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"Emperor Zarkon is merciful. He doesn't sentence children for the crimes of their parents." The official who was speaking was dressed in the usual soothing gray robes of a caretaker. His dark purple gauntlets marked him as personnel of a higher rank, and his fur was the same dark purple as the gauntlets. Thace stared up at him without speaking or blinking. He knew that was what was expected of him. Attention and obedience. He would give both.
"So don't think of this as a punishment. It's a gift." The caretaker waited. Thace, understanding that a response was called for, nodded. The caretaker turned, gesturing for Thace to follow him as he headed up the stairs toward the dark building crouching beneath the dim, red sky blanketed in cloud. Thace had been the only passenger on the shuttle that had landed at the Foundation's small spaceport this morning. That craft had brought him down to the planet's surface from the much larger ship that had carried him across many star systems to reach this planet.
Thace glanced up at the sky one more time as he reached the top of the stairs. There would never be a break in those clouds, but that was for the best. The red dwarf at the center of this system was an unforgiving star. It was this dense cloud layer that made life possible here, if only on limited regions of the planet. Thace had read everything he could find about his new home before they'd taken him away, so little of what he saw came as a surprise. The main entrance was a tall, narrow door, triangular in shape. The caretaker held up his hand, and it slid open. The door couldn't be deceived, or not easily: it scanned height and body mass, life signs, and genetic makeup. It was one of the security systems the promotional literature had boasted about. Having read all available information on the Foundation, Thace knew that this was the administrative building, which held offices, a few classrooms, and the ceremonial hall.
The caretaker continued his speech as he led Thace through the entryway and down the broad central corridor. "Because you're not being punished, we've allowed you to bring your favorite things along, and you'll have ample freedom here. We don't want you to feel deprived in any way. You'll be given the best the empire can offer its young citizens. We see the potential in you, and we want to foster it."
"Yes, sir."
"You can call me Counselor Tervek."
Counselor was the highest rank of caretaker. "Yes, Counselor Tervek."
"At your young age, we know you are innocent of your parents' wrongdoing. You haven't picked up their warped ideologies. You only want to be a good citizen, don't you?"
"Yes, Counselor Tervek."
"I thought so. We'll give you a few tests, just to be sure, but you shouldn't worry about them. You won't find them difficult. Your records indicate that you're a high performing student. Bright and promising."
"Thank you, sir."
"There's no need to thank me. The records show it to be true. We've been looking forward to your arrival. I'm sure you'll be a great asset, not only to us here at the Foundation, but to the Empire as a whole!"
Thace nodded again and made himself look pleased.
"You might think of yourself as having lost your parents, but that isn't true at all. Emperor Zarkon is your father now, and there's no better father in the entire universe. For more than ten thousand years, he's been the father to us all." This speech was well-timed, because just as Tervek said this, they rounded a corner, and Thace was faced with the cavernous great hall. Standing in the center of it was a towering holographic projection of Zarkon, glimmering in purple light. Tervek gestured toward him with a broad smile on his face. "Glorious, isn't he?"
"Yes, Counselor Tervek!" Thace smiled, too.
Tervek paused to soak in Zarkon's glory, gazing up at him raptly. "As you may know, not all the children here at the Foundation have had the same misfortune as you. Some lost their parents to combat or tragic accidents. Many were sent here by living relatives in the knowledge that this is one of the best educational facilities in the entire universe. But the children of traitors are not ostracized here! You shouldn't fear that the other students will hold that against you. We are your true family, united by bonds of loyalty to the empire." Tervek let out a long, pleased sigh. He might have said these same words to many students over many years, but his true belief in them still showed clear and strong in his voice.
Thace wanted to go home. But he was home. This was his home now. "Thank you, Counselor Tervek."
"Even someone like you could become one of the Empire's finest soldiers." Even someone like you. Thace knew what that statement implied. In spite of what the counselor had said, he was marked by his background. Those words stayed with him as Tervek gave him a brief tour of the entirety of the campus, ending with Thace's new room in the dormitories.
The Foundation may have been one of the best educational facilities in the universe, which turned out the finest soldiers and scientists, but the students' rooms were spare. They were narrow and dark, and the beds were narrow and nearly as dark. Personal spaces were supposed to be simple. Your possessions weren't your glory—the empire was. Having glanced through many doorways during his tour, Thace had seen that most of the living quarters fit that bare description, and not only his. As he'd arrived mid-cycle, he had been thrust into a corner room that might once have been a storage closet. Most of the rooms had been fitted with a row of four beds, but they had only managed to fit two into this one.
Counselor Tervek had told him he had a roommate, but there wasn't much sign of anyone else living in this room. Thace assumed the roommate's clothes and other belongings were stored away inside half of the containment units set into the walls, but those units would only open for the people they'd been programmed to respond to. The counselor registered Thace with his share of the storage space, before leaving him to arrange his possessions and acclimate himself. He was expected to be independent. That was what Emperor Zarkon would want, Tervek had said.
Other than his clothes, Thace had brought few things with him. They had said he could bring whatever items he wanted, as long as they fit into the personal cargo carriers, but he hadn't believed them. He'd left all his toys behind. He didn't want to seem childish, and why would he want to play with toys now? It was true that he had to be independent, but not because Emperor Zarkon wanted him to be. He had brought several logic puzzles, his text reader, and a few weapons. Energy weapons were prohibited, but he'd been allowed to keep his knives.
The knives were all carefully wrapped, and he unwrapped them one by one. Like any Galran child, he'd been taught weapon safety as soon as he'd been old enough to hold one. The weapons were all there and all safe, but Thace knew their wrappings must have been pulled open so they could be studied. The administration would have wanted to make sure he hadn't brought in anything suspicious, anything that marked him as a traitor like his parents.
His mother's knife was the last one he unwrapped. It was a double-edged dagger with a stone set at the base of the blade, settling into the crossguard. The symbol in the stone glowed faintly. The blade was highly polished and reflected his face when he looked at it. An heirloom dagger: an ancient ceremonial blade. He drew the tips of his claws carefully over that smooth surface. It was his, now.
He wrapped his knives up again and put them away.
The counselor had said Thace was free to familiarize himself further with the buildings and the grounds once he was finished putting his possessions away. He wouldn't start classes until tomorrow. The counselor was confident that such a bright student would be able to catch up quickly. The praise had been meant to please and encourage him, but Thace couldn't find the will to care about his academic potential. As he wandered through the halls, he found them quiet. Going by the schedule the counselor had transferred onto his reader, this was the middle of a class period. Most students would be in a lecture hall or in the middle of a training session.
When he reached the front entrance, he wasn't sure if the triangular door would slide open for him, but it did. He was sure his exit was recorded and registered, but it was allowed. There was no reason to keep students from going outside. It wasn't as if there was anywhere to escape to. There were other Galran installations on the planet, but none of them could be reached by foot from here. There was nowhere to go and nowhere to hide.
This planet was habitable only by the broadest definition of the word. No civilization had ever developed here. Thace could breathe the air, thanks to his adaptability implants, but if he ventured outside the Foundation's zone, the extreme temperatures would become unbearable. The planet was tidal locked, so one side always faced its small star, while the other side always faced the dark, making much of its surface too cold or too hot for the Galra to survive. There was no real day and night, only red light of varying brightness, depending on the thickness of the clouds.
There were few plants here, and the ones that did grow were stunted and tough. The ground was rocky and uneven. Some of the larger rocks were taller than a person. There was a reddish cast to the entire landscape. It wasn't welcoming, and the air felt thin and insufficient in his lungs, but he liked it better here than inside. It was open. He could see the horizon.
He was surprised, as he walked around one of the tallest rocks, to find another student out here, alone. The boy was kneeling in the dirt, staring at the ground. Thace wasn't sure if he should go toward him or move away quickly before he was noticed. The choice was made for him, because the boy raised his head and turned to stare at Thace.
He was gray with white markings, and he had smooth skin, furless except for a pale tuft running down the middle of his head. He gestured to Thace, putting up a hand with his fingers raised, a signal to stop. Thace stopped. The boy hadn't signaled for him to leave, so he didn't go. He was curious enough to stay and wait. The boy was moving his hands in the earth, but Thace couldn't see exactly what he was doing. After a few minutes, the boy rose and hurried to where Thace was standing.
"Thank you. I'm working on a project. I didn't want the area to be disturbed."
"What's the project?"
The boy was carrying a case of supplies with him. He pulled out a handful of slim metal rods and started to push them down into the soil. "I'm studying the native animals. But I haven't been able to catch a specimen yet." As he inserted each metal rod, he pushed a button on the top that made it glow. "Maybe I should have done this first," he said. When he was finished, the arrangement of rods formed a thin line of light, warning away anyone who might stumble across the site of the research project. The boy paused to regard the results of his efforts, dusting his hands off on the sides of his legs.
"You're not in lecture," the boy said. "You must be new. Is your name Thace?"
"Yes, I'm Thace."
"I thought so. My name's Ulaz. I'm your roommate. They told me you were coming."
Thace waited to see if Ulaz would say something else about him, or about his parents, but he didn't. "Do you want to stay and wait with me?" he asked instead. "I have permission from my biology professor to be here today, instead of in class." Ulaz knelt, planting himself in the rocky earth.
Thace preferred the planet's surface to the dark halls inside, and this gave him a good excuse to prolong his time outside. "I'll stay." He knelt beside Ulaz.
"You can be my research assistant." Ulaz said this very seriously, and Thace nodded, just as seriously. He didn't mind the idea of being a research assistant. It sounded more interesting than wandering the halls alone. He hadn't had any other ideas for how to spend the remaining hours of the day. He didn't want to sit and think about his parents, so he was grateful to have a specific task to focus on, instead.
"What should we do now?" Thace asked.
"You can take notes for me while we wait."
Thace had brought a reader interface with him, as usual, so he opened the input screen. Ulaz told him what to write, so he typed in the time of day, the weather conditions, and the description of the trap and how it had been set. Ulaz spoke very quietly, and Thace too tried to make as little noise as possible. They didn't want to scare the creatures.
"We can wait here a while now," said Ulaz, "but if the trap isn't set off before we have to go, we can leave it and check on it tomorrow."
Thace nodded and looked eagerly toward where Ulaz had set the trap into the ground. He hoped they wouldn't have to wait that long. He wanted to see the specimen. He was keen to know what it would look like. He could have asked Ulaz if he had any idea, but he wasn't sure if Ulaz would approve of unnecessary conversation, if they were supposed to be remaining as quiet as possible. Maybe leaving it as a surprise would be more exciting.
Ulaz must have thought a little conversation wouldn't risk their research, because after a several minutes of intense waiting, he asked, "Did they put you in the military track?"
"That's right." He hadn't been asked his opinion beforehand, but that was what the administrators had decided for him. Even if he'd wanted a different career, he wouldn't have been allowed a change.
"I thought so. I'm in the medical track."
"Is that what you wanted?"
"Yes, but I'll work with the military. That's where you can advance the most. Is that what you want? To be a soldier?"
"Of course I do," said Thace. "I want to serve the emperor."
Ulaz nodded. That was to be expected. That was what everyone was supposed to want. Thace instantly doubted whether he'd been right to say it, though. It might have sounded like he was trying too hard, but Ulaz replied, "Me too," as if that were natural. Thace decided not to say anything else about how much he liked Emperor Zarkon right now. Would he ever be able to be honest with anyone again? Before he could do that, he'd have to join the people his parents had worked with, but he didn't know who they were or how he could find them. Maybe they didn't care what had happened to him. He knew little about them, because their work had been so secret, and he hadn't been considered old enough to be told their secrets. He did know that he wanted to finish what his parents had started.
The emperor had killed them.
"Are you all right?" Ulaz asked him.
Before Thace could answer, a clear, high-pitched tone sounded, and Ulaz jumped to his feet. "It worked! I knew it would." He snatched up his case and raced forward, and Thace followed him, relieved to have had those thoughts interrupted.
Ulaz pulled the trap out of the hole in the ground with a triumphant smile, showing his teeth. The trap was a long, rounded capsule that was perfectly transparent, so they could see the specimen from every angle. It was a furred creature, a light reddish yellow in color, with large black eyes. On its head were four, single-pronged horns. It had round ears, and the toes on each of its six paws were long and fingerlike.
"It's so small," said Thace. It was also cute, but he didn't say that. He wished he could hold it. They might have been allowed weapons, but they weren't allowed to keep pets.
"All the native life forms here are small." Ulaz passed the trap to Thace. "Hold this steady while I scan it."
Thace did as he was told. Ulaz scanned the small container with a bio-reader as the creature scrabbled at the clear walls. When Ulaz was done, Thace recorded the creature's measurements. "I believe it eats the mites that feed on the underground root system," Ulaz explained. "The horns may be for digging into the roots, but I'm not sure. No one's done a serious study of the lifeforms here, because they have no military or economical importance."
"Why are you doing one?"
"I'm a student." said Ulaz. "And it's interesting."
"It is," said Thace quickly. He hadn't meant to criticize. "What do we do next?" he asked. He hadn't expected to enjoy himself, especially not on his first day here, but Ulaz's calm enthusiasm made it possible for him to focus on something other than his situation.
"I have to tag it. But it'll be easy. Here." Ulaz pressed a clear button on the clear trap, and there was a pulse of light from the device. "That should stun it for a few minutes. The trap opens like this. That's right. Just hold it steady." Thace stared down at the little animal in his hands. He had wanted to hold it, and now he was holding it. Its fur was so much paler than his. It was so small, he was half-afraid that it would be hurt, if only because it was soft and weak. It was defenseless. He could feel its heart beating. Ulaz held a small gray tab up to the creature's ear, and it folded over the thin flesh. "There," said Ulaz, almost speaking directly in Thace's ear as he leaned forward. "Put it back in, and put the open trap down there. When it wakes up, it can go right back home."
"Back home," said Thace, as he pushed the trap carefully back down into the dirt. It would be easy for the little creature to run down into its burrow. It would be safe there. When Thace looked up, he saw Ulaz watching him closely.
"That's right," said Ulaz. "You're a good research assistant."
Thace was more pleased by the compliment than he would have expected. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. We can leave the trap here for now. It's almost time to eat. You can come with me." Ulaz was already sorting and storing his supplies in his case, moving to pull up the rods he'd put in the ground earlier. Ulaz behaved as if he expected Thace to accompany him. He turned and started back over the red, rocky ground without looking to see if Thace was following. Thace didn't see how there was room for him to object, even if he'd wanted to go elsewhere instead. He didn't want to.
Counselor Tervek had said that the other students wouldn't judge him, but few of them spoke to him in the dining hall. He saw it happen more than once: someone would acknowledge Ulaz with a word or a nod, but their gazes would pass right over Thace. If there were rumors about what had happened to his parents, he didn't know who had started them. If there were no rumors, it could have been the strangeness of starting school in the middle of a cycle that made people think there should be rumors.
Ulaz, sitting across from him, didn't mention the way the others were acting. Ulaz had stopped by the science building first to drop off his equipment, and he'd given Thace a tour of the laboratories, supplementing Tervek's earlier introduction. Private quarters were supposed to be economical to encourage private virtue, but common spaces were another matter. The rooms and instruments were new and sleek, practically gleaming. Thace had read about the Foundation's facilities and their funding. He'd read that the empire cared for its children more than blood relatives did. Children who had lost parents or whose relatives had given them up were fortunate. They had the brightest futures ahead of them. They had no one to hold them back. They would receive the best education in the universe. That was what the administration claimed.
Ulaz, who was eating with a slowness that suggested he was still thinking about his research, had either been given up by his family, or he had lost them. The same was true of everyone here, in a variety of ways. "Do you like it here?" Thace asked.
It was the kind of question most people would answer immediately, but Ulaz thought about it first. "It doesn't matter if I like it," he said.
"Why not?"
"I do what I have to do." Ulaz nodded over his food, and Thace wasn't sure if he meant that he was devoted to his studies or something else. "Do you like it so far?" Ulaz asked.
"I don't know yet," Thace said, because he couldn't say anything more definite or truthful than that. He should say that he liked it, that he was glad to have this opportunity, but he couldn't manage to make himself say that.
"If you want, you can be my research assistant again," Ulaz offered.
"Are you going to catch more animals?"
"I hope so. Some of them will be harder to catch."
"Then we'll have to try harder," said Thace. This might have been Ulaz's way of trying to cheer him up, since he did feel his move improve when he thought about the challenge of hunting for more strange specimens.
"Maybe you should have been in the scientific program, too," Ulaz said.
"It was the empire's decision." Thace didn't want to be heard to question what they'd selected for him.
"Yes, the empire doesn't change its mind."
Thace found himself nodding. The government never reversed its choices, no matter what they were. They wouldn't have decided to pardon his parents. They hadn't had evidence. There hadn't been a trial. Thace didn't know exactly what had happened. He'd awakened to find his parents gone. In another few hours, soldiers had come to take him away. They had put him in a room by himself. They hadn't called the room a cell. They hadn't told him what had happened until much later, and he couldn't trust what they did tell him. Without anyone asking him, it had been decided that he would be sent to the Foundation for Children of the Empire. Children of the empire was another name for children who didn't have parents. They'd let him return home to pack up a few belongings under the watchful eye of two guards, who stared at him as if he were a criminal, rather than one of the empire's own children.
Later, after they'd eaten their evening meal, Ulaz showed Thace the notes for his project. Thace was seated on the floor beside Ulaz, leaning over his text reader, when there was a single knock on the door, followed by the door opening smoothly—before either of them were able to respond.
"Good evening, Thace. Ulaz." Counselor Tervek stood in the doorway, smiling, his hands idly smoothing the front of his robes for a moment before he stilled them. "You two seem to be getting along well. Ulaz, I hope you've been taking good care of Thace." Tervek didn't wait for an answer, continuing without a pause. "Thace, would you come with me? I'll have you back very soon."
Refusal was unthinkable, so Thace rose to his feet slowly. He couldn't decide if he felt more reluctant to leave Ulaz or unwilling to go with Tervek. "I know it's only been the better part of a day, but I wanted to see how you've been adjusting," the counselor said, as he led Thace through the halls.
"I've been fine." He didn't mention the way the other students wouldn't look at him, or the way his throat tightened and his stomach knotted when he thought of his parents. They passed other students in the halls. Tervek nodded at them in acknowledgement, but no one said anything to him. They responded with nods of their own and kept their distance. No one wanted to disturb a counselor at work.
"I know it can feel isolating," Tervek said. "I came to the Foundation in similar circumstances, when I was about your age. Galra are social creatures. We like to feel part of something. We need structure and discipline to be truly happy. We don't enjoy being cut off from the prevailing order. I was cut off from what I knew—but I found a new home here. I studied here for the rest of my school career, and when I had finished my studies, I started to work here as a caretaker. It was hard work, but good work. I was rewarded for my efforts, and I rose through the ranks to become a counselor. It's now my task to make sure that all the students here are happy and healthy and understand their place in the world. Including you, Thace. Especially you, in this moment."
They had arrived at the hall, where the hologram of Emperor Zarkon still stood, shining. Thace wasn't surprised that this was where the counselor had taken him. "I understand," he said, but he didn't know whether he meant that he understood the role of counselor, or that he understood his place in the world and at the Foundation.
"It's natural to miss your parents," said Tervek, "but I mean it literally when I say that Emperor Zarkon will always be there for you. He has led and protected us for more than ten thousand years. A father or mother might leave you, but he never will. He's never left me." Tervek gazed up at the hologram of Zarkon, which, due to the nature of the light, appeared to shift slightly where it stood, as if the emperor were actually standing there. The counselor's eyes shone in the light.
Thace thought of Tervek studying at the Foundation for years, then working there—never leaving, bathing every day and night in the glow of his favorite hologram. How and why had Tervek's parents died, and would they have wanted that for him? Maybe they had died with honor, like good citizens, and would have liked nothing better for their son. Thace couldn't allow himself to have that kind of life. He knew that everyone here wanted him to forget his family and the beliefs they had died for. They would be most satisfied if he grew up to serve in the military and cared mainly about his own career ambitions and the ambitions of the empire. That was what they wanted for him, and he had to pretend that he wanted that, too. He nodded and gazed up at Zarkon too, trying to make his expression match Tervek's.
Tervek didn't ask him what he wanted or what he thought. "Speaking of our great leader, you're fortunate to have come here now! In just a few weeks we'll be celebrating his long life and great accomplishments with our annual Emperor Zarkon festival. Emperor Zarkon Day is the most exciting event of the year, and the whole school is involved. Everyone's preparing for it, and I'd like you to be involved as well. As our newest student, it would be wonderful if you could open the festival with a speech."
This offer might have been a test, or it might have been a way to show Thace how loyalty to Emperor Zarkon could win him honor and respect. He had no options, because there was only one possible answer. "Thank you. I'd be honored, Counselor."
"Only a few words are necessary! I know you'll do well with no trouble. A student like you. We're glad to have you with us." Tervek put a reassuring hand on his shoulder as they gazed at Zarkon together. Like me, thought Thace, and he wondered how long he was going to have to pretend to be like everyone else.
Ulaz was still sitting on the floor when Thace came back into the room, as if he hadn't moved during the time Thace had been gone. Thace sat down beside him, and they resumed their earlier conversation about biology, as if Thace hadn't left. It wasn't until a few minutes had passed that Ulaz suddenly said, "He talked to you about Zarkon, didn't he?"
"He did."
"I knew it. He always does. He's supposed to counsel us, but he thinks Zarkon is the answer to all our problems, so that's all he talks to us about."
Was this a test, too? Ulaz's tone was neutral, but he could have been waiting to see what Thace would say about the emperor and his problem-solving ability. Counselor Tervek had mentioned Ulaz taking care of him. What if Ulaz was also spying on him, searching for any signs of his parents' disloyalty in their son? He had to be careful, yet every time he praised Emperor Zarkon, he felt like he was betraying his parents, so he said simple, "He's very loyal."
"He is loyal," said Ulaz, and Thace imagined there was another question hanging in the air: Are you?
Thace couldn't answer that question truthfully. "He asked me to give a speech at the festival."
"Are you going to?"
"I think I have to," said Thace. There was nothing wrong with admitting that he hadn't had a choice. He wanted to see what Ulaz would say to the least suggestion that he wasn't completely enthusiastic about giving a speech. It wasn't the same as admitting to treason. It occurred to him that he was testing Ulaz. It was possible that they were testing each other, and impossible to say what the results of their tests would be.
"That's probably true," Ulaz agreed, an answer that didn't tell Thace anything.
Both of them were being cautious, but that could have been the normal way of behaving here at the Foundation, where the empire was everyone's watchful, unforgiving parent. "Are you doing something for the festival?" Thace asked.
"I wrote an essay. They publish a collection of writings about the emperor every year."
"Were you here last year, too?"
"Yes. I wrote another essay for that festival."
As they'd mostly spoken about science, Thace was still curious about Ulaz's background. "How many years have you lived here?"
"Two," said Ulaz promptly. "My uncle sent me here. He thought I'd get a better education here than with him." If he minded having been given up by his family, he showed no sign of it. He was as matter-of-fact as he usually was. "He's stationed at a remote outpost."
"Do you ever get to see him?"
Ulaz ran his fingertip over the flat screen of his reader, making the pages shift as he glanced down at them. "He's not allowed to visit." Was it better or worse to be deliberately given up? Thace would have preferred it if his parents had still been alive, but his parents would never have sent him here under any circumstances.
Ulaz looked away from the opened file of research notes and met Thace's gaze. "Do you want to fight?" he asked.
Thace blinked at the abrupt change in subject. He didn't object, because it wasn't an unusual proposal, but Ulaz seemed to have a clear internal train of thought that he didn't voice. There must have been a reason he'd gone directly from speaking about his uncle to offering a chance at combat, but Thace had no idea what it was. Nonetheless, he didn't want to turn down the opportunity. "I'd like that," he said.
"The training rooms are open until lights out. We have time."
Thace used to fight regularly with his friends. Remembering their bouts after school reminded him that he would be unlikely to see any of those friends again, but he had a few scars in memory of them. A good friend was a good sparring partner. He hadn't had a chance to engage in any battles since everything that had happened, back home. His heart rate started to increase in anticipation. If Ulaz was testing him, which was possible, he was also behaving as if he were trying to cheer Thace up.
The staff member on duty at the combat complex let them in without question, and it was Ulaz who picked a room for them. Students did appear to have a great deal of freedom on the grounds, but Thace was sure that they were being monitored and that that freedom wasn't what it seemed. Counselor Tervek's tour had included this part of the school, but as combat classes had been in session at the time, doors had been closed. Thace had heard rather than seen what transpired inside the separate rooms. As they passed the school arena, Thace glanced in through an open door. There was so much seating surrounding the pale battle floor that he wondered if spectators came from elsewhere to see the fights.
The training rooms were large, with lightly padded walls and floors in purple and dark gray. Like the laboratories, they were clean and new, difficult to find any fault with. Even the best of the training rooms he'd used before had had their dents and scars, but these showed almost no signs of previous use. These were facilities Thace would have felt lucky be able to use, if not for the circumstances that had brought him there.
With the door closed behind them, they stood face to face, with their feet apart. Ulaz reached out, and Thace took his hand. It was the traditional gesture for combat between equals, to show that both opponents were empty handed and ready to engage in a fair fight. Ulaz squeezed his hand firmly, and Thace squeezed back. He felt the usual excitement that struck him before a fight. Beneath his clothes, he could feel the hairs on his neck and shoulders stand up. His eyes widened and his ears twitched. As soon as Ulaz let go of his hand, he launched himself forward.
They collided. Ulaz was a little taller and heavier, but Thace had fought larger opponents before, and he didn't stop to consider that he had any disadvantages. Galra fought without hesitation or fear. As this was a friendly fight, he did hold back, but only as much as was necessary to avoid serious injury. Ulaz knocked him down onto his back, but Thace slipped out of his grasp and leapt up, regaining his footing. He kicked Ulaz's legs out from under him, and then it was Ulaz who toppled—but he didn't remain down for long.
The two of them were well matched, and it was an extended fight. When Ulaz finally decisively pinned him, both of them were breathing hard, and Thace felt pleasantly exhausted. "Do you yield?" Ulaz asked.
"No," said Thace, which was the traditional response. Galra didn't yield. They could, but yielding was shameful.
"I'll show mercy then," said Ulaz, and released him. If this had been a serious battle, Ulaz would have been within his rights to kill him, but there were no casualties in training fights. Thace wasn't hurt, just bruised and winded. Thace sat up, and Ulaz held out his hand. Thace accepted it and allowed Ulaz to help him up. Sparring matches like these ended as they began: hand in hand, to show that no real threat had been intended. Thace found himself smiling, and Ulaz flashed a smile in return. There were few things that felt better than a good fight.
"Do you want to try again?" Ulaz asked.
Thace nodded. He was tired, but not too tired for another match. "I'll win this time," he said.
"We'll see."
By the time they were truly finished, they had both had their victories and their defeats. Thace was limping, and Ulaz had a shallow cut across the left side of his head. There were medics on site for serious injuries, but they didn't for a moment consider calling for a medic before returning to their room.
Thace sat down on his bed, and Ulaz brought out a medkit and cleaned his wound. Thace glanced into Ulaz's storage compartment when he opened it, but he saw nothing unusual inside. Ulaz wordlessly offered the medkit to him, but he shook his head. He'd been injured much more seriously in fights, and he'd healed quickly. He'd feel better soon. He lay back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. After such a pleasant exertion, his body wanted sleep, but his mind wasn't willing to rest. He couldn't decide if he was willing to trust Ulaz, after only a day of knowing him, but in the short time they'd spent together, Ulaz had already made him feel better on multiple occasions. He felt less alone than he had that morning. He was grateful for that, but he was also prepared to lie to Ulaz for as long as he needed to deceive him.
"Are you tired?" Ulaz asked. "We can sleep now."
"I could sleep," Thace admitted, though still unsure of whether he could.
"Then let's sleep. You traveled a long way today."
He had come a long way, hadn't he? The journey and its ending didn't feel entirely real yet. Like a dream he could wake up from. If he went to sleep now, there was a slim chance that he could awaken in the morning and find himself at home. Part of his mind continued to believe he had that chance—even if, rationally, he was aware that that was impossible. Time moved on and life moved on, and this was where he lived now. Once he had changed into his sleepwear and was curled up in bed in the dark, however, a small fraction of him remained hopeful that by some miracle, he could go back to where he used to be. Like that little creature in the sand crawling out of its trap and back into its burrow.
That small part of him was eager to go to sleep. It was the rest of him that wanted to stay awake to plot out his next actions, now that he found himself in what could only be described as enemy territory. He assumed it would take him a long time to doze off, but in actuality, it was only a few minutes before his eyes closed and he slid into unconsciousness.
He awoke the next morning, and he hadn't left the Foundation. Days passed, and the fact that this was his new life began to solidify permanently in his mind. He attended his lectures, and after lectures, he would fight with Ulaz in the training room. Counselor Tervek administered a long, tedious series of tests designed to measure his loyalty, and he passed. Counselor Tervek was proud of him and gave him a small metal disc with Emperor Zarkon's face on it.
Slowly but noticeably, the coldness of the other students began to warm. A few of them went so far as to approach him and exchange greetings with him when he was on his own. They were more ready to accept him as a kind of an extension of Ulaz, and when the two of them were together, Thace was much more likely to find himself engaged in an actual conversation with a fellow student.
On the third day, Ulaz announced that he'd successfully applied to his biology professor to make Thace his official research assistant. It was after making this announcement that he asked Thace if he wanted to be his official research assistant. "I didn't want to ask you beforehand, since she might have said no. I wouldn't have wanted to disappoint you."
"I'd like that a lot. We have to find more specimens."
Ulaz seemed happy about his agreement, and Thace felt his faith in Ulaz increase slightly, but there was only so much trust he could offer to anyone. Counselor Tervek had had many kind and encouraging words for him, but if the administration had been aware of his actual beliefs, Tervek would not have been merciful, and the results would have been quick and unpleasant. Yet as he crouched outside on the rough, red soil with Ulaz later that day, Thace hoped that he could be his friend. The question was: could he be a true friend to someone he was lying to?
He didn't know the answer, but he decided he was willing to try. He'd never considered himself a dishonest person, but at the Foundation, he had to construct himself a life that was almost entirely false. It made him so tired, but he did what he had to. He obeyed the staff and faculty. He spoke highly of the empire. He pretended that he didn't feel pain over the loss of his parents, because they had been traitors. He had to write a speech about Emperor Zarkon.
It wasn't a long speech. They'd learned in rhetoric class that the best speeches were brief. On the dawn of Emperor Zarkon Day, Thace stood in the ceremonial hall in front of the student body. A stage had been set up for the event, and the Emperor Zarkon hologram had shifted position to take up a regal stance at one side of the stage. The hologram was bigger and brighter than usual, as more of the school's power had been redirected to it. In the center of the stage, under Zarkon's watchful holographic gaze, Thace felt more alone than he usually did. He had never been a public speaker. There were many Galra who loved to hear themselves talk as loudly and forcefully as possible, but he wasn't one of them.
"We all know who the Emperor is and what he's done," Thace began, his voice artificially amplified to fill the hall, "so I won't list his accomplishments for you." He could think of nothing but the emperor's cold gaze. He didn't know if the emperor had personally sentenced his parents to death, or if he had allowed someone else to do it on his behalf. "What we don't know is what he'll do in the future. What worlds he will conquer and what enemies he will destroy. But I can tell you one thing about the future. As long as the emperor reigns, he'll never stop. His empire will keep growing forever, because there's no limit to what he can accomplish. He'll overtake the entire universe. If there's another universe, he'll conquer that one, too."
There was appreciative clapping and murmuring. Thace felt slightly sick. He had tried to build a double meaning into his speech, but he couldn't afford to risk making it too clear. No double meaning could change the fact was standing in front of everyone, praising Emperor Zarkon. He searched the crowd for Ulaz, but he couldn't pick him out. There were so many people packed into the hall that that wasn't surprising, but he would have felt better seeing that Ulaz was there supporting him, even if Ulaz didn't know Thace's true feelings. "So we have to do our part for that future. We have to fight as hard as we can for the good of the Galra Empire, to make it healthy and strong. We're fighting for the fate of the next ten thousand years." He didn't say that, for the good of the Galran people, the fight should be against the emperor, but that thought remained clear in his mind as he spoke.
There was more and louder applause as he finished. Counselor Tervek was clapping too as he crossed the stage to reach Thace. "That was bold and inspiring! Forceful and to the point." He patted Thace on the back as he addressed the crowd. "Many thanks to our newest student, Thace. I know he'll make both us and the emperor very proud."
Tervek quickly escorted him off the stage, because there were more performers to come. Thace stood watching as a group of the youngest students gathered to perform a play about Zarkon's childhood. The boy playing Zarkon was wearing armor that was a few sizes too big for him. He was in danger of tipping over at any moment. As much as Thace enjoyed the thought of watching Zarkon tip over, he was more interested in finding Ulaz. Tervek was too distracted to notice him slip away.
The hall was densely crowded, as a number of visitors had arrived by shuttle for the festivities. None of them were students' relatives. They were mostly former students, the larger part of them military officers of varying rank. Their uniforms set them apart, gleaming gray and purple and red. Thace wanted to avoid these people. He mostly managed to keep clear of them, but a few of them insisted on congratulating him on his speech. Thace nodded and thanked them, then escaped from them as soon as he could possibly do so without being rude.
He wasn't obligated to remain near the stage, as the festival sprawled across the entirety of the school. There were games and prizes, along with displays of strength and skill. There was an entire gallery of art dedicated to depictions of the emperor. Thace couldn't decide which piece was the worst, although he walked the length of the gallery looking for Ulaz. Ulaz wasn't there.
Ulaz wasn't in the combat arena, where students and visitors alike were fighting in Zarkon's honor. Thace downloaded the collection of festival writings, as if reading Ulaz's could tell him where the other boy had gone. He was not surprised and was actually a little amused to find that Ulaz's essay was about medical advances during Zarkon's reign rather than any of Zarkon's personal accomplishments. Ulaz was more interested in prosthetics and implants than military victories. Thace smiled, but he didn't read the entire essay. He was too restless and distracted, too full of adrenaline to focus properly.
He decided to slip outside, where it was quiet. Those red rocks were the first place he'd found peace on this planet. He probably wasn't supposed to leave the festival entirely—it would be frowned upon, if not explicitly forbidden—but he had an excuse ready for Counselor Tervek. He would say he'd been so overcome by his speech and his admiration of Zarkon that he'd started to feel unworthy, due to his tainted background. He felt sure that Tervek would sympathize. He would be so pleased to have the chance to assure Thace that he did have the potential to live up to the greatness of the emperor.
As Ulaz's research assistant, he technically had a ready reason to go outside at odd times. It was possible that that was where Ulaz had gone, too. Thace had already noticed that Ulaz was a little more ready than his fellow students to defy convention. He designed independent projects and made himself scarce during the Zarkon festival. He was aloof and had his own way of thinking that Thace didn't always follow.
He didn't see Ulaz outside when he left the building. Ulaz usually he stayed relatively close to the Foundation buildings when he was working. The cloud layer was particularly dense today, and the light particularly low. The winds were high enough to pick up particles of sand, which reduced visibility slightly. It was nothing so severe as a sandstorm, and Thace's fur was enough to prevent him from feeling even the mildest discomfort as the sand hit his face. His inner eyelids slid over his eyes to protect them from the grit.
Thace himself couldn't say why he kept walking. It wasn't to get away from Emperor Zarkon, but at the same time, that was part of the reason. There was no way to escape him, but out on the surface of this planet that was largely untamed, he felt further away from him than he did anywhere else. He lost track of time and distance. He kept walking until he felt a strong vibration beneath his feet, rising up into his legs. He knew what that was, not because he had felt it before, but because he had been told about it. The border alarm. It marked the limits of safe terrain. Venturing past it didn't mean certain death, but it did mean that the danger would continue to increase, the farther you went. It might have been permitted to wander outside, even during the festival, but it was certainly not permitted to cross the border.
Thace moved back until the vibrations ceased, and he would have turned around to head back toward the Foundation, but it was at that point that he caught the sound of voices on the breeze. His ears stood up, then swiveled until he was able to locate the sound. It was low but definite, and it was coming from behind a nearby rock formation.
Perhaps he should have gone back right away, since there were few possible innocent explanations for a conversation taking place out here, as far from the Foundation as one could safely go, but Thace was too curious to resist. He crept up to the rocks silently. Keeping close to them, he started to edge around them. He knew that drawing in view of whoever was talking would potentially make them visible to him, so he sunk low to the ground, trying to make himself as small as possible. It was a risk, but he decided to take it.
With his ears lying flat, once he was as close to the speakers as he felt he could risk coming, Thace peered around the rock, in the direction of the voices. What he saw was somehow both a surprise and expected: Ulaz was standing there, talking to an adult. Was it a teacher, or one of the officers who had come for festival? Ulaz couldn't tell, because the figure was hooded. Whoever he was, he towered over Ulaz. At first, Thace couldn't hear what they were saying, but the wind grew quieter, and he was able to make out Ulaz's voice. "I don't know yet. He doesn't trust me."
"What do your instincts tell you?"
Ulaz spoke again in reply, but the wind picked up again, erasing the sound of his response. Thace leaned forward slightly, straining to hear. Suddenly, Ulaz turned his head to look in Thace's direction, and Thace had to pull back to hide himself behind the rock. He wanted to turn and run back to the Foundation, but if he did that, he risked being discovered by Ulaz and the stranger. So he waited. He'd let them leave first. Keeping himself hidden by circling the rock, he saw Ulaz go. Fortunately, he didn't draw near Thace's hiding place, as he chose a more indirect route back to the school buildings.
Thace continued to wait until he could be sure the stranger was gone too, but many long minutes passed, and he neither saw nor heard him. Finally, he decided that he couldn't afford to wait any longer. He broke away from the rock formation. He walked as fast as he could without actually breaking into a run. He kept looking for the stranger, but he made it back to the Foundation without seeing a single sign of him. It was as if he'd disappeared. Instead of calming Thace, his walk across the planet's surface had disturbed him further. Ulaz was involved in secret activities, that was clear, but who was he working with, and why?
The festival had not abated. Instead, the crowd seemed to have grown. He understood why Ulaz would have chosen that time to have a secret meeting. There were more people present, but they were paying more attention to the festivities than anything else, and no one would have noticed a student or a teacher sneaking off. No one had noticed Thace was gone.
When Thace returned to the great hall, he found an older group of children had taken over the stage, and were acting out another play. This one was about the war between Daibazaal and Altea. The actor playing King Alfor was making his usual villainous speech about destroying Daibazaal. Thace wasn't interested in listening, but he stopped and pretended to listen. He stayed until the play was over. Everything happened as it usually did: the Galra homeworld was destroyed, and Emperor Zarkon took his revenge. He swore to make the empire so great that no one would ever be able to harm the Galra again.
Thace wasn't impressed. He decided to go back to his room. If Tervek found him and objected, he still had his story about feeling overwhelmed and unworthy. He did feel overwhelmed and unworthy—if not unworthy of the emperor. It was his parents he had let down by coming to this place. He was already making speeches about Zarkon, and he had no idea how to do anything except what he was told. Now he also had to contend with the possibility that Ulaz was spying on him for the empire, trying to find out whether he was a traitor like his parents. This might not have been a problem, except he was a traitor. If only he wasn't a useless traitor as well. His skin felt hot with frustration at the thought that he might have to live his whole life without doing anything to fight against Emperor Zarkon.
The room he shared with Ulaz was empty. He was glad, because he didn't want to speak to anyone now. He opened his storage compartment and sorted through his knives until he found the one that had been his mother's. He unwrapped it and sat on his bed with it. The symbol in the crossguard glowed faintly. It gave him some comfort as he held it to his chest, the flat of the blade pressing against his shirt. He closed his eyes and pictured first his mother's face, then his father's. In his mental picture, their faces were sad. They seemed very far away. Thace squeezed his eyes shut tight. Crying was for infants.
"Are you all right?"
His eyes snapped open. He hadn't heard anyone come in, but Ulaz was standing there, watching him. Thace hand moved quickly, and he hid the knife behind his back, even though it was too late and Ulaz had already seen it. He wasn't forbidden to have the knife—everyone had knives—but he disliked the thought of showing it to anyone. "I'm fine."
Ulaz skirted Thace's bed on his way across the room. "It's not wrong to feel bad," he said, "even if they say you shouldn't."
"I don't feel bad," Thace objected.
Instead of insisting, Ulaz went to the wall and opened his own containment unit. "Look," he said. He had his own weapons, of course. Thace expected that, but he didn't expect Ulaz would withdraw a knife that could have been the twin of the one Thace was holding. He held it out to show him, and Thace leaned in to study it, eyes widening. "How do you—"
"My uncle gave this to me before I left to come here."
Thace settled his own knife in his lap and stared down at it. They really were the same. The blades were the same color and shape, with the same glowing symbols. It was impossible to deny that that meant something. It meant a great deal.
"I saw you outside today," Ulaz said.
He sounded so certain that he must have actually seen Thace out among the rocks. Thace didn't try to deny his presence there.
"Did you hear anything we said?" Ulaz asked.
Thace didn't answer at first. He had been worried before, but now that Ulaz was confronting him, he oddly didn't feel like he was in any danger. It was partly because he had seen the knife, but there was something else that put him at ease: Ulaz himself. Nonetheless, he hesitated to speak about his sneaking and spying. Ulaz waited for him patiently, so he had to say something to fill the silence. "You were talking about me, weren't you? With that person."
Thace didn't ask who the person was, and Ulaz didn't supply that information, but he replied: "Yes, I was."
"You said that I didn't trust you." Ulaz hadn't been wrong. He hadn't been able to bring himself to trust Ulaz.
Ulaz nodded and sat down on his own bed across from Thace.
"That person," Thace continued, "he asked you what your instincts told you."
"Right. He did."
"I couldn't hear what you said after that. It was too windy to hear anything else."
"I can tell you," said Ulaz. "If you want me to."
He wanted to know. He had been wondering since the moment when he hadn't heard. "Tell me."
"I told him that I trusted you," Ulaz said. "And then he told me that I knew what to do." Ulaz smiled. He didn't smile often, but he would smile at Thace now and then. Thace had noticed that. "So that's what I did." He held out his knife to Thace again. This time, Thace held out his own knife in return, and the two blades touched. The contact made a quiet sound. It wasn't a gesture of combat, but of coming together.
"He knew your parents," Ulaz said. "He said that they died well."
Thace lowered his knife slowly. Like the blade pressed against his chest, the words offered a chill kind of comfort, and he was comforted. Someone knew about his parents and understood. He didn't fully understand the situation yet, but he could trust Ulaz, and Ulaz trusted him. That was more than he had let himself hope for.
"I'm sorry I missed your speech," Ulaz said. He rose to put his blade away again.
Thace couldn't let go of his weapon yet. He liked the feel of it in his hand, solid and sure. "My speech was terrible."
"Then you did a good job. They must have liked it, if it was that bad."
Thace laughed. He hadn't genuinely laughed in a long time, and he hadn't felt as if anyone was being genuine with him. Now he wasn't the only one who was separated from them. It wasn't just him against the others. Now he had us in addition to them. He and Ulaz could make a joke about the others, and it was all right. "Ulaz," he said. "Is there really something—that we can do?"
"Yes," said Ulaz. "And we will. You and me."
Thace had never thought he would feel so happy again. His chest almost hurt from joy. "We should go back to the festival. It'll seem strange if we stay here."
"You're right. We're such good students," said Ulaz. "They're relying on us."
Thace felt the surge of a new and fierce optimism as he put his knife away. He didn't want to let go of it, but he had found something more solid and real—an ally. He had so many questions, but now he trusted that Ulaz would answer them, when it was time. Ulaz took his hand, and Thace squeezed it, as if they were beginning a battle.
In the great hall, Zarkon's hologram was still shining bright. Counselor Tervek caught sight of Thace and Ulaz and waved. He was able to extricate himself from the festivities long enough to walk over to them. "You've become such good friends, haven't you? It makes me glad to see it. Our friendships show who we are. When we work together for the good of the empire, the empire grows stronger."
"We want what's best for the empire," Thace agreed. He was conscious of Ulaz, beside him, nodding his agreement. Thace didn't know what was going to happen, but he wasn't powerless or alone. Whatever happened, they would do what was best for the empire.