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Over the next two weeks, a strange haze hovered over the Kyber ASMLs current cadre. The social atmosphere had died, the raunchous teasing and playfulness of prior weeks had evaporated. The Tests had the desired effect of shaking the group intensely. None quite as much as Lucian's had, however. The simulation observation chamber remained silent as a grave the remainder of the week, and no one opted to discuss the testing sessions afterwards. Promptly after the final test, the next phase of comprehensive training began leaving little time for contemplation among the cadre.

The intensive AI evaluation of the Death Test results led to the whole 30-lupis group being divided down to individual assignments all but a fraction of the time, in an effort to fine tune training needs. 'Martial Swordplay for Modern Warfare' served as a welcomed exception to the one-on-one classes, with Lucian joined by Dev and Rorick. They received the placement undoubtedly because of their enlistment into the Praetorian Guard. However, the overall greater isolation only compounded the feelings Lucian had since the sim ended.

Alone for the evening, Lucian scrolled through some historical texts on naval doctrine he'd been assigned to read. It seemed the naval command path had stuck despite his dismal performance in the sim. He sat upright in his bed, the lights of his small barracks quarters dimly illuminating the alcove around him as he tossed the datapad to the foot of the bed, groaning in frustration.

How often does a cadet get the Homeworld destroyed in that damn sim? I had to have broken a few records.

The ASML staff had been extremely tight lipped about what anomaly happened, if any. The Ottarian and his staff certainly scrambled, as they ran a full system reset and were forced to postpone further tests till the next day. So could he have really broken the sim that bad? The taunts Vilhem had made at Rorick shortly before he'd been throttled echoed around his head.

No I didn't break the computer like Dev did, it built a sim for my messed up head. Rorick, Dev and I really are vastly different from the rest of the cadets here. Only here because an Alphate put us here. Maybe because Rexius has some 'good deed of the day' quota. All the rumors about him, who knows why he even bothered with us? Clearly the three of us are not fit for this level of service.

Lucian slumped lower into the bed. As a pup, he'd heard all about the Praetorian Guard and thier impossible feats. They've held off entire armies with just a few dozen elite soldiers, and stormed the asteroid lair of the Meridian Sea Raiders with a spacewalk through a debris belt. The Guard simply had no peer, not even among the Leonians. Lucian couldn't conceive a reason why Alphate Rexius would offer a lowly garrison staffer a chance at a position in the Guard.

Well, just one reason. It had to be political. Mother was one of the most influential Senators in the Republic, a top leader of the most anti-war coalition. While military service is considered honorable by every facet of Lupine society, the Liberty Coalition felt the nation's martial might should be strictly defensive. The Leonians would never try to attack the Republic if it remains militarily strong; but if provoked, it could lead to an all out devastating war. The whole Coalition was trying to prevent just that, as the attack on Arct Palintine had yet to be traced back to anyone and the Galactic Leonian Empire remained the most likely suspect. From what Lucian could remember of Republic Senate gossip, Alphate Rexius is known for playing loose with the rules. Something pretty easy to do as leader of the Praetorian Guard, a branch of the military not governed by Military Fleet Command or regulated by the Senate. This whole thing could be a farce, a total manipulative game to play politics. He could just be a pawn in some twisted game.

Damnit, why didn't I see this before!

Lucian sat up with a growl, picked up the datapad beside him and threw it across the two meter wide room. The screen shattered in a fractal pattern without breaking as it first collided with the wall then the floor. He stood up, and faced the closet, prepared to pack his things only to be stopped by the door chime.

Brushing himself out and composing his scent, or at least trying to, Lucian went a full turn to the door. He wished Dev and Rorick would have picked a better time. A quick swipe of the touchpad, the door swished open to a tall, white-furred lupis in cadets uniform, her piercing red eyes almost glowing.

"Oh, Ysanne, I wasn't expecting you to visit me. Truth be told I wasn't expecting anyone to visit. Is something wrong?" Lucian stepped back half a pace in surprise.

Ysanne waved her paws, "Oh no, nothing is wrong, I just came by to chat, is all. If your busy I can come by later, or..."

"No, no, come in." Lucian waved her in and took a seat on his bed while she sat on a small desk chair.

Ysanne sniffed the air "Is everything alright?", her gaze caught the broken datapad on the floor and her expression became further concerned.

"Yeah I was just a little frustrated with... Things."

"You mean the Death Test?". Ysanne locked eyes with him.

Tilting his head in surprise at the forward questioning, "Yeah I suppose it has to do with that. More of a catalyst than a cause. It made me realize I don't belong here, at the ASML, anyway".

"What? Why would you say that? You wouldn't have been allowed here in the first place if you didn't belong here. All those tests we've taken haven't been for show. You were one of the first to get here on Day One with that crazy drop from orbit test".

Lucians muzzle dropped a bit. "I'm here because my mother is a Senator and a prominent Alphate wants the political leverage. I only knew how to get here because I hacked the tablet they provided us. Dev was a cybercriminal before he was conscripted, I picked up a few things from him."

She huffed, "You turned a tactical disadvantage into a resource, that's amazing. And screw the politicians, even your mother. Forget about all of them. They can't affect how well you do here unless you let them. They aren't here. You are, and you kicked ass in the Death Test."

Lucian narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean? I got the Homeworld blown up. Billions upon billions killed because I fucked up. The only ass I kicked in that sim was my own."

The back of a white paw came down on the side of Lucians muzzle, well before he realized she had swung it. Her red eyes met his blue ones, glaring with a fire into his very being, "Your a complete idiot if you think that the casualties in the sim actually counted. What mattered was what you did with the situation. The sim stuck you in a role you should have had absolutely no idea what to do in, threw you against an evenly matched fleet but in a disadvantaged starting position, and you STILL beat the AI's fleet overwhelmingly. The damn computer assumed you'd die aboard that flagship. You were supposed to go down with your ship just like I was supposed to blow up with that reactor in my sim. You didn't. Destroying the Homeworld at the end only happened because the AI was pissed you beat it at its own game."

He didn't say anything for a few moments, taking a silent moment to process the startling information, but eventually looked down at the floor and asked with a whine, "How was the AI 'pissed' I beat its fleet? It'd have to be a really high level Class I AI, pushing Class 0 almost to do that. Is the AI really that advanced? Can it really feel anger like that?" Lucian slouched back, ears folded down with his gaze.

Ysanne nodded, "Yeah I heard the Ottarian talking to the Colonel about it. Apparently the AI is advanced enough to feel basic emotions like pleasure when it does its tasks well, or pain when Dev messed with it like he did. The techs were giddy that it displayed anger for the first time, no AI has ever shown a capacity for emotion requiring some sense of self like that."

"How do you get angry about losing a game if you don't have a self driven desire to win it? It makes sense. Alright so I helped facilitate a huge leap in Artificial Intelligence development. Too bad everything at this facility is so heavily classified, no one will ever know."

She shrugged, "The AI might. If it ever develops fully into a Class 0 or a full on Paragon, it could certainly recognize you. Imagine having the respect of the first Lupis-built Paragon".

Lucian shuddered, "I knew the labs on the north side of the complex had some crazy fields of study, but dabbling in Paragon creation, that just feels... wrong. The Chancery would call for an Inquisition if they found out an AI here has progressed so far, and honestly I can see plenty of non-scripture reasons not to meddle with that type of technology. I made that AI angry. What if it decided to take revenge? Would it try to hack into defense drones and have me killed? I don't really know the benefit is worth the risk", Lucian placed his paws on the edge of the bed, pushing himself into it. Leaning on one side, head propped up on his arm, he continued, "Regardless of the Test or the rest of my training, I think I committed too soon to this Alphate I joined. Dev and Rorick are here to keep me going along with it, but they have everything to gain and nothing to lose."

Ysanne crossed her arms, "If you left, resigned right after receiving the commission, what would happen to them? Would they still be given the promised position, or shuffled to a dead-end track with no promotion in sight?".

Letting out a sigh, Lucian fell back on the bed, face up at the ceiling of the bed alcove. "Your right. They'd be thrown aside. Then I suppose if the off chance this commission is genuine with no leash attached, I'd be a fool to say no. If it's all a game, then at least I know that going in, and knowing the reality of the game is the first step in winning. I can play politics right back at him, if that's all he wants me for." He jumped to sitting position, ears perked and tail lightly thumping the wall behind him. "Wow, thank you Ysanne, this talk has been extremely helpful. I take it this isn't the first time you've helped someone through a tough choice".

Ysanne brought a paw to cover her muzzle, giggling, "I'm glad you see the positives now. And yes, I've been here a few times before. Never was quite as easy as just now, though." Her toothy grin showed through her stifled laughter.

Ears folding in shame and chest puffing in indignation, "Hey! It's not funny. I care about my friends, and if I have to struggle a bit to help them, I will. It's a pretty clear choice, all you did was phrase it in a way I saw the implications", Lucian barked back.

She turned away, face to the far wall, "Oh well, your reaction was what I was laughing at".

"What do you mean?".

"It was... cute the way you physically jumped to action like that." Ysanne laughed with a toothy smile. Lucian could see a hint of light blushing under her white fur.

He smiled. "Not nearly as cute as YOU in that tight Navy uniform during the Test."

At that they both burst out laughing.

"What was THAT even about, anyway? Was that some sort of AI joke?" Ysanne coughed out between fits of laughter.

"I have NO idea. Maybe it was to throw me off, or like you said I was supposed to die in that CIC so maybe it planned to kill you off violently or something." Lucian stopped himself there, catching his own path of thought and the implications of it. Ysanne did almost immediately too; they both stopped laughing.

Ysanne coughed, "I went right before you and everyone told me I did perfectly. Maybe you're right, we shouldn't be researching AI's like the Paragons. The one here is not even a pup compared to the real Paragons as far as sheer power, but it still could run circles around almost every other computer system out there. And it seems to be vindictive."

"Yeah, that's something to keep me up at night, now." Lucian shuddered.

"Yeah. I think I'm going to ask Dev to disable the sensors in my room from the main server. And check the surge protection system. And the door lock, camera feed, etcetera." Ysanne stood up, headed to the door.

"Yeah good idea, send him here when your done, please."

"Affirmative." She nodded walking out the door and left Lucian for the direction of Devs room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Fucking Divines, that's hot!" Devius howled out in pain, dropping his blade to the ground with a clatter.

Rorick ran to his side, as he collapsed gripping his paw.

"Didn't I tell you like six times to check your ThermReg gear! These swords literally spit hot plasma out the sides, of course it's fucking hot. We were told explicitly not to try using them without the heat proof gloves. If you don't want to listen to me, listen to the damn Colonel", the taller dog scolded him.

Lucian growled at the pair. If Rorick didn't have a field bag full of medical equipment on paw, they'd have to call in a medical evac to address Devs burns. A set back like that would most certainly screw their certification with these weapons.

"Dev, check your gear, that needs to be an INSTINCT, you are dead without your gear. Rorick, stow the commentary, it helps no one. He knows he fucked up, just look at those blisters. Do your job and treat your fellow soldiers wounds."

Lucian knelt down and picked up Devs blade, still steaming the permafrost it landed on. The three of them were out near the Night Horizon of the ASMLs massive equipment testing range. The actual complexes themselves spanned a thin line from one end of the habitable band to the other, not that that distance was terribly far. The north facility supported the massive college and lab network, while the southern band served the military technology and training. Between the two, an artificially condensed stretch of all conceivable biomes. The stark white snow, seemingly unending into the Night Side made there exact location pretty easy to guess.

Switching off the blade, he looked it over to make sure Dev didn't break the thing. The Crusader RailSword, a blend of antiquated and modern warfare. The single forward facing edge consisted of carbon-crystal reinforced titanium, sharp enough to cut through standard nano-weave body armor with a proper application of force. The near edge was seemingly blunted, but concealed within its 3-centimeter width was a railgun running the length of the blade. Magnetized rounds, about the size of a small screw could be loaded in the hilt, charged through the stem of the blade and fired out the tip with explosive force. Different rounds could explode on impact, or be blunted in a way that they shatter due to air-resistance, impacting as a cloud of shrapnel rather than a single round. The former was ideal for use against armored units and the latter could shred personal.

Such a mass driver system built up a ton of heat with each round, this energy could be built up in a heatsink, then vented through ports lined along the back of the forward edge. The heat more or less set the sword on fire, like some sort of pulp fantasy e-novel magic weapon. When fully venting, the blade could carve through light vehicle armor as easily as a limb. Both a lethal sword and railgun, these fantastical flaming nightmare weapons were a signature of the Praetorian Guard.

Between the destructive capabilities of the Crusader RailSword, the reputation of a Praetorian weapon, and his teams in-experience with all of it, Lucian wasn't shocked they were training with these things out on the literal edge of nowhere. Their instructor was a few clicks away in the transport shuttle, obsentivily to force them to hike out to this secluded range, but simply keeping a safe distance couldn't be ruled out.

An electric whine broke out over Devs whimpers, and a split second later an explosion blasted the ground a few hundred meters away. A small rocky outcropping practically disintegrated into a cloud of fine dust. Lucian couldn't hold back another growl.

"Stormcrown, announce your shots, for Merz's sake!" Luican barked out over the comms. The units tactical Heads Up Display showed the owner of every heavy weapon shot as part of the means to track when and where your fellows come under fire. It was still nice to be told before-paw, though.

"Sorry, AlphaLead, you know I'm not used to calling out to my targets as a sniper. It sorta defeats the purpose." Ysanne apologized. She was probably in some makeshift nest near that hill behind Lucian and his Alpha team.

Suffice to say, Lucian wasn't totally accustomed to the situation either. He knew he was leading a small team; Dev, Rorick and himself that had been understood. Leave it to the ASML to spring it on him moments before arriving, that their final weapons testing would be done in tandem with another team, ALSO using Crusader RailSwords. They didn't have much longer to work out the coordination kinks either. Too bad there wasn't a way to guess the time of day out here, damn tidal world.

"AlphaLead, what do you think of our fun little toys?" Ysanne inquired over comms.

"I think they're not toys, Ysanne." Lucian rolled his eyes, mostly just for himself.

"All right, all right. Your such a still tail when your in business mode. By the way, did Dev hurt himself again or is Rorick finally beating the crap out of him? It's hard to tell from my position."

"He burned himself. Not severely, thankfully." turning to the team medic, "How's the patient?"

Rorcik stood and helped Dev up. "He'll be fine as long as he wears the heat gloves."

"I'm putting them on now, sorry boss won't happen again." Dev apologized as he fished out the ThermReg gloves from his kit.

Lucian gave a sigh, "It's not me trying to be ass or 'stiff tail', I don't want to see you getting hurt with these RailSwords, is all. We have to watch our backs or Ysanne will blow us up; we can't be burning ourselves too, now."

"Hey! I'm careful!" protested the sniper.

"She's blind too, the shrub next to her is on fire. Is it too late to join you over there, AlphaLead?" a fifth voice spoke up over the comms.

"What do you mean, Oh fuck!" Lucian could see a small plume of smoke in the Sunward direction, undoubtedly right next to the sniper.

He smiled, "Yeah that sounds like your typical sniper, doesn't it, Jed?"

"Why did you join with the Guard, anyway, Stormcrown?", the fifth voice, that of Jed Whitepeak, inquired. "Same question to you, Iceheart."

Lucian froze for a moment. The cadre was not suppose to disclose what branch or division each soldier was individually assigned too, or rather preparing for assignment. You could guess pretty well for many members of the cadre just from the information one could gleam in passing. Walking around with a stack of reports on past naval boarding action and daily trips up to orbit for training sessions meant someone was probably working towards the elite marine division. Just good guesswork was all it normally took. Lucian, Rorick and Dev knew their status from the outset, so they didnt keep much secret between themselves. The rest of the cadre, well the trio had no idea there were others taking similar courses as them.

Trying to at least pretend to play for secrecy, "What's to say we are? Could very well be just one of us here actually joining the Guard, everyone else was added to this course as smokescreen." Lucian quipped back.

"Well, the fact the three of us already came to the conclusion weeks ago that we all joined the Guard, and the fact you three seemed just as shocked there was another group training with these RailSwords too. And the fact that the Praetorian Guard gets super pissy if anyone besides thier own plays with their special toys. The only reason we are even allowed to pick these things up is because we all joined the Guard." The final member of Ysannes team concluded.

Every time he heard that voice, Lucian couldn't help but raise his hackles.

Of course. The ever brilliant Alric Tiberius, of the mighty Tiberius clan, all knowing and all important, figured it out first.

Lucian took a breath.

No need to let that prick fluster you.

Lucian only legitimately disliked few dogs. Reasons like arrogance, entitlement and a know-it-all attitude were quick ways to get on that exclusive list. And like all exclusive lists, the damn Tiberius forced his way on it.

Clan Tiberius, one of the oldest, most influential clans of Alurius politics. And longstanding rivals of the Icehearts. Longstanding as in going back centuries. The families have been everything from business rivals to political opponents since before the formation of the interstellar Federal Republic. An Iceheart's business gets big, a Tiberius wins an Alphate and regulates it into the dirt. A Tiberius pushes for an invasion, and an Iceheart resolves the international crisis peacefully. An Iceheart gets appointed Vice Chancellor of the Federal Republic, a Tiberius gets to name the first Lupine colony world. Back and forth for centuries now.

There had to be some sick and twisted reason for the two of them being stuck in what was their final exam. There's no way the Colonel didn't set this up explicitly. The only relief Lucian got from this was the knowledge that Alric hated him equally. Tiberius's face when the Colonel named Lucian AlphaLead for the tests was priceless.

The logic was completely sound, Lucian Dev and Rorick were already an established working unit well before coming to the ASML. Being AlphaTeam, the lead fireteam, only made sense. Group cohesion was paramount, and since lead fireteams took the most dangerous tasks, it required a solid group. From what Lucian knew of his counterpart team, they must be struggling in the unity department. Ysanne was a sniper and special ops commando, the epitome of solo fighters. Jed Whitepeak was some sort of heavy weapons and vehicle specialist without a vehicle. Alric Tiberius had a unit commander career path same as Lucian, but was stuck in a subordinate role intentionally. The arrangement almost certainly served as a test of the BetaTeam in of itself.

This whole damn facility is one big psychological wargame.

"Let's come back to this discussion AFTER the weapons, test. If we don't pass, it won't really matter much, will it?" Lucian strained to be as even toned as he could. No need to display how much he disliked Alric.

"Affirmative, AlphaLead. No more classified question. I do however want to ask, Alric, didn't you hear that these RailSwords aren't toys? AlphaLead understands and respects these weapons, probably why he's AlphaLead and not you." Jed jabbed at the other noble.

Sure it probably had more to do with Jed's background as a weapons specialist, understanding and respecting a weapons firepower was his job. But it still warmed the chill from Lucian, hearing him defend his position and put Alric down at the same time.

Yeah I like Jed. He can stay in my unit, no problem.

Before Tiberius could make much of a protest, another whir and explosion rocked the tundra; this time the tactical HUD said it was from Roricks RailSword. Looking around, Lucian saw Dev holding the steaming blade. Rorick must have set it down to treat him, because Lucian still held Devs assigned blade.

"Dev, what the Bloody moons did I-"

"We have Incoming!" Dev knelt down and cocked another round in the hilt.

Sure enough, from the Night Side the faint glimmer of metal could be seen advancing Sunward. Focusing the HUD optics confirmed the glints: B-72 War Droids. At least two dozen. The damn things must have been hidden out under the snow, just out of range.

"BetaLead, I have sight on the targets. Judging by their speed, they'll be on your position in two minutes, get shots in while you can, AlphaLead."

"Confirmed. Alright, load explosive rounds and pick your targets, south to north. B- 72s are slow, we break one flank and maneuver around. Marking targets. Now" Lucians HUD now displayed a number over each of the War Droids along the single line of their formation, indicating to his unit what targets to kill first.

The first of the Droids took a hit from Dev, Lucian tossed Roric Devs blade and the brown dog downed the next a mere moment after. Lucian took sight of the third and pulled the trigger, the magnetically charged round flew nearly a kilometer and a half, penetrated the shell of the droid, exploding in a rain of metal and fire. Prepared for the kick, Lucian quickly re-orientated for his next shot. A red warning indicator alerted him to a new target just behind the War Droid line, something bigger, boxier. The faint, almost imperceptible profile began emit light and Lucians' instincts kicked in.

"GET DOWN!"