The Path That Leads Upwards

By Haniya J. Ee

Tilva Ouwan had a dream.

She wanted to become the strongest Metrabot pilot in the Galactic Federation. However, that dream was dashed when a hover car accident left her without parents, without a home, and with a permanent limp in her left leg. Her future, if she even had one, looked bleak.

Then, an unfamiliar name popped up in her contact list. Before she knew it, she was transported to another planet and set off on an unexpected journey. A journey that made her start to dream again. And one filled with highs and lows that placed her on a path that could only lead her onwards and upwards to greater things.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Candid Creation Publishing
• Release date: Feb 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9789811449659

Book preview

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Prologue

Where are we going, mummy? asked a young boy as he watched the grey ball in front of him get smaller by the second.

He had been too young to witness the lush greens and vibrant blues of the once lively planet. Too young to understand why they were leaving home for good and why their planet could no longer provide for them.

We are going somewhere better, his mother replied softly as she smoothed his dark unkempt hair, her olive-green eyes glistening under the low warm light of the starship’s cabin.

They were the last batch to leave as she was part of the team that had stayed back to make sure that nobody was left behind.

Will there be hamburgers there as well? asked the boy again as he looked up at his mother with the same green eyes.

She smiled gently at him before she spoke, Yes, you can have all the hamburgers you want.

Will Tommy be there as well? he questioned and tilted his head adorably to one side.

His mother hesitated for a moment, her eyes prickling with tears, before she nodded. Yes, Tommy will be there as well, she croaked.

It was a lie but she didn’t have the heart to tell him that his remaining years would be spent in this cold vessel away from his friends. That they would all never step on solid ground again until the ship reached its destination generations later, light years away.

She took one last look out the window at the now dim planet lost among the stars of the universe before she sat down on her heels and pulled her son into her arms.

Good-bye, she whispered softly into his hair.

He was all that she had now that she had left her home, her planet, and her world behind.

Chapter 1

Tilva Ouwan had a dream. A rather ambitious dream to be honest. It was a dream to become the strongest Metrabot pilot in the whole Galactic Federation. She had spent many a night crawling out of bed to pray that God would help make the dream come true.

Her teachers and classmates in kindergarten had found her dream odd. It was not every day that you found a girl this young proclaiming her dream to become a space soldier. Well at least not in Qurk, where girls were brought up wanting to become princesses and other less violent professions. However, Tilva was not brought up in just any family. She was from the Ouwan clan, one of Planet Qurk’s leading military families. The same family that produced generations and generations of high-ranking military officers. Tilva, being the only daughter of their head of clan, a Captain with the Qurk Imperial Space Fleet, had been groomed to take over the reins one day and, hopefully, lead her men to glory.

Now, being heir apparent was not an easy task in the Ouwan clan. Tilva’s father was very strict when it came to her training. While children her age were out playing under the sun, Tilva was made to stay in her family’s training room learning the ways of physical combat. Not very useful in this day and age where wars could be won with just powerful energy weapons, but this was Qurk and they were known for their love of close-range combat and the belief that a proper soldier should know how to fight with his bare hands. All these were not very fun to a child, but young Tilva knew that being the strongest meant a lot of hard work. And Tilva was anything but lazy.

But sometimes God has other plans for you, no matter how hard-working you might be.

The sky above her rumbled as Tilva wandered aimlessly down a busy street. In this jungle of skyscrapers and structures of glass, metal, and concrete, nobody took notice of her as they went about their errands. There was nothing special about her pale yellowish toned skin, common mono-lidded almond-shaped black eyes, thin lips, or boyish short black hair. She also did not stand out very much with her short stature and expressionless face. She was just an average seventeen-year-old girl who had just been kicked out of her ancestral home about an hour ago. With nowhere to go and her Federation credit account frozen, she was practically left out there to die. Or so she thought.

She ducked into the lobby of an office building just as it started to pour and patted away droplets of water that she did not manage to dodge fast enough. It was already the Season of Falling Leaves and the weather was getting really cold. She felt a shiver run down her back as water seeped through the thick blue fabric of her jacket into her shirt. The men’s cut of the outer garment made it look oversized on her small frame.

There was a buzz and vibration on her left arm and she lifted her wrist to look at her SmartComm, a watch-like device, framed in the latest black brushed metal. Still good as new despite the tragic accident that had landed Tilva in her current situation. The accident that took her parents’ lives and left her a homeless orphan. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she read her mother’s birthday reminder and the tears threatened to fall. It seemed like it was only yesterday when the family had gone out for a nice dinner in town and the image of her father’s lifeless arm sticking out from under the crushed hover car roof was just as vivid in her mind.

Excuse me, Miss. Are you looking for someone?

Tilva turned to see a security guard standing behind her looking stern and unfriendly. His dark brows furrowed and his lips pursed into a tight line.

No, I’m just taking shelter from the rain, Tilva replied honestly as she took a step back.

I’m sorry but only authorized personnel are allowed in this building. I’m afraid that you’ll have to leave, said the guard as he extended his right arm in the direction of the entrance.

It’s raining really heavily outside, can I—

No, I’m sorry. You’ll need to leave immediately, he replied firmly.

She sighed, hunched over in defeat and cursed her luck before she limped out of the building into the rain, almost tripping on the step as she did. She hit her left leg in frustration, suddenly feeling both helpless and useless. A feeling of numbness like the crawling of ants spread down her leg in protest. While she had survived the accident, she did not manage to escape unscathed. Trapped in the vehicle with a badly crushed leg, it was already too late by the time help arrived. Even with the magic of modern-day medicine and a three-month stay in the recovery pod, she was still left with a permanent limp and weakness in her left leg.

Tilva looked up at the dark clouds above, hoping that the rain would wash away the tears that finally spilled from her eyes. She gritted her teeth as she resisted the urge to cry at her hopeless situation. What had she done to deserve all of this?

The sky was getting dark and she had not settled the problem of her lodging for the night. She quickly pulled up her list of contacts on the holographic screen of her SmartComm to see if she could find someone to take her in until the morning. Just one night, that was all she needed for now.

As she scrolled through her long list of mostly acquaintances, she spotted instead a name that she didn’t remember adding. Grandpapa. Definitely not a word she would use to describe her grandfather. Not to mention that her grandfather had passed on for more than six years. Why would she even have his contact on her device? She tapped on the name to reveal a contact number, an address, and a name.

Verdr Ambren.

Ambren, that was her mother’s family name. Wondering how the contact was added without her knowledge, she tapped on the icon next to the address and a map appeared, zooming out of Planet Qurk and jumping across to the next solar system before zooming in on a city on Planet Hisra.

Of all planets, thank God it was the closest one.

She briefly considered if she should make the trip to find this Grandpapa of hers. At least, she would not be alone again.

She tapped on another icon on the map and another screen appeared, detailing the shortest way and the total cost to get to that location. Two SkyTaxi rides, two space shuttle trips, and one starship journey for a total of 3,317 Federation credits.

Wondering for a moment if she could actually afford the trip, she pulled out her credit balance only to see a message that said:

You do not have a Federation credit account.

Tilva sighed and cursed the efficiency of the Qurk banking system. She remembered very clearly that the page had told her that her account was frozen this morning.

She quickly closed the screen, not wishing to face the cruel truth of her financial state and decided that now was not the time to think about anything unrelated. She needed to focus on the problem at hand and that was her lodging for the night. Though, before she knew it, that plan quickly went down the drain.

Tilva was not sure how she ended up at the space shuttle terminal. One moment she was being rejected by so-called friends whom she had tried calling and the next she was already making the cold, twenty-two-minute walk to the terminal. Even though the rain had reduced to a light drizzle, her shoes were still soaked through from the waterlogged pavements and her clothing felt like it had been dipped in the waters of a frozen pond, cold and damp. The next trip to the space harbour was twelve minutes away and she knew she had no credits for the ticket.

Seeing that the sky was already dark, she decided to stay for the night since the terminal was open round the clock and had amenities that she could use for free. Job-hunting could start tomorrow after getting her well-needed rest. She was just too tired and hungry to do anything else.

She walked around the terminal hoping to find a good place to settle in and quickly found a row of empty seats hidden in a corner of the departure hall. She sat down heavily in the middle and started to fold her favourite blue jacket into a makeshift pillow, preparing to make this row of chairs her temporary bed for the night.

When she was finally stretched out on her side, across the uncomfortable furniture, she stared out the full-length window, unseeing, as various thoughts started to take over her mind.

She couldn’t remember the days spent in the hospital’s recovery pod in an induced coma, but the past four days had been insane. From getting discharged from hospital and confirming that her parents were truly dead to being told that she was no longer heir and getting kicked out of her home without a chance to pack her belongings. It all happened in a flash and she could hardly react. Her uncle had made doubly sure that there was no way she could fight back to gain inheritance to the family fortune or the position as head of clan.

She shook her head in an attempt to cast off all thoughts of her now deceased parents and tried to focus instead on the blinking cargo robots outside the window, trying not to think about anything, everything. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she had not eaten anything since dinner last night.

A shiver ran down her spine and she folded her arms across her chest in an attempt to get some warmth. Her last thoughts before she drifted off to sleep was a silent prayer to God to help her get through this. That she would do anything to get through this. Anything.

Chapter 2

Tilva was woken up by a loud bang and sounds of furniture being dragged across the floor. Rubbing her gritty eyes, she slowly got up from the awkward position that she had fallen asleep in and groaned as her back cracked in protest. She pulled on her jacket and spotted a couple of people setting up a booth of some kind, just a short distance away. Curiosity got the better of her and she decided to take a look.

She was walking over when a man in white switched on a huge holobanner that read:

Hisra Empire Military

Metrabot Pilot Entrance Exam

Registration Booth

Please register here before boarding

the starship at the space harbour.

Departure at 7 eve sharp.

Late arrivals will not be entertained.

There was a picture of a tall, regal humanoid robot under the text. An AGX-145W to be exact, Hisraian-made, Level 2 Agile class Metrabot. Its shiny smooth body gleaming under some light from an unknown source.

Tilva knew almost every Metrabot model on the market by heart, something that she was very proud of. Metrabots were her passion and she could spend the whole day tapping through magazines about these huge humanoid robot suits.

Metrabots, depending on their level, could reach up to twenty ritr in height which was approximately the height of sixteen Tilvas added together. Used only by militaries in the Galactic Federation, it was every boy’s dream to enlist into a space fleet just to pilot one. While you could pilot a Metrabot in the virtual world, the equipment was very expensive and the experience was watered-down in comparison. Why would you want to pilot a virtual Metrabot when you could pilot the real thing?

This was Hisra’s yearly recruitment drive for young aspiring Metrabot pilots and the exam was to be held in Hisra itself. Tilva did not know much about Hisra as she was going to follow in her father’s footsteps and enlist in the Qurk Imperial Military. But if this was her free ticket to Hisra…

She approached the booth hesitantly and felt her heart thumping hard as she neared it. She was not very good with people.

Erm… good morning, are you still accepting applications? Tilva asked, after taking a deep breath. Her face was expressionless, as usual.

Peace be upon you. Yes, we are still accepting applications. Would you like to submit yours? the man nearest to her asked with a bright smile. He shone like a beacon in the terminal with his blindingly white skullcap and thobe, his long black beard a stark contrast to his attire.

Do I have to buy my own ticket to Hisra? she enquired and silently prayed that she did not have to. She was penniless after all.

Don’t worry. The cost of the ticket is covered by the Hisra government, he assured. But the starship is setting out this evening, so you’ll need to decide soon.

Oh… said Tilva as she silently considered her options. Since the trip was free then there was no reason to not apply. She looked up and was about to give him her reply when a taller man walked over to greet her.

Peace be upon you, dear sister. I’m sorry to interrupt but I noticed your limp as you were walking over.

Tilva felt her heart drop.

We need to inform you that all applicants are required to be in good physical condition in order to qualify for the exam. I know this might be intrusive and I apologise, but may I know if the limp is permanent?

Tilva sighed inwardly. She had tried to walk slower so as to make the limp less obvious but it seemed like it did not work very well.

I had a leg injury but I’ve recovered now. Other than a slight limp, I’m perfectly fine, Tilva explained earnestly. She tried to look as sincere as she could but when you were not very good with expressions, it could be a little hard to be convincing.

I’m afraid—

Please, give me a chance! she quickly added as she slapped both hands on the table, giving both men a slight shock. It has always been my dream to become a Hisra Metrabot pilot!

She put on her best sad face but ended up looking constipated instead.

Both men exchanged a look.

The chances of you passing the exam are going to be really low. You’ll just be making a wasted trip to Hisra, the taller man advised as he frowned in concern.

I just want a chance. Please, she pleaded. She just needed to get to Hisra. It did not matter if she failed the exam; but of course, she could not let them know that.

After a very long moment of silence, the shorter man sighed and nodded, Alright, please tap your SmartComm here and authorise the data extraction, he pointed to a device on the table. When you’re done, put on this helmet, he continued and handed her a grey visorless helmet.

Tilva nodded and tapped her SmartComm on the device.

She was about to put on the helmet when the man motioned her to stop.

Wait, you’re seventeen this year? he asked in surprise as he looked up from the tablet in his hand.

Yes, Tilva replied flatly. She knew she did not look her age and it frustrated her to no end sometimes.

I’m sorry, the enrolment age for the Academy is fifteen… he started before trailing off after his colleague gave him a light tap on the shoulder. Tilva looked on worriedly, wondering if they were still going to reject her after all. Was not the enrolment age seventeen for military schools?

It’s okay, said the taller man as he stepped forward to take over the tablet. He tapped a couple of times on the screen before he looked up with a smile. You may put on the helmet now.

Are you sure… the shorter man asked hesitantly.

Since we are going to give her a chance despite her limp then what difference would it make if she were over the age limit? A chance is a chance. We’ll leave the rest to the All Merciful, the taller man replied. The shorter man frowned, unsure.

Tilva hurried to put on the helmet before both men could change their minds and it ended up a little lopsided on her head. The taller man chuckled lightly at her reaction before he reached over to tap on something on the helmet. The helmet started to vibrate ever so slightly for a few seconds before it stopped with a long sharp beep. He nodded and tapped a few times on the tablet that he was holding.

We’ll need you to do a quick assessment test here on the tablet and then you’re good to go, the taller man smiled. The starship will be leaving at nineteen in the evening, so please make sure to reach the harbour at least thirty minutes before the ship’s departure to check in your belongings.

Thank you! replied Tilva gratefully as she took over the tablet.

She quickly completed the short test and was pleased to get a big ‘Qualified’ on the results page.

The space shuttle and starship tickets have been transferred to your Federation identification code. You will just need to scan your SmartComm at the gate’s gantry, the man explained when Tilva handed the tablet and helmet back to him. May the All Merciful help you with your exam, he said with a smile.

She nodded her thanks and headed off to the boarding gates. There was nothing left to do now, so she might as well head over to the space harbour to have a look. She had never been to space before and could not help but feel a little excited.

Are you sure it is okay? the shorter man asked when Tilva was a good distance away from them. It is against policy to allow somebody over the age of fifteen to take the exam.

We both know that it is impossible to pilot a Metrabot with a leg injury, the taller man replied. But… at least she gets a chance to realise her dream no matter how impossible it may seem.

Tilva looked in awe out the shuttle window as the terminal started to shrink rapidly before her eyes. She was finally leaving Qurk and in a matter of minutes, she would be in space and starting out on her very first starship journey. Wide-eyed and curious, she looked around the shuttle, examining its utilitarian interior. The shuttle itself was not very big, only capable of sitting forty people at once and there was nothing much to see other than blank walls and shuttle windows. But this was Tilva’s first trip to space and everything was new and exciting to her.

As the speed of the shuttle finally got to Tilva’s excitement-fogged brain, she was hit by a sudden fear. Fear from the shuttle going too fast and too high, a fear she had never had before. Something appeared in her mind briefly and vanished before she could make out what it was. She gripped the hand rests tightly, her fingers white from the pressure, and tried her best to take deep breaths before she started to take notice of the young couple next to her who were chatting excitedly about their trip to Planet Voyx.

Did you see the booth at the terminal? asked the tall young man with dark hair and a rounded oily nose. Tilva assumed he was tall because his head was sticking out quite a bit from the shuttle chair.

What booth? asked the lady distractedly as she tried to look out of Tilva’s window. She looked a little too thin and her slim face accentuated the sharpness of her chin.

The Hisra booth! the man exclaimed as he grabbed the lady’s thin right arm, They are currently recruiting Metrabot pilots at the terminal. If we weren’t on this trip to Voyx, I would have definitely applied! the man continued, sounding disappointed.

The lady laughed before turning to look at him. Don’t be silly! You have to be an Iskrahfil to be a Hisraian Metrabot pilot, she said. And I’m very sure that you’re not one, or at least not yet.

Of course I’m not one! Why would I be? he asked, offended. How did you know about this? I’ve never known that you were into Hisra customs and stuff. He frowned.

I’m not but I do read the news. She looked at the man like he was dense. Isn’t it a little stupid of them to be recruiting soldiers from other planets just like that? she asked. This is not just some regular commercial organisation you’re talking about. This is the Hisra Empire Military! The survival of their people depended on them! she said, looking amused before reaching up to ruffle the man’s hair like he was a little boy.

Well, that’s true… he pondered out loud as he slapped her hand away in irritation.

Not to mention you’re over the enrolment age of fifteen. Oh, but they might still accept you since you still act like one, she smirked.

The man was about to protest when a voice came through the shuttle’s communications system, informing passengers that they had arrived at the space harbour.

Tilva left the space shuttle lost in her own thoughts as she recalled the lady’s words. She had never thought to ask about the requirements to be a Hisraian Metrabot pilot. She had just assumed that anybody could be one. Was that why they asked if she believed in one God in that assessment test? What would have happened if she had selected ‘No’?

She felt somebody bump into her from behind and looked up to see that she had stopped right in front of a travelator and was essentially blocking the way of a stretch of irritated travellers. Embarrassed, she quickly walked away before she was drawn right back into her own mind again.

Iskrahf, the religion of the Hisraians. Tilva was not sure if she was considered an Iskrahfil. Yes, she did believe in the one and only God and yes, she also believed in the prophets of Iskrahf but she had never made it official. She had just been following the religion in her own way since she was a child when she learnt of it from her Hisraian mother. This was very different from the people of Hisra who had made the religion their way of life.

She looked at the time and saw that there was still a good eight hours until the ship’s departure and decided to explore the harbour and do some touristy things. Her stomach growled in protest as she walked through a huge dining area that she found right in the middle of the harbour. If stomachs could eat themselves then this was exactly what she felt hers was doing at that moment. She had not eaten for more than a day and was drinking from the public water dispensers that were placed strategically outside each restroom. After watching a man slurp down a huge bowl of noodles, she decided that she had had enough of mental torture for the day.

She headed up to the observatory and found some empty seats that overlooked the never-ending darkness outside that was dotted by billions of stars and galaxies. She settled down to look out through the thick full-length hyperglass window into space and was reminded once again of how small she was in this vast universe, a tiny speck in this brilliant world of lights and darkness.

The whole harbour was a huge domed circle with two long arms, also domed in thick hyperglass, spreading out over thousands of ritrs on opposite sides. It was like a snow globe with two halves of a glass cylinder extending out on each side. On each glass arm were little glass tubes extending out from its sides into the numerous waiting starships. She watched as a huge starship docked nearby, its long body a slightly flattened cylinder which was tapered at the head. Countless windows glowed like little suns across the middle of its body. It looked like a giant grey Voyxian catfish with its sheer size and Tilva briefly wondered if it was the starship that she was going to board later that evening.

She was staring blankly out into space when a lady ran by, right in front of her. She was chasing her young son with a huge hover suitcase in tow, yelling at him to not run too far. Tilva was suddenly hit by a wave of loneliness. What would she not give to have her mother yell at her right now? Though her mother was never one to yell, always speaking to her in a soft voice with an ever-present smile. But that was all history now. Here she was all alone by herself, her future unknown and with nothing to her name other than a miserable black backpack and a faded oversized blue jacket.

She squeezed her eyes shut hoping to block out the negative thoughts from her mind before slapping both sides of her face hard with her palms, hoping that the sting on her cheeks would do a better job. Flicking her left wrist to turn on the holoscreen on her SmartComm, she quickly pulled open a search panel and keyed in ‘hisra empire military’ before tapping on the search button. Within seconds, a page appeared with details on the Hisra Empire Military, from its history to its divisions. Very superficial information that did not give too much away.

Hisra was the smallest planet in the Galactic Federation, followed by Planet Voyx, Pligym, Midyn, Gurok, Weidwyn, and Qurk. Despite its size, Hisra boasted the strongest Metrabot army among the seven Federation planets. Unlike most militaries that only recruited citizens of their respective planets, the Hisra Empire Military’s Metrabot division recruited anyone who believed in the All Merciful, the one true God. Successfully becoming a Metrabot pilot in Hisra meant that you got immediate Hisra citizenship if you were not already a citizen.

As to why they weren’t worried about being betrayed by their soldiers, it was because only Iskrahfils could pilot Hisra Metrabots. People who believed in One God. The One God who has no children, no partners, and was Everlasting. It was only through faith and worship that Iskrahfils were able to activate a specific portion of their brain that sent out a signal called the Rinus which was required for piloting a Hisra Metrabot.

The