Chapter 380: Friends of royalty

Minutes later, Lucas stood at the same landing pad where he’d arrived hours earlier, though now he felt like he was waiting for a natural disaster rather than a transport ship. The sleek EDF craft that touched down was smaller than the one that had brought him, clearly built for speed rather than comfort. As the engines powered down and the boarding ramp lowered, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

Sophie emerged first, her dark hair catching the planet’s ambient light as she looked around with wide eyes. Noah followed close behind, his eyes wondering around his position—a nervous habit Lucas had noticed during their missions.

Diana stepped out with her usual composed bearing, though even she seemed taken aback by the skyline stretching before them. Kelvin stumbled out next, his cybernetic arms whirring as he gestured wildly at everything around him, and Lyra brought up the rear, her tablet already in hand as she began recording observations.

“The energy distribution through the infrastructure is—” Lyra began, her voice filled with analytical wonder.

“—completely integrated with the beast core network,” Kelvin finished, his mechanical fingers extending sensors that Lucas hadn’t even known they possessed. “The power flow is so smooth it’s like the whole city is one massive circuit.”

“The architectural principles alone suggest centuries of refinement—”

“—and the materials are clearly beast tech but processed differently than anything on Earth,” Kelvin continued, his excitement building. “Look at how the metal absorbs ambient energy instead of reflecting it!”

Diana glanced between them with increasing discomfort, her jaw tightening every time Kelvin’s voice rose with enthusiasm. She’d been acting strange around him for days now, ever since that four days ago when she’d kissed him after their mission and then fled before either of them could process what had happened.

Sophie and Noah stood close together, taking in the view with the kind of quiet amazement that came from seeing something completely beyond their previous experience. Lucas felt his heart clench at the sight of his team—his friends—standing in a place he’d never wanted them to see.

He walked over to them, his ceremonial robes flowing around him, and opened his arms. “I had a wager with myself that you’d do something stupid,” he said as they gathered for a group hug. “But not this stupid.”

“We couldn’t let you face whatever this is alone,” Sophie said, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

“Even if it means court martial,” Noah added grimly.

Before Lucas could respond, one of the palace guards approached, his blue uniform crisp despite the long day. “Prince Lucas,” he said, bowing his head slightly as a deep sign of respect, “your parents have requested that your guests be escorted to temporary chambers for rest and change of clothes.”

The effect was immediate and devastating. Sophie’s mouth fell open. Diana’s composure cracked completely, her eyes going wide with shock. Lyra’s tablet clattered to the ground, forgotten.

But it was Kelvin who provided the soundtrack to everyone’s disbelief.

“PRINCE?!” he shouted, his voice echoing across the landing pad. “My man Lucas is a PRINCE?!” He spun around, his cybernetic arms gesticulating wildly as he addressed the sky. “First Noah over here has two literal mystic companions—a wyvern and a dragon, thank you very much—and now my other best friend is an ALIEN PRINCE!”

The guard’s professional composure wavered slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.

“I always knew the kind of friends I had would take me places,” Kelvin continued, his voice rising to operatic levels. “But this? This is next-level networking! I’m friends with ROYALTY!”

Lucas couldn’t help but smile, even as he felt his cheeks burning. “Kelvin, please—”

“No, no, no,” Kelvin interrupted, pointing at Lucas with one mechanical finger. “Don’t you ‘please’ me, Your Highness. I’ve been eating cafeteria food and sleeping on military cots while you’ve been holding out on us about your PALACE!”

“Come on,” Lucas said, still grinning despite himself. “Let’s get you all settled before you cause an international incident.”

The guest quarters were located in a wing of the palace that had been designed specifically for visiting dignitaries. Each room was spacious and comfortable, with windows that looked out over the city and furniture that had been crafted by artisans who’d perfected their skills over generations.

As per tradition, each guest was assigned a personal servant to attend to their needs.

Kelvin’s servant was a young man named Kano who seemed genuinely amused by his assignment. Within minutes of their introduction, Kelvin had the servant laughing at his jokes and helping him figure out how to operate the room’s various amenities.

“So Kano, my good sir,” Kelvin said, testing the bed’s firmness, “what’s the protocol for requesting seventeen different types of snacks and maybe a hot bath that’s exactly ninety-eight degrees?”

“I can arrange that immediately, sir,” Kano replied, his professional demeanor cracking as he tried not to smile.

“And perhaps a small parade in my honor? Nothing too elaborate—just a few musicians and someone to throw flower petals.”

“I’ll… see what I can do, sir.”

Sophie, Lyra, and Diana were each assigned male servants who maintained the kind of respectful distance that spoke of years of training in diplomatic protocol. Their attendants were efficient and unobtrusive, appearing when needed and fading into the background when not.

Noah, however, had been assigned a young woman named Sera who seemed incapable of looking away from him. She was petite and soft-spoken, with dark hair that she kept tucked behind her ears and eyes that followed Noah’s every movement with the intensity of someone waiting for orders.

When they reconvened an hour later, the transformation was remarkable. Everyone had been provided with formal attire that somehow managed to fit perfectly despite the short notice. The fabrics were lighter and more comfortable than anything they’d worn on Earth, with subtle patterns that seemed to shift and change in the ambient light.

Noah’s outfit, however, was cut differently than the others. The shirt was designed to showcase his athletic build, with strategic openings that revealed glimpses of his chest and arms. It was flattering and elegant, but it was also clearly intended to make an impression.

“You look great,” Noah said to Sophie as they gathered in the corridor, but her attention was focused entirely on Sera, who was still staring at Noah with undisguised admiration.

“Thank you,” Sophie replied curtly, her eyes locked on with irritation.

They began walking toward the main palace, where Lucas’s parents were waiting to receive them formally. The corridors were wider than anything they’d seen on Earth, with ceilings that soared overhead and walls that were lined with art that seemed to pulse with its own inner light.

“So,” Kelvin said, his voice echoing slightly in the vast space, “if you’re a prince, does that mean you’re going to be ruler someday?”

“Well,” came a confident voice from behind them, “that would have been true, except my baby brother has an older sister.”

They turned to see a woman approaching with the kind of presence that made people stop and stare. Lucy Grey moved with fluid grace, her dark hair bouncing off her as she smiled at them with genuine warmth. She was breathtaking in a way that made the corridor seem smaller and the air feel thicker.

Kelvin’s cybernetic arms seized up completely, his mechanical systems apparently overwhelmed by the sight before him. “Kano,” he whispered to his servant, “pinch me. Actually, don’t. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

“I should handle the introductions,” Lucas began, but Kelvin was already stepping forward.

“Kelvin Pithon,” he announced, his voice carrying the confidence of someone who’d just remembered he came from money. “Son of trillionaire Webb Pithon, weapons arms tycoon for the EDF. At your service, Your Highness.”

“Lucy Grey,” she replied, taking his offered hand with a firm grip. “It’s nice to meet you, Kelvin.”

“Kano,” Kelvin whispered again, not taking his eyes off Lucy, “when we get back to my chambers, I’m going to remove these arms and store them forever. A gentleman shouldn’t need mechanical assistance to remember how to shake hands properly.”

His attempt at a Victorian accent was both terrible and endearing, making Lucy’s smile widen slightly.

“Lyra Davids,” the analyst said, bowing her head respectfully. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“This is Sophie Reign,” Lucas continued, “Diana Frost, and Noah Eclipse.”

Lucy’s eyes lingered on Noah longer than the others, taking in his appearance for far too long than she did the rest. “Thank you for being such good friends to my little brother,” she said, her voice carrying genuine warmth. “I hope you enjoy your visit.”

She glanced at Noah one more time before turning away, and Noah responded with a cheerful nod.

“Wipe that sweet smile off your face,” Sophie hissed, moving closer to him as Lucy disappeared down the corridor.

“What smile?” Noah asked, genuinely confused.

Diana, who had been watching the exchange with growing concern, finally spoke up. “Lucas, I need to ask you something. Back on Earth, you had that ongoing feud with Jayden Smoak because he allegedly molested your sister. But I’ve been at Academy 8 my entire life, and I’ve never seen Lucy anywhere.”

“That was my foster sister on Earth,” Lucas explained, his voice growing quieter. “The family I was assigned to took care of me while I was there. So yeah, my beef with Jayden is still pretty serious.”

The pieces clicked into place for everyone simultaneously. Lucas’s protective instincts, his leadership abilities, his tactical knowledge—it all made sense now. He’d been raised in two worlds, with responsibilities in both.

“So,” Lyra said carefully, “do you think we’ll be removed from the vanguard program when we return to the station? We did disappear without permission and steal a craft.”

Kelvin smiled but one could see it was forced. “Probably charged with desertion,” he said, trying to keep his tone light but failing. “We better get this over with and done real quick.”

Lucas was ahead of them, speaking quietly with a guard, when this conversation took place. The reality of their situation was starting to sink in for everyone. They’d abandoned their posts, stolen military equipment, and crossed into foreign territory without authorization. The EDF took these things seriously.

“Court martial at minimum,” Diana said grimly. “Maybe prison time.”

“We knew the risks,” Sophie said, but her voice lacked conviction.

They continued walking in silence, each lost in their own thoughts about what they’d sacrificed to be here. The palace around them was beautiful, peaceful, showing no signs of the crisis that had supposedly summoned Lucas home.

“You know what I don’t understand?” Noah said finally, breaking the quiet. “This place doesn’t look like it’s at war. The people seem happy, the city is thriving, the defenses are strong but not actively engaged. So why was Lucas called back?”

“Maybe it’s political,” Lyra suggested. “Some kind of succession crisis or diplomatic emergency.”

“Or maybe,” Kelvin said, his voice uncharacteristically serious, “something’s coming that we can’t see yet.”

They all looked around at the peaceful corridors, the efficient servants, the casual way the guards moved through their duties. Everything suggested a civilization at peace, yet Lucas had been summoned home with such urgency that he’d been willing to abandon his team.

“Whatever it is,” Sophie said quietly, “it’s big enough to pull him away from us. And that scares me more than anything.”

The question hung in the air as they continued toward their meeting with Lucas’s parents, each of them wondering what kind of crisis could threaten a world that seemed so perfectly protected from the chaos that plagued the rest of the galaxy.