While the girls remained with the scientist, Cedric and Krzytof walked down the hallway toward the mess hall. At first, they walked in silence, the echo of their boots filling the space.

  "It really was incredible watching Lyana fight," Krzytof said, breaking the ice, his hands still clasped behind his head. "She’s got guts."

  "It wasn't incredible," Cedric replied without looking at him, his jaw tight. "It was risky."

  "Uh-huh... and you were very prudent, right?" Krzytof chuckled. "Your face is still red, 'prodigy fractal'."

  Cedric stopped for a second, glaring at him.

  "Next time it's my turn."

  They arrived at the mess hall. The place smelled of hot soup and freshly baked bread, mixed with the murmur of tired voices. They took a table near the wall.

  Krzytof dropped his tray with a dull thud and started eating with gusto. Cedric didn't touch his; his eyes were glued to the door.

  Minutes later, they arrived.

  Lyana walked with a stiff neck and downcast eyes. The fluorescent light of the mess hall seemed to hurt her eyes; she had them half-closed. Lunaria guided her, pushing a glass of water and a bowl toward her as soon as they sat down. Selene took the head of the table in silence.

  "Eat," Lunaria ordered.

  Lyana obeyed mechanically. Two spoonfuls. Three sips of water. At first, her hand trembled, but little by little her pulse steadied.

  Cedric leaned a bit toward her.

  "How do you feel?" he asked in a very low voice.

  "Like I have bells ringing in my chest..." she whispered, touching her sternum. "But I'm fine. I'll live."

  The murmur of the mess hall cut off abruptly.

  An officer appeared at the entrance. He walked straight, with martial steps, ignoring the rest of the soldiers until he stopped in front of Selene. He placed a folder on the table.

  "Captain of the Bellicose Fox Squad. This is your next mission."

  Selene took the file with her left hand, while holding a half-bitten piece of bread with her right. She opened it. She read the essentials in seconds: time, rendezvous point, transport.

  "Understood," she said with her mouth full.

  The officer nodded stiffly and withdrew. As soon as he left, the noise of the mess hall returned to normal.

  "Hey! Don't speak with your mouth full, that's gross," Lunaria scolded her.

  Selene smiled, narrowing her eyes with malice.

  "Sorry," she said, swallowing noisily on purpose.

  Then, her expression changed. The captain returned.

  "At 07:00 hours," she announced. "We join the Star Frigate Blitz. Boarding point T-3."

  Lunaria let out an annoyed click of her tongue and stretched her shoulders. Krzytof snorted.

  Cedric looked at Lyana.

  "Will you be able to?" he asked.

  She nodded once, firm.

  "If I can't, I'll learn to."

  Selene stood up. She took three extra pieces of bread and left one for Lyana.

  "Eat and rest early. List your basic equipment and check your bracelets."

  "Any details on the objective?" asked Krzytof, taking out a small notebook.

  "The details are read on the ship," Selene settled. "Here we only breathe."

  "Hmm... understood," said Krzytof closing his eyes with a mocking smile. "By the way... if you keep eating so much bread, you're going to get fat like Lunaria..."

  BAM!

  The hit was so fast no one saw it coming. Krzytof's glasses went flying and a trickle of blood gushed from his nose.

  "Imbecile...!" growled Lunaria, clenching her bloody fist.

  Cedric and Selene didn't even flinch; it was routine. The rest of the mess hall, however, went silent watching the scene.

  Lyana finished her water, took a deep breath, and covered her eyes for a second with the back of her hand. The distant hum of fusion engines vibrated in the walls.

  "Don't throw yourself in alone again," Cedric murmured, looking at her.

  "Then don't be late," she replied without looking up.

  The clock marked 21:37.

  "Foxes," said Selene, taking her folder under her arm. "From now on, every minute counts."

  Night fell over the base.

  In the dormitory, Krzytof's rhythmic snoring mixed with the hum of the ventilation.

  Cedric was lying down, staring at the metallic ceiling. He moved like a worm, unable to find comfort. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Lyana stumbling after the fight.

  He sat up in bed, frustrated. He sighed. He took his coat and left without making a sound.

  He walked through the empty corridors, lit only by red emergency lights and the moonlight entering through the large windows.

  He reached the west sector. There, in front of a wide window, was a silhouette.

  Lyana was leaning against the frame, dressed in loose clothing, looking out. The planet's three moons floated in the sky like watchful eyes: one white, one reddish, and one pale.

  "Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Cedric said.

  She turned her head barely. A weak smile was drawn on her face.

  "Not after that," she replied in a low voice. "I feel like my body is still burning inside."

  "Tell me about it..." Cedric approached, respecting a prudent space between them. "Those doses hurt more than they help."

  A comfortable silence enveloped them. The emergency lights flickered. The smallest moon hid behind a cloud.

  "When I was little I thought the moons were gods watching over people," she said, looking at the glass. "But I guess on Pangea only monsters remain."

  Cedric looked at her sideways.

  "No. Only those who learned to survive remain."

  She looked down, playing nervously with her fingers.

  "And you? Would you survive without the squad?"

  "I don't know," he admitted. "But I know that if one of you falls, I do too."

  Lyana looked up, surprised. Her cheeks flushed red.

  "That sounds like a promise."

  "Then consider it one," Cedric extended his hand, leaving it suspended in the air between the two. "As long as I'm breathing, none of you will fall alone."

  She hesitated a second. Then, she shook his hand.

  It was a brief contact, but firm. The reflection of the moons on the glass covered them both like a silent blessing.

  "Don't you dare break it," she said with a thread of a voice.

  "Only if you don't give me reasons to," he replied.

  The echo of the engines increased, reminding them that time was running out. They let go of hands and stayed there, shoulder to shoulder, watching the dawn break the darkness.

  At 06:00 sharp, the Foxes were already formed on runway T-3. They wore their navy blue dress uniforms, impeccable, with long coats protecting them from the morning wind. No one spoke. Sleep still weighed on their eyelids.

  The ZH waiting for them had its turbines on, ready to depart. The rising sun reflected on the fuselage, and right on the nose, the Winking Fox logo shone with a blinding flash.

  Behind that trail of light, an officer awaited them at the foot of the ramp. His white uniform contrasted with the grease and oil of the runway. On his chest, a golden dragonfly-shaped badge identified him before his words.

  "Officer Victor, assigned to your escort," he introduced himself with a martial salute, dry and efficient. "The Frigate Blitz awaits you in the orbital sector."

  Selene barely nodded, adjusting the collar of her coat.

  "Foxes, embark."

  They boarded in silence. The interior of the ship smelled of cold metal, synthetic leather, and industrial disinfectant. The floor vibrated under their boots.

  Once in the air, Victor broke the ice, perhaps uncomfortable with the squad's sepulchral silence.

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

  "I can tell you returned recently from a heavy mission," he commented, looking at the dark circles under some of their eyes.

  Lunaria stretched in her seat, cracking her back.

  "Not heavy... hellish," she corrected.

  Lyana looked out the window, lost in the landscape drifting away.

  "And high command won't give us a break?" complained Krzytof, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

  Victor let out a brief laugh, without humor.

  "Rest is a luxury few can afford in this war."

  The ZH shook slightly as it broke the atmosphere. Cedric looked through the reinforced glass; the blue sky darkened until it turned black, and the stars appeared like diamond dust.

  "Who will be in command on the Blitz?" Lunaria asked.

  "Major Matsumoto Kaito," Victor replied. "A veteran. You'll meet him upon arrival."

  The journey continued in silence, only lulled by the hypnotic hum of the engines.

  Minutes later, the pilot's voice resonated through the intercom:

  "Entering docking zone... Hangar G3-176."

  Through the glass, the Star Frigate Blitz emerged from the void.

  It wasn't a pretty ship. It was a metallic beast one hundred and fifty meters long, bristling with cannons, antennas, and docking platforms. A floating fortress designed to kill.

  "Welcome to the Blitz," announced Victor. "From here on, follow my steps and don't separate."

  The ZH entered the assigned hangar. The landing was abrupt; a dry blow of metal against metal. The jolt took everyone by surprise. Victor lost his balance and, trying to hold onto something, his hand ended up accidentally on Lunaria's chest.

  Time stopped for a second.

  "Hey..." said Lunaria with dangerous calm, looking at his hand. "Can you stop groping me?"

  Krzytof opened his eyes suddenly. He straightened up like a spring and glared at Victor with a look that promised pain.

  Victor, realizing his mistake, turned red up to his ears and backed away clumsily.

  "Sorry! It was an accident, I swear!"

  Lunaria didn't even flinch, just dusted off her uniform.

  How childish, Selene thought, suppressing a smile while shaking her head.

  The hatches opened with a hiss of depressurization.

  Cedric got off last. The air in the hangar was dense, charged with a smell of burnt fuel and static electricity that stuck to the throat. Just as his boots touched the metal deck, he tried to look toward two other ZHs landing in the distance, but his vision was eclipsed suddenly.

  A wall of metal and machinery rose in front of him.

  A Fusion Bomber B-32 "Eagle".

  It was an assault beast. Its dark and voluminous fuselage was so massive that, from his perspective, the rest of the hangar simply disappeared behind it.

  Its twin fusion engines emitted a dull hum, a contained tremor that made the floor vibrate and promised brutal acceleration. Compared to the ZH they had arrived in, that was a titan among insects.

  At the foot of the ramp, a man of medium height awaited them with his cap under his arm. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes scanned everything with millimeter precision.

  "Major Kaito Matsumoto, I am in charge of the Blitz," he said without adornments, his voice cutting through the industrial noise of the hangar. "Welcome aboard and enjoy your stay during your three years of hibernation, Bellicose Fox Squad."

  Selene returned the salute with a minimal gesture, almost imperceptible.

  "Major."

  "You will have forty minutes to settle in. Then, orientation and to sleep. Victor, take them to the transit dormitories. And..." Kaito paused.

  His eyes scanned the group and stopped, heavy and analytical, on Cedric and Lunaria.

  "I was told your squad has two fractals," he added, with a tone that wasn't admiration, but calculation. "Interesting and... useful."

  Cedric felt the weight of that word. Useful. As if they were a wrench or a spare battery. He clenched his jaw until it hurt, but kept his gaze forward.

  "Follow me," said Victor, already moving.

  He led them through a high, windowless corridor, a gorge of steel with identification numbers painted in white on the gray walls. They passed armored doors without stopping. The air there smelled different: like new filters and industrial oil.

  "Sectors accessible to you: decks C to E, side mess halls, gym, and infirmary two," Victor listed in a monotone voice, pointing out directions that looked identical. "No snooping in heavy weaponry, nor navigation, nor cryogenics."

  They turned down a narrower corridor. Halfway there, the monotony of the metal broke. A wall opened up to a wide window overlooking a module lit with a different light, warm, almost golden.

  Inside, the contrast was absolute. There were three transparent cribs aligned, with minimal respirators humming softly. Two mechanized nurses moved slowly between them, gliding their metallic limbs with a delicacy that seemed impossible for a machine.

  Lyana stopped. Her boots ceased echoing on the floor. The golden light drew a soft edge on her cheek, softening the tension lines of her face.

  "Neonatal ward on a war frigate?" murmured Lunaria, tilting her head in disbelief.

  "Crew families born en route," explained Victor, stopping as well, though without looking inside. "It's normal here. This is a colony ship."

  "Colony?" asked Krzytof, frowning.

  "I thought you had read something from the report," said Victor with a tone of slight reproach. "The Blitz was decommissioned as a warship thanks to the new generation."

  Lyana paid no attention to the discussion. She took a slow step toward the glass. Her fingers, still with skin sensitive from the recent injection, brushed the cold metal frame.

  She watched the babies sleep, oblivious that they floated in the vacuum of space, inside a metal beast designed to destroy.

  For a second, the glass returned her reflection and Cedric's, who had stopped at her side. He looked straight ahead, but his image in the glass was next to hers.

  Three moons above their heads a few hours ago; now, three new lives lulled by machines.

  "Let's go," Selene urged softly, not wanting to break the moment, but conscious of the clock.

  They continued walking for a while longer, the sound of their steps getting lost in the vastness of the ship. Around another hatch, Victor stopped and opened a door.

  The transit dormitory was a functional and soulless rectangle: metal bunk beds, lockers built into the wall, and a narrow bathroom at the back. It smelled of cheap disinfectant.

  "Store the minimum. This is just for transit," indicated Victor from the threshold. "At 06:10 I'll pick you up to take you to the hibernation room."

  Krzytof dropped his backpack to the floor with a dramatic sigh and threw himself onto the lower bunk on his back. The thin mattress creaked under his weight.

  "Do they also have a 'nap room'?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

  "It's called 'don't get in the way'," grunted Selene, shoving her folder into the locker with a sharp blow.

  Cedric arranged his equipment without real order, just to keep his hands busy and not think. When he closed the metallic door of his locker, Victor was already backing into the hallway.

  "Anything you need, I'm in the corridor," said the officer, and the door closed, leaving them alone.

  For a minute, no one spoke. The silence filled with the muffled heartbeat of the ship: water pumps, distant ventilation, the hum of cables in the walls.

  They began to undress.

  Lunaria sat on the edge of a bed to loosen her boots with impatience. Lyana took off her long coat with extreme care, moving her arms slowly like someone who doesn't want to wake a sleeping pain in the ribs.

  Little by little, the navy blue dress uniforms were stored away, and the squad was left dressed only in black spandex suits, stuck to the body like a second skin, ready for stasis.

  Cedric looked at his own hands, sheathed in the black fabric.

  "Useful..." he repeated in a whisper, the bitter word still on his tongue.

  "We are," said Selene, without looking at him, finishing adjusting her suit. "And that's why we're still alive."

  Krzytof half sat up in his bunk, leaning on his elbows with a crooked smile.

  "That, and because I give you luck."

  Lunaria didn't even turn to look at him. She grabbed the pillow from the upper bunk and threw it at his face with lethal aim.

  "Shut up."

  Krzytof fell back onto the mattress under the soft impact, laughing quietly.

  Just then, the hallway alarm blared.

  A dry, constant beep. It wasn't a combat alarm, but a summons. The door opened by itself with a hydraulic hiss.

  "Ready for your long sleep?" Victor's voice came from outside.

  Selene jumped to her feet, erasing any trace of fatigue from her face.

  "Ready."

  They went out into the hallway and walked in the opposite direction, at a good pace, toward oblivion.

  LOCATION: Hibernation Room.

  The hibernation room was a cube of white and sterile light, so bright it hurt pupils accustomed to the gloom of the hallways.

  Rows of capsules lined the walls, shining like immaculate glass coffins. A medical team waited for them standing, with latex gloves and faces void of emotion. In the back, Major Matsumoto reviewed data on a tablet, illuminated by the blue glow of the screen.

  "Foxes," he said without raising his voice, his dry tone resonating in the room. "Simple protocol: check-up, circadian sensor, induction. Three years of transit. You wake up on Elytor-III."

  He paused, looking at them over the tablet.

  "If you feel nausea or a buzzing in your teeth upon entering, it's normal. If you see blue lights, also. If you see shadows... well, it's too late to regret it."

  No one laughed.

  Victor approached and handed each one a metallic disc the size of a coin.

  "Time sensor. It goes stuck behind the ear," he explained. "It tricks the brain into believing only one night passed. Use it before getting in or you'll wake up vomiting."

  One by one, the technicians passed them through the check-up console.

  Lunaria clicked her tongue with annoyance when a nurse squeezed her shoulder too hard to measure her pressure.

  "Careful with the merchandise," she muttered.

  Krzytof asked if he could sleep face down ("No," was the blunt answer). Selene nodded to instructions with sharp patience. Lyana opened and closed her right hand, testing the strength of her fingers, nervous.

  Cedric received his sensor. He turned it between his fingers, feeling the cold metal. When he went to place it behind his ear, he noticed the adhesive surface was dry to the touch. It didn't have the protective film.

  "They gave it to me without a seal," he told Victor, showing him the useless disc.

  Victor sighed, checking his pockets without success.

  "Shit. At the end of the hall, in storage 3. Grab another from the box and come back fast," he indicated, pointing to a side door without looking at him, busy with Selene's check-up.

  Cedric crossed the side hatch.

  The service corridor was deserted, lit only by dim light strips on the floor. The heartbeat of the ship's systems was stronger there, a constant boom-boom of machinery.

  He reached the door with the old sign: Storage 3.

  He touched the access panel.

  Unlocked? he thought, surprised.

  The door slid open.

  The smell of new plastic and cleaning products hit him.

  And then he heard the sound.

  A gasp. Low, choked, urgent.

  Cedric stood still for an instant, his hand still on the panel. Between two tall columns of supply containers, he saw movement.

  There were two bodies pressed against the back wall.

  A woman with her uniform unbuttoned, her head thrown back, and a man pressing her against the shelves. Cedric recognized the insignia on the man's shoulder: a high-ranking officer. One of those "untouchables".

  "...not here," the woman whispered, trembling. "We're going to—"

  "No one enters without authorization," he replied, deaf to reason, kissing her neck hungrily.

  The sensor Cedric needed was just three steps from them, on a metal tray.

  Cedric swallowed hard. He didn't have time for other people's drama. He took two firm steps, making his boots sound on purpose. He grabbed a new blister of sensors from the tray.

  By pure reflex, he looked down.

  The woman's eyes met his.

  They were clear. Fixed. A minimal scar, white like a thread, cut her left eyebrow.

  She didn't ask for help. She didn't cover herself or look away. She just clenched her jaw, holding eye contact with a mix of shame and icy defiance.

  The officer turned sharply, furious at the interruption.

  "What are you doing here, soldier?" he barked, trying to cover the woman with his body.

  Cedric held up the blister in his hand, expressionless.

  "I was missing a sensor," he said calmly. "Storage 3, right?"

  "Well, you have it. Get out!"

  Cedric didn't reply. He turned around and left, closing the door softly behind him. The hum of the corridor returned the rhythm to his pulse.

  Not my problem, he thought, erasing the image from his mind.

  Upon returning to the main room, Victor was waiting for him with a frown.

  "Everything good? Did you get lost?"

  "Everything good," Cedric lied, peeling off the seal and placing the cold sensor behind his ear.

  Matsumoto looked up from his tablet.

  " into capsules. In this order: Lunaria, Krzytof, Lyana, Cedric, Selene."

  Lunaria snorted but obeyed, climbing into her unit with agility. Krzytof saluted with two fingers as a sarcastic goodbye. Lyana walked to her capsule with strange care, as if the glass floor could break under her feet.

  Cedric passed by her. He didn't look at her, but lowered his voice so only she could hear him.

  "See you on the other side."

  "Don't be late," whispered Lyana, as if repeating a prayer from memory.

  Cedric slid inside his capsule. The interior was narrow and smelled of ozone.

  The cryogenic gel began to rise from the bottom. It was freezing. A liquid cold that climbed up his back and surrounded his legs like a thick tide.

  The transparent lid descended with a hermetic click.

  Through the glass and the rising gel, Cedric managed to see the room door open once more.

  A new man had entered.

  Tall. Impecable. He wore a golden dragonfly badge on his chest, but with an extra bar denoting a rank superior to Victor's.

  The newcomer didn't look at the Major. He swept the room with a strange smile, too cheerful, almost childish for a place where people went to sleep for years.

  His eyes locked directly onto Cedric's capsule. He stared at him. And smiled more.

  Is he crazy? Cedric thought, feeling a shiver that wasn't from the gel.

  He managed to read the name embroidered on his uniform before the liquid covered the glass; Aki Licht.

  The system beeped. A fine mist filled the capsule, smelling of sweet chemicals. The sensor behind his ear warmed up.

  "Goodnight, Foxes," said Matsumoto's voice, distant and emotionless.

  Selene, from her capsule, squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

  "Three years less... sister," she told herself.

  The room lights dimmed one degree. The world became small, reduced to the hum of the machine.

  Cedric closed his eyes.

  In the last thing he thought about, there were no monsters, nor promises, nor officers hiding in closets. He only saw the blurry image of his squad gathered.

  Then, nothing.

  Silence.

  Darkness.