Chapter 7: Chapter 7 : Artemis-5
After Murphy and Delphine exited the stage, another teacher stepped forward. He walked with a casual, steady gait, adjusting the sleeves of his jacket before tapping the mic crystal at the podium.
"Alright, everyone settle down," he said, voice smooth and grounded. "I'll keep it short, no speeches. I'm your vice coordinator for the first-year division. You can call me just Bruce."
Saurai noted his nameplate glowing faintly: Bruce – Level 5.
Bruce had neatly combed black hair and wore his uniform more cleanly than the others, collar straight, belt in place. He gave off a relaxed but dependable aura. Not intimidating like Murphy or distant like the others. Just… real.
"I also handle Class 1-B, so if any of you belong there, you'll see me more often," he added.
Saurai leaned toward Bryn. "If he's coordinator of Class 1-B, then who's in charge of Class 1-A?"
Bryn pointed toward the tall blonde instructor near the back of the stage. The one with Level 6 clearance and a constant, easygoing smile.
"That's Cassius Ray. He's the coordinator of Class 1-A."
"Ray… like Delphine Ray?" Saurai asked, curiosity sparking.
Bryn shrugged. "Not sure, but probably. Same family name. Same level of scary."
As if on cue, Cassius glanced in their direction and directly at Saurai.
His smile deepened yet calm, amused, almost knowing.
Goosebumps crawled across Saurai's skin.
He looked away quickly, pretending to study the ceiling.
Cassius turned his gaze elsewhere, as if nothing had happened.
Saurai also noticed several third and fourth-year students acting as guards. Their uniforms were different while first to fourth-year students wore various shades of blue, depending on their year, those in specialized departments had distinct colors. The guards wore grey. Combat units wore black. Saurai saw that most guards had clearance levels from 1 to 3, but he didn't spot any student with Level 4.
After Murphy left the hall and Delphine took her seat in the front row, the remaining instructors began to exit one by one as if they'd come just to show their faces for this first general assembly. Bruce, however, didn't even glance at them. He remained focused on the students.
Bruce said, "Today is your first general class. Some of what I'll say you might already know but it's procedure, so bear with me."
He cleared his throat again.
"Now then. Let's talk about where we are. You're all on Artemis-5. You might've noticed the emblem, A green anchor entwined with a blooming tree. That's not just for show. That's our official insignia of Artemis-5. And you all are the member of the official Academy of The Artemis-5."
He paused, letting the quiet settle again.
"Artemis-5 isn't like the other fleet ships. We don't host giant industrial domes or major business houses. This ship was designed for two primary purposes: agricultural production and monster discardation."
"Discardation?" someone muttered nearby.
Bruce nodded. "Yep. You'll learn about it soon enough. But in simple terms it means handling, processing, and safely disposing of the remains of monsters we hunt. Their parts have value, but they're dangerous if left untreated."
He continued, his voice steady and clear.
"Artemis-5 provides food for nearly half of the Dominion of Azure Reach. That's why we're not stationed on the front lines. Artemis-5 is located in the Third Drift Sector, where monster activity is lower. Our main role is to ensure food security for the empire."
"The economy of Artemis-5 is one of the strongest in the ' Dominion of Azure reach'" Bruce added proudly. "Because of the steady agricultural output, we help keep not just our sector, but several other regions stable."
He let that sink in before continuing.
"Even though this ship can hold over a million people, our actual population is mid-sized just around two hundred thousand civilians and personnel. The ship is divided into six primary sections, labeled Sector 1 to Sector 6."
He raised his hand, and a faint hologram shimmered to life above the podium, displaying a top-down schematic of Artemis-5.
"Sectors are as follows:
Sector 1 – Residential Zones.
Sector 2 – Education and Training Districts.
Sector 3 – Agricultural Domes.
Sector 4 – Bio-Labs and Discardation Units.
Sector 5 – Governance Levels.
Sector 6 – Outlying Military Docks.
Even though Saurai had some prior knowledge, the sheer size and scale of the ship still shocked him.
The ship resembled a layered crescent or spiral shell, wide and domed at the top, with a narrowing tail structure at the rear. Some areas on the holographic map were obscured, and Saurai guessed that was likely due to security clearance.
"The residential zones are located in the upper levels," Bruce explained. "Divided into ten wings, each capable of housing nearly 40,000 people. The education and training sectors are centralized and placed strategically between the living quarters and the agriculture zones, so students can move between learning, growing, and practice with ease."
The image rotated, and several glowing green sections became visible.
"These are our agricultural domes and artificial biospheres where we grow food, herbs, and medicinal plants. They use recycled nutrient fog and simulated light cycles. Some of our older domes even hold heritage crops and remnants from before the sea swallowed the land."
He added, "You've only visited the farm labs so far, not the actual domes. But pay attention to these domes because they're the backbone of our economy and maybe Many of you will eventually work there."
Students perked up and started to pay attention more to it because Working in the farms was known to be one of the safest and most stable jobs as long as you met your daily quota, you had food, safety, and financial stability. So farm jobs are most sought after jobs on Artemis-5.
Saurai blinked. Something about those domes pulled at him deeply. He suddenly felt an urge to see them. He started to remember about his own lab and how he used to work there and do his research on different kind of plant species, maybe he can continue that even now but then he laughed at his own thought.
"Beneath the domes," Bruce continued, "are the discardation units. Even though the monsters processed here are dead, the area is still dangerous. That section is restricted without clearance. It's where monster remains are dismantled, studied, or destroyed. You'll be introduced to that part of the ship later. For now just stay away."
He swept a hand across the diagram again.
"The military docks run along the outer ring. Patrol vessels, scout gliders, monster recovery boats and they're all stationed there. It's also where wounded combatants and monsters are brought in. Yes, there will be drills. And yes, some of you might be assigned there in the future."
The projection faded.
"We're not a front-line warship. But make no mistake Artemis-5 is vital for the ' Dominion of Azure reach" . We feed half the Dominion. We generate clean energy via bio-reactors. We manage waste from allied ships. We help prevent the seas from turning toxic. You should be proud of that."
His gaze softened, voice lowering slightly.
"So don't think what you do here is small. It matters. Every seed, every sample, every scanned monster bone you handle."
The students sat up straighter. The words rang deeper than just procedure.
Bruce tapped the podium again. "Tomorrow, you'll all participate in a combined combat class. If you don't perform well, you won't get your holiday of this week."
Several students groaned. Bryn let his head fall onto Saurai's shoulder dramatically.
"Can't believe I have to participate in this," he whispered.
Bruce smiled knowingly. "I know most of you are still recovering from orientation. And let's be honest Murphy isn't exactly a warm welcome."
A ripple of laughter spread through the hall.
"But consider this," Bruce said, "you're on a ship floating in a world mostly drowned. You'll face weather shifts, monster breaches, algae blooms, nutrient shortages, dome collapses all while balancing your lives."
He glanced over the crowd, firm but calm.
"This ship might not be glamorous, but Artemis-5 is one of the few still holding strong without corporate backing or noble house control. We're independent. Built on function, not politics. And you all of you are this year's chosen cadets. You're here because we saw potential in you."
His final words echoed with quiet power.
"Don't disappoint us."
With that, Bruce stepped down from the stage.
Saurai remained still, thoughts racing. The domes. The monsters. The discarded bones. It was all so fascinating for him.
And so, the seed of something new, something deeper began to stir.