" I see that you decided to show up after all Mikol. I was starting to worry." Chan was smiling, knowing full well that more then half the time their positions where reversed.
"I would have been here on time but mom decided to call. It was bizarre though, the connection was cut halfway through. My wall-screen was working perfectly this morning."
"Isn't that a coincident. Mine stopped a download of Athletic News before it finished. Do you think the power grid was interrupted? Maybe we're just running on emerg-power now."
"Don't think so, I noticed that the graduation party lights where still on. If we had a power shortage they would be the ones turned off."
"You're right, as always. I'm sure glad that the party is optional, I couldn't wear a uniform for another second." As they walked into the storage building witch looked much like his dormitory only smaller Mikoleth noticed what Chan was wearing. It was far from what she had on an hour ago. She was wearing a pair of heavy-duty boots, brown pants with lots of pockets conveniently the same size as a blaster carbine and it had a slightly lighter shade of brown where most people wear their holster. She also had a skin-tight, green, long sleeved shirt under a black vest with yet more pockets of the same size.
"I can understand that, do you need to take anything out of storage or can we just head out?"
"Just my personal good-luck charms." She smiled at Mikoleth as she walked over to the counter. When she stepped on a squar panel in the floor a automated voice activated.
"Please state name and storage container number for voice analyzation."
"Chan Ecosse, container 103956."
"Identity confirmed. Please wait for your storage container to arrive before you sine your name and time of day in the campus logbook. If you will be leaving the campus grounds please abide to all of Simli's planetary laws. Thank you and have a nice day."
"Personal good-luck charms?" Said Mikoleth.
"You'll see soon enough." She replied. No sooner had the words come out of her mouth a panel opened in the wall beside her.
"Please place thumb on blue panel. After identification has been confirmed you may remove you items." Chan followed the directions and the panel turned green. She then opened the container and one by one removed the six items and placed them on the counter.
"One small knife, one small hold out blaster, one full sized blaster and two extra carbines. You sure do travel lightly."
"If we run into any bad-luck that happens to breath this should be all the good-luck we'll need." They both laughed as Chan started to put her good-luck charms in their places. She had the knife in her right boot, the hold-out blaster up her left sleeve and the carbines in her pockets when they where interrupted.
"Your attention please, this is your principal specking. All students drop whatever they are doing at the moment and proceed to the assembly hall immediately. That is all."
"Look's like the shooting range will have to wait." Said Chan as she placed the blaster back into the container and slid the panel shut.
"I guess so." Said Mikoleth. "Maybe some other time." They both headed back the way that they came, disappointed at having their plans interrupted by something that probably wouldn't affect them anyway.
The assembly hall was packed full. There was almost never a meeting for the whole school at once. Most times any presentation would happen three or four times so not everyone would go at once. They filed in with everyone else and where lucky to find two seats together. They sat down in the fourth row from the front at the left end. There where ten rows of seats in all and at fifty seats a row it was pretty crowded. As soon as everyone was seated the principal started to speak from the stage.
"Quiet down you people in the back. Good, I'm glad to see that everyone has decided to come." Chan leaned over and whispered in Mikoleth's ear.
"I thought that was a motion detector at the door. They where counting to make sure that everyone was hear. This must be really important." The principal kept talking.
"We have with us some vary important guests here today. They have traveled all the way from earth just to visit us. However they are on a vary tight schedule so they will require your undivided attention. I will now pass the floor over to Dr. Spence and his assistants." Out from the side the stage walked Dr. Spence. He was a tall blond haired masse of muscular in a lab suit. Mikoleth knew right away that he was no normal doctor. His hair was cut short in military fashion, he walked like he was marching and to top it all off he was walking perfect synchronization with his assistants. He wasn't a doctor at all, he must be from the military. He stepped up to the podium and began his speech.
"I am Dr. Spence and as your principal has already stated I came from earth to visit you. My colleagues and I are compiling information for a survey of great importance." With that he reached into his pockets and removed a small amount of a shinny black goo. "This is a sample of Numenite. It is a new element witch has just recently been discovered. It is a liquid but only barely seeing as it is more dense then Mercury. Until now it has been completely confidential. I would like all of you to come up on stage, one row at a time and touch this ball of Numenite. There is no need for alarm, as you can see I have been handling it for a few minutes now without protection and nothing has happened. So if we could start with the first row please."
"I wonder what they think is going to happen?" Said Mikoleth to Chan after the first few people touched it with no affect.
"I don't know but I have a bad feeling about this." It was finally their turn. Mikoleth walked up to the table that had the Numenite on it. He reached out and touched it. The blob went wild. It was as if it was struck by lightning. Even after he drew back his hand it was still rolling around the table.
"What is your name son?"
"Mikoleth, Mikoleth Arklelle."
"I would appreciate it if you would stand over there Mr. Arklelle." Said Dr. Spence, as he pointed toward his assistants. As Mikoleth walked across the stage Chan reached out for the ball now that it had stopped moving. The Numenite had the same reaction to her as it did to him.
"And your name Miss?"
"Chan Ecosse."
"Could you please join your classmate Miss Ecosse." Chan walked over to Mikoleth and they both turned to watch the next one in line. He looked frightened, he thought that it would happen to him as well and he would much rather stay then go with the doctor. He reached out and touched the Numenite, to his relief nothing happened.
"Why us? I mean why did it react to us and not him? What is the difference?"
"Maybe they are looking for intelligent people."
"Chan."
"Sorry, but seriously we don't know what they want us for yet. It could be a good thing."
"Somehow I don't think so." As they where talking another student joined their group.
"Hi, I'm Daeron Quenya bu call me Tech." Mikoleth turned around to look at him. His hair was a dirty blond and could only be described as out of control. He was also more solidly built then Mikoleth. His emerald green eyed completed his appearance.
"Why do you want us to call you Tech?"
"All of my friends do. Ever since I was little I've been obsessed with Technology, you ask me how anything works and I could tell you."
"Makes sense, you have any idea why we where chosen? By the way my name is Mikoleth Arklelle and this is Chan Ecosse, she calls me Mikol but you can call me whatever you want.."
"Glad to meet you Mikol and Chan. To answer your question though I have no idea why we where chosen." No sooner had he finished talking the last person went up and touched the Numenite with no effect.
"I guess it's just us three then." Chan said as Dr. Spence walked up to them.
"Congratulations on being chosen Mikoleth, Chan and Daeron. If you will all follow me please." He started to turn and walk away but Chan spoke up.
"Where are we going exactly?"
"Everything will be explained to you in due time." As he spoke his four assistants formed a square around the three adolescents. "Now if you would follow me I would appreciate it." Being outnumbered and seeing as the assistants where reaching into their lab coats for what was most likely blasters they decided to follow Dr. Spence.
The party walked down the empty corridors with Dr. Spence in front followed by two assistants, Tech, Chan, Mikoleth and the other two assistants. They all entered a small and unmarked room in the middle of the building. It was empty and there where no windows. Two assistants directed the three friends into the middle of the room. One of the others locked the door and stood guard as the other removed from a cabinet a collapsible frame that looked to be about the size of a doorway. Mikol could see that this was a well rehearse plan. Dr. Spence took from his pocket what appeared to be a small detector.
"Lift your arms Mr. Arklelle."
"What are you going to do with that Dr. Spence?"
"Listen kid, from now on it's either Commander, Commander Spence or Sir got it? This device is used to detect to technological mechanisms in any kind of weapons. Now, lift your arms."
"Yes sir." Replied Mikoleth overcome with the abruptness and the authority in Smiths voice.
Smith ran the device over Mikoleth's body and simply said to one of the assistants "He's clean Private." He went through the same procedure with Tech before moving on to Chan. "We have a red on the left sleeve."
"Yes Sir." Said one assistant. He walked over to Chan and reached up her sleeve and withdrew the hold-out blaster. "It's a mark three Sir." Spence turned toward Chan. "Nice choice. Mark threes are one of my personal favorites. You must know quit a bit about weapons."
"Enough."
"Spoken like a true warrior. Private, activate the unit."
"Yes Sir." He reached over and punched a unmarked button on the side of the machine that could only be described as a doorframe. Nothing happened.
"You will all now walk, through this doorway." Said Spence addressing Chan, Mikol and Tech.
Chan went first. As soon as she had passed through she disappeared. Mikol looked over at Tech as he stumbled through after a push from behind. "No need to push." Said Mikol as he walked over the threshold and immediately fell deep into unconsciousness.