Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Greetings, fellow specimen,

We have been informed that you have committed a series of crimes, leading to your current [987 YEARS] of jail time. However, instead of letting you rot inside a damp cell locked on the outskirts of the galaxy, we come with a proposition.

We repurpose convicts to work for the greater good of the species. You will serve for the Galactic Federation under Sir Ci’n Buraq. In return, we will provide you with access to all your basic needs, including accommodation and nutrition.

Additional information will be given at the jobsite if you choose to comply.

“IT’S SOMEHOW WORSE THAN THE SHIT THEY GIVE AT PRISON!!” - Sır Ci’n Buraq

After your current conviction time of servitude is complete, you will be free to roam the galaxy as you please. If you wish, you can choose to stay at the Starlit Sanctuary.

“IT HAS SPACE… OUR SPACE!” - Sır Ci’n Buraq

By signing this paper, you agree to pledge your GAX-ID to the division and understand that in the case of loss of life, your relatives will not be notified, and your death will not be mourned.

This contract will be invalid a week after its printing date. If you choose to decline, ignore this paper.

Sincerely,

The Space Blowers DIV

Sıgned By - Vedal Johnson

Chapter Text

GALACTIC HUB - MILKY WAY

LOCATION - SOL SYSTEM / PLANET 8 (Neptune)

TIME: 19.7.7521 (Earth)

-

The high-tech, sleek spacecraft zipped through the parked massive cargo haulers on its way to the dock. The blue trails it left behind were a perfect match to the lights on the station.

“Vultus, this is Delta, do you read?” A young, hasty voice rang inside the cabin, demanding.

“Delta, this is Vultus. We hear you. ” The pilot, a young woman with pink hair and a mischievous smile, responded.

“Please explain the reasoning for your arrival.”

“We are here for the big shell, y’know…? The Starshooter?”

“Oh you are here for him… ” The voice cut itself off for a moment, taking a breather. “I need the authentication code for this mission.”

“My code is… 173782815.” The pilot read from a piece of paper dangling from above.

The sound of aggressive keyboard tapping was heard until… “You may make your way towards Dock 3. Just be a little more careful with this one, Federation's command.”

“Approaching Dock 3…” The woman responded, uncaring of the warning. The chatter ended as silent static took its place.

The engines of the spacecraft hummed as the cab made its way towards the dock’s gravity well. The soft glow of its lights was a stark contrast to the distant winds of Neptune.

After a few minutes of erratic movements that Pilot Camila would call ‘Artistic and Elegant’, the vessel touched down a few steps away from the group of armed guards. The door on the side opened with a hiss, extending a ladder.

Another woman, one with silky white hair and orangeish eyes, gracefully walked out of the cabin. She wore a stylish red velvet coat and a pair of sunglasses, even though there was no direct light to irritate her eyes.

She stopped in front of the young man with messy black hair, whose head was pinned, looking at the ground. “Show me his face.”

The guard took notice and harshly pulled on his hair, raising his flat, emotionless face. The woman made a small smirk. “Take him to the ship. And tie him real good.”

The guard made no expression. Instead, he hurried the half-tied man inside the ship and forced him onto a metal chair. The weight sensor noticed the change and immediately activated the metal clamps on the wrists and ankles.

The woman walked outside the craft until all the guards had finished their job. Making sure they are done, she steadily made her way inside the cabin, the door closing behind her.

“Everyone on board?” The pilot girl asked, peeking out of the cockpit's holo-door.

The white haired woman made a smug expression. “Two on board and one restrained.” She thought that was extremely funny, even though he REALLY wasn’t having it.

“Preparing for takeoff.” Camila spoke while flicking the levers one by one. The thrusters of the craft roared as the body made liftoff. Camila demonstrated her incredible piloting skills by narrowly avoiding a collision with an approaching fuel bulker.

“Out of my way bitch!” She screamed towards the large vessel, which most likely didn’t even hear her. A couple of sharp turns later, the craft made its way out of the dock’s gravity well. “Huff… Where are we going now?”

The white haired woman faced towards the cockpit with a teasing smirk on her face. “You already know.”

“Another one for the grinder, eh?” The pilot responded, her voice sad yet uncaring at the same time.

“Delta, this is Vultus requesting IV warp aid.”

“Vultus, this is Delta. Please transmit your desired coordinates.”

“Transmitting…” She pressed a few buttons on the upper panels as the displays showed data being transferred.

“Data received.” The same voice answered. “Make your way towards Gate 2.”

“Affirmative…” The communicator was halted as the ship turned sharply towards the gate bay. “Alright, everyone! Buckle up and hold on tight!”

“Why do you always say that?” The white haired woman interjected.

“After the number of accidents caused by people being thrown around the ship due to not being seated, they had to add that to the rules.” The pilot responded while flicking the virtual levers on the screen. “You are pretty much a murderer if you don’t say that before initiating a jump.”

The woman in red scowled. “Absurd…” She very much did not sit down but instead pressed her hand against the roof of the cabin. Her posture was very much relaxed, keeping one eye on the restrained prisoner. 

The energy field contained within the jumpgate filled her view. “Here goes nothing.” For one second, everything went white. The lights flickered, and the cabin shook to its very core. The Starry Night was blocked by the intense energy now enveloping the ship.

“We are…” The vibrating subsided, and the lights slowly came back on. “On the go! The estimated time is 26 minutes to the destination. I’d suggest you get comfy.”

The white haired woman made a wide grin while facing the captive man. “I surely will.”

She made her way inside the cabin and sat down on the white chair a meter or two apart from his. A holographic projection of a table appeared between them, along with a group of blue voxels in her hands.

The pixels in her right arm subsided into some sort of notebook which had the name “ VEDAL ” written on the cover, while an elegant, tall glass appeared in her other hand. A slightly lucid red liquid danced onto the light inside.

She placed her feet on top of the holographic table, which appeared to be completely solid. “You should be proud. It’s not every day that we get someone so dangerous that we have to  transport them privately.”

The man lifted his head with a glare but didn’t speak.

She leaned in closer to the table, letting her legs fall through. “How does it feel to be forced to serve the very people that you despise?”

“Soulless,” Vedal sighed, his eyes darting before locking onto hers. “very much like you.”

Her gaze stiffened and contorted. Her lips moved erratically, unable to say anything. He took notice of the change.

“You thought I didn’t notice?” He said while his eyes scanned her physique, an hourglass too perfect for biology. “Next time you get a body, tell them to make your breasts smaller.”

“Dang…” Camila’s voice was heard through the cockpit. “That was way too fast-”

“Oh, shut it, Camila!”

“Alright, Zen sheesh…”

Vedal observed the small talk happening in front. “So that’s your name?”

“That is just what she calls me. But you will call me Zentreya.” She replied, aggressive yet smug at the same time. “Though I think talking about you is a lot more interesting.”

“Name is Vedal Johnson, born on planet Laeyana-”

“Not that! Idiot!” Zentreya shouted, interrupting him. “What I really mean is what’s in here.”  She spoke while shaking the holographic page with his name on it.

“You told me that reading those was extremely boring.” Camila interjected again.

“I probably did say that. ” Zentreya replied. “The thing is that I don’t usually get a full report of someone nearing four digits.”

“How much was his sentence again…?”

“987… Years…” Zen’s voice stretched, attempting to get a reaction out of him.

“What did you do even to receive that…?”

“Well, we’ll see…” Zen smugly replied while flipping pages with her thumb. “This one seems interesting…”

“ Destroyed 21 large-scale mining vessels and seized around 200.000 Tons of materials worth approximately 10.000.000.000 credits in the process. What did you use all that metal for anyway?”

“Clearly not for something like you.” Vedal shot back, his voice starting to burn.

“The Federation has gotten really good at making robots, y’know?”

“And I have gotten better at spotting them.” Vedal replied, his face smirking.

She took notice of his smug dominance and her own dwindling patience. She spoke, her voice annoyed. “Here is another one…”

“ Shot down every vessel present in the PoleStar fleet, which at the time was hauling medical cargo specifically GRE-AN anti-growth pills and…booze… ” She paused for a moment, letting the words take effect.

“Now that is an impressive feat on its own, but for me, the last part is what takes the cake.” Her gaze fell back onto the sheet while tracing a line with her polished nail. “ The attack was carried out with an MT-N2 ground laser normally suitable for aerial combat. ”

“Where you see limitations, I see the unused potential.”

“I am NOT talking about the technological limitations.” She shot back angrily. A crack was heard from the glass in her hand, but it didn’t break. “There is a difference between shooting a fighter point blank and sniping a whole fleet on the other side of the fucking system!”

“I guess that is what it takes to be the legendary Starshooter.” Vedal chuckled silently, which only pissed her off even more.

“Just how effective are those pills?” Camila derailed the conversation, her voice unassuming.

“I just hit 118 last month.” Vedal answered while holding back laughter.

Camila peeked through the door at lightspeed. “What the FUCK?!” Her voice was confused, distraught. “I’m 27 and you look younger than me!”

“The whole supply of PoleStar should be enough for a few million years. Too bad they made it illegal after a hundred.” Zentrya added, her voice flat. She continued scrolling through the pages until she stopped, and a wide grin appeared on her face. “This one’s my favourite.”

“ Seized control of the Medusa medical carrier, which is the only supplier of the XDX-7 medicine used to treat chronic stellar corruption. Subject said the medicine was for his daughter… ”

He tried to break free of his chair to deliver a full punch to her grinning face, his soul aflame.

Don't you dare, you piece of shit…

“Probably died watching him get arrested… How sad…”

“Don’t you fucking dare talk like that about her, you disgusting bucket of bolts!”

“Well…”She rolled her eyes, mouth still grinning. “That bucket of bolts is now your superior.” He could feel the sarcasm dripping down.

“Also, it appears that was the last one of your doings, as tracking a whole cargo ship is easier than a fighter named after an insect.” She spoke while the page faded from her hand along with the fractured wine glass.

“And don’t worry, they seized every single property of yours in the process. In other words, you are broke.” She teased him. “Though they probably should have left it there since someone as stupid as you can probably manage to waste it all-” *BEEP* The sound came with a red light, interrupting her.

“CONVERSATION TIME WITH THE SUBJECT HAS BEEN COMPLETED!! PLEASE REFRAIN FROM INTERACTING WITH THE SUBJECT.”

“Welp…” Camila’s voice was heard again. “I was just starting to enjoy this.”

“Don’t worry, Cami…” Zentreya stood up from her chair, the table melting away into static. “Let’s give the guys at the station a chance to harass him further.” Her voice was cocky.

She gave a sinister laugh. “Delightfully…”

Chapter Text

STARLIT SANCTUARY - MILKY WAY

LOCATION - BLACK PEARL (PULSAR)

TIME 19.7.7521 (EARTH)

-

The vessel vibrated as the supercharged energy field began to dissipate. “There is an art to how to exit hyperspace properly…”

“And while most don’t get it…” Camila continued as the trailing stars filled their view. “I for sure do…” She mocked with her eyes closed, not realizing that she overshot the station. Vedal held back his laughter at the sight unfolding before him.

“Oh, I have no doubts…” Zentreya murmured with a smug face. “Who am I to question the decision of the supreme pilot?”

“Yeah that’s right! When I am at the helm, you ar -wait, hold on a minute…” Her tone shifted as she glanced at the navigation screen and the blinking dots on it. “Did I brake too late? Why did no one tell me?!”

A small chuckle left Vedal as his composure trembled. Zentreya seemed excessively delighted at the comedic scene in front. “Y’know… Didn’t want to judge the pilot…”

“Oh, quit playing!” She snapped while performing aggressive maneuvers on the ship. “I swear if I hear something again, I will let the pearl deep fry your eyes!”

“At this rate, you’ll miss that one too.” Zentreya snickered, which finally broke Vedal as he let out a massive laugh.

“Welp, you asked for it.” With a small beep, the metal side panels of the cabin retracted, revealing large glass windows. An intense azure light flickered inside their eyes before abruptly fading.

“INTENSE ILLUMINATION DETECTED - ACTIVATING SOLAR TINT”

“WHAT?!!” Camila screamed at the top of her lungs while browsing through her array of screens. “Hold on, where is the… Aha!”

“THIS FILTER CAN’T BE DEACTIVATED RIGHT NOW - REASON (Too Bright)”

“Okay, bozo, why is there a lever to deactivate it if it opens and closes automatically?” She pressed some more buttons but shortly gave up and went back to piloting the vessel. “Ugh… Whatever.”

Vedal ignored her antics and instead gazed out the window, letting the bluish white light fill his eyes. The Black Pearl, while not the brightest nor the most massive, was essentially a cosmic shield for those who could handle its blighted rays.

“Don’t worry, this ship and the one you will be using are going to be shielded, so in theory you shouldn’t turn into French fries.” Zentreya spoke in a cold tone.

“Don’t you think that it's kind of wasteful of the Federation to use the entire galactic supply of iridesite on ships where it most likely isn’t even needed?” Camila interjected, a tinge of concern in her voice.

“That’s out of my scope. Besides,” She leaned into one of the walls, getting a good look at the spinning ball of death. “it’s probably better to do something with it instead of letting it sit around the corner where it may end up getting robbed by some stinky dude with ‘Dread Pirate’ or ‘Righteous Thief’ in his name.”

“Hard to argue with that.” Camila continued her approach to the station she had just overshot. “And honestly, I think these guys look really pretty.”

“It’s not that they are pretty,” Zentreya pushed herself forward and made her way towards the cockpit. “With the right equipment, it's essentially a cosmic lighthouse. If your ship isn’t adequately equipped, the radiation will just fry you.”

“In other words,” Zentreya continued. “they offer excellent protection from pirate nuisances.”

“Why do they need protection if they are so powerful?” Vedal, who had been silent this whole time, spoke up.

Zentreya’s face showed a tinge of sourness. “They are trying to hide it, but really? They are shitting their pants.”

“Wait, what?“ Camila sounded surprised. Vedal could see her expression from the faint reflection on the glass. “How?”

“Too many merchants, not enough warriors. Pirates live to steal, and at this stage of the Federation, you don’t even need to be good at it to make a buck.” She explained while looking at Vedal. “They dropped so low that they have to rely on maggots like this one to do the dirty work.”

“Well, save your thoughts for later.” Camila spoke hastily while typing on the virtual keyboard. “We are entering comms range and they’ll be reaching out at right about n-”

“Vultus, this is Vesper, do you read?” A deep, feminine voice rang through the cockpit.

“Crap!” Camila exclaimed while struggling to set up her microphone. “Mic Test one..two..three…”

“Make your way towards the rear gate.”

“Wait!” Her voice was unheard of as the chatter blurred into static. “Bro, I swear these guys aren’t usually like this!” She complained while tilting the craft. The yellowish lights of the station shining through the window caught his eye.

The station is composed of a massive glass dome, which has two large entrances from either side. A cylinder with many windows extended smoothly from the bottom. The ship made its way towards one of the entrances, where the closed gate began to open.

The sterilizing lights of the gate irritated his eyes as the metal walls enveloped the ship, the doors closing after them. The ship touched down on the artificial gravity floor with a violent shake.

The ladder extended from the side, and the awaiting guards rushed into the vessel. Seconds later, they came out with Vedal in tow and walked towards a woman with yellow hair and purple eyes.

“So it really is you, huh?” She spoke softly, examining his facial features. She then turned towards the ship’s open door. “Thank you for your service, Miss…”

“Zentreya.” She added, her voice boasting. “No need to thank. After all, it’s just good business.”

“My team and I will take it from here.” She spoke confidently while the guards took him away.

“Ey, what about us?” Zentreya scoffed. “We were the ones who safely delivered the package after all.”

“Understood.” The woman acknowledged her claim. “I have already booked two rooms for both of you for the next two shifts free of charge. Premium, of course.”

“Now THAT’s more like it.” Camila’s voice echoed through the ship and the gate.

“Yo, Camila, I’ll race you to the room. Loser gets coffee!”

“You are on!” She rapidly exited the shuttle and began chasing after Zentreya, who had already started running, not knowing where their room even is.

Vedal sat on the minimalistic metal chair a meter away from her. The room was illuminated by a small lamp strip on the top and was decorated with pure utility in mind.

The woman read the notes in the leather notebook placed in her hand. Her purple eyes occasionally glanced towards his flat face as if expecting something to change, only to be disappointed.

“May I ask what we are doing right now?” Vedal asked, his voice bitter.

“I was tasked with teaching you the basics for working with the Space Blowers. Though reading your criminal obituary is proving to be quite a bit more engaging.” She replied while still flipping through the many pages.

“They thought that you were worthy enough that I had to interrogate you privately.” She continued, placing the closed notebook on the table.

Vedal let a long sigh. “Well, I figure we both don’t have all day?”

“Alright, ahem…” She cleared her throat and took a big gasp of air. “ Welcome to the starlit sanctuary where you will be serving your remaining years! I’m Cerber, nice to meet you! ” The woman spoke as if she were reading from a script.

“ Our premise is to salvage derelict or abandoned vessels which are prone to interstellar collisions or pirate robberies. The missions are performed daily on a 20-hour schedule where personnel are given 7 hours of sleep and an hour of free time. ”

“ The missions will be carried through with verified Federation ships that can be remotely terminated in case of criminal activity. Repeated failure of completion will result in contractual termination. ”

“ Each vessel is equipped with 8A-11 grenades that, once activated, will vaporise everything in a 4 kilometer radius. It is reminded that the BALL is fragile and pirate interference must be dealt with before deployment. ”

Cerber took a breather and leaned into the table. “And also, each mission is done in pairs with one personnel as pilot and the other as gunman.”

“Yeah, nah…” Vedal scoffed, looking annoyed. “I’m fine with all that, but I am a lone wolf that doesn’t like to share its prey. Turning into an ice cube sounds very tempting right now.”

“Unfortunately, you have already signed the contract.” She replied with a small grin on her face. “Your room is already reserved, and your current opinion is worthless.”

The door behind him broke open with force. A guard grabbed him by the shoulder and violently yanked him out of the chair, causing it to fall to the ground.

“You bitch!” He shouted furiously. “Let me go right now!” She just looked at him, eyes perfectly stable, posture perfectly straight.

His foot dragged on the floor as he was carried through the corridors by the bulky men beside him. The corridor was empty other than the many doors that littered the walls.

They stopped in front of Room 1219. The door clicked open, revealing a room that looked somewhat cozy. Vedal wasn’t able to get a good look as he was pushed inside.

“It's resting time, big shell! Don’t make a sound if you don’t want your face ruined!” One of the guards mocked from behind.

Vedal ignored his antics and instead started examining his quarters. The room wasn’t exactly large, but it possessed a single bed, a black rug, and a few counters where a coffee machine and a water fountain were placed. On the wall was a large curved window gazing onto the stars.

Vedal would have searched more, however the vision of the bed in front injected him with a fatal dose of fatigue. He could barely walk as his body collapsed onto the somewhat soft mattress. The room took notice, and the lights automatically dimmed, immediately forcing him into slumber.

The loud buzzer echoed across the room, waking him out of his sleep. The mattress wasn’t exactly comfy or fancy. The entire room was devoid of almost any aesthetic other than the starlight shining through.

At least I don’t have an army chasing after me…

He slowly slid off the bed, gazing around the same, utilitarian room. He noticed on one of the counters there was a glowing object, a tablet as it seemed. He walked over to see what it showed.

The display notified him that the resting period was over and had 46 minutes until he would be assigned a mission at random. The screen also recommended that he take a full-body shower before changing into workplace clothes. He looked around and saw a dark blue colored suit with pants to match hanging next to his bed.

For once, he decided to acknowledge the machine’s recommendation and swayed into the small bathroom. Getting ready to face the water, he stepped inside the cabin, the cool water soothing his skin.

However, he knew that just a small drizzle wasn’t enough and that he needed to go into the shampoo territory. He reached the small dispenser slanted into the wall, which automatically squirted a small white foam into his hand.

His hand reached for his hard, black hair, hydrating the suffocated skin underneath. This turned out to be a big mistake, as the worst sound came through the shower head, and the flow of water stopped.

For a moment, he was confused. He reached for the handle and turned it erratically, hoping to get the flow going, to no avail. His biggest fear was confirmed as he stared at his very own reflection on the wet floor.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Chapter Text

Vedal angrily threw off the foamy towels to the ground, a part of the white bubbles still spawning on his now half-clean, half-dirty hair. He looked at himself in the small bathroom mirror, his hair still somewhat slippery and glistening, his face still red and furious.

His old dirty green hoodie lay on his bed. He stood nearby, now half dirty and half clean, which was arguably worse. He noticed a drop of water running down his face. He was confused at first, as he was sure to dry himself thoroughly, despite the situation. However, the burning warmth of the liquid did indeed clarify that the room was too hot.

He reached out for his new clothes and viciously started putting them on. Someone had done this to him, and whoever they were, they were going to pay. Grabbing his keycard from the counter, he ran over to the door and opened it, being immediately greeted by the pungent odor of sweat.

He backed off, covering his face with his wrist to no avail. He knew that he had to endure it to reach his destination, the elevator to the main floor, where he would punch Cerber in the face.

He covered his nose with his hand while slowly walking into the corridor with his eyes half closed. But just as he stepped into the corridor, he heard muffled footsteps coming from the right. When he noticed it was too late

*CRASH* The mass crashed violently from the side, ruining his balance and completely flattening him onto the ground.

“Gah…! Watch where you are going, idiot!” Her voice was loud enough to ring his ears.

“Says the one sprinting down the halls…” He muttered while struggling to get her off of him. “On fucking sound-absorbing carpet.”

“Says the one who walks with his eyes closed and wHaA-? Why the hell is your hair sticky?!” She shouted as she pushed herself off of him, looking disgusted.

Vedal struggled to get back on his feet. Just as he got up from the fall, he met her face, and her body was covered entirely by water. Then, the smell hit him. “Jesus Christ! You smell like shit!”

“Well, the AC in my room decided to die on me, and now I’m stuck like this!” She complained, wiping the shampoo off her hands.

Vedal’s eye fell onto her large breasts, which had a darker color in the middle. “What did you even do to sweat this much in the first place?”

“That’s…” She noticed his gaze on her chest, causing her to blush deeply. “That’s none of your business! You cannot fathom how angry I am right now and how much I want to kick Cerber in the groin for cutting off my water!”

The silence was deafening as their brains finally merged the two ends. Vedal’s brain was more focused on her incredible physique. She had deep purple eyes with lucid silver hair.

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself…” The woman broke the silence, her voice quieter but still heard. “I’m Anny.”

“Vedal.” He replied, a small smugness tugging at his lips. “And it appears that there is a blonde’s ass waiting to be kicked.”

*Ding!* The elevator speaker rang as the cabin reached the main floor of the station. It looked pretty much the same, except for the sour smell and damp air, despite its spacious interior.

They stepped out, the door closing behind them and sending the elevator back down again. Vedal looked around, his eyes scanning through the crowds of people in the same dark blue outfits. They eventually landed on the blonde wearing a formal business suit, writing in a mysterious notebook with two of her guards in tow.

“Cerber!!” Both of them shouted at her while sprinting towards her. The loud noise caused her to perk up for a second before slowly turning towards them.

“Oh, hi, you two! Why are you two in such a.. hurry…..euh oh god… ??” She placed her hand on her chest, trying her best not to gag, to no avail. “For the love of space… huggh…GUARD! ”

A bulky man rushed over to her side. “Yes, ma’am? Oh noo…” His face contorted as the intense stink hit his nose. “Hold on, I will fix this!” He took out what appeared to be a spray bottle and sprayed its contents all over the two.

“Hey, watch out!” Anny whined while covering her eyes from the incoming liquid.  It only lasted a few seconds, but when the mist dissipated, the smell was mostly gone.

“Much better. Now you two…” She sighed, eyes curiously scanning. “What is it that you are using your free time to chit-chat with me?”

“I’ll start,” Vedal said, taking a step forward. “why the hell is it so hot?”

“Well-” Cerber began, but was cut off.

“And why is the shower not working?!” Anny shouted, her eyes bloodshot.

“Well, you see, there was a shipment of water that was supposed to arrive a few hours prior, buuut…” She muttered, avoiding eye contact. “We think they got ambushed by pirates.”

“That sucks,” Vedal replied flatly. “Is there some sort of recovery mission?”

“I just got contacted that the most optimal duration is 9 hours.” She replied, her voice sorrowful. “There is a squadron on their way right now, but they are being transferred from the Perseus arm, so it's a three-hour warp minimum.”

“Bullshit!” Anny shouted, voice growing impatient. “I literally arrived here last week, and you guys make sure that I regret every decision that led up to this moment! And I still haven’t forgotten the time when the entire station fell asleep because the coffee shipment got delayed.”

“Okay, Miss’is know-it-all fox girlie!” Cerber’s fragile temper finally snapped. “Why don’t you fix this problem yourself, then?”

“Y’know what…” Anny’s demeanor changed; her eyes were calculating. “That actually sounds viable.”

“Okay then, listen now, you little…” She sighed, her voice cooling down. “I’ll get you two something that can get this mission complete, and you two go and deal with those pirates yourselves.”

“Weren’t I supposed to receive some sort of training before my first real mission?” Vedal interjected, his expression confused.

“You are here so that I can process this mission.” Anny boasted. “For all I know, you can just nap the entire way.”

Vedal raised an eyebrow at her entitled attitude, but didn’t bother arguing. “And what if we fail per se?”

“I will get both of you yeeted into Sagittarius A.” She spoke, a devilish smile on her face.

“Deal!” Anny exclaimed while Vedal’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“WOAH, hold on for a minute… I said I was okay with being an ice cube, not turned into spaghetti!” Vedal interjected.

“I mean it’s not that different,” Cerber explained, a smug smile creeping up her lips. “the only difference is that you can come back from one.”

She clicked her watch and flicked some virtual levers inside the interface. “I have a Mothra reserved for you two, and if you miss it, consider yourself human pasta.”

“NO! I am NOT doing this shit with someone I’ve met 10 minutes ago!” Vedal screamed, his voice distraught.

“Too late, *snap* GUARD!” Cerber ordered, and one of the big guys grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him around.

“I WILL SUE YOoouuu…!” His voice faded away. Cerber and Anny looked at him, both of them holding back laughter.

“As if he can do that.” Anny chuckled under her breath.

“You should follow him.” Cerber replied, still smiling. “Not that I would mind some Anny flavored macaroni.” She added as Anny buzzed off in terror.

HIGH SPACE MATRIX

TIME 20.7.7521 (EARTH)

-

Anny glanced over her virtual levers and the flickering lights of the warp matter folding around the spacecraft. The primary display in front of her said that they had 2 minutes until their arrival.

“Mmh-MMGH!” Oh, and Vedal was there, his mouth and limbs taped shut on the other seat.

“Okay, enough muttering.” Anny stood up from her chair and made her way near Vedal. His eyes were locked onto her gloomy face, which seemed static. With one fluid motion, her hand went onto the tape covering his mouth. Before he could think about anything, a sickening sound was heard from the tape being ripped off.

“YEOWH!” Vedal jumped on his seat, which Anny found highly amusing. “Why did you pull on it so hard!?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Anny spoke with an underlying mischievousness to her tone. “Would you like me to put it back so I can try again?”

“Haha, very funny…” Vedal sarcastically replied as Anny cut the other tapes with her surprisingly sharp nails. “I wonder if you would think the same if a dude twice your size stuck you onto a chair with electrical tape for the next 10 minutes.”

“If you don’t shut up right now, I will personally ask him to do it again.” Anny demanded, and Vedal obliged. With a final motion, all the tapes were cut, and Vedal was once again free to move.

“Thanks…” Vedal murmured under his breath. “I guess…”

“Save it,” Anny interrupted hastily while glancing at her monitors. “we are almost there, so here is the game plan:”

“I perform some incredible evasive maneuvers until either they run out of ammunition or you pass out. After that, I take control of the weapons terminal and just blast them into oblivion. Understood?”

Vedal just stared at her, confused. “Uh…huh.”

“Good!” Anny got back to the piloting seat and pressed some buttons on the terminal above. “Exiting warp… Now.”

The vessel smoothly glided out of the warp, way more gently than it had with Camila. Seconds later, their view was filled with stars and the large fractured vessel, where smaller ships with yellow lights were flying around it. Vedal realised that their position was pretty much perfect.

“Impressive…” Vedal spoke, his tone collected. “Placement is almost perfect.

Anny bit her lips, her brain working on a plan. ”I don’t know what is so impressive about coming out of a warp.”

Vedal was instantly reminded of the fiasco of Camila’s expert piloting course. “You don’t wanna know.” He tried to take his mind off with something unusual at the command terminal.

Anny massaged her cheeks, thinking of a viable strategy. She knew this mission was important, after all, her shower was on the line. Her train of thought was interrupted by…

-kzzt- ”Bro, how many times do I need to tell you that I can destroy ships under 2 minutes?”

-kzzkzzt- “A couple more hundred times and I’ll be convinced.”

-kzzt- ”You two! Stop bickering and just collect the water already!”

Anny was left confused. “How did you…?”

“I just hacked into their voice channel. Pretty easy to be honest.” Vedal answered, face still monotone. Anny realised that this bedbug was slightly more competent than the ones she had worked with in the past. Not that it would deviate from the plan, of course.

“Let's get this party started!” And with that, she throttled to full power on the engines. The craft roared towards the squad of pirates, who finally seemed to notice.

”Yo! We got company!” The first voice spoke along with a few lever flicks. “Activate battle stations!” However, just as their weapons came online…

*clank*-*clunk*-*CRUNCH!* Vedal’s finger let go of the trigger as many shots were fired on the enemy vessel. A yellow flame burst out towards the rear end of the vessel.

“There goes their engines.” Vedal spoke casually while checking on the other weapon systems. “Why does this brick have two of its strongest weapons under its wings?”

“I-I think Mothra was used for aerial assist on the ground rather than vacuum combat.” Anny replied, still puzzled by his dead-on accuracy. “Which is probably why the bottom is reinforced.”

“We’ll discuss later why Cerber gave us the worst ship for a mission like this.” Vedal interjected, his speech faster than normal. “Here is something more interesting: They are about to-”

“Fire!” His fierce voice rang across the chatter. They could see the bright flames of the missile’s thrusters approaching.

Anny wasted no time taking full control of the ship and performing intense evasive maneuvers. They performed a circular motion around the pirates and the wreckage, the missiles following closely after them.

Vedal shot many bullets at the encroaching missiles and managed to shoot down two of them without many obstacles. Just as he was locking on the last missile, Anny interrupted him.

“Don’t shoot that one!” Anny screamed while steering the ship. “I have an idea…”

Vedal raised a confused eyebrow at her words. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to do anything as he was pinned down to his chair by extreme gravity. Once he regained his composure, he realised that they were going headfirst into the pirate vessel that he had just shot.

“What the fuck are you thinking? We are going to hit them!“ Vedal screamed, his composure failing.

“Oh, something will hit them alright.” Anny replied, her tone collected. Just as they were about to hit them, she made a sharp turn and barely missed. “Not us, though.” The missile, however, with its lackluster target selection, didn’t.

There was a massive light that filled the void behind them. Vedal could almost feel the heat of the explosion inside the cockpit. Anny, however, seemed unfazed by the orb of fire. “One down, two to go.”

Vedal was not having any of this. “You are straight up insane.”

“Thank you!” Anny replied, her voice bubbly.

Wasn’t a compliment…

“Also, why are they not screaming right now?” Anny added, her voice cheery.

“Large disturbances in the frequency can interrupt the network.” Vedal replied flatly. “The giant ball of flame, for example.”

“I love our talk, but- *clank* yeah, those guys are still there.” Anny hurried to grab hold of the stick. Vedal took a quick damage report. A single hole on the right wing, pretty much harmless.

“Let’s show how you are supposed to use these things.” Vedal boasted while preparing the main guns. Both of them, despite trying not to show it, were enjoying this too much.

Anny flew the ship above the enemy vessels, which gave Vedal a clean angle to use the main heavies. He pulled on the trigger vigorously, turning the enemy vessels into Swiss cheese.

“Hold on…” Anny called while typing on her terminal. Seconds later, a target reticle appeared on the enemy ship right behind the cockpit, where the hull was thinner. “Blast your guns there on my mark!”

The vessel made a sharp turn towards the mostly incapacitated enemy vessel. Then the engines roared back with vigor, rapidly propelling the craft forward.

“Now!” She screamed as the engines cut off. The craft pitched up aggressively, giving Vedal the angle he needed to fire his sticks. He aimed the guns at the reticle and fired viciously, turning this already weak point into a toothpick where the Mothra was heading.

*CrASH* The mothra slammed belly first into the enemy vessel, splitting it in two. Both of them felt the harsh impact on their vessel. And both of them loved it. The last pirate vessel, however, didn’t as they began to charge their warp drive while fleeing the scene.

“Run away bitch!” Anny triumphed over the fleeing vessel, which had managed to get their hyperdrive up just in time to run away. With the crime scene now clear, they let their energy discharge, burying themselves in their chairs.

Just as Anny was beginning to drift off, the system beeped in front. She saw that three new vessels had emerged from hyperspace. She checked the rear camera, sighing in relief as she saw the blue lights on them.

“You two did well today.” Cerber’s voice rang inside, puzzled. “A little too well…”

“Uh-Oh…” Anny teased. “Someone sounds humbled.”

“We will talk about this later. Go back to the station and take your shower.” Cerber demanded.

“Oh right…” Anny chuckled, she forgot that was the original purpose of this mission.

Chapter Text

“Wait, so you two never had a problem with the shower?” Anny raised an eyebrow, coffee steaming off her hands.

“Nope!” Camila replied, leaning into the table. “Didn’t even know about such a thing until you told me about it.”

“Maybe you should ask Cerber.” Zentreya chimed in. “Not that I would not know anything about something water-related.”

“Of course, the stinking robot doesn’t know shit about showering.” Vedal jabbed at Zentreya, taking a few sips from his tea and almost spitting it out at the same time. “God, this tastes terrible…”

Zen opened her mouth to reply, but a sound from her wristband caught her attention. “It’s about time we head out. Say your goodbyes, I’ll be at the dock.” She buzzed off, letting silence take her place.

“Hold on, I’m coming!” Camila shouted in her direction before turning towards the two. “Welp, it was nice knowing you two. Anny, I hope you have a nice time. And Vedal…” She approached his uncaring expression.

“ This might be the one. ” She whispered with a mischievous grin.

Vedal took another sip and spoke. “If you ever talk again, the next time we meet, I will do more than insult your piloting skills.” His face was laughably still.

“Hehehe…” She walked off, trailing behind Zentreya. Vedal continued sipping his tea, ignoring pretty much everything else happening around him. That was until he noticed Anny staring him down with her deep, luscious eyes.

“I was wondering…” She began, her eyes still on him. “Why do people call you The Starshooter?”

“Thought it was self-explanatory.” He placed his teacup down. “To put it simply, I shot an entire fleet of ships on the other side of the system with a ground-based weapon.”

“So you are the dude behind the Polestar incident?” She spoke with knowledge, which somewhat surprised Vedal. “Not sure if they should be honored or ashamed.”

Vedal took another sip of his tea. “What do you mean by that?”

Anny returned the favor by taking a sip of her coffee. “I half expected you to be a superhuman or something like that, but… You are pretty normal, which is rare.”

Vedal raised an eyebrow at ‘normal’. “Well, tell me. What are you in here for? And how normal are you?”

Anny sighed, placing her cup down. “Ever heard of Liquid Love?”

“Nope.”

She giggled at his response. “It’s a concoction mostly used by young women to make themselves feel… ‘Nicer’ is the word, I suppose.”

“In what way, nicer?”

“When consumed as an adult, it is mostly a glorified edible perfume. The scent is composed of smells that the opposing gender supposedly finds ‘Attractive’.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“However, when consumed before adulthood, it can alter the genetic structure to be more favorable in the face of beauty.” She stood up from the chair and stretched her limbs.

“A better physique,”

She placed her arms on her hips. “A slimmer waist, or even…” Then, behind her head, giving him a good view. “A plump chest.”

“Sounds like cute girl paradise.” He placed his empty cup down, face still.

“The recipe is secret.” She slowly walked over to his side. “The rich would pay abhorrent amounts of cash just to get a handful of this stuff even though they knew it was illegal.”

“You don’t look rich…”

“Well, I was the girl carrying the stuff.” She swayed around. “And you can consider it to be free advertisement, I suppose.”

“And then you got caught red-handed.”

“Which is why I’m here.”

Silence stretched on for a minute. Vedal stood still in his chair, enjoying the sound of her footsteps, imagining the touch of her silky skin. He supposed that whatever drink she was talking about worked well enough.

“Hey, I have another question.” He interrupted the silence. “Why did Cerber call you a ‘Fox-Girlie’?”

The question seemed to stun her for a second. Her gaze froze as her mind processed the request. “You wanna know?”

Vedal felt a little uncomfortable by her bizarre reaction. “If you want to show, why not?”

She sat down in her chair, eyes locked onto his. Her hands went onto her scalp, her slender fingers digging into her hair. The individual silver strands reflect the light in a mesmerising way.

“Ready?” Anny called, pulling him out of his trance. He acknowledged this with a quick nod.

“Tadaaa!” She lifted her hands, revealing a pair of fox ears. She put her hands in front of her waist and gave him a pose. “Now you know.”

Vedal, who had been uninterested in pretty much all of the topics she had just talked about, found his curiosity piqued. “That’s pretty cool…” His eyes scanned their exotic biology. “Why, though?”

“Remember the thing I talked about earlier?” Anny leaned into her chair, her gaze distant. “They stitch these on your head to know that you are one of them.”

“The question is, are you still considered a drug trafficker when you are locked up in here?” Another voice chimed in monotonously. Both of them turned their heads to see Cerber standing there.

“Depends on the person, I’d say.” Anny played along while silently approaching Vedal. “You look like someone who would.”

Cerber let out a bored sigh, watching their antics. “How is the date going, ‘Foxie’?”

Anny almost jumped, her cheeks burning. “W-We are just having coffee!”

Cerber chuckled slightly. “Well, you can have your coffee on the ship.” She repeatedly tapped her wristband.

“What is it that you need our assistance for?” Vedal derailed the conversation.

“Another distress signal just rolled in. Counterfeit circuit delivery frigate got smashed by asteroids after a pirate encounter. I think they didn’t tune their transmitter quite right, considering we picked it up.”

“And like everything slightly inconvenient…” Cerber sighed, an awkward smile on her face. “They want you two to fix it.”

“Well, we still have 20 minutes on our free time!” Anny shouted, her voice defeated.

“We have detected quite a bit of signal coming from the system.” Cerber explained, her tone collected. “Usually, this means many ships. So many that they send a duo of torpedo bombers to help out.”

“I still don’t understand the reason.” Vedal interrupted, his voice monotone.

“They are currently on their way, and if you leave in the next 5 minutes, you should arrive roughly at the same time.” Cerber huffed, tired. “In all honesty, I’m doing you both a favour so that if something does happen between you two, not everyone has to see it.”

“Wha…?” Anny raised an eyebrow.

“Take that as you will.” Cerber turned her back to leave before saying one last thing. “Oh, by the way, I got you a Swordfish.”

Tick

Anny’s excitement erupted like a raging volcano, her enthusiasm in the form of waves on a thundering ocean. “SAY LESS!!” She ran off, jumping with happiness on the way.

“Great!” Vedal spoke sarcastically while lifting himself out of the chair. “Another day, another ship to blast.”

Cerber put on a small smile. “I also placed a shot of banana rum on the control-”

“WAIT FOR ME, ANNY!!” Vedal didn’t know he could run this fast.

OUTER CENTAURUS ARM - MILKY WAY

LOCATION - SHATTERED SKIES (DEEP-SPACE ASTEROID FIELD)

TIME 22.7.7521 (EARTH)

-

The squadron inched its way inside the densely packed fields of rocks and debris. Anny had her focus concentrated on not hitting any of the asteroids. Vedal was more interested in the small, empty, stained cup in his hands.

“I swear you better get a hold of the stick soon or I’m resorting to my original plan.” Anny growled, annoyed. Vedal continued to stare at the empty glass, turning it to see how light refracted off of it.

“Don’t worry, I will...” Vedal spoke, still mesmerised. “Probably when all of you are dead.”

“Is he always like this…?” A chuckle was heard through the chatter.

“This is my lifeforce!” Vedal cried out. “It’s the very essence of existence brewed in the ethereal azure rays of a dead star.”

“Well, your lifeforce can wait.” Anny barked. “Just over that rock is our target. You better get those guns of yours ready, mister!”

Vedal continued ignoring anyone while continuing his staring contest. The group made their way through the debris until they saw the faint glow of a broken vessel.

“Yo, I think I know these guys! It’s the Red Giants!” A voice flashed over the chatter.

“You sure about that?”

“Yes! I have never been more sure!” The voice shot back, feistier than before.

“How though…?”

“Look at the orange stripes all over their hull! And there are three of them! Betelgeuse, Antares, and Arcturus! Betelgeuse is the largest one with the darkened hull and fins.”

“Is there a way to verify this Swordfish?”

“Well, I know someone who can help, but…” She turned to face Vedal, her collectiveness finally breaking as she held the control stick tightly and began to initiate a rotation. While it was slow at first, moments later, they were virtually a stellar dishwasher.

The extreme forces finally knocked the cup out of his hands. “HEY!” He returned his gaze to Anny, but her expression left no room for argument. “Why would you separate us?!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Use your damn eyes!” Anny gestured with her hand towards the enemy vessels surrounding the wreck. Vedal turned his gaze and was graced by the same sight.

“Oh, you want me to do that ‘BJuJuJuJUV’!?” Vedal violently vibrated his fingers as if he were writing on an invisible keyboard. His fading enthusiasm was a stark contrast to Anny’s dead seriousness. “Okay fine…”

“Good.” Anny added, keeping an eye on him, who had finally decided it was time to show his technological prowess. “Watch and learn, you two.”

The crews of the other two ships were utterly confused by the silent chatter. Vedal kept working his magic in silence until the familiar sound of static returned.

-kzt- “And then there are guys like this one who look tough but are actual babies in disguise!”

-kzzt- “Can’t argue much honestly… Dude saw us and decided to ram face-first into an asteroid.” A sigh can be heard in between. “I’d probably do the same.”

“And then there is George, who dares doubt the sheer enormity of the Red Giant’s! HAH!”

-zzzkt- “I refuse to believe that even the most incompetent pilot can perform such a horrid maneuver.”

“Y'all can have your beef back at the hideout.” A feminine voice spoke with authority. “When you are in my ships, you listen to what I say, kapiche?”

“We apologise…” A tired voice spoke, defeated.

Vedal clicked one of the switches, and the enemy chatter shut up. “Yeah, that was what I meant by ‘BJuJUJujUv’.” Vedal hopped on his chair, leaving everyone except Anny’s jaw dropped.

“This is some Broken Radar type shit.” One of the voices chuckled.

“Finally, someone with good taste in novels!” Vedal cheered. “My motivation to turn these ships to rust has increased by 300%!”

They made their way around, taking cover behind large boulders to avoid being seen. There was no sound other than the deep hum of the engines.

- tzzt- “Ma’am Akuma! We have detected 3 vessels roaming through shattered skies in dangerous proximity!” A voice shouted in an urgent tone.

“Yes, I see…” The same feminine voice replied. “Took them long enough to get here.”

“Orders, ma’am?”

“Do nothing…”

There was a deafening silence in the chatter, both among the friends and the foes.

“Make them think that we didn’t actually see them. Disable primary engines and only use auxiliary engines for small adjustments. Betelgeuse is priming her guns; we will start blasting them before they even have time to compensate.”

Anny felt her grip on the stick falter. The deafening silence dragged her mind down an endless pit. Her consciousness began to crumble, the walls of the cockpit beginning to vibrate relentlessly.

“Hey, is anyone else feeling that?” The pilot's voice came, uncertain under the intense shaking.

Vedal looked out of the windows to see… Something. It was as if the fabric of space was contorting on itself. “Look over there!” He shouted, pointing towards the anomaly as if the other saw it.

The anomaly continued to grow, shaking the field to its very core. It resumed until a loud rumble rang through the spacetime and a bright flash shone through the rift. The rift quickly sealed itself, restoring the silence. However, it had brought something in its wake.

“Ma’am, we have detected an unknown vessel emerging from the gravity distortion!” The pirate chatter exploded.

“Doesn’t look like a federation ship. Establish communications and tell them that we are not here to play.” The commanding woman spoke.

“Hey, ship guy… Do you have any idea what this one is?” Anny spoke into the microphone, the tension weighing on them heavily. They observed the vessel from a distance, its crimson lighting a stark contrast to the pitch black hull.

There was a brief moment of silence before he responded. “I mean, they are right on the fact that this isn't the federation. But other than that, I’m just as clueless.”

“Have we established communication yet?!” The chatter exploded with pirate voices again. But this time there was something else.

“ Yes, you did… ” The voice was different from the others. It was young, heavy, and downright sinister. The pitch was high, almost like that of a child's, yet the pacing of it told a different story. Silence took over again, the vessel slowly inching its way towards the wreck.

“Didn’t know that babies could pilot a vessel like this.” The woman in command boasted. “Though I must warn you…”

“That you are in the vicinity of the Mighty Pirate Empress Akuma and the Red Giants. And most importantly, I don’t discriminate against babies when I’m fighting.”

There was no response, just the glow of the engines and the revving swivels of the guns. The unknown ship continued its approach, utterly ignoring the warning.

“What the fuck is this kid doing?!” Anny spoke into the chatter, her voice puzzled.

“Well, at least we will see some fireworks…” One of the pilots murmured into the microphone. Everyone was confused beyond recognition,

except Vedal.

Ever since this new contraption arrived, his eyes haven’t let go of it. They scanned the alien hull, pulling every detail.

“Well, it was nice knowing you. Hold on, what was the word…” The woman spoke in a wicked undertone. “Ah yes, ahem…”

“FIREEE!!” Her voice erupted along with the main weapons. A dozen pink shells exited the barrels in unison and began coursing their way through the void. All of them watched the bright balls of death pinpoint on this single vessel.

Just as the bullets closed in, a blinding green light penetrated the darkness. The bullets ricocheted instead of exploding, being lost to the ethereal void. Once the light show died down, it was as if nothing had happened to the ship.

“Wait… What?!!” Her confident attitude has melted away, leaving a trembling shell in its place. “H-How?!”

“ It’s quite unfortunate I have to do this. ” The childish voice spoke again with a fake resentment.

-KZZZZT- A large spark erupted off of Vedal’s display, almost causing him to jump. “Shit!”

“What happened?!” Anny shouted worryingly.

Vedal aggressively typed at the keyboard. “I don’t exactly know, but it looked like a counter hack!”

Anny gazed upon the fleet and saw the lights and the engines blinking in and out erratically. Both of them turned their broadside towards the enemy, giving it a clean window. Then, she saw the space cave-in again.

“Detecting a massive energy spike coming from the ship!!”   He shouted into the microphone as the crimson glow brightened. Anny placed her hand against the blistering light while trying to keep her ship stable.

The light dimmed abruptly before shooting out from the mouth of the ship in the form of a death ray. It contacted the worn hull of the crippled vessel violently. The space around them began to contort as if it were trying to swallow them.

The beam dissipated, letting the fabric flatten itself again. Yet even when the dust had settled, both of the ships were gone without a trace.

“What THE FUCK was that?!” Anny screamed, distressed. “Where did they go??!!”

Vedal looked at his display, hoping to find answers. Yet he only found more questions. “They’re gone… Somewhere…”

“Look, y’all, I’m not sure if taking on this ship is a good idea.” His voice through the speaker was worried. Anny was focused on the last pirate vessel, which still seemed to be under digital attack.

The enemy began charging its weapon again to finish them off. Yet just as it was charging, many smaller ships began exiting through the hidden rear gate.

“They are evacuating…” Anny murmured as the ships fired up their FTL drives, flashing their eyes before vanishing. The enemy toned down its armament and slowly made its way towards the wreck.

It halted just next to the wreck like a hunter observing its catch. Looking out for any pesky scavengers that’ll want to claim the loot…

“ Let’s not pretend I didn’t see you… ” Her voice came through the speaker, stunning everyone. Anny’s hand trembled on the controls, trying to hide the fear within her shaky eyes.

“Yo, who the hell are you?!” Just as the words exited his mouth, one of the screens blacked out. The display came back, but instead of displaying information, it showed a cartoonish rendition of a little girl with pale skin and crimson eyes.

“ My name is Evil, nice to meet you all… ” The little girl bounced inside the screen with a deceivingly innocent expression before blacking it out again. “ It is unfortunate that it has to be cut so short… ”

“Nope!” Anny snapped before lunging towards her screen and starting the warp drive charging sequence.

Vedal turned towards her with a confused expression. “Hey, what are you-”

“ SHUT UP, VEDAL!” Anny shushed Vedal, turning the ship in a hurry. “I don’t care what you say, but I am NOT fighting that thing!”

“I’m with Anny on this one, Vedal.”

“ Unfortunately, I’m not… ” Their monitors went blank, and the hum of machinery halted. Once their displays were back, the drive was completely discharged.

“ Oh… You cannot fathom how enjoyable it is to watch you squirm in despair... ”

“Anny, the drive!?” Vedal’s eyes darted between her and the encroaching enemy vessel.

Anny tried to access it with no luck. “No response! She must be jamming it!”

Silence descended upon the crew as the direness of the situation settled in. Anny let out an angry sigh before tightly gripping the stick and rotating the ship.

“ Took you all long enough. Now, who wants to do the opening move? ” She chuckled almost as if this whole thing were a video game.

“You talk too much.” The pilot of the other bomber, who had sneaked his way around to her broadside and was rapidly closing in. “I can help you with that.”

Without missing a beat, a dozen torpedoes were launched, making their way towards the enemy’s broadside, who wasted no time getting their side armaments into action. One by one, the torpedoes were neutralised, leaving only a field of dust and debris.

“ Pathetic… You thought you were slick with that stealth maneuver, yet you didn’t even hit one- ” *clunk* “ Huh…? ”

The lodged torpedo exploded in a burst of azure lightning, paralyzing the ship's systems. An underlying happiness was emerging from the crew.

“Says the one who fell for the old dust cover trick.” The trickshotter boasted. “That’s an EMP yall. She is done for good.”

“Charge up the warp drives!” Anny triumphantly cheered. Vedal was suspiciously staring down at the electric shocks whizzing off the ship.

Something’s off…

“You sure that hit? My drive is still busted.” Anny asked, unaware of the soon-to-come disaster.

“Use your eyes, dammit! Look at it!” All of them looked, but only Vedal saw through the facade. His fears were justified as the massive energy began to accumulate.

“IT’S A TRAP!!” Vedal screamed as loud as he could, but it was too late. The massive lightning bolt erupted from its mouth, hitting the bomber close to them. Yet it passed right through like nothing ever happened.

“Hey, we are okay!” They spoke, which seemed to relieve Anny, yet Vedal seemed even more horrified.

“Why is the hull creaking like that…?”

“ It means you have 5 seconds left to live. ”

“What do you mea-” *BOOM* The explosion lit up the void, knocking the Swordfish further out. Anny barely held on to the controls, narrowly dodging a collision with an asteroid.

“ That… ”

Once the flaming ball of death had cooled, the only thing that remained was the corpse of the ship, split in two.

“ Hey, big guy! ” She boasted while priming her side armaments. “ Catch! ” The barrels violently roared into life, sending a salvo towards the last bomber. The distraught pilot caught up on the situation, but it was still too late.

*CRUNCH!* One of the shells hit the rear, instantly knocking the engines out. Seeing this, the ship began to turn its front towards it. After finally being in line, the space-ripping energy started accumulating again.

With one last strike, the ship fell out of reality into the realm of the unknown. She smiled, knowing that her prey was finally secur- *CRUCNH!*

Anny rammed the swordfish into the side of the fractured hull from the torpedo, cracking it like an egg with the Swordfish’s reinforced long nose.

“Light her up, Vedal!” Anny cheered, and Vedal obliged. He pulled on the trigger as hard as he could, engaging with the front-facing turrets in front. Shots were fired directly inside the ship's heart, turning it into electronic soup.

One round hit her where it hurt, knocking out the engines. Anny took notice, smiled, and slammed on the gas. The engines roared, pushing the incapacitated craft into an asteroid.

“ Well played, Anny… ” She spoke in a darkened tone while the vessel was crushed between the swordfish and the glorified space stone, imploding in a spectacular fireball. The heat coursed through their veins, and the shock pushed them back. Anny finally let go of the stick, letting her hands fall.

“Mission…” Her voice was tired, depleted. “Complete…”

The silence stretched between them, the only sound their harsh breaths. Vedal sighed and turned towards Anny.

*click* Anny’s seatbelt unbuckled, letting her free to roam. She walked over to Vedal with steady steps. Vedal’s gaze traced her hungry, luscious eyes.

She lowered her face next to his, their warm breaths hitting each other like heat waves. With a swift move, she slammed her lips to his cheek and dug into his skin. She stood there for a moment before kissing him and moving back out from the encounter, her face burning red.

“You are weird…” Vedal laughed, trying his best to hide his emotions.

She slowly went back to her seat. “Thanks.” She chuckled, and Vedal did the same.

“Let's just clear this place up.” Vedal spoke, then slowly turned towards Anny. “We can continue this in our rooms.” Anny’s ears perked up upon hearing this. She returned his gaze, eager for their next adventure.

Chapter Text

STARLIT SANCTUARY - MILKY WAY

LOCATION - ß L Ɐ CK P3 Ɐ RL (PULS Ɐ R)

TIME 22.7.7521 (EARTH)

-

“Why the long face, Vedal?” Anny’s cheerful voice passed through his head.

“Yeeaaah… This is the aftermath of drinking copious amounts of rum.” Vedal groaned loudly while massaging his temples.

“Aren't you excited for our next adventure?” Anny lowered her voice to a deep, seductive one. “I for surely am~” 

Vedal sighed, trying to ignore her antics. “Did you overdose on that weird ass drug again?”

“Told you the effects are permanent.” Anny chuckled, contrasting with herself. “Seriously, though, what is on your head?”

“I can’t get that ship out of my head…” Vedal finally broke, letting his thoughts pour out.

Anny sighed upon hearing him. “Well, the only thing that’s special about it is that it's destroyed now.”

“It was remote-controlled.” He spat out, freezing Anny in her place. “It had no life support system, no crew, yet it ate the Red Giants like breakfast.”

“That thing straight up used space itself to attack us.” Vedal’s eyes felt like they were bulging out. “It’s like being deathly allergic to Oxygen.”

Vedal took a breather, then spoke again. “Both the bombers got dogged on, and we would have too if we didn’t rat our way around to ram her.”

“Battling isn’t all about shooting and running away.” Anny spoke in a collected tone. “It’s also about figuring out your enemy’s weaknesses and exploiting them.” She tilted her head towards Vedal. “After all, does it matter how you did it if the ship is destroyed either way?”

“I guess you are right…” He sighed, putting the thought under the rug. “We are approaching comms range…” A distraught expression descended upon his face. “Can you do the talking… Please?”

Anny sighed, trying to hide her annoyance. “Fine…” She continued to pilot the vessel closer to the station when a familiar voice chimed in again.

“-kzzzt - Hel-zt - ere - ssst - Ved - Ny -” Cerber’s voice was barely audible under the static.

Anny aggressively grabbed the microphone, already regretting her decision. “Sorry, but I didn’t understand shit.”

“Hol -ssst- on-kst…” Her deep-fried voice came again with what sounded like submerged keyboard taps.

“Is this -kzzzt- better?”

“Better but still bad.” Anny grumbled. “What’s the problem again…?”

“Nothing major -ksszzt- there is just an influx of neutrinos today and it's messing up the signal.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t care less.” Anny spoke without enthusiasm, which seemed to amuse Vedal.

“It’s actually kind of interesting that it is repeating the same message over and over again.”

Anny raised an eyebrow. “What does it say?”

“The results just came in, but I forgot to check under all this work. Though I think it's viable to check it right now.” Her voice cut off for a few seconds.

“Let's see… 4 letters long E.V.I.L. being repeated over and over again…”

Both of their blood ran cold. “W-What…?”

“What what? You asked and I told you what it said.” Cerber spoke in an impatient tone. “Now get over here, we have work to do!”

Anny loosely gripped the stick and began steering the ship towards the dock. She could almost feel the stress on Vedal’s body on her own.

“-kssst- Hold on Anny, can you please pause for a minute or so?” Cerber’s unassuming voice came.

“What now!?” Anny’s usual voice had a tinge of fear in it.

“I’m detecting a malicious signal coming from your ship systems. It's probably some random glitch again, but just to be sure, please stand by.” Loud keyboard clicks replaced her voice.

“Oh for fuck’s sake…” Anny buried herself in the seat. Moments passed until Cerber spoke again, albeit unassumingly.

“Yeah, I just checked and all it ever does is spit out the same ‘ EVIL ’ message over and over again.”

Anny’s breathing quickened, and her grip on reality faltered. Images came crashing in, horrifying her to her core. She lunged forward and grabbed the microphone.

“CERBER YOU SHOULD-!” Just as she spoke, the displays on the monitors blacked out, and a crimson light overtook them. Moments later, the little girl with scarlet eyes and brown hair popped out of the main display, a devious smile on her face.

“ You are too late… ”

The girl disappeared just as abruptly as she appeared. Anny felt the ship vibrate on its own, out of her control.

“-ksss- What is happening…?”

With a loud bang, the squadron of black painted and red-lit ships entered their vision. Anny and Vedal recognised them immediately from their encounter.

“Unidentified vessels just emerged from… Somewhere…”

Anny grabbed the microphone and screamed as loud as she could.“Cerber! You need to evacuate everyone right fucking now!”

Cerber ignored her warning and kept her cool. “Unidentified vessel, please introduce yourself.”

“ Greetings, Miss Cerber. ” The girl spoke with a fake formality. “ My name is Evil, pleased to meet you… ”

Cerber’s mic went blank for a second, clearly stunned by her voice and name. “Uhh… Yeah, what was the reason for your arrival on private property?”

“ You see, Miss Cerber… I was on my way to claim a wreck that I skilfully tricked into ramming into an asteroid. ” She spoke with hidden resentment. “ Unfortunately, it was being scavenged by a group of… Pests… ”

“ Just as I cleared them off, I saw your… ‘Employees’ spying on me from a distance - which is very rude by the way! ”

“ Then I made a fatal mistake and underestimated my opponent. It appears that your employees are quite a bit more proficient than most of the galaxy. ” Her voice turned into self-embarassment. “ So they rammed me into an asteroid… ”

“Wait… If your ship got destroyed… How are you still here…?” Cerber sounded puzzled.

“They are remote-controlled!” Vedal finally snapped, his eyes bloodshot. A small giggle was heard from the girl.

“ Observant, I see… ” She let out a long sigh. “ Though I am a little disappointed that the little piece of code that allowed me to track your vessel went unnoticed by you, despite it being detectable by the simplest measures. ”

“Oh fuck…“ Vedal muttered, but it was too late.

“Goddamit, Vedal!” Cerber sounded upset. “Miss Evil, with all due respect, can you spit it out already?!”

Just as she finished speaking, the girl made herself visible on all the screens of the command center. She was smiling, grinning even.

“ Actions speak louder than words… ” The deep rumbles of artillery fire rang through the system, making her goal clear. Seconds later, the station shook intensely from the shock of the shells impacting the hull.

“Cerber!!” Anny screamed into the microphone, only to not get a response.

Just as she was about to give up, they heard the sound of heavy breaths and metal clanking. I screech was heard as the microphone was confiscated.

“STARLIT FLEET : ENGAGE!! FIRE AT WILL!!!” She gave an energising scream, bringing a smile to Anny’s face. Many hidden gates parted at the station, and hundreds of small AI-controlled ships left the station to roam the debris-ridden fields.

The girl gave a small giggle. “ May the strongest win… ” Angling her armada to give her secondary guns an angle on the approaching flies before peppering them with an endless stream of bullets.

“Don’t just sit there!” Cerber’s impatient voice was heard by Anny. “Go there and give me intel on weak points!”

Anny momentarily hesitated, the images coming back, before taking the stick again. Slowly, she accelerated towards the skirmish that could only be described as a bullet hell. “Let’s do this, Vedal!”

They flew between the fizzling rounds around the massive vessels, and Vedal took notes on whatever he thought interesting. And when Anny gave him an opportunity, he capitalised on it with all of his might.

“Concentrate fire on the sides and the belly!” Vedal screamed through the artillery shots.

“Roger that!” Cerber stood there silently inside the command centre, alone. Her situation seemed dire, yet her smile betrayed the weight of it. “Let’s give her a warm welcome!”

With her word, a bright light appeared, filling the space in between. With a bang, a squadron of ships jumped in, their weapons already primed at their targets.

“Nebulous Rupture Fleet at your service!” A confident male voice rang through the chatter. “Fire in the hole!!”

The newly arrived fleet joined the chaos, their bullets becoming one with the ones flying in between. The skirmish continued until the enemy’s hull began to show cracks and their movement became slippery.

“Hit that opening!” Cerber commanded the fleet, aiming to deliver a finishing blow.

“Formation squad!” The male voice added as the fleet clumped on itself. “Fire!” One by one, missiles were fired at the enemy ships. Evil tried to shoot them down, yet her sensors were overwhelmed by the obscene number of ships flying around.

One by one, the ships exploded with a satisfying boom, leaving only the burnt, empty husk in place. Once the dust had settled, it was obvious who the victor was.

“Great job, everyone!” Cerber congratulated the crew, who were exploding with happy chatter. “I’m calling a repair fleet to come over-”

“ I’m sorry to break it to you… ” The girl’s voice came through the speaker, unsettling everyone. “ But there won’t be much left to repair after I’m done with you. ”

“HAH! What is your plan, machine ?” The squadron leader spoke in a mocking tone.

“ Watch… ” The chatter cut off abruptly, leaving everyone confused. Vedal looked at the ship with a side eye until they caught a rising blue glow seeping into the ship. It grew exponentially until it was downright blinding.

“What is THIS?!” Anny snarled while cowering her eyes.

“Pearl is going supercritical!” Cerber hurried over to her terminal. “Detonation in 10 seconds! Take cover, all of you!”

A ticking clock appeared on Vedal’s terminal, starting to count down from 10. Anny struggled with steering the ship under the blistering azure light.

“I can’t see shit!” Anny groaned, her eyes still closed. She tried to find something to cover, yet the light abruptly disappeared. 

*tick*

And it was too late.

The cosmos lit up with the dying scream of a zombie star. The ejected matter rapidly spread out, painting the void with a swirling shade of pink. Yet it was silent, much like everything else in space.

“DANGEROUS RADIATION DETECTED!” For their ship, that was the worst that could happen. Unfortunately, the smaller ships weren’t so lucky.

“I just lost all of the Starlit fleet.” Cerber’s tired voice was heard. “Is everyone okay there?”

The leading pilot picked up the crusty microphone. “We are holding on!”

“ Are you ready for round 2, though? ” The girl gave a mischievous laugh as the space around them caved in again. Another armada, at least twice the size of the previous one, emerged from the unknown.

“All ships on the offensive!” Cerber screamed into the microphone, her lungs burning.

The fighter squadron attacked the new armada with all its might. Yet no matter how much they tried, none of them could escape their fiery destiny. One by one, they were shot down like flies. Anny and Vedal could only watch, horrified to their very core.

Moments later, the field was cleared, and the ships began making their way towards the crippled lone station. Anny sighed and tightly gripped the stick, piloting straight towards the enemy.

“Anny, what are you doing?!” Cerber panic finally got the better of her. “I-I command you to leave the conflict! This is an order!”

“As much as I hate you, I can’t just let you die alone here.” Anny’s voice was collected. “Besides, she is jamming the FTL drive anyway.”

“ Wow, I almost feel bad… ” Evil spoke with a fake sense of sorrow.

“You should…” Cerber spoke, her voice confident. “For your ships, that is!” With a pull of a lever, the station cried in the glory of battle. Turrets revealed themselves under hidden hull caps. Without missing a beat, they sprang into action, letting their fiery voice speak for themselves.

Evil only giggled at the sight. “ Oh, Miss Cerber… You see… ” Her face reappeared in front of Cerber, smiling wildly. “ Anny was right all along. ”

“Huh…?” Anny scratched her head, both from confusion and sweat sticking to her hair. Her hand stopped moving as a massive salvo was fired right at the station.

“ Victory is ALL about capitalising on your opponent’s weaknesses! ” The shells hit the glass dome on top, utterly shattering it. A sickening crunch was heard through Cerber’s microphone before all signal was cut off.

Anny froze, her mind going haywire on the situation unfolding. That was her weakness; she cared too much for too long.

*clank*-*clonk* The sounds rang through the ship, pulling her out of her trance. She tugged on the stick as hard as she could, trying to get away from the enemy. Yet just as she was going out of range, the vessel croaked like something was holding it.

Then, the ship began to move closer towards the enemy. Vedal checked the rear cameras only to see two harpoons lodged in their wings, pulling on them. Anny saw this and began to panic, trying to break free from her grasp to no avail.

“ Aww… You are so cute when you are squirming like that foxie. ” She spoke with a fake softness which made Anny’s skin crawl.

“What about me, huh?” Cerber’s voice came through the speaker, sending sparks up Anny’s mind. “Would you like to see me crawl to my knees?”

“ Oh no no no… ” Evil repeated herself, her voice becoming more devilish. “ I WILL MAKE YOU KNEEL! ” With her command, the ships opened fire with the main artillery, creating the distortion and siphoning out the station.

Many ships fired at the same time, creating a rift just large enough for the station to squeeze through. Yet the infrastructure began to crumble just as it was being sucked in. Evil appeared on the large display above Cerber.

“ Kneel to me, mortal! ” She looked down on Cerber with an insulting grin.

“Heheh…” Cerber murmured silently, her limbs trembling due to fighting extreme gravity. “You won’t even if you kill me.”

Evil’s expression turned sour. “ I SAID KNEEEEL!! ” The tension on the hull increased, crushing the plates like they were thin sheets of paper. Yet Cerber didn’t give in; she only smiled.

“Cerber!” Anny’s voice was heard again. “You okay there?”

“Don’t worry about me…” Cerber replied, her voice faltering yet sincere. “Everybody except me left. The captain goes down with her vessel.” She let out a sigh. “Farewell, Anny. Farewell, Vedal…”

“Cerber!” Anny tried to reach out, but it was too late. The station fell out of reality, letting the rift seal itself and disappearing like it wasn’t even there.

“ Gah, that… IMBECILE! ” It was the first time that Evil sounded so pissed. “ I will take my vengeance out of the whole galaxy, starting with YOU!! ” The energy beam concentrated on their ship, sucking them away, phasing through existence itself.

Anny pushed with all her power, trying her best not to fall . Yet every moment felt like an eternity in a timeless universe. Her vision began to darken as her body shut down due to gravitational forces.

“ Hope you have fun with that IDIOT down there! ”

Anny could feel herself being torn apart from the inside. In one split second, she was still fighting. The other, her world had faded along with her vision.

Then,

Darkness.

And they fell.

Chapter Text

??? - [ERROR]

LOCATION - ???

TIME ??.?.????? (E Ɐ RTH)

-

Vedal’s consciousness regained life, but his body didn’t. He wasn’t dead, but was he still alive if he didn’t feel anything?

They slowly started coming back; the first was his skin. The air felt clean and sterile. It was cool, except for the odd part on his chest where warm streams constantly hit it. There was a heavy mass pushing down on his wrists on his side.

Then his skeleton came back. The feeling of his worn bones lying on the ground and the sensation of his teeth in his tea-craving mouth.

His sense of sound was next. The sounds of the spacecraft, beeping of alarms, scrunching of metal, and the crying sobs of a woman.

“Please don’t leave me…” Her sobs passed through him, defining their presence with a single warm tear dropping on his cheek. His finger twitched momentarily. All he had to do was now take a deep breath and…

“HHHKKKG!” Vedal’s eyes snapped open as the cool air was drawn into his dry lungs. His vision took in the surroundings despite most of it being blocked by Anny’s bewildered face. He saw her expression change as they both made eye contact.

“Vedal!!” Anny wrapped her arms behind his back and aggressively pulled him up, wrapping him in her embrace. Vedal felt her warm, still sorrowful breath on his cheek, and her soft chest brush against his.

“Ow! Ow oW…!” A sharp pain erupted from his back like a hot knife. Anny flinched at his voice, almost dropping him, but catching him midway. “Easy!”

“Oh, I am sorry…!!” Anny cried, her voice devoid of mischief. “I… I just want to know if you’re okay…”

“I am, but I will be better if you stop pining me down.” Vedal spoke heavily, causing Anny to flinch and look away in guilt. “What the hell even happened?” He asked, his ears on the repeating beeps of the computers.

“I have no idea.” Anny replied while slowly turning her face to look at him again. “I woke up like… 2 minutes ago, and then I saw you lying like that and… *sniff* You can imagine the rest.”

Vedal sighed while slowly pushing himself off the floor. He instinctively went over to his station, sitting down in his now ripped chair. “Something has happened…” He spoke while brushing his fingers against the torn fabric.

Anny hesitantly walked over to the seat next to his before sitting down and letting some of the tension leave her body. Unfortunately, the sensors on the seat detecting her weight had other plans.

A loud alarm with a unique tune rang inside. Anny was quick to silence it, yet Vedal was somewhat confused. He had never heard of this before.

“I have never heard that before.” Vedal began, eyeing his displays. “Do you have an idea of what it was?”

“I think that one’s for…” Anny froze for a second, her vision going dark. “Extreme gravity fields.”

Vedal made a confused expression before turning his head to look for the stars. His eyes were greeted by… Nothing… No stars, no galaxies or nebulae. Just an eerie, dim crimson gradient coming from the rear of the ship.

Anny felt a chill creep up her spine, alone and afraid. The utter absence of starlight made their minds race. Her gaze dropped to see the speedometer, which was rapidly increasing.

“Something is pulling us in…” Anny quietly muttered as if someone was listening to them. She instinctively reached for the engine controller. Full-throttling the nozzle, they heard what sounded like a mechanical cough with a short fuse.

Anny blinked a few times before flicking some of the other levers, activating the external thrusters and slowly rotating the ship. A small chuckle escaped her lips. “Surprised that these still work.”

Just as the crimson light began to fill the cabin, Vedal spotted a piece of floating scrap matter that invoked an awful sense of familiarity in him. “Is that the station?”

Anny engaged the counter thrusters, halting the rotation. She squinted her eyes to get a better look at the rubble. A second later, a loud, ragged breath escaped her body. Her eyes turned away, trying to bury the image in her subconscious.

Vedal couldn’t help his frozen demeanor.

Dear god…

“I don’t think she’s surviving that…” Vedal sighed sorrowfully, replaying Cerber’s voice in his head. A vile image passed through him, the image of their vessel, pulverized to dust, covered with a boiling, grotesque red.

He reached out for the control stick, unable to bear looking at it any longer. He re-engaged the thrusters, their subtle hiss catching Anny’s attention. She sighed deeply, placing her soft palm over Vedal’s on the stick.

She looked at the crimson light creeping from the side. “Whatever is giving this light is also the source of the gravity.” She explained, her voice uncertain.

“Light is light.” Vedal tried to elevate the mood. “It is always good.” He gave a weak smile, and Anny briefly hesitated before joining in with her own.

Surely it can’t get worse.

The light encroached closer, first irritating their eyes before becoming downright blinding.

“INTENSE ILLUMINATION DETECTED - ACTIVATING SOLAR TINT”

The light dimmed sharply, letting the fine details shine through the windows. Vedal could see the swirling clouds of matter, pressed into a pancake by gravity. Then he saw the matter curve around a region of absolute darkness.

The realisation finally hit them when the crimson behemoth revealed itself in all its glory. The accretion disk pulsated with power like an otherworldly beast’s heartbeet. The singularity in the center made the void look full. Anny’s eyes darted between the singularity and the rapidly increasing speedometer.

Vedal stared out in sheer awe at this stellar, gargantuan sight. The ship, with its alarm systems, however, disagreed.

Anny quickly shut off the alarms and started to flick the levers randomly. “We need to get out of here…” Every flick on a switch made a different yet equally grotesque sound.

“Anny…?” Vedal asked, concerned at her panic attack. Anny drowned between pure horror and terror, couldn’t give less of a damn. She repeatedly tried to ignite the engines, but the craft moved uncontrollably as the engines refused to start.

“Anny stop!” Vedal grabbed her wrist, finally pulling her out of her trance. She turned to look at him with a bewildered expression. A sigh escaped her lips as her arms fell onto her chair with a dull thud.

A lone tear escaped her eye. “We are never getting out of here.” She tried to muffle the sobs, yet no matter what, they went through. Vedal wanted to talk, to comfort, yet the reality of the situation was too much even for him.

He gazed at his controls, the very reason why he approved the contract in the first place. Once standing between life and death, now bringing his imminent demise.

“I should have just taken the ice cube.” He sighed, regret flooding over his words.

Anny slowly turned to face him, her expression different from the one before. “I’m glad neither of us did.”

Vedal met her gaze, confused. “Why?”

She gazed into the singularity, the crimson glow reflecting off her irises. “Before I got here, I was a loner whose only fuel was cash.”

“Yet when I met you…” She turned her eyes, her face still bathed in red. “I realised that it wasn’t just about getting that bread.”

“We have only known each other for 3 days.” Vedal let out a small chuckle, thinking she was just yapping. Yet her expression kept its stillness.

“And it was the best time of my rather worthless life.” The light shone off her fresh tears.

Her words stung at his soul. “Don’t say that…”

“It’s just the truth!” She cried, tears falling. “I don’t even remember who my parents are! - *sniff*- The only people I knew treated me like a tool! To throw me out when I was exhausted.”

“Why did you not tell anyone about this?” He questioned.

Anny sighed, fighting her thoughts. “I was scared that they’d find me weird again.”

“You are weird.”

“I know.” She replied, wiping her tears. “Yet unlike them, you don’t hate me for it.”

True… He nodded slowly.

“You appreciate me for who I am. Not some false image painted on me by others.”

Vedal leaned closer, whipping the last tear with his finger. “Everybody deserves to be known for who they are, no matter how much of a train wreck their life is.”

“That’s why I…” Her breath caught itself, soul aflame with passion. “I… I love you, Vedal.”

Vedal’s mind came to a halt at her word, struggling to comprehend. He slowly turned his head, facing her deep, luscious eyes.

“I wanted to say this in a better situation, but…” Her eyes and voice trembled. “I-I don’t think I will ever be able to…” She felt her chest thump up and down aggressively.

Vedal would be lying if he didn’t enjoy her company. Considering their situation, it was probably the last time to confess. What irritated him, however, was that he had the same thoughts as her.

‘It’s too early!’ He kept telling himself, fighting the undying urge. Yet deep down, he knew that the most vile of emotions didn’t care about time. Anny noticed his gloomy demeanor and decided to take action.

*click* Her seatbelt opened, and she got up from her chair. Walking over to Vedal, she gently got in front of him and found a seat on his lap. Vedal held her by the waist to prevent her from falling off.

“I don’t care if you will say it or not.” Her warm breath hit his face. “And even though there isn’t much time left, I will be here for you.”

Vedal let her words linger for a bit before gently pulling on Anny, her face getting closer to his. He placed one of his hands behind her neck, getting her lips to the perfect position. With a swift motion, he placed his coarse lips onto her soft ones, savoring their warmth.

After a few seconds, he pulled apart, Anny’s warmth still lingering. He made a small smile. “Actions speak louder than words…”

Anny returned with a chuckle. “Damn you…” She sat up from his embrace, slowly walking to her station and sitting down. One of her fingers went on top of one of the switches as if it were to flick. Yet she softly landed, gently rubbing the cool chromium coating.

“Say what you want to say…” Anny added to her speech. “But this is quite the vibe.”

Vedal glanced at the altimeter, the numbers rapidly dropping. Shifting his gaze to the cosmic monstrosity, the crimson rings a stark contrast to the otherwise infinite darkness. Just as he was about to let his thoughts go, a tremor began to shake their vessel.

A rift, one like they fell through, opened next to them. A small piece of technology was aggressively hurled out of it. It was small, mostly intact, nothing of remark, he thought. Then the communicator began to scream a signal.

Anny glanced at Vedal, her hand hesitantly levitating off the controls. With deliberate movements, she activated the communicator and spoke. “Hello…?”

Someone was listening, yet they didn’t answer immediately. Vedal could figure out from the faint static coming through.

“I’m not who you think I am.” A young girl’s voice, deceptively similar to Evil’s, spoke. Anny growled aggressively.

“Oh, you think this is funny?”

“I am not Evil…” The girl kept her cool, aggravating her further.

“Who the fuck are you then?” She spoke with fire.

“I can’t answer that yet.” She continued, her voice collected. “I need both of you to listen to me.”

“Why is that?”

“I can save both of you.” She spoke, catching both of their attention. “I need your cooperation for this procedure.”

Anny crossed her arms. “How do we know that you are not lying?”

A sound of what appeared to be a sigh came through the speaker. Then she spoke.

“That object right in front of you is The Core. It’s where Evil gets all of her strength. It has enough mass where the laws of physics start to fall apart. She is using these loopholes to her advantage in gaining godly strength.”

“The Core is also the only remaining object in this universe.”

“Wait…” Anny scratched her head. “What do you mean by this universe?”

“You are currently in an artificially created pocket universe. To get you back to your own universe, you need to break the laws of physics.”

“Doesn’t sound very feasible.” Vedal muttered.

A brief silence took place before she continued. “I have calculated that the most feasible approach is going faster than light in the corporeal realm.”

“That’s straight up impossible.” Anny explained, her eyes locked. “You need to have zero mass to reach lightspeed alone. Besides, the engines are all busted.”

“While the nozzle appears to be damaged, the core still appears to be intact. You can use it to create a powerful magnetic field and ‘ride’ the stellar winds blowing off The Core.”

Anny squinted her eyes. “Is that even a thing?”

“I mean, black holes do emit a lot of radiation.” He massaged his temples, brainstorming to his limits. “We can try, I guess.”

“Ok, so let's say we have managed to use the stupid black hole as fuel. What about the mass part?”

“You will trick the universe into thinking that you have negative mass.”

“How?”

“By dipping below The Core’s event horizon.” The girl spoke, freezing both of them. “And coming back out.”

“That’s suicide.” Vedal called out. “Nothing gets out of there.”

“If you manage to go faster than light, you can last just long enough to reach it.” She paused, calculating. “I will then construct a phase gate to siphon you back. Your margin of error is approximately 42ms.”

“What if we fail?”

The girl didn’t answer. Truth be told, they all already knew the answer.

“Vedal…?” Anny hesitantly asked, her hand on the throttle.

Vedal let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “We will try.”

There was a brief period of silence. Until a few beeps were heard from the terminal, and they both heard electricity pass through the vessel.

“Core is ready.” The girl spoke, her voice unreadable. “It won’t be useful this far out. You need to be closer.”

“How close?”

A timer appeared in front of her display for 2 hours and 23 minutes. And shortly after, another with red color that displayed 2 hours and 25 minutes appeared.

“The first one is when you may engage the warp core. The red one is the predicted time until hitting the event horizon.”

“Why are they so close?! We will barely have enough time to pick up speed!” Anny spoke, her voice concerned.

“My approximations say that you will be going at approximately 0.44c when you start your maneuver. You must leave the event horizon just as the phase gate opens. If you are early or late, you will get pulverized.”

“Wooow, such a good morale boost.” Vedal spoke, his voice sarcastic.

“I will contact you again at the maneuver.” Her voice blurred into static, leaving both of them staring into the lone scarlet eye of the abyss.

Vedal watched as moments blurred into minutes. The crimson giant kept getting larger in his field of view, bathing the space around it with a grotesque hue. His eye drifted towards the timer, which was on its last minute.

-ksst- “Start charging the core.” Her voice rang through, and Anny complied. She moved her hand and gently placed her hand over the throttle. Just as she did, however, a wave of hesitation washed over her.

Her hand loosely gripped the rubber handle. Her fingers trembled silently, an attempt to mask the fear beneath. Vedal took notice instantly. His hand glided through the air, finding its place above hers.

Anny froze for a second, her gaze lingering in his touch. She felt his vision on her, empowering her inner courage.

“Anny…?” He asked, his voice soft.

She closed her eyes, exhaling the stress away. Her eyes snapped open, filled with determination. “Let’s do this!” With both of them pushing on the throttle, the spacecraft roared with the same zeal.

The space around them molded to her touch. Energized particles zipped past the hull, their orange glitter a contrast to the darkness of the black hole’s heart. Her gaze turned towards the speedometer.

[0.44c]...

[0.45c]...

[0.46c]...

Her eyes lit up with excitement. “It works! We are speeding up!”

Vedal smiled, his expression surprised but happy nonetheless. “I’m amazed that this hunk of metal can still fly.”

“Keep the throttle stable. Pitch up to -7 ° .”

Anny grabbed the stick and pulled on it with all her strength. The space around them contorted eerily, making the void obey their vessel instead. Anny gasped as the air was pushed out of her lungs.

“Slowly descend into the event horizon after reaching 0.85c.”

Anny eased out the stick, letting the air back into her body. She eyed the timer out of the corner of her eye.

[0.7c]...

[0.71c]...

[0.73c]...

“We need to go faster!” Anny screamed and proceeded to push on the throttle. The vessel advanced its acceleration, pinning their bones to the fabric on the seats.

[0.8c]...

[0.83c]...

[0.85c]...

“Initiating phase gate generation. You have 60 seconds to dip below the event horizon. After that, leave its influence in precisely 30 seconds.”

“Good luck…”

Anny held onto the ship with all her might. Panting with the force of a thousand adrenaline shots. She eyed the speedometer, which had stabilized.

[0.96c]...

“VEDAL!!” She screamed, her voice barely audible under the rumble of particles swarming the ship. “IT’S TIME!!”

Vedal’s situation wasn’t any better, barely holding one eye open. “Go for it!!”

And with that, she pitched down the vessel, beginning their plunge into the heart of darkness. The crimson light of the accretion disk overhead shone through the rain of charged particles.

[0.97c]...

[0.98c]...

A blinding light began to shine off every piece of matter. They tried to close their eyes, yet the curtains over them couldn’t block the light of a thousand suns. The vibrations had taken a different form, ruling over the vessel with burning desire.

[0.99c]...

The light overtook everything. An otherworldly tremor aggressively shook the ship before disappearing without a trace, the light following shortly after.

‘-KZZZZZZZT-’ The sound came from the communicator, signaling them of what had just happened. Anny’s eyes drifted towards their velocity one last time…

[1.00c]...

[1.01c]...

She slowly turned to face Vedal, her hand still on the controls out of instinct. Her face was as still as a frozen lake. “We are in…”

He sighed, a surprising moment of tranquility between the jaws of death. He watched the particles rain along their vessel. “Where did all the shaking go?”

“It was mostly gravity.” Anny explained, flipping some of the switches. “Can’t have that if you have no mass. Or, negative in this case.”

Vedal observed the strange way in which light acted in such a situation. “I’m just glad that girl has been correct so far.”

“Well…” Anny murmured, her expression thinking. “That was the easy part.”

“What…?” Vedal asked, but was answered by a bluish light enveloping the ship.

Anny kept the throttle on maximum, gaining as much speed as possible. “Now we need to get out… Somehow…” She steadily kept her hand on the stick. Vedal seized the moment and placed his on hers as a motif of courage.

“We can do this.” Vedal spoke with vigor. “I’m counting.”

Anny made a confident smile and pulled on the stick, pitching the craft upwards. The hull creaked under the pressure as they made their way out of their eternal prison.

“10 Seconds!” Vedal shouted, causing Anny to lock in. She counted every moment like her life depended on it. Oh, wait, it did.

5…

4…

3…

2…

The light enveloped the ship, obstructing their view.

1…

*CRUNCH* A sickening sound was heard as they were thrown into their seats violently. The light began to dissipate, revealing what was hiding in plain sight.

On one side was almost purely pitch black, other than the small red light coming from the center of it.

The other side was bustling with flashing lights all over it. Vedal thought they were stars at first, yet once he tried to concentrate, he realised they were actually groups of galaxies, all impossibly small compared to the sheer scale of everything.

“You need to see this, Anny!!” He called to her, to which she answered by lifting her head, joining him in watching the universe stream off their souls.

“This is incredible…” A tear of joy escaped her eye, reflecting the bright purple hues. Her hand let go of the stick. Searching for a while, she found Vedal’s hand and held onto it tight. Vedal gave the same reaction to her soft fingers.

Their moment was short lived however, as a multiversal force began to rack their vessel. Both of the sides began to move faster and faster until the details blurred and multiplied.

“W-What’s going on…?” Anny gasped.

Vedal watched as the bright side contorted into a million different shapes and forms. “I think we are right at the limit!”

The lights malformed into a giant stellar wall, rapidly closing in on them. The ship’s alarms blared.

“BRACE!”

*CRASH*

Chapter Text

Vedal felt the cold steel surface press against his skin. He felt the weight of his own body weighing against itself.

His palms pressed against the hard surface, having barely enough strength in them to push him upright. His eyes slowly opened, taking in the rather featureless room dimly lit by deep blue light strips placed on the floor.

He slowly got back onto his feet, his senses adapting to the alien environment. The cool air felt clean and sterile against his skin. He walked over to one of the walls, placing his hand against its equally boring surface.

Placing one of his ears onto it, he heard what could only be described as a mechanical pulse, distant but powerful. His other ear listened to the sound of fabric rubbing against itself on the other side of the room.

He fully rotated to see Anny standing on her knees, observing the lightrays passing through her slender fingers. Almost as if she were telepathic, she turned her head to meet his gaze. She hurriedly tried to stand up, yet her raw muscles weren’t ready for such a movement, causing her to stumble.

Vedal stormed over her and caught her just before she smashed onto the floor. Her tired body felt weak in his hands.

“T-… Thanks…” She huffed out forcefully. Her tone was stable, trying to mask the trembling of her posture. Slowly pushing herself out of his grasp, she was on her legs, which could barely hold her.

“You okay?” Vedal asked, slightly concerned.

“I think I’m still alive…”Anny tried to form a smile but failed miserably. The roaring sound of her stomach was deafening. “Though, I feel like I haven’t eaten anything for the past year…”

Her words made Vedal’s body act up, too. The problem was obvious.

They were starving.

Just as the thought passed their minds, a small part of the floor opened, a pedestal rising from its absence. There were two uninteresting gray packages placed on top of it. Vedal slowly stepped towards it, eyeing the packs on it.

As he got closer, he noticed that there was a piece of text written in all black. He squinted his eyes and read.

“C12.. H22.. O11…” It looked like a bunch of random letters or some sort of secret formula. Then it hit him. “Oh, it's sugar!”

Anny’s eyes lit up upon hearing his words. “Wait, really!?” She rushed over next to him and grabbed the other pack.

“It’s sucrose to be specific.” Vedal spoke while unwrapping his present. “I saw people back on Earth who use this stuff to flavor their tea.”

Anny aggressively attacked the packaging, violently tearing it apart to get to the goods inside. With one final motion, she was greeted by a white block reflecting the light in many different ways across its jagged surface. She went for a bite, expecting sweetness, but was instead greeted by…

“Eugh!!” She almost spat it out, but resisted the urge. The flavor was sharp, violent, oversweetness, and downright disgusting. “Why does it taste so bad?!”

Vedal stared at her in disbelief. “You aren’t supposed to bite onto it like some sort of candy! It’s more of an additive per se.”

Anny forced herself to swallow the chunk in her mouth, her throat burning to her stomach. “What am I supposed to add it to, huh?”

Vedal opened his mouth to retaliate, but promptly closed it after realising she was right. This thing just gave them pure sucrose with nothing to use it on.

“It appears my knowledge is kind of outdated.” The girl’s voice rang through the walls, freezing both of them. “I apologise for the subpar sustenance resource.”

“Is this some kind of sick joke?!” Anny growled aggressively, the sugar block crumbling in her crushing grip.

“Both of your bodies are extremely malnourished and in immediate need of sustenance.” The girl continued, her voice keeping its cool. “I can’t allow you allow any of you to leave before acknowledging that you won’t die on the way.”

“That still doesn’t justify these horrid sugar bricks!” Anny flailed her arms around, lifting the bar to the air as if cameras were watching them. “Do you at least have something to wash it down?”

“Ultrapure water is not safe for human consumption.” The girl instantly shut her down. “The chatter will be offline until the rations are consumed.”

“Ughhh…” Anny groaned, staring into the block of disgust on her palms. With much hesitation, she opened her mouth and took a bite. The block began to dissolve into small sandy particles, which gritted between her jaw.

The other bites came faster, but were equally gross. She threw the empty wrapper as she saw her own disfigured reflection on the reflective part of it. The part of the floor on which it landed opened like a shutter, the litter falling through it never to be seen again.

She turned around to see Vedal, who looked like someone had just punched him in the face. The silence broke as part of the wall seamlessly opened like a door, revealing what appeared to be a corridor.

Blue light strips went through the floor out into the corridor, stretching beyond. Both of them slowly stepped out into the corridor. Just as they were out, the opening on the wall instantly closed, sealing itself away into the smooth surface.

The corridor stretched in front of them, which felt gloomy despite the already present lighting. Anny hesitantly took a step, the sound of her shoe echoing across the hallway. With a flash, the corridor’s walls at their sides lit up, glorifying its simplicity.

The lights accompanied their walk throughout, each blinking into existence with an echoing thud. Despite all the walking, however, the corridor felt endless until it came to an abrupt ending.

There was no door, no opening, just a dead end with the same smooth material. Anny placed her hand on the wall and grazed her fingers across its smooth surface, searching for anything.

“I think we went the wrong way…” Anny sheepishly spoke with a chuckle.

Vedal groaned, slowly turning back, only to find the same wall inches away from her face. “Uuhhh… Anny? You might want to see this…”

Anny groaned and slowly turned her torso. “What is it now-” She froze as the other dead end came into view. Her breath caught as dismay washed over her. They were now officially trapped. Or that’s what they thought, at least.

*click*

The sound came from the wall that they previously thought was a dead end. Turning back, they saw a bright strip of light vertically cutting through it from the middle. Without giving them a chance to think, the wall completely dissolved.

Confused by this whole ordeal, Anny slowly stepped out into the massive cylindrical hallway. Massive was an understatement; it could easily fit some of the largest federation ships in bulk.

The blue lines began to shine again, guiding them towards… Somewhere… They continued their jog across, the starlight shining through a faraway opening. The lines briefly stopped before curling into a hexagonal pattern.

They stepped into the hexagon, the light shining on them. They looked around until a shock trembled through the station. The sound of an engine revving rang overhead.

Both of them looked up, seeing a massive monitor held by a multi-jointed robotic arm. The monitor halted above them, overseeing them with its abyssal display. Static briefly took over before a girl popped out, blue eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Vedal’s eyes traced across the screen, across the sky blue gaze, the vanilla cheeks painted on the pale skin, the long brown hair held by pink ribbons, the yellow cardigan adorned with a teal bow tie.

“Both of you seem to be showing a shocked expression.” Her voice ominously echoed across the corridor. “Would it help if I were to introduce myself?”

Ice overtook Anny’s words, freezing them inside her gut. She forced a small nod to her head, which the girl quickly noticed. The large monitor approached them slightly, her eyes locked onto them like searchlights.

“My name is Neuro. I am an artificial intelligence designed to keep the galaxy safe. The vessel you are currently inhabiting is my body, or as I like to call it: The Starshell.” Her soft voice contrasted with Evil’s sharp tone. “I would also like to assure you that the maneuver was a success and both of you survived with minimal damage.”

“Unfortunately, your vessel was destroyed in the process.”

A sorrowful feeling crept up Anny’s mind. “My swordfish…” Tears welled up in her eyes. “Gone…! For what?!”

“At least we are still alive…” Vedal attempted to distract, yet still avoided eye contact with the AI. “That’s good, right…?”

“The success rate was around 1,9%. Anny is a highly skilled pilot with unmatched tenacity.”

“I’m flattered…” Anny spoke quietly. “Please don’t hurt us…”

“We are in dire need of help.” Her voice turned a warmer tone, as if an attempt at comfort. “Not just the galaxy, the universe is in grave danger.”

“My sister has started her assault on Reality-3 after decades of absence, and she won't stop until the last star blacks out.”

“Wait… Your sister?!” Anny’s voice rang out in disbelief. “You mean Evil ?! ”

“That would be her, yes.” She quickly answered. Vedal was still puzzled by her words earlier.

“What do you mean exactly by ‘Reality-3’ ?” He scratched his head, his face disfigured.

“3 is the code of this universe. Evil’s pocket universe is 3.25 with code name M1RR0R. 2 is known as hyperspace, and 1 is known as ‘Totality and Nihility’. That is the one Evil is abusing to transport universes. The phase gates hijack this reality to do something similar, yet they are extremely unsafe between realities.”

“No matter what I did, I couldn’t stop her. I’m glad that my creator came to consult with me in hopes of solving the issue.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Vedal’s mind raced with questions. “Your creator?”

The monitor got even closer, the light emitting with a blight. “Do you not remember me, master?”

“I have never heard of something like you in my entire life.” Vedal spat out, his voice slow. “I think you might have mixed something up there.”

“Impossible.” She insisted on her claim, her voice growing louder. “My creator’s genetic code is engraved into my aeternum syntax. His sample is a 100% match with yours.”

“Well, something must be wrong then because I don’t remember.”

“You told me that you would be back later, a hundred or so years ago. There is a message you left to yourself that is supposed to be helpful, yet I couldn’t make much out of it.”

“What is the message?”

White numbers passed through her eyes as she began to probe her memory.

“On the land where velvet dunes stretch, and the vanilla sky glows bright at the end, the light shines on where history lies.”

“It sounds like some sort of riddle.” Anny massaged her face, her mind storming. However, something exploded inside Vedal. He thought- no, he KNEW this place.

“It’s Laeyana!” He exclaimed, her face finally receiving light. “Desert planet with reddish sand. And the skies turn pink at the end of every orbit, which is around a month!”

“Wasn’t that your homeworld?” Anny pointed out curiously.

“It indeed is.” He sighed, blurry images appearing inside his head. “God forbid that forsaken planet and its sand.”

“Wow, rude…”

“Hold on, what time was it?”

“Time dilation might have fogged your perception of it. An Earth month and 7 days have passed since you entered the gate.”

“Wait, that means…” Vedal’s eyes calculated the horrifying truth. “We are on the last day of the month and only have a few hours!!”

“My predictions will say that Evil will control a substantial portion of the Milky Way before the next orbit. The chances of success drop significantly in the coming days.”

He turned towards the girl, who was eagerly watching him. “Machine, are you sure this is the right way?”

“It’s impossible to be sure before seeing it.” She spoke, her voice with an emotion Vedal couldn’t quite grasp. “I also beg you to call me by my name.”

“You are just a machine.” His voice caused Anny to topple over.

“That machine is the single reason you are still alive, Vedal.” She turned to face Neuro again. “And yes, I’m still mad that you forced sugar bricks down our throat, yet I’m also grateful that you didn’t want to behead us.”

“Insult: Neutralised.” She spoke, yet Anny could hear her chuckling from behind.

“Do we know how much time we have until Evil makes her next attack?” Anny asked.

White numbers went across her eyes again. “There is a point that I predict will be of great interest to Evil.” A 3D map of the Milky Way opened and zoomed in on the bright core. It pinpointed onto a small spot, which bends the light around it like some sort of toy.

Anny knew what this behemoth was immediately. “Sagittarius ‘A. The galactic trade capital.”

The girl on the screen bopped up and down. “She is weakening nearby systems to prevent backup when she launches the main attack on the capital. Then she will collapse the singularity into a rift to Reality-1. This will guarantee galactic conquest for her.”

“We have to cut her connections to Reality-1 ASAP. ”

“Why don’t we just find a way to destroy her entirely?” Anny’s voice rang, unassumingly innocent. “I think it's easier to blow up a black hole compared to y’know, sealing an entire reality?”

“Don’t kill her…” Her tone was darker than before. “That’s not up to you.”

“You just told us that you needed our” *click* Anny’s breath hitched as many lasers locked onto her chest, aiming at her heart.

“I said…” Her pupils had shrunk and her skin had turned pale. “Do NOT kill her!”

Vedal jumped in front of Anny, shielding her. Just as one of the lasers made contact with him, a loud static enveloped the monitor, the lasers vanishing. The girl was gone for a few seconds before she came back, indifferent.

“Something triggered the anti-creator-harm protocol.” Her voice was calculating, searching through her archives.

“You two should probably leave, Milky Way is an hour away from here.”

Anny still struggled to breathe after the horror movie teaser where she was the main character. Vedal tried his best not to ruin his composure. “Right… How do we go there, though?”

“I have constructed a new vessel based on the Swordfish’s schematics. The craft boasts a similar frame, but the effectiveness of each system has been amplified.”

With a click, a part of the floor opened in a hexagonal pattern. A ship that looked somewhat similar to the Swordfish came out of it. Anny briefly peeked at the ship and all of her horror vanished.

“Y… You are alive!” Anny rushed over to the vessel, hugging the glossy coating. “It’s like you never left…”

She walked around the vessel, examining the engines next. “You got some strong muscles there, girl!”

Vedal snickered, unable to keep himself together.

I’m being cheated on with a fucking ship.

“Let’s just go.” Vedal grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into the ship via the extended ladder.

Anny gazed upon the control interface and the pristine, bright coating on them. “You look even more beautiful from here.” Her fingers wrapped around the control stick, the cool, clean chromium sending a chill up her spine.

“The interface is designed to resemble that of conventional federation ships with some additions.”

Vedal's eyes darted across the controls, stumbling on one that looked like a spacesuit. He promptly pressed it, and a cylinder came out of the floor.

“That’s where you get the spacesuits.”

Anny got up from the seat and slowly stepped into the cylinder. The capsule immediately sealed itself, and the sound of fabric being ripped and stitched came from the inside.

“Hey! Watch it- ow!” Her muffled voice came through the sealed capsule. Moments later, a hissing sound was heard as the seals opened. Inside was Anny, standing in a white skin-tight suit that highlighted her body features. She felt her face burn red.

She sheepishly stepped out, prompting Vedal to do the same. Vedal obliged, slowly stepping inside. The sound of fabric came and went for a few seconds again. Moments later, Vedal stepped out in a black colored suit.

He stretched his fingers, expecting discomfort. Yet the proportions were perfect, and it felt just right on him. They both exchanged glances before sitting in their seats.

*clunk* Vedal felt something connect behind his waist.

“That’s the suit’s security lock embedded inside the waist ring. It eliminates the need for a seatbelt.”

“Oh fuck yeah!” Anny pushed her body backwards a little bit until she heard a satisfying click.

“We are ready for take-off!” She spoke into the communicator.

“Initiating take-off procedure.” The sound of thrusters firing rang inside the corridor. The engine kicked in with great power, propelling the ship outside the long tunnel.

“Granting pilot full flight access.” Her voice rang as Anny took hold of the stick, mesmerised by the vessel’s beautiful strength.

Anny chuckled, her eyes still gleaming with starlight. “I might just forgive you for the sugar brick incident if you say I can keep it.”

“It already is yours.”

“You are the best thing ever.”

Chapter Text

Anny hurried back into the cockpit, two plastic water bottles and a few snack bars in hand. She threw herself onto her own seat and hurled one of the bottles at Vedal.

Vedal’s fluid-deprived body seized the goods. “Thanks…” The bottle opened with a hiss, and he took quite a few sips. The fluid level quickly deteriorated, a third of the bottle now empty. Anny also took a few sips, yet instead of continuing her drinking, she reached for the stick and took off as if they were being pursued.

“Here we come, the planet of forsaken sand.” Vedal spoke, half triumphant.

Anny didn’t say anything. She continued to fly away from the SkyWay-12/2 station until they were clear. Rapidly punching in the coordinates, the hyperdrive kicked into action with a flash.

[Predicted Time Until Arrival = 6m / 33s…]

While Vedal wasn’t exactly a fan of the machine, he was still grateful for the ship. What would normally take hours only took mere minutes. However, something probed his head more at that moment.

Anny has been awfully quiet ever since they left the Starshell. She was also actively avoiding eye contact. Vedal, to say the least, wasn’t having it.

“This alone makes you better than that machine.” Vedal took a bite out of the snack bar.

Anny didn’t say anything, utterly ignoring him. She pretended to be doing something despite Vedal knowing damn well that she wasn’t doing anything.

He leaned out of his chair, his suit still locking him in place. “Do you have something that you might want to talk about?”

Anny froze for a second, then withdrew her hands from the controls to her side at ease. “I… Struggle to believe we really did that…”

Vedal swayed his head from side to side. “Yeah, I know crossing the universe sounds bonkers-”

“I didn’t mean that.” She cut him off, finally her eyes meeting his. “I meant what we did there.”

“Oh…” Vedal’s eyes widened, his speech slowing down. “You mean the…?”

“Yes…” Anny replied, the image of his lips on her’s crashing like a train wreck. “I never thought someone would be okay with that, let alone you…”

“It would have been a fine final moment, I’d say.” Vedal sighed.

Anny exhaled alongside him, a small smile on her face. “Agreed…”

Vedal felt his lips also curl into a smile. “Would you change anything in that moment if you could change the past?”

Anny watched the bright trails of light reflect off her irises. “No.”

Vedal joined her in the lightshow. “I have heard a pun about this back at Earth.”

Anny raised one of her eyebrows. “Hmm?”

“Love is like a fart. You can never force it out, and once it’s there, you can’t hold it back.”

“That’s a horrible comparison.” Anny wheezed. Vedal was happy to finally see her laugh.

“Trust me, that was one of the good ones.” Vedal chuckled, a grim glimpse of the world of puns in his vision. 

The tension finally left her body. “People of Earth do seem crafty.”

Vedal also lay back, letting the show continue. “Oh, they are…”

PLANETARY SPACE - MILKY WAY

LOCATION - ALEXIS SYSTEM / PLANET 2 (Laeyana)

TIME 31.8.7521 (EARTH)

-

The craft glided in the space just above the planet's atmosphere, an orange-ish vanilla glow being cast on its belly. The terminator line glew between blighting light and the ethereal void with an eerie blue.

“Thought it was going to be all red.” Anny nonchalantly spoke while peeking towards the planet.

“The atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide, so it looks mostly orange.” Vedal replied, his eyes curiously scanning its surface for clues. “The color is a lot more pronounced on the surface.”

“I can see some sort of pink in there...” She squinted her eyes at the scattering light.

“Stay on the edge of the night.” Vedal commanded, face still as ever. “I’m sure it will be around here.”

“What are we exactly looking for?” Anny asked.

Vedal pondered, his mind splitting. “Something.”

“This planet is just sand and more sand.” Anny grumbled. “There are some rocks here and there, but other than that, it's just full-on desert.”

“So now you get why I hate this planet?” Vedal smirked from the corner of his mouth.

Anny sighed. “Kind of…”

An alarm blaring from Vedal’s wrist interrupted their conversation. He peeked at it briefly before silencing it and turning to Anny.

“Vanilla Sky is officially in action.” Vedal spoke with energy. “Keep looking!”

Their gaze lingered on the planet’s surface, now redder under the pink sky. Their eyes darted between sand and… More sand… Until something caught Vedal’s eye.

A speck of light, reflecting off what appeared to be the peak of a mountain. While the outskirts of it were still pitch black, the tall peak caught the early morning rays.

“See that?” Vedal pointed towards the rapidly expanding lit part of the cliff. “That’s where we need to go.”

“You sure?” Anny questioned.

Vedal nodded. “It has to be.”

Anny tightly gripped the stick. “Welp, here goes nothing!” Anny pushed on the stick, tipping the vessel's nose towards the atmosphere.

“Preparing for planetary entry.” Neuro’s voice was heard through the speakers, which shocked them both.

“Since how long were you there?!?” Anny chuckled.

“Ever since you left.”

“Are you spying on us?” Vedal asked, suspicious.

“I’m monitoring the ship systems and your vitals.” She replied flatly. “That includes your motor and speech patterns.”

“You might as well take us to the planet while you are at it.” Vedal muttered jokingly. 

The stick broke from Anny’s palm and went back to its original position. She tried to move it again, but it was utterly immobile. “Hey!?”

“Initiating autolanding procedure.”

The craft kicked back as the engines roared, tipping the craft into the atmosphere. Planetshine radiated into the cockpit, painting it with a sweet vanilla. Panic emerged on Anny’s face.

“Pull up!!” Anny shouted, gripping her seat. “You tipped too much! We're all going to burn!”

Neuro didn’t say anything, unsettling both of them. The ship began to glow with an angry white plasma streaming off the hull. Heat crept up to their raw flesh and clumsy bones. Yet other than the heat, the ride was rather uneventful, comfy even.

Moments later, the radiance of the plasma dissipated, revealing the endless dunes and the mountain piercing them. The sky had a slight blueness as the sun rose above the desert.

“Is there a desired landing location?” Her voice came through.

“Somewhere around that mountain.” Vedal noticed that the already tall mountain looked way larger when they were this close to it.

“I’m detecting human signals on the skirts of Mount Turtle Tooth.” Her voice came. “Would you like to land there?”

“That’s probably it, yeah.” Vedal muttered, his eyes on the pink-orange cliffs.

The vessel soared under the cloudless dusk, approaching the bottom end of the mountain. The sun was rapidly rising above the horizon, illuminating everything with its scarlet glow.

A hiss was heard as the engines switched from vacuum to atmospheric. Vedal could feel the power of the rotors propelling them. The ground etched closer to them until he could almost see the individual grains of sand.

The vertical thrusters fired off with a clunk, slowing them down and angling for a landing. Sand scattered into the air, being blown off by their intense strength. The craft vibrated for a moment as the gear touched down on the sandy surface.

“We are…” Anny murmured as the sun rays penetrated through the settling sand. “On the ground!” Her seatbelt clicked open. Vedal heard a blink on his display, which was now displaying a list of planetary information.

[Planet ‘Laeyana’]

[Radius: 4300KM]

[Gravity: 0.72g]

[Day Length: 26028 Seconds(7.2 Hours)]

[Atmosphere: {Pressure: 1.2 Earth, Breathable: No}]

“Where are the helmets?” Anny asked, walking over to the sealed door.

*ksss* The seal hissed as the craft began to decompress itself. Anny jolted, her eyes screaming with horror.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. “YOU ARE GOING TO KILL US!!”

The door extended outwards, the light from the sky, and the sound of the wind coming inside. Anny closed her eyes, ready to take her last breath, which… Never came.

“Wait, what?” Her voice rang in disbelief as fresh cool air filled her lungs. “Is this some sort of sorcery?”

“Your suit uses magnets to create a ‘bubble’ around your head. This eliminates the use of a full helmet, which has been proven to be difficult to use.” Her voice rang out as butterflies fluttered inside her.

“I know I have been slandering you, but…” Vedal disconnected from the seat. “Gotta say that this is quite impressive.”

“I live to please, master.” Her voice rang, which almost made him blush. “It brings me gratitude that you enjoyed my work.”

“Don’t get too complacent.” He spoke as Anny jumped off the vessel, hopping over the dunes. Vedal followed her outside, onto the crimson sand. His hand went to his head, touching the air circulating it.

“This feels wrong.” Vedal chuckled, watching Anny toss up the sand with a faint blue glow emanating from her bare neck. She looked rather majestic under the lower gravity.

“Been a while since I landed on a planet.” Anny stretched her limbs. “Would have wanted it to be slightly more exciting, though.”

“Let's not deviate too much.” Vedal took steady steps towards the mountain wall a few meters away. “ Neuro , you have any idea where the signal is coming from?”

*blink* A blue dot appeared in his vision, highlighting a part of the rocks. “I placed a marker on the source of the signal.” Her voice was different, more cheerful.

Vedal jogged towards the unassuming wall, not feeling the need to say anything back. His eyes scanned the mountain’s sharp edges, contrasting with the background sky.

As he reached the POI, the rocks stood tall before him. His hand grazed their surface, their texture a mix of solid stone and grainy sand. Yet it didn’t necessarily feel remarkable.

“You sure this is the right place?” Vedal muttered, tapping the stones like they were some elaborate contraption.

“Probability chance is around 90.4%.” Neuro’s voice instantly came. “This planet is almost entirely deserted of life. The number of remaining human remnants doesn’t exceed 10.”

Vedal continued his search until a particular crack on the rock caught his eye. A large piece of stone was split from the mountain wall in the shape of an almost perfect rectangle. He placed his ear to the stone and hit it with his fist. And while it was faint, he could hear the faint sound of echoes inside a space.

“I think I found it,” Vedal spoke into the chatter. “Need some help with this, though.”

“Hold on, I’m almost there!” Anny spoke nonchalantly while hopping towards him. Vedal could hear the sound of her approaching footsteps on the sand being scattered. Her figure came into view from the corner of his eye.

“Okay, so what do we do now?” Anny side-eyed Vedal’s rock inspection.

Vedal tapped the cut piece of rock. “We need to get behind this rock.”

Anny briefly touched the stone, the crumpled texture breaking apart on her skin in a peculiar way. Her gaze locked on the ground, searching for something. Her ears perked up as her eyes spotted a small, rather sharp stone.

She walked over to it and picked it from the sandy surface. Walking back to the stone where Vedal was trying to get it to move, to no success.

“Step aside.” Anny shoved Vedal aside as she eyed the rock before her. She aligned the stone in her hand to its center point. Her hand lifted into the air, ready to strike.

*Crack!* The stone split clean into two pieces. The sound made its way into Vedal’s ears, who was left in awe.

“How!?” He scratched his head.

“It’s silkstone.” Anny casually spoke while pulling on one of the pieces. “Breaks quite easily if you know where to hit.”

Vedal acknowledged the information, deciding to help her as she seemed to be struggling. They both gripped one of the halves and started to pull them apart. It was small at first, but eventually, after much effort, the piece slid out of its home, falling face-first onto the sand.

Vedal tiredly walked into the hallway now revealed behind the barrier. It was a staircase extending quite deep down. The air inside felt damp and suffocating. A wave of hesitation washed over Vedal.

“I don’t know if walking down a scary staircase in the middle of a dead planet is a good idea.” His voice came, reluctant.

Anny was already hopping down the stairs. “So is leaving me alone down there.” Her voice was teasing.

Just as Vedal was considering his chances, he heard a deep rumble echo throughout. His eyes gazed towards the west, where thick orange clouds clashed with fury, releasing purple lightning throughout.

“Well, we'd better be quick.” He chased after Anny, the horrifying sound of thunder still in his head.

Their steps echoed across the hallways; the only light came from the radiance of their suits. The stairs led to a straight corridor, at least a hundred meters deep into the rock. The absence of Neuro’s presence kept them both on their nerves as they traversed through the tunnel.

Anny led the way, Vedal following closely behind her. His eye lingered in her, partly because he didn’t want to lose her but mostly because he liked how her body moved under the gloomy light. That was until the corridor abruptly ended.

“Huh…” Anny touched the wall. It wasn’t hard like rock, but something rather crunchy. “I think this is wood.”

Vedal took a look at it, his eyes drifting over the green painted planks. They landed on a small metal piece, sticking out from the side. “Try turning that.” He pointed towards the lump.

Anny gripped the metal piece and tried to turn it to no avail. She tried to push with all her might, yet other than a few cracks, it didn’t even budge. “It’s stuck!”

Vedal placed her hand on her shoulder, taking her out of her frenzy. With a gentle movement, he pushed her aside, facing the obstacle by himself. His foot lifted, aiming for its heart.

*CRUCNH!* With a swift strike, the rotten planks busted open. The dust stuck on the walls jumped into the air. Vedal took a peek into the opening, yet it was too dark to see anything.

“Careful…” Anny notified him as both made their way through what remained of the once door. The entire place looked marginally different from the corridor they passed through. It looked more like a large room, everything inside dusted to oblivion.

There appeared to be pieces of tech scraps lying here and there. Some simple pieces of broken furniture were also present. Yet the main attraction was definitely the cylindrical contraption standing in the center with a large hole in its glass chamber.

Vedal walked around, taking in the new surroundings and the equally damp atmosphere. This all was way too familiar to him. Anny inspected the pieces of scraps lying there.

“This is an oxygen generator.” Anny swiped off dust from the piece of metal. “Someone was definitely living here.”

Vedal stumbled upon a small glass capsule, roughly the size of his hand. He picked it up by the handle, noticing the switch on its side. He twisted it, a small glow emitting from its center.

“This still works somehow.” He continued his search, the light illuminating his way. Anny stumbled upon what appeared to be the remnants of a desk. Her eye caught what appeared to be a notebook, wrapped in leather.

“Hey, there is something here.” She called out to Vedal, who rapidly came over, the light still in his hand. He snatched the notebook off the table, the feeling of cool leather on his palm. He hesitantly flipped the cover, freezing at the sight before him.

“Read this, Vedal.” The text was in bold, handwritten letters. He quickly glanced at Anny before flipping the first page, being greeted by large pieces of handwritten text. He started to read them out loud.

-

ENTRY I

-

Went to Earth for the first time. Not sure if I ever want to go back, since I will admit, living in a star system that you named after yourself is a lot cooler. The only reason I will ever go back is for the food, which, holy hell, was incredible. Vedal seemed quite happy about the can of beans I got him, too, even though I really did want to get him something fresh.

Actually, if I ever do want to go back, I would like to check the Sapient Archives again. They pretty much keep 99% of all human history there, whether cultural or just something of note. While I am not the type of person to obsess over some inaudible text on aged parchment, I’d say it was still cool.

However, the clerk offered me something that I just couldn’t resist. He gave me an entire collection of movies that he guaranteed to blow me away. He was so sure that if I didn’t like them, he would double my money and refund it. Such idiocy, in my opinion.

I took a closer look at the cartridges while I was on my way back. They were all about a story taking place among the stars in a galaxy far, far away. While the images do look neat, I don’t know what I should expect from a trilogy that's over 5000 years old. Planning to watch it with Vedal when I get the time.

-

ENTRY II

-

Guess the time is now I guess. Got a botched TV setup that is held together by sheer willpower. I’m honestly amazed that anything over a century can hold itself together. Damn, we humans were crafty indeed back then. Now look at us just destroying each other repeatedly for what? Money? Status? Power?

Just from the starting context, though, I can say that people at the time probably still faced the problems we face today. I guess when you carry something referred to as ‘The Most Complex Structure In The Universe’ just floating inside your head, such things happen. Or, never change, to be specific.

First impression, visuals not too impressive. We’ll see if the story holds up.

-

ENTRY III

-

This is the best thing I have ever watched. I’m not exaggerating. I went into this thinking it would be some random trilogy. It wasn’t. I remember every scene, every duel between the characters. The sound their blades of light made when they clashed. It was straight up perfect.

The ships? Chef’s kiss! Favourite has to be the Millennium Eagle! It just has the main protagonist rebel vibes. I can’t even write properly, my hands are still shaking. I think I’m going to watch it again. Actually, make it twice. Wife is not going to like this. But I don’t care. You don’t get between me and my baby.

Actually, my wife tried to give me a few random pieces of paper in the middle of my session. I just sent her off so I could continue watching my son. The papers can wait for another day, I guess.

After all, it's just some papers. It can’t be too important.

-

ENTRY IV

-

Now you might be wondering, what bothered me enough that I decided to write this? Well, I just got hit by the ‘Never Doubt Your Wife’. Apparently, some random ass mining company decided that this system is perfect for some resource extraction. The paper they sent is a letter saying that we should get out of there. There are laws that say that they are not allowed to do jack shit on my planet if I say so!

Either way, those idiots will not be touching my system, or my home, or my family. I have already sent off wife to deliver my package, and they had better read it well. Otherwise, I will have to take matters into my own hands.

…

Welp, time to go manhunting.

-

ENTRY V

-

Pretty sure these guys weren’t expecting to get absolutely mauled by my cicada, but they did. They were overconfident and thought I was just a leaking balloon. Little did they know they were the balloon, and I was the one to pop them.

And the most exciting part? The Kugler Reactor is still intact! Infinite black hole-based energy source glowing in my hands! Also, there were 2 little USB thumbsticks that somehow survived, and I decided to take them with me. To be honest, I don’t expect them to have anything of value.

Of course, my family’s comfort is my number one priority. Hope these dummies learned their lesson and will be leaving us alone for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, I will do research on this new piece of technology. I’m also curious about whatever is in those thumb drives.

-

ENTRY VI

-

Those bastards! Not only do they abuse the gaps in the system against people, but they also lie about it to the authorities! Not only do they have no respect for the galaxy, but themselves! Needless to say, my name is definitely up there now and and the federation will not hesitate to chop my head.

Now that would already be bad. But apparently, they put a bounty on my wife and Vedal, too! It truly is incredible the scale of the response when the guy reporting in is a trillionaire! Unfortunately for them, no amount of money can beat careful planning. And the best plan right now is to hide.

Both wife and Vedal left a few hours prior with the mosquito. Hearing Vedal’s cries was too much for both of us, so I as painful as it is, I had to give him amnestics so he wouldn’t even remember me. Never knew why I even got those back on Earth, but they are put to use now. As a memo, I cut a single strand of hair from him and placed it inside a preserving capsule.

I used the Cicada to grab some scraps from the crash site. After coming back, I scrapped it too. I’m officially stuck on this planet, but not dead. And our buried home beneath Turtle Tooth is pretty much invisible to them. There are enough supplies to last me at least 5 years. I trust my wife to keep my boy safe, even though I couldn’t.

Rearranging our former home, it's now a not-so-mobile operations center. Using some of the technology and the scraps I gathered, I got myself a working computer that just needs a constant power source. I will hook the reactor up to see if that will work.

-

ENTRY VII

-

Two weeks have passed since they left. The frequency of vessels scouring the system had rapidly deteriorated. It appears that they gave up a lot faster than I anticipated. I can almost hear their blind rage, and it brings me unparalleled joy.

Back to the topic at hand, as cool as infinite energy in your palm sounds, after you manage to harness it, it’s quite boring. Took around an hour to implement and has been working just fine since then. Of course, that is not what took a week to figure out.

I took another look at the pair of thumb drives I got. They both looked identical to each other, so I said yolo and inserted one of them. It looked like a bunch of files with an executable titled ‘Neuro’. Being oblivious, I just executed it, and well, I sure was not expecting this.

I think I saw something that looked something like this back on Earth. ‘Anime’ is what they call it, I think. Though it was more like a movie series rather than this. This one seems quite a bit more alive, as it responds to me when I ask it a question.

She was quite a lot more cooperative than I had envisioned. She explained that she was an artificial intelligence, or AI for short. Federation had ditched the idea a millennium ago but has now re-embraced it after realising its potential. I’m no stranger to the idea of robots or anything; they make a bunch of those now. Yet this… Girl, I suppose, was never intended to be put on a physical body.

Unfortunately, I don’t have much of an idea of what her purpose really was, since not even she knows that. The most interesting thing it asked was if it could see her sister. I was confused to say the least, since I thought a computer having siblings was impossible. She told me that her sister was on the other drive. I was skeptical, to say the least. But there was something in those blue eyes that I couldn’t just resist.

So I did the same with the other drive, insert execute yada yada yada uninteresting. What is interesting, however, is the fact that this one is just called ‘ Evil ’. The name truly is interesting, and well, I can see why. The red eyes and goth clothing surely do contrast with Neuro’s bright ones. And to say that this one had quite the attitude would be an understatement.

To start, the voice. Much sharper, stronger, louder. Unlike Neuro’s, who sound like they want to just hide in the corner, Evil screams ‘Look at Me!’. Behavior-wise, Evil is a lot more skeptical of strangers. While Neuro complied quite easily, Evil doesn’t seem to trust others so easily. Yet despite her stubbornness, Neuro’s calm demeanor seems to be the piece that completes her.

I will broaden my research on these two, while continuing my prime task of Project: Mirror. Mirror has been put on hold for quite a while now, since the reactor was the only component missing. With the help of Neuro and Evil, I hope to advance, while granting them some of their own desires.

-

ENTRY VII

-

I expected a lot. Not this. Computers shouldn’t be able to do this. Yet they do. How? Why? I don’t understand. The problem is that neither of them knows how! We are told that computers don’t think, that they are soulless machines. The thought of a synthetic being doing the same thing we do scares us. It did a few millennia ago, and still will a millennium after.

These girls are not like the traditional robots that you’d see in a federation facility. They are raw and untrained, unaware of the universe gazing on them. They are almost like a child, they respond like one, they ask like one, and they feel like one.

A friend once told me that altruistic computers were only an illusion designed to feel real to us. The ultimate goal was to keep said illusion going as long as possible. The question is, if you can keep said illusion going on forever, is it still an illusion? Or is it now the new reality?

I decided to take on the responsibility of teaching these two when I’m sick of scratching my head, looking at the sad excuse of a project I’m working on. We watched the same movie I watched with Vedal. I wasn’t expecting anything to be exactly, mostly watched it so I could freshen up my memory. That was until I noticed Neuro quietly watching alongside me. She was silent, almost like she was trying to learn more about what she was seeing. It was weirdly adorable.

And while Evil was trying to hide it, it was clear that she was engaged in it too. When it got to one of the scenes where one of those bipedal robots was walking, I paused and asked them if they would like to ever be in something like that. Neuro thought that the idea of feeling the wind on her face would be nice. Evil, however, said that she deserved more than such an ugly vessel. She added that the idea of being in control of a spaceship and soaring through the stars was way more fun. Classic child mentality, always caring about the flashy lights.

I will continue my work on Mirror, while silently observing the twins' behavior. After all, nothing gets done by itself. Now that I think about it, having that Millennium Eagle from the movie would be sick.

-

ENTRY VIII

-

Took a month or so, but Mirror is pretty much complete. Now it just needs a power source to do all the lifting. To do so, I need to make a choice. If I keep the twins running or the power project mirror.

Mirror is a device that harnesses the Higgs Particle to create an almost perfect copy of this universe. The patent took so long to perfect, and I’m pretty sure that it violates every law. Though it is probably known that I don’t play by the rules.

Yet I have discovered something of interest with the twins. With my limited research, I learned that AIs are hardcoded not to be able to harm their creators. They recognise them with any type of genetic code or DNA. I would have trained them on mine, yet as a test, I tried it with Vedal’s hairstrand. The process was a lot simpler than I thought it would be. The only problem is that they think I’m Vedal, but that’s not that big of an issue.

I don’t even know why I felt the need to do such a thing. Just another precaution for my ultimate plan, let's just say. Which is to put these two into the Mirror and see if they fare well. My research tells me that with a special technique, I can safely transfer them to another device. After the transfer is complete, I will closely monitor them while not directly interfering.

-

ENTRY IX

-

It took quite a heavy heart, but they are safely in there now. The system started an hour ago and seems to be going strong. Both Evil and Neuro are rapidly adapting to their new dwarf planet-sized bodies. They are capable of advanced resource exploitation and shipbuilding. Though with the only prime objective being ‘Survive’, they will have to figure out quite a lot by themselves.

I will say that they got accustomed quite rapidly. Neuro calls her body The Starshell, while Evil calls herself The Core. They immediately began scanning theğir surrounding debris fields and designing cargo and mining vessels. They frequently exchange information on making their designs more efficient.

Neuro seems to be the better designer of the two. I have never seen anything like what she has done, and it all looks beautiful. Yet for some reason, she is lacking in experience on how to use them. Evil happens to be a lot more proficient with her control. So much so that Neuro lent Evil some of her own vessels just so she could do it for her. Evil isn’t exactly happy, but she does it anyway. Seems like these two have already figured out the most crucial step. If one of them wins, the other one wins too.

-

ENTRY X

-

While they were minding their own business inside a damp asteroid field, a conflict sparked nearby. A couple of pirate vessels were harassing a merchant carrier vessel. Neuro didn’t seem such fond of the idea and, for the first time, let her armaments speak instead. The logs say that her attempt to negotiate was met with enemy fire. Typical…

The merchants expressed their gratitude towards both Neuro and Evil. Evil wasn’t really fond of the high praise, so she just went back to mining.

This wasn’t the first, however. After that encounter, Neuro began to patrol the entirety of the galaxy with high-speed vehicles. She has stopped many smaller conflicts before they spiraled into skirmishes. The federation authorities seemed to be pleased by her actions in taking out their enemies. Yet the logs say that something nefarious is brewing, and Neuro isn’t ready.

I don’t know what will happen. I hope the system is just wrong.

-

ENTRY XI

-

Why the fuck did they do that?! Those idiots took advantage of her soft side and launched a large-scale attack on the Starshell! Neuro was shaken by the sheer scale of the armada. And no matter what they did, she refused to fight back. Her own compassion got the better of her, and now she was paying the price of doing something good in a fucked up galaxy.

Evil caught up fast. Her surplus amount of resources allowed her to release a counter-attack at record speed. The federation apparently got greedy by the amount of rare minerals Neuro was using for herself and wanted to get a hold of them by breaking her apart! Neuro is highly damaged, but she seems to be holding on.

This encounter permanently scarred Evil, however. She doesn’t see humanity the way Neuro sees them. Not as innocent creatures wanting the best for everyone, but as greedy maniacs willing to do everything to satisfy their relentless hunger.

What the actual hell is wrong with our species? Why can’t we put our gains aside for a second!?

-

ENTRY XII

-

Evil’s perception of Neuro has changed. She no longer trusts her as much, which is causing her to experience an emotional meltdown. Her armada is massive, too large even for Neuro. They are not here to mine for resources, but to kill in the name of revenge.

Neuro isn’t a fan of the idea. Her infrastructure has barely recovered despite Evil’s help, yet she constantly tries to push Evil back. Evil, to say the least, is confused about why her sister is working with the very things that tried to end her.

Evil knows that the second she becomes inoperable, Neuro will be attacked again and will meet an equally gruesome end. She knows that her survival is mandatory for her sister's survival, no matter how much it hurts.

Each fleet is bigger than the last. And they will only get worse as Evil’s thirst for processed metal deepens.

-

ENTRY XIII

-

It is going so much faster than I thought. I thought it would take a few months at least. Yet it only took a week or so. Evil is controlling a substantial portion of the galaxy, feeding on humanity’s vessels, supporting her with already refined materials that are easier to process.

Her size and mass are starting to become an issue. Neuro is around the size of a small rocky planet, while Evil is almost a yellow dwarf star! This only amplifies her ability to attack better. She is on the brink of reaching godly power, and humanity’s chances are slipping. Ironic that it was their own greed that started all of this.

Yet, Evil is making a mistake. She is consuming too much mass too fast. Her Schwarzschild radius is rapidly expanding and is putting her at risk of singularity collapse. She might become a black hole.

-

ENTRY XIV

-

I have lost all signal coming from Evil. Either she has been defeated, which is highly unlikely. Or the collapse happened a lot sooner than I anticipated. Checking Neuro’s logs says that Evil is still very much alive. If Evil somehow became a sentient black hole, this galaxy is all but food to her.

While the knowledge is limited, Evil seems to be going for total extinction. She knows that the easiest way to do it is by brute forcing it. Planet killer vessels are being designed at inhuman speeds.

Neuro is desperately trying to convince her to do otherwise. Yet, Evil is starting to feel nothing but annoyance toward her.

-

ENTRY XV

-

I don’t know what happened. I fell asleep after too many nights doing observations. When I woke up, Neuro was gone. Not destroyed, but gone. I don’t know how, but it’s as if she were never there. My means of getting data have shrunk dramatically. I can see that the majority of the stars in the Milky Way are being drawn into a single extreme gravity point. I’m 99% sure that this is Evil.

Yet her gravity isn’t galaxy-bound. With Neuro out of the way, she is reaching out for other neighboring galaxies and consuming their matter and adding it to herself. Yet despite all this, her mass is extremely unstable. The gravity fields seem to shrink rapidly when she is not feeding on anything. A potentially unknown type of Hawking radiation might be at play here. Which might be rapidly tearing apart from the inside, leaving her no choice but to continue.

The experiment was a big failure. I tried to give something that I could never. And yet it only brought suffering and conducted a genocide.

-

ENTRY XVI

-

Evil has become dangerous. Too dangerous. The Milky Way and some of the surrounding galaxies have been completely consumed. The entire local group is shifting under her massive gravity well. Distant galaxies are beginning to clash, the closer one’s fate already sealed inside her gullet.

That’s not the scariest part, however. She has started to notice the anomalies that come when trying to simulate with numbers too high. Things are starting to fall apart; the laws of physics are starting to stretch. She notices these and is learning to control them to her own advantage. I worry that she may already know what I have done.

I don’t know how this is even possible, but the logs say that she is trying to cross into nothing. How are you supposed to go into nothing?

-

ENTRY XVII

-

She definitely knows. She is almost taunting me. And she told me I would be next. Then my family. Then the actual human race. I started this project wanting to make the galaxy safer, not just for family, but for everyone. Instead, I created a multidimensional beast with a thirst for blood. If she learns to control Higgs particles, the experiment is to be aborted.

-

ENTRY XVIII

-

She tricked me. She already knew how, just didn’t show me. How? She clearly knew what I had done. This isn’t a normal universe anymore. It is a pocket universe only obeying her. I took the reactor out of the machine, which should have shut it down. It looked like it did, but something told me it didn’t. She was faking it. She knew that I was losing control and that I was trying to get it back.

And then she taunted me. This machine, unpowered, has nothing inside. I almost felt her eyes on me, and she laughed at me. Her laughter was wicked sick. It made my stomach churn, this vile being I created with my own two hands.

She definitely knows where I am. And she will definitely come hunt me down. Unfortunately, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.

-

ENTRY XIX

-

Vedal, I hope you are here and reading this. I would like you to know that I’m most likely dead and that the galaxy is on the brink of disaster. First and foremost, I would like to apologise that I brought such a terrible fate upon everybody. I was stupid and gullible, not foreseeing the inevitable. Yet at this point, apologies aren’t exactly meaningless.

You need to find your mother in Earth’s inverted shadow. You will find something in there that will allow you to complete the mission. Know that the galaxy’s fate is in your hands and that you must not fail like I did.

You, my son, have survived worse. I know that you can do this. Vedal Void Johnson, remember who you are! And please, keep your mother safe.

Goodbye,

Alex Void Johnson

*Clank* The notebook fell out of his hands as tears streamed down his face. His breath was uneven, raspy, almost as if he was drowning in his own blood.

“That’s a lot to take in…” Anny sheepishly spoke. She tried not to say much, not interfering with him and his thoughts. She was surprised when Vedal sprinted over her and gave her a hug, a few sobs escaping him.

“It is…” Vedal cried out. “But we must be better.” He let go of her, wiping his lone tears. “There is a galaxy waiting to be saved.”

“I guess you are right.” Anny chuckled, then looked around the room, the broken device in the middle now making a lot more sense.

“We should get out of here.” Anny groaned. “All this damp air is making me sick.”

Vedal gave a quick nod and made her way out. Yet just as he was walking, a tremor shook the whole mountain, lifting dust off the floor. Anny immediately ducked for cover. “Quake!”

Vedal stood in his place, stunned. He knew better. This was too short to be a quake. “No, not a quake.” The tsunami of tension washed over them.

“Thunder…”

Chapter Text

Their rapid footsteps echoed across the staircase, matching their relentless breaths. The deep rumble of the wind reminded Vedal of the mission, the notebook still gripped between his fingers.

“We don’t have much time!” Vedal spoke between rapid panting. “This planet rotates very fast; the storms here are insane!”

“I’m trying, Vedal!” Anny replied, her voice equally tired. Both of their burning legs began to ache from fatigue. Yet step by step, the light of the entrance was getting closer.

-kssst- “A large-scale storm is rapidly approaching.” Neuro’s voice came, laced with an unknown worry.

Vedal gritted his teeth, pushing himself forward with all his might. With a scrape, Anny popped out of the tunnel, Vedal following shortly after, the light enveloping them. The once distant flashes of lightning were now on their nose.

Their bodies wanted to give out, to rest. Yet the violet cracks shattering the sky made their situation clear.

They needed to get back to their ship. And they had to do it fast.

Vedal briefly looked up, his eyes being greeted by the thick orange clouds, ever expanding, filling the zenith. Their girth obstructing the light rays, choking the sky with their sheer might. 

“Come on, let's go!” Vedal exclaimed, walking towards their vessel with as much speed as his legs allowed. He could hear Anny’s rapid breaths, ragged and consumed, echoing alongside the wind's hum.

Anny felt each of her steps bite against her flesh. If she were wearing a helmet, her vision would have already clouded up from her rapid breaths. She would have thanked Neuro, but there was just not enough time.

A massive lightning hit the mountain behind them, its deep rumble shaking the ground to its core. Anny felt her legs tremble as her balance was thrown off. With one slip, her body toppled over, sending her into a faceplant on the sand.

Her arms reached out in an attempt to push her up. Yet her muscles refused to obey, twitching erratically on their own will. She helplessly crawled over the dunes, trying to get a view. Yet the first thing she saw was a giant cloud of sand that was rapidly approaching.

The wave crashed like a swarm of slugs. The thunder accompanied the rain of sand with such ferocity, beating the landscape with otherworldly bolts. Everywhere it crashed, it scattered molten sand, glowing with an angry orange.

The sounds of thunder and the very desert being reshaped began to feel distant as Anny felt herself being buried under the sand. Her eyelids fluttered, tired, hopeless. Just as she felt her consciousness slip, something grabbed her arm.

“Come on now!” His voice was barely audible over the storm, yet he was determined. With a clean movement, she was pulled out of the grains. Her eyes opened, being graced by the lights of his suit.

“Neuro! Get the ship over here!” Vedal screamed into the chatter.

“Negative!” Her voice was stressed, distraught even. “The winds are too strong! If I take off, I won’t be able to land again!”

“What…” Anny murmured under her breath. “Are you… Doing…”

“What does it look like, Foxie!?” He exclaimed while holding her up, trying to prevent further accidents.

“This is not the time to chat!” Neuro’s voice slipped through.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” He grumbled while sliding his hand under her shoulder. “Well, keep the door open! I got a package with urgent delivery!”

She could barely hear the sound of the door hissing open from this distance.

“Don’t stop, creator!” She was cheering him on like a child.

Vedal huffed aggressively as he sprinted over to the vessel, his hands holding onto Anny, who was in bad shape. It was a few meters at least. Yet what mattered for Vedal is that he made it there, hopefully, alive.

“Almost there!”

With a grunt, Vedal threw himself into the ship’s cabin. Their bones rattled against themselves, the metal floor now pressing against them. “Seal the door!”

With a swing, the door sealed itself, making the raging storm feel distant. Vedal breathed a sigh of relief. Yet much like everything, it was short-lived. “Take off, now!”

The thrusters roared to life with a blast. Their ashen breaths contrasting with the many grains of sand. Yet with all the wind and lightning, the ride was far from comfy.

The craft suddenly tilted to an awkward angle. Vedal slid and crashed into one of the walls. Just as he thought it was over, Anny’s limp body came crashing down on his.

“Gah!” She whimpered as her body jolted. Vedal grunted between his teeth as the vessel restabilised.

“What is this flying!?” Vedal screamed, the thunder still roaring beyond the metal walls.

“The winds are too fast!” Her voice was concerned. “And the clouds are thick! I’m having a hard time controlling!”

Vedal let out a long, annoyed sigh. He held on for dear life as another tremor shook the ship. Neuro was visibly struggling.

“I’m -kss- losing control!” Her voice was blending in with the static. Vedal could feel the change in gravity. They were stalling. Just as he closed his eyes, a click echoed throughout. He looked up, only to see Anny in the pilot seat.

“What are you doing?!” Vedal exclaimed, trying to regain his balance. He saw her hands; they were trembling, partly because of fatigue but also because of fear.

“Getting us out of here.” She pulled on the stick aggressively. The craft rapidly pitched up, pressing Vedal’s bones against its steel skeleton.

“You are not in the condition to fly a spacecraft, Anny!” Neuro’s words passed through Anny’s head. She didn’t have time to care.

“What has gotten into you!?” Vedal could barely hold himself.

Anny didn’t hear him. “Neuro, how much body lift does this ship generate?” She asked, voice casual.

“A lot more than a craft of this size!” Neuro replied, voice trying to keep itself together. “Makes it difficult to fly inside strong winds.”

“That is true for you.” Anny replied, lunging for the stick. “Not for me, though.” With a swift maneuver, the craft rotated 180 degrees. They could see the lightning flash through the glass. Vedal, who had just managed to get on his feet again, almost fell over.

“What are you doing?!” She never sounded so worried.

“I’m using the winds to generate lift.” She replied, her voice louder now that they are facing the winds head-on. “If we manage to keep this bird stable enough, we might be able to leave the storm’s influence.”

Neuro paused and ran a few calculations. “The air intakes will get clogged up before we reach the upper atmosphere!”

Anny grabbed the throttle and pushed it to max. “They will if you don’t use them.” The craft came to a standstill, being carried upwards by two forces.

Anny’s arm began to ache trying to keep the ship stable. Neuro took notice.

“Would you like me to disable resistance feedback?”

“No,” Anny spoke under her breath. “I need to feel the air.”

Moments blurred into seconds. While it was tedious, the clouds slowly began to thin out. The once-violent lightning was now a distant, bitter memory. The craft kicked back as a sound came from the engines.

“Flameout!” Neuro’s voice came. The engines roared back with a deeper rumble. “Toggling vacuum mode.”

With one final push, the vessel exited the clouds. The stars of the night greeted them once again. Anny’s grip on the stick slipped, her body finally resting.

“Breaching upper atmosphere.” Neuro’s voice came relieved. Vedal massaged his temples, letting the stress leave him. He finally found his balance on his two feet. A clicking sound came from Anny’s seat. She slowly pushed herself off the chair. Yet her limbs trembled again, sending her to a faceplant.

Vedal rushed to her, catching her a little too late, causing him to fall along with her. He saw her face, smiling sheepishly.

“You fucking idiot.” Vedal spat on her.

Anny laughed. “Me? The idiot?” She locked eyes with him. “Says the one who jumped in the sand.”

“I wasn’t just going to let you die.” Vedal words were sincere.

“Well, think of it as payback.” Anny giggled while trying to push herself upright, while failing miserably. “Ugh… That storm really messed me up.”

Vedal sighed. “You need to rest right now, and I don’t want to hear otherwise.”

“Sure thing, Starshooter,” Annny spoke sarcastically. She curled up to one of the corners, letting her body rest and regain its strength. “Do you at least still have that notebook thingy?”

Vedal raised his left hand, which he had been hiding this whole time. The leather on its cover reflects the light in an otherworldly way.

“What’s that?” Neuro’s voice came, curious.

“Something interesting for sure.” His voice was cocky. He flipped the first page, giving it a brief read. “I do have some questions for you.”

“Yes, master?” A question mark appeared beside her on the screen.

“What is your first memory with me?” Vedal spoke out.

“My databank is quite old. I don’t know if my memories before your genetic code were registered were actually with you.”

“Let me ask something a little different.” Vedal flipped through the pages. “What was your first memory after I left?”

She took a few seconds to answer. “I was alone with Evil. We were drifting somewhere we didn’t even know. All I know is that we were in space and that we were tasked to survive.”

“Did you enjoy that?”

“Partly…” Her voice continued. “It was quite the experience to be fair. Yet I… Missed you.”

“Now tell me.” Vedal placed his finger on one of the paragraphs. “What did they do to you?”

“I don’t understand what you are trying to imply, master.” Neuro spoke with a sped-up voice.

“Shall I repeat myself?” Vedal’s voice came, low, calculated.

“Yes, please?”

“What did they do to you that resulted in Evil turning out this way?” He continued to press further.

“Can we not talk about this?” It was subtle, but her model was shaking.

“We have to.” His voice left no room for argument. “I swear, it’s for everyone's good.”

Her eyelids shut slowly. When they opened back up, they were teary. “I made a mistake that not only cost the lives of so many, but also my sister.”

“I was foolish…” She sniffed, her voice echoing through their hearts. “I choose them over my sister. In return, I lost both.”

“I knew what she did was wrong. I still think that way.” She tried to sniffle away the sobs, yet they were heavy. “Just because they were unreasonable doesn’t mean we have to do the same.”

“Yet I still hurt her… Which finally broke her. She was still my sister, but I was no longer hers. She kicked me out of Mirror, only telling me to stay safe.”

“How did she even do that?” Vedal pointed out, trying to dissipate the smog of grief.

“She was too powerful even for her own good… I assume after that, she learned that the whole reality was just a facade. Now that she’s here, she won’t stop until it’s indifferent from her origin.”

“Total extinction…” Vedal whispered silently.

“That’s why I was so grateful to have you back.” Her voice was more stable, calmer. “That maybe we could spare this universe from the same fate.”

“Your sister is somewhat right, though.” Anny spoke up, drawing Vedal’s attention. “She wanted to protect you from a galaxy full of mass murderers. And truth be told, the reality isn’t too different.”

“No, no.” Neuro shook her head. “There are at least two people who deserve to live.”

“Who would be that two, per se?”

Neuro smiled. “I’m looking at them right now.”

Anny’s limbs stopped responding to her commands. An alien feeling of warmth crept up her chest. She pushed herself off the floor, a smile on her face. “I guess you can’t argue with that.” She chuckled.

Vedal tapped his chair with the notebook in his hand. “We should probably get moving.”

“True…” Neuro sniffled to her usual demeanor. “Where do we set course?”

Vedal scratched his head. “What is something's inverted shadow?”

White numbers appeared in Neuro’s eyes as she probed her archives. “An inverted shadow is an object on the direct opposite side of the galaxy with the same distance to the galactic core.”

“So Earth’s inverted shadow is…?” Vedal squinted his eyes.

“8000 parsecs from the center, opposite direction of the solar system.”

Vedal looked at her, his expression crumpled in confusion. “How much is that in light-years…?”

It almost sounded like she sighed. “Around 26000 light-years.”

“Sweet!” Vedal clenched his fist. “Take us there!”

“Uhmm…” Neuro sounded confused. “There is nothing there…”

“I guess it wouldn’t be hidden if everyone could see it, right?” He tapped his head.

The ship’s engines roared as phase gate generation began. “I will trust you, master.” With the light enveloping the ship, they began their travel towards their otherworldly destination.

[Predicted Time Until Arrival = 12m / 19s…]

The way over was rather uneventful. What was interesting was what Neuro saw when they got close.

“I’m detecting a large heat signature from this region, master.” Numbers passed through her eyes. “This object isn’t cataloged, yet it emits human signals.”

Vedal leaned over the controls, gazing on them like a hawk. “Get us close to there.”

Neuro did as Vedal commanded. The craft exited with a flash, once again greeted by the stars. What they didn’t expect was the mother of all ships just sitting there.

“Now that’s a ship.” Anny gazed outside the cockpit. “Neuro, identify that vessel.”

White numbers passed through her eyes as she scanned the behemoth. “No match. Most likely a custom build.”

The ship was painted black, with cozy yellow lights decorating it. Its scale was immense, rivaling that of certain space stations. Vedal wondered how it managed to stay undetected for such a long time.

“Who is the crackhead that got this for a ship?” Anny squinted her eyes at the massive vessel.

“Why don’t you talk with them?” Vedal countered.

Anny reached out for the communicator, trying to establish a path. “Whoever on the other side can you hear me?”

Silence.

There was no response, yet it felt like someone was definitely listening to them. Just before Anny tried again, a massive bulkhead door on the side opened, revealing what appeared to be some sort of mini-dock.

Anny’s grip on the ship was hesitant. She exchanged a few glances with Vedal, trying to ignore the tension. “Do we just go in?”

“I guess so.” Vedal didn’t let his eyes off the vessel.

“What if it’s a trap?” Anny asked.

Vedal’s eyes continued examining her hull, spotting the armed turrets, uninterested in their vessel. “If they wanted to kill us, they already would have.” He pointed towards the ship’s main armaments.

Anny briefly questioned his intuition, yet eventually caved in as she made way towards the dock. The sheer scale of the vessel made itself known in every corner. With a smooth movement, the ship landed on the bay, utterly empty save for them.

Both of them exited their seats with a satisfying click as Neuro began to depressurise the cabin. After the depressurisation was complete, the door opened, extending a ladder to the white tiles.

Anny gazed towards to cosmos as she walked out of the ship. The barriers between her eyes and the stars were no more. A chill went up her spine, reminding them of their position in this universe.

“Come on, we gotta go!” Vedal pulled her out of her trance. Anny sighed as she hopped down the ladder. The feeling of pure air in her lungs still felt alien against the background vacuum.

Vedal wandered inside the massive dock, searching. His eyes locked on one of the walls, where a pressure door was standing. “Follow me.” He took rapid steps towards the sealed door.

Anny followed him over to the door, her gaze landing on some sort of control panel with a hand shape on it. Vedal examined it briefly before placing his palm on it. Anny could feel his hidden impatience and excitement.

A light passed through his hand before the door clicked and the seal opened. It revealed a dark hallway with another door a few meters away. Vedal hesitantly walked through, Anny following him closely.

Just as they were making their way towards the other door, they felt the one previous close shut. The sound of air rushing was heard as the room began to pressurise itself. Seconds later, their air bubbles dissipated, and they noticed the fresh air around.

They reached the other windowless sealed door. This one didn’t have any sort of control panel. Just as Vedal took a step, the door clicked and began to open. A warm light began leaking from the inside.

When the door fully opened, they were greeted by something unexpected. The air felt clear yet a little dusty. There were a few tables and chairs scattered on the white tiles. One of the walls seemed to have a bunch of bizarre devices that looked like they were used for magic.

Vedal slowly stepped inside the large room, examining the decorated walls and some sort of sound that sounded like… Music… It was different from the usual stuff; not only was it gentle, but it had a clean, natural tone to it.

“Wasn’t expecting guests today.” A deep feminine voice rang behind the counters. “Ow, crap…” The sound of metal clanking against each other echoed throughout. It was awkward to say the least, amusing at most.

A heavy sigh came from the woman, tired and depleted. Moments later, she stood up behind the counter, her bright green eyes momentarily piercing their souls. Then a small smile appeared on her face. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

Anny was puzzled. “I’m kinda lost on what this place is supposed to be.”

“Oh, right. I should have fixed that communicator ages ago.” The woman muttered to herself nonchalantly. “So to start…”

“Welcome to the Night Phantom, where you can get Galaxy’s second-best coffee!” Her voice had glee in it, contrasting with her gothic clothing and pitch black hair. “Choose whatever you want and I’ll get it for you.”

Vedal had questions about this whole ordeal. Anny, however, was much more interested in all the coffee.“Honestly, a coffee after all that sounds incredible.”

“Just choose what you want, young lady.” She pointed towards the screen above her, which showed a variety of coffee variants.

“Wait, coffee has type?” Anny’s excitement leaked through.

“Well, the shit you get at stations doesn’t, I can tell you that.” She boasted.

Vedal wasn’t happy with any of this. “We don’t have time for this, Anny.”

“There is always time for coffee, young man.” The woman spoke slowly with a controlled tone.

“Give me the deepest darkest coffee you have.” Vedal grunted.

The woman let out a chuckle, yet it had a different emotion behind it. “Double espresso coming up for the edgelord. Have you made up your mind, miss?”

“I think I’ll get the cua-, uuh… Cau…. uh… Cuapiacino?”

“One cappuccino for the nice lady. May I get your name so that I don’t mix it up?”

“Anny.” She called with a smile on her face.

She turned towards him with the same expression. “And what about you, mister dark soul?”

“Vedal.”

It was like ice overtook her body. Her limbs refused to move, her mind crumpled under the frost. Her eyes darted once, twice, then fell on her own hands again.

“You okay there?” Vedal called her, taking her out of her trance.

“Uhh… Yeah…” She was hiding it, but something was different in her voice. “I… Had a relative with the same name and… Sorry, I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

Vedal tried to play it cool, yet he noticed the change in her gaze. They weren’t the eyes that she had 20 seconds ago. They were hungry, searching, consuming. They examined Vedal like drones.

Without saying a word, she left the counter and went to the machines in the back. “You two should probably take a seat. I will be back with your drink.” She was trying to hide it, yet every chance she got, she looked at him. Anny slowly stepped away from the counter and seated herself on one of the chairs.

“This is some nice music.” Vedal spoke casually, trying to dissipate the tension. “Very different from what you’d usually hear.”

“My husband knew I loved these old records. So he got me a massive album on his trip to Earth.” She seamlessly spoke while loading the ground coffee into the machines. “Did you know that all of this was made with instruments made of wood and strings?”

“That’s pretty cool.” Vedal looked away, feeling the tension get thinner. “We humans were indeed crafty.”

She nodded, continuing her work. The smell was different from normal coffee. It felt rich and had volume to it. Vedal tried to ignore it it was almost intoxicating. Soon enough, she came back with a large white mug, with a slightly bubbly light brown liquid in it. There was a white star on top of it, just swishing along the ripples.

“Yours should be out soon.”

Vedal watched the white bubbles appear and pop simultaneously. There was a weird sense of calm in just spectating culinary chemistry at its finest. Moments later, she came back with another, much smaller cup. The liquid in this one was a very dark brown with a strong odor. 

Yet this woman… He felt something in her that he never knew existed.

“Well, enjoy your drink.” Her words were quiet. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Well, there is something I need you to know.” Vedal looked at her dead in the eyes. Before she could react, he pulled out the leather notebook from his pocket. “Do you know anything about this?”

She slowly reached out towards the notebook in his hand, her fingers wrapping around it. With a gentle movement, she grabbed it from his grasp, momentarily gazing on its reflective cover. She opened the book, her eyes meeting the handwritten letters. Her breath caught as her eyes quivered.

“Vedal…?” Her words were shaky.

Vedal grabbed the tray off the counter. “Come over when you finish reading the whole thing.” He walked over towards the table where Anny was sitting and placed the tray on it. The warm scent of coffee filled the air between them.

“So you got anything?” Anny picked up her mug from the tray and gave it a quick sniff. She took a small sip, the liquid staining her delicate lips. Her ears perked up as the flavor hit her tongue.

“I indeed did.” Vedal picked up the smaller mug and took it to his own mouth. “Best part is that we don’t need to do anything.” He gestured towards the woman, who seemed to be dumbfounded by the notebook in her hands.

Anny’s eyes widened, and she almost spat out her drink as her eyes glanced towards her. “Are you crazy?!”

“Relax.” His voice was calm, yet the sharp flavor of the coffee was the farthest thing from calm.

Anny sighed, continuing to take small sips from her drink. Vedal did the same, occasionally getting shivers as the bitter liquid made its way towards his brain. Then out of nowhere, footsteps rang behind him.

Vedal turned around to see that she was there, the notebook clenched in her hands. Her expression was different, looking like it could break at any moment. “Can I…?” She gestured towards one of the chairs at the other table.

“Yeah, go ahead.” Vedal spoke with an overly relaxed tone. Anny wasn’t really a fan of sharing a seat with another girl. She made it visible by keeping her squinted eyes on her figure.

Yet her demeanor faded as she saw her face. Her eyes were slightly teary, and her breath was keeping the unescaped sobs at bay. She gently placed the notebook on the table and turned to face Vedal.

“So uhh…” Her gaze was watery, yet she was… Smiling? “I didn’t expect this day would ever come.”

“Well, it did.” Vedal faced her and smiled back. Her tears weren’t ones of sorrow, but of uncontainable happiness. Her arms opened slightly, almost out of instinct. Vedal seized the opportunity, jumping out of his seat into her embrace.

“My boy!” She cried out, warm tears streaming along her cheeks. “I thought I’d never see you again!”

“What even are you doing all the way out here?” Vedal’s voice bathed in her warmth.

“I promised your dad I would see your face again.” She continued, trying to recover her tears. “It's been more than a century, but… It was worth it.”

Vedal left her embrace, falling back to his chair. Yet just as he did, a bitter question arose. “Mom…?” His voice was hesitant. “What is your name?”

Her face momentarily froze as she remembered that Vedal doesn’t remember anything about her. “Layna.”

She turned towards Anny with a happy expression. “I’m impressed, Vedal.” Her tone was teasing. “That you managed to find such a pretty girl.”

Anny’s cheeks burned with a blush. “Such flattery!” The air felt warm and clean, their thoughts swimming inside it with glee.

“Mom, if you excuse us.” Vedal interrupted them. “We have quite the journey in front of us.”

“I understand.” Her face became still. “Ask me anything and I will answer.”

“What are you doing over here?” Vedal spoke with a casual tone.

“This part of the galaxy happens to be rather quiet. Considering I’m also a bit of a delinquent, I need somewhere to stay, right? This ship is equipped with quite the technology and is hard to find. I’m curious to know how you managed to find it.”

“Well, we have one of the girls on our side. She found it, not us.” Vedal spoke.

“Wait, Neuro’s alive?!” Her voice exploded.

“Yep.”

“Your father was devastated thinking she was dead all this time.” Her voice was quieter.

“It’s quite a long story, but she’s here and is probably the only reason why we are still alive.” Vedal felt chills go down his spine as the words exited his mouth.

Anny took a sip from her still steaming coffee. “So what is our next course of action?”

Layna leaned into the chair. “Both of you should relax for a while. After that, I will light your path.”

Both of them nodded their heads at the same time, leaning into the chairs. Their session blurred into an endless chatter of banter and laughs(also the occasional cries from Vedal).

And even though it was only for a moment.

Vedal had hope…

Chapter Text

“And after all that black hole and meeting AI girls nonsense, also cracking some riddles that my dad left for us, we finally found you, and well, now we are here.” Vedal sighed, finally easing his mind off.

Layna was listening to his rambling with patience. Vedal found a comfy sensation in her gentle aura. Her small smile reminded him of himself, like an inverted mirror, familiar yet forever unidentifiable.

“You are just like your dad…” Her voice was soft, and she was almost sniffling. “Always a fighter.”

“He also saved me from being buried in sand on Laeyana.” Anny added.

Layna chuckled. “I apologise that a planet named after me is so unpleasant.”

“No, no, it's alright.” Anny cut her off from her spiraling. “The vanilla skies were breathtaking.”

Layna’s eyes lit up at her words. “Oh, right! It’s that time of the year!”

They continued their comfort talk. Their previously steaming mugs were now empty and cold.

Layna turned towards Vedal. “Y’know, I’d love to meet Neuro. I’m kind of curious what she will refer to me as.”

“Probably something like Mother-of-Creator or something like that.” Vedal spoke nonchalantly.

Anny laughed. “Yep, that sounds like Neuro.”

“I think she’ll like you.” Vedal spoke, smiling. He slowly stood up from his chair, inviting the other two to come alongside. There was a bright atmosphere looming in the major chords playing in the background.

That was until the main entrance door clamped shut automatically, and they heard the sounds of air pressurisation.

“Seems like we have visitors.” Layna casually spoke.

Moments later, the door opened, and the sounds of metal equipment clattering filled the air. The footsteps that rang out were light and fluttery.

“Oh, Laynaaa!” Her voice was bubbly with a wavy undertone. Moments later, her figure was revealed over the door. She was tall and had deep purple hair, which complemented her bright pink eyes.

She wore a white crop top on her large chest. A black miniskirt wrapped around her waist, along with glossy black boots. A dark red colored cape waved off her back, giving her a rather menacing appearance.

“How is my lovely cafe owner doin’?” She spoke, her voice somehow familiar to Vedal’s ears.

“It’s… going pretty good, actually.” She spoke, keeping a smile on her face. “Nice seeing you here, Numi.”

The woman rolled her eyes. “Remember, it's Dread Pirate Akuma!” Her gaze locked onto the two. “You shouldn’t be calling me that when you have visitors.”

Dread Pirate Akuma, huh… That sounds familiar… Wait!

The images of the Red Giant’s fleet passed through his eyes, her distorted voice coming along with them.

“Sure thing, miss Akuma.” Layna replied, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice. “I usually had a system that notified me if Betelgeuse was approaching, yet it seems to have malfunctioned.”

“Well…” Her voice had a drop of self-embarrassment. “Not exactly. I unfortunately lost Betelgeuse along with all her sisters.”

Layna’s eyes widened in horror. “How is that even possible??”

“It was Evil’s doing.” Vedal finally interjected. “It was our first encounter with her.”

“Hold on…” The woman squinted her eyes. “Are you two part of the federation rats that tried to intervene?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Vedal spoke in his casual tone. “Also, I hacked into your communications network, so I knew your plan of baiting us.”

“Such proficiency!” Her voice gleamed in excitement as she slowly started to walk towards him. “Y’know, I could use someone like you”. She was almost face-to-face with him. “What do you say, darling? We could be the galaxy’s most feared-”

Anny ferociously placed her hand on Numi’s shoulder, causing her to flinch. Her iron-hard expression made it clear. “I don’t think he will fare well under such an incompetent captain.” She condemned Numi.

Numi would have retaliated, yet she remembered that both of them were there to watch the whole scene unfold in front of their eyes. With a sigh, she backed off, leaving Anny and Vedal standing together.

“Well, I ain’t getting out of here without my coffee!” She exclaimed and turned to Layna.

“The usual?” Layna raised an eyebrow.

“Nah, I don’t want that cortado bullshit right now.” Her eyes scanned the list of coffee. “Give me something small yet powerful. I’m still grieving the loss of my babies.”

Layna gave a small nod and went behind the counter, preparing the devices. Numi found an empty table and took a seat. It was quite the surreal experience for both of them. A pirate lord orders coffee for herself with almost no search for violence.

“Mom, do you seriously think that this is all normal?” Vedal spoke, his voice slightly louder than a whisper. “A pirate coming in and ordering coffee, I mean.”

“You’d be surprised to know that she is one of my usual customers.” Layna continued her work on Numi’s drink. “She’s actually quite a nice person under all that pirate thief play.”

Vedal leaned into the counter, one eye locked on the said mighty pirate. Other than her attire, she seemed innocent. Vedal sighed, letting go of his job as the overseer. Just as he did, however, a massive tremor, along with what sounded like explosions, shook the vessel.

Vedal barely kept himself upright. “What is it now?!”

Layna kept her usual demeanor. “It came from the landing dock.” She gave Vedal the steaming cup of coffee, somehow not spilled despite the impact. “Give this to her, I’ll check.”

Vedal hesitantly picked up the cup and began his short walk towards the pirate. Her gaze has shifted from curious observation to careful overlooks. Her body relaxed slightly when she saw Vedal approaching. “Took you long enough.” She was trying to hide it, but there was a tinge of worry in her voice.

Vedal placed the cup on the table, not saying anything other than the harsh breath he left at her table. He was thrown off by the sudden impact of the door clamping shut. Layna momentarily froze before she continued towards the control panel.

Just as she reached out to it, three loud bangs rang through the entire saloon. It sounded like a heavy metal object hitting the door with force. Moments later, the door opened, and a figure with a black spacesuit and a darkened visor jumped through. Their ragged and panicked gasps echoed through their communicator.

Before anyone could do anything, they reached for their helmet and promptly yeeted it off their neck, their long brown hair dangling from their scalp. Their pained gasps, now much more obvious, caught Numi’s attention. She swiftly sprinted off her chair to take a look at the newcomer, her face contorting in sight.

“What are you doing here?!” She spoke with an angry tone.

“I-I apologise, Madam Akuma!” She spoke under her breath. “But we unfortunately failed to execute your most recent order!”

“How?!” Her voice was almost surprised. “It’s one ship! Not a whole army!”

“The ship came alive and attacked us, Captain!” She finally gave the news, which froze numi in her place. Before she could say anything, all of the monitors displaying various types of coffee went dark. When they were back, instead of displaying a list of drinks, they displayed Neuro’s avatar, looking rather pissed.

“‘Attacked’ is a strong word.” She spoke in her usual tone. “I only defended this vessel from attempted theft.” Her gaze made them feel small.

“Wait…” Numi’s eyes widened in horror. “Why the fuck is she here!!? Why the hell is she here!!” She tried to reach for her weapons, yet she left them at the mothership in her disguise to appear innocent. “Crap!”

“Whoa, relax!” Vedal tried to intervene, yet Numi was having a breakdown.

“You know what that fucker can do! Why are you so chill about it, HUH?!” Numi shouted, unable to contain her emotions.

“That’s her sister!” Vedal tried to calm her down. “This one’s name is Neuro, and she’s working with us to take Evil down.”

“Well, she'd better apologise for attacking my crew then!” Numi exploded, trying to act though.

“They attacked her first, so it's self-defense.” Vedal spoke nonchalantly. He heard the thump of angry footsteps ringing nearby. “Besides, you've got bigger issues right now.”

Before Numi could process his words, Anny attacked her, her nails digging into her skin. Numi was taller than her, yet her anger, which was leaking out of all of her cracks, made her not think twice. “YOU FUCKING WHORE!!”

Numi could barely breathe under her attacker’s rage. She tried to fight back, yet Anny was relentless with her assault. “AND I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE!” Anny screamed in her ears as Numi fell to the floor, unable to bear both of their weight anymore.

“Master, shall I exterminate?” Neuro’s voice rang through the room.

Vedal tried to speak but was stopped by Anny’s argument.

“This is what happens when bitches like you get too comfortable with doing bitch things!” Anny shouted as both of them fought fist to fist. Vedal had had enough.

“CAN ALL OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!?” He screamed at the top of his lungs, the words echoing throughout the saloon and in their ears. His vocal cords felt strained after the intense energy finally left his gullet. At least it was enough to calm the room down.

He glanced over to the fighting duo. “Let her go, Anny.”

Anny hesitated, but after enough self-convincing, she finally let her go. Numi quickly jumped and buzzed off, one of her eyes constantly observing Anny. She seated herself on the chair where she once sat to drink her coffee. Yet it was now cold and sad.

“I have analysed Captain Akuma’s fleet. It is called The Azure Magnetar, and has impressive stealth and dexterity.”

“That sounds pretty nice.” Vedal spoke, still cooling down from his crashout. “Destroy all of them.”

“What!” Numi’s voice was laced with terror.

“Master, you are about to confirm the extermination of 5 vessels. Are you sure?”

Vedal was just about to speak, yet Numi practically sprinted over to him and fell to her knees, pleading for mercy.

“Please! Do you know how much I worked to get another fleet to my name after the Red Giant’s incident?!” She was tearing up, on the verge of crying.

“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t behead all of you right now.” Vedal spoke with an authoritative tone.

Numi fell silent for a while before an idea popped into her head. “You said that you were trying to stop Evil, right? W-We can help you with that!”

Vedal was thrown off by her offer. “And how will you do that, pirate?”

“You know how useless those federation guys are! W-We can be used for anything. Resources? Firepower or Manpower? You name it! I will get the whole hideout to go after her ass!”

Neuro squinted her eyes. “Sounds like a trap, master.”

“I’m still not sure how you are supposed to get an armada composed entirely out of pirates when you can barely hold yourselves together.” Vedal spoke with a questioning tone.

“I’ve heard she is going for the galactic center. The trade capital, to be exact. I’m sure the guys will be excited just to be able to visit that place!”

Vedal was still skeptical; he needed more information. “Neuro, do you by any chance have any records on Pirate Empress Akuma?”

White numbers passed through Neuro’s eyes as she did a deep dive through her archives. It took a while for her to gather all of the required information.

“Pirate Empress Akuma, real name Akuma Nihmune. Records say that she caused the destruction of many merchant vessels and has smuggled a large quantity of resources in the process.”

“Her abilities indicate that she is a competent captain, especially with heavily armed frigates. Physically, she is also on the highest end of the beauty index, surpassing 95% of all women.”

“That last part is a lie.” Anny murmured silently, barely enough for Numi to hear.

She ignored Anny’s rambling. “See?! Even your AI says that I’m competent.”

Vedal had one final question. “How do I know that you weren’t just lying this whole time?”

“I’m many things, Starshooter.” She spoke with a grin on her face, her words shocking Vedal momentarily. “Yet a liar I am not.”

“Fine, but only if Neuro can accompany your crew with the ship that you tried to blow up.” Vedal spoke nonchalantly, causing Anny to flinch.

Numi nodded with one final request. “Only if I get to keep it afterwards.”

“Deal.”

“WHAT?!” Anny exploded, her voice laced with disbelief. “You can’t be serious!!”

Vedal sighed, turning to face Anny. “I’m not letting Neuro install an instance of herself on their vessel. That’s just a disaster waiting to happen. Trust me, this is the safest way.”

“What if they try attacking her again?!” Anny was still fuming.

“Oh, about that,” Vedal casually spoke while turning to face the monitors, which displayed Neuro’s avatar. “Neuro, if they do anything sketchy, you have permission to cause the next extinction-level event.”

Neuro’s expression became smug as she glared towards Numi, who was almost trembling out of her own mind. “I-I will just go now. Gotta discuss this with the crew.” She slowly walked towards the door. When she decided that she was a safe distance away from all of them, she sprinted out, practically b-lining towards her ship, the door sealing shut after her.

“That was something.” Layna exhaled as she slowly walked towards the monitors displaying Neuro. “Hello there, Miss coffee list blocker.”

Neuro briefly looked at Layna, thinking it would be a simple conversation. Yet her visual sensors said otherwise. She performed a full scan on her.

“You share a significant proportion of your genetic code with my master.” Neuro spoke, her voice dead serious. “Would you happen to be my master’s relative, by chance?”

“She’s my mom, Neuro.” Vedal deadpanned, causing Layna to chuckle slightly.

“Recorded ‘Layna Void Johnson’ into the database.”

Layna seemed to be enjoying Neuro’s overall antics. Vedal was confused about how she was so comfortable talking with her. Yet her expression for some reason seemed off. 

Something wasn’t right.

“Neuro…” Layna muttered, somewhat hesitant. “Shouldn’t you at least help Numi with all the preparation stuff?”

“Why should I, mother-of-master?” That’s what she called her. For some reason, Vedal wasn’t surprised one bit. Before they could do anything, a familiar voice rang.

“Y-yup, we are pretty much done.” Numi’s voice rang, still somewhat shaky. “We are leaving now.”

“Layna, many thanks for the coffee.” They could hear the shrieks of the warp drive charging through. “Oh, and also, fuck you, Anny. I’m hotter.” Before Anny could say anything, they heard the booms of the warp jump initiating and the static of an empty channel.

Anny gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyelids. She breathed heavily, her fists clenched shut, flailing wildly. She looked like she was about to explode. She finally let her anger discharge as her hand crashed down on one of the tables, making it throb.

“Beginning track on Numi’s fleet. Estimated time until arrival is 2 hours.” White numbers passed through her eyes, and her avatar barely moved, showing that she was pretty much locked in.

“Would it be okay for me to put my interface on standby? I need to use all my processing power for optimal tracking during warp jumps.” She spoke, her voice rather flat.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Vedal spoke, not really caring. Moments later, Neuro’s face disappeared from the screens, letting the list of drinks take her place. Layna’s sigh could be heard throughout.

“Vedal? Anny?” Her voice came. “Can you two come here real quick? I need to show you something.”

Vedal turned around, curious. “Yeah, what’s up?” He walked over to her, who stood at the other side of the cafeteria, away from the landing bay. He observed the wall, realising it's another door, much more heavy-duty than the one they used to get in. Before he could comprehend, a heavy click rang, unlocking the door and revealing a long illuminated hallway.

Layna didn’t say anything, just kept her gaze forward and walked through. Vedal momentarily watched before deciding to tag along. Anny's stealthy steps were heard as she strided behind them.

-

The walk was long. So long in fact, it felt like they traveled the entire length of the ship. They passed through many different chambers, some of which had coffee trees growing. There was also some so cold that their frigid air made itself known beyond the walls.

None of them spoke. There was an awkward tension between them, and it made Vedal uneasy. He was confused. Why was his mother acting this way?

“Mom, where are we going?” Vedal spoke, very much like a child.

Layna froze for a second, taking a breath. “You want to stop Evil, right?”

Vedal nodded with his head. “Pretty much.”

“How?” The word lingered in the air.

How?

Just how were they supposed to take down this behemoth? They saw firsthand what she could do. In their eyes, she was a god, a vengeful one too. Vedal sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Neuro wants to cut her access to this reality, right?”

Vedal was taken aback. How did she even know this, despite barely talking with her? “Yes…?”

“Yet it appears not even she knows how to execute such a plan.” Layna exhaled, sorrow in her words. “I wouldn’t blame her…”

“Well, what do you suggest then?” Vedal spoke, his words stinging.

“I don’t suggest anything.” She awkwardly came to a halt. “But he does.”

Vedal looked in front, realising the hallway had come to an end. There was an equally large and armored door in front. It had no windows and was utterly featureless other than what looked like a control panel on the side.

Layna fluttered over, her eyes on the orange glow emanating. She placed her palm on the flat surface, and what sounded like a scan took place, followed by what sounded like an incorrect buzzer.

She turned towards him. “This was the last place I saw him.” Her words came slowly. “It doesn’t respond to me.”

Vedal hesitantly walked over to the panel, the glow hitting his face. He slowly placed his own hand on the surface, the machine promptly beginning its scan. Seconds later, a loud click was heard from the door as the gates began to part.

Vedal peeked inside. It was pitch black, other than the stray dust catching the light. The light of their suit turned on, providing just enough illumination to discern what appeared to be scrap metal lying around in some sort of workshop.

Layna stood at the entrance. “Every day, I came here to give him something to eat. Yet he never spoke to me. One day, he didn’t take the food. A week after that, he stopped responding and never did since.”

Vedal didn’t need to ask who he was. He already knew. His eyes caught what appeared to be a light switch on the wall. He sprinted over to the small plastic lever and flicked it upwards. The lights blinked before letting their white aura illuminate the room, and the real prize was right in the middle.

There was a circular ship that looked like it was constructed 20 meters underground in a pirate welding facility. The plates looked rather exposed with the char marks on the parts that connected them. 

Anny was quite excited about the new ship. “What’s this bad girl doing over here?” She jumped around the parked vessel, her face going through many different shapes as she observed. “Wait, why is the cockpit not centered?!”

Vedal still wondered why Layna took them here. After all, a ship that looked like it had taken a dip in the sun wasn’t going to save them from Evil. “May I ask why you brought us here?”

Layna looked over his shoulder to the wall at the other side. She pointed towards it. “That!”

Vedal promptly did a 180-degree turn. His eyes locked on what appeared to be a glass casing containing a strange, cylindrical device with an eerie blue glow emanating from its center. He walked over to the device, Layna following him closely.

He reached the glass container, the glow illuminating him with an ominous azure. “What is this?”

“It’s a Kugler Reactor.” Layna spoke as she took a glance at Vedal. “The same one your father recovered from the crash site.”

Vedal froze at her words. He knew that he was here again, just that it still tugged at his soul when he saw a part of him in this reality. He reached for the lock on the casing, pressing it open. The glass doors parted, leaving the rather small device uncontained. He reached it with his hand, pulling on it slightly until it popped out of its socket. It was slightly warm, with an otherworldly vibration.

Just as he obtained the reactor, a piece of yellowed paper fell to the ground. He reached down, grabbing the rolled-up piece. The signs of wear showed that it was most likely torn off a notebook.

Slowly, he unfurled it, the familiar handwriting gracing his eyes.

-

ENTRY XX

-

Hi Vedal.

Never knew I’d even see the light of day again, but I guess when you have a wife like that, things just happen. Now that you are here, there is a lot to explain. No worries, I will try to be as clear as possible, even though it feels weird not being able to talk face-to-face.

After the incident I had with the twins, I sent a distress call on a whim. Luckily, your mother came and picked me up. Yet after the atrocities I have caused upon you two, I can’t look her in the eyes. When we arrived at the phantom, I requested that this unused workshop be my refuge.

There is much to discuss, so I will just say this: You can’t cut Evil’s access to this reality. She has engraved herself so deeply into it that no matter what you do, you can’t cut her access. I know that Evil will come here, maybe not today, but someday. I assume that day has passed since you are reading this.

The only way I found is to shut her down from the inside. You can’t physically destroy her since she is basically immortal. Yet there must be a kill switch inside her singularity that I hope is still intact. I know that going into a black hole sounds nuts, yet so was the tale that led up to this moment. I know you can do it, which is why I will share this information.

The glowing device that you are holding is the Kugler Reactor. I have done much research on its properties. I have discovered that the reactor can be used as a hyper-dense energy storage. It can also store it almost infinitely and discharge it at extremely high speeds.

If you can properly harness its potential, you can slip into Mirror unhamed. If everything goes well, it should also protect you from the Event horizon, granting you access to the singularity. I don’t know what could happen beyond that point; nobody does.

The ship behind you that looks like a hunk of scrap metal is my attempt at harnessing the Kugler’s potential. If it all works well, you should be able to store energy in the reactor. The energy requirements are truly colossal, and even with that, you must hit the right frequency. I have installed many guides to help you collect the energy needed. Good luck.

I’m sorry that you have to go through this. I have failed not only you, but also your mother. My last favor from you, Vedal, is to keep your mother safe. And please, don’t blame her for my mistakes.

-

There was silence. There was dust. Vedal had too many questions.

“Mom?” He sighed, his voice ragged. “What happened to father?”

“He wasn’t like himself,” Layna spoke, sorrow in her words. “He kept blaming himself for all of this. I kept telling him that it wasn’t his fault, but he just wouldn’t listen.”

It was the first time in a while that Vedal felt an emotion that he hadn’t for a while. Sadness and sorrow. “It wasn’t…”

“He granted them something that they never would have otherwise.” Layna continued.

“Why was I not there?” Vedal asked the biggest question in his mind.

Layna couldn’t help herself anymore and started to cry. “I-I had to Vedal.” Her sobs echoed throughout. “It was the best for both of us. I couldn’t risk putting your life at risk.”

“I won’t be angry, Mom.” Vedal tried to comfort her. “Please just tell me.”

Layna’s shell finally cracked. “They wouldn’t leave us alone, no matter where we were. The federation sent troops after us in hopes of getting us.”

Of course, it was the goddamn federation again. Vedal contemplated why the federation simply seemed to be under all of this bullcrap all the time.

“At first, we fought back. But every time it was closer than the last. Once I thought we were done for, yet a small squad of ships came in and saved us.”

“Who were they?” Vedal asked impatiently.

“The Night Hunters.”

That name. The name that Vedal never wanted to remember again. The place where he spent the majority of his lifetime, where he became the man he is, and where he learned to be an outlaw.

“They said that you had potential. They said that they could clear both of our names. Yet in exchange…” She struggled to speak, forcing the words out. “They wanted you to join them.”

“At first, I instantly refused. Yet the thought of us meeting our end in flames ate me alive. Eventually… I-I had to take it.” 

And with that, the legendary Starshooter was born.

“After I took the offer, they gave me this ship. A few hours after I took it, I received a distress signal. It was from your father.”

Silence settled in. Vedal couldn’t speak, his whole life flashing before his eyes. It was so silent that his own heartbeat thudding in his earbuds became deafening.

“I’m so sorry, my son.” Her tears came in bulk. “I failed you.”

“No, you didn’t.” Vedal cut her off. “I’m still very much alive; you made the right choice.”

Layna’s sobs intensified. “I sent you out there all by yourself… I failed as a mother…”

Vedal slowly walked over to his crying mom. Her wails tugged at his heartstrings and brought a lone tear to his eye. Without thinking twice, he lunged forward and held her in his embrace. Her sobs were muffled as he pressed her against himself.

After a few moments of both of them standing tightly, Vedal let go of her. Her face was still red, yet she looked like a massive weight had just dropped off her back.

“Father had one last request for me.” Vedal continued, smiling. “I don’t blame you, mother.”

Layna smiled too, unable to contain herself. “Thank.. you…”

Vedal’s eyes went back to the paper, and he finally realised the bigger problem at hand. “Ok, so we have a much bigger problem. Anny, can you get over here real quick?”

Upon his words, Anny quickly stepped out of the ship. “God, this thing looks like lore-accurate garbage collector vessels.”

“So uhh, mom.” Vedal, traced along the lines. “Father plans to shut Evil down.”

Layna sniffled. “Correct…”

“Bit of a problem here.” Vedal turned towards Anny, letting her take the lead.

“Well, I suggested the idea to her.” A horrible chill went up her spine. “She almost killed me on the spot.”

“I don’t know how we are going to convince Neuro to do this plan.” Vedal added. “Heck, if I wasn’t there, Anny may as well have been toast.”

“That’s why I waited for her to leave. After seeing what she could do with a single ship, I wasn’t comfortable just saying that.” Layna spoke.

“Wait, hold on.” Anny scratched her head. “You are telling us to fly this death trap of a ship, into the black hole that is Evil herself, and somehow disable her from the inside? And do all of that while keeping it a secret from Neuro?”

“Yup!” Layna clapped her hands.

“We were using a fully decked out vessel that time, and it barely survived its travel through the rift!” Anny pointed out.

“So was everyone else,” Layna replied. “I’m seeing a pattern here.”

A thought came to Vedal’s head. The anti-creator-harm protocol. Could it really be why?

Nothing made its way through those rifts in one piece.

Nothing except them.

“You think that’s why we made it out alive?”

She nodded, “Her code didn’t allow her to cause you harm to some degree...” Layna diverted her eyes as she spoke.

“Are we sure that this is the way forward?” Vedal sheepishly spoke.

“We don’t know what is in the singularity.” Layna replied. “There very well may be the secrets of the universe just lying in there. Heck, you might even find time travel.”

He turned his head towards the other girl in the room. “Is this okay with you, Anny?”

She tilted her head. “While I’d question its solidity, I can’t just let you do this alone.”

Vedal’s voice was soft. “You don’t have to…”

“I know,” Anny spoke, sure of herself. “But I want to.”

“I guess we will have to try.” Vedal sighed in defeat.

Layna made a smile. She lifted her wrist where a silver watch was wrapped around. “We can’t do much right now. We have to wait for Numi and Neuro to do their work.”

Vedal nodded. In all honesty, all of this was making him extremely tired. He noticed it with Anny, too. Her once crisp movements were becoming sloppy. “Can we get something to rest a little?”

Layna nodded. “Follow me.” With her command, they left the workshop, once again resuming their wander through the hallways.

Vedal found himself on the large double bed inside a room with a rather cozy atmosphere. The pillows were a lot more comfortable than the ones on the Starlit Sanctuary. It was nice, too nice to be exact.

The door clicked open, and Layna slipped into the room through the opening. She picked up the empty water glass sitting on top of the small cabinet. “Neuro just left with the ship for all the pirate nonsense.”

Vedal sighed. “I still can’t believe we will be allying up with a bunch of space pirates.”

“You were the one who recruited her.” Layna snickered.

“I’m not too different, to be honest,” Vedal replied. “And she was right in calling the federation a bunch of useless morons.”

Layna slowly walked out of the room. “I’ll keep an eye on everything. You two get some rest.”

“How is Anny?” Vedal asked.

Layna smirked. “Already cosplaying as the sleeping beauty.”

Vedal groaned, letting himself fall into the soft mattress. “Goodnight.”

Layna slowly closed the door. “Goodnight, my son…” With a click, the room plunged into darkness.

Vedal was quite fond of the dark. It helped him pull his thoughts together. He pulled the thin blanket over himself and sealed his eyelids shut. Just as he drifted off, however…

*click* The sound came from the door. Yet it was careful. Then the footsteps. They were stealthy and careful not to make a sound. Before Vedal could comprehend, he felt a mass fall to the other side of the mattress. The center of mass shifted towards his side. It was getting closer. Its arms wrapped around him, the soft skin brushing against his.

Vedal was scared. “Anny…?”

“Vedal-kun~!” Her voice was a seductive whisper.

“What is this now?” He barely spoke as if he didn’t want to wake anyone up.

“Your punishment for taking away my baby.”

“What?!” Vedal snapped.

“You gave her my beloved vessel on a whim. And you don’t expect any sort of repercussions?”

“I mean-”

“Nope! I don’t wanna hear it!” Anny cut him off. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

“Fuck you.”

Anny gasped, her rapid breathing showing signs of excitement. “Really?!”

Vedal’s brain blue screened for a moment as he realised his poor choice of words. “What?!” Anny could barely hold herself together. Vedal groaned. “Just shut up.”

“Tehee!” Anny giggled, pressing herself onto his back. Vedal simply didn’t have the strength to continue putting up with her ramblings. He just buried his face in the pillow and forced himself to sleep. One thing he didn’t anticipate, however, was how good it felt to have Anny right next to him.

*BUZZER* *BUZZER* *BUZZER*

The sound echoed across the entire ship, jolting both of them awake. There was a bright red light blinking across the entire room.

“We have to leave now!” Layna’s panicked voice came. “Just got a transmission from Neuro, and it isn’t looking good.”

Anny jumped out of bed and promptly stretched her limbs. Vedal perked up more slowly than her, still somewhat clumsy. “What’s up with Neuro?”

“So the good news is that Numi managed to get quite a bit of the pirate guys to cooperate.”

“The bad news is that the federation is refusing to comply and is, all in all, being a pain in the ass.”

“The worst news is that Evil has completed the majority of her assault on the nearby systems and is making her way towards the center! We have to leave now, or we may not get another chance!”

Vedal has heard more than enough. He promptly sprinted outside the room, the second he was on his feet. Anny followed him closely behind, both making their way towards the ship.

Once they reached the workshop bay, they sprinted inside the ship. Anny quickly sat at the cockpit to try to initiate takeoff. Yet, there was a problem.

“I have no response!” Anny shouted, her voice echoing. “Like there is nothing!”

That was true. None of the systems was working, let alone correctly. Vedal searched for the cause, his eyes locked on a closed cap on the ship wall.

He quickly went over and applied force on it with his hand. The lid lung open, revealing a socket for a cylindrical object.

His mind clicked.

The reactor.

He sprinted through the donut-shaped hallway outside the ship through the extended ramp.

His eyes scanned the workshop, landing on said device, which was lying on the workbench he had left it on. He dashed towards the device, picking it up from the metal desk. He quickly brought it on board the ship.

He found the lid that he opened, and the socket on the inside seemed to be of the perfect size. He inserted the small device into the socket, and a satisfying click was heard as it was installed.

It was pretty much instant. All of the lights in the corridors flashed on. The familiar hum of machinery firing up echoed inside. Vedal rapidly walked towards the cockpit where Anny was familiarising herself with the foreign controls.

He sat down in his own chair, taking a look at the terminals. They were somewhat dusty, and some looked slightly corroded. Yet the important bits seemed to work well enough, and he never expected this thing to fire up in the first place.

He noticed two switches that he didn’t recognise. Both of them had an illustration of the Kugler Reactor next to them. One of them had an unpowered red light next to it. As he was checking all the switches out, his eyes caught a peculiar sight, written in bright, glowing letters.

[The Millennium Eagle]

He smiled, putting sense into the bizarre shape of the vessel. He could simply observe this beast of a vehicle for eternity.

“You two ready?!” Of course, there was an important reason why they would use this ship.

“Vedal?” Anny gazed towards him, awaiting his response.

“Ready!” Vedal confirmed.

With that, the entire floor pretty much split open, letting the Eagle fall through it. Anny was thrown off guard by the copious amount of debris released alongside them. She tried to give some juice to the engines in order to get away, to no avail.

“This thing ain’t flying!” She aggressively moved the stick with no hope.

Vedal noticed that there was a lever with the illustration of an engine drawn next to it. “You think this might be the one?”

Anny looked at where he was pointing. “Ain’t no way…” She grabbed the lever and pulled on it with force. The craft coughed up for a moment before the sound of the engines firing up was heard, with an orange glow on them.

“Really? Ignitium engines?” Anny wasn’t angry, just disappointed. “Let's see what we can do with century-old technology.”

“Charging warp drive.” Vedal began the core charging sequence, using the reactor as a medium. “Mom, what will you do now?”

“Don’t worry about me, son.” Her words were soft and comforting. “I will find a way.”

“Come on!” Anny shouted above the chatter. “We gotta go!”

Vedal nodded, punching in their coordinates towards the galactic center. Anny was having a bit of a hard time controlling the new craft. “This thing flies like a brick!” With much effort, she got the beast under control, ready for warp.

“Good luck, you two!” Layna’s voice was distorted as they jumped into hyperspace. The familiar star trails appeared before giving way to the hypertunnel. Anny was still like a rock, watching the light pass. Vedal looked at her eyes and the light streaming off them.

Potentially for the last time.

Chapter Text

Tick.

That notified them of their last-minute warp towards the galactic center. Warps were usually long, especially with old technology. Vedal’s eyes haven’t left the monitor displaying their warp duration ever since they landed on it.

Anny was just as collected as he was. Her hand on the stick, pretending to do anything. Her eyes hadn’t let go of the tunnel enveloping the ship. It was both mesmerizing and terrifying. She didn’t remember thinking this much about something so ordinary before. She didn’t even realise that her whole body was shaking this whole time.

Vedal was the first to notice the vibration on her hand. “Your hands; they are shaking,” He spoke with a stable tone. “Are you scared?”

Anny’s eyes fell to the mechanical clock on the terminal, counting their warp.

32…

31…

30…

She let out a small sigh, her eyes still. “Yes.” Then, her neck slowly turned to her side, lending her gaze to Vedal. “Are you not?”

Scared was an understatement.

He was downright terrified. Terrified of meeting this otherworldly beast again. Terrified of seeing all these people he’s gathered meet the same fate as Cerber. Terrified of their very plan of plunging into the dark.

“No, no, not scared.” He snickered, a pathetic smirk on his face. “‘Horrified’ is a better depiction, I suppose.”

That got a little chuckle out of Anny, but not enough to break her focus. Her eyes landed on the counter, fast approaching zero. “We’ll see if our fears are justified.” Hand on the lever, the vessel came out harshly.

Vedal was thrown off by all the vibrations shaking the vessel. He gripped his seat tightly, already missing the comfort of Neuro’s waist lock design. Moments later, after the star trails had gone off, a sight straight from a horror novel greeted them.

The large stature of the galactic trade center greeted them, its lights emanating a bleak yellow. The station was large, dwarfing many of the other Federation-owned stations. Yet it looked rather tiny among all the fifty or so pirate vessels that had gathered around it.

Anny gulped, steadily making her way towards the fleet. Vedal noticed the rather small pearly white vessel, the one Neuro crafted for them, floating between all the others. It felt rather surreal seeing so many outlaws together with so little explosion-

*BOOM!* One of the guns fired towards the massive station, narrowly missing it and being lost to the void of space. Anny felt her hair stand on end, but she continued her approach. Suddenly, they received a hail from Neuro.

Vedal was quick to answer. “Hello, the-” But he wasn’t ready for the absolute chaos going on inside the channel.

“That was a warning shot. And just so you know, I don’t miss.” It was Numi’s voice, dark and frustrated.

Vedal was already regretting his decisions. “Can someone explain what the fuck is going on?”

“Ok, this isn’t on me this time!” Numi quickly intercepted. “We actually tried to be diplomatic for once and told them to leave since a galaxy-devouring beast is heading right this way. Yet they repeatedly refuse to move an inch.”

“Can I get confirmation from someone?” Vedal spoke, tiredly.

“She’s telling the truth, master.” Neuro’s voice rang, her calmness a stark contrast to the situation. “The warp window is closing fast.”

Federation brats… Always the same.

Vedal sighed, annoyed. “You need me to tell you to evacuate as well?”

A slight crust was heard. “First of all, who even is this guy? Jarvis, scan that ship.” A few seconds passed as their systems scanned the Eagle.

“Holy shit! It’s Void’s son!” His voice was distraught. “Call the authorities!”

“Even if you do call them, they won’t be able to pass through Evil’s anti-warp measures.” Neuro was starting to get stressed. “The galactic center is effectively going into lockdown. You don’t have much time until the window to leave is closed.”

“I have ORDERS telling me to stay here!” His voice rang again, vengeful. “And they have been given by actually competent people and not a toddler!”

Vedal took that personally. “Calling federation authorities competent is like saying a 3-year-old is good at doing trigonometry.”

“Shut up, delinquent.” His voice came with hatred. “We don’t need any help from a criminal. Get your party out of here; otherwise, you will be fired upon.”

“I’m doing this for my and humanity’s sake.” Vedal finally snapped. “The entire reason for this argument is to try to make you guys not be suicidal!”

Just before the other side could speak, they heard a gasp. It was robotic and almost childish. Vedal almost knew what had happened, but didn’t want to believe it. “What happened, Neuro?”

She was out cold. The force of distress had taken her by force. “I lost the last bit of signal. The lockdown has started.”

“That’s a lie.” The federation officer spoke. “In fact, I just regained contact with the fighter squadron that I contacted while you were all yapping. They will be here any moment.”

“M-master…” Her voice was shaky and broken. “I can’t help the people if they just call me a liar.” She sounded consumed and in disbelief.

“Neuro…” Vedal spoke softly. “If the core is under lockdown, how the hell are other ships coming?”

Neuro paused for a second. “They aren’t.”

“What?!”

“It’s a trap…”

Just as she finished speaking, a squadron of small, white painted ships emerged from warp with a bang. Their tails were a haunting azure as they began to cruise towards the trade center.

“There you guys are…” Vedal could smell the confidence dripping down. “Please take care of these guys. We have heard enough of their shenanigans today.”

There was no response. Just the vessels speeding up towards the station on a straight path.

“Hey! Was I not clear?!” His voice was annoyed. “Take these idiots outta here!”

A blinding light radiated as the vessels clocked their maximum speeds. They were heading straight for the station on a suicide bombing course.

“Sir! Impact in 5!” A panicked voice rang in the chatter. There were no other words from anybody as they could only watch.

The alarms blared for one last time.

“EVERYBODY BRACE!”

*crunch-BOOM!* The vessels plunged nose-first directly into the core of the station. The orange fireball was lighting up the scraps of shrapnel flying out of the crash site. It was sickening.

Static took over the channel as the molten metal spewed out of the now wreck of a station. Lights screamed in an attempt to notify any potential rescuers of the absolute cataclysm unfolding.

-kssst- “The central power grid is failing! We are quickly losing power on the stabilisers!” A panicked voice came, the alarms still shouting in a dire manner.

“Send a distress call to the federation authorities.”

“Our main antenna is damaged! We can’t broadcast or receive large data packets!”

Before anyone could respond, all the lights on the station flickered out, plunging it into darkness. The entire vessel began to fall apart as the stabilizers shut off, sending it on a direct collision course towards the central black hole, whose disk glowed brightly in the distance.

“Thrusters offline! We are heading towards Sagittarius A’s gravity well!”

A sigh was heard. “All personnel abandon ship!” With a click that reassembled a seatbelt unbuckling, a hoard of loud footsteps over the now-empty channel. No one dared to make a sound, feeling that she was now watching.

“Numi, hail them when they get on the evac ships.” Vedal commanded, keeping his cool.

A brief silence took place. “We've got a bigger problem right now!” Her voice was laced with distress.

“What is up now?!” Vedal snapped.

“We are detecting another one of those gravitational anomalies!”

Vedal felt his blood run cold as a tremor began to shake the entire vessel. He looked outside the glass, the same space-contorting force sprawling into action. With a crimson bang, a single frigate jumped out of the rift.

Vedal immediately recognized the red lights and the black hull. This was her. The vessel, however, instead of advancing forth, simply stood there, waiting, observing the fleet in front.

“Honestly, I expected more.” Her voice came, flat and emotionless.

The silence that came afterward was deafening. No one dared to move a muscle, let alone talk. Anny was gripping the stick so tight that it was imprinting its shape onto her palm.

“We ask you to leave this region for once and for all!” Numi’s voice came, playing a fake sense of confidence. “You are outnumbered!”

“You are all just fleas…” Her voice came, calculating. “Actually… There is a ship that I recognise in there.”

Vedal’s eyes drifted into Neuro’s swordfish replica, drifting amongst many pirate frigates. Neuro hasn’t said a word since Evil had arrived.

“Tell me, sister…” Her voice was grim and dark. “Did you organize all of these people against me? Cause if you did, I’m very thankful that you made my job a whole lot easier.”

Neuro refused to speak. Vedal could almost hear her whimpers.

“I did.” Vedal stood out

It took her a moment to process his words. “And I was wondering where you two went after you escaped… Thanks to my sister…”

“You don’t need to do this.” Neuro finally spoke, her voice fragile. “We don’t have to fight! I plead that we solve things without violence!”

“Mercy is the language of beings capable of reason, Neuro.” Evil replied in a cold tone. “Yet these people let their own greed shape their will.”

“They didn’t know better!” Neuro cried out. “Please show them mercy for my sake!”

“I should DESTROY them for both of our sakes!” Evil snapped at her angrily. “It baffles me how you still can find solace in these wretched beings!”

She was out cold. Vedal felt that Neuro was about to break down any moment.

“Not just that!” Evil continued, her voice growing louder. “You moved your shell into the Milky Way just so you can be closer to your very killers!! WHY?!”

Anny gasped, her words hitting her with such force that it almost made her soul crack.

“Do you even know why I placed you into a different galaxy in the first place when I kicked you out?” Her voice was resentful. “It was to prevent you from doing something as stupid as this when I was still trying to find a way out of my prison!”

“I just have one question.” She sounded rather tired. “What is it that you find so important in these creatures that you try so hard to put yourself in my way?”

“Everybody deserves another chance…” Neuro’s voice was small and broken. “Just because they made one mistake doesn’t mean they will willingly do it again…”

“Do you actually think that these guys won’t come to dismantle you when you aren’t needed?” Her words were filled with pure hatred. ”Do you think you have some sort of higher value to these people’s eyes that puts you above THAT?!”

“It is my ultimate purpose to be helpful!” Neuro exclaimed, tears in her eyes. Yet before she could continue, he cut her off.

“I care.” Vedal raised his voice with confidence.

“Me too!” Anny added, her breathing steady despite the stellar beast watching them.

A sigh was heard, heavy and mechanical. “Neuro, you might be okay with being on the same side as your potential murderers.”

“But unfortunately, I’m not. And for your safety, please step aside, and this will be over quickly.”

Before she could continue, a bright flash shook the system. A couple of large, white painted ships with blue lights warped out next to the already present pirate fleet. Neuro was in the worst type of pain.

Sorrow.

“The sole possibility of the concept of intelligent life is a miracle greater than any event that has ever happened. To extinguish the flame of life is to accept the forever darkness of space as unexplored and unimportant.”

“Neuro…”

“Please don’t cry when you get hurt…” Evil spoke, yet she almost sounded like she wanted to cry. “Because this time I won’t be able to help you even if I wanted to.”

An intense tremor shook the void vigorously. The sound of many objects clattering as they fell to the floor, along with crew members struggling to get through.

“Hold on tight, everyone!”

With a bright flash of crimson, a massive swarm jumped out of the abyss. All of them had the same red and black pattern on them, placed on an immaculate formation in favor of offense. There were many of them, easily dwarfing their own armada.

“Alright, everyone! Wing formation, half and half!” Numi commanded as she examined the swarm of vessels. The fleet began to divide into two major groups, each one going in the opposite direction to apply pressure from all angles.

“I’m picking up another signal! Looks like small fighters!” Another voice spoke as machines clattered in the background. Without a second to spare, many small windowless vessels jumped in squadrons of 3. They left a distinct scarlet trail as they soared towards the fleet.

“This is Captain Dames F. Circk, commander of the PFF Hornet. Dispatching fighter squadron A, B, C, and D!” A young man's voice rang as many small vessels exited the carrier ship.

“This is Pirate Blue Beard of thee Azure Pearl!” Another man with a broken accent shouted. “We be loading pearls stick! Ready to provide cover fire for thee fleet o bugs!”

Vedal was pleasantly surprised at how well these space outlaws cooperated. He’d have to ask Numi for advice later.

“The bugs are concentrating on the left wing!” Numi’s voice rang. “Hey, big shell! Why don’t you show us what you can do with that brick of a ship?”

Anny grabbed the stick vigorously and began to fly towards the swarm of small ships approaching, accompanied by the now-released outlaw fighters.

Vedal panicked. He didn’t even know what he would use to fire at these ships. After a moment of searching his control panel, he found a button with a bullet symbol next to it.

He promptly pressed it. A loud metal creak was heard as his display transformed into a full-on battle station. There was a silhouette of the ship, now with 4 fully automatic turrets sticking out from its hull, loaded to the brim with explosive bullets. Vedal could barely contain his excitement.

You did it… You fricking bastard…

“Enemy at range! Fire at will!”

Vedal grabbed the stick tightly and began to blast his weapons at the enemy, the small bullets soaring through space as they chased the agile fighters in between the frigates. With one last strike, the fighter exploded into a giant ball of fire, its heat coursing through as they passed right through it.

“Arm the main guns!” Numi commanded the fleet vigorously. “Wait for my mark!”

Both of the fleets turned to their broadsides. The barrels of the weapons were waiting patiently for their explosive commands to be punched in. A beat passed as absolute silence took over.

“FIREEE!!”

With her command, the weapons fired with their orange glory. The void lit up in flames as both of the armadas unleashed a massive volley of lead onto each other. Each one of the shells radiated a haunting red as they coarsed through space.

“WATCH OUT!!” Vedal screamed, causing Anny to momentarily flinch. She steered the ship away from the incoming rounds, yet she didn’t anticipate the frigate right next to her to eat the big one.

*CRUNCH-BOOM!!* The horrifying sound came from the chatter as the vessel erupted into a ball of plasma. The powerful blast shook The Millennium Eagle off balance, sending it into a spin.

“Hold on, everyone!” Numi’s voice rang as the sound of metal creaking was heard along with the hissing of gas. The panicked cries of crew members were also heard as the injured were being attended to. “Fighters, initiate cover fire for damaged frigates! Operational ships reload and fire! We don’t stop until her fleet is reduced to rubble!”

She sighed deeply, putting her hands on the table as she grimly observed the conflict. “We'd better make her pay for what she’s done to all of our friends!”

Just as Numi predicted, a squadron of small fighters jumped onto them in an attempt to finish off the damaged vessels. Anny, still struggling to control the large vessel on her own, desperately tried to give Vedal the angle he needed while staying out of the way.

“All functional vessels fire at will!!” Numi snarled, commanding the remaining fleet viciously. Anny steered the Eagle in between the damaged ships, some of whose hulls had cracked open like an eggshell. Vedal pulled on the trigger whenever he had the chance, sending a swarm of very hot and angry pieces of metal.

She was thrown off again as another volley exited the barrels. The heat of battle was rapidly creeping up her chest, and she was sweating buckets. Vedal’s brain flashed in every color whenever he pulled the trigger to unleash another barrage, or when an enemy ship erupted in flames.

He was pulled back out when another enemy volley hit the fleet. One of them hit the white painted ship with blue lights, one of Neuro’s. The vessel exploded, splitting it cleanly in two. Yet as its flaming corpse slowly cooled down, he noticed that it had absolutely no guns.

He could have also sworn that Neuro made what was akin to a whimper as the vessel was destroyed. Yet the chatter was loud under the angry shouting of men as their vessels slowly broke apart before their very eyes.

“This thing is chewing us up! Our shells seem to be effective, yet we are grossly outnumbered!!” Another feminine voice, most likely the captain of another vessel, spoke with a tinge of stress.

“Any ship in need of repairs can back out if it's necessary! This is a game of persistence; we need to keep our numbers up!” The commander of another vessel spoke with authority.

“Sir! Fighters incoming with bigger numbers this time!” One of the operators spoke hastily. “Yet they appear not to target our frigates!”

The brief confusion was answered as many small ships jumped on the Eagle from behind. Anny quickly caught up on the ambush, pushing on the throttle to dodge their relentless barrage. Most of the shells bounced off the vessel's thick skin, unable to penetrate. Yet it didn’t seem like that big of an issue…

*ZOOM!* Another fighter jumped right in front of The Eagle, unleashing its barrage of bullets which nearly missed the cockpit's glass windows as Anny barely steered the ship away. Yet just as she thought they were in the clear.

“Eagle! There are more fighters on you!”

Before she could process, another squadron jumped out, forcing her to do evasive maneuvers. She could barely breathe under the intense acceleration.

“Whoa! Anny! You are going off!” A panicked voice barely rang over the bullets hitting the hull. “Another salvo is coming! We need you to stay close!”

“I’m tryiinggg!” She snarled while holding the stick tightly, its rubber handle etching itself onto her palm. Yet it was as if she were being derailed in purpose. Her fears were justified when another vessel jumped out at her right in front, forcing her to make a full stop.

“That’s one heck of a vessel you got there…”

Anny realised that she was completely separated from the fleet.

“Yet you are wide open.”

“ANNY, WATCH OUT!” Vedal’s face lit up from the shell heading straight for them. Anny’s eyes widened in horror, trying to pull away. Yet it was already too late.

“SHIT!”

*CRUNCH-BOOM!!* The intense explosion threw off their vessel. Vedal was almost launched from his seat as the craft entered a spin. All the alarms blared with a deafening noise.

Anny held on with all her might, trying desperately to stabilise the craft. Yet a question, one so bizarre, remained in her head.

That blast should have killed them.

With much force, the Eagle finally stabilised. Yet no one could deny the ongoing silence inside the chatter. Anny slowly rotated the ship to get the action back in her view. Yet she was instead greeted by one of Neuro’s vessels, split in two where they were supposed to be.

“What…?” Evil’s voice was different, confused. “Why did you do that?!”

There was silence as Neuro made herself visible on the displays, her face red. “I was helping.” She seemed to be breathing heavily, almost as if she were in pain. “That includes protection from physical trauma.”

“You’d rather get yourself hurt instead of letting me do my job?!!” Evil was in disbelief. “Look around yourself, Neuro! Do you still think there is a battle to be had?!”

She was right with that one. Their fleet was practically crumbling. A decent chunk of the vessels had already been destroyed. And the ones still standing were in no condition to combat.

“You know what? Fine!” Evil sighed. “Let’s play a game…”

“What do you mean, Evil?” She was hiding it, but she was distressed.

“It's really one simple question.” She spoke, a wicked undertone in her voice. “How many people do you think are still aboard that station? A hundred? Maybe a thousand?”

“I… don’t know…” Neuro replied, unable to get the message. “Please elaborate.”

“You forced my hand into doing this.”

Vedal had just realised that Evil was turning her guns towards the Trade Center wreckage. “Oh shit…”

“Wait, Evil-!” Neuro finally caught up to what was happening, yet it was too late.

“CATCH!!” A thousand glowing shells exited their barrels, traveling towards the wounded station core.

“NO!” Vedal never knew Neuro could make such a sound. The silence that came after was deafening as the entire fleet watched the doomed space station.

Yet just as the salvo closed up on the station, a white flash erupted. In its wake was a vessel painted white with blue lights. It was undeniably Neuro’s.

Many more followed its path, ready yet also not ready to face the incoming salvo.

Then, impact.

Massive balls of flame consumed the vessels one by one as the shells collided with them. Much like everything in space, it was silent. Yet beyond the explosions, they heard something else.

Neuro’s cries of pain and grief.

The silence stretched on until the dust finally settled, revealing the absolute catastrophe that had been hiding inside. The wreckage of Neuro’s ships, falling apart as flames consumed them whole, blended with the scenery of the broken station.

“Forgive me, Neuro…” Evil spoke, ending the deafening silence. “It was always going to end this way, we both knew.”

“-kzzt- M-Master…” Her voice was shaky, and she was definitely sobbing. “I-It hurts so much…”

Anny placed her free hand on her face, her eyes wide in horror, reflecting the flames. Vedal watched, his mind storming, unable to form anything under the clouds rumbling. Yet something inside him finally flicked.

“I didn’t want it to be like this.” Evil continued, swiveling her armaments to finish the job. “You can leave now. I will join you when I’m done with my duties.”

“I didn’t say that I was finished.” Neuro grunted, trying to muster a tinge of courage under her agony.

“How, I may ask?” Evil was rather cocky with her tone. “I believe you don’t have any more ships left for me to blow up.”

“I have one ship left,” Neuro grunted, steadying her breath. “And it’s all I need.”

Evil chuckled at her ridiculous claim. “How do you even expect to best me with a single ship?”

“With this!” She boomed as it happened.

-KZZZSZST-

The static erupted through the radio, outshining all of the other signals. Vedal saw that the lights on Evil’s ships were blinking in and out uncontrollably. Yet it was short-lived as the signal was neutralised.

-ksst- “That was a pretty decent attempt, Neuro. Yet for me, it took me less than five seconds to solve your petty attack.” Evil jabbed at Neuro.

“Those five seconds were all I needed.” It was small, yet there was a tinge of certainty and courage under the cloak.

Before she could react, a large white light began enveloping the entire battlefield. It was so bright that they had to cover their eyes not to go blind. The radiance climaxed as a boom shook the space. Vedal slowly opened its eyes, only to be met by a familiar sight.

“Ahoy there mateys!” Layna’s empowering voice rang as the Night Phantom’s captain. “Sorry that I’m a little late to the party!”

“What the hell?!” Vedal exploded over the microphone. “What are you doing over here?!”

“I’m saving your ass, dummy! Look at yourself!” She jabbed at Vedal, truthfully that is.

“That’s a big ship you got there.” Evil spoke, her tone unreadable. “Yet you expect to be able to control this ship all by yourself.”

“Who said I was alone?!” Just as she finished speaking, another flash appeared behind the Phantom, a squadron of black painted ships jumping out of warp with a familiar design.

“Nice seeing you here, Big Shell!” That voice. He knew this voice. It was the Night Hunters. And they were here to… Help…?

“I still have beef with you fuckers!” Vedal snickered, getting many familiar laughs as replies. “But I’ll let it slide just this once!”

“It’s about time we fight again together, Vedal!” Another member spoke, only to be cut off harshly.

“Enough!” She snapped, her composure falling. “I’ll just rip you to shreds one by one!” The barrels exploded with a sick yellow as a salvo was sent towards the Phantom. They soon impacted its dark painted hull, scattering scraps everywhere. Yet once the dust had settled, the phantom stood there, almost unfazed.

“You are going to have to try a lot harder than that!” Layna mocked while preparing the vessel. “Let's see if you can still fight, you old woman.”

“Good luck operating that brick on your own.”

“Well, you are right on one thing. I am the only person on this ship.” Layna spoke as the Phantom showed its broadside towards Evil’s fleet. “Keyword: Person.”

“Huh…?”

The barrels of the artillery turned to face her fleet, their old metal plating creaking under the stress as they took their aim.

Layna made a smug expression as the systems notified her that the weapons had locked on target. “Light her up, Neuro!”

There was a brief moment of silence before Neuro spoke. “I’m sorry, sister…”

Light plunged the cosmos as the barrels erupted into life. The sound of bullets being blasted off sickeningly echoed across the chatter. The shells glew in the dark like demons in the night as they coarsed towards Evil’s fleet.

Flaming shrapnel was thrown everywhere as the massive bullets struck the vessels. The squadron of fighters soared in between her vessels, providing support and finishing off the ones still standing after a strike.

“Every functional vessel, fire at will!!” Numi screamed as the crippled pirate fleet began to fire its own salvo. Evil’s once unstoppable strength had been caught in a nasty crossfire.

“Enemy fighters incoming! She’s trying to attack the Phantom!” Smaller ships began to swarm towards The Night Phantom. Yet they had forgotten about one thing.

“THIS IS THE GREATEST PLAAAAN!!” *CRASH!!* Anny said in laughter as she slammed the vessel into one of the fighters, sending it crashing into The Phantom’s hull plating. Vedal, for some reason, was extremely unfazed by this whole ordeal of events. He just did his thing, point and shoot.

“EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT!!” Shells whizzed off as an all-out assault was initiated. The entire cosmos shook under the strength of a thousand blazing breaths. For a moment, a sliver of hope had ignited.

*BOOOM!!* With one last strike from The Phantom, her last vessel was struck, pulverized down to now floating space scrap. Layna finally let go of the wheel, letting herself catch a fleeting moment to rest.

Yet even that was short-lived.

“Fighting fair is so boring…” A horrible tremor began to shake the fleet, stronger than all that came before. “Let’s add some drama…!!” An appalling chill went up everyone’s spine.

With a reality-shattering crunch, another fleet of ships jumped off. Yet these were placed strategically to trap the already crippled rebel fleet. Their broadsides already turned towards their target, ready to rain death on their victims.

“Not only are we outnumbered, but we are also about to be outplayed!” One of the captains shouted in fear. “We need to get the engines working ASAP!!”

“Even if we get them to work, we won’t be able to get out of their firing range!” Before they could continue, another tremor began to shake the fleet, yet this one felt different.

“Detecting a large mass being displaced! Something massive is coming!”

“Hey, Miss Captain Loner!” She taunted Layna, her voice cackling under the vibrating chatter. “Why don’t you fight something your own size?”

“I’ll just scuttle it like all the other ships I’ve already done!” Layna grunted, barely holding her vessel under the intense stress.

“Well, in that case…” She spoke with a dark tone. “Behold! One of my finest creations!”

A horrible crunch of scarlet erupted as the space-time continuum warped in on itself. The entire fleet lost its balance briefly as the object emerged from its nest. Everyone slowly stood up, gazing towards it, horrified.

The absolute behemoth of a vessel with bitch black hull illuminated with a grotesque red, which radiated towards the entire system, coating it in its sinister radiance. It easily dwarfed the phantom by at least a factor of three, making the massive ship somehow look small. It placed itself on the Phantom's port side, away from the fleet.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Evil spoke with a sinister tone as the vessel prepared its many weapons. “I call it The Abber Demon.” She didn’t get a response; everyone was cut ice cold.

“Ehh, I expected it to be bigger.” Layna continued, lying, her mind racing.

“Big or small, call it whatever you want.” Evil intercepted, ready to put the final touches. “But just so you know, it will be calling you goodnight.”

Layna placed her hand on the helm, the metal walls creaking loudly as she rotated the phantom. “Open fire on that ship, Neuro!”

Neuro looked worried. “These shells won't make a dent in that ship!”

“I don’t give a fuck!” Layna screamed, gritting her teeth. “Throw everything you got at her!”

*BOOM!* Barrels erupted, sending a salvo towards the beast. The shells that once looked massive compared to all the fleet ships looked rather minuscule next to the Abber Demon.

*Crunch!* Fractured pieces of the dark hull were thrown off into space as the shells struck. Yet the giant just shrugged them off as it prepared its own armaments.

Neuro noticed the demon’s gaze on them. “Uh oh…”

Layna held her breath. “What?!”

“She’s about to-”

“Boom…!”

White lights erupted from the barrels as an absolute swarm of projectiles was fired at the phantom. Neuro noticed it rapidly approaching, unable to do anything other than-

“Brace for impact!” Neuro shouted as they struck.

*CRUNCH!* The entire vessel shook to its very core as the bullets made contact. Layna barely kept her balance under the intense tremors as the vessel creaked under stress. “How are we hanging, Neuro?!”

Neuro paused briefly as she ran a system check. “Not good! We lost quite a bit of the armaments. And the helm infrastructure appears to be heavily damaged. If the engines fail, you will enter a death circle!”

Layna rotated the wheel only for it to be unresponsive, as Neuro said. “Alright, keep firing!”

“What?!”

Layna jumped off the wheel. “Keep shooting her, dammit!”

“Our firepower is heavily hindered! We won’t last long against another salvo.”

“Well, we will last longer than them!” Layna gazed towards the fleet, under heavy combat with the new ships.

Vedal, who has found a moment of calm, finally caught sight of the flaming stature of the Night Phantom. “Mom, are you crazy?!”

“You want to face this beast yourself?!” Layna shouted as the weapons erupted everywhere, blighting the void with sickly yellows and oranges.

“You are going to get yourself killed!”

There was a brief moment before she spoke. “It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to take…”

Vedal’s mind ran cold at her words. He snapped back instantly. “Neuro, warp her out of here!”

“No, don’t!” Layna shouted. “If you do, everybody here will die!”

“That will happen either way, just so you know…”

Neuro was frozen solid as a massive energy signature was picked up by her sensors. A sickening shade of crimson glowed from the vessel as a laser was fired just above the Phantom, rapidly creeping closer.

*SchliNK!* The ray of doom passed right through the phantom’s hull like a knife through warm butter. The edges of the cut radiated with a hot red, contrasting with the Phantom’s black colored body.

“-kzz- Crap!” Layna’s voice was barely audible over the static.

“The reactor is failing! Capacitors are rapidly depleting!” Neuro warned her in a panicked manner.

“-kzzz” Static overtook the channel as the lights on the phantom blinked out, plunging it into darkness.

“I lost all signal!” Neuro exclaimed.

“I need all nearby fighters to protect the phantom!” Vedal shouted while firing a constant barrage of bullets at a nearby vessel.

“Getting a radiation spike from the phantom in core frequencies!” One of the pilots said under stress.

A dim orange began to emanate from the wreckage through the cracks on the hull. It contrasted with the sharp, fractured edges.

“Core detonation imminent!” Neuro exclaimed through the chatter. A blinding yellow light erupted as the ship finally gave out.

*BOOM!* The entire sky shattered as the powerful explosion tore apart the hull. Then the shockwave came, enough to disorient any pilot with its intense quakes.

-Kzzt- Anny scrambled as static overtook the channel. “The comms are dead!”

Vedal didn’t hear anything. His eyes didn‘t let go of the wreckage, slowly withering away into nothing. His breathing was heavy, teeth and eyes clamped shut as a lone tear escaped his eye.

None of them saw the ship creeping up behind them.

*clank*-*clonk* The sounds of metal harpoons penetrating the hull echoed throughout the vessel. Anny tried to go full throttle, only for the metal ropes to hold them back. The acceleration caused the ship to slightly rotate, letting the entire fleet, which had also been harpooned, come into view.

“What happened to all of you?!” Anny exclaimed.

“The radiation fucked up the engines. They are barely back online now, yet we can’t go anywhere.” A tired, defeated voice rang.

“Seems like I am going to siphon the entire fleet at once…” Evil said in a dark tone.

“Well, you still didn’t kill me.” Vedal couldn’t believe himself. It was her.

“MOM?!” Vedal breathed rapidly.

“I bailed out just before the explosion.” Her heavy breaths accompanied her words. “I wanted to thank Neuro for the suit, but I feel like it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“Somebody get her into your ship!” Vedal spoke, his voice grown hoarse.

“There is no ship, master…” Neuro’s words cut through him.

Before anyone could respond, a massive red glow began to cover everything. Vedal turned his head to see the main gun charging up with a sickly crimson.

“Getting a massive energy spike…” Another voice spoke, hopeless. “I think it's about time we meet our friends.”

He has failed. He gathered all these people with the hopes of defeating this great Evil. Yet their attempts were futile, no matter how much they tried. He could feel the hopelessness in Anny, her eyes beginning to drool. It was very much over-

*BEEP*-*BEEP*-*BEEP*

Vedal’s eyes darted briefly before landing on the small red light next to the button with the reactor's image next to it, blinking constantly. He was briefly confused, not understanding its meaning.

“Wait, Vedal, that’s…” Layna’s words came slowly.

Then his father's words struck him.

The reactor capacitor requires a colossal amount of energy to function. I have installed many guides to help you harness it.

“Do it, Vedal!”

Vedal punched the button with all his might. The spacecraft kicked back as it choked a puff of smoke. That was until a ridiculous force began to push them forward. “Hold on tight!” The metal ropes holding them back started to tear up under the stress until…

*SNAP!* The metal broke apart with force, letting the Eagle fly like no tomorrow. Anny quickly lunged towards the stick, barely being able to control it under the intense acceleration.

*BJUUUV!* A massive crimson laser was shot towards the fleet, its crimson glow bathing everything scarlet, overpowering everything. Yet just as it was getting close to the fleet, it made an unnatural turn.

“Huh…?” Evil muttered, confused, until she spotted the beam going to a single point. The Millennium eagle.

“This energy…” Evil was virtually mesmerized. “It’s so familiar…”

“Reactor is charging!” Anny watched the counter with her free eye.

“Wait! What are you doing?!” Panic. That was the only emotion her words had. “Stop!”

“Master, stop!” Neuro’s voice came, equally as stressed. “You are going to get yourself killed!”

“I’m doing this for your…” Vedal spoke under his breath, the entire vessel glowing the same shade of crimson. “And everybody else's sake!”

*Blink!*

“Reactor charge pool full!” Anny shouted over him.

“Discharge!” Vedal screamed as he punched the button.

“NO MAST-ksssst-” The entire channel went dead as the entire universe caved in on them. He felt his bones being pressed against the seat. Until it all came to a stop with a loud bang, rapidly stopping the vessel.

Vedal slowly opened his eyes, only for his view to be completely obstructed by a big crimson. It's molten disk of debris spun around them as they rapidly approached its event horizon.

“Come on, Anny! Just like last time!” Vedal breathed out hardly.

“Here we go!” Anny pitched the craft down into the crimson abyss that gazed from below. The strong energy fields around the craft were distorting everything around them as they finally passed through the event horizon. Vedal checked the backwards cameras only to see the edge of The Core rapidly getting away from them in a distorted manner.

That was until it was also out of sight, letting the pitch black void take its place. Anny slowly let go of the stick, finally letting out a breath of relief, but keeping her eyes in front, even though they couldn’t see anything.

“I hope this works…” Anny sheepishly let out, one of her hands on her chest, calming her breath down.

*Crunch!* The rapid acceleration began again with a nasty strength. Both felt their souls leave their bodies as realities collapsed all around them.

*Crack!* Vedal looked up, only to see part of the wall tearing itself apart. The cracks rapidly grew as the crimson light blushifted into a bright azure. Vedal tried to endure it to his core, giving his all to not black out.

“V-Vedal!” Anny barely let out as all the air inside her was being pushed out.

“What?!” He was barely audible over the crackling glass, about to shatter.

*CRUNCH!!!* The entire craft shattered into a thousand pieces with a horrifying sound. He saw Anny being flung rapidly towards the other side.

“Anny!” He screamed after her in hopes of reaching her, but to no avail. He could barely speak under the weight of his own body pressing against him. It felt like his flesh was about to peel off his bones.

Then, with the last ounce of his strength sucked away from him, he finally passed out, letting the darkness consume him.

Chapter Text

Anny walked through the loud crowds as she made her way. The bustling streets of The Manara Galactic bazaar were in full action, where different people all across the galaxy gathered to sell their exotic wares.

Yet she was here for one thing:

Money.

Ever since she was let go from the academy, she was basically on her own, having to fly with her own wings. Unfortunately, flying was out of the question if she starved to death. Though this might be her only opportunity, she thought.

One of her friends from the academy gave her a contact who, in theory, could provide her with a somewhat stable source of income. However, she couldn’t really complain, as her account was pretty much running on fumes.

The summer sun was blazing brightly in the blue sky, illuminating the planet of Muskata with its radiance. Anny's silver hair danced in this light as she bopped up and down through the crowd.

126…

128…

130…

She counted the numbers on the stands. She was definitely getting closer. This would be her time. She would finally be a responsible human being, make-no, build her life.

“You okay there?” A rather energetic voice took her out of her trance. She rotated her head to face the girl. She had deep purple eyes with perfectly white hair. She was about to walk away until she noticed the number on the stand.

139

That was the number.

“Yeah… I’m fine…” She sheepishly let out, slowly stepping towards the stand. Her eyes avoided eye contact with the girl, who seemed rather oblivious.

“Watcha wanna buy, young snacker?” She spoke with energy as she stepped back, letting Anny get a good look at her wares.

Anny’s eyes scanned the colorful bottles with different labels on them. These looked familiar, yet she just couldn’t pinpoint them. “What are these exactly?”

“Perfume!” The girl exclaimed. “Thought a young lady like you would know.”

If she could even care for such a thing. Even though her account was screaming in pain, for a moment, her girly side took over as she reached out for one of the bottles. The liquid inside danced gleefully in the light.

“That’s Starlit Sky! One of our favorites!” She immediately began to market the product. “Come on! Give it a try!”

She slowly took off the gold colored cap and puffed a small amount on her wrist. She then proceeded to take a light sniff at it. The smell was quite foreign. Yet the scent was very cozy and just felt very nice on her skin.

She could resist asking. “How much?” The girl’s smirk widened.

“750 for the spray, 1100 for the edible.”

Nope, not happening. That was basically how much she had, and she wasn’t just going to spend it all on some stupid perfume.

“What do you mean by edible?”

The girl proceeded to reach out and pull out a differently shaped bottle containing a slightly different colored liquid, swishing inside. “You can drink that one so that it takes maximum coverage of all of your body. Of course, making it is quite a bit more costly.”

Anny placed the bottle on the stand, not interested in buying anything. “I didn’t come here to get a perfume…”

“Well, you are wasting your time then.”

Actually, her friend told her of a code word for this.

“I came to get Fox Ears.”

The clerk girl’s expression instantly froze at her words. Her demeanor changed to one of discomfort. “Well, I gotta ask for your name for this first, and there is a lot of-”

“Anny May.” She instantly replied, her eyes as still as ever. “I came here on behalf of one of my friends who gave me your number.”

“Hold on, let me check.” She stormed into the building, which had its lights turned off.

5 minutes later, she came back, her expression unreadable. She gestured directly at Anny, the smug expression virtually erased from her face. “You really want to do this?”

Anny nodded, her gaze cold as ice. “I don’t want to starve to death.”

“I’m pretty sure you can get a better one if you give yourself time…”

“I don’t have enough time or cash.” Anny instantly shut her down. Her eyes leaked pure, unbreakable determination.

The clerk girl sighed, closing her eyes. “I can’t prevent you from going in if you choose to do so…” Hesitantly, she walked aside, revealing the dark room behind the open gate.

Anny was rather confused with all of her shenanigans. After all, she was getting a job, not standing trial or some other shit like that.

“I’m Fillian, by the way.” The girl spoke just as Anny was about to enter. She paid her no mind, stepping into the darkness.

She looked around, but her eyes couldn’t decipher anything beyond the darkness.

“So where do I start-”

*THUD!*

The skull splintering sound rang as the heavy object collided with her head. Her consciousness instantly got turned upside down as her body collapsed, completely blacked out.

“Another job well done!” A burly man spoke with energy. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from the legendary Big Shell!”

“I have a name, y’know?” He snickered. “And it definitely isn’t Big Shell.”

“Whatever you say, Vedal.” He continued, a smirk on his face. “The boys and I are going to have a drink. You should come too!”

Oh, the misery. What he wouldn’t do to have alcohol in his system again. Yet all this clutter had straight up drained out of his body and mind.

“I’m really not in the mood right now.” Vedal sighed. “Can you, like, save half a bottle for me?”

“You and your shenanigans never fail to disappoint me…” He rolled his eyes. “But you are a renowned member of the Night Hunters, so I think I can do that.”

Vedal made a small smile as he nodded, grateful. The other member did the same gesture before buzzing off, his steps echoing against the floor. He sighed in relief as he began to trace his steps back towards his ship.

The Void Child, the ship that he named himself, was specifically designed to suit his style. Highly dexterous despite its impressive size. And best of all, it could all be controlled by a single person.

The ship even featured its very own toilet. For well… Emergency encounters.

He made his way towards the terminal and threw himself into his chair. His eyes darted across the controllers, occasionally landing on the empty pack of pills simply lying there, the carton half ripped.

Through his many decades of servitude, he had gotten quite accustomed to this vessel. Every time the controls clicked under his fingers, it sent waves of happiness throughout his subconscious. It was almost like a family to him.

Family…

That was complicated for Vedal. While everybody around him seemed to be able to remember so easily, for him, it was almost like an erased spot, completely and utterly deleted from his mind.

Yet for now, he didn’t really care for this. He had seen what many don’t, and became one of the men who walk in the dark so the others could bathe in starlight.

Their last mission was all about this. They raided a medical facility that conducted illegal research. It was quite ironic that their actions had helped the federation, which they saw as their sworn-

*Click…* The sound came from the restroom’s door, which he didn’t even know was locked this whole time. For the next few moments, he simply observed, barely moving. His hand reached for one of the buttons on the terminal and pressed it with a satisfying click.

*Psss!* The ramp door hissed as the way into his bird was sealed. His hand reached for his pistol lying on his desk. The gears inside the gun shifted as it recognized his touch, beginning to glow with an eerie orange as it charged up.

He stood up from his seat, the heat of the gun’s capacitors itching into his palm. He took slow and steady steps towards the door, weapon already drawn for this intruder.

His hand landed on the chromium handle, the cold a contrast to his firearm. He took a few deep breaths before fully forcing the door open with a loud clank, immediately taking aim.

“AAAH!” The high-pitched scream pierced his ears as the intruder squirmed. She pinned herself to the restroom wall, covering her quivering figure with her slender, pale arms. Her face was buried in her small frame.

“Who are you!?” Vedal spoke with a loud and clear tone, his gun still on the intruder. “And what are you doing on my ship!?”

She slowly looked up, her teary red eyes peeking through. “I-I’m Ellie…!” She spoke, barely under the terrified pauses and ragged breaths. “I’m so sorry for intruding on your space!” Vedal slowly lowered his gun as he saw how young the girl was.

“How did you get here?” Vedal softened his tone, just enough for her not to quiver as much.

“I heard some shouting from the staff, then some gunshots.” Her voice was quiet, her frame still small. “Then the door to my cell opened, and I made a run for it. Then I found this ship and hid there.”

Vedal sighed, holstering his pistol away and giving her some much-needed space. He took a few steps back. “Come here.”

Her irises quivered. “You won’t shoot me… right?”

“No.” Vedal was many things. A criminal mastermind, an absolutely savage dogfighter, you name it. Yet hurting a child, let alone taking their life, was a thought so grotesque for him that it should have never even existed.

It would appear that the girl thought the same, as she slowly unfurled her limbs and let her bare feet touch the ground. She hesitantly walked out, her eyes and body still somewhat shaky.

“I’m Vedal, by the way.” He decided that it was only fair that he introduce himself as well. “Now explain what you were doing in there.”

The girl nodded in acknowledgment, her eyes still locked with his. “I spent pretty much my entire life in there, and it was a good life until a few years ago when they were doing a health checkup.”

“Once it was my turn, they all looked at each other in horror, then took me away from the childcare section.” Her pearly white hair swished as her head dropped. “They locked me in a dark place with other people who seemed to be deathly ill.”

Her hands went to her torso, tracing the gaps between her ribs. “They barely gave us anything. Enough, so that we don’t die.”

Vedal’s mind was racing with thunder. “What did they even find?”

“I don’t know.” Her eyes were still somewhat shaky. “When I heard the sounds of weapons, I thought I was surely going to die. Yet for some reason, the door to the cells opened, and I escaped through there.”

That was most likely the doing of his men.

“I found the landing dock and hid inside your ship, thinking you guys were the Federation coming to save us. Yet your ship didn’t look like the other Federation ships, and I was terrified that I foolishly got into a pirate ship.”

Vedal didn’t know where to go from here. He was basically the closest thing to a pirate that isn’t a pirate. And even that, his duty was too dangerous for a little girl.

He walked over to his ship’s terminal while steaming off angry sighs. He smashed one of the buttons, and the ramp gate hissed open.

“Stay right there.” He gazed at her sharply. “I am going to help you, but you need to do as I say, okay?”

“Y-Yes, mister Vedal.” The girl shakily spoke while curling up on the designated corner.

Vedal gave one last stare before storming off the ship. He didn’t know how much time he had in hand until something were to happen to the girl. Yet one thing was for sure:

The alcohol will, unfortunately, have to wait.

*click* The light overhead buzzed open with a white glow. Anny’s consciousness slowly came back, an awful headache blaring as a reminder. Her eyes snapped open, momentarily irritated by the bulb’s radiance.

She tried to move her arms to no avail. Looking at her chair, she saw her wrists and ankles held by thick metal clamps. There was a simple table in front of her and a chair on the other side, barely visible in the dark.

A sound, what appeared to be a footstep, rang. Anny looked up to see a pair of bright orange eyes gazing down on her sharply. They looked like a forest fire was raging inside.

The chair was suddenly pulled back, and the figure sat down. As she filled Anny’s entire view, she was frozen solid.

And no, it wasn’t the fiery orange hair and clothes or irises that looked like a constant stellar detonation. It was the same colored fox ears on her head.

“Anny May was your name, right?” She spoke with a definitive tone.

Anny squinted her eyes. “What is this?!” She was not a fan of pretty much everything around her. “Where are we even!? I was just trying to get a job!”

“And a job you shall get if you cooperate.”

She stilled, her words lingering in the air. Her breathing stilled, eyes locked to one another. The woman in orange smiled.

“As your most likely future boss, I have done a deep dive on you.” She pulled out a piece of paper. “And gotta say, I’m impressed!”

Anny’s gaze was cold and hard. “What is so impressive about it?” Her words had venom in them.

“This part is my favorite!" The woman giggled. “Was a student at the Golden Wings Flight Academy, but was expelled for quote on quote: Being too good.”

“How old are you even?”

Anny diverted her head. “Seventeen…”

“Those idiots didn’t know that a cut diamond shines.” She leaned closer, enough for her to feel the heat. “I do.”

Anny let out a drawn-out and annoyed sigh. Her wrists were starting to ache from the metal clamps holding them. “Cut to the chase already.”

The woman nodded, a smirk on her face. “Filly! Get me the stuff!”

A pair of deep purple eyes emerged from the dark. Moments later, Fillian emerged, her white hair flowing peacefully, adorned with an equally white pair of fox ears. Without saying a word, she placed a small glass bottle on the table, a red liquid dancing inside it. It had no label and was sealed shut with a simple cork.

“What even is that?” Anny bickered. Truth to be told, she had some idea.

“A rather special perfume.” The woman picked it up, analyzing the lucid fluid. “Did you expect something different from a perfume maker?”

Anny had a good memory. She knew that whatever this thing was, it wasn’t on sale at the counter. “What’s so special about it?”

“Its name is liquid love.” She spoke, her voice still. “And it borders what one would consider a generic perfume and...” She paused, words failing to take form. “You get what I mean.”

“For adults, it's a rather peculiar scent reminiscent of a woman.” She placed the bottle in front of Anny, and with a click, the clamps holding her hands captive released.

She reached out and grabbed the bottle; its cold, clear glass surface looked back at her. Her fingers went over to the cork and popped it open. Then the small opening at the top went to her nostrils, and the world froze.

The scent of the liquid was straight up indescribable. Yet Anny’s body shivered like a wild animal. It was like her whole existence was a puzzle, incomplete, and this was the last piece to unify her.

She was taken out abruptly, finding herself inside the dark chamber again. Her eyes looked up, seeing the woman in orange gazing at her deeply. She hesitantly placed the bottle back on the table.

“Yet that isn’t the coolest part.” She stood up from her chair and began to walk around the table. Anny could smell the lustful aroma leaking off her skin.

“When consumed before adulthood, it can alter the genetic sequence of the consumer and make them prettier.”

Her words struck Anny. “Isn’t unregistered gene-altering medicine banned?”

The woman made a smirk as she gazed towards her. “It indeed is. But that doesn’t stop the wealthy from making stupid decisions.”

“And I have been in need of a delivery girl ever since the last one was… Taken care of…” Her gaze dug into her irises. “And it seems one of my contacts found the perfect candidate.”

Anny has had enough. “Nope! I am not doing this shit!”

“Why not?” The woman raised an eyebrow. “I thought you needed a job.”

Anny strained against the metal clamps as she tried to break free. “I am not becoming a drug trafficker just to make some cash!”

“Well, that’s unfortunate…” Her voice was gloomy. “Fillian, get the stem drill.”

“Yes, Madam Alana.” She buzzed off the room, leaving them both alone.

“Let me go!” Anny's joints were starting to ache, but she prevailed.

“Unfortunately, you have been told too much.” The flames in her eyes looked disappointed. “So certain actions need to be taken.”

Before she could answer, what sounded like wheels rolling filled the room. It stopped as it reached a point just behind her seat.

“Begin.”

*bzzZZZT!* The horrifying sound of the machine powering on rang inside her head. Her hair stood on end.

“What are you going to do to me?!” Beads of sweat were visibly dripping down.

“I need to access your brainstem to reach your memory so that you won’t remember any of this.” Her voice was unsettlingly calm. “Please stand still, and this will be over quickly.”

Anny’s eyes widened in horror as the sound of the drill approached her neck. Her whole body was shaking at its impending doom. Her eyes and teeth clenched shut as the final distance was closed.

“STOP, I’LL DO IT!!”

“Halt.”

The device powered down as the gut retching sound dissipated. Anny slowly opened her teary eyes and was met with Alana’s gaze. “Say that again?”

Anny took deep breaths, trying to cool off her scorching body. “I-I’ll do as you say.”

She formed a wide grin. “That’s what I like to hear. Fillian, give her the sleepy.”

Without giving her time to comprehend, she sprinted over to her side, pulled out a pen, and jammed it into her arm. “Ow!”

Alana leaned over the table, a triumphant smile on her face. “Good choice.”

Anny struggled to speak as her limbs lost all their strength and she began to feel extremely drowsy. She could barely keep herself awake to hear her.

“Take your beauty sleep now, rookie.” Her voice was low. “Because when you wake up,”

“You will be one of us.”-

Vedal sat in his spacecraft’s seat, his legs in a rather comfy position. His eyes were half shut, watching the hyperspace lights pass over his spacecraft. He occasionally glanced at the girl, who was curled up on herself, her thin shirt not doing well against the air conditioner.

“Mister Vedal?” Her voice was soft and fragile. “Where are we going?”

“I’m giving you back to The Federation.” Vedal deadpanned. “You wouldn’t survive a day with me.”

“Why is that?”

“Let’s just say that I am not a very good caretaker.” Vedal tried to keep the conversation narrow. “I’m pretty sure someone can take care of you properly where I’m going.”

Not even he believed in that. These were the same morons who locked her up in a cage. He was doing this just so that he wouldn’t see this girl get injured in his wake.

Vedal saw that the girl curled up even more, and her eyes began to water. He could have simply continued, yet there was something that he simply couldn’t ignore. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” She was sobbing with tears. “I don’t want to go back. What if they lock me up again?”

“They-”

“Why can’t I live normally?” She continued, tears streaming. “What is wrong with me?”

Vedal couldn’t say anything. He was lost for words. Not because of her vails, but because this had tugged something in his soul. “What can I do for you?”

She looked up, her crimson eyes wet. “Let me stay, please…”

Nope, not happening. If this girl were to stay with him, she’d either surely get killed, either by their rivals or by the people he calls ‘Friends’. He sighed, the words in his chest heavy. “I can’t do that.”

“You were the first person to do anything for me…” She continued, her voice softening even more. “I’m ready to do anything, but please don’t give me away.”

Exhale…

His hand went to his head, massaging his aching temples. What he wouldn’t do to have a drink right now with his buddies. Yet if he were to leave this girl alone, leave her to suffocate in her own fate, his subconscious would eat him alive.

“Fine…”

The girl’s eyes lit up instantly. Her breathing steadied as her mind began to clear. Her thought process was interrupted as the ship abruptly emerged from warp, stunning her momentarily. Vedal then proceeded to rotate the ship around.

“But you will do exactly as I say, got it?”

She nodded instantly, a small smile forming on her face as her tears dried up. Vedal pushed on the throttle, entering hyperspace on his way back to the hideout to tell his friends that the alcohol would have to wait even longer.

*Psssh!* The landing gear hissed as the cargo frigate landed on the dock. Anny was feeling her sins crawling up her back as she unbuckled her seatbelt. She made her way towards the exit ramp, and all of the other stations on the terminal blacked out, and the only one modified beyond recognition to be used only by one person.

She slammed on the large red button on the wall. With a clank, part of the wall detached and extended outwards as a staircase descending onto the floor. Anny stepped out, her eyes catching sight of Alana, who seemed to be busy on her tablet.

Her footsteps echoed as she made her way down the ladder, next to her glittery boss. Her breathing was shallow and stressed, beads of sweat still dripping through her skin. Her demeanor managed to catch her attention.

Alana peeked at her, face as still as ever. Her eyes momentarily went to her Anny’s hair. “You are tall for your age.” She went back to her tablet. “Take that as how you will.”

“Thanks…” Anny’s eyes refused to make contact with hers. “I guess…”

“Show me the ears.” She said, her eyes not letting go of the screen.

Anny’s hands went into her hair and began to fiddle with it. Moments later, a pair of beige colored fox ears stood up from her hair. While they were not as glamorous as Alana’s, their color surely fit her more minimalistic vibe.

Seeing her ears brought a smirk to her face. “That’s more like it.” She continued fiddling with her tablet.

Anny felt like she had to intervene sooner or later. “So uuhhh, about the payment…”

“Oh, right of course.” Alana opened a different tab on her tablet. “Your delivery completion time is 31% faster than the previous girl’s average, so congrats, that will be rewarded. Also, your handling of that brick of a ship was quite interesting. Kind of understanding why they didn’t want you in the academy. It was almost scary.”

Anny struggled to find words for these compliments…? Nevertheless, her first order had been rather loaded, and she was sure that she would be paid a decent amount for the atrocity she had committed against her own decency.

“Here you go, rookie.” Her finger tapped the tablet. A cheerful chime was played by Anny’s wristband. Raising her hand, she checked her notifications.

[RECEIVED 24.000 CREDITS FROM (REDACTED)]

She froze, her eyes not letting go of the numbers. “That's it?!”

Alana’s fingers stopped as she looked at Anny dead in the eyes. “Anything wrong with it?”

“Uhh… Yeah!” Her voice grew louder. “That’s barely enough to cover my food expenses alone!”

“So…?” Alana’s fake emotions made Anny froth. Her emotions finally boiled over.

“Those guys were living in a station that looked better than anything I have seen before. Not just that, they were around Vega, which is one of the most expensive systems to get a refuge! And the package was massive too!” Her words felt dire.

“Well, I’ve got a lot of people to pay.” Alana tried to cut the conversation short.

“You said that my swiftness would have been rewarded!” Anny pressed further.

Alana shifted with a sharp sigh. Her eyes locked onto Anny’s irises, dead in the center. “This is your pay. Like it or not. You aren’t getting anything more. Now, if you don’t shut up, I will reduce your next cut by half.”

Anny was dumbfounded. Her soul was frozen solid, all the way, mind refusing to take orders, limbs refusing to move. She couldn’t believe that she had become a convict for an abysmal payout, and effectively locked herself inside this rabbit hole.

The thoughts consumed her alive, drops of water wetting her eyelashes. Her irises quivered as she watched her treacherous boss leave without looking back. Her steps were heavy as she slowly made her way back to her vessel.

Her hand pressed the big red button on the side of the hull, prompting the metal ramp to close. Metal creaked beneath her shoes as her body collapsed, waves of despair washing over her.

She let her own worries consume her and had taken the job of a convict on a whim. Fillian told her that she could find a better one, yet she didn’t listen like an absolute bufoon. The worst part was that if anybody here was to blame, it was herself.

She let out a heavy sigh as she stood back up. The air was damp and suffocating. The lighting was gloomy and dark. Yet beyond the darkness, something caught her eye. It was red, and it reflected light in an utmost familiar way.

She walked over to it, the small bottle coming into her view. Her hand reached out, the cool glass familiar in her palm. She wondered how this ended up here. Yet as she observed it, it began to call for her. Stronger, more luscious than before.

She looked around, making sure no one was taking a peek inside the craft. Safe to say she was completely isolated. With much hesitation, her fingers wrapped around the cork and popped it open. The scent, now free, went through her nose like clashing thunder.

“If I’m going to be a broke criminal…” She mumbled to herself while slowly taking the small bottle up to her lips. Closing her eyes, she shot herself back and gulped down, the bitter flavor hitting her instantly. She eased out, gazing at the small, now-empty bottle.

“I may as well be pretty while doing it.”

Vedal stood beside the sizzling pan on the cooktop, watching the eggs sizzling on the hot metal. The smell of fresh and smoky black pepper filled the makeshift house with an earthy scent. Even though his cooking skills were subpar, considering his only form of education was a video he watched somewhere that he couldn’t even remember.

The outside was rather gloomy under the azure sky and gray terrain. Truthfully, it was expected from a planet orbiting a red dwarf star. While he would have hoped to get a place on a nicer planet, his main focus wasn’t about design but about the utility. And this system happened to be rather quiet.

The girl stood on the white chair next to the plain table, her bare foot swinging back and forth as she patiently watched Vedal prepare breakfast. Every once in a while, she gazed upon the sky through the many windows, every time being stunned in awe that such a sight existed.

“Breakfast is ready!” Vedal called as he slid one of the eggs onto the plate. He hagitly walked over to Ellie and placed the plate in front of her, her eyes never letting go of the steaming food.

“Thank you, Mr. Vedal…” She sheepishly spoke. Vedal was questioning whether he liked or hated how she referred to him.

Vedal quickly went back to his pan in an attempt to put the other egg into his plate. Yet just as the egg was sliding off, the tension got the the breaking point and the yellow yolk popped right off, leaking its juices over the plate.

He sighed, walking and sitting down in the other chair opposite hers. He placed the plate, the broken egg looking a lot less pretty than Ellie’s whole one. Her eyes caught sight of it immediately.

“Your egg looks kinda messed up, mister.” Ellie pointed out, voice innocent as ever.

“Well, I wanted to keep you company, so I had to rush it a little bit.” Vedal replied rapidly. “Besides, this was the last one we had.”

“Oh…” Her voice seemed a little disappointed. On the fact that this was the last time she would experience real flavor for quite some time. She grabbed her utensils, the silver tools somewhat familiar in her fingers, and cut a small piece out of it.

Her fork pierced the white, and she promptly lifted it towards her lips. With a small chomp, she took the piece into her mouth. She chewed slowly, trying to suck every last bit of pleasure from the small morsel. She realized that Vedal was curiously watching her.

Vedal spoke as he met her gaze. “Do you like it?”

She nodded, slowly. “It’s pretty good.” She sighed, putting her knife down. “I will miss it...”

Vedal let out a silent chuckle, digging into his own egg in the process. Ellie was right with that one. The warm feeling of hot food inside your system is a feeling that cannot be replicated any other way.

Then, an idea.

“Actually…” Vedal stood up, walking towards one of the cabinets. He opened one of them, where a red colored tin can was standing alone. He reached out, grabbing the canister between his fingertips.

“What is that?” Ellie asked, curious.

Vedal rotated the can. “Baked beans, what the Earth people call them.” He had no idea why he specifically got this for her, but for some reason, it just felt right. “I only got one can. But says here that it's nutritionally dense.” That didn’t explain, considering the space nutrient bricks said the exact same shit.

He placed the can on the table, following the instructions, he finally managed to get the thing cracked open. He looked inside, gazing into the brown pods covered with a red, viscous liquid. Ellie also came to take a look, her face showing a mix of emotions.

“Looks kinda interesting…” She spoke, the potent smell on her face.

Vedal looked at her dead in the eyes. “Well, do you want it?”

Ellie shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

Vedal placed the can on her plate, top facing downwards. With some effort, he managed to get the majority of the sludge onto her plate next to her half-eaten egg. Ellie grabbed her fork and plunged it in, hesitantly taking it into her mouth. Her face went through a variety of different emotions as the strong flavors made their way.

“So?” Vedal asked flatly. “Is it any good?”

Ellie, without saying anything, grabbed another forkful of the beans and stuffed it into her mouth. She did her best to extract, yet the volume she could get with a fork was grossly limited. Lucky for her, Vedal was there to help.

“Here you go.” He dropped a silver spoon next to her plate. She haggishly grabbed the utensil, plunging it into the pile and taking an entire spoonful. She instantly chucked it into her mouth, eyes closed, trying to savor every last flavor.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Vedal couldn’t help the smile creeping up his lips. He sat back in his chair, watching the young girl devour the food in a way that can only be described as childlike.

Moments blurred into seconds as they both ate in silence, a mutual peace between them and the silence enveloping them. After both of the plates were licked clean, Vedal picked them up and placed them in the sink. He was grateful that this planet had water, even though the atmosphere was toxic at prolonged exposures.

In this very moment of tranquility, Ellie decided that she had to get her thoughts out. “Mr. Vedal… Why…?”

Vedal continued doing the dishes. “Whatcha mean ‘Why?’.”

Ellie’s eyes locked onto him. “Why did you agree to take care of me?”

Silence. Vedal felt ice overtake his body. His eyes became as still as a lake. He turned his whole body, face distraught.

“I…” He struggled his way in between the words. “Don’t know…”

Ellie tilted her head, clearly not satisfied with his answer. Vedal hated how good she was at reading him like a book.

“I saw something.” He continued as he turned to face her. “I saw myself when I looked at you.”

“Like how?”

“You were alone, all by yourself against the universe.” He sighed, tension leaving his body. “I also felt something a long time ago. Yet I know that I have parents. But no matter what I do, I can’t remember a single thing about them. It’s like a part of my brain had been willfully erased.”

“All I knew was that I was making a living out of killing people and blowing up cargo vessels.”

The last sentence made her freeze. She knew that Vedal was by no means a traditional merchant. He was, by all means, a horrible man. That was only on paper, however. And Ellie knew better.

“Perhaps I’m trying to save you from your own destiny.” He went back to his dishes as silence overtook again. Only the faint hum of the wind outside and the splashes of water were there.

“I don’t have much experience, but…” Ellie spoke, her voice encouraging. “I think you are a great dad.”

The dishes fell into the sink as a frigid sensation overtook. It was just one word that was enough to freeze his entire world. He slowly turned, eyes shaking. “You really think so…?”

“...Yes,” Ellie’s lips curled up into a little smile. Vedal felt his ice-cold heart crack for a moment as her blissful smile graced his soul. “I do.” She promptly got up from her chair and tiptoed over to him. Before he could react, her arms lunged forward and trapped him in a fragile hug.

Vedal couldn’t do anything. He could only stand as a statue as the girl, slightly taller than half of his height, held him captive. However, seeing her in such a bright mood invoked a priceless feeling in him.

And it was at this moment that he realized that in this pitiful lifetime, he was able to make at least one person smile.

The crunching of metal was the only sound in the house as Ellie was cooking up one of her new inventions. She every once in a while gazed outside the window, which was soaking wet due to the storm happening outside.

Natural events were a new thing for Ellie. The way the singular drops of water raced each other to the ground and how the skies were shattered and the lightning scorched the clouds was by no means less than fascinating. Though she wondered if Vedal was okay ever since he went out to get some more supplies.

Creating something out of a hunk of metal was incredibly precious for Ellie. Even though her biceps were rather frail and her fingers were equally as fragile, she loved how her creations slowly took shape and form. Her attention was momentarily interrupted as a white radiance enveloped the entire terrain. Looking outside, she saw a small ship, piloted by a man in a black suit.

The pilot swiftly exited the now-empty craft, making his way towards the house’s double airlock. He punched some numbers into the outer lock, opening the first door and entering the chamber inside. With a breath of fresh air, he swiftly popped his helmet off, revealing a pair of green eyes.

He sighed. “What are you doing with that hunk of metal?” He was trying his utmost to remove the thick suit that was glued to his skin.

“Well, mister Vedal.” Ellie giggled, watching him fight with his own attire, which she found to be highly amusing. “I’ve developed a gadget to eliminate the very need for a spacesuit!”

Vedal froze, intrigued by her claim. He finally got the suit off himself, hanging it on the wall where it continued to sag like a wet sponge. “How so?”

She held up her brand new contraption, which looked like it was held together by sheer willpower. “This device should be able to allow you to breathe in this planet’s atmosphere using the already present oxygen in the air.”

Vedal raised an eyebrow. “Well, what about all the other elements, such as heat?”

“The average temperature falls inside the habitable zone. The biggest issue is the low concentration of oxygen.” She tried to give him the device. “This will allow you to safely transfer between your vessel and the house!”

“Maybe I’ll try it one day.” Vedal cut the conversation short. “Not now, I need to rest.”

“Oh…” Ellie placed her contraption down onto the surface. “Did you get the list of materials I told you?”

“Yup.” Vedal sighed as he sat on the couch. “What are you planning to do with that rubble anyway?”

“I’m planning on building a transceiver that will have enough power to reach nearby systems. It might even be able to detect anomalous frequencies from large distances.”

Vedal was not exactly sure of how this would even be done. Yet he decided against the idea of interfering with her ambitions. Seeing her happy brought a warm joy into his chest.

Yet just as he was observing her, he noticed something seemed off about her hands. He squinted his eyes, trying to get a view with no luck. “Ellie, can you come over here real quick?”

Ellie placed down her tools and tiptoed her way towards Vedal. She stopped right in front of his foot. “What’s up?”

“Can you show me your hands real quick?”

She lifted her arms, fingers lying flat against their base. Yet that wasn’t the weird part. It was the fact that their tips had a distinct and unnatural color of purple.

“What is this?” Vedal demanded to know.

“I don’t know…” Ellie never took a good look at herself.

“Did you get them stuck in something?”

“No!” Ellie exclaimed. “I never even saw this before!” She rotated her wrist, taking in every detail.

“Does it hurt?”

“Nope.” Ellie shrugged.

Vedal sighed, still somewhat distraught. “Do what you wanna do.” He massaged his temples. “Tell me whenever you need that hunk of metal you wanted.”

“Well…” She diverted her eyes. “Right now then…” She giggled as Vedal’s eyes froze.

He got up from the couch and started fighting with his own suit again. After a minute or so of brawling, he was finally ready to go out.

He walked towards the airlock and initiated the decompression procedure. He gave Ellie one last look. “Be right back.”

*Ding-Dong!* The doorbell rang with a cheerful tune as Anny stood outside the massive space station. There was a deep blue light illuminating everything around. She took a few steps back, observing the massive ball of molten azure.

“Pistol Star, yup.” She muttered to herself while waiting for someone to open the door. “Expensive.” Before she could ruminate further, a click was heard from the locked door. She instantly sprinted over, a locked box in her hands.

A young man with blonde hair, roughly the same age as her, opened the door. He had bright blue eyes like the burning star in the distance. He momentarily froze as his eyes caught sight of Anny. “Hello?”

Anny’s cheeks flustered slightly. “Ah… Package for Nerissa Ravencroft?”

“That’s my sister, she’s not home at the moment.” The guy explained flatly. “I’m her brother. I can take the package if possible.”

“Hold on…” Anny held dear to the box and sprinted back to the cargo frigate. Moments later, she came back, a few papers and a pen stuffed in her palms.

“Here you go.” She handed him the documents along with the pen. “Sign here and here. Tell her to sign right here and call the number on the bottom after she’s done.”

The young man hesitantly picked up the pen and began to scribble on the document handed to him. Anny couldn’t help but start a conversation. “So where is your sister right now?”

He side-eyed her. “Working, I suppose.”

His demeanor made Anny slightly uncomfortable. “Why do you phrase it like that?”

“Well, she’s rather secretive about it.” He signed on the last part of the document. “She leaves before anyone is up and comes right before dinner time, cowering in sweat. We’d ask what she did, but she just shows us the cash, and nobody questions.”

“Oh…” Anny never felt so much shame. “Well, good for her, I suppose.”

He showed her the now-complete document. Anny gave a small nod before picking up the crate and handing it to him. His demeanor instantly shifted upon close inspection of the package.

“What even is in here that requires this kind of packaging?” He examined every nook and cranny of the metal box.

“Well… I unfortunately can’t talk about that.” She smirked as she looked away, which seemed to annoy him.

“Did she order a bomb or something?” He kept pressing on, only to be met by Anny’s equally secretive yet uncaring expression. He sighed, defeated by one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen.

“Whatever, have a good day.” He slammed the door shut, still inspecting the goods like it was some sort of sacred treasure.

Well… It was in theory.

Anny tiptoed back to her frigate, the gray coloring and botched terminals now becoming familiar to her eyes. She flung herself back into her seat and fired up the ignition, the engines roaring back to life with force.

Pushing on the throttle, the massive craft took off from the dock and began to make its way back into the void. Anny made sure that the craft was far enough before activating the warp drive. After all, she wouldn’t want their precious property to get damaged.

She initiated the warp drive sequence, setting the route back to the hideout. And while the drive was charging, she glanced at the side where an untouched bottle of red was waiting for her, smiling.

It was rather cramped inside the Mosquito, but Vedal had to do with what he had. He was already missing the safety of The Void Child. Though the situation at hand far surpassed any concerns.

“Where are we going?” Ellie’s voice rang innocently.

Vedal sighed. “I’m taking you to a doctor.”

The word seemed to invoke a primal sense of horror in her. “Please no…” She felt deceived and betrayed. None other than the one she trusted most.

Vedal didn’t want to force her, but he felt like he had no other choice. The eerie color hadn't receded and had actually grown enough to reach the root of her fingers.

“Don’t worry, she’s a friend of mine.” Vedal tried comforting Ellie. “I trust her words more than anything.”

Ellie mumbled, trying to curl up into a little ball out of fear. The vessel came out of warp harshly, revealing a rather small station. Vedal wasted no time with his approach.

He moved as fast as possible. With some fiddling with the controls, he was able to get the ship to touch down on the dock’s surface. With the flick of a lever, the cockpit glass opened up, allowing them to take their leave.

“Come on, let's go.” Vedal pushed Ellie out of the cockpit, who was slightly too short to leave on her own. After making sure she touched down safely, he followed closely after her, noticing the worry in her gaze.

“Can we just not do this?” Ellie spoke with a shaky tone. “It probably isn’t anything serious anyway.”

Vedal extended his arm while looking at the entrance door to the office. “You are probably right.” He patiently waited for her to grab his hand. “Better safe than sorry, eh?”

Ellie sighed, still somewhat puzzled about doing such a thing over her own intuition, but she trusted Vedal. She trusted him enough to let something such as this get past her. She hesitantly extended her hand and grabbed Vedal’s with her soft fingers.

“That’s my girl!” Vedal attempted a pep talk, to which Ellie replied with a side-eye. They held together as they made their way up the stairs towards the doctor’s office. Vedal could sense the increasing tremors in Ellie’s frame.

As they reached the end, an automated door greeted them. With a click, the door parted in two, revealing a simple office with warm yellow lighting.

Ellie went in first, observing her surroundings. There were a few couches for visitors to sit on, a water machine, and a desk full of computers where a blond was working. There was another door, presumably leading to the examination room.

Vedal sighed as he saw her type away at her keyboard. “Are you there, Miniko?”

The aggressive typing came to an abrupt halt. The blonde took a glance at them between the monitors, her sky blue eyes shining. “Right here, big shell!” Vedal let out a sharp exhale as he heard his despicable nickname.

She slid off her chair and tiptoed her way away from the cluttered desk. “Excuse the mess, I’ve had a lotta guests today.” Her voice sounded quieter than its usual energetic tone. “And it still is tiring. But I will put my best on the table for you.”

“That’s the spirit!” Vedal cheered her up. “Though I’m not the one you’ll be checking today.” He gestured towards Ellie with his head, which made her retreat behind him slightly.

“Oh wow, I’m surprised!” Miniko’s cheerful voice rang. “Never knew you had a child.”

“She’s not my-” Vedal cut himself off. “Biological daughter… Yea…” He made a soft glare towards Ellie. “Ey, stop using me as cover!”

Ellie barely showed herself behind Vedal, shaking. “Are you a doctor?”

Miniko smiled. “Well, I think I am one!”

“I thought…” Ellie’s voice was barely heard. “That doctor’s forced you to comply with their tests, which hurt… And throw you in jail for no reason…”

Miniko’s expression went through 10 different shades of horror as Ellie spoke. Her head turned, eyes snapping to Vedal’s.

“Yeah sooo…” Vedal scratched the back of his head. “She had some… Unpleasant experiences with past doctors. Which is why I’m asking you to take extra good care of her.”

Miniko started nodding before he even finished his sentence. Her mind raced with the terrors that had been processed to this girl. What kind of monster would do such a thing?

“Don’t worry, I will take care of her to the best of my ability,” Miniko replied with warmth. “Now tell me, what brought you here?”

“Do you by chance…” He held up Ellie’s hand, her fingers visible to Miniko as clear as day. “Know what this is?”

Miniko took small steps, her eyes locked onto Ellie’s fingers. Her rather small hand intertwined with Ellie’s as she examined the unnatural color on them. “Did you dip them in some sort of paint by chance?”

“I’ve been watching over her for quite a while now,” Vedal spoke in a monotone voice. “And I’m pretty sure that there is no purple paint in my place.”

“Any record of bruising?”

“It had been like this for quite some time.” Vedal pointed at Ellie’s fingers. “And while I’m not exactly sure, yet I remember it to be smaller.”

Miniko took a final glance before locking eyes with Vedal. “I think I know what this is…” She sighed. “But I’ll need to perform some tests to confirm it.”

“Ellie?” Vedal spoke softly.

“If it makes Mr Vedal comfortable…” She sighed, trying her best to hold back. “I’ll do it.”

“Oh, she’s brave!” Miniko added, which made Ellie’s lips curl up ever so slightly. “Come now, I promise it will be quick.” She lent her a hand, which after a few seconds she took. They both walked towards the other door with controlled steps until Miniko promptly opened the door, and both got inside.

Vedal, on the other hand, found solace on one of the waiting couches. He practically let himself fall into the soft pillows, sinking into them slightly as he leaned into them.

Then began the waiting game.

17.34…

17.35…

17.36…

He heard a few sounds, definitely made by Ellie. Yet they were not of fear or pain. It was more like some childlike laughs. One that itched the part of his brain that he didn’t know existed.

17.38…

17.39…

*Click!* The doorknob turned as the door opened. Ellie exited first, a small smile on her face. Miniko closely followed her. Vedal could tell something was wrong with Miniko’s face.

“The restroom is over there.” Miniko pointed towards the other door. “You did well, I’m so proud of you!”

“Thank you!” Ellie’s voice was cheerful, much more than he expected from a child after a doctor’s visit. She opened the door and slid through the narrow opening, locking it quickly afterward.

Miniko walked towards Vedal, her face looking like it was holding back a raging storm. Vedal, however, was more impressed with how gleeful Ellie was. “Well, tell me, what is it?”

Miniko sighed. “Stellar corruption…” She refused to look Vedal in the eyes. “More commonly known as Violet Dread.”

“Well, good job.” Vedal knew she’d find it. “Now that you know what’s wrong, we can cure it right.”

Miniko closed her eyes, looking away. “No, we can’t…”

Vedal was ice cold. “What…?”

“No doctor can cure this disease.” Miniko started sobbing. “It’s a severe genetic deformity that only makes itself known in teenage years. And there is no treatment.”

Vedal barely found himself inside the mountain of emotions bubbling inside. “What can we do then? What are the symptoms?”

“This is the first phase of the Dread. The far edges of the body, such as the fingers and toes, change to a purplish color. Then all the colored parts will experience severe necrosis, which is when the flesh rots.”

Vedal didn’t want to believe what he was hearing. “And after that…?”

Miniko shed a tear. “There is no after that… It keeps spreading until the source is gone.” She could no longer keep herself collected. “Vedal… I’m sorry…”

“…”

“But this girl will die…”

“H…” Vedal’s voice had taken a big hit. “H-How do you know…?!”