Chapter 5: A Nice? Kidnapping

Chapter 5: A Nice? Kidnapping

Location: Estriduros Republic; Acordus System; Acordus 3; Acordia; Mage testing center

Shay and I just stand there waiting. Now and then, there are two Privates coming back, carrying another person my age and lying them down next to the others. Why do I get special treatment?

I turn to ask Shay, but she just stands here, the same as I do. We both don’t know what to do. “Hey Shay.” My voice comes out as a whisper. She looks at me and raises an eyebrow. “Why am I treated differently?” I pause for a second. “You saw the orb… I’m a Mage… Why am I not with the poor guys over there?” I indicate all the other young people who lie next to each other, unconscious.

She shrugs. “Apparently being a Space Mage comes with privileges? I’m still jealous, you know? All my friends being Mages and stuff… At least now I’ve got a way off this shithole of a planet.” I cringe, she just can’t stop swearing.

A few hours later it looks like they are finished. My legs are already a bit stiff from standing around all the time. I think my training is the only thing that keeps me from collapsing. Shay doesn’t look much better either and shuffles from one leg to the other.

The Sergeant comes back, followed by the six Privates. There are now 23 young people lying on the ground, plus Shay and me, the single Space Mage. “Listen up, take them, and put them in the shuttle on the roof, we depart in 30 minutes.” The Sergeant shouts. “Recruit, help them! Space Mage, you’re with me, follow.”

He walks out the door in the back and up the stairs. I just stand there, frozen. He looks back, an annoyed expression on his face. Grunting, he taps something in his interface and a small shock puts me out of my freeze. Ouch! I walk up the stairs, followed by Shay and the Privates. Each of them carries an unconscious young Mage.

We arrive at the roof and despite my collared situation, I can’t stop myself from staring in excitement. My first starship! Well, calling it a starship might be a little exaggerated. The ship, or better shuttle hovers on the roof, It’s quite big… Wider, and taller than the trains here. Just a lot shorter, I guess about 20 meters in length, total.

It looks a bit like a cargo container, as there are no windows. Probably for protection from the bright lights when entering the atmosphere? Because I studied starship theory a bit, I recognize the material as tristanium – very imaginative named after its discoverer Tristan Almery thousands of years in the past.

Tristanium is lighter and way stronger than steel. It doesn’t rust and is extremely durable, which makes it perfect for starships, and pretty much everything that exceeds the capabilities of normal steel. The material is commonly found on asteroids, which made the Acordus System interesting for the republic in the first place. What I also learned during my studies is that The Spire here in Acordia is made out of tristanium…

Weird, all those random facts running through my head while I’m practically being kidnapped. Or am I? I’m at least better off than all the other Mages of Acordus 3 who are currently being loaded into the shuttle. They are carried up a ramp on the side of the shuttle and then through the hatch.

I should probably go inside too before the Sergeant shocks me again… I just do so, and when I enter the shuttle, I notice several rows of seats, occupied by some of the knocked-out Mages. I move toward the back of the shuttle to take a seat on my own, as it’s the logical thing to do. I don’t want to be close to the soldiers!

I sit down and am about to tighten the security harness when the Sergeant exits the cockpit. “Wait, you are sitting with me up front for security reasons.” I groan but comply and walk back towards the front. I still don’t know his name…

Now in the correct seat, we wait. Finally, the last young Mage is secured, and the other soldiers and Shay secure themselves as well. The shuttle takes off. This is so weird. I’m being kidnapped and my friend joins the kidnappers. Even weirder, if I weren’t a Mage, I would have joined them in two years as well.

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Location: Estriduros Republic; Acordus System; ERS Verdinum

I barely notice that we are flying. No vibrations, no rumbles, not even any sign of acceleration. Looks like they can use the good stuff. Not those crappy grav generators in some of the trains here on Acordus 3. The viewscreen makes me wish there were actual windows. This is amazing! 30 seconds of flight and we are already through the clouds. The screen gets darker and darker till there is only the vast darkness of space. The only points of illumination are the twin suns and lots of far-away stars. Breathtaking.

I can’t believe that my first trip to space is involuntary. I mean who knows what’s going to happen after Mage Academy… All I've heard is that Mages are practically slaves of the people who own them. Those in the military might be the winners, as there are clear rules to follow for everyone. But the others? A shudder runs down my spine. Better not to think of it. Can’t be too bad. Eventually, they want to use the Mages’ powers.

Come to think of it, this isn’t my first trip in space as apparently, I am the daughter of freighter people. But I can’t remember any of it… So I’ll just call it my first trip.

“Attention, prepare for the final approach to the Verdinum.” The intercom snaps me back out of my thoughts, and I focus back on the viewscreen. Wow! The sleek ship is right in front of us. The hull looks like a work of art – in a hazardous style. Sharp edges and thick armor plating adorn the length of the ship. Just like the shuttle there aren’t any windows. I wonder if this is a design choice, or if there aren’t any reinforced windows or something. Unfortunately, the bit of starship theory I managed to learn didn’t cover those things…

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The starship can be divided into three parts. Engines and the big exhausts in the back, a large, almost rectangular, but still rounded, midsection, and a thinning front end with lots of front-facing weapons and sensors. Additionally, there are various guns all around the hull. This time my studies can help. There are railguns, laser turrets, and even missile tubes. Especially those missiles are the bane of all starships… If you are hit by lasers or railgun projectiles, your ship might live, but if a missile hits, you’re done for. Realization dawns in my mind. That thing was built for war!

A large opening, located in the midsection of the ship greets us – the hangar bay. Energy shields are flickering, while keeping the air inside. The shuttle crosses the barrier. There is a slight distortion on the screen when we move through the shields. I wonder what would happen if that barrier failed, as I can see lots of people moving around in the hangar bay. Would they all die?

The shuttle sets down and the sounds of the engine wink out. The seven Space Rangers in the shuttle jump up and start moving towards the exit. Just when they are about to leave the shuttle, the Sergeant remembers Shay and me. He orders us to get up and leave with them. We are about to meet the Captain.

We walk down the small ramp, and the Rangers stand at attention and salute the woman standing opposite us. I look at her uniform and find the insignia of the Space Rangers. She is quite tall, with dark skin and black hair in a pixie cut. As a Space Ranger Captain, I can’t confuse her with the Captain of the ship, as they are a Star Force Captain, which is a higher rank than a Ranger Captain… This is so confusing. Who comes up with something like that? Whatever, I have to pay attention!

“Welcome back, Rangers. You know what to do. Unload them, get them into shipsuits, and put them on ice, just like the others. Recruit and Space Mage, follow me.”

Put them on ice? What the heck! Is that what they did with Thomas? I’m too stunned to speak – again, but I still follow her because I don’t want to get shocked. I glance over to Shay, just to see her own expression of horror on her face.

We walk past several crewmembers in silence. While we walk, the other words from the woman finally register. Shipsuits! That must be the answer to a ship losing atmosphere.

A few minutes and an elevator ride later, we arrive in a small mess hall. The Captain gestures to sit down and after we are seated, she sits down as well and lets out a long sigh. “I’m sorry for earlier. That must’ve been quite disturbing… I don’t like it, but orders are orders. There is a reason for that procedure. I can tell you if you want… Oh, where are my manners? I’m Captain Samira Dolder.”

Shay starts to speak, but her voice comes out a little weak. “Pleased to meet you, Captain Dolder, I’m Shay Jensen. I was actually quite excited to join the Rangers, but now I… I’m not so sure anymore. Can you please explain?” I just nod, she already knows my name and I don’t want to talk to someone who just ordered to put all those Mages on ice. If it weren’t for my special treatment, that would’ve been me too!

“Again, I’m sorry. I handled the situation very poorly. Normally everyone who’s not in the military is fast asleep when the shuttle arrives on the Verdinum.” She scratches her head, a rather embarrassed expression on her face. “The reason why we do it that way is simple. The Verdinum is only a Destroyer, a small ship. There is simply not enough space for over 100 Mages we collect every year. Therefore, all the Mages are put into a shipsuit and kept asleep for the remainder of the trip to the academy. I don’t really believe it, but apparently, some studies said, that it’s better for the Mages’ mental health to be asleep during the trip instead of being awake under claustrophobic conditions. We also have to confiscate their belongings, as by the law, Mages aren’t allowed to bring personal things to the academy.”

She looks at me before continuing. “Unfortunately, that also includes you. I can lead you to your room so you can change. But you can also grab some food before if you want.”

Why don’t they send a bigger ship? This is all just bullshit, but what can I do? At least I’m awake, I guess… I look down at my former necklace, now bracelet. “You have to confiscate everything?”

She catches my look and nods. “Unfortunately, yes. According to the law it has to be collected and destroyed or sold.” She glances at Shay and winks. “Of course, if that bracelet weren’t in your possession, but let’s say, for example, a friend of yours has it, there would be nothing I could do.” Huh, did she just give me a way to avoid losing my bracelet? Why does she even care?

I can’t stop myself and blurt out. “Why are you helping me? All the time I feel like I’m being kidnapped but also not really… Why?”

The Captain chuckles. “I get that reaction all the time. Let me ask you a question. Do you know how a starship moves between systems?”

I shrug.

Wait!

My eyes go wide. Everything clicks into place. Space Mages enable travel between systems!

Wow, it even makes sense for the Republic to keep this out of public knowledge. Who would trust a government that hates Mages, while they depend on them?

I can see the amusement in her eyes. “Exactly, you Space Mages are essential. I won’t bore you with details as you learn this in the Academy, but just know that without Space Mages traveling as we do wouldn’t be possible. As for why I treat you differently? I just feel like it is better to have a good relationship with every Space Mage I come across.”

“How is something like that kept in secret? And how can the government justify its anti-Mage politics? They are practically preaching they… We are the devil.”

“First, do you know any people who travel around space?”

Wow, is it that easy? I shake my head.

“There you have it. There is little interaction most of the time. Also, people who know are sworn to secrecy under threat of prison or even execution… I’ve already told you too much. You’ll learn in the Academy. Recruit Jensen, pretend you haven’t heard anything. This is something you’ll learn after your basic training. Now second, don’t criticize the government so openly, others might not be so understanding. And always know, you may be important, but for the republic, you are not irreplaceable.”

I can feel my face turn white. Just how messed up is this republic? I wonder if I’ll ever find the reason behind all that. I can feel my nausea rising, so I decline her offer of food and let her lead me to my room. I step inside and she tells me, that I’ll find my shipsuit in the closet. She turns to Shay. “Recruit Jensen, follow me, I’ll bring you to the Ranger’s quarters.” They walk away and I can hear her start talking about the duties Shay has to do while on the Ship.

The door closes and I’m alone.

I sit down on one of the two beds. Everything comes crashing down in my head. I curse, even if I hate doing so. This is just too fucked up! I just sit there and wait. A while later, I strip down and put on the shipsuit. It is very form-fitting. At least it’s comfortable.

I decide to go and get something to eat – just to somehow feel that I can’t leave the room. The collar!

So I wait until Shay comes with a tray of food. “Hey Sara, how are you doing?”

I shrug. “Can’t say I enjoy it, but it’s better than it could be. Can you keep my bracelet like the Captain said?”

Shay nods. “Of course, I’ll keep it safe till we can meet again, I swear it! This is probably the last time you’ll see me for a while. Captain says you’ll have to stay here in your room. The orders of the Star Force people. They were quite annoyed that you aren’t asleep with the others.” She hugs me tightly. “Stay strong, Sara! I’m gonna miss you. Keep an eye out for Thomas, I’ll do the same.”

We both tear up. “I’ll miss you too Shay!”