Xandrian Stone Book 1: Beginning of a Legend by Christian Alex Breitenstein Read Free Book Online Page B

I'd never seen one face-to-rod. The rods were white, to indicate that any wizard could use it for their specialization. I'd read that the rods would glow in that wizard's color.
    The captain's chair was also white and I'd read that it was also a control rod - made to look like a chair, to ensure that the captain could influence any part of the Brick that fell within his colors without delay. The captain patted it. "Once you get your own you'll be able to assume total control over the Brick, operating it all by yourself. That's what your training will prepare you for. That's also why it is imperative that you try to generalize. Your healing abilities aside, there are strong specialists if you need something done. You'll be the commanding mind, telling the others what to do." I may have looked a bit uncertain right then. "Do not doubt, you'll be made captain of a Brick in no time - maybe as little as fifteen or twenty years." That would be really quick. With an average lifespan of about 135 to 145 years, and entering the navy at eighteen, I would likely have a career of 80 to 100 years ahead of me. Getting a command after 20 of these years (even if only at the rank of lieutenant) would be, as I said already, really, really quick.
    Captain is a rank, but also the label of the commanding officer of a Brick. A lieutenant who is made captain of a Brick will automatically be promoted to prime lieutenant, so that they outrank other lieutenants in the crew to make the chain of command clear.
    After the little chat with the captain I was dismissed to go on my rounds. So I left the bridge and headed to the game room first, for it was closest. Entering it was a bit of a shock, honestly. First, it was huge. Almost square, some 20 meters wide and maybe 18 or so meters long it was mostly empty, except the stockpile in the edge. Walking over there I saw dancing mats, stacked monitors with game controllers, a disco ball (of all things) and lots of other things to have fun with. "New guy! liking our stuff?" came a friendly voice from behind me.
    Turning around, I faced a weapons wizard ensign with 1 pip. "Yes, sir. I did not expect the game room to be this large nor this well stocked, sir." "Forget the 'sir', mate. You are one of the Brick's healers, you only 'sir' the bosses. 'Sides, I see that you are master healer, so I won't be outranking you for very long." This friendly attitude was common in the fleet, after all it was a safe haven and an easy job at the time and everyone was happy to be a part of it. Healers were a weapons wizard's best friend, because in their training they had little accidents all the time. Especially in the hand-to-hand combat training. I smiled. "Okay, mate. How is this room being used, if I may ask?" "Sure you may. Every evening, after supper, the crew comes together in here to bond and generally have a good time. Mostly just the benches are being used, with card games, dice games or just to hang out and talk about stuff. Friday night is chaos night, everyone takes what they feel like and this becomes a madhouse. Those of us who prefer more quiet usually get together in the mess hall that night, so everyone gets what they want and have a good time."
    We talked a bit more, then he excused himself for training and I left the game room, continuing with my round. Next stop was the neighboring shared quarters, to check on Lindan and satisfy my curiosity... never mind. There they were, marching down the corridor looking miserable. Not the Lieutenant, he looked like he was having fun. Not in the sadistic way, but he was spending his time productively. After they passed me, I snuck out of the game room and into the shared quarters whose door was just a couple of steps down the corridor.
    In there I immediately walked to Lindan, who was lying on his cot and watching his tablet computer. "Yo, man! Feeling healthy, or got something to do for the lowest medical slave of this Brick?" I grinned. He frowned. "My dad is a medical