The post-mission high hit hard. Luca's muscles ached, but he felt wired. Buzzing. They’d fought their asses off and won. They’d gotten loot, gear, XP, and a hovercar that defied gravity.
And yet...
“You okay?” Emily asked, stepping closer.
He blinked. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
She didn't answer right away. Just studied him with an intensity that made him want to squirm.
The Commander's face kept flashing in his mind. Golden eyes. Family photos. "You have honor after all." System manipulation, he knew that. Psychological warfare designed to mess with his head. Knowing it didn't make it stop.
"You scared me, Luca."
He had no idea what to reply to that.
She gave his arm a quick squeeze, then turned away, back to the others.
The portal shimmered quietly behind them, pulsing with a faint light as it began its 48-hour cooldown cycle. No mobs spilling out. No alarms. No dying Varnathi officers choking on chemical fumes. Just silence.
They set up camp just outside the clearing, beneath a canopy of alien trees that twisted around them. The Specter was parked nearby, its black frame catching the last rays of light. The Peregrine sat a few meters behind, shielded and sealed.
Luca sank down onto a metal crate, his muscles aching. His tomahawk sat at his feet, clean now. It didn't look like it had buried itself in the skull of a Varnathi commander twenty minutes ago.
He popped open an MRE labeled “Beef Stew with Vegetables” and hoped whoever designed this meal burned in a low-gravity hell.
Joey sat down next to him. He peeled back his own MRE, took a spoonful and chewed thoughtfully.
“You okay?” he asked finally, not looking at Luca.
Luca shrugged. “Fine.”
The fire crackled, its [bonfire] protection active for eight hours, just enough for them to rest before moving onward.
“I’m not doing the whole 'therapist friend’ thing,” Joey said. “Emily didn’t send me. Neither did Ryan. Or Zoe. Or anyone else.”
Luca didn't answer. He took another bite of his tasteless meal.
Joey leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His voice was low. "That Commander. The one who talked. It got to you."
Luca looked at him and met his eyes. Joey didn't flinch.
"Yeah," he said finally. "Four years and they finally decide to give them dialogue. Family photos on the loot drop. Medal of Valor. The whole package."
Joey nodded slowly. "Psychological warfare. I've heard about it. Higher-tier delves, the System starts messing with your head. Makes them seem real. Makes you question things."
"My dad warned me about this," Luca said quietly. "Portals change people. The System breaks you down—first physically, then mentally." He took a breath. "I know what it is. I know it's manipulation. But it's still working."
"That's the point," Joey said. "It's supposed to work. The trick is not letting it break you." He paused. "You compartmentalizing okay?"
Luca's chest was tight. "Trying to."
"That's all you can do," Joey said, his voice gentle. "Just… keep a piece of yourself on this side, Luca. Don't let the System get in your head. Whatever happens in the portal, leave it there."
He stood up, stretching with a grunt. “Also, don’t eat the Protein Slab. I’m pretty sure it’s compressed sand with chili dust.”
Luca managed a small laugh.
Joey wandered back toward the fire where Chris and Zoe were laughing over something on a datapad. Danny was trying to balance an energy bar on his forehead. Emily glanced over at him again... worried, yeah, but at least she wasn't hovering.
Luca leaned back, chewing slowly, listening to the quiet hum of the music and the fire crackling softly.
Whatever happened in that portal… stayed in that portal.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
Emily moved to sit by him. "You okay, Luca?"
He turned to her, trying for a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Getting there."
She slid her hand into his, squeezing gently. After a moment, she leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "I'm here if you need me. Always."
"I know." He squeezed back. "Thanks, Em."
"If you're done moping," said Ryan, as he squeezed himself between Luca and Emily. "Let's take a look at the mission rewards!"
"Yeah, ok," said Luca, moving aside and focusing on his own interface and pulling up the completion reward:
[Mission Completion Reward]
Modifications Available: Select one: Weapon Mod / Armor Mod / Tool Mod
Luca squinted at the options. “Alright. We get one each.”
Zoe selected hers without hesitation. "Weapon. Duh," she said as a small cube materialized and she caught it with a grin.
Luca raised an eyebrow. “You don’t even want to know the other options?”
“I want stabby-stabby things,” she said. “The System gets me.”
Ryan leaned over to peer at his choices. “Armor Mod, Weapon Mod, or Tool Mod… you know what? I’m feeling adventurous. Let’s go full armor tech.”
He selected the armor mod without hesitation.
[Selection Confirmed: Armor Mod]
[Item Acquired: Hydration Recycling Module (TL9)]
Converts waste fluids into potable water. Automatically integrates with supported TL-9 exosuits.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
There was a pause.
Zoe blinked. “Oh my God.”
Ryan grinned. “It’s tactical hydration. I am now an infinite water source.”
“Gross,” Luca muttered. “Deeply gross.”
"Say what you want. Next desert planet? Who's the hydration god then?"
“Pee king,” Zoe said.
Emily stared daggers at them. "Stop. Please stop."
Luca tapped Tool Mod, hoping for something less horrifying.
[Selection Confirmed: Tool Mod]
[Item Acquired: Power Integration (TL9)]
Can now draw power from TL9 armor for sustained use.
"That's anti-climactic," Luca said, catching his own black cube.
“Unlike some people’s internal plumbing mod,” Zoe muttered.
[Selection Confirmed: Weapon Mod]
[Item Acquired: Overload Injector (TL10)]
Adds secondary fire mode to energy weapons: burst discharge. Increased damage, increased heat buildup.
Zoe just cackled. “This is so going on my rifle.”
Ryan raised his hand. “Just for the record, my mod prevents dehydration and supports the ecosystem.”
“You’re recycling your own piss, Ryan.”
“And the team’s, technically.”
“NO.”
Luca woke up with a mouthful of Emily's hair.
Soft, warm, and absolutely everywhere. Strands clung to his lips, tickled his nose, and somehow threaded themselves into the collar of his shirt. He shifted slightly, and she made a soft noise in her sleep, half sigh, half murmur, then curled tighter against his chest. One leg was draped across his.
Zoe was on her other side, an arm casually thrown across Emily's waist like she owned the place.
He pulled the blanket up over them, gently, so he wouldn’t wake them, and slipped out of bed. They looked so darn cute.
He slipped out quietly and headed for the shower, letting the hot water chase away the last threads of yesterday.
They'd need to find a pit stop soon and get more water.
By the time he stepped into the dinette, he felt better. Lighter.
He nearly gagged at the smell. "Jesus Christ, Ryan. What the hell is that?"
Ryan looked up, startled, nearly dropping his coffee mug. "Coffee?"
"Goddamnit," Luca said, "Didn't I expressly forbid you from making... that with my Folgers?"
"What are you talking about," Ryan said, sipping some of the tarry sludge, "it tastes just fine. You're just a pussy. Aren't you Italian anyway? You're supposed to like strong coffee."
"Strong?" The guy was going to give him a heart attack. "It's about following directions, Ryan. Two scoops for ten cups. You've added, what? Six?"
Ryan ignored him, dropping into a seat and sliding his datapad over. “Loot review,” he said. “Let’s tally the haul before everyone else wakes up and tries to claim the cool shit.”
Luca took the pad, his eyes widening as he scrolled. Tucked between schematics and power cells were the three items he'd taken from the Commander's loot box.
[Commander's Datapad (Encrypted)]
[Medal of Valor (Varnathi Command)]
[Varnathi Command Key]
Ryan leaned over, peering at the screen. "Ah, the sentimental stuff. You gonna tell me what's on the datapad?"
"Nothing," Luca said, his voice flat. "It's encrypted. Just a picture on the splash screen."
Ryan was quiet for a moment, processing that. "Okay. So, a datapad we can't crack, a medal with no stats, and a key we don't know the lock for. You know what these are, right?"
"Mementos," Luca said defensively.
"No," Ryan corrected, tapping the screen with a confident finger. "They're quest items. This is a breadcrumb. The datapad needs a high-level decryption expert. The key opens a door somewhere else, probably another base, maybe a supply cache. The medal? That's probably a reputation key. Show that to the right Varnathi, maybe one who's not trying to kill us, and it'll unlock the next part of the quest."
"You think there are Varnathi who won't try to kill us?" Luca asked.
"If the System's building a narrative? Yeah. There's always friendlies mixed in with the hostiles. NPCs with different faction alignments."
The way Ryan discussed them—purely mechanical, purely tactical—was probably the right approach. Luca knew that. But the Commander's face kept flashing in his mind anyway.
"You think the System planned for us to feel guilty?" Luca asked.
"Planned? That's literally the point," Ryan said, sipping his tarry coffee. "Psychological warfare. Higher-tier delves do this—dialogue, backstories, family photos. Makes the mobs seem real so you hesitate. Classic manipulation." He looked up. "The System doesn't care how you feel. It cares about progression. Don't get hung up on the story, man. Focus on the mechanics."
Just then, Emily stepped into the dinette, her hair still damp from her own shower. She looked between the two of them, sensing the tension. "Everything okay?"
"It's a quest chain," Ryan repeated.
"Or maybe," Emily said, her gaze fixed on Luca, "it's exactly what Ryan said—psychological warfare. The System testing whether we can keep our heads straight when things start feeling real." She placed a hand on Luca's shoulder. "Either way, we know what it is now. We recognize the manipulation."
"Doesn't make it stop working," Luca said quietly.
"No," Emily agreed. "But knowing what it is means it can't break us."
The three of them sat in silence for a moment. Ryan's clinical analysis, Emily's pragmatic support, and Luca trying to hold both perspectives while the Commander's golden eyes kept flashing in his memory.
Emily slid into the seat beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment. After a few seconds, she gave his arm a gentle pat, then stood up.
"Let me know when you're done with the loot review," she said softly, before heading toward the shower. "We should all eat something."
He finally broke the silence, shoving the tablet across the table toward Ryan and clearing his throat, desperate to change the subject back to something tangible. “Okay, so about these two,” he said, tapping the screen where the schematics were listed.
Reactionless Drive Prototype Schematic (TL9)
Advanced Fusion Reactor Schematic (TL9)
“Found them in a hidden lab off the main corridor. Secret rotating wall, the whole nine yards. Had to bypass a laser-grid trap that was moving to dice me into cubes and shit. Nearly got fried disabling it.” He hoped the story would add a layer of intrigue to temper the sheer insanity of the find. “So yeah, they’re probably booby-trapped or corrupted.”
Ryan didn't even look up from the screen at first, just gave a noncommittal hum. "Yeah, Zoe told me. Said you tripped the wire like a rookie and almost failed the hack with one second left on the clock."
Luca froze. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He squinted at Ryan, trying to read his expression. Was he impressed he'd pulled it off, or just amused he'd almost screwed it up? Ryan’s face was a perfect mask of nonchalance, revealing nothing.
"It's a prototype," Luca said quickly, the words coming out too fast. He felt a desperate need to downplay it, to make it smaller, less world-breaking. "Just a schematic for a prototype. It's probably flawed, unstable... probably doesn't even work." He was trying to convince himself as much as Ryan.
Finally, Ryan looked up, his eyes blazing with an excitement that completely ignored Luca’s story. "Prototype my ass. Luca, do you have any idea what this is? This is the holy grail of starship engineering! Even a flawed schematic is worth more than our entire charter!"
Luca swallowed hard, his throat dry. He knew Ryan was right. The story hadn’t mattered. All that mattered was what was on that disk. He stared at the schematic like it might explode. A Reactionless Drive. The kind of tech nations would kill to possess. The kind of tech that made people disappear and made the bloodbath in the command center feel like a distant memory.
He forced himself to move on, to focus on the more manageable finds. He pointed to another entry on the screen. Plasma Filament Blade Schematic (TL9). "Zoe's going to lose her mind over this."
Ryan was still staring at the reactionless drive schematic, a look of pure, unadulterated awe on his face. "Yeah," he said distractedly. "Blades. Cool."
Luca kept talking, needing the distraction. "And I'm calling dibs on the High-Density Plasma Core. The Peregrine's turret needs the efficiency boost."
That finally snapped Ryan out of it. "Hey! I saw that first. It's mine."
Luca kept scrolling. There were two new plasma blasters. Emily would undoubtedly try to dual-wield them like she was in an action sim. A new TL9 sniper rifle for him, and that plasma dagger? It was practically screaming Zoe's name.
"And this," Luca tapped the screen, a genuine smile finally forming as he pointed to the Whisper Spire. "A single-use, high-level intrusion spike. No alarms, no trace. A real ghost key."
"Nice," Ryan nodded, then pointed to another section. "And don't forget the consumables. Full restock of TL9 med-gear... Joey's going to guard the Muscle Repair Injectors with his life. Plus, a couple of EMP and Cryo grenades. And enough power cells to retire our old energy cells."
They even found two pairs of Phantom Mk-64 Shin Guards, lightweight scout armor that would complete the set for him and Zoe. The list went on... schematics for anti-collision AI for starships, a mountain of power cells, even a Juggernaut Command Helm for Danny's heavy armor set.
Ryan tapped the screen, pointing at the Reactionless Drive schematic again. "See? This is what I was talking about. High-risk military delves always have the best experimental tech. It's the only reason to run them."
Luca set the tablet down. “Okay. That’s... actually a hell of a haul.”
Ryan nodded, the wonder still lingering in his eyes as he sipped his boot-slime coffee. “Told you. You’re welcome.”
Luca scowled at him. “Not saying thank you.”
Ryan grinned, the full force of his usual cockiness returning. “Didn’t think you would.”