“You hear that Phi?” The commander asked me. A crackling voice sounded calmly through the room “I will prepare for plus one incompetent in my class. Consider your favor returned, Ingrid.” A clicking noise sounded signaling the end of the phone call.

  “Don’t you dare get cocky Master Walker. You are already behind your counterparts by a wide margin in every way that matters. Your instructor will not slow the class just for you to catch up. Understood?” Commander Redgate said, sitting back in her chair. “These forms are a list of tasks to complete within the next two weeks. I will give you a hint, "DO NOT wait to complete these up to the last day.” She frowned at me with daggers for eyes. After a quick check to see I had understood the urgency of these tasks she continued. “I am sending the candidate list for Squad selection. All of these individuals have distinguished themselves above their counterparts by successfully completing a skill assessment. The knowledge test will be taken alongside you when the first semester ends. Their role will be in supporting you. Every mage has their own take on the use of mana due to its uncanny nature. The containment squad you build will operate under the command of Summoner Juniper Keeps. She reports to me” Commander Redgate explained. “There will be others summoned from Earth and they will form containment squads of their own. As you are the first, one of your tasks requiring immediate action will be to keep a notebook while you adapt to the larger environment of Ommery Station. Your companions from Earth will want to know everything that we have discussed so far and will be held to secrecy among all humans. Do not worry about sharing if it will make the transition easier” Commander Redgate continued while pacing behind her desk. “I suspect your first test will be in time management. You are to start Training in just under two weeks alongside fifty other mage candidates” She said. The thin woman paused her pacing and aimed her stare at me. “You will have at least one squad member by the end of tomorrow. Now leave, As much work as you have ahead of you I have the entire military of this station to maintain. Do not make me regret my efforts in recruiting the best instructor In the Front” She moved to her desk with a swift grace and began dialing on her desk tablet.

  Melissa practically dragged me out of the room. “Where to first, Master Walker?” she said with a sly smile. I thought of the plans I originally had the first night upon arriving at the station. The carefree attitude I effectively lived by up until now. I could not just let it go. I needed to act but it had to be in a way that kept me alive inside. I could not change who I was but I could adapt, I knew that much. “Melissa, can you please show me to the gym where the candidates train?” I asked, looking up at her imposing figure. She loomed over me with a growing smile that silhouetted against the ceiling lights. “Right away” She said innocently before she picked me up off the ground and bolted down the hall. Only a couple minutes later and we were staring at a gymnasium larger than I could have ever imagined a building could be. It took up the entire dome.

  Running tracks crossed the center of the floor in a familiar orange rubberized road. Obstacle courses littered the areas in between alternating places with weight racks and benches. I could only see free weights and sandbags being hauled around by the occupants.

  The vast majority of the gym goers were Micans, however the variety in front of me was incredible. Every scan of the room revealed a new wing or tail that was different from another. I saw up to ten legs acting individually as someone dressed in light gym attire darted through the obstacle course with complete focus. Eight of the legs protruded from a small black lump following her spine. The remainder of her was just the tall bipedal human figure shared with the Micans. If a little pale, her Jet black hair that almost matched the common metal around the station. Incredible precision was fully on display as the fake logs and rope ladders seemed to just move out of her way rather than obstruct her passage. I was caught staring by a runner who whistled a cat call as they ran past.

  “This is the gym where candidates continue their training on an individual level after passing their physical and guarding assessments.They are allowed to make time to improve their own strengths while they grow” Melissa explained dropping me on my own two feet without warning. A stumble brought me onto the track and I had to backpedal out of the way of two sasquatches. They huffed at me in passing. I wasn't going to be provoked by someone I knew would kick my ass and ignored the rude behavior. A walk around the inbetween showed that an entire half of a sphere had been dedicated to this facility along with damn near completely open changing rooms. I had to peel my eyes away from the distraction and refocus on the people I had to choose from. Pulling up my tablet I began scrolling. Each time I opened a profile I would get a notification if they were in the gym and where they were, live. I saw the relative strength as weights on their lifts as well as their sprint and distance times. The alarming part was the discovery that the equivalent of one mile was just under the distance of the longest sprint. I suppose that explained some of the ridiculous top speeds listed in a few of the profiles. Marks were also given for outstanding growth or level of aggression displayed. Images and race were located pretty far down on the profiles and unavailable to act as a cover. Instead the achievements held the top most spots above the general description of actions during the exam.

  One achievement stood out as I flipped the screen to the next profile. For Outstanding Endurance” read the text under a small forest symbol. I had not seen this achievement on any of the other profiles. I suppose it is what it says. I scrolled down. The strength was lower than the average I had seen but had shown slow steady improvement all through training. The even growth from day one interested me as most individuals did not see improvement until a couple weeks in. Closing the table showing growth I scrolled to a Guard review where another set of red text denoted “ Live fire test during training. Three of three rounds intercepted, two of three rounds stopped, one of three causing minor wounds to assigned target. Strange, what kind of obstacle did they have to shoot through. Reading on through some information on actions taken in free time to explore the station only fueled my curiosity. A few medical visits were noted as above average in the class. My impatience got the better of me. I scrolled down further, revealing a picture of the lankiest person I had seen so far. Matched beside it was a lean machine of muscle and bones. They must have been before and after photos. The sports bra and shorts did not leave much of the body to imagination, as the long chains of muscle clearly continued through her whole frame. The few scars along her arms and legs showed signs of large impacts and cuts having been healed naturally. I knew the difference between a professionally stitched injury and duct tape bandages from the scar all too well. She has worked hard in her past. The light skin that had held my focus for so long relaxed its grip revealing long dark hair and eight black spider-like legs folded up to stand tall behind her back.

  To say that I was interested was an understatement. Appearance aside, the unique will I saw in her while training at the obstacle course matched the data on her profile. I immediately scrolled past the remaining information and sent a request to meet for an interview. In my rush I forgot to change the location to a spot not in the middle of an active gym. I reasoned with myself. I may as well stay and try some of the obstacle courses at least. I could use the training badly. I settled into my own mind while I waited.

  Fen paused at her favorite High point of the obstacle course. She could see the path that led here as it winded over one of the tracks. Her legs burned alongside a steady thrum of her heart working overtime. Today felt right to her which was a first for once. Of the long three years she had spent on station she was thankful. This year would be her last, as her enlistment would be up in another month. The time investment she had made to become part of a containment squad would be all for naught in just a month. Her mood fell as she remembered the underwhelming scores on her guard assessment. She had been passed up by all the mages she interviewed with because they had neglected to read her profile before scheduling the meeting. A few mages canceled their meetings before she had made it to the meetup spot. The test proctor had passed her on a technicality. She had not let the acting V.I.P die and managed a rather bloody escape in the end. The lowest score ever recorded as one point under a passing grade was recorded in her profile. The test she had failed so many times before was out of her way. Now, she only needed the ear of a less than intelligent mage to get her out into the world to live her dream. She wanted to become special forces and scout the voidborn worlds ahead of everyone else. She would have preferred to run ops by herself but the format was unforgiving. She had to operate under a mage according to stupid military doctrine. What would a mage do when stealth and speed were required.

  Most stories of mages that made it to her parents' workshop involved large levels of destruction followed by overwhelming the enemy forces with firepower. The containment squad did the heavy lifting and everyone knew it. The mage was just a figure head and decision maker. An obstacle to her future disrupting the voidborn on the worlds that had been taken from her people. She would reclaim them herself if it only took killing a mage and its guards. She would find a way to succeed. She needed to.

  A small black metal box clipped to the waist of her shorts rang with an all too familiar beep. Fen settled down in her vantage point sitting down and resting her legs in a stretch over the rope obstacle. She thanked the designer for the comfortable seat before opening the communicator to its display. As she suspected, a notice requesting an interview waited for her at the top of the screen. Tabbing open the notice she read “mage candidate Benjamin J Walker would like to interview you for possible assignment to a containment squad.”

  This was most likely the last fool that would request her before her entering normal service for a boring and mandatory ten years. She shrugged away the thoughts of the survival rate and read further for a location. She needed to act fast before the idiot read all the way to her assessment scores. “Location, location, LOCATION!” she muttered then almost shouted. A green dot showed the gym she was in. Zooming in revealed a spot just on the other side of the obstacles support structure. She had never had a mage come to the gym for an interview. This one must be truly strange to travel so far for a simple squad selection. She leaned around the corner of the wall that obstructed the weirdos spot in the gym. A quick double check followed by a triple check confirmed that a High ranking guard was waiting for her out in the open. “Shit” what did I do this time? Did I talk in my sleep about killing a mage to get to the voidborn worlds? Her mind raced with possibilities. She risked another glance at the waiting guard. The heavily armored guard menaced in the obstacles direction, almost catching sight of her at the top of the obstacle before she slowly ducked back behind her concealment. The odds of her escaping were near zero even if she ditched her comms. The guard was probably not alone and had others waiting to catch her at the entrances of the gym. There was no other play. She had been caught somehow. She would have to hope for a quick death for treason against the Front.

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  Sulking Fen dropped less than gracefully from her perch. Shaking, she walked out of concealment towards the waiting guard.

  “It says that Ashford is just over on the obstacle course next to us. I guess waiting here is probably best. Just in case she wants to freshen up or cooldown before we talk.” Ben said with a shrug. “You won't have to wait long Master Walker. Here she comes now” Melissa corrected me.

  An impossibly short Mican male appeared from behind the High ranking guard as Fen approached cautiously. His dark brown hair, sunburnt peach skin, and thin frame shouted spoiled rich kid at her. Her spirits rose immediately. This kid was probably incompetent and obviously an easy kill. She would get her chance as soon as they entered the right portal. Raising her posture up to appear as capable as possible in front of the free ride, she sold herself as much as her appearance would allow. Her back legs flexed behind her into one fold above her head letting the remainder drape like folded wings. Assuming the posture of attention for any Latrod followed by a swift salute with the middle finger of her flat right hand meeting the edge of her right eyebrow. “Trainee guard Fen Ashford reporting as requested” Fen announced in an overly proper feminine voice.

  “At ease Ashford” Melissa stated plainly “and loosen up. You won't impress this one with your theatrics.”

  “Understood Ma’am” Fen said slowly assuming a more comfortable posture. Bad start Fen dont let your nerves win out. You need this Fen thought to herself. Looking closer at the young man barely half her height she saw the quizzical look she expected a sheltered noble kid to have. “I was just running the course there so please forgive my appearance–Sir” she said calmly, adding the sir a little late.

  Ben saw Fen Ashford's plod turn into a sturdy walk as she approached. He knew that it was to impress after her over the top introduction. She was already hiding something from him before they even talked. This interview might be a bit rough Ben thought as he closed the profile on his tablet. The eyes of the trainee were clearly watching the tablet screen and seemed to prefer the screen not displaying all her private information so he set down the tablet on the ground. He followed the tablet to the ground and crossed his legs. “I am not used to the station's gravity and you could probably use a break. Let's sit and talk, yeah?” Ben asked. The lanky woman obliged, taking up much more floor space than either Melissa or he did. “I do not know what to ask in an interview to be honest. I am on an unreasonable time constraint and your profile interested me. The endurance accolade and your guard exam actions caught my attention the most” Ben said, speaking from his heart as much as he could.

  “Fen taken aback by the blatant lack of tact only paused for a moment before responding “I trained longer than most during my off hours too. I would go around the station practicing clearing rooms as an excuse to explore” The honest over explanation just left her mouth before she could police herself. She looked into the young man's eyes to gauge his reaction, but he just smiled. “I bet that looked pretty funny to everyone watching,” Ben commented. “Who cares what they think. I wanted to see the station” Fen let slip. Her guard was failing. She needed to be more cautious with every word from now on even if it meant being slightly slow to respond.

  “I am Benjamin J Walker. As much as I look like a Mican I can assure you that I am not. I am a Human from a newly discovered wraith world. I need help rescuing my planet from the voidborn. Somehow a smart fucker figured out how to copy the summoning magic used by the front and is now abducting the population. Would you be interested in helping me remove the voidborn in whole? Ben asked while the shocked face of Melissa listened. Melissa acted fast making sure no one nearby was listening in. The crowd had given the strange group a wide berth. Melissa's hand grabbed Latrod's leg and pinned her to the ground. “Stop it Melissa, You are ruining the point I am trying to make” Ben said. Fen looked as if she would bolt the first chance she got as she froze under Melissa’s weight.

  “She can't know these things, you absolute fool. What kind of world did you grow up in where military secrets are open to the public. She is a massive risk now don't you get it.” Melissa’s chest heaved with exertion as she spoke. Fen came to her senses when an armored hand reached for her throat. “I get it. I won't say anything” Fen said in a panicked voice. Melissa paused for a moment. Her body showed no sign of moving off the flattened trainee. “I would like some honesty in return, Miss Ashford. I know that it comes at a price so I prepaid. I'm sorry that my escort didn't like that but you and I are having a conversation. I don’t care what Melissa here thinks” Ben said with a laugh. “Idiot, you may not care but I sure as fuck do. I can't afford a memory alteration surgery. That shit is expensive” Fen spouted. Fen watched the fake smile Ben had put on relax and move to a more comfortable grin. This guy may be an idiot but he really was being honest now. Her parents' voices screamed in her head “Don’t you dare get taken advantage of, there are evil people that will eat you whole if you let them.” Her father’s parting words echoed soon after “Be honest with yourself.” The whole situation is fucked Fen thought as her chest began to buckle under the guards weight. “I just want to take back my planet too,” She admitted. Fen’s whole world collapsed around her. Her mind went blank as her plans to get back faded away. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders as she waited for the quick and immediate judgment to leave her lifeless on the floor.

  When the war against the voidborn started many guards had deserted when they found themselves in a familiar environment of a species homeworld. Mages were being killed by squad members left and right that wanted to go back and save their lost planet. When portals collapsed the area inside would whip back to the point of origin with whatever remained after the battle. These deserters would take advantage of that fact and try to hitch a ride home by becoming part of a containment squad. This act had been stopped by strict lie detector tests and a psych evaluation by multiple doctors. Fen Ashford, after three years in specialized training during an interview with a mage, had just admitted to the most heinous crime possible. A crime punishable by death under any circumstance at any time by any certified soldier.

  Melissa threw her fist up and prepared to crush the Latrod's skull in one swift action. Before the hand could make contact with Fen's head, Ben had jumped over the pinned victim. His torso fell hard onto Fen's face. Looking up at Melissa, Ben reached out his arm. “I have not finished my interview yet” he let loose a verbal assault as best he could manage. “Fools with a death wish, the both of you. Explain to him the crime you admitted in full. Do one last good deed before I spread your blood on the track as a reminder to everyone else” the armored rage said through gritted teeth. Fen gave a shaky explanation of her plans and what similar people had caused in the past. “Move Master walker, so I can finish off the traitor” Melissa said in a cold tone. “Fen Ashford, Would you join my eradication squad?” I asked as I peered under myself at the soggy face. Fen couldn't connect the dots in her mind anymore. The broken fragments had finally caved to the pressure and she was shutting down. “Fen, FEN! Ben's voice aimed at her. His eyes just barely visible as he peeked down at her. He asked her to join his squad, right? She thought to herself. Rallying in her head around the small hope of living to see tomorrow Fen nodded her head yes. She realized that was not enough quickly when he asked again. “Yes” her voice came with a shaky determination. “Well that settles it Melissa. This is my first extermination squad member Latrod Fen Ashford” Ben stated clearly. Melissa’s face contorted and ran a gauntlet of emotions all in a couple seconds. “ We are going to the commander right now. ASHFORD! If you try to run, I won't give you a quick death.” Master Walker you are also in hot water so don't you dare get comfortable.” Melissa said, picking me up under her shoulder and shoving the shaking trainee towards the gym’s exit. “Ashford, You carry the mage candidate if you want the job so badly. You don't have a problem with that, RIGHT mage candidate Walker, GOOD” Melissa said making a scene of throwing me hard at Fen. “If you both play your cards right we might give the voidborn a chance at your hides yet. DOUBLETIME TRAINEE, MOVE IT. COMMANDER REDGATES OFFICE GO,GO, GO.

  Fen laid me across her arms and began moving in a quick cadence towards the gym exit. Her stride was smooth and elegant, if I ignored the shaking of her whole body. Fear was clearly getting the best of her. I reached out to pat her shoulder only to see that I was the one shaking. My hand vibrated in the air as I pulled it back to my neck. My heart rate was so quick I couldn't keep count. I was in the arms of someone who was going to use me as a ride into the middle of the enemy forces in a fool's errand to retake a homeworld from the voidborn. I had only a few minutes to think as we tore through the station. This stupid invasion was taking out world after world. Slipping through tiny cracks and growing into an exponential problem. The United Front was on the back foot, fighting a defensive war with delaying actions. The leadership had to know this. I could argue that I was going to exterminate rather than contain but I had no power or ability to back up the claim. How could I convince the Commander to let me attempt the impossible.

  I was out of time as we reached the door to an all too familiar office. Melissa must have called in the situation because Redgate hung up on the conversation she was having without notice to the other party. “Master walker, do you really want to risk this individual killing you the moment she finds a Latrod homeworld in a portal?” She asked me without looking up. “I accept the risk” I stated plainly. HAH, RISK, It is a certainty you will die by her hands if you attempt to pull her away from her homeworld. I guarantee your death by her hands if the voidborn don't get you first.” The vicious woman snorted back at me as I sat, cradled in my future assassin's arms. I felt an abnormality in the situation. Fen was not tired, I realized. She had been flying through the hallways in an attempt to leave behind the menacing guard, and almost succeeded before we hid the door to the office and the game ended. One look at Melissa had me smiling. “I want to work with Fen” I stated again. Redgate Cackled falling into her chair behind her desk and spinning in place. “Fine, get out you are not even close to done with your work for today. Melissa your work escorting Master walker here is done” Commander redgate said. She stopped her chair spin with an armored boot to the side of the desk and punched in a few quick commands to the desk screen. Fen Ashford Benjamin J Walker has just taken responsibility for ANY AND ALL actions you take in your service to The United Front during your enlistment. I have just added your credentials to His containment squad. Get out. I am busy and will not stand for anymore interruptions” She said with finality. Melissa shoved Fen out of the office and locked the door closed behind us.