Chapter 27 #2
“Well, it appears we have four missing students,” he responds, his voice steady, almost amused by the predicament. “You mentioned Raea was last seen on Cidal?” He looks at me for confirmation.
I nod again. Every minute we sit here wasting time, the growing headache presses in.
“Ryker, please pull up her flight test schedule. I need to confirm her intended destination,” he says, a hand stroking his chin.
I drop into a chair, fingers moving swiftly over the controls, pulling up the list of planets and projecting it onto the glass panel before us. The glass darkens to onyx, the projection lights becoming a bright teal.
“She was supposed to head to Ista, and she would have been hyperjumping to reach it,” he mutters under his breath.
As I look at the flight path, my mind races, unable to keep pace with the unfolding realization.
The jump from Cidal to Ista crosses Sgya airspace—a forbidden region.
Everyone in the system is strictly prohibited from venturing into Sgya or any of its three moons.
They all should have known this. Did they, though?
Tate is the one navigating, and Raea would have had to approve the change in course.
She’s one of the most intelligent people I know, so I have to believe she would have avoided that area at all costs.
There’s a reason nobody has been granted permission to fly there—not even our most experienced pilots or astrophysicists.
Surely, they wouldn’t attempt it just to save time.
Trysten would never allow it, especially when they would have had to override the alarms and commands.
Not with the history of missing fleets, transports found years later discarded like trash—with the crews long since perished.
An inexplicable feeling tugs at my insides, and a strange sense of knowing fills my chest. I shut my eyes for a moment, seeking out that unsettling pull, and though I can’t articulate it, a profound certainty begins to crystallize within me.
I know, somehow I just know, that she is on Sgya. My stomach plummets at the thought.
“I know where she is!” I blurt out, instinctively rising to my feet as if that unseen force is urging me toward her.
I barely make it halfway to the door when Chancellor Xara’s grip tightens around my arm, a fierce determination set in her expression.
As Chancellor, she’s obligated to keep me safe as one of her students.
But I’m not just a student; I’m the future king of Okenen, and I could easily pull rank.
I watch the war of emotions flicker in her eyes.
If she doesn’t let me leave, the alternative is to inform King Bastian.
The academy could close if news like this were to leak.
Before she can determine which route she’s willing to risk, I interrupt.
“I’m going. I can reach her. I at least have to try. ”
Her amber gaze searches my face, and I can see the moment her resolve loosens.
“You have five hours to make contact and bring her back, or—” She pauses, her expression shifting to one of sheer dread. “Take two of the guards with you.”
“I’ll reach her.” My voice is unwavering as determination settles over me.
How I plan on making it happen, I have no godsdamn clue, but I’m just going to assume that little tug means I will.
Hell, I’ve been listening to the subtle tugs and changes in the air, and they’ve always led me straight to her, like a personalized beacon.
For the past few years, I’ve built walls of arrogance to hide the truth: from the moment I saw her, she became the only war that mattered, and I’m not going to lose her now that I’ve finally let those walls fall. “The guards will only slow me down. We don’t have time, Chancellor.”
Without waiting for her response, I push through the door and sprint toward the school’s transport bay. If I truly only have five hours, I know I’ll need a much larger vessel to cover the distance. Time is already slipping away, and with every second that passes, she’s at further risk.
“I’m coming with you,” Kellan declares as he steps out from behind me just as I approach the ramp.
I turn to face him, a sense of purpose fueling my strides. “You have little to no flight experience,” I remind him, letting my frustration creep into my voice.
I don’t have time to debate with him. If she’s on Sgya, if they’re on Sgya, the very thought brings another wave of anxiety. Call it intuition, or something even deeper binding us together, but I won’t leave her there, no matter the cost.
“I can handle it,” Kellan says. “I flew enough in Specialists. Plus, you’ll need help. You can’t go in there alone.”
With his mind made up, he pushes past me, reaching the ramp before I do. Unfortunately, he’s right. There are four of them, and if even one is hurt, it could take too long.
I inhale sharply, checking my anger before gritting out, “Fine. You’re in charge of comms. I’ll handle navigation and take the controls.
Once we’re airborne, get the med packs ready.
We need to be prepared for anything.” I run through preflight procedures in my head, systematically ticking off tasks as I flip switches.
The transport hums to life beneath me. “How many weapons are you assigned to carry?”
“A single short sword,” he replies, taking a seat next to me and slipping on a headset.
I mutter a curse under my breath at today’s turn of events. I’m not even in a proper flight suit, just barely dressed, and the exhaustion from lack of sleep hangs heavy on me, while this godsforsaken headache just keeps growing.
“Tower, we are ready for launch,” Kellan announces as I snap together the last part of my harness.
“Drithm Transport, you are cleared for—” I cut Paulson off, slapping the emergency launch button without waiting to hear the rest of the clearance.
Every second matters, and I can’t afford to delay.
It might be reckless not to alert their parents, but my priority is getting Raea and Trysten, as well as the others, home.
I know only one person who has managed to survive Sgya, and that’s my father.
According to the vague notes he left on his desk, he’s been there before.
How he managed to get in and out undetected is beyond me.
Once we clear the atmosphere and are free from Baedyn’s gravity, I initiate a hyperjump toward Sgya.
I override the error messages that attempts to stall us from plotting a course there.
The ship’s console throws a barrage of error codes at me, but thankfully, I know how to break through them, charting us a path.
Sgya lies at the center of our solar system, surrounded by our seven suns and kingdoms that encircle it like spokes on a wheel.
As we jump, I move to the back of the transport.
I draw my Hallo, checking the battery levels, and holster it on my thigh before going through the cabinets and taking stock of our supplies.
The academy transport is significantly larger than the student models, featuring an impressive layout that can rival smaller planet transports.
On one side, seven bunks are neatly arranged along the wall with an office just beyond. Behind me, a glass-partitioned medical bay is fully stocked, with a larger medical bed at its center. Upstairs, I know there’s plenty of seating, allowing this particular transport to haul up to fifty students.
“Do you know how to use one of these?” I hold up an additional Hallo, scrutinizing him for competence.
He shakes his head, and frustration grips me.
Breathing heavily, I swallow the tide of my anger.
“How the hell are you supposed to protect Raea?” My voice comes out like ice, and I watch as Kellan subtly takes on a defensive stance.
“Fine,” I grunt, shoving the extra Hallo into a holster at my hip.
“You take the sword.” I secure daggers around a tactical vest for additional weapons.
“Where are we going?” Kellan asks, his eyes widening as they take in my weapons.
“Don’t ask questions I can’t answer right now.” I clip on the last dagger. “Just know that for every minute she’s there, she’s in danger.” I head back to the console, focusing on the tasks at hand. “Fill canisters with water for them. They’ll likely be dehydrated when we arrive.”
What little we know of Sgya is that the planet was not designed for human life to exist. The gods created the planet for themselves and kept Einvald, one of their moons, nearby.
The sheer size of the planet is intimidating.
I don’t even know where to begin looking for them.
Hopefully, their trackers will pick up on the ping and alert me once we draw near—that is, unless some unseen force blocks them.
I watch our location near Sgya airspace when the transport icon on the display glitches and flickers.
We know very little about Sgya’s other moons, Evello and Pripeon, as both are off-limits—even to the imperial and royal families.
What we do know is that both moons have breathable atmospheres, but as far as we know, nobody has ever returned—except for my father.
That is not public knowledge, though. All three moons and Sgya, even the entire airspace between the seven suns, are restricted.
According to the notes I found on my father’s desk, Pripeon has a dense atmosphere and isn’t suitable for long-term habitation.
His notes claimed he was on the moon for a total of five minutes before he was so exhausted he could barely move.
His other notes, however, showed that he was studying Sgya and Evello, flying and testing the limits—until he didn’t return.
I know it’s a risk, but I must try. I know she’s alive, and that’s the only thing propelling me at this point.