The night had been restless.


    Not because of Zoe shifting in her sleep or Emily’s warmth pressing against me, though, yeah, that had its own set of challenges, but because something was moving outside the Peregrine.


    Scratching. Poking around our gear.


    At first, I’d thought maybe we were finally about to get our first system-registered encounter, some kind of night predator or scavenger-type mob. Something to fight. Something to prove the System existed here.


    But every time I used Analyze, the results were the same. Nothing.


    Just… local fauna. No beast classification. No level. No System signature. And that? That was fucking weird.


    Back in the Solar System, everything that moved had a System tag. Even the harmless critters that scurried around planetary outposts had some low-tier classification, vermin, scavengers, ambient wildlife. But here?


    The System wasn’t touching them. Like it had never arrived.


    I’d watched them for a while, small, quadrupedal things with sleek bodies and flicking tails, their eyes catching the low light like a cat’s. Curious, but not aggressive. They sniffed at our equipment. I considered shooting one. Just to see if it would drop loot. But something held me back.


    If the System wasn’t touching them, then what did that mean? Was it because they weren’t threats? Or because this world didn’t have System interference?


    Back on Earth, after the System arrived, it hadn’t just affected people. It had changed everything.


    Animals that survived those first brutal months, the ones that fought off low-level mobs, they leveled up. They evolved. Some of them had abilities. Some had stats. Some were even teetering on the edge of sapience. Humanity had kept them from getting too high-level, apex predators weren’t gonna overtake civilization anytime soon. But level 30-40 beasts? That was a real thing.


    Even in controlled zones, you didn’t just wander into the wild alone. But here? These creatures didn’t even register. Like they weren’t a part of the System at all, that should’ve been a relief, a world where we weren’t constantly fighting for survival. That felt wrong.


    And if that was the case, if Alpha Centauri had never been integrated into the System’s grand, universal game of survival. Then this would trip would suck. Sure this planet was ripe for an outpost, but then what?


    We didn’t just come here to plant a flag and farm potatoes. We came here because this was supposed to be the next step. The key to breaking the level cap.


    At some point, exhaustion won out, and I’d given up on watching the strange, unregistered creatures.


    I’d crawled back into the bed, forcing myself to stop thinking, stop analyzing, stop trying to piece together something that didn’t make sense.


    <hr>


    I stirred, the soft, rosy glow of dawn filtering through the small porthole above. It was a gentle wake-up, not like the jarring alarms on the Triumph. The light painted the interior of the Peregrine in warm hues, bouncing softly off the metal walls and casting long shadows across the gear and clutter scattered around.


    I blinked against the light, squinting as I shook off the last tendrils of sleep, and that’s when I realized something: I was sandwiched between Zoe and Emily. Their warmth pressed against me on either side, the weight of Emily’s arm across my chest keeping me pinned like some kind of human burrito.


    How the hell did I end up in the middle? I distinctly remember agreeing to sleep on the edge last night. Emily had practically commandeered the space beside me, and Zoe had curled up on the other side. Somehow, in the chaos of sleep, we’d all shuffled around, and now here I was, stuck. Not that I was complaining.


    To my left, Zoe was sprawled out, her dreadlocks fanned across the pillow in a chaotic halo. Her almond-toned skin glowed faintly in the morning light, smooth and flawless, and her lips were parted just enough to show a glimpse of her teeth as she breathed softly. She looked almost serene, which was ironic given how she was usually a whirlwind of activity and chaos when awake. Even asleep, she was magnetic, the kind of beauty that didn’t need effort. She made it look effortless, and yeah, that was equal parts impressive and unfair.


    On my right, Emily was a mess of tangled blankets and wild blonde hair. She had buried most of her face in the pillow, but what little I could see of her features, the curve of her jaw, her slightly parted lips, and the faint blush on her cheek, was enough. Her arm was slung across my chest, her fingers lightly curled against my skin, and yeah, that was doing things to me. She wasn’t just beautiful; she was Emily, the girl who could unravel me with one look and knew exactly how to keep me on my toes.


    I carefully slid out of bed, steadying myself as the chill of the metal floor sent a shiver up my spine. Cold floor, new planet. No way to forget where we are. I glanced back at the bed, watching Zoe and Emily, still cocooned in sleep. They were both so damn beautiful, each in their own way. And me? Just the idiot stuck in the middle, trying not to think about how little space there was in this bed.


    I padded over to the small bathroom, rubbing the sleep from my face. My fingers hovered over the sink controls for a second before turning the water on, watching it stream down the drain in slow, thoughtful spirals.


    The Peregrine’s water supply was limited. Back in the Solar System, that meant strict rations, maybe six or seven days before we had to resupply. But here? Here, we had options.


    If the river checked out, if the water was safe, we could replenish the tanks. That meant we weren’t racing against dehydration. We could stay longer, explore more, take our time. I let the water run over my fingers a little longer before finally stepping into the shower.


    The thankfully hot water chased away the lingering cold, and some of the, uh, tension. By the time I zipped up my uniform, the snug fabric locked me back into focus. Just barely.


    I met my own eyes in the mirror, blue, tired, but resolute. New Dawn’s waiting. No time to stall. No time to think about Zoe’s legs or Emily’s breasts. Nope. Focus, Luca. Focus.


    When I stepped back into the cabin, the sight nearly undid me all over again. The blanket had slipped off the bed, revealing a tantalizing sliver of Emily’s hip, pale against the darker tones of the blanket, and far too much of Zoe’s long, smooth legs. The soft rise and fall of their breathing filled the quiet space, and for a moment, I just… stood there. My mind tried to argue with itself. Look away, Rossi. But my feet were rooted in place.


    Without thinking, I grabbed the blanket and threw it over them again. The weight of it settled over their sleeping forms, and I lingered a moment, taking in the sight of them like an idiot. Just a few more minutes, I thought. They deserve that, at least.


    <hr>


    In the cramped kitchenette of the Peregrine, I found the guys already stirring. Early light slanted through the small windows, casting sharp shadows across the metal floor. Ryan and Danny sat at a tiny dinette; their hoodies pulled low, each nursing a steaming cup of coffee. The faint scent of burnt grounds in the air, an aroma that was as close to home as they’d get out here. And it smelled like shit, to be honest.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Ryan glanced up first, his lips quirking into a sly grin. “Morning, Captain. Sleep well with your women?” He always had to push it, that guy.


    I smirked, grabbing a packet of oatmeal from the counter. “Like a baby,” I replied, tearing it open and pouring the dry contents into a mug. Memories of being wedged between Zoe and Emily flickered briefly in my mind. It had been less glamorous than Ryan’s tone suggested, and a hell of a lot more crowded, but I wasn’t about to explain myself. Or the fact that I’d woken up with a raging hard-on, thanks to the two of them.


    Danny snorted, leaning back precariously in his chair, legs kicked up on the table. “Right. A baby,” he echoed, his grin broadening. “Must’ve been so rough keeping the two of them warm all night. We were over here, freezing our asses off in the bunks, while you had your pick of prime company.” He wasn''t wrong about the two of them. Those two were fire.


    I poured boiling water into my mug, watching the oatmeal puff up and swirl. “Yeah, real cozy,” I said dryly. “You try sleeping between those two. Zoe kicks like a mule, and Emily…” I paused, catching myself. “Let’s just say I got about two inches of mattress to myself.” And about zero inches of personal space. Plus, Zoe’s legs kept pressing against me all night. It was torture.


    Ryan barked a laugh, nearly spilling his coffee. “Uh-huh. Sure. And what’s your excuse for that stupid grin you’ve been wearing since you walked in here?”


    I shrugged, stirring the oatmeal with deliberate nonchalance. “What can I say? Some of us are just morning people.”


    Danny rolled his eyes, though the teasing light in them hadn’t dimmed. “Right, because that’s why you’re blushing like a schoolboy.”


    I shot him a look but couldn’t keep a grin from tugging at my lips. “You’re just mad it wasn’t you stuck in the middle.” I mean, they were jealous, the dorks. But I couldn''t blame them.


    Ryan leaned back, crossing his arms with a mock-serious expression. “That’s true. I wouldn’t mind being the meat in that sandwich.” He was probably serious.


    I snorted into my coffee. “Keep dreaming, Romeo.”


    The laughter faded, and a quiet settled over us, the usual morning banter replaced by a more serious undertone. Time to act like a big boy and assign chores. We had a planet to survey, after all. That was the mission, and that was how we got paid.


    <hr>


    "Alright, here’s the plan for today," I said, my voice echoing in the tight space, drawing all eyes to me. Zoe and Emily shuffled in from the room, still shaking off sleep but alert, while Joey and Chris appeared from the storage area in the back, their expressions turning serious as they gathered around.


    They were all looking at me, waiting for instructions. Like I actually knew what I was doing.


    I turned to the holographic map of New Dawn, projected on the wall, the planet’s terrain flickering in shades of red and purple. It looked pretty, but I had no idea what any of it actually meant.


    "First priority is water." I pointed to the nearest river source, already mapped from our descent.


    "Ryan, Danny, and Zoe, you’re on water analysis. Test for potability, microbial life, heavy metals, basically, figure out if we can drink this stuff and refill our tanks without growing a third arm."


    I paired Zoe with those two nerds because, honestly, it was the safest option. And maybe the most strategic.


    Zoe was still on the prowl, according to Emily. After weeks of trying, she hadn’t landed either of them. It was like watching a cat toy with two mice that didn’t know whether to run or give in.


    Maybe it was my job to nudge things along. Who else was going to do it? If I paired them up and gave them some time alone, maybe they’d stop skirting around whatever weird tension they had. And yeah, part of me thought Zoe needed a win. At least it kept her from setting her sights on Chris. Or me. Definitely me.


    I moved on. "Emily, Joey, you’re on core sampling." I pointed to a marked rock formation, something exposed and jagged, maybe some kind of weathered sediment deposit.


    "Check for mineral composition, trace metals, anything interesting." If we were lucky, we’d find something valuable. If not, well, at least they’d look professional chipping away at rocks. I paired them together, hoping Joey was ''safe'' enough. He seemed more into Chris these days, anyway.


    Chris turned toward me, waiting for his assignment.


    I smirked. "You and I are doing a microbial life assessment. We need a baseline on the ecosystem before we can even think about a long-term outpost." Which was a fancy way of saying: poke at plants, scoop some dirt, and try not to catch alien parasites.


    Chris arched a brow, arms crossed. "And by ''we,'' you mean me, right?"


    I grinned. "Obviously. I’ll be supervising."


    "Naturally,” Chris replied.


    With a final glance at the map, I waved them off. "Gear up. We’re heading out in ten."


    Ten minutes. Enough time to chug the rest of this god-awful coffee that Ryan made. Seriously, I was going to forbid him from making coffee ever again.


    Before they scattered to gear up, I glanced toward the weapon rack near the Peregrine’s storage compartment. We hadn’t seen anything hostile yet, just skittish fauna and an unsettling silence. But that didn’t mean it would stay that way.


    “Grab a sidearm,” I said, keeping it casual. “Just in case.”


    Emily was already ahead of me, reaching for her energy blaster. She strapped it to her thigh, the sleek weapon clipping snugly against the curve of her leg.


    I was staring before I realized I was staring. She noticed. Smirked. Yeah, she definitely did that on purpose.


    I cleared my throat, looking away like it didn’t affect me.


    Ryan slung his scatter rifle over one shoulder, lightweight but packing enough punch if something decided we looked tasty.


    Chris grabbed his sidearm, giving it a quick check before sliding it into his belt holster.


    And me? I grabbed my blaster, securing it to the magnetic lock on my hip.


    <hr>


    Before they all scattered, I wandered over to where Ryan was hunched over the Peregrine’s main console, deploying our local antenna.


    Chris stood beside him, watching the screen.


    I leaned over Ryan’s shoulder, watching as he flicked a switch, sending a soft hum through the vehicle. Power cycling.


    Outside, the Peregrine’s antenna extended, unfolding like a mechanical limb as it activated.


    “Alright,” Ryan murmured, adjusting the controls. “We should have a 50-mile comms network now.”


    Chris nodded, leaning in slightly. “That’ll cover most of our initial survey zone. Let’s see if we pick up anything weird.”


    With another flick of a switch, a green connected light lit up, showing the system linking up with the geostationary survey satellite overhead.


    The display flared to life, the map expanding, stretching across hundreds of miles in sharp detail. This was the moment. If there were any portal signatures out there, we’d see them now. Ryan fine-tuned the filters, dialing in for energy distortions, unstable rifts—any of the telltale signals of a portal. We all watched the screen. Waited.


    Then... a blip.


    Just for a second. A flicker of something.


    “Hold up.” I leaned in closer. “What was that?”


    Ryan’s fingers moved quickly over the controls, refining the scan. The blip disappeared. He adjusted the sensitivity, scanned again.


    Nothing.


    He sighed. “Just an anomaly. Signal interference, maybe something from the satellite relay.”


    I frowned. “You sure?”


    Chris glanced at him. “If it was a portal, we would’ve seen it again.”


    Ryan rolled his shoulders back, dismissing it. “It didn’t match a portal signature. Just some weird noise.”


    We all stared at the screen for a few more seconds. The readout ran another pass. Still nothing.


    Ryan exhaled, his shoulders slumping. “No signatures. Nothing at all.”


    Chris sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I don’t get it. Even on Earth’s dead zones, there’s at least some ambient System interference. Here? It’s like the whole planet’s clean.”


    I frowned, staring at the screen as if I could will it to show something. Anything.


    I felt like slapping the damn thing to see if that would make it do something. We didn’t come all this way to find nothing. Alpha Centauri was supposed to be the key to breaking past the level cap. If there were no portals, no System interference at all…


    I pushed off the console, forcing a grin. “Alright. First sweep doesn’t show anything. But that just means we’re not looking in the right places yet.”


    Ryan gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Sure, Cap. Whatever you say.”


    Chris didn’t even try to hide his doubt.


    Yeah. I felt it too.


    <hr>


    I lingered by the counter, letting the last sip of coffee burn its way down. I stared at the map, tracing our route in my mind.


    Today wasn’t just another mission, it was the beginning of something much bigger, a step into the unknown. And hopefully, a step towards a big payday.


    They stowed their wrappers and double-checked their gear, the excitement in the Peregrine palpable. It was clear they were itching to get out there, to see this new world with their own eyes, to feel the unfiltered air, to experience something completely unknown. I couldn''t blame them. I was feeling it too.


    I made my way over to Emily at the counter. She was adjusting the straps on her gear, her bright green eyes alive with excitement. “Ready?” I asked.


    She glanced up at me, her lips curving into a confident smile. “More than ready,” she said, her tone brimming with enthusiasm. She always had this way of making me feel like we could actually do this, like we weren''t just a bunch of idiots playing astronaut.


    That’s what I need, I thought, nodding as I clapped my hands together, the sharp sound pulling all eyes to me.


    “Alright, team. Grab your gear. Let’s get out there and see what this place has to offer.” My tone lifted, carrying a hint of excitement. “Big payday ahead if we prove this world’s worth colonizing, so let’s make it count.” And maybe, just maybe, we''d find some time for a little privacy along the way. A guy could dream, right?