The station pulsed with light and power, alive like a living organism suspended between worlds. Veins of cobalt electricity rippled through the ceiling conduits, splitting into rivers of blue fire that danced across the magnetic tracks. The Aetherline Cruiser glided into place with an almost reverent hush — not so much a train as a celestial creature, its hull glimmering with constellations reflected from the city's dome.
I felt the hum of its engines in my chest. The air trembled. This was it. The moment every sleepless night, every failure, every impossible dream had been building toward.
"Nova, my star." My mother's voice quivered, the kind that tried to be brave and broke anyway. She reached for Kiri's hand, squeezing so tight her knuckles paled. Her smile shone, but her eyes told a deeper story — pride tangled with fear, like she knew that light sometimes burns before it shines.
My father shook his head slowly, still disbelieving. "The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. Program—our daughter, accepted. You've done it, Nova. You've earned this."
I clutched my pack to my chest, grounding myself against the tremor in my hands. "Hard work brought me here," I said, even as my throat tightened. "All those nights, all that training—it finally means something. This time, I can make something mean something."
Beside them, Kiri tilted his small glowing head up at me. His Virexian skin shimmered like opal glass, and the thin bio-lines tracing his temples flickered in rhythm with his heartbeat. "You'll be the best cadet ever!" he chirped, voice bubbling with light.
I crouched to his level, brushing a strand of silver hair from his face. "You'll be watching the skies for me, right?"
His light brightened, pulsing in a pattern that meant always.
Then came the boarding call — sharp, metallic, final.
I turned, forcing a smile even as my chest caved in. My father raised his fist in salute; my mother mouthed, shine bright. Kiri beamed like a miniature star beside her, his glow steady and strong.
When the Cruiser doors sealed shut, they did so with a burst of cobalt light that swallowed the world I'd always known.
⸻
The Voyage
I thought I'd spend the four-hour ride watching stars streak past like ribbons of time, but the girl beside me had other plans.
She was tall, all limbs and laughter, her soft pink skin marking her as Zaurithian. A holographic platinum wig flickered faintly with her every movement, light catching on the edges of her jaw like a halo of steel.
"You look like someone who needs a distraction," she said, dropping into the seat next to me with a grin that could melt asteroid ice. "I'm Lyra Solenn. First time leaving home?"
"Is it that obvious?" I managed a laugh. "Nova Amani. And yeah."
Lyra's grin widened. "Then we're both doomed and destined. Might as well start believing in destiny now."
We traded stories, snacks, and dreams — the kind you whisper about before you actually touch them. By the time the Cruiser's AI voice announced arrival, I felt like I'd known Lyra forever. She was sunlight through glass: impossible to ignore, a little too bright to stare at for long.
⸻
Arrival
Veyra IX.
The station was colossal — towers of obsidian glass stretching into the violet haze of the planet's stratosphere. Hundreds of cadets flooded through the docking ring, their chatter colliding with the low thunder of turbines. The air smelled of ozone and polished steel, thick with the scent of new beginnings.
I stepped into the scanning queue, sleeve pulled back to reveal my ident-band. Just as I lifted my wrist, a shoulder brushed mine.
"Sorry," came a calm voice — smooth, like static softened by silk.
I turned. The boy was tall, his opalescent skin rippling faintly with shifting colors. His eyes, pale lavender, reflected the terminal lights like distant moons.
"It's fine," I said quickly — too quickly. My pulse betrayed me.
He nodded once and passed through the gate. I found myself watching his retreating form until his name echoed in my mind like a spark from a memory.
Aleron Thae.
⸻
The Oath
The assembly hall was a cathedral of glass and steel, its walls humming with soft harmonic frequencies from a thousand data streams. Lyra gave me a wink from her row; I smiled back before sitting one seat from Aleron.
Names rang through the chamber, each one echoing off the crystalline ceiling as cadets stepped forward to swear allegiance.
When they called "Aleron Thae," the entire hall rippled. Whispers slithered like wind.
"Thae—from Heliox Corp—"
"Heir to the four galactic tech colonies—"
"First son—"
Aleron walked forward, calm and untouchable, and pressed his palm to the Oath Pillar. The structure lit with blinding white lines that spiraled up its core, wrapping his name in fire. He spoke the words not loudly, but with a certainty that silenced the whispers.
When he returned, his gaze brushed mine. A brief spark. A silent recognition neither of us could name.
Then—
"Kai Rhion."
The hall exploded. Cheers, stomps, claps that shook the air. Kai strode up with an effortless swagger, dark hair wild, eyes burning with that kind of confidence you can't learn — you're born with it. He took the Oath like he was claiming destiny itself, and the crowd roared his name.
When the holo-screen flared to life, our assignments blinked in glowing letters:
Team Rhion
Nova Amani.
Lyra Solenn.
Aleron Thae.
…and nine others.
My heart stuttered.
Kai stepped forward, his gaze cutting through the sea of faces. "Team Rhion," he said, voice like a command that didn't need to be shouted. "Solar Atrium. One hour. Don't be late. We don't waste time."
His eyes passed over me briefly — and it felt like standing under twin suns.
Aleron rose beside me, extending his hand. "Aleron Thae."
"I know," I replied before I could stop myself, shaking it.
A faint smile curved his lips. "Ah — the Nova Amani. The girl who built a hover engine from scrap in the International Engineering finals."
I blinked. "You were there?"
"No," he said. "But my father funded it. I watched from home. I'm a fan."
A nervous laugh escaped me. "Well, I'm a fan of your galaxies."
He chuckled quietly, standing. "Come on. Solar Atrium waits."
And as I followed him into the glowing corridors of the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. Complex, the stars themselves seemed to shift — as if the universe had just taken a deep, waiting breath.
The next chapter of my life had begun.