Chapter 29 | Beyond Eden

Leon passed the threshold of the gate, allowing him to peer into the dock without walls obstructing his view.

He was surprised at the sheer scale of the station. He couldn't see the end of it as rows upon rows of military spacecraft lined either side of the dock. This spaceport stretched far, each ship gleaming in perfect formation. 

The Warcenturion paused, stopping the group a few feet from an elevated platform closest to the gate.

A soft hum filled the air as a ship similar to those already docked descended from the sky. It was sleek and silver-gray, its smooth surface catching the sunlight like polished steel. Blue mana circuits pulsed across the hull in glowing, fluid patterns like veins of light.

As it approached the empty docking platform, its true scale became impossible to ignore. The ship stretched 200 feet from nose to the end of the rear thrusters, wide enough to cast a broad shadow across the landing zone.

There was no roar of engines; just the steady thrum of mana thrusters on each corner, glowing cold blue beneath the hull and swiveling as it prepared to land. The air shimmered as it hovered for a few seconds, then lowered itself, landing struts extending with a quiet hiss.

"That's a Valkyrie-class Orbital Troop Carrier," Nyra whispered beside him. She kept her voice neutral, but Leon caught the slight lift at the corners of her mouth, the closest thing to excitement he'd seen from her. "Military grade. Most civilians never even see one up close."

As the ship touched down, the platform shuddered slightly under its weight as the thrusters powered down and the mana circuits dimmed to a soft pulse.

A side hatch slid open and a wide boarding ramp extended to the platform that was broad enough for four armored soldiers to move side-by-side comfortably.

One of the crew members stepped out from the ship, clad in the Imperial blue and gold uniform. 

Warcenturion Vauhn turned. 

"He'll give you a briefing before you board," he said, then turned and strode toward the ship.

The crew member saluted, but the Warcenturion walked past without acknowledging it, vanishing into the hull wit the guards following close behind.

The crew member stopped in front of the four recruits. 

"Since I don't know who's been on an Orbital Troop Carrier before, I'll cover the standard safety protocols," he said, voice clipped and professional.

Leon listened. He had never been on any kind of spacecraft. He glanced sideways at the other recruits. The two ahead of him and Nyra maintained expressionless faces, but there was a slight stiffness to their postures that suggested they might be just as new to this as he was.

The crewman continued, giving a rapid overview of the carrier's design and function: it could hold up to 250 armored personnel, not counting crew, and was designed primarily as a dropship to transport troops and equipment in and out of a planet's atmosphere.

"It's the workhorse of the Imperial Army's fleet!" he added, with a note of pride that bordered on admiration.

He's starting to drift, Leon thought.

The crew member was already moving into specs. Mana engine output, thrust ratings, and how the ship could reach up to five times the speed of sound, though it took time depending on its payload.

"What's the delay?" a sharp voice interrupted.

One of the guards who had entered with the Warcenturion had returned, scowling.

"Ah—sorry, just making sure they get all the info they need," the crewman said quickly.

"Keep it short. We need to be on the cruiser in thirty minutes." The guard turned and disappeared back into the ship.

The crew member cleared his throat and returned to his briefing, now with more urgency. He explained the emergency protocols, outlined the location of exits, and offered tips for atmospheric exit, pressure shifts, noise levels, and possible turbulence.

"Any questions?"

Silence.

"Good. Follow me to the passenger cabin."

He turned on his heel and led them up the boarding ramp. The four recruits followed in a line.

They entered through the cargo hold, the ramp folding in behind them with a slight hum. They moved through the dimly lit storage area toward the passenger cabin, where rows of large, reinforced seats awaited them.

The Warcenturion and his guards were no longer in sight.

"Pick any seat," the crewman said. "Your CRI should sync automatically once you sit."

Leon took a seat, trying to match the casual movements of the others. As he settled in, he felt a faint pulse through the cushion, like a subtle electric current recognizing his presence. A soft notification appeared in the corner of his vision shocking him. He focused on it and a prompt appeared:

Fasten Harness?

Yes? he thought, unsure if he was giving the right command. He’d been briefed after the surgery and had seen the startup prompts, but aside from that, he hadn’t encountered another one until now.

The response was immediate. Padded straps from the seat slid into place, wrapping around his torso and waist. The seat adjusted automatically, forming around his body. The headrest rose and curved around the back of his skull, locking him into a comfortable cradle.

He glanced at Nyra beside him and couldn't help grinning like a boy on his first ride. It was the first time he ever interfaced with a device through his augmentations, and it felt incredible.

Even through his nervous energy, he could appreciate how seamlessly the technology responded to his thoughts.

Nyra caught his expression and rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of amusement in her glance. 

"Try not to look so impressed by basic tech," she murmured. "It's a dead giveaway."

Leon adjusted his expression, though his excitement remained. The CRI embedded in his skull was still new enough that each interaction felt like discovering a superpower. 

The nanites coursing through his body hummed with subtle energy, as though anticipating the journey ahead.

Once everyone was secured, the crew member walked across the compartment to a section of the wall opposite the entryway. A seamless panel slid open revealing a recessed control device. He tapped and swiped across its interface with ease. When finished, the panel sealed itself shut.

He then placed his palm against a scanner embedded beside the panel. A second door that was previously invisible parted to reveal a compact lift chamber. Without a word he stepped inside. The doors slid closed behind him leaving the recruits alone in the passenger cabin.

A moment later, Leon heard the ship's hum deepen. The mana thrusters intensified with a smooth, rising pitch, and the ship began to ascend. Yet there was no jolt or lurch, only a steady, silent lift.

It was the most comfortable ride Leon had ever experienced. Then again, his only point of comparison was the Fulgari transit vehicle he'd ridden for the first time just minutes earlier but still, this felt like something far beyond ordinary transportation.

"Don't get too comfortable," Nyra said quietly. "Atmospheric exit is where it gets interesting."

As if her words had summoned it, the ship's gentle ascent began to change. The quiet hum grew louder, and Leon felt a subtle but increasing pressure pushing him deeper into his seat. The ship's acceleration increased, a sensation like being pulled backward by an invisible hand.

Too soon, Leon thought as his stomach started churning.

He gripped his harness turning his knuckles white while closing his eyes. The ship had started shaking and trembling a few minutes after taking off. There were no windows, so he didn't know what was going on. The only thing he could think of was the crew member's warning during the safety brief. They were exiting Eden's atmosphere.

The pressure against his chest intensified. A deep vibration moved through the hull, rattling his bones. Every breath felt like work. 

His mind flashed unwanted images of the ship tearing apart and the vacuum of space claiming them all. 

Leon concentrated on holding his food back, while gravity was draining blood from his face as they continued to ascend. Beside him, Nyra sat with her eyes open, her expression calm but her hand gripping the armrest.

"First time's always rough," she said, her voice tight but steady. "But it'll be over in about thirty seconds."

Leon didn't trust himself to respond. The pressure seemed to double, then triple. His ears popped painfully. Just when he thought he couldn't take any more, everything changed.

The pressure vanished, the vibration ceased, and the ship moved with eerie smoothness.

A feeling of weightlessness crept through his limbs. Not complete zero gravity, as the ship maintained partial artificial gravity, but a lightness that made his stomach lurch in a different way. His body, having spent a lifetime under Eden's pull, felt odd with the new freedom.

"Exiting Eden's orbit, preparing to dock with Cruiser T-minus 3 minutes," the crew member's voice announced through hidden speakers.

Leon opened his eyes. The other recruits seemed to be handling the transition with varying degrees of composure. One looked as sick as Leon felt but was desperately trying to hide it while the other sat stone-faced.

"Look," Nyra said, gesturing toward a panel in the wall that had slid open, revealing a viewport.

Leon turned his head and caught his breath. Beyond the thick glass stretched the curve of Eden. 

A vast expanse of blue oceans and scattered landmasses against the endless black of space. Clouds swirled in delicate patterns across the surface, and the atmosphere glowed with a thin blue halo where it met the void.

Every human who had ever lived had been born on that sphere below, had walked its surface, and breathed its air. Until these past couple of centuries in human history, no one had ever seen it from this vantage point. 

And now he, a boy from the Lower Levels who had once been lucky to have enough to eat, was looking down at the entire world as part of the few pioneers. 

"They say it changes you," Nyra said quietly. "Seeing it like this. Some soldiers get addicted to the view."

Leon couldn’t look away. His nausea forgotten, he stared at the breathtaking sight of his homeworld floating in the darkness. Despite the pain, the struggle, and the rigid hierarchies that shaped his life, from up here, it looked perfect. Calm and beautiful.

Then he saw it, emerging from Eden's shadow: the Imperial Cruiser. Against the blackness of space, its massive shape loomed, making their transport look small by comparison. Mana circuits glowed across its surface in symmetrical patterns, illuminating the hull with a cold blue glow.

That wasn't just a ship, it was a mobile fortress. Easily a hundred times the size of their transport. Its design spoke of power, authority, and absolute control.

As their ship approached, the cruiser's docking bay opened like the maw of some cosmic beast, swallowing them.