The morning bell rang. The elite class shuffled into their luxurious classroom, still sore from yesterday's training. Arthur took his seat at the front. Brenden slumped beside him, already dreading what was coming. Warden sat behind them, rubbing his temples.
"I hate morning classes," Brenden muttered.
"You hate anything that involves books," Arthur replied.
"Books don't break your bones. Captain Leo does. I respect Leo more."
Before Arthur could answer, the door slammed open. Sergeant Luther marched in with heavy steps. His face was set like stone. He carried no books, no notes — only a small holographic projector that he placed on his desk.
"Sit straight," he barked.
Everyone straightened.
Sergeant Luther scanned the room. His eyes lingered on Arthur for a moment. Then he began.
"Today we start the first lesson on the Siege of Nephtaris." He activated the projector. A hologram of a frozen planet materialized above the desk — white surface, jagged ice mountains, and small glowing dots indicating human settlements.
"This is Nephtaris. A yellow-level planet at the time. Now green-level. Eighty percent of its surface is frozen wasteland. The humans who settled there built underground thermal cities. Fifty thousand men, women, and children called it home."
He paused and looked at the class.
"The siege lasted forty-three days. Two thousand human soldiers held the line against ten thousand coalition forces. And they won."
Oliver raised his hand.
"Yes, Green?"
"Sir, which races made up the coalition forces?"
Luther's eye twitched. "The Nephtari Coalition was an alliance of three major races." He tapped the projector. Three figures appeared in the hologram.
The first was a tall, thin creature with blue-grey skin and four arms. Its eyes were large and completely black.
"These are the Syllvans. Natives of the neighboring Syllvanis system. Four arms, excellent climbers, adapted to cold climates. They provided the bulk of the infantry. Cowards at heart — they thought numbers would win them the battle."
The second figure was bulky, with thick fur covering its entire body and tusks protruding from its lower jaw.
"The Gorath. Brute force fighters. Each one stands seven feet tall. They can crush a human skull with one hand. But their brains?" Luther tapped his head. "Empty. No strategy. Just muscle. They were the shock troops."
The third figure was smaller than the others. Humanoid but with grey skin, pointed ears, and sharp cheekbones.
"The Vexxi. The brains of the coalition. Manipulators. Schemers. They convinced the Syllvans and Gorath to unite against humanity. Promised them human planets, human resources, human slaves." Luther's voice grew hard. "They thought humanity was soft. They thought we would crumble."
Magnum raised his hand. "Sir, what was the political situation before the siege?"
"Good question, Windbreaker." Luther crossed his arms. "At the time, humanity was still building trust with several neutral races. The coalition hoped that if they crushed Nephtaris quickly, those neutral races would join them. It was a message. A statement. They wanted to show the galaxy that humans could bleed."
"And they failed," Arthur said quietly.
Luther looked at him. "Yes, Reinhart. They failed. But not before they made us suffer."
He changed the hologram. It now showed the human colony — a dome-shaped structure half-buried in ice, surrounded by thermal towers that pumped heat from the planet's core.
"The colony was called Nova Spire. Population: fifty-three thousand. Military garrison: two thousand soldiers. Commander Elena Voss was in charge."
Noah raised his hand. "Sir, was Commander Voss an Original? What was her ability?"
"She was an Original. Level 6 ice ability. But her real strength was her mind. She understood terrain better than anyone. She knew the ice fields of Nephtaris like a mother knows her child." Luther's voice softened slightly. "She was twenty-nine years old when the siege began. Younger than most captains. But she had something the coalition didn't — patience."
Brenden was struggling. He was writing notes, but his handwriting was messy and he kept crossing things out. Warden noticed and slid his own notes toward him. Brenden gave a small nod of thanks.
"The coalition gave humanity an ultimatum," Luther continued. "Twenty-four hours to surrender. Unconditional. They would spare the civilians if the soldiers laid down their weapons."
"What did Commander Voss do?" Damian asked.
Luther smiled. It was a cold smile. "She gathered her soldiers. Two thousand men and women. And she spoke to them. Her speech that day is still taught in military academies."
He tapped the projector. A holographic text appeared in the air.
---
"They stand on our ice and demand our home. They think the cold is their ally. They think numbers will break us. They have forgotten that we are human. And humans do not surrender to those who threaten our families. We will fight. We will bleed. And when the sun rises on the forty-fourth day, they will be the ones buried in this ice — not us."
— Commander Elena Voss, Address to the Nova Spire Garrison, Day 0 of the Siege of Nephtaris
---
The class was silent.
"She said that?" Oliver asked.
"She said that," Luther confirmed. "And she meant every word."
Vor looked uncomfortable. He was good at fighting, not remembering quotes and dates. He glanced at Damian, who was already writing down the speech word for word. Magnum was doing the same. Arthur sat calmly, absorbing everything without taking a single note.
"How did the siege begin, sir?" Arthur asked.
"Patience, Reinhart. We'll cover the first assault in the next class." Luther switched off the projector. "Today I want you to understand why this battle mattered. The Siege of Nephtaris was not just a military victory. It was a message back to the coalition. They wanted to show the galaxy that humans could be broken. Instead, we showed them that two thousand soldiers with the right leader can defeat an army five times their size."
He walked to the center of the room.
"The Sylvan infantry outnumbered us. The Gorath shock troops were stronger than us. The Vexxi strategists were cunning. But they had one weakness."
He looked at each student.
"They underestimated human will."
Luther's voice suddenly rose. "Those pathetic Syllvans thought their four arms would save them from bullets. Those brainless Gorath thought their tusks would shield them from human steel. And the Vexxi — oh, the Vexxi thought they could manipulate us like puppets!" He slammed his hand on the desk. "They were wrong! They were all wrong! And by the time they realized it, their blood was freezing on the ice!"
Brenden jumped at the sudden outburst. Warden almost dropped his pen.
"Sir," Arthur said calmly, "the Vexxi — did any of them survive the siege?"
Luther took a deep breath. He adjusted his collar. "Apologies. I got carried away." He cleared his throat. "Yes, Reinhart. Some Vexxi were captured alive. They provided valuable intelligence after the war. Some even cooperated with humanity. But most..." He paused. "Most chose death over surrender."
"Why?" Noah asked.
"Because they knew what they had done. They knew the blood on their hands. And they feared human justice more than death itself."
The bell rang. Luther straightened his uniform.
"Next class, we will discuss the first assault — how the coalition attacked Nova Spire and how Commander Voss broke their front line. Read the notes I've provided. And remember —"
He looked directly at Brenden, who quickly looked down at his messy notes.
"— there will be a written test at the end of the month. Eight classes. One battle. If you fail, Captain Leo will hear about it."
Brenden gulped.
"Class dismissed."
---
As they walked out, Brenden grabbed Arthur's arm. "Bro, I'm doomed. Did you see how much he talked? And I have to remember all of it?"
"You'll be fine," Arthur said. "I'll help you study."
"Me too," Warden added. "We'll make a study group."
Vor groaned. "Count me in. I didn't understand half of what he said about the Vexxi."
"The Vexxi were the smart ones," Damian said, walking beside them. "The ones who planned everything. The Syllvans and Gorath were just muscle."
"See? Damian already knows it," Brenden said, throwing his hands up. "I'm the dumbest one here."
"You're not dumb," Arthur said firmly. "You just never had a chance to study properly because your family treated you like trash. That changes now."
Brenden was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled. "Fine. But you're explaining the speech again. I want to know exactly what Commander Voss said."
"I'll tell you over lunch," Arthur said.
"Lunch sounds good," Magnum said, catching up to them. "Oliver and Noah are already arguing about whether the Syllvans or Gorath were uglier."
"Gorath," Noah shouted from ahead. "Definitely the Gorath."
"You're both wrong," Oliver replied. "The Vexxi were the ugliest. Smart, but ugly."
The group laughed and headed toward the cafeteria. Brenden walked a little taller now. The fear of the test was still there, but so were his friends.
And that made all the difference.
This chapter is a few days before the revelation of their first deployment... Xoxo