January 18th, 2022
***
Time is relative — a day on Earth is twenty-four hours. While on Jupiter, it's 243 times as long. Beaming through space did a number on his internal clock. Richter estimated that about eight to ten hours had passed when they arrived. His feet touched down with a hollow thump on white metal flooring. Bright light filtered in and out, flashing and reflecting periodically. His center of balance pulled from one direction to another, but he slowly got the hang of it.
Richter bit back the nausea - much to Drek's dismay - and stood up, surveying the surroundings for the first time. And that's when sound, sight, and Sense came together to show the scope of where he was.
It was a bustling, futuristic, and breathtaking space station with terminals and security reminiscent of airports back on Earth. Unknown metal and glass comprised the structure, with windows along the many walls and ceilings to provide a view into the void of space. Any time they passed a star, the metal would change colors to black, absorbing the heat to keep the station warm. He approached the nearest window and held a hand to the glass just to take a moment and appreciate the view.
The Station sped through space, passing debris, and...was that a sword?
The closer he looked, the more miscellaneous items he noticed floating through the vacuum: armor, weapons, trinkets, even food, and glowing ores. Some collided with the space station, creating a soft clank before spinning away in a different direction. He had so many questions, but Drek was one step ahead. He pulled him back from the glass and spun him around.
"Now isn't the time, we need to get through security."
The trio had arrived in a small side room with a blue sign marked 'receiving'. Staring out the window had given time for other parties to arrive. They squeezed and shuffled past like they were looking at idiots. Stel apologized on their behalf while Drek led them out into the station proper. The wide-open space highlighted the deafening volume of tens of thousands of individuals going about their business.
The layout comprised a series of hexagons with long hallways connecting each port. To go to another port, you had to get through the hallway, which meant passing through security. And the line stretched all the way back to 'receiving'. Each side of a hexagon housed several terminals due to sheer size. Richter couldn't see the far walls past the crowds.
His Sense spread out in curiosity; each aura he sensed fascinated him. Some reacted with fear, others with annoyance. Many implemented methods to try and hide from him - some more successful than others. He would have continued, but Drek elbowed him in the stomach.
"Cut it out. Using detection or spying abilities on a space station is illegal."
"My bad."
He smoothed over his shirt and fell in line beside Drek with Stel behind them. It would take half an hour just to get through the line.
Drek leaned in and spoke in a low hush.
"This is Space Station Vermont. All space stations are named after the ruling power that governs them. Also, we're no longer in Dimension C. This is Dimension F.
"In what? A dimension?"
Drek wanted to punch himself. Maybe if he fell unconscious he'd wake up after the headache was over. But he couldn't blame Richter - it wasn't all his fault.
"Look, there's a ton of information you'll have to catch up on. Normally, you'd encounter your Ëinhãŕl first, and they'd teach you a lot about this stuff before you get set free. But we skipped a couple steps. You call them galaxy clusters. There exist - or existed - countless of these clusters in the Universe. The twenty-six biggest clusters are known as 'Dimensions' where the System has spread its influence.
Drek looked around discreetly for any trouble as they shuffled forward in line. The further they made it, the denser the crowd around them got, and the louder he had to talk to be heard.
"Also, the System has built-in translation. That's why you can interact and understand everyone. Stel and I are the same story. The System is the only reason we can communicate with you right no—"
Drek cursed under his breath. He fished out a set of bandanas and handed one each to Stel and Richter.
"Quickly, put it on."
Richter obliged, looking around with most of his features hidden. He spotted a few oddballs, but nobody with malicious intent for them.
"Out of the way."
His ears picked up on a commotion near the front of the line. Swathes of people were parting like water around an unseen force. Some would grumble or grimace, but every one of them gave in.
'Invisibility? An illusion?' He mused. His Sense was dying to investigate. But as it turns out, it was just a really short woman. She marched through the crowd until she was close enough for the trio to see. Her most defining traits were the beautiful, fiery hair that trailed down to her waist and scarlet-red eyes to match. Embers blew from the frayed ends as if alive; they even gave off heat. The woman was dressed in a tight black and gold uniform with a Phoenix emblem on her armband. Three gold stars were embedded across her chest. The skirt reached her knees while the blouse draped across her vest.
Richter nudged Stel, "Why is Drek avoiding her?"
"It's not just Drek," he whispered. "Few want to get involved with Aurora. She's a daughter of the Vermont family."
"As in..."
"Yeah, the power that governs this space station. She comes here often. In fact, each space station has problematic figures who frequent them."
Drek kept his gaze neutral as he looked around aimlessly. Aurora was busy scanning each person she passed by like she was looking to start trouble. It was a look Richter recognized all too well.
Stel spoke up again, a little hesitant. "Though in Drek's case...they've had a couple brushes in the past."
"And she survived? That's surprising. She feels so weak."
Richter was a little blown away. Aurora felt about as strong as a goblin. Her presence was so weak. A lot of the people he'd seen at the space station were surprisingly weak. He couldn't understand it.
"It's complicated. You're right; she is weak right now. But that's cause she's in the investment phase. You have to understand Richter - growing to be powerful in the late tiers means planning and plotting out your development early. A lot of people from many races do this. Normally, it's dangerous since you run the risk of dying early. But with her backing, she doesn't have to worry much."
"So then...all these people around us are...?"
"A lot of them, yeah. They're investing in themselves. Odds are that most of their stats are equal to someone around level ten to fifteen even though they're at least twenty-five. They are holding back their attributes to try for a double or triple awakening. Heck, maybe more. And then there's the matter of acquiring a bloodline-"
"You two, what are you whispering so incessantly about? Clue me in."
Stel clammed up, looking around in a panic as if he would bolt. Drek glared at the both of them.
"Just talking about how to get stronger." Richter met her gaze evenly, but there was a hint of mirth he couldn't hide.
Aurora's footsteps paced closer until she stood in front of him. A handful of strangers were watching. The majority kept to themselves or ignored the common occurrences of drama.
"What would you know about getting stronger? You've already wasted your chance to awaken more than one attribute. Are you daydreaming about all the things you'll never accomplish?"
A flicker of bloodlust passed through his eyes. Drek felt it. And if he could see it, then Aurora could too. Richter was falling for her provocation, but stepping in would make it worse.
And indeed - Aurora had felt the bloodlust. That of an overwhelming chill that raised the hairs on the back of her neck. For a moment, she was reminded of her oldest siblings and parents. But the feeling disappeared just as quickly. To her credit, she hid her fear behind a convincing smile.
"What do you hope to gain from this? If you're looking for a fight, I'm more than happy to oblige."
Her eyes lit up in satisfaction. Her left hand dropped to her waist, gripping the handle of a rapier he hadn't noticed. The blade was thicker than the ones on Earth - resembling an icicle in color and jagged shape.
"Perfect. I like direct people. I, Aurora Vermont, challenge you to a duel."
Drek facepalmed in frustration. He scurried over to Richter's side, "Don't do it. Just lose on purpose."
Richter let out a humorless laugh. "I don't lose on purpose. Never have, never will. Besides, I realized that this would help me. I'm a dueler, and I want to become famous. Dueling the daughter of an important family will help achieve that."
"You shithead, this is not fame. It's infamy. Aurora never fights fair duels, she takes advantage of her weak stats to goad unfavorable conditions for her opponent. At least wait to cause trouble till after we deliver you."
"She can cope however she wants, she'll lose all the same. I should correct her while I have the chance."
Aurora squinted at Drek and shooed him away. She pulled a small prism from a pocket and threw it on the ground.
"Oh shit, is that one of those training prisms?" Richter was happy to see one again. He'd love to get his hands on one.
Aurora looked a little confused. "You've seen one before? Impossible. Don't lie, these are only given out to the top students and graduates. They'd never associate with a guy who can't even show his face."
He took another look at her uniform as the dots connected in his mind.
"Ahh, you must be from the academy Jack mentioned. I should of realized it sooner."
A sinking feeling welled up in Drek's stomach, the kind that only appeared when something terrible was about to happen. And as the interaction progressed, it got worse and worse. He felt that the next words from Richter's mouth would cause irreversible damage; so he pulled down his bandana - defeated - and called out with a thick accent.
"Leave 'em be Aura. I can't have you roughin' a Package."
The name 'Jack' briefly rolled around in her mind, replaced by that unforgettable voice. That crooked nose, trimmed facial hair, and birthmark beneath his left blue eye. She faced Drek — a mix of disdain and something else in her expression.
"Still sneaking around? I haven't seen you in two months. You go to great lengths just to avoid me. And don't call me that."
"Makes it easier on the both of us." Drek's gaze softened with his voice. "Stel, take 'em through security. I'll be 'ere shortly.
Stel grabbed Richter's arm and pulled him forward, pushing and cutting through the line to a side path with a gold plate over the booth. The line here was short, just a dozen individuals who merely glanced at them. Stel handed over a purse of silver coins to the garbed guard on duty.
He counted the coins before shuffling them to a little cubby with a red 'outgoing' sign.
"You didn't mention they were lovers."
"They aren't." Stel had a starry-eyed look as he admired the vastness of space through a window. "Sort of. They're betrothed, or at least they were. Aurora holds family close. The idea of betraying or turning her back on those who raised her is a cardinal sin. And Drek...well, he did some stuff that she couldn't stand by."
Stel was tempted to reach for a cigarette in his dimensional space. "But it's not my business to tell. I've already said too much."
They sat in silence for several minutes until Drek staggered over. He looked haggard. He hid his accent once more and pulled out another scroll.
"Stel, mark down the VIP security fees. We'll try to write them off as contract fees."
Drek wouldn't even look at Richter. They huddled together again as the scroll tore and the trio vanished.
***