Chapter 06
They stood on a plateau the next day, right after lunch. Phoenix had noticed that Connor had grudgingly drank his juice but had refused to eat anything.
There were ten others besides themselves, including Jenna Cambell. All wore the same white uniform adorned only with their last name. A man in a dark red uniform paced in front of them.
Phoenix had seen other different uniforms, some with medals, all proclaiming they were of the Skybax Corps. She'd also seen people with tattoos on their upper right arms, multicolored bands beneath the white outline of a Skybax. Most with the tattoos were men, she'd only seen one or two woman with them. "I am Unoo," the man said as he paced. "The Commander General of the Skybax Corps. Under my teaching, you will ascend to the position craved by nearly every other Dinotopian: you will become a Skybax rider. Training will be rigorous and hard. Some of you may not make it. But those who do…well, observe."
He turned and help up his arm. One of the flying shapes began circling lower. The Skybax lighted on the edge and let out a squawking cry. The cadets jumped, breaking their line and scattering. After a few seconds, the Skybax jumped back and into the air.
"When you graduate, the Skybax you call to you will be your saurian life partner," Unoo continued. "Where most partners are connected through a ritualistic ceremony, your ceremony will be the first flight with your Skybax. Understand?"
"Yes sir!" the cadets chorused.
"Follow me," he ordered.
He went down the staircase on the side of the plateau. Phoenix rubbed Connor's shoulders as she followed him. "You OK?" she asked.
He nodded a little shakily. One of the other cadets had pushed him to the edge and he'd nearly gone over the precipice. Even better, he'd frozen up and it was only thanks to Phoenix grabbing his uniform jacket and pulling him back that he hadn't gone over.
They went into a building built into the rock face. Saddles lined the walls in glass cases and there was a thick circular pad in the center of the floor. Per Unoo's instructions, they lined up around it and he hit a lever. A sort of pod with a harness strapped to it was lowered by ropes above the mats. "This is made to simulate the sudden changes in the wind and currents experienced in the canyon. Much of your training will be on this and its harder than it looks. Cadet Cambell, you may go first," Unoo said.
Jenna took a deep breath and climbed on, gripping the harness. Unoo pulled another lever and slats opened in a vent. The pod lifted and began bucking, jerking Jenna roughly. Suddenly she lost her grip and was thrown off. Unoo pulled the lever to stop the wind and helped her up. "It's alright, cadet. Everyone falls the first time," he said.
She nodded with a wince, adjusting her jacket. Connor was next. He lasted a bit longer than Jenna but was also thrown. Then Phoenix climbed on. She wedged her feet into the stirrups and slipped her fingers underneath the harness, holding on a different way than the other two had. Unoo pulled the lever and she was immediately lifted up. She gritted her teeth in determination, gripping the harness and keeping her feet in place. She moved with it, compensating for tosses. She passed Jenna and Connor's time. The cadets looked over at Unoo in surprise. His face was set in a deep frown. He backed toward the lever and they thought he would stop it. Instead, he pushed it up and the bucking and windspeed increased.
Not prepared for the sudden change, Phoenix's feet were ripped from the stirrups and her lower body was thrown from the pod. Unooreached to stop the simulation butPhoenix's hands still held on. It tossedmoved at the perfect angle and she swung back on, her feet quickly finding the stirrups. Staring open mouthed, Unoo let her ride the simulator longer before it became clear she wouldn't be thrown. He pulled the lever down. "That's enough, cadet," he said.
She sat back, breathing heavily. "Of course, sir," she said and climbed off. She stumbled a little bit but returned to her position.
She was the only cadet to stay on that day.
Phoenix as working on her laptop later that night after going through the nightly workout they'd been assigned. She'd gotten it apart and was working on drying and cleaning the pieces as best she could. She wore her white uniform pants and black camisole, her uniform jacket resting on her bed. She heard a knock on her closed door. "Come in," she called.
It opened and Unoo entered. She'd quickly learned to respect him and jumped to her feet, standing at attention. "Breath deep," he greeted.
She clapped a fist over her heart. "Fly high."
He nodded. "At ease, cadet."
She relaxed her shoulders and rubbed a crick in her neck. "May I ask why you're here, sir?"
He raised an eyebrow. "After that ride you took on the simulator, I hope you're not surprised."
She shrugged. "It's not that big a deal, I'm sure others have done it."
"No they haven't. The fastest I've ever seen someone master the simulator has been three weeks of constant practice. You did it your first try."
"So that's good," Phoenix translated.
"That's exceptional. Prodigal even," he said. "The bars you could get after your first week of flying alone will probably be equal to some of our veterans who've been flying for years."
She frowned. "Bars?"
"You've noticed the tattoos on some of the riders' arms?" he asked, motioning to his own upper right arm. She nodded. "They're a sort of optional reward. There's a certificate riders can get of the proficiency and take them to an artist on the civilian side of Canyon City. If cadets have mastered the simulator, they can get the white Skybax outline. They earn the colors when they ride, there's nine in all."
"What are they?" she asked, this system peaking her interest.
"Well, beneath the Skybax, there's yellow, red, orange, blue, green, brown, black, bronze, silver and gold. Most riders are red through blue. Our more talented officers are generally green or brown." She shrugged out of his jacket and showed her his upper arm. The last bar beneath the Skybax was black. "I have the highest proficiency in the Corps. The highest in recent history was held by Maxwell Cambell, Jenna's father. The gold bar was set by Jenner Hatna sixty years ago. Cadet Winters, I believe you may have the ability to not only get to the gold bar but maybe even set a new one."
"Really? Cool," she smiled.
"To move you right along, I could put you in a higher level-"
"No," she cut in.
"I beg your pardon? Why not?"
"I just can't. I'd rather stay where I am," she insisted.
He surprised her and smiled a little. "Yes, she told me you wouldn't go. Still, I figured that it couldn't hurt to ask."
It was Phoenix's turn to lift an amused eyebrow. "Rosemary?"
"Yes. Well, speak with me if you ever wish to change your mind," he said and clapped a hand over his heart. "Breath deep."
"Fly high."