The interior of the emergency capsule vibrated violently as it plunged into the darkness. The metal screeched with every jolt, and the hydraulic mechanisms struggled to stabilize the trajectory. Gravity felt unstable, pinning Haruto's body to the seat one moment and making him float slightly the next. Small sparks burst from a panel above his head, accompanied by an alert sound that echoed in the narrow space. Gritting his teeth, he felt the violent turbulence shake his body. He couldn't see anything through the window—only absolute darkness that seemed to swallow every trace of light. His breathing was heavy, focused, waiting for the impact.
Suddenly, the darkness began to clear. A faint glow appeared as the capsule broke through the dense layer covering the planet. For the first time, he could see the planet's surface. The landscape stretched out in shadows and scattered lights. The capsule was descending at a dangerous speed, streaking through the atmosphere with a trail of fire. Impact was imminent.
When the capsule hit the ground, the blow was harsh. Direct. It bounced against the thick vegetation, tearing off branches and bending the metal as if it were paper. Haruto was tossed inside the cabin; the straps held him, but didn't stop him from feeling every impact. Sounds everywhere. Cracks, sparks, something exploding nearby. Everything vibrated. Everything trembled. The capsule spun a couple of times before skidding and coming to a final stop with a chest-rattling thud.
And then, silence.
Sudden.
Haruto exhaled. His body trembled from the adrenaline.
The capsule lit up from within, and a mechanical voice announced:
—"Body scan in progress… User integrity confirmed."
The hatch opened with a soft hiss, letting air inside.
Haruto stepped out slowly. His body was tense, still shaken, his breathing somewhat ragged. Every muscle ached, all of them, as if he had run for hours… or been crushed. His hands trembled as he tried to calm himself. Stand upright. Think.
A warning flashed on the G1 suit's life support system: breathable atmosphere.
Haruto stared at it for a few seconds. The data was consistent. No alerts in the air chemistry. Variables within safe margins.
Without hesitation, he released the seal on his helmet and removed it. Set it aside.
He looked around, processing the scene.
Though it was night, it wasn't completely dark. The sky—if it could be called that—glowed with countless lights. They weren't stars… more like beacons, artificial points floating above, illuminating everything with that strange hue. Blue. The vegetation too…
It was strange. It seemed alive… but not entirely. There were trees with metallic bark, roots like cables. Some leaves even glowed faintly, as if they had circuits inside.
In the distance, silhouettes of structures emerged through the mist. Some flickering lights—signs of a civilization. Beneath his feet, the ground was a mix of soil and metal, with rusted plates embedded among roots and rocks.
The static noise of his communicator interrupted his inspection.
For a moment, a signal spike cut through the interference. A distorted voice slipped through.
—"Haruto… Haruto? Do you copy?"
It was Kael.
Only Kael. The channels with the rest of the team remained silent.
—"The suit's GPS isn't working. I can't locate you. I need you to describe your surroundings," Kael said urgently.
Haruto looked around.
—"There's hybrid vegetation with metallic components. Some emit light. I also observe structures with signs of residual energy."
—"Same here, but tell me—do you see anything that stands out?" Kael replied.
Haruto looked up at the sky. Amid the mist and artificial lights, one of them shone more brightly than the rest, like a beacon in the darkness.
—"Yes, I see something," he confirmed.
—"Perfect. I'm heading there too."
Haruto paused briefly before speaking. "Do you have any signal from Elara or the captain? Any signs of activity on their frequencies?"
Kael hesitated before responding. —"I haven't had any response yet, but I'll keep trying. Remember your training, Haruto… Don't die."
The communication cut out with a static crackle. Haruto exhaled and looked toward the light. With no other option, he started walking. But then, a deafening buzz thundered in his head. He felt unbearable pressure, as if his skull were about to explode. His vision blurred for a moment, and amid the agony, a voice echoed in his mind.
—"We've been waiting for you."
It sounded like many voices blended at once, like an echo that never ended. And something about it chilled the blood. Haruto dropped to his knees, clutching his helmet with both hands, trying to block the sound. It lasted only an instant, but he felt it like an eternity. His body trembled with a sensation he had never experienced before. When the pain stopped, he was left gasping, eyes wide with fear.
The sound faded, but the fear lingered in his eyes. Somewhere else in the universe, in another time, he faced a different challenge.
The same face, but now with a serious expression, remained inside a G-force training centrifuge. His helmet was secured, and his body braced to withstand the intense G-forces of the simulation. But for him, it was nothing. His body endured the speeds in nearly impossible ways, showing no signs of fatigue. Elara, observing the data from the monitoring console, couldn't believe it. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she analyzed the readings. "This doesn't make sense…" she murmured to herself. How could someone without specialized training have that level of physical resistance? She could understand Kael—he'd spent his life training for this. But… Haruto had passed the Sigma System tests. No one understood why someone like him was on the mission. For Elara, it only added to the doubts.
The sound of another test echoed through the room.
Haruto went through the disorientation test, spinning at high speed. He kept control. Where others would fall or lose balance, he merely adjusted his gaze and continued.
Next came the isolation chamber. Silence, confinement, darkness.
Nothing changed in his expression. Not a single extra blink. His mind functioned as always: precise, cold, as if the confinement didn't exist.
Then came the crisis test. Emergency simulations, everything at the limit—alarms, urgent decisions. Haruto solved them before the system could even finish stating the problem.
Now he was inside a water tank. High pressure. Low oxygen. His breathing remained stable, as if nothing were happening.
While the others panicked, flailed, or pounded on the tank walls, Haruto simply… continued.
Quiet. Methodical. Unshakable.
Elara reviewed the monitors again. "This can't be…" she murmured, trying to rationalize the data. It wasn't that the superiors didn't know what they were doing—they clearly saw his potential. But what unsettled her was something else: Why had no one talked about this before? Why hadn't Haruto undergone prior training if he had this capacity? Something didn't add up.
After the tests, the sound of running water and lockers opening broke the silence of the locker room. Haruto, as methodical as ever, put on his clothes without paying attention to the looks from the other crew members. They whispered through stifled laughter, muttering comments about his distant personality.
—"Look at him, he doesn't even react," one mocked.
—"Is he a robot or something?" added another.
The envy was palpable, but Haruto simply ignored them, not fully grasping the intentions behind their words.
One of the candidates approached, feigning friendliness. "Hey, Haruto, were you programmed for this, or are you just a defective experiment that turned out better than expected?" he said with a mocking smile. Haruto blinked, analyzing the question, but before he could respond, an imposing shadow blocked the light.
Kael había entrado al vestidor. Su silueta musculosa y firme contrastaba con la toalla que apenas cubría su cintura. Su simple presencia bastó para que el grupo de candidatos se callara de inmediato. Con un gesto lento, Kael pasó la mirada por cada uno de ellos, sus ojos fríos como el acero.
—"¿Alguien tiene un problema?" preguntó con voz grave.
El silencio se extendió por el vestidor. Todos bajaron la mirada, desviando la vista como si de repente se hubieran quedado sin palabras. Kael suspiró y caminó hasta Haruto, quien ya había terminado de vestirse sin mostrar reacción alguna ante el incidente.
Mientras salían del vestidor, Kael le lanzó una mirada de reojo.
—"No deberías dejar que te hablen así."
Haruto mantuvo su expresión inmutable, sin siquiera dignarse a responder. Su mirada pasó brevemente por los demás tripulantes, pero su indiferencia fue suficiente para hacerles sentir insignificantes.
Kael chasqueó la lengua y pasó una mano por su cabello aún húmedo.
—"No importa que los ignores. La gente así se agrupa como hienas cuando creen que alguien es diferente. No les des el gusto de verte como un blanco fácil."
Haruto procesó sus palabras en silencio mientras caminaban por el pasillo iluminado por luces frías.
—"¿Quieres decir que debería responderles?"
Kael sonrió de lado.
—"No con palabras. Con hechos. Y en eso, hermano, ya los aplastaste."
Mientras tanto, en otro sector de la base, Elara estaba sentada frente a un monitor, tecleando con rapidez. Sus ojos recorrían las líneas de información, buscando cualquier archivo sobre Haruto. Sin embargo, cada intento terminaba en el mismo resultado: acceso denegado. Frunció el ceño. No era normal que un expediente de un candidato estuviera tan restringido. Ni siquiera Kael tenía ese nivel de bloqueo.
Movió los dedos con más fuerza, irritada. Ridículo. Si alguien debía tener acceso, era ella. No por capricho... bueno, quizás un poco. Pero era una Voss. ¿Desde cuándo cerraban puertas a un Voss?
—"¿Quién eres realmente, Haruto?", murmuró para sí misma, sintiendo cómo la incógnita crecía en su mente.
Elara suspiró, frotándose los ojos. Llevaba demasiado tiempo frente a la pantalla sin obtener respuestas.
El sonido de la puerta deslizándose la hizo enderezarse de inmediato.
—"Another sleepless night, Elara?" asked the captain, in that hoarse tone of someone who'd had more than a few drinks… and yet, always knew exactly what he was doing.
Elara smiled faintly, trying to appear casual.
—"Something like that. It's hard to disconnect when there are so many unknowns in the mission."
Arnold nodded and leaned against the doorway with the tablet in one hand and just the right balance, as always.
—"I get it. There are always more questions than answers when we head into the unknown."
The captain stepped in with his steady gait—that slow, heavy step that always seemed one drink behind stability—reviewing a report on his tablet without looking up.
Elara, feigning indifference, turned the screen of her console away and swiveled in her chair.
—"Captain, does Haruto have previous experience with this kind of mission?" she asked with apparent curiosity.
—"I'd like to get to know my teammates better."
Arnold paused his reading for a moment and glanced at her sideways.
—"Funny you should ask. Just today I was reviewing some reports. Haruto doesn't have a… conventional background."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
—"Orphan. Adopted in a space colony as a child. Beyond that… very little. Too little, I'd say. And I'll tell you something: I met him the same day you did."
Elara nodded, but her mind fixated on a single word: "adopted." It wasn't a huge revelation—after all, Haruto and Kael shared a last name—but what unsettled her was the lack of information about him. Her gaze darkened for a moment before continuing the conversation. It wasn't a surprise, but what caught her attention was how information about Haruto was being handled.
—"How was his adoption?" she asked, feigning curiosity.
Arnold rested his arms on the desk and exhaled slowly.
—"His adoption wasn't exactly a normal case."
He ran a hand through his beard, as if debating whether to say more.
—"The records say he was found under… unclear circumstances. Before that, nothing. Zero. No parents, no country of origin, not a single damn reliable detail. Just sealed documents, approvals from the top. Way up top."
He paused, locking eyes with Elara.
—"That's all they let us know."
Elara kept her expression neutral, but inside her mind raced. It wasn't just the adoption that stood out to her, but the complete absence of prior data. If even she couldn't access Haruto's records, despite being a Voss… maybe investigating Kael was the key. After all, if Haruto had been inserted into the mission without going through the usual filters, someone had to make that call. And that someone clearly knew how to bury the trail.
Elara looked away from the screen and exhaled slowly. There were still too many unanswered questions, but for now, there was nothing more she could do. She logged off and stood up, carrying with her the growing suspicion that something bigger was at play.
As she walked down the hallway, her mind kept replaying the conversation with the captain. The feeling that something didn't add up wouldn't leave her. Still, she had no more leads for now.
In another time and under a different sky, darkness and silence surrounded Kael.
Miles away, on the inhospitable surface of the dark planet, Kael moved through rocks and dense fog. His steps were steady, his breathing controlled, but his mind remained alert. The communicator was barely spitting static.
Nothing.
He quickened his pace.
Still nothing.
Suddenly, a sharper crackle cut through the interference.
—"…ptain… here…"
Kael stopped.
—"Specter Unit, do you copy?" he asked.
—"…visual… Kael… repeat… in visual."
Finally.
On the other end, Alphonse's voice came through more clearly.
—"Signal received. Rock, fire the flare."
A second later, a red flash lit up the fog.
Kael ran toward the light, dodging scraps of metal.
When he arrived, he saw his team gathered.
Up front stood Alphonse, still holding the flare launcher and wearing his usual grin.
—"How was the stroll, boss?" he said. "One more minute and we'd have set up a queer runway right here."
Beside him, massive as always, "The Mountain" Rockbrand adjusted his plasma launcher in silence. His eyes, red as ever from smoking, didn't seem bothered by the fog… or anything else.
Behind them, several more members of Specter Unit were quietly checking their weapons, alert to any movement.
Kael let out a short sigh.
—"Tight formation. No one splits off."
—"Just like the good old liberty nights," Alphonse quipped, winking.
—"Status. And stay alert," Kael ordered.
The team lined up to report their status.
But at the edge of the fog, several dark silhouettes moved silently.
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