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Part five:

Random Plans

The three of them stuck together throughout everything. Their pranks got to the point that they were being called the Destruction Crew. And they were rarely getting caught now. Turbo's plans ran like clockwork. They were in and out before anyone knew anything had happened. Bob's wings and small build made him perfect for recognizance and between his ability to fly and Ezia's strength, they could get into anything, not to mention that Turbo had gotten very good at hacking security systems. His ability to read, write, and understand azure had proven valuable, too. He could easily hack azure code since it was never really protected. After all, only azures could read it, right?

Nothing was safe.

Bob had also begun to take Turbo to every big noble gathering he had to go to. He would've taken Ezia too, but she declined. Sounded too frilly for her. Bob's mother was unhappy about her son's association with Turbo as it was, but to bring him to regal parties was almost too much. But he would hear none of it, Turbo was his friend and he was coming. And that was that.

At one of the parties, someone mentioned that it was unseemly for Bob to be seen with a half-breed. And that if he kept it up he'd never go any higher than the rank of first class. "You'll never even have a shot at Prime."

Many Primes had been from his house and it had always been expected that he would take the office or at least get close. His grandmother had been First Lieutenant, second to the Prime. Solzidf, Bob's mother, planned to see her son made Prime.

Bob on the other hand, had other plans. He wasn't even thrilled about being Patriarch of his house, let alone being Prime as well. But he had the right name and breeding, and that's what really counted in choosing a Prime. "That's just how it works." Turbo said as the sat out on a balcony. "Name is status, and status gets you rank."

"I know. But it's still random. Anyone should have a chance at being Prime. It shouldn't matter who you are, just how good you are."

"If that was all that mattered, they'd have anyone in there. Could you see what the nobles would do if a sprite Guardian made Prime." Turbo started laughing.

Bob joined him. The idea of just non-nobility Prime was ridiculous. It had never happened. And for a non-azure to do it was simply impossible. It would cause such an uproar that the Daemon would hear it all the way in her viral sectors. "It sure would be great to see though. They'd go completely random. Just the thought of a non-azure sprite taking any high office would cause chaos. It would be great."

"Yes, it would."

Bob looked over at his friend as he looked over the rail at the mostly sleeping Azure Sector. Turbo and him were both 1.4. They were almost at the end of their training. It was at this point that sprites begun vying for the spot of Prime. Making the right connections, the right grades, the right engagements, and eventually marriages. Bob knew how to do it all. All the right people, all the right maneuvers, he had been raised to be Prime, but he didn't want it. But he might have another use for his knowledge.

Turbo was smart and excellent at planning out things, something that had always evaded Bob. He was a good guy, and would never do any to really hurt the Guardian Collective. Girls said he was somewhat attractive, and he spoke well. He still had a lower sector accent, but it wasn't very strong anymore. Everyone had seen Turbo with him, and to be the best friend of the heir-prince of the Etvis house was definitely saying something. And to finish it off, Turbo could do something that no other non-azure sprite had done, he knew azure fluently. He could even say a few words, kinda. 'It would be great.'

"No way! You're completely random. It would never work." Turbo was less than sure of Bob's idea.

"I think it would. You might not make Prime, but you'd make First or Second Lieutenant easy. Anyway it'd be fun just to try."

"Bob this is serious. This isn't like one of our pranks. This is the top office of the Collective. What if we actually get close, then what? This isn't something to joke about."

Bob got up out of his chair and walked over to him. "So who's joking? Listen, I know all of the people in line for it, and not one of them really deserves it. Sure some of them might not completely fuck it up, but you'd be better than all of them. Trust me.

"This isn't just a prank. This is an attempt at putting someone actually qualified for the position in the office. It's about showing those dipswitches in there," he motioned towards the party. "that they're not the only "real" Guardians. Anyone should have a shot at it, not just them. Even if we don't make it at all, maybe someone else'll see that we tried and decide to give it a shot, too.

"So what do you say? We gonna try this, or are we just gonna let this opportunity pass?"

He shook his head, "It'll never work. I don't know anything about that stuff."

Bob just smiled, "Ah, but I do. And if I can teach a half-breed to understand azure, then I can do anything. Trust me. I can turn you from Turbo the Nameless to Turbo the Prime Guardian. Just watch."

He just shook his head and sighed in defeat. "Ok. So how do you want to do this?"

After a few milliseconds of prepping, they walked back into the ball, this time with Bob walking a half a step behind Turbo, instead of the other way around.

Part six:

Attachments

Bob's plan was actually working, a little. Turbo had been accepted by the nobility, and he quickly picked up the social graces that were necessary. He could join in on conversations all in azure, though he had to respond in common. His ability to understand it was his best asset. It automatically made him known, and being known, Bob had said, was the most important thing. They were doing so well that during a dinner, shortly after he turned 1.5, he was approached by a lower noble girl, named Wispt.

She saw he was attached to Bob and that instantly made him one of the most appealing bachelors at the table. And because he wasn't actually nobility, he was very reachable for her. He was polite and rather enjoyed the attention. She was pleasant enough and according to Bob, a noble was lucky to get a wife he actually liked. Wispt was pretty attractive and was very intelligent. She could see he was heading towards power. That she actually liked him was just icing.

That was the one thing Turbo had trouble adjusting to. In the azure society, marriage was just for status. Everything revolved around status. It didn't matter that you liked someone, it only mattered what that person could get you. Friends were the same way. He could see why Bob preferred to be around standard sprites and mixes. But he thought he really liked Wispt and she seemed to really like him, too. It was funny, Turbo had completely sworn off the idea of marrying an azure woman. But after meeting Bob's betrothed, who wouldn't.

Riswfonidad was the perfect azure; graceful, beautiful, silver eyes, hair, and wings, well educated, at the top of her class…, and unbearably stuck up. She was the heir-princess to the Doczisn House and acted the part. She was happy with her engagement to Bob at first, but when he started hanging out with Turbo and Ezia, she was less than thrilled. And when she really understood that Bob had no interest in becoming Prime, she was even less so. She despised Turbo and Ezia, or the Bastard and the Lummox, as she put it. She was watching a perfect husband turn into a nightmare. But he was still the heir-prince of Etvis and she could deal with him for that. For now.

She also wasn't happy about Bob's latest habit. Flattening his voice. This was when an azure learned to "flatten" or "deaden" his fractured voice, making their harmonized sounds into one normal one. He was getting good at it, too. So good you could mistake him for a standard data sprite (if he didn't have wings). "So, when am I picking you up, tonight?"

There was a big ball at Doczisn House for the upcoming graduation. One last party as cadets. Bob, of course, insisted that Turbo come, despite what Riswfonidad said. "I don't know. How about like seven, Wispt will be here by then."

She ran about her dorm, getting dressed for her Nameless knight. Wispt was fully enjoying her relationship with him. Normally she would have never have gotten an invite to the ball, but as Turbo's guest she could go anywhere. Her friends had laughed at her when she told them about her plan to snag him. Ridiculous, unthinkable, social suicide they'd said. She chuckled to herself as she put on her earrings. She'd certainly proven them all wrong. Turbo was a stroke of geniuses, plain and simple. She could not have dreamed of anything better. He was headed towards big things, she could taste it. They were graduating three cycles from now, and from that point on, it would be straight up. Intelligent, diligent, loyal, strong, excellent strategist, attractive… (she thought with a smile) and nice. As amazing as it might sound, she really liked him, enjoyed being around him. She looked up at herself in the mirror, smiling to herself. Yup, she sure had gotten lucky. More lucky than she would have ever guessed.

They arrived at the mansion a bit after the party had begun. It was truly an affair. They danced and everything went over just fine. Riswfonidad kept her tongue about Turbo and everyone was civil. But Turbo could see the gears turning in Bob's head. He was shorter with Riswfonidad lately, not nearly so eager to keep the peace. Something was changing. He saw how Turbo and Wispt were together. He had an idea what love was, and suddenly the hand he had been dealt was looking less appealing. He had a taste of real love and wasn't about to settle for less. And that's what his betrothed was, less.

Part seven:

Upgrades and Formats

The day of the graduation was beautiful, and everyone of importance was there. The Prime and her First and Second Lieutenant were present, they knew their successors were somewhere in this class. Of the candidates, there were three heirs to the houses, over a dozen nobles, and an odd half-breed. The Prime looked down at her read-me file of the prominent students, surprised to find a mix's name there. Turbo… They called him the Nameless. He came from no house, had no title, no proper upbringing, and yet, here was his name, his singular name.

He was the best friend to the heir of Etvis, a young Botdrovtianx. The prince's name was near the top of her list, but he had shown no real drive for her rank. The mix Turbo, on the other hand, had. It had been Botdrovtianx who had introduced her to Turbo. In fact it seemed that Bob's only reason for speaking with her was get her to talk to Turbo. Odd. His name could easily win him the Prime rank, but he obviously didn't want it.

'Turbo…' She drew up his file with a few taps. He looked the exemplary student. "Bright", "strong", "skilled", "a natural leader", he had all the right marks for a high rank. His file reminded her of her own at that age. She looked up from the window and looked down at the Nameless from the balcony, and smiled. Could he pull it off? Could he actually make First or Second Lieutenant? Or even Prime?

He stood with his three friends, Botdrovtianx, the Unexpected and Ezia, the Mighty. Collectively, they were called the Destruction Crew, renowned for their pranks. In their youth, they had been caught many times, but lately it had become impossible to pin anything on them. That in and of itself was a testament to Turbo's planning skills. Many of her peers believed that Botdrovtianx was organizing the strikes, but…

She looked down at the three and watched as the heir-prince attempted to dump a bucket of ice on the hunter girl. He almost pulled it off, too, but just as he lifted it up he spilled a little behind him somehow, and when he took a step back… disaster. Ice everywhere and the prince looking very unprince-like, sprawled out on the ground, covered in ice. No, this was not the mastermind behind the east-wing lift debacle. He managed to slip and fall while getting up, dragging his two friends down with him. No. It had to be the mix.

Her Second Lieutenant stepped up behind her, looking at the vid window in her hands. "Humph. The half-breed." The man was taller than normal and had a pinched strictness she had never enjoyed. He had a talent for sucking the fun out of anything. The amused smile vanished from her face. "I was stunned to find his name on the list."

"I'm sure you were. He certainly is turning a lot of heads."

"Humph. The very thought of him in the same grouping as some of the highest nobles of the Azure Sector is… shameful." He looked over the balcony rail at the Destruction Crew and "humph"ed again. "And look at him?!" He gestured to Botdrovtianx. "Of all the degrading things. That he would lower himself to associate with such bin-trash. Disgraceful."

She let him rant for a bit longer not interested enough in what he had to say. "It's almost excusable for the hunter to behave in such a way. After all they are not of the highest clock-speeds. Rather basic in programming, really. I've often thought-"

She cut him off abruptly, simply turning and walking away. "I'm sorry, Dioxil, we will have to discuss this another time. The ceremony is beginning."  

The cadets had lined up at attention and the headmaster had begun to speak. The boisterous laughter was gone, replaced by reverent silence. These young sprites had worked for this from the average age of 1.0 to their present age of about 1.6. This was the last cycle they would be cadets, from this time on they would be Guardian base-class. They would get their first opportunity at a keytool soon. The one component that could not be bought with house name or power. The one forum in which all were equal.

She walked onto the podium at the headmaster's introduction. Her dress uniform was shined and pressed to perfection. The bright crimson suit with its gold editions had always seemed a little much to her. Gold chains ran from one gold shoulder pad to the other and she wore gold boots and arm guards. Her skin was so dark a blue it was almost black, which made her silver eyes and long hair very striking. The thin cords of her hair were pulled back in the traditional sleek ponytail and was held together by a gold band. She stepped up in her finery and looked out at her audience.

The youngsters were in their best, too. Even the Unexpected Botdrovtianx was wearing his skiff (which was covered with wet splotches from the ice). Most of the students had separated as to their types; azures with azures, hunters with hunters, etc. But the Destruction Crew stood together, as always. They were all wet, now that she looked, and an errant strand of the prince's hair had come loose. Others in the crowd stood out as well, but those three standing there together, would stick in her mind forever. They were so out of place.

Her speech was a lengthy one about honor and duty and everything else she had heard when she stood in their place. She spoke of strength in unity and teamwork, "We are collective. We are one unit. Azures, hunters, and standards. We are the wall that stands between the citizens of the net and the many dangers of life. We function for them, never forget that.

"You stand before me because you have completed all the training a school can provide. Now you must learn beyond these walls, beyond the Azure sector. I pray that you will remember what you have learned here and that you have not learned it all. Challenges will meet you that we cannot prepare you for, ones that only experience will teach you of. From here carry with you the facts you have gleamed from read-me files and instructors lectures. From here carry with you the memories of you failures and successes. And most importantly, carry from here dreams of your future and the laughter with friends.

"You have pasted every trial we have placed before you, now it is life's turn to have a go at you." With that the students began to file up to her and the headmaster to receive the upgrade that would make them full-fledged Guardians. As each cadet walked up, she placed their icon over a golden "icon" plate and transferred the upgrade. She then shook their hands and said something slightly different for each one.

Whenever a hopeful Prime would come before her she would ask the sprite what his or her intentions were, and she would always hear something about, "I want to be the best I can be," or "To just be considered for suck a position is an honor," or something equally rehearsed.

When the first of the Destruction Crew, the Unexpected Botdrovtianx, stepped up and upgraded, she leaned in and said in azure, "I don't know what you're going to do with your life, but good luck. You've got a difficult trail in front of you."

Bob just smirked and replied, "But what fun is the beaten path?"

She shook her head and laughed, waving him on. The Mighty Ezia came up next. The girl was already a head taller that her and was massive. When it came time to speak she said, "You've got a fine career ahead of you and two fine friends backing you. You're sure to go far, child. Just stay out of trouble."

She faced the Nameless Turbo last. She spoke in azure to him as well and said quietly, "You're noble friend means to make you my successor. What are your intentions child, honestly?"

He hesitated not a moment in saying, "My intentions are to be Prime Guardian, sir."

She laughed at his honesty and patted him on the shoulder, "Very good answer, son. Best I've heard ever." She leaned in closer adding, "I think you just might pull it off," stepping back and speaking up, "Good luck."