Beatrice drew in a steady breath, the tension leaving her chest. The mandibles in both her hands clicked softly as she slid them back into their sheath.
She turned on her heels, the plates along her legs brushing faintly, and walked toward the two figures lying in the cavern.
Nova's armor was streaked with dirt, her face and exoskeleton showing only light scratches beneath the dust.
Ari's exoskeleton was marked with bruises and shallow cuts; a thin line of dried blood traced along the edge of his chest.
Nova turned her gaze aside, guilt clouding her eyes.
Beatrice raised her hand and gave a firm chop to the top of her head. The sharp clack of armor against hair echoed faintly through the cavern.
"That hurt!"
Nova rubbed the spot, fingers moving through her tangled hair as she winced.
Beatrice stood over her, posture straight. Her mandibles at her side shifted slightly against their sheathes.
"What you did was reckless. You risked the lives of your squad by acting without permission and disobeying orders. It nearly cost you your life."
Her voice stayed even, but her antennae lowered, brushing faintly forward—a restrained sign of anger and trying to mask worry.
Nova's antennae drooped, their tips trembling faintly. Shame and embarrassment weighed on her face as she kept her gaze low.
She's right… my actions nearly cost us the mission. I only wanted to prove myself, but all I did was make things worse. I couldn't even help… I was just a burden to everyone.
Her fingers curled tight against her thigh, joints creaking softly. A thin gloss gathered in her eyes, and her breath came unsteady as she tried to hold it back.
Beatrice's gaze lingered on Nova for a moment before she drew in a slow breath, her chest rising and falling faintly.
"However… if it wasn't for your actions, we wouldn't have known that a centipede was lurking in these tunnels dug by the earthworms."
Her eyes lowered briefly to the ground, dust still hanging in the air around them.
"That might have led to all of us being caught off guard—likely casualties."
She paused, her fingers brushing the sheath at her side before relaxing her grip.
"You held your own, Private Nova… against a creature ranked at Corporal threat."
Her voice steadied again, quieter but clear. "You should be proud."
Beatrice's antennae lifted slightly as she spoke, the faintest sign of approval showing through the restraint.
Nova's eyes widened, surprise flickering across her face at Beatrice's words.
She pushed herself up slowly, dirt clinging to her armor and streaking across her arms. Fatigue weighed on her legs, and she stumbled once before steadying her stance.
"Thank you… Corporal Beatrice."
Her voice came out soft, uneven. She raised one hand in salute while the other brushed quickly at the corner of her eye, smearing a trace of dirt as she wiped away her tears.
Beatrice's gaze dipped toward Ari before returning to Nova. Her expression stayed composed, voice steady but edged with authority.
"Relief does not remove responsibility. You will be punished for what happened today, but take that punishment as a lesson—learn from it."
She let the words hang a moment, eyes drifting once more to Ari on the ground, then fixed on Nova with steady calm.
Come on, Beatrice. Don't be too harsh on the child.
Quinn stepped closer, the faint scrape of her chitin against the cavern floor marking her approach.
Nova's mandible blades rested in her grasp, faint traces of dried fluid still clinging to the edges.
As a private, she stood her ground. Imagine the fear she must have felt, yet she still fought without retreat. Give her some credit.
She extended the blades toward Nova. The younger soldier received them carefully, fingers trembling from exhaustion as the weight settled into her palms.
Quinn reached out, her chitin-covered hand resting lightly on Nova's head, brushing through strands of hair.
Do not strain yourself. Rest for now. You've done enough.
Yes, Corporal Quinn.
Nova exhaled, the sound uneven as her knees bent and she lowered herself to the ground.
A faint tremor ran through her frame, breath shallow as the ache of battle finally caught up to her.
She drew in another slow breath, letting her body ease against the cold dirt.
Beatrice stepped closer, the faint clack of her heels against the stone marking her approach.
Her shadow fell over Ari as she looked down at him.
You look terrible. Though, I can't recall a single battle where you didn't end up this way.
What can I say… that thing was seriously tough.
Ari let out a tired laugh, pushing himself up from the ground. His chitin scraped faintly against the stone as he moved.
No matter how many times I hit it with my mandibles, I couldn't even leave a mark. But you and Corporal Quinn slashed through its armor with ease.
Well, our rank reflects that. We're Corporals.
Beatrice's tone carried a calm certainty as she folded her arms, the faint creak of her exoskeleton audible in the quiet.
"It grants us the strength we need—and we've been trained in combat since we were young. We know how to handle our weapons properly."
Her gaze shifted toward the fallen centipede's remains.
"And besides… this one was a Lithobius forficatus species. Not among the stronger types."
I see.
Ari muttered the words under his breath, eyes drifting toward the cavern floor.
Since I just appeared in their world, I haven't really learned much about their combat techniques or the fighting styles they've trained in since they were young. Maybe I need to work on that… so I'll be better prepared.
One hand lifted, fingers tapping lightly against his cheek as the thought lingered.
Beatrice stared at him for a moment longer before turning her gaze aside, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her mandibles.
I finally have some insight into this ant's limit. But… he was the first to react, even before that centipede burst out of the ground.
Her antennae twitched faintly as the memory replayed.
He didn't hesitate when the ground gave way and took Nova down with it—he jumped in after her without a second thought.
A quiet breath escaped her.
And he fought the creature… managed to do some damage. Looking at him now, it's clear he was protecting Nova. That's why he ended up like this.
Her gaze shifted toward the scattered debris littering the cavern floor—jagged holes and shallow craters marked where the centipede had torn through the earth. Dust still hung faintly in the air, clinging to the edges of her breath.
I'm certain he already figured it out—the real reason for the disturbance. The tunnels weren't dug because the worms were searching for warmth like we assumed. The earthworms were trying to escape the centipede, not the cold. It was hunting them for food source.
Beatrice's gaze lingered once more on the damage scattered across the cavern floor—the uneven terrain, the jagged holes, the dull craters where the centipede's weight had pressed into the earth. Dust hung faintly in the air, each breath pulling its dry taste into her chest.
A memory surfaced, drifting up from somewhere deep beneath thought.
Valeria's quarters. The room had been dim but alive with soft light from clusters of bioluminescent fungi that grew along the walls and ceiling.
Their pale glow glinted softly off her exoskeleton, casting shifting hues across her frame. The air had been still, filled only with the distant hum of workers moving through the deeper tunnels of the colony.
Valeria stood at the center of the room, her posture straight, her antennae tilted slightly forward.
"I apologize for the sudden meeting, Lieutenant Brooks, Corporal Lily, and Beatrice. The reason I summoned you is simple. I want you all to test the soldiers I'm training—to see how far they've come through combat."
Valeria's voice had carried no edge of hesitation. Her tone was calm, each word measured.
"Okie dokie, Commander," Lily replied with a small grin, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. Her antennae twitched once in amusement.
Brooks adjusted his stance, folding his hands in front of him, a faint, knowing smile on his lips.
"Well now… if these recruits came out of your training regiment, Commander, I'd say this ought to be interesting."
Beatrice stood at attention, arms folded loosely behind her back.
"Though I'm training soldiers of my own, I suppose I can test their strength," she had answered then, her voice quiet but even.
The memory shifted.
The training ground came into focus—a broad expanse on the surface just outside the colony.
Boulders of varying sizes were scattered across one side, and a steep vertical ridge loomed beyond them.
She remembered the day clearly—the day she ambushed and fought Ari.
He had moved differently from the others. His stance was uncertain at first, yet every motion carried purpose.
When he lunged, his whole frame followed through, his technique still rough but his speed undeniable—mandibles driving forward with a force that made the air tighten around them.
The strike connected. The impact pushed her a step back, her balance slipping for an instant. She steadied herself, her arm trembling faintly from the blow.
Then his mandibles came again—a controlled motion, angled precisely toward the gap at her throat.
"Stop!" Valeria's voice rang out.
Ari halted at once. His mandibles froze, their points hovering a finger's width from her neck.
The tension in his arms was visible, his breath drawn but steady.
The air stirred from the force of his halted strike, brushing past her leaf-woven cloak. The hood slipped back just enough to reveal her face.
Beatrice remembered the silence that followed—Ari's eyes locked on hers, clear and focused, not reckless.
Even now, standing in the ruined cavern, she could still recall that same steady look.
That day, I underestimated him—and I learned my mistake the hard way.
He wasn't stronger, and his technique wasn't refined. It was his speed—so sharp and relentless that I couldn't keep up.
Beatrice's antennae twitched faintly as the memory resurfaced, her chest tightening at the thought.
Ari's voice broke through her thoughts, calm but edged with concern.
"What about the earthworms above us—and the other Lance Corporals who came on the mission?"
His brows drew together slightly as his antennae shifted forward, watching her for an answer.
"We already slew the remaining earthworms in the tunnels above. The two soldiers are there now, marking the carcasses that are safe for collection."
Beatrice's voice stayed even, her antennae lowered slightly while her eyes narrowed with focus.
"That's good."
Ari exhaled, tension easing from his brow as his shoulders loosened.
"Also… thank you for saving us, Corporal Beatrice."
His eyes lifted toward her, earnest beneath the dim light.
"I did what any soldier would have done."
Beatrice crossed her arms, her jaw tightening briefly as her antennae gave a faint twitch before settling again.
"Now that our mission is complete, we should move out as soon as possible and return to the colony to make our report."
Beatrice's tone carried quiet authority, her gaze steady as she turned toward the others.
Corporal Quinn stepped forward, her antennae twitching once as she crouched beside Ari.
"Let me patch up your wounds."
She reached into the small bundle slung at her side—a makeshift pouch woven from leaves and thin strips of bark.
The faint rustle of foliage filled the air as she drew out several broad leaves, their surface damp with sap.
She pressed one gently over the shallow cut along Ari's chest, the cool touch making him tense briefly before relaxing.
Then she turned toward Nova, carefully wrapping another strip of leaf around the wound at the side of her head, her movements precise and practiced.
"This leaf doesn't have healing properties, but it'll soothe the pain until we return to the colony where you can be properly treated."
Quinn's voice was calm, her focus never leaving her work as she tightened the final wrap.
"Thank you, Corporal Quinn."
Nova spoke softly, her eyes flicking toward Ari.
He sat upright, composed, his antennae lowering to hide the strain that lingered in his features.
He drew in a slow breath, steadying it, his expression calm though his jaw twitched slightly.
Now I understand why they all hold him in such regard, Nova thought, her gaze steady on Ari.
It's not only his potential—he stays composed, thinks clearly, even when wounded. There's a sharpness in his eyes in how he reads every moment, every threat.
Her antennae twitched faintly as she watched him adjust his posture, masking the tremor still running through his arm.
He's strategic—the kind of soldier others naturally follow.
Ari caught her staring. His brows lifted slightly, but he said nothing.
Nova blinked, heat creeping into her cheeks as she turned her head away, pretending to adjust the wrap around her wound.
Her antennae lowered faintly, betraying her fluster even as she tried to steady her breathing.
The group moved in steady formation, their steps measured and cautious as they passed through the opening that led toward the surface.
Loose soil shifted beneath their feet as they entered the crater tunnel carved out by the earthworms' collapse.
They followed the sloping path upward, intent on regrouping with the rest of their squad.
But unbeknown to them, high above the tunnel's mouth, the air began to keen—a sharp, unnatural whistle cutting through the stillness.
A moment later, the sound broke into a heavy, wet crunch that rolled through the darkness, then faded, leaving only silence in its wake.