Chapter 467: Make up

Chapter 467: Make up

Two days until the hearing.

Team 7 had spent most of their house arrest in Training Hall 7, the only place besides their quarters they were allowed to occupy. With nothing else to do but wait for judgments that could end their military careers, they’d thrown themselves into training sessions that were supposed to keep them sharp.

This particular session had been a complete disaster.

The team sprawled across the floor, breathing hard and looking anywhere but at each other. The combat AI dummies stood powered down in the corner, their victory against the supposedly elite team complete and undeniable. These were the same training programs they’d demolished weeks ago before leaving for Raiju Prime. Now they couldn’t coordinate well enough to beat basic difficulty settings.

Noah sat with his back against the wall, sweat dripping down his face as he stared at the ceiling. Kelvin lay flat on his back nearby, one arm thrown over his eyes. Diana had claimed a spot in the opposite corner, her usual intensity replaced by frustrated exhaustion.

Sophie was the first to break the heavy silence. “That was terrible.”

“Understatement of the year,” Kelvin muttered from beneath his arm.

“We’ve fought Harbingers,” Diana said, her voice carrying disbelief. “We survived Kruel. And we just got our asses handed to us by training dummies.”

Noah closed his eyes. She was right. The coordination that had kept them alive through impossible situations had simply vanished. Every move had been mistimed, every strategy had fallen apart because someone wasn’t where they were supposed to be or didn’t trust someone else’s call.

Sophie pushed herself to her feet and moved to the center of the scattered team. The others looked up at her, and Noah recognized something in her expression—determination mixed with the kind of care that came from genuinely wanting to fix what was broken.

“Okay,” Sophie said, settling into a cross-legged position on the floor. “We need to talk. Really talk, not just pretend everything’s fine until the next mission forces us to work together.”

“What’s there to talk about?” Diana asked, though her tone lacked its usual bite. “We’re falling apart.”

“Exactly. So let’s figure out why and do something about it.” Sophie looked around at each of them. “Kelvin usually does this—gets us talking, makes us laugh, reminds us we’re supposed to be friends. But since he’s been… distracted lately, I’m stepping up.”

Kelvin lowered his arm to look at her. “I haven’t been distracted.”

“You absolutely have been,” Sophie replied without malice. “But that’s okay. We’ve all been dealing with our own stuff. The point is, we can’t keep going like this.”

Noah studied his girlfriend, seeing the determination in the set of her jaw. Sophie was right—they needed this conversation, even if it was going to be uncomfortable.

“So what do you want to know?” Diana asked, her guard clearly still up.

“Let’s start with you,” Sophie said gently. “What’s your biggest issue with this team right now?”

Diana was quiet for a long moment, and Noah could see her internal debate playing out across her features. Finally, she spoke.

“Noah runs off to do things alone,” Diana said, looking directly at him. “He makes decisions that affect all of us without including us in the process. It’s like he’s the main character and we’re all just supporting cast in his story.”

The accusation hung in the air, and Noah felt it land with the weight of truth he’d been avoiding.

“Like with Lyra,” Diana continued. “You and Kelvin knew she was a double agent, knew she was working for the Eighth, and you didn’t tell the rest of us. You made that call without trusting us to handle the information.”

“We needed her cover intact—” Noah started.

“That’s not the point!” Diana’s voice rose, then she visibly controlled herself. “The point is that you didn’t trust us enough to be part of that decision. You and Kelvin decided what the team needed to know, and the rest of us were just left in the dark.”

Sophie nodded slowly. “She has a point, Noah. From the outside, it does look like you’re making unilateral decisions.”

Noah felt his defenses rising but forced himself to really listen to what Diana was saying. How many times had he gone off on his own? How many plans had he made with just Kelvin without consulting Sophie or Diana or even Lucas?

“You’re right,” Noah said finally, and the admission felt like releasing a weight he’d been carrying. “I’ve been acting like I’m the only one who can handle the hard decisions. Like if I just take everything on my shoulders, I can protect everyone. But that’s not how teams work.”

He looked at Diana directly. “I’m sorry. I should have trusted you with the truth about Lyra. I should have included you in more of the strategic planning. Hell, I should have asked for your input instead of assuming I knew best.”

Diana’s expression softened slightly, surprise flickering across her features. “I… wasn’t expecting you to actually admit it.”

“I’ve been a terrible team leader,” Noah continued. “Lucas is our actual leader, but I’ve been acting like the position was mine. Making calls that weren’t mine to make, excluding people who deserved to be part of the process. That’s on me, and I’m genuinely sorry.”

The sincerity in his voice seemed to break through some of Diana’s remaining walls. She let out a long breath and nodded slowly.

“Okay,” she said quietly. “Thank you for saying that.”

Sophie smiled, clearly pleased with the progress. “See? We’re getting somewhere.” She turned her attention to Diana with a playful expression. “Now, is there anything you hate about me? Might as well get everything out in the open.”

Diana actually laughed, a short surprised sound. “Your hair routine.”

“My hair routine?” Sophie touched her dark hair self-consciously.

“You always have perfect hair,” Diana said, and there was no malice in her voice, just honest admission. “I’m sitting here with platinum blonde hair that’s supposed to be special or whatever, and I’m jealous of your dark hair. How does that even make sense?”

Sophie chuckled, genuinely amused. “I had no idea you felt that way. For what it’s worth, I’ve always thought your hair was beautiful.”

“Yeah, well.” Diana shrugged, but there was a small smile on her lips. “Grass is always greener, I guess.”

“What about Kelvin?” Sophie asked, her tone still light but her eyes sharp with the kind of perception that came from studying people and understanding patterns. “Any issues there?”

Diana’s expression shifted, something more complex replacing the easy admission about hair. “Besides him and Noah being a decision-making duo that leaves the rest of us out? Not really.”

But Sophie was already reading the room, seeing the micro-expressions that told a different story. She stood up smoothly and grabbed Noah’s arm. “Actually, you know what? Noah and I should go check on… something. You two should talk.”

“Wait, what—” Noah started, but Sophie was already pulling him toward the exit.

“We’ll be back in a bit!” Sophie called over her shoulder, practically dragging Noah out of the training hall before either Kelvin or Diana could protest.

The door slid shut behind them, leaving Kelvin and Diana alone in the suddenly very quiet space.

Kelvin sat up, pushing his hair back from his face as he looked across the room at Diana. She was still in her corner, arms wrapped around her knees, not quite meeting his eyes.

The silence stretched between them like a physical thing.

“So,” Kelvin said finally. “This is awkward.”

Diana let out a sound that might have been a laugh. “Yeah.”

“Look, I—” Kelvin started, then stopped, running his hand through his hair again in a gesture that betrayed his nervousness. “I’ve been a complete ass.”

“You have,” Diana agreed.

“I should start with an apology,” Kelvin said, turning to face her more directly. “For everything. For keeping you out of decisions, for not taking your concerns seriously, for being a distraction when the team needed focus.”

Diana finally looked at him. “I was a bitch too. The way I snapped at you after that argument with Noah… that wasn’t fair.”

“You were hurt and frustrated. That’s understandable.”

“Still didn’t give me the right to lash out like that.” Diana unwrapped her arms from her knees and shifted position. “I’m sorry too.”

They sat in the kind of comfortable quiet that came from actually clearing the air rather than pretending problems didn’t exist. Then Diana spoke again, her voice quieter.

“Are we ever going to talk about what I told you on Raiju?”

Kelvin felt his stomach drop. He’d known this was coming, had been dreading it since the moment Sophie had orchestrated this private conversation. “Yeah. We should.”

He stood up and crossed the training hall, settling on the floor a respectful distance from Diana but close enough for real conversation. “I need to start with another apology—for keeping you waiting. That wasn’t fair either.”

Diana said nothing, just waited for him to continue.

“There’s someone back at the academy,” Kelvin said, the words coming out more easily than he’d expected. “Cora. She was in my class, and… well, Noah knows her. Sophie knows her. Even Lucas met her a few times.”

“Were you official?” Diana asked.

“No. That’s the complicated part.” Kelvin rubbed the back of his neck. “We weren’t together, but I always sensed there might have been something more there. Something that could have developed into something real if I’d had the courage to actually pursue it.”

Diana nodded slowly, processing this information.

“And then there’s me,” Kelvin continued. “The unserious one. The charming son of a trillionaire. The tech prodigy who makes jokes instead of taking things seriously. I’ve never really been taken seriously when it comes to relationships, you know? It’s always been about my dad’s money or my abilities or my connections. Never about… me.”

“That’s not true,” Diana said quietly. “I see you.”

Kelvin looked at her, seeing the sincerity in her expression. “I know you do. That’s part of what makes this so hard.”

He took a breath and continued. “I don’t even know if what I’m saying is completely true. Maybe I’m making excuses. Maybe I’m afraid of getting close to someone who actually sees past all the bullshit I use to keep people at arm’s length. But right now, with everything that’s happening—the tribunal, Lucas being gone, the team falling apart—relationships are the last thing I feel capable of handling.”

Diana was quiet for a long moment. “So that’s a no.”

“That’s a ‘not right now,'” Kelvin corrected. “After all this is over, when we’re not facing career-ending hearings and dealing with ancient enemies and trying to save our friends from shadow dimensions… then I’ll give you a proper response. Then we’ll both know if this is something real or just trauma bonding in a crisis.”

Diana considered this, and Kelvin watched emotions play across her face—disappointment, understanding, and something that might have been relief that he’d finally given her an honest answer instead of avoiding the conversation.

“Okay,” she said finally. “I can work with that.”

Kelvin held out his fist, and Diana looked at it for a moment before standing up and crossing the distance between them. She bumped his fist with her own, then pulled him into a brief but genuine hug.

“Thanks for being honest,” she said into his shoulder.

“Thanks for not killing me,” Kelvin replied, and felt her laugh.

They separated, and the tension that had been building between them for weeks seemed to have finally dissipated. They weren’t together, but they weren’t enemies either. They were teammates who’d finally had the conversation they should have had weeks ago.

Before either of them could say anything else, the training hall’s intercom crackled to life.

“Team 7, report to Docking Bay 3 immediately,” Commander Beaumont’s voice filled the space. “This is not a drill. Report to Docking Bay 3 now.”

Kelvin and Diana exchanged confused glances. They were under house arrest—they weren’t supposed to be summoned anywhere except for official hearings or interrogations.

“What do you think that’s about?” Diana asked.

“No idea,” Kelvin replied. “But I guess we’re about to find out.”

They headed for the door, finding Noah and Sophie waiting just outside. Sophie’s knowing smile suggested she’d heard at least part of their conversation through the door.

“Everything good?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Diana said, and she sounded like she meant it. “We’re good.”

The four of them made their way through the station’s corridors toward the docking bay, guards falling into step behind them to maintain their house arrest protocols. Whatever had prompted this summons, it was significant enough to override the restrictions that had kept them confined for days.

Docking Bay 3 was one of the station’s larger facilities, capable of handling ships from multiple systems simultaneously. When Team 7 arrived, they found Commanders Lein, Beaumont, and Volkov waiting near one of the airlocks, along with Brooks.

But it was the ship docked at the airlock that caught everyone’s attention—an elegant vessel with design elements that looked distinctly non-human. The hull featured curves and organic patterns that suggested elven craftsmanship.

The airlock cycled open with a hiss of equalizing pressure.

The Elf Queen emerged first, her regal bearing unchanged despite the unfamiliar military environment. She wore elegant robes that somehow managed to look both formal and practical, and her presence commanded immediate respect.

Behind her came Captain Seraleth, and the moment she spotted Team 7, her composed military expression broke into a genuine smile.

Then Seraleth saw Noah.

She moved quickly across the docking bay, and before anyone could react, she had wrapped Noah in an enthusiastic embrace that spoke of genuine relief and happiness at seeing him again.

“Mmmhh!!!”

Sophie cleared her throat.