The Atrium was a work of the highest art. Inside of an airtight, spaceproof golden dome, the designers of the S.A.N. Phoenix had created an eden. Trees of every shape and color, bushes and flower of all hues, from the tiny lavender kinchi buds to the 3 foot wide lops roses. Grassy clearings for excersize or play, shady trees to rest under, and a large hot tub designed to look like a natural pool.
They even had a damn fountain.
Peering up at said fountain, Galatia had to admit it was very nice. The swirling stone creation in white depicted the mythological phoenix-dragon, a glorious creature of scale and feathers. A suitable monster to name a ship after.
A rude voice shattered the tranquil peace as the arrogant Xander Cypher announced himself to the world. �Hey Gala-baby! You done with the plant analyst?� He trotted down the sweeping steps and over to her side.
Galatia gritted her teeth. �My name is Galatia, not Gala-baby. You call me Ms. Lazaroff, or Miss. The word is analysis, not analyst. And yes, I�m done. I assume your finished with your� what is it you do, exactly?�
The spike-haired freak was not to be deterred. �I�m check the computer codes, Gala-girl. Yeah, I�m done. Not much to correct, anyway. Whoever wired this ship did a killer job. So, since we�re both finished, what say you and I skip out and grab some chow?�
This guy just didn�t get it, Galatia groaned. Deciding to drive the point across, she spun around suddenly, whacking him in the face with her seven-foot braid, and marched off, calling behind her, �I doubt I could eat in your company. And I don�t skip classes.�
Despite her efforts, the loser trailed after her, chatting away with himself as if she were listening. She headed up one of the many grand staircases, occasionally stopping to let Xander pass and then tripping him. Once would have been enough for any man on Chosde to get the message, but noooo. Mr. Cypher had to be the thick-headed kind, and hot for her.
A low boom sounded suddenly, fading to a distant rumble. Thunder, she remarked to herself. Looks like we might get rain. Then it hit her, and she paused in midstep to give the thought her whole attention. She was on Star City, which was on an asteroid. No rain. No weather. No thunder. So what was that noise?
Luckilly, Galatia had just the talent to find out. Before coming to the Academy, she had been training to become a Quenjoth, a warrior priestess of the Chosden Faith. One of the main requirements was the ability to empathe, or rather, to feel people�s emotions and surface thoughts. Being rather talented in that area herself, she cleared her mind and stretched her psyche outward, searching for hints of what had occurred.
Ow. Okay, thunder didn�t make thousands of people feel that much panic. Something was definitely wrong.