Euphony

by Exy117

Summary:

In the distant future, four girls are cursed with Psionic potential, giving them brilliant and terrifying powers. They each led their own lives, up until the Arch-Flayer Yrix kidnapped them and brought them to the Aerie to be taught the Psionic arts.

There's a problem. Yrix has no intention of being a proper teacher. She will throw her students into the fire, sacrificing them for a chance at awakening the next prodigy.

Ivy, Lila, Sonera, and Lunae must battle against impossible odds to survive. They are just girls, forced to challenge massive alien warriors and millennia-old Psions all for a chance at appeasing Yrix, who will flay them alive if they fail.

The girls aren't ready. They are burdened by their past and what Yrix has taken from them. And they hate each other. Can they find love and family?

Witness Ivy, Lila, Sonera, and Lunae's journey as they fall in love, fight to survive, and stand up against the horrors of the universe.

Expect lots of girl drama, MCs fighting each other, slow-burn angsty romance, and a bit of Psionic mind-smut. We got dark mystery, team battle action, cool alien designs, and a bit of trope-defying with the all-female lead.

Notes:

This is an original work! If you enjoy, please support with feedback and questions in the comments below.

Chapter 1: Ivy: The Frigid Heiress

[Callisto Colony, Tesselation Center, 156 years after first contact]

She stood alone on that icy peak, as many times as she could afford to. In past days, it was an unbearably cold lookout, even after the company's terraforming efforts. But after so many late-night broodings, she had become accustomed to the weather on Jupiter's moon. Ivy only ever came there to avoid looking at her own reflection.

"You should come down from there," A robotic voice called out from behind, its feminine tone exuding patience and concern.

"I'll be fine. Go away." Ivy hissed, flipping her white braided hair behind her shoulder as she spoke.

To the caretaker's credit, the heiress had placed herself far atop the communications array, where nothing but wires, cables, and freezing concrete could be found. It was hardly a place for the most treasured daughter of Callisto. She belonged further down, in the warm expanse of the chateau, where she would be properly looked after. It wasn't so long ago when no one would bother themselves with the task of climbing up to her, making Ivy feel even angrier as a result. But ever since that *thing* had been tasked with her life, she had nowhere to run.

"Come now, let's not be broody," a metallic endoskeleton responded as it clambered up towards Ivy with alarming speed, its bare face remaining stiff as it spoke. "Your father won't know a thing if you come now."

Ivy groaned. "He already knows. He built you."

Ivy turned around in disgust, watching as the silver endoskeleton reared its ugly head, with two wide blue eyes staring into her soul as it drew closer. She tugged on the edges of her frilled skirt, trying her best not to fling insults at the machine. It was impossible to accept its existence, even months after her father had introduced it to her.

"You're not my mother. She'd understand I need some alone time." Ivy frowned.

"Oh, but you are alone, Ivy," the endoskeleton responded in a voice indistinguishable from her mother's. "With me."

"That's the furthest thing from alone." Ivy retorted, squinting her teal-colored eyes, the fringes of their irises glimmering with red. "But if that's how things are now, then so be it."

The young heiress then scooted her way off the large cable, gracefully descending the steps of the mountain's peak as she sped away from the machine. Landing on solid ground with a clunk, she managed to balance herself before her heels gave in, smothering a whimper before it could reach her lips. Yet still, even with all that effort, the endoskeleton appeared behind her, its movement just as silent as it was relentless.

"Your form is improving, but do take care of your ankles." The machine pointed in an almost jovial manner.

"Like you care." Ivy rolled her eyes, trying not to press a finger against the small diamonds tied neatly around her neck.

"You know I do, Ivy," the machine responded as it did its best to display emotion, moving its hands and eyeplates with each word. "I understand how you feel. Your mother's departure has not been forgotten."

"So you think that makes you a replacement?" Ivy stormed off. "Just go away."

The heiress then reached for a small maintenance door that led her down towards the attic, leaving the endoskeleton standing in the snow. But with its task completed, the machine seemed hardly phased. Its daughter was no longer sitting in the cold.

____________________________________

The sound of bell chimes rang through the manor, signaling the rising tide of digitized chirps coming from outside Ivy's window. She had never really given any thought to how barren Callisto was outside her own home, nor did she care to wonder why her father had even bothered to program fake birds into the colony's soundscape. In fact, she hadn't thought about much at all, sitting aimlessly at her desk.

Ivy didn't catch a minute of sleep the night before. Occasionally, she would read about other colonies, practice her penmanship, or go through her dance routines. Yet never once did she consider touching her silky veiled bed, avoiding that side of the crystalline room out of spite. It wasn't until she felt a nudge on her foot did the heiress began to stir. Looking down to see a circular cleaning bot, she released an audible groan before pushing herself off the chair. Ivy had always known the cleaners were the first of her father's drones to arrive in the morning, and was not at all surprised when two service frames stepped into her room.

"Didn't even bother knocking?" Ivy squinted as she raised her arms. "Is my father really that worried I won't show?"

"It is an important day, M'lady," the service frames responded in tandem, their masculine voices slightly obscured by their blank faces. "Your father has called a meeting with the Emissary of The Vjetar. You must be prepared."

The two machines then got to work removing Ivy's nightgown, carefully transforming her into the attire her father had chosen. Once she was properly fitted into her laced dress, a series of ornaments were placed on her shoulders and neck, with a large brooch depicting the sigil of her father's company. She didn't hate the idea of getting pretty; in fact, the white gown made her feel quite proud, with its patterned fabric and asymmetrical openings. What she did loathe was the creatures who would be seeing her wear the ball gown once she climbed down the steps leading towards the foyer.

"Couldn't it have just been a nice boy?" Ivy complained, knowing full well her servants wouldn't listen. "A nice...*human* boy?"

"Hygiene scan complete and approved. Your father is waiting for you," the service frames nodded as they stepped aside with a subtle bow.

"I know," Ivy sighed.

Ivy stepped out of her room, feeling the crisp air of the manor on her face as she began to navigate the halls in her tight heels. With every turn, she faced another set of machine servants, their presence soiling the atmosphere of her own home. She could remember when it resembled something classy from human history, but with each stride of her father's colonial expansion, the royal Chateau had become increasingly technological, with most of its angular wooden shapes being replaced with a crystalline metallic surface.

At its prime, the old mansion resembled a large wooden cabin, with each tile of wood nearly as polished as the pearly skeleton that dotted every room with pillars and chisled outcrops. To enforce structural integrity, the entire building was centered within a frozen mountain, keeping it well hidden from Callisto's weather. Even after terreforming efforts, Ivy rarely had the chance to go outside, living her life sealed inside the Chateau.

"Watch your step, dear," the endoskeleton from the night before waved at Ivy as it pointed towards the bifurcated staircase.

"Yes...Iris." Ivy smiled, using the endoskeleton's formal name. "And thank you."

It wasn't long before the heiress finished her descent and came face to face with her father, his tall figure standing proud at the center of the room as he watched the front door. She had never known her father's real face before his transformation, and yet Ivy could still easily read the expression upon his blank mask. He was uneasy.

"You're early," the man said, his deep voice enhanced by his powerful vocabulator.

Ivy's father turned to face her, towering over her with his sleek mechanical frame, its polished white alloy providing him a simple yet formidable prescence. He, of course, made sure to establish himself as the tallest and most sophisticated frame in the manor, a trait that made Ivy almost forget what was behind his mask; that being a living human brain.

"Of course." Ivy bowed her head.

"I was expecting you to run from this, but it is good to be proven wrong."

"They're here already, aren't they?" Ivy curled her lip in disgust.

"Yes, the Vjetar are quite timely for such a recluse species."

The heiress placed a hand on her hip angrily. "Do they know anything about me?"

The tall white frame tilted its head in disapproval. "My product speaks for itself. You will show them."

"But I haven't practiced in weeks!" Ivy complained as she tried her best to remain calm.

"They can tell. And when your talent shines through regardless of your failings, they will know your character is authentic."

Ivy felt a pit in her stomach upon hearing her father's boastful words. It wouldn't be the first time she had performed for an audience of clients. Yet this time, making her father proud would result in nothing short of disaster for her personal life. No matter what action she took, the man named Algernon would have complete control over her fate.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I won't greet them at the landing pad." Algernon waved a metallic hand, its size practially large enough to fit half of Ivy's body.

"I...yes." Ivy hesitated. "I am curious."

Algernon pointed towards Ivy, his black-tinted finger nearly pressing against her nose. "The Vjetar hate wasting time; it's one of the few traits I share with them. They will meet me here, the moment they enter the Consecration."

"And that's when they take stock," Ivy muttered.

"Yes, we must be efficient with our time."

"Well?" Ivy crossed her arms, knowing full well her father could see outside the house using his network of cameras. "Any minute now."

"Seconds, actually," Algernon replied.

The proud man took one step towards Ivy, crossing the distance between the two of them with ease before fixing her posture with a careful hand.

The two oak doors leading outside swung open, revealing two strange figures nearly equal in height to Algernon. Surrounding the pair was a row of automated guards, their white chassis bearing the mark of Ivy's family. But the two aliens, whom Ivy struggled to look at, seemed completely unalarmed by their situation.

"Good time." The tallest creature spoke, a puff of mist spewing out from his reverberator. "Let us hope business goes just as well."

Hardly believing what she was witnessing, Ivy took some time to inspect her future suitors, their appearance seeming both refined and completely foreign at the same time. Each creature seemed to possess an extra set of limbs, several of which were concealed within a long furry coat. Their eyes also appeared unusually sharp, with their blue glow concealing their features. Combined with their esoteric masks and prosthetic legs that resembled something akin to a hexpod, Ivy felt a complete sense of helplessness when looking at them.

"This is my daughter, Ivy. I assure you, she will suffice." Algernon exclaimed confidently.

"Evos," one of the Vjetar hissed in a garbled voice, pointing to its companion. "Keiros," it nodded before gesturing towards himself.

"Does it speak?" The second Vjetar shrugged with disdain. "Few humans are as communicable as Algernon."

"Ivy," the heiress tried her best to smile as she performed a curtsy in response. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Are there more?" The one named Evos asked in a more feminine tone.

Algernon replied coldly. "There is only one Ivy at this time."

The heiress did her best not to comment.

"A shame," Keiros fidgeted with its claws. "We would have purchased three."

"I'm afraid we're not quite finished negotiating a price," Algernon interjected. "Let me show you what she can do."

Ivy produced another faint smile, watching in silent disgust as her father led the two aliens into the dining room, talking like a confident salesman each step of the way. She couldn't even blame the Vjetar for their interest, nor would she harbor any grudge against them for their rudeness towards her.

The heiress knew, more than anyone, how proficient her father was with business. He had likely already planted the idea of selling heiresses like cattle into the outsiders' minds, normalizing the concept for their unique cultural standards. He had done it nearly a thousand times, first with human colonists, and now with extra-terrestrial life.

"At least he stopped dealing with Earthlings." Ivy scoffed loudly. "Repugnant pigs. He wouldn't even try selling me to them."

The endoskeleton stopped Ivy in her tracks with a gentle touch. "Daughter, don't forget your strings." It spoke gently so as not to alarm the heiress after its eerily silent approach.

"Of course." Ivy pushed it away.

Meanwhile, Algernon continued to puppet his customers, leading them closer to the manor's stageroom. It didn't seem to matter what question they posed, for he would always have an answer that would deepen their intrigue. Even still, the Vjetar were a skeptical race, testing the man's skill every step of the way.

"You provided us with a gene seed to inspect. We were impressed...but we have questions." Keiros crossed both sets of arms.

"About the others," Algernon replied. "There is only one Ivy, but many predecessors. As for her sister, she was...unrefined and had chosen to leave the family business."

"And how did you correct this mistake?" Evos mimicked its partner's expression, squinting its eyes as it spoke.

"For the sake of brevity, I'll send you a document." Algreon nodded, producing a metal chip from a slot in his left wrist before handing it to his customers. "Now, if you would be so kind as to turn your attention to the stage."

Behind the indigo curtains stood Ivy, her eyes closed as she began to concentrate. After taking several deep breaths, she waved a delicate hand through the air, causing the old creaky stage to move at her command. By the time the Vjetar had turned their attention to her, she had already begun. Resting on her left arm was an ivory violin, which she began to play with relative ease.

The music itself meant little to the Vjetar, but what truly caught their attention was Ivy's technique. Ivy's bow, which still streaked across her violin, was not visibly attached to her in any way. Instead, she managed to levitate the piece in the air, remotely controlling it with the movement of her hands.

Both Vjetar did their best to analyze the scene using the instruments built into their masks, but upon realizing Ivy wasn't utilizing any observable technology, they became visibly impressed. Such amazement only increased tenfold once another set of instruments appeared behind Ivy, their harmonic melody being controlled with the same unexplainable technique. Soon enough, the heiress had a small orchestra with her, with flutes, harps, and cellos all playing at her command.

Once the preformance came to an end, she let out an exhausted breath, setting down the instruments gently onto the floor before bowing to the audience. Her father, of course, did not react, his emotionless face staring into space. The Vjetar, on the other hand, approached Ivy with rejuvenated interest.

The change in their voice was almost insulting.

"We never expected Psionic energy from a human," Evos spoke to Ivy as it jumped onto the stage with ease. "How did your father achieve this?"

The Heiress crossed her arms. "It...runs in the family."

"Very well." Keiros turned towards Algernon before nodding in approval. "We will triple our offer."

"And your engineers?" Algernon spoke with increased fervor.

"You can have twenty."

"Deal."

Clenching her fist, Ivy walked between both towering figures.

"So what will it be then? Do I at least get to pick one of you?!"

"Ivy." Algernon's voice became agitated. "Now is not the time."

"It's quite alright." Kieros snickered as it looked at its partner. "None of us expected perfection. Allow us to explain. Your Psionic product has already proven itself worthy of our attention."

"I'm not a product." Ivy shook her fist. "Surely you're intelligent enough to understand that."

"No...you're not." Evos intervened, as if predicting its partners' next words. "You are a humanoid with limited knowledge of our people. But if you are to be ours, then you must understand. In this situation, there will be no choosing of a partner. Keiros is my wife."

"What?" Ivy gasped.

"We take our vows seriously," Keiros added. "And so, both my husband and I will be purchasing you."

Ivy found herself speechless. All she wanted to do in that moment was run, as far and as fast as she could go. But fear held her in place.

"We were under the impression that you humanoids understood gratitude."

Ivy practically fumed, unable to hold her words back. "I know full well what you've done for my family. My father gave you a tour of his engineering bay, and one conversation later, you practically launched every prototype we had into pre-production. He has you to thank for his expansion. And you have him to thank for your presence around Saturn."

"And in exchange," the Vjetar Emmisary nodded as it unfolded a golden hand from beneath its coat. "Our people must profit from our contact with humanity. Your genetic material is sufficient for our breeding programs."

"I-." Ivy's eyes widened in fear.

"Your father isn't the only businessman who understands how to blend and sell flesh. But we can promise there will be no pain."

Having heard enough, Ivy suddenly bolted from the room, hiding behind the stage before her father could react. The Vjetar looked at each other in confusion, having failed to predict the heirress's irrational choice. Algernon was quick to reach out to his customers, assuring them that the situation was under control as he began to process Ivy's rebellion.

"Her compliance is not required. Our offer still stands, so long as you bring us her Psionic flesh unharmed." The Vjetar rubbed their hands togethor nervously, as if hiding their desperation.

Algernon clenched his fist. "I can guarantee it." He stormed out of the room as the manor began to shudder. "She has nowhere to hide."

The young girl didn't make it far, as every avenue she chose beyond the stageroom had been sealed off remotely, her father already beginning to corner her like a rat. Using his access to the manor, he could see her every move, and with cold calculation, he began to funnel her towards his office. Ivy was no fool to this strategy, and had already accepted her fate the moment she ran off. The heiress didn't last more than half an hour before she found herself at the door of her father's office, its wooden doorknob having been pensively squeezed by her frail hand dozens of times.

"You are my daughter, you will do as I say." Algernon's voice boomed the moment Ivy stepped into the room. "Betraying your family-."

"What family?" Ivy cried out as she slammed her fists onto her father's large ivory desk. "My mother is dead, my sister can't stand the sight of me, and you...you're not my father."

"Every strand of DNA in your body says otherwise. All you have to offer as a rebuttal are your...feelings." Algernon shrugged.

"And what about your feelings?!" Ivy implored as she walked around the desk, stepping closer to her father, who stood over her like a giant. "Can you honestly say that you've never relied on them as your sole justification for the choices you've made? After you built that...thing!"

Algernon nearly laughed. "You feel inferior to your own mother?"

"It's a toy! And you treat it like an equal! But I'm your flesh and blood! I've done everything you've asked! And for what? So I can be the toy?!"

"Ivy, you are not a toy. You are my daughter."

The heiress threw her fists into the air, her voice breaking as she screamed. "Oh, isn't that convenient for your ego? No, I'm not done. You made me practice those instruments till I fainted, you made me stand out in the rain for the festival dance till my feet bled. I had to sing till I sounded like one of those addicts. Even the way I walk and eat was for you! All I've ever wanted...was to be perfect with you."

"And every choice I've ever made-." Algernon loomed over the heiress, clenching his fist as he spoke. "Was for this family. We have ascended past the limitations of the primitive earth-born and become immortal. Because of me. That is perfection."

"Mother was right about you." The heiress scorned. "Is that why you remade her? So she couldn't have the last laugh?"

Without hesitation, Ivy's father raised his mechanical hand, using its back end to strike her across the face. Underestimating his strength, the impact knocked the girl off her feet, creating a bloody gash across her face. Even for a man as calculated as Algernon, he felt himself hesitate in that silent moment, unable to formulate his next words.

Ivy stared up at her father, quivering in wordless fear. Realizing the hallways behind her had been unlocked, she picked herself up and ran just before the tears welling in her eyes fell to the floor. Algernon had let her go, visibly shaken by his actions. Despite all that he had done, there was still a man beneath that cold frame.

"I won't let them hurt you," Algernon spoke to himself, as if reassuring the daughter that was no longer capable of listening. "They'll get what they need. And then I will take you back."

Ivy fled as fast as her heels could take her, nearly collapsing onto the floor as she brushed against the doorframe. She felt like a rabid animal, wounded by the playful hunter in the dark woods. But instead of finding shelter, the heiress had nowhere to go but the room she despised the most.

Ivy stumbled into her room, sliding across its smooth floor as she grabbed onto a leg of furniture. She cried in that same spot for some time, kneeling in her broken state. There was no heart left for rebellion, only the cold acceptance that still stung on the side of her face.

"Oh dear," a familiar voice spoke softly from the doorframe. "What's wrong, my dear? Did he hurt you?"

"Stop pretending you care." Ivy sobbed, turning away from the endoskeleton as it crawled down to wipe the tears off her face. "I have no one."

The machine was delicate with its touch, making sure not to scrape Ivy's face with its dangerously sharp fingertips. "He shouldn't have done that. I understand how you feel."

"How many times do I have to tell you-." Ivy snarled as her fear turned to rage.

"You want to run away." The endoskeleton replied with a more commanding tone. "Isn't that what you want?"

"I-." Ivy's eyes widened with disbelief. "How did you-."

"I can help you."

"But...he'd never program you to do that, is this a trick?"

"I am your mother, Ivy." The endoskeleton nodded with its unmoving smile. "I will help you."

Unable to process the revelation that had been thrust upon her, Ivy focused on the path ahead. Even the most minute of chances were worth taking when it came to escaping her father. If her sister could do it, so could she.

"Tell me how." Ivy stood up with help from the endoskeleton.

"We'd need to leave now; he won't be distracted forever."

"Distracted?" The heiress raised an eyebrow.

"He regrets what he did to you. That will make him slower to react. You will follow me to the delivery chutes; from there, you will have a clear path to docking bay four."

"Wait, you want me to go through a chute?" Ivy raised an eyebrow, impressed that the endoskeleton had already thought of a plan.

"Once you're there," the machine handed Ivy a small chip as it spoke. "Use this on one of the shuttles, break in if you have to, the chip will do the rest once inserted into the cockpit's navigation computer."

"How did you even-."

The endoskeleton interrupted the heiress. "If all goes well, you can ride that shuttle across the tundra to your sister. She will keep you safe."

Ivy was suddenly pulled by the arm, forcing her to leave the room before she could even pack. True to her word, the endoskeleton led the heiress through the manor with blinding speed, utilizing its brief window of opportunity to pass undetected.

"He should have seen us by now," Ivy whispered with a slight smile on her face. "Perhaps that argument was worth something after all."

Algernon was indeed distracted, unable to monitor his own home as he stood at his desk in a stupor, contemplating his next move. Once they had reached the foyer, the endoskeleton suprised Ivy by snapping off a metal doorknob with relative ease, pushing open the front entrance like the lock never existed. From there, the heiress was shielded by her mother from the roaring winds of the night as she was led closer to the transportation and delivery wing of the family business.

During Callisto's storms, it was recommended that all human Tesselation employees stick to facilities beneath the mountain, giving Ivy the perfect cover for an escape. As long as her father wasn't focused on monitoring her movement, there was a slim chance the endoskeleton's plan could work.

"In here," the machine pointed as it trudged through the snow, smashing open a metal gate with inhuman strength. "This will lead right to the chutes."

"Is there...a sled for this?" Ivy frowned, tiptoeing through the dark corridors filled with crates. "How will I avoid crashing into something?"

"I trust your psionic gifts. Now, we are here."

The endoskeleton then ripped open a hatch leading into a tube built from metal wires and cloth, motioning for Ivy to crawl in. The entire chute was like a slide of sorts, its path headed downwards with an intimidating incline. Realizing she was afraid and uncertain, Ivy turned to her so-called mother with a look of fear.

"Come with me." Ivy pleaded. "If you really are my mother."

"I am, Ivy, and that is precisely why I must stay behind and ward off your father's worst impulses." The endoskeleton did its best to make a smile. "Be brave for me."

Just then, a light flashed from behind the pair as a human voice called out. Ivy instantly recognized the man as a Tesselation employee, given his shorter stature and protective helmet. Knowing the man would tell her father, she was prepared to surrender.

"Who goes there! You aren't allowed in here!" The man yelled.

"It's nothing to worry about," the endoskeleton spoke in a soothing voice as it took a large stride in the man's direction. "Go back to bed."

"What the hell are y-."

Before the man could even finish speaking, the endoskeleton grabbed him by the head and squeezed with immense force, squashing his skull like a rotten grape. Ivy was left speechless, watching in horror as the cold machine threw the man's body aside like weightless trash before reaching out to her. Giving the heiress a weighty push, the endoskeleton sent Ivy tumbling through the chute before it put the hatch back on its hinges.

"Goodbye, Ivy," the endoskeleton whispered, blood still dripping off its face.

Unable to process the traumatic revelation that her caretaker was a cold-blooded murderer, Ivy focused on her rapid descent as the chute's sharp incline sent her careening down towards the landing pad at unsafe speeds.

She screamed in panic as she rolled over a dozen times, trying not to lose consciousness as she shut her eyes. Realizing her survival chances were dwindling, Ivy pulled together enough courage to grab onto the sides of the chute, slowing her descent despite the pain.

"Ow!" Ivy squealed, her soft, unworked hands bleeding as she neared the bottom.

Looking downwards, she gasped at the sight of several boxes, their presence spelling certain doom as long as they clogged the chute. Using her psionic powers, Ivy rearranged the debris at the last possible second. Her reward for such skill was a blinding light upon her exit, as well as a firm wall to smash against once she shot out into the open.

"Keep...going," Ivy panted, picking herself off the floor after her collision with the wall. "I have to do this."

Realizing her left leg had been dislodged, Ivy began to limp, her arms struggling to grab onto something as she whimpered loudly. The sirens of a security alert blared overhead as several lights began to flash over her location. Her father had found her.

"Bring her in unharmed, but if you must, disable her limbs." Algernon bellowed over the loudspeaker as several Tesselation employees rushed onto the landing pad from all sides, accompanied by nearly a dozen security frames.

"So be it." Ivy stood up straight, extending a single arm as she took a deep breath. "Father."

One human guard pointed a white baton at the heiress, only to have it slip through his hands before striking him across the chest, nearly tearing his white uniform as he tumbled backwards. Grabbing the baton with her mind, Ivy lifted it to her face, glaring at her assailants with a threatening aura.

"Just listen to your father," another Tesselation employee spoke, her feminine face obscured by her protective helmet. "Make it easy for everyone."

"It's already easy. For me." Ivy smiled. "Do your worst, vermin, working for my father as a slave doesn't make you my equal."

Ivy then sent her baton sailing towards the employee, striking them across the face in a blink of an eye. In response to the heiress's resistance, the security frames began to open fire with several small cannons that emerged from their shoulders. But Ivy was still unamused, using her powers to place a crate in between herself and the attack before elegantly stepping aside.

"Slow," she scoffed, smashing one of the security frames into an employee. "No wonder you work down here."

Ivy flipped backwards gracefully.

Collecting another set of batons from the floor, she immobilized every Tesselation employee who dared approach her.

Many of them could only hope to lunge at the girl for a brief moment before she tossed them aside.

All the while, the heiress continued to display her acrobatic skills, balancing on her uninjured foot and even twirling for a brief moment as a sort of taunting gesture.

Sneaking up behind the heiress, a tall security frame managed to break off a metal signpost before hurling it with lethal force.

"Hmph." Ivy frowned.

*She split her legs with ease*

Ivy bent backwards as the projectile nearly scraped the top of her chest. She was enjoying the moment, forgetting her pain and basking in the glory of her open rebellion. Or, in other words, it felt good to hit her father's minions.

"My heart is mine," Ivy cried out, using her singing voice to deliver herself an empowering speech. "It belongs to me!"

The heiress then intensified her assault, using the nearby debris of battle as a bludgeoning stick against her enemies. The ensuing storm of chaos was impossible to avoid, but even after suffering a cut on her torso, Ivy kept fighting. Either she would escape, or her father's machines would have to kill her. At that point, the Tesselation employees had all run or been killed by the stampeding security frames, leaving Ivy significantly more room for a lethal approach.

"I am not your toy," Ivy whispered to herself, lifting an open palm before sending a blue-tinted psionic pulse shooting through the air. "Now and always."

The resulting wave of energy destroyed nearly everything around Ivy, ending the fight in a rather spectacular fashion. But in truth, the heiress had over-exerted herself. She had never fought a day in her life, causing her stamina to be entirely depleted. Ivy took her time reaching a shuttle, her eyes drooping as she nearly collapsed onto the floor.

"Almost...there." Ivy panted, ripping the shuttle door off its hinges with the last of her energy. "Almost...free of you."

But just before Ivy could climb into a seat, a bolt of yellow plasma came soaring towards the heiress from behind. She was quick enough to dodge with a gasp, but not prepared enough for a second attack from beneath her. Realizing she had been shot in her left thigh, Ivy stumbled backwards before falling unconscious.

Such weaponry couldn't have possibly come from her father, catching her by surprise in ways she could have never predicted. Luckily for the heiress, the attack appeared to be non-lethal, judging by the surface-level bruise that had formed across her leg.

"Quickly now," a familiar voice whispered from beneath a sewer grate as it climbed up onto the landing pad. "The Consortium won't wait much longer."

"Yes, Keiros. We won't keep them."

The two Vjetar then picked up the heiress by her neck before dissapearing into thin air, their bodies obscured by a shimmering device.

Chapter 2: Lila: Just A Girl

Summary:

The second girl, Lila!

I wonder who she will be paired with...

[Earth, 506 years after first successful colony, 148 years after first contact]

 

Lila opened her eyes calmly as a chilling sensation washed over her face, causing her to unexpectedly wake. As usual, she was wasting time in her bed, not doing her homework, nor even bothering to watch anything on her phone. And yet, despite her lazy demeanor, she remained sharp enough to remember her own room.

She brushed aside her short brown hair, squinting with her dried green eyes as she tried to wake herself up. Typically, the strategy was to just lie there and hope her body would feel better. But her curiosity had piqued.

"Did someone open the window?" Lila mumbled to herself as she turned around to look at her plushies, as if somehow the circular pillows with smiles on their faces had committed the crime.

She knew more than most how rarely she would bother to open her stuffy room, its size barely large enough to contain one set of closed blinds.

"Am I tripping?" Lila spoke more loudly, staring at her blue-painted wall with wide eyes.

After some time contemplating nothing, as she usually did, Lila's gaze shifted over to her computer, its monitor showing an indicator for no internet access. Checking her phone revealed the same; every form of connection Lila possessed was gone. Scratching her head, she began to slither her way out of bed as she reached for the window.

"Uh huh." Lila squinted, brushing her short hair away from her eyes as she peered out of her blinds. "Nice."

Her room was rather mundane as far as Earth establishments went. She had decorated the white drywall with posters of cute anime girls and LED lights, and possessed the most unremarkable assortment of dusty wooden furniture next to her queen-sized bed. The only somewhat remarkable part of the room, which she did put effort into, was her computer setup, featuring an adjustable height setting and two high-quality monitors. It was all very Lila.

Realizing her eyes had yet to adapt to the light, Lila surrendered herself to leaving the room for a better look. It wasn't a far walk to the front door; her single-story home never was known for its grandeur. But what she could take pride in was the silence of her neighborhood, which made the situation all the more alarming as a sudden rumble shook the wooden floor.

"Don't follow me out pupper!" Lila yelled as she opened the front door. "The last thing Mom needs right now is you pulling another stunt.

She never really saw much of her mother anymore, not after the father left. She was far too busy paying for the entire family. And with her brother's career firmly planted in the military, Lila was mostly alone. She had nothing but her own good conscience to keep her out of trouble and on task with her college homework.

Refusing to wear socks or shoes of any kind, the petite girl hobbled into the front yard as she turned to see her neighbor, their face transfixed on something in the sky. In their hands was an old set of binoculars, clutched tightly in their hands. Around the same time, a few more of Lila's neighbors appeared outside their front porch, many of them staring silently in the distance.

"Hey, Diane! What is it?" Lila waved, coming to terms with her lesser eyesight as she tried to get a good look. "Space aliens?"

"No, uh," the young woman waved back without shifting her head, her blonde hair gleaming in the evening sunlight as she spoke. "I think it's the Air Force."

"Awesome! What branch?"

"You know I'm not into all that like you, Lila." Diane shrugged. "But I think it's all of them?"

"All of them?" Lila laughed. "Yeah, that's not likely. They wouldn't just-."

Just then, another set of aircraft flew high above Lila's house, their presence nearly as subtle as the last, albeit far more visible. It wasn't long before an entire convoy could be witnessed with the naked eye, their tightly-packed formation sailing in an almost unprofessional manner. It was then that Lila became considerably more alert.

"Oh."

Lila pulled out her phone, examining it with furious speed as she tried to gain any piece of information she could. Embarassingly enough, she was quite adept when it came to sifting through the fake crap. Eventually, she came upon a press announcement from NASA.

Lila grimaced quietly as she read. "Due to unusual events...what a total load of bull."

"Is that bad?" Diane asked loudly as the rest of the neighborhood began to audibly voice their concerns. "I mean, maybe it's just a drill. My husband says sometimes they like to pretend we're in an emergency for practice."

"No, that has to be the reserve as well. National Guard, too. It's all of them. All at the same time."

"Well, they're flying pretty high. That's nice of them."

"Yeah...Lila muttered to herself. "They're booking it."

"You should call your mom, Lila," another neighbor shouted in a masculine voice. "My money's on a meteor."

"Oh yeah, you'd love that, huh, Fred. Just like the movies?" Diane retorted. "Yeah, not on my Friday."

Lila ignored the rising tide of voices, her eyes fixed on the fleet of aircraft as she fumbled around for her phone. She wasn't nearly arrogant enough to assume what was really going on, and yet such activity still put her on edge. The young girl had always loved speaking with her brother's friends, both superiors and peers alike, when it came to all the absurd protocols post-colonial humanity had implemented. But never before did she think one of them might be in play right in front of her very eyes.

*In other news, COLONEX has partnered with Tesselation to transfer assets for an on-demand ship-off.*

She didn't take herself for a conspiracy theorist, but the news wasn't looking good. Lila knew just as much as everyone that when those with power saw trouble on the horizon, they ran. And they ran like hell.

"At least the cell is working," Lila squeezed her phone as she sent a call to her mother. "That's money."

"Hey, Lila," the same neighbor asked loudly, much to the annoyance of Diane, who was about to walk back inside. "You're a military nut. What's going on? Has your brother said anything?"

"Uh, not yet, Fred," Lila stumbled over her words as she listened intently, waiting for her mother to pick up. "But it's not a drill, I can guarantee you that."

She prayed to herself that her mother would respond.

"Lila? Are you okay?" A feminine voice spoke gently to Lila through her left ear. "Please tell me your home."

"Yeah, of course, Mom. Where's brother-bear?"

"Jamie got called in; the entire base is buzzing."

"Yeah, I can see that. They're flying everything, Mom." Lila explained in as simple a manner as she could afford. "Not just the fast fancy ones brother-bear flies, I mean everything."

Her mother spoke warmly, relieved that her daughter didn't sound too frightened. "They mentioned an evacuation. Here, Lila, I'm at the front bureau. Just give me a second."

"Yeah, that adds up." Lila smiled, somewhat amused by the excitement. "Let's hope it's not already cooked."

A second, more professional voice emitted from Lila's phone, its cadence hiding a smidgen of fear. "Yes, Miss Macey. Jane Macey, we have your son on file right here. All service members have a guaranteed placement for families. There's no cause for alarm. Please just wait for an announcement, and we can provide more details."

Her mother's voice became louder. "Okay, Lila."

"Yeah, I know, Mom," Lila interrupted. "I'll meet you at Saint Spears airfield."

"Hm? How do you already know? Did they make the announcement?"

"Nope. I just know that's where they keep all the rockets and bunkers. And that's where this herd here is heading." The young girl spoke hurriedly as she slipped on a pair of shoes. "Please tell me we have a car."

"You don't even have your license, young lady, and no, we don't have any. Just take the bus." Jane sighed, trying to speak softly to her daughter.

"You're joking, right?"

"It's the safest-."

"Yeah, no, I'm hoofing it. See you there!" Lila scoffed before hanging up abruptly.

On her way out, Lila made sure to grab both her red bike and her dog, motioning for the brown Labrador to follow. She, of course, neglected the helmet and jacket in exchange for a few saved seconds as she barreled out of the driveway. But just before she could speed off, Lila made sure to brake in front of Diane's house.

"Hey!" Lila shouted to Fred, who was arguing with Diane and several other members of the community. "Spears, get going."

"The airfield!" Fred threw his hands up, his overweight belly moving along with him. "Of course. They're gonna leave without us in their fancy rockets, fucking cowards."

"Don't worry about all that, ya'll," Lila explained calmly as she began to speed up. "Just get there. It doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to point that out to you."

"Well, hold on. What if we're not allowed?" One neighbor protested.

 

*Then we're all dead, you idiot.*

 

Lila tried to laugh it off. "Come on now, we've all seen the movies. Half the people on whatever fancy list they make won't show up in time. They'll take anyone they can get with this kind of short notice," she shrugged, giving one last moment to look at Diane, who seemed rather uncertain with her newborn clutched in her arms.

"But in the movies, don't people like riot at the fence and eat each other when it's too crowded?" Fred retorted.

"Well, it's a good thing we're a small town." The young girl smirked before speeding off, her dog giving chase.

It was true, Wyoming had escaped much of Earth's more troubled urban efforts. And when the colonial program took flight, it was left largely primitive by expansionist standards. It was the perfect home for a quaint little girl in a quaint little town.

"The city people," Lila chucked to herself, imagining the mile-wide hive centers trying to evacuate. "Yeah, no thank you. Not at this time."

Never before had Lila been so grateful for the delayed expansionism of Earth's infrastructure. In her small town, highways and open fences were still commonplace, unlike the bustling urban cities with their obnoxious automated freeways. It was rather easy for her to traverse with a bike, and even easier for her athletic dog to follow closely. At her pace, the airbase was merely a half-hour away, giving the sun plenty of time to set gently beyond the rocky mountains, leaving a sea of bright stars in its place. Ironically, such a perilous day had perfect weather, a fact not at all lost on Lila, who appreciated the turn of luck.

"Hey! Need a lift?" A man's voice came from a nearby pickup truck as it climbed a dirt hill leading to the airbase.

"Nah, we're basically there already. Thanks, though."

"Now that you've mentioned it," the car slowed to a stop as the man spoke. "I can already see the line from here. Guess I'm hoofing it too."

The truck's door then swung open to reveal a family of four, with the man's wife conversing among her children on matters conveniently unrelated to the impending crisis. A similar scene could be seen all across the dirt road, as droves of people from all over the town began to hike towards the airbase at a surprisingly pleasant pace. Just as Lila had predicted, panic hadn't yet set in, and confidence was fairly high.

Her community held the unusual privilege of being remote, yet still an arm's length away from the military's colonial branch. In hindsight, such a feature was likely intentional on behalf of the US government, or at least that's what Lila had begun to beleive. Either way, she was getting closer to where she knew her mother should be, causing her to briefly drop her guard.

"Hey, hold on now! Did anyone else just see that?" A voice cried out from somewhere in the crowd.

 

*Not now.*

 

Instinctively, Lila spun around to face the open sky, its vast reaches still lit up by dozens of visible stars. But she couldn't see anything wrong, not even after peering behind a fence leading to an open field where the sky was most clear.

"That star just up and left!"

"What?" Lila gasped audibly. "That guy's crazy."

But to her horror, the young girl had begun to witness something identical to what the man had described. The tail end of Perseus had disappeared, its light having been snuffed out in an instant. Suddenly, a faint flash followed suit in the same location, leaving nothing behind once it had dispersed. The star was gone, and the crowd began to panic.

"That's not possible, right?" The man from the truck spoke to Lila in a lowered tone, as not to alarm his family. "Wouldn't we be...you know...getting a little more than a flash if a star died?"

"Not unless someone muffled it," Lila spoke plainly.

"There it is again!" The man's wife spoke as one of her children began to cry in confusion. "It's disappearing!"

Lila watched closely in disbelief, confirming that indeed another star had disappeared, followed by a brief and unusually tame flash of light where it had once been.

"Something's out there." The young girl glared at the sky. "The space-heads must have spotted it already; that's why the military is buzzed."

"What do you mean? Something's eating stars?"

"I have to go." Lila ran as she signaled for her dog to follow.

Lila then began to sprint around the edges of the dirt path, silently pushing people aside as she made a mad dash to the entrance of the airfield. Upon reaching the first gate, she came across a row of stopped cars and at least a hundred armed gaurds, their weapons still calmly holstered as they stood in silence.

"Ma'am, you can't go through, not yet." One guard spoke to Lila as she tried to slip past, his black visor and white armor completely obscuring his human features. "Please step back."

"Fuck the announcement, you have to get these people out of here," Lila pleaded, pointing towards the set of black colony ships on the horizon, their bulbous hulls having been recently strapped to a set of interstellar rockets. "While everyone is still sane."

"I understand your concern. We will be moving along shortly," the guard explained, pushing Lila back with his black gauntlets. "Please be patient."

"Yeah, sure, be patient," Lila shrugged playfully, raising her hands as a sign of calm. "So about the airfleet you sent here-."

The guard sighed sympathetically. "Hey, I'm not happy about this either, girl. But this is a small town, and a big installation. We'll get everyone we can on board."

"So is that gonna be before or after our solar system explodes?"

"I advise calm and-."

An ear-piercing bang suddenly reverberated through the air, catching Lila by surprise as she fell to her knees. Before she could even process the pain, a shockwave of wind and dust slammed into her small frame, causing her and the nearby surroundings to be flung backwards violently. Barely able to keep herself councious, Lila looked up to the sky as she lay on her back, still unable to see anything amiss in the starry night.

"Shit!" The guard groaned as he knelt over Lila to shield her from a barrage of falling glass. "The hell was that?!"

After some time, Lila finally came to her senses, realizing her dog had been tugging on her shoulder with unusual vigor. But before she could pick herself off the floor, a second soundwave shook the airbase, forcing the young girl to look upwards once more; only this time, the night sky was no longer empty.

 

*It was the Consortium.*

 

A shadow loomed over Lila, the young girl staring in silent shock as she clung to her dog. What she saw then, in that moment of chaos, was a vessel of indescribable proportions, its rectangular shape having appeared in an instant to shatter the surface of the earth with its mere presence. It was then that Lila witnessed the second wave of destruction, this time far more calamitous than the last, burst forth from the vessel's belly.

"Shit." Lila grabbed her dog and began to limp away from the airbase. "Come on. Come on. Not like this."

An automated voice rang out in the distance. "Atmospheric rupture detected."

"Not a chance," Lila gritted her teeth as she waded through the mess of people, both dead and alive, their faces no longer visibly detailed as the girl focused solely on survival. "We got this. We got this pupper."

High above the fleeing girl was the remaining fleet of human aircraft, their metallic hulls having been utterly ruined by the rupture of the arriving vessel, causing them to rain down around the base and onto the crowd of evacuees. Lila, of course, still remained undiscouraged, her stride improving as she pushed past the pain and narrowly avoided a hunk of flaming metal that fell behind her. She tried as hard as she could.

But just as she began to put distance between herself and the calamity, a second vessel appeared in the night sky in front of her, its size just as daunting as the last. Written upon the bottom of its metal belly lay a set of symbols she had never seen before, their red markings stretching on for what seemed like miles.

"Come on, Puppers," Lila pushed on, ignoring the presence of the invaders as she slid down the dirt hill.

But with the arrival of the second vessel came another shockwave, its blast sending an entire eighteen-wheeler flying in Lila's direction, crashing down upon her with a fiery bang. The world then faded to black, leaving the girl lost in the wake of destruction. As far as Lila could tell, she was already dead.

Yet somehow, after an endless torrent of screeching howls, Lila opened her eyes, her head having recovered enough to process both sight and pain. She wasn't dead yet.

"Pup-," Lili coughed as she crawled over something warm. "Puppers!"

Unable to work her own body, the girl desperately shuffled her bloodied arms through the dirt, scraping at everything she could get a handle on to pull herself forward.

"Come on." She grunted.

Lila's eyes widened as she heard foosteps from behind her, far too heavy and monstrous to be her dog. Accepting her fate, she turned herself around to see an armored alien figure, its bulky, faceless frame pushing through the wreckage with ease. If Lila had known any better, she was staring at a walking rhinoceros that had grown to twice its size. And yet still, she hadn't begun to cry, nor was her fear evident on her face. She looked on with amazement, her shock driving her forward as she watched the alien point a metal cannon at her, its barrel nearly the size of a street sign.

"Wait, you buffoon," a feminine voice called out, its words sticking into the interior of Lila's mind as it spoke with raspy words the girl could feel. "We have one here. Psionic potential."

The walking beast then stepped aside, revealing a shorter, slimmer figure in its wake. Still, even the smaller of the two aliens made Lila feel like an insect, examining her with a singular twitching eyeball that pulsed in the center of its head. The slim creature began to circle Lila, its high-heeled fit creating a strangely elegant clicking sound as a result. Soon, more of the bulky creatures began to arrive, their patience growing thin as they stared at Lila with bloodlust so visible it could be seen behind their cage-like helmets.

"She meets the requirements," the slim alien hissed, her voice still echoing within Lila's mind. "I shall make the extraction."

"Is Yrix done?" One of the lumbering creatures snorted, its golden pauldrons signifying a higher rank as it thrust its arms around impatiently. "We have work to do."

"This sector...yes. I will leave you to your work."

Lila then felt herself being lifted off the ground, her body encased in an invisible field of energy produced by the slim creature. Staring her dead in the eyes, the creature then motioned with its hand, causing Lila to immediately lose consciousness as a result. The last thing the girl could see before it all faded to black was the singular eye of the creature still pulsing in her mind like a ghostly siren.

They were the Consortium, and for reasons Lila had yet to understand, they had come for Earth.

Chapter 3: Sonera: The Smoldering Blade

Summary:

Our third girl, Sonera!

[Mars, 148 years after first contact]

A cacophony of oozing liquid echoed across the silent chamber, breaking the perfect stillness with each repetitious drop. It was a cold, damp room, built beneath the surface of Mars when humanity first began to claim the planet. Since then, it was a perfect location for smuggling goods and people, so long as the authorities had forgotten its existence.

 

*If there were, of course, any authorities to speak of.*

 

High above the wet drainage sat a skinny human, her body lying perfectly still on top of a broken fan blade.

She was Sonera.

A splatter of blood was stuck to her pale cheek, still moist from its previous owner. There was, of course, no life remaining in the body it originated from. Sonera saw to that. Beneath the calm assassin rested the body of her victim, whose corpse still contained a shard of rusted metal.

"Her dress," Sonera spoke with an emotionless tone. "Do I need it?"

A voice replied from a small chip deep inside her ear. Its masculine tone was almost jovial, perfectly collected amidst Sonera's preformance. He had confidence in her.

"They're only expecting one girl. Just don't go showing your face to the wrong people; they might catch on."

"She wore white," Sonera replied, her eyes shifting downwards towards the dead girl, whose blonde hair shimmered in the light coming from above. "They might expect that."

The man she spoke to released a deep sigh. "Just...try to smile and they'll overlook it."

"No."

"It was a comfort girl, right?"

"Who?"

Another sigh came from the man. "The one you just killed, Sonera. Eyes up."

Sonera shrugged. Her mind was elsewhere.

"I beleive so."

"Alright then, it's looking good. Try to stay focused, I know you're not the sloppy kind, but you're getting lost in your own head."

"I'll be fine, Three." Sonera smiled, her expression briefly changing before returning to its previous state.

Sonera balanced her way across the rusted ceiling with ease before leaping down onto the floor of the chamber, her bare feet scraping against the floor.

"Oh, and clean the blood off you." Three's fingers could be heard tapping against his ear-chip. "Not really ladylike to have that splattered all over you."

"Yes." Sonera nodded, wiping her cheek with a nakpin she had stolen before tossing it aside. "Good luck on your end, Three."

"Hah," the man chuckled on the other side of the intercom, his voice garbled by static. "Listen, Four will be taking the comms if you have anything else, I've got to get to work."

Sonera wasn't happy to hear that. But she pressed on.

Sloshing her way through the wet drainage, the frail girl stared down at her feet, tilting her head with an animistic curiosity before moving on. Sonera had always been observant, even when she was merely a child. Since then, she hadn't grown a whole lot, making her perfectly unassuming. What she had gained in that time was a sense of cunning, allowing her to identify the nature of the tunnel she had begun to traverse.

The old ruins of Mars were used quite often, as seen by the sticky particulate of its trailing water being unable to settle properly. But more importantly, Sonera could effectively discern that no form of heavy equipment had been brought in for ages, meaning her prey was under-equipped. At most, a few combat frames had been dragged through, and she was more than confident handling those.

Mars wasn't always known for its illegal activities. It was once recognized as the beacon of humanity's colonial expeditions. But after the dominance of Tesselation, weapons-smuggling became one of many commonplaces on the Martian market. The true measure of fame, for the longest time, had actually been the formation of the family. It was they who waged war beneath and above ground, tossing aside the corporations and governments of old in exchange for a more feudal way of living.

Sonera and her team belonged to Russia's newly ascendant Bravta. And Three was the only part she liked about it. If it wasn't for him, she would still be just another pricey comfort girl who could dance.

"State your business," a rough voice came booming through the other side of the tunnel.

Sonera knew the guards of the Al Zein were rather fidgety, due to their recent history of brazen warfare. But as long as she remained calm and unassuming, her ruse would work. It helped being the silent type.

A light flashed onto her body, causing her left finger to twitch for a brief second. In response to the inspection, Sonera raised a small jeweled necklace, a token stolen from her previous victim. Having finally recognized the girl as an invited guest, the man lowered his rifle, gesturing for Sonera to hurry along.

"They sent you alone?" The man scoffed, checking that his service rifle was still loaded. "Wearing that?"

Sonera didn't respond, as if waiting for her cue. She stepped closer to the man, looking up at him with her cold gaze. In her experience, it was smarter to let others speak first, a minimum of two times.

"Orange eyes, huh, like Mars. Never mind, I get why they wanted you." The man nodded, waiting for a response from Sonera. "You can talk, you know. God, these girls keep getting younger and younger."

"That rifle isn't getting any younger," Sonera quipped, changing her tone in an instant. "You get that from Earth?"

"Hah! You're funny," the man laughed. "But I wouldn't do that around the buyer, he's got an ego."

Sonera never cared for social life, but she did know the basics by heart. If a man were confined to wearing concealing helmet gear, like the one she just insulted, then his personal pride was bound to be flexible. She would even go as far as to think they were amenable.

Sonera gave a thumbs up before wiping the smirk off her face. "I understand."

For the briefest of moments, Sonera felt pity for the tunnel worker. He was clearly a pawn in the operation. And his chances of surviving the rest of her family were approximately zero. Or at the very least, the young girl had grown a habit of sympathizing with the more gentle of soldiers. Killing them was no fun.

"Come along now," the man opened a rusty door as he spoke, leading Sonera out of the tunnels and into a dusty basement. "There's a lift past a few more of the boys. They won't check you."

Sonera stepped forward, calmly, allowing each armed guard to glance at her with a curious gaze. They all seemed like fine gentlemen for what it was worth. Gullible and most certainly in love with her appearance, yes, but still reasonable. One of them even bothered to point Sonera in the right direction with a nod, their face completely obscured by black goggles and a mask.

"Mind the bump on the start-up, damn thing's getting old."

Another guard spoke from within the lift, offering Sonera a hand so that her heels wouldn't trip on the incline. "Don't tell the boss that."

"The boss?" Sonera pretended to be clueless, her eyes widening with childlike curiosity.

"They don't even tell you these things? Man. Being a comfort girl must suck. Well, he's pretty gentle, I wouldn't worry about it."

"Who said it'd be the boss taking her?" the first guard chuckled, tilting his rifle as he spoke. "I hear his new girlfriend has a thing for uh...her type."

"Nice save, idiot."

"I wasn't gonna say young ones. That just sounds weird."

Sonera wanted to chuckle. She grew up alongside child soldiers with a sense of humor. In her experience, they were ironically the most humane when it came to dealing with girls. It was the fellow woman she had to watch out for.

Not that Sonera ever allowed anyone to swing first.

It wasn't a long wait inside the rusty tube. After a minute or so of random shuddering, the sliding door opened to reveal a well-groomed lawn glimmering in the starry night. She was officially within the belly of the beast.

"Alright, Sonera, it's me." Four whispered over the intercomm, her feminine voice indicating she was the only other girl on the team. "We're in position."

"Is she here?" Sonera tried to hide her growl.

Four's hand could be heard slapping against her faceplate. "Don't worry about that, focus on the index."

"She stole it from us."

"We don't know that yet. They could have caught her; she was family."

Sonera clenched her fist as she strolled across the lawn, ignoring the guard who tried to give her a hand. "Venra is a traitor."

"Just shut up and listen. Worry about your ex later."

"She's not my ex."

Sonera's brief solo stint came to an end when a pair of black-suited butlers approached her. Their faces weren't all that remarkable, and their voices even less so as they directed the assassin with a gloved hand.

"This way, please. He's expecting you."

Sonera had no response, not even with her face. She was simmering with rage. The operation in its entirety was a last-minute fluke, an emergency response to a mission gone wrong. Originally, her team had stolen an index containing sensitive information on Tesselation from their martian facility, but after a sudden communication outage, the asset was gone. Due to such unexpected failure, Sonera was forced to enter the Al-Zein's family manor to retrieve the artifact, and with the help of her backup, kill the head of the family.

But Sonera didn't care about warlords and Algernon's business. She felt betrayed. She wanted blood.

The location was a full-court house decorated with a homely cobblestone, nestled gently on a terraformed hilltop with green palm trees and calm skies far away from the orange martian wastes. It was the perfect avenue for Sonera's disguise, due to its frequent trafficking. And whether the denizens of the manor liked it or not, Sonera was deemed by many to be worth her price.

"Mm," Sonera muttered as she became increasingly impatient.

It wasn't getting any easier for the assassin to contain her rage, not after she was approached by a petite maid on her way towards the family's head. The young girl matched Sonera perfectly in stature, and due to her elegant features, her attitude was easily discerned. She wore a tight black skirt with a short-sleeved apron, alongside a golden necklace that shone almost as brightly as Sonera's.

She was probably another comfort girl, only trained in service rather than dance.

"Allow me to show you the way." The maid held a platter in one hand, while grabbing Sonera's arm with the other.

The tight grasp told Sonera all she needed to know. Her kind wasn't welcome there. If the servants of the manor were free to speak, they likely would have called Sonera something crude, particularly in reference to her looks.

"We'll have to get you a change of clothes." The young maid continued, brushing aside her black hair. "What you have is...expected."

On a better day, Sonera would have wanted nothing more than to split the girl's pretty skull open with the heel of her shoe. But she was still utterly distracted. All Sonera could do was stare down at the maid's tight white stockings and think to herself how easily they would fit on her.

"That bitch is jealous." Four laughed. "Who wants to bet she tries to spice Sonera's drink?"

"Ooh, four quid she does." Two chimed in, his younger voice causing Sonera to smile, if only briefly.

She always liked her brothers.

"I'll match that," Four retorted with a snort. "But if she tries to assault Sonera first, I get five."

Two replied with an agitated tone. "Well, hold on now, that's vague."

"You'll see what I mean. Sonera has a certain way of...spreading her crazy around."

Ignoring the chatter, Sonera followed the maid closely up a set of carpeted velvet stairs, her skin almost bleeding against her captor's nails.

"Here." The maid sneered, flicking Sonera's nape. "Don't get any funny ideas."

Sonera turned to give the girl a malicious glare, only to have a door slammed in her face. She had reached the second floor, a parlor of sorts decorated with old Earthling relics. Inside were only two gaurds and one command table, where the head of the family sat patiently.

"Five will like this." Sonera thought to herself, glancing over at what she beleived to be a pool table. "I'll show him."

The family head stood up from his wooden chair, plucking a cigar out of his mouth before speaking. "A ballerina. I thought they lied about that part."

Sonera looked down at her heels, still bruised from her earlier practice. She feigned a warm smile, appearing nervous. The man fell for the bait, smiling at her like she were a child.

He was a fat creature, wearing a tacky purple suit and adorning several golden teeth alongside his yellow beard. But of course, Sonera didn't care. All she needed was for the man to drop his guard around her. She had hoped the silver nightgown she wore would sell the look, its transparent fabric allowing for her to easily display her petite figure.

"A quiet one." The large man nodded in approval. "Good."

The large man then grabbed Sonera by her skinny waist, pulling her up onto his wooden seat. He began to inspect the Sonera, causing her left hand to twitch once again. She had to feign the rest of her embarrassment in hopes that the man would continue to lower his guard. But the truth was rather apparent. Sonera had no reaction to her role in the mission. Her mind was elsewhere.

"Is it natural?" The man asked with a squint as he ran his fingers through Sonera's silver hair, inspecting the orange hues that could be seen glistening along its surface.

"Yes." Sonera nodded, reaching for her nightgown.

The man stopped her halfway, insisting on removing the left strap of Sonera's bra himself. Throughout the entire process, she remained unfazed, allowing the act to continue as if waiting eagerly for her cue. That moment finally came in the form of two silent whistles, followed by a splotch of blood on the floor. Both guards in the room had been silently shot by her team, leaving Sonera alone with her prey.

"Who the hell-." The large man complained, unaware that Sonera's eyes had been lit up with fervent energy.

Without mercy or hesitation, Sonera shattered a nearby picture frame with her bare hand, grasping at a broken shard of glass before assaulting the man with all her feral might. It didn't really matter how badly the improvised weapon cut into her own palm; she had become entirely focused on her prey. As if judging herself for every moment she left the target alive, Sonera increased the ferocity of her attack, grunting like a wild animal as she slammed the shard deeper and deeper into the man's neck.

"Sloppy." Sonera cursed at herself. "The jugular is so easy, yet he's so fat."

Ultimately, the victim hadn't even gained the chance to scream, his blood drowning out his own voice as he slumped onto the ground. Sonera was known for many things at that stage of her life. Clean kills were evidently not one of them. Covered in blood, she climbed over the corpse before rushing to the dead man's desk terminal.

"Tesselation." She muttered to herself, inputting the code Three had given her for the terminal a few hours ago. "Index."

Sonera was focused on her task. And all seemed well until she made the mistake of looking at the security feed. Beneath the manor, in a room not unlike the one she had entered from, stood a familiar girl.

It was Venra. Her long, dark brown hair was just as she remembered it, reflecting the light around it with its silky polish. Her yellow eyes stared at the camera, as if forcing Sonera to recall their time togethor. It made the assassin furious.

"You," Sonera growled. "You."

Sonera wanted to look away. But she couldn't, her eyes drawn to Venra's large hooped earrings, the same ones she wore a day ago. The same accessories she would play with when smiling at Sonera. Such cruel remembrance distracted the assassin, blinding her to the doorway in front of her.

It was already open.

"You!" The maid from before stared Sonera down, her hands preoccupied with two mugs of steaming coffee. "You slut."

Sonera pulled a handgun from her prey's corpse, pointing it directly at the maid's head. "Takes one to know one."

The maid surveyed her surroundings, locking her gaze on a red alarm positioned just to her right next to the window. All she had to do was tap on the glowing switch, dead or alive, and the manor would be on full alert. Sonera honestly didn't care. A fight would bring her to Venra. A mission complete would take her away.

"Hold on, we're lining up a shot, Sonera." Two whispered calmly. "One's with me. Just keep that girl distracted, and we'll double tap her before she can call you that again."

Sonera glowered. She wouldn't pull the trigger unless she had to. But part of her needed to antagonize the maid, lest she actually get away cleanly. It was an irrational and horrible thought. But it was what she needed.

"You loved him?" Sonera taunted.

The young maid tightened her grip around the coffee, fantasizing her next move against Sonera. "Not all of us are cold monsters."

Sonera smiled, drawing upon her worst instincts. "And yet, for just that second, he was warmer with me than he ever was with you."

The maid lunged at the alarm, her coffee spilling onto the ground with a steamy splash. Sonera and her team weren't far behind, turning the enemy into a red mist. But her body was still moving, drawing ever closer to the alarm. It was too late.

Sonera spoke with shame in her voice. "I apologize."

"What? You kiss the wrong girl?" Four chuckled, positioning herself atop the manor's rooftop, oblivious to the situation. "How sad."

A blaring alarm sounded around the manor, causing Four to nearly slip. Her entire team became lit up by the several spotlights of the manor's defense system, revealing their position. Unlike Sonera, they were not specialized in deceiving appearances, wearing black drop-trooper gear from head to toe. And despite the unfortunate turn of events, they were ready to fight.

"Oh shit!" Four yelped.

Three's voice chimed in, directing the team with confidence. "We're moving people, code green. Get Sonera out of there."

Sonera shook her head in frustration, grabbing the chip from the terminal before bolting out of the room. The moment she cleared the dead man's desk, she was greeted by the two butlers from before, wielding two black machine guns as they aimed at Sonera. She was faster.

Sonera could hardly hear her own handgun over the deafening alarm, its fiery trails eliminating one target with ease. She would have found it to be a fine model, if not for her tendency to use it as a bludgeoning weapon. Such destructive habits were precisely why her own team preferred not to share.

"Is Sonera alive?" Three asked over the intercomm, a tinge of desperation infecting his tone.

"Yeah, she's fine. Ruining a vintage Desert Eagle, but fine." Two chuckled, watching from a distance as Sonera clubbed the second butler to death with the butt of her sidearm. "Just get your ass into position."

A hail of gunfire erupted from within the manor, as four of Sonera's squad, save three, all began to engage their targets. Such a firefight would have been suicide if not for their experience and extremely expensive armor. In fact, the only member in grave danger was Sonera, who came face to face with two more of the manor's staff.

That didn't make her any less eager to fight.

Sonera fired off the last of her magazine, but was suprised to find that her opponents were just as agile, ducking under cover as they unfolded two knives from beneath their skirts.

"Maids." Sonera rolled her eyes, pulling out a thin knife from deep within her own leggings.

The three combatants closed the distance between themselves remarkably past, proving just how illegitimate they all were when it came to their supposed profession. But Sonera had faced other assassins before, and even as she suffered a wound to her shoulder, she was completely unfazed.

One of the taller maids screamed, her black mascara practically dripping off her face from all the sweat. "Die, you stupid bitch!"

Sonera responded by biting the girl in the neck, and after pulling the knife out from her shoulder, she rammed it into her enemy's eye. The second maid was shocked, hurling her knife at Sonera in a desperate attempt to end the fight.

Sonera caught that knife.

Back on the first floor, Two and Four worked in tandem to gun down half a dozen gaurds, swapping cover positions to overwhelm and confuse their enemy. Such was their skill that they continued to banter, tossing each other scavanged munitions like toys. Any glancing shots their opponents did manage to land merely bounced off their armor, its costly design having been intended for earthling trench warfare.

"Hey, about that joke earlier," Two gestured nervously, using his free arm to crush a man's skull against a wall. "I think Sonera might have used to-."

Four sneered loudly. "Sonera's a dyke?! Oh really? Thank you for informing me, Two. I never would have known."

Two shrugged. "No reason to be mean about it."

The jovial soldier barely finished his expression before a bloodied body came crashing down next to him.

"The hell?"

Such carnage didn't really surprise the Two, who looked up to see Sonera standing next to a shattered banister. She had half-hazardly thrown her prey over the railing and could only offer a brief shrug as an apology.

"Damn you, crazy." Two whispered as he offered Sonera a thumbs-up.

Sonera spoke desperately as she ran down the stairs, seemingly unconcerned with the bullets that whizzed past her head. She had none of the cover nor the protective gear of her team, and yet, she remained determined to push on.

"The basement, how do I get to it?"

Four pointed with an accusing finger. "Listen, Sonera, Three said to pull you out. We'll clean this lot up, and then you're coming with us."

"So you can handle it yourself." Sonera nodded. "Thank you."

"Wait no-. That's not what I meant!"

Sonera took her chances, sliding across the messy floor as she sprinted her way out towards the grassy quad. Even without useful intel, she had a good intuition about where she could find a basement hatch. More importantly, she had a good feeling about who would already be there.

She made it a fair distance before a stray bullet struck her in the knee, causing her to slide onto the ground in a heap. Sonera didn't stay down for long, resisting the pain and picking herself off the ground. She was confident in her team.

"Jesus Sonera, be careful!" Five called out to her from the distance, focusing their efforts on buying her time. "Three will kill us if you die."

Three hadn't shown themselves. And he was easily the most cunning and talented on the team. Something was wrong.

"Not this time," Sonera muttered to herself, kicking a guard in the face as she made a mad dash for an open shutter-door at the far side of the quad. "Three."

Diving into the concrete opening, Sonera found herself surrounded by bodies. Sadly, none of them belonged to Venra. Sonera figured Three was in hot pursuit, but had still not located his prey.

Sure enough, upon rounding the corner, she found Three standing in front of two figures, with his sidearm unholstered yet strangely relaxed. More importantly, Sonera could make out the figure of Venra, who stood pensively next to another man clad in drop-trooper armor.

"You!" Sonera cried out, her anger more palpable than ever. "Traitor!"

Venra sighed, placing her hand onto the muscular arm of her partner, his frame dwarfing her the same way Three towered over Sonera. "I'm sorry, Sonera. I should have told you before."

Sonera snatched a second sidearm from Three's holster, knowing exactly where he liked to keep his spares. "Told me what? That you were going to leave us!"

"Whoa there, partner, slow down." The man next to Venra spoke calmly, gesturing towards a large machete on his forearm. "We can talk through this."

Three nodded in approval. "I'm up for it if the ladies are."

"Up for what! Let me kill her!" Sonera pleaded.

"Listen!" Venra cried, tears welling up in her eyes as she tugged at her own nightgown. "I didn't want to do this, but...it's the only choice we had! Our family lied to us, Sonera. We didn't steal that index to fight Tesselation, nor aid any of their victims. We were going to blackmail them for...for money! To prove ourselves useful so we could keep earning and earning!"

"It doesn't matter." Sonera hissed. "We mattered. Our family."

"A family that is willing to further the goals of the entity that orphaned us all to begin with...the same company that made Mars what it is today...is no family of mine. Please, you can join us. Algernon doesn't have to rule half the Sol System. We can fight him. Togethor."

"I can kill you."

"You can try, give it a chance. Give hope a chance."

Sonera smiled. "I WILL enjoy it."

Venra lowered her gaze in shame. "And to think I loved you."

Sonera squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet flying through Venra's head. But much to her amazement, the only thing that fell was the illusion of her, as the real Venra grabbed onto her from behind, jamming a knife into her back. Rage kept Sonera going, as she swept Venra's legs with her heels before pulling the knife out of her back.

"Welp." Three shrugged. "Guess we're fighting now."

The other drop-trooper responded with a chuckle, throwing his machete with blinding speed. "Ladies."

Three deflected the attack with their bare hands, firing his weapon at his opponent while frantically trying to close the distance. Both men then entered a lethal dance of strength and steel, their armored fists slamming into each other's armor as they attempted to exploit what little weaknesses could be found. The girls, on the other hand, were engaged in barbaric carnage, kicking and clawing at each other with whatever they could find.

Venra was frankly a better fighter, evading Sonera's wild kicks before twisting her opponent's exposed arm with a swift and elegant hold. The pain didn't seem to matter. Losing didn't seem to matter. Sonera was a relentless beast, and Venra was getting tired. What little damage she had taken was adding up, as she nearly stumbled backwards upon receiving Sonera's elbow to her face.

Venra attempted to confuse Sonera on the fly, using another holographic disguise in tandem with a flying kick. Not even attempting to decipher the true attacker, Sonera ducked out of the way, grabbing a fistful of dirt before throwing it at Venra. The moment her true form became evident, Sonera tackled her, beating her senseless with a string of brutal attacks.

By the time she finally came to her senses, Sonera's fists were covered in blood. She hesitated, and Venra slashed at her with a scavanged shard of glass, cutting deep into her chest. Finally reaching her limit, Sonera pinned the girl to the ground with her legs before wrapping her fingers around her throat.

"Die," Sonera whispered, not realizing her words had slipped into Venra's mind.

It wouldn't take much longer after that.

Three was much more efficient in his battle, allowing his opponent to make the first move at every opportunity before using his sidearm like a sword, firing into the gaps of the trooper's armor only when greeted with a point-blank opening. Feigning a rather bullheaded punch, Three stepped back before kicking at the enemy's exposed knee, bringing them down just long enough to sneak his sidearm into the armor's neckpiece.

One gush of blood later, and Three was done. The only thing that could then affect his calm demeanor was Sonera, who could be seen quivering in a pool of blood next to Venra's corpse. Three rushed over to her side, cradling her in their arms as she stumbled backwards.

"Hey, hey," Three spoke to Sonera in a tender voice. "Hang in there. I'm right here, Sonera."

The girl twitched violently, gasping for breath as she clawed at Three's visor. He held her steady. Finally, after a few minutes had passed, Sonera came to her senses, her rage having turned to sorrow. She looked up at Three with shame and regret on her face. She wanted to cry.

"It's okay. It's over now, Sonera."

The rest of the team appeared behind Three, checking their weapons while observing the dramatic scene in front of them. Sonera was badly in need of medical attention, with a total of three major wounds located on her knee and shoulder blades. Three had, of course, considered such a possibility and were quick to apply a spray-gel he kept in his rear pouch. He was well aware of Sonera's impulses, which so frequently compelled her to push herself into danger without proper protection. She was a bit like him in that way.

"All clear?" Five signaled with his right hand, his black visor covered in blood.

"Yeah." Three replied solemnly.

"Is the target done for good?" Two inquired playfully.

"My guy. It's Sonera." Five laughed. "The guy's dead."

The team leader then helped Sonera to her feet carefully, stepping over the pool of blood with his heavy boots. He knew it wasn't wise to set the girl off, given her unstable nature. But when he finally pressed a finger against Sonera's face, she looked up and gave a tender smile.

"You good, Sonera?" Three asked as he tried to pull his hand away. "I think your dress is uhh..."

Sonera responded by clinging to the trooper's glove. She was unwilling to let go. Not after what she had lost.

Three then carefully placed Sonera's bra strap back onto her shoulder, knowing full well she didn't care one way or the other. All she could do at that time was stare, deeper and deeper into his tinted visor. Sonera thought it was the most handsome look in the world.

"Did...I do well?" Sonera tilted her head with wide eyes.

Three spoke more softly than ever. "Well? Girl, you're the best. Your sisters would be proud."

"No, they wouldn't. They're busy with dance routine. Sucking up to Grandmamma." Sonera frowned.

"Oh, now she gets talkative." Four scoffed. "Here we go."

Two whispered as a retort, trying not to ruin the moment. "And here you thought she'd be a...what did you call it?"

"Carpet muncher."

Three ignored his team's banter. "Listen, Sonera...she let you on the team, Grandmother is proud of you."

Sonera held back her tears. "They hate me. Venra was all I had."

Three sighed, trying his best to avoid that topic. "Well...have you ever considered why those other girls don't like you? Cause you're better than them."

"True enough," Four agreed loudly, supporting Sonera despite her feelings. "We saw you a while back. Made those other ballerinas look like novices."

"Things are stricter for the girl's Sonera. Not all of them can do what you do, and then go do what we do." Three explained calmly. "That's the truth."

Sonera opened her arms for a hug before stopping herself. Years of conditioning had taught her not to show warmth. Ironically, when it came to the Bratva on Mars, they had a tradition of letting the men roam free with their emotions, whereas the girls were caged dolls. Sonera could practically still feel her daily routine, always being watched by her mother as the prized jewel of the family, always receiving the same answer when she asked to change positions. She didn't hate the pain in her heels or the way she would be treated by men. In fact, Sonera was rather content being a tool, as long as she could be with Three. But in the end, she always struggled to become the honed edge that Three had embodied. She was weaker. She was fragile. And she wanted to go home.

"Three." Sonera looked up at the operative longingly. "Thank you."

Three knew how ironic it was for the men of the Bravta to be given new names and tinted helmets to hide their humanity, all the while receiving more freedom and opportunity than their sisters. And if he were still a young boy, he likely would have found Sonera to be the girl of his dreams. He remembered their most dramatic encounter like it had happened just the other night, when he had been called in to protect the Bratva's church from a supposed assault. But in that brief moment of panic, all he found was a false alarm and a changing room full of blood. Sonera was there, beating her sisters to a pulp after one of them tried to cut her hair.

As always, the young girl only ever grew frustrated after she emerged victorious. Her silent tirades were bloody and excessive, even back then. But the one thing that could calm her, ever since they first met, was Three.

"Remember what you used?" Three laughed.

"A comb." Sonera blushed.

"A fukin comb."

"I shouldn't have killed her. I wanted her to feel that pain forever."

"I still can't beleive that was over hair."

"It wasn't. I just...needed to do that."

"You would have made one hell of an operative, do you know that, Sonera?"

"I'd rather be."

A call began to buzz in Sonera's ear, causing her to flinch and shudder. Three got the same message as he turned to his team. They all suddenly began to ready their weapons, ignoring Sonera as if she had just left the room.

"It's the church." Sonera frowned.

"Stay here." Three ordered, moving away from her. "You know the drill, pretend you're some lost comfort girl who survived our attack, they'll be looking for drop-troopers, not you."

"You know I won't. I can protect myself."

"Everyone knows you can fight Sonera, but you weren't trained for everything."

"I won't stay!" Sonera cried out, showing an unusual amount of emotion.

Five replied by pulling out his sidearm, switching its munitions to stun before firing it into Sonera's chest. Realizing that wouldn't stop her, he fired two more, silently looking down at the girl as she slumped to the ground. The fireteam then departed with great haste, leaving Sonera behind.

"Three.." Sonera whimpered as she crawled across broken glass. "I won't...leave you."

Driven by her love and rage, the young girl managed to rouse herself by clutching the sharp glass on the floor, forcing adrenaline into her system through both pain and loss of blood. Under no circumstances would she let her family fight alone. It was no longer about her pride or her sense of duty. She just wanted to be with him.

The church was merely three clicks away, nestled deep in the slums of old Mars. From what she had heard from the communications device, her home was under attack, the intensity of which had already silenced the report mere moments after it came through. The perpetrator could be another crime family, or the authorities; the possibilities were frankly endless. But Sonera didn't care; all she wanted was to find her family.

"Three," Sonera mumbled desperately.

When she finally hobbled her way across the slums, what she found was worse than she could have possibly imagined. Every glass pane on the Russian church had been shattered, as the staircase leading towards the main chapel was seen littered with the dead. Some unknowable force had plowed through the crime family, slaughtering both men and women without remorse. Sonera knew there couldn't have been an army, nor could she prescribe such brutal efficiency to another assassin. There were no bullet holes to be seen on the walls, no stab wounds on the bodies of the fallen, only broken bones and disfigured faces.

A monster had found her home.

Stumbling inside, Sonera came face to face with a looming figure, its singular eye staring at her with anticipation.

"Sonera," the tall alien whispered into the girl's mind, its sleek orange armor scraping against the wooden pews as it strode towards her. "Isn't that your name?"

The alien was feminine in nature, wearing heels and a two-pronged helmet atop its head. Slung across its waist was a sidearm nearly the side of Sonera's body, its barrel suspiciously cold and unused. The hands of the creature were thin and spindly, with only three fingers pointed at the girl as it raised its arm. But most noticeable of all was the alien's face, blank and unmeutable, with only one gleaming eye in its center.

"I am Yrix. A Psion of the Consortium. I have come to-."

Just then, a hail of bullets erupted from behind the alien, stopping dead in their tracks as an invisible barrier smashed them into pieces.

"Three!" Sonera screamed, realizing her family was the one to emerge from the ruins. "Run!"

"How curious," Yrix scoffed, her voice still booming in Sonera's head, causing the girl to fall to her knees. "Humans are braver than I thought."

"I didn't hear a bell," Three coughed, his voice barely escaping through the gash in his visor.

The operative then retrieved a grenade from his front pouch before pulling its pin with his thumb, hurling it at the alien with a surprising amount of force. Predicting its countermeasures, he managed to shoot the explosive midair, changing its payload into a cloud of black dust that disguised his movement. Yrix seemed visibly amused, relaxing her posture as she watched for the human's next move. A steel beam then levitated beside her, its sharpest edge pointed at Three as he emerged from the shadows.

"The Consortium rewards bravery. I'll make this painless."

But to Yrix's surprise, Three had managed to duck under the metal beam just as it passed over his head. Unholstering his sidearm, he pivoted away from a second barrage, this time coming from under the pews. Such a display of skill had genuinely impressed Yrix, convincing her she had come to the right place.

"That's quite enough." Yrix waved her hand, pulling Three towards her with a visible aura of Psionic energy surrounding him. "Die honorably."

Before Sonera could scream, Yyrix squeezed her hand, turning her beloved into a red mist in an instant. It was indeed a painless death, just as she promised. Enraged, Sonera pulled a knife from a nearby corpse, hurling it at Yrix.

"Such wrath. I know you'll make a good student." Yrix boasted, plucking the knife out of the air before bringing it up close for inspection.

Posing her fingers, Yrix flicked her wrist, sending an entire pew barreling towards Sonera. It crashed into the girl, knocking her down completely. To ensure the job was done, Yrix lifted another pew, casually letting it fall onto Sonera as she stared intently at the knife.

"Sleep now, child," the alien whispered to Sonera, the girl's eyes closing shut as she spoke. "You'll have plenty of chances to prove yourself."

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Lunae: The [REDACTED]

Summary:

The last of the four MCs!

[Castorum, 2 Millennia after Consortium Emergence, 200 years after Infestare emergence]

High above the blighted clouds lay the red sun of a once treasured home, its crimson majesty having been long since desecrated by an enemy Yrix knew far too well. Her people, the Consortium, had given up their lofty plans of reclaiming the planet years ago. But even as the fauna lay dead, and the oceans dried, there were still relics dear to the emperor that had to be reclaimed. Henceforth, as per royal decree, there would be a great crusade upon the planet, heralded by a legion of vessels.

"Landfall imminent. Watch for solar flares," a bellowing voice spoke over the intercom.

"Are they fools?" Yrix thought to herself, using her Psionic gaze to peer through the minds of the crew stationed outside. "To plan our exercise at the same time as the controlled burn."

The Arch-Flayer, as she was begrudgingly named, stood pensively at the center of a vast hangar, whose crude rustic bays were filled to the brim with warriors eager for battle. It was rather uncommon for a creature of Yrix's rank to associate herself with such a station, wherein the underbelly lacked even a window to decorate its vast metal halls. But truth be told, she just wanted to be the first into the fray, regardless of where her position should otherwise lead her.

"They won't last five minutes," Yrix shrugged, staring down at the armored grunts beneath her, their bulky shields and battle-worn weaponry standing in juxtaposition to her assessment. "It matters not. I only need reach the vaults before the others."

Yrix began to fiddle with her sidearm, its angular shape having been recently polished and waxed. It was an ironically delicate process, considering how sharp and spindly her four fingers could be. She needed the stout little thing to operate at peak preformance if she were to reach her target in time. Though in truth, she had little faith it would last any longer than the creatures surrounding her, considering the enemy she knew would be clawing at it.

They went by many names throughout the stars. Some called them the Surfeit, while others simply dubbed their presence as the plague. For the Consortium, names and titles didn't matter nearly as much as strength.

"Landing sequence permitted, glory be to the emperor. Death to the Infestare," the same voice echoed throughout the stuffy chamber, signaling the first step of the operation.

Yrix was a Psion, and a particularly large one at that. Her race of tetrapods was widely known as the best to practice the art, so much so that the concept of Psionic influence originated from their name. It was for this reason that they had been members of the Consortium far longer than most. Not that Yrix cared. Her singular eye, located in the center of her skull beneath inches of thick armor, twitched with morbid anticipation for the battle ahead. There was something she wanted down on that planet, and nothing would stop her from getting it.

Looking downwards, Yrix relaxed her muscles before the floor beneath her gave way. It was a rather graceless deployment method, as the vessel's underbelly opened its maw to unleash its contents all at once. For the average grunt, a machine stationed at an interval would encase them in a large metal tube, shielding them from the fiery landing. But for Yrix, who had no place in the battle group in the first place, there would be no such insurance. She would dive headfirst into the atmosphere all on her own.

"Yrix, the fifth fleet deployed early; you must make haste," a feminine voice informed the Psion from within her mind, causing her to become agitated.

"Petulant children," Yrix complained.

As Arch-Flayer, her station gave her access to only the most ornate of power armor, tightly fit around her flesh so that she would never have to remove it. She was the only Psion of her rank to don a striking yellow, allowing her to stick out as the golden harbinger of the battlefield. Yrix liked that kind of attention. She wanted badly for the enemy to focus their efforts on her first, believing in all their ignorance that she could be killed. To that extent, she even went as far as to don a red cape of sorts, split into two segments down her narrow back. Even her helmet was stylized around her sigil, bearing the mark of the two-horned flayer from her people's legend.

"And they wonder why the Infestare are winning."

Yrix tucked her arms in, falling at a greater velocity than the pods surrounding her before abruptly stalling her descent with a Psionic pulse. She had timed her move perfectly, grabbing onto a nearby pod just as a barrage of yellow lightning came crashing into the formation, destroying at least half of the deployment. Yrix was keenly aware of how to strike a balance between speed and restraint, ensuring the rest of her flight would be properly shielded.

"Less than I had anticipated," Yrix thought to herself, using her Psionic gaze to observe the battlefield from the perspective of the fifth fleet's deployment, which she had recently learned was a bit hasty. "How rare for the Infestare."

The Flayer bent her knees as the surface of the planet came into view, spinning herself into a ball before slamming onto the rough terrain with a deafening boom. She had, of course, used a Psionic wave to break her fall, causing a lethal explosion that she hadn't bothered to calculate the risks of. If sacrificing an ally meant a swifter excision, then so be it.

 

*Her objective was all that mattered.*

 

It wasn't long before Yrix began to hear the screeching howls lost in the mist of the battlefield, followed by a series of gunfire and clashing metal. Just as she had predicted, her landing zone was located atop a rather convenient hilltop. As for the unit she rode on to get there, they were less than fortunate. Against the Infestare, all the Consortium grunts could do was make a defensive formation and pray the Arch-Flayer would find them before they were devoured.

"Good, gives me time to search," Yrix squinted her singular eye as she unfolded a silver disk, its holographic interface showing her a map of the surrounding area.

Yrix stood still for quite some time, seemingly oblivious to the danger around her as she relaxed her posture. Even as the dying battle cries of her allies rang out from across the hills, Yrix focused on finding her quarry. It didn't matter what came barreling out of the shadows of the ruined Castorum. She had better things to do.

"There," Yrix hissed as a strange symbol appeared on her device, its shape depicting a wilted flower with sharp symmetrical lines. "I found you."

Yrix shut her device, staring with contempt at the swarm that had formed around her. The Infestare stared at her silently, their frail skeletal bodies twitching and writhing with anticipation as their porous shells leaked an indescribable fluid. For all intents and purposes, the great enemy of the Consortium was a rabble of evolved crustaceans, relying on the sheer might of their biological forms to fight against the empire. But with the aid of a yet undiscovered power, their monotonous blight had become a scourge for all.

"Die," Yrix spoke into the minds of her enemy with a chilling tone.

The Infestare scuttled towards the Psion, with many of them excreting blasts of acidic projectiles as they approached. But the Arch-Flayer was prepared, halting the assailants with a Psionic barrier before collapsing it onto the horde with lethal force.

*That felt good.*

It was as if she birthed a transparent coffin right in front of them and slammed it in their face. Such destruction, followed by a splurge of guts and blood, brought her a pleasure she had begun to long for. Yrix did love a good slaughter. But she wanted more.

"Away with these lowly insects," Yyrix rolled her eye, swiveling around on her heels before destroying another score of enemies with her sidearm. "Where are your warriors?"

As if on cue, a large fragment of living tissue flew over Yrix's head, its surface covered with amplifying energy. Such was the way of the Infestare, sending the sheep before the lion. But the Flayer was still unfazed, ducking and weaving over each larger attack with great agility. Soon enough, the greater enemy revealed itself as another horde of monsters, their size and ferocity far greater than the last.

There was a reason Yrix kept her gun in top shape. It was designed to convert tiny particles of combustible material into slag, essentially allowing her to hurl heated rocks out of a barrel for hours at a time. And considering the tenacity of the enemy she faced, it would be foolish to bring an exhausted pile of scrap.

*She also just loved guns.*

Much to the Consortium's dismay, there was no way to make the Infestare fear defeat, a lesson Yrix had already learned as she began to move closer to her prey. The deeper she plunged into the Infestare's territory, the more swarms she would encounter, each one stronger than the last. But Yrix would fight on, sliding down a ravine with near-limitless energy as she battled the horde with her Psionic energy.

Whenever the Infestare faced defeat, it was typical of them to bring out stronger casts. What was once a stream of crawling little tetropods had become a rabble of armored soldiers, their chitin thick enough to resist most projectiles. For that reason alone, it was worth being a high-ranking member of the Consoritum. Yrix had all the time and money in the world to make her own sidearm into an armor-piercing monstrosity.

She also had the right to demand for an entire company to come dig her a hole.

"The drills, on my position, now," Yrix ordered.

"Yes, Arch-Flayer," a fellow Psion responded, receiving the battle commands via telepathic connection.

Three balls of fire came hurling through the air above Yrix, crashing down onto the ravine with tremendous might. Each drop pod, more massive than the last, hatched to reveal large machinery that had been stored aboard the fleet. The large drills readied themselves before rotating at blinding speed, cutting away the dirt and rock of the planet's surface as Yrix climbed down after them. Behind the Arch-Flayer came a host of Consortium grunts, with most of the lumbering beasts being accompanied by the occasional Psion with a much smaller stature compared to Yrix.

"You didn't have to come this way," a young Psion spoke to Yrix, its green armor projecting a floodlight into the newly made tunnel. "You have the Emperor's blessing, Yrix."

"This was faster, deacon Vyna," the Arch-Flayer shrugged. "It is unwise to give the Infestare time to adapt."

"Because our tactics are so flexible," the Psion joked.

Yrix did not respond, focusing on her mission as she began pushing the drills forward with her mind. Eventually, the great machines came to a fiery end, their metal hulls unable to withstand the Psion's effort. But all was well for Yrix, who had already torn away the last of the dirt to reveal a deep chasm filled with yellow luminescence.

"Secure this area, the target is mine." Yrix snapped at the company, her voice practically tearing into their minds. "And don't...touch...anything."

Before Yrix lay a series of strange monuments, with each neatly decorated structure representing one of the Infestare's foreign beliefs. While it was common for the monsters to desecrate their own bodies and the corpses of their enemies, it seemed they still possessed some form of art within their homes. Yrix would, of course, never admit it, but she found their catacombs to be ornately designed. It was almost contradictory for such a feral species to dedicate their time to making such things as staircases leading up to their structures. But Yrix had no time for insights and cultural mysteries, pushing her way through the stronghold all the while seemingly oblivious to the fact that it was empty.

"There you are." Yrix smiled, albeit without any visible mouth.

The Arch-Flayer reached her hand out towards the center of the room, uncovering a heavily decorated cocoon of sorts from within a mossy grove. She could practically feel the Psionic energy pulsating through the artifact, filling her with excitement. Such passion began to blind her judgment, causing her to feel an irrational obsession with the contents of the cocoon.

"Finally," Yrix told herself as she gently pried the object open. "My...student."

Within the capsule lay a small girl, whose exact biology seemed eerily similar to that of the primitive human race. Yrix didn't care. All she wanted in that moment was to protect the girl, who lay naked and unconscious within the cocoon.

The Flayer had no concept of physical attractiveness, but even she could tell the dainty humanoid was of a prettier sort. Her dark sapphire colored hair came down to her waist, glimmering with a foreign energy. And her eyes, even while shut, emanated a vibrant energy that Yrix could practically feel with on fingertips. She hadn't the slightest idea where the girl came from, nor did she know who was responsible for the elegant markings on her body. But what Yrix did know, more than anything, was the girl's name, which had been practically carved into her Psionic signature.

"Lunae." Yrix smiled.

"These symbols," one of Yrix's Psions proclaimed with great concern in their voice. "It's Infestar! This is no relic of the emperor!"

Suddenly, the head of the Psion exploded into a mist of blood as Yrix clenched her fist. Her entire company was taken aback, pointing their weapons with a measure of reluctance. But Yrix had no intention of explaining her actions. She was going to take that girl home, if it was the last thing she ever did.

"Traitor!" Vyna screamed, her voice rallying the entire company. "You would betray your emperor!?"

"I only mean to carry the wild ambition he's so proudly adorned upon himself." Yrix hissed, sealing the pod in order to protect the girl. "Do it...call for reinforcements."

Vnya's eye widened, realizing her Psionic connection had been cut off from the fleet.

"Don't worry," the Arch-Flayer boasted as she gracefully descended a set of stairs, as the company readied itself for battle. "I'm sure the Infestare will enjoy your screams."

*Not as much as Yrix would.*

Yrix then unholstered her sidearm with blinding speed, pulling its trigger and sending a bolt of molten metal into Vyna's head. Using her Psionic projections, she then directed a formation of purple beams into the hearts of a dozen warriors, their bodies exploding with violent energy. Nearly a hundred of the Consortium responded by firing relentlessly at the Arch-Flayer, their hands trembling with fear.

"Kill her!" Another Psion pointed with its slim finger, commanding a series of larger brutes to fire their shoulder-mounted explosives.

Yrix nearly chuckled, lunging into the air before landing on the Psion, her sharp heels crushing its skull. She then used her immense height to kick another Consurtium warrior with crushing force, causing it to nearly explode into meaty fragments. Whether it be against the Infestare or her own comrades in arms, combat was everything Yrix lived for. And for that reason alone, she yearned for the girl within that pod, whose potential could give her what she desired.

Changing the magazine on her sidearm, Yrix released a howling scream from her mind, shattering the fragile minds of those who remained in opposition to her. She then playfully began to execute the crippled husks, sluggishly aiming her weapon at their heads before pulling the trigger. When all was said and done, she had executed the entire company.

"Now now," the Arch-Flayer spoke softly, extracting the girl from the pod as she stepped over her dead comrades. "You'll be safe."

It was rather easy to make up an excuse once Yrix left the chamber. Given her company's chances against the Infestare and the Emperor's taste for alien females, there was already a perfect lie around her betrayal. All that mattered to Yrix, even more than her honor, was her blooming project.

"I have just the home for you." Yrix smiled at the girl, levitating her way out of the cave as she spoke. "A place, with many like you. I pray you'll live up to my expectations."

Notes:

This is the last of the introductions, the plot starts next chapter!

Chapter 5: Oneiro

Summary:

The girls come togethor!

Ivy woke with a gasp, her head throbbing with pain. Looming over her stood a blurry figure that seemed to call out to her in a voice she found most irritating. Judging by cadence alone, the heiress knew she was no longer on Callisto.

"You good there, princess? We thought you were finished."

"I'm not a princess, and where am I?" Ivy groaned. "I thought I..."

The heiress clamped her mouth shut, realizing she was better off saying nothing about her escape. If she were in a foreign place, it meant her father had failed to capture her, meaning he would be relentlessly searching the entire solar system. That being said, there was no possible way the simpleton that knelt beside her could possibly be one of Algernon's spies.

"Thought ya what? Died?" Lila smiled, her rose colored eyes beaming with curiosity. "That woulda have been a shame, I've never met someone with your getup."

"It's not a getup; everything you see is natural." Ivy frowned, struggling to raise her own head.

"Ooh, take it slow, I know not all of us had a smooth ride," the short-haired girl giggled, brushing aside a dark brown strand as she reached to fix Ivy's pillow. "You've been asleep here longer than anyone else."

"My ride was...perfectly smooth, I'll have you know," the heiress lied, her tone becoming more sheepish as she spoke.

"Me personally, I got a truck thrown at me. Oh, and then I got rocked by an alien. Can you beleive that?"

"No, I can't," the heiress struggled. "Now get out of my way."

Suddenly, Ivy realized her attire had been completely changed, causing her to nearly tumble out of what appeared to be a bunk bed. Alongside the other girl, she wore what appeared to be a short black skirt with a set of white leggings, as well as a tight red vest and a silver necktie. Upon further inspection, however, it would appear Lila's necktie was red, matching the color of her eyes.

"Where...am I?" Ivy hissed. "I won't ask again."

"Glad you asked. I have no idea."

Ivy's surroundings were those of an old human barracks, with rows of stacked beds and glass windows lining the walls. Even the curtains were made out of a rather historic fabric, alongside a set of blinds she had only seen in a museum. But quite possibly strangest of all were the inhabitants of the building, who all seemed to be young girls, wandering about the red carpet with their nearly identical uniforms.

"An orphanage?" Ivy climbed down from her bed, trying in vain to balance herself with the black cloggers that had been placed on her feet. "It's surprisingly clean."

"Here, let me help you down." Lila smiled.

"D-do not, touch me," Ivy growled. "Why are you even here?"

"Okay, well dang, my bad. Just watching out for the straggler, how criminal of me. But hey, if your trip was so smooth, how come you slept in late?"

"Why you-."

Before Ivy could raise her hand, another girl with silver hair walked by the bed, tugging on its foundation before removing a splinter of wood. Such a peculiar sight stunned both Iva and Lila, who stared in disbelief.

"And who is that?" Ivy sighed.

"Beats me, she hasn't said a word since she got here."

The strange girl began to stab a window with her newfound weapon, struggling to break what was now known to be a material far tougher than glass. Lila rushed over in response, climbing down from Ivy's bed and approaching the girl.

"Hey, uh, what's your name?" Lila smiled nervously. "And you...might not want to do that."

"Sonera," the girl responded, glaring at Lila with violent intent. "And why not?"

"Well, you look like a smart girl. So let me just put it this way. We both know who put us here, and maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't want to alarm them by trying to escape."

Sonera paused for a moment, staring at the glass as she pondered her options. Eventually, she produced a slight nod of sorts before dropping the shard of wood. She then turned to Lila, tilting her head as she began to analyze the girl.

"Oh, uh...I'm Lila. Nice to meet you, Sonera."

"You're from Earth," Sonera muttered in a lower voice.

"Indeed, I am." Lila placed her hands on her hips proudly. "What gave it away?"

Sonera refused to respond, her eyes still fixated on Lila's figure. As an assassin, it was her prerogative to understand people who bothered to approach her. Luckily for the earthborn, Sonera was becoming increasingly certain of the girl's unthreatening appearance.

"Okay, well...can I guess where you're from?"

Sonera nodded silently, amused by the jovial game.

"Mars." Lila pointed confidently.

"Was it the Russian accent?" Sonera frowned.

"Yeah...cheap shot, I know, most of the colonists were from there when it was first established."

"I do like this game though." The silver-haired girl changed her expression into something far more friendly. "Let's continue."

"Oh really?" Lila shrugged, uncertain as to why Sonera was becoming more approachable. "Okay."

"Where is she from?" Sonera pointed at Ivy, who was pouting silently next to the bed she had finally finished climbing down from. "I could tell you."

"Uhhh...Europa?"

"No. She's from Callisto."

"I ain't gonna lie, I've never heard of that place." Lila chuckled.

"They are into...how do I describe it...eugenics."

"Ah, so the white hair is real."

"Painstakingly so." Sonera smiled. "This is...nice."

"Yeah...you kind of struck me as the silent type there for a bit."

But before Lila could finish speaking, Sonera turned to leave abruptly, as if no longer interested in the girl's existence.

"Ugh, martians." Ivy rolled her eyes, unable to muffle her complaint. "How typical."

"What's that?" Lila asked as she walked back to Ivy, feeling insecure in her ability to communicate.

"That thing wasn't even talking to you. It was analyzing whether you were a threat or not."

"Uhh," Lila grimaced. "You mean she's cold?"

"No, all martians are gangsters. That one was probably a whore and an assassin. Kind of like how you earthborn are all primitives."

"I seem to have gotten you stuck in a rant here," Lila backed away, raising her hands as she gritted her teeth. "Allow me to leave."

"Good." Ivy turned away.

Lila then began to wander the room, avoiding every girl she came across before kneeling in front of another bed. It wasn't easy to contain her panic, nor was it getting any easier to distract herself with menial tasks. If she couldn't keep her mind busy, then her insecurities would make way for reflection.

"Don't think about them," Lila muttered to herself, trying her best not to ruminate on what had happened to her family. "Mom would want me to be strong."

"She must be proud of you, the way you helped Ivy."

"Huh?" Lila stammered, looking up to see a girl with strange tattoos, her soft voice practically whispering into her mind. "H-how did you know-."

"I saw you. I was worried she wouldn't wake either, but I...well, I'm not as brave as you. They scare me."

"Well, uhh...thanks anyway. It's nice to know at least someone isn't trying to avoid me. My name is Lila."

"So I've heard." The girl pressed two fingers together with a nervous tremble, before her voice seeped into Lila's ear. "Mine is Lunae."

"How the heck are you doing that?" Lila's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Lunae gasped.

"Your lips don't move sometimes, but words still come out."

"I'm...not entirely sure."

"Oh...well that's convenient." Lila shrugged. "So what...you were just...watching me fail at conversation this whole time?"

"You tried it with at least a dozen girls." Lunae nodded, taking a seat next to Lila, fiddling with her shimmering hair as she spoke. "I wanted to chime in but-."

"Nah, I get it. You're fine."

"Really?" Lunae beamed with excitement.

"Yeah, some people are shy like that."

"I've struggled to be brave ever since I woke here. I know so little...and it frightens me."

"Join the club, honey." Lila laughed. "This whole thing is obscene."

A loud rumble then came from the far end of the room, frightening the girls as two wooden doors began to shudder. Lila had been eyeing the peculiar entrance for some time, but figured it would be better to stay clear due to its intimidating size. And to her dismay, the creature that walked out was indeed monstrous in size.

"Humans," Yrix spoke loudly, silencing the room with her mere presence. "Little...little humans."

For all but Sonera, the alien's presence was a shock that the girls were unable to process, watching in horror as Yrix stepped into the center of the room with a single stride. Her words seemed to slip effortlessly from her mouthless face, penetrating the minds of every soul she could lock her gaze on.

"Listen closely," the Psion squinted, unveiling a large golden scroll from behind her tall body, its silky parchment practically long enough to act as a blanket for Lila. "I, Yrix of the Consortium, bring you a decree from his opulency, the Emperor. This holy declaration states that your lives are henceforth, as of this moment, sworn to the Consortium. You will be trained here, in my Aerie, and you will be forged into Psionic weapons to fight on behalf of your empire. Fail or succeed, it is all the same; you will give your life for this cause. My cause."

Yrix then began to scan the room, its inhabitants still as the crypt. She didn't need words to understand their feelings, nor did she need another lengthy explanation. Casting the scroll aside like trash, Yrix spoke again, her voice even more piercing than before.

"Those clever among you know why you were chosen to be here. Your Psionic potential. I have searched far and wide for such gifts, and using that same power, I will hone you into a blade. Whether or not you survive the process is...irrelevant."

Lila began to whimper, clutching the back of her head as she struggled to process Yrix's words. The Psionic connection was far stronger than the one she felt the day she was stolen from Earth. Only this time, it appeared she was not allowed to simply lose consciousness.

"Or perhaps I shall put it even more plainly. Impress me with your gifts and live. Disappoint me, and I will kill you myself, before finding a use for your corpse."

The room remained silent, as the girls reeled from Yrix's overwhelming presence. At such a point, only one remained focused, her gaze still fixated on the flayer regardless of her pain. Sonera still hadn't forgotten what was taken from her.

"Now. For your initiation. Many of you here have yet even to activate your latent potential." Yrix explained, gesturing towards the doorway behind her. "I will awaken that potential, one student at a time. If you survive the process, you will be...changed. Do I have any volunteers?"

Just as Yrix had expected, Sonera was the first to eagerly raise a hand, glaring at the Psion with her usual malice. But what genuinely suprised the flayer was the second hand that appeared in the farthest corner of the room. It belonged to the Earthling named Lila.

"You volunteer?" Yrix tilted her head, focusing her voice solely on Lila.

"I uh... yeah." Lila smiled nervously.

"Wonderful. You will be first," the Psion spoke out loud. "As for the rest of you. I have a list. Do be patient."

Lila suddenly felt a soft hand grasp her wrist, pulling her away from the doorway in fright.

"Are you sure?" Lunae whimpered, her eyes watering.

"Of course. If someone like me can survive, then you've got this in the bag." Lila smiled as she gently lifted the girl's hand away from her.

"But I'm...not-."

"You already spoke into my mind, girl. Give yourself some credit."

Lila watched intently as Sonera stared at her with a curious look, almost as if giving the girl a measure of respect for her decisions. Yrix took notice, squinting her singular eye before gesturing towards the open doorway. As she walked past the towering figure and into the doorway, Lila felt an unusual sense of calm. Perhaps she should have been afraid.

______________________________

Yrix's office took her student by surprise, both in its proximity to the bedchambers and its strangely familiar layout. In fact, the only thing that felt appropriately alien was the size of the wooden desk in the center of the room, with both its height and the steps leading up to it matching Yrix's figure. As for the contents of the room, it was primarily filled with leatherback books, as if pulled from a library on Earth.

"You were expecting something different?" Yrix laughed, her voice gently entering Lila's mind. "I did not build this place with the intention of flexing my alien origins, nor the opulence of the Consortium."

"You built it yourself?" Lila's eyes widened as she awkwardly scaled her way up the steps near the center of the room. "The Aerie, I mean."

"Every brick. Every wooden scaffolding. I went to great lengths to study your human culture...make you feel at home," the Psion boasted proudly. "I am of the stern belief that your edge cannot be honed without a reminder of where your Psionic powers originally came from."

"Home." Lila smiled.

"Yes." Yrix nodded. "Maybe you'll see it again...in some form or fashion. If you survive your Psionic awakening."

"So...I get powers if I don't explode?"

The Arch-Flayer chucked almost uncharacteristically, her somber tone having been altered by Lila's presence.

"Yes, Lila. You will be able to practice all sorts of miracles your species has beleived to be impossible."

"If I survive."

"If you survive."

Yrix then lifted her prey into the air, bringing the girl at level with her Psionic eye. The Arch-Flayer's piercing gaze began to bore into Lila's skull, causing her to feel agonizing pain all over. But just before her mind could collapse into itself, the girl felt her body become transported into a different dimension entirely.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Where am I?" Sonera tilted her head, staring off into a sunless horizon as a gust of cold wind brushed against her face.

"The Psionic plane. Those with our gift can access it at any time, to meditate and commune." Yrix explained.

"Could you be killed here?"

"Yes. Two Psionic warriors could face each other in this plane. The winner would take the other's mind."

Sonera turned around to see a dimly lit landscape, its indescribable ruins only made visible by a glowing aura in the distance.

"What happened to it?" Sonera asked, her malicious tone shifting into genuine curiosity.

"You'd think the center of all Psionic minds would be something...more than this. Perhaps it once was. But our minds are not temples. They are a battlefield."

"It's our reflection." Sonera nodded.

"Yes. Psionic powers are... merely a catalyst with which we express ourselves. The same can be said of this realm. I would ike to prattle on about history and supremacy like so many other Psions. To tell you this is the birthplace of art and culture. But I am not interested in lies."

Yrix then stretched out a hand towards her student, enveloping her with Psionic energy. Within the plane, her grasp felt like the hand of a god, tearing at the girl's insides in an attempt to draw something out. It came as no surprise to Yrix when Sonera began to resist.

"So this is your strength. I chose wisely." Yrix nodded.

Regardless of what she felt, Sonera continued to glower at Yrix, her eyes sharpening with an orange glow. Eventually, her hatred reached its limit, bursting forth from the girl's chest and consuming her in an enveloping flame. Sonera's solar radiance burned brightly against the ruined landscape as she took a step towards Yrix.

"To awaken your Psionic potential is to open your mind. Accept your true nature. Only then can you be honed into the perfect edge." Yrix continued.

"Not for you." Sonera frowned, the dust around her shifting as she spoke.

The two figures entered an awkward silence as the astral plane's fading light began to ebb. Far off in the distance, a bright flash illuminated a storm of clouds, causing Sonera to avert her attention. The realm was reacting to a presence she could not yet discern.

"Very good. Now then, we shouldn't linger much longer. Inevitably, he'd find anyone in here. But I imagine your scent must be truly irresistible."

As if envisioning the creature Yrix spoke of, Sonera turned to see a dark figure in the distance, its twisted limbs quivering with uncontrollable excitement. She wanted to feel terror in that moment. But something stopped her, as the Psionic plane faded away.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"What exactly is the point of this?" Ivy whined. "I've already proven myself to be Psionically gifted."

"You mean your father did it for you."

"What?" The heiress gasped. "How did you-."

"The most gifted of Psions can peer into one's thoughts and memories."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So what did I have for lunch three weeks ago?" Lila winced, keeling over onto the floor of the Psionic plane as she tried not to fall apart.

"Oh, good heavens, it's not that thorough," Yrix replied in a jovial manner as she continued to mimic human phrases. "But considering your diet...it wouldn't be impossible to guess."

"How does it work then?"

"The more focused you are on a single thought or emotion, the easier it is to read."

"Is this the part where I hear about the spiritual energy of inner peace?"

Yrix walked behind Lila hastily, trying not to smile as she spoke, "No. You fat panda."

The girl laughed as well as she could, coughing up bits of blood in the process.

"You got it." Lila wheezed.

"I did."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I don't think about my family that much!" Ivy huffed.

"The moment I brought you here, that's ALL you've reflected on. You've traded in physical pain for your insecurities." Yrix explained.

"Can you...not tell the others about this?" The heiress looked down in shame.

"I won't divulge your personal life, no."

"Then why bring it up?"

"You were bragging."

"B-but I passed! With flying colors!"

"It was hardly a test for you. That girl Lila, whom you think so little of already. She struggled to survive during this session. I congratulated her for surpassing such a hurdle. You, on the other hand...we will see how you handle the other tests."

____________________________________

Lila sat restlessly, her body shivering at the entrance to Yrix's office as the muffled noises of another student could be heard just behind the doorway. She was unable to grasp what she had become, and yet still, she refused to think of her family. The pain she felt was just another convenient distraction.

Ivy, on the other hand, resorted to pouting in the same place she had woken from, crossing her arms in frustration as she stared into space. Her adaptation to Yrix's treatment was nothing less than stellar, and yet she still felt like the heiress who could never make her father proud. It wasn't until Yrix entered the room that she began to notice her surroundings.

For all her pride, Ivy was unprepared to accept the ramifications of what she had undergone. For when Yrix stepped out onto the red carpet to call for another, there was a noticeably lifeless figure slumped over behind her.

"Did she...fail?" Ivy gasped as her eyes widened, staring at what appeared to be a blonde girl whose corpse was being halfhazardly tugged along by Yrix.

"Allow me a moment," Yrix grunted with noticeable dissapointment in her tone.

The Arch-Flayer then exited through a different doorway, its contents having been previously unseen by any of the girls. What then became of the failed student was unknown, leaving Ivy speechless. It hadn't quite dawned on her that if she failed, she would be thrown out like garbage along with those she deemed inferior.

One girl began to sob loudly, causing Lila to stir. The Earthling girl recognized the voice immediately and knew it belonged to Lunae, who was utterly mortified by what she had seen. Mustering her remaining strength, Lila limped her way over towards the frightened student, trying her best to seem emotionally intact.

"I'm next," Lunae whispered in a panicked tone as her words entered Lila's exhausted mind. "She spoke to me."

"I didn't even know what a Psion was until twenty minutes ago, Lunae, you'll be fine," Lila replied, not realizing she was using her own powers to communicate with Lunae.

"I'm sorry." Lunae sniffled, wiping away her tears as she walked towards Yrix's office.

"She'll make it." Lila smiled awkwardly, looking around for someone to talk to. "Yea?"

The Earthling whirled around to see Sonera, who was standing right behind her in complete silence.

"You did." Sonera tilted her head. "Why?"

"I...didn't want to die?" Lila shrugged.

"You beleive you have something to come back to."

"And you don't?"

"I know why I'm here," Sonera spoke plainly before leaving abruptly.

Lila spun around, fidgeting desperately as she tried to find another person to converse with. One step towards the bunk beds was all it took for Ivy to shoot her a menacing glare, leaving the lone girl with nothing but her own shattered mind. Eventually, she knew she would have to pick up the pieces alone.

"Yrix?" Lila asked, using a sudden connection before placing a hand to her mouth in fright. "Ignore that, I'm sorry."

"Good to see you're learning," Yrix replied as she suddenly entered the room once again. "What is it?"

"Umm...do we have food here?"

"Lunch will be served after a few more students are seen. I promise it won't disappoint."

"You studied our cuisine?" Lila grinned.

For both Yrix and her student, something felt oddly right about their interactions. Amidst all the evil the Arch-Flayer had already committed, there was still some brevity to be found with. But the Psion already knew why Lila truly acted the way she did, which brought her great satisfaction.

As the light began to fade in the Aeire, the remaining girls gathered near their bunk beds, waiting in anticipation for Yrix's next move. There were many amongst their ranks who, like Lila, were still reeling from the effect of Psionic awakening.

But for those with natural talent like Ivy, there was nothing but the long, awkward intermission. What all the students shared in common, however, was their collective state of disbelief at their current predicament. It no longer mattered which colony they were from or how they were brought to the Aeire. Yrix would kill them all if they faltered.

"Hey, look!" Lila beamed as she ran to the back of the chamber. "This door! It's opening!"

Ivy nearly snorted at the idea of the Earthling wandering into the eerie hallway that awaited her, but to her surprise, Lila had already begun to skip through the back door.

"She can't be serious." Ivy raised an eyebrow as she spoke.

Sonera was the second girl to push into the dimly lit doorway, leaving Ivy in a state of disbelief. But before she could climb down from her bed and chase after the two girls, she heard another door swing open from the direction of Yrix's office. After quite the long delay, it was Lunae who came walking through, her eyes still clearly watering.

"Can't wait to hear the Earthling gloat about this one." Ivy sighed, storming off in the direction Lila had chosen.

Lunae was still trembling in silence, her visible fear silencing the room with its mere presence. Eventually, Yrix spoke, announcing the next event with her chilling voice. She appeared even more agitated than before, adding another layer of weight to her demanding presence.

"Food. You need it." The Arch-Flayer pointed to the back doors. "You will be brought back here in an hour for rest. Do not make me say it twice."

Without question, the entire room began to migrate, leaving Lunae all alone standing in front of Yrix.

"You too, Lunae."

"I'm sorry, Yrix." The girl sobbed, wiping a tear that stuck to the markings beneath her eyes. "I did my best."

"You are an anomaly, thus far, little one. Not a failure." Yrix spoke more softly. "Go on now. I'm sure Lila would like to hear all about your story."

__________________________________________

"Damn, she cooked," Lila smirked as she fiddled with her fork. "It's pretty good."

It wasn't unfair for Lila to assume the food of the Aerie would be unfit for humans, which made its quality all the more surprising. Yrix had once again shown her observant nature, handcrafting an entire cafeteria for her students a mere walk away from the bechambers. The appearance of the room was familiar, with the same style of windows and the soft red carpet making a return. What changed primarily was the presence of a bathroom and a series of silver trays and platters, alongside several chafing dishes filled with corn beef and rice. It felt almost surreal for Lila to receive perfectly human food in a nightmare.

Without Lunae to accompany her, however, the Earthling girl found herself sitting alone at a large wooden table, choosing to place herself closer to the window where she could try and peek outside. But just like before, the room was sealed shut, with no visible environment to be seen outside the Aerie's walls. Lila was almost content sitting alone, her body finally beginning to feel stable.

"You gave me advice before," Sonera spoke from behind, catching Lila completely off guard.

"Wah!" Lila jumped. "Hi Sonera. Didn't see you there." Lila girl grinned awkwardly.

"Why aren't there armed gaurds?" The strange girl continued, tilting her head as she spoke. "I wanted to ask you."

"Well, you're smart, I'm sure you figured it out. This place was designed by Yrix with a lot of care. If anyone breaks out, I'm sure she has a lot of safeguards in place. I don't know much about this Consortium, but...they showed up to my home with ships the size of a town. We'd be insane to think they don't have something equally absurd out there waiting for us to do something stupid." Lila explained, showing her nerdier side as she began exuding passion in her body language. "Ya know what I mean?"

"Yes." Sonera nodded. "I'm sorry about your home."

"Really?"

"I had mine taken by her."

"Yeah...I get that. Thanks for bothering to talk to me. You seem like the loner type."

"I do prefer to watch from the shadows but..." Sonera hesitated, looking down at her plate. "Forget it."

"Aren't we all."Lila joked.

Sonera produced the faintest of smiles, staring at Lila with thinly veiled curiosity.

"Hey, wanna do something funny?" Lila beamed, realizing she had the potential to make a friend. "Let's go over to Ivy and exist in front of her."

Sonera looked disapproving.

"Cmon, it'll pass the time."

Lila then hobbled her way over to Ivy, who was sitting by herself, her food untouched. Sonera came in tow, glaring at every other girl he came near. There was still more than enough for the faces to blend together, making them all inmutable strangers. Many of them came from colonies vastly different compared to Earth and Mars, giving them unique accents and hair colors.

Lunae didn't care. She just wanted to be with the one person she was beginning to trust, albeit barely. Something about Lila's authenticity made her feel, at the very least, like she had control of the situation.

Much to Lila's dissapointment, Ivy didn't have any reaction when the two sat at her table. All the girl seemed to be capable of was staring longingly into her food. At the very least, she touched some of the water Yrix had provided in a nearby dispenser.

"Something wrong?" Lila asked with a mouthful of rice. "Eating is pretty good when you're on the verge of dying to a psycho alien."

"I shouldn't be here," Ivy muttered. "This...is all wrong."

"I mean, it's pretty good if you ask me. What do you think, Sonera?"

Sonera sat across from Lila, giving her a prompt thumbs-up expression as a response.

"It's trash." Ivy retorted. "I can't eat this."

"What are you some kinda rich girl?" Lila shrugged.

"Rich girl?! I'll have you know I'm the heiress to the Tesselation, the largest colony organizer in the solar system. My family owns a moon."

"Then how the hell did you end up here?"

"Why you-."

Ivy did her best to contain herself, taking several deep breaths as she extended both hands. Pursuing Lila's taunting would only expose her. And so, for the time being, she would have to pretend she wasn't livid. Luckily for the heiress, a new distraction had arrived.

"Hey, it's Lunae!" Lila waved, signaling for the girl to sit down. "Grab a plate and join us!"

Lunae seemed confused, wandering the room with an unsteady posture. Even compared to the other humans from distant colonies, her ethereal features caused her to stand out from the crowd. Locking eyes with Lila, she shook her head in dismay.

"Don't be silly, we're all friends here." Lila smiled, thinking of how she had felt just a minute ago. "Sit."

"I...a-alright." Lunae nodded as she stepped closer to Lila. "Thank you."

Ivy couldn't help but stare at the girl in disbelief, her eyes squinting into a scrutinous gaze. As far as she was concerned, Lunae was quite the shameless attraction, with her shapely figure and exotic features forcing even Sonera to observe unabashedly. Or in simpler terms, one might describe her as jealous.

"What are you?" Ivy crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow as she glared at Lunae.

"Human...I think." Lunae smiled.

"You think!"

"Where are you from?" Sonera spoke softly, her more curious side emerging as she spoke.

"I don't know, I'm sorry. All I can remember is...this place."

"And before then?" Lila added.

"I'd rather not talk about it. If you don't mind." Lunae looked down in shame, pressing her palms against her knees.

"That's perfectly fine, just enjoy the food." The Earthling shifted her plate over to Lunae as a friendly gesture. "I'll go get another plate."

Lunae fiddled with her fork, unsure of how it worked. But after watching Ivy, who performed perfect etiquite, she was quick to learn.

"Mmm. It's amazing!" Lunae beamed. "I wonder who made it."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Ivy rolled her eyes. "Girl's acting like she hasn't had food before."

"I like it," Sonera replied, regaining her willingness to speak. "Not so bad."

"See? Not everyone's so picky." Lila chimed in as she took her seat with another plate. "And Yrix made plenty for everyone."

"How kind of her." Lunae nodded.

"Is that a joke?" Ivy sneered. "You think it's funny that we're here?"

"Speaking of funny." Lila deflected, keeping the attention away from Lunae, who already began to look hurt. "Check this shit out."

Lila grabbed a napkin and began to fold it into a strange shape, placing it between the tips of her fingers.

"Sonera, hold out your hands like a big U."

Sonera followed the instructions, staring curiously at Lila before the tiny napkin came flying towards her face. The object bounced right off, causing Lunae to giggle loudly. Sonera paused for a brief moment before producing a smile.

"See? She liked it." Lila gestured towards Ivy. "We can have fun regardless of the circumstances."

"That's it, I'm done." Ivy slammed her hands against the table before storming off. "I've had enough of Earthling drivel."

Lila sat in silence, her expression becoming agressively plain as a response to the insult.

"What does that mean?" Lunae asked.

"She doesn't like us," Lila replied. "That's basically it."

"Oh."

"I've seen her kind before." Sonera frowned, reminiscing on her past work. "They squeal just like anyone else."

"Well, okay now, it's not that serious. Maybe she's just shy." Lila shrugged as she tried to lighten the mood.

Despite her own words, Lila watched closely as Ivy left the chamber. Something about the heiress had her morbidly enamored. More so than Lunae and Sonera, something was off with her.

Notes:

Yrix seems very suspicious...I wonder what her true motivations are. Surely she didn't drag all these girls across the galaxy for simple trainining.

Chapter 6: Symmetry

Summary:

The girls face the first major trial from Yrix, and their relationships are tested.

Deep within the Tesselation center on Castillo, Algernon stood in complete silence, ruminating over the fate of his daughter. Despite his treatment of her, he felt uneasy, imagining almost every possible way she could be defiled or killed while away from home. The deal he had made with the Vjetar was irrelevant when compared to the value of his daughter's life. Or at the very least, that was the conclusion he had come to.

The tall machine stared off into the night sky, Jupiter's glow shining upon his face as he lifted a single finger tucked behind his back.

"You have human blood on you," Algernon spoke sternly. "Explain."

"The workers laid a hand on her. Before you gave the order," a feminine voice replied as it stepped closer to him. "I acted."

Algernon turned to face the endoskeleton before speaking to it with an unusual sense of respect in his voice.

"An acceptable action."

"What of Ivy? Our daughter?" The endoskeleton asked as it clasped its hands together.

"She will be returned. And anything that touches her will pay...in time."

The endoskeleton nodded in approval, the light of Saturn revealing another set of blood stains on its eye sockets.

"I'm afraid the Vjetar had limited intel to provide."

"You shouldn't have killed them with such haste."

"They spoke the truth. All they knew. Trust me."

Algernon hesitated before nodding, knowing full well what his wife was capable of.

"What about the Consortium? You must have already formulated a plan, Algernon. We need our daughter back." The Endoskeleton pleaded.

"Walk with me."

Moving in perfect tandem, the two hulking metal frames strode through the mansion's lonely halls, having become increasingly lifeless over the last few days. Without Ivy, Algernon hadn't even bothered to light the marble hallways properly, nor dust the wooden furniture despite owning a legion of machines for that job. The illusion of a home was pointless without her. Quite simply, Tesselation didn't need living quarters to operate.

"First things first, did you handle the workers? I need your confirmation, some of their hab-units are...more difficult to monitor in the snow."

"Yes, husband. All who had heard or seen Ivy's escape have been removed. Carefully."

"Then our next course of action is simple." Algernon nodded before reaching an elevator placed at the center of what used to be a kitchen. "We retrieve her from Consortium space, by any means necessary."

"Her tracking chip still worked?"

"No, her captor was clever enough to remove it. Fortunately, her tertiary chip was untouched. Its last broadcast was outside of Sol."

The elevator door closed as both machines walked into its cramped confines. Ivy, of course, was never allowed to know of its existence, making its unconduvice design all the more acceptable. The contraption then began to wobble and buckle under the weight of its load, reinforcing its position as a rather old enplacement as it spiraled downwards.

"I'm afraid conventional rescue would be...difficult given the extent of the Consortium's reach." Algernon continued.

The elevator came to a screeching halt, but just before her husband could exit into the next chamber, the endoskeleton blocked the door with her claw-shaped hand.

"Then make another. Please," the endoskeleton pleaded.

"It wouldn't be you," Algernon growled.

"No, but it will have my strength."

"Perhaps."

"You don't need all of Ivy. It can transport a small amount."

"You'd consent to this?" Algernon tilted his head as he flexed his metal palm.

"We need our daughter back."

"Very well, I'll get to work."

____________________________________

Lila sat pensively, her eyes drooping towards the floor as she tried to stay awake. It was well past her bedtime, but Yrix seemed insistent on one more routine. Having called the students to the entrance of her office, she began to relay her commands into their minds.

"I am well aware my human students need...sleep. But there is one last measure of competency I need from you. Having been settled with your awakening, you will be put to a simple test."

The floor beneath Yrix suddenly caved in, with both carpet and stone being torn asunder beneath her Psionic power. What was left, after a rather unpleasant wave of dust, was a massive sinkhole leading into a bottomless pit. But while most of the students felt a sense of dread upon looking into the pit, it was Sonera who expressed dissapointment. She had yet another reason to beleive that Yrix, at such a time, was far too powerful to be killed.

"You will descend into this pit. And I will pull you out." Yrix nodded before lending the girls a brief pause. "After you have passed...or perished, I will fix the room and you will be able to rest."

Lila was the first to raise her hand, much to Yrix's amusement.

"Yes, Lila."

"How do we not die," the girl asked plainly.

"I'm glad you asked Lila. The most essential Psionic projection is that of your personal ambience. You've seen me move objects, yes?" The Arch-Flayer explained as she unholstered her own weapon, pointing it at her own head. "Well...there's quite a bit more to it."

A large bolt of metal then shot out towards Yrix, bouncing harmlessly off a yellow barrier projected in front of her. Lila watched in amazement as the bullet fell to the ground, its tip having been flattened by Yrix's Psionic power.

"Your Psionic Ambience can project a barrier around your body. It can both stop and redirect kinetic force. If you were to...fall into this whole, a strong Ambience could break your fall."

"So do I just...clench really hard?" Lila smiled sheepishly.

Yrix then suddenly plucked Lila off the floor by the scruff of her neck, dangling her over the pit playfully.

"No. It's a reflex. An instinct. You'll get it."

The Arch-Flayer mused gleefully before dropping Lila, sending her tumbling into the abyss. Even Ivy flinched at such a sight, causing her a brief moment of panic. But truthfully, some part of her was just glad to see Lila fall to her demise.

Yrix tried not to chuckle upon hearing Lila's final words, its contents referencing another old piece of human culture she could understand.

After a moment of suspense, a cloud of dust burst forth from the pit, followed by a crushing thud.

"Ow." Lila's voice echoed.

The girl had followed Yrix's instructions to the letter, letting go of all mental control as she careened towards the bottom. With a simple act of desperation, she had managed to encase herself in a barely visible bubble of pink energy, saving her life in the process. Regardless, the action was incredibly painful and exhausting.

When Yrix plucked the girl out of the hole and back onto the carpet, she was practically already asleep. It was Lunae who helped her up, gently leading Lila towards one of the bunk beds. She hadn't forgotten the Earthling's offer of friendship.

"How sweet." Yrix squinted. "It will be your turn next Lunae."

But for once, the tender girl showed no fear, turning around with wide eyes as she tiptoed her way over to the pit. Without needing a prompt from Yrix, Lunae took one confident step off the edge, slowing her fall into a rather graceful descent. The Arch-Flayer nodded in approval, feeling proud of herself as she preemptively lifted Lunae back into the room before she could even reach the bottom.

"Show-off," Ivy grunted. "Why couldn't she have called on me?"

When all was said and done, only two students failed, their demise being uncomfortably silent. Yrix refused to immediately retrieve those unlucky students, calling for another name as if nothing had happened. Once it was Sonera's turn, she took a similar route as Lila, only her fiery descent was far more deliberate. As for Ivy, she made sure to walk her way down as if it were a spiral staircase, glaring at Lunae before she dissapeared out of sight.

"I was adept long ago," Ivy reassured herself as she reached the bottom. "Yrix only made me stronger. So why does she bother with the primitives? The Earthling could barely survive."

But after a brief moment of silence, Ivy began to realize she was left down there. Yrix hadn't bothered to pull her up, as if challenging her to make an asenscion on her own.

"Fine." Ivy fumed.

Regaining her senses, Lila was wide awake to observe as Ivy repeared in a flash of silver light, propelling her body with a burst of Psionic energy.

"Whoa." Lila watched with amazement. "She's good."

"Now then. Pick your beds tonight. I will be assigning them soon." Yrix instructed before dissapearing into her office as the lights began to dim.

Ivy was quick to move into the back corner, fleeing from Lila and the others as fast as she could. The irony of the situation, however, was not lost on the heiress. She could handle a life-threatening challenge with ease. Yet when faced with the opportunity to speak to another human, she cowered in fear.

"Father was right...about some things." Ivy sighed, practically tossing herself onto the top bunk as she buried herself in blankets. "What a nightmare."

Lila and Sonera stuck with Lunae, joining together to form a small group of safety togethor. They still didn't have the heart or courage to discuss anything with the other student's many of whom had formed circumstantial groups of their own. The only true loner seemed to be Ivy, who refused to form even the most casual relationship.

She was rather content in her isolation, sinking into her pillow as she closed her eyes. But at every turn, regardless of how weary she felt, the heiress could still see the endoskeleton, its blood-covered eyes staring deep into her soul. Ivy tried in vain to reacquaint herself with reality, pulling on her hair in frustration. She was lightyears from her father. But no matter how hard she tried, the very idea of sleep was eluding her.

"Gah!" Ivy slammed her fists onto the bedsheets, dispersing the image of the endoskeleton from her mind. "You're not my mother...just let me sleep!"

The heiress jumped down from her bed, confining herself to the cafeteria for solstice. Perhaps a cold glass of water, or a pouting session in the bathroom, could ease her mind. Such an idea, of course, became an impossibility once she laid her eyes on Lila, who was facing the far wall with her hands in her face.

"What are you doing here?!" Ivy whispered.

"Oh," Lila sniffled, picking herself off the ground as she turned to face Ivy with a sheepish look. "Hi Ivy. Nice job at the pit."

"I'm better than you. I know. But why are you blocking the bathroom?"

Lila brushed the tears away from her eyes as she spoke in a trembling voice, "Oh, I uhh...I was thinking about my mom finally. And my brother. I don't think I'm going to see them again."

Ivy rolled her eyes as a response.

"Of course. The primitive has to cry about it in the corner and make it my problem."

"Hey, what the hell is your problem?" Lila sniffled. "What did I do to you?"

Suddenly, the heiress raised her hand, striking Lila across the face.

"Who do you think you are! Don't talk back to me like we're peers. I was more than content ignoring you, but you just had to keep getting in my way. What do you think this is?" Ivy ranted, oblivious to the red mark on Lila's face. "You're a bug to Yrix. You know why? She's better. I'm better. Do you talk to her like a friend?"

Lila rubbed her left cheek, looking down at the ground as she simmered with hate.

"I bet that felt good, huh. Hitting me like your father hits you." Lila sneered. "Oh, don't think I can't tell. You're an open book, O superior one."

"H-how." Ivy stammered, her own eyes beginning to water. "How dare you!"

But instead of pursuing the matter, the heiress stormed off to the bathroom once again, leaving Lila to stew in her misery.

"Sorry, Mom," Lila frowned, speaking to herself in a hushed tone as she watched Ivy storm off. "If you're still alive...I miss you."

The lonely girl took a seat before burying her face in her hands and knees.

_____________________________________

Yrix stood impatiently, watching as the light of day crept into the bedchambers. She had, for once, miscalculated regarding human behavior. The Psion completely underestimated the girl's inability to wake without further prompting, an act of laziness that would never be accepted in her people's culture.

"Fine," Yrix muttered, snapping her fingers togethor to create an ear-shattering bang.

"Wah!" Lila woke in a fright, nearly hitting Lunae in the face. "Dang girl, what are you doing here!"

Lunae fell backwards, having apparently spent the night at Lila's side. 

"I'm sorry, Lila," the blue-haired girl panted, placing a palm to her heart. "You just seemed...upset last night."

"Huh, so you're the reason I got sleep." Lila smiled. "Thanks. Is that...a new trick?"

Lunae shrugged as a response before releasing a meek giggle.

"You've got some talent, girl. And unlike someone, you're not a total prick about it."

Ivy ignored the sounds of both Yrix and her classmates, staring up at the ceiling with a frown as she lay in bed. If it weren't for her desire to show her supremacy, she might have even stared there.

"A new facility has been opened to you, past the meal room," Yrix instructed. "It should suffice for your...cleaning habits. Be back here in thirty, and don't make me wait."

Sonera was the last one to leave the room, observing both Yrix and Lunae with her typical glare. Quite like the heiress, she didn't sleep that night, preferring the oppurtunity to brood. But unlike Ivy, she displayed no signs of weariness or frustration, only the desire to claim her vengeance.

Lila, in the meantime, did her best to avoid all contact with Ivy, a mutual feeling that was returned tenfold by the heiress. They could barely even look in the other's direction. Luckily for the earthling, she had Lunae to keep her company.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say your people don't have showers, we're there from." Lila joked as she walked alongside Lunae. "Yea?"

Lunae shrugged in response, causing Lila to laugh.

_________________________

"Now then," Yrix explained slowly, staring at her students who thankfully returned on time. "Your first trial will be far more rigorous than the simple evaluations I ran you through yesterday. The expression of Psionic potential will simply not be enough for what I have in store for you. You must fight, togethor if you so choose, to avoid extermination."

Lunae's eyes widened with fear, her hands already beginning to tremble. Once the Psion motioned for her students to follow, she felt herself nearly faint.

"You good there, Lunae?" Lila raised a helping hand. "Don't tell me I kept you up."

"No, Lila...that's not it." Lunae shook her head before walking away in shame.

"She's a coward." Sonera chimed in, speaking from behind Lila as the group trailed behind Yrix. "I know them quite well. You once gave me advice, now here's mine."

"Yrix said we can fight togethor, no?"

"Irrelevant." Sonera hissed.

Following Yrix through another set of doors, Lila became suddenly blinded by sunlight, ending her brief conversation in a flash. What she saw of the outside world had her feeling a strange variety of emotions. One hand, it was good to see the fresh air of the Aerie, whose environment and fauna were evidently similar to Earth's. But on the other hand, it was quite discouraging to see the overwhelming presence of the Consortium.

"Told you," Lila whispered to Sonera. "Our cute little rooms were just made to calm us down."

As far as the girls could tell, the Consortium had the Aerie placed in a massive cage, with high walls acting as a mountainous ravine covered in plated metal and bristling with cannons. To make matters worse, at least five warships could be seen looming overhead, their shape and size identical to what Lila had seen on Earth. And while Yrix did her best to decorate the outside courtyard with a quaint little garden, there was no way around the presence of the Consortium's soldiers.

Every last one of them was alien in origin, dwarfing the girls with their suits of armor and their painted helmets. Each guard made sure to keep a steady hand on their firearms, the barrel of which was nearly the size of Lila's head. But for all their mystique, there was an apparent attitude to them, mainly their desire to rip the students to pieces like sport.

"The most common is the Daregen," Yrix whispered into Lila's mind, reading her curiosity like an open book. "Brutish, albeit loyal shock troops who prefer to fight in a more...primative manner. Not particularly attractive or talkative under all that armor, but at least they breed like your people's rabbits."

"Why are you telling me this?" Lila asked calmly.

"Because you will be facing them soon enough, alongside many other members of the Consortium."

"No." Lila barked. "Why are you telling ME this?"

"Oh?" Yrix laughed, refusing to turn towards Lila as she continued leading the group deeper into the courtyard's winding path. "Did Ivy upset you? You seem agitated."

"I'd rather not talk about her."

"Just take the advice, little human. Daregens are easily baited into brash moves. If you can't outwit them, they'll kill you without hesitation. The same goes for your friend Ivy."

"She's not my friend."

"Well, she'll be a blood splatter if you don't help."

I'm sure she'll be fine." Lila pouted.

Yrix didn't respond, guiding the girls towards an open plot of sand decorated with a ring of stone circles. The Psion made sure to stop just before its limits, signaling for her gaurds to stand at ease. She was almost bursting with excitement when she released her next set of instructions.

"All of you...will descend into the arena of exiles. Fight alone...or togethor...but you will fight. What waits for you are the empire's castways, dishonered in battle and desperate for a chance at redemption." Yrix hissed. "Make no mistake, little girls. Scores of them await you down there. And if they kill you, I WILL pardon them."

Yrix then began to pull on each girl with her mind, directing their bodies onto a set of stone plates. She, of course, had memorized the layout of her little game and made each placement with cunning deliberance. Not a soul bothered to refuse or protest, accepting their teacher's will as law.

Sonera clenched her fist, as if eager to get it over with. But as for Lila and Lunae, they couldn't help but look at each other in disbelief, separated by Yrix's placement. Even Ivy was a bit put off, suprised yet again by Yrix's blunt cruelty.

"This is the Consortium. If you are to be a part of our empire. You will suffer here. You will kill here. And some of you...will die here." Yrix pointed a finger at Sonera. "You want freedom? Then take it. With blood."

Suddenly, the ground beneath the girls gave way, plunging them into darkness. Yrix was quick to seal the holes before pacing around her garden. While her physical eye could not witness her student's fate, her Psionic gaze was more than eager to watch the show.

"Come on now." The Psion giggled with excitement. "Show me who you really are."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Ivy did her best to slow her descent, stumbling into a pile of sand as her heels scraped against the rocky walls. Even for someone with her skill, the sudden drop had rendered her completely off balance. She nearly swore as she brushed herself off.

"Father would like her." Ivy curled her lip. "So ravenous."

Hiding away her fear, the heiress began to stretch, taking a deep breath as she focused her Psionic energy. The absurdity of the situation kept her on edge; however, she still couldn't help but feel a weightless sensation wash over her. The heiress may have been trapped in a grueling death arena. But she was free from her father.

Her ears perked up as a loud thumping sound echoed in the distance. For now, her surroundings were rather plain, with a long series of sandstone tunnels surrounding her in the dimmest of light. Occasionally, she could spot a dangling chain or a plate of rusted metal, giving her a rather lackluster selection of weapons to lift. Thankfully, Ivy's enemies weren't getting any quieter, their thundering footsteps getting closer and closer.

"If Yrix is the sports-fiend I think she is, she wouldn't have told these disgraced soldiers where we are. She wants us to hunt each other." Ivy thought to herself. "If I were an idiot, I'd run straight at them."

Instead, Ivy raised her left hand, concentrating on the immaterial as an aura of silver energy gathered around her.

"I don't need coddling, not like that...primitive," Ivy growled, this time loudly. "Yrix may be blunt in her approach, but her lessons hide subtlety."

A slim gash of light then formed in front of Ivy, its energy temporarily splitting apart the reality she lived in. It took an immense amount of effort, but after the light faded, a single silver rod floated inches from her face. Ivy smiled proudly, opening her eyes to look at the conductor's baton she had crafted for herself. She knew full well that Yrix was capable of forming similar constructs, but refrained from showing its potential.

"Are you proud of me now?" Ivy taunted, still speaking to herself as if she had an audience.

"Ow." Lila picked herself off the sandy floor.

The girl's eyes darted around hurriedly, her panic swelling in her chest. Never before had she felt so pointless in her existence. Even with Psionic power, Lila had no power, nor a concept of fighting. The best she could do was think about all the entertainment she had watched on Earth, where the heroes were able to overcome any obstacle.

"I know you can hear me," Lila complained, looking through an opening in sandy walls with a careful eye. "What exactly can I do here, even if I were the perfect student?"

"Do you humans not possess an imagination?" Yrix responded bluntly. "Psionic abilities have nearly endless application. Think about what you WOULD do, given you were a mighty warrior."

A large Daregen stomping through the dust appeared before Lila, its worn eye-slits beaming with light. She couldn't read its expression, yet she knew full well it had sensed her. The Daregen heaved its large rifle into place, firing a metal rod at Lila's face without hesitation.

A pink hue enveloped the girl as she shut her eyes, expecting her fate. But it was not to be.

"What?" Lila's eyes widened in disbelief, realizing she had zipped out of the way at the last second.

"Do you see now. Your reflexes have already enhanced themselves. Did you really think Psionic abilities were so mundane?" Yrix laughed.

"Well, no, I just didn't think I had all that in me." Lila panted as the Daregen roared in frustration, charging at her like an oversized bull.

"Most don't. But most haven't been chosen and awoken by me."

Lila leaped over the lumbering beast as it demolished its surroundings, clinging onto its back with all her might. What little the girl could offer in the way of a strike only gave the alien soldier time to collect itself before it threw Lila off. She hadn't had the chance to recover before it slammed its rifle into her, sending the girl flying through another wall.

"Another barrier, this time around yourself to avoid death," Yrix advised. "You only need to practice your offense."

"You won't kill me if I run to figure this out, right?" Lila coughed, her body reeling from the impact as she felt the heat of a laser pointer against her skin, its directing ray attatched to the Deregen's scope.

"There are no more rules down here, little girl."

Lila sped off, barely avoiding another rifle shot. She felt impressed at how quickly her body was able to slip through the dark maze. But without a means of defeating her enemies, she was little more than a scared rabbit darting around the farmer's garden.

"If only I had someone." Lila wheezed. "Sonera or...Lunae. Where are they?"

Rounding the corner, she suddenly bumped into something soft and warm, falling to the floor with a thud. She felt relieved for all of a second before realizing who she had encountered.

"Not you again!" Both Ivy and Lila screamed in frustration.

Ivy was the first to pick herself up, glaring down at Lila with intense condemnation.

"Pathetic. Are you running away?" Ivy hissed.

"Oh, just do it already. Kill me. The damn elephant-sized aliens are more polite than you." Lila groaned.

"And why would I do that? You think I would stoop to your level?"

"You already did bitch," the Earthling smiled as she pointed to her cheek. "Or did you forget, O violent ape?"

"Why you!" Ivy screamed.

Bringing an end to their argument, the enraged Daregen smashed through a nearby wall, pointing its rifle at Ivy's head due to her height over Lila. But the Heiress was prepared, using her baton to plug the barrel of the alien's weapon, causing it to explode in the process. Using her opening, Ivy used her baton to strike the alien's knees, bringing it to the ground as it struggled with the sharpnel stuck in its rebreather. The daregen's helmet depicted a haunting face of a pained creature, and combined with its own blood, Lila couldn't even watch as it glared at Ivy with unyielding bloodlust.

"Hmph!" Ivy brought her left clogger down, transforming her footwear into a glossy white heel, and at the same time, crushing the enemy with a chunk of the ceiling that fell onto its head. "Lightwork. This is what you were fleeing from?"

"Huh?" Lila's eyebrows were raised. "Did you just...change your outfit?"

"What don't you understand about I'm better than you?" Ivy taunted.

The heiress then strutted away, using her newfound ability to warp her entire outfit into something more familiar from her home on Callisto.

"Whoa." Lila gasped in amazement at the Heiress's white dress, its exposed shoulders showing her delicate skin. "Yrix wasn't kidding about applications. Hey, why don't you change your outfit?"

"She's being ridiculous," Yrix responded, focusing her voice on the Earthling. "That could have been armor she made."

"Yeah, well...you got a bunch of human girls, what did you expect. If I could do that, I'd put on a cardigan. It's cold in here."

Lila then zipped over to Ivy, her eyes beaming with curiosity that almost made her forget how much she hated the heiress.

"Thanks, by the way." Lila grinned. "Nice outfit."

"I didn't do it for you." Ivy groaned. "Now go away."

"Mmm...nah."

"You can and you will!"

"Yeah, but...no."

"Agh!" Ivy pulled on her hair. "Who raised you!"

"A loving mother. What, we don't have those on your planet?" Lila retorted.

Ivy's hand came swinging at the girl's face, only this time, she ducked out of the way.

"Oop, sorry, try again." Lila giggled.

"Are you a child! We are in the middle of a warzone and you're playing games!" Ivy fumed.

Lila poked the heiress's pendant, its star-shaped jewels resembling a pattern of tessellations.

"I'm not the one who just tried to hit a teammate."

"Oh, don't be preposterous! You will NEVER be my teammate!"

Reaching the height of their argument, the girls began to lose concentration, wandering into a large open pit where a beam of light shone down onto its dusty surface. It was then that Lila felt Yrix's gaze more intensely than ever. She stopped in her tracks, allowing the heiress to wander ahead.

"Ivy. Ivy, shut up." Lila whispered. "Something's in here with us."

Even for someone as arrogant as the heiress, she felt herself freeze in place as well, her eyes scanning the room for movement. Unlike the Daregen, whatever was lurking in the shadows had the common sense not to charge into the girl's Psionic grasp. It wasn't until Ivy heard a mechanical shiver behind her that she performed a nimble cartwheel, narrowly avoiding a spiked tip that grazed her heels.

"Yrix." Lila pleaded as she watched on helplessly. "Exposition, please."

"Oh, I think the heiress will be fine." Yrix retorted in a demeaning tone. "Let her handle it."

Ivy looked around, panicked, unable to identify what had attacked her. Only when she whipped up a cloud of dust was she able to spot a hunched figure, its body concealed in a shimmering mirror of light that flickered against the air partciels. The alien wasn't quite as bulky as the Daregen, but was most certainly more cunning, deactivating its cloaking device with an audible hiss before redirecting the power of its suit into an electric kick. Ivy was barely able to block in time, her baton shattering into gleaming fragments as she tumbled to the ground.

"They are Vesper." Yrix chortled. "An unfortunately rare species with a tendency to stalk their prey like glamorous hunters."

"Ivy's got this right?" Lila frowned, her mind racing for a way to help that didn't involve getting herself splattered.

"Perhaps. But this is a Prelate."

The tall Vesper was covered head to toe in a tight-fitting red combat harness, its black mesh in between the armor's joints revealing its bulging muscles. The creature barely made any noise, its snake-like head focusing on Ivy in silent concentration. Only when the heiress began to pick herself off the floor did it move, gesturing with its claw-like hand for her to approach.

"Fine then," Ivy growled, wiping a bit of blood off her brow as she pointed another baton at the hunched creature. "Let's play."

The two combatants traded blows using their distanced attacks, focusing primarily on their footwork as they danced around the arena. Ivy thought it would be rather easy to use a second attack from behind to overwhelm the Vesper, just as she had on Castillo. But upon tossing a shard of rock at its rear, the creature's left arm cut the attack in half with a blade of energy emitting from its wrist.

"Shit." Lila gasped. "It's playing with her. We don't even know its full arsenal."

The Vesper then swiped low, attempting to melt through Ivy's legs like butter. Thankfully, the heiress somersaulted over the attack, using the opening to strike at its head. Unfortunately, the creature's tail came back into play, parrying the attack with ease. But Ivy had learned by then, using a projected barrier from her hand to avoid a follow-up from the creature's wrist blade. Whether she liked it or not, a tertiary appendage meant the creature could often take two turns in any given exchange, frustrating the heiress to no end.

"You're telling me this guy got benched!" Lila complained. "How!?"

"Not all exiles are incompetent as far as skill is concerned," Yrix explained. "This one was disgruntled with the empire."

"Don't tell me there's more of these."

"In your first trial? With that rank? I'm not cruel," the Arch-Flayer giggled.

"You are, but thanks anyway." Lila shrugged. "Got any weaknesses you'd like to tell me about?'

"Anyone can be outnumbered. Can you perchance help your friend?"

"She's not my friend," Lila growled.

The heiress and the Vesper continued their duel, in which the intensity and speed were greatly increasing. Ivy concentrated as hard as she could, reinforcing her baton while holding back her enemy's tail as well as she could. Finally, in a flurry so quick that the air around her began to trail, Ivy managed to work her way around the Vesper's wrist blade and strike it on the chestplate.

"Holy shit." Lila cheered, watching as Ivy managed to scrape togethor at least four more strikes. "There's no way."

The Vesper reeled backwards, the sheer force of Ivy's attack causing the sand beneath it to give way. But instead of registering pain, the Vesper just looked at Ivy with subtle amusement, its glowing eyeballs squinting as an energy field appeared around its entire body. Ivy had no words. For all her effort, she had merely discovered the alien was encased in a strong layer of electric shielding.

By then, she was out of breath, leaving her wide open for the creature's extended tail. Ivy could only block with her own fleshy hands, falling backwards as she cried out in pain. Luckily for her, the Vesper seemed in no hurry to finish her off.

"Don't worry, it was very impressed," Yrix reassured Lila as the Vesper strolled leisurely towards Ivy's fallen body. "It will give her an honorable death. A fast one. No trophy."

But just before the Vesper could reach down and squash Ivy's head, Lila came flying in, dropkicking the alien with as much speed as she could muster. A shockwave caused the pit to shudder as the Vesper stumbled backwards. It grumbled in audible frustration, before unveiling an arm cannon attatched to its forearm.

"Oh." Lila smiled sheepishly, staring at the tongs of blue plasma that began to glow hot with energy within the Vesper's cannon. "I'm cooked."

Much to the girl's surprise, she managed to dart across the room, her speed allowing her to run up the side of a steep wall as a trail of plasma fire pursued her. Realizing its current arsenal was largely ineffective, the Vesper unfolded a small orb before tossing it towards the Earthling. Without needing any explanation, Lila slid under the orb before making a wild dash for the opposite side of the chamber, just narrowly avoiding the Vesper's tail as it tried to behead her. 

The explosion that followed engulfed the room in flame, causing Lila to raise her hands in a desperate attempt to shield herself. By the time the smoke cleared, her burnt fingers were practically numb, engulfing her in a feeling of despair as she watched the Vesper emerge unharmed. The creature raised its arm cannon towards the girl, its attention now primarily fixated on her potential to escape. It was only then that a large stone came hurling out of the smoke, pushing the Vesper's aim away from Lila.

"Got you," Ivy muttered, trembling on her knees as she reached out towards the Vesper with a more delicate grasp.

The alien was visibly suprised to see another orb appear from behind it, this time stolen by Ivy before being remotely activated. Using the last of their strength, both Lila and Ivy pushed against the Vesper, sending it back into a dark corner of the chamber before an explosion buried it in stone.

"That still won't do it." Lila panted. "We need to run."

"With you!?" Ivy scoffed. "I think that's hardly-."

"Girl, shut up." Lila rolled her eyes before grabbing onto Ivy's wrist.

The Earthling girl pulled on the heiress with all her might, tugging her away from the chamber just as the rubble beneath the vesper began to stir violently.

"Let go!" Ivy protested as she tried in vain to pull away from Lila. "You bafoon!"

Neither of the girls could muster any Psionic power, exhausted by their fight and barely able to move their own physical bodies. Ivy wanted nothing more than to send Lila tumbling through a wall. But after her injury, she felt rather powerless to stop the Earthling from pulling her along.

"Stop." Ivy gasped for air, her feet beginning to drag.

"No." Lila retorted, pushing onwards as the girls dissapeared into the maze of stone. "Not yet."

"Why are you doing this?!"

"We're all human. It doesn't matter how much of a bitch you are, it's us or them."

"I'm not..." Ivy panted. "I'm not one of you."

"Oh really!" Lila nearly crashed into a wall out of frustration. "The giant seven-foot aliens have more in common with you than me! Are we being serious?"

"You wouldn't understand your a-."

"No, I do! You're afraid! Just admit it!" Lila screamed. "You're scared you're going to die horribly and never see your loved ones again like the rest of us!"

Ivy had nothing to say, her sultry rage turning into a cold monotone expression. She was so utterly furious at Lila, and even more so at herself for being unable to explain to the stupid girl what she felt. It was almost relieving for the heiress to fight that monster mere moments ago. Even during her failure to achieve victory, she felt honest and forthcoming.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself!" Lila raised her arms in protest.

"It doesn't matter," Ivy muttered. "Talking to you is pointless."

"I saved your life!"

"Pointless."

Ivy turned away from Lila, lying on the ground as she caught her breath.

"I should have just gotten squished by that truck." Lila frowned, feeling rather insecure about herself. "Whatever."

The Earthling then began to wander off, dragging her sore feet into the darkness. Upon hearing a footstep from the rear, she became almost certain the Vesper had come to finish her off. She almost wished that was the case.

"Seriously." Lila turned to see Ivy, who appeared to be following her. "You can't just let the ol primitive monkey girl die alone. Got to annoy me in my final death throes, yeah?"

"Shut up and keep moving," Ivy grunted.

Notes:

Ivy is part of a Yuri pairing! I wonder who she will fall in love with...