Honorable Mention - The Skiver Genius

THE SKIVER GENIUS

The Airlock Series

Book One

By

S.D. Tracy Harper

Also by SD Tracy Harper

SHORT STORIES FROM THE HEART SERIES

Reality’s Exit

Steven D.T. Harper. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical except for the purpose of reviewing or promotion.  THE SKIVER GENIUS-The Airlock Series (Book One) by: SD Tracy Harper is a work of fiction, any resemblance between the characters and actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Cover illustration by S.D. Tracy Harper.

Acknowledgement

      To

Dedication

All science fiction dreamer who foretell the future, preserve the present, keep the past alive, and has a sense of humor.

Contents

 PROLOGUE                                                  

1.          The Terra Farmers’ Son                               

2.          He Can Fix It                                                 

3.          Sunday Breakfast Picnic                             

Prologue

     There is a prophecy written in the stars after the last Great War that nearly had ended all that exist. This prophecy dealt with the last three chances to save humanity. For years uncounted after this prophecy was discovered, scholars contend against one another of this prophecy's true meaning. According to the majority, it was quite clear and absolutely frightening. It is written that each of these three chances to save humanity would come from the hands of a Skiver Genius. The prophecy says that there will be three Skiver Genius and they will die unless they are protected. However, each  must first live through one attempt on their lives. The first Skiver Genius has come to save the world. The second Skiver Genius has come one thousand years from the first to save the galaxy. The third and final Skiver Genius will come ten thousand years from the second to save all that exist. Oh, but there is a warning that those who wish to keep their wealth, position, and power will lose all if they challenge the rule of a Skiver Genius. Only those who love, honor, and support the Skiver Genius will achieve everlasting peace and contentment. Those who condemn each Skiver Genius to death will place all that lives one step closer to oblivion.

     The first Skiver Genius was discovered drowned in a grammar school's swimming pool under suspicious circumstances. He was only three years old. One thousand years later, the second Skiver Genius was shot from behind with a hand laser weapon they had designed out of innocence to make their bodyguard kidnapper happy. She was only four years old. During the ten thousand years after the last Skiver Genius was murdered, wars had expanded to the stars and spread in all directions. Several dozen galaxies decided to band together under one ruler for their own protection and they called themselves a Territory. As the greed grew so did very powerful men and women who gathered these territories, together under their rule and called them Galactic Territories. Now the people of these Galactic Territories very survival depended on massive organizations ruled by a single person. One of the largest and most ruthless of these organizations was the one called The Corporation.

     The Corporation had nearly perished when its owner was viciously attacked at a peace signing the morning she had gained her third Galactic Territory through their surrender. Her wounds from the attack was fatal. On the day the owner died, her young son retaliated and The Corporation now owned four Galactic Territories and only days away from the fifth in the biggest bloodbath in all known history for their direct involvement in the assassination. His mother gave him only one task, and it was spoken on her death bed. On her son's sixtieth birthday, he was to begin the search for the Legendary Skiver Genius. After what her family had done, to get to where they had become extremely wealthy and powerful, they had little choice if they wanted to keep what they had gained through blood and sacrifice. The third and final Skiver Genius would marry into their family or would meet the same fate as the others. Their one and only desire, along with that of each owner of all the known and unknown Galactic Territories, was to be the lucky one to have the Legendary Skiver Genius born in a Territory they owned or had some control over. Either they would have advantage over all others or hope to have an opportunity to kill the child while they were still an adolescent.

     If the prophecy was to be believed than this Skiver Genius would have the intelligence greater than the combination of every living soul. People like that would surely rule all lives or destroy all lives with a mere thought. The wonders a person like that could bring forth would be both miraculous and frightening in the same breath. Not only that. Just the thought of a person like the Skiver Genius having children would change the landscape of life itself. To fear the unknown is one thing, but to know what you should fear is quite another. Should this person be allowed to live knowing they would rule all to save all, or would it be best to kill them and exist unchanged and unchallenged? The answer to these philosophical questions will be answered soon. As for now, all life sits and waits in both fear and in hope for the end of one age and the beginning of the age of the final Skiver Genius.

     On a little known and often overlooked planet in one of The Corporation's Galaxies in a less than useful Galactic Territory, it was decided to place an Engineering Academy. This academy would be dedicated to train those who had great intelligence to keep their Galactic Star Ships primed and battle ready to protect The Corporation from other Galactic Territories and to persuade the weaker territories to join them. Living in a very modest home, with a very modest lifestyle, two Planetary Terra Farmers had very little hope to have a child. That all changed by accident on their first Sunday breakfast picnic at their new home.

     Bill and Mona had just moved away from their parents' Cluster and that first Sunday was their first anniversary as man and wife. When the sun rose the following day in their newly constructed greenhouse behind their home, Bill and Mona woke with smiles in each other's arms and shivered with cold. They laughed at one another for their playfulness the night before and pulled the blanket up to cover their unclothed bodies. They gazed contentedly in the early morning glow of the first day of their new lives.

The legend is no longer a legend.

The Skiver Genius

Chapter 1
The Terra Farmers’ Son

     Nathan Alanson Shine, son of two Terra-Former engineers, Bill and Mona Shine, was not stillborn as believed by the doctor who had delivered him. No one had the heart to turn down the plea from his mother to hold her precious son in her arms so she could say goodbye before he is taken away. The sound of her astonished gasp as she smiled happily with tears falling from her eyes had everyone wiping away tears of their own. Oh, but her tears were for a different reason as she held her son protectively in her arms.

     She was looking down at her son and was startled to see him looking back at her blinking his eyes. When she began laughing and talking to Baby Nathan, it took a moment for those in the delivery room to realize the truth. Seeing the tiny hand gripping his mother's little finger was nothing short of a miracle.

     “Hello, Nathan Alanson Shine. Your father and I have been waiting a long time to see you. Happy birthday, my precious little boy.”

     Every doctor and nurse within the room was shocked and laughed happily seeing the newborn boy was actually alive. The small hover tray with a metal lid they were going to place the baby to take his lifeless body away was quickly taken out of the room by one of the doctors before both parents understood its purpose. No sooner had the doctor returned to the delivery room that things became extremely joyful. Nathan had started crying out hysterically as soon as one of the nurses took him away from his mother to clean him.

     One of the greatest worries in childbirth is a newborn's lungs and Baby Nathan were quite healthy and quite loud. Just as surprised that the baby was alive, many were just as shocked when Baby Nathan instantly stopped crying when his father took him from the nurse. Not only that, Baby Nathan didn't make a sound as his father helped the nurse clean him. It was impossible for anything to be done to the boy without one of his parents' touching him.

     Whenever one of his parents weren’t near, Baby Nathan would scream out in nonstop terror until one of them held him in their arms to calm him down. It didn’t matter what was being done to him, he screamed unless they were there touching him. It could be something as simple as a standard test, or a barely noticeable amount of blood drawn, or he was given his vaccinations, as long as one of his parents was nearby touching him, Baby Nathan didn’t cry. When the happy grandparents arrive to see the new addition to their family, they soon learn their names were not on the short list of approved people that Baby Nathan allowed to touch him without complaint.

     Nathan cried as if being harmed even when his grandparents held him. Everyone quickly realized that Nathan Alanson Shine would only respond favorably with his father and mother nearby. They were hoping for the grandparents to help watch over baby Nathan as they worked. However, they ended up having no other choice, but to have their son go with them to their workshop. This should have been a sign, but was overlooked.

     Bill Shine specialty in Terra-Forming was planetary environmental engineering and Mona shine was a wildlife geneticist. It was a perfect match for the two of them. According to the worlds that Bill constructed set the bases for his wife Mona to decide the types of creatures that would be included in the circle of life for the newly formed planets. Their work was highly praised and sought-after by many, but they never changed their associations as other Terra-Formers who had received less notoriety. Now that they had baby Nathan, their choice on how they wished to live was correct. This was especially true with a son like Nathan.

     There was a question that Nathan would ask his mother to read to him all the time. It was such a simple question and answer, but it always made him laugh. It was; What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? The answer was, Nathan's Momma, because she made both. As soon as baby Nathan started crawling, if he was hungry, he would call out Mama, when he wanted to play Dada, but when he had a full diaper Popo. This should have been a sign, but was overlooked.

     When it was time for baby Nathan to take his nap or go to sleep for the night, Bill and Mona took turns reading to him a bedtime story, or at least try to. If it wasn't a story he liked baby Nathan would say no strongly and peas if it was a good one. He would sit quietly before his naps and at night listen, look and laugh, however, on occasion would point out a word in the book and say the name of the word and laughed happily.

     His parents would laugh with him, say yes, Nathan and continue reading or no Nathan and say the word again. When he said the word correctly, he would repeat the word a few times and his parents would say yes Nathan and continue with the story. It was such a fun game that they never thought about it and just played along. This should have been a sign, but was overlooked.

     By mistake one evening, his mother had brought home the wrong book to read to him his bedtime story. Mona was too tired to go back to her shop to get one of his books of childhood stories so she started reading the new DNA techniques for large oceanic mammals. Baby Nathan listened closely as he always had and still played the game of; Say The Word, but this time his word choice was more complicated.

     Soon he no longer wanted his book of children's stories, but the manuals his parents would read. They guessed he liked the funny words because they would always make him laugh outrageously and they had fun repeating the most difficult words he would try to say. Nathan had yet to walk. This should have been a sign, but was overlooked.

     Baby Nathan started walking early. It happened one Sunday morning as his parents were in their backyard having a Sunday picnic breakfast as they had always done. Mona had asked Bill for one of his strawberries that they were eating and he laughed and said only if she gave him a kiss first.

     He was lying on his back with a plate of strawberries on his chest. Baby Nathan stood, walked over to his father, took a strawberry, walked over to his mother, said here before kissing her, and walked back to where he was eating his own food. Of course, his mother just laughed, but his father was angry that his son had spoiled his fun. That ended when Nathan took one of his strawberries over to his father, said here Dada and kissed him. Nathan had yet to turn one. This should have been a sign, but was overlooked.

     Soon Nathan started playing with toys, but would lose interest with them after an hour or so and then would read until he became bored. When this would happen, he would take a nap on his own, then start the process all over again. Bill and Mona never paid much attention to the fact that Nathan would play with his toys and put them back in exactly the same place they were, or how he would use a small strip of paper to mark where he was reading in the manuals before he put the books back on the shelf. They also didn't notice that their son would nap near his mother if it was nearly time for lunch so she could wake him to eat or by his father so he could wake him to go home. This should have been a sign, but was overlooked.

     At no time did Nathan try to gain his parents attention while they worked and only responded to them when they took their breaks to play with him. His mother would call him a good boy when she took her break and would kiss him and his father would spin him around and say that my boy is such a good son when his turn came. Once their breaks were over his parents went back to work and Nathan returned to what he was doing before the interruption. Nathan's day mostly consist of him playing with his toys, reading Terra-Farming Engineering Manuals, and other interesting books they had on the lower shelf. Soon he was asking for the books at the bottom to be moved so he could see the new books. This should have been a sign, but was overlooked.

     Bill and Mona Shine didn't see any harm in this, and pulled out the bottom shelf of books, moved each roll above those down one level, and took the books they had removed and placed them on the now empty top level. This continued until they noticed Nathan was back to the original books that were on the bottom. Now Nathan would sit quietly and look at each of the new books that came to the house and ask his parents to say the new words and what they meant and would laugh outrageously when he finally was able to repeat an even newer word. He did this from the age of one to three steadily. This should have been a sign, but was overlooked.

     Trouble had started after the first week of preschool and it was quite a surprise to everyone. This was when Nathan began to show that he had a mean streak. He would play with the girls for a kiss on the cheek, but would push the boys away harshly whenever they wanted him to play with them. The teacher would always have to break up a fight between Nathan and one of the boys in his class.

     These short bursts of anger lessened after a while and things quieted down once again. However, whenever the teacher tried to read the class a story, Nathan would move away and lie down. This wouldn't be a problem, except quite a few of the girls would follow him. Since Nathan wasn't causing trouble the teacher let him do whatever he wanted. It wasn't long before the peace of her classroom had changed once more.

     One morning as she was reading the class a story that Nathan jumped up from the mat he was taking a nap and chastised her for not reading the story correctly. That was the day a bell when off in her head. She asked him where she made a mistake. He walked up to her pulling a little chair behind him, sat next to her, and started reading the passage she had skipped.

     When Mona and Bill came to collect Nathan at the end of the school day, the teacher asked them how long their son has been reading. They just looked at each other, and said they would always play name this word and they just didn't know. They had no explanation. They just believed that he must have just learned enough words and start reading on his own. This should have been a sign, but was overlooked.

     Nathan’s troubles in school escalated even higher the following year when the other boys would pick on him because he could read and they couldn’t do as well, or say the bigger words that came easily to him. Not only was he a good reader, his math and art skills were also outstanding. One day Nathan was in a terrible fight with two boys because a girl (both boys liked) had kissed his cheek and would only sit next to Nathan.

      She was not the only one and that is where things got interesting. It was when all the girls in his class yelled at the two boys that they would only sit next to Nathan because they were all dumb that the fight had begun. The argument only stopped when Nathan took the yelling and crying girl or girls over to his mat to end the argument with a nap.

     Things didn't quiet down as would normally happen with children with short attention spans. Actually, things had gotten worse. One day Nathan's teacher had no other choice, but to put him in the class across the hall from hers to break up the fight and to give her the opportunity to request the children's parents to come in to discuss this new problem. She could handle one or two boys going after Nathan, but nearly all the boys wanted a piece of him now.

     It had all started when every girl in the class took turns thanking him for reading them the story they wanted to hear. Actually, what caused the upheaval was when each girl took turns kissing his cheek before they began sticking out their tongues at the other boys and calling them stupid. Nathan separating the girls from the boys and calming them down with a nap was not going to be enough this time. However, Nathan’s show of anger did.

     Nathan wasn't the one who needed saving. The teacher knew it would be easier to take Nathan next door to defuse the situation, then the nurse's medical center being overrun with distraught parents. Having the girls cheer him on to beat-up the next boy didn't help matters, but that would have to wait to discuss with them later after Nathan got his hands-on the biggest bully and class instigator named Zander. Luckily for her the teacher across the hall was willing to help out.

     “Nathan,” called the sixth grade teacher softly, “my class is doing something really important. Can you sit at the desk here up front and be very quiet?”

     “Yes,” he said, whispering exactly like the teacher. “Can I play with the same thing they are playing with?”

     “Of course Nathan, but be very quiet.”

     The teacher smiled as he watched the young boy hushed the girl he was sitting next to when she tried to say something to him. Five minutes had passed and Nathan raised his hand.

     “Yes, Nathan,” said the teacher softly, and as quietly as he could.

     “I’m finished. Can I play again, please?”

     The teacher smiled at Nathan because he was not causing a fuss like most children his age and looked down on his class terminal to reset the test so he could start over and saw that Nathan not only finished the test in less than five minutes, he had a perfect score. The teacher punched up another test and once again Nathan had a perfect score. He could not believe what he was seeing and shift from one level of exams to the next.

     He continued to call up one test after another that was in the school’s central database and Nathan had received a perfect score each time. The teacher then decided to plug in four of the toughest upper level exams in the planet’s database and knew the boy would not be able to… Nathan raised his hand.

     “Could you please say this word and tell me what it means?” Nathan asked softly.

     After the teacher told him how to say the word, and what it meant, Nathan thanked him and continued with that exam. The teacher looked on as Nathan barely glanced at any given question before answering it with a checked in a box, draw a circled around a number or letter, or wrote a very short essay. It took longer for the teacher to take a deep breath, then for young Nathan to blow through each question. When it was all over, the teacher took a seat behind his desk and fainted dead away.

     Nathan Alanson Shine, son of two Terra-Former Engineers, Bill and Mona Shine, whose birthing doctor believed was stillborn at birth, had passed all required tests for each year of school with a perfect score. The last battery of test he took, and needed help with only one word, was the college entrance exams for Medical, Cosmic Science, Space Law, and Engineering. Surprisingly, the word he needed help with was paradox.

     Not only did young Nathan easily pass each entrance exam with a perfect score, the teacher kept from him that he had also completed the required exams to graduate under each discipline. What also caused the teacher to work extremely hard to remain conscious is the fact that young Nathan was only five years old and in the first grade. Once Nathan was done playing, he asked the distraught teacher if it was all right for him to take a nap or if he wanted him to play more. This sign, wasn't overlooked.

     Bill and Mona Shine didn't wish it to be known what their son had done and for the simplest of reasons. They wanted their Nathan to grow up like a normal child. If it was known throughout the galaxy he was a genius or a child prodigy, he would have people constantly trying to get a piece of him or worse, kidnap him and sell him to the highest bidder. The principle could see the reason that they would like to hide how special their son was, but he was curious as to why they didn't have more children. With a boy like Nathan, what parent wouldn't want more? The Principle and his staff soon learn that there were complications with his mother having any children at all.

     Mona had a childhood injury that left her with a severely damaged uterus. The possibility of her having a child was very slim, and more towards impossible. When they had learned she was pregnant some of the doctors wanted to be on the safe side and accelerate the birth, but wasn’t sure if it would help or harm the baby. What made the decision for them was the doctor saying that this would be her one and only chance to have a child. Once this baby was born, she would be irreversibly barren.

     Bill and Mona decided that if this was going to be their one experience of having a child, they were going to treasure each and every day of this miracle pregnancy. When the doctor said that her child was stillborn Mona was just grateful that she and her husband had felt their child grow in her. The baby moving around, kicking and making themselves known to the two of them was a joy they would always remember.

     The principle understood why they wanted Nathan to have a normal life because it wasn't just for the boy, but for them as well to experience every day of it. However, with a boy who was as special as young Nathan, what could he learn in school. His mother had the answer to that question. Her son needed to be with other children his age to enjoy being a child and learn social skills. It would be better for him to have a life like that than as a lab rat for The Corporation as their scientist see what they could produce in clones and DNA experiments.

     Word did get out about a boy who did the impossible and the corporation did come to see if Nathan could visit their doctors. His mother simply said no. They didn’t take the rejection kindly and strongly suggest she think over her decision when they return with others who care little about being accommodating. It didn’t take long to find out what had happened and there was one less teacher at the school.

     The teacher who had administered the test to Nathan when he was five was taken away by a team of Safety Officers to spend some time in space jail for disclosing personal information about a student. The man wore a bright smile thinking about how he would never have to worry about credits for the rest of his life once he paid the small fine for the minor infraction. Unfortunately for the man, he had an accident the moment the door was closed on the Safety Officers' transport. It had barely lifted off the ground when the muzzle flash of a hand weapon was discharged.

     What had caused the… accident was when the teacher was told never to say what he knew, but had asked the person who was waiting for him in the transport if he wanted his wife to keep tabs on Nathan and how much was he willing to pay for this small service. The teacher thought since the man was the owner of The Corporation he would be more than happy to have his help. This should be evident with him as the teacher who had discovered this rare find and his wife knowing all about Nathan, that she would be more than happy to… Those were his last words.

     The teacher’s wife (Nathan’s first grade teacher) had committed suicide the following day and all recorded communications to and from the teacher and his wife from the day the tests were administered to young Nathan were checked, additional accidents occurred quickly, and a thorough cleaning of what Nathan had accomplished were removed from every database within The Corporation. There was now very little hope for the Terra Farmers son.

Chapter 2
Sunday Breakfast Picnic

     Early one Sunday morning while they were having their breakfast picnic several Safety Officers' transports flew overhead and one of them had landed on the grassy knoll next to their greenhouse. Safety Officers jumped out and surrounded the small glass domed structure as the officer in charge marched in with an uncaring expression. That all changed when he saw a small frighten boy. A vicious sneer appeared on the man's face as he began to move slowly towards Nathan as if he was trying not to scare him so he could get close enough to grab him. The man had stopped moving for one good reason.

      Several low growls were now heard from all over the greenhouse. It seemed as if all the trees and plants that surrounded every corner had come alive. Glowing eyes of all the colors of the rainbow seemed to appear from out of nowhere as the animals started moving towards the startled man. Nathan’s mother had blown a whistle that made a sound only her animals could hear. Several of the largest and most vicious of all her animals surrounded Nathan and that meant only one thing. These animals were about to feed on the intruder.

     The man slowly reached for his weapon at his side, but Nathan's father shook his head sadly and snapped his fingers. The safety officer now stood motionless in the greenhouse as tiny red dots appeared all over him. The man was wise enough to removed his hand from the hand weapon at his side. Nathan's parents could tell this man wasn't smart enough to realize he was on the losing end of this impromptu little visit, and had called for his men to rush the greenhouse.

     Sounds of transports crashing down and men yelling out commands to stand still because the laser guided targeting system were tracking them is heard from every direction. Nathan's father pressed his terminal and the Galactic Magistrate Office appeared. He asked if there was some search and seizure warrant given to allow the Safety Force to attack his home and threaten his wife and child. The magistrate looked confused when he pulled up the request.

    They had received a minor request to escort a special child in need of medical attention and for specialize testing. They thought it was strange for such a large request of safety officers and rights to shut down all air traffic, but it was assumed this was a special case and they needed to act quickly. He didn’t see what the problem was. It was just a simple request to use a minor show of force to insure the child and mother are safely… My father didn’t allow the magistrate to finish.

     He forward him the video feed of what had occurred from the moment the Safety Officers arrived, they did not produce the court order, and the attempt to kidnap his son who any galactic idiot can see is healthy. As far as he was concerned, the Galactic Magistrate Office was a party to a forced kidnapping under arms of a child and the attempted murder of his parents. Several men in white coats rushed in and tried to explain their side of what was happening.

     They quickly tried to convince that it was the commander of the Safety Force who didn’t follow proper procedures. This should not affect the request and that they will take charge of the child for his own good and to… The doctor never got a chance to finish because he and the other doctors were running for their lives. Nathan’s mother blew on her whistle again and two of the animals protecting Nathan attacked.

     For a time, Nathan and his mother went into hiding until his father called them home to meet with the actual owner of The Corporation. He had arrived with his children and young granddaughters. Nathan’s parents knew that if this man had come personally, there was no place in several galaxies, they could possibly hide. The man controlled over Five Galactic Territories and had more wealth than any amount they could ever imagine.

     To their surprise the man came to apologize for the trouble his people had caused them and for his children and granddaughters to speak with them as one family to another. Unfortunately, one of his grandchildren was not happy about the visit, and made her mind known through screams and threats.

     “Grandfather,” called the older of the two girls indignantly.

     Nathan knew from the first moment he saw her that she was trouble. All he could do was shake his head in disbelief at how she was behaving towards her grandfather. Her name was Orinda Jaden, and she had a higher opinion of herself than Stuck-Up Shona in his class. Orinda was two years older than him and stood nearly a head taller. Her hair was a deep auburn and looked funny with blue ribbons tied into her one braid. Of course whenever she spoke with such hostility, it would swing like a whip from side to side.

     Her face was round like her father and grandfather and yet her nose was wide and resembles her mother. Her little sister, Annear seemed to gain all the best qualities from both her parents were Orinda was the opposite. It was as if she wore a permanent scowl on her face as if she constantly smelt something horrible and spoke as if it was everyone's fought that she had. He gave up on even trying to say a word to her, and turned his full attention to her younger sister.

     Annear’s face was like that of an angel. She had golden hair and a narrow face like her mother, a narrow nose like her father, and moved around like a swan unlike Orinda who seemed to stomp around in a conscious effort to trample everything under her feet. Not only was their physical attributes completely opposite from each other, their intelligence clearly showed how far apart they truly were.

     Annear took special care to learn everything around her to improve herself and please her parents. Orinda on the other hand used her family’s influence to force all around her to constantly compliment her or would soon find themselves replaced by anyone who would praise her outrageously. Nathan instantly knew what her grandfather was about to do and he couldn’t totally disagree, but he thought quickly on a way he could escape the old man using him to show his granddaughter she wasn’t as special as she believed herself to be.

     “This boy isn’t special at all,” Orinda continued rudely, with her nose lifted in disgust. “He is like all boys and they are stupid,” she sniffed offensively.

     “Is that so Orinda?” asked the old man teasingly as he chuckles.

     “Yes grandfather. Everyone knows girls are smarter than boys. This is especially true for boys who don’t know their place and think themselves better than Orinda Jaden.”

     “I think he is pretty and smart,” Annear said, joyfully giggling.

     “You are only five Annear,” Orinda said sternly, as she wagged her finger. “You are too young to know what you are talking about.”

     “Yes I do, and I think Nader is smarter than even you.”

     Orinda harshly pulled out a mobile terminal and pulled up her class work. She flipped from screen to screen until she found what she was looking for and held the terminal up in front of Nathan with an openly smug grin on her face.

     “This is the hardest question in my class and it took me over two days to figure it out. Let me see if you can do it boy.”

     Nathan barely looked at the math problem on Orinda’s terminal and simply said, “The answer is six.”

     “You cheated!” Orinda screeched furious. “You have seen this question before.”

     “No, and how could I cheat when the question is wrong in the first place. The actual answer is 5.942, but I changed it to six to make it easy. Look at this part here.”

     Nathan explained what was wrong with the question that might have caused her to spend so much time on it when it wasn’t her fault, but her teachers. The ease in which he explained the problem angered Orinda even more.

     “Now if the question was changed to look like this,” Nathan said, calmly as he modified the equation. “Then you would not have had a problem.”

     “See,” Annear giggled, “he is smart and pretty like I had said.”

     “Well, it had to be one boy in all of my grandfather’s Galactic Territories who could come close to me, but girls are still smarter and I Orinda Jaden is smarter than them all.”

     “That is quite enough granddaughters,” said the old man sharply. “Mr. and Mrs. Shine, I apologize for my granddaughter’s manners.”

     “What is there to apologize for?” Mona asked laughing joyfully at the three children arguing. “This is the reason that we wished our son to have a normal life, to experienced moments like this with other children.”

     “Grandfather,” Orinda called severely, as she made a fuss and pouted. “Something is wrong with my screen again.”

     Nathan grabbed the mobile terminal from Orinda and took it over to the small work table his parents had set up for him. In mere moments he had the device opened and pulled out a chip, put it back together and handed it back to Orinda working better than new.

     “What do you have there, boy?” asked the old man.

     “This was causing the terminal to malfunction,” Nathan said, as he handed over the chip.

     The old man called over one of the men with him and he put the chip in a plastic bag and opened a green case that he had in hand. The old man pulled out a flat paddle and waved it over the chip and nothing happened. He then began rapidly waving it over the security people with him, and his family along with their things and nothing happened. The owner of The Corporation gave up and soon he had Annear's terminal and the phones from their parents in hand.

     “Nathan could you…”

     The man didn’t have to finish as Nathan took each item, placed them on his table, had them all apart, back together in moments, and handed over three chips.

     “Excuse me Sir,” called Nathan’s father, Bill noticeably confused to the owner of The Corporation. “What’s going on?”

     “It would seem someone has put listening devices in my children and granddaughters' things. It won't be hard to find, out who did this, and to learn the reasons why they did this. As for you Mrs. Shine, you are too beautiful to hide in a mining town. I knew where you were the moment those fools from my Medical Office Headquarters had chased you and your son from your home. My chief there is still angry with them. If you see a cranky fool about your husband's age in a white lab coat come knocking at your door, please be nice when he kisses your butt.

     The man has always been a sucker for a pretty face and his wife constantly yelling at him can contest to that fact. As for you young Nathan Shine,” he chuckled. “I would listen and learn everything you can from your mother and father. They know you better than anyone in the galaxy. And, if you wonder how I know this, then think about this question boy. Who knew you before you knew yourself?”

     “You are right, Sir, and I will do what you say and listen to my mom and dad.”

     One of the men on the security team who tasked was to gather up the listening devices in a plastic bag rushed forward with a concern expression on his face.

     “Excuse me, Sir,” the man called out apologetically. “We are having trouble with hover car three again. We will leave two of the local Security Officers with it and have it picked up later.”

     “Why don’t you just have the smart boy look at it?” Orinda spat angrily. “I bet he can’t fix that.”

     “Yes Grandfather,” Annear giggled. “Let,” she worked her mouth to speak correctly this time, “let's get Nathan to look at it. He can fix it. I know he can fix it.”

     “Sir,” called the security officer skeptical, “this child…”

     “Nathan,” called the old man happily, as he got down on one knee in front of the small boy. “It would seem little Annear believes you can fix my hover car and Orinda say that you can’t. Let’s make a contest out of it. What do you say boy, are you up for the challenge?”

     “I can fix it,” Nathan said confidently, “but not as a contest. I will do it because it is the kind of thing my mom and dad would do.”

     “Then there will be no contest,” said the old man brightly, with a broad smile on his face.

     Nathan had the driver start up the car and shut it off a few times before he asked one of the security men with the old man to pick him up so he could reach something. Nathan pulled off a blue and red striped cable, banged it a few times in his little hand until a plastic ring fell out and then plugged it back in. He ran back into the house to his worktable to get a few tuning rods and had the same man pick him up again. After a few turns in different places on the engine, and several signal adjustments done with his tuning rods, he asked to be put back on the ground and for the security officer to close the engine hatch.

     “It’s fixed!” Nathan called out.

     The driver started up the car and it jumped off the ground and was working better than it once had.

     “You are going to have to take it slow, I had boosted the power flow and re-balanced all twelve power regulators. It's going to stop quicker as well and I wouldn't press down too fast. Go on and take it for a ride.”

     The hover car took off as if it was a racer and came back with the driver looking at Nathan in wide-eyed shock.

     “It is faster and using less energy,” the driver said, clearly in awe.

     “Nathan,” Mona called, loudly over the sound of all the surprised voices.

     “Yes, mom.”

     “You best fix all their cars so no one will be jealous.”

     “Alright, mom.”

     When it was over, each hover car had less noise, ran smoother, move with more power, and used less energy. When Nathan started pulling out more chips, he didn’t hand them over like he did the others. He took them to his worktable and started using data probes on them. He started drawing pictures of squares and triangles, then drew lines, wrote down several numbers, and short descriptions over each line and boxes. When he was satisfied with his drawings, he walked into his parents’ parts room and came out with a little basket of different items.

     “What are you doing, son?” Bill asked confused.

     “I’m going to find all of these so they will stop bothering everything, and I can take a nap, Dad.”

     Nathan started putting components together and put them into an empty digital tuning rod, tube. Once he inserted the small power cell and turned it on, the rod began to glowed red. When he moved it away from the chips, it glowed green. He put the chips he was using in the plastic bag and his rod glowed green. He ran the rod over Annear and started pulling off buttons, hair ribbons, her necklace and one of her shoes. When he walked over to where Orinda stood next to her grandfather, she raised her nose and stomped her feet.

     “I am the Fabulous Galactic Beauty of Orinda Jaden!  No one would dare…”

     The data probe not only turned red, a special sounder went off and had everyone grabbing their ears in pain. After a few additional adjustments, the tone was just loud enough to be annoying. Mona and Orinda’s mother took her into the house and came out with all her clothes. There were so many things that her father had him search their luggage for something else she could wear. By the time Nathan had finished each of them, the Security Officer and all the cars, there were several bags full of all sorts of things.

     The old man looked at all the devices Nathan found and stormed off. Once he was far enough away, he started making phone calls and yelling at whomever he was speaking to. When he returned, he was looking at Nathan with a scowl on his face.

     “And, why are you holding my granddaughter’s hand, boy?”

     “It was either this or she was going to keep kissing my cheek each time I fix another car or find something else you didn’t know about.”

     “I am only joking boy!” he chuckled. “Well, almost. Mr. and Mrs. Shine you do know there is an Engineering Academy on this planet. You might want to look into him becoming a cadet. A boy likes him should drive the instructors there to lose their minds. Those puffed up divas need a boy like your son to change their attitudes. That is of course after he becomes of age. If he were to go there now they would all resign and make him head instructor.

     I do not know about the two of you, but I would laugh myself silly to see him walk into the room drinking from a tiny juice holder and standing up on a chair to give a class to the box of rocks they call instructors. At least I would not have to worry about them every complaining that their student are becoming less intelligent each school term.”

     “When or if that time come,” Mona said strongly. “My husband and I will let Nathan make that choice.”

     “Hey!” Nathan called out in shock, and all eyes turned to him. “I thought you said you would stop kissing my cheek if I hold your hand and fix the cars.”

     “Didn’t you know girls are allowed to change their minds?” Annear asked innocently, as she kissed his cheek again.

     “Now how is that fair?” Nathan asked, in complaint.

     “It’s not,” she giggled happily, and planted another kiss on his cheek loudly, “but that is the best part of being a girl.”

     A person on a hover cycle broke down near the house and little Annear raised her voice and waved at the rider. Nathan wanted to tell her to stop laughing at the rider jumping up and down, fuming mad, but before he could say anything Annear kissed him again. Luckily, only Orinda saw her kissing him… on the mouth.

     “Why don’t you bring that over here?” Annear yelled, loudly as she waved her hand above her head giggling. “He can fix it!”

     All young Nathan Alanson Shine could do was shake his head in disappointment. It wasn't because Annear was delaying his nap by offering him to fix the hover bike, it was hearing his mother talking to the Jaden family about him going back to school soon. He just wished he was going to the school Annear was attending and not her sister Orinda. He had also overheard their parents talking about the two of them becoming more than friends.

     That gave him several things to think about and none of it was what he wanted. However, he would do what his mother and father wants no matter how much he didn't like the idea. Before more was said, things had changed in an instant.

     He couldn't help but to smile happily when the old man said that it might be best if that didn't happen. He should return to his old school to allow him to grow up as his mother wished before all within The Corporation learns how smart he truly was. Besides, he could see that it would take some time for the two of them to get to know one another and with them attending the same school might cause them to get to know each other a bit too quickly. He didn't understand why all the parents were laughing, and he actually didn't care. Orinda was a monster and stormed off once she realized what was being said, right in front of her.

     The trek down the hall was actually less rowdy than normal. Even that had all ended when we walked into the room. At that point, there was a full explosion of smells and sounds of happy kids. How else could it not be when the newest food replicators was delivered the day before? The four replicators the school once had now doubled with liquid dispensers right next to them. Before this welcomed change, you had to get your food from one location and stand in line at the next to get something to drink. There was a large disturbance as someone started pushing their way to the front.

     It was the girls who were voicing their complaints loudly. The guys on the other hand, quickly moved out of the way after receiving just one smile from the person who was the cause of the commotion. When I felt the person I was to have lunch with smoothly step extremely close to my side, you didn’t have to be a genius to know what was about to happen. If my stomach wasn’t causing a disturbance of its own, skipping lunch totally would be a very good option.

     “Nathan,” Shona called brightly, as she quickly jumped ahead of others in the lunch line then quickly wrapped her arms around mine. “Do you think I can come over to your house, so we can study for tomorrow's test?”

     He couldn't believe it! She was trying that old game again. She might be the prettiest girl in class, but she never looked in his direction unless there was something she wanted. This time it would be different. He had anticipated this particular move and had one of his own.

     “I wish I could, but I have a date tonight.”

     “Nathan, when did you start dating? Forget about that,” Shona snarled furiously, “who are you going out with?”

     “That would be me, Shona Pavia,” said the girl next to him sharply, and clearly with bad intentions. “And, you can take your hands off him.”

     “Nathan!” Shona spat heatedly, “I thought we had an understanding.”

     “What understanding was that, Shona?”

     “I thought the two of us would begin going out together when your mother start permitting you to date.”

     “I don't know where you got that idea. Besides, what kind of understand is it when you are going out with…? Oh, I will let you pick one of the guys I see you with.”

     “I can pick several,” the girl next to him laughed.

     “You stay out of this Claris. This is between Nathan and me.”

     “Then why do you always hang around Nathan only when we are about to have a test and as soon as you barely pass it, you are…”

     “I said stay out of this. Nathan is my boyfriend not yours.”

     “Oh, so that’s how it is,” said another and much deeper voice hotly from nearby. “So, you are dumping me for Nathan.”

     “It's not that I'm dumping you,” Shona said quickly, “you have never asked me to be your girlfriend. Besides, I have been over Nathan's house many times. Why have you never invited me to visit yours? Oh, that's right. Your family is so rich they may not approve of me,” Shona said happily, and especially now that she had dodged a bullet. “We just spend time with each other as friends. Isn't that what you say to me when you ask me to go places with you?”

     “Then I should cancel the fancy dress my mother ordered the Ronal Shop to make for you when you leave school today and tell my parents to cancel the hover limo from picking you up and bring you over for dinner tonight?”

     The Ronal Shop!” Shona gasped in shock.

     “Hey Zander,” I called out, “I have a date with Claris. Shona is only joking with you about this boyfriend thing.”

     “I know that,” Zander said quickly, and tried to sound sure of himself. “Why would Shona pick someone like you over me?”

     “You’re right about that. The two of you are perfect for one another. Don’t forget we have a test tomorrow.”

     I could see in Shona’s eyes that she was stuck between passing the test, guaranteed with me, or getting an expensive dress from the Ronal Shop and dating the dumbest boy in the school, and I do mean the entire school. I couldn’t believe myself, but I was actually rooting for Zander. Shona was hands down the prettiest girl in my class, but she was as mentally deep as a bead of sweat on a sidewalk in the middle of a heat wave on a sunny day during a drought. At least with Claris, I could enjoy myself at the virtual reality arcade.

     Tonight they were going to bring online the latest VR galaxy Roller Coaster Rocket game. You are the rocket and have to navigate through the galaxy avoiding planets, exploding stars, ship debris, and other rocket players bumping into you. Just the thought of being a rocket sailing the stars alone had me ready to start knocking kids out of my way to be the first one out of the school's front doors. All Shona wanted to do was dress up and go to a fancy restaurant so everyone can look at her.

     “I know we have a test Nathan,” Zander said confused, as he used that one damaged brain cell between his ears to its fullest potential. “My parents had hired me a tutor for the test. After my girlfriend… Shona and I finished dinner and having all the desserts she likes, we will have the library all to ourselves to study with a college guy who is going to help us pass tomorrow's test.”

     “Well,” Shona said nervously, as she bit on the corner of her lip, “I never told you that I was your girlfriend Zander, but with Nathan misunderstanding our relationship, I do not want him to break his word to take Claris out. By the way, where are the two of you off to?”

     “Nothing special,” Claris said with a bright false smile on her face, as she wrapped her arms around mine. “I guess I'll see you at the Ronal Shop after school. Nathan and I are going to Nacka for dinner and then the VR Arcade for some fun. Who knows we might go over to the Echini Nightclub and do a little dancing as well? If you are going to get something to eat Shona, you should move on you're holding up the line.”

     My mind understandably fell in on itself. The Nacka's restaurant is the most expensive place around, the Ronal Shop is the most expensive place according to his mother, and no one, but… He didn't know anyone who could get into the Echini Nightclub! That place had different levels for different age groups.

     If your parents or older siblings weren't already members then you can forget even thinking about going to the door to wait in line. If half of this date was true, then Shona was going to… Shona had a stream of smoke coming out of her ears and her eyes were glowing a wonderful shade of red.

     “I think Nathan is staying home tonight,” Shona said strongly, as if her words were not to be challenged.

     “And, you are going over to Zander's home?” Claris spat hotly. “Get a grip on your ego and your inner diva Shona. If you were dating Nathan, then his mother would not have invited me over for a Sunday Breakfast Picnic. You have had enough chances to be Nathan's friend let alone his girlfriend and chose to overlook him until you need him to help you pass your test. If you study half as much as you drag the boys around by their… imagination, you wouldn't need to bother Nathan.”

     “Then, why are you going out with him?”

     “He may not have the credits as those boys you have drooling all over you, but he is better looking than all of them. Besides, I don't need help passing my test so he knows I'm going out with him because I like him and not so I can use him like you do. The door is now closed, the exit sign that's above it is lit, and you are on the other side. This line moves that way Shona and lunch is not an all-day event.”

     Both girls were now looking at me to settle this. Why would now be the time that I would understand what my father meant when he said; No one ever said bravery and common sense were friends.

     “Shona,” I said calmly, as I looked directly into her eyes, as if I had a choice to look anywhere else with her developing quicker than all girls in my class. “You should get something to eat and sit with your boyfriend or step out of line.”

     “But, Nathan,” she pouted, and stomped her feet so she bounced what would always redden my face in my face.

     “That way,” I said evenly, and ignoring the way her two large… and pointed towards the food replicator.

     My mind was not working right, or was it? She was the best looking girl in the school, and I was confused about how I felt about sending her away. I watched Shona sit down next to Zander still looking at me as he moved closer to her with a smug little grin on his pudgy little face. I went to an empty table and Claris sat in the chair next to me.

     “I’m sorry Nathan,” Claris said sadly, and heartfelt.

     “Sorry for what?” I asked, fully knowing why, but put on a brave face.

     “I know you have liked Shona from the first grade and caused all the boys to get angry with you. Now I feel I’ve messed things up between the two of you.”

     “Don’t think about it,” I said firmly, and to put Claris at ease. “I guess I finally woke up after you told her what I wanted to all along. I knew she was only using me to pass her tests, but my own ego would sometime do my thinking for me. So, are we still on for tonight?”

     “We had better be,” she laughed. “We are triple dating with your parents and mine. Our mothers should meet me at The Ronal Shop after school. Don't freak to the sixth level about tonight. My aunt is a designer and dressmaker there, my uncle is a manager at the Nacka's restaurant, and my cousin works for the guy whose one of the owners of the Echini Nightclub. So, after we finish eating, our parents are going over to the Echini and the two of us to the VR so I can kick your butt in a little Roller Coaster Rocket a few times before we do a little dancing and some pass the lip moisturizer.

     I was not telling you some lie Nathan. You are the best looking boy in class. You may not know this, but the only reason none of the other girls tried to get your attention was because everyone knows you liked Shona. Shona knew this as well and use that to get her way. I'm sure she's going to weigh her options, rich and stupid or smart, nice and I want you to mess up my lip moisturizer. As for me, I'm just your friend who had always wished you would mess up my lip moisturizer as much as you want. Oh, I do have one question. What is this Sunday Breakfast Picnic thing?”

     “As far back as I can remember my parents and I spend each Sunday morning in the greenhouse in the back of our home and had our breakfast spread out on a blanket they placed on the grass his father grew. It was very comforting to be surrounded by different colored flowered bushes call roses, small things running about I believe my mother called rabbits and chipmunks, and the sound of small birds chirping from up on new trees my father recently designed.”

     “Have Shona ever been to Sunday Breakfast Picnic?”

     “No,” I said confused. “Why do you ask?”

     The last Monday of the month was book report Monday. I did mine on the theory of warped space and two minutes into it the teacher gave me a perfect score and took two mind soothers. Shona made her on the history of makeup and Claris asked the teacher if she could show her book report in VR. Just the mention of using the VR system in the school meant the principle had to be in the classroom and holding the censor button.

     That new rule was due to Zander bringing in a video chip with something that was once called a stripper's pole. He thought it was something else when he grabbed the disk from home because he didn't do his report. His father was embarrassed and his mother told him to stay out of her personal things. Needless to say, several teachers and quite a few parents when home with a copy of the disk and all of them were quite grateful to Zander's mother Emilia. Once the principle had arrived Claris got started.

     “Some of you might know that Nathan's parents are Terra-Farmer Engineers. I didn't really understand what that meant other than they put plants and animals on lifeless planets. I was invited over to his house for their Sunday Breakfast Picnic and experienced what they do firsthand.”

     The room filled up with the image of my parents’ greenhouse and actually showed Claris and me having breakfast together, ALONE! She must have hit the VR record button when they went back in the house with her parents to get the fruit my father grows for our Sunday Breakfast Picnic.

     “I suddenly realize that Nathan's parents create worlds of beauty like this,” Claris continued. “I also didn't know that the parks and lakes in the center of town with the fish in the water and different color birds that lived in the trees were all created by Nathan's parents. I and even my parents had taken for granted what Mr. and Mrs. Shine's do and I felt really lucky to be the first girl Nathan had ever had over to his house for their Sunday Breakfast Picnic. I know this isn't much of a book report teacher, but…”

     “It isn’t a book report at all,” Shona screeched pissed, as she jumped to her feet. “All she is doing is showing off her date with my boy…”

     I knew what was coming up next and fell in love with a nearby window as it was calling me from the other side. The VR showed Claris and me kissing. Why would now be the time that I would understand what my father meant when he said; No one ever said bravery and common sense were friends.

     I stood up and spoke clearly, “Shona, I'm just a friend of yours and that is all. If I had let you think there was more, then I am sorry. We only see each other to study and never out on a date.”

     “But, we can go out on dates now,” she pleaded strongly. “Can’t we?”

     “As friends, I don’t see a problem, but as more than I would have to say no. I think it would be best if we just remain friends.”

     And, that was the end of my first crush and it hurt almost as much as Claris' rocket slamming into me and running me into a planet going nova. The rest of the week I received quite a few requests from girls my age and slightly older to see if I could invite them over to have Sunday Breakfast Picnic in my parents' greenhouse behind our home. I could have done without them mentioning of the kissing as part of the… dining experience.

Chapter 3
New Cadet

     It took some doing, but I had finally removed the protective cover and began the slow tedious process of disconnecting each wire harness and tossing them over the rail to the ground. I could have checked each harness to find the offending multi-line cable that is causing the unit to malfunction, but it's always better to replace all of them at the same time. With me changing out the old cabling with a new one, I know that if the problem persists at least my biggest time-consuming activity was eliminated from the start. Not only that, with an all new wire harness, you no longer have to worry about one or more of the remaining cables failing another day in the future. Like with most tasks that you don't want to stop once you get started, I had to stop.

     “Nathan!” my father called out, with his hands cupped over his mouth to get more volume. “Could you come here for a moment?”

     “Sure, Dad,” I answered down to him from a hover platform at the top of one of the high climate cylinders in the greenhouse. “But if I don't get your air purifier fixed mom is going to be mad at the two of us.”

     We both know your mother only gets mad at me boy,” he chuckled. “Even if you were to destroy the thing, she will still blame me even if I were off the planet.”

     “I know,” I laughed. “I just wanted you to know that you’re not alone in the scolding from mom. Give me five more minutes, I’m nearly done.”

     “Now that's my son,” Bill chuckled. “Come outside when you're finished and don't forget to toss those cables in one of the recycle bins.”

     When I came down from the top of the climate cylinder and cleaned up my mess, I walked out of the greenhouse and noticed that there was a man a little older than my father standing next to him wiping his hands and face with a wet cloth. The man looked as if he had just run through a forest or someone brought back professional mud wrestling.

     “I was told you were the one to see about my hover car,” said the mud covered man winded.

     “Sir,” I said confused, “there is a good mechanic down on the main avenue who can see to your car troubles.”

     “Not for this particular car. It’s a prototype. It was your town’s mechanic who suggested I come see you.”

     “But Sir, if it is a prototype, it’s going to be impossible for me to fix it as well.”

     “I have the schematics on the car with me,” said the man, with a smile on his face as he held up a video-chip before handing it over to me.

     “I guess you finally got a good reason to use that mobile terminal you were given a long time ago,” Bill said.

     “I wish I didn’t have to take that memory pill so I could thank the man who gave the thing to me.”

     “I don’t know why you’re still bringing that up, son. Like your mother and I had told you, it was important for you to take that pill. We’re sorry that we didn’t ask you who gave you the terminal first, but there’s no reason to keep upsetting yourself on something in the past that isn’t going to change no matter how you wish it would.”

     “Then why don't you tell me the reason that you and mom didn't have to take the pill as well? I think I'm old enough to know the reason.”

     “Excuse me… Nathan is your name, right?”

     “Yes, sir.”

     “If your parents had you taken one of those pills, I'm positive it was for your own protection. I wouldn't say more about it around anyone like you had just done with me. There is a pill to counter that one, as long as the person knows the basic composition of the original pill and they can find that out instantly through a blood test. Now that you have been admonished by a stranger about how you should have more respect for your parents, do you think you could look over the information and fix my car? I know it's going to take you quite some time to understand this, so I'll see if I can get the car towed over here and get a room at one of your hotels in the main square of town.”

     “No need for you to do that, Sir,” Nathan said. “I can look over these schematics as we go see your car. Dad, can you give us a lift?”

     “Sure son. Excuse me, Sir,” Bill called. “Where is your car parked?”

     “It's about 20 silts from the border of town to the west.”

     “That’s a long walk.”

     “Luckily, someone was traveling by and gave me a lift.”

     “Let’s get a move on, Nathan. Standing around here isn’t going to get that car moving again.”

     “Dad, give me a moment to plug this chip into my terminal and put together a tool bag. I’ll be right back.”

     “I don’t see those feet of yours moving,” Bill chuckled. “I was only kidding. Take your time son. I’ll get my truck and meet you back here.”

     Being the son of a land and sea Terra-Farmer does come in handy when it comes to shortcuts. One moment it looked as if my dad was going in the wrong direction and the next thing I knew we were cresting a hill 20 silts west of the town. We were now looking at a very unusual hover car off to the side of the road.

     The vehicles resembled one of those old cars I've seen displayed at the VR museum. There were only two seats for passengers and no covering overhead. It looked… fantastic! All red in color and sleek like a part of an aircraft's wing. After looking at the diagram, there were too many places for something to go wrong, and my dislike of what I was seeing must have shown on my face. The man started asking me questions about what I had seen that wasn't to my liking, but after I barely started with the fuel distribution system being unbalance, we had arrived at the car.

     “Son,” my father chuckled loudly, with an excited look showing on his face. “Do you want me to wait?”

     “No dad, this will take me some time.”

     “Are you saying that or you just want to play around with this car?”

     “This is going to take me more than a minute or two. From what I can see, this thing is a mess. I would say twenty minutes.”

     “Is it actually that bad, son?”

     “It looks that way, but I won’t know for sure until I check out a few things. I’ll see you at home, Dad.”

     “All right, but if you’re not home in half an hour, I’ll be back with your mother. She’s not going to believe anything would have you work for longer than ten minutes.”

     I couldn’t help, but laugh at my dad when he gave me a hug and got back in his hover truck.

     “It’s unusual to see a father, and a son your age getting along so well,” said the car’s owner surprised. “Most fathers and sons are at each other throats.”

     “I guess my dad and I don’t see eye to eye on everything, but as he said; He is only pointing the way, it’s up to me to take that rode or the one he had taken and make the same mistake as he did at my age.”

     “I can’t believe a father would ever admit to his son he was less than perfect.”

     “All the guys I know say the same thing. I guess when you look at it, I’m lucky to have him as my father. The only thing he admits to doing right was marrying my mom, and he told me that it was her idea. Let me look over this diagram-chip again and see what is going on.”

     After I got the car started, I knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. I quickly checked a few sections directly responsible for regulation and found… I reached in and pulled out a small tube and it was actually pulsating in my hand. I threw it as far as I could.

     “Get down!” I yelled frantically, while dropping to my knees behind the car and cover my head with my arms as I folded myself into a small ball.

     The explosion was so strong that it had lifted the car off the ground and tossed it as if it was a child's toy. It being made aerodynamic did help the car sail straight and remain upright. If the car would have tipped over with what I saw before I looked into the engine’s regulator section, there would be a hole in the ground and no more me or the car's owner.

     “What happened boy?” asked the car’s owner, shaking with fright.

     “The data booster was put in backwards, but that isn’t all. The sections it was controlling… The explanation can wait. We don’t have much time, we have to release the stored up energy or we’re in real trouble.”

     “Well, I hope you know how to drive boy.”

     Before I could ask him what he was talking about, I could see that the man's right arm was broken. I pulled out two tuning rods I knew I wouldn't need and some rags. I ripped the cloth into strips and made a splint for the arm. I was never so glad for a pretty nurse coming to our school to teach us Survival First Aid, I think that is what she called it. Once I had the arm splintered and placed in a makeshift sling around his neck, I ran to the car as fast as I could and got to work.

     I pulled out every conduit and data lines I needed to make modifications to their previous functions and quickly started rearranging the distribution injectors. Realignment of the flow controls had to come next and then each Ion Thruster. That was where I knew I would have the greatest trouble. It would be nice to be wrong once, and this was the moment I wish that was true.

     This thing was a miniature impetus drive for a spaceship. Without the data booster the only choice I had was to bypass two safety modules to have a strong enough data transfer signal that would register after the excess power was released and ran the secondary signals directly into the distribution injectors controller to reset all injectors to their appropriate function. If I did everything correctly, it would slow down the car to stop it safely. This car was going to be a rocket for eight or nine seconds before everything normalize. What other choice did I have, but to do it this way? The excessive power levels had to be reduced evenly by the quickest means possible or….”

     “So, what can I do to help, boy?” asked the man.

     “Get in the passenger’s seat and strap in, this is going to be… special.”

     “If this is going to be dangerous boy, then let’s leave the car and get…”

     Nathan cut the man off and opened the passenger’s side door, “We don’t have an adequate amount of time to get far enough away that it would matter, and I’m not going to leave you here to die, even if I could get away safely. I have a way to save us, but you are going to have to trust me and get into the car.”

     “Do what you have to, boy,” said the man strongly, as he got into the passenger’s seat and strapped himself in.

     After I made the last of my connections and adjustments, I had everything ready and got behind the wheel. I could now feel the heat build up and that was a clear indication that our time was almost up.

     “I need you to teach me how to drive in thirty seconds,” I said, evenly keeping my voice calm as to not cause the old man to panic.

     “All right,” said the man evenly, and just as calmly as I had spoken. “Listen up. The pedal on the right is acceleration and the one to the left is the stop dampeners. The wheel turns you to the left and right. Only use one foot to go and to stop. Do not press down on either pedal too hard or you will jerk to start and stop. We are out in the open here and everything clear. You have 20 silts to your town, in front of us and 300 silts behind us to the next town.”

     “We need to go in the other direction or we will leave a bloody trail of severed body parts or worse. Let’s hope we have enough silts before us and there is no one in our way. Hold on tight because we have about ten seconds before this thing lights up like a New Year celebration in the sky. We have only thirty seconds after we begin. If I cannot burn off enough suppressed power, your fuel rods are going to go critical and there will be a new canyon on this planet that’s going to take years to make a bridge to cross.”

     I didn't know why, but I smiled at the car's owner and he smiled at me in return. I started up the car and slowly pressed down on the accelerator. We rose off the ground with an abrupt lurch and then moved forward smoothly. It only took me a moment to point the car in the right direction and get used to how it handled. Lucky for us we were back up on the road just in time for the flow control system, I had quickly program it so it would open the highest level possible without causing the system to bottleneck and explode.

     I pressed myself down into the seat and relaxed my arms in preparation for the deliberate dump of the stored energy from the fuel rods directly into the distribution injectors. The flow controls had no way of regulating so much power so the only choice I had was to give everything to the propulsion drive as one long, wide, and solid burst of unrestrained energy. I couldn't think of a single word to describe the feeling as the car leaped forward and the  quick rush of air that was now passing over and around the two of us.

     It is strange how you can be looking at long painted dashes in the road and a sign ever silts or so one moment and have it all instantly change into a solid bar and the road signs flipping like the pages in an ancient book I had once touched in a museum. I was fortunate that the car's shape and the dampener regulators controlling the suspension system were each performing perfectly. With both of those physical attributes working in our favor and the makeup of the road materials, we were fortunate to have a smooth ride with little vibrations if any.

     It didn't take a genius to realize that at the speed we were traveling, if we came in to contact with a small rock or any amount of substantial debris in the road that we would find ourselves airborne or worse. We were also fortunate that the passing and emergency center lane was clear of traffic. We traveled at an unheard of speed over small sections that were clearly part of bridges spanning over patches of water. I've always like bridges, but at our speed, if I blinked, I would miss knowing that I had passed over one or several.

     I looked down at the gauges and felt better when things started to calm, but then what I had tried to overlook hit us like a mini explosion. I knew I should have removed the third safety dampener, but it was too late to second guess myself now. The car lunged again as the last two fuel rods used as the emergency reserve made it clear it wanted to join the party. This added another two seconds to the ride, but it was less traumatic of a burst of energy than the initial power transfer directly into the injectors.

     After the third safety dampener used up its overabundance of emergency reserve, it closed and the car began to normalize itself enough that we were able to come to a smooth stop. Unfortunately, once that happened, we were surrounded by the Safety Force in great numbers and more flying in. The old man got out of the car and spoke to them for a moment and soon all their sirens and flashing lights were turned off and they left.

     “Boy, I believe you broke a land speed record. Let's get you back home and me to see a doctor so he can fix my arm. Well, boy, you brought us here now take us back.”

     “I have to make a few adjustments first, and change around the safety dampeners. I wish I had one of those signal boosters I could change this thing around to how it should be.”

     “Oh, is that all.”

     The car’s owner opened a storage compartment behind the passenger’s seat and pulled out a small black case that had spare connectors and data sensors inside.

     “I believe the red dot shows the input,” said the owner confidently.

     “No, actually that’s the output,” I said and held up my terminal showing where the device was in the car’s plans. “Look here at the schematics. I guess this would be confusing. They should just use an arrow in place of a dot so something like this won’t happen again.”

     “My boy,” the man chuckled. “You are right. So, how long is it going to take you to fix this thing?”

     “Less time than it took coming here,” I said, smiling foolishly. “By the way, where are we?”

     “Two silts from the border of the neighboring town. That is why I said you might have broken a land speed record. We traveled over 300 silts in less than 15 seconds. We had better get going before your parents come looking for you. You are a brave young man.”

     Why would now be the time that I would understand what my father truly meant, and this time I knew for sure?

     “As my dad always says,” I laughed. “No one ever said bravery and common sense were friends.”

     Graduation was nearly over and I truly wanted to be the first to get to Zander's house for his party. Everyone was preparing to go off in their own direction soon and I was looking forward to helping my parents Terra-Farm a new planet this summer. This would be the first time I would leave the planet and travel in an actual spaceship. It seemed as if each summer I was spending it with one grandparent or another or both as my mom and dad traveled from one galactic territory to another.

     My grandparents were very kind, but seemed to treat me as if I was in first grade and would spoil me outrageously. I don’t know why they kept saying they were only making up for lost time, but they were my grandparents so I had to take what they told me about how I was when I was young as the truth. There are times in your life when you should doubt little and speak even less. The video chip of me screaming my head off whenever one of them held me in their arms when I was born did persuade me to remain very respectful, very apologetic, and very silent.

     I did enjoy going to the town my parents grew up and had married. It seemed as if everybody knew everyone the same way they did in my small city, but here in the country, people were closer. I enjoyed sitting with all my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in the park having Sunday Breakfast Picnic along with other families. Now I knew where my parents got the idea from and it still felt like renewing a close connection with the family.

     Well, this summer I was going to spend it with my parents and have my first experience in space. All that was left until graduation had come to an end was the reading of the colleges some of my classmates were going to attend and the presentation of scholastic awards. As for me, I would choose the school I would attend after I had my first space flight and watch my parents give birth to a new world.

     As expected, Shona and Zander were going to the same college. His parents were paying enough credits to get him in the same school they had attended, and with him and Shona getting married in the next few days it made sense that his father footed the credits for her as well. The only thing that had caught everyone off guard (as if marrying after high school wasn't enough) was what they had asked of me. That was the most outrageous thing any two crackpot, no brain, adolescent thing to do to a person (meaning me) that it made perfect sense.

     Zander had asked me to be his best man as thanks for giving up on Shona, and Shona wanted me to be his best man to let him know what she was giving up for him. Like I had said, they were perfect for each other. Oh, just get me to the party. I had to stand and clap as my friend, and the first girl I had ever kissed, name was announced.

     Claris got into one of the most renowned medical schools in The Corporation’s Galactic Territories. She had worked so hard to pass her exams and harshly refused my help. She wanted to do it on her own and she had. I was so proud of her I couldn’t speak. Now came the awards and there was only a few, but seeing Claris go up on the stage twice was worth the wait.

     “This is very strange for us to do at this time,” said the principal brightly, with a face splitting smile. “However, this is the moment that every teacher here at this school has been waiting for. This information was suppressed until this very moment and for good reasons. Would Nathan Alanson Shine, please come up to the podium?”

     I didn't know what was going on, but as long as it got this graduation over with and I can jump in the pool and drool over Claris in her color changing bikini, I didn't care if they gave me the award for the loudest farts. I practically ran up on stage and froze in place when I saw my parents standing off to the right side behind the curtain waving at me to come to them. I know everyone heard me yelled NO, but that is how I felt at that particular moment.

     The next thing I knew I was being sworn in, a mobile hair-cutter was placed on my head, and I was asked to step into a room to change my clothes. I now had on a gray uniform with green trimmed, name tag over my heart, white gloves, and my mother on my left arm, and my father holding my round gray hat on my right.

     “Will everyone please stand,” said the principal proudly. “I present to you Mr. Nathan Alanson Shine, passed the required test for each year of school and the college entrance exams for Medical, Cosmic Science, Space Law, and Engineering with perfect scores. This was accomplished by Mr. Nathan Alanson Shine at the age of five while he was in the first grade. This information was sealed by his parents so Mr. Nathan Alanson Shine would have a normal childhood and get to grow up with each of you in his graduating class.

     In a single day Mr. Nathan Alanson Shine had achieved every solstice award and certificate of recognition. He has now received the highest of them all and the first to ever hold this distinction in this and any other galactic territory. Ladies and gentlemen, parents, children, and his graduating class, I present to you Cadet Nathan Alanson Shine of the Academy, School of Engineering. I give you the Legendary Skiver Genius!”

     Now isn't that nice. I had heard that there were rumors of a Legendary Skiver Genius all my life and who would it turn out to be, but me. Now I know why I was given that memory suppressor pill and I can't fault my parents. Information like that would cause trouble, but what was I going to do now? Shona is waving at me as if the wedding is off and… I could do nothing, but wave at my friend Claris, who was wiping her tears, smiling, and clapping overjoyed for me.

     “Mr. Shine,” said my principal proudly, as he patted me on my shoulder, “or as I should say Cadet Shine. You have no idea how hard it was for me and every teacher at this school, along with the top administrators in the school system to hold this information to ourselves all these years. However, seeing you here as you are at this moment, it was well worth the wait. Cadet Shine, as you can see we have quite a few special guests here to shake your hand. For now, please say a few words to your graduating class.”

     Great, what in the heck am I going to say. Hi, I'm a genius and was so smart that I didn't even know it. I moved up to the podium and placed both of my hands-on to the sides. It did help me greatly now that my legs were unsteady from this news I would have preferred to hear where no one could see me go sixth level nova. I looked over my class for only a moment and cleared my throat. There was at least one thing I could try, although there was a very small chance of success, but it was something.

     “It would seem Zander group wedding photo is going to have one person, not dressed in a black tuxedo. I hope you and Shona won't be too angry with me wearing gray. This is the only thing I can wear for a while. I do thank the two of you for giving me the honor. My best friend Claris, I know you have worked hard to get into medical school and I hope you are not delayed. Engineers get hurt all the time and I know I will need you to save me from harm, as you have done more than I can admit or can remember. Thank you for always being there for me.

     As far as the rest of you chocolate milk slurp junkies are concerned, I'm just one person like each of you. We made it through this place together. I say we end this and go to Zander and Shona's engagement pool party and celebrate the real big thing to happen in our class. Who's with me to act like immature idiots for the last time!”

     It was a good try and everyone knew what I was doing, but to have a cadet in the town did overshadow everything and everyone. I couldn't even wear my color changing swim shorts that matched Claris' bikini, but there was nothing to stop the drool seeing her color change whenever she would….

     Everyone kept calling me Cadet, but that couldn’t be helped. Shona is constantly making up excuses to get me alone so she could kiss me without anyone seeing the two of us could be helped and I made sure Zander or Claris was always nearby. The party was a blast and watching Zander take a knee and putting the engagement ring on Shona had me finally breathing easy.

     “So, Cadet Nathan Alanson Shine of the Engineer Academy,” Claris said mischievously, with a grin on her face. “I think we need to go somewhere?”

     “Where do you want to go?” I asked confused.

     She took out a packet and two pills. Without saying anything she placed one in my mouth and the other one in hers. After some water and swallow, I wanted to know what was going on. As I looked around I was seeing quite a few other couples doing the same thing. As the light of understanding came on, I like to run away screaming, but I knew she was faster than me and the sight of a cadet being dragged to the ground would never be forgotten.

     “Claris,” I choked. “Are you sure you are ready for… I mean…”

     “Nathan, I know we might end up in different galaxies or wherever life may take us. You may even marry someone on the other side of a Galactic Territory or the same with me, but all I do know is that I want you to be my first. Let's go to the greenhouse. Your parents are visiting your grand's homes and left the house for the two of us to have some privacy. As for me, I couldn't imagine any perfect place then where I received my first kiss from the first and only boy I had ever loved.”

     Claris and I did nothing less than enjoyed the time we had until we went our separate ways. It almost felt like the two of us were the couple getting married, then Zander and Shona. We spent our first night together in the greenhouse, then the next two in my room. Each day she got up early to cook us breakfast as I cut fresh fruit I knew she liked once she was able to stop me from complaining about letting me sleep for a few more minutes. We would walk around town with me in my gray uniform, round hat, and white gloves, and Claris in a sundress and a wide brimmed straw hat looking like an angel.

     I understood that being a cadet would cause a few people to look at me, but the constant pointing, stares, and calling out of Cadet was starting to get on my nerves. If it wasn't for Claris playfulness, I have would have gone sixth level nuts. We had our pictures taken so much I was about to start making funny faces.

     A picture of the two of us walking down the street made the planet's Digital News.  The headline said; Two Best Friends.  I put copies of the news report on permanent disks that could never be altered or erased, and placed one in my bank box and another in hers. No matter where we might end up, we would always have that one moment in our life frozen in time. Suddenly and completely unexpected, we found ourselves being dragged around as soon as we walked out of the bank.

     Claris was dragged into the Ronal Shop and came out looking like a bride (she was actually looking like a bride) without the veil, but the sleeveless white ball gown, long white gloves, and the tiara was there! We were pushed into a hover limo and taken over to Nacka's restaurant. When we walked in everyone stood and began clapping and cheering us as if we had just gotten married. Maybe it was the announcement of our names (minus the Mr.&Mrs. that is). Our dinner was out of this world and the people at Nacka started asking us to dance as very romantic music was playing. Well, I knew Claris' family and our friends were doing this for us, and I thought, (Why not!)

     “May I have this dance Ms. Claris Assar?” I asked, proudly with a smile, bending forward, and holding out my hand towards her.

     “Only if I get to kiss you Mr. Nathan Shine,” she giggled softly, as she placed her hand in mine.

     “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

     We danced slowly at first until Claris asked me to spin her. We twirled and twirled until I saw tears in her eyes. Suddenly Claris stopped and kissed me in the middle Nacka's restaurant. It felt as if it was just the two of us in the center of the universe. After that, we were pushed back into the hover limo and off to the Echini Nightclub! We danced the night away in each other's arms and took two more white pills. This would be our last night so we slept in the greenhouse as we had on our first night together. We were happily surprised the following day to get a message from our parents that they were going to be delayed for a few more days.

     Both our parents returned from their trip just in time for Zander and Shona's wedding. After the first dance of man and wife, then that of the Best Man and Maid of Honor I had my dance with Shona.

     “I had always known I should have chosen you Nathan, but I was too selfish. I know that now, but Zander isn't as bad as he seems. I don't think there is anyone like you, but I am glad you are getting all you deserve. I think I've talked long enough and regretted losing you for the final time. Goodbye, the first boy I had ever kissed and my first love since the first grade. I will always love you Nathan Alanson Shine farewell.”

     I was actually happy for Shona Pavia (now Shona Hale), she had finally matured. I watched her leave with Zander and had no regrets. I turned when I felt a tap on my shoulder and expected to see Claris.

     “Can I have at least one dance with my handsome son?”

     “Well, since you brought me here, I think that is possible.”

     “What are you talking about, you came here with… You are sometimes your father's son. I may have given life to you, but you have paid me back in every way a mother could ever wish. Just remember, don't go off and marry someone like Shona.”

     “What about me marrying someone like Claris?”

     “She would make a good daughter-in-law, but remember this; surprises are always good ones when they come from the heart. You just remember that. Tonight, being your last night at home, why don’t you go out with your friends and have some fun.”

     I almost forgot, tomorrow would be my last Sunday Breakfast Picnic at home. I walked over to Claris and like always she knew what I was thinking and passed me a white pill as we left hand in hand. Engineers do get hurt all the time and tomorrow might be the last time I would ever see her again.

     “Come with me Cadet Shine,” Claris said softly. “Let's leave here so we can make a memory of what is most important between the two of us.”

     At that moment and holding Claris in my arms, being a cadet wasn’t one of them.

.

.- End of Sample Chapters -

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