Karania broke the contemplative silence that had enveloped Thea as she grappled with the reality of her new cybernetic hand. "Listen, Thea. I know this is an overwhelming experience, and I wish... I should've been there to warn you about the concoction of meds I had to administer. If I had—"

Thea interjected, her voice tinged with a resolute steeliness, "Kara, stop. I melted my hand off to save Isabella. No amount of forewarning on your part could have altered that outcome."

Determined to quash any budding feelings of inadequacy in her friend, she continued, "From what I gathered after waking up, you literally died to save me. How could I be angry with you for not briefing me? Yeah, a heads-up would've been nice, but you couldn't have given me one from the respawn pod, could you?"

At this, Karania's eyebrow arched in mild surprise.

"Thea, you did read the medical report I compiled for you, right? The report you're supposed to review if you're uncertain about your condition after medical intervention?"

It hit Thea like a bolt of lightning, the sudden realisation that she had entirely neglected that crucial aspect of Basic Training.

"Um..." she stammered, at a loss for a proper response. How could she defend herself when she had blatantly disregarded one of the most elementary protocols instilled during Basic?

Unable to contain herself, Karania burst into a hearty chuckle, the sound resonating warmly in the room. The laughter made Thea's heart quicken just a fraction.

'I really did miss having you around, Kara,' Thea mused silently, watching as her friend wiped away the remnants of earlier tears from her eyes.

'Wait, those tears! I haven't asked Kara what that was all about,' a thought flickered through Thea's mind, hitting her with a jolt of realisation.

Navigating this particular topic, however, posed a dilemma for her.

Karania wasn't one to easily display emotions, so bringing up the moment of vulnerability could be like treading on thin ice. Back in the undercity, if anyone had seen Thea shed tears like Karania had earlier, she would have been mortified; downright scared.

Perhaps it would be better to let it slide, pretend it never happened?

On the other hand, Karania was her friend, and friendship meant being there for each other during the tough times—or so said the galaxynet article Thea had stumbled upon prior to their first shopping trip.

Mustering all her knowledge on emotional nuance, Thea delicately broached the subject.

"Kara, when I first woke up, you seemed...distraught. Everything alright?"

'Nailed it,' Thea mentally congratulated herself, feeling a surge of pride in her ability to extend an emotional olive branch to her friend.

"Ah, don't worry about it. It was nothing," Karania responded almost instantaneously, her words stopping Thea's self-congratulatory train of thought in its tracks.

A new conundrum had already unfolded before her.

'Okay, this is more complicated than I thought. Should I press further? Or respect her wishes and let it go since she said it's not a big deal?' Thea mused, her mind a battlefield of conflicting instincts.

She found herself torn between two compelling desires.

On one hand, her innate curiosity and concern pushed her to probe deeper into what had stirred the usually unflappable Karania into an emotional state severe enough to manifest tears.

But on the flip side, there was a respectful, almost deferential urge to take her friend's words at face value—to honour the implied boundary and not pry into an obviously sensitive issue. After all, the article had similarly stated that friends should trust each other.

Did this fall under that particular purview?

As she was grappling with this internal debate, weighing the pros and cons of each approach, the decision was abruptly made for her. Karania seamlessly shifted the topic of conversation, rendering Thea's indecisiveness moot.

"There's something critical we need to discuss, Thea. I need you to listen closely; it's a matter of utmost importance not only to me but to UHF Command as well," Karania began, her tone brimming with urgency. The sheer gravitas in her voice instantly commanded Thea's full attention, sweeping away her previous reservations and concerns like chaff in the wind.

"You remember feeling off before you took out the Stellar Republic's stealth-illusion generator, right?" Karania pressed. "I saw you waver a little. At first, I assumed it was minor, perhaps some fleeting dizziness. But the events that followed proved me gravely mistaken."

Her questioning gaze met Thea's, prompting a quick nod in response. 'Yes, I remember, and yeah, I did feel slightly off,' Thea thought, growing increasingly uneasy as she awaited Karania's next words.

"That makes sense now," Karania muttered, almost to herself, before locking eyes with Thea once more.

"You see, by the time you unleashed your [Penetrative Shot], your Focus was already below zero. You overdrew on your Focus so drastically that I had to administer two focus-boosting injections, and pump you full of various stims and drugs just to stabilise you. We're talking almost a thousand credits spent on medical supplies alone, Thea."

Thea's heart rate accelerated. 'A thousand credits? Just to get me stable?!' she thought, gripping the edge of the bed.

"But that's not the most terrifying part," Karania continued, her eyes widening with gravitas.

"Overdrawing your Focus isn't as benign as simply passing out, Thea. The System doesn't appreciate lending out more resources than you've earned. When you overdrew your Focus, it clawed it back—not metaphorically, but literally. From your cells and from your very atoms, Thea!"

The words hit Thea like a sledgehammer. 'My cells and atoms?!'

"You were at the precipice of death. And I'm not talking about the garden-variety 'Oh, I got shot' kind of dying," Karania intensified her tone, "Your Soul was unravelling, Thea. If it weren't for the UHF's minuscule failsafe they snuck into the DDS, your Soul could've disintegrated, killing you permanently."

Thea felt her chest tighten.

Her Soul?!

This was far beyond the simple unconsciousness she had experienced back in the Cube Trial.

"Thank the UHF for managing to sneak that failsafe into the DDS and the medical supplies I had on hand," Karania carried on, "because if not, your Focus Overdraw would've been your end—irreversibly. I also administered that amnestic, which likely caused some issues for you, for a very good reason. You were in excruciating, reality-altering pain, Thea. Your cells were being torn apart at an atomic level; your body was literally liquefying in my arms."

Thea felt sick, her stomach a swirling vortex of nausea and dread.

"I had to sew your skin back onto you and reset every bone in your face just to make you look remotely human! You were this close to killing yourself permanently, Thea!"

Thea felt the weight of Karania's words settle into her bones, each syllable a hefty stone added to the gravity of her actions. Her friend's emotion-laden revelations left her speechless, reeling in the face of her own near-catastrophe.

Suddenly, the memory of the stinging slap she received upon waking flashed across Thea's mind. A cascade of realisation unfolded within her as she pieced it all together. "Is that why you slapped me when I woke up?" she asked, her voice taking on a hollow, subdued quality.

"Because I acted like an utter idiot, putting not just myself in mortal danger, but getting you killed in the process, too?"

Karania's features contorted briefly, cycling through a spectrum of emotions before finally settling on a gentle smile. "Yes, Thea, that's precisely why. You needed a solid dose of reality—a physical jolt to snap you out of your reckless mindset, because clearly, no one else has been able to!"

Her expression shifted, becoming earnest, "Now, promise me, no more Focus Overdraws. I don't have the resources to pull off that kind of medical miracle again!"

Thea felt the sincerity and urgency in her friend's voice. She didn't hesitate.

"I promise. I didn't realise the stakes were this high... During the Cube Trial, when I overdrew, all that happened was that I passed out. Maybe it was because Orion—the squad medic with me at the time—did something? Or maybe it's because I didn't have Abilities that required a significant amount of Focus back then…? I mostly relied on my Psychic powers."

As she spoke, she noticed Karania's eyes, which had momentarily drifted to her data-pad, snap back to her with alarming swiftness. "Wait, you overdrew your Focus during the Cube Trial as well?! Then why the FUCK didn't the UHF warn you about this during orientation?! They knew you had this dangerous tendency, and they allowed you to walk right into it again?!"

Karania's voice transmuted into a guttural growl, her eyes blazing with a fiery mix of disbelief and indignation. The air in the room seemed to thicken, almost crackling with the intensity of her outrage.

Just as Karania's body tensed, muscles coiling like springs ready to launch her from her seat, Thea's keen Perception picked up on the slight movements. Before her friend could storm out of the room, likely to interrogate the first officer she'd come across, Thea reached out, gripping Karania's arm with her new cybernetic hand.

"Kara, wait," Thea's voice was steady, yet tinged with an undertone of urgency despite her hoarse and meek tenor. "We don't know the full story here. Why the UHF didn't warn me—or anyone else, for that matter—could have a host of reasons behind it. Don’t go slapping some poor officer around… Please?"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Karania looked down at Thea's hand, then back into her eyes, the fiery blaze gradually extinguishing. She took a couple of deep, calming breaths, easing back into her seat. "You're right," she finally said, her voice noticeably softer.

"The UHF does have its reasons for the information they choose to disseminate, particularly during the first week. Time is an extremely limited resource. They cram that week full of essential training meant to keep us alive in extreme circumstances—like if The Sovereign had to crash-land on a hostile planet."

"So, you're saying the reason they don't explain the risks of a Focus Overdraw to everyone is...time?" Thea questioned, somewhat incredulous. "But isn't this something that could cost lives? Why isn't it deemed important enough?"

Karania sighed.

"From their perspective, it's not considered a high-priority issue mainly because it's quite literally impossible for a Recruit to cause a Focus Overdraw. The System generally doesn’t allow you to use Abilities that you don’t have enough Resources for. That's the default setting for everyone."

Thea's brows furrowed in confusion. "But I'm a Recruit. How did I manage to—"

Karania cut her off. "Exactly, Thea. That's what makes your case unusual, and likely why they didn't think to warn you. They probably didn't consider that someone like you—still officially a Recruit—could pull off such a dangerous feat…”

Taking another measured breath, Karania leaned in closer, her eyes intent on Thea's as she continued. "Listen, there are generally three different avenues through which you can overdraw your Focus, and each comes with its own set of unique dangers.

“First, if you wield Psychic Abilities and push them beyond the limit of your Psychic Resource, your Focus will be converted to sustain them. Let me clarify, it's not a one-to-one exchange; the conversion rate is horrendous, almost exploitative. You would have to strain yourself to an unimaginable degree to reach a point where permanent death even becomes a factor."

She paused for a second, ensuring that the gravity of her words settled in, then went on.

"Secondly, you could access a Gold-rarity Ability, one that's been modified by a Major Alteration—yes, those exist. I'd speculate that you'd encounter something like this around Level 10, based on the Minor Alteration you acquired for your SO at Level 5, wouldn't you agree?"

Before Thea could nod, Karania continued, "And lastly, there's the use of [Focus Link] or its derivative Abilities. But that's Medic territory, not something you'd normally have to worry about. However, these pathways aren't enough on their own; there's another key ingredient that ties them together—mental fortitude."

Karania's gaze became more piercing as she went on.

"You see, the System doesn't just let you casually overdraw. It puts up a fight, throwing up obstacle after obstacle to dissuade you. You have to push back, overpowering its safety features, and for that, you need an extraordinary level of Resolve. I suspect that's where you come in, Thea. Your unusually high Resolve Attribute enables you to push past these barriers with relative ease, even as a Recruit."

Karania's voice tapered off, leaving a lingering echo in the small space between them.

Her eyes scanned Thea's face, almost as if searching for a hidden answer to an unasked question. Thea felt the weight of Karania's revelation press against her, a complex tapestry of dread, enlightenment, and curiosity unfurling within her.

It was as if a new layer of danger—and responsibility—had been added to her existence, made all the more poignant by Karania's impassioned delivery.

"So, if I'm understanding correctly, the UHF Command didn't anticipate that I could overdraw my Focus so dramatically? They assumed my Resolve would still be at Recruit level and, therefore, insufficient for such an overdraw?" Thea sought clarification, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to piece the puzzle together.

"That's my educated guess," Karania confirmed, her own expression mirroring Thea's scepticism.

"It sounds like a stupid justification, honestly, but I can't think of another reason that holds water. The alternative would be that they simply forgot to inform you, which—let's be real—that would border on gross negligence, wouldn't it?"

A weighted silence fell between them, the air thick with unsaid words and unanswered questions. It was Karania who broke the silence. Clapping her hands together with a reinvigorated smile, she announced, "Looks like that was enough! Thank you, Thea!"

Confused, Thea arched an eyebrow. "Enough for what?"

Karania quickly flicked her data-pad around to share the screen with Thea. "I had a 'Prime' criticality mission to inform you about the mechanics of Focus Overdraw. We've just ticked off all the quest requirements."

Thea looked at the screen and her eyes widened. The rewards were ludicrously generous—the System Credits amount especially—all for what essentially amounted to explaining something that should've been clarified to her in the first place.

For a moment, she felt a twinge of indignation. But then, remembering the 'Survive the Ambush - Again' mission notification she had glimpsed among the flood of system alerts upon waking up, she felt relieved. If her recklessness had cost Karania any rewards on that mission, at least this windfall might compensate for it.

"Wow, that's quite the haul for a simple explanation," Thea mused, but her eyes met Karania's and she smiled genuinely. "But you deserve it, Kara. Especially considering you've been picking up my slack lately…"

"Absolutely, I deserve it!" Karania exclaimed, her voice tinged with mock arrogance but her eyes sparkling with sincerity.

"I'll stock up on some extra focus boosters next time we hit a supply depot. By now, I think I know you well enough to say that your promise not to overdraw will last only as long as you don't find a compelling reason to break it."

Though her tone carried a note of mild irritation, she concluded with a playful wink.

Inside, Thea bristled a little. Why was Karania misjudging her like this?

She wouldn't dare to overdraw her Focus again, especially knowing the horrendous repercussions.

Well, unless there was a life-or-death situation.

Or a perfect opportunity to score high on a mission.

I mean, they'd established that a small overdraw wouldn't lead to permanent death, so it should be fine, right?

Thea sighed internally at the unravelling of her own thought process.

‘Fuck,’ she frustratedly mused to herself.

Karania was spot-on.

Even while confined to a medical bed, she was already justifying 'smaller' focus overdraws in her mind for the future.

Shaking off the introspection, her curiosity flickered to life. "So, speaking of focus and overdrawing and nearly dying... What exactly has been happening these past few days? How did I end up in this medical bay?"

Karania leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing slightly as she organised her thoughts.

"Alright, so you've been out for five days. After you, you know, 'took a nap,' we continued the mission. Once you guys managed to neutralise the artillery, the 27th and 28th Companies rushed to the aid of the 32nd—I caught a ride on one of their transports, back from the respawn. We basically steamrolled whatever was left of the Stellar Republic's ambush. From there, we moved into the Azure Forest and held our position for about half a day until the 13th and 16th Companies could catch up."

Thea listened intently, her eyes widening at the events she'd missed. She wished she could've been there, but a quick glance at her cybernetic hand reminded her why she wasn't.

"We've been advancing toward Nova Tertius for the past four days," Karania continued. "Initially, the resistance was sporadic, mostly targeting our scouting parties as we advanced through the forest. But over the last two days, things have escalated. The Stellar Republic has started deploying their T1 Soldiers. Those guys are causing havoc among our smaller squads, including the scouts."

A grimace crossed Thea's face, the memory of the Duplicators at the artillery outpost still fresh in her mind.

The Stellar Republic’s T1 Soldiers were not to be taken lightly—especially not in an all-out fight. Her finger instinctively twitched, almost as if reaching for her sniper rifle, which, of course, was not there.

"And to make matters even more complicated, a space battle broke out about three days ago," Karania added, eyes meeting Thea's.

"Both factions are hurling everything they have at each other up there, meaning we're essentially cut off from reinforcements for now. Staff-Sergeant Venn predicts we'll get more backup in a week or two, once the space battle has stabilised. Early-campaign space battles are basically slugfests; both sides trying to knock the other out as quickly as possible."

Thea's eyes were locked onto Karania as she discussed the space battle.

It was a grim scenario, but space battles had always fascinated her.

The idea of ships manoeuvring in the void of space, lasers, massive railguns and countless missiles crisscrossing in deadly arcs, and the tactical dance that played out at a scale incomprehensible to ground troops—she could visualise it all, and for a moment, she almost forgot she was bedridden.

It was a sobering but electrifying update, and despite her current condition, Thea felt a jolt of anticipation. There was a lot of fighting ahead, and she was more eager than ever to get back into it, hopefully without any 'naps' this time, of course.

Karania shifted her posture, leaning forward slightly. "Look, what I'm about to tell you is pieced together from various accounts, so I can't guarantee it's the full picture. But I'll do my best."

Taking a deep breath, she continued. "At the end of the 'Strike One' mission, you were located by a team of enemy T1 Soldiers. Now, from what we can gather, you must have put up one hell of a fight. You took them out, but not without taking substantial damage yourself."

Thea's eyes flickered downward to her cybernetic hand, the sleek metal a jarring contrast to her flesh and blood. Karania caught her glance and nodded.

"Yeah, you lost a sizable chunk of your lower jaw, much of your right arm, including your hand—hence the cybernetic replacement—and let's not even start on the gunshot wounds that riddled your body. Your Spectre was practically torn to shreds by the time we got to you," Karania explained, her voice tinged with a mix of admiration and concern.

Thea took a moment to absorb the information. It was jarring, to say the least, to hear about the extent of her injuries.

Karania sighed before adding, "Viladia was the one who carried you out."

At the mention of Viladia's name, an inexplicable anger surged through Thea. She couldn't place it, didn't know why it was there, but it was undeniable.

Karania noticed the change in her expression but continued. "Viladia said you saved her life. You covered her with your cloak after the engagements—hid both of you until Viladia had recovered enough to move on. But when she saw your condition, she knew you were in no state to press on. Being an assassin and all, she had access to a powerful non-lethal paralytic agent. She stabbed you with it, and that's likely why you're still here."

Thea looked puzzled, prompting Karania to elaborate. "The paralytic agent put you into a deep coma, slowing down your body's systems to the absolute minimum. This likely gave your body the time it needed to hold on until you could be evacuated."

Karania leaned back in her chair, her eyes meeting Thea's once more. "It's been a fucked up first week, Thea. And frankly, you're lucky to be alive."

Thea felt a swirl of emotions: Gratitude for her survival, but also an unexplained resentment toward Viladia… Where did it come from…?

Then there was the sheer weight of what she had missed, the battles fought, and the ongoing struggle. It was overwhelming, yet somehow, her resolve hardened.

She needed to recover, to get back out there and stand with her squad once more.

She had missed enough, and there was still much to do.

Taking a deep breath, Thea swung her legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand up. Her legs wobbled beneath her, causing her to stumble a bit before Karania rushed to her side, offering a steadying arm.

"Don't worry, it's just a little muscle atrophy from laying in bed for days," Karania reassured her. "You're medically fine, just a little rusty. Give it a day or two of moving around, and you'll be back to normal."

Thea looked around her makeshift room and realised something was missing. "Where's my gear? I don't see any of my equipment."

Karania chuckled at that, her eyes twinkling with a touch of amusement. "Of course you'd ask about your equipment first. Always ready to jump back into action, huh?"

She grew more serious as she continued. "You're going to have to request new gear. Your Spectre, among other things, is pretty much toast. You'll get to keep your Caliburn, Icicle, and Throatcutter, though. They were salvageable, but the rest was either entirely destroyed or damaged beyond repair."

Karania paused, assessing Thea's reaction before offering, "Want to take a trip to the supply station? I can guide you through the requisition process."

"I've done it once before, during the Cube Trial," Thea responded, "but I'd appreciate the refresher."

Internally, Thea was grateful not just for the practical advice but also for the chance to spend some quality time with Karania. It felt like a lifetime had passed since their last quiet moment of camaraderie. The first day of the assessment had been brutal, pushing her limits in ways she had never imagined.

"Great, let's get you geared up then," Karania said, her voice tinged with a warmth that Thea found comforting.

As Thea navigated her first unsteady steps towards the room's exit, leaning slightly on Karania for balance, she was struck by an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Finding a friend like Karania so quickly within the UHF had been an unforeseen blessing.

At this moment, Karania's presence provided a grounding influence that Thea hadn't realised she needed, but now recognized as absolutely essential…