Li slumped on the sidelines, his lungs burning in the cold of the simulation. He had just completed his third "round trip" in the simulation and joined the crowd of worn out Guardians. This training was painful, and it was expected that the Guardians would have a basic knowledge of combat and strategic thinking, not to mention above-average endurance levels.
Training varied between species, but the goal was the same: to ingrain Atramenth's protocols into every Guardian.
The main simulation took place in the training gym. For the Extraction Crew, that meant running randomized descent drills through shifting labyrinths. Each segment—whether a corridor or a bend—had distinct features. At the end of every mission, a massive mechanism, like a Rubik's Cube, restructured the maze. This forced Guardians to learn not just Atramenth's layout, but its ever-changing nature.
And that was only the beginning. A strict time limit, deadly traps, and relentless robotic enemies ensured no Guardian left untested.
The large captain of the squad, a Varacelis, according to Naryssa, barked at the top of her lungs, her large sharpened teeth gleaming in the dim lights.
"SCRAMBLE PROTOCOL! FORMATION!"
The resting Guardians sprang to attention as the massive machine rumbled to life, shifting the labyrinth into a new configuration.
"This is the Scramble Protocol! Remember—S for 'scramble'!" the command rang out. "On my mark, descend under medical and retrieval protocol! In this scenario, the Spear and Shield crews have been trapped below for three Standard hours—overtime!"
Li thought back to the briefing, " 'Right now, we have two high-mobility threats active on the surface, classified between A and S-tier. They move too fast to track and are targeting crews one by one. This is how we lost one of our S-tiers, and this is why we do not stay deep for more than three standard hours.'" Now they were working overtime? That was extremely risky for the Spear and Shield and there would probably be a simulated encounter with the mysterious S-tier beings that were apparently too unpredictable to locate and neutralize.
It was the right thought, but an unsettling one. Even if this was just a simulation, the idea of facing an unknown threat without a clear response sent Li's pulse racing.
He scanned the crowd. Everyone was exhausted. No one reacted to the "three hours overtime" in the captain's brief. Either they missed it or were too tired to care.
Li exhaled. Maybe he was wrong, but staying silent and letting the team fail would be worse. He squared his shoulders and stepped forward.
"Naryssa, remember what the captain said about staying under too long?"
"Ugh… yeah? What about—"
"Yeah."
"Do you remember how long she just said? Something about overtime?"
"Three hours. That's when the S-tier things intercept. We're walking into a bad one."
An avian nearby perked up, chirping to its partner. The murmurs spread. Fear crept through the ranks. Li could feel it—he was right. Something was waiting for them below.
The captain's eyes flicked to him, a brief smirk crossing her face before she barked out—
"DESCEND!"
The Extraction Crew surged forward, but behind the momentum, frantic whispers passed between Guardians. Strategies formed on the fly, desperate but necessary.
The highest-ranking trainee laid out the best course of action—secure the Spears first, bolster the Shields in their doomed stand against whatever lurked below, then break into evenly spaced units to divide its attention.
The familiar gloom flooded Li's view, the dark corridors and the left-over decay. This time, the descent had far greater inconveniences. To begin, there was a surprising lack of soldier enemies and the traps were all basic. Li's helmet had fogged up unexpectedly and he had to spit to allow himself to see just a sliver.
The entire structure convulsed with such force that, for a brief moment, Li thought the ship itself might be coming apart. He barely vaulted over a fallen Guardian as chaos erupted ahead—shouts confirming what instinct had already told him.
The "injured Spear Crew" was screaming, but something had forced itself between them and the rescue teams. It moved too fast to track, cutting through the front lines one by one.
Li veered off, another Guardian breaking away with him. They pushed toward the last known position of the Spears, navigating blindly through the shifting labyrinth. Minutes passed in a tense blur before the shouts rose again—closer this time. The flicker of headlights cut through the dark.
Rushing forward, Li and his companion pulled as many wounded Spears to their feet as they could manage, hoisting them up and bolting with the rest.
"Listen! You all have to split! Just go up—follow the markings! We laid down thermal tracers, just stick to them!"
Li's breath hitched, words breaking in his throat. The other Guardian, evidently the stronger one, pushed forwards.
While the rest of the Spear Crew ran with renewed hope, Li ran with something else—fear.
The sounds from deeper in the maze were getting louder, closer. Whatever was down here wasn't just hunting at random—it knew its targets.
His shoulders burned under the weight of the wounded Guardians, every step heavier than the last. Only adrenaline kept him moving, kept him from buckling under exhaustion.
From the outside, a mechanical voice recited the names of trainees who had "died." At first, the announcements were sparse, barely registering in Li's mind. But now, they came in rapid succession.
"Y12, T5, I18…"
The simulation felt disturbingly real, and Li's last reserves of energy were nearly spent. His grip faltered—he almost let the spear crewman to his right slip away. Just as his vision blurred, the ship's internal lights flooded his sight, a blinding contrast to the chaos. His knees buckled, and he collapsed, sweat dripping down his face.
If this was only training, then far greater trials awaited him in the days to come.