Shura hung the robe on the rack and ran a hand through his still-damp hair. The shower had been incredible—jets of hot water that had massaged him from every angle, a gel that smelled like something akin to eucalyptus but better, and a drying system that had left him drier than any towel on Earth.
He looked at himself in the mirror. The clothes Moon had prepared fit him perfectly: the gray shirt shimmered faintly with a tone that seemed alive, the dark pants adjusted without squeezing, and the elegant black jacket gave him an appearance he had never imagined having. He looked like someone important. Or at least, like someone who hadn't been fleeing from mobsters with a bullet in his side just hours ago.
"Not bad," he murmured to himself, turning to see himself from another angle.
Moon was still by the door, her amber sensor glowing calmly. The second robot had disappeared at some point during the bath, leaving him alone with the main version of the AI.
Shura turned toward her, crossing his arms.
"Alright, Moon. I'm clean, dressed, and with a full stomach. What happens now?"
Moon tilted her white prism slightly.
"Now, Master, we head to the Supreme Academy."
Shura frowned. It wasn't the first time he'd heard that name.
"Supreme Academy. You've mentioned it before. What exactly is it?"
"The Supreme Academy is the most prestigious educational institution in this sector of the galaxy," Moon explained, her voice metallic yet soft. "In terms you might understand: it's the place where adolescents—or their equivalents across different species—go to receive specialized education, combat training, and develop their full potential. Graduates become figures of great renown: military officers, rulers of star systems, leaders of interstellar corporations. Many of the names that dominate galactic politics came from there."
Shura listened attentively, but a growing sense of unease was beginning to form in his stomach.
"Sounds impressive," he said slowly. "But you haven't told me what this has to do with me."
Moon was silent for a second. Her sensor flickered with a dimmer tone.
"My former masters received an invitation to join the Supreme Academy three hundred years ago. It was a rare honor; the institution doesn't usually actively seek out its applicants, but the Vaelith were a respected species and their lineage carried weight in certain circles. However, due to their illness, they never formally accepted or declined the invitation. It remained... unresolved."
Shura felt something twist in his stomach.
"Unresolved?"
"When you activated the ship and established the biological link, all pending protocols were reactivated. The invitation was processed as an active request. And since there was no prior rejection, the Academy's system interpreted that the new user—you—accepted the terms."
"Moon," Shura said with dangerous slowness, "are you telling me you enrolled me in an alien academy without asking me?"
"The process was automatic, Master. I had no intervention in—"
"Cancel it!" he exclaimed, stepping toward her. "You have to cancel it now."
Moon didn't move. Her voice, when she responded, sounded almost apologetic.
"It's impossible, Master. The Supreme Academy's system is far more advanced than my own protocols. Once the registration is complete, I cannot access their servers to reverse it. I couldn't even attempt it without them detecting my intrusion."
Shura opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"What kind of system accepts an invitation from three hundred years ago? That doesn't make any sense!"
"The invitation had no expiration date, Master," Moon responded patiently. "There are species in the galaxy whose lifespans exceed millennia. For them, waiting three centuries to respond to an invitation isn't unusual. The Academy is designed to accommodate very different life rhythms from humans."
Shura stared at her. Then, without a word, he walked to one of the chairs by the wall and dropped into it with a loud sigh.
"There's no salvation for me then," he murmured, burying his face in his hands. "I'm going to die. They're going to discover me, lock me in a lab, and I'm going to die."
Moon advanced a few steps toward him. Her sensor flickered with a warmer tone.
"Master, I know your odds of success. They aren't high. But they aren't zero either. And I've observed something about you since you woke up."
"What?"
"You survived three gunshots, ran kilometers with open wounds, and still had the ingenuity to activate my console when everything seemed lost. You're not someone who gives up easily. That counts for more than any biological advantage in a place like the Academy."
Shura looked up. He wanted to refute her, to say he'd just been lucky, that he was terrified. But the words wouldn't come.
He sighed.
"Alright. What do I have to do?"
Moon straightened, adopting a more formal tone.
"First, you'll need to pass the entrance exam. The Supreme Academy is an institution with limited slots. Out of thousands of applicants each cycle, only a few hundred are accepted. Selection is based on a score that evaluates skills, potential, and..." she paused briefly, "...compatibility with the institution."
"Compatibility," Shura repeated mockingly. "What does that mean?"
"It means that not all the powerful ones get in. The Academy seeks candidates who can contribute something unique. In your case, Master, your rarity could work in your favor. A nullifier, as you suggested, is a highly valued rarity. And you, being human, have something that no other species in the galaxy possesses."
"What?"
"Your way of thinking. Humanity has survived in the Black Zone without advanced technology, without alliances, without anything. That requires creativity and resilience that isn't easily found in more... privileged species."
Shura pondered that. He wasn't sure whether to feel flattered or insulted.
"The issue isn't whether I can pass the exam," he said after a moment. "The issue is that I'm human. How am I going to hide that when they put me in front of a bunch of aliens?"
Moon tilted her white prism to one side.
"Master, allow me to clarify something for you. The universe isn't populated exclusively by creatures with tentacles and eyes in impossible places. There are species that closely resemble humans. Some have pointed ears, others have different pigmentation, others possess minor distinguishing features. But a casual observer wouldn't notice the difference between you and, say, a young Aurian or Drossel."
Shura raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Really. The humanoid form is surprisingly common in the galaxy. Evolutionary convergence, I suppose. Your main problems will be two: first, your physical capabilities are below the average of most species. Second, any deep biological scan will reveal that your DNA doesn't match any known records."
"The first one worries me less," Shura said, remembering the beatings at the orphanage. "I've always been the weakest. I've learned to compensate. The second one..."
"The second one is more serious. But we have time to think of a solution."
"How much time?"
"The entrance exam is in three Earth cycles. In that period, they shouldn't subject you to deep scans. The initial evaluation phase is more superficial: physical tests, strategy, teamwork. The complete biological scans come later, for those admitted."
Shura nodded slowly. Three days. He had three days to figure out how to survive an exam at an alien academy without anyone discovering he was a human from Earth.
"Moon," he said, rising from the chair, "I need you to teach me everything about the species in this galaxy. What I can say, what I can't say, how to behave. Everything."
"I've already prepared an accelerated learning module, Master. But first, I must warn you of something."
"What?"
"The ship we arrived in. The Lumielle model is old and associated with highly respected lineages. The Academy will notice that. Some will treat you with caution, even respect. Others will want to know exactly who you are. And there will be those who try to take advantage of your apparent vulnerability."
Shura adjusted his black jacket, feeling the soft fabric against his shoulders.
"Let them try. I'm not as vulnerable as I seem."
Moon emitted a sound that might have been a metallic laugh.