Despite his pragmatic mindset, Damian couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder as he looked up at the ancient Astralgate. The mysterious, nearly indestructible stone it'd been created from was adorned with strange symbols that countless people had spent a lifetime trying to decipher.
Yet, despite their mysteriousness, and the fact that none of the species known to the Eldkin had managed to recreate these Astralgate, they did, surprisingly, more or less understand their workings.
Beneath the stone was a complicated metal framework filled with incredibly advanced technology that allowed the gate to function. This technology was more or less understood, in that they knew it created a wormhole using known quantum mechanics.
Unfortunately, whenever anyone tried to recreate this feat, it was met with failure… and the assumption was it had to do with the stone that encased the technology. But, so far, no one had managed to understand the link, or recreate the stone.
Just like many others, Damian couldn't help but fantasize over who the creators of these Astralgates could have possibly been and what other wonders they might have created.
But eventually, the wonder started wearing off, and he began to look around. The Astralgate was located in an underground bunker with grey metal walls, covered by one specific emblem: a tree with entangled roots encircled by a ring. This was the Cooperative's symbol, representing the unity of the different kintypes and their shared roots.
Next, his eyes wandered across the many cameras, security guards, and wall-mounted, myst-powered guns, all of which pointed… at the gate.
The Astralgate was no secret, nor was its use particularly strictly controlled. In some ways, this facility was like an airport. People could buy tickets to other planets, and at a set time and date, the Astralgate would create a link, allowing anyone with tickets to travel back and forth. The only restriction being the relatively high price of these tickets.
Thus, this facility was not meant to keep people out but to keep people in. After all, this gate could just as easily create a direct connection to any of the Zhra'Karn or Xelthari worlds as it could an Eldkin one.
Several protections existed to prevent an invasion through these gates, including a forcefield that prevented anyone from re-materializing on this side of the gate unless a specific code was sent first. But if an invasion did ever get through, this facility was designed to ensure that they would never reach the planet's surface.
Thus, invasions usually took different routes of reaching a planet…
Damian's eyes travelled curiously across the dozen or so others gathered around him. They were all in their early twenties, and each one of them represented one of the powerful families in Eryndor and thus, each was a different kintype.
He noted an Amberkin, Nightkin, Sunkin, and every other kintype he expected, including a Moonkin. Unsurprisingly, this Moonkin gave him, as the Bloodkin representative, continuous dirty looks, which Damian lazily ignored.
The tension between the Moroi and Lykos was still burning just under Eryndor's surface after recent events. Constant skirmishes were happening between lower-level members of their families or gangs associated with them. Yet, soon, this would have nothing to do with Damian anymore. At least for a while.
He didn't recognize any of his fellows for the simple reason that none of the families would dare send anyone important on an assignment like this… unless there was no other choice.
For a moment, that thought brought him back to earlier that morning when he was saying his goodbyes… but he quickly shook his head and moved past it. Right now, he had to focus on his own survival and ensuring he'd actually get off-world so that he could see them again in the future.
Finally, his eyes pointed forward. In front of their group stood a stern, middle-aged Eldkin dressed in the typical fatigues of the Cooperative military. Damian wasn't sure what type she was, but she wasn't a member of any of the families. Rather, she was there to lead their mission and act as a representative for the Cooperative.
"My name is Nadine," the stern woman spoke, her speech clear and succinct. Short brown hair came to her ears, and a small nose was nestled between beautiful, equally brown eyes.
'Military through and through,' Damian smirked to himself, completely unable to imagine entering a rigid workplace like that.
"I'm going to assume you are all well aware of your assignment, so if there is anything you still have to do or say before we leave, do it now," Nadine continued harshly, her cold eyes travelling across the heads of her charges. "Once we are on the other side, you won't return here for at least five years unless I decide the mission is a failure or too dangerous."
In response, many of them started sending their last goodbyes via mobile devices or, for the richer among them, via older Nova models. After all, none of them were direct heirs to family leaders like Damian, so their resources weren't as extensive.
As for Damian, he lamented that he couldn't send a last message without allowing the sensors to pick up his advanced Nova and instead turned around to wave at Lex's parents, looking down at him from above.
Their expressions were a mixture of worry and pride as they watched their son prepare to embark, completely unaware that the real Lex was still back on the Estate
Damian put up a good performance by smiling encouragingly at them. He couldn't say he cared, but it helped sell the ruse. Besides, even Damian wasn't opposed to an act of kindness for the sake of it, especially when it didn't cost him anything.
After everyone was done, Nadina parted her lips to continue… when an alarm suddenly started blaring, and the gate started emitting a low zooming sound. "Warning! Unscheduled, off-world gate activation! Clear the embarkation room!"
Damian blinked in surprise, and before he even knew it, the whole facility seemed to have jumped to life. Many more mounted weapons appeared out of the walls, and tens of soldiers streamed into the room. At their head was someone Damian actually recognized: Victor Yellowmane.
This was the top military commander of Eryndor, and could easily stand up to any of the family heads in terms of both personal and political power. His primary duty was the protection of the planet of Eryndor, and thus primarily resided within this facility.
"Out!" he gruffly demanded, barely acknowledging the presence of some of the more influential youth of Eryndor.
Damian frowned in frustration. 'What the hell now!' he growled in his mind. 'I was almost off-world!'
Despite having remained relatively calm about all this, Damian couldn't deny feeling a bit of urgency. He'd not noticed much of it, living in safety within his mother's mansion, but he knew the pressure on Lavinia had already been mounting. The entire city wanted to find out exactly what happened to him, and she was the bulwark holding them at bay.
All made worse by the fact he was here in the middle of a Cooperative military base, just the kind of people who'd love to get their hands on a newly born primogenitor…