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The Time Elemental

In the Andromeda galaxy home to a trillion stars, several star system hosts biological life and are in constant expansion. In star system Nembus, there exists individuals with different supernatural abilities and are known as elementals. They constitute different forces, factions and families at the heart of the complex political situation in the star system. Brian, an 18 year old boy with a difficult past fends off life one day at the time, tries to get an admision to the best academy of the system and sometimes is involved in shady business to gain fuel for gis timer. At his detection process, he gains a never before seen elemental ability which threatens the status quo of different established powers. -------------------------- The Cover picture isn't mine but from the NASA Hoblo telescope.

LordFenring · Sci-fi
Not enough ratings
6 Chs

Last day 2

Brian looked at the Timer on his wrist with annoyance. He had just lost 7 minutes of his life for a short ride. The Timer was more than just a device, it was a part of him. It was embedded into his skin and connected to his nervous system. It could not be removed without causing severe damage.

The Timer was a marvel of technology, a mystery that no one could fully explain. Only the elite and the powerful knew its origin and secrets. It was like having a personal computer and an AI assistant in one. It could perform any task or function that one needed in their daily life. But its main purpose was to serve as a wallet.

The currency that was used in the system was not based on any material value, but on something more precious: time. It had not always been this way. Gary had told him that everything changed two years after his father died.

There was a massive operation that forced everyone who was 15 years old or older to wear these Timers or face dire consequences. They threatened to exclude them from society or even kill them if they resisted. It didn't matter if they were rich or poor, powerful or weak.

The Timers were designed to work in a simple way. When they attached themselves to your body, they gave you 13 years of time to live. And then they started counting down.

The Timer was met with a lot of resistance and protest at first, but it also had some benefits. It kept your body healthy and fit, it healed any illness or injury, even the most fatal ones like cancer. And most importantly, it stopped your aging process when you reached 40 years old.

Brian glanced at his Timer and saw his remaining time: 09Y:11M:23D:05H:45m:10s. He groaned "Less than 10 years left."

He was startled by a voice behind him. "in need of fuel?" The voice asked. He spun around and saw who had spoken to him.

It was a girl who looked about his age, maybe a bit younger. She was slightly shorter than him, with short blonde hair and a cute face. She wore a white T-shirt and a sleeveless jacket over it. Her hands were covered by black gloves that reached her elbows.

She also wore a tiny jean shorts that barely covered her round butt. Underneath them, she had black pantyhose that hugged her legs. Her feet were in brown boots with loose laces.

He answered her sarcastically "Don't we all need more fuel, Raïssa?" and walked away. fuel was the common term used when you wanted to charge your timer.

She followed him with a bright smile and said "Some more than others." She continued. "And I have just the thing for us. A great business opportunity."

He quickened his pace and said "I don't want to hear about it." He remembered the last time she dragged him into one of her schemes.

She ran after him and said urgently "Just listen to me, please. It's different this time. And it pays really well."

He retorted "Yeah, yeah. You said the same thing last time. And you still owe me for that. I haven't forgotten." He opened the door to his class and saw that the teacher and his classmates were already there. Some of them were getting ready for the lesson, while others had just arrived like him.

His teacher, Mr Myers, looked at him with a mock surprise. He was an old man who had gotten his Timer late in life. He said "Well well well, mister Onana. What a pleasant surprise to see you here. Everyone, look who's back. Mister Onana has graced us with his presence. Let's give him a warm welcome."

The class erupted in laughter and Brian joined them sheepishly

"I trust you remember your place Onana" said Mr Myers with a chuckle. Brian nodded nervously at Mr Myers and hurried to his seat. Raïssa trailed behind him, clutching her backpack."

They both went to their usual spot next to each other on the bench before the last of the middle row.

Mr. Myers smiled at the eager faces in front of him. "Today is a special day, class. It's our last day together and we're going to talk about orientation." He tapped his timer and a large holographic screen appeared in front of them.

Brian didn't listen. He already knew what he wanted and his next course. He should have been there by now, but he had failed his selection.

"Trust me, this time it's worth it. We'll get at least three years each. And don't blame me for the last time, it wasn't my fault." Raïssa whispered next to him. "Look at these files," she said, touching his timer with hers.

Brian didn't reply. He touched his timer and a small holographic screen popped up. He scanned through them quickly. It was a detailed plan of Terminal 3, a superstructure low earth space station dock.

The space station hovered above the clouds and served as a dock for small ships like patrol boats, fast attack craft, frigates and small cargo ships.

Brian looked at her in disbelief. These plans were very detailed and hard to access. It wasn't the first time Raïssa had amazed him like this. He knew she was the daughter of a local crime boss who was involved in all kinds of illegal activities.

He always felt that she got involved in her father's business because she wanted his approval, so he tagged along sometimes because he needed the money. But this was a whole new level.

'Maybe she's deeper into it than I thought. She always dodges my questions and pretends not to hear me when I ask her about it,' he thought.

"Stop staring at me like that!" she hissed. "It's not that complicated. We have someone on the inside. The job is simple too. At 4 PM standard time, a small cargo ship will dock with a load of lithogen.

During the unloading, we have to sneak in and grab some boxes. The security is weak. It's just a few drones and some guards. If everything goes according to plan, they won't notice anything."

"How can the security be weak for a lithogen shipment? It's one of the most valuable metals out there!" He whispered back.

"So you're in?" she asked.

"I'm not saying yes, I'm just curious. I might think about it." He said.

"The owner didn't declare his cargo as lithogen. That's why he can't have maximum security for something that's supposed to be low-risk. It would be too suspicious and the customs would check," she said.

Brian stayed silent for 15 minutes, gazing blankly at Mr. Myers talking. Raïssa didn't say anything either, but she kept fidgeting next to him. Finally, he whispered to her.

"Listen, the selection for the Imperium Academy starts on Monday. I have to be ready for it this time."

"Oh, you're still going for it this year? I gave up. I'll go to another one or maybe join a high human program and become a special ops later." she replied.

Then she added in a final persuasive tone.

"Brian, you're the best fighter I know and that's saying something. I need you to watch my back in case something goes wrong."

'You haven't seen Gary' he thought, but said "Okay tell me more about it later"