ã€ŠEqos (In Edit)ã€‹


 01 (Updated)

    Moon: LILLIAN (satellite of Eqos)

    Bio Dome: DUMAS

    System: NETO

    Sector: PROSPECT

    Date: 18-JUL-2432

    Prunella Honey Thornton, daughter number nine of the esteemed Thornton Family, is working on her device in a well-lit shed, wearing a protective jumpsuit and goggles, with a magnetic brace on her back. Her curly blonde hair is tied into a ponytail, and above her workbench is a collection of blueprints labeled as ¡°Thor-Ton :)¡± showing a mechanical rectangle for ease of transport, an advanced hammer stage, and a cannon stage.

    The levitation platform hums in the shed and bathes her fair skin in blue light. With the humming is the cranking of Honey''s high precision tool making final adjustments to her prized possession, which is currently in its cannon stage.

    After Honey finishes tightening a few screws, she spins Thor-Ton on its levitation display and uses her goggles to zoom in and out to search for any imperfections on the device. With every successful inspection, she changes its position and inspects it some more. After every side is inspected with the needed adjustments made, she shuts down the levitation pad and removes her goggles, revealing her blue eyes. She smiles proudly and picks up Thor-Ton, loving its heavy weight in her hands. Then she closed it down to its rectangular form, clamps it on her back brace, and exits the shed.

    Beyond the shed are lush, raised gardens, decorative bushes, and thick green grass stretching for hundreds of feet. The property is surrounded by a stone wall made from Lillian''s rocks, which are various shades of gray and black.

    UV beams, controlled by a rail system, slowly move across the dome to simulate the sunlight of Neto, the star at the heart of their system. Beyond the dome¡¯s barrier lies Eqos, a lush and fertile planet. From Lillian''s vantage point, it''s easy to see Eqos¡¯ distinct continents and diverse ecosystems. Honey has yet to visit that world, but she is confident that she will set foot on it in the near future.

    But that aside, Honey makes her way to the Thornton Estate with a giddy smile. The large house is built into the rock wall, where the dome meets Lillian''s surface. It is a Baroque style house with three levels. Each level has a porch, and the masonry is decorated with various planets and historical events significant to Lillian, the Dumas Biodome, and Eqos.

    As Honey walks to the front door, she passes an automated lawn mower trimming the grass. She enters the house and her steps echo inside the spacious interior. Fine tile covers the floor, decorated pillars hold up the ceiling, a grand staircase leads to the second and third levels, and many chandeliers and lamps give it a warm light.

    Honey goes to the edge of the house, stopping in front of a large door decorated with engravings of miners carving out a mountain. The door frame is also lit with red bands and an orb is above the door.

    Honey knocks, and a nearby intercom box turns on.

    "Who is it?" asks a man on the other side.

    "It''s me, dad," says Honey brightly.

    The intercom turns off, the red bands turn to green, and the door slides open, revealing the Thornton Estate Library. It is a circular room with bookshelves filled to the limit with books and CDs. A ring of miniature holographic projectors shines down on the floor, creating a scenic battle involving a desert city and soldiers fighting bulky alien machinery.

    As Honey walks through the scene, the hologram disappears, and a man in his fifties approaches her. He is dressed in a fluffy green bathrobe; his skin tone is fair, but faded pink scars mark his body from his neck down to his hands, and his blonde hair is mere fuzz on his head. This is Tobias Thornton.

    "Done with your work?" says Tobias with a smile.

    "I am," says Honey. "I fixed all the little mistakes in Thor-Ton, and now he is at the top of his game!"

    Tobias holds out his hands. "Let me see.¡±

    Honey unclips Thor-Ton from her back and gives it to Tobias. Upon grabbing it, he grunts and almost drops it, and he gives Honey a strained smile.

    "It''s a bit on the heavy side," says Tobias.

    "I wanted to make sure no one could steal it easily."

    "You certainly accomplished your mission. Is it DNA locked?"

    "I need your help for that."

    "Alright, we can do that tonight. Did you test this after you made the adjustments?"

    "I didn''t think I needed to since I already knew what the problems were and now those problems are fixed."

    Tobias frowns, and Honey cringes.

    "You''re getting ahead of yourself again," says Tobias.

    "Maybe we test out Thor-Ton right now?" asks Honey.

    Tobias returns the weapon to her. "That''s exactly what we''re going to do."

    Honey clips Thor-Ton on her back, and the two leave the library. Upon exiting, a small group of children of various ages run past them, shouting, and hitting each other with foam noodles. Following them is a pregnant woman near Tobias''s age. She is tired with frazzled brown hair, and the eighteen children plus the nineteenth pregnancy have taken their toll on her. This is Cassandra Thornton. With Cassandra are a few teenagers, all definite offspring of the Thorntons.

    "Pool time?" asks Tobias.

    "Pool time," says Cassandra.

    Tobias looks at the teenagers. "You''re going to behave for your mother, right?"

    "Yes sir," they say over each other.

    "Good. Have fun at the pool. I''ll be there if I can."

    Cassandra looks at Honey, then at the weapon clipped to her back, and she groans. "Are you still caught up in your ridiculous dream?"

    "I am," says Honey proudly.

    Cassandra looks at Tobias critically. "This is your fault."

    "No, it isn''t. She''s old enough to make her decisions. I''m just helping her achieve her goals," says Tobias.

    Cassandra sighs and looks at Honey with a mix of annoyance and worry. "Just be careful with that thing."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "I will. Have fun at the pool," says Honey. She looks at her siblings and points at them sternly. "And you rascals help her in every way you can."

    "Yeah, we''ll help mother while you play with your toy," says another teenager sourly.

    "This is not a toy. This is a weapon of great devastation!" claims Honey.

    "It probably still sucks," accuses another teenager.

    "Do you want me to test it on your birthday car?" asks Honey darkly.

    "Alright, that''s enough, all of you. Enjoy your time at the pool," says Tobias. He and Cassandra then exchange kisses and he rubs her hair. "Have fun."

    "I will if they behave," says Cassandra.

    "They will."

    Tobias looks at the teenagers and children sternly, and they all nod quickly. Tobias smiles and motions them away.

    "Have fun," says Tobias.

    Cassandra and her children leave for the pool after that, and Tobias puts his hand on Honey''s shoulder and escorts her to a secluded part of the backyard. Craters of various sizes are scattered about, destroyed targets litter the area, and warning signs mark the perimeter.

    Tobias goes to a locked chest and pulls out a pair of earmuffs and a tablet. After they put on their earmuffs, Tobias stands behind Honey while she adjusts her grip on Thor-Ton at a heavy table locked down with cement bricks.

    Honey turns a dial on the side of the device, and the rectangle expands, a grip and trigger slide out, and the front opens to reveal a swirling ball of blue and white energy inside the barrel. It crackles and hums, and Tobias types in a command on the tablet that brings out a drone from a small building behind them. The drone carries a man shaped target made of ballistic gel and lowers it to the ground at a decent distance from the pair.

    After the target is set, the drone flies away and Honey readies, aims, and fires on his command. The recoil jerks her body, and there is a burst of blue energy that streaks across the lawn and strikes the target in the chest. The target is blown to bits, and Honey giggles while blue tinted exhaust pours from the barrel and exhaust ports on the side.

    "Works like a charm!" says Honey.

    "Turn your weapon''s settings up. I want to see how it handles," says Tobias.

    Honey nods and turns the dial on Thor-Ton. The weapon hums louder and the barrel glows brighter. A drone places another ballistic gel target in the shooting range, but farther than the previous target.

    "Get ready. Steady yourself. And remember, aim small, miss small," instructs Tobias.

    Honey nods, and she adjusts her position and aims down the sight. The weapon''s weight is countered by Honey''s modifications, but even she struggles to keep it steady. However, with some concentration, she lines up the cross hair with her target.

    Tobias gives the verbal command and Honey pulls the trigger.

    The blast from the cannon shakes the area, and the blue projectile tears through the target and detonates against the mountainside on their property. The ballistic gel is dissolved while the grass around it burns and a trail of torn ground leads to the destruction.

    Honey lowers her weapon, giggling and shaking while Tobias stares at the carnage with wide eyes.

    "You weren''t exaggerating when you said you made adjustments," says Tobias.

    "Can I shoot more targets?" asks Honey eagerly.

    "Turn down the settings before we get started on the next batch. There are plenty of gel targets, but I don''t want the mountainside to collapse."

    Honey turns down the setting, and Tobias rubs his chin.

    "Let''s see how fast you can reload while we''re out here, too," he says.

    "Of course!" says Honey cheerfully.

    The next hour goes by fast as Honey tests her weapon against the targets. During her shooting, she works on her speed of reloading the batteries. Honey''s hands move quickly in replacing the spent batteries. The empty batteries are placed on chargers that Tobias brought out, and after she has gone through all five of her batteries, Tobias calls it quits.

    "That''s enough for today," says Tobias.

    Honey lowers Thor-Ton and stares at the field. Burnt and melted ballistic gel is scattered on the crater pocketed grass, and there is more damage to the mountainside. Thin trails of smoke rise, and drones fly around, scavenging the ballistic gel bits to collect in containers.

    Honey retracts her weapon into its rectangular form, and she clips it on her back and grins at Tobias.

    "How did I do?" says Honey.

    "Better. The speed of reloading has improved, the strength of the weapon has also improved. I''ve also noticed it didn''t catch on fire this time, so that is a major improvement. But now that we''re done with this, I''d like to talk to you about your other choice. Come with me to my library," says Tobias.

    His tone was heavy, so Honey''s smile disappears, and she quietly follows him back to the manor. When they enter the library, Tobias motions Honey to have a seat while he goes to his desk to grab an envelope.

    Honey removes Thor-Ton from her back and sets it down next to her with a loud thud, and Tobias sits across from her and holds the envelope in his hands, his eyes hard and his lips tight. He is silent for a few seconds. His thumb rubs the envelope and his eyes stare at the wax sealing it. Before he starts speaking, he lifts his eyes and looks at Honey''s worried face.

    "Prunella, I need to know, do you really want to do this?" asks Tobias.

    Honey stiffens. Her father only uses her first name when she is either in trouble or when he is worried.

    "Do you really want to join the Academy of Irregular Defense?" presses Tobias.

    "I do," says Honey.

    Tobias is silent for a few seconds, his eyes search Honey''s face. Then he breathes heavily through his nose, looks at the envelope in his hands, and back at Honey.

    "Alright," says Tobias.

    He gives her the envelope, and she sees that it is addressed to the Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office- Summit City Branch. Her heart races with excitement, and her lips twitch. The only reason why she is not allowing her smile through is because she can see the worry her father has. She not only sees it, but it feels as though the air around them has gotten heavier.

    "You''re old enough to make your decisions, so I will not stop you. I will support you for as long as you can go. But I must warn you, it is not enough to have just a heart. You need skill and grit to reinforce that heart. It is not easy to do what you want to do," says Tobias.

    "But you did it," says Honey.

    "You''re right, but I am me and you are you. We''re not the same people."

    Honey''s posture dips, and Tobias grabs her shoulder and looks into her blue eyes.

    "But you are still my daughter. You have more of my genetics than your mother''s, so I know you can do this if you truly want it. Just remember that you are doing this for you and only you."

    Honey nods. Tobias releases her shoulder and sits stiffly in his chair.

    "In that envelope is everything you will need to join the Academy of Irregular Defense. There is a letter of recommendation from me, a copy of the blood work that you took two months ago, and genetic receipt to prove your lineage to me."

    Honey looks at the envelope, and Tobias takes a deep, heavy breath.

    "There is a ship leaving for Summit City on Eqos in two weeks. During this two week period I will give you a mock training to prepare yourself. Once you reach Summit City, you will go to the Recruitment Office with that envelope. After confirmation, you will have one more week to decide if you want to do this or walk away. I will not be ashamed of you if you choose to walk away."

    Honey nods. "I know, dad. But I want to do this."

    "Alright... Just do your best. That''s all I want from you."

    Honey smiles. "I won''t let you down. I promise."

    Tobias nods. "I know you''ll try. Go get dinner prepared, and we will discuss this again after we have your weapon DNA locked."

    "Okay," says Honey.

    Honey hugs Tobias, grabs her weapon, and leaves the library with a skip in her steps.

    *****

    When the door clicks shut, Tobias locks it and returns to his desk. He sits in silence for several long minutes. His brow furrowed as he thinks about his daughter''s impending departure to join the Academy. Another minute passes, and he types in a command on his desk. A screen flashes on, displaying a ringing phone icon. A few seconds later, a grizzled face of a tanned skinned old man with cropped gray and white hair and thick glasses flickers into view. Beneath him in the contact slot is the text, General Sire.

    "Good afternoon, Tobias. What do I owe the pleasure?" says Sire.

    "I''m afraid this isn''t a social call, Sire," Tobias said heavily. "Prunella has made her decision. She''ll be heading down to Eqos in two weeks'' time to enlist in the Academy of Irregular Defense."

    Sire nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Not surprising. She''s a strong, capable young woman. She got the best of you and Cassandra. The Academy will be lucky to have her."

    Tobias¡¯ expression hardens. "The reason I called is that I need to know if she will be in danger.¡±

    ¡°Of course she''ll be in danger. It''s the Academy for God''s sake.¡±

    ¡°Danger as in another war with the Drevi. Is it true? Is another war inevitable?"

    Sire¡¯s expression darkens. "Between the two of us¡­ I''m afraid so. Our long-range scans have detected a troubling buildup in Drevi-controlled space. Warships, troop transports, weapons platforms - they''re preparing for something big. Another invasion of Federation territory seems likely."

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°This sector.¡±

    A chill runs down Tobias''s spine, but the general shows no fear as he continues.

    ¡°We''re going to prepare your daughter and the other recruits as best as we can, and the System Defense is coordinating with the Federation and Planetary Militias. But if the Drevi invade any territory in the Prospect Sector, you will be called back to duty,¡± says Sire.

    ¡°Understood. Just try to take care of Prunella,¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°We don''t play favorites. You know that. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I have a cocktail party to attend.¡±

    Tobias nods solemnly. ¡°Enjoy your party, General.¡±

    ¡°I will. Enjoy your life, Tobias.¡±

    Sire hangs up after that, and Tobias sighs heavily, rests his head on his hands, and closes his eyes.

 02

    Two weeks have passed since Honey adjusted her weapon and got it DNA locked, and now she awakens to the blaring trumpets of reveille from her clock radio. Her eyes snap open, heavy and baggy, and she hits the off button. The ruckus snaps off, and Honey stiffly rolls off her bed, wearing her full body white pajamas marked with smiling suns. She stretches, yawns, and heads for her bathroom. The bright light momentarily blinds her, and she robotically washes her face, brushes her teeth, and takes a cold shower, all within ten minutes. After the shower, she goes to her closet with a towel wrapped around her. She grips the handle and takes a slow, long breath and rests her head against the door.

    The last two weeks had been hard for her, but it was necessary for what was coming. During the past two weeks, Tobias had Honey wake up early (and he came in with his own trumpet blaring when she wasn''t out of bed by the time he showed up). After waking up and cleaning up, it was morning roll call (despite her being alone), recital of ranks and insignias, then a quick breakfast, followed by exercises, marches, target practice with regular weapons, which Honey found to be boring, and other activities. Every couple of days Tobias tossed in a pop quiz on the lessons and other things she needs to know when she is recruited into the Eqos Irregular Defense Force.

    The two weeks of mock training had been grueling, but despite how worn out she is, Honey is grateful for those two weeks, because now she has a new level of confidence in her and is certain that she will have the edge on others. And today is the day she leaves for Eqos, too. Fortunately, she had everything packed in the travel case the night before. Even the clothes she is going to wear for today have already been picked out, so she is able to get ready quickly.

    Honey opens her closet and grabs an outfit hanging on a skeleton clothes hanger. It consists of a long pink skirt, a blue underbust corset vest to go over her white button-up long sleeve shirt with pink cuffs and collar, and knee-high white socks for her blue boots, which have white tongues. She also has long fingerless gloves. Honey discards her towel, exposing her fair skin and faint blue lines that trace her limbs, sides, back, shoulders, and thighs. The two weeks of mock training has made her quick to change, and right as she finishes with tightening her belt on her skirt, she hears a familiar knock on her door.

    "Come in," says Honey as she reaches for the magnetic brace that holds Thor-Ton.

    Tobias enters the room, fully dressed in a casual outfit, and with a trumpet in hand. He sees Honey putting on the magnetic back brace and puts his trumpet behind his back.

    "Morning, dad," says Honey tiredly as she retrieves Thor-Ton from her closet.

    "Are you ready to go?" asks Tobias.

    Honey nods and puts Thor-Ton on her back. "Yes sir."

    "Very good. Let''s go."

    Honey reaches into her closet and pulls out a bulky travel case on wheels and locked with a fingerprint scanner and keypad. She extends the handle and follows Tobias out of the room. The pair head downstairs, with Honey dragging her travel case behind her. They go to the kitchen where Tobias has already brewed coffee and heated blueberry muffins. He pours the coffee in a pair of thermoses and gives one of the thermoses and a muffin to Honey. After that, they go to the garage and approach a blocky car with gray-blue colors and blue tinted windows. Tobias puts Honey''s travel case in the trunk while she buckles her weapon in the backseat.

    "Go say goodbye to your mother and siblings before we go," says Tobias after getting the luggage loaded.

    Honey nods and returns inside the house. She quickly finds that Cassandra is already going into the kitchen. Her eyes are heavy, and she is wearing her blanket like a robe over her pajamas. When the two see each other, Honey smiles and the two exchange long hugs.

    "Be careful," says Cassandra softly.

    "I''ll try," says Honey. "I love you."

    "I love you, too."

    Cassandra rubs Honey''s back, and then reluctantly releases her.

    "You best get going. I don''t want you missing your flight. I''ll tell your siblings you said goodbye," says Cassandra.

    Honey nods and walks backwards as she waves. When Cassandra waves back, sniffling and blinking tears out of her eyes, Honey runs out of the kitchen and goes into the garage. She gets inside the car, and Tobias opens the garage door, turns on the warm air and the radio. Calm music plays through the speakers, and they gradually drive down their property road. They reach the gate to their property, and the sensor triggers the gate to open, and after passing through, the gate quietly closes and locks behind them.

    Tobias keeps his eyes on the road and his hands are tight on the wheel. Meanwhile, Honey looks into the door mirror and watches the estate until they round the corner, and it goes out of sight from the blocky apartment and spiraling food towers. With the manor gone from view, Honey stares ahead and quietly eats her muffin and drinks her coffee. Tobias also drinks his coffee but leaves his muffin untouched.

    The calm music mixes with hums of the outside world, and the UV beams slowly move on their rails while the city lights in the Dumas Biodome turn on. Small cars gradually populate the two-lane roads as they make their morning commutes, and drones fly overhead, delivering goods or monitoring the traffic.

    Several minutes pass of navigating early traffic, and Tobias and Honey reach the edge of the Dumas Biodome. They are greeted by a security officer wearing a gray uniform and black armored vest, and a black drone with a red eye hover nearby. They are guarding a blast door that leads to the tunnel beyond.

    The security officer holds up his hand, and Tobias eases his car to a stop and rolls down the window. The security officer goes to Tobias and wakes up his wrist-top computer while the Thorntons take out their IDs.

    "Good morning, Mr. Thornton," says the security guard.

    "Good morning," says Tobias. He gives the IDs to the officer. "We''re heading to the Lillian Launch Station."

    The security officer puts the IDs in his computer. As it scans, he types in the destination.

    "Going to Eqos?" inquires the officer.

    "I''m going to the Irregular Defense Force recruiting station in Summit City," says Honey; she was still tired and anxious, but some excitement creeped into her tone.

    The computer beeps, and the officer returns the IDs.

    "Following the steps of your old man?" says the officer with a smile.

    "She''s following her own path," says Tobias sternly as he takes the IDs.

    "Of course, sir," says the officer.

    The officer inputs another command on his computer, and the blast door hisses and clicks multiple times, and then it opens, revealing a tunnel illuminated by thin ribs of light. The officer waves Tobias through, and the car goes through the doorway and stops at a line of barriers. After the door seals, the pillars lower, and Tobias drives deeper into the tunnel.

    Honey is quiet during the drive. The weight of anxiety and weariness has snuffed out her excitement, so now she tries distracting herself by watching the painted scenery pass by. Unfortunately for her, the scenery the artist painted was just Lillian''s landscape. Which means it was rocks painted on rocks with the occasional star or ship or biodome. Those random points are illuminated by small colorful bulbs, so it isn''t too bad. But Honey would''ve liked to see something more than a painting of a rock on a rock wall.

    "Nervous?" asks Tobias.

    "Just a little bit," says Honey.

    Tobias nods. "Believe me, I understand. But take comfort in this. The worst part of the training is the first semester. And the worst part of the first semester is the evaluation course to determine if you are even qualified."

    "So, the letter and blood work aren''t enough?"

    "Those just put you through the door. But the evaluation course determines if your mind, body and heart is into it."

    "I see..."

    Tobias smiles thinly at Honey and pats her leg.

    "It gets easier after the first semester. I promise," says Tobias.

    "Any pointers for the evaluation?" asks Honey.

    "Don''t die?" suggests Tobias.

    Honey''s eyes bulge. "People die!?"

    "Of course they do. It''s in the paperwork at the very last paragraph of the sign-up pamphlet. Very fine print. Compensation is given to the immediate family should someone die, but if you read the whole pamphlet rather than skim through it, they''ll give your name preference over those who didn''t read. Which is a lot, unsurprisingly."

    "But the whole dying thing. You never said anything about people dying during the evaluation course!"

    "Do you want to turn around?"

    "Honestly dad, it''s very tempting."

    Tobias slows the vehicle down, and Honey shakes her hand. "Wait, no! Don''t turn around!"

    Tobias speeds up again.

    "Why didn''t you tell me people die during the evaluation course?" asks Honey.

    "My dad didn''t tell me, and his did didn''t tell him, and his mother didn''t tell him, and her mother didn''t tell her, and her father didn''t tell her. Think of it like a family tradition," says Tobias.

    "That''s a pretty messed up tradition," says Honey sourly.

    "I am obligated to keep up the family tradition."

    Honey scrunches her brows, and Tobias takes a deep breath before continuing.

    "Besides, death is somewhat easy to avoid during the evaluation course," says Tobias. "All you must do is team up with someone. At least one person. The more the better. But the course is a lot easier to handle with a team, and your evaluation score will be better if they see you working well with a group. Also, your chances of dying drop significantly with a team. But if you don''t have a team, then you have a thirty two percent increased chance of dying. Roughly speaking."

    Honey looks ahead, pale as a fresh cotton sheet. "Good to know. Thanks."

    "No problem."

    Silence comes between them again, and they remain quiet for the rest of the drive through the subterranean tunnel. On occasion, another vehicle passes them, and after several minutes, the end of the tunnel appears, marked by a large circular blast door that has been opened and is flanked by a pair of sensors.

    The car exits the tunnel onto a large area that is covered by a glass dome. A few stars are visible overhead. There is an elevated road above the ground, which is lined with buildings. In the distance, there are lights shining from various ships in orbit. As they approach the entrance, a tower jutting from the ground and reaching through the dome looms over everyone. The tower has ships docked on it, and smaller crafts fly around the outside of the structure. This is the Lillian Launch Station.

    A security gate surrounds the structure, and two guards man kiosk by the only gate. They have short brown hair and square faces, wearing black uniforms with silver trimming along the shoulders and sleeves. Each guard is equipped with a rifle and a pistol, and they''re wearing armored vests with communicators strapped to their shoulders. After Tobias stops by their kiosk, he gives them his and Honey''s IDs. They scan the IDs, and after everything checks out, they return the IDs and open the gate. As soon as it slides out of the way, they motion Tobias through, and he slowly drives ahead and goes to a near empty parking lot.

    The abundance of space allows Tobias parks the car near the spaceport entrance. Once it is parked, he and Honey exit the vehicle and Honey gathers her gear. Once they enter the Lillian Launch Station, they go straight to a booth where the receptionist sits. She greets them with a professional smile, and Tobias and Honey hand over their IDs.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    "Welcome to the Lillian Launch Station," says the receptionist. "Are you here for a flight?"

    "Yes, ma''am," answers Honey.

    "And your destination? Please state it."

    "Eqos. Summit City. To the Irregular Defense Force recruitment center," says Honey.

    "And for you, sir?" asks the receptionist to Tobias.

    "I''m just here to see her off," says Tobias.

    "Understood." The receptionist prints off a boarding pass and gives it, plus the ID, back to Honey. "Here''s your boarding pass. Enjoy your flight."

    Honey takes her ID and boarding pass, and Tobias and Honey head to the elevators. The elevator doors close, and they ascend to the top floor of the building. They exit the elevator, and Tobias and Honey go to the security checkpoint.

    "Security check. Please present your ID and boarding pass," says the security guard.

    Tobias shows his ID, and Honey shows him her boarding pass and ID. The guard scans both and looks at Tobias.

    "No boarding pass?" asks the guard.

    "I''m just here to see my daughter off," replies Tobias.

    The guard nods. "Understandable. I''ve done that plenty of times, but I can''t let you go any further. Say your farewells and then vacate the premises."

    "Of course," says Tobias. He sighs and puts his hands on Honey''s shoulders. "Do your best but remember there is no shame in walking away."

    Honey smiles and blinks the mist out of her eyes. "I know, but I''m going to do this. I''ll be an EIDF soldier."

    Tobias smiles and hugs Honey. "Good luck and Godspeed."

    Tobias backs away from Honey, takes a deep breath, and leaves for the elevator. Honey keeps watching him until the elevator doors separate the two, and then she sighs heavily, and pulls her carry case to the security checkpoint.

    There, they scan her luggage and put a lock on her weapon. After that, they let her through the doors, where she enters an area with chairs and tables set up for those waiting for a flight. As Honey walks by, some people look at her curiously while others pretend that she doesn''t exist.

    The TVs mounted on pillars and walls show various information, ranging from weather on Eqos and Lillian, to elections and political scandals, and sports news. Honey ignores all this and sits on a couch by the window with her thermos. She sips her coffee again and looks outside at the shuttle she''ll be taking to Eqos.

    The shuttle is cylindrical with its wings folded up, and four exhaust ports are on the back with a line of smaller ones on the side. It is blue with a white band along its side and Blue Destiny is written in blue letters in the band.

    A few minutes later, Honey finishes her coffee and puts the thermos in her case. She reclines on the couch and watches the TV while she waits for her flight. The TV she is watching is muted, and subtitles take up a large portion of the screen while a reporter talks to a ranking officer with a row of tanks parked behind them. Honey tries to read the words, but the scrolling is too fast and what she does see is that the words are misplaced or misspelled.

    Because the subtitles are terrible, Honey ignores the TV and looks out the window again. She is partially mesmerized by the crew in space suits working on inspecting the Blue Destiny before takeoff. They look like they are swimming in the air, and tiny bursts of colorful exhaust guide them to their next destination.

    "Now boarding! Have your boarding pass ready!" announced a female over the intercom.

    The passengers grab their luggage and make their way to the boarding area. In Honey''s case, her limbs tremble as she quickly approaches the gate while the rest of the would-be passengers appear calm or excited. They are instructed to stand in a line, and while they do this, workers come by with printers and scanners. As each passenger is checked in, their boarding passes are scanned, and bands are printed out and wrapped on their wrists, luggage, and for Honey, she got a tag for her weapons. After that, the luggage and Thor-Ton are taken to the underbelly of the Blue Destiny.

    Honey and the other passengers go in an orderly line through a tunnel leading to the ship. The tunnel is chilly and illuminated by small lights on the ceiling and wall. There is a humming from air being pumped in, and when Honey enters the Blue Destiny, she finds it to be brightly lit with multiple rows and columns of blue and yellow seats.

    Honey is quick to find her seat, and as she sits down, other passengers file in and quickly find their seats, chatting along the way; some excited, others strictly business. After several minutes pass, everyone is in their seat, and a stewardess goes next to the cockpit door and grabs a microphone hanging on the wall.

    The ship''s intercom clicks, and her voice flows through the speakers. She gives instructions on how to put on the seatbelt while a steward next to her gives a demonstration, and then the stewardess gives instructions on what to do if trouble strikes the ship. Trouble such as someone getting sick, a pirate attack, power failure, or atmospheric decompression. Out of all the words from the stewardess''s mouth, the only thing Honey got out of it was hold tight and pray.

    After the instructions are given, the stewards and stewardesses go down the aisles and check everyone''s belts and their emergency breathing masks. This is a quick process that only takes a few minutes, and once they''re done, they take seats by the cockpit and buckle up. The lead stewardess is the last to secure herself, and she bangs on the cockpit door twice.

    The intercom dings, and a stern male voice fills the air.

    "Attention passengers and crew of the Blue Destiny, this is your captain speaking. We''re about to start our engines. Everybody please remain buckled up, and nobody leave your seats until told otherwise. Thank you."

    The intercom clicks off, and a few seconds later, the engines roar to life, a humming reverberates through the ship, and green lights turn on, marking artificial gravity activation as the Blue Destiny decouples from the Lillian Spaceport and begins its travel into space. As it travels, Honey takes a deep breath and tries without much luck to relax in her seat. The ship rumbles for a few more minutes before a pleasant ding echo throughout the ship.

    "Attention passengers and crew, this is your captain speaking. You are now free to move about the ship," says the captain.

    Honey decides to stay strapped to her seat.

    ******

    The next day, the Blue Destiny reaches the Eqos Spaceport. The massive station is hovering over its namesake planet, and it is composed of a series of disks stacked on top of each other with a cylindrical center. Docking ports of various sizes poke out from the disks, and cannons of many sizes and capabilities guard it. Sunlight reflects off its polished hull, and numerous ships of all sizes and purposes are docked in their respective areas.

    The passengers of the Blue Destiny are back to being buckled in their seats (which Honey never left hers for any reason), and their captain is uses steady hands to guide the ship to its port. Short bursts are released from the exhaust tubes on the side. Each burst painstakingly inches the Blue Destiny closer to its point, and when it touches its destination, there is a loud clanging, followed by clicks and hisses. A couple of minutes later, the intercom dings.

    "Attention everyone, this is your captain speaking. We are now docked at Eqos Spaceport. Please exit the Blue Destiny in an orderly fashion and thank you for flying with us."

    The intercom clicks off, and everyone unbuckles while the lead stewardess gives instructions on the etiquette of exiting the ship. This leads to a swift and orderly departure, and once everyone has exited, the tube is sealed and operators in space suits begin refueling the Blue Destiny while luggage is returned to the passengers. After Honey gets her luggage and Thor-Ton, she clips her weapon to her magnetized back brace and pulls her luggage with her as she travels through the Eqos Spaceport.

    Cameras watch everyone walking through the station, and Honey goes to a map on a pillar and studies it until she finds where her shuttle is located. Her stomach growls, but she pushes her hunger to the back of her mind and hurries to her location. She only has four hours left to get to her shuttle and she doesn''t want to be late!

    Ten Minutes later, she reaches her destination and checks the monitor on the wall beside the door. It reads Shuttle 3.

    Access to the shuttle is locked, and a pair of stewardesses are behind a desk chatting lightly to themselves. They see Honey, offer a brief greeting, and then return to their conversation. Honey goes to the seat nearest to the shuttle, unclips Thor-Ton, and sets it on her lap as she sits down. This turns out to be a bad idea since its intense weight digs into her legs, so she puts it on the chair next to her.

    Then she waits. And ignores her stomach growling and twisting into a tight knot. She has a good spot and doesn''t want to lose it because of something as stupid as hunger.

    As Honey waits, a few more people show up and take seats away from each other. A few more minutes pass and more people arrive. Another few minutes pass, and a heterosexual couple holding Klumsy K''s carry-boxes sit across from Honey.

    They talk lightly and enjoy their meal, but then the male notices Honey, and he stops everything and stares at Honey intently. A few seconds later, the female looks at Honey and her expression shifts, too. Honey has no idea who they are or why they are acting like this, but she doesn''t look away from them. Instead, she studies them. They are in Honey''s age range, and both have weapons cases that are locked and marked.

    The male has brown hair, brown eyes and skin reddened by a lot of time in the heat. His hair is thick, and he has an athletic build, and is wearing a simple dark gray suit with a brown dress shirt. He also has heavy shoes, and his eyes really bore into Honey, like a drill powered by hate.

    The female has an elegant figure, almost like a ballerina. Her dark hair is braided, and her amber eyes have a mischievous glint to them as she slowly eats her burger. Her outfit is a light gray coat over a black shirt, and a black skirt with white bands on the bottom. Plus, dark calf boots with white laces.

    Honey doesn''t like either of them.

    "You''re blonde," says the possible ballerina.

    "Yep," says Honey.

    "Blondes are hard to come by."

    "Yep," repeats Honey.

    "Are you a dancer, by any chance?"

    The male rolls his eyes and sips his drink. Loudly. This makes Honey''s eye and hand twitch.

    "Nope," says Honey.

    Her heart is now racing, and the odd girl grins wolfishly.

    "How about bodybuilding? Do you do weightlift competitions?" asks the strange girl.

    "No," replies Honey. "I''m just here to go to the Academy recruitment center."

    "So, you want to join the Academy of Irregular Defense? I can see that. You certainly are more muscular than the average female. You''d be a bad dancer, but good for other things."

    The ballerina leans forward and continues staring at Honey intently, and when the stranger smirks and licks her lips, Honey scrunches her brow and her muscles tighter.

    "I''m sorry, is there a reason why you''re staring at me like that?" asks Honey.

    "Oh, no, don''t worry about it. I am just enjoying your structure," says the odd woman.

    Honey raises her brow, and her companion sighs heavily and pulls her back against the seat.

    "That''s enough, Emma," he says.

    "For now, it is Rocky," says Emma with a smirk.

    However, Rocky is not smirking. He is still glaring at Honey. His eyes are cold and hard like steel.

    Honey glances at her watch and then looks at the strange pair. If they don''t leave soon, she is going to move somewhere else.

    "I''m going to the Academy, too. Same with Rocky," says Emma. She pats Rocky''s leg for emphasis.

    "Oh joy," says Honey sarcastically. "I''m sure we''ll all get along famously."

    Emma chuckles, and Rocky smiles maliciously. The intimidation tactic makes Honey both uneasy and angry, but she remains firmly planted in her seat. They can''t use their weapons, and if they are really trying to get into the Academy then they won''t try anything more than banter. However, the fear is seeping through Honey, despite her outward appearance, and it is getting harder to resist calling the guards or asking the stewardesses to remove Rocky and Emma.

    Then the monitor above the tube shows a countdown clock. The stewardess behind the counter turns on the intercom and speaks into a microphone.

    "Attention, Shuttle Three is now boarding," she says, her voice flowing from speakers around their area.

    "Thank God," sighs Honey.

    She quickly stands up with her weapon and travel case and hurries to the stewardess. Once there, she gives her the ticket, and the stewardess stamps it and allows Honey through. She makes quick work going through the tube, and when she enters the shuttle, she takes the seat designated to her by her ticket. Then she straps Thor-Ton into the seat next to her and locks her travel case on the floor using straps provided by the shuttle.

    As she does this, Rocky, Emma, and a dozen other people get on the shuttle and strap themselves in. After everyone is situated, the stewardess checks the straps and seatbelts, and makes an adjustment here and there. Once her task is done, the stewardess sits by the captain''s door and knocks on it a couple of times. As soon as she does that, the intercom turns on.

    "Good evening, everyone. This is your captain speaking. We will now depart for Summit City. Please remain seated during the duration of the flight. There are no latrines or snacks provided. Enjoy the view and thank you for picking Eqos as your destination," says a bored voice.

    The intercom clicks off, and after a moment of silence, the shuttle engine roars to life. It vibrates the walls and shakes Honey''s legs. However, she keeps her head down and doesn''t look outside. She keeps her head down until she feels the turbulence of atmospheric entrance, and she peeks just enough to see the orange glow on the ship''s hull from the friction. She looks away after that. But a few seconds later, she dares to look out again, but this time the anxiety is replaced by wonder, and she looks at the approaching scenery with undivided attention.

    The shuttle passes over a beautiful landscape of large snowcapped mountains covered in blankets of fog moving between the formations. There are towns built into the mountains with rail and elevated road networks connecting the mountains, and beyond the mountains are rolling hills. There are smaller settlements tucked in the hills, and beyond the hills is farmland as far as the eye can see.

    "Wow," gasps Honey. "That''s a lot of greenery."

    "What''s wrong with it being green?" asks Rocky. He and Emma are sitting behind Honey, and she didn''t realize it until Rocky spoke.

    "It''s just not what I expected. I thought there would be more rocks," says Honey.

    "There''s plenty of rocks under the trees you can look at," says Rocky.

    "And there''s lots and lots and lots and lots of rocks in the mines of Eqos," adds Emma.

    Honey rolls her eyes and looks away from the pair with her arms folded across her chest and her face scrunched from annoyance. A few minutes later, the shuttle begins its descent to a runway at the base of one of the peaks. As the shuttle approaches, the vehicle rattles and Honey grips her seat tight and her breathing hitches. When the shuttle touches down, the tires screech, and the shuttle bobs for a moment before the shuttle slows to a crawl. The pilot guides the shuttle to a station with a tube extending out. The shuttle connects to the tube, and a ding echoes in the ship.

    "We have arrived at our destination. Please exit in a polite manner," says the pilot.

    The stewardess gets up to open the door, and the passengers unclip their belts and luggage. When everyone is ready, the stewardess steps aside and allows everyone to walk off the shuttle. Honey is first, and the very first thing she notices from the moment she stands up is that there is a weight difference. Her luggage and weapon feel heavier. She feels heavier. Her heart works harder to pump her blood, her lungs are filled with more air, and the added weight from increased gravity has brought a subtle but noticeable discomfort to her limbs and spine.

    Honey takes a deep breath and rubs her strained heart as she makes her way to the passport booth. She hands over her ticket and passport to the clerk behind the counter, and then the woman checks them against a list. With everything turning out to be in order, she stamps the passport and returns it to Honey while giving her a practiced smile.

    "Welcome to Summit City," says the woman.

    Honey thanks her and hurries away before Rocky and Emma can reach her, and she goes to a vending machine for packaged lunches. Her hands shake and she takes deep breaths and slow exhales as she slides her card into the machine and selects the first lunch she sees. Once she has her lunch, she sits down at a nearby empty table and opens up the colorful box it came in.

    She removes the sandwich and chips and pours the cherry flavor mix in the water bottle. She consumes her lunch quickly, and within a minute she feels better. She''s still hungry, but now she is not shaking.

    She also notices that people are looking at her strangely as they walk by.

    Is it her weapon, Thor-Ton?

    Is it the dim blue lines on her limbs marking her cybernetic enhancements?

    Is it her larger than average build?

    Is it her clothes?

    Questions, questions, questions. So many questions. But none of those things matter right now. She needs to stay focused. Focused on the mission. Focused on the task at hand. Focused on getting a hotel room and finding the Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office. So with that, she finishes her lunch, and then hurries to the exit.

 03

    Planet: EQOS

    System: NETO

    Sector: PROSPECT

    Date: 04-JUL-2432

    Location: SUMMIT CITY, CHAINLAND RANGE

    When Honey exits the Summit City Landing Station her eyes feel like they have been set ablaze. The light from Neto is more intense on Eqos than it is on Lillian, despite there being thick gray clouds in the sky. The air is warm and moist, which is far different from the Dumas Biodome, or any biodome for that matter. The biodomes use UV light rails and networks of air heating and cooling units to create weather, and sometimes the biodome glass domes got fogged up with some clouds trapped up top, but what she is experiencing now is insanity.

    Honey feels like water is oozing into her skin and going into her nose and throat. Her heavy heart races and she looks side to side frantically. There is a loud rumbling up above, and Honey looks up, expecting to see rocks falling from the sky or the atmosphere breaking. But all she sees are the thick gray clouds partially covering Neto. The rumbling returns, making Honey jump, and she drags her luggage to a covered kiosk with a map of Summit City displayed on it.

    "Okay... okay... okay..." Honey takes a deep breath, lifts her finger, then jumps and curses when an even louder rumbling rolls through the air and rattles her bones. Her jaw and fists clench, and she glares at the gray sky, which is now getting darker, and goes back to the kiosk. Summit City is massive to say the least. It is 70 square miles and encompasses multiple mountains, all of which are connected by monorails and road networks, with large patches of the mountains reserved for wildlife, making many areas small but densely populated. Honey is fine with the dense population, but what she needs is a hotel. So, she types in "hotel" in the search bar and gets 382 results.

    Honey''s jaw drops. Then she hears an odd, watery patter, like a leaking pipe. Only multiply the leaking pipe by maybe several hundred and she looks behind her and her eyes bulge and her hand slides off the kiosk.

    Innumerable water droplets fall from the sky, splattering against the asphalt and concrete, and beating against the kiosk roof. Neto is completely gone now, and the rumbling shakes the kiosk and Honey''s bones. She feels like she''s going to vomit as she turns back to the kiosk and limits her search to the nearest hotel. Which is down the block. Honey hits a map printing button, and she has to swipe her card to pay for the 50 fedos fee. After she pays, a laminated map is printed out with the quickest route highlighted.

    The good news is that the route is a straight line. The bad news is the rain is getting heavier. So, Honey takes a deep breath, grabs her luggage, and marches out.

    A few minutes later, she opens the door to her destination. Water pours off her soaked body, her curly blonde hair is hanging over her eyes, her soaked clothes add an awful amount of weight to her, and the worst part is no one seems to notice or care that a young woman has waterfalls dribbling off her body.

    The clerk at the desk is doing computer work; some guy is reading something on a couch; and an automated vacuum droid is going in a grid pattern on the thin carpet floor.

    Honey takes a deep breath and marches forward, leaving a trail of watery footsteps and streaks while her luggage wheels and boots squeak and squelch on the checker tiles. She passes flowery wallpaper, decorative pillars, and when she gets on the carpet, the odd noises stop. When she reaches the clerk, she rings a bell. He responds with the speed of molasses and looks at her with a slightly annoyed expression.

    "Welcome to the Summit Community Hotel. How can I help you?" he says in a recited voice void of all life.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    "I need a room. One bed. Please," says Honey.

    "How long are you staying?"

    "I don''t know. A week, maybe? I''m trying to apply to the Academy of Irregular Defense, and I''m not sure how long that''ll take."

    The clerk looks at Thor-Ton''s case, and then he looks at Honey.

    "It is two thousand fedos a week," he says.

    "That''s fine," says Honey.

    The clerk sighs heavily, types in his computer, and prints out a key card. Honey gives him her card, and after she pays, he gives her the key and a receipt.

    "If your application is successful, give the receipt to the Academy of Irregular Defense Human Resources and they''ll reimburse you," says the clerk.

    "Cool. Thank you," says Honey.

    "Uh huh. Room 621. Sixth floor. Left side."

    Honey thanks him again, and he waves her off despite her already walking away, and she approaches the elevator at the lobby and hits the button. While she waits, she hears a pair of footsteps approach her, and she looks behind her to see Rocky and Emma standing close by, also waiting for the elevator. And carrying folded umbrellas.

    Honey looks back at the sleek metal door and groans irritably while rolling her eyes.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me," whispers Honey.

    "Hey Honey," says Emma. She slides next to her and leans against the wall with her arms folded across her chest and a wicked smile on her face. "Fancy seeing you here."

    "Small world," says Honey.

    "What floor are you on?"

    "None of your business."

    "We''re on the fourth floor."

    "Glad to hear."

    "Did you not get an umbrella?"

    Honey clenches her jaw, and Emma looks at Rocky.

    "She didn''t get an umbrella," says Emma.

    "Not our problem," says Rocky.

    Honey hits the elevator button again, and this time the door opens with a loud ding, and she slides inside, but before the door can close, Emma and Rocky slide in, and Rocky hits the emergency close button. Honey frowns and massages her hands, but as she does this, the fain blue lines hidden by her clothes flare. But Rocky sees a little bit of the activity from the lines on her neck. Rather than getting worried, he waves dismissively and looks at the door.

    "Relax, I''m not going to hurt you just yet," says Rocky.

    "Oh? How kind of you to wait," says Honey. "What''s your problem with me, anyway?"

    "My problem is that you''re Prunella Thornton, the daughter of Tobias Thornton, the baron of the Dumas Biodome," says Rocky.

    He turns his eyes to Honey, and her blood runs cold at the sight of the fire behind them.

    "Tobias Thornton evicted my family from our dwelling in the Dumas Biodome. Now I see his daughter in my presence heading to the same prestigious academy. Am I supposed to be happy about that?" says Rocky.

    "My dad doesn''t evict people for no reason. Maybe your parents didn''t pay rent?"

    "We had a mortgage."

    "So, your parents couldn''t pay the mortgage?"

    "We were evicted for no reason."

    "You''re lying. My dad doesn''t evict anybody for no reason!"

    "Yes, he does. He did it to my family and who knows how many others."

    Honey growls. "Alright, that''s it. I''m going to knock some honesty into you. I won''t let you dishonor the Thornton name with your lies!"

    Rocky hits the emergency stop button and turns to face Honey fully. The light in the elevator switches to swirling yellow lights, slinging their shadows on the wall, and the colors reflect off his eyes as he and Honey stare each other down.

    "Is that a challenge to a duel?" asks Rocky.

    Despite Honey''s heart racing, she still nods slowly. "Yeah. That''s a challenge."

    "There''s a gym three blocks from here. Let''s say noon tomorrow?" says Rocky.

    "Fine by me." Honey extends her hand. "Honey Thorton."

    Rocky grabs her hand. "Rocky Rochefort."

    A TV near the elevator flashes on and the clerk''s face appears.

    "Hey, are you guys okay in there?" he asks in the least concerned way possible.

    Rocky flips off the emergency stop, and the elevator begins rising again.

    "We''re fine," says Rocky.

    "Alright, cool. Don''t mess with the buttons. Enjoy your stay at the Summit Community Hotel or whatever," says the clerk.

    The elevator dings shortly after and opens up to the fourth floor. Rocky and Emma get out with their gear, and Emma waves farewell to Honey with wiggly fingers. Honey hits the emergency close button, and slumps against the wall as the elevator continues to rise. By the time she takes a breath, the door opens to her floor, putting her face to face with a giant bronze "6" hanging on the wall.

    Honey pulls away from the elevator wall and takes her luggage down the hall to her room. The card works as intended, and when she opens the door, she finds her room to be quaint. There''s a bed, a dresser, a TV mounted on the wall, a small fridge and microwave, and a simple bathroom. The curtains are thin so she can still see the rain beating against her window, and the floor''s thin carpet is an odd shade of brown.

    Honey sets her stuff down the bed, takes another deep breath, and then face plants the mattress.

 04

    The next day Honey is standing in front of a map kiosk in the Summit Community Hotel¡¯s lobby. She has Thor-Ton strapped to her back, and a small pack clipped to her hip with the letter of recommendation inside, and she is getting information for the gym. The gym is called ¡°Summit City Gym¡±, and Rocky was right. It was just down the street a few blocks away. And now that she has the gym location, she looks up the location for the Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office and sees that it is a bit further away and located at a plaza near a large park. And it closes at 8pm. Plenty of time if nothing goes wrong!

    Honey prints the map with the routes to both locations highlighted, and she makes her way outside. The morning sunlight burns her eyes, and the air is thick from post-rain humidity. It feels like she is walking through water as she travels to her destination. And since Eqos gravity and atmosphere is different from Lillian¡¯s, her body and her enhancements are putting extra exertion.

    But the upside is that now that there is no rain, she can visually enjoy the scenery at the expense of her lungs being filled with watery air. There are decorative lamps that appear to be DNA strands with large light bulbs in the three crevices, smooth sidewalks, and Late Baroque styled buildings, ranging from plaza strips with multiple shops cramped inside to towering structures built into the mountainside, and statues of various sizes depicting people in differing poses or actions. The statues range from scientists working on experiments, to explorers traveling, and soldiers and workers standing proud or using their tools. Honey has never seen anything close to this sort of beauty on Lillian, and she wishes she could enjoy the scenery, but alas, now is not the time to enjoy pleasant things.

    The walk to the Summit City Gym is quick, and despite the density of Summit City, there is a comfortable amount of space between pedestrians, thus making the travel easier. When she reaches the gym, she is expecting something remarkable. Like a coliseum, or something towering to exert its dominance. Instead, what she sees is something that looks like a ball made of bricks being born from the mountain. It hangs over the edge, and the backend is secured by pillars that penetrate the mountainside. The entrance is a line of glass doors, and a simple sign saying Summit City Gym sits out on its small lawn.

    Honey¡¯s lips twitch and she goes inside. The doors automatically open, and she is greeted with cool air, the scent of industrial soap and disinfectant, and an eight-foot-tall man with biceps the size of a head and a shirt that looks like it¡¯s about to tear from mere flexing. His name tag says ¡°Steve¡±.

    Honey swallows as she approaches Steve, and he watches her intently with beautiful hazel eyes and a face that is perfectly portioned on a blocky head and kingly jaw. His hair dark blows magnificently from the cool air from the vents, and when Honey is at the counter, she coolly leans against it and puts on her best sensual smile while running her finger on the countertop.

    ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m new in town, and I was supposed to meet a couple of people here for a duel. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen them around. One is a creepy ballerina and the other is a¡­ guy¡­who might be an overcooked marine crustacean with hair that looks like mud. Seen anybody like that around?¡±

    Honey finishes with a sweet smile, and the big stares at her for a few more seconds.

    ¡°Are you Honey Thornton?¡± asks Steve in a deep, rough voice.

    ¡°I am,¡± says Honey proudly.

    She pulls out her ID and slides it to him, and Steve studies the ID for a moment before returning it to Honey.

    ¡°Yeah, the creepy ballerina said to keep an eye out for a blonde bimbo with your description,¡± says Steve. ¡°Your crustacean didn¡¯t speak much, though.¡±

    Honey sneers. ¡°Bimbo?¡±

    Steve nods, and Honey pulls away from the counter and rubs her face.

    ¡°Bimbo¡­¡± repeats Honey.

    ¡°They¡¯re waiting for you in Dueling Chamber 3,¡± says Steve. He is now typing on his computer.

    ¡°How much?¡±

    Steve prints out a guest badge and clips it to a lanyard.

    ¡°It¡¯s free,¡± says Steve. He gives Honey the badge ¡°Here. Wear this and return it to me or whoever is operating this desk when you¡¯re done.¡±

    Honey slips the badge over her neck. ¡°Is this place really free, or is there some hidden fee?¡±

    ¡°It''s fully free, unless you use our vending machines due to it being state funded. By the way, Dueling Chamber 3 is on the right.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Yep. Good luck with your duel. Those two weirdos rubbed me the wrong way.¡±

    Honey smirks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make Rocky suffer for you.¡±

    Steve smirks, and Honey waves farewell to him as she heads to her location, and he waves back before resuming his work on his computer. Honey enters a brightly lit hallway with thin carpet and camera orbs spaced evenly around. She continues walking until she sees a map on the wall. It is of the building¡¯s layout, and after taking a short time to study it, she is able to figure out where Dueling Chamber 3 is.

    When she gets to the Dueling Chamber in a quick amount of time, she is greeted by cool air, bright lights, and two egg shaped pods with various tubes and wires connected to a computer tower in between them. The pods are also connected to a system of monitors that are currently depicting a screen saver of colorful pipes snaking around the screen at random paths. When the screen is full, the pipes dissolve and the random paths begin again. The pods have blue paint with ¡°Arx Corporation Simulation Pod m.v. 3382951¡± printed on their sides in white letters and numbers. The room also has two dressing room on opposite sides.

    Then there¡¯s the two people Honey has quickly grown to hate, Rocky and Emma (they are also wearing guest badges). They are waiting by a dressing room, talking casually among themselves. Nearby is a technician doing inspections on the pods, and a young man in blue scrubs reading some paperwork. He sees Honey, and she approaches him while giving an unkind glare to Rocky and Emma. Rocky returns the expression, but Emma smiles thinly and waves with wiggly fingers. When Honey gets to the nurse, she offers him a friendly smile.

    ¡°Hi there. The name¡¯s Honey Thornton. I¡¯m here to duel that jack wagon over there,¡± says Honey, jabbing a thumb toward Rocky.

    The nurse, whose name tag says ¡°Frank¡±, looks at her, and she holds up the guest badge Steve gave her. He nods and turns on a communicator strapped to his wrist.

    ¡°Dr. Neda Oorschot, everyone is here,¡± says Frank.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be over in a few minutes,¡± says a female voice over the speaker.

    ¡°Copy that.¡± Frank lowers his communicator and looks at Honey and Rocky. ¡°The doctor will be here shortly.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Rocky nods, and Emma stands behind him and rubs his shoulders.

    ¡°Today is the day you show the Thorntons how strong the Rochefort family is," she says into his ear while smiling thinly at Honey. "Make her regret challenging you to a duel."

    "I will," says Rocky.

    "I''m going to make this quick for us," says Honey. ¡°We need to get to the recruitment office before it closes.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t close until eight,¡± says Rocky.

    ¡°So?¡± snaps Honey, her hand brushing against the pouch on her belt for a brief moment.

    ¡°Oh, are you worried?¡± says Emma.

    Emma giggles and skips next to Honey, and she leans forward, inspecting her intently. Her eyes go up and down and side to side, then zig and zag all over Honey¡¯s body, which really gets Honey nervous.

    ¡°Maybe you should forget about the duel and just go to the recruitment office. After all, this duel could end badly for you. Or worse, make you late,¡± asks Emma.

    ¡°I''m doing this duel, and you acting like a creep is not going to stop me,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Well, the thing is¡­¡± Emma glides around Honey, brushing her arm and hip, which leads to Honey slapping her hand away. ¡°The thing is that Rocky is just better than you, as am I. You have your enhancements, and that big cannon, but you haven¡¯t lived through what we¡¯ve lived through.¡±

    Emma circles around Honey, tracing her shoulder and Thor-Ton with the tip of her finger, and speaks into Honey¡¯s ear.

    ¡°You¡¯re pampered. We¡¯re not,¡± says Emma.

    The hot air from Emma¡¯s mouth makes Honey shiver uncomfortably, and she turns her head to glare at the demented ballerina, but as she moves her head, Emma slides again, forcing Honey to go in a circle.

    ¡°We have experience, you don¡¯t,¡± continues Emma.

    Emma continues guiding Honey in another circular path, and by the time they are done moving, Emma is standing in front of Honey, smirking with her hands clamped behind her back, and her body rocking back and forth on her feet.

    ¡°You will lose, and embarrass yourself, because unlike you, we lived in the real world with real struggles. All you have are silver spoons and daddy''s money,¡± says Emma.

    Honey frowns and leans towards Emma, throat tight, heart racing and eyes struggling to keep the mist out.

    ¡°If you want an actual physical fight, just say so. I¡¯ll have no problem breaking your nose,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Sounds like fun,¡± says Emma with a grin.

    Rocky steps forward and puts himself between the two females, and nudges Emma back while keeping one hand raised towards Honey.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± says Rocky sternly. ¡°If there is any physical confrontation then that would jeopardize your chances of admission to the Academy. You know that. So, go back to the hotel and wait for me there.¡±

    ¡°But I want to see the simulation results,¡± pouts Emma.

    ¡°Go back,¡± orders Rocky in a heavier voice.

    Emma sighs and with a roll of her eyes, she strolls away without a word. Frank, the technician, Honey, and Rocky watch her leave, and after she is out of sight, Frank and the technician go back to work, and Honey and Rocky look at each other. The silence between them is heavy, and their lips remain sealed. Neither of them attempts to speak, and when the door opens again, they see a tanned skin female twice their age walking in, wearing her dark hair in a bun, a white lab coat over her blue blouse and jeans, and carrying a tablet. Behind her is a cart with sensor orbs around it and digital bands surrounding it. The cart has a case perched on it.

    ¡°Good afternoon. I hope you got your problems sorted out, because I would like to get this dueling data taken care of,¡± says the doctor.

    ¡°We did,¡± says Rocky.

    ¡°For now,¡± says Honey.

    Rocky stares at Honey, and she ignores him.

    ¡°Am I going to have to call security to throw you two out?¡± says the doctor.

    ¡°No,¡± says Honey and Rocky in unison.

    ¡°Good. I am Dr. Neda Oorschot. I¡¯ll be overseeing this duel. Please read and sign the waiver affirming that we are not responsible for brain damage or mental trauma caused by the dueling parties,¡± says the doctor.

    She gives the tablet to them, and Rocky signs it right off the bat and gives it to Honey. She carefully reads through it. There is a lot of legal jargon that absolves the gym from physical and mental injury from the duel and affirms that both parties want said duel. Honey rereads it, and reluctantly signs it, and returns it to Dr. Neda. The doctor signs it, and then submits it and smiles at the pair.

    ¡°Excellent! Before we put in the machines, we¡¯re going to have to do some tests on your equipment and physical capabilities, and vitals, and so on. Once this information is stored, you won¡¯t have to go through it again, unless something changes,¡± says Dr. Neda Oorschot.

    ¡°And how long will this analyzing thing take?¡± asks Honey.

    Dr. Neda Oorschot opens the case on top of the cart and pulls out packets full of colorful sicky sensors. ¡°Oh, not long at all. Just a few minutes.¡±

    Three Hours Later¡­

    Honey is laying on her back, on a bench in a waiting room, staring at the ceiling and sore all over from the various exercises she had to do, as well as using Thor-Ton in a firing range to test all of its levels and modes with a wide variety of targets. Every moment had been carefully monitored and recorded, and now the data is being analyzed. The same had been done for Rocky, too. Only, Honey didn¡¯t see his weapon or his physical capabilities, so she has no idea what to expect. However, she knows her enhancements with give her an advantage.

    And since the pair are waiting for their information to be processed, they have been cooped up in the waiting room with nothing but benches and a TV broadcasting a news channel with half the screen taken up by inaccurate or delayed closed captions. For safety reasons, their weapons have been stored in lockers only accessible by security.

    Now Honey¡¯s eyes are glazed over from boredom, and Rocky is bouncing a ball off a wall. It would not be so bad if it wasn¡¯t done next to Honey¡¯s head. She can see the blur of the ball at the edge of her vision, and it is taking a lot of willpower to not follow it.

    Bop. Bop. Catch.

    Floor. Wall. Catch.

    Bop. Bop. Catch.

    Floor. Wall. Catch.

    Bop. Bop. Catch.

    Floor. Wall. Catch.

    That willpower quickly breaks, and Honey¡¯s blue eyes snap to the ball, watching the trajectory and analyzing its speed.

    Bop. Bop. Catch.

    Floor. Wall. Catch.

    Bop. Bop. Catch.

    Floor. Wall. Catch.

    Floor. CATCH!

    Honey snatches the ball from the air, and she slowly turns to Rocky, who doesn¡¯t seem to be harboring any negative feelings about this. He actually looks as bored as Honey. They stare at each other for a few seconds before he holds out his hand.

    ¡°Give me my ball,¡± says Rocky.

    Honey throws the ball down the waiting room, and Rocky watches it ricochets off the floor and walls before making multiple weaker bounces, eventually dribbling, and then rolling to a stop by another bench. He stares at the ball for a moment before frowning at Honey.

    ¡°Bitch,¡± says Rocky.

    Honey looks at the ceiling again and flips him off. Then the door opens and Honey and Rocky look to see who entered. It was Dr. Neda.

    Honey and Rocky adjust their postures to something more formal, and the doctor approaches them with a smile.

    ¡°We are ready to go. The data has been analyzed and plugged into our systems, so all we need to do now is hook you two up to the machine. Follow me, please,¡± says Dr. Neda.

    Honey and Rocky follow Dr. Neda to the Dueling Chamber, and when they enter Frank gives them a pair of blue jumpsuits with red lines that form a generic skeleton. They go to separate changing rooms to put on the jumpsuits, and once they are out, the pods are opened and Honey and Rocky climb in.

    The seat is plush and comfy with a good support for Honey¡¯s head, and Frank straps Honey¡¯s limbs and head in place and moves a network of sensors that look like a ribcage over her body. The sensors activate, emitting warm colors, and the technician gives a thumbs up.

    ¡°Her sensors and vitals are good,¡± says the technician.

    Frank moves on to Rocky and repeats the process, and after the technician confirms his signatures are good, Frank closes Rocky¡¯s pod, and then goes to Honey.

    Honey watches the pod¡¯s lid descending on her. Her heartrate hikes and her fingers grip the plush fabric. When the pod closes, all she has are the warm colors of the sensors. Then a screen flashes above Honey¡¯s eyes and a series of loading bars with labels she can¡¯t understand zip across the length of the screen. Once the bars are finished, there is white light and Honey lifts her hand to shield her eyes, just to find that she is back to wearing her clothes and is standing outside in an arena with trees and grass, and above her are fluffy white clouds on a blue sky.

    Honey lowers her hand and inspects it, seeing that she is wearing her fingerless glove. Then she inspects her other hand, sees the same thing, and looks down at her feet and finds that she¡¯s wearing her boots and skirt. Even the shirt and corset are the same, and Honey feels behind her and smiles when she finds Thor-Ton on her back. She pulls it off her back and smiles as she looks around.

    ¡°Wow¡­ They really improved the graphics,¡± says Honey.

    Then she looks ahead to the simulated forest and turns on Thor-Ton. It hums to life with its barrel glowing blue, and Honey walks forward.

    It was time to kick Rocky¡¯s ass.

 05

    The simulation of the forest arena is kind enough to portray chirping birds. Honey can¡¯t see them, but she can definitely hear them. The leaves rustle with the wind, and Honey takes a step, smiling when her feet press into the mulch covered ground. The shadows from the trees fall on her, warm sunlight touches her skin, and she marvels at the different types of vegetation surrounding her. She knows everything is fake, and yet it all feels so real. The temperature, the breeze, the scent of pine and flowers, and the whistling of an arrow barely missing her head and impacting a tree trunk.

    ¡°Jeez!¡±

    Honey runs to cover behind a tree and readies Thor-Ton. Then the arrow lodged in the tree explodes, flinging bits of broken wood and bark everywhere. Honey flinches from this, and a light blue glow is emitted from her cannon¡¯s barrel. She hears footsteps rustling in the mulch, and she peeks out and sees Rocky moving with a bow in his hand and a quiver slung on his back.

    Honey¡¯s eyes narrow, and she slides out of cover and shoots at him. A ball of blue energy streaks across the forest and strikes just behind Rocky. The explosion throws him off his feet, but he quickly rolls back up and leaps away from another blue energy orb. The orb strikes a tree behind Rocky, and it groans and snaps as it tilts over, breaking other branches off of nearby trees. The impact shakes the ground, and Honey runs through the forest with her weapon raised.

    Her heart is racing and everything feels just as heavy in the simulation as it does outside. This is aggravating, but she knows she¡¯ll have to get used to this.

    Honey sees Rocky duck behind another tree, and she shoots it with her cannon, blowing its center to pieces. That tree falls over just like the last one, and when Honey goes to the smoldering stump, she sees bits of blood on the ground some bloody splinters.

    Honey frowns and looks around, keeping her weapon held tight. Her blue lines pulse to strengthen her muscles, and her eyes and ears strain for any sign of movement. Then she hears another whizzing noise, and immediately dives away. No direction planned. All reflexes.

    The arrow hits the ground nearby and explodes a couple of seconds later, and Honey gets up in the kneeling position with her cannon¡¯s dial turned down, and she unloads a barrage of multiple weak energy shots. The ground is kicked up and bits of trees are blasted off, and blue tinted smoke rises from Thor-Ton while dust lingers in the air. Then she hears running from her side, and she turns and aims Thor-Ton right as Rocky takes a leap and kicks her in the face.

    Honey falls flat on her back with a bloody nose, and Rocky draws a long dagger and attempts to bring it down on her. Honey grabs his wrist, and he winces as her enhanced strength crushes his wrist, forcing him to drop his knife. Then she throws him off, climbs on top of him and attempts to punch him in the face. But he deflects and kicks her off, plucks his knife off the ground and with swift, fluid motion, he stabs Honey in the side.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Honey screams and punches him in the jaw, knocking him down. Her enhanced strength leads to some of his teeth breaking loose, and blood pours from his destroyed jaw as he stumbles up. Honey''s steps are wobbly as she backs up, and she grips the knife hilt but stops herself from pulling it out. Instead, she stomps towards Rocky and kicks him in the butt before he can fully stand up, sending him crashing into the ground. After that, she staggers to Thor-Ton with blood staining her corset and skirt, and dripping down her leg, and she picks up her cannon while turning the dial to maximum.

    When Honey aims Thor-Ton at Rocky, an arrow hits her in the kidney, and she stumbles back and falls to her knee, cursing and clutching her wound. She looks up, glaring at Rocky with sweaty hair hanging in front of her eyes, and despite his jaw being wrecked, he manages to smirk at her. Honey grits her teeth, stands up with the help of her cannon, and when she aims her weapon, the arrow detonates.

    In blink, Honey is laying on the ground. Her ears are ringing, but she doesn¡¯t feel anything. She sees blood soaking the ground and her torn clothes, and bits of bone and flesh surround her and dot the trees and grass. Her heart gets weaker, her vision darkens, and Rocky stands above her, his jaw hanging in loose pieces. He lifts his boot, and then brings it down hard and fast on her face.

    <hr>

    Honey¡¯s eyes snap open inside the simulation pod. The lights brighten, and a series of clicks move around the perimeter. The pod lid opens, and Frank calmly removes the sensors and straps. Honey¡¯s heart is still racing and sweat coats her body and sticks her hair to her forehead and neck. When the straps are removed, Honey climbs out of the pod and falls to her knees, clutching her heart with one quivering hand keeping her propped up. Her breathing is raspy, and her eyes are wide as sweat drips off her nose.

    Meanwhile, Rocky calmly gets out of his pod after he is released from the straps, and Honey looks at him with wide eyes and colors drained from her face. As she looks at him, Dr. Neda uses a device on her wrist to scan Honey. The device beeps and shows a chart of data, and the doctor smiles.

    ¡°I am pleased to say that you are fine,¡± says Dr. ¡°A little rattled, but still okay. I did warn the developers that the simulation was too real, but you know how these people like their lack of limits. Now, I would advise you to relax in the recovery room until your nerves are under control. Complimentary drinks and snacks can be provided if you¡¯d like. And cartoons will be playing for your enjoyment.¡±

    Honey ignores the doctor and keeps her eyes on Rocky as he goes to his dressing room; but despite being ignored, Dr. Neda guides Honey to move into the sitting position. She keeps her eyes on the door, though. A few moments later, Rocky comes out of his dressing room, back in his normal clothes, and while he goes to the exit, he flashes a small smile and quick wave to Honey. Once Rocky is out of sight, Honey looks at Dr. Neda and swallows.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need those free snacks and drinks,¡± says Honey.

 06

    It is currently 5:33pm, and Prunella Honey Thornton exits the Summit City Gym. Her nerves have calmed down a little bit after spending some time in the relaxation room, watching cartoons, and enjoying flavored water and cookies. The cartoons weren¡¯t anything special, either. The shows they played in the room were reboots or retellings of old stories told long ago on the distant planet of Earth. Changes to the stories over the centuries has no doubt made the modern take near unrecognizable compared to their original forms, but Honey isn¡¯t going to go to the library to seek the origins of cartoons about talking animals, sapient appliances or toys, or superheroes. She has more important things to do, like turning in her information to the Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office, which is located at the Fleur de Lis Plaza. Fortunately, it is close by, so time should not be an issue.

    Honey takes a deep breath, rubs her shaky hands, and walks down the sidewalk. Her heart is still heavy, and her knees feel weak, but she keeps going. She swallows down the urge to scream, the urge to cry. But while she struggles to keep those at bay, she keeps thinking about Rocky¡¯s destroyed face staring down at her. His jaw was a mangled mess, his teether were shattered, his blood was all over his face, his chest, and dripping down on her, and yet he didn¡¯t seem fazed at all. He was all focus on his goal of killing her in the simulation. Thinking about that sends a shiver up her spine, and to take her mind off it, she takes out her map and studies her route.

    The route is easy, basically a big L, so she picks up her speed.

    The late afternoon weather beats against her as she walks down the decorative sidewalk, passing the elaborate lamp posts and fancy buildings, and her brain barely registers her surroundings. She notices enough to not get run over and to follow the pedestrian signals, and when she reaches the mall, the very first thing she sees is a Fleur de Lis carved from stone and lined with small lights. It is in a patch of grass with colorful flowers, and flanking the carving are a pair of signs that read Fleur de Lis Plaza, and the structure behind it is something that Honey finds to be absolutely beautiful. The glass domed roof shines in the sunlight, and the ringed structure goes up three stories, with a covered walkway around its perimeter, and each level has an exterior walkway for people to enjoy the weather while they shop or rest in the sunlight.

    Honey whistles impressively and approaches the building. The parking lot is full of cars, and civilians go to and from the building, leading to her weaving her way through the vehicles and sporadic groups of people. When she reaches the double doors, she sees a sign that reads: Please keep weapons holstered at all times. Violators will be expelled immediately and face further consequences.

    Honey checks the straps and the magnetic braces holding Thor-Ton, and satisfied with its security, she goes in. The doors open automatically, and cold air immediately assaults Honey¡¯s exposed skin and seeps past her clothes. The sudden coldness makes her twitch erratically, getting some stares from people passing by, but she ignores them and goes further in to search for a map.

    Music plays over the intercom, but she can¡¯t understand the lyrics due to all the talking, sneakers squeaking on the tile, kids screaming or crying, and vendors shouting at people to buy their stuff. The lights are bright, the store fronts have displays of mannequins wearing overly priced clothes. The walkways are also crowded with people moving at various speeds, carrying big bags, no bags, food, children, pushing baby carriages or wheelchairs, or sometimes a combination of one or many of these things. Their chatter, the many steps, the noise from the announcements, the music, and venders, all of it converges on Honey¡¯s senses. The chaos leaves her already heavy heart racing and she finds her hands instinctively coming together and her head dipping as she weaves her way through the mass of consumers.

    With the anxiety comes the confusion. Honey knows she¡¯s better than this, but then again, she has never seen anything this crowded on Lilian. Even their plaza was nothing like this, in size or customer density.

    As Honey travels through the crowd, her eyes lock on to a pool with its floor decorated with colorful rocks and underwater ruins, and fish swimming around. There is a mesh net over it and signs not to feed the fish. There are also drones flying around, watching everyone closely. One of them even stops and looks at her, and its lens adjusts, prompting Honey to smile nervously and meekly wave at it.

    The drone leaves after that, and Honey exhales and continues walking. As she does, she veers off to the side to avoid a family walking through with their vocal and bounce happy toddlers. As she does this, she comes in close proximity to a booth with a lot of mannequin heads that have colorful wigs and displays of hair dye product, and an overly flamboyant man leaps in front of her, making Honey yell and recoil.

    ¡°You! Blondie! Do you want to buy some hair dye?¡± asks the vendor.

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± says Honey with her hands held up and walking backwards from him.

    He takes another step to her and shakes the hair dye bottle. ¡°Come on! You¡¯ll love it! Squirt it on, rub it in, boom! New hair color for six months before fading! Only five thousand fedos!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good,¡± says Honey.

    She turns around and bumps into another vendor. He is next to a slightly raised platform where people¡¯s legs are strapped down while a little machine with two circular hands are aggressively polishing their shoes. The customers look less than comfortable.

    ¡°Sup. Want me to shine your shoes?¡± asks the vendor roughly.

    ¡°No, thanks for the offer, though,¡± says Honey.

    She slides by him, and weaves through a group of people standing around like a blood clot in an artery, forcing people to move around them and deal with vendors or pretend they wanted to go into the shoe store. Then she sees a map on the wall, and she smiles with relief and goes to it. After a quick search, she sees that the Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office is on the third floor, almost directly above her. Even more fortunately, there is an elevator nearby.

    Honey hurries to the elevator and ignores vendors begging her to look at their products, and when she gets inside, she hits the third-floor button. The door is about to close, but a hand suddenly stops it. Honey frowns and backs up as the door opens so fifteen people can crowd inside it. All of them are wearing Church of Unity shirts, and some of them offer quick apologies to Honey, which she returns with small smiles. But that smile disappears as soon as they look away, and she grits her teeth behind her sealed lips as she is pressed into the corner of the elevator, which is made all the more uncomfortable by Thor-Ton digging into her back. The only good part about the ordeal is the fact that the large group got off on the second flood, and no one came into the elevator after that, leading to ascending to the next level breathable.

    As soon as the elevator reaches the third level, Honey swiftly exits and looks both ways before seeing the recruitment office. For its grand purpose in the security of the Neto System and Prospect Sector of the Federation of Systems, its location is plain to say the least. There is a digital sign above its one door entrance that reads: Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office- Summit Branch. Then there¡¯s the window with their symbol on it: a sun with a musket and sword crossing behind it. The symbol looks like it was made with glass markers, too. But Honey thinks nothing of this and makes haste across the walkway to the office with a smile on her face and an excited heart rattling behind her ribs.

    When she enters the office, a bell dings, and she finds a pair of couches off to the side with a coffee table, some magazines, and a TV with a game console plugged in. But the TV is currently broadcasting a house flipping show. On the other side are a few desks with one occupied and the other two empty. However, in front of the occupied desk causes Honey to stiffen and her eye to twitch.

    It is Rocky and Emma.

    ¡°Everything looks in order for both of you,¡± says the man behind the desk. ¡°The next flight to the Academy is in three weeks. If you arrive on the shuttle, great. If not, you clearly weren¡¯t ready, so you¡¯d be doing all of us a favor. Enjoy your day, you two.¡±

    Rocky and Emma stand up, and Emma bows slightly while Rocky shakes the recruiter¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Thank you, kind sir,¡± says Emma.

    ¡°We won¡¯t disappoint anybody,¡± assures Rocky.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make promises like that. You¡¯ll always disappoint somebody. Now, get out of here and enjoy a meal or something,¡± says the recruiter.

    Rocky and Emma say their farewells, and exchange eye contact with Honey. Rocky has a smirk, Emma waves with her wiggly fingers, and Honey glares at them.

    ¡°You know those two, miss?¡± asks the recruiter.

    Honey turns to him and flashes a polite smile.

    ¡°They¡¯ve been problematic for me, but I¡¯m done with them for the day,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± says the recruiter. ¡°I¡¯m certain you didn¡¯t walk in here on accident.¡±

    ¡°No, sir. I did not!¡± Honey approaches the desk and motions to the seat. ¡°May I?¡±

    The recruiter nods and waves her down, and Honey unstraps Thor-Ton and sets it next to her as she sits. The recruiter stares at the weapon, and then looks at Honey.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Cybernetic enhancements,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Oh~ That answers a lot of questions,¡± says the recruiter. ¡°Now for my questions. You are here to apply to the Academy of Irregular Defense, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, I am, and I have everything I need in my pouch.¡±

    Honey opens it and finds it empty. Her brow furrows, and her hands tremble as she looks inside, seeing nothing in there at all. Not even lint. She looks at the recruiter and flashes a nervous smile, and he raises a brow.

    ¡°Just one second, sir,¡± says Honey. She opens a smaller pouch on her pack, and that one is also empty. She closes that one and stares down at her legs. Her fingers tense, her heart gets heavy and a pressure in her throat builds while her eyes burn from hot tears.

    ¡°Are you okay, miss?¡± asks the recruiter.

    Honey takes a deep breath to break the wet barrier in her throat, and she blinks a couple of times before looking at him. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have you letter of recommendation or genetic receipt, do you?¡± says the recruiter.

    ¡°It was in my pouch before I got here!¡±

    ¡°Or you made a mistake and left it at home.¡±

    "There''s no way I left it at home! ¡­ Sir. Somebody must''ve¡­"

    Honey''s voice trails off and she remembers when Emma got oddly close to her and felt her around. Specifically, the hip, and Honey¡¯s hands clench into tight fists with the blue markings pulsing. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she sees Emma and Rocky walking by licking ice cream. She turns her full focus to them and keeps watching them until they are out of sight, and her face gets red and her nostrils flare from her heavy breathing.

    ¡°Never mind, sir. I know what happened to them, and I¡¯m going to get them back,¡± says Honey.

    The recruiter pulls out a file and leans back in his chair while flipping through it.

    ¡°No rush. We close at eight and are open every day," says the recruiter dryly.

    Honey puts Thor-Ton on her back and hurries out of the recruiter¡¯s office. Honey looks in the direction the two devils went, and she barely sees them going down an elevator. Honey speed-walks to the edge and watches the elevator go down to the first floor. The pair exit, and Honey sneers and looks around for a way down.

    It doesn¡¯t take long for her to find a good spot, and after a quick jog, she climbs over the railing, bringing people to pause and gasp or tell her to stop, and she jumps down. Her hands catch the second level railing, and her feet help her body lock in place, getting some screams and shouts of approval, and a drone flies over to her and watches her as she pushes herself off the railing, grab the side of the elevator shaft use her gloves and boots to slow her slide down. Sure, her exposed fingers burn and now there are shoe streaks on the elevator siding, but she doesn¡¯t care. Just like she doesn¡¯t care about the drone taking her picture.

    She pushes her way through the crowd, in the direction of Rocky and Emma, and sees them go outside. Her quick walk turns to a fast run, almost knocking someone over in the process, and she doesn¡¯t wait for the automatic doors to open all the way before she goes outside.

    The late afternoon sun shines bright on Honey¡¯s face and squints her eyes and peers down the direction Rocky and Emma went. She sees them rounding a corner, and she gives chase. As Honey runs, she shoves people aside and ignores their shouts and curses. But while she is running, one person she runs into leads to their food and drinks from a Klumsy K''s eatery splattering on them. Their carryout box breaks, their cup''s lid breaks off, and sauces, soda and pieces of burger are grounded into their suit.

    Honey tries to keep running, but he grabs her with the striking speed of a snake, and Honey freezes. She looks at him with wide eyes and he glares at her with cold blue eyes. He is older than Honey by a year, and has thick dark hair, thick eyebrows, and rough tan skin.

    "Aren''t you forgetting something?" he says.

    "Let me go. I need to catch someone!" says Honey.

    "I want an apology and your name and address so I can send you the cleaning bill."

    "What? You ran into me! That mess is all your fault!"

    The man tightens his grip on her wrist, and Honey growls and blue lines tracing her bones glow under her skin as she begins prying his hand off. Her strength surprises him, and he grabs her hand and tugs her back with some difficulty.

    "Are you modified?" he asks.

    "Cybernetic enhancements," says Honey. "Let me go."

    "You owe me a cleaning bill."

    "I don''t owe you jack!"

    Honey tries kicking him, but he blocks her kick with his foot. She twists her arms, and then tries tripping him, but he keeps a tight hold on her, leading to both falling and rolling over each other. They hop back to their feet, still not letting go. A small crowd has gathered, but the two ignore them as they force each other into a circle that ends with the man slamming Honey into the wall.

    "How about this? A duel at the Summit Gym tomorrow at two o''clock? If you lose, you pay the bill. If I lose, I forgive you," he says.

    "Fine by me! I''ve been there already," says Honey.

    "Astros Fere."

    "Honey Thornton."

    Astros releases Honey and she runs away. When she is gone, Astros looks at his messy shirt. He sighs and walks away without saying a word to the crowd.

    Meanwhile, Honey goes down to the area where she last saw Rocky and Emma. Her heart is racing, and her eyes frantically dart side to side looking for clues of Rocky''s whereabouts.

    Then she sees the pair entering a park via gate next to a ticket booth advertising park entrance tickets.

    "Got you," says Honey under her breath.

    Honey runs forward and bumps into another person. This one is female with an elegant body, fair skin, and long brown hair, and wearing a nice outfit consisting of a blouse, skirt, and jewelry. Or the stuff was nice until Honey running into her causes her to fall into a mud puddle with her boyfriend, who is also dressed nicely. Or Honey is assuming they are dating anyway.

    But they''re now covered in mud, and the female screams angrily as she looks at the dark, grainy, and leafy gunk covering her.

    "What in the world!?" she says.

    Honey scrambles over her, stepping on her gut along the way, causing the woman to gag and twitch and Honey¡¯s boot leaving a muddy footprint on her. Honey attempts to make a break for it, but her ankle is grabbed, and she is tugged to the ground.

    Honey''s vision is knocked out of focus as she hits the ground, and she is turned on her back, making for a very uncomfortable position due to Thor-Ton digging into her, and the woman she ran over straddles her and grabs her collar, growling like a vicious wolf.

    "You imbecile! Do you have any idea how much this outfit cost!?" she says.

    Honey looks at the jewelry and notices that the gold coloring is slightly off. Then she looks at the outfit, and finally at the makeup ruined by the mud.

    "If it''s fake like your jewelry, then not much," says Honey.

    The woman gasps, and her date stiffens.

    "Wait, you''re wearing fake jewelry?" he asks.

    "What? No, I''m not!" says the woman defensively. ¡°She¡¯s lying!¡±

    "Oh, trust me. It¡¯s fake. The gold is fading, and she probably has some weird tint on her fingers from wearing the fake gold ring," says Honey.

    "Quiet, harlot!" snaps the woman.

    "If you''re wearing fake jewelry, that must mean you''re poor. And that''s gross. Good day, pleb," says the date.

    He gets up, wipes as much mud off him as he can, and then walks away and hails a taxi.

    Honey and the woman watch a taxi pull up to him. He gets inside, and after the taxi drives away, the woman glares at Honey, and she smiles nervously.

    "He wasn''t good for you, anyway?" suggests Honey unsurely.

    Honey is then punched in the nose, and while she curses from the pain, the woman yanks her to her feet and points at her bleeding nose.

    "Summit Gym. Tomorrow at two thirty. Be there!" she says.

    Honey sniffs blood up her nose. "Name?"

    "Petals Vallon."

    "Honey Thornton."

    Petals shoves Honey back. "Get out of my sight."

    Petals storms away, and Honey bites her thumb at her before going to the ticket booth. The ticket booth operator is an android with an expressionless face and a sleek shell with a scanner in its hand.

    "One ticket to the park, please," says Honey, keeping her hand pressed against her nose.

    "That will be eighty-five fedos," says the android.

    "Yeesh, interstellar robbery," grumbles Honey as she digs into her wallet.

    She pays for the ticket and goes into the park. It is a spacious place with large trees, cobblestone paths, and a fountain of a pair of angels surrounded by chromosome structures and molecular structures of the chemical elements found in the human body.

    Honey keeps her hand pressed against her nose as she frantically looks around for the spawns of Satan. She sees couples walking around, singles sitting on benches, old people playing chess, children playing checkers, young adults jogging, an automated cart driving around with an advertisement of a modification clinic. But no Rocky or Emma.

    Honey grits her teeth and continues her search. Minutes tick by, and Honey''s aggravation only grows. She walks the entire park, staying on the raised walkway for optimal views. It takes some time, but when she finally sees Rocky and Emma enjoying the scenery at the pond, she leaps over the railing of the walkway and runs to them, ignoring the stares she is getting.

    Her heart races, her vision turns red, and then she tackles Rocky from behind.

    The two crash into the pond. Emma shrieks and Rocky thrashes in the water and manages to throw Honey off, but Honey lunges at him again and they fall in the water again. When Honey gets her footing, she pulls him up and yells, "Where is it!?"

    Only to realize that this person has fair skin, eyes like blue diamonds, and a bushy mustache. This wasn''t Rocky. She has no idea who this person is. And his date (assuming it is his date, anyway) is not Emma. She has ink black hair, tan skin, and hazel eyes. Completely different from Emma.

    And now police officers are approaching from a distance with a drone hovering overhead. With that unpleasant sight, Honey giggles nervously and straightens out the stranger''s soaked jacket and brushes off some of the lily pads clinging to him.

    "Oh wow, this is awkward. My bad," says Honey.

    ¡°¡®Your bad¡¯?" says the man sourly.

    "I thought you were someone else. So, I''m going to go far away and-"

    Honey tries to leave, but her collar is grabbed.

    "You¡¯re not going anywhere," says the man.

    Honey groans and turns to him, thus dislodging his hold on her. "Come on, cut me some slack! Some jerk stole my letter of recommendation and genetic receipt for AID, and I''ve been trying to get it back!"

    "So, your first thought was to tackle the potential letter thief into water, where the letter can be damaged?"

    ¡°It¡¯s laminated!¡±

    ¡°My dear, it is clear this person is in distress and wasn''t thinking clearly," says the other woman.

    The man looks at his date, and then at Honey. She smiles innocently and bats her lashes. And the police show up with the drone hovering over them.

    "Excuse me, is everything alright, Mr. Ren¨¦?" asks the police officer.

    Ren¨¦ holds out his hand and the cops help him out of the water, but when Honey tries getting out, the drone aims a tranquilizer at her. She stops and holds up her hands.

    "Let her go. Everything is fine. It was all a misunderstanding," says Ren¨¦.

    The drone retracts the tranquilizer, and the other police officer helps Honey out of the water.

    "However, there still needs to be punishment for her rash behavior and her embarrassing me," says Ren¨¦.

    "Community service?" suggests Honey.

    "No. A duel so I can knock some sense into you."

    Honey groans in disbelief.

    "That seems a little harsh," says the date.

    "Not now, Marie," says Ren¨¦.

    "What time?" drones Honey.

    "Three pm tomorrow at the Summit Gym."

    Honey gives a groggy thumbs up. "Got it. Name?"

    "Asmund Ren¨¦."

    "Honey Thornton."

    "And I''m Marie Rohan," says the date.

    "Nice to meet you," says Honey.

    "Likewise," says Marie.

    "No pleasantries from me," says Asmund. "You two, throw her out of the park."

    The police officers grab Honey''s arms, the drone aims a tranquilizer at her, and the next thing she knows, she is sailing through the air outside the park wall and lands in a dumpster. The lid falls on top of her and the police officers laugh.

    "Behave yourself, next time!" says one of the officers.

    The police officers walk away, and Honey groans and bangs her head against a garbage bag.

    "This place sucks!"

 07

    The door to the Summit City Hotel opens, and Honey sulks in, reeking of old food and spoiled milk, and a dark aura of despair surrounds her while her nose is discolored with a sticky scab. Her mouth, chin, glove, and sleeve are stained with blood, and her reddened eyes are dim and wet from tears. Garbage clings to her hair, clothes, and Thor-Ton, and her feet shuffle across the floor. She barely notices when the clerk calls her. She looks at him, dazed and brain barely functioning, and he waves her over while calling her again. She goes to the counter, and he pulls out a very familiar envelope and holds it out to her.

    ¡°That Emma girl you were talking to yesterday told me to give this to you. Said you dropped it while you were leaving the hotel,¡± says the clerk.

    Honey takes the envelope, and her hand quivers as she inspects it. She sees no signs of manipulation. The wax seal is still in place, there are no tears in the envelope, and just to satisfy her paranoia, she inspects the wax seal closer and sees no signs of it being melted and remolded. Her lips twitch, and she looks at the clerk.

    ¡°Is Emma here? I¡¯d like to thank her,¡± says Honey venomously.

    ¡°Nope. She and her partner are still out and about,¡± says the clerk.

    Honey nods and thanks him, and she taps the envelope against her hand as she goes to the elevator. Once inside, she hits the sixth-floor button, and takes a deep breath as the door closes. The elevator rises. She closes her eyes and takes another deep breath. The door opens to the sixth floor, and her eyes open and glow like blue flames as she stomps down the hall with tears running down her cheeks. She puts her envelope in her pouch and zips it up before cracking her knuckles, and the enhancements in her body pulse with her heavy heart. When she reaches her room, she closes and locks the door.

    Then she screams and punches a hole in the wall.

    Over an hour has passed, and Honey is showered and wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe. She is sitting at a desk with a corded phone pressed against her ear. Her eyes are still red and puffy, and despite being clean, her hair is frazzled, and there is a band-aid taped to her nose. Her fingers tap impatiently on the desk as the phone rings. The ringing goes on for quite a while, but when the phone is answered, her lips twitch for a brief smile.

    ¡°Tobias Thornton speaking.¡±

    ¡°Hi, dad, it¡¯s me,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Hello Honey. How are you doing? Are you okay?¡±

    Honey cringes a little bit. She thought she held the despair and anger back, but from the worry in Tobias¡¯s voice, she failed. With that, she sniffles and runs her fingers through her hair.

    ¡°I had a long day,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Do tell,¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°I got into a duel. Lost. Went to the recruitment office. Turned out the documents weren¡¯t in my pouch because someone stole them. Chased the thief. Got into three fights. Now I have three duels tomorrow.¡± Honey holds up the letter of recommendation and turns it in her hand as if expecting a secret message to appear. ¡°But I did get the letter and genetic receipt back.¡±

    ¡°I see. And why did you get into a duel so early?¡± asks Tobias sternly.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Honey drops the letter to rub her brow. ¡°Someone was saying you evicted their family without cause, so I was defending your honor. I lost the duel, so¡­ yeah, your honor is still in shambles. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Prunella¡­¡±

    Honey stiffens.

    ¡°You did the right thing. Even if you lost, you still defended your family, that is more important than letting them speak ill about us without retaliation of some kind. You¡¯ll get better at dueling with more practice. Which includes more loses, unfortunately.¡±

    Honey frowns. ¡°I¡¯d rather not lose.¡±

    ¡°Think of it like this, the duels will help you mentally prepare for the examination. The more you lose, the more flaws you find within yourself, and the more you¡¯re able to adapt. Granted, it is all simulation, but your mind will be prepared, which is important. I remember when I was in the examination course, and the biggest guys with the biggest egos cracked, whereas the humble yet physically weaker with strong heads navigated better. You can be physically fit all you want, but if your mind isn¡¯t prepared, you¡¯re going to be in trouble,¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°You were the humble one, weren¡¯t you?¡± asks Honey with a small smile.

    ¡°No, I had an ego. Not as big as others, but enough to be problematic. The examination course knocked some sense into me.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡°Now, who was the one that said I evicted their family without cause?¡±

    ¡°Rocky Rochefort.¡±

    Silence.

    Honey waits.

    More silence.

    ¡°Dad?¡± calls Honey.

    ¡°Rochefort?¡± says Tobias heavily.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    There is more silence.

    ¡°Dad? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. But I should clear this up right now, rather than leaving you in the dark since you¡¯re dealing with a Rochefort,¡± says Tobias.

    There is another moment of silence, and Honey¡¯s eyes stare intently ahead as if Tobias is sitting in front of her. When Tobias speaks again, his tone is still heavy, but tainted with mourning.

    ¡°The Rocheforts is a family of deviants,¡± begins Tobias. ¡°I served with Rocky¡¯s parents, Mads Rochefort and Anne Backson, when we were in the EIDF. I trained with them, and we fought side by side in many battles. Our last one was the Battle of Alkhatib and were among the last to be evacuated before it fell. And when I inherited the Dumas Biodome, I agreed to let Mads and Anne reside at a dwelling for fifty percent of the mortgage; unfortunately for them, that meant the thirty-year contract was extended to sixty years, but they were fine with that. Or so they said. Anne disappeared shortly after Rocky was born, leaving him with Mads, and Mads stopped paying because he blew his money on drugs and hookers, and he terrorized the neighbors. I finally evicted him when he got into a fight that led to some hospital visits; he hadn¡¯t paid for six months at that point anyway. He had become a menace and financial liability. I had to let him go.¡±

    ¡°Oh jeez,¡± says Honey quietly. ¡°Was there anyone else in that house? Rocky said ¡®family¡¯, so I¡¯m just curious.¡±

    ¡°One of the hookers staying at the house had a daughter, but I never got their name. Honestly, only God knows how many children Mads created with all the hookers he bedded while high on drugs. But maybe he considered that unsavory crowd his family?¡±

    Honey lowers the phone and wipes her face. Her eyes are burning again, but with more anger instead of pity. Hearing how Rocky¡¯s father royally messed up and put the blame on Tobias and the Thornton family is something that she really cannot let go. Perhaps another chat is in order with Rocky and Emma to get things ironed out for good.

    ¡°Honey? ¡­ Prunella?¡± calls Tobias.

    Honey slowly puts the phone to her ear and takes another moment before speaking again. ¡°That clears up a lot. Thank you.¡±

    Tobias hesitates. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with?¡±

    Honey looks at the hole she punched in the wall. ¡°Maybe some more money? I kind of caused some property damage to the hotel I¡¯m staying at. I haven¡¯t told them, yet, but they¡¯ll definitely find out soon.¡±

    ¡°Really? Prunella, you better hope they don¡¯t count that against you when you apply tomorrow,¡± says Tobias sternly.

    Honey cringes, and Tobias keeps talking.

    ¡°Give me the information and I¡¯ll settle the damages.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± says Honey meekly. She then gives Tobias the information, and after they say their farewells, Honey hangs up and rubs her face. Then she rests her head on the table and sits there motionless for a few minutes until she decides to properly lay down on her bed. There, she uses the remote to turn on the TV and watches cartoons for the rest of the day.

 08

    Today is the day. The day of three duels. And Honey is mostly dreading it, but she is also curious about what will happen. She already figured out something with Rocky, such as his high pain tolerance and his sadistic bow, so now she is wondering what she will find with the three nuisances from yesterday.

    Honey enters the simulation room reserved for the duels in the Summit City Gym, and she is immediately greeted by Dr. Neda, who barely looks up from her pad when Honey enters the room. Frank is nearby, working on the simulation pods with a technician, too.

    ¡°Back again, are we?¡± says Dr. Neda.

    ¡°Yep. I¡¯m ready to duel,¡± says Honey.

    Honey goes by the doctor, and sees Astros, Petals, and Asmund are already there. They are dressed casually and talking among themselves. Seeing this, Honey goes to them and offers a confident smile.

    ¡°Good evening, lady, and gents. Are you ready for the duels?¡± says Honey.

    All three look at her, and briefly forget how to move as they have different levels of shock.

    ¡°Hold on, are you dueling all three of us?¡± asks Astros.

    ¡°I am,¡± replies Honey.

    ¡°Three duels in consecutive order in the same day?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°Are you mad?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°She clearly is,¡± says Asmund.

    Honey glares at him. ¡°Am not.¡±

    ¡°Are too,¡± replies Asmund.

    ¡°Am not!¡±

    ¡°Are too.¡±

    ¡°Who cares?¡± says Petals. ¡°She accepted the challenges, so let¡¯s just duel so we can get out of here and grab nachos.¡±

    Honey nods and points at Astros. ¡°I believe you¡¯re the first one.¡±

    ¡°I am. And I promise I¡¯ll make it quick,¡± says Astros.

    Dr. Neda gets between them, still clutching a pair of jumpsuits.

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re all amused by the banter, but please get in your jumpsuits so we can get these duels done before my lunch,¡± says Dr. Neda. She gives them their respective suits. ¡°There you go, and there you go. Now, get changed.¡±

    Honey nods, and she and Astros go to their dressing rooms and change into their jumpsuits. Once they are changed, they go to their respective pods, and Honey rolls her shoulders and neck before climbing in. Once inside, she takes a deep breath and relaxes as Frank puts the sensors on her.

    ¡°Comfy?¡± asks Frank.

    Honey nods and flashes a smile, and Frank finishes strapping her down. Once she is secured in place, Frank puts the sensor cage over her and seals the pod. Warm colors from the sensors bring some illumination to the darkness, and soon the screen flashes above Honey¡¯s eyes and with the familiar loading bars zipping by. Once the bars are finished, there is white light and Honey is standing outside in a lush forest, grass, and fluffy white clouds on a blue sky.

    Honey looks around and scratches her head at the familiarity of it all, and she snaps to some birds that caw and fly away somewhere. But she doesn¡¯t see any avians, so she goes back to scanning the area.

    ¡°Wow¡­ Okay, I guess I¡¯m getting this arena again,¡± says Honey.

    She unslings Thor-Ton and turns the dial, bringing it to hum and glow, and she traverses slowly through the forest, keeping her eyes and ears peeled for any signs of Astros.

    ¡°Now, if I was a grumpy guy upset about a suit¡­ where would I hide?¡± muses Honey quietly.

    Then Honey¡¯s vision snaps to darkness.

    Honey¡¯s eyes open and her simulation pod opens a few seconds later. When Frank frees her from its restraints, she climbs out and waits for Astros to exit his pod, and after he exits, she marches to him.

    ¡°What the hell was that!?¡± yells Honey.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad. I told you it would be quick,¡± says Astros.

    ¡°But what was that!?¡±

    ¡°I shot you in the head.¡±

    ¡°With what?¡±

    ¡°My musket.¡±

    ¡°A¡­ musket?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Honey and Astros stare at each other in silence, and a few seconds pass before she raises her hand slightly and steps closer.

    ¡°A musket?¡± repeats Honey.

    ¡°Yes,¡± says Astros.

    ¡°¡­ Can I see it?¡±

    Astros looks at the clock, and then at Petals and Asmund. Asmund is too busy texting on his phone, but Petals also looks at the clock and studies it for a few seconds before looking at Astros.

    ¡°Go ahead. We have some time,¡± says Petals.

    ¡°Good.¡± Astros looks at Honey. ¡°Let me change and I¡¯ll show you Sparrowhawk.¡±

    Honey grins and rubs her hands together as she and Astros go to their respective changing rooms. When they are back in their casual clothes, a security guard takes the pair to the armory and retrieves Astros¡¯ musket. When Honey sees it, her eyes widen and her mouth spreads to an open smile. She is breathless at the weapon¡¯s beauty. The dark wood is polished, and its large silver patch box has engraving of a red ringed planet; the dark metal is also well maintained, and there is a crosshair near the front that lines up with the rear sight, and a bayonet on a rail system. And there is a frizzen and cock style system almost directly above the trigger, which has a crank system next to it.

    Astros takes the musket from the guard, and they are led to the shooting range, which is pocketed with various craters and shrapnel damage. Astros removes the bayonet from the weapon and sets it down next to him while humanoid shaped gel targets are lowered with various targets marked on them.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a musket like that before. Family heirloom?¡± asks Honey.

    ¡°Were you expecting a flintlock musket?¡± asks Astros.

    ¡°To be fair when you said musket, I was¡­ You know¡­ expecting a musket from the time muskets were a thing.¡±

    Astros stares at Honey for a moment before his brows quirk and his head bobs in understanding.

    ¡°I can see that,¡± says Astros. ¡°And for the record, my family does own a flintlock musket. A perfect replica used by King Louis the Eighth¡¯s guards. But that kind of weapon isn¡¯t suitable for our world, so it is more for show. This is why my family uses Sparrowhawk.¡±

    Honey nods. ¡°Nice. Very nice. Can I use Sparrowhawk?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not. But you are free to watch.¡±

    Honey frowns, and Astros primes Sparrowhawk by turning the crank near the handle. The weapon hums. He aims. And fires. There is a loud crack, and a gel target¡¯s heart explodes. Astros cranks the lever on Sparrowhawk, and after the weapon hums again he shoots another target, striking it in the lung. Another crank, another shot, and a gel target¡¯s arm is shot in half at the elbow. One more crank, aim, and fire, and a target¡¯s head is blown to bits. After that, Astros opens the patch box and removes the battery. Then he turns to the guard and says, ¡°I¡¯d like to return this to the armory.¡±

    The guard takes Sparrowhawk and Honey and Astros leave the shooting range. When they enter the hallway, Astros pulls out a receipt and holds it in front of Honey¡¯s face.

    ¡°By the way, that¡¯s for you,¡± says Astros.

    Honey sighs heavily, snatches the receipt, and stuffs it in her pocket. ¡°Fine.¡±

    When Honey and Astros return to the simulation room, Petals is already in her jumpsuit and waiting by her pod. There is still some time left, but Honey decides to get changed, anyway. Honey and Petals exchange quiet hostile glances as Honey goes to the changing room. After she comes out wearing the jumpsuit, the two young women go to their respective pods, get locked in, and are brought into the simulation.

    Honey¡¯s eyes open and she takes a deep breath as she adjusts to the forest she has grown to loathe. The invisible birds chirp, the leaves rustle in the wind, and Honey draws Thor-Ton and runs to cover behind a thick tree. She presses her back against its bark and listens. She doesn¡¯t hear much of anything at first, but then she hears faint running in the leaves.

    She adjusts the dial on Thor-Ton, cringing when it hums and the light in the barrel glows bright. The running turns to a slide, and then stops. Honey peeks out, and quickly retracts when a piece of the tree is shot off.

    Another shot strikes the tree, and Honey goes low and tilts out to fire a ball of energy in the general direction of the shots. The explosion tears apart one of the trees, and Petals runs out of cover, carrying a bulky rifle. Honey follows Petals and keeps shooting ahead of her, forcing Petals to swerve and seek shelter.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    With Thor-Ton smoking from the exhaust ports, Honey leaves her position and keeps her weapon trained in Petals¡¯ general direction. She reaches a small dip and peeks down but doesn¡¯t see her opponent. Honey frowns and sweeps the area but doesn¡¯t see any signs of movement. Then multiple gunshots ring out, and hot lead rips into Honey. She screams and falls into the ditch with blood pouring from her arm, shoulder, and side.

    Her hands tremble and she hobbles to cover behind a fallen tree as more gunshots crack the air, kicking up dirt and breaking off pieces of the fallen tree. Thor-Ton becomes slick with Honey¡¯s blood as she ejects its battery and slips a new one in. Then she turns the dial up to maximum, making it glow bright and hum loudly. The air crackles and heats up around her, and she winces as she pushes herself to her knees, and she Petals aiming at her. The light and crackling energy from Thor-Ton¡¯s barrel is blinding and disorienting, but they both shoot each other.

    The bullets from Petals strike the tree and Honey¡¯s torso, and Thor-Ton¡¯s shot streaks towards the young woman¡¯s position. There is blue explosion with its shockwave blowing off all the loose leaves, weak branches, and mulch, and dirt and burning splinters fly while the ground crumbles. The smoldering tree snaps and falls with a loud crash, pushing up more burning leaves and dirt. And Honey coughs as the smoke and dust rolls over her.

    Blood now covers Honey, and she stumbles around before finding her footing. However, before she can search for Petals, a barb tipped whip zips out of the smoke, wraps around Thor-Ton and is yanked out of Honey¡¯s hands, all in a span of two seconds. Honey barely registers what happens, but when the whip returns, she brings her arm up to block it. She winces as the barb digs into her arm, and then screams when she tugged to the ground. She gets a face full of burnt mulch, and she coughs and sputters as she pushes herself up with the taste of burnt leaves and bark lingering on her tongue.

    But the whip is still on her, and another tug pulls Honey down, this time the barb rips her flash, and Honey shrieks in anger and pain as more blood gushes from her wound.

    ¡°What is up with you psychos!?¡± yells Honey.

    She finishes with a growl, gets into the kneeling position, and grabs the whip. Then she tugs the whip while moving her trapped arm like a crank, wrapping the weapon around her. The sudden tug pulls Petals out of the smoke, leading to her face planting the ground. But she is still holding the whip, and Honey keeps wrapping it. Each cycle sharply tugs Petals closer to her, and Petals rolls to a crouch position and grits her teeth as digs her feet in the ground, trying to pull her whip free. The barb keeps digging into Honey¡¯s flesh, now scraping against the bone, but Honey continues dragging Petals closer.

    ¡°You can let go anytime you want!¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Bite me!¡± snaps Petals.

    Honey gives another sharp tug that pulls Petals off her feet again, and this time she lands considerably closer to Honey. Petals once again lands face first in the mulch, and even though she still holds the whip tightly, she is disoriented, and Honey pivots around her, presses her knee on her spine and puts her in a chokehold.

    Petals gags and claws at Honey¡¯s arm and the grass as she wiggles beneath her, and copious amount of blood drips off of Honey and trails the whip or lands on Petals.

    ¡°Do you yield?¡± asks Honey.

    ¡°No!¡± says Petals.

    ¡°All I have to do is squeeze a little bit harder and your neck will be crushed flat! Now yield!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Then Petals twists her body and awkwardly punches Honey on the side of the head, but while she does this, a blade shoots out from Petals arm and punctures Honey¡¯s skull. Broken bone and blood fly, and Honey goes limp and falls off Petals.

    Petals gets on her hands and knees, coughing and rubbing her throat, and Honey¡¯s vision fades to black.

    Honey¡¯s eyes open while her pod¡¯s lid is lifted, and she climbs out after she is freed from the pod¡¯s hold. Petals steps out a moment later, and she rubs her throat as she looks at Honey. They are quiet as they approach each other, and when they are near toe to toe, Petals takes a deep breath and extends her hand. Honey is hesitant, but gives in to politeness and shakes her hand, being mindful of her enhanced strength.

    ¡°Good duel. Now I forgive you for ruining my date. And also, next time, just crush the neck. Don¡¯t ask for a yield. That¡¯s dumb. It¡¯s a simulation. No one really gets hurt in them,¡± says Petals.

    ¡°Thanks for the advice. How long have you been modified?¡± asks Honey.

    Petals pulls her hand away from Honey and inspects her hand, which Honey now notices thin lines and the skin tone being slightly different from her fair skin.

    ¡°Five years. My parents are still paying for the operation using a sixty-year payment plan, and the bill will be transferred to me on my twenty-third birthday. How about you?¡±

    ¡°Three years,¡± says Honey, withholding the part where Tobias paid for it all in lump sum.

    Petals grins, and Astros walks up to the pair, now dressed casually.

    ¡°Nice,¡± says Petals. ¡°Yours is definitely strength modification, but as much as I want to do more comparisons, I need to change and you have another duel coming up, so I¡¯ll leave you alone.¡±

    Petals hurries to the changing room, and Astros and Honey watch her until she is behind the door. Then Astros looks at Honey while Asmund comes out of the other dressing room wearing the jumpsuit.

    ¡°I take it you lost,¡± says Astros.

    ¡°I did,¡± says Honey. ¡°I almost won, but I didn¡¯t know Petals had a blade in her arm, so she caught me off guard.¡±

    ¡°She has more augments than that.¡±

    ¡°Really? Did her parents want a cyborg for war?¡±

    Honey¡¯s tone is light, but when she sees Astros¡¯ serious expression, her countenance shifts to discomfort.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± says Astros. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you anymore. If Petals wants to tell you, she will.¡±

    Before Honey can say anything else, Petals comes out of the dressing room with her casual clothes on. Her narrowed eyes lock eyes with Astros, and he stares back at her. After some seconds of silence, Petals rolls her eyes, reaches into her inner coat pocket, and pulls out a business card. She gives it to Honey, and she inspects it while Petals speaks.

    ¡°Here¡¯s my card. If you want to chat about something Astros hasn¡¯t spoiled or have a friendly lunch, contact me,¡± says Petals.

    Honey briefly looks up from the card to offer Petals a smile. ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    Then Asmund approaches Honey.

    ¡°You lost two duels so far. I¡¯m feeling generous, so I¡¯m offering you a chance to back out,¡± says Asmund.

    ¡°Nope,¡± says Honey instantly, now looking around for a spot to put the business card.

    Astros holds out his hand, and Honey gives it to him after some hesitation, all while Asmund shakes his head in disappointment.

    ¡°You¡¯re being foolish. You¡¯re clearly out of your league.¡±

    ¡°Hey, we agreed to a duel, and I¡¯ll see it through. But if you¡¯re scared¡­¡±

    Asmund scoffs. ¡°Absolutely not. I¡¯ll see you in fifteen minutes.¡±

    Fifteen Minutes Later¡­

    Honey is in a forest for the fourth time, and she groans loudly and looks at the crisp blue sky and fluffy clouds.

    ¡°Seriously!? Are there not any other maps!?¡±

    When nothing answers her, she sighs heavily, shakes her head, and starts walking. She stays close to the trees, but as she does this, she thinks about the past three matches. The only one that went horribly was Astros, but that was because he shot her brains out with a musket at a long distance. The other two went well until they got close to her. Rocky with his exploding arrows, and Petals with her combined whip and hidden blade. She also had a hard time seeing them move around, which this realization brings Honey to laugh irritably and bang her head on a tree.

    ¡°Of course! How could I have been so stupid!¡±

    Honey bangs her head against the tree again, and then takes a deep, long breath, and exhales slowly. She does this a couple more times before she pulls away and runs her fingers through her hair. After that, she takes one more breath before unslinging Thor-Ton and turning her dial. The weapon hums and its barrel glows, and Honey walks through the forest, keeping her senses piqued.

    After walking around for a few minutes listening and watching, and still nothing, she aims Thor-Ton, and fires in a random direction. The energy ball strikes a tree, causing it to fall over with its trunk splintering. And she runs to cover and slides by another tree and waits. Birds caw and fly away while smoke lingers, and the echo of the fall gradually fades.

    A few more seconds pass, and she hears rustling nearby. She looks to the general area of the source, and stares at some shrubs. The shrubs shift a little bit, and she curses and rolls behind the tree as gunshots ring out. Pockets of the ground are kicked up and start smoldering. The smoldering turns to fire, and the fire spreads as more incendiary shots strike the tree.

    Honey swears again, and runs out of cover, but she runs straight ahead, and jumps into a small dip and rolls down a hill as more incendiary rounds fly over her head, striking more trees and the ground. The pockets of fire gradually grow, and Honey deactivates Thor-Ton and holds it against her chest as she presses her back against another tree. Her hear races and her breathing is heavy as the smoke clogs her nose and lungs. This hot stinging sensation brings her eyes to water, and the crackling flames mask the footsteps crunching on the ground. However, she can still barely hear Asmund approaching her.

    More shots ring out, and fire erupts on the ground next to Honey, and she takes a deep breath, and runs through the fire. The flames singe her clothes, and she ducks and weaves with more bullets flying past her. When Honey makes a large turn, Asmund leaps in front of her with his rifle slung on his back, and in his hand is a large saber-like blade with a flame emitting from its crossguard. He swings at her, and she ducks and rolls, and drops Thor-Ton in the process.

    Asmund swings at Honey again, slicing her across the abdomen and burning her body and clothes with the flame.

    Honey curses and staggers, and when Asmund goes for another swing, her blue lines pulse and her muscles react, allowing her to grab Asmund and throw him away. He rolls upon hitting the ground, but quickly recovers as Honey stumbles to Thor-Ton.

    Asmund swings at her again, and Honey uses her weapon as a shield, cringing and stumbling back as each strike sends out sparks and flames and scratches her prized item.

    The fire spreads around the pair, and Honey pants and trembles as her blood oozes out and stains her torn shirt and corset.

    Asmund swings again, and Honey pivots and rams Thor-Ton into his side, making him stumble with her. But as the pair quickly recover their footing, Honey flips a switch on Thor-Ton while spinning on her feet to face Asmund. Time feels like it moves slower for Honey as the cannon¡¯s lower body and trigger morph and click together to form a handle that Honey grips tightly while she faces Asmund. The cannon¡¯s body turns into a hammer head, and small booster ports give the hammer extra speed as Honey strikes Asmund¡¯s side. His torso explodes, sending his legs spinning away in one direction, and his shoulders and head flying away in another. A splash of blood, pulverized organs, and splintered bones soak the ground and nearby tree, and Honey slams her hammerhead on the ground with a loud thud and grins widely with blood dripping off her face body. Then she drops to her knees and pumps her fist while the fire pixelates around her.

    ¡°Yes! I did it!¡±

    Then comes the black out.

    Honey¡¯s eyes open with the simulation pod¡¯s lid is lifted, and after Frank releases her, she leaps out and cheers again. Bringing Astros and Petals to stare at her curiously while Frank releases Asmund.

    ¡°Yes! I did it! I finally won!¡± says Honey.

    ¡°You did. Good job,¡± says Dr. Nera.

    Asmund is helped out of his pod, and he approaches Honey who is too giddy to notice him at first, but when she goes see him, her grin widens, and she extends her hand.

    ¡°Put it there! Good duel!¡± says Honey.

    Asmund grumbles and extends his hand, and he winces as Honey shakes it vigorously. When she releases his hand, he seethes and massages it.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± says Honey. ¡°I¡¯m just excited that I finally won a duel! It only took me four tries, but I did it!¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ yes, you did,¡± says Asmund, still looking at his hand. ¡°I might need an icepack for this one.¡±

    ¡°Frank. Ice pack,¡± says Dr. Nera.

    Frank nods and goes to a first aid box hanging on the wall. He pulls out a blue bag and medical tape, crushes the bag¡¯s contents in his hand and tapes the bag onto Asmund¡¯s hand. But while this happens, Honey is still preoccupied with her excitement and energetic pacing, which gets a sliver of a smile from Astros and Petals.

    ¡°Like a kid at a carnival,¡± says Petals.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± says Astros.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I won! I need to treat myself,¡± says Honey.

    That is when Astros walks up to her and clears his throat, getting her attention.

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say our duel was good due to me being a superior marksman, but Petals told me what happened in your simulation. It was a good fight,¡± says Astros.

    Petals smiles thinly and nods, and Asmund walks next to Astros.

    ¡°Ours was decent, too,¡± interjects Asmund.

    ¡°So, how would you like to enjoy lunch with us?¡± asks Astros.

    Asmund snaps to Astros. ¡°What?¡±

    Honey beams. ¡°Sure!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± objects Asmund.

    ¡°Why?¡± says Astros, now looking at him.

    ¡°She tackled me in a pond, whacked me in half with a bloody hammer, and nearly crushed my hand!¡±

    ¡°The duels are over. Forgive and move on,¡± says Astros.

    ¡°Does the forgiveness include the cleaning bill?¡± asks Honey hopefully.

    ¡°No. You lost the duel; therefore, you still owe me that,¡± says Astros swiftly.

    Honey¡¯s posture sulks. ¡°Darn.¡±

    Petals goes between Honey and Astros and puts her hands on their shoulders. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I can really use those nachos now.¡±

    Honey nods. ¡°Nachos sound good.¡±

    And with that the group leaves for nachos. After Honey and Asmund change out of the jumpsuits.

 09

    The day has been long yet fulfilling for Honey. Sure, she lost a couple of duels and now has a mild headache from going into three simulations at the same time, but now she is back at the Fleur de Lis Plaza, preparing to enjoy a lunch at Ignacio¡¯s Nachos, which is a place that sells only nachos and drinks. There are forty-two variations of nachos, and a good selection of sodas and alcohol. Honey has decided to avoid alcohol while perusing the menu, because the last thing she wants is to go into the recruitment station smelling like booze and nachos; especially since she still has her paperwork, which she frequently checks to make sure it didn¡¯t mysteriously vanish, unlike last time when Emma engaged in some sort of sorcery to retrieve it.

    Aside from that, this day has been good, and the eatery is so far the best part.

    Ignacio¡¯s Nachos is dimly lit with paintings of ranches, colorful buildings, and Catholic iconography on the walls. It is also fairly packed with customers chatting lightly, waiters and waitresses bringing out orders, and chefs shouting in the kitchen in Outer Spanish, which is a mix of Spanglish and Outer French. Honey and Astros¡¯ group has taken a seat near the exit, so while they enjoy their nachos, they can see shoppers walking by.

    Petals and Asmund are on one side of the table, and Honey and Astros are on the other, and all their weapons are secured in compartments underneath their raised seats. Except for Honey¡¯s. Her weapon is too large, so she has it sitting next to her and chained in place; the weapon¡¯s size is also why she is by the wall. And while they browse the menu, Marie Rohan walks up to their table, wearing a simple waitress uniform with a white blouse, black pants, and a black apron full of straws and cutlery.

    ¡°Hello, everybody! Nice of you to see me!¡± says Marie.

    The group greets Marie, save for Honey, who is merely smiling politely, and Asmund and Marie exchange a quick kiss before she pulls out her pad with a stylus.

    ¡°So, what are we having?¡± asks Marie.

    ¡°The usual, darling,¡± says Asmund.

    ¡°Of course,¡± says Marie, scribbling the order in. She looks at Petals. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Dr. Hector and Mexico City nacho plate,¡± says Petals.

    ¡°And you, Astros?¡± says Marie while writing down Petals order.

    ¡°Water and classic nachos,¡± says Astros.

    Honey scoffs and Astros briefly glances at her while Marie writes down his order.

    ¡°And what are you getting, Honey?¡± asks Marie.

    ¡°The protein bomb nacho plate and a coca-soda,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Very nice. And how did your duel go with Asmund?¡±

    ¡°It went fine,¡± says Asmund sharply.

    ¡°I won,¡± says Honey immediately after.

    Asmund glares at Honey, and she flashes a brief, smug smile, and Marie sighs and runs her hand along Asmund¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Well, now that the duel is done, hopefully you two will get along,¡± says Marie.

    ¡°We¡¯ll get along just fine,¡± says Asmund.

    ¡°I sure hope so,¡± says Marie. ¡°But I have to turn this in. I¡¯ll be back with your drinks shortly. Separate tickets, correct?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for Honey¡¯s and myself,¡± says Astros.

    The group stares at Astros, and he casually collects the menus to give to Marie, and when she has the stack, she smiles and walks away. Once she is out of sight, Petals looks at Astros with a particularly salty look.

    ¡°What?¡± says Astros.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t buy me lunch on our first date,¡± says Petals.

    Honey stiffens, and Astros rolls his eyes.

    ¡°You said you would handle your ticket on our first date,¡± says Astros.

    ¡°It was a test!¡± says Petals.

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was! And you failed!¡±

    ¡°Impossible. You can¡¯t fail something that didn¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a turd, you know that!¡±

    The two continue exchanging words, with Petals having a harsh tone and Astros being calm, and Asmund waves Honey over. She reluctantly leans forward, and he says, ¡°You¡¯re better off tuning them out. They¡¯ll be like this until the drinks arrive.¡±

    Honey nods and sits back in her chair. Petals and Astros are still bickering.

    ¡°So, Asmund, what are you up to?¡± asks Honey over the voices of the arguing pair.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the Academy Recruitment Office after this,¡± says Asmund.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Honey perks. ¡°Oh. What a coincidence. So am I!¡±

    Asmund frowns. ¡°What?¡±

    Honey smiles proudly. ¡°Yeah, I came from Lilian, and flew all the way down here to join the Eqos Irregular Defense Force.¡±

    ¡°What possessed you do that?¡±

    ¡°My dad¡¯s stories. He was part of the EIDF, too.¡±

    ¡°I presume he told you about the terrible stuff that happens.¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°And you still want to join?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you want to join, too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡±

    Asmund stops, and Honey eyes him curiously. But he doesn¡¯t finish because Marie returns with the drinks. And just as Asmund said, Petals and Astros immediately stop arguing when their drinks are put in front of them.

    ¡°The nachos will be done shortly,¡± says Marie.

    The group thanks her, and as they sip their drinks, Honey looks at Astros out of the corner of her eye.

    ¡°So¡­ date, eh?¡± says Honey cautiously.

    ¡°Not a date. I¡¯m just being nice. You still owe me the cleaning bill, by the way,¡± says Astros.

    Honey nods and sips her drink again, but she catches Petals mouthing, It¡¯s a date.

    Seeing this, Honey¡¯s lips tighten and Astros kicks Petals¡¯ foot.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fill her head with ideas,¡± says Astros.

    Petals kicks back, but says nothing, and Honey swallows what little of the carbonated goodness is in her mouth before looking at Astros.

    ¡°So, quick question,¡± says Honey. She points at Asmund. ¡°He¡¯s joining the EIDF, and you all seem pretty close. So¡­ are you also joining?¡±

    Astros nods. ¡°I am. My family has been part of it since the beginning. I am merely carrying on the tradition.¡±

    ¡°Same with me and my family,¡± says Petals. She holds up her augmented arm and smirks as she wiggles her fingers. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to try this thing out in actual combat.¡±

    ¡°Tradition for me.¡± Honey points at Astros and Petals. ¡°And tradition for you and you.¡± Her finger now turns to Asmund. ¡°And¡­ tradition?¡±

    Asmund hesitates, and then shakes his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m the first in my family to do it. I had to get letters of recommendation from the patriarchs of their families and the gym.¡±

    Petals and Astros nod in confirmation, and Honey blinks in confusion while Marie returns with a tray of nachos in flimsy metal trays with lids underneath them, bringing a smile to everyone. The smell of melted cheese, cooked meat, and various vegetables and spices are heaven to Honey¡¯s senses, and she has to swallow to keep the drool down. Marie gives everyone their tickets, and kisses Asmund on the top of his head, and he returns with a kiss to her hand, and they exchange a quick farewell before she hurries off to take care of another table.

    As they dig into their meals (with Petals making a bib out of her napkin before eating), Honey looks at Asmund and says, ¡°You called me insane for wanting to join the EIDF.¡±

    ¡°Right. Because you¡¯d have to be insane to do it,¡± says Asmund.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you¡¯re insane. And you called your two friends insane, too.¡±

    Asmund ponders this, then says, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I mean, we are,¡± says Petals, her mouth full of food.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like that term. I prefer ¡®strongly motivated¡¯,¡± says Astros.

    ¡°But I¡¯m the most insane out of all of us because I¡¯m doing it because I want to. Not to fulfill some obligation to tradition,¡± says Asmund.

    Honey points at him with a meat covered nacho. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m doing this because I want to, too!¡±

    The nacho snaps in half and falls to her stack of chips. Honey quickly eats what¡¯s in her hand, and Asmund dismisses her with a wave of his hand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you, but if it helps you sleep at night, keep telling yourself that,¡± says Asmund.

    Honey is about to say something else, but Astros puts his hand on her arm and wags his finger as a ¡°No.¡± She gets the message and resumes eating her nachos in peace. After they are finished eating what they can, with Honey eating all of hers and Astros having half of his left over, they get their drinks refilled in to-go cups, pay their tickets, and exit Ignacio¡¯s Nachos.

    The mall is still crowded, but the group sticks close together as they weave their way through the numerous shoppers to get to The Academy of Irregular Defense Recruitment Office. When the group enters the office, a familiar bell dings, and the same person from before is sitting behind the same desk, watching the group enter.

    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± he says, looking at Honey. ¡°And it looks like you brought friends. Have a seat, all of you.¡±

    Everyone takes a seat, and they pull out their paperwork. The man behind the desk immediately gets to work, scanning and cross-referencing information, and each time he completes an information stack, he has the person sign some papers and give their thumbprint. And when Honey gets her paperwork, she reads it carefully, especially the back part with the small letters full of disclaimers.

    Disclaimers include possibility of death during training, minimum of ten years of service, possibility of genetic, biological, and cybernetic experimentation, periods without pay if there is a government shutdown, deployment to other systems if needed, and while EIDF is part of the Eqos military the Federation Expeditionary Force is still supreme, so if needed they will be temporarily under FEF control in times of need. Also, religion and spirituality as well as vacations and pilgrimages are encouraged for morale, but Eqos and the EIDF comes first, meaning it is fully possible to have vacations, pilgrimages, and services cancelled for either emergency, staffing, or disciplinary reasons.

    As Honey reads this list, she notices out of the corner of her eye the recruiter subtly nodding in approval at her and writing down a note. After Honey reads the paperwork, she signs and thumb-prints it, and returns it to the recruiter. He thanks her, scans it in his computer, then copies it on pink paper and gives it her.

    ¡°Your copy,¡± he says. And he does the same for Astros, Asmund, and Petals. Once all of them have their paperwork taken care of, he offers them a practiced smile, and says with an equally practiced tone, ¡°Everything looks in order for all of you. The next flight to the Academy is in three weeks. If you arrive on the shuttle, great. If not, you clearly weren¡¯t ready, so you¡¯d be doing all of us a favor. Enjoy your day.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± says Honey brightly.

    She gets up and offers her hand to the recruiter, and he sighs and extends it so she can shake his hand. The others leave while also thanking him, but don¡¯t shake his hand, and when they are outside the office, Honey takes a deep breath and smiles again with pride radiating from her.

    ¡°Finally,¡± says Honey. She looks to her left and sees Petals digging into her wallet, and she looks to the right and sees Astros rubbing his hands together with slow and hard motions, and Asmund is staring off into space. ¡°Uh¡­ Are you guys okay? Are you nervous?¡±

    ¡°I need to get trashed before I go to the Academy,¡± says Petals. She looks at Honey. ¡°Do you want to get trashed with me before we sign our lives away?¡±

    Honey rubs her neck, cringing. ¡°I mean, I guess? But I wasn''t expecting that. I still have to pay for a hole I punched in my hotel room wall.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy your drinks,¡± says Astros.

    Honey stops rubbing and looks at him, and Petals cocks a brow at him.

    ¡°Seriously? You didn¡¯t buy me drinks,¡± says Petals.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t want me to,¡± says Astros.

    ¡°I was testing you!¡±

    ¡°No, you weren¡¯t.¡±

    And thus, another argument begins while the pair walk away from the recruitment office, and Honey shakes her head and follows them with Asmund following close behind. But she can¡¯t help but get a small smile from this, and while they walk, the sunlight shines through the glass panels of the mall. However, off in the distance, heavy clouds approach; but none of them notice, and even if they did notice they wouldn¡¯t care, for tonight is going to be a night of indulgence before they leave for the next stage of their lives.

 10

    Three Weeks Later¡­

    The morning sunlight burns Honey¡¯s eyes, and she grips her luggage handle and the rail tightly as the bus makes its way through the street. Thor-Ton is clipped on her back, and while there are a few others with specialized weapons, hers is the largest, which is getting her some stares and a small circle of space. Her heart races, and her throat feels like it is inflated. It takes a lot of effort to keep her feet from tapping.

    She takes a deep, shaky breath, and drums her fingers on the luggage handle as she attempts to keep her eyes from snapping to the people observing her.

    She fails.

    Her eyes flick to the side, causing a couple to avert their gaze, and she looks outside to see the buildings pass by. A few minutes later, the bus stops, and the door slides open, allowing passengers to get off and more to come in. The number of new passengers is three, and one of them is Petals with her weapons and luggage; she is wearing sunglasses and is dressed in a fine dress and black vest with red flowers that appears to be high class at first glance, but upon closer look, the clothing is really just cheap, and the flowers are patches ironed on.

    Petals pays the fare and goes to Honey, offering her a smile as she sits down.

    ¡°Hello again. It¡¯s been a little bit,¡± says Petals.

    ¡°Yep,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re the one nervous, now.¡±

    Honey scoffs. ¡°Me? Nervous? No. Not even close.¡±

    Petals nods slowly. ¡°Mhm. Have a seat.¡±

    She pats the empty seat next to her, and Honey instantly takes the offer. She unclips Thor-Ton from her back, and her legs lose all strength, and she falls hard on the seat. Honey clutches Thor-Ton tight and stares ahead while Petals relaxes in her seat.

    ¡°So, about three weeks ago when we got trashed,¡± says Petals.

    ¡°I blacked out. I don¡¯t remember any of it,¡± says Honey swiftly.

    Petals lips pucker. ¡°Oh¡­ Lucky me.¡±

    Honey shoots a look at Petals, and she stretches out her legs. The bus stops again, and Asmund and Marie get on the bus and sit across from Petals and Honey. They are holding hands and dressed in high quality clothing that isn¡¯t fake; and Asmund has his luggage and weapon¡¯s case strapped together.

    ¡°Petals, good to see you again,¡± says Asmund.

    ¡°It has been a little while hasn¡¯t it?¡± says Petals.

    ¡°About three weeks,¡± remarks Asmund.

    ¡°How are you doing, Honey?¡± asks Marie.

    Honey shrugs and tightens her hold on her weapon, making her knuckles white. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Marie and Asmund look at each other, and then Marie looks at Honey. ¡°Listen, on that drinking night about three weeks ago¡­?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± says Honey quickly.

    ¡°She blacked out,¡± says Petals.

    Marie blinks and Asmund tilts his head.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay,¡± says Marie.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have that much,¡± says Asmund.

    ¡°Maybe she really sucks with alcohol,¡± says Petals.

    ¡°I do not!¡± says Honey defensively.

    The bus stops again, and this time Astros gets on with his luggage and weapon. He goes to the group and sits next to Honey, and the group stares at him. He is quiet for a few seconds, but when the bus moves forward and the eyes are still on him, he looks at the group quizzically.

    ¡°What?¡± asks Astros.

    ¡°So, about that thing that led to us avoiding each other for three weeks,¡± says Asmund.

    ¡°Yes?¡± says Astros.

    ¡°Honey doesn¡¯t remember it.¡±

    ¡°She blacked out from alcohol,¡± says Petals.

    Honey shoots a glare at Petals, but can also feel heat burning her cheeks, and she looks at the group with some annoyance.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember?¡± says Astros to Honey.

    ¡°No,¡± says Honey sharply.

    ¡°You paid my cleaning bill and the damages for the hole you punched in your room wall.¡±

    Honey snaps an annoyed look at Petals and Asmund; Petals is rubbing her brow while releasing an exasperated sigh, and Asmund is rubbing Marie¡¯s hand as she leans against him.

    ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s all that happened. You guys made it sound like it was something weird!¡± says Honey.

    Petals hums. ¡°Well, that stuff did happen, but there¡¯s more to it. You see, after the hole was repaired and the bill was paid, we bought more alcohol, played some board games and¡­¡±

    Later¡­

    The bus pulls to a stop outside an airfield, and the group gets off one by one, with Honey being last. Her face is a mix of red and green. She¡¯s hot, shaky, and feels like she¡¯s going to be sick. And she doesn¡¯t feel like being near the group. At least the morning air is cool, despite the sunlight making her eyes feel like they¡¯re going to boil.

    There are a few other buses that have dropped off other recruits, each with their own weapons and luggage, but while Honey trails Astros¡¯ group, she notices Rocky and Emma are talking with two other people. Their tones are light, and their postures are relaxed, which is surprising to see when it comes to Rocky. As Honey passes them, Rocky¡¯s smile fades and Emma¡¯s lips twist to a smirk as she waves with wiggling fingers. Honey rolls her eyes and keeps walking to catch up with Astros¡¯ group.

    The airfield isn¡¯t anything spectacular. It is a domed building in the Baroque style with five hangars and an air tower nearby (also in Baroque style), and a long airstrip. There is a cluster of flags up front, with the tallest being the Federation of Sol Systems flag, then the Prospect Sector flag, then the Eqos flag, and finally the Eqos Irregular Defense Force flag. The EIDF also has their symbol painted on the wall of the domed building.

    The group enters the main structure; warm air counters the morning chill and flight schedules are on display on hanging monitors, and there are body scanning tubes and conveyer belts leading to another scanning device. Guarding it are four soldiers (two male two female) dressed in urban camouflage and black vests, and nearby is a bulky machine with thick arms and legs and a ring of optical sensors on its dome shaped head.

    The people go through the body scanning tubes one by one with their weapons and luggage going through the other scanners. When it¡¯s Honey¡¯s turn, she takes off her boots and steps inside the tube. Lights move up and down and side to side on her, and she can see outside the tube the guards staring at the results with odd looks. The tube opens, and one of the female soldiers¡¯ motions Honey towards her, away from the others so they can be processed without trouble. Once off to the side, Honey is instructed to extend her arms, and she is swiped with a wand. The same results come back, and the female soldier looks at her supervisor with a confused expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s her whole body, sir,¡± she says.

    ¡°My medical records are with the paperwork,¡± says Honey, keeping her tone calm despite being slightly annoyed since this didn¡¯t happen when she left Lilian.

    The soldier takes out the paperwork from Honey¡¯s bag, and after looking through it with her supervisor, her paperwork and boots are returned.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Sorry about that, ma¡¯am, but we have never seen a modification like yours before,¡± says the supervisor.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± says Honey as she puts on her boots. ¡°It was not a cheap procedure, and it was entirely experimental. So far, I¡¯ve had no problems.¡±

    ¡°Did you get it because of that thing?¡± asks the supervisor, pointing with his hand at Thor-Ton, which is laying on the floor.

    Honey nods and smiles. ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°I can see why you got those then. But it would have been cheaper if you didn¡¯t make a weapon that heavy.¡±

    ¡°True, but then it¡¯ll be easier to steal it if it was normal.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± The supervisor prints out a ticket from a device strapped to his wrist and gives it to Honey. ¡°Well, get your gear and go to the seating area.¡±

    Honey thanks him, grabs Thor-Ton and her luggage, and goes to Astros and Petals. They are sitting by one of the large windows and each of them has a ticket as well. At first Honey didn¡¯t know where Asmund was, but after a quick look, she sees he is still with Marie in the lobby area, hugging each other while the soldiers continue their work.

    ¡°What was that about?¡± asks Petals as Honey sits down across from them.

    ¡°They¡¯ve never seen modifications quite like mine before. Were you taken to the side?¡± says Honey.

    ¡°No. I was just told not to stab anyone.¡±

    Honey looks past Petals and Astros and watches a shuttle being pulled out of a hangar by a truck on treads, and the aircraft is guided towards their building. As this happens, Asmund sits down next to Astros and takes a deep breath.

    ¡°Now that the easy part is done, the hard part begins,¡± says Asmund.

    ¡°Saying goodbye didn¡¯t look easy for you,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t, but it¡¯ll be easy compared to what¡¯s going to happen next.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± assures Astros.

    ¡°Yeah, as long as we don¡¯t die,¡± says Honey.

    ¡°Very funny,¡± says Petals.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. We have a chance of dying during training.¡±

    The group stares at Honey, and she looks at them curiously.

    ¡°Did you guys not read that part?¡± asks Honey.

    Petals and Asmund avert their eyes while Astros keeps staring at Honey.

    ¡°Did your parents not tell you that part!?¡± says Honey.

    ¡°No,¡± says Astros. ¡°And I might have skimmed the fine print.¡±

    ¡°My parents didn¡¯t say anything about death during training,¡± says Petals.

    Then comes a giggle that immediately pisses off Honey.

    ¡°Wow,¡± laughs Emma. She leans over the bench¡¯s spine, so she is next to Honey. ¡°So, you go through all that trouble to join the EIDF and didn¡¯t know about the whole death part? What a bunch of goobers!¡±

    Astros¡¯ group glares at Emma, and Honey¡¯s hands tighten on Thor-Ton and her eye twitches. Then she growls when Emma puts her hands on her shoulders and gives them a firm squeeze, still looking at the group while her voice seeps into the blonde¡¯s ear.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hilarious to see you guys die,¡± says Emma. She pats Honey¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Especially this one.¡±

    ¡°Emma!¡± calls Rocky, walking towards the woman in question with the other two following close behind.

    ¡°Yes?¡± says Emma.

    ¡°Leave them alone. I don¡¯t want us getting in trouble when we¡¯re this close to getting to the Academy.¡±

    Emma giggles again and backs away. ¡°Of course. I just can¡¯t help myself sometimes.¡±

    Then Emma skips away to join Rocky¡¯s group, and Astros, Asmund and Petals watch her leave while Honey stares straight ahead, not really registering the environment.

    ¡°What was that about?¡± asks Petals.

    ¡°It sounds like she has a vendetta,¡± says Asmund.

    ¡°Is she a problem for you?¡± asks Astros.

    Honey takes a deep breath and forces a thin smile. ¡°I have no idea what her problem is with me, but I won¡¯t be dealing with her much longer. Once the training is done, we¡¯ll be going our separate ways and that¡¯s that.¡±

    Before any more words can be spoken, a bell dings over the intercom, and a gruff voice breaks the chatter like a wrecking ball. ¡°Alright, bugs! Everyone on the shuttle! Now!¡±

    The sudden command and the roughness of the voice freezes the group of thirty-six recruits, with some looking at the intercoms, others looking at the shuttle parked outside, and some looking at each other or at the soldiers with no signs of a functioning brain. Then the voice returns.

    ¡°Now means now! Get on the shuttle! Now! Now! Now!¡±

    This got everyone to move towards the entrance tube to the shuttle, and as they are herded towards the tube, the man screams over the intercom.

    ¡°MOVE FASTER! MOVE IT! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!¡±

    Honey can barely register what happens next. She goes into the tube, goes on the shuttle, locks her luggage and weapon down, takes a seat, and stares ahead without blinking and muscles tight as the others make their way to their spots. She barely notices Astros sitting next to her and Asmund and Petals sitting behind them. And it seems as though time has sped up because the next thing she knows, everyone is seated, and the door is sealed. A moment later, the engines whir to life, and the cockpit door slides open, allowing an imposing figure to step out, wearing urban camouflage outfit and black vest, polished boots, a gas mask hanging off his belt, and a tag that reads J. Heinlein.

    This person is tall, buff, with coal black hair and dark brown eyes, and he is of biracial origin that Honey cannot quite pin. Definitely Eqos, but possibly Filipino? She¡¯s seen some pictures of them when her father talked about his time in the EIDF, and this stranger looks like he has some of their genetics. All that aside, Honey feels drool in her mouth.

    He¡¯s so big, thinks Honey.

    Heinlein stares at the group with intense scrutiny, and the recruits stare back, too stunned, or nervous to speak. The shuttle starts moving and the seatbelt lights turn on, but no one moves.

    ¡°Put on your seatbelts!¡± barks Heinlein.

    Everyone on the shuttle snaps their belts in, and Heinlein grabs a ring hanging off the wall as the engines get louder and the shuttle picks up speed.

    ¡°In ten hours, you will land at the Academy of Irregular Defense,¡± starts Heinlein.

    The shuttle lifts in the air and scenery rapidly changes from the airfield to the blue sky. As it rises, Honey grips her seatbelt tightly while Astros stares ahead with a tight jaw.

    ¡°In ten hours, we will kill your old self. We will transform you from a nobody destined to be forgotten, to immortals who will be remembered for all time. Embrace the comfort of this ride because this is the last of it you will have. Immortality does not come from peace, but from pain. We will break you and we will enjoy breaking you, but in the end, you will thank us.¡±

    The shuttle is quiet, and Honey¡¯s eyes are wide open and drying out in her attempt to keep her eyeballs from looking at the passing clouds. However, because of her wide-eyed look, she catches the attention of Heinlein, and he points at her.

    ¡°You. Blondie. What¡¯s the matter with you? You¡¯re creeping me out. Blink before your eyes shrivel out!¡± says Heinlein.

    Honey blinks, and Heinlein drops his hand.

    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s get down to business. My name is Staff Sergeant Juan Heinlein; I am your training instructor for the Academy of Irregular Defense. I will teach you how to how to kill, how to heal, how to survive, and how to be the best EIDF soldier. I have trained hundreds of soldiers who have fought and lived against odds that would kill a normal soldier. As for me, I have been on the frontlines of the Aarde War. I have engaged pirates. I have rescued hostages. I have killed traitors and performed mercy kills. I have changed more lives than every last one of you combined, so I do not have patience for slackers or rats or the insincere. If you¡¯re either of those, you¡¯re better off dying than tarnishing the EIDF. Any questions?¡±

    Emma raises her hand.

    ¡°You. Ballerina. What is your question?¡± says Heinlein.

    ¡°How often do people die during training?¡± asks Emma enthusiastically.

    ¡°Put a ¡®sir¡¯ at the end of that question and try again.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± replies Emma with a smile. ¡°How often do people die during training, sir?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be a pain in the ass, I can tell already. But I''m going to say ten percent sounds close. Any other questions?¡±

    The recruits stiffen, and Heinlein frowns.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t read that part in your contract. You slackers are off to a bad start!¡± says Heinlein.

    Honey hesitantly raises her hand, and Heinlein looks at her.

    ¡°What do you want, Blondie?¡± asks Heinlein.

    ¡°I read the fine print¡­ sir,¡± says Honey.

    Heinlein sighs heavily, unzips a pouch on his vest, and pulls out two wrapped chocolate chip cookies with ''Prunella Honey Thornton'' and ''Emma Winters'' scribbled on them. He proceeds to walk up to Honey and give her the cookie and tosses the other one to Emma, who eagerly opens it and starts eating it.

    ¡°Congratulations for being the only two to read the fine print,¡± says Heinlein.

    ¡°Oh¡­ thank you, sir,¡± says Honey, looking at the wrapped goodie with a lot of confusion.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Honey sulks, and Heinlein returns to the front of the shuttle. Emma''s already finished her cookie at this point.

    ¡°As a reminder, this will not be a simulation. We will not plug you into pods. We will put you in mud, in the forests, in the arctic, we will test you and your weapons, body, mind, and soul, and we will make you bleed, and we will love every minute of it. If you die during training, don¡¯t even think about haunting the Academy because we have priests and shamans on speed dial to get your weak ghost ass off our property. If you¡¯re too weak to live during the easy part, then we certainly don¡¯t want you around as a floating corpse living rent free,¡± says Heinlein.

    Emma raises her hand again.

    ¡°What is it?¡± says Heinlein.

    ¡°What if we turn into a demon when we die, sir? Can we stay since demons are different from ghosts, sir?¡± asks Emma.

    Heads turn to her, and Rocky rubs his face while Heinlein sneers.

    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± says Heinlein. ¡°Actually, don¡¯t even say anything. You¡¯re no longer allowed to speak, and when we get off this shuttle, you¡¯re giving me one hundred pushups for being a creepy bitch and a smart ass. And no more cookies for you, either.¡±

    Meanwhile, Honey is carefully opening her cookie and cringing while the plastic crinkles and tears. When the cookie is free, she cautiously puts it in her mouth and chews slowly, to keep the crunching as quiet as possible. While doing this, she stares at Heinlein, unblinking.

    ¡°The moment Blondie finishes her cookie we will pump relaxation gas into the shuttle,¡± says Heinlein. ¡°This will ensure you rest before we put you through hell.¡±

    Honey stops chewing. She is on the last bit of her cookie, and she feels all eyes on her.

    ¡°Eat the cookie!¡± orders Heinlein.

    Honey resumes chewing and reluctantly swallows the grounded food, and as soon as she swallows, Heinlein puts on his gas mask and knocks on the cockpit door four times. A few seconds later, the seatbelts locks turn red, and there is a hissing and faint green gas coming from the vents. The recruits start to panic with curses and struggle to get their belts off, and even Astros tests the belt, but remains silent. Honey tries it, too. Her blue lines glow and her fingers tighten on the belt straps as she pulls. She can feel the lock breaking and the fabric tearing, but then the gas seeps into her nose and almost immediately everything becomes hazy, and her muscles become weak while her heart slows down.

    ¡°Nobody panic. This is procedure to make sure you¡¯re well rested before landing,¡± says Heinlein.

    Honey¡¯s vision becomes blurry and dim, and she looks to the side and sees Astros bobbing his head while other recruits slump in their seats. Except for Emma; she¡¯s smiling and patting Rocky¡¯s hand. As for Honey, she fights to keep her eyes open, but it is futile. Within seconds, she falls into darkness, and her last thought is, What a dick.

 11

    Darkness. That was all Honey saw. She can¡¯t feel her limbs, and her eyelids flutter, but not enough to open them. They remain shut, keeping her in the dark. Multiple objects were pressed into her arms, making her feel numb and immobilizing her. There was beeping and hissing. Something was in her mouth. She wanted to move, wanted to open her eyes, wanted to speak, but none of that was possible.

    ¡°The good news is that she¡¯ll make it. The bad news¡­¡± said the doctor, his voice trailing off.

    ¡°The bad news is what?¡± said Tobias firmly.

    The doctor hesitated. ¡°She won¡¯t walk unless we modify her.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°All of her. There¡¯s an experimental process that we have been wanting to try, and it is the best chance we have to get her to walk again.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Well, I don¡¯t want to make the decision for her. When she wakes up, she¡¯ll decide what to do with her body.¡±

    DING! DING! DING!

    Honey¡¯s eyes flutter open, and she groggily looks around the shuttle. The other recruits are waking up as the bell continues dinging. Astros rubs his eyes and blinks, and Honey looks out the window. Her tired gaze gets a burst of life when the shuttle moves through the clouds, revealing a structure built into the side of an entire mountain. Rings protrude from it, and each ring is held up and connected to another ring by pillars, and an airfield lays at its base, as well as extensive fields ranging from grass to track, and firing ranges.

    The shuttle turns towards the airfield and lands roughly, causing everyone to jerk around inside and shake away whatever sleepiness remained. The shuttle¡¯s wheels squeal on the runway and come to an abrupt stop that lurches the occupants in their seats, causing everyone to release groans or curses. Then the cockpit door opens, and Heinlein comes out.

    ¡°Who¡¯s not dead? Sound off!¡± says Heinlein.

    There are mutters and groans as the recruits rub their heads or snatch puke bags. But in the case of Emma, she raises her hand with a proud smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m still alive, sir!¡± says Emma.

    ¡°Of course you are,¡± says Heinlein.

    Meanwhile, the shuttle moves smoothly across the runway towards a hangar. Honey looks out her window and sees other shuttles landing or pulling into their own hangars, and when she looks at where they¡¯re going, she sees they are going to Hangar 20. The afternoon sunlight is gradually replaced with the interior lights as the shuttle goes into the spacious structure, and when it stops, Honey watches a small group roll a set of stairs towards them. Heinlein opens the shuttle door, and the stairs are hooked in.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going to exit in an orderly fashion, like a zipper. Right side first front row first, then left side front row, and then right side second row and so on. You have sixty seconds, starting now!¡± instructs Heinlein.

    The recruits immediately get up, and fortunately there isn¡¯t too much trouble. Each row exits the shuttle quickly, and everyone that makes it down the stairs are instructed to stand inside a large red square. After everyone is off the shuttle and put in the large square, Heinlein approaches them and places his hands behind his back as he paces back and forth. Honey tries to keep her eyes on him, but her eyes keep flicking to the stairs being removed and the shuttle being hooked up to a taxi. Fortunately, she snaps her eyes back to him when he looks in her general direction.

    ¡°Everyone, sit down,¡± orders Heinlein.

    Everyone sits down on the concrete floor without hesitation, and the hangar doors are closed, sealing everyone inside. Then a soldier wearing urban camouflage gives Honey a stack of papers and orders her to take one and pass it down. She does as she¡¯s told, and the soldier moves to the row behind her and repeats the order, and he keeps doing this until all four rows are passing papers.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    After passing her stack, Honey looks at the paper and sees that it¡¯s pink with a goofy clipart of a soldier pointing at a list of exercises in The Academy of Irregular Defense Standardized Training Program. The very first thing she notices is that the first two weeks are labeled 0-1 and 0-2, but she doesn¡¯t read any more because Heinlein starts talking, bringing her eyes to him.

    ¡°I already gave my deeply moving and thematic speech back at the shuttle port, so I¡¯m not repeating myself,¡± says Heinlein, his stern voice echoing in the hangar. ¡°Now, we¡¯re finally at the Academy, we¡¯re going to get to business. There are thirty six recruits per shuttle and one trainer per shuttle, and there are twenty shuttles in total, making it to be seven hundred and twenty recruits to twenty trainers. What they don¡¯t tell you is that all twenty shuttles are in competition with one another. So, us thirty six are going to be competing against the other six hundred and eighty four recruits. The prize for winning is first dibs on station location when you complete your fifty two weeks of training. Among other things, but that is the best one.¡±

    Heinlein waits for the information to soak in, and the soldiers with him stand at ease with their hands behind their backs, legs spread slightly, and eyes locked on the recruits. Honey¡¯s eyes flick to the one closest to her, but he looks over her, and she covertly returns her attention to Heinlein when he speaks again.

    ¡°As per tradition, each group of thirty six will be split into nine groups of four, and each of these four will have their own rooms that they will maintain. The team leader will be responsible for the team¡¯s coherency and efficiency, and each team leader will meet with the other team leaders for weekly meetings to give reports to me, which templates will be provided to show the proper way the report is to be conducted. I will give this only warning, if you lie in your report, you will be expelled from the Academy without hesitation. No leniency. Got it?¡±

    The recruits nod and mutter vocal affirmation, and Heinlein frowns.

    ¡°I said, GOT IT!?¡±

    ¡°YES SIR!¡± says the recruits in unison.

    ¡°Good. The first two weeks will be basic evaluation where we analyze your abilities and weapons. Then in week three we will prepare you for the first test, which will be conducted at the end of the third week. Depending on how the test turns out, you will either keep your team leader, or get a new one. And just so everyone is prepared, there is a possibility of you dying on that test. But you¡¯ll only die if you¡¯re retarded, so don¡¯t be a retard. Now, everyone stand up and get your gear.¡±

    Everyone stands up, clutching their luggage and weapons cases.

    ¡°And now get into groups of four. You have ten seconds. Go!¡± says Heinlein.

    The soldiers around the recruits begin shouting down from ten, and Honey, Astros, Asmund, and Petals quickly form a clump. Then Rocky and Emma get into a group with the two they were talking at the shuttle port, and the other recruits quickly get into their groups with two seconds to spare. Once the two seconds are up, Heinlein shouts, ¡°STOP!¡±

    Everyone stops, and Heinlein walks forward, looking at everyone as he inspects their group, nodding in approval with each one.

    ¡°Good. Very good,¡± says Heinlein. He goes over to Emma first and sighs heavily. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing this, but since you read the fine print, you are team lead for now.¡±

    Emma grins. ¡°Excellent, sir.¡±

    Heinlein points at her nose. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck it up.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t sir.¡±

    Heinlein grunts and goes over to Honey. ¡°And you. You also read the fine print, so you¡¯re team lead for now.¡±

    Her group looks at her, but quickly averts their eyes when Heinlein looks at them.

    ¡°You got a problem with that?¡± says Heinlein.

    ¡°No sir,¡± says the three in unison.

    ¡°Good.¡± He looks at Honey again. ¡°The Thorntons have a strong legacy with this organization, so don¡¯t tarnish it.¡±

    Honey swallows and stiffens. ¡°I won¡¯t, sir.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±

    Heinlein keeps moving, and selecting random people to be the team leader, and when everyone is chosen, he gets back in front of the group and orders everyone into squares. Those squares are then put into two columns, and one of the soldiers walks ahead of the group to open a large side door in the hangar, revealing the outside. After that, Heinlein goes up front and orders the recruits to follow him. They go outside with the other soldiers flanking them and the sun beating down on their heads. The mountain looms ahead and the sunlight reflects off the base¡¯s windows, and already Honey can feel her heart and stomach knotting. This isn¡¯t helped by the fact that she can see Lilian in the sky looking down at her. So she looks at Astros out of the corner of her eye for something to ease her tension, and he does the same to her, but offers a quick nod instead of something more helpful, like a reassuring smile or hand gesture, but she takes the nod as the crumb of comfort it is and they both look ahead.

    ¡°Walk mighty and proud, recruits!¡± said Heinlein. ¡°Today is the first day of your new life!¡±

    While the words sound nice to hear, the mountain and the base¡¯s imposing sizes only fill Honey with a creeping sense of dread and possibly regret. But whatever happens next, it will be a long fifty-two weeks, and she¡¯ll see it through to the end.

 00 (Addition)

    Planet: AL-QAMAR

    System: SHAMS AL-NAHAR

    Sector: GREATER ARABIA

    Date: 03-OCT-2399

    The gray, tube shaped Federation Expedition Force ship named FINV Callahan glides above a planet on its last days. Bright blue exhaust bursts from its circular collection of engines, pushing it through the void. Below it is Al-Qamar.

    The planet is a tapestry of desolation. Ashen deserts and jagged mountains are broken by thin winding blue rivers bordered by vegetation. The grays and blacks of the planet are occasionally broken by flashes of fire, launching immeasurable amounts of dust into the atmosphere and creating rings of devastation.

    The Callahan trudges towards a graveyard of shattered ships. Twisted metal, broken skeletons, sparking chunks, and frozen bodies float in space. Trails of fire descend upon Al-Qamar as wreckage is tugged to the planet¡¯s surface.

    Beyond the graveyard, flashes of electric fire and large explosions tear apart Federation ships that are exchanging missiles, lasers, and ballistics with their adversaries: the Drevi.

    The Drevi are piloting long black ships lined with red and yellow lights, and sharp bows colored gray and red. Red exhaust fumes pour from their sharp engines and their red shields flicker as Federation munitions strike them.

    Beyond the Drevi phalanx of ships is a massive ship with sharp rings connecting to a diamond shaped center. The rings and connecting tubes glow red, and the bottom tip of the diamond pulses.

    The Federation ships desperately try to break through the Drevi barrier, but it is a losing battle. The Federation navy is being torn to pieces by the Drevi.

    One vessel bursts from concentrated fire with an electric storm ripping apart its interior, flinging debris in every direction. The debris bounces off floating wreckage and nearby ships, and the Callahan speeds up and lobs a barrage of missiles at a Drevi ship before releasing a swarm of strike crafts.

    The missiles strike the Drevi ship, causing red ripples to spread from the balls of fire. The shield flickers out, and the jets swarm the craft, taking pot shots at it with their smaller missiles and gatling guns.

    The Callahan moves closer, launching another salvo of missiles at the Drevi while it makes an attempt to move. The missiles puncture holes in its shell, exposing its skeleton and corridors, launching bodies and supplies into space. But before the Callahan can make another volley, another Drevi ship speeds towards it, its red engines flaring.

    The Drevi''s sharp bow tears the Callahan in half, sending the back half spinning away towards the void while the front spirals down to Al-Qamar¡¯s surface. Burst of fire erupt along its edges and the gaping hole taking up its entire back.

    The ship¡¯s hull burns orange, and pieces break off as it careens towards the planet, leaving a trail of fiery smoke. When it hits the planet, its nose crunches and larger chunks snap off with more fire bursting from its interior.

    The Callahan leaves a gash in the gray ground and tilts on its side, kicking up large clouds of dust and fire. When it comes to a stop, its exposed skeleton is glowing hot and the hull snaps with fire crackling and smoke rising.

    Inside the Callahan, the interior is dark, with only sparks, flames and failing emergency lights to give semblance of light.

    ¡°Who¡¯s not dead? Sound off!¡± barks Tobias Thornton, his figure a blob in the darkness.

    ¡°Dumbass captain almost got me killed! And now that the ship is in half, we can officially say no more mission!¡± yells Mads Rochefort, also hidden in the dark.

    ¡°We¡¯re making a new mission. Who else is alive?¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± says Cassandra Heights.

    ¡°Where?¡±

    Sparks fall, and Cassandra, a mere shadowed figure at this time, waves. ¡°Here. Where¡¯s Anne?¡±

    ¡°Behind you,¡± says Anne Backson.

    This makes Cassandra yelp and jump.

    ¡°Good. We¡¯re all here. Everyone, group up!¡± orders Tobias.

    The shadowed blobs move closer, and Tobias shakes his flashlight, illuminating the group. All of them are wearing armored vests with a musket and sword crossing over a shield as their sigil, helmets, shin guards, gauntlets, and thick gray, reinforced fabric underneath. They are also bloodied and bruised from the crash, and each have a custom weapon.

    Tobias has fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, and his weapon is a rifle with a large sword on its underside and a thin blade above the barrel.

    Mads, the largest and most muscular of the group, has brown hair and eyes, tan skin, and mechanized clobbering devices over his hands attached to batteries on his back; and his spine and limbs are supported by an exoskeleton. He is equipped with a large rifle attached to one of his devices. which looks comical in comparison to his bulky possession.

    Anne has light brown skin, dark hair and light brown eyes, and her weapon is a slender rifle with three barrels and three magazine wells.

    Last is Cassandra, who has curly brown hair, brown eyes, and light tan skin. Her weapon is a rifle with two small chainsaws underneath, and a large knife.

    ¡°Can everyone walk?¡± asks Tobias.

    The group affirms they can.

    ¡°How about run?¡± asks Tobias.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice but to run,¡± says Mads.

    ¡°Where did we crash, anyway?¡± asks Cassandra.

    ¡°Mads, punch a hole,¡± orders Tobias.

    Mads retracts the rifle on his wrist, stomps towards the ship¡¯s wall, and yells out profanities as he punches it until a piece of plating breaks off, flooding the smoky interior with dull light. The group crowds around the opening and sees a black mass settled distantly across the flat, gray land. The group steps aside so Anne can peer down the scope of her rifle. As she studies the mass, she adjusts her scope.

    ¡°What do you see?¡± asks Tobias.

    ¡°It¡¯s a dome town. Roughly two miles from here,¡± says Anne.

    ¡°Any sign of the enemy?¡±

    ¡°I see smoke, but the gate is guarded by a team of Expedition soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Good. Carry what you can and move fast. We''re not stopping until we reach that dome,¡± says Tobias.

    A few minutes later, Tobias''s team is sprinting across the gray landscape. Each step kicks up a faint cloud of dust. Distant thumps of explosions echo, and streaks of fire seep past the gray clouds.

    Their throats are dry, their lips are cracked, but they keep moving. Mads¡¯ exosuit hisses and whines with every stomp, and Tobias''s breathing is steady as he stays in the lead.

    The black structure of the dome gradually gets closer, but as they run, a sharply shaped aircraft speeds overhead, its engines emitting a red glow. The bottom opens up, dropping two round vehicles with sharp, circular saws protruding from stubby wings on their sides.

    The round vehicles hover a few feet off the ground and veer off in separate directions. They swerve back to Tobias''s group as the aircraft flies off. The saws whir to life, and the crafts speed up.

    ¡°Scatter!¡± barks Tobias.

    They group splits, and Tobias rolls to the side, the gritty soil of Al-Qamar filling his mouth. The saw slices the air above him, and as quickly as it passes over, he rolls to the kneeling position and shoots at its backside. Sparks fly from the bullet hitting its shell, but it does nothing.

    Then there is Mads. The pistons and gears of his exoskeleton pump and grind, and he leaps and lands on the second craft. His fingers dig into the hovercraft¡¯s hull, and he punches the cockpit¡¯s window. The ship veers side to side, trying to shake him off, but to no avail. A few more punches and the glass shatters. Then Mads shoots inside the ship with his attachment, shredding the pilot''s chest and head in gunfire.

    The hovercraft sways and dips, and Mads jumps off, tucking and rolling upon impact. The hovercraft clips the ground, bounces, rolls and skids across the ground, flinging broken ground and broken metal. It stops upside down, smoking and crackling.

    The second hovercraft moves in for a kill, and Tobias shoots one of the connectors on its wing. The connector snaps, the wing drops and anchors into the ground, snapping the craft into the air. A gash is ripped into the hovercraft''s side, and it slams into the ground with a loud bang. It bounces across the barren landscape and comes to an abrupt stop when it hits a rock.

    Tobias stares at the wreckage, panting heavily. The smoke glows red from the fire, and he swallows and looks at his team as the vehicle burns from the inside out.

    ¡°Keep moving,¡± orders Tobias.

    ***

    A while later, they reach the gate of the domed settlement. The six Expedition soldiers guarding the post stand behind a barrier of sandbags, concrete, and razor wire. One is manning a large machine gun turret, and the other has a rocket launcher, and both of them have a stash of ammunition. They are dirty, exhausted, and their armor is battered, but their smiles are bright when they see Tobias''s group running towards them.

    ¡°Looks like Christmas came early!¡± says the soldier operating the turret.

    Tobias''s group slows to a stop in front of the group, panting heavily. Mads in particular leans against the dome settlement''s wall. The soldiers offer Tobias¡¯s group water, which they graciously take.

    ¡°We need to get inside and speak with your commanding officer. Our ship was shot down,¡± says Tobias as he returns the canteen.

    ¡°We saw the crash,¡± says the turret operator. ¡°And Command Sergeant Major Sebastian Sire is in the precinct.¡±

    ¡°Can he get us to your CO?¡±

    ¡°Not unless he knows how to talk to the dead.¡±

    Tobias¡¯s group is silent, and the gunner turns to one of his squad mates.

    ¡°Radio the precinct. We need an escort to take some Eqos militia to Sire.¡±

    ***

    A little while later, an escort comes for Tobias''s group. They put them in a truck, with Mads and Anne riding in the bed. As they drive through the street, Tobias looks up, noting the gaping holes in the dome. They pass crumbled buildings, burnt out vehicles belonging to humans and Drevi, and dead aliens in a pile while the humans are lined up and covered in weighed tarp.

    When they pulled up to the precinct building, the soldiers led Tobias and his team up the stairs leading to the large structure pocketed with battle scars. Some areas have been fortified with sandbags, razor wire, and rubble fitted to make walls.

    Federation soldiers are guiding worn-faced civilians through the barricade, and inside a razor-wired wall is a line of transportation crafts being loaded up with civilians.

    Tobias chooses to quietly follow his escort inside the building rather than inquire about the obvious. They go through the broken doorway, passing fire damaged tile and walls dotted with bullet holes and shrapnel damage, as well as more Federation soldiers herding worn-faced civilians through the dimly lit corridors that echo with the stern voice of an evacuation order.

    The escort takes Tobias¡¯s group to the top floor and leads them to an office barricaded with sandbags. He knocks on the door and presses his ear against it.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± says a muffled voice from the other side.

    ¡°Sergeant Al-Barachir. I have the Eqos militiamen with me, sir,¡± says the escort.

    The door clicks. ¡°Bring them in.¡±

    The escort opens the door and waves the group forward. ¡°Sire will see you now.¡±

    Tobias enters the office, followed by Cassandra, and then Anne. Unfortunately for Mads, his exosuit is stopped by the doorframe.

    ¡°Freaking kidding me,¡± grunts Mads.

    He steps back and takes a quick, heavy step forward, breaking the doorframe, but not enough to let him through.

    ¡°Rochefort, stop!¡± orders Tobias.

    Mads stops and glowers at him, and Tobias points past his suit¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Stand guard out there. You can¡¯t fit in here, and I don¡¯t want you damaging property unnecessarily,¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°Oh, yeah, we can¡¯t have that,¡± grumbles Mads as he steps away from the doorframe.

    Tobias shakes his head and turns to Command Sergeant Major Sebastian Sire. He is a well-built man with tan skin, dark hair, and thin glasses. But his glasses are cracked, his face is bruised, and his Federation officer¡¯s uniform is stained with grime and blood, has its fair share of tears, and is covered by a vest that has been shot a few times. He is hunched over a makeshift desk littered with trash, and a touchscreen is propped up in the desk¡¯s corner.

    Sire looks up from the touchscreen and offers a weak smile. ¡°Hello there. I heard you had a nasty fall not too long ago.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement. Team Lead Tobias Thornton of the Eqos Irregular Defense Force,¡± says Tobias, saluting.

    Sire returns the salute. ¡°Command Sergeant Major Sebastian Sire. The person who was in charge took a spiker to his torso. He¡¯s dead, and I am now the highest-ranking person here, so if you have any problems, speak now or forever hold your peace.¡±

    Cassandra and Anne glance at each other, and Tobias clears his throat.

    ¡°I find it hard to believe that there isn¡¯t someone higher than you. No offense intended,¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t believe it either, but the Drevi destroyed our command structure,¡± says Sire. He turns the touchscreen to the group, revealing a chart of pictures with names, ranks, and locations. ¡°They launched synchronized attacks specifically to kill ranking officers all over this entire region. Ninety-three percent of the senior officers were killed within three hours. All that¡¯s left for any sort of the senior officer command structure is out there at Fort Alsiyadiu.¡±

    Sire points out the window, to a large mountain in the distance, nestled in a chain stretching east to west as far as the eye can see.

    ¡°And Fort Alsiyadiu has given us the order to evacuate Al-Qamar,¡± continues Sire.

    Tobias¡¯s jaw tightens, and Anne narrows her eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯re retreating again?¡± says Anne harshly.

    ¡°We have no choice. The Callahan was supposed to get EIDF soldiers close enough to infiltrate and destroy that weapon up there. But that didn¡¯t happen. You failed. Just like we failed this planet and the ones before it,¡± says Sire.

    Tobias remains quiet, and Sire looks down, sighing heavily and presses his palms heavily into the desk.

    ¡°We can¡¯t stop the Drevi war machine. We have no choice but to retreat or more of us will die,¡± says Sire.

    ¡°Understood,¡± says Tobias. ¡°Our mission may have failed, but we¡¯re here now. We will help you evacuate. Just tell us what you need us to do.¡±

    Sire looks up. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re inclined to help-¡±

    Sire is cut off from a rapid thread of thunderous explosions that rattle the station¡¯s foundation. Steel groans and snaps, and loud thuds reverberate through the dome.

    Tobias shoves Sire to the floor, and he, Anne and Cassandra move towards the windows, peeking outside. The remnants of the dome have been destroyed, and smoke lingers in the air. Bits of the dome snap and crash below, breaking more roofs of the buildings below.

    Soon, sharply shaped Drevi ships descend through the smoke, blowing their war horns and spreading out.

    ¡°Shit,¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°Talk to me, boss! What''s going on out there?¡± says Mads from the hallway.

    ¡°The dome is completely destroyed and now the Drevi ships are coming in.¡±

    ¡°We can take them.¡±

    A Drevi airship hovers near the station. Its bottom opens up, dropping pair of bulky, bipedal mechs, kicking up dirt and cracking the ground. Their gears and pistons hiss, white, and click as they rise from the crouching position. Gatling guns on their large arms spin, and rockets slide into launchers on their other arms. Large horns roll out of their backs, and black smoke puffs from the exhaust pipes on their backs. Their rectangular cockpit is lined with red lights, and the tinted glass is protected by the caged bars. The red lights intensify, and their horns blow, signaling other horns to bellow further inside the dome.

    ¡°They sent mechs,¡± says Tobias.

    Mads hesitates. ¡°We can take them.¡±

    Another Drevi airship zooms overhead, and Tobias hears its loud whining engines hovering over the roof of the station.

    ¡°They¡¯re on the roof! Mads, hold the line!¡± orders Tobias.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± says Mads.

    Tobias hauls Sire to his feet and presses his pistol against the officer¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Stay behind me. We¡¯ll get everyone out of here,¡± says Tobias.

    Sire nods, and Mads¡¯ shouts profanities and taunts as his weapons scream. Bullet casings clatter to the floor, and bits of brick and plaster rain down from the broken walls, bouncing down the stairs. Behind him is Sergeant Al-Barachir, he is aiming his rifle towards the stairs and carefully backing up.

    Another explosion rocks the building and a multitude of shrieks and bloodcurdling screams echo in the halls. Gunfire rattles in the halls, and Tobias runs to the corner and peeks out to see Federation Expedition soldiers stepping back while firing their weapons. Civilians are fleeing down the main hallway, and advancing on the soldiers is a phalanx of metal shields with eye slots and crescent shaped cuts on the side to allow their barrels to poke through.

    The stocky beasts behind the shield wall open fire, piercing the Expedition soldiers with sharp bolts. Mads and Al-Barachir shoot down the hallway again, and Tobias chucks a grenade behind the phalanx in the lobby.

    Their explosion breaks their formation, revealing the Drevi soldiers. Stocky creatures in bulky blue and gray suits with dark quills peeking out from under their helmets. Their faces are covered by red goggles and breathing apparatuses connected to cold blue packs on their backs, all connected by small tubes to their armor.

    ¡°Let them have it!¡± shouts Tobias.

    Tobias, Cassandra, and Anne shoot down on the Drevi. The bullets ping off the Drevi armor and some regain their holding on their shields while others drop from the rounds penetrating weak spots.

    The capable Drevi soldiers shoot back, forcing the three into cover, and the building shakes from another explosion. The sharp rounds from the Drevi weapons snap apart the railing and break bits of brick off the wall, flinging sharp shrapnel.

    ¡°We need another way out!¡± shouts Cassandra.

    ¡°The fire escape down the hall to the left. There''s emergency exit that leads to emergency stairs,¡± says Sire.

    Tobias nods and waves his team forward. "You heard the man. Move!"

    They sprint down the hallway, their boots pounding against the cracked tiles. The building shudders again as another explosion rocks its foundation. Plaster rains down from the ceiling and the lights flicker sporadically.

    As they round the corner, a group of Drevi soldiers bursts through a doorway.

    One accidentally rams Cassandra to the wall, and Anne pivots, narrowly avoiding another Drevi soldier.

    The wall explodes next to Tobias, flinging him and Sire to the floor. They both cough, their ears ring, and Drevi soldiers swings in on cables, wielding stubby shotguns.

    Tobias scrambles to his feet and rushes to push up the weapon as the Drevi fires, blowing a hole in the wall just above Sire¡¯s head. Tobias plunges his knife in the Drevi''s neck while drawing his pistol and putting a bullet through the eye of the next one. Both soldiers drop, and Al-Barachir helps Sire up while Mads gets between them and the Drevi going up the stairs.

    ¡°Get to the evac site!¡± barks Mads.

    Sire and Al-Barachir run down the hallway, and Mads charges forward and punches a Drevi into the wall, leaving it stuck in there with its chest caved in and blood pouring past its breathing apparatus. His mechanized fists ruthlessly pummel the other Drevi soldiers, and the chainsaws on Cassandra''s rifle rev.

    Cassandra angles her weapon against the Drevi''s shoulder. Its agonizing howl clashes with the ripping of metal, fabric, flesh, and bone. Blood sprays out, coating her face and body. As this happens, Anne kills two more Drevi with well placed shots, and Tobias joins Mads and fires short, controlled bursts from his rifle, dropping any Drevi still standing.

    By the time they are done, the air is thick with the acrid stench of gunpowder and blood.

    Tobias helps Cassandra up, and the group rushes to the emergency exit, where Sire and Al-Barachir are waiting. The door is opened, and Al-Barachir is peeking down with his rifle at the ready while Sire remains in cover.

    ¡°How is it?¡± asks Tobias.

    ¡°Clear for now,¡± says Al-Barachir.

    ¡°Alright, get moving.¡±

    The group makes their way down the narrow concrete stairwell, their boots echoing in the confined space. The building groans and shifts around them, chunks of concrete cracking off the walls from the vibrations of explosives striking the building.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Suddenly, a large blast demolishes a chunk of the wall, leading to a section of the stairs to crumble away, creating a gaping chasm. The metal stairs tumble down, crashing to the floor below, and hot air rolls in while the chaos of gunfire, explosions and shouts flood into the stairwell.

    Cassandra leaps forward without hesitation, gracefully landing on the other side.

    "Show off," Anne mutters as she eyes the gap warily.

    ¡°Need help?¡± asks Tobias.

    ¡°No sir.¡±

    Anne takes a few places back, hesitates, and then runs and leaps across. Her feet barely make the ledge and Cassandra grabs Anne''s arm, tugs her forward and smiles wearily at her before looking at the men.

    ¡°Next!¡± says Cassandra.

    ¡°Sire,¡± says Tobias, nodding to the officer.

    ¡°Can he even make it?¡± asks Mads.

    Sire scoffs, discards his hat and makes a large, running leap that safely lands him in the other side. Al-Barachir follows soon after, and both females nod approvingly.

    ¡°We were on the same track team in school,¡± says Sire proudly.

    Cassandra nods again and looks at Tobias. ¡°Can you make it, sir?¡±

    Tobias looks at Mads. ¡°Want to jump together?¡±

    ¡°This could end badly for us,¡± says Mads.

    The building shakes again, and pieces of the ceiling collapse, narrowly missing the two. With dust and pebbles raining down on them, Mads takes a couple of steps back.

    ¡°One second thought, hop on and hold on tight,¡± says Mads.

    Tobias climbs on the back of Mads¡¯ exosuit and holds on to the back rack tightly. Mads backs up a few more steps, the concrete snapping and popping beneath his steps.

    Mads takes a deep breath and then runs. Each lumbering step shakes and cracks the floor, and when he leaps over the chasm, the group on the other side steps back.

    As his foot hits the edge, the concrete crumbles away, but his momentum carries him on. For a breathless instant he seems to hang suspended, then he crashes down on the other side heavily, the exosuit hydraulics whining and the concrete shattering.

    Tobias tightened his grip on the exosuit and Mads stumbles forward, having to brace himself against the wall with one large, mechanized hand. The rest of the group retreated a few steps as this happened, and after Mads stopped, Tobias slid off and aimed his rifle at the stair well entrance as he backed up. Meanwhile, Sire and Al-Barachir headed down the stairs.

    ¡°We need to hurry. Those crafts are filling up fast and the Drevi are swarming in,¡± says Sire.

    Sire and Al-Barachir hurry down the remaining stairs, their boots clanging loudly on the metal steps. Tobias, Mads, Anne and Cassandra follow close behind, constantly glancing over their shoulders for any sign of pursuing Drevi forces. The stairwell shakes again from another nearby explosion, raining dust and bits of concrete down on them.

    They burst out of the emergency exit door into a scene of barely controlled chaos. The precinct courtyard has been converted into a makeshift evacuation center, with clusters of frightened civilians huddled near idling transport crafts. Federation soldiers try to maintain order, herding people into lines to board the vessels in an orderly fashion while the civilians are being ordered to drop everything but their IDs and the clothes on their backs. But panic simmers in the air, threatening to boil over at any moment.

    Squads of Expedition soldiers fire back with rockets and heavy guns mounted on barricades, trying to keep the enemy mechs at bay while others used small arms to keep the Drevi pinned indoors at the conquered station.

    Tobias scans the frantic scene, looking for the best path to the evacuation ships. Throngs of people clog the courtyard, some crying, some shouting, some just wearing shell-shocked expressions. A group of children huddled next to an overturned bench, tear streaks cutting through the gray dust caking their faces.

    Tobias''s heart clenches at the sight, but his attention is wrenched away as a thunderous explosion rocks the courtyard. One of the large civilian transport crafts, laden with refugees, has just lifted off and is banking to escape the chaos below. But a crackling missile streaks out from one of the Drevi mechs, slamming directly into one of the transport''s engines with devastating force.

    The craft seems to hang suspended for a moment, wreathed in a blossoming fireball, before it breaks apart and plummets into a building. Flaming wreckage bursts from the building, leading to the structure to collapse soon after in a burning cloud of rolling dust and rubble, crushing and burning the survivors alive.

    Tobias watches in horror, the world muted and the flash of the explosion searing into his vision, as the twisted metal remains of the transport craft settle into the rubble, small fires still flickering within. Dark smoke pours out, and the mech lumbers forward, briefly being stalled and forced to back up as Federation rockets strike it. But even with all the carnage around him, Tobias cannot take his eyes off the wreckage engulfed in flames, and his ears cannot hear anything besides his heavy breaths and heart.

    A sudden hand on his shoulder snaps Tobias out of it, slamming his ears with screams, rattling gunfire, and distant thud of explosions. Her turns to see Cassandra, her face set in a grim mask, eyes glittering with unshed tears.

    "Tobias, we need to go. Sire found a transport for us," says Cassandra.

    Tobias looks at Sire, who is pointing towards a cluster of boxy crafts with stubby wings at the far side of the courtyard.

    "There! Those transports are our ticket out of here. But we''ll have to move fast. It looks like they''re almost loaded up," says Sire.

    Mads flexed his mechanical hands, servos whirring. "Then let''s not waste any more time. I''ll clear a path."

    Tobias furrows his brow, his lips tight and fists clenched. Cassandra steps away from him, her wet eyes worried, but Tobias is focused on Mads. Disgust bubbles inside him like a boiling sludge as the big man lumbered forward, using his armored exosuit like a battering ram to force a way through the press of bodies. People stumbled back, equal parts awed and frightened by his hulking mechanized form. Tobias shrugs Cassandra off him and stomps forward, a rocket from a Drevi mech destroying another airborne transportation craft attempting to escaping.

    ¡°ROCHEFORT! STOP!¡± bellows Tobias.

    Mads stops, and the shot transport careens out of sight, its crash creating a rolling explosion over the roofline. The shooting continues, and Anne, Cassandra, Sire and Al-Barachir looked at Tobias as he glares at the large man. Mads took a moment, but when he turned around, he met Tobias¡¯s glare.

    ¡°Something wrong, Thornton?¡± says Mads.

    ¡°Drevi mechs is what¡¯s wrong. Leaving while civilians are still in danger is what¡¯s wrong. Leaving without securing the evacuation site is what¡¯s wrong,¡± says Tobias, each word few words met with steps. He stops in front of Mads and holds his glare, tilting his head up so they are looking into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving until these problems are rectified. Is that clear?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a rock trying to stop the sea, Thornton,¡± growls Mads.

    ¡°Then so be it.¡± Tobias looks at Anne. ¡°Backson, you and Rochefort flank the mechs from the left.¡± He points at Cassandra. ¡°Heights, you¡¯re with me. We¡¯ll take them from the right.¡± He looks at Sire and Al-Barachir. ¡°You two stay put and keep the civilians protected. No one leaves until we destroy those mechs!¡±

    Sire and Al-Barachir nod, and Tobias marches away with Cassandra in tow while Anne and Mads remain in place for a few seconds. After shaking his head, Mads runs off in the direction Tobias directed him to, and Anne follows him.

    Tobias and Cassandra dash through the rubble-strewn streets, weaving through chunks of smoldering wreckage and piles of rubble from collapsed buildings.

    The air is thick with smoke, dust and the acrid stench of burning metal and flesh. Distant screams and the unsteady rattling pops of gunfire echo through the devastated settlement.

    As they round a corner, they come across one of the large war machines. Up close, the mech is even more intimidating - a hulking mass of sharp metal edges, whirring gears, and bristling weaponry. Its rectangular cockpit glows an ominous red, the Drevi pilot inside barely visible behind the caged bars and tinted glass.

    The mech is currently laying waste to a makeshift barricade manned by a squad of battered Expedition soldiers. The mech''s arm-mounted Gatling gun spins up with a shrill whine, spitting out a hail of razor-sharp munitions that chew through concrete, metal and flesh with equal ease, leaving the broken concrete drenched in blood and shredded bodies.

    The mech launches a missile at the structure the soldiers were in, and Tobias signals Cassandra with a curt hand gesture. She nods, peeling off to the right as Tobias veers left.

    Tobias ducks into the shadow of a half-collapsed wall of a gutted Unity church, his heart hammering against his ribs. He risks a quick glance around the crumbling masonry, trying to spot Cassandra''s position.

    A few seconds of scanning, and he sees a flash of movement by an overturned vehicle near the mech. The mech paces in a circle, and Cassandra ducks out of sight before it can see her. Each step creates a loud thuds and leaves cracks in the pavement, its gears and pistons whirring and hissing.

    Its horn bellows, and the other mech returns the signal.

    Tobias keys his comm."I''ll draw its fire. You flank it, find a weak spot, and disable its weapons.¡±

    "Roger that. Be careful, Tobias," says Cassandra.

    ¡°No promises.¡±

    ¡°We''re in position,¡± says Mads over the radio.

    ¡°So am I. Engage when ready,¡± says Tobias.

    Tobias takes a deep breath, tasting the blood and burnt metal lingering in the air. Then he darts out from behind the wall, his boots pounding on the rubble-strewn ground. He raises his rifle and opens fire, the bullets sparking off the mech''s thick armor plating. The mech swivels ponderously to face him, its glowing red pilot window facing hom directly. It raises its Gatling gun, the barrels already spinning up to speed with a ear splitting wail.

    Tobias throws himself to the side just as a storm of sharp munitions rip through the air where he''d been a heartbeat before. He rolls behind the dubious cover of a shattered fountain, bits of broken stone and concrete popping off around him like a hellish hailstorm. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Cassandra making her move, darting from cover to cover as she circles around behind the mech.

    Nearby gunshots rattle, and the other mech releases a loud, drawn out horn while returning fire. The mech in Tobias sight turns to the noise and starts running, but Cassandra''s shots penetrate tubes and pistons on its back, causing its Gatling gun arm to drop.

    It lumbers around and launches a rocket towards Cassandra as she darts to a new location. The resulting explosion kicks up a dark cloud of debris.

    Seizing the opportunity, Tobias sprints from cover, his eyes rapidly scanning the machine''s hulking frame, searching for any vulnerability. There - a tangle of hoses and wires at the base of the mech''s "spine", partially shielded by an armored plate.

    Tobias slides to cover behind a burnt out vehicle and carefully aims his rifle. The sword bayonet glints beneath the barrel as he lines up the shot.

    He exhales slowly, then squeezes the trigger. The rifle bucks against his shoulder as the armor-piercing round leaps from the muzzle with a crack.

    The bullet punches through the armored plate and buries itself deep in the mech''s internal workings. Sparks erupt from the wound, and viscous fluid sprays out, hissing and steaming as it hits the ground. The mech stumbles, its movements turning jerky and uncoordinated as its horn sputters and drones to silence.

    Seeing her chance, Cassandra revs her chainsaw bayonet and charges at the crippled mech, her attachment making a loud, gutteral roar.

    The mech whines and its internal workings grind together as it whirls around, its glowing red cockpit light fixating on Cassandra as she charges. It raises its remaining arm, and large blade flips out from its forearm with a loud, metallic snap. It swings, and Cassandra ducks and rolls, barely avoiding the scything blow that cleaves through the air.

    Cassandra rolls into a crouching position, chainsaw bayonet roaring, and lunges for the mech''s leg joint. Sparks explode as the whirling teeth bite into metal, shredding through layers of armor plating and into the inner mechanisms. The mech staggers, its damaged leg unable to bear its immense weight.

    With a guttural mechanical and grinding gears, it backhands Cassandra with its bladed arm, sending her flying. She crashes into a pile of rubble with a cry of pain and a large cut going down her face and armored vest, her rifle clattering away.

    "Cassandra!" yells Tobias, his heart clenching in his chest. He leaps from cover, firing as he runs, his shots pinging off the mech''s battered frame.

    The machine stumbles towards Cassandra as she staggers up, face dripping thick glops blood and her armor hanging in pieces. The mech raises its blade for a killing blow. Tobias put on a desperate burst of speed, his lungs burning and muscles screaming.

    At the last possible second, he throws himself against Cassandra, knocking her away from the descending blade. The razor-sharp edge slammed into his left thigh with the sickening crunch of shattering bone and tearing flesh.

    Blinding agony explodes through Tobias''s body and he screams, the sound raw and primal. His vision flashes white, then red, then tunnels into bleeding darkness. Hot blood pours from the gaping wound as the blade is yanked out, soaking his fatigues and pooling beneath him.

    Cassandra screams his name and shoots at the mech with her pistol, her voice and gunshots muted.

    Through the haze of pain, Tobias watches the mech loom over him, sparking and leaking hydraulic fluid from the damage Cassandra had inflicted. With a trembling hand, Tobias jams his rifle¡¯s barrel into the gash Cassandra''s bayonet had torn, right into the mech''s core.

    He squeezes the trigger and holds it down until the loud bangs turn to quiet clicks, each shot thumping his shoulder and accompanied by a bright flash and the screech of breaking metal. The mech convulses, electricity snaking in and out, all over its frame as its internal systems overload and burst into flames.

    With a final shudder, it collapses, crashing to the ground in a tangled heap of wreckage burning from the inside out, the agonizing screams and desperate banging of its pilot muffled through its shell and fire.

    Tobias collapses back, his rifle slipping from his weak fingers. The pain in his leg clawing and burning.

    Cassandra rushes to his side, her lips moving, but Tobias can''t hear any words past his heavy breathing and heartbeats.

    Cassandra quickly takes out her medkit and attached a tourniquet to Tobias¡¯ leg. Then she sprays medical foam along his wound and injects him with adrenaline.

    Tobias'' eyes snap wide and he releases a long exhale. His number leg throbs, and the foam hardens into a pink shell.

    A nearby explosion rolls around the corner, a chunk of a Drevi mech sailing through the air and crashing into the pavement. A moment later, Mads and Anne round the corner. They see Cassandra and Tobias, and immediately run to them.

    ¡°What happened?¡± says Mads.

    ¡°That mech nearly cut his leg off!¡± says Cassandra.

    ¡°I''m fine,¡± winces Tobias.

    ¡°No you''re not,¡± snaps Cassandra. She turns to Mads and Anne. ¡°We need to get him evacuated.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± says Tobias. He grabs Cassandra''s hand and struggles to stand up, even with her helping him. ¡°Civilians first.¡±

    Tobias adjusts his communicator while Cassandra rummages through the rubble to find something she can use as a splint.

    ¡°Sire to Thornton, the mechs are destroyed. What is your status? Over,¡± says Tobias heavily.

    ¡°The Drevi are still taking potshots at us from the station. But the civilians are being loaded up. Over,¡± says Sire.

    ¡°Get every last one of them out, and then evacuate your soldiers,¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°You''ve got to be kidding me,¡± growls Mads.

    ¡°What about you and your team?¡± asks Sire.

    ¡°We can wait. The civilians are the priority.¡±

    A pocket of concrete suddenly pops near Cassandra''s head as she scrounge the rubble. She shrieks and falls back, and more shots ring out, forcing the rest of the team into cover, with Mads dragging Tobias by his vest and Anne returning fire.

    Cassandra scrambles to cover inside the building as more pieces of its concrete wall pop off. Mads drags Tobias around the corner and tosses him down before taking pot shots with his suit¡¯s large weapon. The rapid blasts of gunfire is deafening, and the muzzle flashes splash his shadow on the wall.

    ¡°You must have a death wish, Thornton,¡± says Mads.

    Tobias winces and checks his rifle. ¡°Our duty is clear, Rochefort.¡±

    Tobias leans out and sees Drevi soldiers scurrying through the streets. He aims, fires, and drops two of them with headshots.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, duty shmooty,¡± says Mads. He shoots another volley down the street. ¡°If we get out of here alive I am going to kick your ass and get this shit upgraded!¡±

    Tobias shoots down the street, too. ¡°You wouldn''t hit a cripple, would you?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Tobias scoffs. ¡°Of course you would. We need to get out of here. Find a better spot to hold up.¡±

    ¡°There''s a Klumsy K''s nearby. I saw it when we were being escorted.¡±

    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Tobias turns on his communicator. ¡°Cassandra, Anne, on me! We''re following Rochefort!¡±

    Cassandra and Anne run up to them, zigzagging to avoid the barrage of gunfire. When they reach them, Cassandra slinks Tobias'' arm around her shoulder and helps him walk.

    The group speeds down the alley, keeping close to Mads, each of his steps making a loud this. Overhead, transport crafts fly out from the gaping hole in the dome.

    The sound of Drevi war horns reverberate through the air, and Mads stops by a corner, peeking out as he holds up his large robotic hand, bringing the group to stop next to him.

    ¡°I see the diner. Just around the corner,¡± says Mads.

    ¡°Is it clear?¡± asks Tobias.

    ¡°For now.¡±

    ¡°Then get moving.¡±

    Mads nods and rounds the corner, his heavy footfalls echoing off the cracked pavement. Tobias leans heavily on Cassandra as they follow, gritting his teeth against the searing pain in his mangled leg with each lurching step as halfway drags him. Anne brings up the rear, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings, rifle at the ready.

    They travel down the debris-strewn street, lined with the burnt-out husks of vehicles and the shattered remains of storefronts, but up ahead, in their sights, is the weak neon sign of Klumsy K''s, flickering erratically. The diner''s windows are shattered, jagged shards of glass glinting in the weak light, and the front entrance door hangs crookedly on its hinges. But the structure itself appears mostly intact.

    As they approach, Tobias catches a glimpse of the interior through the broken windows. Overturned tables, shattered plates, spilled condiments and tipped over chairs litter the checkered floor, and the counter is pockmarked with bullet holes.

    Mads reaches the diner first, his hulking frame breaking through the front door. He sweeps his large rifle in a wide arc as he scans for threats and searches the interior with Anne.

    "Clear!¡± says Mads a moment later.

    Cassandra drags Tobias inside, carefully navigating the debris. She eases him into a booth, its cracked vinyl seat letting out a tired wheeze under his weight. Tobias leans his head back against the wall, his face pale and slick with sweat. Cassandra removes her broken vest and immediately sets to work on Tobias, rummaging through her medkit for supplies to properly tend to his wound. She has yet to treat the cut on her face, leaving her pale skin painted in red with a dark red gash from her forehead down to her nose and her cheek.

    ¡°Anne, get on the roof,¡± says Tobias.

    Anne hurries off, taking a flight of stairs near the back.

    The distant sounds of battle still echo through the abandoned settlement - the rattle of gunfire, the bone-shaking thud of explosions, the mechanical war cries of the Drevi machines. But for the moment, their immediate surroundings are still.

    Tobias grits his teeth as Cassandra carefully makes an impromptu splint using a small metal pole and some fabric, her brow furrowed in concentration.

    "You got lucky, you know that?" says Cassandra as she works. "A few inches over and you would''ve bled out before we got here."

    Tobias lets out a strained chuckle. "Guess I should ask you out after this then, since my luck is so good."

    Cassandra looks at him with a quirked brow, but before she can say anything, Anne''s urgent voice blurts through the communicator.

    "We''ve got company!" saya Anne. ¡°Lots of Drevi movement heading out way!¡±

    Tobias''s blood runs cold at Anne''s warning. He pushes himself upright, ignoring Cassandra''s protests and the searing pain tearing through his mangled leg.

    "Defensive positions, now!" barks Tobias.

    Mads lumbers towards the front of the diner, his heavy steps cracking the checkered tile floor. He takes up position near one of the shattered windows, the jagged glass shards framing his hulking silhouette. The gears and hydraulics of his exosuit whir as he raises his massive rifle.

    Cassandra shoves Tobias back into the booth and finishes tying off his splint with a grunt. Then she snatches her rifle and crouches behind an overturned table near the front door.

    Tobias drags himself to the end of the booth, propping his rifle on the table''s edge and peering through the broken window. Each movement sends fresh agony ripping through his leg, but he grits his teeth and pushes through.

    A tense silence settles over the diner, broken only by the distant sounds of battle and their own ragged breathing. Tobias''s heart pounds against his ribs as he stares out through the window, his finger resting on the trigger guard.

    Then he sees the Drevi soldiers marching towards their position, their stocky frames encased in bulky blue and gray armor, cold packs on their backs connected to their breathing apparatuses by snaking tubes. They move in a tight formation, their heavy boots crunching over the rubble-strewn street, quills peeking out from under their helmets.

    "Steady," says Tobias firmly. "Let them get closer."

    The Drevi continue their approach, their goggled eyes fixed on the battered diner. Tobias'' mouth is dry as dust, his palms slick on the grip of his rifle.

    The Drevi aim their weapons, and Tobias shouts, ¡°NOW!¡±

    Mads opens up with a deafening roar, his massive rifle spitting out a storm of razor-sharp rounds. The front rank of Drevi soldiers jerk and spasm as the hail of bullets chew through their armor, spraying viscous blood across the cracked pavement.

    Cassandra adds her fire to the onslaught, her rifle bucking against her shoulder.

    The Drevi continue forward, returning fire with a vengeance. Razor-sharp spikes and pulsing energy bolts rip through the diner''s interior, shattering what''s left of the windows, puncturing walls, and shredding furniture in explosions of stuffing and splinters.

    Tobias rolls off the booth as a hail of spikes tear through his location. He pops back up with a pained grunt and continues firing, dropping Drevi left and right with well-placed shots, the air thick with gunpowder and dust.

    Beside him, Cassandra lays down a withering stream of suppressive fire, her face a mask of grim determination beneath her sticky blood. Spent shell casings clatter around her boots as she methodically picks off targets, the malicious roar of her rifle never wavering.

    At the front of the diner, Mads unloads on the advancing Drevi with a storm of high-caliber rounds.

    "Thornton, you owe me a drink if we get out of this mess!¡± yells Mads over the thunder of suppressive fire.

    "You said you were going to try to kick my ass!" says Tobias, his voice tinged with pain and his vision tunneling as he fought off the resurging darkness.

    "I want both!¡±

    As they shoot at the Drevi soldiers, their cover it withered away by the aliens¡¯ sharp munitions, flinging shrapnel of broken brick and mortar all around. Still, they fight on. Their ears ring, their visions are hazed with sweat, and adrenaline keeps their hearts pumping and lungs breathing.

    Tobias quickly hobbles to a new area in the cafe and shoots out the window, dropping a Drevi with a head shot.

    The Drevi''s sharp ballistics tear through the wall, shattering glass and wood in retaliation, and Tobias slides to another spot. His leg, slick with fresh leaking blood, leaves trails of red, and he waves at Cassandra, his vision darkening and hearing failing.

    ¡°Cassandra, give me an injection!¡± says Tobias.

    Cassandra runs low, narrowly avoiding the sharp munitions ripping into the building. She pops the cap off a small red tube, and Tobias props his weapon on a table to steady his aim. He fires off controlled bursts, dropping a Drevi soldier, who is quickly dragged to cover.

    Cassandra injects Tobias in the neck, and the darkness is ripped away as his senses snap back to normal. Which, unfortunately, leads to his ears ringing from all the gunshots and explosions tearing everything apart around them.

    ¡°Please stop moving so much! You¡¯re loosening the tourniquet,¡± says Cassandra.

    ¡°Sounds like your tourniquet skills suck!¡± says Mads, still shooting outside.

    ¡°Shut it!¡± snaps Cassandra.

    ¡°We need to move to a new location! We¡¯re about to be overrun!¡± says Anne over the radio.

    ¡°Numbers?¡± asks Tobias.

    ¡°Dozens spotted so far. That¡¯s just infantry. I saw a Drevi ship drop off two more mechs.¡±

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re fucked,¡± says Mads.

    ¡°Sire to Thornton, do you read?¡± says Sire over the radio.

    His sudden voice perks up Tobias and his team. Anne¡¯s rifle shots still echo from the rooftop.

    ¡°I hear you, Sire,¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°The evacuation is complete. What is your location?¡± says Sire.

    ¡°Klumsy K¡¯s. I can¡¯t read the street signs but there¡¯s a lot of Drevi converging on us. Dozens of infantry units and two mechs inbound.¡±

    ¡°I know where Klumsy K''s is. I¡¯m on my way right now. Get to the roof and hang tight. Over and out.¡±

    Tobias waves off Cassandra and Mads. ¡°You heard him! Get to the roof! I¡¯ll meet you up there!¡±

    Mads immediately runs to the stairs. The steps groan and creak under his exosuits weight, and Tobias pulls out his grenades, places them by the door and swiftly runs wire through them. He does the same for the staircase, being sure both sets are concealed. All while the Drevi continue to shoot inside the diner.

    After setting the second trap, he sees Cassandra waiting for him halfway up. She grabs his hand and helps him up the rest of the stairs and sets another grenade trap on the roof entrance.

    On the roof, Anne is taking more potshots, and Mads is laying down heavy fire. Sharp munitions chip away at the roof¡¯s lip, and Mads curses and stumbles back as a few rounds strike his exosuit, leaving them poking out. Mads growls and shoots down again, forcing some Drevi soldiers into cover while his suit sparks.

    ¡°I¡¯m on my second to last drum, Thornton,¡± says Mads.

    ¡°Make it count. How about you, Backson?¡± asks Tobias.

    Anne fires off two more shots, ejects her magazine, and cranks her rifle to put a new barrel in position.

    ¡°I just used up my last ballistics. I¡¯m now on my last twelve explosive rounds,¡± says Anne.

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste them. Use them only on the mechs.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡°Cassandra, keep your eyes on the roof entrance.¡±

    Cassandra nods and goes behind an AC unit, aiming her weapon at the doorway. With her eyes off Tobias, he lets his leg give out, and he crawls to the roof¡¯s edge, props his rifle, and shoots down at the advancing Drevi.

    A pair of mechs lumber towards the Kulmsy K¡¯s, and Anne shoots at them, but despite the round¡¯s explosive nature, they keep approaching.

    Some Drevi enter the doorway, and flashes of flame, blood, and debris roll out with pained screams.

    Then an airship with the Sculptor sigil painted on speeds towards them from the direction of the precinct. It swoops low, a Gatling gun lowering from its underbelly. Sire''s voice came over the comms. "Hold tight, EIDF. Coming in hot!"

    And then the world erupted. Sire''s sweeping run of blazing guns is a chaotic thunderstorm of firepower. The hot stream of bullets tears apart the invaders with unrelenting fury. The two mech suits crumple or burst into flames under the rain of gunfire.

    "Move, move, move!" orders Cassandra as she helps Tobias to his feet.

    They hobble together towards the airship, and Sire''s vessel touches down as a ramp lowers, and Sergeant Al-Barachir waves them on. The gatling gun continues laying suppressing fire on the Drevi trying to reach them from the front. As this happens, Cassandra and Tobias are the first to enter, followed by Anne, and Mads walks backwards as his large guns force Drevi soldiers back down the stairs. Once all of them are onboard, Al-Barachir closes the ramp and Tobias bangs on Sire¡¯s chair.

    ¡°We¡¯re all on! Get us out of here!¡± orders Tobias.

    The ramp closes and Sire speeds through the gaping hole in the dome, the hum of ascending thrusters getting louder and the vehicle shaking as shots strike the craft.

    Al-Barachir runs back upfront to buckle in next to Sire, Mads and Anne grip what they can for stability, and Cassandra tears away the blood-soaked fabric from Tobias¡¯s leg to reapply the tourniquet. After that, she further inspects Tobias¡¯s leg, both gripping the seat when the airship shakes again. She sprays more medical foam on his wound, and Tobias¡¯s face twitches as the clear liquid bubbles and pinkens.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± asks Cassandra.

    Tobias shrugs. ¡°Today could¡¯ve been better.¡±

    ¡°The good news is that we¡¯re almost out.¡±

    ¡°Not likely,¡± says Anne. ¡°We¡¯re losing more ground to the Drevi and the fight in orbit is going horrible. We might not get off this planet for a while.¡±

    ¡°They might not leave for a while, but we¡¯re getting out of here,¡± says Mads.

    ¡°No, we¡¯re staying for as long as it takes to ensure everyone is off this forsaken planet,¡± says Tobias.

    Mads turns to Tobias. ¡°No offense, boss, but you¡¯re in no position to fight, and our mission is a total bust. We are not Federation Expedition soldiers. We are here by charity, not oath. And we should not die for a lost cause.¡±

    Tobias uses Cassandra¡¯s shoulder for support as he stands up, his face twitching from pain as he hobbles forward. He tilts his head up to meet Mads¡¯ gaze.

    ¡°The Eqos Irregular Defense Force is by oath sworn to assist the Federation in times of great need. This is a great need,¡± says Tobias.

    Mads steps forward, his gaze smoldering. ¡°And how many more of our militiamen and women must die for these people? We¡¯ve lost four systems, soon to be a fifth, to the Drevi. Our numbers are not limitless. This war is lost, and the sooner we accept that the sooner we can tell the Federation to pound sand, and we can go home!¡±

    ¡°You do know I¡¯m right here, right?¡± says Sire.

    Mads points at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re right there! You¡¯re Federation, I¡¯m Eqos!¡±

    ¡°And we are staying until we get everyone off this planet!¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be leaving without you.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s dereliction of duty.¡± Tobias takes a pained step forward, grabbing Cassandra¡¯s pistol when she hands it to him. ¡°And you know what that means?¡±

    Mads¡¯ jaw tightens. Cassandra moves behind Tobias. Anne steps back, her finger on her trigger guard.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me do it,¡± says Tobias, his eyes flicking to Anne when she slightly raises her rifle. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Guys, we¡¯re a team,¡± says Cassandra.

    ¡°By random selection,¡± says Mads.

    ¡°Guys, chill out!¡± says Al-Barachir.

    ¡°Shut your mouth! This is between me and Thornton!¡± says Mads.

    ¡°There is nothing to discuss. I will not tolerate dereliction of duty,¡± says Tobias.

    ¡°So, you really are going to shoot me for a lost cause?¡±

    ¡°If I have to, I will.¡±

    ¡°Nobody shoot each other on my ship!¡± orders Sire.

    Suddenly, a loud, deep war horn bellows through the air, shaking the dirt and rippling the clouds. Tobias and his team look out the cockpit window, watching with wide eyes and pale faces as a large Drevi ship travels through the clouds, like a jagged shark in the water. The horn blows again, and green lights flash along its hull in a synchronized pattern. Smaller Drevi ships fly up from various areas of the landscape, also blowing horns and flashing green lights.

    Then a distant razor-sharp red beam from space tears through Al-Qamar¡¯s clouds and strikes Fort Alsiyadiu. The mountain it resides in is obliterated in a flash.

    Dust and fire rolls in the air, followed by the sonic boom and screaming wind with a shock wave carrying tons of dirt and shattered rock. Fire rolls through the mountains and the sky is blocked by smoke and debris.

    ¡°Get this ship moving!¡± barks Tobias.

    ¡°Hold on! Barachir, helmet on! Now!¡± says Sire.

    Sire pushes the throttle all the way forward while he and Al-Barachir slip on sturdy, tinted helmets. Immediately, the transport¡¯s engines cry out and everyone is pushed into their seats as the vehicle lurches forward. The outside world becomes a blur, but the fingers of shattered rock, dust, and flame stretch across the landscape, destroying everything in its path and bringing night to the landscape.

    The transport rattles and emergency lights and alarms flash and whine. Outside, Tobias sees other transports racing against the growing desolation. Some spiral out of control and crash into the ground in a ball of flame and others manage to pull past his transport.

    ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± orders Tobias.

    ¡°I''m going as fast as I can!¡± says Sire as another transport speeds past them with engines red hot.

    ¡°Obviously not!¡±

    ¡°Sire, if we die because of you I swear to God I''m going to kick your ass!¡± yells Mads.

    The air darkens around them from the thick debris cloud, and the transport rattles with jets of flame bursting from the engines. One of the engines bursts and Cassandra grips Tobias''s hand while he takes deep breaths and wills himself to relax.

    The ship dips, the gray ground rapidly approaches, and everything goes dark.