David had woken up early to prepare for the morning's meeting with Codee. Very few people had been to his private office, and David considered it a great honor for him to be personally invited. He had even pulled out his dress uniform for the occasion. During the standard week, people were free in their clothing choices. On the warm climate of Alexia, shorts or skirts were usually paired with short-sleeved shirts for comfort. During exercises that required Elemental suits, a tighter one-piece suit was worn. On the other hand, there was formal wear for anywhere offworld. All Elementals had formal outfits, but they were worn rarely. They consisted primarily of an inner tunic that dictated their element, and an outer tunic a darker shade of the inner tunic. both were held by a obi and belt combination. The pants were loose, ending in knee-high boots.
Outer tunics were custom made to the Elemental's preference. Elementalist symbols were sometimes stitched on the back, and the occasional name or crest was seen. Sequins, shaped edges, and the like were not unheard of either. The tunics could be decorative or plain. Davids was like his lifestyle, devoid of much except a small fire elementalist symbol on the left breast. He believed that clothing, as well as one's life, should be cleansed of anything unnecessary. Walking again to the lift, he put a slight march into his step, as to look disciplined. For a moment, he felt that he might be having second thoughts about his career, then quickly erased them and punched the code to Codee's office. The lift began to rise, and David was on his way to see the great leader of the Elementalists.
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When the doors opened, David stared in awe. Although the chamber was only slightly bigger than his apartment, it had some of the most amazing things he had ever seen. Walking over to a swirling mass, he watched as the patterns and colors manipulated themselves, changing from blue to violet to colors he had never seen. It seemed to be liquid, except for the fact that it was freestanding, hovering in the air with the help of two small plates on the floor and ceiling. Moving away, he noticed a suit of armor. Taking a closer look, he saw that it was similar to Elementalist Armor, but very old, almost ancient.
"The first Elementalist Armor" Codee said, appearing behind David as if by magic.
Thoroughly surprised, David turned around. "I did not mean to intrude master". He looked at the crystal around Codee's neck.
"No need to apologize David. Come over here". Pointing to a desk with two chairs, Codee sat down and pulled out two bottles of a yellowish liquid. David nervously sat across from him, and accepted the bottle.
"Excelsian Ginger Ale. An excellent beverage.
"Thank you master. Not to be rude, but why am I here?"
Codee stood up and dimmed the windows on the back wall. Sitting once again, he activated a holoprojector on his desk. Instead of a topographical map, it showed a starfield.
"These are the systems under Elementalist control." All the systems on the lower half of the projection turned green. "The Formationist-controlled planets here" The upper half turned red."Here is the problem. The Inferneus system", he said, drawing a circle with his stylus. A yellow system popped up in the center of the holograph. Zooming in, David noticed that one planet was blinking between white and red. "We believe the fourth planet of the Inferneus system is currently under siege by the Formationists. We need to send a team into the system to verify this information. Would you and your team be willing to volunteer?"
"Master, what is the name of the planet?" David questioned.
"Dantes, David. The planets name is Dantes."
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David was troubled as he left the office for the quiet confines of the lift. Why Dantes? Was it a test of will, or had Codee forgotten the past of the planet?
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The first class of the day was Elementalist History and Philosophy. Usually a dull and boring class to most, David loved the past. He had almost as much knowledge of the histories as master Jason, who taught the subject. Today's topic was the origin of the elemental powers.
"Although we are not sure of where the powers truly came from", Jason began "We know that when Codee linked through to this dimension, some form of the dimensional abilities he possessed were transferred to our dimension. If this is true, then the energy had to have radiated from the gateway into the crystals that we draw our power from."
Aidon, who sat beside David, stood up. "Then why can we not re-open the gateway, being as the energies are technically the same?"
"So far, all the trials to do that have failed. Since the energies traveled through a dimensional barrier, the wavelengths shifted and separated, much as light does through a prism. There is no known way to recombine all the energies into the original dimensionalist abilities. Even if it was possible, we could achieve nothing by returning to that dimension."
"We could at least meet the people who made it possible for us to be the way we are."
"No, Aidon. The dimensionalists would not allow us entry. They believe that we stole their powers, and would probably destroy this dimension, and us along with it."
Aidon looked down.
"Dimensional ability, like elemental ability, is a dangerous thing. It can be used for creation like us, or destruction, like the Formationists."
"And where did the formationists get their power" Seyla asked.
"Derek, their leader, was once a great elementalist, and a member on the council as secondary master of electric. We became angry at the council when they refused his idea of taking over key systems, and using the to control the galactic council. He left Alexia taking his elemental powers, as well as our first sprite-class ship. Now they use a corrupted form of energy."
David finally stood up. The lesson had changed his thoughts on the Formationists."If the formationists are not all that different from us, should we not be able to absorb their energy?"
Jason looked at David with a cautionary glance. "Only if you want to become one of them"
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David was leaving the classroom when Jason stopped him.
"David, you and your squad are changing your schedule next week. You will be training with masters Brad, Eric, and Curtis to be prepared for your mission. Nobody will have to worry about the classwork, but be careful. Going into Formationist territory is dangerous, and I never would have agreed to sending you in except in special circumstances that have showed up. Good luck and be safe."
"Thank you master Jason". Turning, David left to tell his team the news.