The shooting gallery was simple. Nostalgic, even.
Flying bots. Cute little things. Toy-like. They zipped around on predictable patterns. Easy targets. Child's play.
The boy held the practice rifle. Barely aimed. Just pointed. Squeezed. Hit. Pointed. Squeezed. Hit. Mechanical. Effortless. Boring.
Every bot exploded in soft puffs of light. One after another. Perfect accuracy. Perfect rhythm. No misses.
The final bot popped. The game ended. Lights flashed. Victory music played.
The stall owner clapped. Enthusiastic. Maybe too enthusiastic. "Incredible! A perfect score! Choose your prize!"
The boy looked at the stuffed animals. The cheap trinkets. His expression was flat. Dead inside. He pointed at random. A blue creature. Whatever.
"Excellent choice!" The owner handed it over.
The boy took it. Held it limply. His eyes were half closed. He looked like he needed eight more hours of sleep. Maybe twelve.
"You're no fun, Cadet McGee." The owner shook his head. "You could at least pretend to be excited."
McGee yawned. "Yeah. Sure. Excited. Woohoo."
Above him, something floated. Someone, rather.
A bird. Royal blue and green plumage. Stunning colors. Iridescent in the light. One wing stretched out. Acted like a pillow. He laid on it. Mid-air. Gravity meant nothing to him.
He wore the same uniform as Mcgee. But with a bit more style.
A Plumoran. From the Avian Sector. Natural fliers. Natural show-offs.
He held a magazine. Glossy pages. Colorful images. Very colorful. Very revealing. Victoria's Secret. In public. Unashamed.
His eyes were wide. Focused. Committed. His beak was slightly open. His tongue stuck out. Just a bit. He was in ecstasy. Pure bliss.
And below. Visible. Obvious. Inappropriate. A tent. Full mast. In public.
No shame. None at all.
Footsteps approached. Fast. Angry footsteps.
"McGee! Adio!" A girl's voice. Sharp. Furious. "Why are you two goofing around?!"
She appeared. Human. Brown skin. Twin ponytails bouncing with each step. Wore the same uniform as them. Data pad clutched in her hand like a weapon. Her face was red. Fuming.
McGee turned slowly. Lazily. "Hey, Sienna. What's up?"
"What's up?!" Sienna's eye twitched. "We have an exam to prepare for! An EXAM! And you're playing carnival games?!"
"It's relaxing." McGee yawned again. Longer this time.
Sienna's attention shifted. Locked onto the floating bird. Her eyes widened. Horror. Disgust. Fury.
"ADIO!" Her voice hit a new pitch. "Why are you reading THAT?! And why. WHY. Do you have WOOD in public?!"
Adio looked down. Casual. Unconcerned. "Relax, gyal." His Jamaican accent was thick. Exaggerated. Musical almost. "Mi jus' readin' dis fi research purposes, y'know?"
"RESEARCH?!"
"Yeah, man. Cultural studies an' dat." Adio grinned. Shameless. "Very educational."
Sienna's hands clenched. She took a breath. Another. Counted to ten. Tried to calm herself.
Her data pad buzzed. Notification. Her eyes snapped to it immediately.
The page loaded. Graphics. Rankings. Analysis.
Constellation Illustrated. The premier publication. The authority on cadet rankings.
The headline was massive. Bold. Attention grabbing.
"THE GIFTED GENERATION"
The media's branding. The special cadets. The ones who stood out. The monsters. The prodigies. The future legends.
Sienna's excitement broke through her anger. She loved this. Scouting. Competition. Information. Knowledge was power.
The rankings appeared. One by one. Starting from the top.
Her eyes locked onto number one immediately.
1. Polo Rossi
The image showed a boy. Pretty face. Red hair. Curtained style. Perfectly maintained. A stylish military cap. Black with white visors. A small red fire emblem in the middle of the cap. Sharp. Professional. Confident.
A senior. Obviously.
Sienna's thoughts raced. As expected. Polo Rossi at number one. Of course. House Rossi. One of the five great noble houses. Military aristocracy. Wealth. Training. Resources. The definition of a prodigy in every sense.
Her eyes moved down. To number two.
She froze.
Stared.
Processed.
"WHAT?!" Her voice exploded. "WHO IS THIS GUY?!"
McGee's sleepiness vanished. Instantly. He rushed over. "What? Show me!"
Adio dropped his magazine. Mid-air. Forgotten. He swooped down. Landed next to them. His wing-pillow gone. Alert now. Curious.
"Wha' gwan? Who yuh talkin' 'bout?"
They crowded around the data pad. Three heads. One screen.
2. Julian Weiper
The image showed a blonde boy. Cheeky grin. Thumbs up. Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. He looked like he was having fun. Like this was a joke. A game.
"Oi. Who's this guy?!" McGee's laziness was gone. Replaced by shock. Interest. Confusion.
Adio studied the image. His head tilted. "Mi nuh know 'im." He paused. Grinned wider. "But 'im look real fun, y'know? Look at dat smile, man!"
Sienna's fingers flew. Opened the profile. Scanned the details. Bio. Background. History. Everything.
Weiper. Not a noble name. Not a recognized house. Nothing.
"He's from the Outer Rim." Sienna read aloud. "No nobility. No special privileges. Just. Nothing."
McGee looked shocked. "Hey. No way. Then how? How is he number two?"
"Maybe 'im smart wid di books, yeah?" Adio suggested. Still grinning. "Top marks an' ting?"
Sienna's fingers moved faster. Academic records. Grades. Test scores.
She stopped. Stared. Blinked.
Adio burst out laughing. Loud. Uncontrollable. "Bwahahaha! Ten percent! Di yout' get ten percent pon 'im exam!" Tears formed. He couldn't breathe. "Mi love dis guy already, man!"
"This has to be a mistake." McGee looked between the screen and Adio. "Right? Has to be?"
"No." Sienna's voice was firm. Certain. She glared at McGee. "The power rankings are legit. Always. They use data. Analytics. Insider information. Expert opinions. Former champions consult. Military analysts review. This is not a mistake."
She paused. Let that sink in. Her expression turned serious. Dark. Ominous.
"This can only mean one thing." Her tone dropped. Heavy. Filled with warning. "Julian Weiper must be an absolute monster in combat. No doubt. He might even be the strongest cadet. Period. Senior or junior. Doesn't matter."
Silence. Heavy silence.
"He's extremely dangerous." Sienna looked at both of them. Her eyes were sharp. Serious. "We stay together. At all times. Understood?"
McGee nodded. Slowly. Sobered. The weight hit him.
Adio's grin returned. Wider. Brighter. Excited.
"Nonsense!" His voice was cheerful. Light. "Mi already decide, yeah? Mi gon' ally wid dis Julian inna di Crucible. Easy decision!"
McGee's jaw dropped. "What?! You traitorous bird!"
Adio laughed. Shameless. "Strategic, mi friend. Strategic!"
"Adio." Sienna's voice carried concern. Worry. "Are you sure? If he's that dangerous..."
"Dat's why mi wan' be 'im ally, not 'im enemy!" Adio's logic was simple. Sound, actually.
Then he froze. Realization hit. His eyes widened. He looked around. At the bus. At the decks. At the thousands of cadets.
"Wait." His voice rose. Excitement building. "Julian deh 'pon di bus right now! Right?!"
Sienna checked. Scrolled. "His team advanced. They should be here. But..."
"Mi need fi meet 'im!" Adio bounced. Literally bounced. Wings fluttered. "Right now! Where 'im deh?"
"There's not much time before the exam." Sienna's voice was practical. Measured. "And we don't even know which deck he's on. Or where. This bus is massive."
Adio's face fell. Sadness. Genuine sadness. Like a child denied candy.
"But." His grin returned. Smaller. Determined. "Mi gon' find 'im eventually. Mi gon' meet dis monster."
He looked at the image again. That blonde boy. That ridiculous smile. That number two ranking.
The strongest cadet. Maybe. Probably.
Adio couldn't wait.