Ava didn't know that she could be as emotionally exhausted as she felt that mid-morning.

She was sitting next to Lisa inside of the central command tent after brunch, and after her first morning of all-girls combat training. The combat training had been more energizing than draining. That wasn't the reason Ava felt like she needed a weekend trip to a private spa.

It was her new unit commander.

Lisa's voice kept rambling on and on in her bubblegum-bright way, and Ava felt on the verge of ruining making a good first impression by telling her leader to shut the eff up already and G E T-get over it.

"...can be so self-concious, right? But like I don't care if he's had a nose job. Just, like, tell me the truth. Because I don't want a relationship that's built on a lie. C'mon, just be a man..."

Ava sighed. What did I do to deserve this cruel fate?

As visions of silence and tranquility floated around in her longing imagination, the fierce auburn haired woman remembered something: Yoongi is gonna get a good bitch slap later for this. HE DID THIS.

Just then, the tent flap swept open, and in walked the devil himself and his sidekick in tow.

Min Yoongi rolled in with Woozi on his heels, the small bean holding a clipboard in hand. Yoongi had what looked like a briefcase tucked under one harm. He carried in to one side of the tentand then plopped the briefcase heavily down onto the broad table that spanned the length of the central command tent. Then Yoongi clicked the locks and pulled open the hatch. Shuffling noises began as Yoongi moved items around inside the briefcase, all the while his eyes avoiding contact with Ava's harsh glare in his direction.

Meanwhile, Lisa broke her high-pitched monologue to ask, "Woozi, could you bring us a spot of fresh tea? This pot has gone cold."

Ava saw that once Lisa had turned her strawberry blonde hair away from where the small Woozi stood, that the young man's beady eyes glared at the back of her head with murderous fury. Ava thought she could practically hear the words, Bitch, do I look like your waiter?

Ava scoffed.

Lisa didn't seem to notice.

But Woozi caught Ava's amused gaze upon him and his cheeks flushed a pink to match his hair. To avoid his own mild fluster, he rushed from the tent for that spot of fresh tea.

The flap swung open again just after Woozi left.

"Ah, great. I'm not late for once." Jung Hoseok wandered over to where Yoongi stood shuffling through his briefcase. The two started whispering between themselves.

Just then, Jungkook and Taehyung swaggered into the tent.

Tae's arm was draped over Kookie's shoulder with no fanfare between them.

Ava was surprised by the skinship.

When Jungkook took a seat next to her, Taehung plopped onto the tabletop just in front of Jungkook instead of one of the remaining empty chairs. Then Taehyung started plucking at a few flyaway hairs on Jungkook's head, as if he were a stylist putting every hair in its proper place.

Ava found herself glancing around the room to see if anyone else noticed that this dreamy duo seemed even more attached at the hip than they had a day ago.

Yoongi and Hoseok were utterly unbothered.

Lisa was another story.

Lisa's eyes had gone wide and were locked onto the figure of Jeon Jungkook. The candy floss sweetness of Lisa's unending babble had come to a hault; she'd finally gone speechless.

So this is what it takes for some god damned peace and quiet. Ava leaned forward and sipped on her glass of water with a self-satisfied, womanly sense of knowing.

The flap opened once more. Shae wandered in this time, and Ava was delighted to see the doting, shy eyes and hurried enthusasim of the scrawny young man that appaered to have been escorting her: Vernon.

Who is this adorable young morsel, and how can Shae not be more set on manipulating the hell out of him? Ah, to be so pure of heart. Ava laughed quietly to herself, feeling much better than she had just ten minutes earlier with no company but Lisa and her annoyed thoughts.

When the young Vernon scooted a chair back in order for Shae to take a seat in it, well, Ava wanted to slow clap her aproval at her best friend's ability to so effortlessly wrangle a fresh little admirer. We are queens, indeed.

Vernon gave a shy little bob of his head in Shae's direction, which she returned.

"I'm not a unit leader or an officer around here, so I'm off for now. I'll see you all later."

Shae waved him gently off.

As Vernon snuck out of the tent flap, Woozi snuck back in carrying a steaming pot. He took his sweat little time Walking around the table and leaning into it between where Lisa and Ava sat.

Woozi's small pale hands set the pot down with delicate finesse. Then the small man busied himself with pouring two cups: the first he set in front of Ava. The second, in front of Lisa.

"Thank you," Ava said with a playful smirk.

Woozi winked.

The sly devil.

Then he snuck over to where Yoongi and Hoseok stood at the front of the table, ready to be of assistance.

Ava's eyes shifted and locked onto Shae's. Ava lifted her steaming cup in Shae's direction as a silent cheers, as Ava wiggled her eyebrows in quiet celebration of their mutually fabulous feminine luck. Shae covered her face with her hand to try and hide the intensity of her muffled laugh.

It was a crowded tent of former Noon Moolites and newcomers: Yoongi, Hoseok and Woozi at the table's head; Jungkook, Ava, Lisa and Shae in chairs around the table; Taehyung leaning casually onto the tabletop itself.

Hoseok cleared his throat. "So, guess we should get this party started. Welcome to Camp Cheonghae. We're glad to have you."

Yoongi grumbled, "We're glad to have competent people we can trust joining us, and y'all fit that category. So. Thanks."

Hoseok beamed, "This is where you get the 'who we are and what we do' schpeal, so listen up and pay attention. We can take questions at the end. Sound good? Ok, great. Roll the footage."

"Yeah, yeah." Yoongi fiddled more with something inside of the box...until a light and picture projection shot from the box and onto the tent wall. Yoongi stepped back, and he started to explain the silent footage they were seeing.

Tae folded his legs, uncomfortable.

Jungkook leaned forward.

Ava's mouth hung wide.

Shae's hands clasped tightly in front of her lips.

"This was the most heavily populated planet in the Ion galaxy, not too far from Noon Mool Fortress."

"Where Noon Mool Fortress used to be," Hoseok corrected.

Yoongi frowned. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway. This footage you're seeing is satellite imaging zoomed in hyper-close and enhanced for clarity."

"You didn't have to show it so close," Jungkook said defensively, looking aroud at Tae, Ava and Shae. "They didn't need to see this."

"You all needed to see this," Yoongi barked back, then he cliked something and the footage paused. The images zoomed out. He played the reel again—but instead of seeing screaming bodies being engulfed in earthquakes and lava, they were seeing a surge of fiery orange and red rush across a giant planet's entire surface.

"This isn't sped up footage. This happened in a matter of minutes." Yoongi folded his arms. "Like magic, the planet's magnetic balance was disrupted... the balance of elements within it fell into chaos, and the planet destroyed itself from within."

Jungkook's fists clenched and fell heavily onto the table. "And?" He was impatient for the punch line.

Hoseok interrupted to say, "And this same phenomenon has happened to twelve other planets within three neighboring solar systems that are all right next to each other. Within the last six months." The fiery redhead was no trace of lighthearted laughter now. Hoseok's eyes darkened and narrowed, and there was bite in his tongue. "And someone is responsible for it."

"We SUSPECT," Yoongi interrupted. "We don't have proof yet who or how. But we're trying to piece the players together, and we know for certain that Petra is one of them."

"Wait, this isn't about starting a war with Petra's goons?" Jungkook looked ready to spring right out of his seat. "I'm so confused."

Hoseok waved his hands dismissively. "No, it still is about takign down Petra's army. But she's just a single front of battle on this whole playing field. And we're still learning all the other villains and their ranks, slowly but surely."

Yoongi stepped forward and leaned into the table around which everyone else sat. He gestured towards Lisa.

The bubbly young woman was surprisingly solemn. She spoke, quiet and even: "My home planet was destroyed in this way. But beforehand, someone showed up. Someone like Petra. He was trying to conquer our planet with all the right underhanded schemes and manipulative tactics... I think he wanted our planet to turn itself over to him alive. But... when we beat back his ranks and were on the verge of winning against his forces...this happened. The whole planet was just... gone. Survivors on both sides were almost nonexistent. Except for him. Umber."

Lisa quieted again, looking regal and tragic.

Ava was looking at her unit commander with fresh eyes now.

Little Woozi stepped forward  from next to Yoongi's elbow and cleared his throat. "It happened to my home planet, too. Or rthater, HE did. Umber. The underhanded manipluation and attempts at a quiet conquering. A Petra-like puppet. We had an almost miraculous victory against his goons. And then...nothing. Just the end." There was an acid in the small man's voice instead of fear or grief. He was bitter as hell.

Yoongi spoke again: "Lisa was an old friend. When she reached out to me for help, I was still modifying security codes back at Noon Mool, totally ignorant to any of this shit." Yoongi sighed heavily. "It turned out she was the one helping US with her story. Because we could see how Petra mirrored this Umber villain almost exactly. Then the pieces started to connect. More stories, more people."

Hoseok nodded vigorously. "Yoongi started lacing this whole rebel alliance together before I even believed him about Joon or anything back home. It's why we wanted to capture Petra instead of kill her. Yoongi thought from the start that it'd prevent this kind of senseless destruction of our home planet." Hoseok looked proudly over at his best friend. "And, thank God, he was right."

"THE POINT," Yoongi stated with a bite to his voice in Hoseok's direction, "is that we need all the help we can get, fighting the enemies we can see and those we cannot see, and figuring out how to stop and unstoppable force. And we need people we can trust. In distinct ways, you all fit that description, and we hope you'll dedicate yourselves to solving this mystery...and putting an end to the senseless, rampant genocides of entire planets. By stopping Petra's army, stopping Umber, and stopping anyone else like them who might rise to the scene. So. What do you say?"

Ava and Shae exchanged fearful yet determined looks.

Tae's eyes were wild and terrifying.

Jungkook's whole being seemed like it had turned to fire. The fierce young man pushed himself to his feet and said in a low, quiet voice, "I'm with you. Hobi. Suga. I'm with you 100%."

Hoseok gave a sigh of relief, his eyes closing.

Yoongi gave a stern nod of approval.

"Me too," Ava said, also pushing herself to her feet.

"And me," Shae answered more softly, though she didn't rise from her chair.

All eyes fell onto Kim Taehyung. Everyone waited with bated breath.

Finally, he said in a dark, solemn tone, "We really have no other choice, do we? I will help in any way that I can."

Jung Hoseok wore dark eyes and a broad smile as he looked about the room. "I was hoping you all would say that. Because now... the real work can begin."