The ramp lowered with a heavy hiss, brushing against the landing strip.
Natural light filtered through the opening.
It was blinding.
I squinted, my eyes adjusted to the sun after years of artificial light.
"Unbuckle two at a time. Try anything funny and you'll be joining inmate 420 in the great beyond."
He was the first to disembark.
The six guards in the back of the ship stood up.
One gestured to the cultist and me.
"You two, up."
I unbuckled, the straps falling to the side as I stood to my feet.
The woman beside me did the same.
She wasn't smiling like a maniac anymore.
She had that same expressionless look as before.
The guard pushed my shoulder.
"Move it, both of you."
The woman walked down the aisle, her steps measured.
I followed behind her.
As we approached the exit, the woman looked over at the dead inmate.
"Such a waste," she whispered to herself.
I glanced at the man.
I couldn't disagree, his plan was the pinnacle of stupidity.
Stepping onto the ramp, the first thing I noticed was the heat.
The air was humid and sweet.
Nothing like the recycled air back in prison.
I raised my hand as I blinked against the glare.
When my vision cleared, I saw we were on a massive tarmac.
It was mostly empty.
There were a few dropships in the near distance, next to a large hangar.
And beyond that was Bordon Military Academy.
The hologram didn't do it justice.
It was a large complex dotted with towering glass spires and gardens of ancient and alien flora. In the center of everything was a glass dome the size of a small village.
"Well, well… my new students have finally arrived."
I turned my attention to the man approaching us.
He was tall and lanky, with wild blonde hair and a wide grin. His eyes were closed, yet it felt like he could still see me.
He was dressed in a white gi and a black undershirt.
His belt was also black and longer than necessary.
"Please, step to the yellow line."
He gestured dead at it.
A yellow line sat a few feet in front of him.
The woman and I stepped to the yellow line.
She was humming a soft tune, but I ignored it.
Focusing solely on the man in front of us.
The rest of the prisoners filed out, forming a ragged line.
Hans walked past us.
"Delivery complete, sir."
The man frowned, slowly turning his head down the line. He then turned his attention towards the transport ship behind us.
"Hm, there's a man dead in there. I'm assuming that was you?"
Hans nodded.
The man sighed.
"Unfortunate. I was looking forward to greeting all of them." His frown softened, like he was remorseful. "Will you have him buried?"
Hans raised an eyebrow.
"No, sir. He was a murderer, killers don't deserve peace or respect."
The man smiled.
"Keep thinking like that and who's going to bury you, Hans?"
He raised a finger, "Honor is what separates us from the animals. No matter how many times we try to prove it wrong."
Hans looked unfazed, "Sir, we've delivered the assets as promised, it's time we go."
The man nodded.
"You're dismissed, thank you for your service."
"Uh-huh."
Hans wrapped a finger in a circle before pointing at the ship.
"Move out."
The guards filed back into the transport, leaving us alone with the man.
As it took off, the man let out a long sigh.
When the air was quiet again, he spoke.
"Do any of you like music from the old era? My favorite is jazz."
The silence that followed was long.
Jazz?
Seriously?
The only thing I knew about jazz was that it had a resurgence during the old era.
Around 2107.
But that was nearly 400 years ago.
I looked around to see if anyone had any idea what this guy was talking about.
But they looked just as confused as I did.
Well, with one obvious exception.
The cultist.
She looked to be in her own world, humming softly as she bobbed her bald head.
If anyone liked jazz, it would probably be her.
The man chuckled.
"No takers? That's alright, I doubt you listened to much music during your incarceration."
One of the prisoners, a large man with forearms larger than my thighs, looked around.
He looked up.
Left.
Right.
Back.
And eventually at the man himself.
"What's stopping me from making a break for it?" He finally asked. "Because if it's just you, I'm kicking your ass and running."
The man in the gi didn't flinch.
"Uhm, nothing I suppose, but aren't you here to better yourself? To become something more?"
The prisoner grinned.
"This'll be too easy."
He leapt over the yellow line, blitzing the man in the gi with a haymaker made to kill.
The punch landed with an air-cracking impact.
I looked away, closing my eyes.
He was dead for sure.
The poor guy was too pure for this world.
"What the hell is this?!"
The prisoner shouted in confusion.
I opened my eyes and looked back to see the man in the gi standing perfectly still.
I was sure the prisoner's punch had landed, but he was unfazed.
The prisoner gritted his teeth and pulled back for another punch.
He snapped his fist forward.
BANG!
The fist connected with his jaw.
And yet nothing changed.
The prisoner narrowed his eyes as he started throwing punch after punch.
Each one landing with the force of a truck.
"Please stop this, you'll hurt yourself."
"To hell with that!"
The prisoner continued punching, faster and faster.
"I'm getting out of here!"
The prisoner's fists began to sizzle, then burn.
I narrowed my eyes.
His flesh seared with each punch.
I got a closer look, and I could see the prisoner's punches were just a hair off the man's skin.
He wasn't even touching him.
What kinda tech does that?
And how can I get it?
The man in the gi raised his eyebrows as the prisoner punched through the pain.
"You're hurting yourself, you should stop."
"I can't!"
The prisoner barked.
"Why?"
The man replied.
The prisoner gritted his teeth as his punches began to slow.
Yet his fists only got hotter.
It's like each punch somehow redirected its energy back into himself.
"Because, you'll kill me."
His fingers began to unravel as his hands shook. "If I stop now you'll kill me, make a demonstration out of me for trying you."
The man in the gi sighed.
"Is that how I come off to you? A monster who uses retaliation as a tool?"
He raised his hands to stop the prisoner's fists.
The prisoner closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
"Just be quick about it."
The man in the gi released his hands, "Stand back in line, you've done nothing wrong."
Everyone watched with bewilderment.
"What?"
The prisoner blinked.
"It's only natural you want to escape."
The Gi man smiled warmly.
"Fear and desperation drive us to make unwise decisions. If I punished you for it, you'd never learn to be better."
The prisoner swallowed hard as he took a hesitant step back.
The Gi man stretched with a yawn.
"I'm assuming you guys are hungry and ready to hit the sack, right? Well come on, let's get you settled."
He turned, waving us along.
The cultist was the first to take a step.
I hesitated, before following after her.
The rest of the prisoners followed.
We walked along a limestone path lined with trimmed hedges and statues of servicemen and women.
"Hopefully you guys get your own statues."
The Gi man looked over his shoulder at the cultist woman.
"Wouldn't that be a sight, little lady?"
The cultist grinned, "You have a loud mind, it screams for salvation. I can silence it for you."
The Gi man chuckled.
"Maybe one day I'll take you up on that."
The arrival at the complex grounds was jarring.
Instantly, we were hit with cooler air.
The sun wasn't as bright and the sky was more colorful and brighter.
"Those spires aren't for nothing kiddos, they produce comfort fields. With one of those babies, even the hottest day on Karra is manageable."
A few prisoners hummed in approval.
It wasn't long before we ran into other students.
A group of three dressed in beige uniforms walked past us.
Two girls in skirts and a boy in a suit.
They frowned upon seeing us.
"Oh great, the blind wizard and his cannon fodder."
The girls sighed, looking at the boy who stared us down.
The Gi man watched them pass by without saying a word.
His restraint was impressive.
We continued deeper into the complex, earning more glares and frowns.
They watched us like we were cattle being marched to the slaughterhouse.
I wasn't too worried about it.
None of us was really.
When we reached the massive dome, a group of seven students greeted us.
They were different from the rest.
Black uniforms with shades and weapons.
"Master."
One of them stepped forward. A woman with short white hair and blue eyes. She was armed with two blades. One across her back, and another on her hip.
The Gi man raised an eyebrow.
"Eirka, I thought the council had other important business to attend to."
The woman crossed her arms.
"Of course we do. But if you think these prisoners aren't on that list, I'd have to question your moniker of the wise sage."
The Gi man took a step forward.
"And why is that?"
She smirked, but it was one of arrogance.
"Because you're fucking stupid."