Hello all welcome back to another chapter of Soldiers of Lylat before we begin I wanted to address some questions I've received in regards to this story
ArchWarrior213: I like the insight for Lylat politics and where the human empire and Lylat currently stand. Are we going to see some political conflict in the future soon?
Yes, politics will play a part in the story going forward but fore the next few chapters are going to be spent integrating our protagonists into Lylat society and introducing characters. There are a lot and keeping track of them will be a handful so I'll be introducing them in batches while others will be mentioned in the periphery.
SAK-96: With how weak the Lylatian Military is right now, I'm surprised that pirates from both Lylat and the Empire aren't having a field day. Seriously, Lylat has the right conditions to be a criminal haven, especially for Human criminals since the Empire seems to be a place with VERY STRICT laws.
Normally you would be correct but please remember that getting to the Lylat system is hard enough considering its remote location and given how heavily monitored the border is on both sides are enough to dissuade most pirates who favor more profitable targets already within reach. A large factor is that even within human space there is a large difference in tech level as access to high end military gear is almost impossible outside particular systems. Human pirates usually are operating outside seldom used or rarely monitored shipping lanes with very outdated equipment. A very successful pirate fleet might have for instance a frigate a couple hundred years out of date with partial weapons or engines repaired and complement of four to ten fighters at least three or two generations behind the ESA's current standard models so getting into pitched battle even against the Cornerians would be inadvisable and deadly, not to mention the ESA patrol units would pick up the battle and wipe them out when they try and retreat to Human space and you have the reason pirates haven't been a problem. As for Lylat pirate groups the cannon universe seemed to have a big problem with them, and I wanted to show a Lylat that didn't have that issue with large militaries like Corneria constantly hunting them before humans arrive and embarrass that military to a point where they are significantly diminished, and attention focused outward not inward. Essentially, I wanted to provide a reason for that huge pirate presence to begin sprouting within Lylat's borders but for right now its just starting to grow and hasn't gotten nearly as bad as it seemed in the games.
Many Readers: Are you alive?
Short answer obviously yes. I apologize for the long periods of silence with no updates but as you all know life gets in the way and I've recently moved to a new place. All that aside writers block in regard to certain fics and scheduling issues keep me from setting sufficient time to write down these chapters. More on this topic at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 9: An Alien at School
"So… are you having second thoughts too?" Jacob asked Russ as the two stood next to each other just inside the gates of Lylat Academy. The pair had been picked up earlier by their designated chauffeur in an all-black vehicle and dropped off in front of the school before the driver had pulled away leaving the two humans to gaze forward through the gates of the academy. Russ sighed in agreement as the two gazed at the large ornate white stone buildings that made up the academic buildings. These buildings that seemed to shine in the morning Lylat sun were separated by immaculate lush green lawns bisected by well-maintained concrete walkways. This picturesque scene was only broken up by the menagerie of students of the academy who both humans did their level best to ignore even as said students gawked at them or gathered to whisper about them amongst their friends.
"Little good such thoughts do us now, we already agreed to go through with these kinds of things when we accepted this assignment" Russ replied as the two shared a nod before walking forward along the cobblestone walkway to the largest building in the front of the academy grounds.
The building was three stories tall and made of white stone that must have been cleaned rigorously for the first day of classes as its surface didn't have a hint of dirt or grime upon it or the wide staircase that led up to the six double doors that made up the building front entrance.
Jacob gave a slight chuckle "I never thought two people like us would ever be seen inside a school of all things much less an alien one. This place is ritzy enough that I would think it was built for some rich kids in Sol or some private institution on a corporate world" Jacob remarked.
Russ agreed even as the two entered the building and into its gray granite floor and elegant stone walls. The PA system played soft music reminiscent of the classical symphony music from human space that managed to be just loud enough to be heard but not enough for students or faculty to talk over. Russ and Jacob made their way through the halls ignoring the apprehensive looks and whispers of their fellow students as they headed to where their lockers were supposedly located if the instructions sent to them by the school's administration were to be believed. Eventually arriving at their school lockers that sat next to each other both men typed their issued access codes into the keycode locks before both lockers opened and revealed a clear plastic package containing their schoolbooks, a small box of pencils, and a single three-ring binder filled with empty paper for note taking.
"Mighty considerate of them to offer our course work and materials for free" Jacob stated seeing another student a few lockers down retrieve a similar package from their locker.
Russ looking over and seeing what Jacob had shrugged and turned back to his locker pulling the three-ring binder out and the books for his first two classes as he decided to explain "The brochure they provided stated that Lylat Academy has been branching out and enrolling students that score well across the economic spectrum, some students come from poor families or are displaced and other such things and can't afford all the school supplies so the school buys all of its student's materials for them" Russ explained as Jacob retrieved his materials.
Jacob nodded with a chuckle "Must be nice being so well funded, then again, the Cornerian government pays for all of this using taxpayer money from all of the planets and governments under the Lylat sphere, don't they?"
Russ nodded "Yeah, from what's stated publicly anyway, wouldn't be surprised if the Cornerian taxpayers paid for a good bit of it with Corneria using the funds from the other planets to boost their industry and military power."
"Bet the other governments of Lylat appreciate that" Jacob chuckled before the pair heard a bell go off over the PA. "That's the five-minute bell, better get to our Homeroom's see you at lunch?"
Russ shook his head "No I have a different lunch period than you, I'll see you after school outside the campus's east gate. Try to bear with the no alcohol policy till then."
"Hey, I may like a good beverage but I'm not an alcoholic I can go eight hours without a drink" he scoffed "Don't forget you'll be going to that stay-in family after school so make sure you bring some pens for homework" Jacob stated before walking away to his homeroom.
Russ shook his head glad he had never picked up drinking as a habit like his comrade before making his way down a different hallway careful not to bump into any students who were all now scrambling to find their homerooms. After three minutes Russ found his homeroom's open door and walked in before glancing at the mostly filled room.
While the teacher had yet arrived, the room was filled with various students of various species and Russ was again reminded of how diverse the people of Lylat whereas the multitude of fur, feather, skin, and scale colors made looking at the whole class reminiscent of a rainbow only broken up by the matching uniforms of the academy. He did notice the pair of females he had teamed up with during the flight test in the back but true to his word with the named Loona he ignored them and looked around for an open desk. Russ did his best to ignore the sudden dimming of noise in the classroom as the students noticed his entry and found an open desk in the middle row far back away from the windows against a wall.
Moving to the seat Russ noticed the student sitting to his left and immediately vacated her seat to find another one which didn't bother him as he sat his materials down on the desk and opened his binder in case something was mentioned in the homeroom that he wanted to write down. Russ was confident he wouldn't need the binder, but appearances had to be kept and the notebook paper would be useful for writing down noteworthy observations about his fellow students and their interactions.
Meanwhile, Loona Wulf sat at her desk in the back of the classroom of her homeroom staring over at the human Russel who had just walked into her homeroom before taking a seat by the wall in the middle row and opening a notebook while doing his best to ignore the students around him. Loona eyed the desk that a student vacated when the human sat down and debated taking it but reasoned against it for several reasons the most of which would be what it would look like after her previous interaction with him to the other students and the damage to her image she had worked tirelessly to portray.
"Damn girl, what are the odds he would be in our class?" her friend Twyla whispered to her from where she sat next to her putting a pair of earbuds away.
Loona just grunted as a few more students trickled in and made their way to empty seats after of course doing a double take at the human in the room and choosing desks away from him as if he wore the plague. Loona noted that the only seat left was the one directly next to Russel and wondered what the reaction of the next student that walked through the door would be upon seeing their seating arrangement. Of course, just as she thought that the individual in question walked through the door huffing to regain his breath from running the whole way there just as the bell rang.
The student had crimson red hair that started short and got longer in the front into stylized bangs that hung down the left side of his face and contrasted his bright blue eyes and dark grey fur color. The male was some version of a canine-feline mix with a bushy dark gray wolf-like tail that was white at the tip but moved about like a feline. His large ears were pointed much like a canine's but his head inner white tufts of fur like a cat and despite his uniform covering the majority of it the male's body was notably toned and nimble with that athletic build that showed the male either did a sport or was part of the ground combat course, Loona suspected both where correct judging by the happy smirk the male had as he finished catching his breath quickly from what had to have been a long run.
The male looked about the room looking at his fellow students and attempting to find a seat before an amused feminine voice spoke up from behind him. "I believe the bell has already rung young man please take a seat" Loona looked over and saw their teacher a female raccoon standing behind the student in the doorway.
The student turned around and saw a female badger in a professional dress that could only be their teacher before he gave a nervous chuckle "Sorry maim was just looking for a seat."
"I'm sure" the teacher replied exasperated with a roll of her eyes before turning to the class who were all already sitting at their seats. "Whoever has a seat next to them raise your hand, please" she called wanting to get the class started.
At first, nobody rose their hand likely realizing that there was only one seat left and didn't want to force the unlucky male to have the unenviable position of sitting next to the human in their midst. However, it seemed Russel himself had no such hesitation and rose his hand casually attracting both the male student and the teacher's attention. Loona could see both the teacher and student's eyes widen noticing the human for the first time, surprisingly the male student recovered first and walked over to the empty seat next to him.
Sitting down the male looked over with a friendly smile "Hey thanks desk neighbor, the name's Nitro. I hope we can get along for the rest of the year" he greeted with a positive tone.
Russel stared at Nytro for a moment before giving a slow nod like taken aback at how nonchalant the male was being over seeing him compared to the other student. "My name is Russel, it's no trouble and same to you" the human replied in a polite tone before facing forward to the teacher who had recovered her wits in the short amount of time it took for Nitro to introduce himself and walked over to her desk.
"Alright everyone let's get started! Welcome to Homeroom 318 where you'll be meeting at the start of the day every thirty or so minutes before heading to your first period. I am your homeroom teacher Miss Melinae." The now-named Melinae announced "If you have any questions or concerns outside your schoolwork, please feel free to approach me after homeroom or in my office in the administration wing. Now let's get through roll call!" Their teacher announced before calling out students' names and checking them off the list.
Russ sat back and endured as the short thirty-minute class played out only partially listening to the teacher announce his students and replying when his name was called before letting his mind wander as his teacher began going over the rules of the academy which he had already studied up on. Eventually and mercifully the bell ending homeroom sounded and Russ left the room with the rest of the students who gave him a wide berth or almost all of them did.
"Hey Russel where you heading to next?" came Nitro's voice as he walked up next to Russ while holding his schedule.
Russ blinked at nitro for a second again taken aback by the hybrid's outgoing approach to socializing before replying "Mathematics with a Professor Scavenge… and you?" Russ asked hesitantly trying to be sociable.
If his attempt came off as awkward Nitro didn't show it looking down at his schedule before replying "Engineering with Professor Desdith for myself. Hey, can I see your schedule real quick?" Nitro asked inquisitively raising his hand in expectation. Russ hesitated before handing over his schedule knowing that if the hybrid wanted to know his schedule it wouldn't be hard to figure out even if Russ didn't tell him. Nitro scanned the schedule before sighing "Well damn other than PT we only share our Homeroom and Lunch period" he announced before handing back the schedule.
Russ shrugged his shoulder pretending not to be slightly relieved at having more time away from the obtrusive hybrid. "I see, what academic path did you take if you don't mind me asking?" Russ asked knowing that the hybrid likely wasn't in the flight course if they didn't share any other classes and wanting to put up the appearance that he wanted to interact with the Lylat people.
"Land Warfare course, I'm going to serve my five-year requirement then become a Law enforcement officer back on Papetoon" Nitro replied smiling.
Russ nodded "Papetoon, that's the desert planet led by a royal family, right? Why become an officer there and not here on Corneria? Wouldn't you prefer to not have to be subject to the whims of a royal family?" Russ asked now a little more interested in what he had to say. While Russ and Jacob had been given a broad overview of the situation and life inside the Lylat system there was only so much that ESA intelligence could tell them from observations from satellites outside the system.
Nitro shook his head in amusement "Everyone outside Papetoon assumes that the Royal family can do whatever and that we live like serfs, but the truth of the matter is the opposite. The King looks after the citizens and is mostly involved with military affairs and giving the final say on large overarching laws proposed by an elected council. The Queen meanwhile is more concerned with foreign policy and our economy and while she can come off as ostentatious, she's very smart and good at her job. That means that overall, our people are happy, and our law enforcement officers have a lot more freedom to pursue criminals how they wish. Hell, most just handle property and trade dispute along with some basic domestics and public disturbances" Nitro revealed with a hint of pride in his tone at the state of his home planet.
"Don't you also have a Prince and Princess?" Russ asked racking his brain to try and remember if their names were ever mentioned in the information packet he had received before coming to Lylat.
Nitro gave a sheepish chuckle as he scratched the back of his head "Yeah, we do and a bit more of a… complicated issue" Nitro stated before pausing to try and think of how to best word his response. "The Prince is more of what you think our royal family would be like, arrogant, authoritarian, standoffish, and abrasive. He takes after the Queen but doesn't have nearly the smarts and know-how she does. Thankfully he is serving within the Papetoon Military and so he is kept away from the general populace and under the watchful eyes of the king" Nitro explained with a grimace no doubt not liking the prince himself, indicative of what the rest of Papetoon's populace felt. "Then there is the Princess" Nitro began before his face broke into a grin with an embarrassed and amused grin. "Princess Anya is well VERY well-liked by the people not only is she upbeat, caring, and interacts with the general population a lot she also is VERY beautiful" Nitro stated with a darkening blush that Russ could see even through his fur.
"Do you have a crush on her or something?" Russ asked thinking that this was similar to how celebrities in human space had large followings.
Nitro shook his head "A crush? No, no, nothing like that" Nitro denied with an exaggerated head shake before explaining. "Well, let's just say that there is a reason that a large religion on our planet believes she is an avatar of their love goddess. She has a very attractive figure to match her personality and she knows it so oh boy does she flaunt it! She appears regularly in beauty and travel magazines and when she's making public appearances, she can be a bit flirty" Nitro explained with a far-off look and a goofy smile.
Russ looked over in confusion "Isn't a member of royalty flaunting her body to the general populace generally a bad thing? Do her parents approve of that kind of thing" Russ asked knowing that in Human space that kind of behavior would be stopped immediately to avoid political implications?
Nitro shrugged before answering "I know the queen and prince disapprove but her father seems more of the do whatever you feel like doing so long as you accept and deal with the consequences kind of father."
Russ blinked not understanding what Nitro meant by that before shrugging "Well that's… interesting I guess?" he replied before looking at a clock along the wall. "By the way, we have two minutes until the bell so…" Russ trailed off hintingly.
"Oh, Shit! I'm going to be late AGAIN!" Nitro shouted before sprinting away down another hall with a wave of goodbye. Russ shook his head in exasperation wondering if the hybrid's own talkative nature was the reason, he was late to homeroom as well. Turning down a hallway he entered his mathematics class twenty seconds before the bell and was greeted by a lot of wide-eyed students and whispered conversations.
Sighing to himself Russ took an empty seat and prepared himself for a day of being the subject of furtive glances and hushed whispers.
: Lylat Academy, 2 hours later:
Russ now believed he would officially be rather watching paint dry than be in these classrooms. Because it was the first day all the different classes did was introduce their professor and go over a syllabus that Russ skimmed through and understood within the first five seconds of class. The rest of the hour-long class was spent discussing the syllabus unnecessarily in detail. Russ managed to get through both Mathematics and Flight Principles classes by staring at the syllabus on his desk while going over alternative powerup procedures for his Dire Wolf fighter than an Arwing and then a plethora of other ESA and Inner Sphere craft. He even started throwing in various potential craft damages to work around for shits and giggles.
His third-period class simply called Group Study took place in the academy's study hall which was simply a secondary library where talking was allowed, and the only seating was various tables with ten chairs each spread out amongst the room. Russ had entered expecting the class to be a free time like he had heard human academies had, instead he was surprised to see his classmates all standing on one side of the room mingling in one large group and animated talking about something except for a few outliers who either stood by themselves or in small groups.
None of the students sans the ones standing away from the central group even noticed him walk in or take notice as he walked over to the same side of the room and found a spot to stand away from the rest. As he stood there, he did his best to ignore the other students around him and went back to going over an emergency engine start and take off for an old Valkyrie interceptor with stabilizer damage and a left side electronics malfunction in his head. He had just gone through a manual override of the systems lockout when the class's supervisor, a female swan, came in and began addressing the class.
"Hello students my name is Mrs. Fletch and I'll be your supervisor for the Group Study class" she introduced herself and gained the attention of the rowdy group of students. "Here in Group Study, we will be assigned into groups and tackle various problems ranging from small household issues to problems facing Lylat as a whole. At the start of class, I will give a topic for discussion and you will all split up into your groups and discuss the issue and theorize possible solutions before presenting them to me at the end of the class. If I find your proposed solutions interesting, you will be asked to present the solution to the whole class the next time we meet and we will debate the solution as a class" Mrs. Fletch explained before eyeing the class with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she raised her PDA for the class to see. "Now while usually in this class you would be allowed to separate into groups of your own choice, I have decided that instead your groups will be assigned randomly from my PDA" the class began groaning and a few looked like they were going to voice their complaints before Mrs. Fletch raised a wing to silence them. "Now, now I know you all are not thrilled to not be with your friends, but I think that the best discussions come from a diverse group of individuals and not like-minded ones. So best learn to get along with your partners as you will be working with them for the foreseeable future. Now when I call your name, please head over to the assigned table, and await further instructions" Mrs. Fletch stated with a smile despite the groans from the class.
Russ maintained his silence and tuned out the teacher calling peoples names and instead trying to figure out a way to get into a group by himself instead of being constrained to interacting with his classmates who would either exclude him anyway or try and force him to interact with them by inundating him with questions. "Maybe they'll just leave me alone and talk amongst themselves" Russ hoped for the first option before hearing his name called by their professor.
"Russel Leonard, table seven please," Mrs. Fletch said gesturing to a table near the other side of the room that currently had only a single occupant. Russ began walking over and noticed a distinguishable increase in the volume and frequency of whispers amongst his fellow students and even some shouts of protest but ignored them in favor of getting to the table and picking a seat far away from the other occupant and giving the other students room to choose the seats furthest from him.
As he approached the table, he cast a glance at the table's sole occupant who had her head down in her arms either tired or in disappointment from hearing who was in her group, Russ couldn't tell. She was female based on her figure that even Russ found himself noticed as attractive despite its alien qualities. She had dark brown fur along the back and shoulders from what he could see that wasn't covered up by her uniform that likely went down to her tail. The rest was either tan colored along her sides and legs which devolved to cream-colored fur along the middle of her chest and at the ends of her arms and legs which met with the dark brown fur on her fingers and paws. She had windswept red hair that when down to her shoulders and was only kept by a golden headband. Russ couldn't see her face or her eyes since it was currently buried in her arms, but he could tell she was tall by Lylatian standards at a little over six feet tall with long legs that had the usual 'sexy' appeal he had heard other students refer to when talking about other female students although, unlike many others that these students referred to Russ noticed that he thighs where slightly larger and her leg muscles were noticeable enough through the fur that Russ expected she was not a stranger to physical training.
Breaking off his examination of the female that was bordering on what he had come to understand from others was 'checking her out' which disturbed him enough to remind himself that such thoughts were inappropriate and not aligned with his future, Russ made his way over the opposite side of the circular table and sat down while inwardly cursing the chair as it loudly scraped against the marble floor.
The figure in front of him must have not heard his approaching footsteps and the sound of the chair must have startled them as they jerked into an upright seating position as their fur stood up and tail went ramrod straight. However, what caught Russ's attention was the pair of striking sky-blue eyes that gazed at him in shock.
"Well, that's one way of meeting someone," Russ thought in amusement before deciding to pull out a binder and pretend to prepare to take notes.
XXXXXXXX
Anya Kevlar sighed onto the cold wooden tabletop as she allowed her arms to cushion her head as she laid her head down trying to savor every second of respite she had. During her time as the Princess of Papetoon and being declared a goddess by the major religious group of the planet Anya had become used to donning a persona for the masses. Whether in be amongst a public event or privately with guests and officials she always wore the mask of a confident outgoing individual who loved to play to the desires of those around her. During her younger years she had loved her people enough that when she was declared the incarnation of the goddess of love, she had accepted it and cultivated her image to better help her people to be someone they could look to for comfort and inspiration. Over time, however, she found herself donning the mask more often to the point that she didn't know how to feel when she took it off other than tired. What had originally started as a way for her to help her people had become a shackle and duty to always perform even amongst her family.
This was why Anya treasured every moment she had to herself when she could take the mask off and rest without worrying about public perception or the next photo shoot or public event. If anyone back home could see her now, they would think they had seen a lookalike with her usual playful smirk replaced by a frown and laidback confident attitude withered away to reveal her weariness. Even now away from the other students, Anya couldn't fully relax and her ears remained vigilant for the sound of approaching paws to announce to her to redon the mask of Papetoon's Princess or Avatar of Love.
So far the day had been like every other with almost anyone who saw her either gawking at her or if they were confident enough trying to approach her and shower her with praises. She had just smiled away and thanked them for their compliments and gave a playful flirt or two before continuing on her way. Unfortunately in her current class where there were no obvious desks designed for one person she like all the other students had to stand around until their teacher arrived to explain the seating arrangement which naturally meant she was soon swamped by admirers and well-wishers near instantly when she walked into the room. Thankfully her fellow council member Fara Phoenix was here to take some of the attention away with her looks and family connections. Truthfully the girl was one of only a handful of people that were close to what Anya thought were friends, or at least close enough that Anya could rely on her portrayed laid-back attitude to put off doing anything and make snarky comments along with portraying some of her instinctive emotions at the various antics of the student council members.
Anya sighed again as she debated if she could play off sleeping through the rest of class as her not caring for the subject matter and not her desperate desire to not interact with anyone else for an hour. Anya's mind began to drift off relishing the feeling of the cold wood against her soft fur, the darkness her arms provided her weary eyes and subtle background noise of the teacher's voice, the scrapping of a chair across from her, the professor shushing an unruly… wait, WHAT?!
Anya's eyes shot open as she stood ramrod straight at the realization that someone had snuck past her hearing and sat down at the table. Anya didn't even have time to mentally prepare her mask before looking into the eyes of one of the school's newest aliens. The alien's eyes regarded her with mild bemusement at her sudden alertness before moving away from her to focus on taking out his school materials which was a welcome relief to Anya since he had managed to catch her so unguarded.
Anya used the human's distraction to her advantage and quickly slipped back into her usual persona, eyes became half-lidded, her shoulders relaxed, her elbow planted itself on the table as her hand held her head up, and a teasing smirk appeared on her face as she went to address the alien across from her only to freeze up at the last moment. Anya realized that she suddenly found herself in a situation she had never encountered before in the vast majority of her life. Anya was used to being the focus of attention even when she was a child and so had fashioned the persona of a laid-back teasing princess to both enthrall and establish dominance over people addressing her. What was different about this situation however was that the human had managed to throw her off her game by acknowledging her presence and then casually ignoring her instead of trying to seek her attention like everyone else she usually dealt with. While the act itself seemed rather benign if not surprising to the casual observer considering the beautiful females status and looks, in actuality the human had just committed a social faux pas and a rather big one that left Anya floundering at what to do other than sit there with a teasing smirk on her maw waiting for the human to address her which didn't seem to be occurring anytime soon considering her was now writing something in his binder.
Aways away from the pair Loona Wulf sighed in agitation as she facepalmed at the human's continued obliviousness to what he was doing. "Damn girl you were right he has like zero social awareness" her friend Twyla stated with an uncomfortable chuckle, the attractive bat sympathizing with the Papetoon princess.
Loona sighed and gave a nod "Yeah and I need to talk to him about it or this will be the norm for the whole school year" Loona growled out before groaning as her name was called by their professor but followed by the announcement, she was going to table five. "At this rate, though I'll never get him alone" she sighed exasperatedly as she began to walk away and toward her assigned group but not before hearing one more announcement from the teacher.
"Twyla Moon, table seven."
And done, a bit of a cliffhanger I know but I wanted to get something out for you guys to know this story isn't dead.
I wish I could give you all good news about my update schedule, but it will likely remain infrequent like this for the foreseeable future as finding the time to write and my motivation to write is dwindling with my age. The bit of good news kind of is that all my other fics are either canceled or on hold so when I do write it will be entirely this story I work on.
So until next whenever that be, remember to stay frosty and don't forget to review!