Crystalline Space (Dark Stars Book 1)

4

Getting equipment for a planetside mission wasn't as straightforward as it sounded in my head.

Following Kaiden's directions, the three of took a lift down four decks to an area that was presented as 'the place where you get stuff'. Despite that description aligning with our present needs, I was immediately skeptical of us being able to get anything useful when Kaiden led us into an empty room.

"Take a wrong turn?" I asked.

He flashed a knowing smile. "This is it."

I looked around the plain space—approximately five meters square. "What am I missing?"

Toran sighed. "Don't we have enough to worry about without you messing with us?"

"There's nothing in here," I said. "I was hoping for a sword and some stylish armor, or something."

"Step onto the scanner," a female synthesized voice stated over hidden speakers.

I jumped with surprise as a ring of white lights a meter in diameter appeared in the center of the floor.

"Step into the scanner for equipment fitting," the voice said.

"Huh." Toran nodded. "I stand corrected."

"Colren mentioned the 3D printer when I first got here, but I haven't tried it out yet myself," Kaiden explained. "I guess it'll scan us and adapt any of its built-in patterns to our size."

Toran glared at him—a terrifying look from someone of his proportions. "You mean I could have had a shirt this whole time?"

Kaiden took a step backward. "I kind of thought you didn't want one."

"Nah, man, it's cold! The jumpsuit just didn't fit well."

I rolled my eyes. "Let's note this as an example of why open communication is important."

"My, you're a sage advisor for someone your age," Kaiden commented with a smirk.

"Hah!" I laughed. "No, my mom's a therapist. It rubs off."

He smiled. "I know how that goes... the moment you realize you're starting to become your parents."

"Oh, stars, don't remind me," Toran moaned. "Just wait until you get a little older and see it really start to come out."

I looked him over, realizing that it was impossible to get an accurate reading of his age—not to mention the fact that all of us were in different bodies than the ones we were born into. "How old are you?" I asked.

"Forty-two next month," Toran replied.

Kaiden tilted his head. "Really? I guess the transformation took off a few years."

Toran nodded. "I was also skinny and thirty centimeters shorter, so there's that." He laughed.

"And, Elle, you said you just graduated secondary school, right? So, you're... eighteen?" Kaiden asked.

I nodded. "A teenager with no life experience—I know, exactly who you want on the team tasked with saving the universe."

"Stars, I'm only twenty-two and I won't graduate from the Academy for another semester," Kaiden revealed. "Not exactly the image of experience over here, either."

"What were you studying?" I asked.

"Agriculture." He laughed. "How's that for useful in what we're doing?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't have guessed that."

He shrugged. "My family hauled grain for a living, so I decided I'd rather be on the production end and get to stay put."