12 A New Arrival

Within the Earth's Solar System, amidst the empty space beyond the first asteroid belt, a single 'spacestation' remained still in perpetual idleness.

It's axis was slightly off-tilt, the result of the lack of gravity in the empty space.

This station was simply known as '17.'

Due to 17's nature as one of the Intergalactic Terran Confederation's secret military installations, it was thus heavily fortified and defended with approximately a few hundred armed military, security and auxiliary personnel 'on board.'

Virtually every single security personnel was a crimson marine of D.R.E.A.D, elite albeit non-psionically gifted soldiers detached from D.R.E.A.D to supplement the station's defensive capabilities.

However, when excluding the auxiliary staff and the crimson marines, everyone within 17 was actually a gifted psionic, more specifically a gifted psionic that worked as an operative of P.A.I.N.

Consequently, 17 was also officially recognised as one of P.A.I.N.'s military installations, P.A.I.N.'s 'seventeenth' military installation to be exact.

And one of these P.A.I.N. psionic operatives was a young twenty-two year old woman with red-amber hair that was styled into double ponytails and coincidentally happened to match the flowing streaks of red lines of her predominantly black light exo-suit.

At this moment, she sat at an empty table near the window within the cafeteria of 17 while she ate her breakfast.

While it may seem that she was a loner, it was actually because her eating schedule didn't line up with most of her friends, although she really didn't have a problem with that, she actually somewhat preferred it this way.

This young woman's name was Katarina and all she was currently doing was boredly staring out into the empty space beyond the station's window while her hands remained idle around her meal on the table.

The breakfast itself wasn't anything too special.

In fact, it was pretty much nothing at all.

If she were to glance downwards at her plate, the 'meal' she would see would be nothing more than a yellowish-white solid cubic 'block' save for a few visible missing chunks that were eaten.

This yellow-white 'block' is supposedly an M.R.E. 'packed with nutrients and protein' and was the result of 'extensive research and bio-chemical ingenuity.'

And yet, for something that was supposed to be the result of some so-called bio-chemical ingenuity… it tasted like absolute shit.

Just the thought of having to eat this M.R.E. alone was enough to make her gag.

All she could really do was hover her hand over the meal and keep it warm with a small flame summoned through her psionic powers.

Soon, Katrina finally forced herself to face the plate, use her knife and fork, and cut out a small piece before placing it in her mouth.

She couldn't even force herself to chew the damn thing.

Instead she just hurriedly swallowed it through her throat.

As painful as it was to force it down her throat, it was a much better alternative than allowing that horrid sensation to continue torturing her mind and body.

After she was done with the whole ordeal, she heaved a sigh of relief for she finally triumphed against great adversity.

Only for her sense of relief to immediately fade away the moment she realised that she still had the rest of the M.R.E. to eat.

This time, she couldn't help but voice her displeasure out loud.

"This is fucking bullshit, I swear I'm going to die of food poisoning…"

"Oh come on, I know you're exaggerating but that's still a little over-dramatic don't you think?"

Katrina didn't even need to turn and face the source of the voice in order for her to know who it belonged to.

In most likelihood, it was going to be a slightly above average height young woman with short jet black hair that was tied into a single, simplistic bun at the back of her head and wore a permanent visor that was an extension of her suit's helmet and acted like the equivalent of reading glasses from the ancient eras.

Much like Katarina and everyone else in this damned spacestation, she was wearing the standard issue P.A.I.N. light exo-suit; the 'Painbringer' suit.

As corny and as cringy as the name of the suit may sound, it was nothing Katarina wasn't used to, if she would dare to admit, then she could even confess that she at least partially liked it.

Anyhow those details were largely unimportant to Katarina at the moment.

What mattered was that the black-haired psionic operative; Alicia Phoros; another D-class psionic and a good friend of Katarina has finally picked up her meal from the counter and returned.

By Katarina's own admission, Alicia was always the more pragmatic one out of the two.

Within a few moments, Alicia took her seat next to Katarina and placed her own meal on the table before she continued speaking.

"Besides, it isn't as bad as you make it seem."

As she spoke, Alicia cut out a piece of her meal and ate it. As she chewed it in her mouth, Katarina saw that Alicia was completely unaffected by the M.R.E.'s horrid taste.

If this was their first meeting, Katarina's jaw would have dropped while she contemplated the sanity of the person sitting next to her.

Of course, Katarina has already gotten used to Alicia's 'queer' quirks and as such, she wasn't really that affected by Alicia's actions.

After a few seconds of watching Alicia contently eat the M.R.E. without a single care in the world, Katarina finally decided that it was time to reply to her friend.

"If it isn't that bad, then would you care to take the rest of my share?"

When Alicia heard what Katarina had to say, she broke out into laughter before she responded.

"I never said that I wanted some more, I only said that it's not that bad. Just eat it."

Alicia shook her head in a joking and mocking manner as she spoke.

"You don't have to like it, you just have to-"

"Eat it, yes I've heard you say that same line many times over already, I got the message."

In response to Katarina's interruption, Alicia scoffed as she replied.

"Judging from your actions, I'd say that you didn't get the message at all…"

Completely shocked by Alicia's apparent lie, Katarina opened her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by a loud obnoxious shout.

"Ahaha! I didn't know that this was a daycare!"

[Another idiotic recruit today is it?] It didn't take long for Katarina to decipher what was going on even without casting a single glance at the source of the disturbance.

Nevertheless, Katarina along with Alicia both turned around to face the source of the shout which was roughly around the direct centre of the cafeteria.

Thanks to the fact that most people within the cafeteria were sitting down and eating, Katarina and Alicia were both given a clear view of the situation.

At the centre of the cafeteria stood two lone people, the others already making way for this spontaneous standoff. After all, no one would want to become collateral damage resulting from a clash between too potentially powerful psionics.

One of the two was a young, tall, lean man, with tight muscles visibly bulging on all four of his limbs through his skin-tight suit and was probably in his early twenties, if not late teens.

He was clean shaven with a chiseled jaw and slick, well-maintained bright golden blonde hair. Other than his standard issue black light exo-suit with running red lines of light, he also wore a smile the screamed confidence.

However, Katarina couldn't match his face to a name, nor did she recognise his appearance.

That must mean that he was a new recruit, a fact that Katarina quickly confirmed just from knowing the man's actions right now.

Such acts of blatant importunance would not sit well with the crimson marines guarding the installation, nor would it sit well with P.A.I.N.'s director; the esteemed and powerful A-class psionic; Arthur 'Allen' Cray.

Although he wasn't the powerful psionic within P.A.I.N, the other S-class psionics could annihilate him in a heartbeat, he was actually a very competent, charismatic and charming leader.

Even Katarina had to admit that she respected him, despite the fact that he has yet to do anything about the abhorrent food situation.

The only thing that Katarina couldn't get over with 'Allen' besides his weird, out of place nickname is his rather… eccentric tendencies.

The ridiculous names like the 'painbringer' suits and the ridiculous, forced acronym of the 'Psionic Assault and Intelligence divisioN,' and his self-imposed nickname being 'Allen' was only a few of his questionable yet childish and innocent actions he committed despite being a fully fledged adult.

But Katarina would rather not dwell on these thoughts at the moment since it was the stand-off currently occuring that needed her attention, not her own opinions of 'Allen.'

Normally, Katarina wouldn't have paid the idiot too much of her attention, by the time her mind registered and evaluated what was going on, the situation would have already been resolved thanks to the actions of the crimson marines on guard.

However, it was not the situation itself that intrigued Katarina, but rather the other person who stood against the tall man.

Actually, saying that she stood against the man may not be right wording to use.

Perhaps it would be better to say that she just happened to stand opposite him.

But that was not what intrigued Katarina about the person.

What intrigued her was that the other person was quite frankly, only a little girl with relatively long, silky, pitch-black hair that she let flow freely.

A little girl who Katarina judged to be, no older than five years old.

A little girl who was neither beautiful nor ugly, in fact, it wasn't a lie to say that she looked quite bland and generic.

Multiple questions ran through Katarina's mind as she glanced at the harmless looking girl who wore a military grade light-exo suit that didn't match her.

But one thing was clear to her.

For a little girl to not only pass the psionic evaluation, but become a recruit of P.A.I.N.; a highly elite military organisation at such an incredibly young age, that girl must truly be psionically gifted to achieve such a feat.

Katarina didn't even realise that the crimson marines on guard that were usually quick to take action, were now incredibly idle.