The Crown That Chafes
POV: Cassian Dorne
It was far too early in the morning for the simulation grounds to be this loud. Cassian Dorne stood on the edge of the elevated observation deck, his arms folded behind his back like a junior officer on parade. His sharp uniform hugged his form with regal perfection, golden accents glinting in the artificial sunrise that blanketed Mars Academy's eastern dome.
Below him, cadets sparred in full-pressure exosuits, firing blanks and testing formations in tight unit drills. It was chaos, but controlled—an orchestra of war playing a tune he already knew by heart.
He'd aced this trial three years ago.
Now, he watched the newest cohort struggle beneath the same pressure. Eyes scanned, judged, remembered.
He wasn't here for sport.
"You're early. Again," came a voice behind him—smooth, accented, a touch amused.
Cassian didn't turn. "Tyche. I assume you're not here to sweat either."
Tyche Vortan, the Cipher Corps' rising prodigy, joined him on the platform. Dressed in a silver-trimmed cloak and data helm slung over her shoulder, she looked every inch the mystic and manipulator she was rumored to be.
"Sweat? Please. I prefer watching other people suffer," she said, her lips curling into a half-smile.
Cassian let the moment linger.
"Have you picked a team for the Faction Trials yet?" Tyche asked. She leaned on the railing, watching a cadet get slammed into the dirt by a larger opponent.
"No. Still evaluating."
Tyche raised an eyebrow. "Surely you've already claimed the best. Or did Command send you orders not to humiliate the other factions too badly this year?"
Cassian didn't answer. But in truth, he had picked several potential members already. Lie Cadence was an obvious choice, if she didn't insist on leading. Gage from the Vanguard had the raw strength and loyalty he needed. Tyche herself was useful—if unpredictable.
But there was one anomaly. One variable still being tested.
Kale Drayen.
The Earthborn who moved like he had something to prove.
He'd seen the cadet during hand-to-hand drills, then again during the obstacle trial last week. Kale was efficient. Brutal. Unrelenting.
Dangerous.
And worse—he had presence.
Cadets noticed him. They drifted toward him, spoke of him in quiet corners. Ox and Kora already orbited him. That meant more than talent. It meant momentum.
"He's going to become a problem, isn't he?" Tyche said casually, as if reading his thoughts.
Cassian exhaled through his nose. "He doesn't understand the game yet."
"And when he does?"
Cassian finally turned to look at her. "Then he'll either be useful—or expendable."
---
Across the observation deck, another figure arrived—tall, hulking, armored even in his academy uniform. Gage Rhun, scion of the Vanguard Colonies, and possibly the most physically intimidating cadet in the academy.
"You called?" Gage rumbled, his voice low and gravelly.
Cassian nodded. "We're forming early. The Faction Trials are going to be different this year. No alliances, no safety net. Command Corps wants blood."
Tyche's eyes gleamed. "And betrayal."
Cassian's gaze turned back to the field. Kale was down there, barking orders in a training sim, coordinating with Ox and Kora against an overwhelming enemy wave.
The cadet's strategy wasn't bad. In fact, it was dangerously innovative.
Cassian's jaw tightened.
He couldn't allow an Earthborn nobody to rise too quickly. Not before the others were in place. Not before he had secured what was rightfully his.
Not before the Dynasts arrived.
---
Elsewhere, later that day – Classroom 4B, Military History
Instructor Hames stood at the head of the room, a former naval officer with augmetic eyes and a permanent limp from the Battle of Io.
"Today, we study the Lysari Collapse," Hames began. "A xeno empire once thought indomitable until their vassal species—half enslaved, half bribed—turned against them."
He tapped a display. Holograms shimmered to life: reptilian brutes with cybernetic implants, insectoid flyers with hive-helmets, pale sirens with bio-plasma weapons.
The first look at the xenos.
The room fell silent.
Cadets leaned in.
Hames narrowed his eyes. "Every alien race we face is part of a greater web. The ones you kill today may be slaves to powers far beyond our reach. Study them. Understand them. Or die confused."
Kale sat near the back, arms folded.
He didn't look away from the siren's haunting projection.
Tyche noticed. Her smirk faded.
And Cassian Dorne, in the front row, took notes with perfect posture.
But even he could feel it:
The winds were shifting.
---
Kora's Pov;
Kora stood by the wall, her arms crossed and her gaze fixed on the cadets in the classroom, their faces a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and ambition. The walls of the lecture hall were lined with massive screens, showing schematics of alien ships, their movements and tactics mapped out for all to study. It was the first time she'd seen anything like it. The alien warships—sleek, angular designs, brimming with technology that looked both ancient and cutting-edge—fascinated her. But there was something about them that left her feeling uneasy.
The instructor was going on about alien fleet formations, their strategy, and how they adapted to human tactics in the early stages of the war. But Kora wasn't listening to the lecture. She was thinking about her role in all of this. The academy, the training, the simulations—everything had been a blur of action, a series of trials designed to push them all past their limits. But the reality of what they were facing was starting to sink in.
She wasn't just training to be a soldier anymore. She was training to be part of something much bigger. And that made her feel small.
"Cadet Kora," the instructor's voice cut through her thoughts, and she snapped to attention, her heart skipping a beat. She hadn't been paying attention, not at all. But the instructor was waiting for her response, his piercing gaze locking onto hers.
"Yes, Instructor?" she asked, trying to sound calm.
"Explain the significance of the Xenos' tactic in the Battle of Solaris. How did their fleet positioning impact the outcome of that engagement?"
Kora's mind raced. She had studied the battle, of course. It was one of the most brutal engagements humanity had faced, where an entire fleet had been decimated in a matter of hours. The Xenos had used a formation known as the "Razorclaw," where their ships moved in a near-perfect circular formation, drawing in human ships and trapping them within a confined space. It had been designed to destroy the most powerful human warships by focusing all fire on a single target, a tactic that humans had been forced to adapt to after it had worked so effectively in the first encounter.
"They used the 'Razorclaw' formation to encircle and isolate the strongest ships in our fleet, forcing them into vulnerable positions where they were easy targets for concentrated fire," Kora said, her voice steady despite the tension building in her chest. "It's designed to overwhelm the enemy's defenses, forcing them into a position where they either retreat or get destroyed."
The instructor nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Correct. And what was the human response to this tactic?"
Kora hesitated for a moment, trying to recall the next part of the textbook. But she had to focus, push the panic out of her mind. She could do this.
"Human commanders quickly adapted by using smaller, faster ships to harass the outer edges of the formation, creating gaps and forcing the Xenos to readjust their positioning. We also used electronic warfare to disrupt their communications, throwing off their ability to coordinate effectively."
The instructor gave her a nod of approval, though his gaze lingered for a moment longer than necessary. "Well done, Cadet Kora. You've been paying attention after all."
She exhaled slowly, trying to calm the sudden rush of adrenaline in her veins. It was just one question, one moment of pressure. But in that split second, everything had felt like it was on the line. Kora wasn't used to being in the spotlight, but she knew she had to get used to it. She had a role to play, and no one here would let her slide by just because she was quiet.
The rest of the class resumed, but Kora's mind was elsewhere. She was thinking about the Xenos, their strange ships, their eerie tactics. Every time she learned more about them, she felt more out of her depth. The academy's curriculum was tailored to prepare them for the worst—but what if the worst was more than they could handle?
She shook the thought away and refocused on the present. She couldn't afford to get lost in what-ifs. She had to survive, to fight, and most of all, to prove herself to everyone around her. The stakes were only getting higher.
As the lecture continued, Kora's mind wandered to Kale, Ox, and the others. They were all dealing with the same pressures, the same challenges. But Kora had always felt like an outsider in this group. She was good at what she did, but she wasn't a strategist like Kale or a fighter like Ox. She was the wildcard—the one who didn't belong but was trying to find her place in the chaos.
She glanced at the clock. The day's lesson was almost over. She had a lot of work to do, both in class and outside of it. If she didn't push herself, she'd be left behind. And she wasn't about to let that happen.
---
Border War Clip:
The video feed flickered for a moment before a high-definition image of a barren planet appeared. In the distance, a human destroyer class ship was engaged in a firefight with an alien cruiser. The enemy ship was agile, its weapons blindingly fast, but the human vessel had something the aliens didn't—tactics. The human ship fired a series of targeted pulses, hitting weak points in the alien's armor, sending explosions through its structure. The enemy ship faltered, then exploded in a burst of flame and debris. The human fleet, though outnumbered, had once again demonstrated the power of strategic thinking over sheer strength.
---
Quote at Chapter End:
"The enemy you underestimate today will be the executioner of your empire tomorrow."
—Grand Marshal Tarsen Vail, United Solar Doctrine