Three seconds stretched into eternity as no one moved. The chaotic stillness broke when father poured himself another drink, his hands shaking slightly. The amber liquid sloshed over the rim.
"James," mother tried.
"Don't." He didn't even look at her. "Just— don't."
Uncle Michael leaned back into his chair, a smirk plastered on his face. "Ten minutes with the old man, huh~. Remember our talk before the testing, James?"
"Shut up, Michael." Father tried.
"He told us that B-grade would be sufficient. That he'd be proud regardless.~" Michael's voice is silk over steel. "We both know how that turned out."
Father slammed his glass onto the table, hard enough to crack it. "I said shut up!"
"Boys." Mother's voice cut through. "Not— in—front—of Marcus." Clear warning permeated her words.
They both looked at me. I could feel it. In that moment, the same fear. Fear of mother? No- something else.
"Six minutes," Uncle David said, checking his watch. "Better not be late. Uncle Arthur hates-"
"I know what Grandfather hates." I snapped, surprising myself with the amount of venom I managed to inject into the words.
Uncle David raised his hands in a mock surrender. "Just trying to help, Nephew."
Anger welled within me, and with a push, I rose from my seat. I didn't want to deal with this, not now... Not today. I turned on my heel in an attempt to leave, but Father grasped my wrist before I could go. It hurt.
"Marcus." His eyes were glossy with alcohol and something deeper. "Whatever he tells you... whatever he says about tomorrow..."
"What?" I snapped before he could finish.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed it and looked towards Mother. She shook her head, a conversation left unsaid. One that I wasn't privy to. I felt the bubbling anger reach a tipping point; with a firm pull, Father's grip fell away.
I turned on my heel and marched out of the room, unsure of what to do with myself.
"Four minutes~." Uncle David called after me.
-
After a quick break in the bathroom, I splashed my face with some water. It didn't help much, but I needed something to refresh my mind. I stared into the mirror, my face still dripping. All I saw was fear.
Steeling my gaze, I furrowed my brow lightly, trying to copy grandfather's resting expression. I looked stupid. A small laugh escaped my lips. The first time I'd laughed today... My expression turned sad; at least it was better than fear.
With a quick nod to myself, I turned and headed for the garden. Slipping out the side exit of the house to avoid walking past the dining room, I headed out.
The garden was Grandfather's creation, brought piece by piece from Earth. Real roses so red that they echoed the blood spilled by generations of Tiernan pilots. Trees that couldn't grow in Epsilon Eridani's native soil and a small pond containing fish native from our mother world.
Grandfather stood over that pond, staring down into its shallow depths, his back to me, hands clasped behind him. The fish surfaced as I approached, hoping for food, their mouths open and closing as if they were trying to tell me something. Yet no words of wisdom came.
"Thirty seconds early," he says without turning. "Good. Promptness is a Tiernan virtue."
"Yes, sir."
"Do you know why I brought you out here, Marcus?"
"No, sir."
He turned to face me. I could barely make out his features in the dim moonlight. Shadows stretched across his face; he looked ancient.
"Your father tested B-grade—a great honour for most families," Grandfather began, his voice weighted by memory. "But for us, for Tiernans..." He hesitated, the pause lengthening. "When he received that grade, it did not just disappoint him—it shattered something deep within. He had built this identity around the certainty that he would be an A-grade. When fate denied him that, I saw the hope drain out of him."
"He's still a good soldier-" I tried.
"He is. All grades serve honourably. But... The Tiernans needed more than just another B-grade."
I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find the words.
"Your great aunt Lydia understood something that took me many years to understand." He explained. "Decades, even. I punished your father for a ceiling that a machine drew from blood alone. Took me too long to realize ceilings can be lies."
The words confused me; the grades were absolute. There was no breaking through the barriers they imposed.
"I regret treating your father the way I did after his testing. I fear I won't be able to ever make amends in this lifetime." There was a well of sadness within his voice, something I never expected.
The expression on my face must have betrayed my emotions as he spoke.
"Do you know how the machine measures potential, Marcus?"
"It measures our genetic potential for Ether cultivation," I recited, my answer automatic. "Grade determines how fast we can channel Ether. The higher your grade, the higher your ceiling." These were words drilled into us, the kind that surfaced without thought after so much repetition.
"A textbook answer, but you're missing something else." A pause. "The machine is older than the Federation, Marcus." The fish broke the surface again, mouths gaping. "A gift from the Enlightened, the day we first stepped out of the void."
I swallowed. "We… We were taught that too."
"That's the bedtime version." He flicked the stone. It skipped once, twice, then sank. "Lydia never believed that version. After her awakening, she started seeing things. Battles that hadn't happened, versions of Proxima where she died sixteen different ways. People thought she was crazy."
His voice dropped until I had to lean in.
"She wrote them all down. Hundreds of journals." He drew an old data-pad from his pocket and pressed it into my hand like it was contraband. "Read this after tomorrow. Not before."
I stared at the dark screen. "That's… impossible."
"So was she." His grip tightened on my shoulder, suddenly urgent. "They have sanctuary worlds now, places no human ship can reach. Lydia spent her life trying to earn an invitation. She never did."
The night insects went quiet. Even the fish stopped begging. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.
Why in the world was he telling me all this? Why tonight? Why not tomorrow? A million questions whirled within my head, yet the only thing I could eke out was. "Why... Why are you telling me this?"
He looked at me for a long moment. I noticed something in his expression I'd never seen before.
"I told you before. You have her eyes," he said finally. " You have the same look she once had."
He began walking back toward the house, then paused. "The machine will tell you something tomorrow, Marcus. It might not be what anyone expects. But I expect you'll achieve beyond S-grade."
After dropping that bombshell, he left and walked back into the house. My eyes followed him. I could see the rest of the family watching through the glass door. As they noticed my gaze, they scrambled, pretending they weren't watching. A soft chuckle escaped my lips. Despite their flaws, they were still family...
I turned to look at the datapad in my hands. The screen was dark, locked, waiting. Another thing to worry about tomorrow... Great.
Ten minutes alone with grandfather, ten minutes to receive a legacy I don't understand, ten minutes to be told that I'm special, ten minutes to cement my resolve... Ten minutes...
-
Once my ten minutes of contemplation in the garden had passed, I steeled myself and made my way back toward the house. When I entered the dining room, I found it had already been cleared—plates and glasses were gone, leaving only Uncle Michael, father, and mother at the table. Grandfather and Uncle David were notably absent.
Father looked up towards me as I entered, his eyes glassy and unfocused. His uniform jacket was unbuttoned, tie loosened. He was even more drunk.
"What did he tell you?" He asked with a slur to his words.
After a moment of trying to find the right words, I replied, "Just... Stories about Aunt Lydia."
Father's gaze softened for a moment before letting out a low and guttural chuckle. "Heh, sounds like father." After a moment of relief, something switched in his gaze. "He didn't tell you about what it means to be a lower grade?"
"James-" Mother tried to warn him.
Ignoring the warning, he continued. "The boy needs to know!" He stood swaying slightly. "Did he tell you what happens to D-grades, Marcus? Did he tell you about the mortality rates?"
"Father-" I'd never seen him like this before; my previous anger had morphed into anxiety.
"Eighty percent gone in five years, Marcus. Ninety-five before the decade's out." He laughed, wet and ugly. "I have the spreadsheets memorised. Every name. Every coffin. Every soldier who ever served under me."
"He said... he said all grades serve with honour..." I meekly stuttered.
Uncle Michael laughed, ugly and sharp. "Honour. Yes. Very honourable."
"Enough!" Mother's voice cut through. "Marcus, go to your room. You need rest for tomorrow."
I didn't argue.
-
My room felt smaller than it usually did, the walls covered in old achievement certificates, holo-posters of famous mech pilots, and a photo from my prep-academies graduation. Wei, Alexi, Diana, and I were at the centre of the photo, the prep academy in the background.
Wei stood tall even then, dark hair pulled back into a perfect bun, wearing that practiced smile she wore for cameras. Alexei had his arm slung around my shoulders, shorter and stockier, with that mischievous grin that meant he'd just pulled a prank. Diana at the edge, small and pale, looking slightly away from the camera like she'd rather be anywhere else. And me in the centre, trying to look confident, father's sharp features and mother's dark eyes and hair staring back.
We looked so young. We looked so... Oblivious.
Tearing my eyes from the photo, I shoved the datapad under my pillow and plucked my commlink from my bedside table, turning it on. I could still hear Father and Uncle Michael arguing downstairs, and Mother tried to mediate.
After a brief moment, the commlink switched to life, and several buzzes echoed throughout my room. I clicked the first notification as it took me to a group chat.
[NEST PROTOCOLS]
Alexei_V:eyooo~ still breathing?
Marcus_T:Just finished family dinner. Still processing
Alexei_V:processing. cute word for trauma~
Alexei_V:speaking of. liberated refreshments from officer mess tonight. grade-a contraband
Wei_C:You're going to get expelled before we even start.
Alexei_V:tomorrow they sort us into corpses anyway. might as well drink like brass tonight
Diana.S:he's not wrong.
Marcus_T:Diana agreeing with Alexei. It really is the end times
Diana.S:stop. need to sync up. all of us. tonight.
Wei_C:The Nest?
Alexei_V:affirm,neg on alternatives. everywhere else has ears~
Diana.S:2200 hours. marcus can you slip the watchers?
Marcus_T:Done it before
Wei_C:My security detail changed rotation. New guy's thorough.
Alexei_V:security detail. must be nice being chen royalty
Wei_C:Shut it, Lex.
Alexei_V:make me, princess~
Diana.S:children please. wei take southeast approach. construction zone.
Alexei_V: sorry mooom~
Diana.S: ew, never say that again.
Wei_C:Since when do you know my compound layout?
Diana.S:since always. pay attention.
Marcus_T:Diana knows everyone's everything
Diana.S:not everything. just enough.
Alexei_V:cryptic as always. love that for you
Alexei_V:anyway. secured two bottles of the good stuff. earth vintage supposedly
Wei_C:That's worth more than my monthly allowance.
Alexei_V:YOUR monthly allowance could buy a shuttle
Marcus_T:Can we not do the class thing tonight?
Diana.S:tomorrow makes it permanent. tonight it doesn't exist.
Wei_C:...agreed.
Alexei_V:heavy words from ghost girl
Diana.S:alexei...
Alexei_V:what. its true. you lurk you observe you know things
Diana.S:and you joke because silence scares you.
Marcus_T: She's got you there bud
Alexei_V:...
Alexei_V:2200, Marcus don't be late~
Marcus_T:When have I ever been late?
Wei_C:Want the list alphabetically or chronologically?
Alexei_V:dayuum. chen strikes from orbital height
Marcus_T:I'm wounded
Wei_C:You'll live.
Diana.S:will he though. will any of us.
Alexei_V:jesus diana. save the existential crisis for after we get tested
Diana.S:just being realistic.
Wei_C:Realism is just fear wearing a lab coat.
Alexei_V:who are you and what did you do with ice princess chen
Wei_C:Maybe you don't know me as well as you think.
Marcus_T:Nobody knows anybody. Not really
Diana.S:marcus gets it.
Alexei_V:great now we're all being philosophical. is this what happens before testing. we all turn into poets?
Wei_C:You? A poet?
Alexei_V:roses are red. violets are blue. tomorrow we're sorted. and our friendship is through.
Marcus_T:Dark, Lex
Alexei_V:realistic, he means realistic
Diana.S:come ready.
Wei_C:Ready for what?
Diana.S:to say goodbye properly.
Alexei_V:we're not saying goodbye
Diana.S:no. we're saying see you later. even though we won't.
Wei_C:Diana...
Diana.S:just bring yourselves. your real selves. last chance.
Marcus_T:We're going to ace this. Stay together
Diana.S:pretty lie, marcus.
Alexei_V:let him have it. we all need our pretty lies
Wei_C:Mine is that grade won't matter.
Alexei_V:mine is that ill test a-grade minimum
Diana.S:mine is that i don't already know how this ends.
Marcus_T:You don't know. Nobody knows for sure
Diana.S:2200.
[Diana.S has gone offline]
Alexei_V:she always does that. drops wisdom then ghosts
Wei_C:It's her thing.
Marcus_T:Everyone needs a thing
Alexei_V:chens is being stupid.
Wei_C:Yours is bad jokes.
Alexei_V:theyre good jokes delivered to the wrong audience
Marcus_T:Sure, Lex.
Wei_C:2200. Don't make me wait.
Alexei_V:wouldn't dream of it princess~
Wei_C:Call me princess again and I break your nose.
Alexei_V:promises promises.
[Wei_C has gone offline]
Alexei_V:you still there marcus?
Marcus_T:Yeah
Alexei_V:you scared?
Marcus_T:Terrified
Alexei_V:good. means you're paying attention
Alexei_V:see you at the nest brother.
Marcus_T:See you soon brother
[Alexei_V has gone offline]
-