Oasis Academy

Oasis Academy Chapter 1

Ley walked out of the shuttleport and onto the lift that connected the shuttle port to the main hub of Oasis Academy called The Library. As the lift, rose she yawned; it had been a long trip. Even at faster than light speed, it had taken over six hours to get from her home planet, Tia, to the academy. Oasis Academy was an artificial world; it covered 144 million square kilometers and it was also the best (and hardest to get into) school in this solar neighborhood. It functioned as both a high school and a college. Inside was a complete recreation of a mythical planet called "Earth"; it provided a neutral ground for students from all the 14 different planets and their colonies to learn how to take care of their own native planets. It also has an extensive technological program.

The lift emerged out of the blackness of the hull and into the even greater darkness of the deep ocean. In the darkness, she saw glowing lights dancing in the distance. After several minutes, the surrounding ocean started to get brighter and she started to see fish and other animals drifting by. As she neared the surface, she glimpsed some dolphins some distance away chasing a school of fish. The lift emerged out of the surface of the water and Ley gasped in open astonishment. Only now did she truly understand the vast scale of Oasis Academy.

In either direction was the ocean. Beyond that was land stretching on as far as the eye could see. As the lift rose, Ley could see more and more of the vast inverted floating sphere that was The Academy. She could see mountains, plains, forests, and lakes. Looking upwards the world was in darkness. The desert she knew was there was covered by a black cloak. Of course in the way of that view was the Library; it was a large sphere covered in glass arrayed around it was light and heat generating panels, literally miniature suns.

All of a sudden swooping away from The Library, Ley saw a small shuttle craft a "pod". They served as a small portable dorm and classroom for the students. For that reason, all incoming students were required to get certification in piloting one. As the pod came closer, she could see students inside laughing. The pod swooped around the lift tube in dizzying circles before soaring off toward a distant forest. Now more pods were coming from Library, swarming from all over and dispersing. The returning students orientation was over and they were returning to "class."

The lift entered the outer shell of the Library before coming to a rest in the main hall of Library. It was a truly magnificent sight. The curved wall went up several stories and were covered in greenery. The halls were bustling with activity. All of a sudden this strange girl bumped into Ley and almost knocked her over. Luckily she managed to right herself in time. Ley's first impression of the girl was that she looked awfully strange, but then again she was floating upside down in midair.

"Hey" she said. "you okay?"

"Hai, I mean yes I'm fine" Ley said. She hadn't expected this. Not that floating was unusual at home Ley just hadn't expected people to be so open about it.

The girl friends came up, "Seri watch where you're flying or... floating, I mean bouncing, or whatever you call it." The girl who spoke was dressed all in green with silvery-blue skin and short cropped dark hair. Seri, if that was her name, righted herself and began arguing with the blue girl who obviously wanted her to come down, now.

"Hello. I'm sorry about my friend." This one was a guy a bit taller then Ley with white hair, and he stood next to a girl that looked exactly like him. " My name is Adien Ise. This is my sister, Kira," he continued, gesturing to the look alike girl, who gave her a nod before returning her attention to the argument. "The one who almost knocked you over is SeriKeraTenDilaLaEsei but everyone calls her Seri. The bossy blue one is Saotomi Hai." That comment earned him a brief glare, which he promptly ignored. "Over there are Ruen and Osuni," Adien mentioned pointing to a small group of three off to the side who waved and started to come over, weaving around the people they encountered. Ley nodded slowly taking it all in. She realized Adien was looking at her expectantly and that Seri and Satomi had broken off their argument for the moment. So as Ruen, Osuni, and their friend, a girl who looked a year or two older, came over, she told them her name. "My name is Ley Xi-ala,..."Ley hesitated unsure whether to add more -but if they might be my friends I should be honest with them for the start, right?- so she forged ahead and told them her title, "...Kuruma".