Read Online Star Rising: Heartless by Cesar Gonzalez - Free Book Online Page A

her. A sense of dread was rising within him, but after a second of reflection it went away. No matter how bad the report they managed to conjure was, it wouldn’t be as bad as Nandi’s original plan of simply copying the plaque word for word. With that in mind, he got to work.
    For the next few hours, Xalen guided Nandi in creating her report. They began with a brief quote of Musashi’s thoughts, then they moved into his life and death. Throughout the project, Xalen added Nandi’s thoughts on the subject, which proved an arduous task. She didn’t seem to have an opinion on anything that didn’t involve bashing heads together. Xalen had to refine some of her quotes.
    Pummeled him into a pile of stardust , became, Tactically exploited enemies’ weaknesses.
    Beat the dying plasma out of him , became Strategized with his fellow commanders to exploit the layout of a galaxy to his advantage.
    Blew up everything in his path, turned into. Recognized that the dust of the Nexus moons could be used to set up a trap that would only affect the anatomy of the Astomi.
    After some time, they had a full three-page report.
    “Not bad, Whiz Spark,” she said, looking at the report. “I think this will be enough to get Sensei Barteau off my back.”
    “Whiz Spark?”
    “Yes. It’s a name we use back in my home planet of Atreyu for smart folk.”
    “My name is Xalen.”
    Nandi frowned. “I like Whiz Spark much better.” She pressed the button, calling for the elevator. A jingle later, the platinum doors opened and they stepped in.
    “So tell me, Whiz Spark,” said Nandi once they were out in the yard again. Eyes followed them once more as they trudged down the stone path that cut through the grass. “You don’t have a weapon, which tells me you’re not a student. Why are you here?”
    “I’m going to be an Alioth, actually,” said Xalen, proudly.
    She eyed him suspiciously. “You? An Alioth?”
    Xalen didn’t even have time to get offended, for descending the stairs was Reave. He waved him over.
    “That’s my cue to leave,” said Nandi. “See ya’ around, Whiz Spark.” She turned and walked away, disappearing around a corner.
    “Where have you been?” asked Reave. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
    “I was helping a student with a paper.”
    Reave stared at him curiously. “Well look at you. Barely got to Alioth academy and are already writing papers for other people.”
    “I didn’t write it. I helped her with it.”
    “Aha,” said Reave, not looking convinced. His face turned from one of disbelief to one of acceptance. “Well, at least you’re making some friends, but I’d be careful if I were you.”
    “Careful? Why would I have to be careful? She’s an Alioth like everyone here.”
    “She may be an Alioth, but she’s also a Mordered.”
    “A what?”
    “A Mordered,” said Reave. He motioned for Xalen to follow him, which the young man quickly did. They traversed the garden of the Zizor Dojo, ascended a short flight of stairs, and waded into a hall so large that it reminded Xalen of a shuttle bay bunker he’d seen in the books he read. Dozens of multi-colored tapestries lined the walls. Under each tapestry was a wooden sliding door. Each door was framed in wood and panels of translucent white paper. Students, headed to class, moved through the wall seemingly without any order. Every one they passed moved aside, making room for Reave. Their eyes twinkled with admiration.
    “The Mordered hail from Atreyu, a planet not far from here. Despite being so close to the Bastion, they mostly keep to themselves.”
    “So they like their privacy,” said Xalen, more defensively than he had hoped to sound. “Why would that be a reason to be careful around her?”
    “You have to be careful because Mordered culture highly discourages their young from joining any faction that is not the Mordered Army. That is why you hardly see any Mordereds become Alioth.” Reave slid a door open and they