Claudius woke to the low hum of the station's artificial environment systems. He blinked in the dim light, disoriented at first, then remembered where he was. Vera sat across from him, her attention still fixed on the terminal, her expression hard as stone. She hadn't rested, and the dark circles under her eyes betrayed the tension coiled beneath her calm exterior.
Claudius stretched his stiff limbs, wincing as the bruises from their earlier escape made themselves known. The maintenance room was cramped, and he had slept in a corner on a makeshift bed of discarded uniforms and equipment. The uneasy truce between them held for now, though Claudius couldn't shake the feeling that Vera's trust was fragile.
"You've been up all night," Claudius said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Vera didn't turn away from the terminal, her voice cool as she replied, "I had work to do. The files are encrypted in layers, and I've only just begun to peel them back."
Claudius moved closer, looking over her shoulder at the endless strings of data running across the screen. "How much longer will it take?"
"As long as it needs to. The Syndicate used top-tier encryption, and the last thing we can afford is rushing and missing something important." Vera's eyes finally flicked up to him. "We don't have time for mistakes."
Claudius nodded, though the gnawing impatience in his chest wouldn't let up. His mind kept drifting to the Academy. With each passing hour, it seemed more distant, a dream threatened by the complications they now faced. Yet, even though Vera's revelations had shaken his faith, he was more determined than ever to prove himself. The Academy was still his way out. His way forward.
Vera must have sensed his restlessness. She turned off the terminal and stood, stretching her arms. "You're thinking about it, aren't you? The Academy."
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," Claudius admitted. "It's all I've worked for, and now I don't even know if I'll make it."
"You'll make it," Vera said, her voice steady but with an edge of warning. "But that's the easy part. Once inside, you'll see how different things are from what you imagined."
Claudius folded his arms. "You keep saying that. But what exactly am I walking into?"
Vera paced the room, her tone growing sharp. "The Academy was once a place where the best and brightest rose through merit, where every officer knew they had earned their place. Now? It's a cesspool of entitled brats who've never known real struggle. They have power and privilege handed to them on silver platters, and they treat the Academy like their playground. Discipline is just a word in the handbook; favoritism is rampant. The true strength of the Navy is slowly decaying because the ones who should be leading it have no respect for what it stands for."
Claudius frowned. "But why would the Empire let that happen? Surely someone must see what's going on."
Vera stopped pacing, her eyes cold. "Do you think the Emperor has time to oversee every academy in the Empire? No. He's dealing with threats on all fronts—rebellions in the outer colonies, conflicts with alien species, political tensions among the noble houses. The Academy is left in the hands of the people running it, and they've allowed themselves to be corrupted. It's convenient for them to keep the sons and daughters of the wealthiest families happy. Who cares if a few deserving recruits get trampled along the way?"
Claudius' jaw tightened. "And that's what I'll be dealing with?"
"That's exactly what you'll be dealing with," Vera said. "You think you can just walk in and prove yourself? You're talented, Claudius, but you're no one to them. They'll see you as a threat the moment you show promise, and they'll make sure you're kept in your place."
Claudius felt a surge of anger rising in his chest. "Then I'll fight back. I won't let them ruin everything I've worked for."
Vera's expression softened, just slightly. "I believe you want to, but it's not that simple. These people have power. Connections. You'll be up against the kind of politics you've never seen before. You'll need allies."
Claudius shook his head, frustration boiling over. "But where do I even start? How do I fight something like that?"
Vera's eyes locked onto his. "You start by keeping your head down at first. Learn who your enemies are before you strike. And don't assume everyone at the Academy is your enemy—there are still a few who believe in what it used to stand for. You just have to find them."
Claudius stood in silence, absorbing her words. Everything about the Academy was beginning to feel like a battlefield in itself, a place where survival required more than just skill. It required cunning. He wasn't naïve enough to think it would be easy, but the idea of playing politics in a place he had always thought of as a meritocracy filled him with a sense of dread.
But he couldn't back down now. He had come too far.
Later, as they prepared to leave the maintenance chamber and head deeper into Phobos Station to make their escape, Vera continued briefing him on the Academy.
"We both need to get there, and we need to arrive together," she said as she packed away her equipment. "For me, the Academy is my way of seeing how far the corruption has spread—and finding ways to undermine it. For you… it's a chance to prove yourself. But don't forget what I told you. The Academy is no longer the beacon it once was. The people running it have their own agendas."
Claudius felt a mix of excitement and unease. "And what about you?" he asked, unable to keep his curiosity at bay. "You're a noble from one of the Empire's great houses. What do you really want out of this?"
Vera's lips curled into a faint smile, though her eyes remained unreadable. "I want to restore what's been lost. My father served the Empire with honor, as did his father before him. I don't care about power or wealth—I care about the survival of the Empire. If that means taking on the corrupt nobles who've twisted the system to their advantage, so be it."
Claudius couldn't help but admire her conviction. Despite her cold demeanor, Vera seemed driven by a sense of duty that he could relate to. In a way, their goals aligned, even if their methods differed.
They left the chamber cautiously, sticking to the shadowed corners of the station's lower levels. Every now and then, Vera would pause, scanning the area with a trained eye before giving the all-clear. Claudius had no doubt she had done this many times before. He followed her lead, his thoughts swirling with the knowledge of what lay ahead.
As they neared the outer docks, Vera spoke again, her voice low. "Once we're off this station, things will move quickly. You need to be prepared. The Syndicate may come after us again, but we'll need to focus on reaching the Academy first. Everything else will have to wait."
Claudius nodded, his resolve hardening. He didn't know what awaited him at the Academy, but he was ready to face it—corruption, politics, and all. This was his chance to prove himself, to become the officer he had always dreamed of being. No matter how twisted the system had become, he would find a way to rise.
For now, all that mattered was getting off Phobos Station alive.
They reached the airlock leading to the transport ship they had secured through Vera's contacts. Claudius stepped inside, his mind racing with thoughts of the future. As the doors sealed behind them and the engines hummed to life, he knew there was no turning back.
Their journey to the Academy was just beginning. And whatever awaited them there, Claudius was ready.