Second achievement In The Bag

They headed to the mess hall for dinner shortly after, weaving through the bustling corridors of the ship. With a crew of over 10,000 assigned to this section alone, the mess halls were strategically divided into zones to ensure everyone could eat and return to their stations efficiently.

Talon, Jason, and Kieran found a quieter corner and settled at a table. The bustle of conversations and clinking cutlery filled the air, but their little corner felt relaxed.

As they dug into their meals, Jason leaned back with a curious grin. "So... what are your guys' powers, actually? We never talked about it, and I've been dying to know."

The question hung in the air for a moment. Around them, a few heads turned slightly, cadets perking up with subtle interest.

Talon felt his stomach flip.

In all the chaos, he'd been so focused on his rank that he hadn't put any thought into the power aspect of it. Now, confronted with Jason's curiosity and the surrounding eavesdroppers, he felt completely unprepared.

"Uh... well..." he began, stalling as he scrambled for something, anything, that sounded plausible.

Thankfully, Kieran stepped in, his tone calm but firm. "Let's save that for later. If we've got any competition around, we don't want to give them an advantage, do we?"

Jason blinked, then nodded, his grin returning. "Good point. Gotta keep the mystery alive."

Talon gave Kieran a grateful glance and focused back on his food. But his thoughts spiraled as he chewed, every bite accompanied by the nagging realization that he had no real answer.

'I can't fake a power,' he thought. 'And there's no way I can explain mine without raising a thousand questions. Damn it, I really should've planned this better before deciding to be a Rare.'

By the time they finished their meal, Talon still hadn't come up with a reasonable excuse.

His mind raced as they walked back to their quarters, Jason chatting animatedly about potential training scenarios.

As soon as they stepped into their quarters, Talon's holopad buzzed. Grateful for the distraction, he quickly checked the screen. The soft glow of the notification illuminated his face.

Congratulations, Cadet Talon Graves. You have been selected as a team captain for Squad 17. Please report to the briefing room at 20:00.

Jason leaned over, catching a glimpse. "Captain Graves, huh?" he teased with a smirk. "Looks like someone's moving up in the world."

Talon scanned the notification again, team captain? This was probably what leon was talking about when it came to a leadership position.

And sure enough, a familiar sensation washed over him, a subtle shift, like a click inside his chest as if something had unlocked.

Talon's vision flickered, and the achievement screen materialized in front of him, glowing softly in the dim light of the room.

Achievement 2: Complete.

A small smile crept onto his face. 'Finally, some progress.'

He reached out mentally, brushing against the words as though confirming their reality. The notification faded away, replaced by a new line of text.

Hint: Solaris Cadet Tournament.

His smile faltered slightly as he absorbed the message. It was clear enough: this was his next challenge.

'Probably to win it,' he thought, his mind already spinning through possibilities.

'Or maybe I just need to place high enough. Either way, it's not going to be a cakewalk.'

Jason's teasing voice cut through his thoughts. "What, no dramatic speech? 'My fellow cadets, I shall lead us to victory!'" He struck a mock heroic pose, earning a laugh from Kieran.

Talon rolled his eyes, his smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Yeah, yeah. I'll save the speech for when we win."

He glanced at the time on his holopad. 19:45. He didn't have much time to waste. "Alright, you two. Don't burn the place down while I'm gone," he said, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.

Jason saluted with exaggerated flair. "Aye aye, Captain!"

The briefing was short. Leon stood at the front of the room, his commanding presence filling the space as he delivered a concise directive: every team captain was responsible for picking their squadmates. No drawn-out speeches or unnecessary formalities, just the facts.

Talon had already made his choice, noting down two names on the new addition to their holopads, which were now repurposed for military use.

Was it the smart move to do so before even knowing what their powers were and if they could dynamically work as a functioning team as taught by the acadamy?

Probably not.

He didn't know their powers, didn't even have a chance to ask without revealing that he had no idea what his own power was.

But that didn't matter. They were people he trusted, and right now, trust seemed more valuable than knowing if they were able to link up their abilities.

And best of all, with a good gene they had great powers.

Probably.

Talon toyed with the idea of seeking Leon's advice about his own power. It wasn't like Leon had ever come across as unapproachable.

But he was cautious, he didn't know if asking was something stupid. Did everyone else just... know? Or is there wiggle room for me to fake a power.

He did not know enough of the context to stand in front of someone like Leon and admit, "Hey, I don't actually know what my power is. Not really."

Could he even say that out loud without breaking some unspoken taboo? Probably not.

By the time he returned to the shared quarters he bunked in with Kieran and Jason, the room was cloaked in the soft hum of sleep.

Both of them were out cold, their steady breathing filling the space with a kind of warmth Talon hadn't realized he needed.

He smiled faintly, kicking off his boots and tossing his jacket onto the nearest chair.

"I really need to figure out what I can pass off as my power," he muttered to himself, his voice barely more than a whisper in the quiet room.

The bed creaked slightly as he dropped onto the mattress, and the weight of the day crashed down on him like a tidal wave.

His head hit the pillow, and the world faded to black in an instant.

It had been a long day.