- Oliver -
"We are approag the station. Prepare for disembarkation," one of the officers on the ship announced.
In the distance, Oliver could see the enormous structure drifting against the backdrop of stars. Pals was not just any space station; it was the pinnacle of human teology, orbiting silently at coordinates known only to the Blue Rangers.
The station was a massive rotating ring desigo simute artificial gravity, with miles of suspended cities, lush forests, and crystalline rivers windih gss domes. Ihe inhabitants lived with a singur purpose: to develop eologies and produce ons and defenses for the human race.
The ship swiftly passed through an ionized barrier that separated the station from the void of space beyond.
As the vessel docked, the newly selected Rangers were summoo follow the officers—except for Oliver. In his case, a specific officer was assigo escort him.
The other rookie Rangers' gazes were a mix of surprise, admiration, and envy at the attention he was receiving.
Stepping onto the station, Oliver was able to take in the grandeur of Pals more fully. The ey was adorned with hanging gardens and buildings of minimalist architecture. The officer enthusiastically pointed out each distrid structure as they moved along until they finally arrived at a neighborhood of houses remi of a suburban area in a grand city.
"This is where you'll be staying," the officer expined.
"Will I be sharing the house?" Oliver asked.
"No, your situation is unique. Usually, new Rangers are assigo an officer for training and begin by living in the on dormitory. However, your officer is a bit special. He prefers that you reside close to him, which is why you'll stay in this house," the officer said.
"This whole house is just for me?" Oliver asked, his eyes widening.
"Yes, but don't get too fortable just yet. You'll find that your training will be even more demanding," the officer replied, already preparing to depart.
Oliver nodded, walking through the expansive garden before entering the house. It looked very much like a typical suburban home, with a living room ected to a kit. A small staircase led to the sed floor, where there were two bedrooms and two bathrooms. At the back of the house, there was a rge garden.
After spending a few minutes expl, Oliver sat down in the backyard. Looking up at the "sky," he could see the other side of the station, as well as the vastness of space beyond. The curve of the ring-shaped habitat arced overhead, lights from distant windows twinkling like stars themselves.
Taking advantage of the few minutes he had before his anding officer's arrival, Oliver opehe chat fun on his gauhe holographiterface flickered to life, dispying his ret versations.
---
els
- Exam1Group [4] [Private]
Exam1Group
[OliverKR]: Just arrived at the Blue Rangers' base. ■■■■■■ is incredible.
[OliverKR]: ■■■■■■.
[OliverKR]: WTF! Looks like I 't mention the name of the base in the chat.
[KathSaysH: It must be some kind of security measure. From what they've said, the Blue Ranger base is the only oh no records of its location si's where humanity's principal research happens.
[BelRedFanGirl]: But even the name?!
[BelRedFanGirl]: I'll only arrive at the base tomorrow; I'm still on the ship. ?
---
Oliver sighed, realizing he wouldn't have as long a journey as Isabe. His gaze drifted over the list of group members in the chat. An's name was still there, but his status i remained gray, indig his absence.
‘We will find a cure,’ Oliver thought before closing the chat.
With some time to spare, Oliver decided to review his status. Accessing the data on his gau, he surveyed the experience points he obtained. Unfortunately, it wasn't much. He'd used a signifit portion during the first exam, and in the sed, he hadn't faced many robots—opting instead for strategies that caused acts or evading them.
| Status Page| User: Oliver [Nameless]| Level: 4 [Knight]| Experience: [202/800]| Credits: 11.260| | Stats| Strength: 7 [Pawn] [Buy for 400 Exp] | Agility: 19 [Knight] [Buy for 200 Exp] | stitution: 6 [Pawn] [Buy for 400 Exp] | Energy: 17 [Knight] [Buy for 1600 Exp]| | Boons| Insight [Knight][Growth]| [Use 800 Experience Points to Upgrade]|| Observation [Pawn][Growth]| [Use 200 Experience Points to Upgrade]|| Left Eye of Learning [Knight]|| Right Eye of Secrets [Knight]|| Glitches| [Too Muformation]| [As long as I see]|| Skills | Ranger on Handling [Knight]| Robot Maintenance [Pawn]| Mecha Repairing [Pawn]| Mecha Piloting [Pawn]| Energy Perception [Pawn] || Teique| [Language] Orkish | Progress: 10.59% | [bat] h Army Style | Progress: 10.51%|| Ranger on| Energy Pistol
His skills had increased siderably, especially after battling numerous robots and mechas. He'd been able to utilize his [Insight] boon more extensively, gaining valuable information during each exam.
‘Too bad I 't use it as much against Orks—it would be really useful,’ Oliver mused.
But there was one more thing that required his attention.
| Maze Master| plete the maze in under 1 minute| [Locked Reward - Bee a Rao unlock]
‘I've bee a Ranger—do I just o activate it?’ Oliver wondered.
He tapped on the achievement i repeatedly, but the reward remained inaccessible despite his efforts. The status hadn't ged.
‘Is something still missing?’ he pondered. ‘Maybe the Z Crystal?’
As he pted, the sunlight—or rather, the artificial illumination simuting sunlight—cast a warm glow over the garden. The leaves rustled softly in the breeze.
Lost in his thoughts, Oliver almost didn't notice the doorbell chime eg through the house. Startled, he gnced up.
‘That must be the officer,’ he thought, hurrying to ahe door.
Oliver ope, expeg to see a standard envoy. Instead, standing on his doorstep was one of the st people he expected to see. An elderly man with snow-white hair and deep-set eyes regarded him ily. He wore semi-activated blue armor that hummed softly, faint traces of energy pulsing.
"Getting aced to your aodations, young man?" General Wiz asked, stepping past Oliver into the house with the familiarity of someone who had been there tless times.
"Ge-General Wiz! It's good to see you again," Oliver stammered, snapping back to reality as he closed the door behind them.
"Indeed," Wiz replied with a faint smile. "And you'll be seeing much more of me. You'll be under my tutege."
Oliver blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, sir? My anding officer is going to be a General?"
"Normally, I would assign you to another officer," Wiz admitted, strolling through the living area and casting an appraising eye over the minimalist décor. "But given that I have only two years to analyze you, it's better to keep you close. I o uand why you have such a remarkable e to the Blue Crystal."
Oliver nodded slowly, the weight of the General's words sinking in. "I see," he replied. "That makes sense."
"Furthermore," Wiz tiurning to face him, "I don't io train you in the same manner as the others. Many recruits struggle even to activate the crystal, but with your level of synization, it should be quite effortless. Therefore, I'll assign you to missions that align more with my... particur is."
"Uood," Oliver said, straightening his posture. "When do we begin?"
"Right now," Wiz decred, his eyes glinting with curiosity aermination. "But first, it's time to repce that crystal."
He gestured toward the gau on Oliver's wrist. The standard-issue device housed an artificial crystal.
From within a cealed partment of his armor, Wiz produced a crystal that immediately drew Oliver's gaze. It resembled a sapphire, its facets shimmering with a radiant blue glow that seemed to dah an inner light. Waves of energy pulsed within it like the flow of a ic tide.
Oliver's fingers brushed against the small crystal, and an immediate surge of energy coursed through him. It was as if the crystal pulsed with a heartbeat of its own, each throb resonating with his inner self. pared to his artificial crystal, this one was massively denser; its weight was surprising for its size. Yet, it wasn't just the physical heft that struck him—the unique sensation that flowed into him upon tact, an otherworldly e he couldn't quite fathom.
“Just cli this button,” Wiz expined how to open the crystal repository.
A partment opened in the lower se of the gau, revealing where its Artificial Crystal was resting. However, there were still five other slots avaible to add additional Z Crystals. Oliver extended his hand to embed the blue crystal in his gau, i on examining this newfound marvel further. Just then, the General's voiterrupted his thoughts. "How about we put it to the test?" he suggested, a hint of excitement underlying his stoic demeanor.
Oliver looked up, fusion flickering across his face. ‘Test it? Here and now?’ But the General had already turned away, striding purposefully toward the staircase at the room's far end. Instead of asding, he desded into the lower levels of the house.
"We experiment with it here."
GCLopes
