The meeting continued for a while. After Argentos was done speaking, Aurora took over from him.
She took a long look at the fear-stricken cadets. Despite the lingering traces of dread visible on her own face, she began speaking words of encouragement to the crowd. She spoke of their strength as a unit and the necessity of their mission if they ever wanted to see their own world… or their families again.
When she was finished, the expressions on the faces of the cadets shifted. Their countenances brightened a bit, showing that she had been able to rekindle a spark of hope in them.
Even the expression on her own face brightened as she saw her words take hold. It was an imperceptible change at first, but the heavy atmosphere in the room began to lift.
