The Proving by Ken Brosky

supply depot.”
    Cleo gave her brother a knowing look. Gabriel wondered what it meant.
    “The depot contains everything needed for survival outside the shield, including food, water, and a small solar power array to charge personal shield batteries,” Carmen said. “It also contains more than one thousand spare parts for the automated farming machines.”
    “So what do we need to do there?” Cleo asked. “Grease the wheels or something like that?”
    “Shut up and she’ll tell you,” snapped the Spartan, Skye.
    Carmen looked around the interior of the Tumbler. Gabriel knew that look. She was waiting for them to get it out of their system. They were kids, through and through. That was exactly what she was thinking — she hated the Proving and was vocal about it. She hated the idea that kids had to grow up so fast, especially when the Xenoshields were so effective at keeping Specters away from civilization. What remained of civilization, at least.
    But if the great Carmen Martinez’s son and daughter skipped the Proving? That would be a scandal that would ruin their family. And as much as she hated the Proving, Carmen loved being in power. Gabriel knew it, and Carmen knew her son knew it.
    “We have identified a circuit malfunction in the depot’s solar array. Your Coterie’s mission,” she finally said in a slow, deliberately soft tone, “is to troubleshoot the malfunction and repair it. Once the supply depot’s emergency functions are back online, you will return.”
    “That’s it?” Cleo shrugged, giving her brother that same look. “Seems like a cake walk. Now I’m excited.”
    Carmen paused again. “This morning, Clan Persia detected an ice collision on the innermost section of the Ring. The resulting energy flare has caused satellite malfunctions in the northern hemisphere. You’ll have no satellite assistance for this mission. You are ordered to abort the mission if you believe the safety of your Coterie is threatened. You will not fail the Proving if this happens.”
    “How long will the blackout last?” Ben asked.
    “Indeterminate. The energy flare is being analyzed as we speak. As soon as orbital satellites are back up and running, I will establish a direct link and assess your progress.”
    “So what the heck happened at the depot?” Cleo asked. “I mean, you’ve gotta have some idea. Did the heat signature drop first or did the station stop pinging? Because if the station stopped pinging, that means there’s a data issue . . .”
    “We know little else,” Carmen answered. “We did not have time to assess the damage before the energy flare.”
    Gabriel felt a strange chill run down his spine. The emergency supply depot stopped functioning right when the Ring was close enough to temporarily disable the planetary satellite array?
    Coincidence. That’s all it was. This nervousness was because of his grandpa’s stories. His grandpa’s stories never had coincidences. Everything had purpose. But the Specters were mindless creatures. Not ghosts. Ghosts always had purpose in Grandpa’s old stories. They were either haunting their enemies or searching for justice or waiting restlessly for closure with loved ones.
    “Historian.” Carmen’s eyes turned. “Thirty seconds of blackout.”
    Gabriel turned to Seamus, who was sitting across the aisle beside the Athenian girl, Tahlia. Seamus simply nodded.
    A black band appeared underneath Carmen’s holo-image with the word REDACTED repeated in an infinite loop. She looked around again, her eyes stopping on Gabriel. “These are less than ideal circumstances, but rescheduling your Proving would have been a political nightmare for myself and General Mitchell of Clan Sparta. If there is any danger whatsoever, you will return to the city. Understood, Spartan Mitchell?”
    “Yes, Premier Martinez,” Skye said in a low voice, not turning around.
    “Good luck to you all,” Carmen said. Her eyes turned, finding Gabriel and Wei. “Be