"You have an organization?" Dravon asked, a hint of caution entering his voice. "What is it called?"
At Dravon’s question, my thoughts drifted back to the moment when Aurora had finally lost her patience with all of us.
It had been inside the ship, in the dining room near the bar. The engines were quiet, the ship cruising on autopilot, and for once there was no urgency pressing down on us. All of us had gathered there for different reasons or so we thought.
Ragnar and Primus were already seated at the bar, glasses in hand. Ragnar leaned back on his stool, laughing loudly at something only he found funny, while Primus listened with a faint smile, his drink barely touched but constantly refilled. Steve and I leaned against the counter, beside the two drinking gentleman.
Knight sat in the far corner with a glass resting in his hand, unmoving, as if the chair had grown around him. He looked like a statue someone had forgotten to remove.
North sat near the long table, posture straight, calm as ever. Silver had taken the seat beside her, adjusting his sleeves every few minutes and glancing at his reflection in the polished surface of the table. Lyrate sat across from them, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded, clearly judging everyone in the room.
I was just about to speak when Steve squinted at Silver.
"...Why do you have a beard?"
The room went quiet for half a second.
Silver touched his chin slowly, as if only now remembering it existed. "I’m trying a new look."
Ragnar burst out laughing and nearly spilled his drink. "A beard? That’s your priority now? Try learning a new skill instead. Maybe one that doesn’t shed."
"It’s well groomed," Silver snapped. "And it suits me."
North glanced at him, expression neutral. "It does make you look... older."
Silver brightened instantly. "See?"
Lyrate clicked her tongue. "You look like you want to differentiate yourself from looking like a girl. A beard is a good choice."
Silver deflated.
Steve grinned. "She’s got a point."
Before the comments could continue, the door slid open.
Aurora walked in.
She clapped her hands once, loudly.
"Everyone sit. Now."
The tone alone made Ragnar slide off his stool and grab another chair. Primus set his glass down and turned properly. Steve sighed but obeyed. Even Knight shifted slightly, which was saying something.
Aurora planted herself at the center of the room, hands on her hips.
"This," she said, "is a formal session."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you do formal?"
"Since all of you are incapable of agreeing on one simple thing," she shot back. "We need a name. One name. For our organization. And today, we are deciding it."
Lyrate leaned back. "Whatever you suggest, I disagree."
Aurora pointed at her. "Noted. Irrelevant."
Lyrate smiled faintly. "Bitch."
Aurora waved her hand, and Essence flared into the air above the table. Lines of light formed words, one after another, hovering like projections.
Steve whistled. "You made a list?"
"A long one," Aurora said proudly. "Because every time I suggest something, someone cries."
"I don’t cry," Steve said. "I just strongly reject bad ideas."
The first name appeared.
Pantheon of Legends.
Steve groaned the moment he saw it. "No."
"It’s inspiring," Aurora argued immediately.
"It sounds like a children’s story," Steve shot back. "We aren’t legends yet. No one even knows who we are. Calling ourselves that now will just make us a laughingstock across the universe."
Aurora crossed her arms, clearly offended. "That’s the point. It’s meant to inspire us to become legends. It’s forward-looking."
She said it slowly, as if explaining something obvious to a stubborn child.
Steve turned his head away. "Still don’t like it."
Ragnar tilted his head, considering it seriously. "I kind of like it."
Lyrate scoffed loudly.
Aurora let out a breath. "Right. That settles it. Since Ragnar likes it and Lyrate and Steve hates it, we obviously don’t like it."
She flicked her hand, and the name vanished. "Next."
Axis of Defiers.
Aurora straightened a little, clearly more invested this time. "I chose this one for a reason," she said before anyone could interrupt.
"An axis is something everything turns around. And defiers because that’s exactly what we are. We don’t bend just because someone stronger exists. We don’t follow the flow just because the universe tells us to. We stand at the center and force everything else to adjust."
She glanced around the table, making sure everyone was listening.
"It’s not loud. It’s not arrogant. It just states a fact. We defy what we don’t like."
Primus studied the name in silence for a few seconds, then nodded. "That... actually fits."
Steve followed after a moment, clearly trying not to agree too easily. "Yeah. Not terrible."
"I like that," I said simply.
Aurora narrowed her eyes at all three of us. "You’re agreeing way too fast. That’s suspicious."
Lyrate leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "Logically flawed."
Everyone looked at her.
"Defiance is reactive," she continued calmly. "It defines us by what we oppose, not by what we enforce. If the enemy changes, the name loses meaning. A name should stand even when no one or nothing is left to defy."
Knight finally spoke from the corner, his voice quiet but firm. "I like it."
Aurora threw her hands up. "Great. We’re split again."
She sighed, waved the projection away, and muttered, "Why is naming harder than killing?"
Another flick of her fingers.
The Prime Executors.
Knight finally spoke. One word. "Heavy."
Aurora looked pleased. "Good Knight approves."
"He didn’t approve," Lyrate said. "He stated weight."
Silver cleared his throat. "What about something elegant?"
Aurora glared at him. "This is not a fashion brand."
Silver leaned closer to North. "She’s very hostile today."
North replied calmly. "You did grow a beard."
Aurora continued cycling through names. Some were immediately rejected. Some sparked brief debate. Some died the moment Lyrate opened her mouth.
Through it all, I stayed quiet, watching them argue, laugh, interrupt each other, and somehow still listen. I was enjoying the warmth in the room.
Then Aurora stopped.
The projections vanished.
She folded her arms and looked straight at me.
"You’ve been quiet."
"I’m listening," I said.
She nodded. "Good. Then listen to this. This is the last one I have. If you guys don’t agree to this then I will resign."
The room stilled. Primus leaned forward slightly. Ragnar stopped smiling. Even Steve didn’t immediately speak.
No one wanted to do the job that Aurora was doing so patiently.
She raised her hand again, Essence forming one final set of words.