Author's Preface
Peter perked up when he heard they were going to Kudos and pumped his fists.
"Yes! We're going to an alien world!" he said with a grin.
Jaylia breathed a sigh of relief and wiped some subtle tears from her eyes.
"...I... I thought we were gonna get taken away forever and probed by aliens. Thank heavens."
She paused, remembering something Delo had said.
"...Wait, you said there were others. Like other people going to Kudos."
The three of them glanced at each other. Delo and Zimmer exchanged subtle smiles.
"Yep, that's exactly right. Come with me," Delo said as he led them into a nearby room.
The room was nearly completely white, with only a table and a few chairs lined up. Sitting down were two DETA operatives.
The first was a young girl of Latin descent chewing bubble gum far too aggressively while playing on some type of device. Her dark hair was tied into a ponytail, and she wore sleek black tactical gear.
The other was a young alien with short white hair and relatively pale skin. Small faint threads could be seen going across his skin, giving him a bit of contrast. He wore a sleek red jacket with the DETA logo on it along with tactical gear. He was just sitting there looking up at the ceiling with headphones over his ears.
The young girl looked up and put down the device.
"Took you long enough, Director."
She immediately rose to her feet and began circling the three of them.
"So these are the criminals huh. Immortal time criminals."
Peter followed her around as she paced around them.
"Well we kinda had no control over any of it so..."
The boy slowly took off his headphones and looked over.
"So you're saying you didn't spend months helping an interdimensional alien and a Kudonian build a time machine?"
"Well..."
Delo sighed deeply and clasped his hands together.
"Well, I see you guys are as lively as ever. Rowlo, Jaylia, Peter... I would like you to meet two of our best operatives."
He gestured over at them.
"This is Mindy. She is 18 years old and is the main subject and success of the enhanced program. In other words, she's a full-blown supersoldier whose raw strength can rival, or even surpass, some immortals."
Mindy flexed one of her biceps and grabbed onto it with her other hand with a wide grin on her face.
"That's right. Strongest mortal human there is, right here."
"And this young man is Vero. He is a Kartrexian from... well, Katrexa. Despite being only 19 years old, he's performed better than countless older operatives, mainly due to his excellent command of his foosoo, which allows him control over strings and threads."
"Yep... that's me. Nice to meet yall I guess."
"The five of you together will journey to Kudos on a secret reconnaissance mission for the retrieval of Solomon, the Sprisen," Delo continued.
Rowlo stopped and chuckled a bit.
"You mean to tell me your best operatives are a bunch of teenagers?"
Vero squinched up his face, clearly annoyed.
"Hey, I'll have you know on Katrexa my age is considered a full-fledged adult."
Delo looked over at Vero, then back over at Rowlo and sighed.
"I said some of, not my best. You all are teenagers who've been thrown into impossible situations. We have older operatives stationed on Kudos already, but the Kudonians would see them coming."
Mindy pouted a bit and sat down angrily.
"Age doesn't make someone strong!"
"True, but I can't say I expected this," Rowlo admitted before turning toward Delo.
"Dad, honestly, the three of us were gonna go anyway. You don't need to endanger anyone else."
Vero and Mindy glared angrily at Rowlo.
"Huh? Who said we're being endangered? Tch... we should probably be saying that about you guys," Vero scoffed.
"Quiet!" Zimmer snapped, growing irritated by the back and forth.
The room immediately fell silent.
"It's not up to a single one of you in here." Zimmer looked directly at Rowlo and the others. "The three of you, Rowlo and company... either you cooperate, or we put you in a Kudonian prison for immortals. And guess what? They lock up immortals for way longer due to their lifespan... so unless you wanna be in prison for the next five thousand years, shut up!"
Zimmer then turned toward Vero and Mindy.
"And as for you two, you should know better. Follow orders and follow your mission as usual!"
Vero and Mindy immediately saluted.
"YES SIR, SORRY SIR!" they said in unison.
Rowlo looked down, contemplating his response.
"Sorry, it's just after everything that happened, I thought..."
"You thought nothing, kiddo." Delo's expression hardened slightly. "You broke the rules, so now this is what we have to do. I love ya, kid, but I can't protect you forever."
"I think I'll pass on the five thousand years, thank you!" Jaylia cut in.
"Yeah, sounds boring as hell," Peter added.
"Anyhow, enough of that," Delo continued. "The five of you will be traveling to Kudos using Rowlo's ship, which will be legally returned to Rowlo and his crew due to you all being registered as DETA operatives now."
Rowlo blinked in confusion.
"Huh? DETA operatives...?"
"It's the only way for you three to legally be off world, so just roll with it. I'll give you your badges later," Delo explained.
"Hmm, okay... it's the Eternia, by the way. The ship, it's the Eternia."
"Ah, okay then. Good, because we'll need that for the registration." Delo gestured toward the exit. "Now then, follow me, everyone."
Delo led them through the compound, passing countless strange departments performing bizarre experiments and other things they couldn’t understand. Eventually, they approached an area of the compound that was emptier than the rest.
There was a wide indoor field seemingly used for training exercises. Residential quarters lined the surrounding walls alongside a plethora of other facilities.
Mindy folded her arms, looking annoyed.
"Why did you just take us back here?"
"Because this is the new home of our brand-new operatives as well," Delo explained. "Rowlo, you and your crew will use this place as a base of operations. It has everything you could need. Our field operatives stay here in between missions."
Jaylia walked forward and looked around, slightly dismayed.
"Wait, so... are we never going back home? My parents are probably looking for me."
Peter raised his hand slightly.
"Same here. I'd like to go home. My family is already probably gonna kill me for being gone this long."
"You can call home, but due to the confidential nature of the work done here, you must remain here for the time being." Delo's face grew stern. "It isn't a choice. DETA has already contacted your parents, letting them know you've been involved in a 'terrorist attack' and are safe. We will be keeping tabs on your whereabouts, and if for any reason we lose contact, we will assume that you have forfeited your immunity and will be arrested per protocol."
"Tch... Dad, you'd arrest your own son?" Rowlo asked.
Delo stared at him for a moment.
"I believe I raised you not to be foolish. Now then, get comfortable and get some rest. The full debrief will be tomorrow."
Delo and Zimmer walked off, quietly discussing something amongst themselves as their voices slowly faded into the distance.
Now it was just the five of them.
Mindy turned toward the group, her expression slightly softer than before.
"Honestly, I'm sorry you guys have to go through this... it's been pretty much the same for me since I was about ten actually."
Vero shrugged.
"Eh, not me. I chose to be here. Only humans can't legally be off world anyway. I can do what I want. Pay and stuff is good here though."
Vero started walking off toward the kitchen area.
Rowlo raised his hand slightly toward him.
"Wait... why can't humans know? Why can't we join the other worlds?"
"Something to do with a treaty your race made with Kudos like five thousand years ago. Pretty stupid if you ask me."
Vero waved dismissively as he continued walking away.
"Humanity is new..." Mindy said after a long pause.
"At least according to the stories. They say our species has existed on Earth for longer than we even know, but our civilization is only like five or six thousand years old. The Kudonian Empire alone is millions of years old."
"So is it to protect our development or something? I don't understand," Rowlo responded, confused.
Mindy shrugged.
"I guess blame our ancestors or something. All I know is as long as the Kudonian Empire exists, the treaty will stay in force."
"Welp... that sucks," Peter muttered disappointedly.
Jaylia let out a long breath and stretched her arms.
"Well whatever, at this point I just need a bath. I'm so tired of all this."
Mindy smiled and grabbed Jaylia by the hand.
"Yes girl, let me show you around!"
Meanwhile, on Kudos...
Inside the Kudonian palace, Solomon sat alone within a prison cell. A strange black energy formed a barrier around it, pulsing faintly through the air.
Solomon sat quietly in the corner, deep in thought, as a Kudonian man entered the chamber. Like most Kudonians, he had red hair, though his was styled elegantly. Jewels adorned his expensive royal robe, and an overwhelming aura of authority surrounded him.
Solomon immediately noticed the man approaching.
"Ah, great emperor of Kudos," Solomon said sarcastically. "Have you come to annoy me further?"
The emperor glared at him with visible irritation before walking closer to the cell.
"...I know you let yourself get caught, Solomon the Sprisen... but why?"
Solomon slowly stood and approached the edge of the barrier.
"Huh... you Kudonians have gotten strong. It's honestly insane, you know," Solomon said mockingly.
"A Sprisen could not have been defeated so easily. We had five hundred warships waiting for you in orbit, and you surrendered after encountering the first one. What a disgrace."
"We Sprisen are getting weaker..." Solomon admitted as he slowly paced around the cell.
"Our connection to this universe grows thinner with time. But still... five hundred warships isn't fair."
He looked directly at the emperor and grinned.
"For you guys. Just think about how many soldiers would've died if I actually fought back."
"How foolish..." the emperor muttered.
"Tch... then why?!" the emperor suddenly shouted.
Solomon's expression calmed slightly.
"Perhaps there are more important things, don't you think?"
The emperor narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm... either way, we've been studying you. Soon enough we'll gain access to your kind's power."
"And then what?" Solomon asked. "You'll blow Kuso out of the sky? Destroy every world that sides with him?"
The emperor paused, his expression growing somber.
"We are at war, Solomon. And if not us, then Kuso would attempt to use your power instead."
"I've seen many wars, emperor..." Solomon said quietly. "And no one wins in war. Everyone always believes they're right."
Solomon sat back down with a sigh.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face from cheek to cheek.
"A new era has arrived, your majesty..." Solomon said softly. "I can only hope you'll play a part."