Axel looked up at the spiral tower as he sheepishly went to meet Striker at the gates. He'd been trying to process the news of his father's disappearance all night. It didn't make sense. Why would he contact Wizan to tell him they were delayed if the craft was never going to make it to the station?

Striker waved him over. Axel's stomach lurched as he tried to figure out how to explain what happened. Striker slapped a hand on Axel's shoulder. The enthusiasm of his best friend was usually something he welcomed. But he couldn't take it right now. It was too much.

"Ready to smash your first Galactic Council, mate?" Striker motioned to the sleek curved form of the tower before them. "This is where it all starts. Some of the best pilots attend this meeting. Did your Dad tell you about his first?"

Axel said nothing. One word might cause him to cry. Members of the Space Division didn't cry.

"Bet you guys had a lot to talk about last night, didn't you?" Striker continued. He was the type of person who hated silence and would talk through it if possible. He'd always struggled in their stealth-based survival simulations at the academy. 'We better get moving bro, Scout's just messaged. We're the last ones in."

Axel followed him along the gravel path. He kept his hands in his pockets and head facing the ground. This was supposed to be one of the most exciting days of his life but instead everything felt flat. His world had gone from a vibrant excitement to a deep shade of grey. They walked through the glass double doors which lead into a reception area as big as a cathedral.

They worked their way through the crowd over to the side door. A Vaxorian with bright pink fins in a waistcoat stood with a clipboard. His nose wrinkled as they approached. "No humans authorised down Sector 6."

"We're Space Division's new recruits," said Striker, a beam of pride on his face. "We have ID if you need it?"

The Vaxorian looked as though he had been slapped in the face. "You are looking for Sector 5. I suggest you take a look at the maps provided at the entrance next time."

"Your directions work perfectly," said Striker with a sly grin. Then, before the Vaxorian could say another word, he grabbed Axel by the arm and dragged him in the opposite direction. They were accustomed to being treated this way by the Vaxorian's who didn't know what they did. He was very lucky to have Wizan as his Master. Not every human slave his age got the same treatment.

Striker's own Master made him sleep in the cellar. Axel had his own bed and home comforts to keep him going. It was something neither of the two would speak about but Axel was very aware of.

They reached Sector 5 and were greeted by another Vaxorian in a waistcoat. This one fixed them with a smile and walked them through a vibrant hallway. He handed over a small metallic card. "Your quarters are just through there. Please don't forget to collect your identity badges before you go to the meeting. I assume Commander Brixton has made the rules very clear?"

"About a thousand times," said Striker.

The Vaxorian pursed his lips then walked away and left them to it.

"Anyone would think this is a meeting of every single world leader in the galaxy or something," grinned Striker. Axel smiled weakly.

Striker frowned. "What's wrong? Where's the hyper-excited idiot I like to call my best friend gone?"

"He's still here," Axel said. "Just a bit nervous is all."

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"Ah it's cool mate, we've got this, '' Striker replied. He pushed open the door to reveal their lavish living quarters. The room was a place of luxury. Axel marvelled at the high ceiling. A large chandelier hung above. Vaxorian paintings lined the walls. Striker's eyes widened at the state of the art gaming room. He fixed Axel with gleeful eyes. "We've more than got this!"

The amount of space struck Axel as they walked through a pristine foyer lined with cool blue wallpaper. They entered the living room where Scout was sat on a red leather couch messing around on her wrist device. Her smile shifted into a face of concern as she spotted Axel walking into the building.

"We've not done too bad with this place, have we," Striker said as Rolly came in from the kitchen with a stack load of food. "Hope you left something in the fridge for me."

"Help yourself," said Rolly through a mouthful of sandwich. Striker swiped a packet of crisps from the pile and dropped down next to Scout on the sofa.

"Everything ok, Axel?" asked Scout.

"He's just a little nervous is all," said Striker.

Rolly frowned. "All we gotta do is sit still and stay shuttum. It's the easiest thing we've ever had to do. What's there to be nervous about?"

Scout placed a hand on Axel's arm. The warmth reassured him. "You want to talk about it?"

Axel shook his head. "Nah, I'm just hungry."

He walked through to the kitchen leaving them to talk amongst themselves. The truth was if he had seen this place yesterday this time, he would have thought all of his dreams were coming true. But now, it felt like there were bigger things to think about. The whole reason he'd started doing this was lost. What was the point in going on?

A knock at the door caught his attention. Scout stepped in and gave him a weak smile. His stomach jumped as his gaze met hers. There was something in her eyes that suggested sadness.

"You didn't tell Striker, did you?" she asked as she stepped closer to him. "About what happened with your Dad."

He frowned and was about to ask how she knew but she spoke first. "My great uncle was on the same craft. It's not a big deal, I've never actually met the guy but I did get the update ."

She pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry, Axel."

The lump in his throat gave way and wet tears fell down his cheeks. He couldn't speak or else everything might get worse. Instead, he showed her he appreciated the support by squeezing a little tighter. They broke the embrace and she wiped his tears on the back of her sleeves.

"You don't have to hide anything from the squad, you know," she said. "We're meant to be like a family. Sorry. Poor choice of words."

Axel shook his head. "I appreciate it," he said slowly. "But I don't want to bring anyone down before their first galactic meeting."

Nitwit poked his head around the door. "You two want to stop flirting and wrap things up? We've just been given the go ahead to get our passes."

Scout shot him an angry look. "Seriously, don't you think that flirting joke's getting a little old?"

"Just a bit of fun," Nitwit said, then he spotted the tears in Axel's eyes. "Everything alright, mate?"

"None of your business Nitwit, you moron," she snapped.

Axel put a hand on Scout's shoulder. "Nah, it's ok. You're right. The squad needs to know."

Axel and Scout joined Striker, Nitwit and Rolly in the lounge and the two explained what happened with his father.

"Wow, that sucks," said Nitwit. "I'm so sorry, Axel."

"Hey, there's no need for that," said Striker. "Missing in action doesn't mean dead, mate. You can't lose hope, alright?"

Rolly held out his plate of food. "You wanna have something to munch on?"

Scout rolled her eyes. "Does everything have to be about food with you?"

"Either that or doing rolly polly's," said Striker and the room broke out into a laugh.

Axel smiled. Striker had a point. Just because his father had gone off the radar didn't mean he wasn't out there somewhere. Once he passed his pilot test he would be able to go and search for him. He snapped out of his thoughts and watched his friends for a moment. He'd never seen them as a family but wasn't it true they'd all been through this journey together.

When Nitwit was struggling with his theory tests, Scout had sat up for hours every night to make sure he got there. When Rolly was losing heart because he couldn't control the craft, Striker and Axel had repeated simulations until he had it down. They'd wanted to succeed because in Space Division Academy, your whole squad won or lost together.

Striker cleared his throat and Axel came back to reality. "Axel mate, did you hear me?"

"What, sorry?"

"I said last one to get their pass is a rotten egg!" Striker said then leapt up and ran to the door. Axel laughed as the five of them scrambled to get out of the office. Maybe he didn't need to worry about his father just yet. Maybe he would just enjoy the thrills of the day first.