The shuttle touched down on Vortex Prime, a planet in the Chrono sector that screamed progress and prosperity. Towering spires of chrome and glass stretched toward the purple-tinted sky. Hover vehicles zipped between buildings in organized lanes. Holographic billboards advertised everything from weapons to luxury cruises.
"Seven days," Pam announced, checking her datapad. "Two subjects per day. Fail even one, we're eliminated."
"Fourteen total examinations," Kade added, his formal tone taking on an edge. "A gauntlet designed to separate the intellectually capable from the merely physically gifted."
Juli groaned. "Can't we just fight people instead?"
"No."
"But fighting is cooler."
"The examinations are merely the entry to the actual tournament," Kade continued. "The media does not care about this portion. We are beneath their notice until we prove ourselves worthy."
Tessa fidgeted with her rifle ball. "So if we pass, THEN people start watching?"
"Correct. The first two challenges rotate locations every tournament. Different sectors. Different planets. The finals, however, always occur on an HQ planet."
"HQ planet?" Juli asked.
Pam adjusted her glasses. "A planet fully owned and controlled by one of the twelve Constellation Squads. Usually massive, heavily populated, extremely advanced. Think of them as the crown jewels of ARMADA's territory."
"Each squad has one," Kade explained. "Their primary base of operations. Where their main forces are stationed."
Juli's eyes lit up slightly. "So we might go to one?"
"If we survive the exams, yes."
The shuttle doors opened fully, and the sound hit them like a wall.
Thousands of cadets. Hundreds of teams. The exam staging area was absolute chaos. But what really stood out were the locals.
Squid-like aliens everywhere. Cephalari, hundreds of them, their skin flashing colors with excitement. They lined the barriers, cheering and waving banners.
"WELCOME CADETS!"
"GOOD LUCK!"
"MAKE CHRONO PROUD!"
One team in particular was getting mobbed. Four figures walking through the crowd like celebrities. Leading them was a Cephalari with bright purple skin and multiple tentacles gesturing dramatically.
"THAT'S C'LUPPO!"
"OUR HERO!"
"SHOW THEM HOW CHRONO DOES IT!"
The squid alien, C'luppo, waved with multiple tentacles simultaneously, his skin flashing rainbow colors. His teammates flanked him, soaking in the attention.
Well, most of them.
"Where the hell is Javar?!" Miki spun around, searching the crowd frantically. "He was RIGHT behind us!"
McGee pointed lazily. "There."
In the distance, Javar was pressed against a barrier, surrounded by three local Cephalari females. His feathers were puffed up, his eyes hearts. The females giggled and touched his wings.
"Ey gyal!" Javar's voice carried over the crowd. "Yuh eyes dem sparkle like di stars, zeen? Me could get lost in dem fi DAYS!"
"JAVAR!" Miki shrieked. "WE HAVE EXAMS!"
"Culture exchange, Miki! Very important!"
One of the females traced a tentacle along his beak. Javar looked ready to pass out from joy.
"I'm going to kill him," Miki muttered.
---
Juli watched from a distance, grinning. "Don't know who that guy is, but that's pretty cool. Getting a reaction like that from your home crowd."
"He's from here," Pam said. "This is his sector. His planet."
"Makes sense." Juli stretched. "Good for him."
They pushed through the crowd. Juli, being Juli, walked right up to C'luppo's group. Extended his hand with that signature cheeky grin. "Yo! Good luck out there, man!"
C'luppo's eyes locked onto Juli.
The crowd went quiet.
C'luppo's skin shifted to deep red. He slapped Juli's hand away.
"GOOD LUCK?!" His accent was thick, dripping with theatrical disdain. "You come 'ere, to MY planet, in MY sector, and offer ME good luck?! YOU?!"
Juli blinked. "Uh, yeah?"
"LISTEN 'ERE, WEIPER!" C'luppo's tentacles flared outward like he was cutting a wrestling promo. "I don't care WHAT the rumors say! I don't care if you supposedly went toe-to-toe with Ragnar! You're OVERHYPED! OVERRATED! A ONE-HIT WONDER riding on a story that's probably BOLLOCKS!"
The local crowd erupted in laughter and cheers.
C'luppo pointed a tentacle directly at Juli's face. "This tournament? It's gonna expose you for what you REALLY are! A lucky little BOY who got in over his head and SOMEHOW didn't die! Well guess what, mate? Academic prowess requires ACTUAL intelligence! Something I HIGHLY doubt you possess!"
More laughter. More cheers.
Juli's grin vanished. His eye twitched. "Oh, you wanna go RIGHT NOW?"
"BRING IT, BLONDE WANKER!"
Juli lunged forward. Kade grabbed him from behind. "Control yourself!"
C'luppo's teammates held him back as his tentacles thrashed. "LET ME AT HIM!"
"Juli, stop!" Pam hissed.
"He called me a wanker!"
"YOU ARE OVERRATED!" C'luppo shrieked.
"I'LL SHOW YOU OVERRATED WITH MY FOOT IN YOUR FACE!"
The crowd ate it up. Cameras flashed. Cadets from other teams watched with interest.
Juli had officially become the center of attention.
Some looked impressed. Others skeptical. A few outright hostile.
He'd become a celebrity, for better or worse. And his growth spurt over the past five weeks, the way he carried himself now, had definitely caught eyes beyond just his reputation.
"Is that him?" a female cadet whispered.
"He's taller than I expected," another murmured.
"Those eyes though..."
Then, out of nowhere, a blur of white.
"DEAR HUSBAND!"
Juli barely registered the words before something slammed into him. Arms wrapped around his neck. Legs wrapped around his waist. He caught the figure on pure instinct, stumbling backward.
Pale skin. Dark lips. Vampiric features.
Nara.
She nuzzled against his neck, her accent dripping with exaggerated affection. "Finally! I have been searching for you EVERYVHERE! My beloved! My destined one!"
Juli's face turned completely red. "W-WHAT?! WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Your vife, obviously!" Nara pulled back just enough to stare into his eyes. Her own crimson eyes gleamed. "Look! Ve even have matching eyes! Red like blood! Like passion! Like DESTINY! It is a SIGN!"
"I—uh—what—" Juli's brain short-circuited. His face somehow got redder.
Multiple female cadets in the crowd groaned audibly. A few males looked equally disappointed.
"She beat us to him!" one girl wailed.
"Damn it!" a boy clutched his chest dramatically.
Pam's face went red too, but for entirely different reasons. Her jaw clenched. Her hands balled into fists.
Nara's teammates stood a few meters away. The Saurian had his face in his hands. The butterfly girl was trying not to laugh.
"Nara, please," the Saurian begged. "Not again."
He glanced around suddenly. "Wait. Where's the Captain?"
The butterfly girl shrugged. "He wandered off earlier. Said something about scouting."
"Of COURSE he did." The Saurian looked thoroughly annoyed. "Why does he always disappear at the worst times?"
"Ve are MEANT to be together!" Nara declared, still clinging to Juli. "I have already planned our vedding! Vinter ceremony! You vill look so handsome in black!"
"I—but—we just met—" Juli stammered, completely out of his element.
"Details! Minor details!"
Pam's hand shot out and grabbed Nara by the collar, yanking her backward with surprising strength. "Get. Off. Him."
Nara's feet touched the ground, but she didn't back down. She stared at Pam, fangs visible. "And who might YOU be?"
"His teammate." Pam's voice was ice, but her face was still slightly flushed. "And you're in my way."
"Your vay?" Nara's smile widened. "Oh, I see. You vant him too. How adorable."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to. Your face says it ALL." Nara gestured dramatically at Pam's red cheeks. "Look at you! Blushing like a schoolgirl! But too bad! He is MINE! Ve have matching eyes! RED! It is fate!"
"That doesn't mean anything!"
"It means EVERYTHING!"
They stared each other down. Silver eyes versus crimson. The air felt electric.
Tessa hid behind Kade. "This is scary."
"Fascinating," Kade murmured. "A territorial dispute over our idiot leader."
Juli finally caught his breath, still blushing. "What the hell just happened?!"
"You've become famous," Kade said simply. "Welcome to celebrity status."
"I DON'T WANT IT!"
Nara blew a kiss. "See you in the exams, my love! Try not to fail! It vould be embarrassing for your future vife!"
She sashayed away, her teammates following. The Saurian looked back apologetically.
Pam glared daggers at Nara's retreating form.
Juli scratched his head, still confused and red-faced. "That was weird."
"Very weird," Pam muttered, her tone sharp.
Kade smirked. "Jealousy is unbecoming, Pamela."
"I'm NOT jealous!"
"Your face suggests otherwise."
"Shut up!"
The crowd continued to buzz. More cameras. More whispers. Team 9 had officially made an entrance.
Eventually, they made it to the exam hall.
Massive. Sterile. Rows upon rows of individual testing stations. Holographic proctors floated throughout. The ceiling stretched impossibly high, covered in screens showing rules and regulations.
Teams filed in, finding their designated areas. The atmosphere shifted from chaotic energy to tense focus.
Juli sat at his station, datapad in front of him. Holographic interface loaded. Subject schedule appeared.
Day 1: Galactic History and Tactical Theory.
He stared at the screen.
His head tilted slightly.
Then forward.
Then his eyes closed.
Pam glanced over from her station.
Juli was asleep.
Already.
The exam hadn't even started.
She sighed deeply. "We're doomed."