Crash Landing (3 page)

As John fought down an urge to turn and run, Lorem put a reassuring hand on his arm as if he knew exactly what he was thinking.

“John Riley,” he said. “I’d like to introduce you to your new roommate. Kaal is from the planet Derril. The two of you are going to be great friends.”

“Hello, headmaster. What a pleasant surprise.”

John was amazed. The creature’s voice was soft and the smile that spread across its face looked shy. It took a step back and said, “Please come in.”

“Thank you, but I must speak to the Martian government, so I’ll leave you to get to know each other. Kaal, perhaps you could give John Riley a tour of the ship when he’s unpacked.” Lorem’s hand dropped away from John’s arm. For a moment he paused, then added, “And, by the way, fighting with Mordant Talliver would probably
not
be a good idea. Just some friendly advice. Take it or leave it.”

“Wha—” John began, but it was too late to question the headmaster. In a blink, Lorem’s body dissolved into a ball of glowing light that disappeared through the far wall.

Confused enough to forget how nervous the huge, green Derrilian made him, John said, “What on Earth was he talking about?”

Kaal looked down at him, puzzled, and asked, “Don’t you know about Lorem?”

“Errr, no. I’m not really supposed to be here. I’d never heard of Lorem or Hyperspace High until half an hour ago.”

“Well, he can see the future. The past, too. So when he says we’re going to be great friends, he’s probably right.” Kaal raised a hand, stopped, then said shyly, “How do your people greet each other?”

“We shake hands usually.”

Kaal stretched out a hand. “Like this?”

“Yes,” said John, taking Kaal’s enormous, six-fingered hand in his own and shaking it. “And... umm... how about your people?”

“Oh, we bite each other’s faces,” replied Kaal, bending over him. With a grin, he revealed his sharp white teeth again.

“Aaargh,” John choked.

“Joking. I’m just joking... On Derril we touch each other on the shoulder and wish them good flight. Like this.” Kaal gently put his hand on John’s shoulder and said, “Wide skies, John Riley. Come in and put your bag down.”

John grinned back at his roommate, Lorem’s strange warning quickly forgotten. He already liked Kaal. “Just ‘John’ will do,” he said, hitching his rucksack up his shoulder and following the green alien into the room.

“Wow!” The far wall was a floor-to-ceiling window that showed the full glory of space. Outside, a great cloud of swirling dust and newborn stars, which John knew was called a nebula – swept past. John tore his eyes away from it with difficulty and looked around. Room twelve looked like it belonged in a five-star hotel. There were two enormous, soft sofas with a low table between them and what John guessed must be a work station with comfortable-looking chairs and two thin screens. One wall had a beautifully detailed picture of the ship. At each end of the room were what looked like smaller rooms.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve already chosen that end,” said Kaal apologetically, pointing. John peered closer and realized that the smaller rooms were, in fact, giant, enclosed beds.

“You have everything you need in there,” Kaal continued. “Hologram projector, an entertainment ThinScreen, food and drink portals, communications and access to the main computer. And if you get sick of looking at me, just touch here.” He pressed a finger against a panel and a screen instantly hissed down, cutting the bed off from the main room. “You might want to use that anyway. I snore a bit.”

“It’s amazing,” John whispered.

“Bathroom’s in here,” Kaal said, touching another panel. Another door slid open, revealing another large room that contained what looked like a small swimming pool. Seeing John’s astonished face, he added, “They have to make everything big because some of us at Hyperspace High are pretty huge compared to the rest of you. There’s an automatic cleaning system, too, if you don’t like taking baths.”

John dropped his rucksack on the free bed. “If this is the
bedroom
, what’s the rest of the ship like?” he asked.

“Pretty cool. Want to see?”

“Are you kidding? Let’s go.”

“Don’t you want to unpack?”

“I’ll do it later. Besides, I don’t have much. All my luggage went to a different school.” Sudden realization hit John; he looked down at what he was wearing. “Guess I’d better get used to wearing these clothes.”

“Why? We can get you some more. There’s other stuff you’ll need, too.”

John fished in his pocket and pulled out the twenty-pound note his father had slipped in earlier. “I’m not going to be able to afford much,” he said. “Maybe a few pairs of socks.”

Kaal looked down at him, confused. “The school provides everything you need,” he said. “No one
pays
for anything.”

John shook his head in disbelief.
All of these expensive-looking supplies were free?

A few minutes later, they left their room and strolled along a wide, softly lit corridor. “So you really don’t know anything about Hyperspace High at all?”

“Nothing at all,” John confirmed. “I was going to a normal boarding school on Earth but got on the wrong coach.”

“That’s strange,” Kaal said thoughtfully. “Lorem should have known that was going to happen. Maybe it wasn’t really a mistake...”

But before John could ask Kaal what he meant by it not being a mistake, the Derrilian stopped at a large, transparent door and changed the subject. “This is the astronomy holo-lab.”

John peered through the glass. Inside, a small alien with smooth white skin and six dark eyes was standing in the centre of the room. Around it whirled a system of twin suns and planets. John watched as it touched a screen. Instantly, one of the planets grew and revolved in front of the white being. Another touch and the planet became even bigger. John could see seas and rivers, mountain ranges crossing its continents.

Kaal tutted. “Typical. Term hasn’t even started and Raytanna’s already studying.”

“Looks
way
more interesting than the classrooms I’m used to,” said John.

“Come on, there’s plenty more to see and classes don’t start for a while.”

As they continued down the corridor, Kaal made a complex hand gesture at a passing figure wearing a thick, hooded robe. It stopped and bowed deeply. Kaal bowed back. After a second, John followed his example.

The hooded figure bowed a little deeper, then continued on its way. Kaal whispered, “That’s Mang. He doesn’t say much, but when he speaks it’s worth listening to him.”

“You were saying about Hyperspace High...” John reminded him.

“Oh yeah, sorry.” Kaal took a deep breath and continued in a voice that sounded like he was reading from a brochure. “Hyperspace High was founded by the scholars of Kerallin almost ten thousand years ago.”

“This ship doesn’t look that old.”

“It’s not. The school’s old but it moves to a new ship now and again. Last time was only a couple of years ago.”

“So who are these scholars of Kera–
what
?”

“Kerallin. Well, few people ever see them, but they’re mad about learning and founded the school as a gift to the universe. Its mission is to give one being from each solar system the best education available anywhere. So far it’s produced one hundred and seventy planetary presidents, four hundred and twenty-one Ogloon Prize-winning scientists, countless important artists, explorers and – unfortunately – four intergalactic warlords, but there’s always a few who spoil it for everyone else... Hey, this is the technology workshop.”

John peered through a new set of double doors to see a long hall filled with workbenches and lined with neat lockers. On display were a variety of devices, some of which were moving slowly. “What are they?” he asked.

“Last year’s best technology projects. Oh, wow...”

“What?”

“Brilliant! Look at Master Tronic,” replied Kaal, pointing.

A large jumble of metal was moving at the end of the room. As it unfolded, John realized that it was a hulking robot. Its body was made of cables and great metal plates. A thin band of glowing red flashed across a grinning metal skull.

“What is
that
?” John breathed. “It looks dangerous.”

“It’s just Master Tronic,” said Kaal with a laugh. “Every term he makes himself a new body to demonstrate what we’ll be learning. Last term we were doing bio-technology, so he made a flesh body, but it looks like we’ll be moving onto robotics. Cool!”

John stared at the huge robot, but Kaal was already dragging him away.

“Come on, loads to see. Where was I... ? Oh yeah, so all the students at Hyperspace High are chosen for a reason, though most of the time no one’s quite sure what that reason
is
. The scholars of Kerallin are a secretive bunch. But it’s a big honour to be chosen. Oh, this is the virtual-reality lecture hall.”

For the next hour, Kaal led John around the ship until his head spun and his legs ached from the effort of keeping up with the tall Derrilian. He saw classrooms with holographic teachers, laboratories that couldn’t be entered without protective clothing, and sports halls where students were practising games he couldn’t begin to understand. “OK, last stop is the Centre,” Kaal said finally. “You’re going to
love
it. And we can pick up some new stuff for you there.”

“Centre,” said the voice of the elevator as the door slid open.

John followed Kaal out and found himself gasping for what felt like the thousandth time that day.
Will I ever get used to this
?
he thought, trying to take in the sight before him.

They were standing on a balcony in a space like a football stadium. Above was a vast, clear dome through which John could see stars. Below, where the pitch should have been, was a small forest. Tall trees, of types and colours John had never seen before, stretched up towards the dome above. In the middle was a small, sparkling lake, in which students were splashing around. Among the trees were tables where brightly coloured beings sat eating and drinking. Around the edges rose rings of balconies. More aliens –
students
, John corrected himself – were walking around, going in and out of what looked like shops and cafés.

“Awesome, huh?” said Kaal. “This is the Centre. It’s where everyone meets up. Let’s get something to drink, then we’ll grab what you need. Ska’s Café is the cool place to hang out at the moment. It’s this way.”

Staring ahead, John followed him. Beings of every shape passed him, some on two legs, some on four or six, some floating in mid-air. They were every colour of the rainbow, and no two were alike. Smooth faces and faces that looked as though tree roots were spread across them turned curiously towards him. Other students were covered in technological devices that looked like parts of their bodies. Every shop they passed was different, too. There was nothing John recognized in any of the window displays. He tried to stop and take a closer look, but Kaal’s hand on his shoulder steered him firmly through the crowd.

Inside Ska’s Café groups of students were laughing over tall glasses of bright liquids. The black walls were covered with designs in glowing colours, and the café was filled with a high-pitched wailing sound.

Kaal led him to what looked like a row of microwave ovens along one wall. “Hi,” Kaal said. “I’ll have a starberry smoothie, and my friend will have a... John, what do you want?”

“Orange juice, please,” replied John, wondering who Kaal was talking to.

“
Or-an-jooz
?
” said a dry voice. “What planet is that from?”

“Earth,” said John, looking around in confusion.

“Earth. Interesting planet, noted for its music.” Immediately, the high-pitched wailing sound stopped. John couldn’t believe his ears, as the sound was replaced with a popular song he’d downloaded the day before. He stared around wildly.

“Drinks are ready,” the voice said.

“Thank you... And thanks for the music,” John said, still looking around.

There was a slight pause. “You’re welcome,” said the voice quietly. “No one’s ever thanked me before.”

Before John could reply, Kaal nudged him and handed him a tall glass of orange juice he’d taken from one of the microwave-type machines.

“Ship’s computer,” Kaal said, seeing John’s questioning face. “Spare table over at the back,” he continued, peering over the crowd. “Quick, before someone else takes it.”

Sipping his juice, which tasted as if it had been freshly squeezed, John stayed close to the Derrilian as he pushed towards the back of the café.

“Hey, Lishtig,” Kaal said, stopping. “Good to see you. This is John Riley. New student.”

“We met on the shuttle,” said the purple-haired boy. “You’re the Martian prince, right?”

“Umm, no. Bit of a mix-up. I’m from Earth.”

“I wondered why you hadn’t taken off your disguise.”

“And this is Gobi-san-Art,” Kaal cut in, indicating a creature that looked as if it had been carved from rock. “Gobi, meet John Riley.”

“A pleasure to meet you, John Riley,” said the being, in a voice that crunched like gravel.

“And this,” the Derrilian said, ”is Emmie Tarz. Emmie, John Riley. New student.”

John’s heart leaped as he looked down. Sitting at a table was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her face was almost human – with navy-blue eyes, an upturned nose, and a wide mouth – and her faintly golden skin looked as soft as peaches.

“Welcome aboard,” said Emmie, her voice light and musical. John’s knees almost gave way as she swept back a mass of shining silvery hair and tucked it behind one of her slightly pointed ears. “Are you OK? Your skin’s changed colour.”

Realizing that he was blushing just made John feel even more awkward. “Umm, yeah, fine. Ahh... good... good to – yeah, you know.”

“And hello to you, too,” Emmie replied with a wide smile.

“Come on, John, we’re going to lose that table,” said Kaal, pulling him away.

Turning away from Emmie, John muttered to himself, “Nice work, Riley. Very cool.” He stepped forward and felt something squelch beneath his foot.