Palala starsystem, third planet, Nire. Home to billions of Nireans, the descendants of the Goddess Danu. Once they were in the center of the mighty Eailech Kingdom. However, their glory lost light as they waged war against the Terran confederacy. The great king Cian was murdered, and the Nirean capital city of Teamhrach crumbled to ashes. Since then, they have lost much of their legacy.
Today, the great nation of Nire struggles to reestablish supremacy over their own planet. They are no longer independent; the confederacy had planted their flag in the war-torn planet years ago. Neglected and forgotten, the Nireans woke up to the same old morning they saw yesterday.
It is standard time 0700 in the city of Falias, central of the Ulaid continent. Its sun, Palala, was burning furiously as ever. Usually, this is the time where laziness prevail in the heart of men, where people would drag their tired legs in a reluctant manner.
However this particular morning was somehow different; the streets were filled with an unusual vigor. People shook hands and exchanged greetings to strangers. Everybody had a grin in their faces. A happy group who had finally found something to be proud about.
Girls in school uniforms were the most high-spirited ones in the crowd. They were laughing, squealing, applauding, and speaking at the same time.Not a strange sight considering of their age; however, today happened to be the first weekday. Even high-schoolers should have sluggish movements and sleepy eyes. Odd, thought one of the mechanics hanging upside-down on the electric poles. The festival of the spring equinox was weeks away. There was nothing particularly special in this day… or was it? After repositioning himself with the help of his suspending exoskeleton, the young mechanic opened his mouth.
“Hey Joe.”
“Yeah?”
“Did I miss something? What’s the fuss going on with the kids?”
Joe smirked after blinking his eyes twice, turning off his visual enhancer. Even he was in high spirits; the young mechanic never saw his coworker in such a good mood.
“Drugging again? Get a life. Seriously, you don’t know? It’s pretty much clogging the cosmonet today.”
The mechanic raised his eyebrows. “No, I didn’t check cosmonet today. I was busy fixing code all night. What’s going on?”
One of the high school girls let out a sudden scream. “He’s so handsome!”
Her friend joined in. “Yeah, so cool! Would totally go out with him.”
“Totally.”
“Ooh, ooh! I got an update! The UNN broadcast website! He’s coming to the Starport station!”
The other girls’ eyes widened in an instant.
“Really? Auto taxi! Auto taxi!”
Not too far away, the UNN broadcast editor-in-chief was hollering in his visual transmitter. His elevated voice could be heard by everyone working on the same floor.
“Did you check with the company? Good. Sweetener? Good. Do everything to get our camera in the front. Yeah, take the bulkiest droid with you. Private streamers? I don’t care, push them away. We put too much money and time in this. Don’t screw it up. Director’s gonna be here too, so get your injections and expect all-nighters for a week!” He ordered another cup of nicotea as he hung up the call.
“Jeez, what a mess. If we keep this up, our entire branch is going to be replaced by AI.”
His colleague laughed at his comment.
“We were here like, forever.”
“Corporate will think again if they keep losing money,” said the chief, picking his drink from a flying drone.
“Well, as long as the law requires a certain percentage of human labor in the work force, we’ll be safe.”
“Ha, let’s make sure robots don’t get any votes.”
“Aye.”
At the other side of the line, a man in a neat suit was running about in the Grand plaza. He was answering several calls at once. The man busily pushed his finger around his temple.
“Yes sir, I’m working on it. I’ll call you when I get job done. Click. Hey! What happened to our deal? You said the ticket was already bought! Use the diplomatic channel if needed! This is a national event, man! Planetary scale! First knight-to-be from our planet! Come on! Foreign media is coming in like twenty minutes! We need that first-class ticket! Legal or illegal!”
After angrily breaking off the call, the man hurriedly booted up the news presentation software.
The moment the camera blinked the message [Airing], a computer-generated image of a charming young lady appeared in a set of television in a nearby house.
“Mum! It’s starting! Live broadcast! Come on, you’re missing on real history! A real knight!”
“But what about Breakfast?”
“I’ll drone in breakfast. Come here quickly!”
The voice from the screen was clear and professional.
Our planet’s first Squire-class knight cadet, Lyouell Panceloffe, is on his way to the Grand plaza in a military limousine. He will then have lunch with the planetary representative, and will respond to a simple interview…
The planetary representative was in the dressing room along with his robotic adviser. The feminine humanoid spoke in a perfect common tongue.
“Representative, you will have a quick lunch with the Knight-to-be in twenty one minutes.”
“This is the day! Never knew we would get a knight during my career.
The gynoid interrupted him. “Squire, sir. He is not yet a Knight.”
“Anyway. The important thing is, that finally we have national celebrations. The fuss about ministry of foreign affairs will certainly fizzle out now. We can’t afford a scandal now, just months before election. Uh, remind me again, what was his name? Ra-yool?”
“Lyouell, sir. You pronounce Lee-you-el quickly.”
“Lyu-el. An unusual name. It’s quite difficult to remember.”
“I’ll update your virtual memory.”
“Thanks. We are providing the tickets, right? What does the finance minister say?”
“Already done, sir. The knight has even agreed to sell war bonds in his name.”
“Favors, eh? Smart kid knows how to do politics. Better tell him to join our party if he makes it to retirement.”
“Incoming transmission. Sir, the starliner have just arrived in Starport station.”
“Brilliant. Did I tell you that you are the best secretary I ever had?” he said, as he carefully caressed the gynoid’s soft thighs. The robotic woman put up a playful smile. Her expression was very convincing – it was nearly impossible to distinguish her from a biological human.
“Because I work lesser than minimum wage? Sometimes it is hard to identify the difference between work and slave labor.”
“Good point. I hope robotic rights never get attention.”
The gynoid let out a muffled laugh. “Well, one of the districts are working on it right now.”
“Heh, I wonder why they get no support from the central.” He said, smugly.
“Just remember to wipe my memory clean before I sue you for discrimination.”
The representative chuckled. “Sure. Come here. I’ll do it now.”
His robotic adviser leaned forward, exposing her memory unit on the back of her neck. Her brown hair touched his cheeks. As he selectively wiped out her memory, the representative muttered, “Before I forget it, you should consider dying your hair to blonde.”
The gynoid smiled as she made an appointment to the mechanic. “As I have a choice.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Not far away, the colossal space cruise ship emitted massive amounts of steam as it opened six passenger hatches at once. Hundreds of passengers left the ship in all directions; among them were a dozen of stewardesses dressed in Prussian blue uniforms. The youngest one, looking about sixteen, chirped in a high-toned voice.
“I heard that a knight would be in the ship today.”
Her colleagues put up a smile. “Girl, you’re way too late on the news.”
“Is he good-looking?”
“Look him up. He’s in the VIP list.”
“Uh, what’s his name?”
All of them replied in harmony; “Lyouell Panceloffe.”
“Lyou… here he is. Wow, is he a cutie. Can I be on the serving team today?”
“No. Check your virtual mail. The serving crew has already been decided.”
The small girl puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
“Where is he now?”
“Military Limo. He’s on his way for lunch. Meeting with this planet’s representative.”
“Am I allowed to talk with him?”
“Only if he asks to.”
At that very moment, the black Limousine stopped in the Grand plaza. The door opened, and a teenaged boy stepped out – a blonde kid dressed neatly in a Planetary Defense Corps officer uniform. He was surrounded by well-built bodyguards, and he himself was armed – a silver pistol was attached to his waist. A small earpiece was attached to his left earlobe, where whispers told him what to do. He quickly hid his face with the uniform cap. A political move, especially since the Defense Corps were infamous for housing separatists against the Greater Terran Confederacy. Too bad shades worked nice on him; it hid his wickedly beautiful oceanic eyes. Dozens of camera drones were flying around him. Thousands of photic flashes enveloped the kid, revealing his face underneath. He was a handsome young man, perhaps a bit too skinny, looking tired from his journey. A pretty face, beautiful yet fragile; it would be more fitting if he would be posing as a model instead of running about in the battlefield. A bit awkward, but most teenagers are awkward anyway.
The crowd waiting behind the police line was going frenzy with excitement. Already, he was not mare human. The blunt attitude, the forced smile, the long sighs were not from a disgruntled delinquent, but from a saint who shouldered the very existence of the human race. Most importantly, a fellow Nirean. Unknown to battle, yet he was already their hero; the embodiment of the nation, a symbol of the Nirean people. The bluish rugged jacket he wore on his initial interview became a lasting trend in the city. The Nirean citizens praised him until their mouths went dry. The boy’s eyes held a plaintive melancholy, yet the crowd failed to see it. The ones who saw his sapphire eyes would be beholden – they couldn’t stop talking about the charisma enveloping him, apparently indescribable to the Nirean language. He made crowd-mockers and the most stubborn critics jump out of their seats and stand on their toes. Children ran upon him, the elderly smiled at him, women gave him yearning eyes, and men hollered fanatically in excitement. For a split second, the police line broke and a high school girl dashed upon him. The boy put up a dry smile as the girl put up a selfie with him, before bodyguards literally lifted her back to the police line. The photo she took would make her a local cosmonet celebrity for an entire week. After three more fanatic encounters, the knight-to-be quietly disappeared inside a five star hotel.
The representative was waiting for him, as well as several selected reporters from all around the globe.
“Welcome, mister Panceloffe.”
“Thank you, Representative.”
The pair briefly posed for the camera as they shook hands.
“Everyone, the first Knight Cadet in history of planet Nire; mister Panceloffe.”
“Thank you, everyone.”
The applause was so loud that the boy could barely understand what the representative was saying.
“Congratulations to your squire-class admission, Mister Panceloffe. We were more than delighted when we heard that you made it into the program. My entire cabinet sends you their commendations as well.”
“Thank you very much.”
“On behalf of our entire planet, we are proud to present to you the best starliner ship we can provide; Lady Barquish”. The planetary representative held out a massive golden ticket. The cost of the ticket and a hologram of the ship was greatly emphasized to grasp the viewer’s attention. The boy held one end of the ticket and smiled. Another wave of camera flashes enveloped him. All three of the major news broadcasting was recording the entire event on live.
★
Ellie smiled bitterly as the young man appeared in the holographic television. Nobody was meeting her that day. Unlike the boy, she was not destined to be a public celebrity. The Knightschool hated public attention on their students; without considerable political pressure and monetary support they would have never allowed such an event. The girl waited for the immigration employee to widen his eyes and gasp. It was not common for officers to misidentify her status. In their defense, her appearance was more than a bit deceiving. She yawned as she stretched out her small, childlike arms. The gates opened as soon as her status blinked in the holographic screen.
[Knight Cadet – Active]
The little girl scurried to board her starship. Her pink baseball bat stuck out of her backpack. She did not forget to refuse the special assistance for unaccompanied minors. She played with her own hair as she stepped on the platform. She was thinking of the inflight meal… and the private shower of course.
★
Five stories below, two guardsmen were blocking the gates to the engine room. Special cameras carefully monitored the biology of the people passing towards them. Any suspicious activity would be caught immediately, as well as alarming nearby policemen. Two shadows appeared in the horizon. One of the guards raised his head. Before the guard could even say anything, he grasped his neck. A small pin had punctured his skin. He fell unconscious in less than a second. The other guard stood up and unveiled his own mask. A man in his late fifties emerged from the disguise. The middle-aged man quickly started dismantling his tranquilizer pistol. He made sure the cameras were offline this morning. An old lady and a small little girl stood in front of the sleeping guard. Covered in a black cloak, they spoke in an unusual tongue.
“Peace be with you, Great mother. Is Yoon alright?”
The old lady hastily shook the man’s hand. The little girl was hiding behind her.
“Thank the divines! I am overjoyed to see you well, captain. Yoon is with me.”
“Great mother, I am afraid we do not have much time. Please remember my instructions.”
The man projected a hologram from his wrist. The interior of Lady Barquish was in display. The little girl peeked at the image, with glittering jet black eyes.
“Two doors to the left, take the first turn, go straight until you see the escape sign. Go five stories up the stairs. You must stay in the 3rd class cabin.”
“I Understand.”
“You must depart soon. Please keep Yoon safe… I hope we all survive this disaster.”
“Worry not, War-father. There has been wildfires in the past.”
The man let out a short sigh. He placed two paper tickets in the lady’s hands.
“Your words grant me much confidence. However I have yet to seen a fire so grand.”
“I have seen bigger ones, kinsman. In the end, the mountain survive the calamity.”
The man made a fist and wrapped his other hand over it. The old lady put her sleeves together in response.
“Until the Eternal flower blossoms again.”
“Until the Eternal flower blooms again, kinsman.”
The lady and child disappeared into the spaceship. The man hastily moved away from the platform.
★
A massive spaceship was projected in the television. The news anchor was busy explaining about the starliner the knight cadet would take. He was sitting with two guests; a well-known international news reporter and a celebrity reporter.
“Lady Barquish is a behemoth-class starliner owned by the Demoritt Company. Famous for providing the most expensive luxury seats throughout the galaxy, it is home for six thousand humanoid robots and two thousand human crew members. It is the fastest and safest ship Nire can provide for interstellar travel.”
“Neat, I assume our Knight will stay in the luxury suite.”
“Yes. I have info that he will stay in the most expensive room. That is the uppermost floor with six personal stewardesses.”
“So Davis, tell me, who is piloting the ship?”
“Fully automated, captain Deshawn is on board just in case things get out of hand. War veteran, 20 years of service. Although I believe his helmsman Randol is going to do most of the manual work.”
“So, it is safe to say our knight is in best hands?”
“Certainly. He’s a squire, by the way. He will be a full-fledged knight when he graduates the school.”
“My mistake. Anyway, the cruiser seems fitting for a man of his caliber.”
“Well, he is the first Nirean reaching squire-class, as well as being admitted in the Knightschool.”
“Ah. Do we have pictures when he was a page?”
Immediately the other guest speaker squealed in delight. “We do! Shooting on the screen now. Isn’t he adorable?”
The audience instantly shouted out cries of endearment.
“Absolutely charming. My, he looks like a young wolf cub.”
“Let me ask you one more question, Davis. exactly where is the ship headed? We are all curious about the location of this Knightschool.”
“Although the exact location of the school remains classified, we do know that Lady Barquish is headed for planet Celestia. Knight-to-be children will gather there. From there on, we do not know where they will go.”
“Is there any possibility that the Knightschool is in Celestia?”
The reporter grinned as he took down the diagram of Lady Barquish.
“Every planet is a possibility. What I do know, however, is that Knight cadets are protected under the global Knight care act; so, you shouldn’t try to track them. They are invisible, anyway. In fact, no news reporter in the entire cosmos has ever found the exact location of the school to this very day.”
★
Lady Barquish was a mammoth starliner, hundreds of stories high and wide. In the dock, it easily outsized the commercial transportation ships around her. A huge group of people were gathered in the docks. It was uncommon to see luxury starliners in planet Nire; they had little incentive to visit the insignificant war-torn planet. Everyone who did not visit the space docks were watching the live feed on the primary news network. The screen portrayed the various viewers from all around the planet when the Knight Cadet was talking privately with the planetary representative. One of the viewers was from the other side of the planet; he gaily said that the local time is way past his bedtime.
When the young Knight-to-be finally reappeared in the screen, he was in the starship’s main bridge alongside with the captain. The boy shook hands with the captain. A quiet man, who kept his speech to a minimum; as if he wished to avoid the attention. The representative was not shy to ask questions about his previous military career. The planetary representative followed the boy all the way to the starliner. Several cameramen followed them inside, as camera drones were not permitted to enter the ship.
The interior of the starliner was as grand as its exterior – at least in the 1st class cabin. Six stewardesses came up to greet the Knight Cadet. They were his personal crew – they would provide service to the boy throughout the trip. Viewer rating all over the planet was at peak when the camera crew walked into the Knight Cadet’s designated VIP room. It was a colossal cabin, with two floors and a gorgeous vista out the window. The Knight Cadet sat in the ivory armchair as the cameramen busily captured the view on video. All sorts of electronics were provided in the room, including a fully motorized mini bar. His queen-size bed had flower petals sprinkled around on it. Colorful pictures decorated the room, as well as interactive screens – the entire room was pretty much papered with it. The representative commented on one of the liquor stored in the mini bar. After several more questions and congratulations, the time has come for the boy to depart. The camera crew left his room, one by one. The representative shook the boy’s hand for one last time.
“I hope we meet again, Sir Knight.”
The boy smiled. There was a glimpse of sorrow in his blue eyes.
“I do too hope to see you again sir, as a real Knight.”
The entry door began sliding inwards. As the boy walked back to his room, lights started flashing again. The crowd outside the ship cheered for the boy. People along the continent lifted their cups. The entire planet was in elation; it was a planetary jubilee, a festival. But when the VIP door slammed shut and the boy was finally alone, he ripped his earpiece off his head and dropped his hat. He threw his pistol on the table. The boy fell to his knees and started weeping. In the end, he was only a child; a youngling, steward, and slave of the sword. After weeping for minutes, the boy lay motionless on the ground, like a puppet not knowing what to do when the puppeteer let go of his strings.