Talon sat across the table from Leon in the private room, his holopad resting on the surface between them. The room was quiet, relaxed. Leon leaned forward, his hands clasped on the table.
"So," Leon began, a professional but approachable tone in his voice. "Have you had time to consider our offer?"
Talon nodded, sitting straighter in his chair. "I have," he said. "But I wanted to clarify a few things first."
Leon gestured for him to continue. "Of course. Go ahead."
Talon hesitated for a moment, glancing at his holopad before speaking. The hint for his next achievement in the back of his mind: Leadership Position. It seemed straightforward, but he wasn't sure what counted. He decided to take a chance.
"I was wondering… would it be possible for me to compete in officer training?"
Leon blinked, his professional demeanor momentarily slipping as his eyebrows shot up. "Officer training?" He leaned back slightly, studying Talon with a curious expression. "Do you have a power focused on enhancing intelligence, or perhaps strategy?"
Talon frowned, confused by the question. "No, not really. Why?"
Leon tilted his head. "Because officer training isn't focused on developing powers. It's about tactics, leadership, and strategy. It's a completely different path. Most Supers avoid it since it means you won't train your powers much, if at all."
Talon persisted, leaning forward slightly. "But... it is a possibility, right?"
Leon hesitated for a moment before answering. "Well, yes, it's possible. But you'd only receive the standard package for signing with us, not the rare-tier benefits. You see, anyone with the right qualifications can train to be an officer. But becoming a Super, and someone with rare potential no less, is a much more exclusive path. It's not something we usually encourage people to divert from."
Talon crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. That wasn't what he'd expected. "But I still want to lead," he said firmly.
Leon leaned forward, his expression curious and probing. "Why?"
Talon opened his mouth to answer, but the words didn't come right away. He hesitated, looking down at the holopad before deciding to tell part of the truth. "It's… a promotion requirement for my power."
Leon's expression shifted, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. "Ah, I see. That's not uncommon. Everyone's ascension requirements are different. Some need combat victories, others need breakthroughs in training. But when you say 'lead,' what exactly do you mean?"
Talon shrugged. "I don't know yet, just a feeling."
Leon chuckled softly, sitting back in his chair. "Fair enough. Well, between us, since you're a rare, we can offer you some privileges. Let's just say you won't need to worry about that requirement if you agree to join us."
Talon's eyebrows rose slightly. "You're saying you'll… help with that?"
Leon nodded. "Exactly. We'll provide opportunities for leadership as part of your training. You'll get what you need, sooner than you think."
Talon considered this, leaning back in his chair. "I'd want that written into the contract," he said after a moment.
"Not a problem." Leon tapped something on his holopad, his smile easy. "Anything else on your mind?"
Talon thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. I want to be stationed at the same academy as Jason."
Leon's smile widened slightly. "That won't be an issue. In fact, it's funny you mention that. The cadet I spoke to before you, Kieran, specifically requested to go wherever you and Jason are stationed. He said something about the excitement of sticking together with you two."
Talon smirked, he had been planning on convincing the guy but this made it much easier.
shaking his head. "Well, that makes things easier."
Leon extended his hand, his expression professional once more. "Then we have a deal?"
Talon reached out, gripping Leon's hand firmly. "Deal."
With a few quick taps on their holopads, the contract was signed. As Talon rose from his seat, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. For the first time in a long while, he felt like he was in control of his future.
He stepped out of the room with a small, satisfied smile, ready to face whatever came next.
--
It didn't take long for everything to wrap up after that. The rest was a blur of goodbyes, paperwork, and instructions about the next steps. Talon enjoyed it all, taking it in, before he was told the details of his departure.
A Solaris ship would be at his front door next week. 9 a.m. sharp. No delays. No excuses.
As Talon stepped out of the academy, Jason and Kieran walked alongside him, the late afternoon sun casting warm light over the courtyard. The building's towering spires behind them seemed smaller now, less imposing, like the chapter they represented was already fading into memory.
Talon glanced at Kieran, he was curious about something. "Hey, Kieran," he said, breaking the silence, "I know we just met and all, but why'd you ask to join me and Jason? Don't get me wrong, I'm not offended or anything. Just wondering."
Kieran hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know… you guys seemed cool, I guess." His voice was soft, almost unsure.
Jason raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet as Kieran continued. "And, well, I don't really have… friends." He trailed off, glancing away.
Talon frowned but let him speak.
"People started swarming me after it turned out I had a rare-ranked gene," Kieran admitted, his tone tinged with discomfort. "It was overwhelming. Everyone was suddenly acting like we were best friends, but they didn't care about me before. Then I remembered… you talked to me before everything went down, and you talked to me the same way after. So, I thought… if we're heading in the same direction anyway, it'd be cool to go together, you know?"
His cheeks flushed red, and he looked at the ground, clearly embarrassed. Jason, never one for awkward moments, clapped Kieran on the back so hard he nearly stumbled.
"Dude, that's awesome," Jason said with a grin. "You're with us now. No need to overthink it."
Kieran smiled shyly, clearly relieved. Talon nodded, appreciating the honesty.
As the moment passed, a thought popped into Talon's head. He turned to Jason with a curious look. "Wait a second. I don't think I even know your rank."
Jason smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Take a guess."
"Fine," Talon said, rolling his eyes. "I'll go with blue. Same as me."
Jason shook his head slowly, dragging out the suspense. Then he locked eyes with both of them, his smirk widening.
"Epic."
Talon blinked, his mind freezing. "What? No way."
Kieran's jaw dropped. "Huh? Are you serious?"
Jason crossed his arms and nodded. "Dead serious. Epic. With a damn good power to go with it."
"No way," Talon said, narrowing his eyes. "You're messing with us."
Jason's grin didn't waver. "Not messing."
Talon waved him off, laughing. "Okay, okay. If you really got common, it's fine. We'd still accept you."
Jason laughed along, clearly enjoying their disbelief. "You'll see soon enough."
They reached the train station, where Kieran paused, shifting his bag higher on his shoulder. "Guess this is my stop," he said, giving them a small wave. "See you guys next week on the transport."
"Take care, man," Jason said, offering him a thumbs-up.
Talon nodded. "See you soon."
As Kieran disappeared into the station, Talon and Jason continued toward the parking lot, slipping into their usual banter. They argued about who would dominate the training academy, mocking each other's lack of skills.
But the teasing stopped when they spotted a familiar figure waiting near the flying car.
"Alice?" Talon muttered, blinking in surprise.
Before either of them could react, Alice sprinted toward them, her arms wide. She collided with both of them, pulling them into a tight embrace. For a second, neither could breathe, but neither pushed her away.
She was damn strong, they were awakened now and still felt how tight she was hugging both of them.
"I'm so happy for you two," Alice said, her voice muffled against Talon's shoulder. Her grip tightened like she never wanted to let go. "You have no idea how proud I am."
Jason grinned awkwardly, his cheeks flushed red, his hand patting her back. "Uh, Alice? You're crushing me."
She pulled back just enough to glare at him. "Don't ruin the moment, Jason."
Talon said nothing, his throat tightening. The weight of everything, the past few days, the years of shared dreams, the mistake he had made, sank in as he looked at her. Seeing Alice here, smiling despite everything, made the chaos of the last few days feel bearable.
"We're going to make you proud," Talon finally said, his voice quiet but steady.
Alice's eyes softened. "You already have," she whispered, pulling them into another hug.
For a long moment, they stayed like that, the three of them tangled in a mix of emotions: joy, pride, and the bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye to one chapter and stepping into another.