Chapter 36 Real soldier

Words : 1415 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

"Deploy Combat Units 7 and 8," Hayes ordered, watching the holographic display flicker with interference. "Standard sweep pattern, full spectrum scanning." Lieutenant Santos' fingers danced across his console. "Drones away, sir. Initial telemetry coming in... wait." He frowned, adjusting something on his screen. "Sir, we're getting significant signal degradation." 'More than we should be,' Hayes thought, leaning over the lieutenant's shoulder. The drone feeds were cutting in and out, their usually crystal-clear imagery reduced to static-filled bursts. "Commander," another technician called out, her voice tight with concern. "I'm seeing critical damage to our planetary scanner array. Multiple nodes are offline." Hayes straightened, jaw clenching. "Cause?" "Preliminary analysis suggests electromagnetic interference, sir. But..." she hesitated, pulling up a diagnostic overlay. "The damage pattern is unusual. It's almost like something pulled the energy right out of the systems." 'Or someone,' Hayes thought, remembering the student ships that had arrived earlier. "Timeline?" "Damage corresponds with the arrival window, sir." Santos confirmed his suspicions. "Engineering estimates two days for repairs, minimum." Hayes stared at the failing drone feeds, watching as both units reported nothing but empty terrain and electromagnetic ghosts. 'Perfect timing,' he thought grimly. 'Almost too perfect.' --- The morning came too quickly for Noah's liking, though he'd barely slept anyway. He and Kelvin were already up, their gear spread out on their bunks as Officer Chen conducted final checks with the rest of Class 1B. 'At least we're not stuck with 1A,' Noah thought, watching the morning activity through their barracks window. The class separation into different camps had been an unexpected blessing. 'No dealing with those smug bastards from 1A or the assholes from 1C.' The morning briefing took place in what looked like a makeshift command center, really just a collection of containers arranged in a rough semicircle. Officer Chen stood before the assembled students of 1B, her tablet casting a soft blue glow on her face in the early morning light. 'Group assignments,' Noah mused, studying the projected map of their designated area. 'Simple enough on paper.' The mission parameters scrolled across his system interface: recover items of value or knowledge, from beast cores to local vegetation. 'Virgin planet, ripe for exploitation. Tale as old as time.' Something about the simplicity of it nagged at him. 'No point system announced, no clear victory conditions.' His eyes narrowed. 'Either they're being incredibly flexible, or this whole thing is a test in itself.' Noah turned to his assigned team, taking in their various states of morning alertness. Kelvin was already typing away at his tablet, probably running diagnostics on equipment they weren't supposed to have. Lila stood at attention, every inch the proper student, while Cora had claimed a nearby container as her personal lounger, sprawled across it with deliberate casualness. "Kelvin," Noah started, trying to sound more leader-like than he felt, "anything we should know about the terrain?" Kelvin's response was characteristically hesitant. "Well... the electromagnetic interference is... interesting." 'Just helpful,' Noah thought, but before he could press further, Lila stepped forward. "We should do a gear check," she suggested, already reaching for her equipment. "Weapons, supplies, everything." From her perch on the container, Cora made a sound of disgust. "These weapons are a joke," she declared, holding up her assigned Level 3 Ravager with two fingers like it might bite. "Pre-Harbinger war relics. You know, back when humans had to compensate for not having abilities." 'She's not wrong,' Noah thought, examining his own Ravager. The gun felt clumsy in his hands, nothing like... well, nothing like his eclipse blade. But that wasn't something he could explain to his teammates. "Some of us prefer getting our hands dirty," Cora continued, swinging her legs off the container. "But the academy knows best, right?" Her tone dripped sarcasm. "At least they're not sending us out with Level 1 gear anymore. Amazing what two students nearly dying in a cave will do for equipment requisitions." They barely spared Cora the time of the day. They understood that some people weren't just morning people. Cora wasn't a people's people. Time went by as they checked their gear – combat bracelets displaying maps and vital signs, food ration pills that somehow counted as technological progress, and various other standard-issue items that marked them as academy students. 'Adrian and I really won the lottery getting two of the top 5,' Noah thought, watching as Sienna passed their group without so much as a glance. The morning sun caught the edge of her blade, and for a moment, Noah could have sworn he saw it pulse with a faint light. "Well," Cora announced, finally standing up properly, "at least we're not stuck with Ice Queen over there. I hear she once froze a student solid for asking to spar with her." "That's not—" Kelvin started, then seemed to reconsider. "Actually, I heard it was two students," Lila shouldered her pack. "If we're done gossiping about the thirds, maybe we should focus on not dying out there?" "Always the voice of reason," Noah said, but his mind was already racing ahead. Between Micah's gauntlets and Sienna's sword, the third-years were carrying hardware well beyond standard issue. --- Final preparations had been made and they had gone out go meet Micah who waved them from a transport vehicle. They soon got in and were on their way. The transport hummed beneath them, its antigrav systems smoothing out the terrain's rougher edges. Noah watched the base shrink through the viewport, its metal spires disappearing into Cannadah's perpetual twilight haze. "Micah," Noah spoke up, breaking the tense silence in the transport's cabin. "What do you think our primary objective should be? Are we targeting higher profiles like beasts of actively going out to hunt for any and all new things?" He was hoping with Micah's experience, he could clear up this confusion. Micah turned slowly, his gauntlets gleaming in the cabin's low light. A smirk played at the corners of his mouth. "What do you think, zombie boy?" He leaned forward slightly. "That's what they're calling you now, right? The kid who survived the cave... and then put that 1A hotshot in the medical bay?" 'Here we go,' Noah thought, keeping his expression neutral. Micah's eyes hadn't left his face, searching for... something. "Let me make this simple, Captain," Micah continued, emphasizing the rank with mock respect. "There are two things you need to know. One, understand your mission directives." He held up one massive gauntlet. "And two..." A second gauntlet rose. "Follow them. Understood, Eclipse?" Noah nodded. "Yes, sir." 'Keep smirking,' Noah thought, studying Micah's perfectly maintained uniform. 'Would'nt be long anymore, you'll be out there with the real soldiers. And then...' He surprised himself with the bitterness of his own thoughts. 'Then you'll either be beast food or Harbinger target practice. Maybe I'll have a drink when I hear the news.' The transport touched down with a gentle shudder, ramp descending onto rocky terrain. Massive mountains loomed ahead, their peaks lost in low-hanging clouds. The ground was a patchwork of rust-colored stone and sparse, alien vegetation that seemed to pulse with its own inner light. "Welcome to your first expedition," Micah announced, stepping onto the rocky ground. His gauntlets caught the strange light, red and blue patterns shifting. "As your senior officer, what I say out here could mean the difference between life and death." His eyes lingered on Noah. "So pay attention." Without waiting for acknowledgment, he strode ahead, leaving them to follow in his wake. 'What a performance,' Noah thought, but a soft chime in his system interface interrupted his irritation. *Ping!!* [Your summon needs sustenance] "Great timing..." Noah muttered under his breath as he saw this. This was what he feared and it was happening. "He's really warming up to you," Kelvin whispered, falling in beside him as they picked their way across the uneven ground. The scattered rocks around them cast strange shadows in the filtered sunlight, creating patterns that seemed to move when viewed directly. Behind them, the transport lifted off, leaving them alone in the alien landscape. Above, Cannadah's strange sky painted everything in muted purples and blues, while the mountains watched like ancient sentinels. 'Alright, let's go get it. Nyx, I hope to God you can wait,'

Chapter 36 Real soldier

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