Walking down a dimly lit aisle. Cecilia's boots rhythmicall struck the ground. The last time she had entered this building had been 3 years back.
Shaking her head. She looked around; gazing briefly at the two meter wall separating the military head quarters from the recruitment station. She remembered ruminating the point of the walls a year and a half ago while in the forge barracks. When she had just arrived at the station back then, she was sure they wouldn't stop anyone—or anything—determined enough to scale them. But looking back at it now, who in their right mind would infiltrate a place like that?
It'd be like sticking your hand in a Dhroll's mouth, tickling its balls, and hoping it doesn't bite.
Only with time did she understand. The walls weren't meant to keep people out.
They were symbolic. A quiet reminder of how easy it was to walk into the Stellaris Militarium. Once you'd made it this far. Approaching the recruitment center, Cecilia felt a strange twist in her stomach. Déjà vu. She remembered that night all too well.
The cold. The silence. The fear.
The night she lost her entire Imperial Trust Fund. Her parents last gift after dying in the Vesian Strike. It was meant to be a gift from the military for there hard work. A sacred memento. Her teeth shuddered under immense pressure. But she had dumbly lost it.
A few days after she had reached the age eligible to retrieve it a charlatan claiming to "see the pathway" to their revival had approached her. His mouth dripped honeyed lies. All he needed was access to the account. Desperate, and alone. She gambled everything. And lost.
Shaking her head, she brooded over her own naivety. Was I really that stupid back then?
But that loss had led to the best decision of her life.
At sixteen, her legs had carried her here—running with desperate gusto, driven by hope. She had initially wanted help to reclaim it. But the military base did not accept non-commisioned personnel. And the rumours circulating about the Inquistion was mind-numbing. She settled for the recruitment center a couple days after. The only place that offered her a path forward when all else failed her.
The slogan etched into the recruitment center's facade still echoed in her memory: "Hope through Fire. Deliverance, if you endure."
They promised discipline, wealth, and honor to those bold enough to turn away from civil comfort, and embrace a life of danger, madness, and death.
Cecilia smiled. The late night drills. The camp rumours. Quite frankly, she missed the Anvil. Damn her, she really missed it. Even now, the sight of this place stirred something deep and tangled in her gut. Would Vance feel the same? Fixing her uniform, she stepped through the open door.
The lounge inside was nearly empty. A sleepy receptionist sat at the far end behind a desk.
Before Cecilia could take another step, she stirred. The receptionist stood abruptly and approached, squinting at the badge on her uniform. Her frame trembling slightly.
"Good day, Ascendant… Ceci… Cecilia. How may I be of help?"
Cecilia waved her off with a half-smile. "Where's Tien?"
"She's on the second floor. Should I call her down?"
"No, I'll go myself."
She headed toward the stairwell without waiting.
"Ms. Cecilia, you can't go up there" The receptionest meekly added.
Cecilia laughed inwardly, her steps slow and measured.
Who here could possibly stop her? Reaching the second floor, she found a door among several others, its nameplate read: Tien Glacer
She approached, took a breath, and knocked three times. A mellow voice answered, exhausted but familiar. "Come inside."
Cecilia slowly opened the door. A strange feeling twisting in her gut. It had been a year and a half since she last saw Tien. But somehow, this time felt infinitely longer.
A room of white and brown greeted her... and then, Tien.
Gone were the small traces of youth in Tien's amber eyes. Now, they carried the weight of change. Smiling, Cecilia glanced around. She wasn't the only one who'd changed.
"How are you, Ti?" she asked. Her rigid military stance melted as she embraced her old friend. "If only this moment could last longer," she murmured, tightening the hug.
"Are you planning to kill me, Cecilia?" Tien asked, laughing breathlessly. "And what's with the weird comment? Did you miss me that much?"
Hearing this, she felt her cheeks lighten. Truthfully she wasn't here just for Vance. Ares could've handled that. She just needed a moment. A breath away from the killing, the chaos, the desperation. And the thin line of death.
She yearned for the civil life in some ways and despised most of its people for living it so easily. Still, there were exceptions.
"Sorry, sorry. Got a little lost in the moment. Can I sit? We have a lot to talk about. But first, there's this kid named Vance. I was supposed to submit him to Aegis, but… I've grown fond of him. I was hoping you could get him into one of the scholastic institutes programs?"
"Sure. Take a seat. Let me see his application, background, and all that."
"Okay, let me fill you in." Cecilia let out a soft sigh. She'd already told this story half a dozen times. A part of her was getting a little frustrated with Vance for putting her through it. But hey, at least she was improving her storytelling. Small victories, right?
Hopefully, Vanta had a little room for empathy. They weren't even sure if Vance wanted to join the military. And they had no idea what had really happened before there arrival on Gharst. A little break sould do the kid much better. Atleast, that's what, Balgur said.
Shifting her posture, she began narrating this time with a bit more flair.
*****
"So… I just take the pill and step inside?" Vance asked, barely suppressing a growl. Here he was. Naked, weak, and terrified. After dying once already, he didn't think there was anything greater to lose. But reality was cruel. This creepy doctor wanted him to down a pill while standing in nothing but his underwear? This had to be a setup. If he really did try anything, he Vowed he'd make sure this frail sack of meat nev—
"Yes. And don't thrash about when you enter," Shrill interrupted half-heartedly. "It's not a pretty sight, watching grown kids act like babies."
Vance smiled bitterly, then downed the pill dry. No water.
Seconds later, fatigue slammed into him like a wave. He stumbled, barely making it to Pod-07 before it lowered for his entrance.
He entered as the pod began to rise again.
As it sealed shut, he fought the darkness clawing at his mind, trying to stay awake for as long as he could. And he did—long enough to feel the weird fluid wash over his skin. This however wasn't the last thing he felt, but instead a sharp pain in his chest.
Right where his heart was supposed to be.
Then came the sharp, unexpected breath from Shrill—Just as Vance's eyelids gave out.