The day has come

Seeing Aveline enter various questions ran in Avon's mind. He was unsure if he should pretend like he didn't know her in front of these people or be normal. He decided to analyze her behaviour.

"So cadet Avon, we have analysed your data and fed it to the armour. Now please wear it and let us run a few test runs and simulations to know whether you can wear this suit for the upcoming raid."

'she is behaving very formal, so let's follow up on that's

"Understood"

They both were having quite a bit of eye contact while talking and it was noticed by the others in the room.

Aveline then gave Avon instructions about how the armour's functions and how to use it efficiently. Then Avon was handed the armour. He slowly wore it and sure enough like Aveline had told him, most of the armour was metal but at the joints and other parts where elasticity was needed the material was hard and elastic.

The armour was very loose for him. Then following the instructions he was given, he lifted his right hand saw the control panel on the forearm part of the armour. Then with the other hand he clicked on the 'Lock-in' button and the armour sucked the air present between his body and its innermost layer making the loose armour a bodytight one.

This armour was definitely different from the one he wore during training. Then he moved around in the armour making various movements confirming that everything was fine.

Next they hit the armour with various objects to confirm its toughness, at first Avon was a bit worried but seeing everyone's confidence that nothing would pierce it, he maintained composure.

Following procedure first they hit it with knives and other kinds of blades and there were barely any scratches on the armour. Then they fired some bullets and Avon barely felt the impact. He was very impressed.

Next was agility. They pulled out a big hexagonal device and asked him to stand on it. Like on a treadmill, the base of the pad started moving and it moved omni-directionally. Slowly increasing the speed they watched out for any unnecessary friction at the joints or any other parts of the armour which were undesirable.

This too went smoothly and next was weaponry.

"With this the tests necessary for the raid are done. Weapons and weapons system are yet to be implanted, anyways since they will not be needed we can test them after the raid so that you can wield the armour better."

Avon was disappointed as he was excited to see what kind of weapons he could use.

'What exactly will I do on the raid without weapons....well I can fight barehanded...what kind of raid is this though, they didn't give any information on that.'

Wondering what kind of raid it would be Avon slowly took the armour off and then left the lab. The next day briefing would take place.

Once he reached Aveline's house and got in with the key she had given him. In the evening Aveline returned.

"So, you're an armour designer or something? Why hide it for so long?"

He asked her.

She looked at him with a teasing smile and said "Just like that, no particular reason. Also, do not assume that I only work on armours. I also manage and develop much more at the academy but I won't tell you. The higher you go in ranks, the more we'll meet."

"Hmmm....though we meet everyday like this ..."

Avon replied.

"Indeed, anyways what will you eat?"

"Something delicious "

And so the day passed and Avon left for the briefing the following day.

The briefing was in a large auditorium. Many people had already come and many more were entering. He took a seat and waited for the briefing to start.

Soon the room was full and then all the lights were turned off. Silence immediately followed.

5 people came on the podium, 2 male and 3 female. They introduced themsleves but Avon could only remember the name of the blonde woman among them, Arstrine, she looked beautiful, smart and strong. She looked similar to Aveline.

He could feel a leader's aura coming from her. The names of the remaining people were too complex to remember.

They were the commanders who would lead everyone during the raid.

They showed a few pictures and drone shots of the planet's terrain. It seemed like the entire surface of the planet was made up of steel. The planet had a very different mineral and chemical composition than that of Earth's or Steela's and because of that even it's living species were bio-mechanical. They had steel or metal exo-skeletons and minimal organic regenerative parts such as brain and heart equivalent organs.

Upon seeing the photos of beings Avon thought they were no different from robots in looks at least.

"Steela is one of the most ancient planets in this universe. Having gone through countless evolutions it has reached this phase. Holtrons,the beings who call Steela home, are very intelligent and have an indefinite lifespan. With minimal organic components most of their body parts are replaceable. They had a very aggressive nature, since millenia they have done nothing but attack planets to conquer. The civilization of the Holtrons, having the experience of countless conquests, were very advanced in warfare."

Avon noticed how past tense was used.

While they were telling about the Holtrons, photos of a few were shown, Avon's eyes widened, beings with their own bodies weaponised...few gigantic in size, few having not hands but humongous guns and very long blades...they were intimidating.

"After many years of battle, we have finally eradicated all of the Holtrons. Our objective in this raid will be to shut the main reactor present in the planet which keeps it alive. The reason we must do so is that there is a chance new life might be born with similar characteristics as long as the planet has this environment and the reactor keeps it alive. This is the area on the surface where the final battle took place, this is right where the reactor is. We could not figure out how to shut the reactor then but now it is a simple task.

Shutting reactor is the work of us commanders. All of you will collect sample and will search for items we provide on the searchlist while making a record of everything you observe. Then everyone,any questions?"

No one asked any and then they were dismissed.

The raid would being the next day. Avon's heart beat faster...he was excited.

Returning to Aveline's house, he told her about the briefing.

Then they finished their meal and slept.

Avon couldn't sleep well and in the morning he knew it was finally time to for the raid, his chance to make himself stand out and get a meeting with the knight.

With determination in his eyes he set out.