Starbound: War Within

Chapter 3

Here I am yet again in this black void.

"Wakey wakey…" I heard the voice of a woman very clearly in a sweet tone.

"Again with the voices, huh? Thanks head…" I thought with annoyance. I then heard a faint beeping, growing louder.

"Wait… beeping? Did… that stabbing actually happen?!" I asked myself mentally, thoughts running off at several miles an hour now, getting horrified at the last few things that I remembered.

"But, that doesn't sound like the sort of beeping for heart monitors, so what-"

"Hmm, you're oversleeping you know!" The womans voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Oversleeping. For… what?" I started mentally thinking, trying to regain my memories and senses.

"What do you call a Protectorate apprentice who's had a little too much last night?" The voice said. I tried to get a recap, but was finding it rather difficult.

"Last night… the party, Crimson, the nightmare of-"

"LAAATE!" The voice yelled seemingly right in my ear.

"GAH!" I yelled, opening my eyes wide and darting my head up.

Heavily panting, I looked around, and I wasn't seeing much, since my bunk has only one open spot on it to my left and the rest are walls. I looked towards my stomach and felt around on it, feeling no pain and seeing no marks. I laid my head back down, letting out a long exhale.

"Just a dream…" I said, putting a hand to my head and closing my eyes, letting my breathing slow down.
"Just… a dream." I muttered, sighing in relief.

I sat up, letting my legs hang over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and sat staring at the floor for a moment, thinking of the dream, and the voice I heard when I woke.

I looked ahead at the far wall with a desk against it. It had a flat computer display monitor on it, with two other screens beside it at rotated angles.

Off to the right side of the desk was a terminal stand with wires coming out the back and into the computer system unit on the desk. There was a pedestal next to it with an empty groove and connections for a drone which was not there.

To the left of the desk was a sort of rectangular table for holographic projections over it, which had a small built drone on it, which looked to be powered on through a circular eye on the front glowing blue.

Past that was a workbench with various metal pieces of different sizes, some gun parts in a small pile, a mostly built robot with 4 spider like appendages underneath it and empty slots for other circuitry, and different tools on a built-on shelf attached to the bench.

I shook my head, looking to the projection table, knowing who that voice belonged to that I heard when I was still waking up.

"Sail, you know I can't understand you when I am not fully awake." I said aloud to seemingly no one.

The drone flew off the table using small thrusters on the bottom, and hovered in the air a few feet from me.

"Someone had to wake you up, what with nobody else being around, mister Binari." A female voice from the drone rang out, the eye pulsing as they spoke. I furrowed my brows in annoyance.

"You know I hate it when you get in my face." I said, shaking my head.

The drone flew over to the terminal docking at the pedestal, then the eye turned off. A blue holographic image of a female human lit up where the holograph table was. She looked at me with a smug smirk.

"And that's why I did it." She replied, getting an evil grin on her face.

I facepalmed with a sigh.

"I'm not in the mood for your bullcrap this morning, Sail." I said with irritatation, rubbing my head.

"Sheesh, you're grumpy when you're hung over, you know that?" She said frowning.

I shook my head as I got up and approached the table, clenching my fists.

"I didn't drink, I had a fight with that monkey bastard again. He knocked me over the head with a bottle." I said narrowing my eyes.

"Well, a bottle of alcohol was probably involved in your headache, sssoooo, technically…" she said, shrugging.

"Sail!" I said with a raised voice. She giggled.

"Aww lighten up and save your energy mister Binari, you'll need it today." She said smiling. I raised a brow in confusion.

"What do you mean-" I stopped abruptly, then lowered my brows again, quickly remembering the graduation ceremony and feeling a bit more awake at the realization.
"Oh yeah, the ceremony."

I walked quickly over to the beeping I had completely disregarded which was coming from my cell phone and grabbed it. I pushed a button on it powering the screen, and saw it was well past being morning, being almost 12 midday, along with some missed calls and message notifications on it from my friends. I looked over at Sail.

"Is it really that time?" I said in a bit of disbelief.

She smiled and nodded. I let my hand fall to my side and let out a frustrated sigh, putting my other hand on my eyes.

"Friggin damnit." I said in an agitated tone.

"You have a message from your friend Beatriz. Your uniform is available to collect from your personal locker." She said.

I let my hands fall down to my sides, taking a deep breath, and exhaling. I then walked over to a wardrobe next to my bed, and began changing out of the clothes I had, pulling a pair of jeans with holes near the knee area, and my purple hoodie that had the protectorate emblem emblazoned on it, doing all this not bothering to hurry. I finally grabbed my backpack and slung it on my shoulders.

As I finished getting myself dressed, Sail spoke up.

"And, might I add, it is quite impressive that you can remain so serene when you are running so late. Well done you."

I looked over with my most deadpan expression I could muster.

"We'll see. I'm not sure it'll last today." I shrugged, continuing.
"Your taunting didn't help but, screw it. Also, thanks for notifying me about my message, which you read without my permission."

"You're welcome. If you have any more important things to know, I'll be sure to notify you on your communications device. And I promise to not upload myself and bother you unless it's absolutely necessary. See you mister Binari." She waved as I groaned again.

"Somehow I doubt that, but, thanks. See ya Sail." I said, walking to my door and waving back not looking behind me to Sail, then going outside.

I began walking to the elevator, keeping my hands in my jacket pockets. It was very uneventful, there was nobody around on this floor, so I got to the elevator, stepped in, and pushed the button for the corresponding floor which I was going to.

The elevator began moving, and my thoughts turned to last night, to the odd sudden nightmare of me getting stabbed. Her words still there, her slapping me... Something like that, it would hurt more inside than on my face.

I shook my head, and looked to the right of the elevator wall. The dent from so long ago is still there. I turned back forward to the doors.

"It was just a dream, it's not real. Shut up head." I mentally said.

The elevator dinged, and I stepped out. There was a pair of large rectangular windows on the far wall to my right, with one on one half of the wall and the other covering the other top half. Hanging from a horizontal pole attached to just above the top window was banners of the 6 races that generally go to the academy.

Next to the bottom window was a table with a holder for pencils and pens, along with a small desk lamp. It had some scattered papers and some textbooks belonging to an apex that was sitting at the table. Next to their chair was a trash bin with crumpled papers on the floor next to it. The empty chair on the opposite side had a book cart with wheels next to the chair.

"This would have been my second favorite place to be at. Being able to have a comfy seat, looking out into the scenic distance from behind these windows. If I wasn't still semi socially awkward." I thought mentally.

I turned to the left, and began walking to a set of lockers. All the lockers had nothing on them except for one which had a graduation flyer taped to it. This was my locker. I took it, and read a bit. Apparently, this flyer commemorates the Protectorate's graduation ceremony. Which was what I was supposed to be at right now instead of looking at this piece of paper.

I shook my head, and opened the locker, seeing my Protectorate uniform; a blue suit along with pants neatly folded on a metal shelf. I took my bag off, holding it by one of the shoulder straps, and set the flyer on another shelf in the locker next to about 20 pixels. I gave the money a questioning glance.

"Did Beatriz leave this in here? I don't remember ever leaving money in my locker." I thought.

I quickly concluded she must have as my uniform was with it. I pulled out the flyer from my bag and put the uniform in its' place setting it on top, then putting the pixels in my pocket. As I was finishing grabbing everything, I heard some footsteps followed by a voice.

"Hey John, have a moment to chat?" I heard Beatriz say to my right from behind my locker door.

I closed the locker door, and saw her standing there. I smiled, putting my pack back on my back.

"Yeah, always got time for a friend. What's up?" I replied.

"Well first of all, off to a bit of a late start aren't you?" She said crossing her arms. I shrugged.

"Yeah I know I overslept, my body apparently needed the rest. Last night took quite a bit of energy away from me." I said, rubbing the back of my head. She nodded.

"I figured with all that happened. Everyone else too. Speaking of everyone, most if not all of the academy knows what happened. You're pretty much the subject of talk now." She said with a frown.

"That's probably the second time now, huh?" I said with a shrug.

She nodded, then suddenly glared and slapped me across the face, shocking me at this sudden act.

"Hey, what-"

"Be quiet and listen." She said aggressively, interrupting me.

"That was for going to the party in something so ultra casual. You should have put more effort into your outfit last night as Crimson did for you." She scolded.

I looked at her with a look that says 'are you freaking kidding me right now?' But I knew she had a point, it was the graduation party, and it was a very special occasion. I might not even see her again, yet I didn't even dress up nice for her.

I sighed, putting an apologetic expression on, knowing she was right.

"Yeah, you're right Beat. I'm sorry." I said. She then softened her look.

"I'm just telling you that you could have made a bigger impact by dressing more nicely, Crimson Blaze is my best friend at this academy. You need to remember she is a lady and your friend too. She was worried sick about you last night, and you are going to make it up to her." She said sternly, pointing at me. I nodded.

"Yeah, I will. I don't know what I'll do yet, but I will do something." I replied.

"Good." She simply said.

"Now about your locker, I left pixels in there as a gift for giving that pervert the thrashing and otherwise being a gentleman to Crimson. Also, we all pitched in and paid the bill for you and Crimson, so you don't need to trouble yourself with all that." She explained.

At least that confirms where the money came from, and relieving the sudden realization of me not paying the tab.

"I see. Alright, thanks Beat." She gained an unamused expression.

"You're welcome John. Also, it's Beatriz, not Beat. You've been taking lingo lessons from Elijah too much. Now onto today, hmm?" I nodded in response.

"Soon you'll be a real Protector, with your very own Matter Manipulator. Are you excited?" She asked.

"That I am, I hear those Matter Manipulators can disassemble all kinds of materials." I said. She chuckled.

"Still as intelligent as ever, John. If you do happen to get assigned to some distant world, don't forget you'll always have friends here on Earth." She said smiling. I gave her a questioning look.

"Here on Earth? Are some of our friends not leaving for space?" I asked. She looked down with a saddened expression and sighed.

"Yes, me." She said, shocking me again. She looked back up.

"I want to be a tailor, and this academy developed my skills. At first I wanted to be able to clothe civilizations, but what I have in mind, well, let's just say… it will be a bold ambition." She said, smiling again.

"It wasn't decided by someone else, I'm choosing to stay here for now. But it's ok John, you'll see my products sold out in space when I get there." She stepped closer and gave me a quick hug. I returned the gesture.

"Congratulations on your graduation, my friend. You've earned it." She said. We parted the embrace and she continued.
"Now, you have a ceremony to get to. Crimson and the others are waiting for you." She said. I nodded.

"Alright Beatriz, see you around. And thanks for the talk." I said with her grinning.

"Always a pleasure." She said as she walked off.

I walked off in the opposite direction down the hall, passing the table with the apex sitting at it coming to a small area with benches, more tables near them, and a wall mounted tv. This was a bit of a study area.

I continued on passing restrooms with some water machines outside, seeing in the distance a pale blue avian at a soda machine, next to some posters of last night's party, some memos of acquiring textbooks, and today's graduation ceremony.

As I got closer, the avian started hitting the machine, and looked visibly upset. When I was close enough for them to hear me, I spoke up.

"What's wrong?" I asked in concern. The avian turned to me, and I noticed a few tears in her eyes.

"The vending machine swallowed my pixels. Could this day get any worse?" She sighed, turning back to the machine.

"A nice cold can of Oculemonade, just beyond my reach…" she trailed off. I felt sympathetic of this stranger.

I moved closer to the machine, and inserted my 20 pixels, clicking the number for the Oculemonade in the machine. It popped out and landed in the slot at the bottom, then I took it and turned to the avian. She looked like she was on the verge of bawling her eyes out. I held out the Oculemonade to her.

"Here, take it. Oculemonade is one of my favorite things to drink and you seem to need it, so, here." I said. She looked at me with shock, then took it.

"Thank you." She replied, as I smiled.

"Don't mention it." I said, shrugging and about to walk off as she stopped me.

"Hey, you're John, right?" She said, guessing right. I turned back around to face her.

"Yeah, I am. Why?" I asked raising a brow. She sniffled and rubbed some tears out of her eyes.

"Well, I've never really talked to you besides now, but I've known about you for a few years. You're really nice, and I was hoping we could friends." She said. I was confused.

"Ok? Uh, what's your name for starters." I said. She stuttered a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Ruby." She said with a small smile. I nodded.

"Alright Ruby, it's nice to meet you, but I have a few questions about what you said." I said. She frowned a little.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound creepy, I just, well… um..." She said trailing off to a mumble. I sighed, knowing I didn't have time for interruptions.

"It doesn't sound creepy or stalkerish, I just don't know how you've known about me for years and never talked to me to say I'm nice. I don't think you really know me if you haven't talked to me." I said, shrugging.

"Would you mind explaining? And please don't take too long, I have to get to the ceremony." I said as calmly as I could. She smiled a little again.

"Oh, sorry. Well, I've known about you since your first year here, by how rude the stupid gossip was, then the incident in the cafeteria that got spread around by many Protectorate students. I never really saw you much and when I did, you were always near your friends, which scared me a little." She said, continuing.

"I saw you last night when that jerk caused the scene and hit you over the head. You took hits for your friend and defended her twice." She looked down a bit.

"You also gave me something just now without even knowing who I am. To me that's nice." She said rubbing her arm, looking back up at me.

"Well shit I think she's got me there." I thought, shrugging.

"I used to be wary of people too, but they approached me, and I became good friends with all of them. You can be a good friend too, only problem is, I'll be starting my duty as a Protectorate after the ceremony soon… ish. So keep in contact with me if you want to increase our friendship." I said, with her smiling and nodding.

"I need to get going now, so try and find me later, because I don't know where I'll be." I said.

"Yeah, me too, and I'll try." She said.

I turned and then pushed open an auto closing door, finding myself outside at an all too familiar place. I was at an outside corridor like bridge with a glass window along the sides and ceiling. This led to the Protectorate tree, where I had met some of my friends for the first time.

At the end of the bridge where there was no more ceiling, there was a glitch in a grey jumpsuit and a cap hat. He was sweeping pink petals into a pile that were falling from the tree right at the end of the bridge. There was also a faint cling of wind chimes hanging on the trees' branches. As I got closer I could hear robotic mumbling.

"Weary. Every day, more petals to sweep." He said out loud to no-one in particular.

"Hello there. You alright?" I asked. He stopped and looked at me with an annoyed expression.

"Frustrated. They have me sweeping the bridge every hour like I'm a machine or something." He grumbled.

I chuckled a little, knowing the glitch were a race of sentient machines.

"Impatient. Just one more day away from retirement…" He said starting to trail off.

"Keeping the place clean and tidy is worth it for a stunning atmosphere. The tree would thank you if it could, I'm sure." I said, trying to be reassuring. He looked at me and gave a small smirk.

"Resigned. I suppose this tree's beauty provides some justification for its upkeep." He said, glancing at the sky.

"Pleasant. At least it's a nice day to be working outside." He said, continuing to sweep. I nodded in agreement, and continued walking, getting closer to the tree.

The sound of wind chimes was clear now. There was a constant gust of wind, and a nice wooden bench with a plaque on it which hadn't been there before. It read 'In honor of Esther Bright'. Sitting on the bench was a familiar old Hylotl.

"Master Yuuta?" I said in confusion. He looked over and gave me a smile.

"Hello, my friend. Come, sit with me for a moment and let us enjoy these beautiful blossoms." He said. I frowned a little.

"Not that I don't want to, but I'm really late for my ceremony." I replied. He continued smiling.

"Some situations call for haste, but don't let life's small moments pass unappreciated. Please, sit." He insisted. I mentally shrugged thinking maybe another distraction couldn't possibly make things worse. I walked over and sat down next to him.

We sat there for what seemed to be minutes, though it was really only an actual minute and not several. I listened to the gusts of wind, wind chimes clanging together, and watched the falling petals. The scenery was very calming and peaceful. After a short while, Master Yuuta finally broke the silence.

"I always loved this time of year. The flowers are in bloom, and the graduates invariably surprise me. I know you'll go on to do great things. You never cease to amaze me." He said, not looking at me, watching the petals fall. I looked at him as he continued speaking.

"This tree has stood for centuries, a symbol of the Protectorates' strength and dignity." He finally looked at me.

"When you're up there, don't forget to stop and look around every once in awhile. You shall be like this tree. Your petals may fall, but you will regrow them, and you will grow to be a tall tree, full of age, and wisdom." He said. His metaphors may be odd to most, but I've spent enough time that I understand what he's saying.

"Thank you, Yuuta. Enjoy the scenery, I need to get going." I said.

He nodded in response and turned his sight back to the falling petals. As I was beginning to walk off, he began speaking.

"And John, Leda Portia is an honorable Grand Protector. She truly believes you can keep the universe safe." I turned to face him, with a grin on his face.

"The life of a Protector will not always be easy, but know that you are part of a great cause." I gave another nod, this time with a small bow. I returned to walking off, and could hear him say something else.

"Chimes in the great tree. Windy songs of coming change. Fleeting petals fall." I chuckled a little.

"Hylotl and their haikus." I thought.

As I was thinking this, I saw a pink flower blooming out of the ground.

"Hey little guy…" I said aloud, thinking of seeing my friends and… Crimson.

"Maybe I should give you to her as a graduation memory?" I said mentally, as I plucked it.

I continued walking, and I saw a building across a walkway with a railing, about a quarter the length of the bridge to the Protectorate tree. There's a long banner of the Protectorate hanging above the door. As I was about to open it, someone steps out, an old looking apex female, probably one of the course teachers here which I had yet to see before. She had one irate looking expression on her face.

"You're really cutting it close, John Binari. Please hurry inside before the ceremony begins, its going to start any minute now." She said, somehow pinpointing exactly who I was.

"Alright." I said simply, walking past her and inside.

"Creepy teacher knowledge knowing everyones' names bullshit." I mentally said.

On the wall to the left was large portraits of previous grand protectors, with spotlights on the floor lighting them up. Underneath them were display cases of various items, including an old rulebook of outdated guidelines, the first type of Grand Protector robe, and a replica of a Matter Manipulator, behind a red velvet line.

Ahead were the rest of my friends talking amongst themselves, except Beatriz as she was elsewhere. As I approached, they all looked towards me as I was about to greet them and I was interrupted.

"John!" Crimson said loudly, rushing towards me at an almost alarming speed. I opened my arms and she came right into my embrace as we wrapped our arms around each other.

If others who were not my friends saw this happen they might be judgmental, but I honestly wouldn't give a damn, a lot of people suck.

"I wasss worried you weren't coming." She said sadly. I stroked the back of her foliage and just eased into the embrace, my dreams' words now echoing in my head.

"You ignored floran! Human didn't sssay goodbye, left floran waiting." It's just a dream, I kept telling myself.

"No. Never will I betray her like that. Not ever." I mentally said.

"Of course I was. I just needed a bit more rest." I said, tightening my arms around her.

"I could never leave you waiting. I care about you too much to leave without saying anything. I promise, Crimson." I left the embrace and looked into her eyes, seeing the universe again.

"Are you ok?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yesss, floran iss ok. Jusst misssed you iss all." She said happily.

"That's great to hear, and I can tell you missed me." I said with a smirk, causing her to blush. I then remembered the flower I grabbed.

"Oh, I forgot. Here, I got this from the little garden just outside. Thought you'd like it." I said, handing her the pink flower. She looked at it with a surprised look, then smiled widely looking back at me.

"You got thiss for floran?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yes. I thought you'd like to have it as something to remember the graduation." I said.
"Uh, here." I reached up to her head and put it in on the side of her head foliage.

I returned my hands to my sides, giving her a smile. She looked very beautiful with it perched on her red foliage. I'm sure I thought of her as being red once, but her foliage is red, not her peach colored skin. No idea how I made that mistake before.

"There you go. It really makes you look better, even though you always look great." I said. She beamed at that.

As I was busy being oblivious to everything besides Crimson, Elijah spoke up.

"Hey John! I was wondering if you were going to show up or not." He said.

I looked behind Crimson and she turned around as the group approached stopping right in front of me, with Crimson stepping to my side.

"Bruh, did you sleep through your Sail alarms? That is so you." He said grinning widely.
"Well, you don't look half bad, for having just woken up!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, thanks man, and sorry about getting here late, my body really needed to recharge. I didn't keep you all waiting too long did I?" I asked. He scratched the back of his head.

"Well, everyone except Yuki hasn't been waiting too long. We also slept a bit in as well, heh." He chuckled. I looked at Yuki.

"I came here early to make sure I wouldn't miss the ceremony. I've been waiting here for hours…" She said with a bit of annoyance in her voice. I patted her on the shoulder.

"I'm sure your dedication to timeliness will be recognized." I said, reassuring her. That seemed to cheer her up.
"You all eager for graduation?" I asked.

"I am! Not many floranss become Protectorsss. Floran is proud to be chosen!" Crimson exclaimed loudly. Everyone nodded.

"Eager. I shall have my very own Matter Manipulator. I figuratively cannot wait." Bright Heart said. I nodded.

"Tell me about it, I was telling Beat earlier about it being able to break down almost everything since everything is made up of atoms, matter, and all that good scientific talk. Can't believe we're finally graduating, it all went so fast." I said, continuing.
"Anyways, we should really get on to it." I said, as I started walking to the ceremony just past them and up some stairs. They followed behind, and Bright Heart spoke up.

"Nervous. Do my bolts look big in this?" She said. I looked back and I wasn't sure how to properly answer without sounding lewd.

"Uh… I don't think you want me to answer that. Though, you do look good in your uniform, if you don't mind me saying." I said.

"Pleased. I am glad I ironed my uniform this morning then." She smiled. I nodded and continued walking. I was about to walk up the stairs and I heard an unusual growling or grumbling. I turned around with a brow raised, and everyone was looking at Zengi. He was holding his stomache.

"Floran regrets drinking five Oculemonades for breakfast…" He looked like he was about to puke.
"Floran hopess there will be time for a toilet break." He said. I just shook my head and sighed.

"And just why did you think that was a good idea?" I asked. He looked up at me.

"Floran wass hungry." He said simply. I rolled my eyes.

"There's a bathroom beyond the doors which I took to get here. I think you should go do your business then come to the ceremony. I was late, so maybe they won't mind you being late. Maybe." I said, shrugging. He nodded and hurried away clutching his stomach.

The rest of us stepped up the stairs, and there were bleacher seats, like how you'd see in an auditorium, that were mostly filled. A few seconds after we stepped up, a loud rang of cheering was let out. No sooner does that happen, a voice over a microphone came on.

"Alright everyone, simmer down, and take your seats so we can begin the ceremony." The voice was female. It was Leda Portia, the current Grand Protector. She was standing at a podium with a microphone attached to it.

As me and my friends began walking to the bleachers, people moved over to make room for us, cheering still blaring. We climbed the rows, and we were somewhere in the middle. Crimson sat to my left, with Bright Heart next to her. Yuki sat to my right, next to Elijah.

"Sucks for Zengi." I thought, thinking it'd be a bit hard for him to find a seat next to us when he finally comes back.

There was still a bit of talking, and now clapping? If I had to guess it was because of last night. I put my hands up in a quieting gesture.

"Alright, alright, you know who I am and what happened. Let's get the ceremony done that I delayed." I said loudly, with everyone quieting down and returning their gazes to Leda, along with us.

She tapped the microphone, testing it, with a small bit of feedback occurring. She cleared her throat and began to speak.

"My fellow Protectors, today we come together to witness the Protectorate grow. For over 500 years we have stood proud here on Earth, drawing together races of all kinds in the name of peace. Our task: to protect our fellow beings; to support, house, and educate those that seek our aid, and to foster accord between those that aspire to it." She said.

As Leda spoke, I felt the message she was relaying I have seen for myself.

I was alone, then I met people who defined what it meant to be a Protector of the academy, and have done so myself, had they not been around. It all started with protecting Crimson from that bastard Anton. Had I not stepped up, I would have dishonored the ways of this academy, with not protecting someone who needed aid. Because I did, we banded together with more like minded people aspiring for peace, and from the bonds we share, we grew, learned, and we look out for each other.

As I was thinking of all this, I turned my head to look at Crimson from the corner of my eye. Crimson noticed this and turned to me, then I faced her fully, our gazes meeting. She smiled at me, and I returned with one myself. Leda Portia continued speaking.

"Today, in the name of peace, we welcome out newest compatriots, and present them each with our greatest tool…" she gave a short pause, and held it up for all to see off my peripheral vision.
"-the Matter Manipulator."

After staring for what felt like a few minutes, I finally looked down at her hand, and back up to her face. I was about to place my hand on hers until Zengi returned, passing right in front of us, stopping me and refocusing our eyes forward. He continued shuffling over to sit next to Bright Heart.

We returned our gazes to Leda Portia as her speech came to a stop. I felt mildly irritated at having my opportunity with a simple hand holding stopped, but it's just as well, I don't know if she feels the same way.

"As a final word, we have the son of one of the greatest minds to attend this academy. His technological advances greatly improved our cruiser capabilities, and allowed us to more efficiently explore the stars in the name of peace." Leda said. I felt minor dread at this.

"John Binari, would you please come up here and give a final speech?" Leda said happily, thinking I was going to do it. I mean, I was, but now I had a bit of dread in me.

As she finished that sentence, the loud cheering picked up again, everyone screaming and whistling. I looked around and noticed everyone looking right at me. I turned to Crimson, seeing her smile like she usually does, then proceeded to get up. She never stopped smiling as I headed down to the podium.

Now, I've never been one for speeches, especially since the last time childish bullshit happened. So here I was standing in front of EVERYONE with their eyes and ears right on me, ready to hear an unplanned surprise speech on my part. The stage fright was really kicking in.

I looked around at everyone, still applauding, then I turned my gaze to my friends. That gave me a bit of courage, knowing they were here. I raised my hand in a quieting gesture, and they eventually became quiet. I slowly inhaled a deep breath, let it out, then began speaking.

"Good morning, and congratulations, graduates. I don't have a speech planned, so I will try to keep this short. Today marks the first step into your new lives. You have persevered in many toils and blossomed into hard working scholars." I said, looking around at the graduates, at no one in particular.

"But this is just the beginning. All you have studied and done has only been the beginning of your journey. You'll face many obstacles, but stay true to the Protectorate, and you shall overcome all hardships. Together, not as a small group of graduates, but united as a galaxy." I said, raising a clenched fist slightly.

"As a final testament to your abilities, you will take to the stars; your resourcefulness will become your brush, as you paint the universe in your colors. Shelter those who cannot fend for themselves, assist those who are in peril, bring peace between races, let them know they are not alone." I finally turned my gaze to my friends, and smiled.

"I wish all of you good luck and safe travels. I know you will make the Protectorate proud." I finally said.

I set the microphone on the podium as I walked away from the podium with the cheering and clapping picking right back up louder than before. I returned to my seat next to Crimson and my friends

Leda Portia stood at the podium again, and started to speak, with everyone returning their gaze to her.

"Thank you, mister Binari for those lovely words. And daresay, I agree. You will all go out there and do many great deeds in our name." She was now looking directly at me, but still directing her messages at everyone.

"I'm very proud of how far you've come. I know that, regardless of what happens, how you live from here on out, you will make something great of yourself, each and every one of you." She said, moving away from the podium, grabbing a sort of camera on a tripod stand, which I somehow have not noticed until now, centering it so it captured everyone.

"Well, looks like I'm disappointing with my looks again." I thought, remembering what Beatriz said about my appearance last night. Leda Portia began speaking again.

"After the picture of this year's graduates has been taken, you may come up and retrieve your own Matter Manipulator." She said, fiddling with the camera a bit more.

As we all waited for the picture, Crimson turned to face me with a smile. I turned to face her, returning a smile of my own again.

"Sorry about that sudden speech, I didn't expect to be doing one that wasn't planned or rehearsed. Didn't want to be the center of attention either, we're all graduating today after all. But I couldn't say no, either, so..." I said, shrugging.

"Itsss ok John, you did great. No other asss lucky as you. Floran glad you are here." She said. I nodded in response.

Leda Portia then spoke up, ready to take the picture.

"Smile, everyone. Big smiles!" She said with a raised voice. We turned our gazes back to the stage.

After a few seconds, the sound of a click and a small flash, the camera indicated it was done. Leda then stepped away, and gestured to a table with a large orange cloth draped on top of it, with many Matter Manipulators set on it.

"You may now step up here, and receive a Matter Manipulator, then return to your seats. One at a time please." She said, standing next to the table.

Graduates started walking down one by one, taking the Matter Manipulators from Leda Portia one at a time, shaking hands with her with the other graduates applauding. This went on for about another twenty minutes.

During this time, I looked to Crimson, and she looked back at me, happiness in her smile and eyes. I stared for the longest time, having a smile of my own.

"I'm glad you're here too. You're very important to me." I said looking into her eyes.

I opened my arm around her back in a hugging gesture, and she slid over next to me as I wrapped my arm around her pressing against me. She was smiling, in true happiness. I did mean it. She was what started it all, and she's such a bubbly individual. I really hoped nothing takes this happiness from her.

As the time went on and I was still oblivious to my surroundings, I felt Yuki nudge me hard, bringing me back, and noticed I was up next to go retrieve my Matter Manipulator.

I got up, and as I was walking down, cheers rang out again. I got up to Leda Portia, and she was smiling brightly.

"You must be very happy, John Binari. Your father would be proud if he could see you now." She said. I then felt a sudden wave of deep sadness creep over me. Everything was just moving by itself now. She handed me a Matter Manipulator, and shook my hand, with the graduates cheering, whistling, and pretty much screaming.

"Yeah, I get it, last night was a real show. Shut up." I thought rudely.

I had a frown on my face when she mentioned my father. I only faintly remembered him when I was much younger. The path from there to here without him was not one I wanted to think about, as I did things that were questionable and borderline unethical. And now it's full blown just replaying in my mind.

I walked back up to the bleachers, and sat back next to my friends. I just stared at nothing with a blank expression, not focusing on anything. My friends noticed this, as they were looking right at me, and tried to ask me what's wrong. I tuned them out.

They stopped trying to get me to speak, and returned their gazes down to Leda, as I noticed Crimson had already gotten up and was receiving her Matter Manipulater. I snapped out of my daze, and cheered for her along with the crowd. At least she's happy.

When she came back and sat down, she had finally noticed I had a saddened look on my face. She nudged my arm and I looked to her, concern evident on her face.

"Whatss wrong John?" She asked. I wrapped my arm around her again and patted her shoulder.

"I'll tell you later, I promise." I said. She smiled.

"Ok." She replied simply.

The time went by as I was enjoying Crimsons and my friends company. Soon, everyone had grabbed a Matter Manipulator with one still remaining on the table. I knew who it was for.

"And I'm damn glad I dislocated that assholes' knee." I thought angrily. I shook my head, returning my focus on Leda again. She returned to the podium.

"That concludes the ceremony. If you wish to have a picture, they are included in this year's academy book being published tomorrow. You can retrieve one at the library starting tomorrow morning. Within a weeks time you are to fill out a form to be assigned your ships and roles. You will then have 3 weeks to gather your things, then your life as a Protectorate among the stars begins." She gave a small bow.

"Have a pleasant rest of the week, everyone." She said, returning to a standing posture, and walking off to another part of the room while tending to the camera.

"Maybe going to see about getting the photo developed." I thought.

Everyone then began walking down to the ground floor, and down the bit of stairs, and exiting the building, along with us.

As me and my group of friends reached the Protectorate Tree, we stopped and let everyone pass, quite a few of them waving to me with smiles. Yuuta was still sitting at the bench.

Once everyone had departed and it was just us, Beatriz came walking to our group. She smiled and waved, as we did the same. Finally, Yuuta stood up and Yuki walked up to him embracing in a hug.

"Hello grandfather." She said. He patted her back

"Hello my dear granddaughter. I'm so proud of what you've accomplished." He said, as they parted, continuing to speak.

"But the greatest is yet to come." He said, looking behind Yuki and at me.

"John, my friend, the same applies to you. You both have great potential." He finished, walking towards my group, and stopping in front of me with Yuki to his side. Elijah decided to interrupt us.

"Yo man, you look like one of them badass samurai senseis. That's pretty cool." He said in awe.

His words made Yuki gain a look of shock from his crude way of speech, while Yuuta was un-phased and continued his trademark calm demeanor. He then looked to Elijah.

"Yes, and we 'badass samurai senseis' trained in the peace of the soul hit young untrained ones such as yourself with our walking canes to instill discipline." He said calmly, smiling wider. Elijah backed up, but I know he was just kidding. We all chuckled except him, and then got an unamused expression.

"Not cool man, not cool." He said. Yuuta smiled larger at this.

"So this old teacher is no longer cool? Just like a young one whose mind changes like the seasons." Yuuta mocked.

He was messing with Elijahs head, and I thought was funny. He began sputtering trying to get something out, until Beatriz patted his back.

"He is just teasing you, Elijah. Maybe a little humility will teach you better manners." She said. Elijah scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"He has respect for his elders, he merely is unable to express it in most others ways of understanding. There is no respect for others without humility in one's self." Yuuta said, looking at Elijah.

"True humility is staying teachable, regardless of how much you already know." He continued, turning around and lifting an arm gesturing to the Protectorate Tree.

"A tree, when its' petals form, does not stop growing. The same shall be for you all." He faced back towards our group, his gaze falling upon me.

"There is always more to learn, more to experience." He said.

Off my peripheral vision I could see awe in Elijahs face. I suppose he's not used to such talk about life and wisdom that the knowledge of such things astounds him. Thinking of such things, something had been bothering me for awhile.

"Master Yuuta, I've wondered for awhile, but what will you do once we're out there?" I asked. He continued grinning.

"I believe you know the answer." He said simply. I gave him a questioning look.

"I think you're mistaken, I don't actually know what you're doing." I replied. He shook his head, still grinning.

"You do, my friend, you just do not realize you know." He continued. I stared at him with a questioning look.

"Think; what is the Protectorate about, and what have I done for you? Compare what you perceive me as based off of your experiences with me, with the Protectorate, what it stands for, why it stands, and you shall find your answer." He said.

I didn't even have to think, and I knew the answer in his signature cryptic talk. I chuckled.

"As wise as ever, Yuuta. Passing on to those who need you as I did before is certainly kind of you." I said.

Everyone with the exception of Yuki and Yuuta looked at me with shocked faces, clearly not understanding what he was saying.

"In fact, perhaps you can pass one more thing to me, so I may share it with all of us?" I said, pulling out my cell phone.

He nodded, understanding what I was talking about. I handed him my phone, and we all stood in front of the Protectorate tree, ready for a photo shoot.

We took the same positions as we did at the graduation, with Crimson on my left, Bright Heart, then Zengi. Yuki was on my right, next to Beatriz, and Elijah.

As Yuuta was about to shoot a picture, I saw someone walking towards us from the bridge to our right. I looked over, and I saw Ruby. Yuki noticed I had turned my head, and in a few seconds, everyone noticed her. She stopped in her tracks a few feet away from us. I waved at her.

"Hey Ruby, what's up?" I said, greeting her. Before anyone said anything, Elijah spoke up.

"Yo you know her? She cute, man." He said, not even bothering to lower his volume. I nodded, and looked over at her. She looked visibly embarrassed.

"Somewhat, I just met her on the way to the ceremony. She's a very happy and shy individual from what I can tell." I said.
"Would you like to join us in our commemorative photo shoot, friend?" I said with a slightly raised voice so she could hear me. She looked taken back by my offer.

"You want me in your photo?" She asked in disbelief. I nodded.

"We would like to have another friend, and you said you'd like to be friends too. I'm sure we'd all like a chance to get to know you better." I said as everyone nodded in agreement. Yuki gestured for her to come over.

"You can stand beside me here, Ruby." She said, smiling.

Ruby returned the smile, and stood beside her. With that, we were finally able to start the shoot. Or so I thought until Leda Portia came to our group before Yuuta shot the photo.

"Hello everyone." She said with a grin, facing our group. We all greeted her with a wave and a hello. Leda turned towards Yuuta.
"Are you capturing a picture, Yuuta?" She asked him.

"You know each other?" I asked. She chuckled.

"Of course. I knew Yuuta back when we were in the Protectorate academy. He wasn't as calm as he is now. He was quite the firebrand back then." She replied, smiling. He huffed a little. She looked back at him, chuckling again.

"Oh simmer down, I'm just teasing you." She said, holding her hand out.

"Here, I'm not quite done making keepsake memories today just yet, I can take the picture while you stand with your granddaughter." She said. Yuuta smiled and nodded, handing Portia my cell.

Yuuta walked over slowly beside me, between me and Yuki. Portia held up the phone, getting ready to take a picture.

"Big smiles, everyone." She said, as she took a shot.

"Finally." I thought. She lowered her arms, and walked over to hand me my phone back.

"Here you are, mister Binari. You could not have decided on a better keepsake photo, here in front of the Protectorate Tree. It has stood for as long as the Academy has been around." She said with a wide grin as I put my cell phone back in my pocket.

"The blossom is brighter and much more beautiful this year than I've ever seen it". She continued. I nodded in understanding.

"The same can be said about the Protectorate, and all its' graduates." I said, Leda nodding in response as I continued.

"We grow, experience, spread our influence, no matter if it's one person or several. We shine one, like the moon and the stars and the sun. It's through everyone who was ever a part of this academy the Protectorate has flourished. All that we are is the result of what we have thought and done. The mind is everything what we think we become." I said finally.

I heard an audible whoa from almost all of my friends, along with Yuuta patting me on my back. Leda Portia also patted me on my shoulder, and looked directly at me.

"Just like your earlier speech mister Binari. It's like I'm looking exactly at your father when he was in your place, full of spirit, heart, and passion." She said. I gained a blank look again. She doesn't seem to notice.

"A real model Protector. You are just like him, you know?" She said, returning her hand to her side.

"Yeah." I said simply. Crimson turned to look at me as Leda spoke again.

"Now I must get these books done for distribution. Lots of troublesome paperwork to deal with as well. It always seems to be a nuisance." She said, shaking her head and returning to a smiling expression.

"Have a wonderful rest of the week dearies, and don't forget to fill out your forms for ship assignment." She said, walking off to the right across the bridge.

I was still in my trance, staring where she had been looking at me.

"John, you're making sssad face again." Crimson said. I snapped out of it and looked at her. Now everyone had noticed.

"You were like this a bit at the graduation too. It has something to do with your father, doesn't it?" Yuki said, walking a bit in front of me, along with everyone else. Now everyone could plainly see me.

I looked down to the ground a bit, feeling increasingly saddened.

"Hit the nail right on the fucking head again." I thought bitterly. The nostalgia of how I felt when meeting my friends for the first time is not a good feeling.

"Yeah… Yeah it does have to do with him." I said in a low voice.

They all looked at one another. I suspect they want to know why. I almost don't want to say anything, but I know as my only friends and how persistent they would be to help me, I couldn't just blow them off as it would make them worry more, so I didn't have a choice.

But it's not as easy as simply talking my troubles this time. While they can see the sadness on my face, they can't see this battle I'm starting to fight inside myself again. I was slowly slipping into the sadness I felt for so long again.

"John?" Crimson said. I looked up at her, directly into her eyes.

"Tell uss whatsss wrong?" She said softly. I didn't say anything at first. I didn't know what to say.

"I don't know where to start. It's… very difficult for me to." I said slowly, returning my gaze ahead after a few seconds.

I stood there in silence, the only sounds being the wind and the chimes for what seemed to be minutes, but was only a few seconds. Elijah decided to break the silence.

"What's so difficult about it? Did he die or something?" He asked. I clenched my fist, and glared hard at him.

"Yes." I said. He had a look of surprise on his face, and some of my friends gasped.

"Damnit. Fucking damnit. I don't want to remember. Every damn time…" I said mentally.

I started remembering the clueless inconsiderate people, the start of my lonesome time, all the depression, the hatred of being alone, the questionable crime. The memories all hit me at once. Elijah started speaking again.

"Shit. Sorry man, I had no-"

"Shut up." I snapped angrily.

"Don't you tell me you're sorry after joking about death like that. Death is no fucking joke, Elijah. In an instant, everything you hold dear can be taken away from you." I said. He was about to speak again, but I continued, interrupting him.

"I know you don't have any idea. Nobody does until it happens to them. All I got was a meaningless sorry when I was told. I was alone, and when you're alone, people couldn't give two damns what happens to you." I said, now speaking with a very raised voice.

"It was exactly like what I got from people at this academy when nobody could open their fucking eyes and see their uncaring actions or words, how it affected me when done OVER AND OVER!" I yelled, starting to tear up.

"I had to fend for myself, for years, doing shady work to just barely scrape by to stay alive for some unsure future. I had nothing, and nobody. I did shit that would shame him. Trying to get help only yielded people turning their back on me." I said, gritting my teeth with tears falling down my face.

"I… I can't be here right now." I said, as I turned to leave quickly.

I wanted to get away, find somewhere to vent my sadness away. My friends had started trying to get me to stay, protesting to help. I didn't stop, not until that familiar innocent voice said the same word so long ago.

"Wait." Crimson said, stopping me dead in my tracks.

"Floran knowsss what lonelinesss isss like." She continued.

"When floran joined academy, wass unsure of future, wasss ssscared. Until floran met you. Human treated floran with kindnesss, became friendsss, wass no longer alone." She said, her voice growing louder but not in tone. She sounded like she was walking towards me.

"Showed floran not to be ssscared, showed itsss ok when unssure of future. Taught floran to be ssstrong againssst troubless." She said, sounding like she was right behind me now.

"Not jusst floran, but othersss too. Floran iss grateful, sssame with friendsss." She said, her caring words tugging at me.

I turned around slowly, with her coming into view a few feet away from me, concern deep on her face. Behind her stood my friends, everyone I've come to know over three years. People who have became very important to me, who chose to be my friends, and have shown it, never once making me doubt it.

"Crimson… I… I…" I stuttered, looking right into her eyes. She smiled at me, and my sadness was quickly disappearing.

"John, you don't have to fight thisss alone, you have usss. It'sss ok. Friendsss are here for you." She said, slowly embracing me in a hug.

I could not hold it all in anymore. I hugged her tight, pulling her close and let my tears fall from my face, hitting her shoulders. My sadness was slowly leaving me.

We stood there in the embrace for minutes. I felt weak, but she and my friends were here for me, like they always would be as they've made clear so many times before. She was right. This time is different, because I'm not alone.

When I had calmed down, I looked at her, and she looked back. I opened my mouth to say something I don't say often enough.

"Thank you, Crimson. You are right." I said softly. She grinned.

I looked over at the rest of our friends who were smiling.

"Thank you everyone for always being there when I need you the most." I said, with them nodding. Crimson returned to my side as Yuuta started speaking.

"My friend, remember all I have taught you on life, the lessons you have learned through hardships." He said, as I nodded back. Yuki started speaking now.

"John, I believe I've spoke about this once before, not quite like this, but do you know how ships on water work?" She asked. I nodded.

"They float." I replied simply.

"Yes, but with if water gets in it?" She continued.

"They sink." I said. She nodded.

"Yes. Ships don't sink because of the water around them. They sink because of the water that gets in them. Don't let what's happening around you get inside you and weight you down." She said. I smiled, taking her words to heart.

"As wise as your grandfather. He's really taught us well, hasn't he?" I said. She nodded in agreement. Yuuta spoke again.

"My friend, it pains me to say, but we must part ways. We have preparations to attend to by week's end for ship assignment." He said. I grinned.

"The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again. Or so you taught me." I said shrugging. He nodded.

"You are right on both accounts, I have taught you well." Yuuta said, walking closer and placing a hand on my right shoulder.

"I will join the stars, pass my wisdom to those willing to listen, as will you where you go." He continued, returning his hand to his side.

"Come along my dear." He said to Yuki.

"We will catch up later everyone, I will have some time in the coming days, but for now I must leave." She said with a slight bow. We all waved goodbye except Elijah who decided to speak up again.

"Hey Yuuta, how come you always seem so calm and peaceful? Even when you're leaving?" He asked. I sighed, as Yuuta turned back around, a smile on his face.

"That is quite easy, yet at the same time, the answer eludes many." He started speaking.

"Consider the trees which allow the birds to perch and fly away without either inviting them to stay or desiring them never to depart. If your heart can be like this, you will be near the way." He said.

Yuuta and Yuki had almost reached the doors to the building as I turned to face my remaining friends, getting back to the present.

"I'll send you all the picture later on so you can all have one too. But that aside for now, what's-" I was interrupted by a small growling. It was my stomach. I chuckled nervously.

"Uh… heh heh... maybe I'll ask after I eat? Kind of hungry since I skipped eating after I woke up late." I said with a sheepish grin. Elijah spoke up.

"You and me both, bruh. Think we all skipped it to be here." He said, with everyone besides Beatriz nodding in confirmation.

"I'm not particularly famished, but I will accompany you all regardless for a bit." Beatriz said.

"Well then let's hit the cafeteria." I said, walking to the double doors followed by the group.

I pushed the doors opened, noticing there were a few graduates in the hall. One was sitting at the table next to the windows where the earlier apex was, a few were sitting on the benches watching the TV, some were reading, and some were on their cell phones.

We got to the elevator and I hit the button to call the elevator. The elevator dinged, and we stepped inside when the door opened. Beatriz was the last one in, and hit the button for the floor with the cafeteria. The elevator started moving, and there wasn't much else going on, but I was going to break the silence.

"Listen everyone, ah… I'm sorry for, you know, losing control of my emotions. Again." I said. Crimson hugged me in response, and Beatriz turned to face me.

"You have pain that still has not healed. The path was hard, and looking back still hurts. You're fortunate you have friends to care for you. And that's twice now you have to make it up for someone." She said, shifting her gaze to Crimson.

I looked at Beatriz, knowing she was talking about making up the graduation party with my 'ultra casual' clothes I was wearing yesterday night. Now adding onto the personal debt of Crimson helping me out with my little breakdown. Simply making it up to her won't cut it now.

I was about to reply until Elijah spoke up.

"Nah, we're all friends. We got each other's back no matter what through all the shit. Helping out ain't no reason to hold it above anyone's head here for favors. That's what homies is for, Beat." He said, patting my back. I chuckled, knowing he didn't get what she fully meant.

"While I wouldn't hold things over anyone's head, there are some scenarios which would call for favors though." I said.

"Like with the machine that ate my pixels, and you giving me the drink by spending your own money for me?" Ruby spoke up.

"Uh, no, more like scenarios like what happened out there." I said, turning my head to look at Elijah off my peripheral vision.

"Yeah, I'm real sorry about that man. Beat has mentioned I'm pretty clueless with what I say cuze I don't think before I say shit. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. You're one of my bros." He said. I nodded in understanding.

"Tell you what Elijah, it's been awhile since I've had any alcohol, and I missed having any last night. So, sometime this week, you can be my drinking buddy when I call in the favor. Sound good?" I asked, knowing he would like that.

"Heck yeah man, deal." He said enthusiastically, patting my back hard.

"Zengi join humansss?" He asked, finally speaking. I nodded.

"Yeah of course you can join. We'll do like a guys night out sort of thing. We'll get drinks, talk about whatever, and have a good time." I said, grinning at the idea.

"Ugh. You boys and your drinks." Beatriz complained, facing towards the elevator doors.

"You say that like it's a bad thing. It's normal to drink. Not everyone does it, but there are some that still do. We're only going to do it in moderation." I replied. Beatriz faced me and had a skeptical look.

"Just don't go overboard like Elijah. He's done it before, like last night." She said, returning her gaze forward to the doors. I looked over at Elijah, and he rolled his eyes.

The elevator stopped moving, and the doors opened. Crimson finally stopped hugging me, and we all shuffled out. We began walking down the hall to our right, passing by the window with the outdoor courtyard to our left. Other than the sounds of our footsteps, it was quiet.

"So Ruby, as our newest friend, I'm sure everyone here is anxious to learn about you. Mind telling us a bit about yourself?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, I'm on my third year here, I've taken an interest in the medical fields and professions. My caretakers wanted me to be a strong warrior like some of their kin were, but I didn't want to. I wanted to bring life to others, not take anyone's from them." She said. I nodded in understanding.

"Sounds a lot like Crimson here. She wants to be a medic too, and she doesn't want to fight if she can help it. You already have some things in common with us already." I said, looking over at Crimson, as she shot a smile at me. I then returned my gaze to Ruby.

"Must be a thing that medics are cute in nature." I said, putting on a smirk. She smiled in embarrassment.

"Told you she was cute bruh." Elijah spoke up. I shook my head in his bluntness.

There was still one question I wanted to ask Ruby, about what she had mentioned about the day getting worse, but I thought it best to ask when at least Elijah isn't there. Don't want him saying the wrong thing accidentally to someone again.

We arrived at the cafeteria doors, and walked inside. It wasn't as packed as it usually was, barely any students were here eating.

"Observant. Doesn't look too filled for now. Perhaps other students and graduates are in classes or throwing another party?" Bright Heart said.

"Hey Zengi and Bright, up for round two of that food speed run?" Elijah asked loudly, putting a fist forward. Bright Heart pounded fists with him.

"Confident. You will lose this time." Bright Heart said, both of them turning to look at Zengi, who put his hands up .

"Floran will passs, morning ssstill not good." He said. Elijah frowned for a second, then resumed smirking.

"More food for us!" He said, as he and Bright Heart ran to the food area ahead of us. Me and the group chuckled at their eagerness.

"I must apologize for not staying to witness how this turns out, but I must be going now. Make sure he doesn't over do it with trying to have a good time again, John. And be sure you send us all that photo." Beatriz said. I nodded.

"Sure thing, I just need to do a small tweak to it with Sail, and it'll be ready to send. See you Beatriz." I said, embracing her in a hug.

After we parted, she gave a small single wave to the group and left through the double doors. We turned to head to the foodbar area to grab our plates.

I quickly piled on a piece of chicken, two slices of bread, a beakseed, and some sushi. I grabbed a cold can of Oculemonade from the cooler there like last time, and went to go sit down with Elijah and Bright Heart who were about to start digging in.

I set my plate down, and was followed by Crimson, Ruby and Zengi. I was about to start eating but noticed Elijah and Bright Heart were grinning at me. I raised a brow in questioning.

"Hey John, count us down?" Elijah asked.

I rolled my eyes at his simple method of making eating fun, then observed their plates to make sure it was fair, noticing they had pretty much the same types and amount of food on their plates ranging from meat, vegetables, and what looked like a tomato. I looked back at Elijah and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah alright." I said, with both of them setting their gazes on their plates, ready to dig in.

"Start in five. Four. Three. Two. One." I finished, with the both of them starting on their meat.

I decided to get started on what food I had too, and took a piece of sushi and started working on eating what I had put on my own plate.

"You sure are an interesting bunch." Ruby stated. I nodded, swallowing my sushi to speak.

"Things certainly aren't dull with any of my friends around, that's for sure. This cafeteria is where all our friendships started. I did meet them elsewhere, but here at this spot, is where we all became friends." I said.

"What a trip down memory lane. Best cafeteria ever." I thought, remembering the circumstances that led us here, and smiling in nostalgia.

Elijah still focusing on his food, nodded and pointed to me in agreement.

"Also did you say Sail a minute ago? Like, the ai for the ships?" Ruby asked. I nodded in confirmation, sticking another piece of sushi in my mouth.

"You're assigned one already? Before graduation?!" She asked in disbelief. I swallowed my food and shook my head. She was even more confused now.

"I don't actually have a ship, but I do have an ai that generally comes with them to help with ease of access with navigation, data cataloguing, and other useful applications. Although sometimes she can be a real pain." I said, grabbing another piece of sushi and eating it.

Ruby was about to ask another question I suspect, but I held up a finger to tell her to hold on. As I was munching on my sushi, I cracked open my Oculemonade, and sipped it before continuing.

"While Sail technically is an artificial intelligence and didn't have anything resembling gender or speech patterns to signify them being alive, I re-wrote a lot of their code to change that. I programmed sentience into them working off of Sail as the base." I said, with Ruby looking at me with amazement.

"She chose her own visual form and has a personality that is… difficult to work with sometimes, but that makes her that much more alive. I've gotten so much more done with her being my assistant as she helps me with projects I work on and able to access data faster than I could. As I've told my friends here, she's going to be the new ai in whichever ship I do serve on." I said, finishing my last piece of sushi.

"John isss very sssmart. Makesss many sshocky thingsss." Crimson said. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"I can believe it, he always seemed more intelligent than everyone lets on." Ruby said, smiling.

"While we're on the subject, we can talk to her right now if you want, get more info from her directly." I said shrugging. Ruby looked at me with a look of disbelief again, regardless of what she just said.

"What? How?" She asked. I smirked, and pulled out my cell phone, pointing at it while holding it up for her to see.

I then set it on the table in the middle of our group, powered on the screen, tapped the screen for the home menu, and pressed one of the square applications on it. There was a pause of silence and nothing appears to have happened. The screen suddenly glitched, and the screen went black, save for a blue female figure appearing on it.

"Hello mister Binari. Seems like you are the one asking for me of your own accord this time. How was the ceremony?" Sail asked. I looked over at Ruby, and she was still in minor disbelief.

"It was good, save for an unplanned surprise speech I had to give. My friends here got me through it though." I said, turning my attention to my cell phone.

"I see. Sounds like you kept your serene mood even after I woke you up from your hangover. Well done! You deserve a cookie." Sail said, smirking.

"Oh for the friggin- Damn it Sail I already told you I didn't drink, it was that bas-" I stopped abruptly, rubbing the temples on my head and sighing in irritation knowing full well she was doing this on purpose.

"Yeah, no, I'm not getting into this again with you. So as I said some of my friends are here, and we also have someone new with us. Say hello everyone." I said, as everyone except Elijah and Bright Heart greeted Sail.

"That's all well and nice, but I don't see anything other than the ceiling." She said, frowning. I rolled my eyes, and propped my cell phone against my can of Oculemonade, facing it towards Ruby.

"Hello there, I'm Ruby and I just met John today. You are his Sail?" She asked.

"You are correct, I am Sail, Ship-based Artificial Intelligence Lattice. His Sail, in either case. I am pleased to meet such a cute avian as you. I may just change my appearance to yours." She said. Ruby looked visibly embarrassed. I was about to speak up until Elijah did.

"Shee? Tolja! Mmm!" He said, mouth full of food and raising his arms in the air.

I looked over at their plates to see how they were doing, and he won apparently.

"Congratulations bud, you massacred your food first. And here I thought that was because of what Sail said." I said, slow clapping. He nodded.

"Yeah yeah, slow clap for me all you want. I won, and we're all still right, she's cute no doubt about it." He said, grinning at her.

"Yeah, she is, but I'm not getting into all that with who's cuter than who or choosing favorites. But if I did, it would be Crimson here." I said, patting her on the shoulder.

"Thanksss John, that meansss much to floran." Crimson said, shooting me a smile. Elijah shook his head.

"Pfft, yeah we know why that is man, you don't have eyes for anyone other than-"

"Hey Elijah, scenario." I said, cutting him off.

He looked at me confused at first, but then he understood when I wanted him to keep quiet about my obviously known feelings toward her. He held his hands up and nodded.

"Surprised. He eats faster than should be possible." Bright Heart said.

"He did it, so it's certainly possible." I stated, shrugging. She shrugged back.

I refocused my attention to my cell phone, looking at Sail.

"While I have you Sail, Ruby here needs to be added to everyone's contacts. Then we can get started on the touchup to the picture that was taken earlier and send that as well." I said. She gained an evil smirk.

"That's quite an underhanded excuse to get her number John. You should take her on a-"

"Oh my GOD can you just co-operate with me please? Damn!" I said, face palming in frustration.

Everyone laughed except for Ruby and Crimson, who I suspect were uncomfortable with having to hear this.

"Just having some fun while I'm here. One moment please." She said.

The black screen appeared to power up like normal, except sail was now part of the background, and was navigating my cell by herself, going to photos and opening the picture that was taken earlier.

"I see. Taken in front of the Protectorate cherry blossom tree. Very good mister Binari." Sail said.

She resumed navigating my cell phone, stopping in my contacts, and going to a screen for adding new contacts.

"There you go Ruby. Please input your info so I may pass it and the photo to everyone." Sail said.

Ruby nodded and began inputting her number, and within a few seconds she was done.

"Contact added. Would you like to add a personal photo?" Sail asked.

Ruby nodded, and before she could press anything, Sail navigated to the screen for the camera on the front of the cell phone. Ruby smiled and she took a selfie with a small audible click, confirming her picture for her contact.

"Alright Ruby, if that's it, I'll take that back now, and Sail can uplink back to my dorm room." I said, holding my hand out.

She placed my phone in my hand, and Sail spoke up.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Ruby. We will get this picture and your info shared with everyone in the group when mister Binari is done with his touchups." She said. Ruby nodded.

"Goodbye everyone, have a pleasant day. Terminating connection." She said with a wave, before my screen glitched and she disappeared from it.

I stuck my cell back in my pocket, and Ruby spoke up again.

"That's incredible. She can control the things she's linked to?" Ruby asked. I nodded.

"It's a little more explanation that that. Well, maybe not. Yes she can have access to most anything electronic with a machine or electronic mainframe or connection, but she can choose rather or not to connect, or even use whatever it is she is connected to. She is alive, and doesn't follow 'normal' programming as simply telling her to do something, like us." I said.

Crimson leaned over next to my chest to look past me at Ruby, who sat on the other side of me.

"Ssso sssmart." She said with smile. I glanced at ruby with a sheepish smile and shrugged, who nodded in agreement.

During our conversations, our group had already finished their food, while I still had chicken, the two bread slices and a beakseed on my plate. I went about making a sandwich out of what I had left, and I heard some footsteps getting closer. I looked over along with everyone else, seeing three graduates I hadn't seen before approach us.

It was a two male humans and a male apex, the humans wearing the blue jumpsuits of the protectorate, and the apex was wearing green. One human had short cut brown hair and white skin, the other had messy blonde hair and more tanned skin, similar to mine. The apex had black spiky looking hair, and gray skin.

"What's up guys? Here to join us for lunch?" I asked. The brown haired human shook his head.

"We're not here to eat with you… John, is it?" He asked. I nodded, confirming my name.
"We're just wondering why you're with that thief." Ruby jumped a bit at that. I raised a brow.

"Who are you accusing of thievery, and for what?" I asked. The blonde human spoke up.

"That avian there man, Ruby. Stole a bunch of things from the chem lab way early in the morning. Everyone in there knows about it." He said, glaring at her. She averted her gaze, and I put an arm around her, and she tensed up hard.

"Is that so?" I asked, furrowing my brows in anger. The apex stepped forward.

"She is trouble John. You should not be hanging out with her." He said. I shook my head.

"Thank you for the advisement, fellas. I'll be sure to look into this. Right now." I said, shifting my gaze to Ruby. She looked away from me, afraid to meet my gaze. I looked back to the group that approached us, and they nodded, then walked away.

I continued watching them until they got to the food bar area, making sure they were out of earshot. I refocused my attention onto Ruby.

"It's going to be alright Ruby, they're just trying to start bullcrap rumors." I said, patting her shoulders to comfort her. She looked at me, with a saddened look on her face.

"Everyone keeps saying I did though, even the teacher of the course is agreeing! But I don't have any proof that I didn't. At this rate I'm going to be expelled." She said, slamming her head on the table and covering her face with her arms.

"Now would probably be the moment to ask her." I thought

"Is that what you meant earlier about the day getting worse?" I asked. She looked at me, and was now on the verge of tears.

"Yes! Nobody will talk to me or believe me! Even my friends won't talk to me! They're going to expel me if I don't have proof but I don't have anything!" She cried.

"I just wanted to feel friendship again before I disappeared. That's why I didn't say anything..." She said, looking down and averting her gaze from me

I looked over to Elijah, and he gained a serious expression on his face with a slight scowl. He nodded, and I returned a nod of my own. I glanced over at Crimson, and she looked shocked. I finally returned my gaze to Ruby.

"You could of told us Ruby, we are your friends, and we believe you. We are getting to the bottom of this. You have my word." I said with confidence, pulling her into a hug to comfort her. She jumped a bit at this, then slowly eased her arms around my back.

Crimson had gotten up and joined in our hug. Soon everyone else in the group had gotten up from their seats and joined in. Ruby tightened her hold on my back.

"Thank you everyone. Thank you." She said, as we finished our group hug. She wiped some tears from her eyes.

"Don't thank us yet, we haven't started yet." I said, grabbing my plate which still had my uneaten food.

Everyone else followed suit and went to return our plates, or in my case dump the leftovers in a nearby trashbin then turn them in. We left through the double doors, the group following behind me in a quick pace.

Her situation sounded similar to how I was before I had friends who had my back. I had felt alone, and even if I talked to people, they cared nothing to shut up and listen or even keep an open mind, taking rumor as 'facts' to the point that there was no point in talking. I wasn't going to let this happen to someone again, especially not her.

I was getting this sorted out if it kills me.