Chapter 73: Nua
Location: Magicon Empire; Valterion Duchy; Valterion System; Above Nua
Things happen fast after Mom’s arrival. While my thoughts are still reeling about going to college in the future, Dad makes a few calls and finds a space station to park both the Stargazer and the Sulfira. Space close to the planet is busy and Dad’s careless teleportation of the Stargazer caused quite the ruckus, even if no one blames him. So, in the next thirty minutes, Maja carefully directs the ship to her designated docking arm at a small space station. Both ships stay there, and the station's personnel take care of them. Mostly it’s just refueling and restocking of supplies.
Well in the Stargazer’s case, it’s also getting rid of the oranges we still have in our storage rooms… Anyway, my parents decided to give us the full experience of the planet for the first time and ordered a luxurious shuttle to fly down instead of just teleporting. It takes another thirty minutes until everyone packed a small bag with clothes and necessities, but then we are ready and wait for the shuttle to arrive. With the addition of Dad, we are now thirteen people. Quite the number, I have to say.
Minutes later, the shuttle arrives, and what a shuttle that is… Just wow! I thought the small yacht we have was luxurious, but this? Yeah, it’s on another level. First of all, there is no bridge at all. This thing must be completely AI-operated. Then, the whole upper part of the shuttle is just glass! The view is going to be amazing. But that’s not all. The furniture I can see through the glass exterior just screams expensive. All the grav chairs look like actual leather, and the whole floor is covered with a very nice-looking red carpet. In the back is even a bar with lots of bottles of liquor.
Jack whistles. ‘You guys know how to travel.”
“Only the best for our daughter,” Mom replies smiling. “Come on, let’s get inside. Miranda or Arnold will take us down on a scenic route.”
“Arnold?” Thomas asks. He is always attentive to small details.
“That would be me… I’m Aidan’s AI,” the male voice is soft and sounds from out of the open shuttle door.
“Cool, nice to meet you!”
“Likewise, now come on in. The shuttle won’t bite.”
That breaks the tension, and we all step inside. Soft music greets us, and we all sit down in one of the grav chairs. Dad telekinetically floats our bags through a hatch on the floor down to a small cargo space. Then the shuttle lifts off and we leave the space station behind.
The first things I see are both our ships. For the first time, I see the actual size difference. The Sulfira completely dwarfs my Stargazer. But it’s still noticeable that they were built by the same company. Crazy, considering that there are 11,000 years between them. But why should they change the design if it works? I mean it’s a starship, out here you don’t have to worry about aerodynamics and stuff.
I move my gaze away from the ships and look at the planet. Nua is about the size of Earth, maybe a little bit smaller, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. Gigantic oceans are joined by vibrant continents. From lush forests over sandy deserts to urban city space, everything is here. Some parts are hidden below clouds, but I can still see enough to get a picture of the planet.
After flying around half the planet, the shuttle finally begins to descend and breaks through the cloud cover. Below us appears a sprawling city. It’s big. While the outskirts are mostly covered with normal houses, the closer I look toward the center, the more I’m reminded of the many-leveled city of Duros. The whole city center consists of gigantic towers and lots of small flying specks I recognize as vehicles. Once we get closer, I notice another part of the city. It’s a bit off the center towers, but still quite close to them. The difference is that the houses there are not tall at all, maybe two or three stories, but they are a lot bigger than the houses on the outskirts. Also, there is much more space between them. Space that is filled with lots of greenery and even a few small lakes. There are also a few landing pads spread throughout and from the looks of it, we are heading right for that part of the city.
“That’s Alburgh, the capital,” Dad says, continuing his self-proclaimed function as our guide. He told us earlier about the names of the oceans and continents, but I only listened with half an ear, as I was busy taking in the views. Now that we are about to land, it’s different though.
“Cool,” I reply. “Which house are we heading to?” Right after asking, Arnold marks one of the houses on the windows, which also function as screens. I’m surprised. The marked house isn’t even close to being the biggest. It’s close to the center of the let’s call it luxurious part of the city though and features its own landing pad. “That’s it? I was expecting a whole tower or something or maybe the biggest house here.” I tell my parents with a short laugh.
Mom snorts. “Well, we could also go to one of our towers, but the mansion was always our favorite place. It’s also where you grew up until you were kidnapped, so maybe you remember something.” She ends that last part with a silent sniff.
That shuts me up. Right, my parents suffered from my kidnapping too. Dad catches the dropping mood and cuts in. “Don’t worry, you’ll get to see the towers soon enough. But now, prepare for landing.”
Maja uses that moment to joke right into my ear over S-57’s AI chip. “Maybe your college is in one of those towers.” I can only roll my eyes in response. Going to another magical academy after my time at Mage Academy Station just doesn’t sit right with me at the moment. I know that it’s probably very different and very helpful for me, but still… Maybe I’m going to change my mind later on…
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Anyway, the shuttle sets down without the slightest rumble, and I pretty much only notice because the surroundings stop moving and the hatch opens. Mom is the first on her feet and steps through the hatch. We quickly follow her, while Dad takes care of our luggage. When everyone is out, the shuttle silently lifts off and leaves. Mom looks at my friends. “Alright guys, you’re quite a number of people and I can’t fit all of you into the mansion comfortably. So do you mind sleeping in the guest house? You can come here any time of course, but I think you also like it better if you can sleep in your own beds instead of on the ground.” She points at another slightly smaller house some 200 meters away.
Thomas shakes his head. “No problem at all, I guess you also have a lot to talk about with Sara, so we’ll be out of your hair. I wanted to check out the city anyway and I guess the others want as well?”
There are nods all around, including me and Mom smiles. “Splendid, just walk over then, Aidan will send your stuff ahead and I’ll notify Steven, that’s the chief of staff, of your arrival. You can also ask him if you need anything. And like I said, you are always welcome in the main mansion.”
“Thanks, Jasmine,” Thomas comes over and hugs me. “See you later, Sari.”
“See you, Tommy.” He turns to leave, and the others join him after saying their goodbyes as well. Even Maja joins them, saying I should give her a call if I need her. So now I’m alone with my parents for the first time. I start walking toward the mansion and they walk with me to my left and right.
“Sooo, wanna show me around? Or are there any more surprises you have for me?”
My parents look at each other and I notice Mom shaking her head slightly. Dad looks back at me, smiling broadly. “Well. There is one more thing… You’ve got two older brothers, Sara.”
WHAT?? I stare at them, mouth agape. Two brothers? That came out of nowhere, but it also makes sense, considering Mom’s 300 years of age. Dad can’t be much younger as well. Wait, how old are they then?
I must have been silent for a moment too long, as my parents look at me in concern. I clear my throat. “So two brothers, huh? Are they here? And are they my age as well?”
Mom chuckles. “I wish they were… And no, they are both a lot older. Adrian is eighty-seven and Christopher two hundred and twelve.”
Eighty-seven and two hundred and twelve! Hearing those numbers still sounds surreal. I mean, I grew up learning that the human lifespan is about a hundred and twenty years. That longevity treatment from Song Medical surely packs a punch.
Dad chimes in. “I’ve just returned from helping Adrian. He was very excited to hear the news about your return and is doing his best to wrap things up on his end. I expect him to return home in about two weeks. I might have helped him a bit too much when Jas told me that she found you…”
I look at him curiously. “Helped him with what?”
“Oh right, Adrian is part of the military and currently fighting off an incursion at our borders. I got called in to help out when they were about to be overwhelmed but only to even the scales a bit, then Jas called me, and well. Let’s say a victory for Adrian is a lot closer now. I think he’ll forgive me for the missed learning experience.”
Oh right, that’s what Lydia meant with Dad being the man who gets sent out to help if things get dicey. “Cool, I can’t wait to meet him, what about Christopher?”
“Oh, he’s in the capital, juggling noble stuff and all. He likes playing the heir as much as Adrian likes fighting wars. He sends his regards, but he said he can’t leave right now, and you will see him when you visit the capital.” Mom grimaces when saying this and I frown a little. I hope this noble business doesn’t affect me too much… It sounds stressful if it keeps my brother from visiting his long-lost sister. Or maybe he’s just an ass. I guess I’ll find out when I meet him.
I shrug. “Okay… looks like we’ve got two weeks on our own. Let’s head inside, I’m pretty tired and could use something to eat.”
“You got it,” Mom chuckles, and don’t worry too much about Chris, he’s a nice guy, but sometimes the noble stuff gets into his head. Oh, and he tries to woo Aria Axtendus and thinks we don’t know about it. That probably takes most of his time.”
We enter the house and I stop. I expected something super fancy, but no It’s pretty normal! Sure, the materials look top-notch, but all in all, it looks like a normal house you could walk into at any time. My parents grin at my reaction and continue. “Come on, stop gawking it’s not that fancy,” Dad says.
“Yeah, I know, but that’s exactly it,” I complain, and they start laughing.
We enter a grand living room, then Mom replies. “What did you expect? A grand castle?”
“Yeah, more or less… You’re Duke and Duchess after all.” I finally join their laughter and jump onto the sofa. “But I like it, it’s nice.”
“Good, wait here, I’ll get us something to eat.” Mom starts turning and I can’t stop myself.
“What, no servants? Lousy Nobles you are.” The mood drops and my laugh dies in my throat. I look at them questioningly. “What? Did I say something wrong?”
Dad sighs heavily. “No… But one of those servants carried you out of this very house and gave you to your kidnappers in exchange for his parents. Since then, we don’t have servants anymore…”
Oh… Well shit, way to kill the mood.
Mom leaves and returns with some food shortly after. We eat in silence; the heavy mood is pressing down on us. Finally, I can’t take it anymore. “Hey, Mom, Dad, I’m back now! I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. It’s not your fault!”
That breaks it and we start talking again. I tell them mostly about my youth with Thomas and later with Shay and they tell me a bit more about themselves. Turns out, Dad is a massive Gravity Ball fan and there are even Mage leagues besides the regular ones. That sounds exciting and when I hear about college teams, I’m a bit more inclined to visit one in the future. Mom on the other hand loves to learn more about magic and she basically tries to learn every new spell as soon as someone invents or discovers it. Well, she shares my love for shopping too if that wasn’t obvious before with her personally knowing the leader of the biggest shopping paradise ever.
All in all, it is a very nice evening – the very first with my parents. I could get used to it. I reach the end of my tale about my youth in Acordia when I tell them about my Mage testing and the strange tingling around what I now know is my core.
That has my parents sit up straighter. “That tingling isn’t normal,” Dad says. “You said you have Space Sense, right?”
“Yeah, and I started as a Novice… my teacher told me Space Sense is a Master’s ability.”
“She’s right,” Mom answers. “Normally you get access to Space Sense once you break through to Master, which is a game-changer. That makes me wonder if you’re not already a Master and your power is just being suppressed. We already concluded that something is wrong there, maybe it’s this… What do you think, Dan?”
“I agree, also with the tingling, that rubs me wrong. Maybe there is something like a limiter around her core and her strength surpassed it somehow. We have to let Doctor Philipps take a look at her tomorrow.” He looks at me. “If that is okay with you, of course.”
“Oh, absolutely. If there is any chance of me being stronger, then I’m all in! If I wasn’t that tired, I’d say let’s go now, but I could really use a bit of sleep.”
Mom chuckles. “I got you. Follow me, I show you your room.”