E.E scratched his cheek. "And then the whole station goes into full lockdown." Falco slumped. "This is gonna be a pain." Angy paced slowly. "Not necessarily. If we can get in quietly, we only need to reach her." Aildris nodded. "True. But someone needs to stay behind." All eyes turned toward the trapped 42nd commander and the room around them. Falco groaned louder. "Right… this place." Aildris dismissed the hologram. "This station must remain functional. If anyone realizes the commander is missing, a system-wide alarm will be triggered—and not just the 16th commander, but every Gustavo alliance official will definitely be notified." E.E sighed. "Meaning one of us stays here to pretend everything is normal." Falco looked between the others. "Rock-paper-scissors?" Angy didn't laugh. E.E took a step toward the prism. "I'll stay." Aildris's brows rose. "No." E.E frowned. "Aildris, don't start. You saw how bad things got out there. You need to lead. Falco needs to be there to increase team strength. Angy—" Angy cut him off quietly. "And you need to be with them." E.E blinked. Aildris placed a hand on E.E's shoulder. "Your bloodline is the only one among us with innate spatial properties. We need you on this." Falco nodded. "Yeah bro… you're the cheat code." E.E opened his mouth to argue— Angy stepped forward, placing her palm against his chest and pushing him gently back. "I'll stay," she voiced with a gaze of resolve. E.E froze. "Angy…" "I'm the only one with the speed to run this whole station without being noticed. If something breaks, if someone tries to reach this floor, if a patrol shows up—I can handle all of it. And no one will see me," Angy stated. She straightened her back. "You three need to go. I'll keep this place alive." Falco sucked in a breath. "She's right, man." E.E clenched his fists but he couldn't argue with logic. Aildris extended his hand to Angy. She took it. Aildris: "We'll finish this quickly. I promise." Angy nodded once. E.E looked at her for a long moment before finally exhaling. "Fine. But the moment anything looks bad, you call us." Angy smirked. "Wow, now that the distortions are gone you're confident again?" E.E responded with a tired grin. "Shut up." Within the hour, Aildris restored the commander's vital readings to match the expected patterns in the station's life-monitoring systems. Falco checked the surveillance loops. E.E sealed the chamber with layered vortex barriers disguised as regular field-locks. Angy blurred through the station so fast she could track every patrol, every bot, every alert. Everything was stable. Everything was silent. Everything was ready. Finally, the trio stood in front of the circular platform that would take them to their ship. Angy stood behind them with her arms folded. Aildris spoke first. "In four days, we reach the 16th commander." Falco twirled a dark blade. "And hopefully live long enough to interrogate her." E.E cracked his knuckles. "Let's go get answers." Angy nodded slowly. "Go." The platform lit up beneath them. A vortex appeared up ahead and the three stepped into it before vanishing. Leaving Angy alone in the massive, silent command chamber with a beaten commander trapped in a prism of colors… ... ... ... Falco, Aildris, and E.E sped through the interstellar currents inside an efficient oblong craft they had stolen earlier. It was one of the standard long-range Gustavo vessels with its logos removed. The ship glided through the cosmic rivers like a silver needle threading between glowing nebula veils. Their destination was none other than the station of the 16th commander... a journey that would take at least four days at maximum output. Angy who was behind at the station, shrinked into distant specks of starlight as she remained in the 42nd commander's chamber to maintain the illusion that everything was normal. Without her, they felt the team dynamic shift, but they kept their focus fixed on the mission. Aildris sat at the helm, calibrating the cosmic path and aligning the ship's systems to avoid cosmic storms and dimensional fractures. Falco sat back, feet up, chewing on a small piece of blue dried meat he had found in the ship's storage. "Man… four days of this?" He groaned. "Why couldn't this 16th commander be closer?" E.E shrugged. "Be thankful it's not weeks. And better her station is isolated... less nonsense to deal with." Aildris leaned back, crossing his arms. "Isolated means fewer variables, yes… but also no one to blend in with. For infiltration, that's a nightmare." They all knew it. A station run by no organic beings, only droids. That meant everything followed strict logic, security patterns, and automated threat assessments. No bribing. No persuasion. No disguises. No manipulation. No Falco tricks. No Aildris illusions. They would need perfection. And they would need E.E's spatial abilities. By the time they hit the end of the second day, their energy cores were running low. The ship needed a refuel. Their best option was Tirsium-8, a desert planet studded with giant crystalline pillars, used mostly as a refuel station and trade stop. Falco groaned loudly the moment they stepped out into the blazing blue sands. "Why is it always a desert? Is there a rule? Are we cursed?" E.E slapped the back of his head lightly. "Stop whining. Let's get this done quickly." They walked toward the tall silver refueling citadel. Inside, the clerks were mostly humanoid with long necks, gleaming scales, and bright yellow eyes. They greeted the trio without suspicion. The process was straightforward. Pay. Refuel. Leave. But as always, trouble seemed to follow them. Just when Aildris transferred the energy units for the fuel purchase, alarms began to blare in the station. Red lights flickered on as the trade clerks jerked back in alarm. Multiple laser pointers landed instantly on Falco's chest. A metallic voice boomed overhead: > "UNREGISTERED HIGH-LEVEL BEING DETECTED. THREAT LEVEL: PLANETARY-PLUS. ALLIANCE OFFICERS EN ROUTE." Falco blinked. "Ah. Right. This again." Seconds later, six armored Alliance Enforcement Officers surrounded them. This time, it was the actual Alliance, not Gustavo affiliation. Their armor was marked with the emblem of the United Alliance of Galaxies. One stepped forward. "Identification. Now." Aildris sighed calmly while lifting his hands. "We can explain." Falco muttered under his breath, "I told you I should've suppressed my presence." E.E rolled his eyes. "You're overflowing with power constantly. Hard to hide that." The officers moved fast, extending strange spherical restraints that wrapped around Falco swiftly. He didn't resist. He could've broken free instantly but that would have caused more conflict. They were escorted to an underground facility beneath the refueling station, hovering inside a containment field designed to hold cosmic beasts and high-tier criminals. E.E whispered, "Okay… let's not panic." Falco raised a brow. "I'm not panicking. I'm annoyed." Aildris looked around calmly. "They're doing their job. They don't know who we are." Moments later, an officer approached the barrier. "You three exceed the permissible cosmic strength limit for free travel across Alliance territories without clearance. State your affiliations immediately." Apparently, beings beyond a particular level of power were not allowed to move freely across the cosmic without being registered as a non dangerous figure by the Alliance. Falco already passed planetary level strength which was why they were currently in this situation. Aildris nodded politely. "We're from Earth. Mixed Blood Organisation." The officers looked at each other. "Proof?" E.E opened a small compartment on his wristband, revealing the engraved MBO insignia and encrypted mission approval granted by Earth's Alliance-recognized divisions. Aildris added holograph recordings showing them fighting alongside Gustav in previous cosmic operations. But the true moment of disbelief came when Falco displayed a hologram photo of him and Gustav sitting casually on top of a mountain, eating roasted cave-beast tail. The officers froze. One whispered, "They know Gustav Crimson…?" Another muttered, "If they're tied to that guy… we may have made a mistake." The sounds of amored boots clicking against the metalic floor soon rang out as a superior officer arrived moments later. She scanned the data twice, then thrice, before snapping into a respectful salute. "Friends of Gustav Crimson are friends of the United Alliance. You are cleared for unrestricted travel." They were released instantly, but not without multiple apologies. Aildris simply nodded calmly. "No harm done." E.E smirked. "Guess being Gustav's friend has perks." Falco puffed out his chest proudly. "Damn right it does." They finished refueling, boarded their ship, and blasted off the planet, thankfully without further delays. --- The rest of the trip was smoother. No more incidents. No more unexpected alarms. Just the endless cosmic ocean and the ship's steady vibrations as they approached a region isolated from typical travel routes. Aildris constantly cross-checked the coordinates. E.E remained alert, tapping the armrest rhythmically. "That 16th commander… someone in the bloodline of the leaders. This is the closest we've come to a real lead." Falco leaned back with arms behind his head. "She better talk. I'm tired of chasing commanders who know nothing." Aildris gave him a sideways glance. "She's known to be powerful. Stronger than the 42nd." Falco grinned. "Good. A good fight wakes the blood." E.E elbowed him. "We're not fighting her unless we're forced to." Falco shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. Diplomacy first." Though none of them truly believed diplomacy would work.