Divisions:
An Account Of The Student Class Uprisings

"Arethi do not kill one another outright. They kill subtly, slowly. Soldiers, they beat you within an inch of your life and let the laws of physiology take over. Students, they will break your mind with their psychology and leave you a babbling shell, giving you no choice but to take your own life. Therefore, Students are by far the more dangerous of the two Classes of Areth."
-Scholar Ressut Trev, 32529

I

An Inkling

Why?

The one question burned through his mind. Why? Why Jendai?

Darkness was all around, giving no relief from the questions giving him headaches. His student, Lidge, lay against him, the tears that exhausted her long dried, trying to drown her sorrow in dreams. Min was at his other side, also asleep, yet twitching feebly with more dreams of his banished teacher. The two sleepers were lucky his couch was so comfortable. Others had couches about as comfortable as Soldier beds. He had to admit, he had cried as well, once the two young ones were safely asleep, hiding away in their dreams. The pictures were too much. All the old memories had come back and nothing he'd done could keep the tears back, not even for the sake of his student and Min.

Kaml Tikem sighed heavily, running his hands over his temples. It had only been hours since they'd found out. Only hours since the order from a choked-up Emperor Cethir had roused him from his perfect sleep. Only hours since their world had changed for the worse. He rubbed his eyes. Despite his growing weariness, nothing could make him sleep this night. How could you sleep when your closest friend was probably dying, lost in the vast recesses of space, or starving in some foreign wasteland?

He paused in his reflections to take a long, sobbing gulp of yisok. The black liquid was the strongest Arethi alcohol produced. It was less common than ahki, a fruity liquor favored by most other mechanics, but more common than the amrinae wine that the powers of the Classes preferred. He needed anything he could get.

This had all been so sudden. One minute Jendai Kaalae was ill, the next he was over six feet tall and banished, the mark of the Emperors traced in black across his chest. It was no wonder the other mechanic was banished. Two Emperors were all Areth could have; one from each Class, no more, no less. A third Arethi with the mark could only cause problems, or maybe even start a war between the Classes. With things already tense as they were, Soldiers needed no further provocation to attack his Class, the Students. Now Jendai was gone to a place where he could threaten, however inadvertently, the order of Arethi politics, leaving his student Min in Kaml’s care.

He shook his head, moving on to the subsequent issue in his mind. What was he supposed to do with two students to care for? Lidge was hard enough on her own, with her blasted attitude and aggravating habit of acting out on her own. But, now he had Min to care for.

The orange-eye glanced down at the gray-eyed Kaalae. The small one's tears were dried for sleep, although his tiny hands were wrapped tightly around Kaml's waist and a small holograph of Jendai. Even the mere sight of it hurt him.

"How could you, ‘Dai?" he whispered. "How could you leave this little guy all alone...? With your name to live up to?"

Kaml was glad he'd taken the name Tikem. Kaalae was, oddly enough, one of the more prestigious names in the Student Class. Tikem was more unimportant, even if they did good, honest work. His name suited him and Lidge just fine. They didn't need any fancy names to fix shuttles, but Min Kaml wasn't sure about. How would he handle his name? Could he manage the responsibility? Kaml frowned at these thoughts. It wasn't his place to plan little Min's future. Things would show themselves in due time, they always did.

He stood, careful not to disturb Lidge and Min. In the darkness, he could barely make out their sleeping forms where they lay, safely wrapped in their dreams, on his couch. Gently, Kaml gathered Lidge in his arms. Although she was almost as big as he was, the orange-eye was still able to carry her around as he had when she was small. It was somewhat comforting for them both. Lidge sighed in her sleep, unconsciously wrapping her arms around her teacher's neck, letting her head rest against his chest. Her thick, black hair slid into her eyes as a smile finally found her face. Kaml smiled back. The fact she couldn't see the expression didn't even register. He carried her into her room, weaving slightly back and forth. Lidge was heavier than he remembered her being.

With even greater tenderness, he laid his student in her bed, pulling the blankets up around her chin. The teen sighed shakily, curling up with the warmth, pointed ears twitching. Kaml's face creased in worry. He hated how this business had affected her. Deftly, he gave Lidge a peck on the forehead, then departed to find a room for Min. If all else failed, he could take the couch and give the little guy his bed.
Kaml returned to the living room, eyes huge in the darkness.

His ears twitched. "Min?" he called softly. "Min, is that you?"

There was a slight sniffling in the darkness. "Yes..." came the soft, sleepy reply. "I'm sorry I woke you... sir."

"Kaml. Call me Kaml," he said, taking another step towards the couch. "No formalities, kiddo. Kaml's fine." The mechanic had reached the couch by now and sat down, able to see his somewhat unwilling second student. Min's eyes were teary again, his little hands tight around the holograph clutched to his equally small, gray-clad, torso. "You okay?"

The young Arethi gave a slight nod. "Where... where did my teacher go, Kaml?" Min asked, looking down at the holograph as if it were Jendai himself. The look made Kaml's eyes begin to tear up once more.

"I don't know," Kaml replied quietly. "I wish I did, Min. I really do. It's... it isn't fair what happened to your teacher. None of this was his fault." He stiffened as he felt Min wrap his arms around him. Tentatively, he hugged Min back, trying to reassure him as best he could. "He'll be okay, Min."

Min nodded, shaking a bit. The older Arethi could tell the gray-eye was trying to believe him, but with all that had happened, Min was finding it difficult to do so. He hugged Kaml tighter, shaking increasing as much as his hold did. "Min," Kaml murmured softly. "It's okay. Min, I'm here now. I know..." he choked. "I know I'm not what you really need, Min. I'm not your teacher. I can't be. You’re a Kaalae now. I'm a Tikem."

Min looked up at him, blinking.

"But, I'm going to do the best I can for you, Min. Your teacher..." Once more, his throat constricted. "Jendai told me that... he told me how much you meant to him, and that if I didn't do my best to take care of you, he would be very mad at me."

Hearing this, the little one burst into sobs, clutching Kaml close to him, his small hands clenched into fists around the fabric of the adult's shirt. The sound triggered something in his brain and Kaml pulled Min into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Min hugged Kaml's neck, crying into his shoulder. The teacher didn't even try to silence the sobs. He knew how much Min needed to cry. Losing your teacher was one of the most devastating things a Student could experience in their lives. Losing your student was another.

He sat there for a long while, holding Min in his arms, knowing well that he shouldn't be the one comforting the little one; knowing that the one who should be holding Min was Mother-of-Areth-knew-where. An unwelcome thought appeared in Kaml's mind, something he hadn't thought of in a long while. Was Jendai alive?

Did he even want to be…?

No. He would not think like that. He couldn't think like that. Jendai was alive, and wanted to remain that way. Without realizing it, he hugged Min tighter.

They sat like that until Min eventually nodded off, the light from the third moon’s setting falling over his pale face. Kaml, moving carefully, carried the sleeping Student to his own room. There wasn't another one for Min yet. He'd make one in the morning. Renovation, while taking only a few pushes of a button, was fairly complex, and there wasn't time or patience now. The couch would be fine for a grown Arethi like him. Gently, he lay Min down and drew the blankets around him. A quick glace around showed the gray-eye had forgotten the holograph. With a soft smile, Kaml returned it to him, sighing to himself as he saw how tightly Min held it.

Poor little guy...

He retreated back to the living room, keeping his back to his room. A glance back there would surely only bring tears. Kaml sighed shakily, indecision plain on his face. He knew what he should do, yet he dreaded doing it.

The console hummed idly next to the phone. His face stared back at him from the screen, the vid-phone’s panels cool under his gloved fingers. He knew the frequency by heart and he relaxed, letting his fingers tap it out almost by themselves. "Sending Call" scrolled by the screen, followed by a soft beep to let him know the other end had been reached. Kaml took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

His boss was going to kill him.

It was the persistent beeping of his console that snapped Regert Shrig out of his deep slumber. With a growl of annoyance, the Boss of the West Jihi mechanic shop slid out of bed, glancing at the clock.

"Mother of..." the curse trailed off as he shook his head. Faintly, he heard a cough in the dark. Regert frowned. His little student had developed the cough sometime in the night and had awoken him in fear. Her panic was part of the reason he was so tired. Ah well, it was a teacher's life, and something he was glad to be a part of.

Dragging his stocky frame across the room, Regert had a few more moments to growl before punching the receive button. "Shrig here," he muttered, hauling himself into the seat. His single ear flicked and he ran a hand across the ragged scar where the other had once been. It was torn away years ago in an accident in the shop. "And whoever you are, do you have any idea what time of the morning it is?"

"Sir, I'm sorry but, I... I needed to talk to you."

He looked up. "Tikem?" Regert squinted at the exhausted face with the orange eyes. "Kaml, what happened to you? Is Lidge all right?"

The other mechanic nodded slowly. Kaml looked terrible. His eyes were swollen with old tears, deep circles lining them, etched there from lack of sleep. He kept running his hands through his dark hair, his fingers twitching as if he expected something to leap out of the darkness and drag him off. "It's not Lidge," his voice was soft, sobbing even. Kaml took a deep breath, flexing his fingers. "It's... it's Jendai."

The statement made Regert blink in surprise. "Jendai Kaalae?" he asked, confused. Last he'd heard of the blue-eyed Arethi, he was still far too ill to come to work. He almost panicked. "Kaml, what happened to him? Is he still sick? Did he get worse?" Silence from the other end of the line. "Kaml, tell me what's happened to Jendai!"

"They banished him."

For a while, all Regert could do was stare at the distraught Arethi before him. He could barely find the voice to even stammer out his questions. "Wh-why?" he finally managed, his normally deep voice cracking. "Why...?"

Kaml swallowed, fighting back his emotions long enough to explain about Leeri, the serum, Jendai's sudden change, the Coalition that had caused it, and finally, his banishment. Throughout the explanation, Regert felt a tide of anger rising along with panic and the horrible feeling of betrayal. It was the kind of feeling that only came from when something you cared for so dearly was taken from you.

He felt helpless. Jendai was banished? It was just barely sinking in. His best mechanic, his drinking buddy, little Min's new… "Where's Min?" Regert asked suddenly. It was an instantaneous reaction that would have come from any teacher. "Is he back in a Nursery?"

"No... no." The mechanic's head shook violently. "I... I have him now. Jendai... he asked me to take care of him." He bit his lip. "’Dai gave Min his name before he was... before he had to leave."

Regert stared once again. "He did what?"

What a burden for such a young one to carry, being the sole survivor of the name! If only old Daske weren’t dead, she could have taken Min instead of Kaml. She could have handled things just fine, and left the single student per teacher custom alone. But, Jendai had to do something like this. He sighed. It was too late now. He couldn't blame Jendai. It was Leeri's fault, her’s and that blasted Coalition's.

Before Kaml could speak up, Regert calmed himself and went on. “Ah, never mind that, Kam. How's everyone doing over there?"

"Coping," Kaml breathed. "Lidge is taking this a lot harder than I thought she would. Min is just a basket case. Other than that... other than that we're okay."

"Kaml..." Regert began, a warning note in his deep voice. "that's not everything. You can tell me. I'm not going to fire you just because you're having problems with the fact that he's..."

The orange eyes narrowed at something off screen, ears flicking inwards. Regert folded his arms. If there was one thing he hated, it was Students who tried to be more like Soldiers. Trying to hold back their emotions when others were near, it irritated him. "I... I don't want to... talk here," Kaml finally snapped, careful not to look Regert in the eye. His ears lay back as he said this, showing submission to his superior, although his tone denied the gesture. "Not right now."

His boss nodded. "I understand, Kam. But you know..."

"I know what you're going to say, and with all due respect sir, don't." The orange eye put his head in his hands. "I can't talk here. Lidge and Min are asleep and I know I'm going to start screaming. And if I start screaming, they'll wake up and it'll all be a mess and..." he sighed heavily. "Mother of... what am I gonna do Regert? I have two students! Two! That's more than any of us have ever had before!"

Regert looked straight at him. "Kaml, relax. Lidge is going to be on her own in a few years, and then all you'll have is Min! It won't be that big a deal."

"But it is a big deal!" The panicked, orange eyes sought the serene red ones. "Regert! I'm teaching a Kaalae! A Tikem is teaching a Kaalae!"

"Kaml! Calm down!" The sharp rebuke stopped the rant instantly. "Kam, please... relax... You'll wake them up." Regert cast a glance over his shoulder towards the other bedroom. "Listen, take the day off tomor—er, today, and meet me and Shil in Pikard's at... nine. Okay?"

Kaml nodded.

"Lidge can take care of Min, Wikki and Cerol." Another nod. "And Kaml? Get some sleep. That's an order."

He had slept. Finally, after a long while of staring at the dark console, his head had rolled on his neck, eyelids forcing themselves shut. The blissful oblivion had barely begun before the console and the glare of sunlight woke Kaml once more.

"Kam... me. You... etter have ...line ope..."

Orange eyes flashed open. He jumped, pressing buttons frantically to open his end of communications. The other end was cluttered with static, but there was no mistaking that smooth tenor. "Jendai!" he nearly shouted. How the blue-eyed Arethi was able to contact him was beyond his comprehension, but right now, Kaml was in no mood to question his fortune. "Where are you? I can barely hear you!"

"Sam... ere, Kam," Jendai called from the other end, sounding relieved. Kaml felt his eyes tear up again. "Listen... off-planet... Gon... ake me a while to... et wher... m going. ...just wan... to... ell yo... to throw a... ittle... arty when you think… here." Kaml fought back sobs. Mother of Areth, if only the transmission wasn't so broken! It was terrible to hear that voice try and cheer him through its own despair. "Drink... lot … ahki for me."

This choked a laugh from the orange-eye's throat. "Sure thing, Jendai," he sighed, glancing over into the room where Lidge slept. "Lidge misses you already. She won't stop crying." He heard a faint sigh. Poor Jendai. He had to say something to cheer him up a bit. "Min's okay, so far. But, Regert's throwing a fit." This wasn't working well. He bit his lip. "Hope you live through the trip, Dai."

"...anks." A gusty sigh. "Can't... alk lo... Kam... Get blas... oo bits... But, mo... Areth, yo... uld see ...up here..." Jendai sounded awed.

"Beautiful, eh?" Kaml asked, finally smiling.

"More... an... imagine." There was a pause. Kaml waited patiently, hoping nothing was wrong. "...ould you... tell Lidge... omethi... or me?"

That was unexpected. Kaml blinked, but replied. "You want me to write it down?" he asked, readying a datapad. He was a little nervous. What would Jendai want to tell his student?

Jendai was silent for a bit. When he spoke, the combination of static and the volume of his voice made it doubly hard to hear him. "...Ever you... ant," he finally replied. "Jus... ell her tha... I'm sor... hat this... ad... happen...fore I go... see her get out... your place."

"That all?" Kaml asked, surprised. Jendai must feel awful. But, to call to merely to say something like that was strange. Something was else wrong.

There was a long silence. "Tell... er... at I knew what she... going to tell me-" With a hiss of static that overpowered the rest, Jendai was cut off. Kaml stared for a moment before hurriedly pressing buttons, trying to get the line open once more.

"Close this transmission, Student!" a Soldier snapped, face appearing on the screen. "The Arethi whom you were speaking with has been banished! Get yourself off the line before you are imprisoned!"

"Kiss my ass!" Kaml snapped, flicking his ears. Before the Soldier could respond, he turned off the console.

It was morning now. Probably the middle of the day. As far as he could tell, both young mechanics still slept. Dimly, he remembered Regert telling him to take the day off to sleep. Yes, sleep was good. He needed to be alert for tonight, when he had to break the news to Shil Haye, yet another mechanic and friend.

He all but fell out of the chair. His eyelids threatened to snap shut, even when he was walking. The couch was more comfortable than he recalled, he decided, allowing himself to slip back into an unconscious stupor once more.

Pikard's Bar.

Just a few blocks away from West Jihi, it was constantly crowded with Students. All there were trying to forget their troubles in whatever pleased their tongues and clouded their minds at the same time. It was a dim, smoky place, where music always played and Soldiers never came. If they did, they were instantly driven out by the masses of Students. There was a close feeling of unity in the small building. Your past or your problems didn't matter as long as your credit was good.

It was two stories tall, almost hiding among the other buildings. The top floor was glass, allowing those above to look down and vice versa. Below, the floor was a giant grate, to let spilled drinks drain out. The bar was on the bottom floor, a large, computerized automation that could serve hundreds at once. It even gave advice--providing you tipped enough. All in all, it was a mechanic's haven for alcohol, a solution to lonely nights, and idle chatter away from any Soldier intrusion.

When Kaml arrived, Regert and Shil had already reserved their usual booth corner. The orange-eye slid onto the hard bench, across from Shil and next to Regert. Shil Haye was one of the smallest workers at West Jihi, standing at 3'11". Respected for her swift work, the female was one of the more influential Arethi in the shop. She was quite a contrast. Eyes as green as Areth’s long-decimated forests with skin so pale she could pass for an albino; albeit that burn scars from her working style marred her face. Wry as they came, she was able to actually slip inside a machine and tweak it around to perfection. Shil gave Kaml a sad smile. "Regert told me, Kam," she said over the shouts of others speaking or singing. "It'll be okay eventually."

He nodded at her. "Mother of Areth I hope so..."

Regert leaned his elbows on the slightly sticky, plastic table, examining the small ordering console each table had. "Shil, you had something you wanted to say, too?" he prompted, obviously trying to steer the conversation away from the topic of banishment. "Ahki all?"

"Half-half," Shil replied. When Regert stared at her, she elaborated. "Half yisok, half ahki." The boss nodded and punched in the order. "Anyway," Shil began, picking at a crumb that had somehow adhered to the tabletop. "Y'both know about how Cerol's been having problems with that eye of his."

They nodded.

Shil's student, a dark-blue eyed youngster named Cerol, had been seeing spots in one of his eyes lately. The little male had been to more med centers than anyone in West Jihi about it, but nothing had been found. Very recently, he'd begun to lose all sight in that eye from time to time. It was disturbing.

"I took him in before I dropped him off with Lidge," Shil continued, still picking mindlessly at the crumb. "Those moronic med workers finally found the problem..."

She broke off as the drinks came. Each of them tasted theirs to make sure it was correct before she picked up the story again. "Cerol is going blind in that eye."

Both males looked up, startled.

Shil sighed. "Apparently, it's in his genes and just started showing up now... they say he'll be totally blind in that eye either tomorrow or the day after." Her head sank miserably into her small hands, ears falling back against her head. "I don’t know how they could’ve missed this… it sounds so stupid. But, if he can't work after this happens... I don't know what I'm going to do. He can't stay with me forever..."

Regert wrapped a thick arm around her small shoulders. "It's gonna be okay, little girl," he comforted. "I've seen Arethi operate things bigger than the Emperors with only one arm. Certainly, Cerol'd be okay with just one eye."

"And Regert's so fat it should be considered a disability, but look at him, he's our boss," Kaml said with a half-smile. He sipped his ahki casually as Regert shot him a glare.

The little female sighed heavily. "Thanks guys," she muttered. "But, that's not what's worrying me the most."

Both twitched their ears in confusion. "What is it, then?" Kaml asked.

"Kaml..." Shil looked up at him helplessly. "the med workers said this was in his genes. It's a genetic defect..."

They stared. “A Genetic defect...?” Regert ventured, his voice small.

That was almost unheard of in Arethi society. All unborn infants were scanned to see if there were any such defects, and if there were, they were corrected before they were even born. If they weren't corrected, or could not be, the infants simply weren't born. They remained in the incubators until the proper disposal method could be preformed. That was just how things worked. No defects, no slow wasting death later in life.

But, here was such a defect, staring them straight in the face with a single blind testimony to the truth. The males grasped for a solution, something probable. More probable than what they were now thinking.

"Maybe the scanners missed Cerol..." Kaml murmured, looking a little pale. He took a hasty gulp of the ahki.

"That's something we can all hope for, eh?" Shil sighed unhappily. "It's what I keep telling myself... 'The scanners missed him Shil, the scanners missed'. But, Mother of Areth knows it isn't working. It just doesn’t feel like that’s the case."

"Because it's not," a new voice piped up. "It never has been. We've all just been too blind to notice it."

The West Jihi mechanics turned to see who spoke to them. Pale yellow eyes stared back at them over a glass of yisok, the thick, black drink half chugged down. The owner of the eyes was scrawny, rangy-looking, and stood about 4'3". His clothing marked him for a mechanic. They stared a moment at his ears. Neither ear was pointed, ending instead in smooth curves; more like a human’s than any Arethi’s.

"Gymar Karre," he introduced himself with a slick smile. "Boss of North Chlan Workshop."

"Regert Shrig," the red-eye said, putting a hand forward. The two clasped their fingers around the other's wrist before continuing. "Boss of West Jihi." He gestured to the two beside him. "Kaml Tikem and Shil Haye." They nodded to Gymar. "Employees."

The slick grin returned as Gymar slid himself into the seat beside Shil. She cast him an annoyed glance before shifting closer to Regert, her ears flicking. "Didn't mean to interrupt," Gymar apologized, giving a slight, grating purr. "but I heard you speaking about genetic defects and..." A gloved hand tapped one of his ears. "seeing as I have such a noticeable one, I wanted to speak with you."

Regert nodded slightly. "That's understandable. What did you want to say, Geymar?"

"It's Gymar, sir," the other boss responded respectfully. He cast another glance at Shil, smiling slyly. "Miss Haye, I fear your student is not alone in his defect. There are many, many others like him." The pale eyes narrowed. "They are barely noticeable until the gene with the deformity kicks in. In my case, when I began to grow. In your student's case, perhaps he is growing, or something was changing in his eyes. The way I see it, whenever the gene is needed, the deformity will show itself. It’s similar, in my experience, to the mark of the Emperors."

Kaml narrowed his own eyes. He disliked this Gymar. It had mostly to do with his oily nature, and little to do with the name Karre. Karres were lower than Tikems when it came to the status of their name. Karres were the ones who went to lower-class places for drinks or activities considered below Students. They were often fired, and drifted from job to job, trying to fit in wherever they could. He felt disgusted that such an Arethi as a Karre defiled the mechanic profession. Despite himself, his ears flicked inward. "Why haven't we heard anything about this, if it's so bad?" he asked guardedly, taking a sip of his ahki as the pale yellow eyes glanced at him.

"Because, Kaml Tickem," Gymar responded, stressing the incorrect pronunciation. Apparently, he'd noticed Kaml's expression. "the Emperors want to cover it up. They want to pretend it is not happening. They do not want us to know so that there will be less violence against us from the Soldiers."

"How does that work?"

Gymar sat back. He obviously hadn't anticipated Kaml's quick question and needed a moment to think up an answer. Shil had moved even closer to Regert, both of them shooting the yellow-eye a look of distrust. Gymar finally shrugged. "Maybe they feel that if the Soldiers don't know, they won't harm us so much," he said dismissively. "I don't know for sure."

Dark green eyes fixed him with another look of annoyance. "How do you know this?" Shil snapped, flexing her fingers around her half-half. The blue-black liquid sloshed a bit inside. "Got good inside sources or something?"

A chorus of cheers stopped, or rather, saved Gymar from answering. All eyes flicked to the door, where a new group had entered Pikard's. Five or six Arethi strode in, waving to the whistles they got. Each was dressed in the tan of a scholar, while one wore a long cape around her thin shoulders. It was she, the caped female, that the cheers were aimed at. A few males stood up to give her drunken salutes, which she laughed at gently before continuing on. Regert stood up on the bench and, cupping his hands around his mouth, bellowed in his coarse bass voice.

"Well, well! Look what the Soldiers dragged up!"

The caped female turned to face him, light blue eyes glinting with mirth. She broke into a huge grin as her eyes locked with the red of Regert's. "Regert Shrig!" she called back, planting slender hands on her tan-clad hips. "About time you showed your sorry skin to my face again!"

Regert laughed. "Get over here, you saucy scholar!" he ordered, sitting back down. "You need a lesson on how to treat your betters!"

"Tisk tisk Regert!" she teased, approaching them with a graceful stride that sent her cape floating behind her. "You know I outrank you now!" As she came to their table, Kaml graciously stood, moving a bit reluctantly over to sit beside Gymar. She smiled dazzlingly at him before sitting close to Regert who scooted over. "How are you, you fat old thing?" she asked playfully, poking his chest with one long finger.

He hugged her tightly, giving her a chaste kiss before responding. "I'm perfect, now you're here. Areth, Swar Aman... Mother of... I never thought I'd see you again!" the boss exclaimed, holding one of her delicate hands. "It's been years!"

Swar Aman...

The Scholar and teacher to Kasden Aman, who was now installed in the position of Student Emperor of the Arethi. She wore the cape as a reminder to all who she was, and who she had raised. She was a Scholar, a teacher and an old flame of Regert. Kaml wasn't sure what exactly had made the two separate, or any other such intimate details, but he had a theory that their split had something to do with Kasden's sudden promotion. Most Students looked up to her, loved her for putting one of their own up as Emperor, and respected her for her grace and wisdom. It was a rumor that she had taken a second student. Kaml had never seen the new Aman himself. This was the first time he'd seen Swar herself since she and Regert had broken things off.

"I know it has, love," she said sadly. It surprised Kaml she still called him that, and vice versa. "But I had to... you know that... what with Kas and everything..." Swar paused while Regert slipped his arm around her. "But, let's not speak of such upsetting matters her." She batted her eyelashes at Regert. "Amrinae? Please love?"

He nodded, punching in her order. Gymar eyed her, his eyes running over every contour of her body. Thankfully, Swar was too preoccupied by Regert to notice the yellow-eyed male. She looked near tears with the joy of seeing him again. Her amrinae came, light green with little bubbles drifting in it. It was when she lifted a hand to take it that her gaze came to rest on Gymar's appraising eyes. Coolly, Swar Aman stared back, giving him no more consideration than she would a new volume of text. "May I help you?" she asked.

"Swar... Swar Aman..." Gymar purred. "Perfection among scholars..."

"That is quite nice of you to say," she answered. "But I must advise you to cease looking at where you are looking. As you can see, I am taken by Regert Shrig and it would be wise of you to not make such passes at me." Very calmly, Swar took a small drink of the amrinae, smiling as the bubbles sparked on her tongue.

Shil spoke up. "We were in an interesting conversation before you got here, Swar. Have you heard anything about…” Shil hesitated. “About… genetic defects popping up lately?" she asked, slowly leaning around Regert to see Swar better.

The scholar tensed, but remained silent.

“Swar? You okay?” Kaml leaned forward, resting on his elbows.

"Love?" Regert asked, tightening his hold on her. "What's wrong?"

With a scoff, Shil sat back. “I knew this guy was drunk,” she growled. No one commented on the worry in her eyes.

Trembling, too-delicate hands lifted the amrinae to Swar's lips again, relaxing as the liquor soothed her nerves somewhat. "Shil," she began, biting her lip. Slowly, Swar looked at the three mechanics in turn, ignoring Gymar. "It's been happening. Arethi are born, so much more often since the Soldiers came to power, with biological defect..." She shook again.

The mechanics glanced at each other. As a scholar, Swar kept the birth records of all Arethi. It was a part of her job, logging the data from the Hatcheries into the large databases. She knew almost as much as the Hatchery workers did, including if there were any missed genetic defects.

"The workers assigned to Student Hatcheries are so nervous about the Soldier guards popping up behind them, that they miss things..." Swar lowered her voice. "They've even reported Soldiers tampering with the scanners... and once they come back, they find irreparable damage to the systems." Her light blue eyes filled with fear. "Soldiers, the higher-ups… no one believes any of this… even when I make my reports…” Her hands clenched. No one said a word; they waited, holding their breaths. “I hate it!" Swar exclaimed suddenly. "Mother of Areth, I hate it so much! I sit there, not being able to do anything while hundreds walk around with possibly life-threatening defects!" She put her head in her hands, shoulders shaking.

"Oh, Swar..." Regert held her tightly against her tears. "Shhh... it's okay..."

Shil bit her lip too, knowing her poor Cerol was one of those Swar felt so awful about. Shoving past Gymar, Kaml slid beside her, putting his hand on the small female's to help ease her discomfort. Shil looked up, startled, then grinned. "Such a gentleman, Kam," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. They watched Swar and Regert, ignoring Gymar. "I'm so sorry about Jendai, Kaml..." Shil murmured. "It's not fair that everything happens to us Students..."

"I know," he sighed. "We'll be okay eventually... Someday, we'll be level with them..."

She smiled. "You and 'Dai... Both such dreamers."

Gymar, sat ignored and snubbed, until Regert narrowed his eyes. "Don't you have a student who needs you?" he asked.

"The little thing can care for himself for a night..." Gymar hissed. But, recognizing the dismissal, he left.

Orange eyes watched him go with relief. "Blasted Karre..." Kaml muttered, removing one arm from Shil to finish off his ahki. He was more than glad to see the yellow-eye's retreating back. Something about his manner was too shifty. He was about to replace his arm when Shil stiffened, staring at something in the crowd that had gathered as the night progressed. Regert and Swar looked also, ears pricking.

"Teacher Haye!" an oddly deep voice called in a panic.

"Kam!" a female voice, older than the first.

"Kaml!" another male voice, this one with the slight slur of youth.

Shil and Kaml rose as one, moving out in the crowd to the source of those voices. They heard the other two not far behind them. The foursome shoved through the crowd, calling back to the three voices. It didn't take them long. Trapped in the doorway by a few adults, Min, Lidge and Cerol stood resolutely watching for them. Seeing their teachers, the three pressed forward, Lidge helping lead Cerol along. Already, the left eye of the young Student was turning an eerie, milky green. He kept turning his head all around to see his surroundings, the right eye, dark blue in color, gazing at the bar patrons. Kaml heard Swar's surprised intake of breath behind him.

"Lidge?" he called, pushing through a few stubborn Arethi. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Wikki?" Regert demanded, his ear twitching. He held onto Swar nervously. "You didn't leave her back at Kaml's did you?"

Lidge paled. As the eldest of the three students, she was required to speak up. "She... she's at a med center, Sir," she stammered, letting her ears flick back in submission. Min clung to her nervously, while Cerol stood at her left, attentive. Gathering courage from them, she continued. "We were playing a game when she suddenly fell over coughing... She said she couldn’t breathe! The computer didn't know what was wrong, so we called the med team and got over here..." She was trembling.

Their teachers swept forward. Kaml and Shil taking the students in their arms before following their boss and his scholar out the door. Moments later, the sound of Student runners lifting off was heard as a small fleet the light crafts roared through the Arethi night.

"And so, it begins..." murmured Gymar Karre from his seat, yellow eyes gazing intensely at the empty doorway.