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a pod.  As the hatch sealed behind Nathan, shutters on the opposing wall slid open revealing a panoramic view of the world below.  It was not a picturesque world, mostly dunes of sand with some rock formations and open bodies of water here and there, but Nathan had grown used to it and had even vacationed on it once – only once.
    “You’re early!  I hadn’t expected you for hours.”  It had been a while but Nathan recognized the voice.
    “ Jack ?” Nathan asked the figure emerging from a side compartment.
    “You’re surprised?  I cleared our little get together months ago.  Your secretary was abundantly clear on your busy schedule.”
    “Don’t mention my secretary.  I’ve had enough of her for today.  She, along with the rest of the support staff here, are government appointees.  You’d sooner cut through your own arm with a pad than get one replaced.  I barely have enough actual military personnel to teach half the recruits.”
    “Great, the future troopers of the Commonwealth are in the hands of civil servants.”
    “Not that civil . . .”
    “Or that much service,” Jack finished and burst out in laughter.
    “Its great to see you again, Jack.  How long has it been?  Ten years now?”
    “Seventeen actually.  I was hoping it wouldn’t take this long, but one can’t force the hands of fate.”
    “Seventeen years,” Nathan said in surprise.  “Has it really been that long?  Where did the time go?”  Nathan started to ponder the question before abruptly sharking his head and focusing on his old friend.  “Anyways, I take it this isn’t a social visit.”
    “I wish it was, Nathan.  You remember Lazarus?”
    “How could I ever forget that?  Whatever happened to that child . . .” he paused and turned horrified eyes on his friend.  “ Jack .”
    “I’m afraid so, Nathan.”
    “ Here ?”
    “Why do you think you were sent here?”
    “I always assumed it was to deal with me quietly.  Exiled to a remote academy with no standing on the fringe of the rim.”
    “You know that the both of us know too much ever to free ourselves from Lazarus.”
    “I’d heard the rumors but never gave them much thought.  So it survived.”
    “Yes he did.  I’ve been taking care of him since the incident.”
    “While I was sent out here to prepare this place for his arrival.”
    “Something like that.”
    “I wish someone had told me about that part of my job.”
    “You’ve done a great job, Nathan.  We couldn’t have asked for a better Administer.”
    “I have just one other question.  I’ve heard lots of stories, rumors – are they true?”
    “In the worst case he could destroy us all Nathan; we could lose the Commonwealth.”
    “Then we’d better do this right.”
     

Chapter 2: The Academy
    Brent found himself surrounded by darkness.  He stretched out his arms and started searching for anything solid.  His boot made an odd metallic sound when took a step.  Looking down, he found the ground was made of a sort of metal he had never seen before.  However, somehow it felt vaguely familiar.  Dancing yellow lights broke the darkness and he was able to see that the metal stretched out as far as he could see.  Shifting his glance upwards, he found the sky dancing with strange yellow flashes.  They looked vaguely like tiny fireflies high above.  He realized their number was decreasing.  He couldn’t explain why, but for some reason he started to grow fearful.
    He started to run away from the lights, trying to get away from them.  No matter where he ran, the lights were always above, slowly growing weaker.  He came to a dead stop at the base of a massive structure.  It had the shape of an ancient Egyptian obelisk but it’s size was impossible.  It stretched upwards, piercing the clouds like a spear leveled in defiance of the sky above.  He realized suddenly that the yellow lights were gone, the only illumination left was the dull green that shimmered on the surface of