Kayla and Rose travelled by starliner to the interstellar hub at Raisa. Kayla had never left the surface of Caldera before, and she kept herself glued to the cabin window as they approached the impossibly large station. Hundreds of large vessels drifted near the docks and terminals of the station’s outer ring, as shoals of smaller craft threaded between and around them. The inner core consisted of an immense rotating tube a dozen miles in diameter. Urban construction sprawled across the inner surface, while along the main axis a complex mirror structure captured sunlight, directing it into the depths of the habitation zone.

Kayla had seen pictures, but they had not prepared her for the real thing. The sheer size and complexity of the station made her feel so small. How could her home resist a civilization that could build such things?

As their ship closed on a docking clamp, Kayla drew her eyes away from the glass and prepared herself to disembark. The flight had been peaceful. Rose had left her alone, and Kayla expected to find her own way through the station. But as she stepped out of the boarding walkway into the terminal, she saw her rival waiting for her.

“This is your first interstellar trip, isn’t it?” Rose asked.

Kayla scoffed. “Are you afraid I’ll go crazy and start attacking people?”

She glanced around the terminal. It was bigger than she had imagined, almost the size of one of Rackeye’s shopping malls. Crowds of travelers hurried past in both directions.

Through a viewport, Kayla saw the sun rising over Planet Raisa and she caught her breath. Warm sunlight softly revealed the ripples of a mountain range, interrupted by the occasional reflected glare of a large lake. Creamy white sheets of cloud drifted across an ocean. On the dark side, intricate spider webs of yellow light outlined the denser cities. Kayla had never seen a world from orbit before—their shuttle having left Caldera during the night. She hadn’t imagined it could be so… humbling.

“Let’s not dally,” Rose said impatiently. “I’m sure the Academy staff will expect us to be punctual.

“What, are you my babysitter now?” Kayla said as she dragged her gaze away from the view.

“Actually, I’m following Madam Lefevre’s guidance. I would not be making a good impression for our school if I let you get lost or kidnapped in one of the largest space stations in the galaxy.”

“Kidnapped? Seriously? I bet tens of thousands of people travel through here every day in complete safety.”

“Well, one never knows with these public thoroughfares.”

Kayla rolled her eyes. “Could you be any more out of touch?”

“Stay with me please until we find…” Rose checked her phone. “Gate seventy-nine.”

The route took them through a vast shopping mall, and Kayla craned her neck around to take in the view. Ten floors surrounded a large atrium, ringed with balconies that contained trees and hanging vines. Overhead, a specially coated glass roof enhanced the star light. The effect was like a diamond shattered into millions of fragments.

“I don’t suppose Masey told you—” Rose began.

“That’s incredible,” Kayla interrupted. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the ceiling. “Is that the milky way? There’s so much more of it than you can see on Caldera.”

“Yes,” Rose said. “But I was just wondering…” Her voice trailed off as she seemed to lose interest in the question.

“What?” Kayla turned to Rose. “Don’t you care about the ceiling?”

“I’ve seen it many times. Let’s keep moving, please.” She reached out a hand to touch Kayla’s arm, then quickly withdrew it.

Kayla shook her head, but followed along as Rose moved away. “Does everything in the galaxy bore you?” she asked.

Rose glanced back at the ceiling. “I’m not bored by the view, Kayla. I spent hours staring up there when I was younger.”

“What were you going to ask me?”

“Oh…” Rose waved a hand dismissively. “I was curious if Masey told you anything about the entrance process?”

“Nervous about failing?”

“I just wonder how it works. I find it strange that an organization can function when it turns away most applicants.”

Kayla smirked. “Maybe they’re all secret super soldiers, stealing softly through the shadows?”

Rose looked away. “Don’t be foolish. If only your common sense matched your alliteration skills.”

“Whatever—we’re not going to walk away, and we can’t do anything about it. So, think about something else.”

“Aren’t you worried about failing? It’s not like you have anything to fall back on.”

Kayla shook her head. “Charming. Like I said, I’m not even thinking about it.”

Rose raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite a stoic attitude you have.”

“Try it. You’ll live longer.”

As soon as they arrived at the gate, Rose waved and gasped as she saw one of her friends, and she left Kayla’s side without a word. The girls hugged and shrieked excited praise as other members of the Helvet upper class gathered around them. Kayla withdrew to a quiet corner of the seating area from which she could observe the crowd. In total, nearly four hundred young women had arrived, buzzing with excitement and swapping rumors. Severe-looking women in dull, grey uniforms watched them without comment. Kayla wondered if they worked for the Academy, or if they were just contracted.

She’d expected the tour group to be filled with clones of Rose and her friends; well dressed, wealthy young women out to impress the universe, and she wasn’t disappointed. However, she also saw plenty of invitees who didn’t fit that mold, and at first glance, there didn’t appear to be a typical candidate. Some were not as well dressed and probably came from the poorer quadrants. A few girls wore jeans and hoodies and glared at anyone who went near them. One muscular, tattooed young woman was talking amiably to a Hindu girl dressed in a full Sari. Across the hall, a famous rock climber had drawn a crowd, as had a chess player.

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Kayla didn’t feel like talking to anyone. She was there for herself. The crossed arms and averted gazes of some girls told her she was not the only one.

After an hour passed, and no-one else arrived at the gate, the group was herded onto a passenger transport. Kayla found a window seat in an empty row. She stretched her legs out from the couch and admired the spacious interior of the vessel. It was even larger and more comfortable than the ship that had brought them from Caldera.

Another girl walked up and smiled politely. She dropped into the aisle seat before pulling a book out of her backpack entitled ‘The Post-Solar Aesthetic’. Kayla raised an eyebrow. Her new neighbor was stylishly dressed, and her blonde hair and blue eyes marked her out as another Rose-clone. Did the Helvets stamp them out of a factory somewhere? And of course, she had to show off that she owned one of the old and extremely rare physical books.

The vessel undocked from the terminal, cleared the station’s transit zone, and made the jump into the void. A voice spoke in the cabin, thanking the passengers for their patience and explaining the trip would take around five hours, during which time food and drink would be served. Kayla dug out her phone and began scrolling through an e-book on the evolution of predatory species, but, before long, Rose’s voice carried from across the cabin.

“Just a complete terror of a girl,” she was saying loudly, to the raucous laughter of her clique. “And do you know what she said to the head of the Art department? ‘Well, Miss, frankly, it looks like a cow turd!’”

Kayla chuckled at the memory. She had expressed an honest opinion, and it had been funny to watch the art teacher’s face turning purple. But Rose’s friends were not enjoying Kayla’s point of view; they were mocking her. As the stories and laughter continued, her mood turned sour, and she began drumming her fingers loudly on her armrest.

“Excuse me?” a voice said. Kayla’s neighbor had looked up from her book and was smiling at her. She had a charismatic smile and an old-style English accent, which was a little entertaining.

“Hi.” Kayla tried her best to smile, but the tension of the unnatural social gathering made her muscle movements awkward, and she wondered if she looked like a fool.

“Hello. I’m afraid you’re drumming your fingers quite loudly.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice. It’s a nervous habit.”

“Yes, but all the same,” said the girl, still smiling, “it’s rather loud.”

“Sorry, I’ll stop. I’m Kayla Barnes, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

“Christie Stirling. Thank you, I do appreciate it.” She turned her attention back to her book.

Kayla stared at the girl, then forced herself back to the text on her phone as dark thoughts filled her mind. By the time they arrived at their destination, she hadn’t read more than a few sentences.

The transport arrived in orbit around a gas giant, and Kayla stared at the red and brown atmosphere through the cabin viewports. The planet had to be more than ten times the size of Caldera. Centered in front of the sphere, like the iris of an alien eye, was a brilliant blue and green moon. It hung impossibly over the gaseous ocean beneath it, and Kayla’s head began to spin with vertigo. She was a long way from climbing school towers, and things could only get stranger.

Christie didn’t stir, apparently unconcerned by the view, though the other girls in the ship crammed themselves around a window to get a look.

Their vessel descended into the moon’s atmosphere, and soon mountain ranges were visible, covering every land mass in sight. There wasn’t any ice at the poles, and there didn’t seem to be any large urban centers. Soon neat, gridline patterns of buildings came into view, connected by a road network spread out over vast, empty regions.

The ship followed a coastline, until a bay fed by a river emerged from between green peaks. A city sprawled around the body of water, and the vessel spiraled down towards a small starport. Neatly geometric buildings gleamed white in the sun, their angular forms giving them a dashing look. In the cabin, girls were quiet with admiration as they studied the beautiful architecture. Luscious trees and shrubs lined the streets of the city, while pools and decorative waterways ran down the avenues. Large parks interrupted the urban landscape, and there didn’t seem to be much traffic on the roadways.

Once landed, the girls were met off the transport by more uniformed women who spoke into headsets and carried tablets. The tour group was lined up and directed to buses that took them to a hotel complex on the edge of the city. As Kayla gawked at the strange buildings and forested mountains that surrounded them, the staff informed the girls they had twenty minutes to find their rooms, drop their bags, and return to the main lobby.

When they did, they found another group of uniformed women standing at the center. Their hair was tied back in small, tight buns, and whatever makeup they wore on their expressionless faces was discreet. One, a taller woman with a tan complexion, looked at her watch, and waited in silence as a few stragglers arrived. After another glance at her wrist, the woman passed her eye over the jostling, excited group as though she were inspecting cattle.

“Welcome ladies,” she said in a clear and formal voice, “to this weekend tour of the Academy. Both the moon and this city are named Tyr and might be your future home. I am Colonel Qaghan, and my team is going to show you around our organization today, and give you the chance to learn what kind of work we do here. You will see some of our science and engineering laboratories, and a zoo containing many examples of the creatures we study across the galaxy.”

Kayla looked around to see girls whispering and grinning excitedly.

“In the evening,” Qaghan continued, “after the tour is complete there will be a presentation, and you will be given the chance to decide if you want to join us. Tomorrow, you will have a free day to explore the city as you wish, and meet with the personnel you will see today. You can ask them questions, and if you are polite, they will answer. Don’t be shy—they are used to these tours so you will only annoy them a bit.”

This was met with a smattering of laughter from the girls, but Kayla’s brow furrowed. What did ‘If you want to join us’ mean? What about the infamous entrance test? Nothing was happening the way she had expected. Confronted with the excited and hopeful applicants, the tour guides looked bored. They didn’t even introduce themselves as they stepped forward to take charge of the group. Nobody was acting like the university staff Kayla had seen in campus adverts, thrilled to welcome new applicants as they tried to win them over.

Given what she had seen from Urtiga and Masey, Kayla suspected they would all be in for a big surprise by the end of the day.

They were broken up into small groups, and Kayla saw with frustration that she would be with Rose for the day.

Kayla flashed her a smile. “Beautiful place isn’t it?”

“Yes, very,” Rose said with a curt nod.

As they approached the tour bus, a figure appeared that stopped Kayla dead in her tracks. Urtiga hadn’t changed or aged a bit. She wore an intimidating frown that melted into an infectious, good-natured grin as soon as she saw Kayla.

“Hey there, Kayla, remember me?” she asked.

Kayla was so stunned she had to make a mental effort to respond. “H-Hi. Yes. Urtiga. Of course I remember you.” She searched desperately for something cool and interesting to say but failed completely.

The other candidates gawped at the new arrival. She wore jeans, a t-shirt, and a baseball cap, and her warm smile contrasted with the blank faces of the tour guides. The other girls cast curious glances at the stranger as they filed onto the bus, but their guide seemed happy to wait while Urtiga and Kayla chatted.

“Glad to see you made it,” Urtiga said. “I wanted to come and say hi, so you didn’t think I’d forgotten about you. Wow, you grew up into a tough chica, eh?” She laughed and threw a pretend punch.

“Um, thanks,” Kayla said, trying desperately not to blush, even as the woman’s energy brought an irrepressible smile to her face.

“Regretting the day you ever met me, maybe?”

Which was an oddly insensitive thing to say. Kayla tried to remind herself that her daydreams had been pure fantasy, and she had no idea what she was getting into. “It’s… a different world,” she managed. “I’m just not sure what to expect.”

“Trust me on this, you’re gonna love it. Just go with the tour and have fun. You have a free day tomorrow, so I’ll come get you and we can hang out. After tonight’s presentation, you’ll have a lot of questions, and I’ll try to answer as many as I can. How does that sound?”

Kalya nodded. Her mood flipped, and she felt positively euphoric.

Urtiga leaned in conspiratorially. “Some of these girls are a bunch of prima donnas, I know. But look for those who are staying quiet. Try to make friends—you’ll be surprised.”

Kayla nodded, and, after waving goodbye to Urtiga, she practically skipped on to the bus. The tour guide flashed her a friendly smile.

“How do you know Urtiga?” she asked.

“I met her when I was younger. That’s why I’m here.”

“You must have impressed her.” She motioned for Kayla to take a seat.

As she went to sit, Kayla caught sight of Rose glaring at her. She might just have a great day after all.