Orbit Above Kelthar-3

  Valkyrion – Command Deck

  The stars hung quiet, cold, and unbothered. From up here, Kelthar-3 didn’t look like much, just another world rotting on the edge of forgotten space.

  Inside the Valkyrion, the atmosphere was thinner than the air.

  Zara stood at the tactical station, arms folded, staring out the viewport like she could will the jungle below to give up its secrets.

  Nyx was pacing, her boots tapping softly on the deck, arms flailing now and then as she muttered to herself in a mix of French and frustration.

  “She’s been looping for twenty-three minutes,” Ares said flatly, his hologram flickering above the console in a pale blue hue. “At this rate, she’s going to wear a trench through the floor plating.”

  “Maybe I should,” Nyx snapped, pausing mid-step. “Maybe zen someone will notice our Commander is down zere playing ghost and not answering ‘is comms.”

  “He’s cloaked,” Zara said without looking over. “You know that.”

  “I know I don’t like it,” Nyx muttered, plopping back into the co-pilot’s seat and dragging her legs up under her. “I should’ve gone with him.”

  “And trudge your way through the muck?” Zara offered, voice cool as ever. “No thanks.”

  Nyx shot her a look, eyes glossy. “He said, ‘going dark.’ Just like zat. ‘Killing comms.’” She sniffed, wiping at her nose. “Who says zat to people who care about him?”

  Ares chimed in, voice as neutral as ever. “You do. Twice a day. Usually with a kiss emoji and no explanation.”

  “Shut up,” Nyx muttered, but her voice cracked halfway through.

  She turned back toward the viewport, watching the slow churn of clouds over the jungle. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “He always thinks he has to do it alone. Always.”

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  Ares cleared his throat. Digitally, of course. “While you wait, I’ve tapped into Republic comm traffic. The news might distract you. Or, considering the content, horrify you. Either way, you’ll stop pacing.”

  The holoscreen shimmered to life, filling the command deck with overlapping voices, jittery footage, and the too-polished faces of anchors trying to sound calm while the galaxy fell apart behind their eyes.

  “High Councilor Ren Fahl found dead, official report cites cardiac arrest. Unofficial sources confirm plasma burns to the chest cavity…”

  “Another assassination rocks the Senate chambers. Admiral Quellis, executed in his home. No suspects.”

  “This marks the fifth high-ranking Republic figure to vanish in under three days…”

  Headlines scrolled across the top:

  “WHISPERS OF A PURGE”

  “VARRO’S EXILES: ARE THEY CLEANING HOUSE?”

  “FACTION WAR INCOMING?”

  Zara narrowed her eyes. “Looks like the Republic’s gutting itself.”

  “Some of them were Varro’s enemies,” Ares said, flicking through feeds. “Others, his allies. It’s not a purge. It’s a reshuffle. Someone’s cleaning the board before the next game.”

  Nyx stared blankly at the screen. “And we’re stuck in orbit, watching the galaxy burn from a front-row seat.”

  Zara glanced at her. “Better than the blast radius.”

  Nyx didn’t reply. Just wrapped her arms tighter around her legs.

  The holo flickered again.

  Ares’ voice dropped half a register. “Seismic shockwave detected. Surface flash event.”

  Zara’s hands tightened on the edge of the console.

  Nyx blinked. “Quoi…?”

  Outside, through the viewport, a brilliant flash lit the atmosphere below, sudden, violent, and unnatural.

  Kelthar-3 flared white.

  The explosion bloomed across the surface like a second sun. Silent from orbit, but absolute. A wave of light punched through the clouds, tearing through jungle like God carving his name into the dirt.

  Soft alarms began to trill through the ship.

  Ares’ voice was a whisper now. “D9-Neutron detonation confirmed. Epicenter matches Commander’s last ping.”

  Nyx dropped her protein stick. It hit the deck with a soft tap.

  She bolted up, face pale. “Non… non. Ares, check again!”

  The screen view split. A crater came into focus, blackened earth, smoke rising. No movement.

  Nyx swallowed hard. Her hands trembled as she reached for the console, then pulled back.

  Zara stared at the screen, unmoving. Her voice came out like stone. “He wouldn’t go out like that.”

  Nyx turned, eyes wide. “You don’t know zat.”

  Zara didn’t blink. “I’ve seen the footage. Training sims. Combat recordings from the war. He’s not human… not completely. There’s a reason the Legatus called him the king of war.”

  That did it.

  Nyx shot to her feet, rage bubbling out through her clenched fists. “Say one more thing like that,” she hissed, her voice cracking. “I swear to God, I’ll—”