Echoes of Harmony

Silver Ridge Academy

Mornage, Stariek

20 November 3296

Children’s laughter and screams filled the air outside Silver Ridge Academy, the premier early learning center for the children of the rich and powerful of Mornage. Where the rest of the buildings of the downtown area made no attempt to hide their construction of metal and glass, Silver Ridge presented a facade of quarried stone. Hidden among the sea of skyscrapers, it resembled a medieval castle surrounded by a meticulously manicured lawn, though it currently lay underneath a fresh layer of snow. The masonry work held a warm, silvery hue that sparkled with the sunlight of the morning. Tall, arched windows adorned with wrought iron grilles allowed the natural light to flow into and illuminate the interior. At the front sat a flight of stone stairs leading to an ornate door marked with the emblem of Silver Ridge: an eagle with its wings outstretched.

Eleven-year-old Skylar Reid sat at the top of the front steps of the academy with his three best friends in front of him. Together they formed a tight circle, leaving no room for anyone else to join them. To Skylar’s left first sat Caster Dane, a dark skinned boy with a perpetual smirk on his face. A scar ran across his right cheek from a fall he took swinging from a tree into a river just outside the city. His black hair was always cut short, a side effect of both his parents serving with distinction in Stariek’s military. He thought himself the tough guy of the group, the brawn to Luca Mendel’s brain, who sat directly in front of Skylar. Luca had blond hair that fell into his eyes behind blue frame glasses. His brown eyes constantly shone with a glimmer of curiosity wherever he went. Finally, there was Rachel Torlin, whose brown hair came halfway down her back in a pair of fishtail braids. She was the quiet one, always willing to offer her opinion when it was asked of her but not often start conversations. As for Skylar himself, he had short brown hair, though not quite as short as Caster’s, and freckles dotted the skin around his eyes—the same piercing blue as his mother’s.

Each of them wore the school’s designated uniform: button-up shirts with navy blue blazers and slacks. Ties were optional, though Skylar’s mother always insisted he wear one despite his vehement opposition. Perhaps the one bright side was allowing him to choose the color, with today’s choice being a vibrant green that complemented the blue of the blazer. Rachel wore a knee length skirt of the same color in addition to the slacks for warmth. Each had a data tablet with them, a school-issued device for taking notes during classes, as well as a plain black backpack embroidered with their name and the Silver Ridge Eagle.

As a lull filled the air with the ending of one conversation, Skylar looked over his shoulder towards the door. The eagle emblem seemed to shimmer like gold in the early morning light. It always filled him with a sense of serenity whenever he walked through the doors.

“What do you guys think the job fair’s going to be like?” he asked, placing his palms on the cold stone stairs behind him and leaning back. He looked between his three friends. “Any ideas what you want to be when you grow up?”

“I think we already know Luca’s going to be the next great scientist,” Caster said, nudging the other boy. “The real question is what he’s going to make.”

“Scientists do not just make things, Caster.” Luca sighed, a common occurrence whenever he sought to correct Caster. “They also make discoveries that can change the course of human civilization.”

“Yeah, you’re making a discovery.” Caster made a show of rolling his eyes, smiling at the others. He turned to Skylar and nudged his knee with his elbow. “And you’re going to be like your dad, right? Ruling the planet?”

“I don’t know. I’ve seen him work sometimes, and it’s so boring.” Skylar cast his eyes skyward as a pair of civilian racing shuttles streaked through the air, quickly followed by an emergency vehicle with its lights flashing. Within seconds, the vehicles were out of sight, blocked by the nearby skyscrapers. “There’s so much to see out there. I’d love to just get out and explore the galaxy, you know? Have some magical adventure up there.”

“What does your dad think of that?” Rachel asked. Though her voice was barely audible, Skylar had grown used to it over the years of their friendship and could hear it with ease.

“I haven’t said anything about it. I’ve told him I want to be a pilot, but I don’t think he takes it seriously.” Skylar’s shoulders sagged slightly as he leaned forward and crossed his arms. “Probably thinks it’s some sort of phase I’ll grow out of. I just don’t want to be cooped up in some stuffy office like he is all day.”

“I have been in offices like your father’s, Skylar,” Luca chimed in, “and they do not seem overly stuffy to my senses.”

“You know what I mean, Luca,” Skylar said, smiling. However, it quickly faded as he cast his eyes away from the others, looking at the ground. “All he seems to do all day is paperwork. Then he hosts different business parties at night that keep him busy. Sometimes he goes to his workshop, but he never really has time for that. I don’t want to be stuck like that.”

“But just imagine being the king of an entire planet.” An incredulous look filled Caster’s eyes. “You could do whatever you wanted.”

“He’s not a king, Caster.”

“I believe the correct term is Provost,” Luca chimed in.

“Yeah.” Folding his hands in his lap and looking skyward once more, Skylar said, “I guess I just want to do my own stuff, you know? Find out what’s really out there. We’re learning so much history at school, but it’s another thing to experience it for ourselves. I wonder what Earth is like…”

“Actually, Mrs. Klestil taught us Earth is practically a desolate wasteland.” Luca looked at the other three, apparently surprised at the confused expressions on their faces. “Do not tell me I am the only one who pays attention in history class.”

“Sure you aren’t, buddy,” Caster said, clapping Luca on the back with a thump that nearly sent him tumbling down the stairs. “I bet at least Rachel pays attention, maybe Skylar. I know I’m not.”

“History can be interesting,” Rachel said, her voice just as quiet as before. A small smile was on her face as she stared at her hands and twiddled her thumbs.

The roar of engines, much louder than the civilian shuttles racing overhead, drew their attention to the far side of the lawn. All sound ceased across the school grounds as the other children looked that direction. Skylar stood on the stone railing to get a better vantage point while the others stood below and behind him.

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Two sleek, silver jets, their bodies designed for both atmospheric and space flight, came screaming between two buildings, turning sideways to avoid hitting either. The crafts were approximately twenty-five meters long with a wingspan of about eighteen meters. Four engine nozzles blazed from the back of the jets, shooting short and narrow blasts of plasma in their wake. A pair of gun barrels sat on each side of the underside of the cockpit. Next to these were mounts for a dozen and a half missiles, though they were currently empty.

With a practiced ease, both leveled out and came to a stop nearly instantaneously in midair. Dust blew out from underneath them as they hovered five meters off the ground before gently setting themselves down. Landing gears sprouted from the central bodies and either wing to prop them up. A hiss of air was audible through the silence, even from over a hundred meters away, as the cockpits opened. Stairs appeared from the side of the jets, allowing the pilots to disembark.

Both wore a standard Stariek flight suit consisting of a mostly black jumpsuit combined with helmets connected to life support packs on their backs. Streaks of white, like claw marks, went across the upper right part of their chests. They each raised a hand in greeting to the watching crowd of children before disappearing through a side door of the academy, ushered in by a staff member.

Skylar turned back to the others, his mouth opened in excitement with a smile tugging the corners of his lips. They didn’t seem as impressed as he did, staring back at him with confused looks.

“Did you guys see those pilots?” he asked. Before they could answer, he continued, “They were members of the Snow Wyverns, the best space fighter squadron on Stariek! I didn’t know they were going to be here. They’re so cool!”

“Oh, yes, I have read about them,” Luca said. He glanced down at his tablet as he spoke, typing in commands as he searched for something. “I believe there are two dozen of them in all, and they are considered the first line of defense in case of an attack on Stariek itself. They have a long history of protecting the planet from enemies, particularly since the dissolution of the Praesidium Union.”

“Yeah, but did you see the jets they were flying?” Skylar shook his head at Luca’s lack of priorities. “Those are the new SF-17 Starhawk fighters, able to go over five thousand kilometers per hour! How cool are those? Do you think they’ll let me fly one?”

“I wouldn’t count on it if I were you,” Caster said, unable to keep from smiling. “You’ll probably crash it, and they look pretty expensive.”

“Hey, I’m good at flying,” he said as his face heated. “At least, I’m the best at the hologames. In our year, I mean.”

“Not best,” Rachel said, blushing as a small smile came to her face. “Second.”

“Only because I let you beat me.” Skylar gave her shoulder a sharp flick. She returned the gesture by quickly sticking out her tongue, which he pointedly ignored. “I’m a gentleman like that.”

“Sure, you are,” Caster added, playfully shoving Skylar’s arm. “And I’m the Emperor of Hyperia.”

“Besides,” Luca chimed in, “I do not believe hologames have any real world impact on the flying skills of the individual.”

Before any of them could say something further, the peal of the bell marking the beginning of school rang out. Immediately, the children around the yard, ranging in age from five to eleven, began filing up the steps in a wave. Just coming out the doors was an older man. The top of his head was bald, leaving a ring of hair around the sides. He wore a set of formal robes made of a fine, silver cloth that shimmered in the light. At his right shoulder was a badge with the Silver Ridge eagle symbol emblazoned in gold threading.

“Mister Reid, if I may have a word before you go inside?” the man, Headmaster Alagin, asked. He held up a hand to stop Skylar from entering as his friends moved by. Before he could issue a rebuttal, the Headmaster placed the hand on Skylar’s shoulder and gently but forcefully guided him down the stairs, through the crowd of onrushing children, and into the yard on the opposite side of the building from the jets. “You will be able to join your friends shortly, don’t worry. I was asked by your father to ensure you acted appropriately at the job fair today. He is worried you might have the incorrect priorities when it comes to your future.”

Skylar cocked his head to one side and furrowed his brow. Wherever the headmaster was going with the conversation, it did not sound good.

“Senator Maneli, the elected representative for Northern Mornage, is volunteering her time to speak to young minds such as yourself. Your father wants to make sure you talk with her to learn more about the political process. He has also specifically asked me to keep you away from any booths operated by pilots or other members of the military.”

Immediately, Skylar felt anger well up inside him and stopped walking. Not just anger. Betrayal. He confided in his dad about what he wanted to be in the future, and he turned around and used it against Skylar. How could he do such a thing?

Skylar opened his mouth to speak, to say anything in reply, but couldn’t find the words. He felt pressure forming in his eyes as tears threatened to leak out despite his best efforts to keep them away. Even the gentle touch of the headmaster’s hand on his shoulder was an overwhelming burden threatening to crush him.

“Skylar, are you alright?” the headmaster asked after a few moments of silence. He knelt beside Skylar and placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders. Alagin lowered his voice until it was a whisper. “I promise you, I don’t want to stifle your ambitions. If you think about it, it makes sense that your father wants you to learn more about this. The earlier you start, the easier it will be later on for you to understand how everything works. Don’t you want to know how to lead Stariek one day?”

No! Skylar wanted to scream the word at the headmaster, tell him that he wanted to do anything but be Provost when he grew up. There was so much out there in the galaxy to see and do. Sitting around in an office, not going any further than the Llewellyn Mountains, was the opposite of excitement.

Instead, he found himself nodding. Without thinking about it, he brought up one hand and wiped the tears from his left eye, followed by the right.

“Yes, sir.” Skylar took a deep breath to keep from crying further but could tell he failed. The hot tears streaked down his face, dripping off his chin. “I understand.”

The headmaster continued to look Skylar in the eyes for several seconds. Skylar attempted to stare back with confidence, but he knew the trails left by the tears were evident on his cheeks. They served as a reminder he was not who his father wanted him to be. Will I ever be? he wondered.

“Remember this, Skylar,” the headmaster finally said, squeezing his shoulders tightly. “No one who’s said you had it easy knows what you will need to go through. It’s going to be hard. Leading a planet is more stressful than I can imagine. But if you take the proper steps now, you will be ready to meet your destiny head on.”

“Yes, sir,” he repeated, though an ache in his stomach formed. His voice was soft, nearly as quiet as Rachel’s. What he had thought was going to be a fun day was suddenly one he couldn’t wait to end. “Can I go inside now?”

Headmaster Alagin frowned slightly at the question. With a sigh, he stood and nodded, gesturing with one arm towards the door which was now devoid of other children.

“Go ahead. I’ll be right in with the announcement in a few minutes.”

Not waiting another second, Skylar jogged back to the stairs, taking them two at a time. He started for the door then caught himself. Taking a look around to make sure no one was watching, he moved back to the stone railing and looked across the yard. The two jets still sat there, as expected. Their shining bodies sparkled in the light, glittering like multifaceted diamonds. The images of them flying between the buildings and landing on the grass played back through his mind. With it, he felt the nearly irresistible urge to rush over and take one of them for himself.

Nearly irresistible. With a final longing look, he pushed open the door and headed inside.

Maybe his destiny wasn’t what everyone else thought it was. Maybe it was what he thought it was.

As the thought ran through his head, he walked inside.

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