Page 51 of New World

Then Ash, ever the optimist, grinned and stretched. “You got this, don’t you, honey?”

“Of course I have this,” Kella replied, shaking her head.

“And Asta thinks I’m bad?” Dorane scoffed with a shake of his head.

Mei’s lips twitched with amusement before she turned to look out the window again. The smile faded as she stared out across the moon base’s landscape. For once, she sent a small thanks to her father. If he had not done what he had, she would not be who she was.

“Our life paths may not always be clear, Mei, but the universe will give us the tools we need to protect us. Your father teaches you to fight with your body. I teach you to fight with your mind and spirit. There will be no threat you cannot overcome.”

You’re right, mama. I will need all three to protect those that I have come to love.

In the reflection of the glass, her gaze turned to Dorane as the last word flashed through her mind. Their eyes connected, and once again, she felt as if the universe tilted around her before realigning.

Deep in Legion Territory

* * *

The ice planet Crysta loomed in the distance, a frozen wasteland trapped in the perpetual twilight of its distant sun. A smooth expanse of white with dark red bands stretched across the planet’s surface, its unforgiving storms swirling like ghosts of forgotten worlds.

Cold. Barren. Unyielding.

It had been the perfect place to create the lab that would develop the iROS, a parasite that could wipe out entire worlds.

And it suited Andri’s mood now.

From the bridge of his Battle Cruiser, Andri Andronikos stood in silence, his hands clasped behind his back, his fingers curled so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

His reflection in the viewport stared back at him—a face he barely recognized anymore. His once-sharp features had grown thinner, harder, his jaw clenched with a tension that never eased. The weight of command pressed on him, a constant, suffocating presence. It had worsened since Coleridge’s death. His brother’s final message whispered through his mind like a toxin, seeding doubt, curling through his thoughts, twisting reality.

“Who can you trust, Andri?”

“They will betray you, just as they betrayed me.”

“Zoak is coming for you. I made sure of that, brother.”

His fingers twitched toward the weapon at his waist. He carried it always now. He trusted no one. Even now, guards stood outside his door, their presence both necessary and suffocating.

Can I even trust them?

With a slow, measured breath, Andri walked over to his desk and keyed in the secure transmission.

A moment later, the holoscreen flickered to life, revealing the sharp, gaunt features of General Stronauss. The man’s face was lined with age, his hair thinning, but his posture remained rigid with military discipline.

“Director Andronikos,” Stronauss greeted with a bow of his head. “We are prepared for your arrival.”

Andri’s voice was cold, clipped. “I expect a full report upon my descent. Ensure the lead scientist is waiting for me.”

“He will be, sir.”

The transmission ended, the screen going dark. Andri grabbed his cloak, pulling it around him as he turned away from the viewport and strode toward the exit. The guards fell into step as he moved through the pristine halls of his Battle Cruiser, their footsteps echoing in perfect rhythm.

The shuttle ride to the planet’s surface was silent. Outside, jagged glaciers towered over barren wastelands, their crystalline formations catching the dim sunlight like fractured glass. The Legion’s top-secret laboratory was a stark contrast—a fortress of steel and ice, its sharp angles and reinforced walls built to withstand the relentless storms that battered the planet.

As his shuttle descended onto the landing platform inside the sealed hanger, Andri stepped out into the biting cold, his breath misting in the air. General Stronauss and Lead Scientist Quar stood at attention, flanked by guards and a contingent of researchers in dark uniforms.

“Director,” Stronauss said, his expression unreadable.

Andri barely acknowledged him. His gaze flicked to Quar, a thin, anxious man with nervous eyes and hands that twitched at his sides.

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