An electric sense of anticipation filled the air, echoing the palpable excitement pulsing through the throngs gathered in the auditorium of Elluria’s most esteemed academy. Students sat on the edge of their seats, their nervous eyes reflecting the glow of the lights above, while proud parents and mentors watched from the stands, their hearts beating with the same rhythm of shared pride and anxiety.
Among these fresh-faced graduates was Gan, his violet eyes sparkling with the nervous excitement of a jaktol ready to spread its wings. The jaktol, known for its iridescent feathers and spirited flights at the dawn of its maturity and revered across Elluria for its grace and strength, symbolized the very essence of reaching new heights. As Gan sat there, it was as if he too embodied the bird's eager anticipation to soar into the vast, open skies. His skin had taken on an otherworldly pallor in the auditorium’s dim light. It was a stark contrast to the bright teal graduation uniform he wore with a sense of hard-earned pride. He sat ramrod straight, his gaze fixed on the stage ahead. Today was the day he had been dreaming of, the day when all his sacrifices and hardships would pay off and he would be able to leave the Academy and his classmates behind.
For as long as Gan could remember, he had considered the Academy his entire world. It was a celestial maze of knowledge and discovery where they had placed him as a mere child, just like the rest of his peers. He remembered the day he first set foot into the imposing edifice of the Academy, the Ellurian sun glinting off the sleek metallic surfaces, casting playful prisms of light all around. His heart had pounded with awe, fear, and a daring spark of excitement. Strangely, he couldn’t recall anything before that.
Gan was a striking figure, even among his fellow Ellurians. He towered over others of his race by a good two feet. Gan had yet to meet another Ellurian that was his height. With his azure-tinged skin and a mane of brown hair that tousled just right, he embodied a Space Scavenger.
The azure hue of his skin appeared to shimmer and shift, imbuing him with a surreal and ethereal beauty. It was the color of a quiet ocean under the morning sky, lending him an allure that was both unique and captivating. His violet eyes were mesmerizing, luminous, and expressive. Framed by thick lashes, they glowed with an inner light that gave him an intense, penetrating gaze. His eyes, vibrant as a nebula’s heart, were not just a window to his soul, but a portal to the cosmos he hoped to traverse.
As the years passed, that spark dimmed under the relentless grind of discipline, strict regimen, and constant competition. The Academy provided more than just a place of learning; it was a battlefield where the brightest minds of their generation were pit against each other in a race for innovation, for exploration, and for survival. Gan was no stranger to competition, but he soon realized that the Academy’s battles didn’t always play by fair terms.
The Academy’s governing body, the Council, had an unspoken hierarchy. It favored those from distinguished lineages or those who brought substantial resources to the Academy’s coffers. The resultant disparity was an open secret, leading to a pervasive culture of privilege and exclusion. Despite his aptitude and passion for space exploration, Gan often found himself at the receiving end of this bias, given his humble background. At first, he hadn’t minded it, but as he had grown older, the lack of resources had really begun to grate on him.
His interactions with his classmates had done little to ease his frustrations. A group of his peers who referred to themselves as the Valtorians—after the legendary Ellurian warlord—were particularly unkind. They took every opportunity to ridicule Gan, deriving cruel pleasure from highlighting the clear disparities.
The relentless mockery and the daily struggle to compete with inferior resources fostered in Gan a resentment towards the Academy. It didn’t represent knowledge and discovery for him anymore. It was a place of unjust practices and unwarranted biases, an institution that didn’t appreciate merit but valued those who had excelled in every area of study.
The grand auditorium of the Ellurian Academy was a symphony of excitement and anticipation as the Bestowment Ceremony began. The stage, adorned with the emblems of the Academy and the Council, was illuminated by a soft, ethereal light that seemed to pulse with the heartbeat of the occasion. The graduates, resplendent in their ceremonial robes, were seated in the front rows, their eyes shining with a mixture of nervousness and exhilaration.
As the ceremony commenced, the Engaru, esteemed leader of the Council, took to the podium. His voice, rich and resonant, filled the auditorium as he spoke of the significance of this day. "Today," he declared, "we honor the achievements of our graduates, the future pioneers of Elluria. Today, we bestow upon them the vessels that will carry them to the stars, the tools with which they will forge our collective destiny."
With a grand gesture, the Engaru signaled for the first ship to be unveiled. A hush fell over the crowd as a sleek, gleaming vessel materialized on the stage, its hull reflecting the lights of the auditorium.
The sight of it, with its glossy hull reflecting the pride of its new owner, was an awe-inspiring sight that drew cheers from the crowd. It was a ship designed for the brave and the daring, a testament to the prowess of the young pilot who would command it.
They gifted another student an Excalibur-class ship, a robust vessel designed for exploration and combat. Its deadly elegance was met with gasps of admiration from the audience. It was a ship suited for a pilot unafraid of the challenges and dangers of the cosmos, ready to carve his path amongst the stars.
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Gan had bested Serava and Keltru both in several trials and was the better pilot. But they were part of the Valtorians—a social group composed of privileged students from affluent families, well-versed in the language of technology and power—and Gan was not.
As each student received their ships, Gan’s heart pounded harder in his chest. His palms were clammy with anticipation, his eyes locked onto the grand stage where dreams were materializing into tangible form. He yearned for a formidable spaceship that could stand as an emblem of his ambition and resilience, a vessel that could carry his dreams beyond the Ellurian skies.
When his name was finally called, no wave of applause washed over him as it had for his other classmates. No one save Elo was there for him, and he could not show any hint of favoritism in the public forum. Gan came from no distinguished lineage. He had no parents and no brothers or sisters. Elo was all he remembered from his youth. ¶Gan rose from his seat, a fluttering feeling in his stomach. With each step he took towards the stage, he could feel the weight of expectations pressing on his shoulders, and he accepted it with a sense of resolute determination.
However, the sight that met his eyes was far from what he had envisioned. Sitting there on the stage was an unassuming spacecraft that seemed almost invisible to the grandeur of its counterparts. It lacked the sleek aesthetics of the Excelsior. It was plain. Its gray exterior resembled the nondescript meteor rocks that peppered the cosmos, allowing it to blend into the celestial surroundings. Its shape, an elongated cone, lacked the aggressive lines and contours of the other vessels. The sharply tapered nose, meant to slice through the vacuum of space, seemed dull compared to the razor-sharp fronts of the more impressive crafts. Its flared, rounded base housed the engines responsible for propelling the vessel forward, their humble hum a soft whisper against the roaring symphony of its peers.
As Gan’s gaze fell on it, a sigh almost escaped his lips. It was a far cry from the vessel he had imagined commanding. But as he stood there on the stage, a rising determination replaced the weight of his disappointment.
His eyes hardened, his gaze fixed on the humble spacecraft before him. It was not the most glamorous of ships, nor was it the most powerful. It didn’t gleam with deadly elegance or promise adrenaline-filled adventures. But it was his. It was the ship that would carry him forward, the vessel that would bear the weight of his dreams.
With a steady hand, he reached out and touched the cold exterior of the hull, a silent promise echoing in the hollow chambers of the ship. He might not have received the grandest vessel, but he would make the most of what he had. He would carve a name for himself among the stars, not by the might of his ship, but by the strength of his spirit.
Gan returned to his seat crestfallen and waited for the ceremony to conclude. Just as he had sat down, the Engaru, leader of the Council, appeared out of the shadows and took the stage. The Engaru's rich and commanding voice filled the grand auditorium, marking the transition from academic rigor to a future in the cosmos. "You are the next generation of pioneers," he proclaimed, his eyes sweeping across the sea of graduates. "Among you stand the Space Scavengers, destined to forge fresh paths in the stars for Elluria."
Gan absorbed the words and felt a surge of purpose in his veins.
The Engaru's speech seamlessly flowed, introducing a time-honored tradition. "Now, we partake in the Ellurian Rite of the Stars, binding your fates to the cosmos."
The auditorium lights dimmed, replaced by a simulated night sky on the ceiling. Stars flickered to life, each a symbol of a graduate. Gan watched in awe, his violet eyes reflecting the celestial display.
"With your Star Beacons, pledge your commitment to our world," instructed the Engaru. ¶Hands reached for the small, luminescent devices, which extended far above the rest.
As Gan activated his beacon, its light shone awkwardly higher than others, an isolated star in the simulated heavens. He felt a pang of difference, his height setting him apart in a moment meant for unity. Others seemed to notice as well, and he thought he heard the beginnings of tittering coming from the gathered assembly.
Subtly, with a gentle bend of his arm, he lowered his beacon, aligning his light with the constellation of his peers. His action, small yet significant, bridged the gap between standing apart and being part of a whole. The tittering died almost immediately. The beacons rose and the stars above responded, a mesmerizing dance of light echoing the unity in the room.
The Engaru's voice resonated once more. "Together, your light illuminates our future."
With that, the ceremony concluded.
Gan walked solemnly towards his ship and several of his former classmates passed him as they ran jubilantly towards their new commands. His classmates congregated around their ships, each proudly boasting of what they envisioned doing while captaining them. Gan, though, kept to himself and tried to avoid them.
“Hey, Gan,” called out Jax, the unofficial leader of the Valtorians, his voice echoing in the sterile academy hallway. “Working on a design for your new spaceship?”
A round of laughter followed his words, and Gan looked up to see the Valtorians clustered around him. Regara, the only female in the group, was barely concealing her amusement behind a manicured hand, while Edam, the tech genius of the group, snickered into his datapad.
Trying not to let their words rattle him, Gan straightened his back and responded coolly, “Yes, I am. We all have to start somewhere, don’t we?”
Regara laughed outright at his words. “Oh, Gan, you make it sound so heroic. It’s just… it’s hard to imagine you among the stars in anything more than a tugboat!”
Edam chimed in, “Or that!”
The Valtorians erupted into laughter again, their mockery reverberating in the halls of the Academy. Gan’s face burned, but he remained silent. He closed his notebook with a snap and stood, gathering his belongings.
But as he left, he turned back to the laughing group. “When I get my ship,” he said, his voice steady, “I’ll name it after you. To remind me of how far I’ve come.”
With that, he walked away, leaving the Valtorians in stunned silence. From that day onward, the idea of the ‘Valtorian’ took shape in Gan’s mind, a symbol of defiance and determination that he would carry with him into the stars.
Gan’s journey had just begun. The Valtorian might not have been an Excelsior or an Excalibur, but in his heart, Gan knew it didn’t matter. After all, a ship was but a vessel; it was the pilot who charted the course. And Gan was ready to sail into the vast ocean of stars, ready to make his mark upon the cosmos.