Lyouell had slept for a good eight hours. He could not remember when was the last time he slept for so long. Well, knowing that he is returning to the Knightschool, this would be his last chance to do so for a long time. Shouldn’t nap long too often, though. Adjusting back to polyphasic sleep is a pain.
He lay back, breathing in and out fresh oxygen provided by the living plants. He ran his hand over the grass. The blades slipping through the fingers felt like human hair. He pulled on the grass. A good bit of it broke loose. Lyouell snickered as he imagined himself in an Earth-age fairy tale, locked up behind bars.
“What’s your crime, mate?” asked his imaginary cellmate.
“Accidently scalping a dryad” replied Lyouell, as he let go of his fingers. Cut grass fell to the ground. Lyouell rolled his eyes as he drifted away from his daydream. He was the only one in the biosphere. Several gardener robots were doing maintenance work; they were very quiet and were careful not to bother him. Lyouell reached out his hand, this time to the skies above. The dark sky was glittering with stars. They seemed so close, yet so far. Lyouell closed his hand, pretending to hold one in his palm. When he finally stood up, it was getting close to midnight. Lyouell walked sluggishly to the exit.
★★★
A soft sound of pressurized air was heard as Lyouell returned to his room. The indoor light brightened up. Two live orchids greeted the boy’s return. The stewardesses must have made his bed while he was gone. A basket full of expensive sweets was on the table, accompanied by a single bottle of vintage red wine. If the boy was older, he would have been a bit more interested in the overpriced wine. Lyouell picked up a lollypop instead. It was decorated with fine gold powder. He put it in his mouth and flew his body to the bed. A colorful flavor of tarty apple and creamy cheesecake rolled in his tongue. He touched the hologram screen just above the bed. Blast, still fifty hours from arrival. He let out a long yawn. Now who said space travel is fun? Well, at least this ship has artificial gravity. If not, I would have been forced to exercise every four hours. After sucking the candy dry, Lyouell rolled around his bed for a couple minutes. He thought of going back to sleep, but in the end, he kicked his bedding and stood up. Sugar had fed the boy’s mind to go wild. Lyouell stared at the wall. It was white. Wait. Why is it plain white? Suddenly the unpleasant dream flashed on his sight. He shook his head. No way I’m keeping it.
“Computer, change wallpaper to an urban night themed one.”
“More than 12500 results. Use night view of the central knight academy?”
Ooh, why not. Lyouell smiled, and the wall instantly changed into a beautiful night with glittering neon lights. He added a small avatar of himself flying through the academy with his sword drawn. Now that’s more like it. Lyouell sat down in his bed again. A full dive movie, perhaps? He looked out the window. Pitch black. A sudden realization made him leap to his feet. At night time, nobody would be wandering around in the ship. They would be all in bed; nobody would bother him. This would be a perfect time for sneaking around places.
★★★
Lyouell had almost forgot what it feels like walking on a whim. The whispers giving him orders were surely about to echo in his ear at any moment. Yet the moment did not come. He was still alone when he opened the observatory doors. The stars that were beaming on him earlier were there. A beautiful sight. Lyouell walked up to one of the huge windows. He touched the screen. An informative voice flowed through it; obviously computer-generated.
“Did you know that you are made of stardust?”
Lyouell blinked his eyes.
“No. Explain.”
“Every element is produced in stars, in a process called stellar nucleosynthesis. In a sense, you and that girl over there are made from stardust. Isn’t that neat? Now, go on and say hello to your star born kin.”
Lyouell moved his view to his right. A young girl, looking much younger than the boy was standing in the opposite window. Her unusual bright green eyes glittered in curiosity as she met with Lyouell’s deep blue ones.
“Hi.”
“Hello.”
Blonde hair, tied up in in a cute twin-tail. Hexagonal markings in her right cheek gave her an unworldly look. It looks like one of those yucky equations I saw in organic chemistry. She was carrying a pink backpack, with a cute little baseball bat sticking out in the corner. She is very small… maybe around nine or ten? What is she doing here? As young as she was, nobody was standing near her. No parents, teachers, siblings or friends. She was alone in the observatory, all by herself. The logical conclusion was that, this girl is probably lost in this ship.
“Hey. Are you lost?”
The girl shook her head. Lyouell tilted his.
“What are you doing here in midnight?”
The little girl shrugged. Her tiny shoulders moved up and down.
“Can’t sleep” said the girl. Her voice was high pitched and frail, like a chirping robin.
“Huh, so you decided to go watch the stars.”
“Yeah. I like stars. I love to watch, read, write, draw, anything about stars.”
Lyouell couldn’t resist smiling. He could imagine the little girl walking slowly up the stairs.
“You’re a brave little kiddo. I like stars too.”
“Yeah. The computer told me we are made of stardust. Does that make stars our great grandparents?”
“Huh, I guess.”
He glanced at the door. It was tightly closed when he walked in.
“How did you get in here?”
The girl held up a golden card instead of an answer. Lyouell whistled. Thought I was the only kid in this town lucky enough to get a VIP room. She must be one of them rich kids.
“Is your dad a banker or something?”
The girl set her eyes to the window. Her voice was gloomy when she answered him.
“Don’t remember him.”
Lyouell closed his mouth tightly. Way to go, Lyouell.
“I’m sorry. What about your mom?”
“Don’t remember her either.”
Lyouell almost bit his tongue.
“What?”
The girl swung her hands back and forth.
“I’m an orphan.”
Lyouell scratched his head. He thought of apologizing, but that might make the girl feel more so sad. He decided to make an alternative answer. Something involving sympathy.
“Ey, I don’t know my parents either. I was adopted to a fake family.”
The girl looked at him. There was something odd in her smile, an expression where older sisters or mothers would make when they look down at their youngling.
“You were raised to be a knight?”
“Yeah. Wait, how did you know-”
The little girl giggled as she put her hand forward. She swept her hair behind her ears with her other hand.
“I know all about you, Lyouell Panceloffe. The nation’s hero, the Nirean pride.”
Lyouell muttered in discomfort as he took her stumpy little hand.
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“Hey… you are embarrassing me. And you are?”
“Why, I am but your loyal, humble maidservant.”
“Where did you learn how to talk like that?”
“The cosmonet, your knightliness.”
“Hey, cut it out.”
“Anything you wish, my Lord.”
Now Lyouell’s face was getting quite red. The little girl was quite adept at teasing boys.
“Your name? I still didn’t get to hear it.”
The girl held her shirt to the side, as if it was a skirt. She was mimicking a Northerly curtsey.
“This one’s name is Elysia Placo. it is an honor to meet you, sir Knight.”
“Elysia? Cool name. And would you please stop doing that?”
“What?”
“Being so formal and honorary.”
“Is that bad?”
“Just act like a normal kid, would you? I’m getting nervous.”
“Oh fine. I’ll return to my boring kid speech.”
Elysia swept her clothes. Her movement was fast and on point, like of a well-disciplined soldier.
“Your name is kinda hard to pronounce. Can I call you Lugh?”
“Loo?”
“Yeah.”
“Whatever you want.”
“You can call me Ellie.” Chirped the girl, rather cheerfully.
“Okay Ellie. Now tell me why you can’t sleep.”
Ellie put her fingers to her chin. She was smiling as she looked directly into Lyouell’s eyes.
“You know, thinking about returning to the Knightschool.”
“Oh. I understand. Realizing the end of a vacation always sucks…”
Lyouell’s brain did not process what the girl said for a good ten seconds. He widened his eyes when he finally understood what she had said.
“Wait, what? Knightschool?”
“You’re not the only Knight cadet in this ship.” Ellie reached out for her pink baseball bat. It shifted its shape in an instant. When Lyouell looked at her again, she was no longer holding a bat – a sword was in her hand. Lyouell blinked his eyes in disbelief. Knightswords only unsheathe when a Knight or a Knight cadet touches it. There can be no trick, since the sword does a bio-scan every time before it unsheathes.
“You’re in squire class?”
“Yep. I graduated page class last year.”
“But you are only like, ten! Did you start page class at five or something?”
“Hehe.”
Lyouell scratched his head.
“Well, I might be standing with the youngest Knight cadet in history. Why aren’t you on TV?”
Ellie shrugged.
“People don’t wanna hear about kids dying in battle.”
“Oh… right.”
Ellie’s remark made Lyouell frown a bit. An awkward pause followed. Ellie nervously fumbled with her hair. She kept looking at Lyouell, as if she was waiting for Lyouell to start the conversation again. Lyouell kept trying to think of words to say, but all the things popping in his head did not seem like something witty or funny enough to impress the little girl. The quiet hum of the air conditioner could be heard… Finally, the boy spat out the most generic and obvious one he could think of.
“How old are you, Ellie?”
Ellie turned around and looked at the boy. Her bright green eyes were shaking.
“Umm, I’m not going to tell you.”
Curious, Lyouell raised his eyebrows.
“Why is that?”
“It’s a… woman’s secret.”
Lyouell blinked his eyes. What does that mean? Why in the world is she hiding her age? The boy gave up on the question, since he remembered girls are hard to understand in general, even the young ones.
“Okay… at least tell me, is this your second year as squire class?”
“Nope, third year.”
“Really? I never even been to the knight academy…”
Ellie smirked as she brushed back her hair.
“Don’t worry Lugh, I’ll show you around when we get there.”
“Man, that is weird.”
The young girl put her hands behind her back. She tilted her head a bit. Was it because of the lights? Her hair seemed to brighten up a bit.
“Do you like bubbleglow, Lugh?”
“Um, sure. Why do you ask?”
In an instant, Ellie took Lyouell’s hand. Soon, she was leading him outside the room.
“I’ll buy you the first drink.”
“Uh…”
“Don’t worry, non-alcoholic! Hehe!”
Lugh couldn’t help but smile at Ellie’s impish laughter.
★★★
The boy and the girl walked to the first-cabin lounge, tracing the glowing lights in the floor. They made extra effort ensuring that those silly stewardesses would not follow them. The lounge was nearly empty. Avoiding any eye contact, the pair sat on a table near the corner.
[Welcome, Mr.Panceloffe, Ms. Placo.]
The menu appeared instantly as the boy put his hand over the table. Hundreds of food options filled the monitor. The boy made a sulky face as he eyed the overpriced bubbly drink.
“Bubbleglow is cool and all, but I don’t have much appetite in space. I can’t even taste well here. Might as well get dirt-cheap coffee instead.”
Ellie laughed at his remark.
“I’m buying, silly. Half the price is for the privileged first-class cabin. You know, the interior design and the golden leaves on top of bubbleglow.”
Lugh widened his eyes.
“Yikes, golden leaves?”
“Oh, calm down. Here, I’ll order for you.”
A message appeared as she put her fingers on the table.
[Your order has been placed. Payment method: biometric scan]
Less than a minute later, a flying robot approached them. It was the one that is currently very popular with serving food. It had four propellers, a small body and two arms that held the dish. The arms looked convincingly human, that it looked quite uncanny.
[Your Order is ready. Have a good day, Ms.Placo]
A well-coordinated human voice sounded from the robot. Still fake, thought the boy. He eyed the robot as it skillfully set the drinks on the table.
“Hey, thanks for the drink.”
“Enjoy!”
Lugh looked at the glass. The drink was a glowing bright green, with golden gradations moving up from the bottom. A thick layer of colorful bubbles was in the top, just below the golden leaves.
“It’s so bright, I’ll believe it if someone says this is radioactive.”
The girl chirped cheerfully as she took a sip.
“No worries, we have genetic therapists in the school.”
“Yeah… good to know.”
Lugh pulled out the golden leaves with his fingers. How in the world is this thing floating on the bubbles? Is this really gold? Or are the bubbles super strong or something?
Ellie’s words shook him from his observation.
“So Lugh, tell me more about yourself. Where did you live? How were your families? Did you have a good relationship with them? What did you do for fun?”
“Uh, you seem very interested in me.”
Said Lugh, still staring at his bubbleglow. He missed Ellie making a bitter smile.
“You’ll figure it out. Or… forget about it.”
★★★
After the drinks, Ellie decided to explore the main bridge with Lugh. Since he was kind of a celebrity, he had free access to the area. The helmsman greeted him warmly.
“Ah, Good morning, mister Knight.”
“Good morning.”
“And this is?”
“Elysia Placo. I am Lugh’s friend.”
“Oh. A honor, miss Placo.”
The helmsman apologized that the captain was still asleep in his private quarters, as he carefully explained the progress of the travel. He had a mid-toned voice with a timid attitude. It was probably his first time with a young Knight.
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Nothing at the moment. I am here simply to kill time.”
“More like a hot date.”
Ellie chuckled as Lugh scratched his head.
“I see… would you like to view the ship’s course, sir?”
“Sure.”
As Lugh waited for the helmsman explain all the images and the data pages on the big screen, Ellie walked up to a vending machine and dispensed a ball of gum for herself. She shuddered as the strong sour taste stung her mouth. Lugh almost burst out giggling at her sight. Good thing the helmsmen spoke in a boring tone that kept him maintain a straight face. In front of Ellie were several gynoids were sitting in position, with their eyes fixed to the screen. One of the seats were empty; it read communications. Lugh felt his heart sink as Ellie pointed her finger at it. She detached a part of machinery making up her headgear. She carefully enveloped it in the gum she was chewing on. Making sure she was out of the camera angle, the girl put the gum underneath the screen desk. The entire time, Lugh was holding his breath. She walked casually out of the room.
“Umm, I think I will return to my room. Thank you for the kind welcome.”
“Certainly, sir. Feel free to explore the bridge as you like.”
Lugh hurryingly left to see Ellie outside the bridge. She did not forget to laugh for her mischief.
“What in the world was that, Ellie! You could have been in so much trouble-”
“Hahaha- your face, your face!”
After a good laugh, Ellie wiped her face.
“You should go play video games now. I’m gonna go sleep.”
“Hey, how did you know I play-”
“Your interview.”
“Oh."
"And If you want to listen in to my bug, tune in to my private channel."
"But I don't have your private-"
"003413550052."
The pin code was automatically saved in Lugh's virtual memory.
"Got it."
“See you around, Lugh.”
“Right. Seeya.”
Ellie left him as soon as he said goodbye. Lugh stood in his place for a bit, daydreaming that Elysia was an old lady trapped in a little girl’s body.
★★★
The boy felt releaved as he returned to his room. Dealing with girls were exhausting business. A window appeared in his view as he moved his fingers in the air. A headgear popped open from the bed. It looked like an ancient knight helmet, only without an eye hole. It was mostly made out of plastic, and was colored black. One of its lights turned on as the boy put his finger on it. Three alphabets appeared; EVW – entrance to the virtual world. When connected with a stable network, it can connect the user to the vast virtual world. After its invention hundreds of years ago, countless numbers of different worlds were constructed in its limitless universe.
After laying down straight on the bed, the boy installed the EVW on his head. He slightly frowned as several pairs of cables connected with his scalp and neck. Needle-induced nerve links were the worst. The apparatus hummed quietly as the boy selected several buttons on its screen.
[Brightness – Auto]
[Sound – Auto]
[Language – Universal commons]
[Language auto translate – Yes]
[Visual aid – No]
[Alarm – after 8 hours]
[Allow mods – Yes]
[Allow mod update – Yes]
[Allow pain emulator – Yes]
[Main software is ver.0432 update needed – postpone]
[Anti-disturbance program – On]
[Warning! Anti-disturbance program will shut down all sensory signals]
The anti-disturbance program is a feature of the EVW that caused great dispute centuries ago. It effectively blocks the bodily senses to the brain. By doing so, while connected with the virtual world the user cannot see, touch, smell or listen to anything in the real world. Back in earth, when this system was invented, there was a incident where a psychotic programmer trapped thousands of players in his game using this technology.
[EVW is not responsible for any accidents involving the anti-disturbance program.]
But no gamers today stop using anti-disturbance because of health hazards. Why? Because it’s simply way too fun. That includes me.
[Proceed? – Yes]
[Please type in username]
The boy took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He slowly moved his virtual fingers. The machine hummed, and he was in this world no more. The boy’s name blinked in his screen.
[Lyouell Panceloffe]