Unknown Location
Black Wing Alliance Stronghold
General Veyr stood alone at the center of a dark, circular chamber. The walls were lined with inactive holo-panels—nine in total. Each one blank. Each one waiting.
The only sound was the low hum of power conduits threading through the reinforced floor.
He was waiting.
News had reached the Alliance. An excavation. Not just ancient ruins—any fool could chase stone and dirt. But the Council had sent three Grounx escort fleets alongside Academy cadets.
That meant something was real.
The first panel flickered to life. Then another. One by one, eight dark silhouettes appeared—leaders of the Black Wing Alliance. Their faces were obscured, voices scrambled. But they were present.
The fourth panel blinked. A voice filtered in through modulation:
> "We've confirmed an internal incident at the Academy. Grounx cadet Porl—royal bloodline—attacked a refugee girl. A day later, Chancellor Yvith expelled him."
A short silence followed. Then murmurs—fragments of concern.
Veyr didn't speak. He waited.
Panel Two lit up.
> "Yvith knew exactly what that would cause. She expelled a royal without trial. That's a crack in the Council."
Panel Seven cut in.
> "The real question is why she's protecting this girl. A refugee? That's not political. That's personal. She knew the fallout—and did it anyway."
Panel Five followed.
> "I've got a contact inside the Academy. He says Porl's strike didn't even phase the girl. She didn't flinch. Just stood there."
Another pause. No laughter. Just silence.
Then Panel One flickered—different now. Sharper.
The Organizer had come online.
All other voices stopped.
He didn't appear as a person—just a pulsing, encoded symbol. But his voice was unmistakable. Cold. Controlled.
> "We proceed. First strike preparations continue without delay."
A pause.
> "Do not ask about the weapon. Not yet."
Then, directly to Veyr:
> "General, I want eyes on the girl. Quietly. The Chancellor is guarding her for a reason. We will find out why."
Veyr nodded once.
> "Understood."
The Organizer spoke again.
> "Now we wait. Let the Council make their move at the ruins. We watch. We stay close."
His voice tightened—just slightly.
> "If they find something—anything—we'll know. And we'll be ready. If it matters to them…"
A beat.
> "Then it matters to us."
The panels dimmed. One by one, the silhouettes vanished.
The chamber returned to silence.
Veyr didn't move. He stared at the panel where the Organizer's symbol had pulsed.
Then finally, without a word, he turned and walked out—calm, deliberate steps echoing across the steel floor.
Outside, the corridor lights hummed low. Two officers stood at attention. They didn't speak.
Veyr stopped at a secure comm station. Entered an encrypted channel.
No introduction. No clearance.
This wasn't protocol.
This was personal.
> "I need someone inside the Academy. Quiet. Reliable. Someone who blends in."
He paused.
> "Doesn't matter what they are—cadet, janitor, staff, parasite. Just someone close enough to watch the girl."
Another pause.
> "The one who started all this."
He ended the transmission.
---
Excavation Site — Surface Level
The next day, cadets stood in organized rows at the edge of the landing zone. Niri's group had been assigned to a larger team—five cadet squads—under Professor Rhiv's direction.
His robes hung stiff over tense shoulders. His gray skin twitched slightly with impatience.
He addressed them quickly, pacing in front of the group.
"Group Five, your section's here," he pointed toward a fog-covered ridge. "Full scans. Coordinate with linguists. If you find something valuable—report. No delays. No interpretation."
As they moved out, Ronan groaned.
"This gravity is brutal. Belt's not helping—I feel like I'm sinking."
Qiri gritted her teeth, adjusting her balance. "It's like wading through stone. My bones hate this place."
Tall and Horn, the Grounx cadets, laughed as they passed.
"This is training," Horn said proudly. "We tuned our belts to feel more of it."
Tall grinned. "Feels like home."
Niri didn't respond.
She walked behind them—belt deactivated, posture calm. No sign of effort.
Only Qiri noticed. She kept glancing back, eyes narrowing slightly.
Niri was walking like the gravity didn't exist.
Like it was hers.
As the groups spread out to begin scans, Qiri drifted closer.
"Niri," she said quietly, "can I ask you something?"
Niri glanced over. "Sure."
Qiri hesitated. "Are you… sure you're not dangerous?"
Niri blinked, caught off guard—then let out a dry laugh. Not cruel. Just tired.
"Why?"
Qiri looked down, then back at her. "Your stance. Your eyes. Your balance. You don't move like a cadet. You move like something hunting."
Niri gave a crooked smile. "Come on, Qiri. Really?"
Qiri didn't return the smile.
Niri exhaled, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just want to survive. Have a good life. Is that too much?"
Qiri shook her head. "No. You're right. Sorry. I just…"
She trailed off. Niri's smile faded.
"Don't mention it to the others, alright?" she said. "I've got enough eyes on me. I don't want to give them a reason to look harder."
Qiri nodded slowly.
She didn't speak again for a while.
But she stayed close.
After a quiet minute, she murmured, "The offer's still open. After this—my homeworld. Me, Ronan, maybe the others. You could come."
Niri's tension broke for a moment. She smiled—soft, real.
"Thanks. I'd like that."
Then a shout cut through the comms.
"Group Five—over here! Look at this!"
Everyone turned. A cadet group had uncovered glyphs—etched along a buried wall.
Ancient. Huge. Clear.
Niri didn't need translation.
Her eyes locked on the text.
BS A7 20F–25EF
It meant something.
Something sharp and old and buried in her memory.
Her stomach turned cold.
She grabbed Qiri's arm.
"We need to leave. Now."
Qiri blinked. "What?"
"Not now. Yesterday," Niri hissed. "Tell no one. I'm going to the professors."
And she ran.
Qiri watched her go—frozen by a feeling she didn't know how to name.
---
Professor Tent
Niri didn't knock. She pushed through the flap, stepping into the center of the tent. Fourteen professors. General Drudru. Holo-tables glowing with scan projections.
Drudru turned, voice sharp.
"Cadet, you don't walk in unannounced—"
But he didn't finish.
Niri didn't even look at him. She walked straight into the circle like she belonged there.
The mood changed.
Everyone felt it.
She stopped at the center, expression unreadable.
Then, calmly:
"One warning."
They stared.
"We leave. Now. All of us. If you don't want bodies across this planet, evacuate."
Silence.
"I'll take my friends. I'll try to survive."
Then she left.
No one stopped her.
---
Outside
Professors Lu'Ka and Rhiv rushed after her.
Lu'Ka caught up first. "Niri—what happened?"
She didn't slow. But her voice was steady.
"It's not a city," she said.
Rhiv frowned. "Then what is it?"
Niri stopped walking.
She turned, face colder.
"It's a battleship."
A pause.
"A human battleship. Sentinel-class."
Neither man responded.
Rhiv's voice cracked. "Forty kilometers? That's—not possible ,its myth "
Are you sure miss Niri?
"Sentinel-class," she repeated. "Yes."
Rhiv looked shaken. "There's no record of anything like that surviving."
Niri didn't answer. She looked at Lu'Ka.
She didn't need to speak.
He already knew.
And he understood what came next.
Rhiv turned between them, uneasy.
"Niri… what are you?"
She didn't respond.
She just kept looking at Lu'Ka.