The main chamber of the Academy had never been this full.
Cadets filled every row, every platform, every step between the levels. Thousands of students—all species, all sectors—pressed shoulder to shoulder beneath the cold vaulted dome. The upper ring of lights hummed softly, flickering down onto a sea of uniforms. The tension wasn't spoken. It didn't need to be.
Even before the officials arrived, the air had shifted.
No one knew why they were here.
No one knew why the Chancellor herself had summoned the student body.
But everyone felt the same thing: something had broken.
And now they were all waiting to see what it was.
Niri sat alone in the lower right section, one row back from the floor. Qiri and Ronan had wanted to sit with her, but she'd declined. She needed space. She needed silence. Her ribs still ached faintly beneath the Academy fabric, but that wasn't why she sat so still.
She was watching. Measuring.
No one spoke to her. A few cadets nearby kept glancing her way, whispers curling between them. She could feel it. Not just attention.
Suspicion.
The central lights dimmed briefly.
Then the great doors opened.
Counselor Yvith Korr entered first, tall and imposing beneath a cascade of robe-feathers and gold-lined crests. Her eyes swept the crowd. Nothing about her posture invited applause.
This wasn't ceremony.
This was judgment.
Behind her came Professor Lu'Ka, his face unreadable, datapad clasped behind his back. And following them, towering and rigid in formal armor, the Grounx General—his plating deep bronze, shoulder glyphs carved with ancestral symbols, his stride precise and powerful.
He made no effort to conceal the weapon holstered at his side.
Qiri murmured beside Ronan, barely audible. "That's the First Claw. The Grounx don't send him anywhere lightly."
Ronan swallowed. "Feels like a war council."
They took the central platform. Yvith stepped forward first.
When she spoke, her voice carried without amplification. Clear. Controlled. Every word weighted.
"Before we begin with the matter of inter-faction restructuring," she said, "I must address an incident that occurred yesterday inside Academy grounds."
Every breath in the room seemed to pause.
Yvith's eyes moved over the crowd. "Mr. Porl," she said, voice sharper now. "Cadet of the Grounx division. Step forward."
The crowd parted slightly. Porl walked down the central aisle, chin high, boots hitting the stone with deliberate force. He stopped at the base of the platform and stared up, arms at his sides.
Yvith tilted her head. "Do you wish to explain the physical assault you initiated against a fellow cadet?"
Porl didn't answer.
Lu'Ka stood still beside her, watching Porl with unreadable eyes.
Yvith turned slightly. "General Threx of the Grounx Council, would you care to clarify your cadet's position?"
The Grounx General stepped forward.
His voice was deep, grinding like stone.
"She made herself a threat," he said. "In Rhiv's lecture, she spoke of weapons that defy restraint. Of strategies unfit for a cadet. She is unstable."
Murmurs began rising through the chamber.
He gestured down at Porl. "My cadet did what instincts commanded. She is dangerous."
Yvith didn't move. "Miss Niri," she said. "Please stand."
Niri rose.
The crowd stirred. More glances. Louder murmurs now.
Yvith spoke without raising her voice. "Miss Niri is the last of her kind."
The silence that followed was thick. Instant.
Then came the noise.
Gasps. Low voices. Ripples of disbelief.
"Last?"
"Her kind? What does that mean?"
"No species record listed—"
"She doesn't have a home designation—"
Yvith let it run for three seconds.
Then she raised one hand.
Silence returned.
"If she had died from that blow," Yvith said, "you would not merely have committed assault. You would have erased an entire species."
Porl shifted. Not much. But enough.
Yvith continued. "For this reason, both Professor Lu'Ka and I have authorized her protection and sponsorship. She is not to be harmed, provoked, or cornered. Not by word, nor by action. If you believe her presence is a threat to your studies, you are free to leave the Academy."
A beat of pure silence.
"Second," she said, voice harder now, "physical force within Academy grounds is prohibited. We are not an arena. You wear uniforms, not tribal rank. The Grounx honor-code means nothing if it is wielded to dominate rather than defend."
Qiri was barely breathing beside Ronan.
"Third," Yvith said, turning her gaze back to Porl. "You struck a cadet with full force before a gate checkpoint. She was unarmed. She did not retaliate. And thank your war gods she survived. Otherwise, we would not be having this discussion. You would be on a diplomatic transport facing tribunal."
Porl said nothing.
The Grounx General bristled, stepping forward. "Your orders are clear, Chancellor. But I object to the framing. He acted on instinct."
Yvith turned slowly.
"Then I suggest," she said, each word cold as winter air, "you train your instincts to consider consequences."
A few scattered cadets murmured agreement.
The Grounx General's jaw clenched.
Yvith looked down at Porl. "Your punishment will be reviewed by internal discipline. Until then, your clearance is suspended. Leave the chamber."
Porl hesitated.
Then turned and walked out.
Not a word.
Only his footsteps, loud in the silence.
Yvith turned again. "Miss Niri."
Niri met her eyes.
"After attendance," Yvith said, "please report to medical to assess injuries."
Niri nodded.
And sat down again.
For the next several seconds, the chamber was still. Uneasy. Half the cadets couldn't stop staring. The whispers had changed now.
"Last of her kind."
"How does no one know?"
"She was in my sector all week."
"What is she?"
"Where did she come from?"
Yvith waited until the air settled.
Then she tapped the console. "Now. On to the original topic of today's address."
But none of the cadets were truly listening
Lu'Ka stepped forward.
The chamber, still murmuring from the Chancellor's revelation, quieted again.
Thousands of cadets watched him now, and for once, he didn't hesitate beneath their eyes.
"Honorary cadets," he began, his voice steady, ringing across the curved hall. "Yesterday, all departments gathered for a high-level summit—professors, counselors, research heads. We reviewed new data transmitted from a deep-excavation outpost."
A flicker passed across the projection dome overhead. A planet—grainy, gray-blue, surface marked with irregular patterns. Not labeled. Not known.
"We believe we've found ruins," Lu'Ka continued. "Not from any civilization recorded in the Reach Archives. No confirmed origin. No linguistic matches."
A wave of attention rippled through the audience.
More whispers. Soft, breathless now.
Niri sat still, her hands locked around her knees, eyes fixed on the planet projection above.
Lu'Ka's tone never changed.
"We've found glyphs. More than we've ever seen in one site. And not a single one our systems can translate. Because of this, the Academy has been authorized to join the excavation effort."
Another stir from the crowd.
Qiri leaned slightly toward Niri, whispering behind her wrist. "He said more glyphs. You think they're like—?"
"I don't know," Niri said.
Her voice was low. Cold.
Lu'Ka continued. "The planet is located outside the Core zones of the Reach. It's unclaimed. That means unstable territory—rebels, pirates, possible interference. Because of this, all cadets assigned to the excavation will travel under military escort."
He gestured toward the Grounx general standing stone-faced at the Chancellor's side.
"General Drudru will lead the escort operation."
The general stepped forward and offered a tight, shallow nod.
No one clapped.
"Attendance is mandatory for students in the following divisions: archaeological studies, glyphwork analysis, advanced xenolinguistics, and archival theory. Cadets not enrolled in these tracks may submit for volunteer consideration."
Lu'Ka's voice dropped slightly.
"You'll be briefed in detail once assignments are finalized. Pack light. Training gear only. This will be an active expedition."
He stepped back.
The dome went dark.
The Chancellor returned to the front, her gaze sweeping the seated crowd like a silent laser.
"I expect results," she said, her tone flat. "I expect discipline. The Academy is not a tourism vessel. You will work. You will study. You will report."
A beat.
Her eyes passed over the Grounx students with clinical calm.
"And if anyone brings shame to their banner again… they will not be returning."
Silence followed.
Then: "Dismissed."
Movement returned in slow bursts.
Seats unlatched. Cadets stood. Murmurs flared again—not wild, just taut and sharp-edged.
Niri stood too.
Qiri leaned close again. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Niri said.
She wasn't.
But she was moving.
That was enough.
She felt Ronan watching her closely. He said nothing, but his brow was furrowed deeper than before.
Near the front of the chamber, Chancellor Yvith was already turning to the Grounx general.
"We must speak about your cadet, Mr. Drudru," she said quietly.
He nodded. "Yes. Of course."
Then they both left the main floor, disappearing behind one of the side doors.
Niri stepped away from her row, walking with calm, even steps toward the exit—until she remembered.
Medical bay.
But not the public one.
She tapped her wristpad.
> ROUTE CONFIRMED
PRIVATE OVERSIGHT CHAMBER – MEDICAL NODE YV-KO3
PRIORITY ACCESS – ENCRYPTED
A blinking line drew itself across her display. The path lit up before her—guiding her away from the student wings entirely.
Qiri and Ronan followed a few steps behind.
As they passed through the arch into the corridor, she turned to them briefly.
"I have to go to the medical bay," she said.
They both looked confused.
"But you already said you weren't—" Ronan began.
"I'm not going to the public one," Niri cut in. "Chancellor's orders. I'll catch up later."
Qiri started to speak, but Niri was already walking.
The corridor sealed softly behind her.
---
She didn't look back.
But she heard them talking as she went:
"She's calm again," Ronan said.
"No," Qiri answered. "She's not. She just stopped showing it."
Niri walked on.
And her footsteps didn't echo.
They just sank into the floor, swallowed by the silence she carried with her.Silence and deliberately.