I dream of vast, interconnected spaces—not the organic tunnels of the Nexari colony, but something even more intricate. A network of minds stretching across the darkness of space, points of light connected by threads of consciousness. I'm drifting through this web, searching for something... or someone. A particular light that feels like an echo of my own.

  Just as I think I've found it, a sharp chime cuts through the dream, dissolving the web of lights. I jerk awake, momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings. Officer quarters. Border Command vessel. Right.

  "Attention all personnel," a voice announces over the ship-wide comm system. "Preparing for final approach to Outpost Helios. Secure all stations for docking procedures."

  I swing my legs over the side of the bed, rubbing my face with both hands. Despite the exhaustion of yesterday's training session, I feel surprisingly alert. The constant pressure in my mind seems to have settled into a background hum, still present but less distracting.

  The door chimes, then slides open to reveal Lieutenant Voss, already in full uniform despite the early hour.

  "Good, you're awake," she says briskly. "We dock in thirty minutes. Shower, dress, and meet me in Corridor B for escort to the observation deck."

  I raise an eyebrow. "Observation deck? Not another lab or briefing room?"

  The corner of her mouth twitches upward. "Admiral's orders. He wants you to see Helios in all its glory before we bring you in. Makes for a better first impression than a medical bay."

  There's something she's not saying, but I don't press. After yesterday's revelations, I'm learning to pick my battles.

  "Thirty minutes," I confirm, already heading for the shower.

  By the time I meet Voss in Corridor B, I've managed to make myself presentable in the civilian clothes provided. She gives me an approving nod, then leads the way through the ship to a section I haven't visited before.

  The observation deck is a large, semi-circular room with a transparent dome offering an unobstructed view of space. It's empty except for us and a pair of security officers positioned discreetly by the entrance. Evidently, the Admiral still doesn't fully trust me with my newfound abilities.

  "We're just coming into visual range now," Voss says, gesturing toward the dome.

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  I move closer to the transparent barrier, looking out into the void. At first, I see nothing but distant stars and the endless black of space. Then a shape begins to resolve itself against that darkness—a structure so vast that my brain initially refuses to process its scale.

  Outpost Helios isn't a station in the conventional sense. It's an entire planetoid, converted and expanded into a massive complex. The natural rock at its core is barely visible beneath layers of architecture—docking bays, research facilities, habitation rings, and defense systems. The entire structure rotates slowly, creating artificial gravity through centrifugal force. Solar collection arrays extend outward like massive wings, gathering energy from the system's distant star.

  "That's... not what I was expecting," I admit, awestruck despite myself.

  "Helios is Border Command's most advanced research facility," Voss explains, coming to stand beside me. "Built into a captured asteroid, hidden in a system with no habitable planets to attract attention. It's been continuously expanded and upgraded for over fifty years."

  "All to study the Nexari?"

  "Among other things," she says cryptically. "Over three thousand personnel are stationed here—scientists, military, support staff. Some of the most brilliant minds in human space."

  As our ship draws closer, I can make out more details—the intricate network of docking arms, defense turrets positioned at strategic intervals, shuttle craft moving between different sections like blood cells in a vast organism.

  "Why show me this?" I ask, turning to face Voss. "Why not just transfer me directly to whatever lab they've prepared?"

  She meets my gaze steadily. "Because Admiral Thorn wants you to understand the resources at stake. The commitment Border Command has made to understanding and countering the Nexari threat." She pauses. "And because in about ten minutes, you're going to meet the other sixteen."

  My heart skips a beat. "The other people who resisted assimilation?"

  She nods. "Most of them, anyway. Fourteen are currently stationed at Helios. One died years ago in an unrelated incident. And one..." she hesitates, "one chose a different path."

  Before I can ask what she means by that, the ship's engines shift tone as we begin final docking procedures. The view through the dome shows one of the larger docking arms extending toward us, guiding our vessel into a berth designed for military craft.

  "What are they like?" I ask, suddenly nervous about meeting others who share my unique resistance. "The fourteen at Helios."

  "Varied," Voss replies. "Different abilities, different personalities, different reactions to what happened to them. Some have integrated well into Border Command's structure. Others..." she shrugs, "others have had a harder time adjusting."

  "And which category do you fall into, Lieutenant?"

  A small smile crosses her face. "I've managed to make myself useful. That's all any of us can hope for."

  There's a subtle shift as the ship locks into place at the docking arm. Gravity adjusts slightly as we transition from the vessel's artificial system to the station's rotational force.

  "Come on," Voss says, turning toward the exit. "They're waiting."