?"
"Why, yes, that's what I said."
Laurie blinked, completely surprised. "Oh my goodness…"
The principal smiled. "Surprised? I'd think you'd have figured it out already. When we at the Academy checked your references, we sent an anonymous scout to observe you. We knew it would probably lead to this. We just wanted to be sure." He paused briefly, then continued. "As I was saying, Fuoren will be expecting you in the afternoon. We've booked a spaceflight, expenses paid. I suggest you pack up, have a good meal, and be ready to go."
Laurie just sat there, letting the news sink in.
The principal gave her a sad smile. "I will certainly miss you. I know this will be better for you, but I hate sending anyone away, even to Zelan. I have no children, but all the accomplished and intelligent individuals here seem to be my children instead. Goodbye Laurie, and may the Great Light be with you."
"Thank you sir. You have helped me reach my dream." Laurie smiled and warmly shook the man's hand.
* * *
Feria sipped her coffee, flipping through the current job offerings. As usual, the pickings were slim. Since the decline of monsters, hunters were rarely needed. That's why Feria always rushed to the Guild early. She wanted the most interesting jobs she could find. The bartender always knew to expect her, and always made her some coffee.
Another hunter walked in. "Dammit Feria, you just had to get the best ones!"
Feria snorted. "The 'best' today is a lost kid in Zema. Boring. Could be interesting, but I doubt it." Feria signed the slip and gave it to the Guild receptionist. "One of these days I'll top Alys Brangwin's record, but I doubt it'll be soon with all these crappy jobs."
"I know what you mean. Hunters have to fight to feed themselves these days." The man took the job offerings. "If the Guild hadn't started that flat daily rate, half of us would have starved. Of course, that daily rate doesn't compare to the high dollar jobs."
"I miss good jobs. Even if it meant a system shutdown or something, I'd love a little more excitement. I remember having to go to Plate Systems with those androids because of the malfunction shorting the mechanical guards. Those bastard guards kept trying to blast Erick and I, but I was able to catch them off guard. Cut their main wires with my slashers." Feria grinned at the memory. "Too bad Erick isn't as good with his aim. I wish he'd practice more."
"Just get him to quit coming to the bar at night," the man said with a chuckle. "That's why he can't get up in the morning."
"I can't force him to quit. I'm not his mother. He has to learn the hard way."
"So why do you keep lugging his lazy self with you when you go to these jobs? You could just let him go, let him do what he wants." The man finally found a good job and filled out the slip.
"I couldn't just leave him behind. I think he kind of likes hunting. I just don't want him to get hurt." Feria sighed.
The door then swung open and Erick entered. "So what are we doing today, Feria?"
"Saving a kid in Zema. Did you do all your training work? And the dishes?"
"Yeah, yeah. I was gonna wait for you, but I decided not to. So are we leaving now?"
"Yes, we are. Come on." Feria grabbed Erick's arm and they left for Zema.
* * *
"Zelan's an interestin' little place. Them 'droids are pretty interesting. Like that little one… Demi's her name. She's a little darlin'. She's a nice little gal, gets mighty angry when someone ain't treated right. Good gal, though. Smart as they come." The pilot smiled at Laurie, who was sitting anxiously in the back with Alpharen 55.
"Yes, Demi is quite a good android," Alpharen 55 agreed. "She's high in the chain of command, directly below Wren."
"Yeah, that's right. Wren's a tall 'droid. Smart, too. That fella knows more about Algo then I do 'bout flyin'! He's real serious, too. Don't think I've ever heard him laugh."
"He's not programmed to," Laurie explained. "The Fuoren designation of Wren types was built without emotions. This was actually to make sure that he would have less chance of being destructive to Algo like Mother Brain was."
Alpharen raised an eyebrow. "You DO know a lot."
"That's true," the pilot said, "but you'd think that bein' 'round people so much'd teach him emotions." He shrugged. "Ah, here comes Zelan. Hang on while I get the port OK."
The pilot tapped a few buttons on the ship's built in telecom. "Hey there, this is Landale 147 requesting permission to dock in port A of Zelan."
The Alpharen on duty gave the OK. "Is Laurie Johnson on board?"
"Yes, she is."
"Excellent. We'll escort her to the proper area. Alpharen 55, report to maintenance for mandatory systems check." The telecom screen flashed off and the ship pulled into the dock. Laurie watched the dock clamps reach out and pull the ship to the airlock. A few mechanisms clicked and whirred outside the door, and the red "danger" light turned to green, indicating it was safe to exit the ship.
"Alrighty, welcome to Zelan!" The pilot opened the door and gestured for Laurie to exit.
The only emotion Laurie felt as she stepped inside the massive satellite was awe. All around her androids and technicians were working, attending to spaceships and escorting people here and there. Smiling pilots were gleefully accepting cups of warm tea after their work was complete, laughing and telling tales of their adventures.
Alpharen 55 patted her on the back. "My best wishes to you, Laurie. It's been a pleasure working with you."
Laurie smiled. "It's been great working with you, Alpharen 55. Thank you for all your help."
"It was a pleasure," he assured her. "And it was my duty, after all!" He saluted and walked across the room to maintenance.
"Laurie Johnson?" a young man with a clipboard asked.
"Yes, that's me."
"Excellent. You are expected by Fuoren in sector 5 test room. I'll escort you. Please follow me."
Laurie followed the man, a bit nervous about what to expect. It was all so exciting!
* * *
In Zema, it turned out the "lost girl" Feria was looking for had already returned. Needless to say, Feria was a bit peeved. Actually, she was pretty angry.
"I'm so sorry about this, ma'am," the father apologized. "I really thought something had happened."
"Then teach your daughter to follow rules. I still expect my fee at the Guild when I get back, or I will come to collect it. We at the Guild don't take well to people who don't pay up." Feria stared at the man in a cold stare, choking down her fury.
"Yes, of course. And Molly, this will come from your allowance." The man glared at his daughter.
"What? Ten thousand meseta? I'll be without allowance for years!" The girl pouted, glaring angrily at Feria.
"Maybe it'll teach you a lesson," Feria replied. "Good day to you, sir." Feria and Erick left the house and went to relax a bit before they went back to Aiedo.
"What's the point of it anymore?" Erick asked, idly throwing a pebble across the road. "Hunting has become a pathetic excuse of an occupation."
"It is tough sometimes."
"Tough sometimes? It's always been like this, Feria. You always say even Alys had her bad days, but this is too much."
"So what are you saying, Erick?"
"I'm saying that maybe I should get some other job. Being a hunter isn't all that great."
"What?" Feria was shocked. "But you loved being a hunter!"
"Not really. All that training is too hard. I'd rather sell dimates in the marketplace."
Feria frowned. "Maybe training wouldn't be so hard if you spent less time in that bar," she muttered angrily.
"Aw, come off it! So I like to have a couple of drinks with the guys. You keep pestering me about it. I'm tired of it, Fern." Erick kicked another small rock.
"A couple of drinks? I heard about the times you've been thrown out of that bar because of all the trouble you caused. What about that damaged barstool? You think that shit is cheap, especially on my salary?"
"I paid most of it. It was one mistake. The thing was busted up enough anyway."
Feria stood and walked to the road out of Zema. "If that's the way you view it, fine. I'm not going to babysit you anymore. If you can't hold up the bloodline of a great Protector, I'll do it. I'll give you a week to get a job and start paying rent." Feria started for the edge of town.
"Rent? Hold on a minute…" Erick jogged after her.
"Yes, rent. Last time I checked it was my name on the deed."
"Come on, don't be silly!"
"Maybe it'll teach you not to blow your money on alcohol. I'm going back to Aiedo. You can follow me if you want, but I don't want you to talk to me. I'm so disappointed in you, Erick." Feria fought back tears and walked quickly down the road, leaving Erick dumbfounded in the dust.
* * *
Fuoren, or Wren as he was normally called, was indeed much taller in person than he seemed. He towered even over some of the larger robot types at a huge seven foot, five inches tall. And he weighed well over 600 pounds. His huge metal frame packed within it thousands of machines and programs, ready for use at any time.
Laurie was a bit nervous as she shook his hand. It was all metal, unlike some of the normal android hands with artificial skin. "Hello, I'm Laurie Johnson."
"I am the Wren type android designation Fuoren, best known as Wren. Before we begin with the customary tests, let me just reassure you that no matter how you do on them you will be accepted here. So please, don't be so nervous," Wren gave a hint of a smile.
"He's not quite so scary when you get to know him," a voice said across the room. A smiling brown haired man sat in a chair there.
"I wasn't frightened by him," Laurie insisted.
"Yes you were. Almost everyone is. But Wren is enough to scare anyone, right Wren?"
"Affirmative."
The man chuckled and stood. "I'm Don Laris, the head of Zelan's government, the Thinkers. I'm very delighted to meet you. We've heard so much about your skills." Don shook Laurie's hand warmly. "I'll be observing you off and on through the tests."
Laurie nodded, and Wren led her to a work area. "Shall we begin?"
"Sure."
"Excellent. You will be doing a number of hands-on repair tests. Then you will be given basic oral and written tests. Do you understand?"
Laurie nodded.
* * *
Demi watched the entire time in the room next to the test area. She watched as the hidden cameras recorded Laurie working on each task. Demi was astonished as Laurie completed each task quickly and efficently, telling Wren everything she was doing as she did it.
Don entered. "How is she doing? I finally finished that electronics seminar."
"It's excellent, Don. She works so well, and she knows so much! It's amazing that with her esper background that she has learned so many things."
"Indeed. She's one of those prodigies you don't find every day. I knew the Academy was on to something when they told us about her application. The scout report confirmed her skills. It's quite amazing." Don watched the monitor. "Ah, it's time for the oral test."
They listened as Laurie answered Wren's questions. "She knows very much about Algo's history," Demi observed. "That is one major thing that espers learn. She knows a lot about the scientific history, too."
Don nodded. "I was looking at her score on the written test. She only missed one question. One! It's unbelievable."
As the oral test ended, leaving Wren looking a bit surprised, Demi decided to go congratulate Laurie. She left the observation room and entered the test area. "Beautiful, amazing, and exquisite!" Demi walked over to where Laurie was sitting. "I was observing in the other room, and I have to tell you that you are absolutely amazing! I've never seen anyone work so quickly, and so well!" Demi smiled at Laurie.
Laurie stood, looking at the smiling little android. "You must be Demi."
"Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you." Demi shook Laurie's hand excitedly.
"Well, that concludes the test," Wren said. "You will begin research in the electronics lab tomorrow, and you can visit our other areas and work on what interests you. Demi will take you to your quarters." Don smiled at Laurie. "Well done. I must say, you did an excellent job." Laurie smiled. "You really think I did?"
"Yes! Why, with all that Demi is saying I think you would be convinced. Feel free to let me know if you need anything at all." Don gave a little wave as Laurie and Demi left.
Don turned to Wren. "Well, I think you looked rather surprised yourself, Wren."
"It's indeed surprising that an esper girl could know so much about science. It is normally highly discouraged in that culture."
Don shrugged. "So she's a rebel. But it's better for her that way."
Wren nodded. "My only concern," he said with a frown, "is Keri. I am almost certain of one thing: Keri is not going to like her at all."