The five heroes who had just entered were four men and one woman. Their mere presence commanded respect, and without a word, they walked to the empty seats around the table.
Kairo was already seated across from the President, who waited in silence until everyone had settled.
"Two hours ago, we received a direct alert from the Aegis Surveillance Base, located on the planet Dinamus," the President began, activating a holographic panel that projected images of the planet and its tactical location. "The message urgently requested reinforcements, but the transmission was abruptly cut off before they could give us more details. Since then, we haven't received any further signals. Communication is completely lost."
One of the men in the group, arms crossed, spoke in a low but firm voice:
"We lost contact that fast?"
"Yes," the President replied. "And that's what's concerning. That base is equipped with high-resilience communication systems. They don't go offline without reason. Something serious must have happened."
The only woman on the team raised an eyebrow.
"Why do we have a base on that planet?"
"Dinamus is a region in constant conflict," the President explained. "Local governments frequently clash over territorial control, and the political situation is extremely volatile. That's why the authorities pay us handsomely to maintain a stable presence there. We have a single surveillance base, with rotating heroes every two weeks. There are always four assigned: three Rank B and one Rank A, who serves as the operational leader."
Silence took over the room. The tension was palpable. Losing contact with such a base was deeply troubling.
"Your mission is to travel to Dinamus immediately," the President continued firmly. "Locate the base, find out what happened, and respond accordingly. If there are survivors, bring them back. If there are enemies, neutralize them. And if this was a coordinated attack, I want clear evidence. We can't afford a second deployment without precise information."
Kairo nodded, his fists clenched on his lap.
"Understood."
The President looked at him intently for a moment.
"You've completed two missions in a row without rest, Kairo. And you're still moving forward. That's not common for a Rank F rookie. You're showing determination."
Kairo lifted his head, steady.
"Thank you. I won't fail."
The President turned his gaze to the rest of the team.
"You have thirty minutes to prepare. The teleportation platform is already being calibrated."
At that moment, one of the heroes — tall, broad-shouldered, with an arrogant look and a firm voice — spoke with a tone of superiority.
"I'm not going to babysit a weak hero," he said, looking at Kairo as if he didn't belong there. "This isn't a training mission. It's a real operation. There's no point dragging along a Rank F."
"Exactly," the woman chimed in, arms crossed and her expression serious. "I don't see why a Rank F is part of this mission. We're three Rank Bs, and the two of us are Rank A. Are we really expected to trust someone who just started?"
The tension spiked. Everyone turned to the President, waiting for his response.
He observed them for a few seconds in silence before speaking in a firm voice:
"Kairo is here by my decision. If that's not reason enough for you, you're free to withdraw from the mission. But let me remind you, this is an official operation, and questioning direct orders in this room is not an option."
Xavier, the man who had spoken first, pressed his lips together. Then he lowered his head slightly and said in a low voice:
"My apologies, President. I got carried away. I'm sorry, too, Kairo."
Sasha, the woman, took a deep breath. It was clear swallowing her pride wasn't easy.
"You're right. I shouldn't have questioned it," she said, looking first at the President, then at Kairo. "Sorry for underestimating you."
The President watched them for a few more seconds, then gave a curt nod.
"Good. That's what I want to see. Professionalism."
With that, he stood up and left the room.
For a few seconds, an uncomfortable silence lingered. Then, as the door closed behind the President, Sasha turned to Kairo with a faint smile that didn't quite soften the hardness in her tone.
"If you want to make it back in one piece…" she said quietly, almost whispering, "you'd better be careful out there."
Kairo looked at her, confused. He wasn't sure if it was advice, a veiled threat… or both.
But he didn't respond.
He knew words wouldn't win anything.
Only results could speak for him.