Maia and the Xifarian Conspiracy (The Lightbound Saga Book 1)

by S. G. Basu

  “And how will they do that?” Maia could not keep from asking. She could hardly believe that he had received an approval so quickly.

  “Oh that! Very simple, of course.” Master Geir-Sei tittered at the apparent silliness of her query. “The pass-key you were given houses biometric scanners and transmitters. The moment the Tokii registered your names and assigned you numbers, an imprint of your persona was taken and transmitted to Xif along with other identifying data. The Board is responsible for cross-matching that information to find people with compatible sensibilities and group them into teams. It is a difficult and delicate task to match five or six young lives, but you have made it considerably easier for them by finding a big part on your own.”

  Maia tried to digest the not-so-obvious simplicity of the procedure as the master gloated over the bafflement he had managed to produce with so little effort. Seeing no signs of immediate recovery on their faces, he tapped his fingers together, fluttered his eyelashes, and smiled.

  “Now that you have successfully completed the first task, feel free to dally around.”

  So they did, or at least tried. With lofty hopes, the threesome walked around trying to mix and mingle. But Master Geir-Sei’s “bonding game” had already taken its toll. Not many were interested in friendly chitchat anymore. The trio seated themselves on one of the small benches at the corner of the bay and watched the crowd instead. The excited humdrum had eased a bit, but many faces sported angry frowns, and few looked eager to make the most out of the opportunity.

  Maia was about to suggest looking for a more interesting activity to pass the time, perhaps taking a stroll around the Fahrbot, when the predictable pattern was abruptly broken. A sudden commotion rose in the knot surrounding the vice principal. The crowd fell away in alarm as an angry boy made his way out from the center of the hub. He was handsome. His perfect build was well matched by the chiseled features of his face; his reddish-brown hair was tied into a stylish ponytail that Maia gawked at shamelessly. The murderous expression on his face, however, was far from pleasing, and he was clearly furious at the turn of events. Four more boys, who were nowhere as attractive as the ponytailed one, but had perfectly replicated his vicious expression, ran up to join him.

  “No one breaks up Lex’s pack,” the good-looking boy growled. His sentiment was echoed immediately by the nodding heads of his “pack.” “I will get us placed together. Just wait until my people show them who’s the boss.”

  “His people? His pack? Sounds rather like a gangster to me,” whispered Kusha.

  Maia’s chuckles, although hushed, did not go unnoticed. Lex scowled, clenched his fists, and stomped up to them.

  “You’ve something to say, smart-mouth?” he snarled and poked Kusha in the chest.

  “No, he didn’t say anything,” Maia intervened, flashing the most charming smile she could muster, hoping the boy would calm down. Lex turned toward her and made a nasty face.

  “And who are you, his enchanting girlfriend from the pigsty?”

  “Shut up,” Kusha yelled as he stepped between Maia and Lex.

  “Or what? What’ll you and your ragtag band here do to me?” Lex

  shoved Kusha back onto the bench.

  Dani rose to her feet before Maia could blink. She pulled out her sword in a flash, unsheathing it just enough to hit Lex squarely on the chest with the stout pommel. Her move took the boy completely by surprise; he teetered backward unsteadily and crashed into his equally surprised cronies. Dani stood with her sword still half-unsheathed, staring defiantly and matching the collective glare of Lex’s gang who looked utterly confused as they scrambled to help an outraged Lex back to his feet. Maia braced herself for their next move, her hand clamped tightly over Bellator’s hilt.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” the honey-coated voice of the flamboyant Vice Principal Geir-Sei tinkled merrily. He had walked over unnoticed and now stood in a grandiose posture—his arms crossed elegantly across his chest, right leg extended away from his body, foot tapping in a patient rhythm. He tilted his head with grace befitting a royal, gazed stoically for a while, smiled at Dani, and then turned his goatee up in disdain at Lex. “This is what being a team means—standing up for each other. What is truly important, young man, is solidarity, not familiarity.”

  Master Geir-Sei rubbed his flawlessly manicured hands together and flashed another sugary smile. “Now to matters of immediate importance. It is time to go. I am sure no one would want to miss out on the wonderful views as we continue to the academy, so please go up the stairs to your right marked ‘Observation Deck’ and take your seats. Now, march in, shall we?”

  After they were all seated, the head count taken, and the final papers signed by Master Geir-Sei, the Fahrbot 878 lifted off from the bay and glided out into the cavernous port with practiced ease.

  Maia gripped the handle of her seat, fingers digging into its richly upholstered arms, trying to anchor herself in the safety of anything stationary as the Fahrbot plunged into the dark ahead.

  13: Through the Golden Gate

  As the Fahrbot faced the inner circular gate, thin lighting strips that crisscrossed the floor of the craft flickered to life, illuminating the deck in an eerie glow. Dani sat next to Maia, right beside the window, her face a mask of obligatory courage. Maia craned her neck to look at the view outside. The golden gate in front of the craft had started to part, revealing a pitch-dark passage within.

  A complete blackness descended when the spaceship slipped into the tunnel and the gate they left behind sealed shut. And once again, the airship waited. Then another gate opened in the distance, and the diffused green light from the long passage beyond crept slowly toward the waiting aircraft. As the new path came to view, the Fahrbot shook off its stupor and glided toward the lit end, picking up speed until it hurtled forward.

  “That must have been the lock gate Hans spoke of,” Dani whispered.

  “Surely seems like one,” Kusha agreed. “This tunnel must be pressurized at a different level than the bay outside. The first dark tunnel is where they equalized the pressure around the craft to the same level as in here.”

  “I don’t understand why the lock couldn’t be better lit,” Maia grumbled. She was not fond of dark enclosed spaces. The green mist that surrounded them now was not too uplifting either, but it was a definite improvement over the inky black. “Is this taking us below the surface?”

  “Right to the center of the planet, of course,” Dani stated.

  “The center?” Maia asked. “The entire core of Xif is really hollow then?”

  “Well, no, not exactly,” Kusha replied. On seeing Maia’s confused look he started to explain. “The planet of Xif is hollow, but only about half of it. As far as I know, Xifarians used extreme land-carving techniques to burrow into the core of the planet. That was their only option to make the planet habitable, since the surface did not have an environment stable enough to sustain life. All their cities are located underneath the surface, where they maintain an artificial atmosphere.”

  “Hans says it’s pretty amazing,” Dani chimed in with the requisite reference to her brother. “Think of the spherical planet divided into two halves, each half subdivided into four quadrants. One half of the planet is unstable and volatile, strewn with volcanoes and lava fields, hence it is left as is. The other half is hollowed out into the first four quadrants and that’s where the colonies have been built. We must be heading for Quad 1. Hans says all government offices are located there, mostly in and around their capital, Armezai.”

  “Isn’t this planet also a spaceship? How do they . . .” Maia stopped midway, feeling a little inadequate. Her long-standing aversion to anything Xifarian, her fervent avoidance of all discussion related to it had led to this state of ignorance about Xif. Maia let her mind wander for a moment—how much her life had changed since she started on her routine journey to Shiloh two days ago; she was proud of her rejection of Xif then. Now, tumbling down toward the heart of the s
trange planet, inhabited by people she knew nothing about, she felt hopelessly unprepared.

  It is all because of Sophie. Had she not betrayed her family and her people, it would have all been so different.

  “No one really knows how they manage to steer a whole planet through space,” Dani said, sensing the intent of her question. “It’s hard to even imagine the kind of energy source that can drive such tremendous flight.”

  The dimming of the lights outside brought an end to the discussion. The Fahrbot had entered a darkened tunnel similar to the one in which they had started. This, Maia figured, was the end of the long passageway through the crust of Xif. She sat up in anticipation and so did everyone else around her. Conversation died down and all eyes focused on another gate ahead that opened up slowly. A collective gasp of wonder rose from the deck as they reached the other side.

  The Fahrbot had emerged from a “hole in the sky” that now closed shut behind them. Maia knew she was deep inside Xif, but looking around, there was very little to remind her of that. A cheerful blue sky hung above them, at the center of which was a brilliant white star. At the edges of the Xifarian world, the horizon touched the ground. Beneath them lay a concentration of buildings that Maia never imagined possible.

  A sea of structures rose in peaks and spires, domes and towers, packed closely together and forming a never-ending patchwork of metal and stone. Shimmering webs of ribbon-like roads soared and snaked around the unending maze of buildings, and here and there in the vast collage of gray and dull blue lay lively patches of green. The Fahrbot wove through a tangle of roadways, gradually sinking lower, until it landed on a large field in front of a clustered mesh of round white buildings that looked like a group of freshly sprouted mushrooms. Their spotless white domes glistened in the soft light, casting a soothing spell on Maia’s tired eyes.

  As the stairs unfolded, Maia, her teammates, and everyone else walked out of the Fahrbot. The Vice Principal Geir-Sei strode along a paved walkway toward the biggest “mushroom” that stood at the center of the expansive grounds.

  “This is the flagship building of our campus, the Sangrey-Tothe Dome,” Geir-Sei informed as the group reached the flight of stairs that led inside. “Your living quarters will be in here, as well as most of your project rooms.”

  Maia took a quick look at the vast campus surrounding them. Scattered around were other smaller structures, some shaped like the flagship building, some different. The trees and shrubs that nestled in between the imposing structures were trimmed to perfection. Pathways wound through the foliage and the buildings, tying the sprawling complex together.

  “Principal Pomewege will be here soon for the welcome address,” Geir-Sei said as he led them up the smooth white stairs and directed them into Sangrey-Tothe Dome through a pair of enormous doors.

  The large oblong lobby inside was brimming with anxious newcomers. From the far right end, a liberally sized glass staircase spiraled up to the floors above. The absolute lack of color struck Maia; the interior was stark with white walls, white floors, and white furniture.

  “Kusha, Dani, Maia,” a voice, clear and sharp, rose from somewhere in the middle of the room. “Are you here yet?”

  14: The Others

  Maia shot a puzzled glance at Kusha and Dani, only to find them as surprised as she was. Hoping to detect the origin of the summons, they made their way across the crowd. The voice rang out again when they were nearer to the center of the hall; its clarity stood out among the muffled humdrum. The source turned out to be a wee little girl who stood with some papers in her right hand, and a red weapon case clutched firmly in her left. A cascade of auburn hair surrounded her head like a silken cloud, falling past her shoulders in curly waves. Her blazing green eyes narrowed when she saw the approaching trio, and she sighed loudly while brushing off the locks of hair from her forehead.

  “About time you arrived . . . had nearly given up on you,” she announced. “I’m Nafi, from the Third Continent. Care to tell me about yourselves?”

  She stood with her head cocked, listening to their introductions. When they finished, Nafi pulled out the topmost sheet from the small sheaf she held in her hand and waved it.

  “Our team information—we’re Core 21 and all our stuff will be numbered per our core. Also got the week’s task list.”

  “Thank you,” Dani said, smiling gratefully. “So nice of you to take care of all that.”

  Nafi did not smile back. She simply thrust the piece of paper into Dani’s hand. Maia peeked at the sheet, which listed their names in order.

  Core 21

  Dani R. – V – 07656M

  Kusha V. – V – 21356Q

  Maia A. – V – 87243M

  Nafi P. – V – 01938F

  Ren L. – R – 110920D

  Miir T. – R – 947430X

  “These must be the numbers the Tokii assigned to us,” Maia exclaimed, noticing that the number on her lapel matched the one next to her name on the list.

  “Yes. Those are unique random identifiers. Every person on this planet is allotted one. ‘V’ stands for Visitor, and ‘R’ implies a Resident,” Nafi explained.

  “Ren seems to be a resident of Xif,” Dani said, shooting a questioning glance at Nafi. “Have you found him yet?”

  “Oh yes, Ren . . . he’s a little busy showing off his swordsmanship in that corner.” Nafi rolled her eyes and pointed dismissively at the nook behind the staircase where a substantial crowd was gathered.

  “Showing off?” Kusha raised a curious eyebrow.

  “To say the least,” Nafi scoffed. “If he keeps at it, there’s no chance in the world for us to win this contest. I think—”

  “Okay,” Dani interrupted, bringing Nafi’s tirade to an abrupt end. “So, we know who Ren is, but what about Miir?”

  “He’s a mentor or team counselor. They assigned a senior from Circle Four to guide each core. Whether he’ll meet us here, I don’t know.” Nafi sounded a little disappointed. She tilted her head toward the staircase, clearly referring to Ren. “Was hoping that Mister Show-off there would be able to help us, seeing he is from Xif and all.”

  “Let’s go talk to him then,” Maia suggested.

  They walked to the corner of the hall where the crowd now stood in hushed silence. Finding an unobstructed view through the solidly packed gathering was not an easy job, but Maia eventually managed to peek inside. A boy stood at the center in a steady stance, wielding a pole sword that was twice as tall as he was. The curved blade at the end of the long burnished handle of his sword glowed with open menace. Maia could not see his face clearly because of the dark red hood that covered his head and hung over his brow.

  “What is he trying to do?” Maia whispered to a girl who clearly did not appreciate the small talk at the crucial moment. She scowled at Maia before replying.

  “He’ll split that liemeberri into four pieces . . . midair. Keep watching.” She pointed at another boy who stood with a small purple fruit in his hand, facing the boy with the pole sword.

  The boy with the sword did not even flinch when his assistant tossed the liemeberri in the air. He did not look up, but simply sensed the trajectory of the fruit as it rose, reached the peak, and then started to fall. He moved when the target was a little above the level of his head. In a blur of action, the sword went up and down and then from left to right. The crowd stood in complete silence as the four pieces fell in a neat pile on the floor, forming the whole fruit like it had not been cut at all. The applause broke out immediately.

  Maia stared in awe, dumbstruck by the precise execution. The boy stuck his sword casually into a belt that hung across his shoulders and walked up to a group of rowdy-looking kids. When he started collecting what looked like Xifarian money, Maia blinked, taken aback by his brashness. He was audacious, no doubt about that, daring to put up a wager on his first day at the academy, right before the opening address. Slightly flustered, she started to weave her way through the crowd toward Kusha and Dani who had
found a spot to watch from the opposite side.

  A frown was deeply etched on Maia’s face when she stepped on someone’s toes. Looking up, she stifled the gasp of surprise with utmost difficulty. It was a boy carrying a long sword on his back and a red hood over his head. This has to be Ren, our fifth teammate. His intense gaze was fixed on Maia—his dark pupils, bizarre with its spatter of white dots, widened as he studied Maia’s face.

  “My eyes won’t burst into flames, if that’s what you are expecting,” the boy said in an odd raspy voice. He scrutinized her face one more time. “Oh wait, I get it. You’re not impressed with my little demonstration there.”

  He has noted my disapproving look. Maia wavered for a moment between lying and telling him the truth and decided to go with the latter. “I didn’t like your idea of . . . making money,” she said, trying to choose her words with care, “not that I don’t admire your skills.”

  “A stranger dares to give me a sermon on my little financial venture. You have guts and . . . I like it,” he replied, a temperamental smile playing on his lips.

  “Well, that’s good, seeing that you two will be working together in a group for a while.” Nafi had strolled over to the pair. “I’m Nafi, and the gutsy one here is Maia. The other two of our core are way over there.” Nafi pointed to the other side of the crowd. “That boy with the red headband is Kusha, and the shining angel with him is Dani. And by the way, I, too, thoroughly despised that betting action you had going. Stunts like these could have us disqualified from the contest. Don’t know about you, but I’m here to win.”

  “I’m Ren,” the boy said smugly, ignoring Nafi’s lecture. He pushed the hood off his head revealing a shock of spiky silver-and-black hair. Five silver rings adorned his left ear, matched by rings that decorated each of his fingers. Maia had to admit that the flamboyant persona of their teammate from Xif was meticulously matched by his flashy appearance.