Season 1, Episode 6: "The Final Gauntlet"

The Final Gauntlet was not a simulation. It was a 24-hour survival exercise on the moon of Aegis-Prime—a place consisting entirely of jagged rocks, freezing fog, and "Shadow-Stalkers," which were essentially wolves made of spite and sharp angles.

"This is it," Vane barked, his breath frosting in the thin atmosphere. "The mission is simple: Reach the extraction beacon on the other side of the Sulfur Flats. No instructors. No safety nets. Just you, your Link-Pad, and your squad. Succeed, and you graduate. Fail, and you’re a permanent part of the local ecosystem."

John, Kael, and Sarah were dropped off at Waypoint Zero. The fog was so thick John couldn't see his own boots.

"Okay," Kael said, checking his map. "The beacon is three miles East. If we keep a steady pace, we'll—"

CRACK-BOOM.

A bolt of purple lightning struck a nearby spire. In the flash, John saw them: a dozen Shadow-Stalkers, their eyes glowing like dying embers, circling the squad.

"Run!" Sarah yelled.

The squad sprinted into the fog. John’s lungs burned. He could hear the clicking of claws on stone right behind him. He reached for his Link-Pad, desperate for a defensive turret, but his fingers were numb from the cold. He tried to punch in the code for a "Tesla Fence," but his thumb slipped on the frost-covered screen.

Up, Down, Right, Right, Down.

"AUTOMATED CAMPING AMENITIES DEPLOYED," his wrist chirped.

A pod slammed into the ground between John and the Stalkers. It didn't sprout guns. It didn't explode. It hissed open to reveal a pop-up reinforced tent, a self-heating coffee pot, and a small, solar-powered "Welcome" mat.

"A tent?!" Kael screamed, sliding to a halt. "John, you called in a campsite?!"

"The buttons are frozen!" John wailed.

The Shadow-Stalkers stopped, confused by the sudden appearance of a brightly colored nylon structure and the smell of fresh hazelnut roast. One of the beasts sniffed the "Welcome" mat. It seemed offended by the hospitality.

"Wait," John said, seeing the creatures hesitate. "The coffee pot! It’s pressurized!"

He grabbed the self-heating carafe and threw it at the Alpha Stalker. The pot hit a rock and detonated in a spray of scalding liquid and caffeine. The beasts, unaccustomed to the aggressive aroma of a medium roast, scattered back into the fog.

"Move! While they're confused by the breakfast blend!" Sarah grabbed John’s arm.

They ran for hours, navigating by the faint glow of the extraction beacon. But as they reached the Sulfur Flats, a new obstacle appeared: an automated "Sovereign Gate." It was a massive steel barrier left over from a previous war, and it required a Command Code that only a commissioned officer possessed.

"We're stuck," Kael groaned, slumped against the cold metal. "We don't have the rank to open this. We’re going to fail because of a locked door."

John looked at the gate, then at his Link-Pad. He wasn't an officer, but he was very good at making the system think he was someone else. He remembered the "Admin Override" from the VR simulation.

"I have an idea," John said. "If I can't open it, I'll make the ship think the gate is an enemy."

He didn't use an attack code. He used the "Orbital Survey" code—usually used to take pictures of terrain—but he mashed the Down button three times at the end to "Enhance Resolution."

"HIGH-INTENSITY PHOTON SCAN INITIATED," the sky roared.

A beam of light, so bright it turned the night into noon, slammed down from the High Sentry. It wasn't a weapon, but the "High-Intensity Scan" was so powerful it physically melted the hinges of the gate.

The massive doors groaned and fell forward with a deafening THUD.

"That... that shouldn't have worked," Sarah whispered.

They scrambled over the ruins of the gate and hit the extraction beacon just as the sun began to rise. A recovery shuttle descended, its searchlights cutting through the mist.

The Promotion

Back on the High Sentry, the squad stood in the grand hall. Vane was there, looking over a data pad with a look of pure exhaustion.

"Recruits," Vane started. "The mission was a mess. You lost your gear. You weaponized coffee. You broke a historical landmark."

John hung his head.

"However," Vane continued, "the system log shows that Recruit John accessed the Sovereign Gate using a 'Class-A Environmental Resolution.' According to the United Systems Military Code, Section 12-C: 'Any non-officer who successfully utilizes an Orbital Asset to bypass a Command-Level obstacle shall be recognized as an Acting Tactical Consultant to avoid the paperwork involved in a court-martial for unauthorized use of a satellite.'"

Vane stepped forward and pinned a small, slightly crooked bronze pin to John’s chest. It featured a picture of a shield and, oddly, a small wrench.

"Congratulations, John. You are now a Lead-Junior Sub-Associate. It is the lowest rank in the Vanguard that is legally allowed to wear a cape. It’s also the only rank that doesn't come with a salary."

Vane handed John a small, stiff piece of black fabric. It was barely three feet long—more of a "napkin" than a cape—but to John, it was everything.

"Sir!" John saluted, his cape snagging on his Link-Pad immediately. "Ready for my first real mission, sir!"

Vane looked at John, a single tear of frustration in his eye. "Heaven help the galaxy."