Xpt — Trainer

The alarms grew louder. The other shards—the screaming Kaelens—stopped running and turned to stare.

Marcus smiled, a tired, crooked thing. He picked up his old, cracked XPT trainer badge from the table. He wouldn't need the Bureau's permission anymore. He had something better: a student who remembered how to be afraid, and a new rule to live by. xpt trainer

But Kaelen stood up. He walked past Marcus and faced the agents. "Stand down," he said. His voice carried the weight of a man who had walked through a star and lived. "This man is under my protection. And I'm filing a formal petition to reinstate his credentials. With testimony from a Class-A pilot." The alarms grew louder