Taking a deep breath, and then another, Dainaya Kelly decided that her warpsickness was finally stable enough for her to walk. Hesitantly confident in her gravity perception once more, she marched briskly down the exit ramp and into the Starport, bags in hand and fellow student lagging behind.
Said Starport was huge, cold, and ancient, with walls of metal painted in ever-appealing shades of gray, slate, and steel. Smudges and stains that wouldn�t wash off added a dash of color, the remnant markings of archaic wars and recent janitor errors. The voices of the people within echoed off the ceiling some sixty feet above, barely audible by the time they returned to the speakers. Occasionally a window broke the monotony of matted silver, showing a riveting scene of black nothingness with little white specks, stretching on forever and ever.
�Daiiina! Wait up!� whined Jessini from five feet away, huffing as she lugged her suitcase packed with bricks or something like them. �We gotta stay together!� Slowing her step to accommodate her still queasy partner, Daina reminded herself to make sure that she didn�t have any classes with her. The girl was just plain annoying.
Daina scanned the surrounding terminals and their human denizens, searching for the Academy representative that was �supposed� to meet them at the terminal. Rich-looking lady in Oplan robes with fancy gold stuff on her head, nope. Fat balding man in Chosdan leathers with a beard that reached the floor, nope. Tall fellow in a Tarsian jacket holding a sign that said �Incoming Academy Students�, no� hey, wait a minute.
�The guy that�s supposed to meet us is over there,� she pointed out for her slower (in multiple fields) companion, and started towards him on her own, Jessi trailing behind. He spotted them before they reached him, lowering the signs and striding forward to assist them with their baggage.
Smiling a dazzling smile, he greeted the girls. �You�re the new students from Tarsier? Good to see some faces from back home. My name�s Mikalar Tom, from the Finoth continent. Yourselves?�
Daina piped up first. �I�m Dainaya Kelly, and this is Jessini Sara. We�re from Lanta continent.� She bobbed her head in deference, having spotted the teacher pin on his lapel. Jessi mimicked the gesture.
�Pleased to meet both of you. The tram to the Academy leaves from the South entrance. This way. What fields are you two going into?�
Jessi spoke first this time. �I�m going into negotiation, sir. I wanna be a diplomat between worlds, and make trades and stuff. Oh, and Daina wants to be a captain or something.�
�Leadership.� Daina clarified. �I plan to be a starship captain someday.�