Caden stepped into the locker room near the hangar, the noise already different from the rest of HQ, louder, sharper, more focused. Soldiers moved with purpose, gearing up, checking weapons, adjusting armor.
A few of them noticed him.
One smirked. "Heard you're running with Voltron."
Another shook his head. "Man… you might wanna look into those new cybernetic limbs. You're gonna need 'em."
Caden rolled his eyes, grabbing his gear. "Yeah, yeah… real funny."
But even as he said it, there was a small knot in his stomach.
He finished suiting up and made his way into the hangar.
Voltron was already there.
And behind him,
A ship.
Not just any ship.
Sleek. Blacked out. Built like a weapon more than a transport.
Caden slowed a little. "…That yours?"
Voltron didn't look back. "Every Vanguard member gets a custom ship."
Caden let out a quiet wow as he followed him up the ramp.
Inside, it was even crazier, weapon racks lined the walls. Plasma rifles, heavy weapons, gear he didn't even recognize. Everything was organized, ready.
This wasn't a ride.
This was a mobile war zone.
They launched within seconds.
The trip was quick, silent. Then the ship broke through atmosphere and landed on a barren desert planet, nothing but sand, rock, and heat stretching for miles.
Voltron stepped out first. "Stay close."
Caden followed, scanning the empty landscape. "You weren't kidding…"
Voltron slammed his foot into the ground.
A pulse rippled outward, an invisible wave spreading through the sand.
"Movement detected," Voltron said. "We're close."
They moved forward, weaving through rock formations.
After a moment, Caden spoke again. "So… why not become a Great?"
Voltron didn't hesitate. "Not everyone wants that."
Caden raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Too much politics. Too much sitting," Voltron replied flatly. "I'm built for the field."
Caden nodded slowly. "Yeah… that makes sense."
Voltron stopped.
"Focus."
They reached a jagged rock formation.
Voltron stepped forward and fired a shot—BOOM—blasting open a hidden section of rock and revealing a bunker door underneath.
He kicked it in like it weighed nothing.
Inside, darkness.
A spiral staircase dropped down, the walls covered in pulsing symbols written in demonic script. The air felt… wrong.
Caden tightened his grip on his weapon as they descended.
Then,
Movement.
Demons lunged from the shadows.
Voltron didn't even slow down.
Shots rang out, clean, precise. Every demon dropped before it could get close.
Caden barely had time to react.
At the bottom, the staircase opened into a wide underground lab.
Rows of equipment. Tables. Storage units.
Empty.
Voltron scanned the room. "Intel was right."
Caden looked around, confused. "Feels like they just… left."
"They did," Voltron said. "In a hurry."
He tossed Caden a small camera. "Document everything."
Caden caught it and started moving through the lab, taking photos, equipment, data terminals, strange containers, anything that looked important.
"Is this what your missions are like?" he asked.
Voltron paused for a second.
"No."
Caden looked up.
"If I took you on a normal one," Voltron added, "you might not survive."
That shut Caden up real quick.
STF forces arrived not long after, locking the place down and securing the intel.
Caden and Voltron headed back.
The ship touched down in the hangar, engines cooling as the ramp dropped.
Ian was already waiting.
He looked at Voltron first. "Well?"
Voltron glanced at Caden briefly. "He did fine."
Ian smirked slightly. "Still alive too. That's a good sign."
Voltron walked past them without another word.
Ian turned to Caden. "How was it?"
Caden exhaled. "…Different."
Ian nodded. "Good. You'll get used to it."
Then his tone shifted just a bit.
"Tomorrow, you're going out again."
Caden blinked. "Already?"
"This time with three Vanguard members," Ian said. "Get some rest. You're gonna need it."
Later that night, Caden sat in the recovery room, surrounded by soldiers swapping stories and healing up between missions.
He leaned forward, listening more than talking.
Learning.
About the Vanguard.
About what they've done.
About what they survive.
And for the first time since arriving,
Caden realized something.
Voltron wasn't joking.
He wasn't even close to ready yet.
But tomorrow,
He'd have to be.