CHAPTER 2
Lio’s eyes widened, below her hand, a metal card ejected from the pillar with a plink. It hovered in mid-air and she watched her arm retrieve it robotically. She had passed. Shock and joy trilled down her spine. The device- or communication node rested in the crater of her palm. It was square, slightly smaller than a playing card, and was about as thick as a pencil. Lio stared at the intricate pattern etched into the top. Geometric shapes and patterns intertwined, her eyes began to follow a line that wove -
“Yeah, yeah congratulations Princess. You think the rest of us deserve a turn now?” A disgruntled man who had either lived a hard life or was near aging out, broke her reverie. Lio ducked her head in silent apology and wrapped her fist around the object. A small line of people remained, and it was better not to linger. She stuck both hands inside her jean pockets, both for warmth and to hide the communication device.
She wanted time and a place to enjoy and unlock her device. B’s Diner seemed like a good candidate, maybe there was a booth in the back she could snag. She wouldn’t go home. Lio looked at her outfit, somewhat embarrassed. She sniffed her sweater, chilling her nostrils. An acrid tang still clung to the fabric. She needed a change of clothes. Lio pulled out her phone to check the time, she had 8 missed calls and a dozen texts from Maya. Alarmed she hit the button to call her. It rang once-
“Thank god Lio - are you okay?” Maya’s panicked voice filled the speaker.
“Uh, yeah I’m fine,”
“I showed up at your house. Your dad was there - you left your coat - and you were gone. Lio I’m sorry I didn’t know. You should have told me, I would have come and got you.” Maya rambled with agitation until she ran out of breath.
Lio’s throat tightened with emotion, she wasn’t ready to talk about everything that had happened tonight. She hadn’t felt like explaining then either or being at a party. She choked out a truth, “I didn’t know how and it was a party.”
“Fuck the party. Where are you Lio, its 40 degrees out-” Maya’s voice cut off.
Lio heard a sniffle, “Are you crying?”
“Dammit Lio. *hnngh* you don’t even have a coat,” Maya cried in earnest now.
It had always been like this though. Since they were grade school kids, with missing teeth and freckles. Lio was a bottler, she had grown in a house where emotions were a weakness; they led to mistakes. And Maya had cried Lio’s tears.
She tried to ease her friend’s concern, “I’m really alright, she just surprised me. And I left without getting my stuff. I haven’t even been outside that long, really I’m f-”
“I swear to god Lio if you say fine - Your dad gave me some of your stuff, he wants you to stay at my place for a few days. Like I’d let you stay with that-” She took a long breath trying to compose herself.
A warm emotion bubbled inside Lio, “I’d like that. If that’s okay?”
Maya gave an exasperated sigh, “Yes! Oh my god, it’s okay Lio. Could you just worry about yourself for a damn minute?”
A smile broke across Lio’s face. “Sure, sure, but since we are worrying about me… Is there still cake left? I heard you’d been dying all week for Giuseppe’s famed Italian Creme - the cake of course.”
Maya groaned in frustration, causing Lio to laugh.
“You’re terrible,” Maya said flatly, she could practically feel her eyes roll through the phone.
“Yeah I know, but have you heard how he keeps the layers moist?” Lio smiled and pulled the phone back from her ear to send her location.
“God, Lio just stop-” Maya groaned again.
“They say it’s all in his batter.” Lio’s tension began to slip away, it felt good to joke, to let go.
“I’m ignoring you - ping - got your address I’m headed that way.” Maya was way too accustomed to her terrible puns.
“But the real secret is-” Lio whispered conspiratorially, feeling lighter, the earlier events faded away.
“Lio for the love of all, are you twelve?” Maya griped but she could hear the grin in her voice.
“He soaks the nuts.” Lio finished and joined Maya’s reluctant laugh.
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Unless some nostalgic re-run was playing, television had a way of turning ugly past 2 am. It was like the last call and your only choices were Local Access or Paid Programming and either would lead to regrets in the morning. Lio switched the TV off and reached her arms into a stretch. To her left Maya was snoring; a noise akin to a blender full of forks. She had fallen asleep about an hour ago, her long limbs spilling off the couch, one foot rested in Lio’s lap.
She hadn’t brought up where she had been tonight, that she had gone to a Rhoth terminal, that she had passed the preliminary test. It hadn’t felt right. Between the laughing, cake, and bad TV the timing had just been off. All night the small device had felt like it was burning in her pocket, her anticipation building. Lio looked at her friend, her face obscured by a dark tangle of curls. She would tell her in the morning.
Lio eased slowly off the couch, careful not to disturb Maya. She padded silently to the guest room that used to be Maya’s old bedroom - well hers and her two sisters. The Silvas had moved into a townhouse, a few blocks away. Maya had stayed in their old loft, partially because she wanted freedom and space but mostly because she lived and breathed the gym that was below the small apartment. Despite the limited space, this apartment had always been a second home to Lio. She shut the door behind her.
On the bed was a small duffel bag. Maya had mentioned that her dad had met her at the door. He’d given her a bag of Lio’s clothes, two hundred dollars, and a vague explanation. Lio sighed, she’d think about her father later. Her mind was already preoccupied. She had tossed her ruined sweater earlier but dug the Rhoth device out of her jeans before shucking them in the corner. Lio held the small square up for inspection and flopped on the bed.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The symbols were only on one side, they reminded Lio of alchemy equations or crop circles. A geometric symphony. The terminal hadn’t exactly given her a user manual and she wasn’t sure how to open it. Did it open? Or was it only the Rhoth who could contact her? Lio debated pulling out her phone and finding an article or video for her questions. She drew a pillow up under her arms and studied the square device.
It was either voice-activated or using it had something to do with those markings. The metal had a satin coating and was cool to the touch. The etchings cut deep beyond the object’s surface. Lio traced one of the loops with her finger-
“Dermal signature confirmed, to continue initialization please verify your first and last name.” The same synthesized voice from the terminal sounded from the device.
Lio fumbled in surprise, “Uh um Lio Frye.”
A beam of light emitted in front of her and stretched into a large screen. The edges curved toward her field of view obscuring the rest of the room. A familiar orb appeared in the middle of the screen.
“Thank you, Uhumlio Frye. On behalf of the Rhoth Initiative, I would like to welcome you to the Rhoth Recruitment Program. As part of the recruitment process, you have been provided with a communication node. This node contains an artificial intelligence program designed to assist you with any questions or issues that may arise during your time with the Rhoth Initiative. One moment while I finalize the gateway link.”
Lio had watched the orb speak, mesmerized. Humans had danced around AI for the last few decades it made sense that the Rhoth had already transcended that milestone. The implications and practical functions began to swirl in her mind. The only grounding tidbit was it hadn’t detected her stumbling as filler speech. Would aliens even know what filler speech was? Hopefully, the name wasn’t permanent.
“Connection complete. You have two unread messages would you like to view them now?”
There was something so backwards about using advanced alien technology to check your email. Lio replied, “Yes,” and a message expanded onto the screen. The first message was more or less the same as the speech that the AI had given. Thanks for joining, we look forward to working together, etc. It seemed mundane pleasantries extended beyond humanity. Luckily, the message had been addressed to Lio Frye, so maybe it was just a phonetic error.
Lio reached her hand up to tab over to the next message. She pressed her fingers against the holographic button but nothing happened. She tapped again.
“Apologies, but haptic input is available only for Initiates.”
“Initiates?” Lio questioned under her breath.
“Correct. Initiates are recruits who successfully complete the Proving. Recruits and support staff are limited to voice command. When trying to navigate the recruitment interface please speak in clear sentences directed towards the communication node.”
Lio pulled her hand back, intrigued. “Okay then. What’s a Proving?”
“The Proving is a practical assessment to determine the suitability of Recruits. After the Proving recruits are classified into the following categories: Initiate, Support or Unsuitable.”
Lio’s head rolled with a list of questions. All of this was new information - well she’d heard that not everyone makes it through the recruitment process. But she’d always assumed it was a pass-fail scenario. Apparently, there was a third option.
“If a recruit is in the Support category - well what does that mean?” Lio drew herself up into a sitting position, she wanted to process this fully.
“The Support Division is responsible for administration, interspecies diplomacy, and other general operations essential to the Rhoth Initiative. Currently, human Support individuals are restricted to their planet of origin for the duration of their contract.”
Lio scoffed, joining the Rhoth meant exploring the galaxies and using alien tech- an adventure. It wasn’t pushing paper, shackled to the same planet she’d been born on. This test or whatever could kill any chance of attaining her aspirations for the last ten years. Anxiety unspooled in her gut. I will pass, Lio cemented the mantra in her mind.
“Is there a strategy to pass the Proving?” Lio wouldn’t walk into this blind.
“Articulating… Articulating… Articulating.” The AI repeated dully.
“I found a quote provided by Rannum Throtgan. ‘The best strategy to pass the proving is to be better. Better than your neighbor, better than your countrymen, better than your entire race. Show us some martial skills- use your wit to make sure you’re the apex wherever you’re tossed. Sure the numbers matter; Initiates always score higher than their race stats. But those stats are averaged, Initiates set the curve.’”
Lio felt like she was pulling an endless thread, each answer snagged more questions in her mind. Her understanding of the Rhoth Initiative felt like a shadowy tapestry she was standing too close to appreciate. The small details were overwhelming but necessary.
“Can you bring up the race stats?” Lio looked at the screen with intensity.
“Certainly.” The AI responded by dragging five cards onto the screen. Each card named a different alien race, well except for humans. Lio exhaled a rigid breath, I suppose alien is relative. Lio’s shoulders slumped as she continued reading the data.
RHOTH INITIATIVE : AVERAGE RACE DATA
Race: Rhoth Strengths: Tech, Combat, Experience
VIT 8 | DEX 7 | STR 6 | COG 9| ??? # |
Race: Ichyn Strengths: Combat, Teams, Aquatic
VIT 7 | DEX 9 | STR 7 | COG 8| ??? # |
Race: Verköttr Strengths: Power, Grit, Berserker
VIT 7 | DEX 8 | STR 8 | COG 4| ??? # |
Race: Khaash Strengths: Aerial, Stamina, Adaption
VIT 5 | DEX 8 | STR 5 | COG 7| ??? # |
Race: Human Strengths: [PROBATIONARY RACE]
VIT 4 | DEX 5 | STR 5 | COG 6| ??? # |
Lio scrunched her face in disgust. She tallied the total scores in her head. Humans were the value brand of space merc. The next closest race was still five points above humans and the Khaash could fly. They did beat out one race for COG, cognition she guessed. A hollow victory considering the strength and dexterity scores of a Verköttr. Brains only beat brawn if you could avoid the hit and evidently humans couldn’t.
“Humans are such scrubs,” Lio said with defeat.