What mission, exactly?
27-Prax
~Some time before~
I wake up slowly, sore all over. I’m lying on a cold floor. My thoughts are a mess. Where the hell am I, and what am I doing on the ground? And why do I feel like I got blackout drunk and then beaten to a pulp? My ears are ringing like crazy, but I can hear sounds nearby.
I bolt upright, claws out, eyes scanning the area.
Everything comes rushing back. The hangar. Bully. Neela.
I frantically look around, heart racing. Relief washes over me when I realize her body isn’t here, not among the ones scattered across the frozen floor. She’s not here!
“Well, looks like you’re not dead after all,” says the man stepping up beside me.
I turn my head and lock eyes with the Asgarnian, Pherebos—light purple eyes, glowing with intelligence.
“Prax, I never got the chance to thank you for what you did for my Dedicated Soul two years ago, but I’m doing it now. When Akifumi sent out an alert about you, I came without hesitation. We’ve been waiting aboard the Prianka, our flyer, for eight days before we could land here—had to give SILMAR, our AI, time to adapt us to Martian life. Not the friendliest planet, I’ll say that! But the view’s not bad!” he adds with a wink.
Stunned, I stare at this echo from my past, who’s now telling me he came to save me.
“You said ‘we’?”
“Well yeah, there are three of us.”
I turn and spot her—Ileana. The beautiful Human who turned my life upside down two years ago.
“Prax!” she says warmly, noticing I’m awake. “It’s good to see you again!”
“You too,” I reply, locking eyes with her pale gray ones.
I want to know if she still affects me, if I’m immune now. The answer’s obvious—no, she still gets to me. But the chaos swirling in my head has nothing to do with romance. It’s a mix of joy at seeing her again, relief that she’s doing well, and deep gratitude for the help she gave me. I owe her, no doubt about it. She was the one who called out things I should’ve been ashamed of. She pushed me to change. That shift in perspective led me to enlist. And that mission led me to the woman I love—Neela.
“Prax, can you summarize what happened here? You’re the only one who can explain why there are both Human and Penubian corpses scattered around,” Pherebos asks.
“You said there were three of you. Who’s the third? Akifumi?”
“What the hell would our Admiral be doing here? He’s en route to Mars with a fleet ship—should be here in three or four days. Prax, let me introduce you to Wingo, our third teammate!”
I stare in disbelief at a four-legged creature with a tiny trunk, a limber body that’s a bit… plump. Definitely edible. He locks eyes with me—huge golden eyes, full of curiosity.
“Uh-huh. Before you get the wrong idea,” Ileana says, a little sharply, “Wingo is an intelligent being, and under no circumstances are you to try anything. He’s my friend.”
I clear my throat and try to hide the culinary thoughts swirling through my brain at the sight of their new partner. I get to my feet—painfully, because everything hurts.
“As for the recap, be my guest. You go first. When did you arrive, what did you find? More importantly—did you come across a young Human woman?”
“We landed just a short while ago,” Ileana replies, holding a scanner in front of me. “We made sure the area was secure before inspecting the bodies. You’ve got two cracked ribs and several internal hematomas. I have no idea how you’re still standing.”
“Neela… the young woman… did you see her?” I press again.
“Prax, there’s no one else here besides the ones in this hangar,” Pherebos explains gently. “And you’re the only one still breathing. Outside, there’s just a two-seater ship someone abandoned—probably not yours, I’m guessing.”
I look up at him, pain tightening my chest. They came too late. Bully took Neela!
Before I can even react, I feel a sharp sting in my neck. I whip around, claws extended—only to find a blade at my throat.
“You’d better sheath those claws when you’re around my partner,” Pherebos warns coldly. “I know I owe you a lot, but I swear—if you touch her, you won’t leave here alive.”
