I was actually loving my time on the Stellarion. It felt like a much-I was actually loving my time on the Stellarion.

  It felt like a much-needed break from the monotony back on Earth. Down there, supervisors hovered like vultures—angry glares, constant criticism, every tiny move scrutinized. If you breathed wrong, you got docked rations.

  Up here? I could finally breathe.

  Sure, I still had to do the same training, the same drills, but somehow I didn’t mind anymore. Maybe it was the change of pace. Or the freedom. Or the feeling that what we did actually mattered.

  And everyone here seemed friendly enough.

  Well… mostly everyone.

  That guy Aaron—yeah, he is a total pain in the ass. He called me an embarrassment when I was unable to answer a question regarding planetary geography during Study Hours. It wasn’t just me, either. He was rude to Vance, which took a special kind of stupidity.

  Zed and Theo were alright-ish. Much better teammates than Aaron, though Theo jumped at his own shadow.

  Vance and Ray, though—those two were incredible. They were skilled at practically everything, moving with a grace that suggested they’d been born in zero-gravity with weapons fused into their DNA.

  Vance even took time out of his own schedule to help Katherine sharpen her khopesh technique. She’d been glowing about it all day.

  “I think I’m getting better now—thanks to Vance,” Katherine told me while we ate dinner.

  We were having Roast Chicken with vegetables. Real vegetables.

  Most of the squad was tearing into it like starving wolves. Ray was practically inhaling a potato, and Becca was eating with a terrifying intensity. But I noticed Vance was different. He sat straight, cutting his meat with slow, surgical precision, his eyes scanning the room rather than his plate. He wasn't eating; he was fueling.

  I looked down at the golden skin of the chicken on my own plate.

  We couldn't even dream of something like this back home.

  The Nation didn’t waste resources. They didn’t feed tools this well. They only fed livestock this well right before the end. It felt like a condemned man's last meal.

  I pushed a pea around my plate, trying to shake the feeling that I was being fattened up for the slaughter. But looking at Katherine’s smiling face, I didn’t have the heart to ruin it for her.

  “That’s wonderful, Kathy,” I said, forcing a smile.

  “He even told off Aaron when he called me a weakling,” she added, oblivious to my internal spiral.

  “That is… sort of true though, Kath,” Becca said with a sly grin, tearing into a drumstick. “You do need a bodyguard.”

  Katherine shot her a look, her eyes narrowing. “Speaking of needing help, Becca—how many points did the training bot beat you by yesterday?”

  Becca froze, the drumstick halfway to her mouth.

  “It malfunctioned,” Becca snapped, her face turning pink. “The sensors were rigged. I clearly chopped its head off, but the system didn't register it.”

  “It beat you by fifteen points, Becca,” Alicia noted dryly from across the table. “And you didn't chop its head off. You hit the wall.”

  Katherine smirked. Alicia and I burst out laughing, nearly choking on our food.

  Honestly, I think time flew by really quickly. The routine became comfortable. But comfort is dangerous. Before I knew it, it was the night before our mission.

  Sentra had called everyone for a mandatory briefing.

  When we got to the conference hall, the door was locked. Ten minutes later, the doors were still locked.

  “Isn’t it past the time already?” Zed asked, leaning against the wall.

  “It is,” Alicia replied, checking her wrist-comp.

  “Are we sure the meeting is here? Maybe someone messed up the location,” Aaron muttered, pacing impatiently.

  “Where else would they hold the meeting though?” Katherine questioned.

  “How am I supposed to know? Don’t ask me stupid questions.”

  “It was NOT a stupid question,” I said, stepping in.

  “You’re right, it was a moronic question.”

  “Not as moronic as your face,” Becca said, crossing her arms and standing in front of him.

  “Don’t even get me started on your face, Hayes,” he sneered.

  “Guys, maybe we shouldn’t argue here,” Lexie muttered, looking uncomfortable.

  “Don’t even bother, Lexie. Trying to stop Becca from fighting is like trying to convince me that the war will end one day,” Alicia said, shaking her head.

  “It will end one day, you’ll see,” I said confidently.

  “I sort of agree with Alicia though,” Theo replied softly.

  “Thank you, Theo. At least someone’s thinking logically,” Alicia said gratefully.

  “If you guys think the war is never going to end, then what exactly are you fighting for?” Ray asked. He was leaning against the doorframe, cleaning his fingernails with the tip of a dagger.

  “For my life, duh,” Alicia said, sounding mildly annoyed. “What’s the point of surviving in a world like this? I’d rather welcome death with open arms.”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “You can do that. I’m perfectly happy with my head intact,” Alicia said, rolling her eyes.

  “I think that sounds really cowardly,” Ray said, narrowing his eyes.

  “I’d rather be a smart coward than a dumb brave person,” Alicia shot back.

  “And fearing for one’s life doesn’t make someone a coward,” Theo interrupted, his voice trembling slightly.

  With that, Ray, Alicia, and Theo started arguing about philosophy. Aaron, Kathy, and Becca were yelling at each other about personal insults, with Vance trying to sort things out like a tired parent.

  “Should we say something? If they get caught like this it won’t be pretty,” Lexie whispered to me.

  “Nah. I’d rather not get stuck in the crossfire. Although… Ray does have a point.”

  “I suppose holding on to some hope is beneficial,” Lexie said.

  “Arguing like this is sort of pointless,” Zed muttered from beside us.

  “Hey Zed,” Lexie said, giving him a quick nod. “Still playing mediator?”

  “Always,” Zed sighed, running a hand through his messy brown hair. “Someone has to keep the peace.”

  He turned to me, his clear blue eyes friendly. He had a leaner build than the other guys—more runner than brawler—which matched the reach of his spear-sword perfectly.

  “And you’re Cassandra, right?”

  “That’s me,” I replied.

  “I’ve seen you in the sim room,” Zed said. “Your dual-wielding is impressive. Not many people have the coordination for that.”

  “Thanks,” I said, feeling a bit of heat rise in my cheeks. “It’s chaotic, mostly.”

  “Controlled chaos,” Lexie corrected, slapping me on the back. “She’s a beast, Zed. Don’t let the modest act fool you.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Zed grinned.

  “HOW COULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT? I’M BEGINNING TO QUESTION YOUR LOYALTY, YOU—” Alicia shrieked at Ray, her face flushed with rage.

  But the doors suddenly swung open with a loud bang, startling everyone. Alicia looked ready to throw Ray off the Stellarion. All of us immediately stopped talking and stood completely still.

  Beyond the door stood Sentra. Although it had no face, the pulsating speed of its red eye felt like a judgmental glare.

  “Sorry for the delay, soldiers. Please come in.” Saying that, it turned around and rolled back inside.

  Since we couldn’t exactly say no, we all stepped inside.

  The moment I entered, I froze—not because of the room’s interior, but because of the view beyond the massive window. The stars outside looked like glitter scattered across black paint. Wisps of colored gas curled around distant planets, glowing softly like cosmic lanterns.

  For a second, everyone seemed to forget why we were here. The sight was so breathtaking that even my own worries slipped away.

  “Have a seat, soldiers.”

  Sentra’s mechanical voice snapped me back to reality.

  I blinked, tearing my gaze from the window. The table and chairs were identical to the ones in Commander Williams’ office back on Earth—sleek, metallic, and completely impersonal. The entire room was polished black, so shiny it reflected the soft, shifting light of the screen mounted on the wall.

  I slid into a seat at the edge of the table, next to Alicia. Her face looked calm, but I knew her well enough to guess she was mentally cursing Ray into oblivion.

  Once we had all settled, Sentra rolled to the front of the room.

  “We will be arriving at our destination tomorrow. You will be woken two hours earlier than usual. There will be no time allotted for breakfast. After preparation, you will be escorted to the exit. All essential supplies will be provided.”

  The screen shifted, displaying an image of glowing, jagged blue energy pulsing through rock.

  “Our primary objective is to obtain this: The Aether.”

  The image zoomed out, showing the raw energy embedded in deep, rocky caverns.

  “However,” Sentra continued, “to properly extract it, we require members of the Science Corps, who are not combat-ready. To transport it, one of our Teleporters must be manually placed at the site. This will establish a stable wormhole from Earth to the extraction zone.”

  Sentra paused, the red eye scanning us.

  “You need not concern yourselves with the return journey. I will assist you throughout. I have already charted the optimal route. However… due to the dense canopy and atmospheric storms, landing the Stellarion is impossible. Therefore, you will need to jump out of the ship.”

  “Excuse me? You want us to do what?” Theo burst out.

  “Questions will be addressed later,” Sentra replied, voice turning cold.

  Theo immediately shrank back. “Sorry.”

  “As I was saying,” Sentra continued, “you will be exiting the ship via a gravitational jump. Parachutes will be provided. The planet luckily produces its own oxygen supply similar to that of Earth so you won’t need any masks. Any questions?”

  “I have one,” Aaron said, raising his hand. The room turned toward him. “How exactly are we supposed to jump out of an airship thousands of feet in the sky with no prior training?”

  Sentra regarded him in silence for several seconds before answering, its voice even. “You will receive the appropriate instructions before the jump.”

  “This was never mentioned in training sessions before. Are you sure it’s safe?” Alicia asked.

  “As long as you follow the instructions without error, you should be fine.”

  “Has this been done before—”

  “Are there any other questions?” Sentra cut me off before I could finish.

  Lexie lifted her hand next. “What about the teleporters? How are we supposed to set them up?”

  “Excellent question, 12#AC34,” Sentra said, surprisingly impressed. “To activate the teleporter, place the device on solid ground.”

  A video materialized on the screen behind it, illustrating the steps. It looked deceptively simple.

  “After positioning the device, enter the four-digit activation code. The same code must be entered into the paired teleporter simultaneously.”

  Sentra’s eye flashed brighter.

  “This is the critical variable. You will have a portable drive. One of you must defend the point while another syncs the code. Once activation is complete, step aside. Members of the Scientific Corps will arrive to safely extract the Aether. You will also be returning home through the teleporter system. Therefore, ensure the device remains undamaged.”

  The weight of that statement settled over the room. If the device broke… we were stranded.

  When the demonstration ended, the hologram dissolved.

  “Any further questions?” Sentra asked.

  Becca raised her hand. Alicia groaned under her breath.

  “Yes?” Sentra prompted.

  “Yeah, what shit are we going to face down there?” Becca asked, a bit too casually.

  “Since the planet is uncharted, we cannot predict what you may encounter,” Sentra replied. “You are expected to be prepared for the worst.”

  The color drained from Katherine’s face at those words. Uncharted. Meaning the 'trophies' in the hallway might just be the appetizers.

  Next to her, Theo looked like he was about to be sick. He gripped the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white, his eyes wide and trembling. "Uncharted?" he squeaked, his voice barely a whisper. "So... we're the bait?"

  “Any other doubts?”

  No one spoke.

  “That is all for now, then. Kindly return to your rooms immediately.”

  With that, Sentra rolled out in silence. The room brightened as the screen switched off.

  “Well, that was… unusually informative,” Alicia said, standing up.

  “I have to agree,” Lexie added. “It was much better than Commander Williams’ session. I suppose having Sentra around won’t be that bad.”

  “‘Won’t be that bad’?” Becca scoffed, rolling her eyes. “It’s going to be just like brain rot all over again with that thing’s voice.”

  “You just won’t give Sentra a chance, will you?” Alicia said, staring straight at Becca.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Becca shot back smugly. “I’ll give that thing a chance when you stop being a pain in the ass.”

  “Well, I bet you’ll be eating your words soon,” Alicia retorted.

  “Guys, shouldn’t we be discussing something more important?” Theo asked, his voice tight with concern.

  “Like what?” Becca said.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Theo exclaimed, throwing his hands up, “maybe the fact that we have to jump out of a freaking spaceship?”

  “Calm down, pussy,” Becca replied lazily. “They obviously have some sort of plan. Probably.”

  “Let’s see who’s the pussy tomorrow, Hayes,” Aaron said.

  “Yeah, right—like you’re Hercules or something.”

  “Guys, maybe we should try to get along?” I suggested, rubbing my temples.

  “I hope only one of us dies, Aaron, because I do not want to see your face on Earth or in hell,” Becca snapped.

  “Never mind,” I muttered.

  “We should probably head back to our rooms,” Vance said, his deep voice cutting through the noise.

  “Good idea,” Zed agreed. “We should probably save our energy for tomorrow.”

  We filed out of the meeting room. Becca and Aaron continued arguing down the corridor, their voices echoing off the metal walls. Honestly, it was a nice change from the usual Becca-and-Katherine showdown I had grown accustomed to hearing.