Part 2 — The Hangar
The massive blast doors of Hangar One stood open.
Morning sunlight poured across the polished deck.
Eight military transports waited in perfect formation.
Their dark armored hulls gleamed beneath the Academy lights.
Ground crews moved efficiently between them.
Final inspections.
Core reactors.
Navigation crystals.
Flight systems.
Every transport was being prepared for departure.
The moment Gamma Squad entered the hangar...
June looked up at the nearest shuttle.
He let out a long sigh.
"...Man..."
"...I hate riding in these things."
David looked over.
"You'd rather take a Stargate?"
June stopped walking.
He slowly turned toward David.
"...Absolutely not."
David smiled.
"No?"
June pointed directly at him.
"The last time we took a Stargate..."
"...You broke it."
David laughed.
"I did not."
Nyra smiled.
"...It did collapse."
David looked at her.
"...You're supposed to be helping me."
"I am."
"...Just not with this."
Lucian folded his arms.
"The evidence does seem rather convincing."
David sighed dramatically.
"...That wasn't my fault."
June shook his head.
"I literally told you not to touch anything."
Castiel walked past them.
Without even looking over...
"...He did."
David stopped walking.
"Cass."
"...Seriously?"
Castiel shrugged.
"...I was on your side."
"...Right up until you broke the Stargate."
Even Mira smiled.
"...I remember thinking..."
"...'This probably isn't going to end well.'"
David looked around at all of them.
"So nobody's defending me?"
June grinned.
"...Nope."
"You brought this on yourself."
David simply shook his head.
"...One mistake."
Lucian corrected him.
"The Stargate would disagree."
Laughter spread through Gamma Squad.
Several nearby cadets from Alpha looked over, smiling.
Even Commander Vance glanced back briefly.
The corners of her mouth almost moved.
Almost.
Then the laughter slowly faded as they reached their assigned transport.
Unlike their first deployment...
No upperclassmen waited inside.
No veteran squad occupied the forward seats.
The side of the transport displayed a single designation.
**GAMMA**
June blinked.
"...Wait..."
He looked inside.
Then back at David.
Then inside again.
"...This one's ours."
Lucian stepped aboard first, scanning the interior.
"It appears so."
June climbed the boarding ramp.
Slowly turning in a full circle.
He spread both arms dramatically.
"...Would you look at that."
"No instructors."
"No upperclassmen."
"No one telling us where to sit."
He grinned.
"...We're finally moving up in the world."
Nyra laughed as she stepped aboard.
"I suppose we are."
Mira quietly secured her blades before taking a seat.
"...It feels different."
David looked around the transport.
Six seats.
Mission displays already active.
A holographic map of Kharos Vale rotated slowly above the center console.
There were no instructors anymore.
No one was going to make decisions for them.
This wasn't an Academy exercise.
This was Gamma Squad's transport.
Their mission.
Their responsibility.
Castiel stepped aboard last.
He glanced around the cabin before taking his usual seat across from David.
"...Enjoy it while it lasts."
June leaned back comfortably.
"...Already am."
Outside...
The transport's boarding ramp began to rise.
Hydraulic locks echoed through the cabin.
The hatch sealed with a heavy metallic thud.
For the first time...
Gamma Squad sat alone.
Not as cadets.
Not as students.
But as a squad entrusted with its own mission.
The overhead crystals shifted from white...
To amber.
A calm mechanical voice echoed throughout the cabin.
"Departure sequence initiated."
David looked around at the five people sitting with him.
His squad.
His friends.
His family.
He smiled.
"...Ready?"
Lucian answered first.
"Ready."
Nyra nodded.
"Ready."
Mira smiled softly.
"I'm ready."
Castiel looked across the cabin.
"...Let's go."
June rested his head against the seat.
"...As long as nobody touches any Stargates..."
David laughed.
"...I'm never living that down, am I?"
Five voices answered almost in unison.
"...No."
The transport engines came alive beneath their feet.
And slowly...
Gamma Squad lifted off.