Sunlight poured through the window when Mark awoke the next morning. Though groggy, he rolled over in his bed and glanced at his clock. The display read '9:32 AM'.

What? Jolting awake, he looked again.

It still read '9:32 AM'.

Mark’s morning class was already in session. Even if he ran to the lecture hall that instant, he'd still miss half of its material. Getting out of bed, he groaned. “Fuck.”

“Something wrong Mark?” Ivan entered their room with his hair damp and a towel in hand.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Huh? Was there somewhere you needed to be?”

“Yeah. My calc class is in session.”

“Oh. Is that it?”

“I can’t just miss class Ivan…”

“Can’t you just watch the VR recording later?”

“But VR classes are –”

“Practically identical to going yourself?” Ivan waved him off. “It's not like you ever ask questions in class. Insisting you attend every class in person is seriously old-fashioned thinking.”

“I guess…” Mark wanted to list the many reasons he preferred in-person classes over those in VR preferred by the majority of his peers. However, as he’d already overslept, those points were moot. He sighed. “That meeting last night went too late.”

Ivan shrugged. “These things happen in Parallax. We had to fly the Phantasm all the way to Hephaestus after that battle. I guess we could’ve done the debriefing today, but the mood was far worse than our earlier dominion wars. I’d rather not let that fester.”

“I guess…”

“Anyways,” Ivan grinned, “now that you've decided VR lectures are fine, you have plenty of time to prepare for your next lecture.”

“Right.” Mark found his toiletries bag and stepped into the bathroom. As he brushed his teeth, Mark mentally rearranged his day’s schedule. Not including his now missed calculus class, he had another lecture to attend, one for his most irritating biology class. Then, he had agreed to meet with Regina over lunch to work out how they could apologize to Chris over the Parallax espionage.

When he recalled the 'Chris issue', as Regina called it, Mark cringed. Having only met the guy once, Mark had no idea how Chris would react to their coming clean and apologizing. He hoped Chris would take things well, but Regina implied this to be unlikely.

Following this lunch meeting, Mark would spend most the afternoon in the lab with Ivan, after which came his first opportunity to view the missed lecture.

I guess I won't be doing much in Parallax today. He rinsed his mouth and sighed. Mark then returned to the room, got dressed, and tossed his tablet into its case. After grabbing his bag and coat, he turned to the door.

“Heading out already?” Ivan asked from his desk.

“Yeah.” Mark nodded. “I might as well get breakfast if I'm already missing class.”

“Quick question then,” Ivan said. “How much firepower do you think we need to take back Specter?”

“Hmm…” Mark looked back. He considered the Suns' overall strength from the previous night, then compared that to the Wraiths remaining fleet. The difference was unsettling. “At least another destroyer if we can replace our fleet within a week. Considering our empty bank account, I think we'd need two. Either that or a destroyer and a priest.”

“Okay, thanks. I'll let Myles know.”

“See you later then.” Mark gave Ivan a quick wave and stepped out the door.

Before his macroeconomics class on Thursday mornings, Ivan would take advantage of Mark's absence from their room to handle his own assignments. At the same time, Ivan would log into the org's Yak server, where he chatted with what he called the Wraith's 'morning crew'. The group, by virtue of their time zones or working hours, had free time to hang out on the org's voice server. That morning, the crew welcomed Ivan's arrival as usual.

Nova said.

Myles said.

“Not bad,” Ivan said. “Aero overslept, but its not a big deal. How are you guys?”

Legius said.

Nova said.

“Where’s Eckos this morning?”

Myles said,

“Do you have another way to take back Specter before the Suns have time to explore?” Ivan asked. He pulled up his problem set for his chemistry course and got to work. “We've succeeded twice already, so why not a third time?”

Legius said.

While boarding attempts on medium ships were common for as long as those ships were in existence, the Wraiths’ and Bystanders’ actions magnified their potential impact on a regional power balance. After Phalanx fell, the demand for capable security forces skyrocketed. The last Ivan checked, a good team of space marines cost as much to hire as a decent squadron of fighters.

“Right,” Ivan said. He continued tapping his way through his homework. “It’s still our best chance to take back Specter, especially if we want to do it before those Suns realize what they won. Unless we can recruit another org to help us, we need to capture another two destroyers.”

Legius grumbled. Despite the weeks since they fought alongside the Bystanders at Articus, resentment still simmered among the Wraiths.

Myles said.

“So who else can we work with?” Ivan glanced at his class notes and copied a formula to his assignment. “IB murdered Phalanx, but there are a few other orgs with medium ships we could target.”

Myles said,

“Divide by Zero?” Ivan set his stylus down. “Who are they?”

Myles answered.

“Do they have any chance?”

Myles said.

“Okay, so who else should we not join?” Sinn asked.

Nova asked.

Myles asked.

she said,

“Okay, they’re out,” Ivan said. “What about Vortex and DTA?”

“You mean we'll put a finger on the scale and end up destroying one of the two?” Ivan asked.

Myles said.

Legius asked.

The Stars and Bars org always played their cards close to the vest, using its own massive member base and resources to impose their will. Furthermore, an extensive system of ranks and security clearances insulated the org's plans from all but the most senior of members.

Myles said.

“Wait,” Ivan said. “We still have a chance with S&B.”

Myles asked.

“Don't you remember?” Ivan asked. “Back when we got featured on Orbital Chess? Jazz Anders said he’d find a way cooperate with the Wraiths in before he had to face us.”

Myles said.

“That’s because we already have one.” Ivan chuckled. “Hey, Nova. You know what to do, right?”

“We just need a chance to talk. Think you can arrange it?”

“That’s fine,” Sinn said. “I’ll trust your judgment”

Ivan grabbed his stylus and resumed his problem set. Then he realized what 'something he wants' might imply.

“Nova?”

“Just don’t get yourself recruited.”

Chris marched along the river walk with his phone in hand and confused by the text it displayed. For some reason, Regina had asked to meet him without Lindsey’s presence. Chris read and reread her message, yet he could not think of any reason for such a meeting. Furthermore, she had asked to meet at the Overlook Cafe long after most students had returned to their dorms. As the cafe was located a good distance away from the student housing, it would be almost abandoned at this time of night.

With an icy winter wind blowing at his back, Chris pulled open the cafe door and stepped into its dim seating area. There, he found Regina at a round table with Mark by her side plus a guy he didn’t recognize. Also between them steamed four mugs. Upon seeing his entrance, Regina waved him over, and after some brief greetings, the stranger introduced himself.

“I’m Ivan,” he said. “Mark’s roommate.”

“Nice to meet you.” Though still confused, Chris shook Ivan’s hand. He then dropped into the empty seat and warmed his hands on the mug before him. Finally, he asked, “so, why are we here?”

“We’d like to apologize for something,” Mark said. “And maybe congratulate you too.”

Congratulate me? Apologize? His bewilderment increased. “For what?”

“Congratulations on your victory at Specter,” Mark said. “Your org made the headlines with it.”

“Oh, so this is about PG?” The nagging in his mind lessened. Lindsey declined to play the game despite his and Regina’s invitations, so a meeting on game topics would naturally exclude her. “That battle was not worth congratulations.”

Thanks to their battle’s outcome, Chris wanted to avoid the topic. The Crimson Suns had suffered a near total fleet loss, while the Temple Wraiths' destroyer managed to escape. To make matters worse, none of the Wraiths’ infrastructure survived the action, so the Suns’ conquest amounted to an undeveloped terminus system with its nav data awaiting imminent release. They had won, but they failed to make their desired statement to the Parallax community.

“You did well though,” Mark said. “Your performance was the best among fighters in your org. Your flight disabled an Aoshima with three Duvi’s, and you even took down Jake Arfall one-on-one. He was rated twenty-four eleven as of last night.”

“Uh… thanks. I guess…” Chris nodded. Then, it hit him. “Wait. How do you know all that?”

“That’s where our apology comes in.” Ivan gave a sheepish smile. “You see, my tag in PG is ‘Sinn Omon’, and I’m the leader of the Temple Wraiths. Mark’s tag is ‘Aero Rayne’, and he’s my FC.”

“What?” Chris’s jaw dropped. No way.

“Ivan and I owe you an apology,” Mark said. “We pressured Regina into collecting intel on your org plans, and when we realized, it was already too late.”

“What are you talking about?” Chris asked. “Weren’t you in an exploration org? There’s no way Regina is working for the Temple Wraiths!”

“Oh… Um…” Regina looked down at her mug. “Sorry for not saying anything… I’ve actually been a member of the Wraiths for a while…”

“No way. No fucking way…”

“She also participated in the battle last night,” Ivan added.

“What the fuck?” Chris pulled out his phone and tapped his shortcut to the Parallax killboards. He then input Regina’s tag, and to his disbelief, ‘April Leif’ return countless hits. Not only was she a member of the Temple Wraiths, she was also captain of the destroyer Phantasm and responsible for the greatest share of the Suns’ credit damages. “What the fuck!?”

“Sorry,” Regina said.

How much did I tell her? His mind raced over the past few days’ events. No. How much did she say!?

‘Those Temple Wraiths are starting a dominion, and my org is going to take it by force,’ he had said. ‘We stole the nav data for their private systems… Those Wraiths will have no chance!’

The evening his org stole the nav data, Chris had told her of the Suns’ intentions.

‘Sorry Regina. I have plans in Parallax that evening,’ he had said.

The day Rico finalized their plans, Chris had revealed to her their org’s schedule.

‘They couldn't pull this off unless they knew our plans before half our org did!’ Potter had said.

Long before the battle, the enemy had heard it all. Chris fumed. Everything fell into place. He shared the plans with her, and she told the Wraiths everything. In the end, the Suns paid dearly for it.

“I thought I could trust you!” Chris slammed the table. “WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!?”

The girl flinched at his outburst. “Well… I…”

“I thought we were actually friends!” Chris didn’t care what reason she might have had. It wouldn’t matter. Regina exploited his trust to set him back in Parallax. No friend would put a game before real life.

“Chris?” Mark raised his hands. “Can you calm down a bit?”

“Why should I? Hell, why should I have anything to do with you all again!? There's nothing more to say.” Chris grabbed his belongings and stormed out the door.

Stomping his way back down the river walk, Chris noticed a problem with his destination; Lindsey’s room was also Regina’s. He cursed under his breath and retrieved his phone. After a deep breath, he made the call.

Lindsey’s sweet voice stabbed him through the heart. Chris didn’t want to have the conversation, and he didn’t want to hurt her, but he knew he couldn’t avoid it.

“Hey sugar,” he said. “Can you come over to my room tonight?”

“Sorry, I can’t visit your room anymore.”

“Because your roommate’s a backstabbing bitch!” Chris stopped in his tracks. Realizing his outburst would strain their relationship, Chris admonished himself in silence.

Her distress gnawed at his mind.

“Sorry, just come over. Please? I'll tell you in person.”

“Okay.” A sigh poured through the speaker. Though it was with reluctance, she agreed and ended the call.

“FUCK!”

Chris kicked a nearby lamp post and steeled himself for the discussion ahead.