Sagittarius Headquarters - Mess Hall
Barragan's teeth were still GRINDING. Audibly. His jaw tight. His smile strained.
"Captain Xistrith. With all due respect. Why give him the cake NOW when his birthday is TOMORROW?"
Seraphina blinked. Looked confused. "Does it matter?"
"YES! YES IT MATTERS! DATES EXIST FOR A REASON!"
Juli waved his hand. Dismissive. Still chewing cake. "It's cool, Sera. I don't really care about dates anyway."
He swallowed. Grinned. That bright, genuine smile. "Besides, I'll remember THIS birthday for years to come!"
Seraphina's heart MELTED. She couldn't help herself. She LUNGED. Pulled Juli into a HUG. Tight. Like hugging a precious child.
"My favorite captain! Thou art too kind! Too precious! I am not worthy of such praises!"
Her face was CRIMSON. Her voice flustered. Overwhelmed with emotion.
Juli just grinned. Completely oblivious to the implications. The intensity. The EVERYTHING.
"Hey, as thanks, I'll assist one of your missions! You can ask for help anytime!" Thumbs up. Still in her embrace.
Seraphina's eyes SPARKLED. "Truly?! Thou wouldst aid Aquarius Squad?!"
"Yeah! Sounds fun!"
Barragan had ENOUGH. "ENOUGH OF THIS SOAP OPERA!"
Both turned to look at him.
He composed himself. Barely. "We've received a mission. A rather SIGNIFICANT one."
Juli's eyes LIT UP. Excitement. Energy. HYPE. "Really?! What kind?!"
"Bodyguard work. For a figure in the top brass of the UGC."
INSTANT SWITCH.
Juli's excitement DIED. Completely. His eyes went dull. His smile vanished. Replaced by... disappointment. Boredom. DISGUST.
"Oh."
Barragan blinked. "Captain Weiper?"
Juli sighed. Heavily. "I wanna roam around the galaxy and save lives. Not babysit some geezer who probably wears adult diapers."
SILENCE.
Barragan's jaw DROPPED. His green eyes WIDE. Shocked. HORRIFIED.
Seraphina BURST OUT LAUGHING. Actual belly laughs. Uncontrollable. "AHAHAHAHA! Adult diapers! Oh, the boy is HILARIOUS!"
"DO NOT ENABLE THIS!" Barragan HISSED. Actually hissed like a snake. His composure completely shattered.
He turned to Juli. Serious. STERN. "Captain Weiper. That figure is of HIGH AUTHORITY. All UGC figures are. You cannot... you MUST NOT say things like that. Especially near them."
He made a gesture. Slow. Deliberate. Drew his hand across his throat. A silly, goofy throat-slit motion.
"Otherwise. This. Understand?"
Juli grinned. Wide. Playful. "It's just a joke, Sammy. Relax."
Barragan SIGHED. Deep. Exasperated. Exhausted. "You're going to give me a stress-induced coma."
He collected himself. "The priority alpha mission was assigned to Sagittarius Squad. But since you have nothing else to do, Captain Weiper, you should tag along. Consider it part of your orientation."
Juli's arms went behind his head. Casual. Reluctant. "Okaaay. Fine."
His biceps FLEXED. Visible. Defined. TONED.
Seraphina's eyes LOCKED on them. Her face went RED. Again. Steam practically rising.
Those arms... so strong... so...
She had to look AWAY. Fanning herself. Overwhelmed.
Barragan pretended not to notice. "Unit 350 will accompany us. Vice Captain Rovera will handle headquarters in the meantime. She'll also serve as head of communications for the mission."
Juli tilted his head. "Why doesn't she join us in the field?"
Barragan's expression shifted. Teacher mode. ACTIVATED. "Sagittarius Squad operates with a specific structure. Though there's no rigid regulation. Each squad functions differently."
He held up one finger. "The vice captain needs good chemistry with the captain. In Rovera's case, she's not as strong as I am in combat. But she's RIDICULOUSLY good at management. Communication. Decision-making. Resource allocation."
Another finger. "Her skills allow me to focus on other important things. Experimentation. Research. Creating androids. Things that are... hobbies to me."
Juli's eyes lit up. "You have cool hobbies, Sammy!"
Barragan smiled. Genuine. Warm. PLEASED. "Thank you, Captain Weiper. I appreciate that."
Departure
Seraphina walked with them to the hangar. Her eyes never leaving Juli. "Farewell, young Julian! Take care! Return safely!"
Complete focus on Juli. Barragan who? Only JULI mattered.
Barragan noticed. His eye twitched. I'm RIGHT HERE.
"Bye, Sera! Thanks for the cake!" Juli waved. Cheerful. Genuine.
She waved back. Enthusiastically. Like a lovestruck teenager.
Then headed to her OWN ship. A beautiful vessel. Light blue and silver. Aquarius design. Elegant. Flowing. Like water frozen in metal form.
The tired Aquarius officer who'd carried the cake trudged behind her. Still EXHAUSTED. Still traumatized by cake-carrying duty.
"Captain... can we... can we please just use normal-sized cakes next time..." His voice was weak. Pleading.
"Nonsense! Young Julian deserves only the BEST! The BIGGEST! The most MAGNIFICENT!"
"But my back..."
"Thy back shall recover! Now hurry! We must return to headquarters!"
The officer slumped. Defeated. Followed her onto the ship. I need a vacation. A long vacation.
Their ship launched. Graceful. Beautiful. Disappearing into the stars.
Unit 350's Ship
The vessel was LARGE. Military-grade. Bronze and gold colors. Sagittarius insignia on the hull.
Inside, Unit 350's head waited. And he was... unique.
His head was a SUNFLOWER. An actual sunflower. Bright yellow petals. A face in the center. Wearing a full battle suit. Bronze armor. Professional. But SUNFLOWER HEAD.
Juli stared. "...Cool flower, dude."
The sunflower head nodded. "Thank you, Captain Weiper. I'm Unit Head Figlio. Honored to serve."
Barragan stood beside Juli. Now wearing his OFFICIAL bronze Sagittarius armor. Ornate. Elegant. Powerful. The full regalia of a squad captain.
Juli looked down at himself. His casual tournament outfit. Then at Barragan's armor.
"When do I get my own dress?"
Barragan gave a RARE CHUCKLE. Genuine amusement. "It's called armor, Captain Weiper. And ARMADA has a special uniform department. For squad captains. Vice captains. Each one custom-made. Tailored to the individual."
He gestured. "There's an even MORE sophisticated department. For the Titans. Their armor is works of art. Masterpieces."
Juli whistled. Impressed. "That's pretty cool."
The ship launched. Smooth. Efficient. Heading toward their destination.
Barragan turned to Juli. His expression thoughtful. Curious. "Captain Weiper. May I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"A vice captain. A right hand. Is fundamental for any squad. You'll need one soon." His green serpent eyes studied Juli. "Do you have anyone in mind? Since you plan to 'scour the galaxy' to find people for your squad."
He paused. "It's a unique recruitment method. Something I heard one of the first-generation squad captains did. Though I can't recall the name."
Juli was silent. For a moment. Then his face changed.
Not that trademark smile. Not that gorgeous, magnetic grin that charmed everyone.
This was DIFFERENT.
A demon's smile. SHARP. Dangerous. Predatory. KNOWING.
His red eyes gleamed with something PRIMAL. Something OVERWHELMING.
"You'll see."
The temperature in the ship DROPPED. Instantly. Noticeably.
Barragan FROZE. His entire body going rigid. His green eyes widening.
Fear. Pure. Overwhelming. CRUSHING fear. Like nothing he'd EVER experienced.
Not from enemies. Not from Titans. Not from ANYTHING in his entire life.
This boy. This fourteen-year-old. This seemingly innocent, goofy, cake-eating KID.
Was radiating SOMETHING. Something that touched a primal part of Barragan's brain. Something that screamed DANGER. PREDATOR. RUN.
His hands trembled. Slightly. His breathing quickened. His normally composed expression showing cracks. GENUINE cracks.
What... what IS this feeling? What IS this boy? What have I just witnessed?
Juli's smile widened. Just slightly. Then returned to normal. Casual. Playful. Like nothing happened.
"So how long till we get there, Sammy?"
Barragan couldn't respond immediately. His voice caught in his throat. His mind trying to process. To COMPREHEND.
Finally, he managed. "Two... two hours, Captain Weiper."
"Cool. Gonna take another nap then."
Juli plopped down in a seat. Closed his eyes. Instantly asleep. Like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't just terrified a squad captain to his CORE.
Barragan stood there. Staring. His heart still racing. His hands still trembling.
Pietro. What have you created? What MONSTER have you raised?
And why... why do I feel like I've just glimpsed something TERRIFYING?
The ship continued through space. Toward their mission. Toward the unknown.
And Barragan couldn't shake the feeling.
That he'd just seen something. A GLIMPSE. Of what Julian Weiper truly was beneath the smiles. Beneath the jokes. Beneath the CHARM.
Something that would one day shake the galaxy to its foundation.
Something LEGENDARY. And TERRIFYING in equal measure.