Seeing them, the young group felt somewhat more at ease, though still tense about the information that would soon be revealed. They lowered their weapons to listen to their superiors, who radiated authority and power.

“Young people, first of all, our apologies. The alarm system was triggered accidentally due to the arrival of the ACE ship Arthur and the National Guard ship Alicia at Silvermist,” explained the vice director.

The platinum-blonde man stepped forward to explain, and Lucas looked him up and down carefully. This was without a doubt the mysterious crush he had told Artemisa about. Where had he gotten that uniform if he had been wearing casual clothes? Lucas didn’t know, but he looked almost like a prince. The most funny part was when Artemisa look at Lucas with a cheeky smile because she knows the crush was him.

“We’ve temporarily restored wireless connections to come pick up the graduates who will be joining the Agency…” said the blonde, trailing off as he got lost in thought.

The youths exchanged confused looks at the blonde man’s clumsiness, and he just rubbed his temple before continuing:

“Anyway, the ACE,” he concluded, then resumed, “You have your results in your email, but my partner Irene has the list to speed things up. Those who are called must come with us. If you have any complaints or issues with the result, don’t bring them to me. I’m not to blame,” said the blonde man carelessly.

The vice director looked visibly annoyed by the lack of professionalism in this agent, who by his badge was an inspector. Just two levels below her.

The dark-skinned woman, Irene, began naming several graduates, including Lucas, Pascal, Luna, Tori, Artemisa, Orion, and Aqua. They received goodbyes and well wishes from their peers as they were called and joined the group standing in front of Vice Director Goryashko. She stared at Lucas for a long moment until he noticed, then smiled at him—Lucas returned the smile, slightly shy.

They walked down a silent, dark hallway, led by the two young inspectors and the vice director, while ACE soldiers flanked them. Behind them were two men and a woman dressed in tight white suits and white overcoats. These people, however, were expressionless in the rear.

“Why am I in investigations?” Pascal muttered under his breath. “I applied for the police…”

“Because you got rejected,” Aqua replied calmly.

Pascal looked around, taking the comment as offensive. But before he could respond, the blonde man at the front let out a loud laugh.

“Perfect, I love blunt people. You’re Neubauer, right?” the blonde guy asked Aqua.

Aqua seemed puzzled by the response:

“Yes, sir,” Aqua replied.

“Just call me Calisto or Cal. I’m your inspector and superior officer, and this is Irene, also an inspector. We’re fine with anything as long as you follow orders.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Irene De Santis and this is Calisto Gavrilnov,” said the dark-skinned woman, a bit more formally than her partner.

The youths accepted the introduction as they made their way outside. For some reason, Orion leaned toward Lucas and Pascal to whisper:

“Is it just me, or do they look like they just got out of prison?” she asked, concerned.

Orion didn’t whisper very quietly. She was known for being quite blunt with her thoughts. Surprisingly, the inspectors didn’t say anything, as if they hadn’t heard. Though to be fair, they did have a bit of a thug-like aura. Especially the blonde one, who walked the line of informality, though never rude.

“I don’t think so,” Lucas replied.

“If I end up on the same team as him, I’ll go insane,” muttered Pascal, glancing at Aqua.

Aqua heard that but didn’t seem to care, as if unaware of how poorly it came across.

Lucas remained silent. By now, he thought Aqua might not be a bad person—maybe just “awkward” and unaware of how to interact with others.

“Did you at least get placed where you wanted?” Pascal asked.

“Actually, yeah,” Lucas replied. “Getting into my first choice is a good thing.”

“I changed my mind in the auditorium. I think this’ll be more fun,” said Artemisa.

“Last year I considered applying to ACE,” added Luna.

“Great. So I’m the only idiot who got rejected by every option,” said Pascal, frustrated.

“I’d rather see you here than with the military police,” Lucas responded.

Lucas looked closely at Pascal, it was clear he was deeply upset. Being a military police officer and reforming the institution from within had been one of his dreams. That comment made Lucas feel like a bad friend. But in his heart, he knew Pascal would never be accepted by that institution, no matter how qualified or well-intentioned he was.

Pascal’s profile didn’t match the military police not because he lacked something, but because the organization lacked values.

“The police don’t protect us,” Lucas thought.

That phrase had been branded into him from a young age. So the trigger for this thought wasn’t just the earlier interrogation, it went much deeper and rooted in his early years. If not for the scholarship lottery, he wouldn’t have even considered the military academy.

Lucas quickly patted his friend on the back.

“It’s better this way. Trust me,” he said.

Lucas didn’t know how to explain his perspective without provoking a reaction or causing more frustration. Meanwhile, Tori walked like a zombie because apparently, she hadn’t slept at all that night.

“I don’t want this. I need an explanation. What do you mean we have to leave now? I’m not going anywhere until I talk to the director and he tells me personally why I didn’t get into the police,” insisted Pascal.

“Pascal…” Luna tried to get his attention, she didn’t need more context to understand what was happening.

“When they interrogated you, did you say you wanted to join the police?” Artemisa asked. “I heard them say really nasty things about Latinos who want to apply.”

Lucas gave Artemisa a disapproving look. Her lack of filter wasn’t helping. It wasn’t the right time to say those things when Pascal’s emotions were already flaring. Still, Pascal went from disappointment, to anger, and finally to sadness.

“Accusing someone of discrimination is serious in this day and age—there has to be another reason. They can’t be that…” said Pascal, pained.

“They absolutely can,” said Luna. “Sorry, Pascal. But clinging to the idea of joining the police is a waste of time.”

Pascal clenched his fists as he walked.

“You don’t get it, Luna!” Pascal shouted. “I just want to know what I was missing!”

The people in white at the rear were startled and looked confused at Pascal’s outburst. Just like the vice director and the inspectors, who unintentionally created a very awkward moment.

“You weren’t missing anything, Pascal! That’s my point,” insisted Luna.

“Don’t go all motivational on me now! That’s the last thing I want to hear,” Pascal tried to mentally block Luna out.

“Pascal! You’re a Díaz! I’m a Martinez! Lucas is a Marilef! The military police are Beckman, Muller, Durand, Miller, Lincoln…” Luna looked at him with sadness. “It’s not that you’re lacking something… it’s that we’d never make it there, not even with a scholarship would they want us. That’s not our place. We belong to the Latin ghettos…”

Pascal sighed and zipped his lips shut, realizing everyone was now looking at him in disbelief. Lucas knew Luna was right: when had they ever seen a Latino in the military police? None of the three even had a relative who’d been fortunate enough to become a cop. Not to mention, they barely spoke enough basic Spanish to communicate with those in the Latin ghetto.

“So much effort and work… just to be rejected for something like this?” said Pascal, on the verge of breaking down.

“You’re the only one who can actually do things right in that place. Come on, maybe we don’t share your dream, but you’ve got us and a giant spaceship waiting for you,” said Lucas, trying to stay positive.

“Well, between this and desertion, it’s obvious which one I’m going with,” sighed Pascal.

Once they stepped outside, they saw a giant, imposing ship floating near the building, unable to touch the ground due to its massive size.