The next morning the surviving trainees were back in the bay with Master Trainer Diamenes. There weren’t many of them left, and Kronos didn’t know any of them personally, but there was a sense of comraderie within the cohort. They had survived while so many others had perished. It bred a sense of proud fatalism within the group that Kronos had only experienced with a raider crew that had been together for multiple seasons. Kronos thought it strange to extend that sense of trust and familiarity with people he had only met for a day, but then, in virtual time they had spent close to ten months struggling against the impossible.

Still, his orders for the morning had been a pleasant surprise. His first stop had been a visit to the medbay. The doctors fussed over his condition and he spent hours going through a battery of tests to ensure that he was mentally and physically capable of resuming his training. He felt like a test subject as they marveled over the changes his body had undergone. He was taller and more heavily muscled than he had ever been in his life. They told him that his body was experiencing some signs of increased stress and that his blood samples displayed biomarkers consistent with malnutrition even though his body appeared perfectly healthy. He was given an IV drip full of nutrient solution and was ordered to sit still while he watched the rest of his group going through their own tests.

As he witnessed the rest of his training cohort undergo the same rigorous testing, he assumed that the Imps didn’t want their prized survivors to fail the rest of the training. He was surprised to find himself relieved when none of the other trainees had been disqualified.

It seemed that the rest of the cohort felt the same way. In between their medical tests, they congregated and actively attempted to learn more about each other. Of course, Kronos had to hide where he was from and why he was there, but that didn’t stop him from learning about the others.

Cassian had been a commercial saboteur on Enceladus who had been caught trying to disrupt Imperial shipping lanes to the planet. Luca had been the son of two Imperial Marines on Luna. He had joined the IIA as a sign of rebellion against his ground pounder parents.

Thecla was originally from Mars. She had been a part of a cult that worshiped a “Machine God.” When the Empire had outlawed the burgeoning religion, she had been captured when agents of the Empire had swept her sect.

Sidony had merely been a farmer on Ganymede looking for a way to improve her miserable life. Kronos had taken a special interest in her history due to his family’s presence on the planet. He had not been particularly impressed with her account. It sounded like most of the citizens in the Empire lived any better than the meanest farmer on his own world. They had better technology and more virtual entertainment than a single person could consume over multiple lifetimes. However, they didn’t own anything. Everything they possessed was issued to them by the Empire. There seemed little incentive to exceed and little opportunity unless they joined the military. It made Kronos somewhat thankful that he had the ability to increase the means of his family back on Ganymede.

Brigitta was a member of one of the underwater colonists on Neptune. Apparently, the swimming portion of the previous day’s training had been nothing but a normal outing for her. She supplied a wealth of information to Kronos. He plied her for swimming techniques and ways to optimize his progress even further. He discovered that their exchange unlocked some of his own memories during virtual. Her reasons for joining the intelligence department were less interesting. She was there because she had political ambitions and the easiest way to do that was through military service to the Empire.

Ursinus had been born on the military station orbiting Charon. He didn’t talk much about his past, but Kronos got the impression that he had been a thief and a cutthroat. He had gotten picked up by the Guard and given the option of going to prison, or joining the military. His skills had landed him a slot in Imperial Intelligence rather than one of the other branches. Kronos noted him as a potential convert. It was his natural inclination to gather a group of loyal warriors around him. Some like Brigtitta and Sidony didn’t make good candidates for recruitment, but Ursinus seemed like the type who liked to cause trouble.

Scylla had come from the furthest place of the group. She had been born on Pluto, a dark and cold world where only the hardiest survived. Looking at her, Kronos didn’t know how she fit the bill. She was a waifish woman with long black hair and dark eyes. She seemed to exude stealthiness. If you didn’t know to look for her, she seemed to disappear into her surroundings. When Kronos had tried to get her to reveal her secrets, she had simply walked away from him. It seemed that their newfound companionship wasn’t enough for her to give up her methods. Out of all the recruits, Kronos figured she would make the best intelligence operative.

The last member of their cohort, Macedon, was a died in the wool Terran. He had grown up around Imperial power and his father was an Admiral in the Imperial Navy. At the suggestion of his father, he had joined Imperial Intelligence. Apparently he had been living a soft and wealthy life on Terra and his father thought he needed more discipline. Despite his privileged upbringing, he was a charitable and friendly sort. Kronos took a liking to him immediately. Macedon was the type of person that had a natural charisma that overpowered his own. No matter where he was, he seemed like the most interesting thing in the room.

Overall, the group was an eclectic sort. The only thing they had in common was surviving tolerance day. Apparently, that was enough to cement their friendship. Despite himself, Kronos was impressed with the collection. Imperial Intelligence clearly valued a diverse pool of agents. It made sense to him. These would be the individuals that enacted the Emperor’s covert will across the system. They needed people from all backgrounds to be successful.

The only thing that seemed the same was their naming conventions. With the exception they all had the same origin to their names. When Kronos took Zhang aside to ask him why, he was informed that the Empire romanticized the ancient Roman Empire and that most citizens had changed their names to reflect the trend. In the Empire, it helped to fit in. When Kronos asked why his name was different. Zhang had told him that the old Chinese Empire had been even older than the Romans and thus, his people didn’t think they should change their names to reflect the relatively new fad.

While he was there, Zhang had shown him how to use the private messaging function and when they were released they went to grab breakfast at the chow hall. While they were there, Kronos practically inhaled his food. When he had returned with his fifth tray of food, Zhang asked him if he was okay. In truth, Kronos felt better than he ever had. His body felt like it was vibrating with energy.

The only strangeness he noticed was that before he had eaten, his senses had felt muted. Even the food he ate tasted bland and boring. Once he had finished his third serving, it was like a switch had been turned on in his brain. His eyes sharpened, his hearing returned to its usual clarity, his sense of smell became more acute, and his tastebuds felt alive again. Having his senses suppressed was a new experience to him. They must’ve done the same when he was recovering from his fight with the Marine, but he hadn’t noticed. He chalked the change to his new implants and continued shoveling calories into his body by the kilo.

After their extended breakfast, the duo were back in the training bay and ready to embark on whatever hellish experience the Master Trainer could think up next. Kronos found himself relishing the opportunity.

When the clock stuck ten, Diamenes appeared from the aether in his customary fashion. He wasted no time before addressing the trainees.

“As Imperial Agents, you will never go on an operation alone. At the largest levels, you’ll be supported by the full might of the Empire. At the lowest levels you will always be with at least one other agent. We call this pairing a covert action group or CAG. The duo resembles the fire team of our military counterparts. However, where the military needs at least four members to make a fire team, we get by with just the two.” The pride in his voice was clear to the assembled trainees. Kronos couldn’t help but share that pride and he wondered where the feeling came from.

I’m still trying to fight the Empire, right? He looked at the rest of the cohort after that thought.

He noticed that the rest shared the same hint of pride in their bearing. Even the trainees who had lost the most to the Empire like Zhang, Thecla, Cassian, and Ursinus held themselves a little straighter with their head held high.

If they can be proud, then I can be too. He decided. He still had the nagging thought that his inhibitor was manifesting itself.

“In keeping with our tradition,” Diamenes continued. “You will each be assigned to a CAG that will be with you for the duration of your training.”

The trainees shared looks between each other. They all head their own preferences on who they would be placed with and Diamenes didn’t miss the exchanged glances.

“Don’t worry, since trust is the foundation of a CAG, you will get to pick your partners.” As the group was about to split into pairs, the Master Trainer stopped them.

“Wait,” he ordered. “I’m going to brief you on how your training will proceed from here.” There were a couple of embarrassed chuckles as the trainees resumed their places in formation. When everyone was back in line, Diamenes continued.

“Like I told you before, tolerance day is a representation of the training you’ll receive over the next ten months. Right now, you probably barely remember your experiences during your virtual training. However, as you learn in the field, those lessons will be revealed to you and your training will be cemented in mind and in body.”

He gave the group a satisfied smile. “Another pride of Imperial Intelligence is that your training takes place in the field. As a CAG, you will be given orders to various parts of the Empire to get hands on experience in each phase of training. Each CAG will be assigned to a Senior Agent in the field where you will assist them with their missions. Upon completion of each mission, you’ll return to Ceres for evaluation before embarking on your next challenge.”

The cohort had a subdued look on their faces. Kronos shared their worries. He didn’t feel prepared to work on behalf of the Empire. He knew that he wouldn’t be performing by himself, but he still felt like the training was haphazard. A single day of training didn’t feel like it was sufficient. Logically, he knew that he had been training for almost a standard imperial year, but it was hard to reconcile that with reality.

“Any questions?” Diamenes asked.

Scylla raised her hand first and Kronos was glad that he wasn’t the only one with questions.

“Yes Trainee Scythus?”

“Master Diamenes, what are the parameters of passing and failure.?” Her voice was soft but confident. Kronos got the impression of silk-covered steel. No one in this group was a coward, but neither were they stupid.

Diamese smiled at her question. “Passing and failing are the same as in every other intelligence operation. Either you succeed in the mission, or you die. The IID doesn’t keep failures around. If you fail or you die, we will have no further need of you.”

Kronos found himself nodding to the Master Trainer’s words. It made sense when he compared it to his experiences in the Empire. When he had killed the Imperial Agents that escorted him to Ceres, he hadn’t been punished, per say. Instead, he had been recruited. The Empire didn’t waste resources and it seemed that if a citizen didn’t live up to the Empire’s expectations, then it didn’t waste anything else on them.

“Anything else?” The Master Trainer asked.

No one raised their hand. Kronos still had a bunch of questions, but it didn’t seem appropriate to ask them. The rest of the cohort must have felt the same way.

“Good. Pick your CAGs,” Diamenes ordered.

The group immediately split up, and Zhang and Kronos made their way to each other. They had known each other longer than everyone else and it made sense to both of them. Zhang held out his hand and this time Kronos knew what he was expected to do. He shook the other mans hand and they shared a confident grin.

“You sure you can keep up?” Kronos teased the other trainee.

“You sure you can still wipe your ass?” Zhang quipped back.

Kronos was about to reply but an alert on his I-net interrupted him. Before he could check it, Diamenes was already explaining.

“You’ve gotten your orders, trainees. Report to the landing bay. Your rides are already waiting.”

His words were phrased as an order and over the last ten months in virtual the cohort had gotten used to following orders quickly and efficiently. Before his last word had fully reverberated through the bay, they were already scattering into a jog. Kronos and Zhang were moving just as quickly and they fell in together as they made their way to lift at the front of the bay.

“Where do you think we’re about to go?” Kronos wondered.

Zhang looked thoughtful. “If they had kept us separate, I would think that we’d be rotated through each posting for a month.”

He paused as they entered the lift with the rest of their cohort. Zhang lowered his voice as he picked up where they left off.

“However, now that we’re paired up, I think our training will be paired too. For example, combining weapons training with extreme environmental survival.” He tapped a finger to his chin as the lift took them toward the surface of the complex.

“I don’t know how many places the empire is currently in conflict, but I imagine they’ll keep us away from anything that might be a conflict of interest this early in our training.”

Kronos frowned at the theory. “So, we won’t be going to Europa or Ganymede.” He said sadly.

Zhang shook his head. “No, it isn’t likely. Not that it would do much good.” He said the last part like it was an afterthought.

“Still, I’d have liked to see my family.” Kronos echoed the sentiment.

Zhang gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll get through our training and then you’ll be able to see them again.” He made an ambiguous hand wave.

“All of this stuff is temporary. When we complete our training, we’ll be valuable to the Empire and they’ll restore our freedom and our families to us.”

Kronos wasn’t convinced but he dropped his voice to a whisper. “Don’t you want to—you know—do something about it?”

Zhang gave him a level stare. “Of course I do,” He answered just as quietly. “But ask yourself. Will you be able to do more as you are? Or as a fully trained Imperial operative?”

Their arrival saved Kronos from having to answer. The last time he had arrived on station, he was unconscious so he didn’t get to see what the landing bay looked like. He had a bizarre thought that made him laugh aloud.

Zhang shot him a look, “what’s funny?”

“I just realized that every time I’ve arrived in a new place, I’ve been unconscious.” He chuckled and Zhang laughed along. “Hopefully, it won’t happen again.”

Their lift reached their destination and Kronos stepped out and peered around with barely concealed awe. There were easily a hundred ships in various states of readiness. There were mechanics and technicians swarming over various vessels. Kronos could hear the sound of clanking metal, sizzling lasers, and shouted instructions. The entire bay smiled like grease, fuel, and body sweat. He found the din somewhat comforting. It felt like a living being instead of the artificial cleanliness of the rest of the base.

He focused on the ships nearest to him and let his I-net identify them for him. They were five Z11 Dorceus Class Scouting Vessels. It was the same sleek ship that he had arrived in. He had taken the time to study them and so he knew far more about them than he did before. All of the ships in the IIA’s stable were smaller than their fleet counterparts. The Dorceus class was crewed by two pilots, a navigation officer, a communications officer, and a dedicated intelligence analyst. It had enough cabins for the permanent crew with a small main cabin designed to seat a squad of Marines.

It was small, but had weapons and armor above it’s class. It’s full complement of weaponry consisted of two directed energy cannons, two wing-mounted missiles and two wing-mounted missile launchers. It was enough for it to punch above its weight, while its defenses kept it in the fight. It had two point defense currents, or PDTs, class two shielding, ablative armor, two chaff launchers, and an advanced tech package consisting of a class two cloak and jammer, and an onboard AI.

Now that Kronos was seeing it with new eyes, he marveled at how advanced the vessel was in comparison to other Imperial ships. His HUD directed him to the furthest one on the launch pad, so his CAG peeled for that one while the other trainees made their way to their own vessels.

The access ramp was already down when they reached the ship. Kronos noted the name of the ship as he boarded. It was The Unseen Observer, and he found that he liked the name. It was the same theme as all the other IID vessels on the slip.

The inside of the Observer was exactly the same as the ship he wrecked on the way in. Instead of guards, there were only the three crew members present in the main cabin. The pilots were already in the cockpit and Kronos felt the grav drives powering up on their arrival.

None of the crew greeted them, so Kronos and Zhang grabbed a couple seats in the center of the cabin and waited patiently. When they were strapped in, the door to the cockpit opened and one of the pilots entered.

Kronos took a good look at her when she walked over to them. She was nothing short of beautiful. She was nearly as tall as Kronos himself with long blonde hair that was plaited into small braids on the side of her. The top of her hair was pulled back into another braided tail. Her eyes were a perfect crystalline blue set within wide cheekbones on top of a defined jaw. Her skin was healthy and tanned. It was an unusual look for someone who was supposed to spend most of their time on a starship.

She scanned the two passengers and Kronos noticed that Zhang was studying her in turn. It seemed more than a casual glance. His body had stiffened and he looked like he wanted to leap up from his seat. After a moment, he gave Kronos a sidelong glance and then his body abruptly relaxed until he looked like he was lounging on a tropical beach somewhere. Kronos noted the peculiar behavior but dismissed it until he could analyze the reaction later.

“Welcome to the Observer,” she greeted Zhang with a suppressed smile. As she turned her gaze toward Kronos, he heard the access ramp closing behind them.

“Aren’t you a specimen,” she noted dryly.

Kronos coughed awkwardly since that was precisely what he had been thinking of the blonde.

“Not so bad yourself,” he coughed out, trying to recover.

She let the moment linger for a moment before continuing her introduction.

“My name is Astra Brand, and the Observer is at your service for the duration of your training.” Kronos noted her name. After being told that most Imperial citizens took Romanic names, he was always curious about individuals who hadn’t opted into the naming convention. He had a question, though.

“The entire duration of our training?” He questioned. “That seems excessive.”

Astra shrugged. “You’ll find that most CAGs have a dedicated ship. You two are still in training, but Imperial Intelligence likes to keep the training as realistic as possible.”

She paused as if just remembering something. “Still, we have some formalities to attend to before we lift off, I’ll be right back.”

Andros found himself watching her swaying hips as she walked toward the front of the ship. Zhang punched him in the arm. “You’re drooling meathead.”

Kronos just laughed and shrugged. “It’s been a while.”

His partner gave him a look, “from what you’ve told me it’s been like…. A couple weeks?”

Kronos sighed with mock despair, “yeah, but it felt like so much longer. Besides, didn’t I see you walk off with Brigitta after the virtual training?”

Zhang was still coughing like he had something stuck in his throat when Astra returned. She gave him a level look and Kronos imagined that she knew exactly what they had been talking.

Of course, that’s impossible. He assured himself.

“Alright boys, I’ve got some presents,” she said as she showed them the two syringes in her hand. Kronos winced. He had been poked and prodded with more needles than he had ever seen in his entire life.

Astra noticed his reaction, “Is the big bad intel operative afraid of needles?”

“Intel operative in training,” he corrected with a smile.

“Whatever,” she waved a hand. “We’re heading to the ass end of the universe and the intel docs said you need to get your shots.”

Zhang just shrugged and rolled up the left sleeve of his CCUs.

“See, he knows the process.” Astra commented.

She pricked Zhang through his biosuit and pressed the small button that dispensed the injection. When it was empty, she withdrew the needle and set the injector aside.

Kronos copied his partner’s movement and exposed his biosuit. Astra repeated the process and he hissed despite himself.

“That burns!” He exclaimed.

Both Zhang and Astra gave him odd looks. “Stop being a baby,” Astra reprimanded and Kronos shut his mouth despite the burning sensation suffusing his entire body. When the injector had fully dispensed its payload and Astra had withdrawn it, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, that’s that now we just have to—“

She paused as she heard the tell tale whine of the grav engines.

“Looks like we’re taking off.” She noted to herself before looking at the two trainees. “Any other questions?”

“Yeah,” Zhang answered. “Where are we going?”

Astra laughed lightly. “We’re going to the oldest joke in space.” She paused and looked at them expectantly. Kronos didn’t have any idea of what she was talking about but Zhang rolled his eyes.

“We’re going to Uranus,” he said flatly.

“Got it in one!” Astra declared. “Have fun boys, I’ve got to get back to the cockpit.” She started to walk away before throwing one last comment over her shoulder.

“By the way, don’t think this is a joy ride. Once we get close to Uranus, we’ve been ordered to give you both some stick time behind the controls of the Observer.”

Kronos frowned. He really didn’t like the way she said “stick time.” Or maybe he liked it too much. It was hard to tell with the woman. He didn’t want to encourage her so he stayed silent until they returned to the cockpit.

“I don’t know much about Uranus.” He stated to distract him from his own fantasies.

Zhang laughed. “Well, despite our conversation in the medbay, I’d like to keep it that way if it’s all the same to you.”

Kronos felt the heat on his face, and studiously ignored his partner’s comment. “What can you tell me about the planet?”

Zhang shrugged. “To be honest, I didn’t expect to be going there. The planet is a gas giant just like Neptune. Unlike Neptune, it doesn’t have a rocky core. The colonies there are basically massive orbiting stations.” Zhang stopped his explanation to think. “I think the most likely case is that we’ll be pairing extreme environmental survival with something like weapon familiarity. I don’t see how swimming, movement, strength conditioning, or agility would be useful on the planet.”

Kronos appreciated the brief explanation but he knew it wouldn’t be enough to be successful. He started pulling up everything he could find on the planet and displaying it on his HUD. He didn’t have long to learn as much as he possibly could before planetfall. The only thing he was excited about so far was the opportunity to pilot the Observer.

Oh yeah, that’s going to be a blast, He mused. His thoughts had nothing to do with the incredibly attractive pilot that he was sure to be in close proximity to.