Valterion: The Space/Arch? Mage

Chapter 10: S-57i39

Location: Estriduros Republic, Estriduros System; Mage Academy Station

It doesn’t take long until Simon and I arrive on level 04. I immediately notice a stark difference in the design. Gone are the gray-colored hallways. They make way for very clean-looking white walls.

“Why does it look like a hospital?” I hear Simon mutter in confusion, mixed with a lot of anxiety. He’s right! It does look that way. A quick rollout of my RHT later, I still that we’re still on track. Just a few hundred meters down the main hallway. I start walking to my destination, and Simon follows close behind. A few minutes later he stops. “Hey Sara, wait a moment we are at the testing room.”

I glance at the door next to me, then at my tablet. I blink. It clearly says I have to go another 100 meters. With a frown, I turn to Simon. “You sure? Mine says I have to walk a little further.”

He nods and shows me his tablet. It really says he has arrived at his destination. Huh, why are we split up? Is the testing process so much longer for Space Mages? “I guess we have to split up then. Good luck, Simon. See you later.” He waves goodbye and enters the room. Now I’m all alone in a restricted part of the station...

A minute later, I too reach my destination. With a deep breath, I open the door and walk inside. I’m not sure what I expected to see, but it was not this. The room is a completely standard hospital room with an operation table in the center, including small robotic arms that are there to help with surgeries. To the left, there is a small desk with a smiling woman sitting behind it.

“Welcome Miss Nelson, I’m Doctor Ronja Silver. Don’t be afraid and join me, I’ll explain shortly, but first, we have a little power test to do.” I frown at the use of my last name, but how could she know?

I walk over to the desk and sit down opposite her. “Please call me Sara.” She nods, a few stray green hairs falling over her grey eyes. She looks quite young… maybe 25. Her smile shows deep dimples. After moving her hair back behind her left ear, she bends down, lifts a black square box, and sets it down on the desk. Opening it up, it reveals another orb, quite similar to the one that was used at my first testing.

She sees the recognition in my eyes and points at the orb. “I see you remember your testing, so you should know what to do. Simply put your hand on the orb and wait a moment. The results will be shown on the screen over here.” She points to a picture showing a blue-green planet and I realize that it’s actually a screen showing the picture.

Reassured by her never-ending smile, I place my left hand on the orb, just to have the tingling sensation starting again. Before it can become uncomfortable, she tells me that we are done, and I remove my hand. Now I just have to wait for the results.

Her smile dips a little. Seeing this change on her face, I gulp. This can’t be good. The screen changes, showing the word NOVICE in big letters. Even worse are the words below: Lower end, low potential. This can’t be right! I’m almost powerless? My mood drops and I lower my head. I’m never going to join the military… how am I supposed to meet Thomas and Shay again?

Tears threaten to escape my eyes. I blink them away. I’m going to find a way! A hand lands on my shoulder. I look up and find Doctor Silver looking down, her eyes full of sympathy. “I’m sorry Sara. I truly am. Having one’s dreams of power shattered must be devastating, but I’m afraid, we have to continue. Normally I would tell you now where you would end up after your time at the academy, but all of the listed jobs have a higher power requirement.”

She walks back to her grav chair, leaving me sitting there wide-eyed. What does that mean? They are not going to get rid of me, right? Fear starts to rise inside of me and I panicky look for a way out of the room. Doctor Silver looks back at me and stops, her eyes go wide, and her smile disappears completely. “Hey! Stop. Sara! Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen to you!”

That is relieving… I hope she tells the truth. Her smile returns slowly. I think smiling is normal for her. “What I meant to tell you is that you won’t have a future job right now. Your power level will be announced on a job board on the net and companies, that were approved beforehand, can employ you from there. Once a company hires you, you’ll get a notification with the details on your tablet.” She frowns. “I know that doesn’t sound too reassuring, but unfortunately that is how things are done.”

With a frown on my own, I nod. “I know, the instructor earlier made it quite clear, what being a Mage means in the republic.”

“True, but please keep that to yourself in the future, such thoughts in the wrong ears can end quite badly.” I gulp, remembering Captain Dolder’s words. They were quite similar. It’s a bit weird… Besides most military people and the instructors here at the academy, everyone was nice to me. Maybe aiming for Star Force isn’t the best idea even if it means not seeing Thomas and Shay again…

I mentally add the doctor to the list I created for people, I want to look for if I ever have the chance of being free.

NO! For people I am going to look for WHEN I’m free! I’m not going to let my low power stop me! I’ll find a way OUT of the republic and then I WILL become STRONGER! I just have to keep going, just like my training with Shay those past two years.

Actually, the list is getting quite long… Thomas, Shay, my friends here on the station, and now the Doctor. Wait a minute, this would form a decent crew for a small starship…

I chuckle. Doctor Silver raises an eyebrow. “Just some weird thoughts running through my head… what will we do now?”

Her smile is back in full force. “Now we have one last step to do. You’ll get your personal navigational AI. To do that, we have to do a very small surgery to add a slot for the AI chip behind your ear. Every Space Mage has this, as they can’t use their magic to the fullest potential without navigational data from their AI. Please lie down on the table over there, and I can explain a bit more if you want.”

I look at her. This sounds ominous. I stay seated and tilt my head in question.

Doctor Silver nods slowly. “I know this sounds weird. But let me explain. The AI is on a small, advanced computer chip, that will be put into a slot right behind your right ear. It needs to be implanted as the AI will connect to your magic to help you navigate correctly. You’ll learn more in your Space magic lessons, but I can promise you at least that the AIs aren’t tampered with. They come sealed from the neighboring nation of Terthia and are secured against tampering.”

It's not very reassuring, but I’m not really in a position to resist… Let’s just hope she didn’t lie. That would have me crossing her off the list really fast. I walk over to the table and lie down. “Why behind my ear though?”

She shrugs. “It’s just for convenience. I can also put it somewhere else if you want, but the position might annoy you. Behind your ear is out of the way at least and allows for some cool design accessories.”

She taps her tablet and a projector on the wall comes alive, projecting a hologram of my head floating above me. It shows a flat, silver piece of metal circling my ear. She was right. At least it looks nice.

She waves her hand, and the silver piece disappears. Then it zooms in. The hologram of my head now shows a two-centimeter-long and five-millimeter-wide empty slot behind my ear. I can’t see how deep it is, but it can’t be too deep. There still is my brain somewhere!

“This is what I’m going to insert in the small surgery. It’s just deep enough for the AI to interface with your magic and draw power from your body heat. But there is one more advantage of that position I forgot to tell you earlier. The slot comes with a vibrating speaker, that vibrates the bones in your ear, so you can hear the AI speaking without the need for an earpiece. Now are you ready to proceed?”

I nod slowly. Let’s just get this over with.

“Okay, let’s go. Don’t worry it won’t hurt a bit.”

She taps another button, then one of the robotic arms starts moving toward my ear with a syringe in its grip. I feel a small pick, then… nothing.

The robotic arm moves back and forth, Doctor Silver looks at her tablet and makes a few taps. A minute later she looks up. “Aaand finished, you can get up if you want.”

Huh, that’s it? “We’re done? I really didn’t feel anything. Do I have a hole back there now?” I move my hand behind my ear but don’t feel much of a difference. There is a spot, that feels a little bit stiffer than the skin around it. That must be the slot.

The Doctor laughs. “No, currently there is a skin-colored cover slotted in, but we’ll change that in a moment. Your AI chip should arrive any moment.” We both sit back down on her desk, and she offers me some juice, which I gladly accept. A little later the door opens and a small service bot floats inside, carrying a small package. After setting it down on the desk, the bot turns around and leaves.

“Go ahead and open it. It’s yours.” She shoves the package over to me with her trademark smile. I unwrap the paper and find a small glass box with a small chip inside it. It has the measurements of the implanted slot and is a little shorter than one centimeter in height. The top surface is silver-grey with a polished finish. I can even see some reflections. It doesn’t look like the cool piece she showed me on the hologram earlier…

Doctor Silver frowns a little. “Dang it, they ignored me…”

“What is it?” I ask and she goes on.

“This is the most basic navigational AI there is. I asked for an upgrade, but it looks like they declined because of your low power potential… I’m sorry.”

I don’t want her to feel bad. “Don’t be, it’s not your fault. Please go on, what do I do now?”

“Now you press on your slot cover, then it should come out. Do I need to show you where exactly?”

I decline. “No, I think, I felt it earlier, let me try…” I move my hand to the stiff part of skin and press. Just like she said, something moves out and I now have a skin-colored piece of plastic the size of the AI chip before me in my hand. I set it down on the table and take the chip in my hand.

“Do I just do the same thing in reverse now? Oh and what did you mean with most basic earlier?”

She nods to my first question, and I go on and slot in the chip. “To say it plainly, the AI you’ve got is the dumbest model. There shouldn’t be any issues while using it for its purpose, but please keep in mind that it is not the sharpest tool in the shed.”

Before I can reply, hear a weird beeping sound directly inside my ear. My eyebrows rise. Is that the fancy speaker? Then a monotonous, slightly electronic male voice starts speaking.

“Initializing… Initialization complete. Navigational unit S-57i39 greets the user. All systems are operational. How may I be of service?”

I’m speechless. I have a voice in my head! I knew it was coming, but it is still a very weird feeling. I open and close my mouth a few times, but no sound comes out. Doctor Silver comes to the rescue. “I guess, you heard your AI for the first time?” I move my head up and down. That is a nod, right?

“Okay, I can understand that you are confused. I was told it could take a bit to get used to it. If you prefer, you can simply ignore it and only use it for its purpose, which is navigation.”

She shakes her head. “But I think this is a wasted potential. Even if your AI is just basic.”

Yeah, I completely agree.

“You can also use it in your daily life just like a digital assistant or something. The best is if you simply try out what you want. Either it works or it doesn’t.” She scrolls through her tablet, then flips it around. “In case you forgot, your AI is called S-57i39. To interact, just say the name and then what you want. You can also connect it to your tablet, just say connect with my tablet.”

That’s a good idea. Maybe I can find more information on my RHT? Once it’s connected to my AI, there might be an instruction manual. ”Hey, S-57i39…” That name is stupid, it’s way too long and unwieldy. “Can I change your designation?”

“Affirmative. Simply state a name to which I should respond.” Hmmm, what should I call you… Whatever, I simply shorten it!

“Please change the designation to S-57.”

“Confirmed. Unit will now listen to S-57.”

I pull out my tablet and hold it next to my ear. Why did I do that? I guess it looks cooler? “Alright, S-57 please connect to my tablet.”

“There are multiple tablets in the vicinity. Default choice is the closest one, please confirm.” Ha, I knew there was a reason, even if I didn’t know why earlier. Is this another one of those weird Space feelings?

“I confirm.”

“Affirmative, connecting now… Connection established. AI features on tablet enabled.”

Yes, I was right! Doctor Silver clears her throat. Oops, I completely forgot about her. “Looks like you’ve got the hang of it quite quickly. Unfortunately, our time here is almost over.” She comes over and hugs me. “Stay safe and strong. Maybe we’ll each other see again in the future.”

I return her hug. “Thank you, Doctor Silver, for everything!”

We separate and she waves me goodbye while I leave the room. Back out in the hallway, I decide to put S-57 to the next test. “S-57, can you locate my roommate Lucinda Raphdani?”

“Certainly, Lucinda Raphdani is currently residing on Mage Academy Station in the Estriduros Sector in the Estriduros Republic.”

Ohh, so that is what the Doctor meant with it’s a little bit dumb. Well, I guess I can work with that. Deciding to simply call her, I roll out my tablet and do just that.

We arrange to meet at one of the fast-food stalls on level 22. Lucy was quite worried, as my assessment took way longer than the others. I calm her down and make my way up to level 22. When I arrive, everyone is already there. Greg is the first to notice me and waves me over to the bench and table they are sitting at.

I sit down and everyone is looking at me. “What?”

Simon grins at me. “Come on, you know what they want to know… tell us about your AI, and what’s your power level? With your weird feelings it has to be high, right? I’m a mid-range Junior Mage by the way.” He moves some of his dark blue hair strands aside and I can see the spot behind his ear.

This looks different! Where I have only the silver-grey piece of metal, the size of the slot, his is quite a bit bigger and also looks nicer than mine. Actually, it looks just like the hologram Doctor Silver showed me earlier. It is completely silver, curves around his ear, and has a scaly look to it. It’s fixed to the side of his head and looks every bit like the high-tech gear piece it is.

“Wow Simon, that is amazing!” I smile at him. “Unfortunately, I’m not that lucky… bottom end of Novice rank… I only got a basic AI. Yours looks way cooler and is also a lot bigger, look.” I move my hair aside, to show them my own chip. I pull out my tablet, having the intuition that this will work. “Hey S-57, use my tablet’s speaker and say hello to my friends.”

It does work and S-57 speaks out of my tablet; the voice sounds even more electronic this way. “Navigational Unit S-57i39 greets user’s friends.”

They all look at me in shock. “How can this be?” Lucy exclaims and hugs me. “I’m so sorry.”

The others also try to comfort me, but I stop them. “Look, I know it’s bad, but what can I do? I have to deal with what I’m given. But I tell you one thing. I will find a way out of the republic someday, then I’m going to upgrade my core and become the best Space Mage there is and maybe even more!”

Now the others look at me as if I’ve grown a second head. I chuckle. “For real guys, let me dream. I will make this happen, even if it takes a while.” Turning to Lucy, Greg, and Jack, I raise an eyebrow. “Now what about you guys?"

Jack begins with a slight grin on his face. “I got lucky. Mid-tier Junior and they also make me choose Utility tomorrow in class. I’m going to be hired by Star Com. Now I just have to hope to get a ground-based job.”

I give him a thumbs up. “Nice! Congratulations, Jack.”

Next is Greg he looks a little broody and I soon find out why. “I was right with my prediction earlier… I’m going to be A&D, the upper end of Novice rank, but I’ve got no assignment yet. The instructor said it’s probably going to be private security or something.” That’s hard, there was something with his father and being an A&D mage... I don’t know what to say. I just nod at him, giving him an encouraging smile.

Luckily, Lucy breaks the silence. She looks quite excited. “I’m a Senior Mage!” Wow, just like Thomas. “I’m going to join Star Force as an A&D Mage.” Now it’s my time to hug her. I congratulate her and afterward, we all talk a little more before we return to our rooms. It is getting late, and tomorrow is our first class-specific course.