The mirage reflection of the admiral's likeness shimmered, interrupted by noise and technical blur, just for a second, but enough to disfigure the sound of the voice as he spoke. Pax took a stand in front of the holographic display with the rest of the group sitting around a large, round, table-like unit that housed the communications transmitter. She almost never used it in the past; there was no need for it since all communication was done in the cockpit. But now, she wasn't alone anymore.

"It is unfortunate, the casualties, loss of the facility. However, I'm glad you and your new team made it alive and fairly unharmed." Pax twitched upon hearing the words "her new team." Also, she couldn't confirm they escaped unharmed, given her horrible pain from the bruised ribs and burns on her forearm.

"We will take note of the significance of the archaeological discovery you and the head engineer have made at a more appropriate time. For now, we have more pressing matters to think about; your mission on Earth is still a priority. We need to understand what is going on."

"Yes, sir, I understand. What about my passengers?" The group looked at her.

"They are soldiers, Captain; they should aid you well on your mission. Bring them home safe, bring everyone home. Maintain discretion and avoid using communication for personal matters for the time being. Good luck." After these words, the transmission ended. The bright glow of the projector disappeared, leaving a few random particles floating here and there until they too dissipated. The admiral wasn't good at goodbyes; he had a policy of making sure his soldiers always felt like there would be a next time.

"Well..." Jason's voice reached out to her from the other side of the table as he stretched in his seat. "It means we are stuck together for a while longer."

"Not necessarily," the woman sitting next to him mocked. "The Admiral only mentioned soldiers, so you better behave or you may go sleep in the airlock." Pax unconsciously smiled at that comment.

Jason noticed that. "You see what I have to deal with here? Thalia, that's low. Even for you."

Pax finally had the time to have a better look at the pair Jason asked to help. The woman seemed full of life; it beamed from her, a certain determination to push forward no matter what and an unbreakable optimism. This filled her features, her tall strong body, her ivory skin, and stone grey eyes with an ethereal glow. The only thing that spoiled it was her hair, dyed in an odd shade of deep red. It just seemed unnatural, out of place.

The man, on the other hand, seemed to be crippling under the weight of his own mind. His face must have been handsome at some point, with numerous small scars around his eyes, lips, and nose, like something exploded close to him. His dark hair was full of grey strands. On top of that, there was this permanent grimace; she wasn't sure if it was disgust or anger or something else, much deeper.

"Will you two shut up?" Caelius burst annoyed, suddenly standing up. Pax had a feeling he noticed her watching him. She had no choice but to look into his eyes as he leaned over the table toward her.

"What happened down there was not normal." His voice was uncomfortably threatening to her. He turned around to his friend and back to her. "I have questions. We all have. What in the depths of Tartarus are you?"

Pax took a moment, staring into his angry eyes, tilting her head for a second. "Lieutenant, I remind you to mind your language when referring to your Captain and stick to the official protocol. I have questions too if you don't mind answering. I have this unshakable feeling that I already know you two."

"Screw you, your language, and your protocol. I want to know what's going on. As far as I can see, you are no better than these creeps that attacked us on the colony."

"She's an oracle, you moron. Now apologise, shut up, and get back on your ass," Thalia said loudly. You could almost hear her rolling her eyes.

"Bullshit, there are no more oracles around. They all died in the Great Collapse."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Fortunately for me and you, not all of them did. If they did, you would probably be dead by now," Pax answered with a cold voice. She wasn't used to this type of mistrust, judgement, and, most importantly, a challenge to authority. "What, for you, is out of this world, for me, it's a daily thing. But I'm not here to fortune tell you during tea; the fleet has other uses for my abilities. The few oracles that survived were designated to infiltrate computer systems. Where conventional hacking fails, there is the power of a human brain."

"That's amazing!" Jason jumped in excitement.

"That freak show down there, that wasn't hacking," Caelius mumbled.

"Well, let's just say I practised a lot once. But don't expect me to do it anytime soon again." Pax went quiet for a moment. She wasn't home anymore, and these people were going to be travelling and helping her for a while, so she had to restrain herself from creating and fueling unnecessary conflict.

"Listen, if I had any other choice back there, I would have done things differently. But I didn't, and that's probably the reason we are still alive. I will need your help, and I'm glad you are here with me." No, I'm not. "As you overheard, my mission is to investigate the cause of the explosions that happened in various locations on different planets at the same time and bring back as many Union soldiers and officers with me as possible. I understand you don't like it, but there is something going on bigger than any of us."

"Understood, Captain," Thalia responded with a lighter tone.

"Now, my other question, if you please?"

Caelius stiffened up a bit. "Are you familiar with Orpheus?"

"Yes, yes I am. It's an open military base, where a lot of my colleagues, including myself, had training in the past."

"We have been stationed there for a few years. Maybe we met?" Thalia added.

It wasn't the answer Pax was hoping for; something wasn't right, and she had a feeling she knew them from somewhere else, but this itch in her brain didn't show any results. It may have been nothing in the end.

"That's possible. Thank you for that." After a moment of hesitation. "Good. You are dismissed for now until we get to Earth."

"And what should we do till then, Captain?" Caelius said, sucking his teeth.

Pax had already made enough diplomatic effort and wasn't going to get into an argument, as she could sense there was still some of that lingering in the air.

"It's a big ship; make yourself useful or rest. You have free quarters available." She was glad the man didn't reply; Jason gave her a short look and hurried Caelius out of the seat. Both of them left, and Pax could only hear echoes of a conversation between the two.

"Captain." Thalia's voice crept at her suddenly. She was so enamoured in following the men with her eyes she didn't notice the woman was still there.

"Yes, sorry?" Pax mumbled, surprised.

Thalia stood up and reached her hand forward, expecting her own, but she only looked at her confused.

"That's a thank you. Thank you for saving our lives down there." Pax took a second longer and returned the handshake, still surprised. "Don't mind Caelius; he... he is troubled. He lost a lot in his life, and it follows him everywhere. It's like a poison, you know."

"I can imagine. Can he be controlled?" Pax added; her head was still thinking like a captain, but Thalia laughed.

"No. Why would you want to? Just give him time; he will come around," Thalia said, sitting back down. Her confidence bordered on arrogance, and Pax wasn't sure. "Captain, I know how people respond to oracles, and I'm sorry for this little scene." She twitched on the word. "I had a friend who was one too. Your control of the energy was... exceptional."

For Pax, this monologue on Thalia's side seemed a little self-serving and overly flattering, but nonetheless, she appreciated it. People would judge her for being an oracle too quickly, often with prejudice similar to the one that Caelius had shown. More often expecting things from her that she couldn't do. She was honest, saying the military found a purpose for her abilities and life mission. Oracles were not gifted by the gods, as many thought, but had an artificially introduced genetic mutation that protected their body from electricity.

This was developed as a method of saving people from the storms that ravaged the Earth during the Great Collapse. But, as with nature, it decided to take its own course and gave a few people this unique ability.

"Are you going to be fine?" Thalia asked.

Pax immediately knew she meant her hand.

"Yes, it's nothing major. In the past, I had much worse. Thank you for the support, Lieutenant." She covered her forearm and the thunder-like burns on her skin. Some of them have already started going down. They will probably leave faint scars.

"Thalia. And the boys, they prefer to be called by their names too."

"Excuse me? It's not really protocol, is it?"

"If there is something serious going on, it's best to skip some things, to take the small steps of building trust between you and your new crew, don't you think, Captain?"

She thought about this for a second. "You are right. Pax, call me Pax."

Thalia winked at her and got up and left after that, leaving her alone as she took a deep breath. It's probably time I took some painkillers. She slowly moved to the medical

room, thinking about what happened over the past few hours. There was a lot to go through.